bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interferon regulatory factor family of transcription factors and regulation of oncogenesis
Authors: Takaoka Akinori , Tamura Tomohiko , Taniguchi Tadatsugu
Published: February 2008

A family of transcription factors, the interferon regulatory factors (IRF), was identified originally in the context of the regulation of the type I interferon (IFN)‐α/β system. The IRF family has now expanded to nine members, and gene‐disruption studies have revealed the critical involvement of these members in multiple facets of host defense systems, such as innate and adaptive immune responses and tumor suppression. In the present review article, we aim at summarizing our current knowledge of the roles of IRF in host defense, with special emphasis on their involvement in the regulation of oncogenesis. (Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 467–478)
Prenatal exposure to the 1944–45 Dutch ‘hunger winter’ and addiction later in life
Authors: Franzek Ernst J. , Sprangers Niels , Janssens A. Cecile J. W. , Van Duijn Cornelia M. , Van De Wetering Ben J. M.
Published: February 2008

Aims  Prenatal exposure to severe famine has been associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia and affective disorders. We studied the relationship between prenatal exposure to famine during the Dutch hunger winter of 1944–45 and addiction later in life.

Design  A case–control study.

Setting  The Rotterdam city area during the Dutch hunger winter lasting from mid‐October 1944 to mid‐May 1945. From February 1945 to mid‐May 1945 the hunger winter was characterized by a famine peak.

Participants  Patients are native Dutch addicted patients from the Rotterdam Addiction Treatment Program and controls are native Dutch inhabitants of Rotterdam, born between 1944 and 1947.

Measurement  Exposure to the whole hunger winter (< 1400 kcal/day) and the peak of the hunger winter (< 1000 kcal/day) was determined for each trimester of gestation. For each trimester the exposed/unexposed ratios were compared between patients and controls and quantified as odds ratios (OR).

Findings  The odds of first‐trimester gestational exposure to famine during the total hunger winter was significantly higher among patients receiving treatment for an addictive disorder [OR = 1.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10–1.64]. Stratification by sex shows that the odds of exposure during the first trimester was significantly higher only among men (OR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.05–1.72), but not among women (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 0.88–1.81). The odds of exposure to the peak of the hunger winter during the first trimester of gestation were also significantly higher among addiction treatment patients (OR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.22–2.12). We did not find any significant differences for the second and third trimesters of gestation.

Conclusion  First‐trimester prenatal exposure to famine appears to be associated with addiction later in life. The study confirms the adverse influence of severe malnutrition on brain development and maturation, confirms the influence of perinatal insults on mental health in later life and gives rise to great concern about the possible future consequences for the hunger regions in our world.
Medication with antihistamines impairs allergen‐specific immunotherapy in mice
Authors: Johansen P. , Senti G. , Maria Martínez Gómez J. , Kündig T. M.
Published: February 2008

Background
Histamine released from activated mast cells and basophils is an important mediator in allergy. Therefore, antihistamines are efficiently and widely used to suppress allergic symptoms.

Objective
This study evaluated the role of antihistamines in sensitization against allergens and in the efficiency of allergen‐specific immunotherapy.

Methods
CBA mice were sensitized and de‐sensitized with bee venom allergen extracts and the major allergen phospholipase A2. Clemastine was used to test the effect of a histamine‐1 receptor antagonist on the immune responses to phospholipase A2.

Results
The results demonstrated that sensitization against bee venom was strongly enhanced during treatment with antihistamines. Clemastine increased IgE production while decreasing IgG2a production against bee venom. This T‐helper type 2 shift of the humoral response appeared to be caused by reduced IFN‐γ and enhanced IL‐4 secretion from allergen‐specific T cells. We also found reduced TNF‐α, IL‐6 and major histocompatibility complex class‐II expression by macrophages. In sensitized mice, the efficiency of allergen‐specific immunotherapy was reduced by clemastine treatment.

Conclusion
Antihistamines may enhance allergic sensitization and reduce the efficiency of allergen‐specific immunotherapy. Future studies will need to demonstrate to what extent pre‐medication with antihistamine also affects allergen‐specific immunotherapy in humans.
Modification of the diel vertical migration of Bythotrephes longimanus by the cold‐water planktivore, Coregonus artedi
Authors: YOUNG JOELLE D. , YAN NORMAN D.
Published: February 2008

1. The weak diel vertical migration observed in the large cladoceran Bythotrephes longimanus seems contradictory to the predator‐avoidance hypothesis that predicts large zooplankton should have long migration amplitudes. However, cold‐water planktivores, especially Coregonus spp., are a main source of mortality for Bythotrephes and hence a deeper migration would result in a greater overlap with these hypolimnetic planktivores. We hypothesized that Coregonus artedi (cisco) modifies the normal vertical migration pattern of Bythotrephes, such that the latter stays higher in the water column during the day and thus migrates less extremely at night.

2. The vertical distribution of Bythotrephes during the day was determined from single visits to six lakes in Ontario, Canada, all of which contain warm‐water, epilimnetic planktivores but differing in whether they contain cisco. One lake of each fish type was sampled day and night every 2–3 weeks over the ice‐free season to examine daytime depths and migration amplitude.

3. The vertical migration of Bythotrephes differed in the presence and absence of cisco. In the lakes with cisco, there were significantly fewer Bythotrephes in the hypolimnion and they were higher in the water column during the day. Migration amplitude was smaller in the cisco than in the non‐cisco lake. These observations were not attributable to differences in physical factors, and, although not conclusively attributable to cisco, are consistent with an effect of cisco.

4. We suggest that diurnal depth selection by Bythotrephes in lakes containing cisco is a trade‐off between the risk of predation by warm‐ versus cold‐water predators, balanced by the benefits of increased temperature and feeding rates near the surface. Even in lakes without cisco, however, the vertical migration of Bythotrephes was less than expected, suggesting that diurnal depth selection is a balance between the risk from warm‐water planktivores and access to sufficient light to feed effectively.
Stoichiometric relationships in vernal pond plankton communities
Authors: CÁCERES CARLA E. , TESSIER ALAN J. , ANDREOU ANDRI , DUFFY MEGHAN A.
Published: February 2008

1. The light‐nutrient hypothesis (LNH) predicts that changes in light supply can alter the balance of nutrient and energy limitation in primary producers. We tested this prediction by examining temporal changes in vernal forest ponds, which are highly dynamic systems with respect to seasonal change in light and nutrient supply. In three vernal ponds that differ in productivity, we measured changes in light, total and seston nitrogen and phosphorus, and seston carbon and chlorophyll during the spring, before and after tree leaf‐out. We also quantified changes in the population dynamics of the major zooplankton grazers in these systems.

2. In each pond, nutrient levels increased and light levels declined, creating a temporal shift in light‐nutrient supply to the plankton. Results generally supported predictions of stoichiometric theory and the LNH, but there were notable exceptions.

3. Seston C : N : P ratios rapidly changed in response to dramatic increases in N and P supply rates. However, seston N : P was typically lower than values for total N : P in the water. Furthermore, as predicted, we observed a decline in seston C : P as the light : nutrient ratio declined, but seston C : N simultaneously increased. These results suggest an unexpected shift towards potential nitrogen limitation. Alternatively, this change in nutrient ratios may be driven by a seasonal change in phytoplankton composition or nutritional mode.

4. Seston carbon concentrations remained stable despite seasonal changes in grazing intensity associated with the phenology of large‐bodied Daphnia grazers. However, chlorophyll concentrations declined dramatically as the season progressed, resulting in a simultaneous decline in the C : Chlorophyll ratio of seston. Both pond shading and increased grazing probably contributed to the decline in chlorophyll.
Liver eosinophilic infiltrate is a significant finding in patients with chronic hepatitis C
Authors: Tarantino G. , Cabibi D. , Cammà C. , Alessi N. , Donatelli M. , Petta S. , Craxì A. , Di Marco V.
Published: February 2008

Summary.  Eosinophilic infiltrate of liver tissue is described in primary cholestatic diseases, hepatic allograft rejection and drug‐induced liver injury, but its significance and its implications in chronic hepatitis C are unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of eosinophilic liver infiltrate in patients with chronic hepatitis C. We retrospectively evaluated 147 patients with chronic hepatitis C. The presence of eosinophilic infiltrate was investigated in liver biopsies, and a numeric count of eosinophilic leucocytes in every portal tract was assessed. An eosinophilic infiltrate of liver tissue (≥3 cells evaluated in the portal / periportal spaces) was observed in 46 patients (31%), and patients who consumed drugs had an odds ratio (OR) of 4.02 (95% CI: 1.62–9.96) to have an eosinophilic infiltrate in liver biopsy. By logistic regression analysis, the presence of steatosis was independently associated with eosinophilic infiltrate (OR 5.86; 95% CI: 2.46–13.96) and homeostasis model assessment‐score (OR 1.18; 95% CI: 1.00–1.39). Logistic regression analysis also showed that fibrosis staging ≥ 2 by Scheuer score was associated with grading >1 by Scheuer score (OR 6.82; 95% CI 2.46–18.80) and eosinophilic infiltrate (OR 4.00; 95% CI 1.23–12.91). In conclusion, we observed that the eosinophilic infiltrate of liver tissue was significantly more frequent in patients who assumed drugs, and found a significant association between eosinophilic infiltrate, liver steatosis and liver fibrosis. These preliminary data could lead to a constant assumption of drugs as a co‐factor of eosinophils‐mediated liver injury in chronic hepatitis C.
Unstable, self‐limiting thermochemical temperature oscillations in Macrozamia cycads
Authors: ROEMER ROBERT B. , TERRY L. IRENE , WALTER GIMME H.
Published: February 2008

Field measurements and laboratory experiments on the Australian cycads Macrozamia lucida and Macrozamia macleayi demonstrate that their cones’ diel peak thermogenic temperature increase varies systematically with cone stage, with single thermogenic temperature peaks occurring daily for up to 2 weeks and reaching 12 °C above ambient at midstage. The initiation, magnitude and timing of those peaks are strongly modulated by ambient temperature; the period between successive thermogenic temperature peaks is not circadian, and light is neither necessary nor sufficient to initiate a thermogenic event. A mathematical analysis is developed that provides a unified explanation of the experimental results. It describes these unstable, self‐limiting thermogenic events in terms of conservation of energy and a first‐order chemical reaction rate model that includes an Arrhenius equation dependence of the cone's metabolic heating rate on the cone temperature.
Serum levels of Th2 chemokines, CCL17, CCL22, and CCL27, were the important markers of severity in infantile atopic dermatitis
Authors: Nakazato Junko , Kishida Masaru , Kuroiwa Rei , Fujiwara Junko , Shimoda Makiko , Shinomiya Noriaki
Published: February 2008

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is considered to be Th2 cell‐mediated disorder. In most infants with AD, AD may be induced by food allergy. In the early stage of infantile AD, it is unclear whether there are changes in serum Th2 chemokines or in Th2 chemokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Thirty‐four patients with AD were examined (mean age, 4.5 months; female:male, 18:16). Ten age‐matched infants with no history of allergic disease were used as controls. Thirty of these 34 patients were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA; radioallergrosolvent score of >2). Serum levels of CCL17, CCL22, and CCL27 were measured with enzyme‐linked immunosolvent assay (ELISA) kits and their correlation with the severity of skin lesions, defined by the scoring atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) index, was analyzed. The amounts of TNF‐α, CCL17, CCL22, and CCL27 in the culture supernatants of PBMC from OVA‐sensitized AD infants after stimulation with OVA were estimated with ELISA kits. Elevated serum CCL17, CCL22, and CCL27 levels significantly correlated with SCORAD index (r = 0.7181, p < 0.001; r = 0.5354, p < 0.005; r = 0.8312, p < 0.0001, respectively). CCL22 levels produced by PBMC from OVA‐sensitized infants with AD reflected serum CCL22 levels. Only six of 30 OVA‐sensitized patients in whom the skin signs increased immediately after OVA intake showed markedly high titers of TNF‐α produced by PBMC after stimulation with OVA. These high TNF‐α titers correlated significantly with serum CCL27 levels (r = 0.7181, p < 0.001). Serum concentrations of CCL17, CCL22, and CCL27 correlate well with the extent and intensity of AD in infants. Of the three Th2 chemokines examined, serum CCL27 correlated most significantly with the severity of AD. Thus, the peripheral immune responses of infantile AD patients are skewed to a Th2 dominant bias.
Liver transplant in an infant with bilateral cystic neuroblastoma complicated by hepatic metastases and life‐threatening consumption coagulopathy
Authors: Haberal Mehmet , Ozcay Figen , Sevmis Sinasi , Karakayali Hamdi , Moray Gokhan , Torgay Adnan , Coskun Mehmet , Demirhan Beyhan , Sarialioglu Faik , Arslan Gulnaz
Published: February 2008

Abstract:  Here we report a patient with stage‐4 bilateral cystic adrenal neuroblastomas with disseminated liver metastases and consumption coagulopathy who underwent liver transplant. Our patient was initially diagnosed with infantile hepatic hemangioendothelioma and bleeding into the adrenal glands secondary to consumption coagulopathy (Kasabach‐Merritt syndrome). Liver transplant was performed as a life‐saving procedure under this diagnosis. We discuss this unique patient because of the diagnostic pitfalls of this rare disease and the successful clinical outcome after LT and subsequent chemotherapy for neuroblastoma.
Neurocognitive profiles in bipolar I and bipolar II disorder: differences in pattern and magnitude of dysfunction
Authors: Simonsen Carmen , Sundet Kjetil , Vaskinn Anja , Birkenaes Astrid B , Engh John A , Hansen Charlotte Fredslund , Jónsdóttir Halldóra , Ringen Petter Andreas , Opjordsmoen Stein , Friis Svein , Andreassen Ole A
Published: February 2008

Objectives:  Studies on neurocognitive functioning in bipolar disorder, reporting deficits in memory, attention, and executive functioning, have primarily focused on bipolar I disorder. The aim of this study was to examine whether patients with bipolar I and bipolar II disorder have different neurocognitive profiles.

Methods:  Forty‐two patients with bipolar I disorder, 31 patients with bipolar II and 124 healthy controls, from a large ongoing study on psychotic disorders, were included. Neurocognitive function was measured with a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery.

Results:  The bipolar I group performed significantly poorer than the healthy control group and the bipolar II group on all measures of memory. Compared with the control group, the bipolar I group also had significantly reduced performance on most measures of attention and executive functioning, while the bipolar II group only had a significantly reduced performance on a subset of these measures. On average, 24% of the bipolar I group had clinically significant cognitive impairment (≤1.5 SD below the control group mean) across measures, compared with 13% of the bipolar II group.

Conclusions:  Patients with bipolar I and bipolar II disorder in this study have different neurocognitive profiles. Bipolar I patients have more widespread cognitive dysfunction both in pattern and magnitude, and a higher proportion has clinically significant cognitive impairments compared with patients with bipolar II. This may suggest neurobiological differences between the two bipolar subgroups.
Prevalence of diabetes and the metabolic syndrome in a sample of patients with bipolar disorder
Authors: Van Winkel Ruud , De Hert Marc , Van Eyck Dominique , Hanssens Linda , Wampers Martien , Scheen Andre , Peuskens Joseph
Published: February 2008

Objectives:  The presence of metabolic abnormalities is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. There are limited data on the prevalence of the metabolic abnormalities in disorders other than schizophrenia in which antipsychotic medication is part of routine treatment.

Methods:  Sixty consecutive patients with bipolar disorder (BD) at our university psychiatric hospital and affiliate services were entered in an extensive prospective metabolic study including an oral glucose tolerance test. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was assessed based on the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Protocol (ATP‐III) criteria, the adapted ATP‐III criteria using a fasting glucose threshold of 100 mg/dL, and the recently proposed criteria from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).

Results:  The analysis of 60 patients showed a prevalence of the metabolic syndrome of 16.7% (ATP‐III), 18.3% (adapted ATP‐III) and 30.0% (IDF), respectively. A total of 6.7% of the patients met criteria for diabetes and 23.3% for pre‐diabetic abnormalities.

Conclusions:  The metabolic syndrome and glucose abnormalities are highly prevalent among patients with BD. They represent an important risk for cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. Assessment of the presence and monitoring of metabolic abnormalities and its associated risks should be part of the clinical management of patients with BD.
Chronotype distribution in bipolar I disorder and schizophrenia in a Korean sample
Authors: Ahn Yong Min , Chang Jaeseung , Joo Yeon Ho , Kim Seong Chan , Lee Kyu Young , Kim Yong Sik
Published: February 2008

Objectives:  Although a broad range of circadian rhythm variations have been reported, analyses of chronotypes in bipolar I disorder (BDI) and schizophrenia are rare. The present study aimed to investigate specific chronotype patterns in BDI and schizophrenia compared with healthy subjects.

Methods:  All patients were clinically stable and recruited from the outpatient clinics of Seoul National University Hospital. They were diagnosed according to DSM‐IV criteria. ‘Morningness/eveningness’, a chronotype correlated with circadian phase, was evaluated using the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM) among 92 patients with BDI, 113 patients with schizophrenia (SZ), and 95 control individuals.

Results:  The CSM scores were significantly correlated with age in the control group, but a significant correlation with age was not observed in the schizophrenia or BDI groups. After controlling for age, there were significant differences between the BDI and control groups. The SZ patients did not differ from the BDI or control groups.

Conclusions:  In this Korean sample, patients with BDI showed a significantly greater preference for ‘eveningness’ (including delayed sleep timing) than control individuals. The influences of pharmacotherapy or clinical status on CSM scores need to be clarified.
The past and future influence of geographic information systems on hybrid zone, phylogeographic and speciation research
Authors: SWENSON N. G.
Published: February 2008

Over the past two decades geographers have developed an increasingly sophisticated technology termed a geographic information system (GIS). A GIS has the ability to store, map and analyse spatial data. The powerful analytical capabilities of a GIS could serve to enhance our understanding of the spatial component of the evolutionary process. In particular, phylogeographers, hybrid zone and speciation researchers could benefit enormously from incorporating this sophisticated technology from the discipline of geography, as they have done so readily from other disciplines (e.g. genetics). Indeed, an increasing number of researchers in these fields are beginning to include GIS analyses into their research programmes. Some of this integration has taken the form of analysing the spatial relationship between populations and hybrid zones. Several other researchers have also begun to incorporate GIS into their work through the use of GIS‐based niche models. These models estimate a multidimensional niche for a species using known geo‐referenced populations and digital climate maps. Here, I review the recent integration of GIS and GIS‐based predictive niche models into the above evolutionary sub‐disciplines. I also describe evolutionary analyses that could be further enhanced through the implementation of GIS.
Sublethal effects of selected insecticides on fecundity and wing dimorphism of green peach aphid (Hom., Aphididae)
Authors: Wang X.‐Y. , Yang Z.‐Q. , Shen Z.‐R. , Lu J. , Xu W.‐B.
Published: February 2008

Effects of sublethal concentrations (LC25) of six insecticides (imidacloprid, rotenone, fenvalerate, abamectin, pirimicarb and azadirachtin) on fecundity and wing dimorphism of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), were studied both under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. In the laboratory, aphid reproduction reduced by 44.29% and 54.01% when rotenone and abamectin treatments were applied at sublethal dose, respectively, and sublethal fenvalerate application resulted in markedly lower average reproduction per female per day compared with control. Reproductive duration of aphid treated with abamectin significantly decreased by 44.19%. But in the greenhouse, there were no evident differences in the aphid fecundity and reproductive duration between treatments and control. Life‐table parameters also demonstrated that the six insecticides at sublethal doses did not stimulate the aphid reproductive potential. In the laboratory, after being exposed to sublethal doses of imidacloprid and fenvalerate, the proportions of alate progeny in aphid progeny were significantly higher than that of the control. In the greenhouse, percentages of alate offspring from the mother aphids treated with imidacloprid, fenvalerate and abamectin increased pronouncedly compared with control. Mortality rates of offspring in the nymphal stages from adults treated with insecticides revealed no significant changes between laboratory and greenhouse. The developmental time in days of the offspring varied in all treatments. Mechanisms of insecticide‐induced resurgence are discussed.
Immunolocalization and Histocytopathological Effects of Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni on Naturally Infected Leaf and Fruit Tissues of Peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch)
Authors: Aarrouf J. , Garcin A. , Lizzi Y. , Maâtaoui M. El
Published: February 2008

Immunofluorescence and cytohistochemical studies have been performed to understand the host–parasite relationships in the pathosystem: peach–Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (Xap). Using a commercial immunodetection kit, Xap cells were specifically identified in tissues from infected leaves and fruits. Sections from infected leaves showed that the pathogen penetrates the mesophyll via stomata and develops in the intercellular spaces where it degrades the cell wall components. This leads to cell collapse and consequently to the formation of necrotic lesions. The same events have been noted in sections from infected fruits. However, the contaminated zones of mesocarp parenchyma exhibited cell dedifferentiation and generated somatic embryo‐like structures. Sections from midrib samples collected at different distances from infected lamina revealed the presence of Xap cells in the sieve tubes and xylem suggesting a systemic trafficking of the pathogen. The results are discussed in terms of cytological effects and epidemiology of Xap.
Discourses of anxiety in nursing practice: a psychoanalytic case study of the change‐of‐shift handover ritual
Authors: Evans Alicia M. , Pereira David A. , Parker Judith M.
Published: February 2008

This paper reports on the findings of a study that considered how anxiety might function to organise nurses’ practice. With reference to psychoanalytic theory this paper analyses field notes taken during a series of nursing change‐of‐shift handovers. The handover practices analysed met all the criteria for a ritual, as understood in psychoanalytic theory, and functioned to alleviate anxiety in the short term while symbolically expressing a forbidden and unknown knowledge. We argue that the handover ritual contained certain prohibitions, yet allowed some expression of the prohibited knowledge in a disguised way. The prohibition concerned how the patient affected the nurse, that is, moved the nurse to love and hate the patient. We argue that this prohibition is expressed, in disguise, via the displacement of affection for the patient onto other nurses and through negative stereotyping of some patients. We also argue that these prohibitions of the handover mirror broader prohibitions within nursing, and thus the rituals of the handover become an expression of how professional prohibitions are enacted in practice. We conclude that the important implicit function of the handover ritual is to keep anxiety at bay, thereby enabling the nurse to commence practice rather than being immobilised by the effect of potentially overwhelming anxiety.
STRESS INTENSITY FACTORS AND WEIGHT FUNCTIONS FOR SEMI‐ELLIPTICAL SURFACE CRACKS IN FINITE‐THICKNESS PLATES UNDER TWO‐DIMENSIONAL STRESS DISTRIBUTION
Authors: Wang X. , Lambert S. B.
Published: February 2008

Abstract— A Fourier series approach is proposed to calculate stress intensity factors using weight functions for semi‐elliptical surface cracks in flat plates subjected to two‐dimensional stress distributions. The weight functions were derived from reference stress intensity factors obtained by three‐dimensional finite element analyses. The close form weight functions derived are suitable for the calculation of stress intensity factors for semi‐elliptical surface cracks in flat plates under two‐dimensional stress distributions with the crack aspect ratio in the range of 0.1 ≤a/c≤ 1 and relative depth in the range of 0 ≤a/t≤ 0.8. Solutions were verified using several two‐dimensional non‐linear stress distributions; the maximum difference being 6%.
A MODEL OF FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH AFTER AN OVERLOAD IN D16T Al‐ALLOY SUBJECTED TO BIAXIAL CYCLIC LOADS AT VARIOUS R‐RATIOS
Authors: Shaniavski A. A. , Orlov E. F.
Published: February 2008

Abstract— Fatigue crack growth after a biaxial overload has been investigated. The crack retardation parameters, ND, and, aD, do not have monotonous dependencies on the biaxial stress ratio, λ, because the shear stress, τIII, acting in the perpendicular direction of the specimen face, influenced the values of these parameters.

It has been found that the plastic zone size parameters, rab, and Δ, do not increase monotonously with increasing λ ratio. The plastic zone size in the crack growth direction, rho=aD13, was calculated on the basis of newly proposed relations.

Crack growth after an overload was simulated on the basis of the equivalent mode I stress intensity factor, ICC, invoking a unified kinetic diagram and calculated crack increments, aD13 and aD=Δc, where Δc is the maximum value of the calculated size of plastic zone. The experimental data for crack growth after an overload had good agreement with the calculated data.
SEMI‐ELLIPTICAL FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH UNDER ROTATING OR REVERSED BENDING COMBINED WITH STEADY TORSION
Authors: Fonte M. A. , Freitas M. M.
Published: February 2008

Abstract— An analysis of the influence of steady torsion loading on fatigue crack growth rates under rotating or reversed bending is presented. Mixed‐mode (I + III) tests were carried out on cylindrical specimens in DIN Ck45k steel and results are compared for two different testing machines: rotary bending and reversed bending obtained by cyclic Mode I (ΔK1) with or without superimposed static Mode III (KIII) loading, simulating the real conditions on power rotor shafts where many failures occur. The growth and shape evolution of semi‐elliptical surface cracks, starting from a chordal notch on the cylindrical specimen surface, was measured for several Mode III/ Mode I ratios. Results have shown that the steady Mode III loading superimposed on the cyclic mode I leads to a significant reduction in the crack growth rates. It is suggested that this retardation is related to an increase of plastic zone size near the cylindrical surface in association with the interlocking of rough fracture surfaces, friction and fretting debris, leading to a decrease of the ΔK effective at the crack tip profile due to the “crack closure effect”. This work provides a contribution to a better understanding of crack growth rates under mixed‐mode load conditions thereby allowing one to predict remaining lifetimes and to estimate the risks of pre‐cracked rotor shafts.
HIGH RESOLUTION CRACK GROWTH MEASUREMENTS IN VIBRATING BEAMS
Authors: Schlums D. H. , Dual J.
Published: February 2008

Abstract— Fatigue crack propagation characteristics are measured by continuously determining the resonant frequency in vibrating systems, which is stabilized through a feedback control loop. The precisely controlled resonant frequency is related to the crack length by a nonlinear model based on fracture mechanics, hence crack growth can be monitored with respect to time with very high accuracy. The nonlinearity due to the opening and closing of the crack needs to be taken into account. In contrast to conventional fatigue tests, which require a long duration of time due to the high numbers of load cycles at low frequencies, the proposed technique operates at much higher frequencies, i.e. in the range of 100 Hz to 100 kHz. Thus the required time for measurements in the high cycle fatigue range is considerably reduced. The experimental setup is simple and inexpensive and does not require high energy inputs.
Phylogeny of the Cyprinodontiformes (Teleostei, Atherinomorpha): the contribution of cranial soft tissue characters
Authors: Hertwig Stefan T.
Published: February 2008

This study presents a cladistic analysis of the Cyprinodontiformes based on a comparative anatomical examination of 95 species. Seventy‐eight characters of musculature, connective tissue elements and nervous system of the jaw apparatus are described, in many cases for the first time. In order to investigate the contribution of such soft tissue traits, the new data have been analysed separately and in combination with an extensive data matrix of morphological, primarily osteological characters produced by Costa using thenonasoftware. The inclusion of soft tissue characters led to the description of numerous additional apomorphies and to an improved resolution of the consensus topologies in the combined analysis. Though the consensus of the separate tree searches was limited in resolution due to a relatively high degree of homoplasy and probably to rapidly evolving adaptive transformations, phylogenetic hypotheses mostly congruent to recent phylogenetic studies were yielded. These findings are evidence for the usability of cranial soft tissue characters as a reliable additional source of information for cladistic studies of fish phylogeny. With regard to the highly contentious deep splitting events within the Cyprinodontiformes and the monophyly of the Aplocheilidae, the consideration of the new data supported a new hypothesis that agrees with the palaeogeographical framework of the break‐up of Gondwana. The genusAplocheilusfrom India represents the sister group to all remaining taxa of the Cyprinodontiformes, while the second branch separates the genusPachypanchaxfrom Madagascar. A comparable biogeographical pattern has been found congruently in different groups of teleostean freshwater fishes. The Valenciidae from Europe are closely related to the Nearctic taxon Funduloidea. The placement of the genusFluviphylaxremained unresolved because it is not only characterized by the possession of several derived characters but also by numerous plesiomorphic ones.
Phylogenetic analysis of 1.5 Mbp and platypus EST data refute the Marsupionta hypothesis and unequivocally support Monotremata as sister group to Marsupialia/Placentalia
Authors: Kullberg Morgan , Hallström Björn M. , Arnason Ulfur , Janke Axel
Published: February 2008

The extant mammalian groups Monotremata, Marsupialia and Placentalia are, according to the ‘Theria’ hypothesis, traditionally classified into two subclasses. The subclass Prototheria includes the monotremes and subclass Theria marsupials and placental mammals. Based on some morphological and molecular data, an alternative proposition, the Marsupionta hypothesis, favours a sister group relationship between monotremes and marsupials to the exclusion of placental mammals. Phylogenetic analyses of single genes and even multiple gene alignments have not yet been able to conclusively resolve this basal mammalian divergence. We have examined this problem using one data set composed of expressed sequence tags (EST) and another containing 1 510 509 nucleotide (nt) sites from 1358 inferred cDNA genomic sequences. All analyses of the concatenated sequences unambiguously supported the Theria hypothesis. The Marsupionta hypothesis was rejected with high statistical confidence from both data sets. In spite of the strong support for Theria, a non‐negligible number of single genes supported either of the two alternative hypotheses. The divergence between monotremes and therian mammals was estimated to have taken place 168–178 Mya, a dating compatible with the fossil record. Considering the long common evolutionary branch of therians, it is surprising that sequence data from many thousand amino acid sites were needed to conclusively resolve their relationship to monotremes. This finding draws attention to other mammalian divergences that have been taken as unequivocally settled based on much smaller alignments. EST data provide a comprehensive random sample of protein coding sequences and an economic way to produce large amounts of data for phylogenetic analysis of species for which genomic sequences are not yet available.
Encouraging outlook for recovery of a once severely exploited marine megaherbivore
Authors: Chaloupka Milani , Bjorndal Karen A. , Balazs George H. , Bolten Alan B. , Ehrhart Llewellyn M. , Limpus Colin J. , Suganuma Hiroyuki , Troëng Sebastian , Yamaguchi Manami
Published: February 2008

Aim  To critically review the status of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) using the best available scientific studies as there is a prevailing view that this species is globally endangered and its marine ecosystem functions compromised.

Location  Ogasawara (Japan), Hawaii (USA), Great Barrier Reef (Australia), Florida (USA), Tortuguero (Costa Rica).

Methods  We compiled seasonal nesting activity data from all reliable continuous long‐term studies (> 25 years), which comprised data series for six of the world's major green turtle rookeries. We estimated the underlying time‐specific trend in these six rookery‐specific nester or nest abundance series using a generalized smoothing spline regression approach.

Results  Estimated rates of nesting population increase ranged from c. 4–14% per annum over the past two to three decades. These rates varied considerably among the rookeries, reflecting the level of historical exploitation. Similar increases in nesting population were also evident for many other green turtle stocks that have been monitored for shorter durations than the long‐term studies presented here.

Main conclusions  We show that six of the major green turtle nesting populations in the world have been increasing over the past two to three decades following protection from human hazards such as exploitation of eggs and turtles. This population recovery or rebound capacity is encouraging and suggests that the green turtle is not on the brink of global extinction even though some stocks have been seriously depleted and are still below historical abundance levels. This demonstrates that relatively simple conservation strategies can have a profound effect on the recovery of once‐depleted green turtle stocks and presumably the restoration of their ecological function as major marine consumers.
3‐Acetonyl‐3‐hydroxyoxindole: a new inducer of systemic acquired resistance in plants
Authors: Li Yanmei , Zhang Zhongkai , Jia Yantao , Shen Yuemao , He Hongping , Fang Rongxiang , Chen Xiaoying , Hao Xiaojiang
Published: February 2008

Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is an inducible defence mechanism which plays a central role in protecting plants from microbial pathogen attack. Guided by bioassays, a new chemical inducer of SAR was isolated from the extracts of Strobilanthes cusia and identified to be 3‐acetonyl‐3‐hydroxyoxindole (AHO), a derivative of isatin. Tobacco plants treated with AHO exhibited enhanced resistance to tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and to the fungal pathogen Erysiphe cichoracearum (powdery mildew), accompanied by increased levels of pathogenesis‐related gene 1 (PR‐1) expression, salicylic acid (SA) accumulation and phenylalanine ammonia‐lyase activity. To study the mode of action of AHO, its ability to induce PR‐1 expression and TMV resistance in nahG transgenic plants expressing salicylate hydroxylase, which prevents the accumulation of SA, was analysed. AHO treatment did not induce TMV resistance or PR‐1 expression in nahG transgenic plants, suggesting that AHO acts upstream of SA in the SAR signalling pathway. In addition, using two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis combined with mass spectrometry, five AHO‐induced plant proteins were identified which were homologous to the effector proteins with which SA interacts. Our data suggest that AHO may represent a novel class of inducer that stimulates SA‐mediated defence responses.
Ask and you will receive: how question type influences quantity and quality of online discussions
Authors: Bradley Megan E. , Thom Lindsay R. , Hayes Jennifer , Hay Cindy
Published: February 2008

This study examined how question types influenced the quantity and quality of undergraduate students' online submissions. Discussion questions were structured based on one of six question types: direct link, course link, brainstorm, limited focal, open focal and application. Transcripts of eight online discussions involving 114 participants were analysed on these dependent variables: word count, degree of answer completion, and level of higher‐order thinking. Results indicated the question types differentially influenced students' submissions on all dependent variables. Limited focal question type, followed by brainstorm, open focal and direct link types, was most influential for word count and degree of answer completion. Course link, brainstorm and direct link types were most influential in generating higher‐order thinking, although students mainly engaged in lower‐order thinking across all question types.
Aspirational Legalism and the Role of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in Equality Policy
Authors: MABBETT DEBORAH
Published: February 2008

This paper looks at the role of the EHRC in the wider context of measures to promote equality in the welfare state, and highlights two major problems. First, social policy uses categories which are derived from empirical social analysis and processes of policy design, while anti‐discrimination and equality ‘grounds’ (such as gender and ethnic origin) are drawn from the mutual recognition and political mobilisation of groups. The intersection of these two epistemologies can produce progressive social reforms, but it can also result in sterile political competition between groups. Second, equality law makes rights‐based claims which are deliberately abstracted from the problem of aggregating rights into a manageable set of claims on scarce resources. This may be a strength in pursuing remedies for individual injustice, but it is a weakness in advancing wider ambitions to combat disadvantage affecting large social groups.
The Four Nations: Interrelations*
Authors: CRICK BERNARD
Published: February 2008

Historically and contemporaneously the interrelations of the nations of the British Isles are as important as their differentiation. Modern revisionist historians, Irish and British, understand this better that many politicians and publicists. Nationalism as separatism and strong national consciousness are commonly confused when the English media consider Scotland. Gordon Brown stresses ‘Britishness’ to preserve the union but this is counterproductive. All his examples of British events are English, none Scots or Welsh, and his British values are mainly universal. A true construction of Britishness is to see it as a strong but narrow practical legal and political framework within which different cultures, old and new, can both flourish and intermingle. So strong are both social and economic interrelations that Scottish independence could be less consequential than commonly supposed.
Precision of the Anchor Influences the Amount of Adjustment
Authors: Janiszewski Chris , Uy Dan
Published: February 2008

The anchoring-and-adjustment heuristic has been used to account for a wide variety of numerical judgments. Five studies show that adjustment away from a numerical anchor is smaller if the anchor is precise than if it is rounded. Evidence suggests that precise anchors, compared with rounded anchors, are represented on a subjective scale with a finer resolution. If adjustment consists of a series of iterative mental movements along a subjective scale, then an adjustment from a precise anchor should result in a smaller overall correction than an adjustment from a rounded anchor.
New kinship, Islam, and the liberal tradition: sexual morality and new reproductive technology in Lebanon
Authors: Clarke Morgan
Published: February 2008

Recent kinship studies take interest in new reproductive technologies (NRT) such as in vitro fertilization. Such studies are frequently situated within a larger body of work, ‘the new kinship studies’, that follows David Schneider in challenging the notion of ‘natural’ foundations of kinship. In the course of my own research into NRT in Lebanon, I found many examples of the ‘elective’, non‐biogenetic relations that are foregrounded in these recent kinship studies. However, such relations are confidential, in public conformity to an ethic of sexual propriety. Sexual morality is also a central theme of political polemic in the wider Middle East, locally perceived as under threat from ‘Western immorality’. I suggest that we should be wary of an ethnocentric over‐emphasis on data challenging such notions of propriety. Further, the role of sexual morality in the constitution of kinship might usefully form a more prominent part of the theoretical agenda.

Les études récentes sur la parenté s’intéressent aux techniques de procréation médicalement assistée telles que la fécondation in vitro. Ces études s’inscrivent souvent dans un travail plus large, « les nouvelles études de la parenté», qui remettent en question, avec David Schneider, la notion de fondement « naturel » de la parenté. Au cours de ses propres recherches sur la procréation médicalement assistée au Liban, l’auteur a relevé de nombreux exemples de relations électives, d’origine non biologique, inscrites dans ces études récentes sur la parenté. Ces relations sont toutefois confidentielles, et la vie publique se conforme à une éthique de la moralité sexuelle. Celle‐ci est également un thème central de polémiques politiques dans le Moyen‐Orient, localement perçu comme menacé par « l’immoralité occidentale ». L’auteur suggère qu’il faut se défier de l’insistance ethnocentrique sur les données remettant en question ces notions de correction. Il serait en outre utile d’accorder une plus grande place dans l’agenda des travaux théoriques au rôle de la moralité sexuelle dans la constitution du lien de parenté.
Binary Models for Marginal Independence
Authors: Drton Mathias , Richardson Thomas S.
Published: February 2008

Log-linear models are a classical tool for the analysis of contingency tables. In particular, the subclass of graphical log-linear models provides a general framework for modelling conditional independences. However, with the exception of special structures, marginal independence hypotheses cannot be accommodated by these traditional models. Focusing on binary variables, we present a model class that provides a framework for modelling marginal independences in contingency tables. The approach that is taken is graphical and draws on analogies with multivariate Gaussian models for marginal independence. For the graphical model representation we use bidirected graphs, which are in the tradition of path diagrams. We show how the models can be parameterized in a simple fashion, and how maximum likelihood estimation can be performed by using a version of the iterated conditional fitting algorithm. Finally we consider combining these models with symmetry restrictions.
Variable Selection in Semiparametric Linear Regression with Censored Data
Authors: Johnson Brent A.
Published: February 2008

We describe two procedures for selecting variables in the semiparametric linear regression model for censored data. One procedure penalizes a vector of estimating equations and simultaneously estimates regression coefficients and selects submodels. A second procedure controls systematically the proportion of unimportant variables through forward selection and the addition of pseudorandom variables. We explore both rank-based statistics and Buckley–James statistics in the setting proposed and evaluate the performance of all methods through extensive simulation studies and one real data set.
Effects of in‐group and out‐group support on behavioral consistency: The majority and minority in the context of an intergroup belief cross
Authors: NONAMI HIROSHI
Published: February 2008

Abstract:  The present study investigated the social determinants required to stimulate consistency in minority members’ attitudes and behavior. The experiment was designed to examine the consistency of individuals in the context of an intergroup belief cross wherein the majority belief (or minority) in a categorical in‐group shifted to the minority (or majority) in the out‐group. The results indicated that the members of a majority within an in‐group consistently preserved their behavioral intentions and beliefs even though they were positioned as a minority within an out‐group. That is, the minority members in the whole intergroup context maintained consistency diachronically as a result of support from the majority of their in‐group. The theoretical implications on the consistency of minority members, such as whistle‐blowers in companies, are discussed.