bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of substrate orientation on the morphologyand orientation of LaNiO3 thin films
Authors: POČUČA M. , BRANKOVIĆ Z. , BRANKOVIĆ G. , VASILJEVIĆ‐RADOVIĆ D.
Published: November 2008

LaNiO3 thin films were successfully prepared by a chemical method from citrate precursors. The LNO precursor solution was spin‐coated onto Si (100) and Si (111) substrates. To obtain epitaxial or highly oriented films, the deposited layers were slowly heated in a gradient thermal field, with a heating rate of 1° min−1, and annealed at 700°C. The influence of different substrate orientations on the thin film morphology was investigated using atomic force microscopy and X‐ray diffraction analysis. Well‐crystallized films with grains aligned along a certain direction were obtained on both substrates. Films deposited on both substrates were very smooth, but with a different grain size and shape depending on the crystal orientation. Films deposited on Si (100) grew in the (110) direction and had elongated grains, whereas those on Si (111) grew in the (211) direction and had a quasi‐square grain shape.
Investigation of properties of electrochemically synthesizediron oxide nano‐powders
Authors: VULIĆEVIĆ L.J. , IVANOVIĆ N. , POPOVIĆ N. , NOVAKOVIĆ M. , POPOVIĆ M. , MITRIĆ M. , ANDRIĆ V. , BABIĆ D.
Published: November 2008

Nano‐sized powders of iron oxides have been synthesized electrochemically at temperatures in the range of 295–361 K, and current densities in the range of 200–1000 mA dm−2. The structure and morphology of the powders were investigated by X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy techniques. Their infrared absorption spectra, specific heat Cp(T) and magnetic susceptibility χ(T) temperature dependences are also determined. The obtained powders consist of two phases, each possessing distinguished characteristics: the one formed of large plates and the other of whiskers. By appropriate adjustment of the synthesis conditions, it is possible to change features and relative abundances of the two phases, and that way to control morphology and other powder properties. Relaxation and transformation of the phases under external influences was also investigated, and the optimal procedure for preparation and stabilization of iron oxide nano‐sized powders with desired characteristics was established.
Early effects of gamma rays and protons on human melanoma cell viability and morphology
Authors: TODOROVIĆ D. , PETROVIĆ I. , TODOROVIĆ M. , CUTTONE G. , RISTIĆ‐FIRA A.
Published: November 2008

The effects of irradiation with gamma rays and protons on HTB140 human melanoma cell morphology and viability were analyzed. Exponentially growing cells were irradiated close to the Bragg peak maximum of the 62‐MeV proton beam, as well as with 60Co gamma rays, with doses ranging from 8 to 24 Gy. The overall cell morphology was unchanged 6 and 48 h after gamma irradiation, also showing a relatively weak cell‐inactivation level. After exposure to proton beam, considerable changes in cell morphology followed by stronger cell inactivation were achieved. Proliferation capacity of irradiated cells significantly decreased in both experimental set‐ups. Higher ionization level of protons with respect to gamma rays, representing the main physical difference between these two types of radiation, was also revealed on the cell membrane level through larger pro‐apoptotic capacity of protons.
Transurethral ethanol injection therapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia: Four‐year follow‐up
Authors: Sakr Mostafa , Eid Ahmed , Shoukry Mohammed , Fayed Abdelaziz
Published: November 2008

Objective:  Evaluating long‐term (50 months) efficacy of transurethral intraprostatic injection of absolute ethanol to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Methods:  A prospective study was conducted to evaluate 35 patients with BPH treated by transurethral injection of dehydrated ethanol. Mean age was 66.3 years. Endoscopic injection of 6–12 mL ethanol was carried out at 5–10 sites in the prostate. International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), maximum flow rate, prostate volume, postvoid residual and side effects or complications incidence were logged.

Results:  Mean IPSS ± standard deviation improved significantly from 22.0 ± 3.89 preoperatively to 9.85 ± 2.23 at 50 months follow‐up. Mean peak urinary flow rate increased from 5.87 ± 3.69 mL/s to 16.89 ± 4.12 after 4 years. Mean residual urine volume had decreased from 68.6 ± 49.98 mL to 36.02 ± 20.87 after 4 years (P < 0.05). The prostate volume decreased from 52.67 ± 20.43 g preoperatively to 49.94 ± 21.28 g after 4 years (statistically significant). There were no intra‐operative complications but post‐operative urine retention occurred in all patients requiring catheterization for a mean 6.7 days. Acute epididymitis and chronic prostatitis occurred in two patients. Urethral stricture occurred in one patient.

Conclusions:  This technique appears to be safe and cost effective. No occurrence of retrograde ejaculation was detected. The long‐term effects of ethanol injection of the prostate were satisfactory and acceptable as a minimally invasive therapeutic modality of selected patients.
Pediatric emergency and critical care in low‐income countries
Authors: BAKER TIM
Published: November 2008

The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal 4 is to reduce the global under‐five mortality rate by two‐thirds by 2015. Achieving this goal requires substantial strengthening of health systems in low‐income countries. Emergency and critical care services are often one of the weakest parts of the health system and improving such care has the potential to significantly reduce mortality. Introducing effective triage and emergency treatments, establishing hospital systems that prioritize the critically ill and ensuring a reliable oxygen delivery system need not be resource intensive. Improving intensive care units, training health staff in the fundamentals of critical care concentrating on ABC – airway, breathing, and circulation – and developing guidelines for the management of common medical emergencies could all improve the quality of inpatient pediatric care. Integration with obstetrics, adult medicine and surgery in a combined emergency and critical care service would concentrate resources and expertise.
The phylogeography of Adelie penguin faecal flora
Authors: Banks Jonathan C. , Cary S. Craig , Hogg Ian D.
Published: November 2008

The gut of animals changes quickly from a totally sterile environment before birth to a numerous and highly diverse microbial community shortly after birth. However, few studies have examined the source of the bacteria colonizing the gut. We used a genetic based approach to investigate the distribution and acquisition of faecal microbial communities by Adelie penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae, breeding in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica by cloning a portion of the 16S rRNA gene and by automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA). We hypothesized that bacteria were either acquired from the penguins' neighbours or inherited from their ancestors. Samples were collected from Adelie penguin breeding colonies at the north‐western edge of the Ross Sea coast through to the southernmost Adelie penguin colonies on Ross Island. Most of the bacterial sequences we obtained were only distantly homologous with previously published sequences. Bacterial taxa appear to have a restricted distribution as the majority of 16S rRNA clones were isolated from only one or two hosts. Faecal bacterial community similarity was strongly negatively correlated with the genetic distance between hosts suggesting that bacterial communities are inherited. There was little support for a correlation between distance between collection sites and community similarity.
Long‐Term Monitoring and Identification of Bridge Structural Parameters
Authors: Soyoz Serdar , Feng Maria Q.
Published: November 2008

Abstract:  Vibration of a new concrete bridge was monitored and change in the bridge structural stiffness was identified accordingly over a 5‐year period. This three‐span 111‐m long bridge is instrumented with 13 acceleration sensors at both the superstructure and the columns. The sensor data are transmitted to a server computer wirelessly. Modal parameters of the bridge, that is, the frequencies and the modal shapes were identified by processing 1,707 vibration data sets collected under traffic excitations, based on which the bridge structural parameters, stiffness and mass, and the soil spring values were identified by employing the neural network technique. The identified superstructure stiffness at the beginning of the monitoring was 97% of the stiffness value based on the design drawings. In the identified modal frequencies, a variation from −10% to +10% was observed over the monitoring period. In the identified stiffness values of the bridge superstructure, a variation from −3% to +3% was observed over the monitoring period. Based on the statistical analysis of the collected data for each year, 5% decrease in the first modal frequency and 2% decrease in the superstructure stiffness were observed over the 5‐year monitoring period. Probability density functions were obtained for stiffness values each year. Stiffness threshold values for the collapse of the bridge under the operational loading can be determined. Then the number of years can be assessed for which the area under the proposed probability density functions is greater than the threshold value. So the information obtained in this study is valuable for studying aging and long‐term performance assessment of similar bridges.
Trading options before Black‐Scholes: a study of the market in late seventeenth‐century London1
Authors: MURPHY ANNE L.
Published: November 2008

This article uses data from the ledgers of the financial broker Charles Blunt to explore the market in equity options that emerged in London during the stock market boom of the early 1690s. Blunt's ledgers provide a unique opportunity to observe the workings of an early modern derivatives market. They reveal a broadly based and highly active trade in options. The market functioned well, determined value using agreed criteria, and was utilized by a diverse range of individuals to facilitate both risk‐seeking and risk‐averse investment strategies.
Performance, Grouping andSchenkerianAlternativeReadings inSomePassages fromBeethoven’s‘Lebewohl’ Sonata
Authors: Dodson Alan
Published: November 2008

It is proposed that one musically interesting way to characterise and compare different performances or recordings of the same piece is by correlating them with different Schenkerian interpretations through the medium of grouping. This approach is demonstrated through an examination of four ‘either/or’ passages from the first movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata in EMajor, Op. 81a, passages in which at least two Schenkerian interpretations are possible. Schenker's own published and unpublished sketches, among others, are considered alongside recordings by Vladimir Ashkenazy, Emil Gilels, Richard Goode, Murray Perahia and Artur Rubinstein. The approach is not meant to be self‐sufficient, but rather to contribute a new set of tools to the emerging multidisciplinary field of performance studies.
Demo‐genetic analysis of a recovering population of otters in Central Sweden
Authors: Björklund M. , Arrendal J.
Published: November 2008

We performed a demo‐genetic population viability analysis on a recovering population of otters Lutra lutra in Central Sweden, using data on population size, survival and genetic data from microsatellites. Population data were obtained from genotyping faeces. At present, the size and genetic variability of the population is increasing. We found that survival to first reproduction was the most crucial demographic parameter, and that even slight changes downward in this parameter, might lead to a declining population trajectory. Human factors that can affect mortality are traffic, fishing equipment and traps, and we argue that efforts to minimize road kills by means of safe passages as well as careful fishing efforts in streams and lakes would reduce the risk of extinction. In general, even though the population is now growing and has no inbreeding problem, its small abundance could make it vulnerable to chance events and environmental perturbations.
Searching for the Invisible Woman: The Evolution of White Women's Experience in Britain's West Indian Colonies
Authors: Zacek Natalie A.
Published: November 2008

White women in Britain's West Indian colonies, including Barbados, Jamaica, and the Leeward Islands of Antigua, Montserrat, Nevis, and St. Kitts, have received far less attention from historians than have their counterparts in Britain's North American colonies. While scholars have taken up Mary Beth Norton's suggestion to historicize the evolution of white women's experience in colonial North America, the combination of the scarcity of evidence relating to women in the West Indian colonies and long‐standing stereotypes of such women as either decadent or passive have led to their historiographical neglect. However, in recent years a number of scholars have turned their attention to historical and literary analyses of white women's lives in the English settlements in the West Indies, and have uncovered evidence of female agency which has added depth and nuance to historical understanding of the lived experience of settlers in these British colonies. Many potential sources remain to be tapped for insights relating to the history of white women in these slave societies, and it is to be hoped that future histories of the British West Indies will be responsive to issues of gender.
Fungal Ascending Aortic Aneurysm after Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Brili Stella , Rokas Constantinos , Tzannos Konstantinos , Barbetseas John , Pirounaki Maria , Stefanadis Christodoulos
Published: November 2008

A 52‐year‐old diabetic male was admitted due to 1‐month history of fever, fatigue, and mild shortness of breath. Three months prior to admission, he had undergone aortic valve replacement, with a prosthetic one, because of streptococcus viridans endocarditis complicated by severe aortic regurgitation. Transesophageal echocardiogram revealed prosthetic valve endocarditis with dehiscence of the aortic valve and an abscess cavity extending from the aortic root into the ascending aorta. Blood cultures and serology were negative. Due to clinical deterioration, despite antibiotic therapy, the patient was reoperated on and the aortic valve and ascending aorta were replaced with a homograft. Valve culture grew Aspergillus flavus. This case is an example of a rare but of increasing frequency complication after cardiac surgery. Considering the high mortality from this complication, early recognition is of paramount importance.
Historical geography and early Canada: a life and an interpretation
Authors: HARRIS COLE
Published: November 2008

The first section of this two‐part paper describes my historical geographical career, particularly the topics and issues I have pursued and the changing intellectual environment in which they have been situated. The second section offers a summary interpretation of the emerging human geography of early‐modern Canada followed by some reflections on its contemporary implications. This interpretation stresses the extent to which boundaries and discontinuities marked early Canada, and contrasts a pinched Canadian experience with the land with a far more expansive American one. It shows how deeply difference was constructed and ingrained in the Canadian past, and suggests some challenges and opportunities that follow from this inheritance.
Functional specialization across space: a case study of the Canadian Electricity Industry, 1971–2001
Authors: BRUNELLE CÉDRIC , POLÈSE MARIO
Published: November 2008

This article examines the location of functions within the electricity sector in Canada from 1971 to 2001, using a centre‐periphery model. Power generation, distribution and retailing are generally carried out by multiestablishment crown corporations. Location patterns of different functions—management, scientific, production, etc.—are analyzed via the use of occupational groups. The spatial distribution of functions is found to be generally consistent with centre‐periphery relationships, with evidence of a growing functional specialization between large metropolitan and nonmetropolitan locations. However, differences emerge depending on power generation sources: fossil fuels, hydro, nuclear, solar or biomass. The choice of a power generation source has consequences for local economies.
Entre industrie et tourisme: L'évolution du paysage baieriverain à Saguenay, Québec
Authors: SIMARD MARTIN , BRISSON CARL
Published: November 2008

La Baie est un arrondissement de Saguenay qui est marqué par un héritage industriel et maritime. Ce territoire qui fait le pourtour de la Baie des Ha ! Ha ! présente un paysage dont la qualité du cadre naturel contraste avec le caractère hétéroclite du cadre bâti et du tissu urbain. La démolition de l'usine de Port‐Alfred et le projet de terminal de croisières laissent entrevoir des opportunités d'harmoniser le paysage de cette ancienne municipalité. Nous traiterons ici de l'évolution des formes paysagères de l'arrondissement à travers des regards sur la tradition maritime et touristique, la vocation industrielle et l'organisation des espaces urbains centraux.
Angiogenic/lymphangiogenic factors and adaptation to extreme altitudes during an expedition to Mount Everest
Authors: Patitucci M. , Lugrin D. , Pagès G.
Published: November 2008

Aim:  To analyse the correlation between production of angiogenic [vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF‐A) and interleukin 8 (IL‐8)] and lymphangiogenic factors (VEGF‐C and D) and adaptation to high altitude (>8000 m). Erythropoietin (EPO) served as a positive control.

Methods:  We analysed the percentage of oxygen saturation and the plasmatic contents of VEGF‐A, C, D, IL‐8 and EPO in seven mountaineers and four Sherpas during an expedition to Mount Everest. Acute mountain sickness was also evaluated using the Lake Louise score.

Results:  Whereas VEGF‐A, IL‐8, VEGF‐C and EPO were transiently up‐regulated at 5000 m and decreased at the highest altitudes, VEGF‐D remained elevated throughout the ascent. Sherpas had increased basal levels of VEGF‐A, C, IL‐8 and EPO and up‐regulation of all the tested factors when they passed the altitude at which they lived.

Conclusion:  Our data suggest that expression of angiogenic and lymphangiogenic factors is up‐regulated directly or indirectly by altitude‐dependent hypoxia. Both factors could be involved in a mechanism of adaptation to high altitudes.
Southern California Abalones: Can Stocks Be Rebuilt Using Marine Harvest Refugia?
Authors: Tegner Mia J.
Published: November 2008

Recovery of the isolated Palos Verdes Peninsula (PVP) kelp forest community after severe disturbance offers important implications for the design of marine harvest refugia. In 1977, part of the Southern California mainland coast was closed to abalone fishing to promote natural recovery. Pink (Haliotis corrugata) and green (Haliotis fulgens) abalones, historically the more abundant haliotids at PVP, did not respond. Nearby islands had substantial stocks, but the short planktonic period of green abalone larvae suggested that dispersal between isolated beds was uncommon. A drift tube study supported this hypothesis and stressed the importance of local brood stock. An experimental transplant of green abalone brood stock into sites where the drift tube data suggested high probability of larval retention led to a dramatic increase in juvenile abundance, a pattern not seen at distant controls. Other taxa with different distributions and larval periods further support the importance of dispersal potential to the natural recovery of depleted stocks. Thus, refugia design must consider the life history of target species, the oceanographic regime and distances from source areas, as well as the feasibility of enforcement.
GRAVITOMAGNETIC INSTABILITIES IN ANISOTROPICALLY EXPANDING FLUIDS
Authors: KLEIDIS KOSTAS , KUIROUKIDIS APOSTOLOS , PAPADOPOULOS DEMETRIOS B. , VLAHOS LOUKAS
Published: November 2008

Gravitational instabilities in a magnetized Friedman–Robertson–Walker (FRW) universe, in which the magnetic field was assumed to be too weak to destroy the isotropy of the model, are known and have been studied in the past. Accordingly, it became evident that the external magnetic field disfavors the perturbations' growth, suppressing the corresponding rate by an amount proportional to its strength. However, the spatial isotropy of the FRW universe is not compatible with the presence of large-scale magnetic fields. Therefore, in this paper we use the general-relativistic version of the (linearized) perturbed magnetohydrodynamic equations with and without resistivity, to discuss a generalized Jeans criterion and the potential formation of density condensations within a class of homogeneous and anisotropically expanding, self-gravitating, magnetized fluids in curved space–time. We find that, for a wide variety of anisotropic cosmological models, gravitomagnetic instabilities can lead to subhorizontal, magnetized condensations. In the nonresistive case, the power spectrum of the unstable cosmological perturbations suggests that most of the power is concentrated on large scales (small k), very close to the horizon. On the other hand, in a resistive medium, the critical wave-numbers so obtained, exhibit a delicate dependence on resistivity, resulting in the reduction of the corresponding Jeans lengths to smaller scales (well bellow the horizon) than the nonresistive ones, while increasing the range of cosmological models which admit such an instability.
THERMAL D-BRANE BOUNDARY STATES FROM TYPE IIB GREEN–SCHWARZ SUPERSTRING IN pp-WAVE BACKGROUND
Authors: VANCEA ION V.
Published: November 2008

We construct the thermal boundary states from the type IIB Green–Schwarz superstring in pp-wave background in the light-cone gauge. The superstring is treated in the canonical ensemble and in the TFD formalism which is appropriate to discuss canonically quantized systems. The thermal boundary states are obtained by thermalizing the total boundary states which are the boundary states of the total system that is composed by the superstring modes and the corresponding thermal reservoir modes. That analysis is similar to the one in the flat space–time case.67 However, there are some subtleties concerning the construction of the total string which are discussed. Next, we compute the entropy of thermal boundary state which is defined as the expectation value of the superstring entropy operator in the thermal boundary state.
MULTIQUARK POTENTIAL FROM AdS/QCD
Authors: WEN WEN-YU
Published: November 2008

Heavy multiquark potential in the SU (N) color group using hard-wall AdS/QCD at both zero and finite temperature is studied. A Cornell-like potential is obtained for baryons and other exotic configurations and compared with those in the quenched lattice calculation in N = 3 case. At the end we also discuss possible improvements in the UV region of potential.
LOW POWER DIGITAL DECIMATION FILTER FOR RF WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS
Authors: NERURKAR SHAILESH B. , ABED KHALID H.
Published: November 2008

In this paper, we present a unique low power decimation filter architecture for RF wireless applications. To implement the low power decimation filter, we considered low power design techniques such as multi-rate, multi-stage signal processing, proper selection of decimation factor, one multiplier realization of 1/3-band filters, and poly-phase 1/2-band filters. We have designed three conventional decimation filter architectures using a single-stage FIR filter, a three-stage FIR filter, and a three-stage half-band FIR filter. Compared to the 55-tap comb-FIR filter architecture, the proposed decimation filter has only 13 taps, and requires 76% less hardware and consumes 64% less power.
ON A GENERALIZATION OF DEHN'S ALGORITHM
Authors: GOODMAN OLIVER , SHAPIRO MICHAEL
Published: November 2008

Viewing Dehn's algorithm as a rewriting system, we generalize to allow an alphabet containing letters which do not necessarily represent group elements. This extends the class of groups for which the algorithm solves the word problem to include finitely generated nilpotent groups, many relatively hyperbolic groups including geometrically finite groups and fundamental groups of certain geometrically decomposable 3-manifolds. The class has several nice closure properties. We also show that if a group has an infinite subgroup and one of exponential growth, and they commute, then it does not admit such an algorithm. We dub these Cannon's algorithms.
PSEUDO-NEWTONIAN GRAVITATIONAL POTENTIAL FOR SCHWARZSCHILD–DE SITTER SPACE–TIMES
Authors: STUCHLÍK ZDENĚK , KOVÁŘ JIŘÍ
Published: November 2008

Pseudo-Newtonian gravitational potential describing the gravitational field of static and spherically symmetric black holes in the universe with a repulsive cosmological constant is introduced. In order to demonstrate the accuracy of the pseudo-Newtonian approach, the related effective potential for test particle motion is constructed and compared with its general-relativistic counterpart given by the Schwarzschild–de Sitter geometry. The results indicate that such an approach could be useful in applications of developed Newtonian theories of accretion disks in astrophysically interesting situations in large galactic structures for the Schwarzschild–de Sitter space–times with the cosmological parameter y = Λ M2/3 ≤ 10-6.
AN IMAGING SYSTEM FOR TEXTILE SURFACE PROFILE BASED ON SILHOUETTE IMAGE ANALYSIS
Authors: XIN BINJIE , HU JINLIAN , BACIU GEORGE
Published: November 2008

This paper presents a digital imaging method based on silhouette image analysis to visualize the 3D surface Profile of textile or other flexible materials. A prototype of imaging system consisting of five components was developed: visible lighting source (white backlighting), sample stage, progressive sample feeding equipments, detector (CCD camera) and software. A sequence of silhouette images of textile surface patches could be digitalized progressively when sample passing through the sharp edge of crossbeam in bending status, so that the whole 3D surface profile could be generated by the combination of silhouette height profile of each surface patch in sequence. The proposed method and system enables us to reconstruct the 3D surface profile of the textile materials without colors and textures of them, and therefore this method could be much more effective for the surface characterization and defect analysis than traditional 2D image analysis methods.
COMPUTATIONAL STUDY OF THE DYNAMICS OF PEPTIDE DEFORMYLASE COMPLEX FROMLEPTOSPIRA INTERROGANS: EXPLORING THE CONFORMATIONAL CHANGES OF THE SUBSTRATE POCKET
Authors: WANG QIANG , WANG JIANWU , CAI ZHENGTING , XU WEIREN
Published: November 2008

The peptide deformylase from Leptospira interrogans (LiPDF) shows many unusual characteristics. The substrate pocket of formate-bound complex adopts an open conformation. However, in the actinonin-bound LiPDF complex, a slightly open substrate pocket is observed. The opening is not large enough for the inhibitor, because the CD-loop restricts the access to the active site. To explore the conformational changes of the substrate pocket, we perform a 16,000 ps molecular dynamics simulation separately on the ligand-free LiPDF and actinonin-bound LiPDF. During the molecular dynamics simulations, extensive conformational changes have taken place. The comparison of the two MD results shows that the CD-loop, hydrophilic inhibitor, and hydrophobic cluster are necessary for the reopening of the substrate pocket. In addition, Tyr71 plays an important role in mediating the movements of CD-loop, and the transition of the substrate pocket from open to semi-open only occurs in the presence of an inhibitor, which are consistent with the experiment very well.
PREDICTION OF THE GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURES FOR POLYMERS WITH ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK
Authors: YU XIN-LIANG , YI BING , WANG XUE-YE
Published: November 2008

The glass transition temperature (Tg) values of three classes of vinyl polymers, i.e. polystyrenes, polyacrylates, and polymethacrylates, were predicted by using a quantitative structure–property relationship (QSPR) model constructed by back-propagation (BP) neural network. The four descriptors (the rigidness descriptor R HR resulted by hydrogen-bonding moieties group and/or rings, the chain mobility n, the molecular average polarizability α, the net charge of the most negative atom q-) were obtained directly from the polymers' monomer structures. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis (MLRA) and artificial neural network (ANN) were used to generate the model. Simulated with the final optimum BP neural network [4–2–1], the results showed that the predicted Tg values were in good agreement with the experimental data, with a training set root-mean-square (rms) error of 20.478 K (R = 0.955) and a prediction set rms error of 20.174 K (R = 0.955).
EFFECTS OF SEVERE HEMORRHAGE ON IN VIVO BRAIN AND SMALL INTESTINE MITOCHONDRIAL NADH AND MICROCIRCULATORY BLOOD FLOW
Authors: MANDELBAUM MIRA M. , BARBIRO-MICHAELY EFRAT , TOLMASOV MICHAEL , MAYEVSKY AVRAHAM
Published: November 2008

Severe body stress induced by hypoxemia and hypotension may lead to total body energy state deterioration. The perfusion of the most vital organs is maintained at the expense of "less vital" organs. In the present study, we used a multi-site multi-parametric (MSMP) monitoring system for real-time evaluation of tissue blood flow (TBF) and mitochondrial NADH fluorescence of the brain and the small intestine following hemorrhage. In Group 1, uncontrolled hemorrhage, mean arterial pressure (MAP) was decreased to 40 mmHg within 2 minutes and shed blood was re-infused after 30 minutes. In Group 2, controlled hemorrhage, during the 30 minutes of hemorrhage, MAP was kept at 40 mmHg. During hemorrhage, in both groups, the intestinal TBF and NADH deteriorated, while the brain remained relatively well protected. In Group 1, all parameters partly recovered within the hemorrhage phase, while in Group 2, complete recovery occurred only after resuscitation. At the end of the experiment, both models showed a decrease in intestinal viability (TBF decreased, NADH increased), while the brain metabolic state in Group 2 declined slightly. Our unique multi-parametric monitoring device demonstrated that, under hemorrhage, the small intestine responded entirely differently from the brain. This may suggest the potential usefulness of the monitoring of less vital organs, as proxy organs, in critical conditions such as massive hemorrhage. The present study also highlights the importance of mitochondrial function monitoring in similar conditions in the clinical environment.
Selenium supplementation does not improve vascular responsiveness in healthy North American men
Authors: Hawkes Wayne Chris , Laslett Lawrence J.
Published: November 2008

Selenium is an essential trace nutrient required for the synthesis of selenoproteins such as glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase, the major forms of selenium in the endothelium that have important functions relevant to inflammation and cardiovascular disease. Selenium deficiency is associated with cardiomyopathy and sudden cardiac death in animals, and a low selenium status is associated with cardiovascular disease in humans. Endothelial dysfunction, measured as the impaired flow-mediated vasorelaxation of the brachial artery, is a reliable indicator of future cardiovascular disease risk in healthy individuals. To test whether selenium supplementation affects endothelial function, we conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in healthy men who were administered 300 μg of selenium a day as high-selenium yeast for 48 wk. Brachial artery responsiveness to transient occlusion was assessed at baseline and after 24 and 48 wk of supplementation. The supplementation increased the selenium concentration by more than half in blood plasma and erythrocytes. However, there was no effect of selenium on arterial diameter or blood flow rate before or after transient occlusion or on the maximum dilated diameter after the administration of nitroglycerin. This study indicates that selenium supplementation is not likely to improve endothelial function or peripheral arterial responsiveness in healthy North American men receiving adequate selenium from their diets.
Mechanism of C-type natriuretic peptide-induced endothelial cell hyperpolarization
Authors: Simon Aaron , Harrington Elizabeth O. , Liu Gong Xin , Koren Gideon , Choudhary Gaurav
Published: November 2008

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) has a demonstrated hyperpolarizing effect on vascular smooth muscle cells. However, its autocrine function, including its electrophysiological effect on endothelial cells, is not known. Here, we report the effect of CNP on the membrane potential ( Em) of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells and describe its target receptors, second messengers, and ion channels. We measured changes in Emusing fluorescence imaging and perforated patch-clamping techniques. In imaging experiments, samples were preincubated in the potentiometric dye DiBAC4(3), and subsequently exposed to CNP in the presence of selective inhibitors of ion channels or second messengers. CNP exposure induced a dose-dependent decrease in fluorescence, indicating that CNP induces endothelial cell hyperpolarization. CNP-induced hyperpolarization was inhibited by the K+channel blockers, tetraethylammonium or iberiotoxin, the nonspecific cation channel blocker, La3+, or by depletion or repletion of extracellular Ca2+or K+, respectively. CNP-induced hyperpolarization was also blocked by pharmacological inhibition of PKG or by small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown of natriuretic peptide receptor-B (NPR-B). CNP-induced hyperpolarization was mimicked by the PKG agonist, 8-bromo-cGMP, and attenuated by both the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) inhibitor, Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME), and the soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) inhibitor, 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3- a]quinoxalin-1-one. Presence of iberiotoxin-sensitive, CNP-induced outward current was confirmed by perforated patch-clamping experiments. We conclude that CNP hyperpolarizes pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells by activating large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels mediated by the activation of NPR-B, PKG, eNOS, and sGC.
Acrolein environmental levels and potential for human exposure
Authors: Faroon O , Roney N , Taylor J , Ashizawa A , Lumpkin MH , Plewak DJ
Published: November 2008

This article provides environmental information on acrolein including environmental fate, potential for human exposure, analytical methods, and a listing of regulations and advisories. Acrolein may be released to the environment in emissions and effluents from its manufacturing and use facilities, in emissions from combustion processes (including cigarette smoking and combustion of petrochemical fuels), from direct application to water and waste water as a slimicide and aquatic herbicide, as a photooxidation product of various hydrocarbon pollutants found in air (including propylene and 1,3-butadiene), and from land disposal of some organic waste materials. Acrolein is a reactive compound and is unstable in the environment. The general population may be exposed to acrolein through inhalation of contaminated air and through ingestion of certain foods. Important sources of acrolein exposure are via inhalation of tobacco smoke and environmental tobacco smoke and via the overheating of fats contained in all living matter. There is potential for exposure to acrolein in many occupational settings as the result of its varied uses and its formation during the combustion and pyrolysis of materials such as wood, petrochemical fuels, and plastics.
Affirming plural belonging: Building on students' family-based cultural and linguistic capital through multiliteracies pedagogy
Authors: Taylor Lisa K. , Bernhard Judith K. , Garg Suchi , Cummins Jim
Published: November 2008

This article reports on a qualitative case study involving pedagogical innovations grounded in culturally and linguistically inclusive approaches to curriculum. In this project, kindergarten children were supported in collaboratively authoring Dual Language Identity Texts. Our findings suggest that as family and teacher conceptions of literacy were extended beyond traditional monolingual print-based literacy, home literacies associated with complex transnational and transgenerational communities of practice were legitimated through their inclusion within the school curriculum. This process invited family members to take up roles as expert partners in children's biliteracy development. Further, conditions were fostered for parents to consider and articulate their beliefs and values vis-à-vis their children's multiliterate practice and participation within these multiple, transnational communities.
The Terrain of the Long Take
Authors: Kissel Laura
Published: November 2008

This autobiographical essay examines my inclination towards the use of the long take in documentary film and video. I discuss how my documentary practice is dominated by the take in duration; the ways in which I use the time of the frame to draw closer, in an intuitive way, to the profilmic; and how the long take makes visible the complexities of living through the representation of landscape, space, and time. I describe the process of framing my subject, what the long take signifies in the moment of its capture, as well as what the duration of my frame might express to an audience in search of meaning. I also consider the possibility that the long take is an autobiographical impulse, derived from the experience of inhabiting a landscape that is itself both time and space.
The past is a foreign country: amnesia and marketing theory
Authors: Tadajewski Mark , Saren Michael
Published: November 2008

This paper introduces the special issue. Using the work of Connerton (2008) as our prism, we examine the role of amnesia in marketing theory, stressing its positive and negative benefits. Key Words • amnesia • critical marketing studies• structuring of marketing theory
Compatibility of road lighting with star visibility
Authors: Soardo P. , Iacomussi P. , Rossi G. , Fellin L.
Published: November 2008

The influence of city lighting on astronomical observations is analysed by using a single parameter for a whole town based on the upward light from the luminaires. This parameter separates the influence of the upward light on the maximum visible stellar magnitude and on energy saving from the unavoidable reflections from the illuminated surfaces, independently of the way light is scattered in the atmosphere. It is shown that extreme reduction of spill light leads to no appreciable benefit for astronomy and increases installation and energy costs.
Examining the Danish cartoon affair: mediatized cross-cultural tensions?
Authors: Powers Shawn
Published: November 2008

Examined in the context of the rise of media influence in international conflict, the Danish cartoon affair offers troubling evidence against the hope that changes in the global mediascape will provide productive space and means for reconciliation of international and intercultural tensions. This study outlines several ways in which the mainstream Western media constructed, performed, narrativized, and framed the Danish cartoon affair to specifically appeal to culturally problematic assumptions about Muslim society and culture. Drawing from concepts such as the `mediatized public crisis' and `strategic framing', this study found that Western mainstream media outlets drew heavily on Samuel Huntington's `clash of civilizations' narrative, increasing public fear of Islamic culture, obscuring public understandings of the geopolitical and cultural realities underlying the affair, and further entrenching assumptions that have become barriers to productive cross-cultural dialogue.
Arabidopsis At5g39790 encodes a chloroplast-localized, carbohydrate-binding, coiled-coil domain-containing putative scaffold protein
Authors: Lohmeier-Vogel Elke M , Kerk David , Nimick Mhairi , Wrobel Susan , Vickerman Lori , Muench Douglas G , Moorhead Greg BG
Published: November 2008

Background

Starch accumulation and degradation in chloroplasts is accomplished by a suite of over 30 enzymes. Recent work has emphasized the importance of multi-protein complexes amongst the metabolic enzymes, and the action of associated non-enzymatic regulatory proteins. Arabidopsis At5g39790 encodes a protein of unknown function whose sequence was previously demonstrated to contain a putative carbohydrate-binding domain.

Results

We here show that At5g39790 is chloroplast-localized, and binds starch, with a preference for amylose. The protein persists in starch binding under conditions of pH, redox and Mg+2 concentrations characteristic of both the day and night chloroplast cycles. Bioinformatic analysis demonstrates a diurnal pattern of gene expression, with an accumulation of transcript during the light cycle and decline during the dark cycle. A corresponding diurnal pattern of change in protein levels in leaves is also observed. Sequence analysis shows that At5g39790 has a strongly-predicted coiled-coil domain. Similar analysis of the set of starch metabolic enzymes shows that several have strong to moderate coiled-coil potential. Gene expression analysis shows strongly correlated patterns of co-expression between At5g39790 and several starch metabolic enzymes.

Conclusion

We propose that At5g39790 is a regulatory scaffold protein, persistently binding the starch granule, where it is positioned to interact by its coiled-coil domain with several potential starch metabolic enzyme binding-partners.
High serum concentrations of autoantibodies to HSP47 in nonspecific interstitial pneumonia compared with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Kakugawa Tomoyuki , Yokota Shin-ichi , Mukae Hiroshi , Kubota Hiroshi , Sakamoto Noriho , Mizunoe Syunji , Matsuoka Yasuhiro , Kadota Jun-ichi , Fujii Nobuhiro , Nagata Kazuhiro , Kohno Shigeru
Published: November 2008

Background

The pathological diagnosis of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIP) by surgical lung biopsy is important for clinical decision-making. However, there is a need to use less invasive biomarkers to differentiate nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) from other IIP such as usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP). Heat shock protein (HSP) 47, a collagen-specific molecular chaperone, is involved in the processing and/or secretion of procollagen. HSP47 is increased in various fibrotic diseases. We investigated the autoantibodies to HSP47 in IIPs.

Methods

We measured the serum levels of the autoantibodies to HSP47 in 38 patients with various forms of IIP [16 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), 15 with idiopathic NSIP, 7 with cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP)] and 18 healthy volunteers.

Results

The serum levels of autoantibodies to HSP47 in patients with idiopathic NSIP were significantly higher than in patients with IPF (P < 0.01), COP (P < 0.05), and healthy volunteers (P < 0.05). In addition, those in fibrosing NSIP were significantly higher than those of cellular and fibrosing NSIP (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

We found high levels of anti-HSP47 autoantibody titers in sera of patients with idiopathic fibrosing NSIP compared with other IIPs and healthy volunteers.
Recombination analysis of Soybean mosaic virus sequences reveals evidence of RNA recombination between distinct pathotypes
Authors: Gagarinova Alla G , Babu Mohan , Strömvik Martina V , Wang Aiming
Published: November 2008

RNA recombination is one of the two major factors that create RNA genome variability. Assessing its incidence in plant RNA viruses helps understand the formation of new isolates and evaluate the effectiveness of crop protection strategies. To search for recombination in Soybean mosaic virus (SMV), the causal agent of a worldwide seed-borne, aphid-transmitted viral soybean disease, we obtained all full-length genome sequences of SMV as well as partial sequences encoding the N-terminal most (P1 protease) and the C-terminal most (capsid protein; CP) viral protein. The sequences were analyzed for possible recombination events using a variety of automatic and manual recombination detection and verification approaches. Automatic scanning identified 3, 10, and 17 recombination sites in the P1, CP, and full-length sequences, respectively. Manual analyses confirmed 10 recombination sites in three full-length SMV sequences. To our knowledge, this is the first report of recombination between distinct SMV pathotypes. These data imply that different SMV pathotypes can simultaneously infect a host cell and exchange genetic materials through recombination. The high incidence of SMV recombination suggests that recombination plays an important role in SMV evolution. Obtaining additional full-length sequences will help elucidate this role.
Unraveling the biochemistry and provenance of pupylation: a prokaryotic analog of ubiquitination
Authors: Iyer Lakshminarayan M , Burroughs AM , Aravind L
Published: November 2008

Recently Mycobacterium tuberculosis was shown to possess a novel protein modification, in which a small protein Pup is conjugated to the epsilon-amino groups of lysines in target proteins. Analogous to ubiquitin modification in eukaryotes, this remarkable modification recruits proteins for degradation via archaeal-type proteasomes found in mycobacteria and allied actinobacteria. While a mycobacterial protein named PafA was found to be required for this conjugation reaction, its biochemical mechanism has not been elucidated. Using sensitive sequence profile comparison methods we establish that the PafA family proteins are related to the γ-glutamyl-cysteine synthetase and glutamine synthetase. Hence, we predict that PafA is the Pup ligase, which catalyzes the ATP-dependent ligation of the terminal γ-carboxylate of glutamate to lysines, similar to the above enzymes. We further discovered that an ortholog of the eukaryotic PAC2 (e.g. cg2106) is often present in the vicinity of the actinobacterial Pup-proteasome gene neighborhoods and is likely to represent the ancestral proteasomal chaperone. Pup-conjugation is sporadically present outside the actinobacteria in certain lineages, such as verrucomicrobia, nitrospirae, deltaproteobacteria and planctomycetes, and in the latter two lineages it might modify membrane proteins.

Reviewers

This article was reviewed by M. Madan Babu and Andrei Osterman