bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mineral isograds and metamorphic zones of the Anglesey blueschist belt, UK: implications for the metamorphic development of a Neoproterozoic subduction–accretion complex
Authors: KAWAI T. , WINDLEY B. F. , TERABAYASHI M. , YAMAMOTO H. , MARUYAMA S. , ISOZAKI Y.
Published: September 2010

The 560–550 Ma blueschists and associated rocks in Anglesey, UK were derived from a subduction–accretion complex. The blueschist unit is divided into three mineral zones by two newly mapped metamorphic isograds; zone I sub‐greenschist facies, (crossite isograd), zone II blueschist facies, (barroisite isograd), zone III epidote‐amphibolite facies. The zones and isograds dip gently to the east, and decrease in metamorphic grade from the central high‐pressure zone III to lower grade zones II and I to the west and east. The P–T conditions estimated from zoned amphibole indicate an anticlockwise P–T path following adjustment to a cold geotherm. This path is well preserved in the compositional zoning of Na–Ca amphibole that have a core of barroisite surrounded by a rim of crossite, although this is only locally developed. The sense of subduction was to the east and exhumation to the west, as indicated by the metamorphic isograds. The symmetrical arrangement of the metamorphic zones with the deepest high‐pressure rocks in the middle suggests an isoclinal antiformal structure that formed by wedge extrusion during exhumation in the subduction zone.
Partial high‐pressure aragonitization of micritic limestones in an accretionary complex, Tavşanlı Zone, NW Turkey
Authors: TOPUZ G. , OKAY A. I. , ALTHERR R. , MEYER H.‐P. , NASDALA L.
Published: September 2010

Pelagic micritic limestones within an upper Cretaceous accretionary complex in the Tavşanlı Zone, NW Turkey, preserve textures indicating incomplete prograde transformation of micritic calcite to aragonite, representing the only known example of this type. Aragonitization starts at the central parts of the micritic limestone beds and advances towards the lower and upper parts of the layers at the expense of micrite. Micrite is very fine grained (<0.003 mm) and contains radiolaria, foraminifera and thin shell fragments. Aragonite forms large crystals, up to 3 cm across, with straight grain boundaries and c‐axis mostly subparallel to the carbonate beds. Relict micritic portions are devoid of any aragonite grain. Stylolites characterized by the accumulation of clay minerals, Fe‐Mn‐hydroxides and quartz are concentrated in the upper and lower parts of the beds. Stylolite formation precedes aragonitization. Conditions of aragonitization are estimated as 200 ± 50 °C and 0.45–0.65 GPa, based on metamorphic mineral assemblages observed in associated basalts. Several features such as (i) constant composition of micritic calcite (98–99 mol.% CaCO3) throughout individual beds, (ii) enormous grain size difference between micritic calcite and aragonite (up to 1200 times), and (iii) absence of any aragonite grains within the relict micritic portions suggest that kinetic rather than thermodynamic factors controlled selective aragonite formation in the central portions of carbonate layers.
Ionprobe U‐Pb zircon ages from the high‐pressure/low‐temperature mélange of Syros, Greece: age diversity and the importance of pre‐Eocene subduction
Authors: BRÖCKER M. , KEASLING A.
Published: September 2010

The Cycladic blueschist belt in the central Aegean Sea has experienced high‐pressure (HP) metamorphism during collisional processes between the Apulian microplate and Eurasia. The general geological and tectonometamorphic framework is well documented, but one aspect which is yet not sufficiently explored is the importance of HP mélanges which occur within volcano‐sedimentary successions. Unresolved issues concern the range in magmatic and metamorphic ages recorded by mélange blocks and the significance of eventual pre‐Eocene HP metamorphism. These aspects are here addressed in a U‐Pb zircon study focusing on the block–matrix association exposed on the island of Syros. Two gneisses from a tectonic slab of this mélange, consisting of an interlayered felsic gneiss‐glaucophanite sequence, yielded zircon 206Pb/238U ages of 240.1 ± 4.1 and 245.3 ± 4.9 Ma, respectively, similar to Triassic ages determined on zircon in meta‐volcanic rocks from structurally coherent sequences elsewhere in the Cyclades. This strongly suggests that parts of these successions have been incorporated in the mélanges and provides the first geochronological evidence that the provenance of mélange blocks/slabs is neither restricted to a single source nor confined to fragments of oceanic lithosphere. Zircon from a jadeitite and associated alteration zones (omphacitite, glaucophanite and chlorite‐actinolite rock) all yielded identical 206Pb/238U ages of c. 80 Ma. Similar Cretaceous U‐Pb zircon ages previously reported for mélange blocks have been interpreted by different authors to reflect magmatic or metamorphic ages. The present study adds a further argument in favour of the view that zircon formed newly in some rock types at c. 80 Ma, due to hydrothermal or metasomatic processes in a subduction zone environment, and supports the interpretation that the Cycladic blueschist belt records both Cretaceous and Eocene HP episodes and not only a single Tertiary HP event.
Quantification of electron microprobe compositional maps of rock thin sections: an optimized method and examples
Authors: DE ANDRADE V. , VIDAL O. , LEWIN E. , O'BRIEN P. , AGARD P.
Published: September 2010

Quantification of discrete pressure–temperature domains in deformed chlorite + white mica‐bearing metapelites was undertaken on mineral compositions derived by two‐dimensional microprobe compositional mapping of selected areas of rock thin sections. In order to achieve compositional information at sufficient analytical precision, spatial resolution and sample coverage within a typical analysis time of 1 day, an optimization of measurement methods was necessary. The method presented here allows collection of raw counts for eight different element concentrations at an analytical precision of ∼1–2 wt%. X‐ray intensity multiplane maps (one map per measured chemical element) are translated into concentration multiplane maps, utilizing selected conventionally measured spot analyses combined with the Castaing approximation for each mineral. As this step requires identification of the different minerals present in the mapped area, a statistical clustering technique to identify different groups of composition was developed, guided by simple petrographic inspection of the thin section, to delineate the important minerals in the mapped area. Finally, the compositions of each pixel are translated into a mineral structural formula thus yielding a new kind of image with a high content of petrological information. The reliability of the mineral composition images was emphasized by carrying out precision tests on the analytical data. The possible use of chemical maps to infer the P–T–deformation history of metamorphic rocks is illustrated with two samples from the Spitzbergen and the Sambagawa blueschist facies belts. In both samples, a strong correlation between structures and chemistry is observed. Qualitative estimates of P–T conditions from the Si‐content of mica and chlorite are in good agreement with their location in microstructures that formed at different times. Therefore, the combination of chemical maps with microstructural observations is a very powerful approach to understand both the evolution of complex metamorphic rocks and the control by deformation of mineral reactivity.
A CONTINGENCY FRAMEWORK FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION‐MAKING:
Authors: Yoder Diane E.
Published: September 2010

This article explores a contingency framework for environmental decisionmaking. This framework suggests when environmental decision‐makers will use certain decision‐making processes by arguing that the process used is contingent on the type of environmental problem confronted and the attributes of the decision being made. I examine environmental decision‐making from two points. First, in the policy and organizational behavior literatures, a shortage of decision typologies exists. Thus, the article suggests a general typology of decision‐making based on dichotomized categories, e.g., short‐term versus long‐term decisions, decisions made under certainty versus uncertainty, new versus redressed decisions. Second, I suggest a general classification of environmental problems and describe their characteristics. The two typologies are superimposed and predictions made for when certain decision processes will be used. By categorizing decision types and process conditions, one can suggest what processes best suit which decisions and offer suggestions for improving policy outcomes.
INTERNET FACILITATED OPEN MODELING:
Authors: Felleman John
Published: September 2010

Adaptive Management is emerging as an important decision making approach for achieving sustainable environments. To be successful however, it requires the effective integration of ongoing systems modeling and participatory democracy. Information technologies hold great promise for supporting the knowledge access and multiparty communications necessary for effective adaptive management discourse. Open Modeling (OM), an integrated set of Internet‐facilitated dialog and analysis tools, is seen as the keystone of this enterprise. There is currently no federal or state policy which addresses OM. A preliminary OM classification scheme, and the major components of a robust OM System are identified. These can provide the framework for future policy analysis.
REINVENTING GOVERNMENT AND RURAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:
Authors: Sych Lawrence
Published: September 2010

Is the public sector really reinventing itself? Public transportation is a good test because it is highly sensitive to the reinventing government movement now so prominent on our policy agendas. This analysis develops prescriptively useful policy insights from five rural Michigan cases of reinventing local public transportation. The analysis finds that taskforce recommendations are modest attempts at reinvention. Significant change involving interorganizational coordination in a complex service such as public transportation is difficult to bring about. This difficulty is attributed to lack of goal consensus and resource instability. Local policy entrepreneurs, however, possess many more opportunities for promoting reinvention.
POLICY GOALS FOR EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND UNDERGRADUATE RETENTION:
Authors: Moller‐Wong Cheryl , Shelley Mack C. , Ebbers Larry H.
Published: September 2010

The warnings of declining education infrastructure offered by the National Commission on Excellence in Education in 1983 and the proposals for revitalizing education provided in national policy initiatives such as Goals 2000 provide powerful arguments for the systematic study of undergraduate retention and graduation. This article develops a system to monitor and facilitate institutional decisionmaking designed to improve student success and reduce attrition. The methodology may serve as a prototype to be adopted by colleges or universities across the country and help to inform national education planning and policymaking.
THE STATE SOCIALIST WELFARE SYSTEM and the POLITICAL ECONOMY OF PUBLIC HOUSING REFORM IN URBAN CHINA
Authors: Gu Edward X.
Published: September 2010

This aticle analyses China's housing reform against the background that a new housing policy has been implemented since 1988. The crucial point of the 1998 housing policy package is to stop the allocation system of state‐subsidized public housing. By changing this rule of the game, a major institutional obstacle to housing reform will be removed, and some unfeasible policy measures become feasible within the new institutional context.
Agenda Setting and the Blogosphere: An Analysis of the Relationship between Mainstream Media and Political Blogs
Authors: Wallsten Kevin
Published: September 2010

This paper asks: what is the relationship between the mainstream media and blog agendas? To be more precise, this paper tracks media coverage and blog discussion of 35 issues during the 2004 presidential campaign to test the hypothesis that the mainstream media agenda exerts a substantial impact on the blog agenda against the increasingly popular hypothesis that the blog agenda exerts a strong influence on the mainstream media agenda. Using a computer‐assisted, quantitative content analysis of ten randomly selected A‐list political blogs and 50 randomly selected, less popular political blogs over the five‐month period from July 1 to November 30, 2004, the author finds that on the vast majority of issues there was a complex, bidirectional relationship between mainstream media coverage and blog discussion rather than a unidirectional media or blog agenda‐setting effect.
The Politics of Regulatory Change: National Forest Management Planning under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush
Authors: Davis Charles
Published: September 2010

This paper examines regulatory change from the William J. Clinton administration through the presidency of George W. Bush by focusing on their respective efforts to alter national forest planning procedures mandated by the National Forest Management Act of 1976 (NFMA). While rule making has become an important alternative pathway for making policy, the strategies used to develop a new rule may vary among presidents because of differing values and management styles. Both presidents were adept at framing the planning regulation to reflect dominant values such as preserving ecosystems (Clinton) or administrative efficiency (Bush). Between‐administration differences in regulatory tactics also tended to alter the relative importance of institutional venues and, by extension, the influence exercised by differing political constituencies.
Photosensitivity to lomefloxacin. A clinical and photobiological study
Authors: Oliveira H. S. , Gonçalo M. , Figueiredo A. C.
Published: September 2010

Photosensitivity is an uncommon but characteristic side effect of quinolones, with a variable incidence for the different drugs. Several cases, considered either phototoxic or photoallergic, have been described with lomefloxacin use.

During the last 4 years we studied 8 patients (mean age 69.4 years) with eczematous or acute sunburn‐like lesions in photo‐exposed areas, after taking lomefloxacin for a period of one week to several months. After drug withdrawal and systemic and/or topical corticosteroids, lesions cleared within one week to two months, with dischromia in one patient.

Six to eight weeks thereafter, a photobiological study was performed. Minimal erythema dose (MED) for UVA and UVB were normal and photopatch tests with lomefloxacin, ofloxacin, ciproflaxacin and norfloxacin, tested at 1%, 5% and 10% in petrolatum and irradiated with 5 and 10 J/cm2 UVA were negative in 7 patients and 20 controls. Patient 1 had a positive photopatch test with lomefloxacin. One patient, who inadvertently reintroduced the drug before photopatch testing, developed a sharply limited erythematous reaction at 48 h in all irradiated areas, without aggravation at the sites of the quinolones patches.

Our patients illustrate the polymorphism of clinical photosensitivity to lomefloxacin and represent the largest series in which photobiological studies have been performed. As in previous reports there are arguments favouring photoallergy, but phototoxicity appears to be the main mechanism of photosensitivity to quinolones, particularly in older patients with concomitant diseases and long‐term use of the drug.
Increased phototoxicity of hydrochlorothiazide by photodegradation
Authors: Han K. D. , Bark K.‐M. , Heo E. P. , Lee J. K. , Kang J. S. , Kim T. H.
Published: September 2010

The photodegradation products of hydrochlorothiazide produced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation were investigated for their phototoxicity utilizing the photohemolysis and Candida albicans tests. Hydrochlorothiazide was irradiated for 30, 60, 90 and 120 min with a 250 W xenon arc lamp using a WG295 cut‐off filter. Irradiation of hydrochlorothiazide resulted in the gradual decrease of all three absorption bands (225, 270 and 320 nm), the blue shift of the 225 nm band, and the appearance of a new band around 290 nm. Since previous results demonstrated that photosubstitution of chloride could occur, the main product of this photolysis most likely is ethoxyhydrochlorothiazide. The photohemolysis test revealed a significant increase in photohemolysis observed in the photodegradation products produced after 60, 90 and 120 min of UV irradiation. This increase in hemolysis value directly correlated with the UV‐irradiation time. However, there was no significant phototoxic killing of yeast in the Candida albicans test. This suggests photodegradation products of hydrochlorothiazide may play an important role in phototoxicity by acting on the cell membrane, but not on DNA. Considering the high in vitro phototoxicity observed in bendroflumethiazide and the data presented here, substitution of chloride seems to be responsible for the increased phototoxicity of hydrochlorothiazide.
Effect of topical application of Hypericum perforatum extract (St. John's wort) on skin sensitivity to solar simulated radiation
Authors: Schempp C. M. , Lüdtke R. , Winghofer B. , Simon J. C.
Published: September 2010

St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a tradional folk remedy that is used for the topical treatment of superficial wounds, scars and burns. A characteristic metabolite of St. John's wort is the photodynamic active plant pigment hypericin. It is known that hypericin may cause a severe photodermatitis called hypericism when higher amounts of St. John's wort are ingested orally. To date, no reports on the photosensitizing capacity of topical application of St. John's wort are available. Here, we investigated the effects of Hypericum oil (hypericin 110 μg/mL) and Hypericum ointment (hypericin 30 μg/mL) on skin sensitivity to solar simulated radiation. Sixteen volunteers of the skin types II and III were tested on their volar forearms with solar simulated radiation for photosensitizing effects of Hypericum oil (n=8) and Hypericum ointment (n=8). The minimal erythema dose (MED) was determined by visual assessment, and skin erythema was evaluated photometrically. With the visual erythema score, no change of the MED could be detected after application of either Hypericum oil or Hypericum ointment (P>0.05). With the more sensitive photometric measurement, an increase of the erythema‐index after treatment with the Hypericum oil could be detected (P≤0.01). The results do not provide evidence for a severe phototoxic potential of Hypericum oil and Hypericum ointment, detectable by the clinically relevant visual erythema score. However, the trend towards increased photosensitivity detected with the more sensitive photometric measurement could become relevant in fair‐skinned individuals, in diseased skin or after extended solar irradiation.
Effect of photoreactivating light on UV radiation‐induced alterations in human skin
Authors: Whitmore S. E. , Potten C. S. , Chadwick C. A. , Strickland P. T. , Morison W. L.
Published: September 2010

Background/Aims: Photoreactivating light (PRL) after ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure causes photoreversal of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers through the activation of photolyase. Although photoreversal has been demonstrated in the ‘three kingdoms of life,’ its existence in man remains controversial. We sought evidence for photoreversal in man.

Methods and Results:

Seven subjects were spot‐irradiated at two sites with 4 minimal erythema doses (MED) of solar‐simulating UVR. Of the two sites, one was then immediately exposed to a PRL source. Epidermal biopsies were taken immediately after exposure. No significant difference in the quantity of pyrimidine dimers was detected comparing the ‘UVR only’ site to the ‘UVR, PRL‐exposed’ site. Biopsies were repeated 24 h later and no significant difference in p53 protein expression or dendritic cell number was detected. However, the ‘UVR, PRL‐exposed’ site showed a greater reduction in pyrimidine dimer quantity.

Conclusions: We found no evidence for a direct effect of PRL causing photoreversal of UVR‐induced pyrimidine dimers in man. Our results do, however, suggest that some indirect effect of PRL may enhance pyrimidine dimer repair in the 24‐h period following UVR exposure.
Solar UVR exposures of indoor workers in a Working and a Holiday Period assessed by personal dosimeters and sun exposure diaries
Authors: Thieden E. , Ågren M. S. , Wulf H. C.
Published: September 2010

Background/Aim: The aim of this study was to quantify ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure of fully employed indoor workers during a Working Period and a Holiday Period in the summer months. A further aim was to investigate the correlation between individual personal UVR dosimeter reading and self‐reported data in a diary about sun exposure habits and to investigate whether skin type, age and gender influence sun exposure.

Methods: The solar UVR, in standard erythema doses (SED) measured by UV sensitive spore‐film filter type personal dosimeters (VioSpor®), and sun exposure diaries were compared. The study included 44 healthy Danish adult indoor workers during a Working Period of a mean of 13 days and a Holiday Period of a mean of 17 days from June to September.

Results: The individual total UVR exposure correlated significantly (P<0.001) in both the Holiday and Working Periods with individual total hours spent outdoors from 07:00 to 19:00 and with skin area exposure hours. There was no significant correlation between sun exposure dose and gender, age or skin type I‐IV, or between the individual solar exposure dose in the Working and the Holiday Period. However, subjects with UVR exposures in the upper quartile spent their Holiday Period in Southern Europe, and/or had been more than the mean time outdoors at the beach/sea and/or between 12:00 and 15:00. Subjects with UVR exposure in the lower quartiles spent their holidays in Denmark or Northern Europe and did not stay at the beach at all. They received an average solar UVR dose which was 22% of ambient in Denmark in the same period while subjects having their holidays in Southern Europe received as much as 90% of the ambient dose in Denmark.

Conclusions: Despite information campaigns to avoid the midday sun, on average 35% of the recorded hours outdoors were spent between 12:00 and 15:00 in the Holiday Period. Total hours outdoors give the best estimate of the total sun exposure dose. Registration in a diary of total hours outdoors and whether the Holiday Period was in Northern or Southern Europe can be used to predict the solar exposure dose in a Holiday Period of a few weeks.
Total body exposure to ultraviolet radiation does not influence plasma levels of immunoreactive β‐endorphin in man
Authors: Wintzen Marjolein , Ostijn Dagmar M. J. D. , Polderman Marloes C. A. , Le Cessie Saskia , Burbach J. Peter H. , Vermeer Bert Jan
Published: September 2010

Background/Aims: A growing number of reports support evidence of proopiomelanocortin (POMC)‐derived peptides in human skin cells, although not consistently. Also the effect of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on cutaneous and plasma levels of these POMC peptides has not been established unequivocally. We hypothesized that production of β‐endorphin (βE) may explain the sense of well‐being many people experience when sun‐bathing. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether exposure of the skin to UVR elevates plasma βE.

Method: Healthy volunteers (n=26) received a single, weighted dose of 15 J/cm2 of UVA. Several times during the hour following irradiation, plasma βE‐ immunoreactivity (βE‐IR) was determined by radioimmunoassay. The effect of repeated exposure wasassessed in 35 patients treated with UVB, UVA, or UVA‐1. Plasma ACTH‐IR was monitored in parallel.

Results: Overall, plasma levels of βE‐IR and ACTH‐IR showed no significant changes during the experiment, indicating that these peptides are not influenced by single or repeated exposures to UVR of different wavelengths.

Conclusion: On the basis of these results, the skin does not appear to contribute significantly to the levels of circulating βE or ACTH. These data offer no support for the hypothesis that exposure to UVR leads to an increased concentration of circulating βE, which could contribute to the feeling of well‐being that often accompanies sun‐bathing.
Sunscreen standards tested with differently filtered solar simulators
Authors: Sayre Robert M. , Stanfield Joseph , Bush Andrew J. , Lott Dennis L.
Published: September 2010

Background: The COLIPA standard for solar simulators permits a range of spectral filtration. Published studies comparing the SPFs of sunscreen formulas show that a range of SPFs is generally expected between laboratories. Specifically, three studies determining the SPFs of sunscreen standards have been performed in a series of laboratories and differences exceeding 50% have been reported. No studies to date have specifically examined potential differences in performance of Standard Sunscreen Test Formulas with varying solar simulator spectra within the permitted range of optical filtration.

Methods: In a paired clinical trial, two SPF standard sunscreen formulas were tested using two solar simulators that complied with the COLIPA standard for solar simulators but were filtered differently. One solar simulator was filtered as supplied by the manufacturer and delivered a high percentage of UVB; the other solar simulator was modified by removing the visible absorbing filter to deliver energy more closely resembling sunlight in the UVA‐1 part of the spectrum, with a lower percentage of UVB.

Results and Conclusion: The result was that the SPF of each standard sunscreen was almost 50% greater with the unmodified solar simulator than with the modified solar simulator. In vitro evaluation of the sunscreen standards predicted similar differences due to the spectral differences of the solar simulators, which appears to rule out reciprocity failure. However, reciprocity failure of the control MEDs was observed. The total intensity of the modified lamp was approximately 3 times that of the unmodified lamp.
Monochromatic excimer light (308 nm) in the treatment of prurigo nodularis
Authors: Saraceno Rosita , Nisticò Steven P. , Capriotti Elisabetta , De Felice Catia , Rhodes Lesley E. , Chimenti Sergio
Published: September 2010

Three hundred and eight nanometre excimer light has been reported to be safe and effective in the treatment of chronic skin diseases, but the range of potential applications has not been fully explored. Our objective was to assess the efficacy of monochromatic excimer light (MEL) in the treatment of prurigo nodularis (PN). Eleven patients were enrolled in this pilot study. Patients were treated weekly and an average of eight sessions of MEL was given. Follow‐up was 4 months. Partial or complete clinical and histological remission was observed in all patients who completed the study (81%).
Clinical effect of vitamin D3 analogues is not inactivated by subsequent UV exposure
Authors: Adachi Yuka , Uchida Naoko , Matsuo Tomoo , Horio Takeshi
Published: September 2010

Background: Combining phototherapy with topical vitamin D3 analogues is a useful therapy for the treatment of psoriasis by reducing the cumulative UV dose required for clearance of lesions. Experimental investigations demonstrated that calcipotriol is degraded by UV radiation, and suggested that calcipotriol should be applied after phototherapy but not immediately before.

Methods: Calcipotriol or maxacalcitol ointment was topically applied to psoriatic plaques of six patients immediately before or after phototherapy on the right or left side of the body, respectively.

Results: Topical application of vitamin D3 analogues either before or after irradiation by psoralen and UVA radiation (PUVA) or narrow‐band (NB)‐UVB showed exactly similar effects in all patients.

Conclusion: Therapeutic effects of vitamin D3 analogues are not clinically inactivated by subsequent irradiation with PUVA or NB‐UVB phototherapy.
Efficacy of UVA1 phototherapy in 230 patients with various skin diseases
Authors: Rombold S. , Lobisch K. , Katzer K. , Grazziotin T. C. , Ring J. , Eberlein B.
Published: September 2010

Objective: Investigation of the efficacy of ultraviolet (UV) A1 phototherapy on atopic eczema, scleroderma, granuloma annulare, urticaria pigmentosa, prurigo nodularis, lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, T‐cell lymphoma, keratosis lichenoides chronica, chronic urticaria and some rare, sclerosing skin diseases.

Methods: The data of 230 patients treated with low‐dose, medium‐dose and high‐dose UVA1 therapy during 6 years were retrospectively analysed. The mean single dose (J/cm2), the mean number of irradiations and the mean total dose (J/cm2) were evaluated. The efficacy of phototherapy was assessed by a grading scale and the number of patients was given in percentage for each group.

Results: Good therapeutic effects of UVA1 therapy were shown in patients with atopic eczema, scleroderma, lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, keratosis lichenoides chronica, prurigo nodularis and with cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma. Positive effects in some patients were seen in the urticaria pigmentosa and granuloma annulare group, no change to slight improvement was seen in most of the patients with rare, sclerosing skin diseases and no effect was seen in the chronic urticaria group.

Conclusion: Besides topical and systemic therapy, UVA1 radiation is a good option of treatment in various skin diseases. It is one of the first‐line treatments for several sclerotic diseases and it often improves pruritus considerably.
Hypocotyls of Lepidium meyenii (maca), a plant of the Peruvian highlands, prevent ultraviolet A‐, B‐, and C‐induced skin damage in rats
Authors: Gonzales‐Castañeda Cynthia , Gonzales Gustavo F.
Published: September 2010

Background: Lepidium meyenii (maca) is a plant that grows exclusively in the Peruvian Central Andes, where ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is predominant.

Objective: Determine if two extracts of maca can provide dermal protection against UVR.

Methods: We have administered two maca extracts (0.13 mg/ml), one obtained after boiling and the other without boiling, on the dorsal surface of male Holtzman rats exposed to UVC radiation once a week during 3 consecutive weeks. A dose–response effect of an aqueous extract of maca after a boiling process under exposure of rats to UVA, UVB, or UVC was also studied. A commercial sunscreen was used as a positive control.

Results: UVR caused significant increase in skin epidermal thickness. The epidermal height in animals treated with maca was similar to those who did not receive UVR. The aqueous extract of maca after a boiling process had better effect than maca extract without a boiling process. A dose–response effect was observed with increasing doses of aqueous extract of maca after a boiling process. Maca extract had benzyl glucosinolates and polyphenols.

Conclusions: Maca extracts protect the skin of rats against UV irradiations and can be suggested as an alternative means of solar protection.
Photosensitivity: a possible cause for Wells' syndrome?
Authors: Kwah Yung Chien
Published: September 2010

Wells' syndrome is a rare inflammatory dermatitis. To date, the cause is unknown but it has been associated with a variety of triggers. We present a case of Wells' syndrome with coexisting photosensitivity.
Narrowband ultraviolet B radiation suppresses contact hypersensitivity
Authors: Shintani Yoichi , Yasuda Yoko , Kobayashi Keiko , Maeda Akira , Morita Akimichi
Published: September 2010

Background/purpose: A main mechanism responsible for the efficacy of narrowband ultraviolet (UV)B is thought to be the induction of apoptosis in pathogenetically relevant cells. Narrowband UVB therapy, however, generally induces a relatively long remission period. Recently, evidence that UVB radiation induces regulatory T (Treg) cells was reported. Based on these findings, we examined whether narrowband UVB suppresses contact hypersensitivity (CHS) by inducing Treg cells.

Methods: The shaved abdomens of C3H/HeN mice were irradiated with broadband or narrowband UVB. CHS was defined as an ear‐swelling response. To examine whether tolerance can be induced by adoptive transfer, lymph node cells from UVB‐irradiated mice were injected into naïve mice before sensitization and CHS challenge.

Results: Narrowband UVB exposure dose dependently suppressed CHS. Significant suppression was observed at doses between 1000 and 3000 mJ/cm2 (P<0.05). The suppressive effect achieved with 1000 mJ/cm2 narrowband UVB was very similar to the effect achieved with 100 mJ/cm2 broadband UVB. The suppressive effects on CHS were transferred to naïve mice by the injection of lymph node cells from tolerant mice.

Conclusion: Narrowband UVB induced local and systemic suppression of CHS. In addition, narrowband UVB induces tolerance to CHS and the suppressive effects were transferable to naïve mice.
A comparative study of different treatment frequencies of psoralen and ultraviolet A in psoriatic patients with darker skin types (randomized‐controlled study)
Authors: El‐Mofty Medhat , El Weshahy Hany , Youssef Randa , Abdel‐Halim Mona , Mashaly Heba , El Hawary Marwa
Published: September 2010

Background: Photochemotherapy psoralen and ultraviolet A (PUVA) is a viable option for treatment of psoriasis. However, concerns about its side effects have raised the need to change current PUVA protocols. The aim of this study is to determine whether reducing the treatment frequency of PUVA to twice/week instead of three times/week would affect the efficacy of PUVA therapy.

Patients and methods: The study included 20 psoriatic patients, randomized into two groups, 10 patients in each group. The first group received two weekly sessions, the second group received three. The study lasted until complete clearance or for 12 weeks (endpoint). Psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score was done prior to therapy, at mid therapy and at end of therapy (PASI final).

Results: No significant different in PASI final and in the percentage of reduction of PASI score between both groups (P value >0.05) was found. However, a significant difference in the total number of sessions and the total cumulative UVA doses between both groups was found (P value <0.001).

Conclusion: Our study suggests reducing PUVA frequency and the cumulative UVA dose does not compromise the efficacy of PUVA, but it may improve its benefit/risk ratio.

Restrictions: Few number of cases.
Local anesthesia in dermatology
Authors: Wetzig Tino , Averbeck Marco , Simon Jan C. , Kendler Michael
Published: September 2010

Local and regional anesthetic procedures are an integral part of daily dermatological practice. Safe and effective analgesia in skin and soft tissues is crucial for otherwise painful diagnostic or therapeutic interventions. Tumescent local anesthesia allows for pain‐free interventions that previously had to be done by using general anesthesia. Older patients with multiple co‐morbidities are especially suited for local anesthetic procedures, because they may significantly reduce surgical risks. For dermatologists, the knowledge of mode of action and toxicity of local anesthetics, as well as the emergency management of their potential complications, is essential.
Critical issues in setting micronutrient recommendations for pregnant women: an insight
Authors: Berti Cristiana , Decsi Tamás , Dykes Fiona , Hermoso Maria , Koletzko Berthold , Massari Maddalena , Moreno Luis A. , Serra‐Majem Luis , Cetin Irene
Published: September 2010

The European Micronutrient Recommendations Aligned (EURRECA) Network aims to provide standardized approaches to reveal and beneficially influence variability within the European Union in micronutrient recommendations for vulnerable population groups. Characterization of the ‘vulnerability’ together with the ‘variability’ of micronutrient needs represents the first step to creating guidelines for setting micronutrient recommendations within target populations. This paper describes some of the key factors and characteristics relevant to assess micronutrient requirements and formulate recommendations of micronutrients in pregnancy. Nutritional requirements during pregnancy increase to support fetal growth and development as well as maternal metabolism and tissue accretion. Micronutrients are involved in both embryonal and fetal organ development and overall pregnancy outcomes. Several factors may affect directly or indirectly fetal nourishment and the overall pregnancy outcomes, such as the quality of diet including intakes and bioavailability of micronutrients, maternal age, and the overall environment. The bioavailability of micronutrients during pregnancy varies depending on specific metabolic mechanisms because pregnancy is an anabolic and dynamic state orchestrated via hormones acting for both redirection of nutrients to highly specialized maternal tissues and transfer of nutrients to the developing fetus. The timing of prenatal intakes or supplementations of specific micronutrients is also crucial as pregnancy is characterized by different stages that represent a continuum, up to lactation and beyond. Consequently, nutrition during pregnancy might have long‐lasting effects on the well‐being of the mother and the fetus, and may further influence the health of the baby at a later age.
Evil in Angels and Men: Thomas Aquinas and Melanie Klein
Authors: Lefébure Marcus
Published: September 2010

When I opened this series of Dominican conversations some months ago now, I suggested that angels were worth studying not only in their own right but for the light they throw on the human condition. I want now in this concluding paper to apply this suggestion to our final topic, evil in angels. This paper will, therefore, consist of two main parts: In the first part I want to indicate how St Thomas analyses evil in angels, while in the second part I want to show how this analysis clarifies the root of evil in ourselves.

Turning, then, to our first concern, I want to help you pick a way through the often dense wood of St Thomas’ thinking by as it were blazing those trees which serve as so many markers of the way through. These turn put on inspection and in reflection not to be as numerous as first appears. In fact St Thomas’ thinking on evil in the angels continues to be what we have already seen his thinking on other aspects of the angels to be: the sustained and rigorous pursuit of the implications of certain basic metaphysical principles or axioms. The sheer intellectual energy, brilliance and yet economy, therefore even the spare beauty of this argumentation is brought out by Fr Kenelm Foster’s summary in Appendix 2 on Satan, (in Volume 9 of the Gilby bi-lingual edition of the Summa). I cannot emulate that tour de force here, it would be out of place, and so I shall attempt to supply my own thread through the labyrinth.
Human Beings are Transcendent: A Response to Fergus Kerr's Rahner Retrospective III
Authors: Shutte Augustine
Published: September 2010

I get my copies of New Blackfriars in a rather unusual manner, once a year and all at once, a whole years’s worth at a time. So it was only in May 1982 that I came across Fergus Kerr’s article Rahner Retrospective III: Transcendence or Finitude in the September 1981 issue. It gives such a seriously misleading view of Karl Rahner’s understanding of human nature and offers such an inadequate substitute as the proper philosophical foundation for Christian theology that it requires to be countered without delay.

As the title of his article suggests, what Kerr objects to in Rahner’s view of human nature is his notion that we are transcendent beings. What he wants to put in its place is a certain understanding of our finitude.

Kerr describes his paper as “a preliminary exploration of the basic epistemological problems in Rahner’s philosophy of man, with the tentative proposal that a quite different starting-point needs to be accepted” (p 370).
Power—Tool of Social Analysis and Theological Concept: A Case of Confrontation?
Authors: Pickering W. S. F.
Published: September 2010

The tool of social analysis

Power has become a central concept in the analysis of political and social institutions. Its newly-found utility in part stems from the growth of Marxist analysis, which so many academics in the social sciences who are not necessarily Marxists have accepted to various degrees.

Until recently, the more common concept was authority—an idea that was once popular particularly amongst political theorists. Authority as an analytical tool has ceased to have pride of place because of its abstract nature and ideological overtones. The tendency today is to speak of power structures, not authority structures. Authority exists but it can be overthrown by another authority. The question is not so much the nature of the authorities but the fact that one is able to vanquish the other. How is the triumph achieved? The answer is simply that one authority has more power than the other and thus overcomes it. The concept of authority is still referred to and continues to be valuable, but the model of power is more useful, since it is that of a conflict in which sheer strength wins the day. Power implies opposition and final triumph. That is what politics is about. Some would see the whole of history as a power struggle. As Lenin has written: ‘Great questions in the life of nations are settled only by force.’

The extensive use now made of the concept of power has brought with it the problems of definition, and within the social sciences the issue virtually constitutes a subject in itself.
Toxicity of Fluoranthene and Its Biodegradation by Cyclotella caspia Alga
Authors: Liu Yu , Luan Tian‐Gang , Lu Ning‐Ning , Lan Chong‐Yu
Published: September 2010

Fluoranthene is one of the polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons with four benzene rings. Because of its toxicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity, fluoranthene is on the black lists of 129 and 68 priority pollutants established by US Environmental Protection Agency and the People's Republic of China, respectively. In recent years, the amount of fluoranthene in the aquatic environment has been increasing with increases in anthropogenic discharge. Based on the biological investigation of tidal water in the Futian mangrove, Cyclotella caspia was selected as the dominant algal species to determine the toxicity of fluoranthene towards C. caspia alga and to investigate the biodegradation of fluoranthene by C. caspia under pure culture. The toxicity experiment showed that the 96‐h EC50 value for fluoranthene was 0.2 mg/mL. Four parameters, namely C. caspia algal growth rate, chlorophyll (Chl) a content, cell morphology, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, were chosen as indices of toxicity and were measured at 6 d (144 h). The results showed that: (i) the toxicity of fluoranthene towards C. caspia alga was obvious; (ii) C. caspia algal growth rate and Chl a content decreased with increasing concentrations of fluoranthene; and (iii) the rate of cell deformation and SOD activity increased with increasing concentrations of fluoranthene. The biodegradation experiment showed that: (i) the rate of physical degradation of fluoranthene was only 5.86%; (ii) the rate of biodegradation of fluoranthene on the 1st and 6th days (i.e. at 24 and 144 h) was approximately 35% and 85%, respectively; and (iii) the biodegradation capability of C. caspia alga towards fluoranthene was high. It is suggested that further investigations on the toxicity of fluoranthene towards algae, as well as on algal biodegradation mechanisms, are of great importance to use C. caspia as a biological treatment species in an organic wastewater treatment system.

(Managing editor: Ping He)
Construction and Identification of Bacterial Artificial Chromosome Library for 0‐613‐2R in Upland Cotton
Authors: Yin Jian‐Mei , Guo Wang‐Zhen , Zhang Tian‐Zhen
Published: September 2010

A bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library containing a large genomic DNA insert is an important tool for genome physical mapping, map‐based cloning, and genome sequencing. To isolate genes via a map‐based cloning strategy and to perform physical mapping of the cotton genome, a high‐quality BAC library containing large cotton DNA inserts is needed. We have developed a BAC library of the restoring line 0‐613‐2R for isolating the fertility restorer (Rf1) gene and genomic research in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). The BAC library contains 97 825 clones stored in 255 pieces of a 384‐well microtiter plate. Random samples of BACs digested with the NotI enzyme indicated that the average insert size is approximately 130 kb, with a range of 80–275 kb, and 95.7% of the BAC clones in the library have an average insert size larger than 100 kb. Based on a cotton genome size of 2 250 Mb, library coverage is 5.7 × haploid genome equivalents. Four clones were selected randomly from the library to determine the stability of the BAC clones. There were no different fingerprints for 0 and 100 generations of each clone digested with NotI and HindIII enzymes. Thus, the stability of a single BAC clone can be sustained at least for 100 generations. Eight simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers flanking the Rf1 gene were chosen to screen the BAC library by pool using PCR method and 25 positive clones were identified with 3.1 positive clones per SSR marker.

(Managing editor: Li‐Hui Zhao)
Physiological and Molecular Features of the Pathosystem Arabidopsis thaliana L.‐Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Libert
Authors: Dai Fu‐Ming , Xu Tong , Wolf Gerhard A , He Zu‐Hua
Published: September 2010

The fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Libert causes rot diseases on many crops worldwide and large economic losses occur frequently because of a lack of resistant varieties. The pathogenesis of S. sclerotiorum and the molecular basis of plant responses to the pathogen are poorly understood. In the present investigation, the process of S. sclerotiorum infection in Arabidopsis thaliana L., a plant that is highly susceptible to this fungus, was analysed. In addition, the defense activation in the host was investigated. A convenient inoculation method using millet grain was developed for S. sclerotiorum in Arabidopsis. The fungus rapidly infected the plants, probably through ball‐ or cushion‐like infection structures. Visible symptoms developed within 24 h and plants were killed 72 h after inoculation. Cellulase, the main enzyme that caused host tissues to rot, was secreted by S. sclerotiorum in a pH‐dependent manner. Oxalic acid, another pathogenic factor secreted by the fungus, induced necrotic lesions on the leaves. Infection with S. sclerotiorum strongly induced the production of the pathogenesis‐related (PR) proteins β‐1,3‐glucanase and chitinase in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, the PR gene PDF.1 was induced, but not PR1, indicating that the pathogen activated basal defense of jasmonic acid/ethylene dependence, which is consistent with its necrotrophic characteristics. This pathosystem for Arabidopsis‐S. sclerotiorum could provide an approach for the analysis of the interactions between S. sclerotiorum and other crops, thereby facilitating genetic manipulation techniques for controlling this pathogen.

(Managing editor: Li‐Hui Zhao)