bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Community Development Finance: A Neo-Market Solution to Social Exclusion?
Authors: AFFLECK ARTHUR , MELLOR MARY
Published: October 2007

Financial exclusion is increasingly being recognised as an important aspect of socio-economic inequality where disadvantaged individuals and communities are isolated from mainstream financial services, particularly affordable and readily available credit. In the face of these problems, social policy initiatives have emerged that have travelled under various names: social investment, micro-finance, community finance and community development finance. These initiatives are seen as the basis of a ‘new economics’ that will create self-sustaining local economies. The government is also promoting community development finance as an aspect of community regeneration with the aim of providing credit to poor communities to stimulate local enterprise and thereby reduce dependency on state support. The same approach is being taken to grant-funded community and voluntary organisations to encourage them into a neo-market approach to the delivery of services. This article explores the phenomenon of community development finance and assesses its proposed role in community regeneration and in relation to the community and voluntary sector.
Social Policy Digest Online
Authors: Bennett Fran , Jones Ken
Published: October 2007

The Social Policy Digest went online in the summer of 2003. This means that the Digest, which used to be printed as part of the Journal of Social Policy, is now only available via the web.
The influence of air pollution on Thoroughbred race performance
Authors: Gates Maureen C
Published: October 2007

This study examined the changing levels of air pollution at major racetracks in the United States over the past 35 years of Grade I Stakes Thoroughbred racing (n = 675) to evaluate the impact on race performance. Information on winning race times, race speed, temperature, track conditions, ozone and particulate matter was analysed using multiple regression and ANOVA. The 8, 9 and 12 furlong races showed slight improvement in winning times over the 35-year time span. Although there was no significant difference in mean race speed in terms of particulate matter (F4,112 = 0.514, α < 0.05), the few races run under ‘hazardous’ ozone levels, based on the Pollutants Standards Index, were markedly slower (F4,251 = 12.365, α < 0.05). A multiple regression analysis of six additional pollutants in the Californian races revealed no significant effects beyond a slight improvement in the 7 furlong races, with decreased nitrogen dioxide levels. Of the nine racetracks with 9 furlong races, winning times in Pimlico and Belmont were approximately 4 s slower than average. Belmont also had the greatest percentage of races with hazardous ozone conditions. Other correlations between year, pollutants and improvements in race time were of small magnitude and may be an artefact of the sample size rather than of true predictive value. While racing under high levels of certain pollutants appears detrimental to equine athletes, very few races are run under these conditions and other factors such as breeding, training and individual variation may play a more significant role than this study could document with respect to pollution.
Segmental variation in the activity and function of the equine longissimus dorsi muscle during walk and trot
Authors: Wakeling James M , Ritruechai Pattama , Dalton Sarah , Nankervis Kathryn
Published: October 2007

Muscle function depends in part on the interplay between its activity and its length within the stretch-shortening cycle. Thelongissimus dorsiis a large epaxial muscle running along the thoracic and lumbar regions of the equine back. Due to its anatomical positioning, thelongissimus dorsihas the capability of contributing to many functions: developing bending moments in the dorsoventral and lateral (coupled to axial rotation) directions and also providing stiffness to limit motion in these directions. We hypothesize that the exact function of thelongissimus dorsiwill vary along the back and between gaits as the relation between activity and motion of the back changes. Electromyograms (EMG) were recorded at walk (inclined and level) and trot (on the level) on a treadmill from thelongissimus dorsiat muscle segments T14, T16, T18 and L2. Back motion was additionally measured using a fibre-optic goniometer. Co-contractions of the muscle between its left and right sides were quantified using correlation analysis. A greater dominance of unilateral activity was found at more cranial segments and for level walking, suggesting a greater role of thelongissimus dorsiin developing lateral bending moments. Timing of the EMG varied between muscle segments relative to the gait cycle, the locomotor condition tested and the flexion–extension cycle of the back. This supports the hypothesis that the function of thelongissimus dorsichanges along the back and between gaits.
A Role for Set in the Control of Automatic Spatial Response Activation
Authors: Risko Evan F. , Besner Derek
Published: October 2007

Abstract. Spatial stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility effects are widely assumed to reflect the automatic activation of a spatial response by the spatial attributes of a stimulus. The experiments reported here investigate the role of the participant's set in enabling or interacting with this putatively automatic spatial response activation. Participants performed a color discrimination task (Experiment 1) or a localization task (Experiment 2). In each experiment, two different S-R mappings were used and a task-cue indicated the appropriate mapping on each trial. S-R compatibility and the time between the task-cue and target were manipulated, and compatibility effects were assessed as a function of (a) the time between the task-cue and the stimulus, and (b) whether the S-R mapping repeated or switched on consecutive trials. Critically, whether response mappings repeated or switched on consecutive trials determined the relation between compatibility effects and the time between task-cue and stimulus. These results are discussed in terms of an interaction between automatic spatial response activation and the participant's set.
Face Imagery Is Based on Featural Representations
Authors: Lobmaier Janek S. , Mast Fred W.
Published: October 2007

Abstract. The effect of imagery on featural and configural face processing was investigated using blurred and scrambled faces. By means of blurring, featural information is reduced; by scrambling a face into its constituent parts configural information is lost. Twenty-four participants learned ten faces together with the sound of a name. In following matching-to-sample tasks participants had to decide whether an auditory presented name belonged to a visually presented scrambled or blurred face in two experimental conditions. In the imagery condition, the name was presented prior to the visual stimulus and participants were required to imagine the corresponding face as clearly and vividly as possible. In the perception condition name and test face were presented simultaneously, thus no facilitation via mental imagery was possible. Analyses of the hit values showed that in the imagery condition scrambled faces were recognized significantly better than blurred faces whereas there was no such effect for the perception condition. The results suggest that mental imagery activates featural representations more than configural representations.
Graded Effects of Number of Inserted Letters in Superset Priming
Authors: Welvaert Marijke , Farioli Fernand , Grainger Jonathan
Published: October 2007

Abstract. Three masked priming experiments investigated the effects of target word length and number of inserted letters on superset priming, where irrelevant letters are added to targets to form prime stimuli (e.g., tanble-table). Effects of one, two, three, and four-letter insertions were measured relative to an unrelated prime condition, the identity prime condition, and a condition where the order of letters of the superset primes was reversed. Superset primes facilitated performance compared with unrelated primes and reversed primes, and the overall pattern showed a small cost of letter insertion that was independent of target word length and that increased linearly as a function of the number of inserted letters. A meta-analysis incorporating data from the present study and two other studies investigating superset priming, showed an average estimated processing cost of 11 ms per letter insertion. Models of letter position coding are examined in the light of this result.
The Effect of Spectral Difference on Auditory Saltation
Authors: Getzmann Stephan
Published: October 2007

Abstract. Auditory saltation is a spatiotemporal illusion in which the judged positions of sound stimuli are shifted toward subsequent stimuli that follow closely in time and space. In this study, the “reduced-rabbit” paradigm and a direct-location method were employed to investigate the effect of spectral sound content on the saltation illusion. Eighteen listeners were presented with sound sequences consisting of three high-pass or low-pass filtered noise bursts. Noise bursts within a sequence were either the same or differed in frequency. Listeners judged the position of the second sound using a hand pointer. When the time interval between the second and third sound was short, the target was shifted toward the location of the subsequent stimulus. This displacement effect did not depend on the spectral content of the first sound, but decreased substantially when the second and third sounds were different. The results indicated an effect of spectral difference on saltation that is discussed with regard to a recently proposed stimulus integration approach in which saltation was attributed to an interaction between perceptual processing of temporally proximate stimuli.
Aerosol modeling over Europe: 2. Interannual variability of aerosol shortwave direct radiative forcing
Authors: Marmer E. , Langmann B. , Hungershöfer K. , Trautmann T.
Published: October 2007

Aerosol distribution over Europe and its direct radiative forcing have been simulated with a regional atmosphere‐chemistry model and an off‐line radiation transfer model. Primary and secondary organic and inorganic aerosols have been considered. The simulation was conducted for meteorologically different years 2002 and 2003 to analyze the spatial and temporal variability of the aerosol distribution and the direct forcing. The accompanying paper focuses on the aerosol distribution, while radiative forcing is discussed in this paper. The mixing state of aerosols, externally or internally, is shown to influence the strength, regional distribution and sign of radiative forcing, thereby regulating the forcing efficiency. Positive top‐of‐the‐atmosphere forcing was simulated over eastern and southeastern Europe in spring and winter because of contribution of black carbon. Its strength varies from +0.2 to + 1 W m−2, depending on aerosol mixing assumptions. Sensitivity studies show a mean European direct forcing of −0.3 W m−2 in winter and −2.5 W m−2 in summer, regionally ranging from −5 to + 4 W m−2.
Climatological evaporation seasonality in the northern Red Sea
Authors: Eshel Gidon , Heavens Nicholas
Published: October 2007

The dynamic and thermodynamic processes that underlie the exceptionally high evaporation over the northern Red Sea are examined. Through a combination of data analysis and a simple numerical model we show that the key boundary layer dehumidifier is ageostrophic cross‐channel sea breezes. This circulation develops semidiurnally in response to thermal gradients across the Red Sea's coasts because of disparate land‐ocean heat capacities. During the summer day the thermally induced high‐pressure center over the Red Sea axis results in near‐surface flows from the Red Sea toward the neighboring deserts. The strong divergence associated with these flows is maximized along the Red Sea axis and is accompanied by strong subsidence that suppresses boundary layer relative humidity by both reducing specific humidity and increasing temperatures. Because the summer nighttime reversed thermal gradients are smaller in magnitude, the daytime circulation dominates over the nighttime in summer and thus dominates over the daily and seasonal means. Following similar reasoning, we also devise a winter dehumidifier. We conclude by advancing a simple means of estimating Red Sea evaporation under diverse paleoinsolation regimes, and we show small but clear evaporation changes during the course of the Holocene. Our estimates represent lower bounds, and we plan to refine them in follow‐up work.
Initial performance assessment of CALIOP
Authors: Winker David M. , Hunt William H. , McGill Matthew J.
Published: October 2007

The Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP, pronounced the same as “calliope”) is a spaceborne two‐wavelength polarization lidar that has been acquiring global data since June 2006. CALIOP provides high resolution vertical profiles of clouds and aerosols, and has been designed with a very large linear dynamic range to encompass the full range of signal returns from aerosols and clouds. CALIOP is the primary instrument carried by the Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) satellite, which was launched on April 28, 2006. CALIPSO was developed within the framework of a collaboration between NASA and the French space agency, CNES. Initial data analysis and validation intercomparisons indicate the quality of data from CALIOP meets or exceeds expectations. This paper presents a description of the CALIPSO mission, the CALIOP instrument, and an initial assessment of on‐orbit measurement performance.
Did ice streams shape the largest channels on Mars?
Authors: Kite Edwin S. , Hindmarsh Richard C. A.
Published: October 2007

The largest channels on Mars are the Northwestern Slope Valleys (NSVs) of Tharsis, which have previously been interpreted as the probable erosional trace of catastrophic flooding. It is argued here that ice‐streaming within ancient ice sheets emplaced by atmospheric precipitation at high mean obliquity may instead account for these channels, explaining similarities between the region and terrestrial Pleistocene subglacial landscapes. An ice‐sheet model shows extensive basal melting in and only in the NSV region, and ice streams which have significant erosive power.
Motions of the equatorial ionization anomaly crests imaged by FORMOSAT‐3/COSMIC
Authors: Lin C. H. , Liu J. Y. , Fang T. W. , Chang P. Y. , Tsai H. F. , Chen C. H. , Hsiao C. C.
Published: October 2007

The equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) structures and evolutions are imaged using radio occultation observation of the newly launched FORMOSAT‐3/COSMIC (F3/C) satellite constellation. Three‐dimensional ionospheric images provide unprecedented detail of the EIA structure globally. This paper presents images of the EIA structures during July–August 2006 and discusses the development and subsidence of the EIA. Clear seasonal asymmetries in both ionospheric electron density and layer height are observed. Two‐dimensional (cross section) maps at a meridian provide dynamic variations and motions of the northern and southern EIA crests. Results suggest that in addition to the asymmetric neutral composition effect, interactions between the summer‐to‐winter (transequatorial) neutral winds and strength of the equatorial plasma fountain effect play important roles in producing asymmetric development of the EIA crests as imaged by the F3/C.
Process signatures in regional patterns of shoreline change on annual to decadal time scales
Authors: Lazarus Eli D. , Murray A. Brad
Published: October 2007

Gradients in wave‐driven alongshore sediment transport influence the morphologies of sediment‐covered coastlines on a range of spatial and temporal scales, affecting accretion and erosion patterns relevant to human development. Recent theoretical findings predict that a correlation between shoreline change and shoreline curvature results from patterns of alongshore sediment flux; the sign (positive or negative) of that correlation depends on whether high‐ or low‐angle waves dominated the wave climate. Using lidar surveys of the northern North Carolina coast from 1996–2005 to document shoreline change and quantify alongshore patterns of erosion and deposition, we isolate these signals diagnostic of alongshore‐transport processes. Our analyses show a persistent, significant negative correlation between shoreline‐position change and shoreline curvature consistent with a low‐angle‐dominated incident wave climate over the last decade. At large spatial scales, convex‐seaward promontories have eroded landward, while concave‐seaward bays have aggraded seaward, resulting in an apparent diffusion of alongshore morphological features.
Taylor scale and effective magnetic Reynolds number determination from plasma sheet and solar wind magnetic field fluctuations
Authors: Weygand James M. , Matthaeus W. H. , Dasso S. , Kivelson M. G. , Walker R. J.
Published: October 2007

Cluster data from many different intervals in the magnetospheric plasmas sheet and the solar wind are employed to determine the magnetic Taylor microscale from simultaneous multiple point measurements. For this study we define the Taylor scale as the square root of the ratio of the mean square magnetic field (or velocity) fluctuations to the mean square spatial derivatives of their fluctuations. The Taylor scale may be used, in the assumption of a classical Ohmic dissipation function, to estimate effective magnetic Reynolds numbers, as well as other properties of the small scale turbulence. Using solar wind magnetic field data, we have determined a Taylor scale value of 2400 ± 100 km, which is used to obtain an effective magnetic Reynolds number of about 260,000 ± 20,000, and in the plasma sheet we calculated a Taylor scale of 1900 ± 100 km, which allowed us to obtain effective magnetic Reynolds numbers in the range of about 7 to 110. The present determination makes use of a novel extrapolation technique to derive a statistically stable estimate from a range of small scale measurements. These results may be useful in magnetohydrodynamic modeling of the solar wind and the magnetosphere and may provide constraints on kinetic theories of dissipation in space plasmas.
Resonance vibrational Raman optical activity: A time-dependent density functional theory approach
Authors: Jensen L. , Autschbach J. , Krykunov M. , Schatz G. C.
Published: October 2007

We present a method to calculate both on- and off-resonance vibrational Raman optical activities (VROAs) of molecules using time-dependent density functional theory. This is an extension of a method to calculate the normal VROA by including a finite lifetime of the electronic excited states in all calculated properties. The method is based on a short-time approximation to Raman scattering and is, in the off-resonance case, identical to the standard theory of Placzek. The normal and resonance VROA spectra are calculated from geometric derivatives of the different generalized polarizabilites obtained using linear response theory which includes a damping term to account for the finite lifetime. Gauge-origin independent results for normal VROA have been ensured using either the modified-velocity gauge or gauge-included atomic orbitals. For the resonance VROA only the modified-velocity gauge has been implemented. We present some initial results for H2O2 and (S)-methyloxirane and compare with predictions from a simple two-state approximation.
Diffusive dynamics on multidimensional rough free energy surfaces
Authors: Banushkina Polina , Meuwly Markus
Published: October 2007

The dynamics of processes relevant to chemistry and biophysics on rough free energy landscapes is investigated using a recently developed algorithm to solve the Smoluchowski equation. Two different processes are considered: ligand rebinding in MbCO and protein folding. For the rebinding dynamics of carbon monoxide (CO) to native myoglobin (Mb) from locations around the active site, the two-dimensional free energy surface (FES) is constructed using extensive molecular dynamics simulations. The surface describes the minima in the A state (bound MbCO), CO in the distal pocket and in the Xe4 pocket, and the transitions between these states and allows to study the diffusion of CO in detail. For the folding dynamics of protein G, a previously determined two-dimensional FES was available. To follow the diffusive dynamics on these rough free energy surfaces, the Smoluchowski equation is solved using the recently developed hierarchical discrete approximation method. From the relaxation of the initial nonequilibrium distribution, experimentally accessible quantities such as the rebinding time for CO or the folding time for protein G can be calculated. It is found that the free energy barrier for CO in the Xe4 pocket and in the distal pocket (B state) closer to the heme iron is ≈6kcal∕mol which is considerably larger than the inner barrier which separates the bound state and the B state. For the folding of protein G, a barrier of ≈10kcal∕mol between the unfolded and the folded state is consistent with folding times of the order of milliseconds.
Creation of hot dense matter in short-pulse laser-plasma interaction with tamped titanium foils
Authors: Chen S. N. , Gregori G. , Patel P. K. , Chung H.-K. , Evans R. G. , Freeman R. R. , Garcia Saiz E. , Glenzer S. H. , Hansen S. B. , Khattak F. Y. , King J. A. , Mackinnon A. J. , Notley M. M. , Pasley J. R. , Riley D. , Stephens R. B. , Weber R. L. , Wilks S. C. , Beg F. N.
Published: October 2007

Dense titanium plasma has been heated to an electron temperature up to 1300eV with a 100TW, high intensity short-pulse laser. The experiments were conducted using Ti foils (5μm thick) sandwiched between layers of either aluminum (1 or 2μm thick) or plastic (2μm thick) to prevent the effects of prepulse. Targets of two different sizes, i.e., 250×250μm2 and 1×1mm2 were used. Spectral measurements of the Ti inner-shell emission, in the region between 4and5keV, were taken from the front-side (i.e., the laser illuminated side) of the target. The data show large shifts in the Kα emission from open-shell ions, suggesting bulk heating of the sample at near solid density, which was largest for reduced mass targets. Comparison with collisional radiative and 2D radiation hydrodynamics codes indicates a peak temperature of Te,peak=1300eV of solid titanium plasma in ∼0.2μm thin layer. Higher bulk temperature (Te,bulk=100eV) for aluminum tamped compared to CH tamped targets (Te,bulk=40eV) was observed. A possible explanation for this difference is described whereby scattering due to the nuclear charge of the tamping material leads to modified electron transport behavior.
Molecular simulations of droplet coalescence in oil/water/surfactant systems
Authors: Rekvig Live , Frenkel Daan
Published: October 2007

We report a molecular simulation study of the mechanism by which droplets covered with a surfactant monolayer coalesce. We study a model system where the rate-limiting step in coalescence is the rupture of the surfactant film. Our simulations allow us to focus on the stages at the core of the coalescence process: the initial rupture of the two surfactant monolayers, the rearrangement of the surfactant molecules to form a channel connecting the two droplets, and the expansion of the radius of the resulting channel. For our numerical study, we made use of the dissipative particle dynamics method. We used a coarse-grained description of the oil, water, and surfactant molecules. The rupture of the surfactant film is a rare event on the molecular time scale. To enhance the sampling of the rupture of the surfactant film, we used forward flux sampling (FFS). FFS not only allows us to estimate coalescence rates, it also provides insight into the molecular structure and free energy of the “transition” state. For an oil-water-oil film without surfactant, the rupture rate decreases exponentially with increasing film thickness. The critical state is different in thin and thick films: Thin films break following a large enough thickness fluctuation. Thicker films break only after a sufficiently large hole fluctuation—they can heal. Next, we designed surfactant molecules with positive, zero, and negative natural curvatures. For a water film between two surfactant-covered oil droplets, the rupture rate is highest when the surfactant has a negative natural curvature, lowest when it has zero natural curvature, and lying in between when it has a positive natural curvature. This nonmonotonic variation with curvature stems from two effects: First, the surfactants with a large absolute value of the natural curvature have lower interfacial tension and bending rigidity. This promotes the interfacial fluctuations required to nucleate a channel. Second, the sign of the natural curvature determines whether there is a critical channel radius at which the channel free energy has a maximum. The latter is in agreement with the hole-nucleation theory of Kabalnov and Wennerström [Langmuir 12, 276 (1996)]. Our simulations seriously overestimate the relative stability of surfactant free emulsions. We argue that this is due to the fact that our model does not allow for nanobubble formation and capillary evaporation—processes that are presumably of key importance in the coalescence of surfactant-free emulsions.
The study of temperature dependence of photoresponse in superlattice infrared photodetectors
Authors: Lu J. H. , Wang Y. C. , Wang C. L. , Kuan C. H. , Yang C. W. , Tu S. L. , Feng J. Y. , Lay T. S.
Published: October 2007

Temperature dependence of the photoresponse in two superlattice infrared photodetectors with different single barriers is studied. It is found that the short-wavelength response decreases with temperature, but the long-wavelength one increases. The crossing point of those two response ranges is independent of temperature. The movement of its associated wavelength under different biases is investigated and analyzed. The relevant physical mechanisms are found and integrated into a simple model to explain the experimental results. Based on the model, another sample with a superlattice integrated with multiple quantum wells is designed to demonstrate whether its temperature dependence of the photoresponse is consistent with our understanding. The sample indeed shows a broadband response which enhances with temperature in all wavelengths.
Comparison between micromagnetic simulation and experiment for the Co∕γ-Fe50Mn50 exchange-biased system
Authors: Saha Jyotirmoy , Parker J. S. , Bolon Bruce T. , Abin-Fuentes A. , Leighton C. , Victora R. H.
Published: October 2007

We have constructed a micromagnetic model to study the exchange coupling between Co (a ferromagnet) and γ-Fe50Mn50 (an antiferromagnet) in a thin film bilayer with (111) texturing. The intention is to compare experimental results with a micromagnetic calculation that is sufficiently sophisticated to realistically model this polycrystalline ferromagnet/antiferromagnet system. The antiferromagnet thickness dependences of exchange bias and enhanced coercivity were simulated at 10 and 300K and comparison to experiments revealed reasonable agreement. We also examined the antiferromagnet grain size dependence of exchange bias, owing to its relation to the key issue of uncompensated spin density. Simulation finds a linear relationship between exchange bias and inverse grain size for both thermally stable and thermally fluctuating antiferromagnetic grains, but with different intercepts. Experiment also finds a linear dependence, but the extrapolation to infinite diameter reveals an unexpected negative exchange bias. Our results demonstrate the applicability of this form of micromagnetic modeling for multiple phenomena associated with the exchange bias effect.
Contact potential measurement using a heated atomic force microscope tip
Authors: Remmert Jessica L. , Wu Yan , Lee Jungchul , Shannon Mark A. , King William P.
Published: October 2007

This letter reports contact potential measurement between the tip of a heated atomic force microscope cantilever and a biased gold film. Force-distance experiments were performed with tip temperature, tip potential, and substrate potential independently controlled. Experiments were conducted for probe temperatures of 23 to 200 °C and tip potentials of −1 V to 1 V. The measured contact potential was a function of temperature, due to the thermoelectric properties of the tip and substrate. The Seebeck coefficient for the combined system was close to −4.30mV∕K, consistent with the tip and substrate materials. The technique is scalable to arrays suitable for large area imaging.
Molecular fragmentation driven by ultrafast dynamic ionic resonances
Authors: Pearson Brett J. , Nichols Sarah R. , Weinacht Thomas
Published: October 2007

The authors time resolve molecular motion in bound state, ionic potentials that leads to bond cleavage during the interaction with intense, ultrafast laser fields. Resonances in molecular ions play an important role in dissociative ionization with ultrafast laser fields, and the authors demonstrate how these resonances evolve in time to produce dissociation after initial strong-field ionization. Exploiting such dynamic resonances offers the possibility of controlled bond breaking and characterizing time-dependent molecular structure.
In situ silicon oxide based intermediate reflector for thin-film silicon micromorph solar cells
Authors: Buehlmann P. , Bailat J. , Dominé D. , Billet A. , Meillaud F. , Feltrin A. , Ballif C.
Published: October 2007

We show that SiO-based intermediate reflectors (SOIRs) can be fabricated in the same reactor and with the same process gases as used for thin-film silicon solar cells. By varying input gas ratios, SOIR layers with a wide range of optical and electrical properties are obtained. The influence of the SOIR thickness in the micromorph cell is studied and current gain and losses are discussed. Initial micromorph cell efficiency of 12.2% (Voc=1.40V, fill factor=71.9%, and Jsc=12.1mA∕cm2) is achieved with top cell, SOIR, and bottom cell thicknesses of 270, 95, and 1800nm, respectively.
The Challenge of Devising Public Policy for High-Tech, Science-Based, and Knowledge-Based Communities: Evidence from a Life Science and Biotechnology Community
Authors: Kasabov Edward
Published: October 2007

This paper raises the problematic of devising evidence-based public policy for high-tech, knowledge-based communities which are critical to national innovation and competitiveness. By applying an established framework of policy analysis to a specific life-science and biotechnology community, and by conducting an inclusive, systemic, and grounded analysis of the community, past and present policy support for the community are critically assessed and future avenues examined. Although community-level policy can, at times, be generic, an attitude embracing differentiation and contingency that reflects the specificities of community and subcommunity (population) organising may be more appropriate.
Heritability of ultimatum game responder behavior
Authors: Wallace Björn , Cesarini David , Lichtenstein Paul , Johannesson Magnus
Published: October 2007

Experimental evidence suggests that many people are willing to deviate from materially maximizing strategies to punish unfair behavior. Even though little is known about the origins of such fairness preferences, it has been suggested that they have deep evolutionary roots and that they are crucial for maintaining and understanding cooperation among non-kin. Here we report the results of an ultimatum game, played for real monetary stakes, using twins recruited from the population-based Swedish Twin Registry as our subject pool. Employing standard structural equation modeling techniques, we estimate that >40% of the variation in subjects' rejection behavior is explained by additive genetic effects. Our estimates also suggest a very modest role for common environment as a source of phenotypic variation. Based on these findings, we argue that any attempt to explain observed ultimatum bargaining game behavior that ignores this genetic influence is incomplete.
Notch signaling in vascular smooth muscle cells is required to pattern the cerebral vasculature
Authors: Proweller Aaron , Wright Alex C. , Horng Debra , Cheng Lan , Lu Min Min , Lepore John J. , Pear Warren S. , Parmacek Michael S.
Published: October 2007

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and a significant contributor of morbidity in the United States. In humans, suboptimal cerebral collateral circulation within the circle of Willis (CW) predisposes to ischemia and stroke risk in the setting of occlusive carotid artery disease. Unique genes or developmental pathways responsible for proper CW formation are unknown. Herein we characterize a mouse model lacking Notch signaling in vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs), in which the animals are intolerant to reduced cerebral blood flow. Remarkably, unilateral carotid artery ligation results in profound neurological sequelae and death. After carotid ligation, perfusion of the ipsilateral cerebral hemisphere was markedly diminished, suggesting an anastomotic deficiency within the CW. High-resolution microcomputed tomographic (μ-CT) imaging revealed profound defects in cerebrovascular patterning, including interruption of the CW and anatomic deformity of the cerebral arteries. These data identify a vSMC-autonomous function for Notch signaling in patterning and collateral formation within the cerebral arterial circulation. The data further implicate genetic or functional deficiencies in Notch signaling in the pathogenesis of anatomic derangements underlying cerebrovascular accidents.
SMK-1/PPH-4.1–mediated silencing of the CHK-1 response to DNA damage in early C. elegans embryos
Authors: Kim Seung-Hwan , Holway Antonia H. , Wolff Suzanne , Dillin Andrew , Michael W. Matthew
Published: October 2007

During early embryogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans, the ATL-1–CHK-1 (ataxia telangiectasia mutated and Rad3 related–Chk1) checkpoint controls the timing of cell division in the future germ line, or P lineage, of the animal. Activation of the CHK-1 pathway by its canonical stimulus DNA damage is actively suppressed in early embryos so that P lineage cell divisions may occur on schedule. We recently found that the rad-2 mutation alleviates this checkpoint silent DNA damage response and, by doing so, causes damage-dependent delays in early embryonic cell cycle progression and subsequent lethality. In this study, we report that mutations in the smk-1 gene cause the rad-2 phenotype. SMK-1 is a regulatory subunit of the PPH-4.1 (protein phosphatase 4) protein phosphatase, and we show that SMK-1 recruits PPH-4.1 to replicating chromatin, where it silences the CHK-1 response to DNA damage. These results identify the SMK-1–PPH-4.1 complex as a critical regulator of the CHK-1 pathway in a developmentally relevant context.
Heterotrimeric G protein signaling functions with dynein to promote spindle positioning in C. elegans
Authors: Couwenbergs Claudia , Labbé Jean-Claude , Goulding Morgan , Marty Thomas , Bowerman Bruce , Gotta Monica
Published: October 2007

Proper orientation and positioning of the mitotic spindle is essential for the correct segregation of fate determinants during asymmetric cell division. Although heterotrimeric G proteins and their regulators are essential for spindle positioning in many cell types, their mechanism of action remains unclear. In this study, we show that dyrb-1, which encodes a dynein light chain, provides a functional link between heterotrimeric G protein signaling and dynein activity during spindle positioning in Caenorhabditis elegans. Embryos depleted of dyrb-1 display phenotypes similar to a weak loss of function of dynein activity, indicating that DYRB-1 is a positive regulator of dynein. We find that the depletion of dyrb-1 enhances the spindle positioning defect of weak loss of function alleles of two regulators of G protein signaling, LIN-5 and GPR-1/2, and that DYRB-1 physically associates with these two proteins. These results indicate that dynein activity functions with regulators of G protein signaling to regulate common downstream effectors during spindle positioning in the early C. elegans embryo.
JCB content automatically deposited in PubMed Central (PMC)
Authors: Hill Emma
Published: October 2007

The Journal of Cell Biology has helped define the field of cell biology. Since its establishment in 1955 by some of the founders of the discipline, the journal has attracted exciting, high quality science from leaders in the field. This is thanks in large part to a committed and active Editorial Board, selected as some of the most respected and thoughtful cell biologists throughout the world. It was therefore an honor, four months ago, to take the position of Executive Editor and work alongside current Editor-in-Chief Ira Mellman.
Fervidobacterium changbaicum sp. nov., a novel thermophilic anaerobic bacterium isolated from a hot spring of the Changbai Mountains, China
Authors: Cai Jingang , Wang Yanping , Liu Dongbo , Zeng Yan , Xue Yanfen , Ma Yanhe , Feng Yan
Published: October 2007

A thermophilic, obligately anaerobic, rod-shaped bacterium (strain CBS-1T) was isolated from a hot spring mixture of water and mud of the Changbai Mountains, China. Strain CBS-1T was found to be non-sporulating, Gram-negative, with optimal growth at 75–80 °C. It grew on a wide range of carbon sources, including glucose, lactose, maltose, starch, sorbitol and pyruvate amongst others. The DNA G+C content of strain CBS-1T was 31.9 mol%. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that the strain was a member of the genus Fervidobacterium. The high concentration of C16 : 0 (52.2 %) in the fatty acid profile of the cell envelope supported its inclusion as a member of the genus Fervidobacterium. On the basis of the low values of DNA–DNA hybridization (25.8 and 20.5 %) and phenotypic features, strain CBS-1T represents a novel species of the genus Fervidobacterium, for which the name Fervidobacterium changbaicum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CBS-1T (=DSM 17883T=JCM 13353T).
Altererythrobacter epoxidivorans gen. nov., sp. nov., an epoxide hydrolase-active, mesophilic marine bacterium isolated from cold-seep sediment, and reclassification of Erythrobacter luteolus Yoon et al. 2005 as Altererythrobacter luteolus comb. nov.
Authors: Kwon Kae Kyoung , Woo Jung-Hee , Yang Sung-Hyun , Kang Ji-Hyun , Kang Sung Gyun , Kim Sang-Jin , Sato Takako , Kato Chiaki
Published: October 2007

A novel marine bacterium, strain JCS350T, was isolated from marine sediment samples collected from a cold-seep area. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of the isolate showed high similarity to that ofErythrobacterluteolusSW-109T(95.9 % sequence similarity). Lower 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities were shown to other members of the genusErythrobacter(94.6–95.4 %) and members of the genusPorphyrobacter(94.5–95.2 %). Phylogenetic analysis with all members of the familyErythrobacteraceaeand several members of the familySphingomonadaceaerevealed that the isolate formed a phyletic line with [Erythrobacter]luteolusthat was distinct from other members of the familyErythrobacteraceae. The dominant fatty acids of strain JCS350Twere 18 : 1ω7c, 16 : 1ω7cand cyclopropane 17 : 0. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone 10. The DNA G+C content was 54.5 mol%. The isolate did not contain bacteriochlorophylla. Optimal growth required the presence of 2 % (w/v) NaCl with either 0.18 % CaCl2or 0.59 % MgCl2, at pH 6.5 and at 35 °C. On the basis of the evidence of this polyphasic taxonomic study, strain JCS350Tshould be classified in a novel genus and species in the familyErythrobacteraceae, for which the nameAltererythrobacter epoxidivoransgen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The misclassified species [Erythrobacter]luteolusis transferred to the new genus asAltererythrobacter luteoluscomb. nov. The type strain ofAltererythrobacter epoxidivoransis JCS350T(=KCCM 42314T=JCM 13815T) and the type strain ofAltererythrobacter luteolusis SW-109T(=KCTC 12311T=JCM 12599T).
Acidaminococcus intestini sp. nov., isolated from human clinical samples
Authors: Jumas-Bilak Estelle , Carlier Jean-Philippe , Jean-Pierre Hélène , Mory Francine , Teyssier Corinne , Gay Bernard , Campos Josiane , Marchandin Hélène
Published: October 2007

Eleven strains of a hitherto unknown, Gram-negative, anaerobic coccus were recovered from various human clinical samples of patients hospitalized in two geographically distant French hospitals. These strains displayed the morphology and growth characteristics of those related to the genusAcidaminococcus. The clinical isolates shared at least 99.9 and 99.7 % of their nucleotide positions in the 16S and 23S rRNA gene sequences, respectively. They displayed 95.6 and 88.9 % 16S and 23S rRNA gene sequence similarities, respectively, withAcidaminococcus fermentans. The 16S rRNA-based phylogeny revealed that all the clinical isolates grouped in a statistically well supported cluster separate fromA. fermentans. Enzymic activity profiles as well as metabolic end product patterns, including propionic acid production, differentiated the novel bacteria fromA. fermentans. Finally, phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic data, including large-scale chromosome structure and DNA G+C content, supported the proposal of a novel species of the genusAcidaminococcus, for which the nameAcidaminococcus intestinisp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ADV 255.99T(=AIP 283.01T=CIP 108586T=CCUG 50930T).
Anderseniella baltica gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel marine bacterium of the Alphaproteobacteria isolated from sediment in the central Baltic Sea
Authors: Brettar Ingrid , Christen Richard , Bötel Julia , Lünsdorf Heinrich , Höfle Manfred G.
Published: October 2007

A bacterial isolate from the Baltic Sea, designated strain BA141T, was characterized for its physiological and biochemical features, fatty acid profile, pigment spectrum, DNA G+C content and phylogenetic position based on comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The strain was isolated from the surface of sediment in a deep basin of the central Baltic Sea. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed a clear affiliation with theAlphaproteobacteria, and showed that the closest phylogenetic relationship was with the genusRhodobium.The G+C content of the DNA was 61.2 mol%. Cells of strain BA141Twere red-pigmented, Gram-negative, pleomorphic to rod-shaped, non-motile and catalase- and oxidase-positive. Growth was observed at salinities of 0.8–6 %, with optimum growth at 1.5–3 %. The temperature range for growth was 10–37 °C, with optimum growth at 25–30 °C. The fatty acids were dominated by unsaturated fatty acids (>86 %); the number of fatty acids detected was very low, with 18 : 1ω7c(73 %) as the predominant fatty acid; other major fatty acids were 19 : 0 cyclo 8c(10 %) and 16 : 0 (8 %). The pigment spectrum indicated the presence of carotenoids and unknown pigment(s) with an absorption maximum at 430 nm, but not bacteriochlorophylla. According to phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence and the phenotypic features, strain BA141Trepresents a new genus and species. The nameAnderseniella balticagen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed, with strain BA141T(=CIP 109499T=LMG 24028T) as the type strain.
Vibrio rhizosphaerae sp. nov., a red-pigmented bacterium that antagonizes phytopathogenic bacteria
Authors: kumar N. Ramesh , Nair Sudha
Published: October 2007

Two novel red-pigmented Vibrio strains, MSSRF3T and MSSRF10, with antibacterial activity against phytopathogens were isolated from the rhizosphere region of mangrove-associated wild rice (Porteresia coarctata Tateoka), in Pichavaram, India. The cells were Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic and rod-shaped and were motile by means of single polar flagella. The two strains were catalase-positive and oxidase-negative, and were able to grow in 0.1–10 % NaCl (with optimum growth in 2 % NaCl) and at temperatures of 20–42 °C (optimum growth at 25–30 °C). Both strains produced acid and gas from d-glucose under anaerobic conditions and utilized a wide range of compounds as sole carbon and energy sources. The DNA G+C contents determined were 51.3 mol% for strain MSSRF3T and 51.0 mol% for strain MSSRF10. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA, rpoA, recA and pyrH gene sequences showed that strains MSSRF3T and MSSRF10 belong to the genus Vibrio and are very closely related to Vibrio ruber JCM 11486T, with which they share 98.3–98.5 % (16S rRNA), 98.3–99.7 % (rpoA), 90.2–99.8 % (recA) and 91.3–99.4 % (pyrH) gene sequence similarities, respectively. Levels of DNA–DNA relatedness were 44 % between strains MSSRF3T and MSSRF10, 80 % between strain MSSRF10 and V. ruber JCM 11486T and 45 % between strain MSSRF3T and V. ruber JCM 11486T. Strain MSSRF3T was phenotypically similar to V. ruber JCM 11486T. However, the inability to reduce nitrate to nitrite, the ability to grow in 0.1 % NaCl and the presence of caseinase were characteristics that allowed differentiation between V. ruber JCM 11486T and strain MSSRF3T. In addition, strain MSSRF3T could be differentiated from strain MSSRF10 and its closest relative V. ruber JCM 11486T with respect to its genomic fingerprinting analysis (random amplified polymorphic DNA, GTG5, BOX, PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and ribotyping). Therefore, based on phenotypic, genotypic, phylogenetic and DNA–DNA hybridization analyses, strain MSSRF3T (=LMG 23790T=DSM 18581T) should be classified as representing the type strain of a novel species of the genus Vibrio, for which the name Vibrio rhizosphaerae sp. nov. is proposed.
Phylogeny and evolution of the family Ectothiorhodospiraceae based on comparison of 16S rRNA, cbbL and nifH gene sequences
Authors: Tourova Tatjana P. , Spiridonova Elizaveta M. , Berg Ivan A. , Slobodova Natalia V. , Boulygina Eugenia S. , Sorokin Dimitry Yu.
Published: October 2007

The occurrence of genes encoding nitrogenase and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) was investigated in the members of the familyEctothiorhodospiraceae. This family forms a separate phylogenetic lineage within theGammaproteobacteriaaccording to 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and mostly includes photo- and chemoautotrophic halophilic and haloalkaliphilic bacteria. ThecbbLgene encoding the large subunit of ‘green-like’ form I RubisCO was found in all strains, except the type strains ofAlkalispirillum mobileandArhodomonas aquaeolei. ThenifHgene encoding nitrogenase reductase was present in all investigated species of the phototrophic generaEctothiorhodospira,HalorhodospiraandThiorhodospira, but not of the genusEctothiorhodosinus. Unexpectedly,nifHfragments were also obtained for the chemotrophic speciesThioalkalispira microaerophilaandAlkalilimnicola halodurans, for which diazotrophic potential has not previously been assumed. ThecbbL-,nifH- and 16S rRNA gene-based trees were not highly congruent in their branching patterns since, in the ‘RubisCO’ and ‘nitrogenase’ trees, representatives of theEctothiorhodospiraceaeare divided in a number of broadly distributed clusters and branches. However, the data obtained may be regarded as evidence of the monophyletic origin of thecbbLandnifHgenes in most species within the familyEctothiorhodospiraceaeand mainly corresponded to the current taxonomic structure of this family. ThecbbLphylogeny of the chemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizersThioalkalivibrio nitratireducensandThioalkalivibrio paradoxusand the nitrifierNitrococcus mobilisdeviated significantly from the 16S-rRNA gene-based phylogeny. These species clustered with one of the duplicatedcbbLgenes of the purple sulfur bacteriumAllochromatium vinosum, a member of the familyChromatiaceae.