bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electronic Laboratory Notebooks in Pharmaceutical R&D: On the Road to Maturity
Authors: Du Ping , Kofman Joseph A.
Published: May 2007

Laboratory activities in pharmaceutical R&D, including planning, experimental design, execution, data collection, processing, and reporting, rely on computer systems significantly. New computer systems are routinely implemented to increase the efficiency and quality of work in every aspect of R&D. One notable exception is the laboratory notebooks, which have been slow to “go electronic.” Only in the last few years, technology began to improve and more companies started to implement electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs). Because the laboratory notebook is primary evidence for the ownership of intellectual property, concerns on whether electronic records can be used as evidence for invention is wide spread. Many early adopters of ELN technology took a hybrid approach: entering data electronically but printing and signing the printouts. However, there is very little basis for such concerns as regulatory agencies accept electronic records. What is important is that any records, electronic or paper, should be managed properly to ensure authenticity and trustworthiness. There are many benefits associated with ELNs, the most significant of which is the ability to search records electronically. The use of ELNs significantly increases productivity for scientists, peer reviewers, and supervisors in R&D. Time spent in searching for patent support data in discovery areas and on compliance and procedure-related tasks in regulated areas would be reduced, freeing time for other productive tasks. If integrated with other laboratory information systems, ELNs will also provide ability to directly drill down to hard data such as compound registration, biological assay, drug safety measurements, and pharmaceutical tests. Developing an information architecture that supports the complete spectrum of data will ensure proper interface between ELNs and other systems. The increased acceptance of ELN technology, combined with the maturing of R&D computing environment in the pharmaceutical industry, suggests that ELNs will have a wider acceptance in the near future. (JALA 2007;12:157–65)
A NEW REFINEMENT OF YOUNG'S INEQUALITY
Authors: Alzer Horst , Koumandos Stamatis
Published: May 2007

A classical theorem due to Young states that the cosine polynomial

$$ C_n(x)=1+\sum_{k=1}^{n}\frac{\cos(kx)}{k} $$

is positive for all $n\geq1$ and $x\in(0,\pi)$. We prove the following refinement. For all $n\geq2$ and $x\in[0,\pi]$ we have

$$ \tfrac{1}{6}+c(\pi-x)^2\leq C_n(x), $$

with the best possible constant factor

$$ c=\min_{0\leq t\lt\pi}\frac{5+6\cos(t)+3\cos(2t)}{6(\pi-t)^2}=0.069\dots. $$
ON THE BLOW-UP OF THE NON-LOCAL THERMISTOR PROBLEM
Authors: Kavallaris N. I. , Nadzieja T.
Published: May 2007

The conditions under which the solution of the non-local thermistor problem

\begin{gather*} u_t=\Delta u+\frac{\lambda f(u)}{(\int_{\varOmega}f(u)\,\mathrm{d}x)^{2}},\quad x\in\varOmega\subset\mathbb{R}^N,\ N\geq2,\ t>0, \\ \frac{\partial u(x,t)}{\partial\nu}+\beta(x)u(x,t)=0,\quad x\in\partial\varOmega,\ t>0, \\ u(x,0)=u_0(x),\quad x\in\varOmega, \end{gather*}

blows up are investigated. We assume that $f(s)$ is a decreasing function and that it is integrable in $(0,\infty)$. Considering a suitable functional we prove that for all $\lambda\gt0$ the solution of the Neumann problem blows up in finite time. The same result is obtained for the Robin problem under the assumption that $\lambda$ is sufficiently large $(\lambda\gg 1)$. In the proof of existence of blow-up for the Dirichlet problem we use the subsolution technique. We are able to construct a blowing-up lower solution under the assumption that either $\lambda\gt\lambda^*$ or $0\lt\lambda\lt\lambda^*$, for some critical value $\lambda^*$, and that the initial condition is sufficiently large provided also that $f(s)$ satisfies the decay condition $\int_0^\infty[sf(s)-s^2f'(s)]\,\mathrm{d} s\lt\infty$.
SOLUTIONS OF SECOND-ORDER INTEGRO-DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS ON PERIODIC BESOV SPACES
Authors: Poblete Verónica
Published: May 2007

Maximal regularity for an integro-differential equation with infinite delay on periodic vector-valued Besov spaces is studied. We use Fourier multipliers techniques to characterize periodic solutions solely in terms of spectral properties on the data. We study a resonance case obtaining a compatibility condition which is necessary and sufficient for the existence of periodic solutions.
Response of low-N pool maize population to nitrogen uptake and use efficiency after three cycles of full-sib recurrent selection
Authors: OMOIGUI L. O. , ALABI S. O. , KAMARA A. Y.
Published: May 2007

Identification of plant cultivars efficient for nitrogen (N) uptake and utilization may contribute to the improvement of crop yield potential in areas of low-N (LN) availability. Three cycles of full-sib recurrent selection were applied on a LN pool-yellow (LNP-Y) maize population to improve its level of tolerance to low soil N in the savannah ecosystem. The progress after three cycles of selection was evaluated for two years (2000 and 2001). The objectives of the study were to classify the cycles in relation to response to N levels under field conditions and to investigate the progress in selection for improved grain yield and other agronomic traits at two N levels, LN (30 kg N/ha) and high-N (HN, 90 kg N/ha). The experiment was conducted under field conditions at the LN screening site of the Institute for Agricultural Research, Samaru, in the northern Guinea savannah of Nigeria. The experimental design consisted of randomized complete blocks with three replications. The aboveground biomass and grain at harvest were analysed for total N content. The results indicated differences in plant population response to N levels. Mean grain yield ranged from 2·5 t/ha in cycle 1 to 2·7 t/ha in cycle 3 under LN and from 4·2 t/ha in cycle 1 to 4·3 t/ha in cycle 3 under HN. The observed gains were 4·8% per cycle under LN and 1·4% per cycle under HN. Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) traits, viz. N uptake efficiency and N utilization efficiency were positively affected by selection. Gains for N utilization efficiency were 6·3% per cycle at LN and 9·1% per cycle at HN, while observed gains for NUE were 3·9% at LN and 1·4% per cycle at HN. However, N utilization efficiency was identified as the most important component of NUE for selecting cycles of selection in population development. Total N content and N utilization efficiency were significantly correlated with each other at LN, and had a significant, positive, direct effect on grain yield. Grain yield was positively correlated with N content and N utilization efficiency at both N levels. Also, a significant positive correlation was observed at LN between 300 kernel weight and N utilization efficiency. N utilization efficiency was correlated with ears/plant at HN and negatively correlated with anthesis-silking interval (ASI). The present study revealed that selection for improved productivity under LN stress conditions could be further enhanced by simultaneously selecting for high grain yield performance based on N utilization efficiency and on secondary traits, such as ears/plant, 300 kernel weight, and reduced ASI.
Molecular phylogeny of clade III nematodes reveals multiple origins of tissue parasitism
Authors: NADLER S. A. , CARRENO R. A. , MEJÍA-MADRID H. , ULLBERG J. , PAGAN C. , HOUSTON R. , HUGOT J.-P.
Published: May 2007

Molecular phylogenetic analyses of 113 taxa representing Ascaridida, Rhigonematida, Spirurida and Oxyurida were used to infer a more comprehensive phylogenetic hypothesis for representatives of ‘clade III’. The posterior probability of multiple alignment sites was used to exclude or weight characters, yielding datasets that were analysed using maximum parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian inference methods. Phylogenetic results were robust to differences among inference methods for most high-level taxonomic groups, but some clades were sensitive to treatments of characters reflecting differences in alignment ambiguity. Taxa representing Camallanoidea, Oxyurida, Physalopteroidea, Raphidascarididae, and Skrjabillanidae were monophyletic in all 9 analyses whereas Ascaridida, Ascarididae, Anisakidae, Cosmocercoidea, Habronematoidea, Heterocheilidae, Philometridae, Rhigonematida and Thelazioidea were never monophyletic. Some clades recovered in all trees such as Dracunculoidea and Spirurina included the vast majority of their sampled species, but were non-monophyletic due to the consistent behaviour of one or few ‘rogue’ taxa. Similarly, 102 of 103 clade III taxa were strongly supported as monophyletic, yet clade III was paraphyletic due to the grouping of Truttaedacnitis truttae with the outgroups. Mapping of host ‘habitat’ revealed that tissue-dwelling localization of nematode adults has evolved independently at least 3 times, and relationships among Spirurina and Camallanina often reflected tissue predilection rather than taxonomy.
Adaptation ofCryptosporidiumoocysts to different excystation conditions
Authors: WIDMER G. , KLEIN P. , BONILLA R.
Published: May 2007

Within the genusCryptosporidium2 lineages have evolved, one adapted to the acid environment of the stomach and abomasum, the other comprising parasites that multiply in the small intestine. We tested whether the release of sporozoites from oocysts, a process known as excystation, is triggered by conditions which mimic the site of infection. Specifically, we exposed oocysts from gastric and intestinalCryptosporidiumspecies to acid conditions or to a neutral solution of taurocholic acid, at 37°C. We found that oocysts from the gastric speciesC. murisandC.andersoniexcysted in both conditions, whereas the intestinal speciesC. parvumandC. hominisdid not respond to acid. When the effect of temperature alone was tested onC. murisandC. parvum, only oocysts from the former species excysted in significant numbers. Oocysts from intestinal species did not respond to temperature alone, nor to acidity. These observations are consistent with the need of gastric species to rapidly excyst and release the sporozoites upon ingestion, and indicate thatCryptosporidiumoocysts have evolved to maximize delivery of sporozoites to the region of the gastro-intestinal tract where the parasite multiplies.
Neuropsychological and behavioural disinhibition in adult ADHD compared to borderline personality disorder
Authors: LAMPE K. , KONRAD K. , KROENER S. , FAST K. , KUNERT H. J. , HERPERTZ S. C.
Published: May 2007

Background

Although attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is thought to be an inhibitory disorder, the question remains of how specific the inhibitory deficit is in adults and whether it distinguishes ADHD from borderline personality disorder (BPD), with which it shares several clinical features, particularly impulsiveness.

Method

The study assessed various motor and cognitive inhibitory functions (inhibition of prepotent, ongoing and interfering responses) in addition to working memory in adult ADHD patients with and without BPD, compared to subjects with BPD alone and controls. In addition, questionnaire data on various aspects of impulsiveness and anger regulation were assessed in all groups.

Results

ADHD patients performed worse than BPD individuals and controls in two inhibitory tasks: the stop signal task and the conflict module of the Attentional Network Task (ANT). In addition, they exhibited longer reaction times (RTs) and higher intra-individual variance in nearly all attentional tasks. The co-morbid group exhibited poor performance on the stop signal task but not on the conflict task. The BPD group barely differed from controls in neuropsychological performance but overlapped with ADHD in some behavioural problems, although they were less severe on the whole.

Conclusions

Impaired inhibition is a core feature in adults with ADHD. In addition, slow RTs and high intra-individual variance in performance may reflect deficits in the regulation of activation and effort in ADHD patients. ADHD and BPD share some symptoms of behavioural dysregulation without common cognitive deficits, at least in the attentional realm.
Confabulation in schizophrenia and its relationship to clinical and neuropsychological features of the disorder
Authors: LORENTE-ROVIRA E. , POMAROL-CLOTET E. , McCARTHY R. A. , BERRIOS G. E. , McKENNA P. J.
Published: May 2007

Background

A form of confabulation has been documented in schizophrenia and appears to be related to the symptom of thought disorder. It is unclear whether it is associated with the same pattern of neuropsychological deficits as confabulation in neurological patients.

Method

Thirty-four patients with chronic schizophrenia, including those with and without thought disorder, and 17 healthy controls were given a fable recall task to elicit confabulation. They were also examined on a range of executive, episodic and semantic memory tests.

Results

Confabulation was seen at a significantly higher rate in the schizophrenic patients than the controls, and predominated in those with thought disorder. Neuropsychologically, it was not a function of general intellectual impairment, and was not clearly related to episodic memory or executive impairment. However, there were indications of an association with semantic memory impairment.

Conclusions

The findings support the existence of a form of confabulation in schizophrenia that is related to thought disorder and has a different neuropsychological signature to the neurological form of the symptom.
Advances in genetic findings on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Authors: THAPAR ANITA , LANGLEY KATE , OWEN MICHAEL J. , O'DONOVAN MICHAEL C.
Published: May 2007

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common, childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder with adverse consequences during adult life. Family, twin and adoption studies show that genetic factors contribute to the aetiology of ADHD and that environmental factors also play a role. Family and twin studies have shown the importance of genetic influences on continuity in ADHD over time and in accounting for the co-occurrence of ADHD and conduct disorder problems. In meta-analyses of molecular genetic studies, the 48-bp variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) variant in the dopamine D4 gene and the CA(n) microsatellite marker in the D5 receptor gene have been found to be repeatedly associated with ADHD. Results from meta-analyses of the 480-bp VNTR in the dopamine transporter gene are mixed. Several genetic studies have also identified genetic variants that are related to specific clinical and developmental features of ADHD. In the next few years, a new generation of much larger-scale genetic studies should lead to the identification of further ADHD susceptibility genes. Such studies will also need to be integrated with other areas of neuroscience, clinical and epidemiological research to investigate how specific gene variants exert risk effects, interact with environmental factors and enable identification of the underlying causal mechanisms that lead to ADHD.
Reinventing Theatre
Authors: Shevtsova Maria
Published: May 2007

Eugenio Barba here discusses the desires and ideas driving his early years as a practitioner, some of the creative, social, and ethical principles underlying the work of the Odin Teatret, which he founded in 1964, and the group's most recent, new-style ‘barter’ events with and within local communities. His public dialogue with NTQ co-editor Maria Shevtsova and members of the audience provides fresh insight into the workings of one of the most influential figures, and one of the most widely known non-official theatre collectives, of the late twentieth century. The conversation took place on 31 October 2005 at Goldsmiths College, University of London, during the Odin's UK tour (as documented in the ‘Reports and Announcements’ section of NTQ 86), and included questions from the audience and concluding words from Odin performer Iben Nagel Rasmussen, who had performed White as Jasmin earlier in the evening. The transcript of this conversation, inaugurating a series of such public conversations at the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts at Goldsmiths, was edited for publication with the full and warm collaboration of Eugenio Barba.
Hanswurst and Herr Ich: Subjection and Abjection in Enlightenment Censorship of the Comic Figure
Authors: Jürs-Munby Karen
Published: May 2007

The well-known ‘banishment’ of the popular comic figure Hanswurst from the German stage by Gottsched and the Neuber acting troupe in the early eighteenth century is usually read as part of the historical movement from improvised folk theatre to bourgeois literary theatre. In this article Karen Jürs-Munby goes beyond that received wisdom to discuss what kind of acting, what kind of body, and what kind of relationship between stage and audience were censored by banishing Hanswurst. Considering this censorship as part of the larger historical relationship between discourses on acting and the emergence of a modern self in the Enlightenment, she argues that the osmotic body and stage that Hanswurst stood for prevented the aesthetic mirroring relationship sought by eighteenth-century stage reformers in an increasing need for bourgeois self-representation. The Hanswurst banishment can be theorized with reference to Julia Kristeva as an abjection of grotesque acting – a form of acting whose political power to question the autonomous bourgeois subject was to be rediscovered by practitioners in the twentieth century. Karen Jürs-Munby is a lecturer in Theatre Studies at Lancaster University; she has published articles on theories and discourses of acting in the eighteenth and twentieth centuries and recently translated Hans-Thies Lehmann's Postdramatic Theatre.
An Uncanny Theatricality: the Representation of the Offstage
Authors: Güçbilmez Beliz
Published: May 2007

In this article, Beliz Güçbilmez argues that ‘offstage’ is not a place but an idea, a world minus a stage. It is ‘anywhere but here’, and its time is time-minus-now, making it impossible to determine its scale. It is a foreign tongue – a language with an unknown grammar carrying us to the borders of the uncanny. Güçbilmez rereads the offstage as the unconscious of the stage, looking at its more conventional use in the realistic and naturalistic plays of the nineteenth century and after, but also looking forward to the work of Samuel Beckett. Borrowing from Blanchot's interpretation of the Orpheus-Eurydice myth, she characterizes the Beckettian struggle to represent the unrepresentable as the act of bringing Eurydice into daylight – the invisible content of the offstage onto the stage, which is by definition the space of the gaze. Beliz Güçbilmez is an author, playwright, and translator, currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Theatre Department of Ankara University in Turkey. She is the author of Irony and Drama from Sophocles to Stoppard (Ankara: Deniz, 2005) and Time, Space and Appearance: the Form of Miniature in the Turkish Realist Theatre (Ankara: Deniz, 2006). A shorter version of this article was presented at the Working Group of the International Federation for Theatre Research (FIRT/IFTR) at its 2005 meeting in Krakow.
The Rhythms of Transformation: Theatre And Conflict Resolution in Northern Nigeria
Authors: Kafewo Samuel Ayedime
Published: May 2007

It has become axiomatic that theatre not only depends on conflict but also deploys it in its structure and function. Theatre is therefore working in familiar territory when it is utilized in a project dealing with conflict resolution and transformation, based on direct interaction with and intervention by the audience. In this paper Samuel Ayedime Kafewo examines one such experiment in which Boal's Forum Theatre techniques were used to address the issues of ethnic and religious intolerance in the northern region of Nigeria. The paper discusses how the process of choices, decisions, and consequences was used to explore the varying dimensions and manifestations of conflict with the members of the various communities, and how far this contributed to resolving the issues in conflict and led to positive lessons for those involved. The paper concludes by looking at some of the shortcomings of the experiment and suggests ways of strengthening future practice. Samuel Ayedime Kafewo teaches in the Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
Differences in the social networks of ethnic Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese injecting drug users and their implications for blood-borne virus transmission
Authors: AITKEN C. K. , HIGGS P. , BOWDEN S.
Published: May 2007

The social networks of 49 ethnic Vietnamese injecting drug users (IDUs) and 150 IDUs of other ethnicities recruited in Melbourne, Australia, were examined for ethnic differences in distribution of hepatitis C virus infection risk using social network analysis and molecular epidemiology. Vietnamese IDUs were more highly connected than non-Vietnamese IDUs, and more likely to be members of dense injecting sub-networks. More related infections were detected in IDUs with discordant ethnicities than were captured in the social network data; nonetheless, most dyads and most IDU pairs with related infections had matching ethnicity, confirming that mixing was assortative on that criterion. Mixing was not obviously dissortative by risk; low-risk Vietnamese IDUs injected more frequently than did correspondingly low-risk non-Vietnamese IDUs, but results for other measures were reversed or equivocal. Network measurements suggest that ethnic Vietnamese IDUs are at elevated risk of blood-borne infection, a conclusion supported by their relatively high HIV prevalence.
Estimating the impact of vaccination using age–time-dependent incidence rates of hepatitis B
Authors: HENS N. , AERTS M. , SHKEDY Z. , KUNG'U KIMANI P. , KOJOUHOROVA M. , VAN DAMME P. , BEUTELS Ph.
Published: May 2007

The objective of this study was to model the age–time-dependent incidence of hepatitis B while estimating the impact of vaccination. While stochastic models/time-series have been used before to model hepatitis B cases in the absence of knowledge on the number of susceptibles, this paper proposed using a method that fits into the generalized additive model framework. Generalized additive models with penalized regression splines are used to exploit the underlying continuity of both age and time in a flexible non-parametric way. Based on a unique case notification dataset, we have shown that the implemented immunization programme in Bulgaria resulted in a significant decrease in incidence for infants in their first year of life with 82% (79–84%). Moreover, we have shown that conditional on an assumed baseline susceptibility percentage, a smooth force-of-infection profile can be obtained from which two local maxima were observed at ages 9 and 24 years.
The right to life in armed conflict: does international humanitarian law provide all the answers?
Authors: Doswald-Beck Louise
Published: May 2007

This article describes the relevant interpretation of the right to life by human rights treaty bodies and analyses how this might influence the law relating to the use of force in armed conflicts and occupations where international humanitarian law is unclear. The concurrent applicability of international humanitarian law and human rights law to hostilities in armed conflict does not mean that the right to life must, in all situations, be interpreted in accordance with the provisions of international humanitarian law. The author submits that the human rights law relating to the right to life is suitable to supplement the rules of international humanitarian law relating to the use of force for non-international conflicts and occupation, as well as the law relating to civilians taking a “direct part in hostilities”. Finally, by making reference to the traditional prohibition of assassination, the author concludes that the application of human rights law in these situations would not undermine the spirit of international humanitarian law.
Contextualizing proportionality: jus ad bellum and jus in bello in the Lebanese war
Authors: Cannizzaro Enzo
Published: May 2007

This article analyses the role and content of proportionality under contemporary international law governing the use of force, with a view to clarifying the legal framework governing the conduct of the parties to an armed conflict. In the system of jus ad bellum, protection is primarily granted to the interest of the attacked state in repelling the attack; the other competing interests are considered only to curtail the choice of the means to be employed in order to achieve that aim. Conversely, in the system of jus in bello there is by definition no prevailing interest, but instead a variety of interests and values which are entitled to equal protection of the law and must be balanced against each other. The existence of two distinct normative systems, with distinct standards of legality applicable to the same conduct, does not as a rule give rise to major problems. The legality of recourse to force is measured against the proportionality of self-defence, whereas individual actions would have to conform to the requirement of proportionality in jus in bello. However, beyond the large area in which these two standards overlap, there might be situations in which the strict application of the jus ad bellum standard makes it impossible to achieve the aims of jus in bello. In these cases, the proportionality test under jus in bello must be regarded as part of the proportionality test under jus ad bellum. States must thus take humanitarian implications into account in determining the level of security they may seek to obtain using military action.
Säugling mit Brillenhämatom – Trauma oder Tumor?
Authors: Dober  , Stranzinger  , Kellenberger  , Huisman
Published: May 2007

Wir berichten von einem bisher gesunden 11 Monate alten Jungen, welcher sich mit einer progredienten supraorbitalen Schwellung links, periorbitaler Ekchymose, Hepatosplenomegalie und B-Symptomatik präsentierte. Die klinische, laborchemische und bildgebende Diagnostik zeigte ein Neuroblastom. Das Neuroblastom ist neben Hirntumoren die häufigste solide Raumforderung im Säuglingsalter. Klinische Anzeichen für ein Neuroblastom sind unspezifisch. Die bei unserem Patienten gefundenen so genannten «raccoon eyes» sind Ausdruck der orbitalen Metastasierung und können initial den Verdacht auf eine Kindsmisshandlung lenken. Die Prognose des Neuroblastoms ist abhängig vom Tumorstadium und dem Alter des Kindes.
Lymphadenopathie und Absenzen
Authors: Staub  , Strozzi  , Aebi
Published: May 2007

Ein 67⁄12-jähriger Knabe präsentierte sich mit Allgemeinzustandsverschlechterung, Kopfschmerzen und nuchaler Lymphadenopathie seit mehreren Wochen zur weiteren Abklärung. Zusätzlich bestanden Episoden mit typischen Absenzen. Serologisch und mittels Liquoruntersuchung konnte eine Neuroborreliose nachgewiesen werden. Gleichzeitig zeigte der EEG-Befund eine typische Absenzen-Epilepsie. Nach Therapie mit Ceftriaxon i.v. für 14 Tage und Beginn einer antiepileptischen Therapie mit Ethosuximid trat eine schnelle Besserung des Zustandes ein. Die Absenzen-Epilepsie ist niemals vorher in der Literatur als Folge einer Neuroborreliose beschrieben worden. Wir gehen von einer Koinzidenz der beiden Entitäten aus.
Progrediente epidermale und mukosale Hautläsionen bei einem Patienten mit Rheumatoider Arthritis
Authors: Wittig  , Sanchez  , Shirahama  , Rüdt
Published: May 2007

Ein 57-jähriger Patient mit Rheumafaktor-positiver Rheumatoider Arthritis wurde uns wegen plötzlich aufgetretener petechial-papulöser Hautveränderungen mit rascher Progredienz zu multiplen hämorrhagischen Bläschenbildungen mit nachfolgenden epidermalen Hautulzerationen und -nekrotisierungen an den Händen und Fingerkuppen, den unteren Extremitäten und am Gesäss sowie einer ausgeprägten Mundaphthose zugewiesen. Fünf Tage zuvor war die zweite Gabe einer neubegonnenen low-dose-Methotrexattherapie (15 mg i.m.) zur Basisbehandlung der RA erfolgt. Der Patient befand sich insgesamt in einem vergleichsweise guten Allgemeinzustand. Im Labor zeigten sich stark erhöhte Entzündungsparameter. Wir beurteilten die Situation initial am ehesten als Methotrexat-induzierte toxische epidermale Nekrolyse. Das Methotrexat wurde sofort gestoppt und eine symptomatische perorale Therapie mit Prednison (initial Prednisonstoss 1 mg/kg KG/d über sechs Tage) durchgeführt. Im weiteren Verlauf kam es unter ausschleichender Prednisondosis bis zum Austritt (Prednison 20 mg/d) aus stationärer Behandlung zu einer kompletten Normalisierung der Entzündungszeichen im Blut. Im Verlauf der folgenden zwei Monate zeigte sich schliesslich eine fast völlige Abheilung ad integrum der genannten Hautläsionen/-defekte. Der Patient ist im Follow-up weiterhin beschwerdefrei. Die Hautdefekte sind komplett abgeheilt. Eine inzwischen begonnene antientzündliche Basistherapie mit Arava® wird vom Patienten bis anhin komplikationslos und gut vertragen.
A space‐based proxy for the Dst index
Authors: Rich F. J. , Bono J. M. , Burke W. J. , Gentile L. C.
Published: May 2007

The Dst index was created to monitor and quantify disturbances in the inner magnetosphere using ground‐based, magnetic field measurements. The phases and strengths of geomagnetic storms are usually defined by the evolution of Dst. The standard Dst database is computed and maintained at the World Data Center for Geomagnetism, Kyoto. We demonstrate that the Dst index can also be approximated using magnetometers on spacecraft in near‐Earth orbit. Measurements used in the demonstration were obtained from boom‐mounted sensors on two spacecraft of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. The extraction technique can be applied to magnetic field data retrieved by magnetometers on any spacecraft in low Earth orbit. This alternate method for computing a Dst‐like index can be used to (1) supplement the standard Dst index in near‐real‐time space weather applications and (2) replace the “prompt” Dst index during intervals of unavailability.
Solar modulation of the El‐Niño/Southern Oscillation impact on the Northern Hemisphere annular mode
Authors: Kryjov Vladimir N. , Park Chung‐Kyu
Published: May 2007

A statistical study reveals that the stratospheric circulation response to the El‐Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) significantly alters between opposite phases of the 11‐year solar cycle. During solar cycle maxima, the ENSO impact is insignificant throughout the whole extratropical lower stratosphere. During solar cycle minima, the ENSO strongly impacts the lower stratosphere, with the response resembling the Northern Hemisphere annular mode (NAM) pattern in geopotential height fields and in zonal mean zonal flow. It explains the low statistical significance of the relationships between the NAM and ENSO when the data are not stratified according to solar cycle maximum and minimum.
Changes in Antarctic net precipitation in the 21st century based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) model scenarios
Authors: Uotila P. , Lynch A. H. , Cassano J. J. , Cullather R. I.
Published: May 2007

Projections from 15 global climate models and 2 reanalysis products (National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/National Center for Atmospheric and Climate Research (NCAR) reanalysis (NNR) and European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) 40‐year reanalysis (ERA40)) were utilized to project changes in the net precipitation (P − E) over the Southern Ocean and Antarctica during the 21st century. Three time periods, 1979–2000, 2046–2055, and 2091–2100, of data were compared. The P − E was related to a classification of synoptic circulation patterns obtained using a neural network algorithm known as self‐organizing maps (SOMs). SOM classification was successfully used as a quality control tool to assess the simulated atmospheric circulation and model performance in P − E. The models predicted an increase of Antarctic P − E that averages 0.42 ± 0.01 mm year−1 for the coming hundred years based on the difference between 1979–2000 and 2091–2100. P − E changes of individual models ranged from 0.02 to 0.71 mm year−1. P − E integrated over the entire Antarctic ice sheet was forecast to increase more quickly from the end of the twentieth century until 2046–2055 than from 2046–2055 until 2091–2100. Contributions to the predicted change in P − E were evaluated for both thermodynamic and dynamic processes. The projected change in Antarctic P − E was primarily due to thermodynamic changes rather than circulation changes. The dynamic component of P − E change, associated with the circulation, was important at subcontinental scales, especially over the coastal regions. The role of dynamic changes was maintained until the end of the 21st century. Intermodel variation in predicted P − E changes and differences between models and reanalyses in the twentieth‐century simulations severely restrict the reliability of these projections and highlight the need for improved polar simulations in climate models.
Seasonal and diurnal variations in moisture, heat, and CO2 fluxes over grassland in the tropical monsoon region of southern China
Authors: Bi Xueyan , Gao Zhiqiu , Deng Xuejiao , Wu Dui , Liang Jianying , Zhang Hongsheng , Sparrow Michael , Du Jinlin , Li Fei , Tan Haobo
Published: May 2007

In order to examine energy partitioning and CO2 exchange over grassland in the tropical monsoon environment of southern China, fluxes of moisture, heat, and CO2 in the near‐surface layer during the period from May 2004 to July 2005 were calculated using the eddy covariance method. The study site was homogenous and approximately 400 × 300 m in size. Comparison of meteorological parameters measured at this site with historical data collected at a nearby routine observatory since 1960 shows that the measurement period is representative of the climate for this area. Seasonal and diurnal variations in radiation components, energy components, and CO2 fluxes are examined. Results show that all four radiation components changed seasonally, resulting in a seasonal variation in net radiation. The radiation components also changed diurnally, except that the downward longwave radiation showed almost no diurnal variation during the period from December to April. Summer surface albedo was higher than winter surface albedo because during winter the fraction of bare soil increases and the albedo of soil is lower than that of grass in this area. The seasonal variations in both latent heat and CO2 fluxes were stronger than those of sensible heat and soil heat fluxes. This implies that both latent heat and CO2 fluxes may be more significant climate signals than sensible heat and soil fluxes. Latent (sensible) heat flux was the main consumer of available energy in summer (winter). The energy imbalance problem was encountered and the causes are analyzed.
Vertical wind observation in the tropical upper troposphere by VHF wind profiler: A case study
Authors: Yamamoto Masayuki K. , Nishi Noriyuki , Horinouchi Takeshi , Niwano Masanori , Fukao Shoichiro
Published: May 2007

Features of upper tropospheric vertical wind (W) over Sumatra, Indonesia, are presented using data observed by a VHF wind profiler installed at West Sumatra (0.2°S, 100.32°E). During 5–9 May 2004, W from the middle to upper troposphere (8–14 km) changed in accordance with the cumulus activity over Sumatra. During 5–6 May, 3‐hourly averaged W continuously showed upward motions up to 0.09 m s−1. The upward motions were observed in the vicinity of deep convective events, which were continuously seen over Sumatra within a synoptic‐scale convectively active envelope. After 7 May, when cumulus activity was suppressed over Sumatra, 3‐hourly averaged upward motions of greater than 0.05 m s−1 almost disappeared. During 5–6 May, downward motions up to ∼0.11 m s−1 were observed above 14 km, while upward motions were observed below 14 km. Estimation of W by the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts operational analysis have revealed that a major part of observed downward motions above 14 km is explained by the leeward (southwestward) wind and leeward downward tilt of isentropes that existed over western Sumatra. The observed downward motions above 14 km during 5–6 May suggest that downward motions caused by leeward downward tilt of isentropes can be produced in the vicinity of the convectively active region, and leeward downward tilt of isentropes can suppress an upward transport of air mass into the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) by producing downward motions in the TTL.
Meteoric smoke concentration in the Vostok ice core estimated from superparamagnetic relaxation and some consequences for estimates of Earth accretion rate
Authors: Lanci Luca , Kent Dennis V. , Biscaye Pierre E.
Published: May 2007

We measured the magnetization of glacial and interglacial ice from the Vostok core to estimate the meteoric smoke concentration in Antarctic ice. We have found that, within the uncertainty of the method, the smoke concentration in ice in Antarctica is equivalent to that previously measured in Greenland ice. The virtually identical smoke concentrations despite the different ice accumulation rates in Greenland and Antarctica suggest that wet deposition is the main deposition mechanism for such ultra‐small particles. Given the typical scavenging ratios for atmospheric aerosols, this would imply that previous estimates of accretion rate based on dry deposition are likely to be appreciably overestimated.
Honey and royal jelly, like human milk, abrogate lectin-dependent infection-preceding Pseudomonas aeruginosa adhesion
Authors: Lerrer Batia , Zinger-Yosovich Keren D , Avrahami Benjamin , Gilboa-Garber Nechama
Published: May 2007

Pseudomonas aeruginosa antibiotic resistance has led to the search of natural compounds, which would competitively block its fucose>fructose/mannose-binding lectin (PA-IIL) that mediates its biofilm formation and adhesion to animal cells. Such compounds were found in human milk (HM) and avian egg whites. The present research has revealed that honey and royal jelly (RJ), which are assigned to protect beehive progeny and are applied for human infection therapy, match HM in PA-IIL blocking. The function of their fructose (higher in honey) and mannosylated glycoproteins (higher in RJ) as powerful decoys in PA-IIL neutralization is of ecological/biological importance and implementability for the antibacterial adhesion therapeutic strategy.
Inter-species transplantation of gut microbiota from human to pigs
Authors: Pang Xiaoyan , Hua Xiuguo , Yang Qian , Ding Dezhong , Che Chuanyan , Cui Li , Jia Wei , Bucheli Peter , Zhao Liping
Published: May 2007

Direct research on gut microbiota for understanding its role as ‘an important organ’ in human individuals is difficult owing to its vast diversity and host specificity as well as ethical concerns. Transplantation of human gut microbiota into surrogate hosts can significantly facilitate the research of human gut ecology, metabolism and immunity but rodents-based model provides results with low relevance to humans. A new human flora-associated (HFA) piglet model was hereby established taking advantage of the high similarity between pigs and humans with respect to the anatomy, physiology and metabolism of the digestive system. Piglets were delivered via cesarean section into a SPF-level barrier system and were inoculated orally with a whole fecal suspension from one healthy 10-year-old boy. The establishment and composition of the intestinal microbiota of the HFA piglets were analyzed and compared with that of the human donor using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence-PCR fingerprinting-based community DNA hybridization, group-specific PCR-temperature gradient gel electrophoresis and real-time PCR. Molecular profiling demonstrated that transplantation of gut microbiota from a human to germfree piglets produced a donor-like microbial community with minimal individual variation. And the microbial succession with aging of those ex-germfree piglets was also similar to that observed in humans. This HFA model provides a significantly improved system for research on gut ecology in human metabolism, nutrition and drug discovery.
Necessary and sufficient factors for the import of transfer RNA into the kinetoplast mitochondrion
Authors: Mukherjee Saikat , Basu Sudarshana , Home Pratik , Dhar Gunjan , Adhya Samit
Published: May 2007

The mechanism of active transport of transfer RNA (tRNA) across membranes is largely unknown. Factors mediating the import of tRNA into the kinetoplast mitochondrion of the protozoon Leishmania tropica are organized into a multiprotein RNA import complex (RIC) at the inner membrane. Here, we present the complete characterization of the identities and functions of the subunits of this complex. The complex contains three mitochondrion‐ and eight nuclear‐encoded subunits; six of the latter are necessary and sufficient for import. Antisense‐mediated knockdown of essential subunits resulted in the depletion of mitochondrial tRNAs and inhibition of organellar translation. Functional complexes were reconstituted with recombinant subunits expressed in Escherichia coli. Several essential RIC subunits are identical to specific subunits of respiratory complexes. These findings provide new information on the evolution of tRNA import and the foundation for detailed structural and mechanistic studies.
Nonlinear dielectric response in (1−x)Pb(Zn1∕3Nb2∕3)O3-xPbTiO3 (x=0.045 and 0.08) single crystals
Authors: Bharadwaja S. S. N. , Hong E. , Zhang S. J. , Cross L. E. , Trolier-McKinstry S.
Published: May 2007

The nonlinear dielectric response in [001] and [111] (1−x)Pb(Zn1∕3Nb2∕3)O3-xPbTiO3 (x=0.045 and 0.08) single crystals was investigated as a function of frequency between 30 and 250 °C. For comparison, a parallel study was carried out on a BaTiO3 single crystal. Both second and third harmonic polarization components were detected in Pb(Zn1∕3Nb2∕3)O3-PbTiO3 and BaTiO3 single crystals, and were observed to go through maxima at the phase transition temperatures. The third harmonic signal was nearly frequency independent for BaTiO3, but strongly dispersive in Pb(Zn1∕3Nb2∕3)O3-PbTiO3. The strong frequency dependence appears to be characteristic of some relaxor substructure of the domains.
Efficient electrofluorescent organic light-emitting diodes by sequential doping
Authors: Divayana Y. , Sun X. W.
Published: May 2007

The authors reported a highly efficient electrofluorescent organic light-emitting diode fabricated by sequential doping. An archetypal device utilizing 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethyl aminostyryl)-4H-pyran as dopant in a matrix of tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum was investigated. The emission layer consists of a few repeating cells, similar to a multiple quantum well structure, which are made of sequentially evaporated host and dopant. An external quantum efficiency as high as 3.38% photons/electron was obtained. By avoiding coevaporation, sequential doping should render better control on device performance and day-to-day repeatability.
Fluctuating motion in a homogeneous liquid-liquid dispersed flow at high phase fraction
Authors: Augier Frédéric , Guiraud Pascal , Masbernat Olivier
Published: May 2007

Velocity fluctuations in a dispersed liquid-liquid cocurrent upward flow, statistically homogeneous and gravity driven, have been characterized with the help of a particle image velocimetry technique in a matched refractive index medium. Results first show a strong anisotropy of the fluctuations field in the range of phase fraction investigated (from 0.01 to 0.4), the axial component of the kinetic energy of the continuous phase being 4–5 times larger than the transverse component. The axial component of the fluctuating energy of the continuous phase normalized by the square of the local slip velocity follows a 2∕3 power law as a function of the product of the phase fraction by the local drag coefficient, in the whole range of phase fraction investigated. This remarkable result agrees with the hypothesis of a local equilibrium between the dissipation of these fluctuations at a nonresolved length scale (0.12×drop diameter) and their production rate is induced by the mean drag force. Examination of the local structure of the instant fluctuating velocity field shows that the continuous phase instant fluctuations are locally correlated with the dispersed phase spatial distribution that is found to follow a Poisson law. The characteristic length of this distribution in the direction of the flow is of the order of several drop diameters and is comparable with the integral scale of the fluctuations of the continuous phase (correlation length). These results at high phase fraction are discussed and compared with experimental data and models available in the literature, for most of them in dilute systems.
Tunneling-type magnetoresistance characteristics of nanosized Fe–Co granules in α-Al2O3 synthesized by ion implantation
Authors: Hayashi N. , Stromberg F. , Keune W. , Toriyama T. , Yamashiro M. , Sakamoto I.
Published: May 2007

Nanometer-sized clusters of Fe–Co alloy in α-Al2O3 matrices were synthesized by sequential implantation of Fe and Co ions. The implantations were performed at room temperature with a total dose of around (1.2–1.5)×1017ions∕cm2 with ion energy of 100keV. It is demonstrated for the Fe–Co granular layers that the alloying improves the tunneling-type magnetoresistance (TMR) effect and results in an eminent increase of the MR ratio to the value of 13.2% at an external field of 1.1T at room temperature. The magnetic property of the Fe–Co granules was investigated by means of conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy at room temperature and 4.2K. It is shown that the enhancement of the TMR effect in the Fe–Co granules is correlated with the granule size, its dispersion in the insulating matrix, and the magnetic characteristics in the granular layers.
Friction as the fundamental factor controlling the pretilt angle of homeotropic liquid crystal cells: A microrubbing investigation
Authors: Honma Michinori , Nose Toshiaki
Published: May 2007

The variation of a pretilt angle on polyimide films, which are rubbed using a tiny metal ball (1–8mm diameter), is evaluated. During the rubbing process, a vertical load and a frictional force are simultaneously measured, and the relationship between the pretilt angle and frictional work is investigated under the various rubbing conditions such as the vertical load, the number of rubbings, the moving speed, and the ball diameter. Particularly, the dominant factor affecting the variation of the pretilt angle is explored. We propose that the averaged frictional work can be expressed as the sum of contributions of elastic and plastic deformations. It is clarified that the frictional work of plastic deformation is the most fundamental and most important factor for controlling the pretilt angle under the various rubbing conditions.
Monte Carlo method for computing density of states and quench probability of potential energy and enthalpy landscapes
Authors: Mauro John C. , Loucks Roger J. , Balakrishnan Jitendra , Raghavan Srikanth
Published: May 2007

The thermodynamics and kinetics of a many-body system can be described in terms of a potential energy landscape in multidimensional configuration space. The partition function of such a landscape can be written in terms of a density of states, which can be computed using a variety of Monte Carlo techniques. In this paper, a new self-consistent Monte Carlo method for computing density of states is described that uses importance sampling and a multiplicative update factor to achieve rapid convergence. The technique is then applied to compute the equilibrium quench probability of the various inherent structures (minima) in the landscape. The quench probability depends on both the potential energy of the inherent structure and the volume of its corresponding basin in configuration space. Finally, the methodology is extended to the isothermal-isobaric ensemble in order to compute inherent structure quench probabilities in an enthalpy landscape.