bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Warfighter Needs in the 21st Century: Linking Fleet Operations to Required Capabilities
Authors: Myer V.A.
Published: March 2009

What the warfighter needs is not what he is getting in terms of responsiveness to the emerging threat, interoperability among systems, and systems readiness and training. This disconnect between Fleet operations and the acquisition requirements process is becoming more pronounced as systems grow larger and more complex and as warflghting becomes more joint Knowing what the warfighter wants and how he envisions using it in a concept of operations is fundamental to the requirements process. The source of this information is the commander in chief's (CINC's) operations plan (OPLAN), which contains the concept of operations (CONOPS) for each warfighting theater. It is critical that the CONOPS be used as the basis for determining performance requirements, because it contains the military judgment, context, and authority of the theater CINC. The defunct Arsenal Ship program, which was rightly vetoed by the theater CINCs because it would not meet their warfighting needs at acceptable risk, is a recent example of the mismatch between what is being asked for and what is being provided.
The Sea Coaster Air‐Assisted Catamaran
Authors: Burg D. , Johnson W.
Published: March 2009

This paper describes the development of an air‐assisted catamaran without skirts. This patented technology derives from Mr. Burg's long involvement with air‐assisted technology. The Sea Coaster concept eliminates the use of flexible seals and uses pointed bows. The development, construction and initial trials of a 19.8‐meter vessel are discussed. Concepts for ferry, patrol and large container vessels are also presented.
Tornado Effect Pump in the Fleet‐Status Report
Authors: Weinrib H. , Lucas P. , Keltner R. , Johnson W.
Published: March 2009

This paper provides a status report on the tornado effect EDDY Pump™ system Fleet installations (CV, CVN, LHA, LHD and LPD), including operational results and impact on Collection, Holding, and Transfer (CHT) system maintenance. The use of the new transfer pump system has been estimated to result in life cycle savings of about $3,000,000 per aircraft carrier. Additional maintenance savings are being achieved as comminutors are no longer required and are being removed from the carriers. Pump performance is noticeably improved as the new pump system can achieve flow rates three times as fast, with less power, than the previously installed centrifugal pumps. The paper also reports on other potential Navy applications under consideration, including use of the EDDY Pump system as a brine pump in the aircraft carrier distilling plant The brine pump test has been completed with a positive recommendation for use in brine, condensate, fire main, and other systems. Use of the EDDY Pump system in the brine pump application has been estimated to result in life cycle savings of about $2,000,000 per aircraft carrier.
Risk Management in Total System Ship Design
Authors: Barker C. F. , Campbell C. B.
Published: March 2009

Ships are being designed with an increased emphasis on reduced life cycle costs, obtained through means such as reduced crew size, increased automation, and adoption of commercial practices. Ship cost is closely related to the likelihood and consequence of future events, or risk. Ship designers must have tools to assess and manage risks to obtain cost‐effective designs. Risk assumptions were built into prescriptive standards, but performance standards are now being used. Ships systems built to varying degrees of acceptable risk are not cost‐effective. Underdesigns and overdesigns will result, and the ship ends up only as strong as its “weakest link.” The authors propose that the top‐down risk management methodology that is currently used for commercial ships be considered for use by naval ship designers in conjunction with both the traditional ship design spiral and the total systems ship design concept. The IMO‐endorsed formal safety assessment (FSA) methodology was designed for marine systems. By adopting the FSA approach the Navy will benefit from existing lessons‐learned, and will have a smoother transition into the application of commercial standards when the ship is built.
Reliability‐Based Determination of Economic Life of Marine Power Plants
Authors: Atua K.
Published: March 2009

The reliability‐based life approach is used. Selective failure modes of marine power plants are used for illustration. A case study of the Egyptian Commercial Fleet owned by the Public Sector Company was analyzed and used to establish a demonstration of the expected economic life based on local operating and maintenance conditions. The data acquired is analyzed and a failure trend is derived for each failure mode. Probabilistic techniques are used to randomly generate numbers and times of occurrence of different failure modes. The reliability analysis is performed based on the life span expected by the manufacturer, to predict the total number of failures, dependent failures, and cost of failures. Total expenditure from random failure and cost of scheduled maintenance together with the annual income are used (using the time value of money) to determine the economic life of the plant Conclusions are derived and recommendations for the enhancement of this work in the future are made.
Tfe Solberg Award
Authors: Streit Roy L.
Published: March 2009

for his significant engineering research and development in sonar array research and acoustic transient signals as set forth in the following
The Claude A Jones Award
Authors: Butler Robert G.
Published: March 2009

for his significant contribution to naval engineering as set forth in the following
Gas Turbine Design for Large Naval Ships Using Intellegent Computer Design Software
Authors: Wu Chih , Bowman Lt. John A.
Published: March 2009

This paper explores the possibility of combining the Brayton and Ericsson cycles to produce a high efficiency gas turbine cycle for use onboard large Navy vessels. The advantages would be quick startup, decreased manning and less space requirements. Efficiencies were found to equal and surpass those of a typical Rankine cycle. Analysis is done using CyclePad, an intelligent computer aided design program.
An examination of genetic variation and selection on condition in Drosophila melanogaster males
Authors: Rode Nicolas O. , Morrow Edward H.
Published: March 2009

According to the genic capture hypothesis, the maintenance of additive genetic variation in fitness‐related traits is due to both condition‐dependence of these traits and high genetic variation for condition. Evidence supporting this latter assumption is scarce. In this study, we investigated, using hemiclonal analysis, standing genetic variation for condition and relative adult fitness in male Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen) (Diptera: Drosophilidae). The absolute fat and the relative fat content were used as indices of body condition and were measured along with adult relative fitness from males reared in high or low larval densities. The results did not demonstrate genetic variation for condition or adult relative fitness. However, the larval density encountered during development had a strong and significant effect on all traits. Surprisingly, although not significant, negative selection gradients acting on absolute fat and relative fat content were also found in both treatments. These findings challenge one of the main assumptions of the genic capture hypothesis and the use of fat content as an ideal index of condition.
Lupus erythematosus with exclusive involvement of the acrosyringia
Authors: Fried Isabella , Wiesner Thomas , Cerroni Lorenzo
Published: March 2009

Cutaneous lesions of lupus erythematosus (LE) show a broad spectrum of clinicopathologic features. Histopathologically, besides typical patterns such as interface dermatitis, perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate and dermal mucin deposits, an involvement of the eccrine structures, especially the acrosyringium, may be observed. We describe the case of a 21‐year‐old woman with a 4‐year history of systemic LE, who presented with a ‘butterfly’ rash over the cheeks as well as erythematous macules on the arms and décolleté. Biopsy from one lesion on the arm revealed interface changes, necrotic keratinocytes and exocytosis of lymphocytes restricted only to the regions of the acrosyringia. The epidermis between affected acrosyringia was normal with no hints of interface dermatitis. The eccrine glands and coils were not affected. In the dermis there were only sparse inflammatory infiltrates. Differential diagnoses such as erythema multiforme, drug eruption and lichen planus could be ruled out because of histopathologic features and clinical presentation. This is an example of a peculiar histopathological variant of cutaneous LE, characterized by exclusive involvement of the acrosyringia. The histopathologic features represent a pitfall in the diagnosis and can be correctly interpreted only upon correlation with clinical data.
Lenalidomide in combination with dexamethasone at first relapse in comparison with its use as later salvage therapy in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma
Authors: Stadtmauer Edward A. , Weber Donna M. , Niesvizky Ruben , Belch Andrew , Prince Miles H. , San Miguel Jesús F. , Facon Thierry , Olesnyckyj Marta , Yu Zhinuan , Zeldis Jerome B. , Knight Robert D. , Dimopoulos Meletios A.
Published: March 2009

This subset analysis of data from two phase III studies in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM) evaluated the benefit of initiating lenalidomide plus dexamethasone at first relapse. Multivariate analysis showed that fewer prior therapies, along with β2‐microglobulin (≤2.5 mg/L), predicted a better time to progression (TTP; study end‐point) with lenalidomide plus dexamethasone treatment. Patients with one prior therapy showed a significant improvement in benefit after first relapse compared with those who received two or more therapies. Patients with one prior therapy had significantly prolonged median TTP (17.1 vs. 10.6 months; P = 0.026) and progression‐free survival (14.1 vs. 9.5 months, P = 0.047) compared with patients treated in later lines. Overall response rates were higher (66.9% vs. 56.8%, P = 0.06), and the complete response plus very good partial response rate was significantly higher in first relapse (39.8% vs. 27.7%, P = 0.025). Importantly, overall survival was significantly prolonged for patients treated with lenalidomide plus dexamethasone with one prior therapy, compared with patients treated later in salvage (median of 42.0 vs. 35.8 months, P = 0.041), with no differences in toxicity, dose reductions, or discontinuations despite longer treatment. Therefore, lenalidomide plus dexamethasone is both effective and tolerable for second‐line MM therapy and the data suggest that the greatest benefit occurs with earlier use.
Human hair follicle pigmentary unit as a direct target for modulators of melanogenesis, as studied by [14C]‐2‐Thiouracil incorporation
Authors: Michelet Jean‐François , Gautier Brigitte , Gaillard Olivier , Bernard Bruno Alain , Benech Florence
Published: March 2009

Abstract:  The purpose of this study was to evaluate human hair follicle melanogenic activity using the [14C]‐2‐thiouracil, which was known to incorporate into nascent melanins. Results obtained on pigmented, grey and non‐pigmented hair follicles demonstrated that [14C]‐2‐TU incorporation was restricted to the melanogenic compartment with a strong accumulation located around dermal papilla and within the fibre of pigmented hair follicles. Quantitative analysis of [14C]‐2‐TU incorporation showed a significant increase in pigmented hair follicles upon stimulation with 1 μm forskolin concomitant to an increase in tyrosinase levels. A strong significant decrease in [14C]‐2‐TU incorporation was noted, when hair follicles were incubated with the tyrosinase competitive inhibitor kojic acid (200 μm). Incubation with the MC1‐R agonist α‐MSH (0.2 μm) did not induce a significant stimulation of hair melanogenesis. The present model could thus represent a useful new tool to identify modulators of human hair pigmentation.
Low‐dose combination therapy of severe digital ulcers in diffuse progressive systemic sclerosis with the endothelin‐1 receptor antagonist bosentan and the phosphodiesterase V inhibitor sildenafil
Authors: Ambach Andreas , Seo Won , Bonnekoh Bernd , Gollnick Harald
Published: March 2009

Digital ulcers in progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) are often refractory to therapy. A frequently chronic aggressive course can lead to the loss of acral limbs involved. A 73‐year‐old woman developed a dramatic worsening of her ulcerations despite maximum conventional therapy. Switching therapy to bosentan and sildenafil, both in low‐dose regimens, resulted for the first time in ten years in a complete healing of the ulcers. If substantiated in a series of patients, the additive and perhaps synergistic clinical benefits of combining bosentan and sildenafil may be a valuable option for the treatment of acral ulcers in PSS.
Severity of perinatal illness and cerebral cortical growth in preterm infants
Authors: Kaukola Tuula , Kapellou Olga , Laroche Sabine , Counsell Serena J , Dyet Leigh E , Allsop Joanna M , Edwards A David
Published: March 2009

Aim: We have shown previously that the degree of prematurity affects cortical surface area growth. We now addressed the question whether cortical surface area growth after preterm birth is predicted by the severity of peri‐ and postnatal illness.

Methods: Cortical surface area was measured in 269 images from 111 infants born between 23 and 29 weeks and imaged at 23 to 48 weeks gestational age (GA). The severity of perinatal illness was assessed using the clinical risk index for babies score (CRIB I) and the severity of ongoing illness by the presence of chronic lung disease (CLD). The effects on cortical growth were modelled using generalized least‐square regression for random effects with Bonferroni correction. To explore the results further we examined CRIB II, C‐reactive protein (CRP) on the second day after birth, and time taken to achieve full enteral feeding.

Results: Cortical surface area grew by 12.4% per week. Reduced cortical growth was predicted by adverse CRIB I (–0.15% per week per unit) and development of CLD (–1.18% per week). Secondary analysis showed that growth was related to adverse CRIB II (–0.36% per week per unit) and increasing CRP (–0.03% per week per mMol), but not by the time taken to achieve full enteral feeding.

Conclusion: After very premature birth illness severity predicts reduced cortical growth.
The Changing Racial and Ethnic Composition of the US Population: Emerging American Identities
Authors: Perez Anthony Daniel , Hirschman Charles
Published: March 2009

Images and interpretations of the past, present, and future of the American racial and ethnic landscape are contradictory. Many accounts focus on the increasing diversity that results from immigration and differential natural increase as well as the proliferation of racial and ethnic categories in census data. Less attention has been paid to the formation and erosion of racial and ethnic identities produced by intermarriage and ethnic blending. The framers and custodians of census racial classifications assume a “geographic origins” definition of race and ethnicity, but thede factomeasures in censuses and social surveys rely on folk categories that vary over time and are influenced by administrative practices and sociopolitical movements. We illustrate these issues through an in‐depth examination of the racial and ethnic reporting by whites, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics in the 2000 census. The emerging pattern, labeled here as the “Americanization” of racial and ethnic identities, and most evident for whites and blacks, is of simplified racial identities with little acknowledgment of complex ancestries. National origin is the predominant mode of reporting racial and ethnic identities among Asians and Hispanics, especially first‐generation immigrants. The future of racial and ethnic identities is unknowable, but continued high levels of immigration, intermarriage, and social mobility are likely to blur contemporary divisions and boundaries.
“Roll Back Malaria, Roll in Development”? Reassessing the Economic Burden of Malaria
Authors: Packard Randall M.
Published: March 2009

Recent efforts to mobilize support for malaria control have highlighted the economic burden of malaria and the value of malaria control for generating economic development. These claims have a long history. Beginning in the early twentieth century, they became the primary justification for malaria‐control programs in the American South and in other parts of the globe, including British India. Economists conducted none of these studies. Following World War II and the development of new anti‐malarial drugs and pesticides, including DDT, malaria control and eradication were increasingly presented as instruments for eliminating economic underdevelopment. By the 1960s, however, economists and demographers began to raise serious substantive and methodological questions about the basis of these claims. Of particular concern was the role of rapid population growth, resulting in part from the decline of malaria mortality, in undermining the short‐term economic gains achieved through malaria control. Despite these concerns, malaria continues to be presented as an economic problem in the work of Jeffrey Sachs and others, justifying massive investments in malaria control. The methodological basis of these claims is examined. The paper concludes that while malaria takes a dreadful toll in human lives and causes significant economic losses for individuals, families, and some industries, the evidence linking malaria control to national economic growth remains unconvincing. In addition, the evidence suggests that there are potential costs to justifying malaria‐eradication campaigns on macroeconomic grounds.
Universal versus Economically Polarized Change in Age at First Birth: A French–British Comparison
Authors: Rendall Michael S. , Ekert‐Jaffé Olivia , Joshi Heather , Lynch Kevin , Mougin Rémi
Published: March 2009

France and Britain in the 1980s and 1990s represented two contrasting institutional models for the integration of employment and motherhood: the “universalistic” regime in France offered subsidized childcare and maternity‐leave benefits at all income levels; the “means‐tested” regime in Britain mainly offered income‐tested benefits for single mothers. Comparing the two countries, we test the hypothesis that the socioeconomic gradient of fertility timing has become increasingly mediated by family policy. We find increasing polarization in women's age at first birth by pre‐childbearing occupation in Britain but not in France. Early first births persisted in Britain only among women in low‐skill occupations, while shifts toward increasingly late first births occurred in clerical/secretarial occupations and higher occupational groups. Age at first birth increased across all occupations in France, but age at first birth in France was still much earlier on average than for all but low‐skill British mothers.
SENSORY PROPERTIES OF AKARA (FRIED COWPEA PASTE) AND MOINMOIN (STEAMED COWPEA PASTE) PREPARED FROM FIVE VARIETIES OF COWPEA FLOUR
Authors: HENSHAW F.O. , MCWATTERS K.H. , AKINGBALA J.O.
Published: March 2009

Akara (fried cowpea paste) and moinmoin (steamed cowpea paste) are foods traditionally prepared from dehulled and wet‐milled seeds. These products were prepared using flour produced from five varieties of cowpea as starting ingredient. The sensory properties of products from flour were compared with those from fresh paste (control) using the Difference from Control Test. Trained panelists (n = 9) rated samples on an 8‐level scale, where 0 = no difference and 7 = extremely large difference at triplicate sessions on separate days for each product. Results showed significant differences (α ≤ 0.05) in mean scores for attributes of products among flour of different cowpea varieties. Mean scores ranged between 0.30 (no difference) to 3.1 (moderate difference) for all attributes of akara, while for moinmoin, a range of 1.0 (very slight difference) to 3.4 (moderate difference) were obtained. Canonical discriminant analysis showed that the most discriminating sensory attributes of akara were crumb sponginess, lightness and crust softness, while those of moinmoin were mouthfeel and moistness. Based on the most discriminating attributes, the varieties California Blackeye 5 and Mississippi silver gave products that were the least different from the control.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Akara and moinmoin are popular West African foods prepared from cowpea paste, which require laborious and time‐consuming operations to process from seeds. The availability of convenient flour that can be simply rehydrated would greatly simplify the preparation of these foods. However, the acceptance of cowpea flour in the marketplace as an alternative starting ingredient depends on the retention of requisite functionality that would give the desired sensory quality in the products. The sensory attributes of akara and moinmoin identified in the study are those that must not be compromised by the conditions of processing flour from seeds. This knowledge would be useful in the development of an appropriate flour‐processing method.
Therapeutic Effect of an Interval Exercise Training Program in the Management of Erectile Dysfunction in Hypertensive Patients
Authors: Lamina Sikiru , Okoye Chuba G. , Dagogo Theophilus T.
Published: March 2009

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of an interval exercise training program on C‐reactive protein and erectile dysfunction (ED) management in older male hypertensive patients. Twenty‐two male hypertensive patients with ED (n=22; 62.10±5.23 years) were involved in interval exercise training (60%–79% heart rate max reserve) for 8 weeks for a duration of between 45 to 60 min/d, while an age‐matched control hypertensive (n=21; 64.00±4.77 years) group remained sedentary during this period. The study revealed a significant effect of an exercise training program on erectile function of hypertensive patients with ED (P<.05). It was concluded that an exercise program is a possible effective noninvasive and nonpharmacologic management of ED in male hypertensive patients.
Endopathogenic lifestyle of Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi in olive knots
Authors: Rodríguez‐Moreno Luis , Jiménez Antonio J. , Ramos Cayo
Published: March 2009

The endophytic phase of Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi in olive stems and the structural and ultrastructural histogenesis of olive knots have been studied. Construction of a stable plasmid vector expressing the green fluorescent protein, in combination with the use of in vitro olive plants, allowed real‐time monitoring of P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi infection. The infection process was also examined by bright field and epifluorescence microscopy as well as by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Hypertrophy of the stem tissue was concomitant with the formation of bacterial aggregates, microcolonies and multilayer biofilms, over the cell surfaces and the interior of plasmolysed cells facing the air‐tissue interface of internal opened fissures, and was followed by invasion of the outer layers of the hypertrophied tissue. Pathogenic invasion of the internal lumen of newly formed xylem vessels, which were connected with the stem vascular system, was also observed in late stages of infection. Ultrastructural analysis of knot sections showed the release of outer membrane vesicles from the pathogen surface, a phenomenon not described before for bacterial phytopathogens during host infection. This is the first real‐time monitoring of P. savastanoi disease development and the first illustrated description of the ultrastructure of P. savastanoi‐induced knots.
Substrate‐dependent transcriptomic shifts in Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum grown in syntrophic co‐culture with Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus
Authors: Kato Souichiro , Kosaka Tomoyuki , Watanabe Kazuya
Published: March 2009

Pelotomaculum thermopropionicum is a syntrophic propionate‐oxidizing bacterium that catalyses the intermediate bottleneck step of the anaerobic‐biodegradation process. As it thrives on a very small energy conserved by propionate oxidation under syntrophic association with a methanogen, its catabolic pathways and regulatory mechanisms are of biological interest. In this study, we constructed high‐density oligonucleotide microarrays for P. thermopropionicum, and used them to analyse global transcriptional responses of this organism to different growth substrates (propionate, ethanol, propanol and lactate) in co‐culture with a hydrogenotrophic methanogenic archaeon, Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus (by reference to fumarate monoculture). We found that a substantial number of genes were upregulated in the syntrophic co‐cultures irrespective of growth substrates (including those related to amino‐acid and cofactor metabolism), suggesting that these processes were influenced by the syntrophic partner. Expression of the central catabolic pathway (the propionate‐oxidizing methylmalonyl‐CoA pathway) was found to be substrate‐dependent and was largely stimulated when P. thermopropionicum was grown on propionate and lactate. This finding was supported by results of growth tests, revealing that syntrophic propionate oxidation was largely accelerated by supplementation with lactate. These results revealed that P. thermopropionicum has complex regulatory mechanisms that alter its metabolism in response to the syntrophic partner and growth substrates.
Legacy Effects of Colonial Millponds on Floodplain Sedimentation, Bank Erosion, and Channel Morphology, Mid‐Atlantic, USA1
Authors: Schenk Edward R. , Hupp Cliff R.
Published: March 2009

Abstract:  Many rivers and streams of the Mid‐Atlantic Region, United States (U.S.) have been altered by postcolonial floodplain sedimentation (legacy sediment) associated with numerous milldams. Little Conestoga Creek, Pennsylvania, a tributary to the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay, is one of these streams. Floodplain sedimentation rates, bank erosion rates, and channel morphology were measured annually during 2004‐2007 at five sites along a 28‐km length of Little Conestoga Creek with nine colonial era milldams (one dam was still in place in 2007). This study was part of a larger cooperative effort to quantify floodplain sedimentation, bank erosion, and channel morphology in a high sediment yielding region of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Data from the five sites were used to estimate the annual volume and mass of sediment stored on the floodplain and eroded from the banks for 14 segments along the 28‐km length of creek. A bank and floodplain reach based sediment budget (sediment budget) was constructed for the 28 km by summing the net volume of sediment deposited and eroded from each segment. Mean floodplain sedimentation rates for Little Conestoga Creek were variable, with erosion at one upstream site (−5 mm/year) to deposition at the other four sites (highest = 11 mm/year) despite over a meter of floodplain aggradation from postcolonial sedimentation. Mean bank erosion rates range between 29 and 163 mm/year among the five sites. Bank height increased 1 m for every 10.6 m of channel width, from upstream to downstream (R2 = 0.79, p < 0.0001) resulting in progressively lowered hydraulic connectivity between the channel and the floodplain. Floodplain sedimentation and bank erosion rates also appear to be affected by the proximity of the segments to one existing milldam, which promotes deposition upstream and scouring downstream. The floodplain and bank along the 28‐km reach produced a net mean sediment loss of 5,634 Mg/year for 2004‐2007, indicating that bank erosion was exceeding floodplain sedimentation. In particular, the three segments between the existing dam and the confluence with the Conestoga River (32% of the studied reach) account for 97% of the measured net sediment budget. Future research directed at understanding channel equilibria should facilitate efforts to reduce the sediment impacts of dam removal and legacy sediment.
Innovations in Teaching Assistant Development: An Apprenticeship Model
Authors: Kost Claudia R.
Published: March 2009

Abstract: This article describes an apprenticeship model that was developed and implemented across several language areas within one department at a large Canadian university. The apprenticeship provides two semesters of training for graduate foreign language teaching assistants before they are put in charge of their own classes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefits of the program and point out areas for improvement. Based on questionnaires distributed to apprentices and mentoring instructors who participated in this program from 2003 to 2006, results indicate that the apprenticeship program is very successful in training incoming graduate students to become competent foreign language instructors. Mentoring instructors also benefited from working with apprentices.
Instructors' Integration of Computer Technology: Examining the Role of Interaction
Authors: Kim Hoe Kyeung , Rissel Dorothy
Published: March 2009

Abstract: Computer technology has the potential to provide rich resources for language teaching and learning. However, it continues to be underutilized, even though its availability, familiarity, and sophistication are steadily increasing. This case study explored the way in which three language instructors' beliefs about language teaching and learning affected their use of computers in teaching in a postsecondary context. Data consisted of six weeks of observations of classrooms and computer labs and interviews with the three instructors. The findings suggest that the instructors' beliefs about interaction affected their use of computers significantly more than their technological expertise, and imply that for computers to be used more widely, teacher preparation needs to take into consideration instructors' beliefs and approaches to language teaching.
The Role of Structural Position in L2 Phonological Acquisition: Evidence from English Learners of Spanish as L2
Authors: Vokic Gabriela
Published: March 2009

Abstract: In this pilot study, the speech of 12 adult native speakers of English with intermediate to intermediate‐high proficiency in Spanish as a second language (L2) was analyzed to determine whether L2 learners rely on distributional information in the process of L2 speech learning and if so, if similar or dissimilar distributional patterns of sounds are more easily acquired. The parameter for (dis)similarity was set around the notion of structural position in combination with native language (L1) and L2 phonemic inventories. The results show that the subjects were consistently more successful in producing the phonemes with overlapping distributional patterns in L1 and L2 than phonemes whose distribution differed in L1 and L2 as well as novel L2 contrasts.
Student Voices: The Missing Link in the Spanish Heritage Language Debate
Authors: Ducar Cynthia M.
Published: March 2009

Abstract: Though much of the research looking at the issue of language in the Spanish heritage language field is intended to guide the Spanish heritage language teacher in the classroom, students' voices are often stifled. This article fills this gap by giving voice to students' opinions on language use in the Spanish heritage language classroom. Survey results from 152 Spanish heritage language students enrolled in an extensive Spanish heritage language program show that these students prefer to learn specific varieties of Spanish in their Spanish heritage language classes. Interestingly, 91 % of those surveyed want their Spanish to be corrected. This article closes with pedagogical suggestions based on the students' preferences that may cause those of us working in the Spanish heritage language field to question our own pre‐existing beliefs concerning which language variety best serves the Spanish heritage language student population.
An Investigation of Reading Strategies Applied by American Learners of Chinese as a Foreign Language
Authors: Lee‐Thompson Li‐Chun
Published: March 2009

Abstract: Minimal research has been conducted in reading Chinese as a second/ foreign language (CSI/CFL). In an effort to further the understanding of the reading process, this study, utilizing think aloud and retelling procedures, focuses on the identification of strategies that American university students applied to read Chinese texts (narrative and argumentative), and the difficulties encountered when processing texts for meaning. Also it examines whether Bernhardt's constructivist model can account for the reading process of the CFL learners at the intermediate proficiency level. The results show that the CFL readers employed bottom‐up and top‐down processing strategies, that their difficulties were pertinent to vocabulary, orthography, grammar, and background knowledge, and that Bernhardt's reading model could account for the reading process of CFL learners with minor modification.
Global deletion of thrombospondin‐1 increases cardiac and skeletal muscle capillarity and exercise capacity in mice
Authors: Malek Moh H. , Olfert I. Mark
Published: March 2009

Thrombospondin‐1 (TSP‐1) is a known inhibitor of angiogenesis; however, a skeletal muscle phenotype of TSP‐1 null mice has not been investigated. The purposes of this study were to compare and contrast TSP‐1 null and wild‐type mice by examining the following: (1) capillarity in the skeletal and cardiac muscles; (2) fibre type composition and oxidative enzyme activity in the hindlimb; and (3) the consequences of TSP‐1 gene deletion for exercise capacity. In TSP‐1 null mice, maximal running speed was 11% greater and time to exhaustion during submaximal endurance running was 67% greater compared with wild‐type mice. Morphometric analyses revealed that TSP‐1 null mice had higher (P < 0.05) capillarity in the heart and skeletal muscle than wild‐type mice, whereas no differences for fibre type composition or oxidative enzyme activity were present between the two groups. Cardiac function, as measured by transthoracic echocardiography, revealed no difference in myocardial contractility but greater left ventricular end‐diastolic and systolic dimensions, corresponding to an elevated heart mass in the TSP‐1 null mice. The results of this study indicate that TSP‐1 is an important endogenous negative regulator of angiogenesis that prevents excessive capillarization in the heart and skeletal muscles. The increased capillarity alone was sufficient to increase (P < 0.05) exercise capacity. These data demonstrate that the capillary‐to‐muscle interface is a critical factor that limits oxygen transport during exercise.
The Domestication Process and Domestication Rate in Rice: Spikelet Bases from the Lower Yangtze
Authors: Fuller Dorian Q , Qin Ling , Zheng Yunfei , Zhao Zhijun , Chen Xugao , Hosoya Leo Aoi , Sun Guo-Ping
Published: March 2009

The process of rice domestication occurred in the Lower Yangtze region of Zhejiang, China, between 6900 and 6600 years ago. Archaeobotanical evidence from the site of Tianluoshan shows that the proportion of nonshattering domesticated rice (
Oryza sativa
) spikelet bases increased over this period from 27% to 39%. Over the same period, rice remains increased from 8% to 24% of all plant remains, which suggests an increased consumption relative to wild gathered foods. In addition, an assemblage of annual grasses, sedges, and other herbaceous plants indicates the presence of arable weeds, typical of cultivated rice, that also increased over this period.
Genetic Incompatibility Drives Sex Allocation and Maternal Investment in a Polymorphic Finch
Authors: Pryke Sarah R. , Griffith Simon C.
Published: March 2009

Genetic compatibility may drive individual mate choice decisions because of predictable fitness effects associated with breeding with incompatible partners. In Gouldian finches (
Erythrura gouldiae
), females paired with genetically incompatible males of alternative color morphs overproduce sons, presumably to reduce investment in inviable daughters. We also observed a reduced overall investment in clutch size, egg size, and care to offspring resulting from incompatible matings. Within-female experimental pairings demonstrate that female birds have the ability to adaptively adjust the sex of their eggs and allocate resources on the basis of partner quality. Female Gouldian finches thus make cumulative strategic allocation decisions to minimize the costs of poor-quality pairings when faced with a genetically incompatible partner.
Humans Need Biodiversity
Authors: Mindell David P.
Published: March 2009

Sustaining Life
. How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity.
Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein, Eds.
. Oxford University Press, New York, 2008. 566 pp. $34.95, £18.99. ISBN 9780195175097.

Examining topics such as ecosystem services, medicines, biomedical research, infectious diseases, and food production, the contributors offer a thorough summary of the importance of biodiversity to well-being.
A Crystal Ball for Our Blue Planet
Authors: Bignami Giovanni F.
Published: March 2009

Surviving 1,000 Centuries
. Can We Do It?.
By Roger-Maurice Bonnet and Lodewijk Woltjer
. Springer, Berlin, in association with Praxis, Chichester, UK, 2008. 442 pp. $39.95, £20. ISBN 9780387746333.

The authors discuss the challenges to life on Earth and how we might meet them.
Development of a Human-Murine Chimeric Immunoglobulin M Antibody for Use in the Serological Detection of Human Flavivirus Antibodies
Authors: Thibodeaux Brett A. , Roehrig John T.
Published: March 2009

Current diagnosis of human flaviviral infections relies heavily on serological techniques such as the immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MAC-ELISA). Broad application of this assay is hindered by a lack of standardized human positive-control sera that react with the wide variety of flaviviruses that can cause human disease, e.g., dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV), yellow fever virus (YFV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), and St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV). We have created a human-murine chimeric antibody combining the variable regions of the broadly flavivirus cross-reactive murine monoclonal antibody (MAb) 6B6C-1 and the constant region of human IgM to produce a standardized reagent capable of replacing human positive-control sera in a MAC-ELISA for the diagnosis of all human flaviviral infections. The human-murine chimeric IgM antibody secreted from plasmid-transformed Sp2/0-Ag14 cells had a level of serological activity identical to that of 6B6C-1 as measured by ELISA, immunoblotting, and MAC-ELISA for multiple members of the flavivirus genus, including WNV, SLEV, YFV, DENV, and JEV.
New
Pyrenochaeta
Species Causing Keratitis
Authors: Ferrer Consuelo , Pérez-Santonja Juan J. , Rodríguez Alejandra E. , Colom M. Francisca , Gené Josepa , Alio Jorge L. , Verkley Gerard J. M. , Guarro Josep
Published: March 2009

We report a new fungus as an agent of fungal keratitis in a diabetic woman. The fungal etiology was established by classic microbiology and PCR following 3 months of antibacterial therapy. The morphological features of the isolate and sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region indicate a new species of
Pyrenochaeta
(
Coelomycetes
).
Rapid Determination of Quinolone Resistance in
Acinetobacter
spp
Authors: Hujer Kristine M. , Hujer Andrea M. , Endimiani Andrea , Thomson Jodi M. , Adams Mark D. , Goglin Karrie , Rather Philip N. , Pennella Thuy-Trang D. , Massire Christian , Eshoo Mark W. , Sampath Rangarajan , Blyn Lawrence B. , Ecker David J. , Bonomo Robert A.
Published: March 2009

In the treatment of serious bacterial infections, the rapid institution of appropriate antimicrobial chemotherapy may be lifesaving. Choosing the correct antibiotic or combination of antibiotics is becoming very important, as multidrug resistance is found in many pathogens. Using a collection of 75 well-characterized multidrug-resistant (MDR)
Acinetobacter
sp. isolates, we show that PCR followed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS) and base composition analysis of PCR amplification products can quickly and accurately identify quinolone resistance mediated by mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining regions of
gyrA
and
parC
, two essential housekeeping genes. Single point mutations detected by PCR/ESI-MS in
parC
(found in 55/75 of the isolates) and in
gyrA
(found in 66/75 of the isolates) correlated with susceptibility testing and sequencing. By targeting resistance determinants that are encoded by genes with highly conserved DNA sequences (e.g.,
gyrA
and
parC
), we demonstrate that PCR/ESI-MS can provide critical information for resistance determinant identification and can inform therapeutic decision making in the treatment of
Acinetobacter
sp. infections.
Regulation of the Catalytic Activity of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Protein Kinase Us3 by Autophosphorylation and Its Role in Pathogenesis
Authors: Sagou Ken , Imai Takahiko , Sagara Hiroshi , Uema Masashi , Kawaguchi Yasushi
Published: March 2009

Us3 is a serine/threonine protein kinase encoded by herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). We recently identified serine at Us3 position 147 (Ser-147) as a physiological phosphorylation site of Us3 (A. Kato, M. Tanaka, M. Yamamoto, R. Asai, T. Sata, Y. Nishiyama, and Y. Kawaguchi, J. Virol. 82:6172-6189, 2008). In the present study, we investigated the effects of phosphorylation of Us3 Ser-147 on regulation of Us3 catalytic activity in infected cells and on HSV-1 pathogenesis. Our results were as follows. (i) Only a small fraction of Us3 purified from infected cells was phosphorylated at Ser-147. (ii) Us3 phosphorylated at Ser-147 purified from infected cells had significantly higher kinase activity than Us3 not phosphorylated at Ser-147. (iii) Phosphorylation of Us3 Ser-147 in infected cells was dependent on Us3 kinase activity. (iv) Replacement of Us3 Ser-147 by alanine significantly reduced viral replication in the mouse cornea and the development of herpes stromal keratitis and periocular skin disease in mice. These results indicated that Us3 catalytic activity is tightly regulated by autophosphorylation of Ser-147 in infected cells and that regulation of Us3 activity by autophosphorylation appeared to play a critical role in viral replication in vivo and in HSV-1 pathogenesis.
Polyfunctional CD4
+
T-Cell Induction in Neutralizing Antibody-Triggered Control of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection
Authors: Yamamoto Takuya , Iwamoto Nami , Yamamoto Hiroyuki , Tsukamoto Tetsuo , Kuwano Tetsuya , Takeda Akiko , Kawada Miki , Tsunetsugu-Yokota Yasuko , Matano Tetsuro
Published: March 2009

Rapid depletion of memory CD4
+
T cells and delayed induction of neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses are characteristics of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infections. Although it was speculated that postinfection NAb induction could have only a limited suppressive effect on primary HIV replication, a recent study has shown that a single passive NAb immunization of rhesus macaques 1 week after SIV challenge can result in reduction of viral loads at the set point, indicating a possible contribution of postinfection NAb responses to virus control. However, the mechanism accounting for this NAb-triggered SIV control has remained unclear. Here, we report rapid induction of virus-specific polyfunctional T-cell responses after the passive NAb immunization postinfection. Analysis of SIV Gag-specific responses of gamma interferon, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-2, macrophage inflammatory protein 1β, and CD107a revealed that the polyfunctionality of Gag-specific CD4
+
T cells, as defined by the multiplicity of these responses, was markedly elevated in the acute phase in NAb-immunized animals. In the chronic phase, despite the absence of detectable NAbs, virus control was maintained, accompanied by polyfunctional Gag-specific T-cell responses. These results implicate virus-specific polyfunctional CD4
+
T-cell responses in this NAb-triggered virus control, suggesting possible synergism between NAbs and T cells for control of HIV/SIV replication.
Aquareovirus Effects Syncytiogenesis by Using a Novel Member of the FAST Protein Family Translated from a Noncanonical Translation Start Site
Authors: Racine Trina , Hurst Tara , Barry Chris , Shou Jingyun , Kibenge Frederick , Duncan Roy
Published: March 2009

As nonenveloped viruses, the aquareoviruses and orthoreoviruses are unusual in their ability to induce cell-cell fusion and syncytium formation. While an extraordinary family of fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) proteins is responsible for orthoreovirus syncytiogenesis, the basis for aquareovirus-induced syncytiogenesis is unknown. We now report that the S7 genome segment of an Atlantic salmon reovirus is polycistronic and uses a noncanonical CUG translation start codon to produce a 22-kDa integral membrane protein responsible for syncytiogenesis. The aquareovirus p22 protein represents a fourth distinct member of the FAST family with a unique repertoire and arrangement of structural motifs.
Suppression of
Bamboo Mosaic Virus
Accumulation by a Putative Methyltransferase in
Nicotiana benthamiana
Authors: Cheng Chun-Wei , Hsiao Yi-Yuong , Wu Hui-Chuan , Chuang Chi-Mau , Chen Jao-Shien , Tsai Ching-Hsiu , Hsu Yau-Heiu , Wu Yao-Chu , Lee Cheng-Cheng , Meng Menghsiao
Published: March 2009

Bamboo mosaic virus
(BaMV) is a 6.4-kb positive-sense RNA virus belonging to the genus
Potexvirus
of the family
Flexiviridae
. The 155-kDa viral replicase, the product of ORF1, comprises an N-terminal
S
-adenosyl-
l
-methionine (AdoMet)-dependent guanylyltransferase, a nucleoside triphosphatase/RNA 5′-triphosphatase, and a C-terminal RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). To search for cellular factors potentially involved in the regulation of replication and/or transcription of BaMV, the viral RdRp domain was targeted as bait to screen against a leaf cDNA library of
Nicotiana benthamiana
using a yeast two-hybrid system. A putative methyltransferase (PNbMTS1) of 617 amino acid residues without an established physiological function was identified. Cotransfection of
N. benthamiana
protoplasts with a BaMV infectious clone and the PNbMTS1-expressing plasmid showed a PNbMTS1 dosage-dependent inhibitory effect on the accumulation of BaMV coat protein. Deletion of the N-terminal 36 amino acids, deletion of a predicted signal peptide or transmembrane segment, or mutations in the putative AdoMet-binding motifs of PNbMTS1 abolished the inhibitory effect. In contrast, suppression of PNbMTS1 by virus-induced gene silencing in
N. benthamiana
increased accumulation of the viral coat protein as well as the viral genomic RNA. Collectively, PNbMTS1 may function as an innate defense protein against the accumulation of BaMV through an uncharacterized mechanism.