bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Add-on “Self Management and Behavior Modification” Education on Severity of Chronic Pulmonary Obstructive Disease
Authors: Kheirabadi G.R. , Keypour M. , Attaran N. , Bagherian R. , Maracy M.R.
Published: March 2009

Background:

COPD is a chronic and plenty disease and one of the important causes of morbidity and mortality in the world with restrict available medical treatments. The objective of this study was to assess whether psycho-educational plans (self management and behavior modification) administered in primary care have beneficial effects on symptoms of patients with COPD.

Material and methods:

The study was a prospective, unblinded, randomized controlled trial of usual care vs. usual care plus structured education on the use of 8 sessions of “self management and behavior modification” group education: a simple educational package on life style modification and assumption of special behaviors in different situation of disease. The study was conducted in 2 educational hospitals (Khorshid & Alzahra) in Isfahan, Iran. Participants were 40 patients with COPD randomized into control or intervention groups. The primary outcome measure was change in severity of COPD symptoms that measured with Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ). The data were analyzed with spss software and statistic examination called Ancova-Reapted measure and Mancova-Reapted measure.

Results:

Self management and behavior modification education were associated with significant higher decrease in mean score of CCQ in symptom, functional state and mental state domains but had no effect on change in mean score of CCQ-Total.

Conclusions:

Mean score of CCQ in symptom, functional state and mental state domains was lower in the intervention group but there was no difference in mean score of CCQ-Total due to “self-management and behavior modification” plans.
Cost of Caring and Burnout in Partnership Relations of Chronic PTSD-veterans’ Spouses
Authors: Klarić M. , Frančiković T. , Klarić B. , Kreić M. , Petrov B.
Published: March 2009

Context:

PTSD-veterans’ spouses often become indirect victims of their partner’s dysfunction, confronting many stressors including relationship crisis, rearrangement of family roles, social isolation and adjustment to clinical course of disease.

Objective:

Compare levels of caretaker burden and burnout in partnership relations of PTSD and non-PTSD veterans’ spouses, particularly in situation where the spouses have PTSD themselves.

Methods:

Test group consisted of 154 veterans who are undergoing treatment for war psychotraumatisation caused PTSD at the Clinical hospital Mostar, and their spouses. Control group consisted of 77 war veterans without PTSD, and their spouses. The General demographic questionnaire, Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), the Experience of Subjective and Objective Burden and Maslach Burnout Inventory were used in research.

Results:

PTSP-veterans’ spouses had significantly higher results on al subscales of the caretaker burden questionnaire and partnership relations burnout questionnaire. When both partners have PTSD, the burden of subjective demands and subjective stress, and burnout in partnership are significantly higher in comparison with the couples where only the veteran has PTSD or when partners don't have PTSD. The difference wasn't found in the objective burden when both partners have PTSD in comparison with the case when only the veteran has PTSD.

Conclusion:

PTSD-veterans’ spouses in comparison with the non-PTSD veterans’ spouses are exposed to more objective burden of life, burden of partner's subjective demands and subjective perception of stress overburden, and their burnout is also higher. The burden of subjective demands, subjective stress and burnout are even more prominent when the spouse has PTSD.
The Connections between Social Functioning and the Quality of Life in the Population of People Who Lost their Job
Authors: Miljatovic A.
Published: March 2009

Objective:

On the scale of negative events that can happen in life,losing a job is high up on it, as a risk factor in the development of different psychiatric diseases. The connection between social functioning and the quality of life with people who lost their job was not explicitly researched.

Aims:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the connection between social functioning and the quality of life in the population of people who lost their job, with a wide spectrum of psychiatric diseases.

Method:

Social functioning was appraised using the GRONINGEN SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR QUESTIONNAIRE -100 { GSB -100} and GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF FUNCTIONING {GAF} scale. The quality of life was measured using WHO QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT (WHOQOL-100).A total of 80 patients aged 40 to 60 who lost their job during the previous year were included in this study.

Results:

The population of patients who lost their job shows a huge range of problems in the area of social functioning. The number of problems was significantly higher in comparison with the control group of healthy people, but also a little higher in comparison with a group of psychiatric patients who had not lost their job.

Almost all GSB -100 scales were in negative interrelation with all QOL aspects, while the score on the GAF scale correlated positively with all QOL aspects.

People who lost their job with problems in the aspects of social functioning have a lower score than those without such problems.
Typology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Portnova A.
Published: March 2009

Studied was the typology of PTSD in children and adolescents suffered in emergency situations (ES) (161 patients - 55.3% of boys and 44.,7% of girls in the age from 3 to 18 years). Four types of PTSD were identified: dissomnic (34.8%), phobic (23.6%), psychopathic-like (21.,7%) and astheno-depressive (19,9%). The least favourable course is noted in dissomnic and psychopathic-like variants. PTSD astheno-depressive type is characterized by the most favourable dynamics. PTSD phobic type in prognostic relation occupies the intermediate position due to clinical inhomogeneity of basic symptomatic and marked effect of premorbid personality factors, associated mental disturbances and microenvironment. There were no significant gender differences in the prevalence of PTSD individual variants identified. These variants are met with different prevalence in children of various ethnic belonging to and in different age groups.
Are the Genes of Stress Involved in the Vulnerability to Suicide Attempts and in Related-endophenotypes?
Authors: Courtet P. , Guillame S. , Jaussent I. , Jollant F. , Malafosse A.
Published: March 2009

Molecular genetic studies have initially focused on genes of the serotonergic system, providing consistent evidence for their implication in the susceptibility to suicidal behaviour. More recent data suggested the existence of interactions with environmental stress factors, and the influence of various polymorphisms on decision making, a potential endophenotype for suicidal behaviour. On the other hand, abnormalities of the HPA axis may represent another trait marker, associated with the occurrence of completed suicide in prospective studies of depressed patients. The demonstration of both interactions between the HPA axis and the serotonin system at the biological level, and the well-known involvement of stress factors in triggering suicidal acts, led researchers to investigate the possibility for stress-related genes to play a role in the vulnerability to suicidal behaviour. We investigated the influence of several stress-related genes, namely CRH receptors, FKBP5, Arginin Vasopressin receptor V1b and NRY on the vulnerability to suicide attempts, performing an association study in a sample of 1650 patients and 420 controls in order to detect an association between suicidal behaviour and these polymorphisms. We further investigated the existence of an effect of the interaction between these genotypes and childhood abuse on the severity index of suicidal behaviour. Last, we proposed to study the influence of stress-related polymorphisms on the cognitive vulnerability factor, decision making.

The addition of new data concerning genes that intervene in the stress axis may help researchers to refine the biological pathways of the vulnerability to suicidal behaviour, going beyond the demonstration of genes environment interactions.
Exporting the Bomb: Why States Provide Sensitive Nuclear
Assistance
Authors: KROENIG MATTHEW
Published: March 2009

Why do states provide sensitive nuclear assistance to nonnuclear weapon
states, contributing to the international spread of nuclear weapons? Using a
new data set on sensitive nuclear transfers, this article analyzes the
determinants of sensitive nuclear assistance. I first describe a simple
logic of the differential effects of nuclear proliferation, which I use to
generate hypotheses about the conditions under which states provide
sensitive nuclear assistance. I then show that the strategic characteristics
of the potential nuclear suppliers are the most important determinants of
sensitive nuclear assistance. Explanations that emphasize the importance of
economic motivations do not find support in the data. This article presents
a new approach to the study of the spread of nuclear weapons, focusing on
the supply side of nuclear proliferation.
When Do Legislators Pass on Pork? The Role of Political Parties in
Determining Legislator Effort
Authors: KEEFER PHILIP , KHEMANI STUTI
Published: March 2009

A central challenge in political economy is to identify the conditions
under which legislators seek to “bring home the pork” to constituents. We
conduct the first systematic analysis of one determinant of constituency
service, voter attachment to political parties, holding constant electoral
and political institutions. Our analysis takes advantage of data from a
unique type of public spending program that is proliferating across
developing countries, the constituency development fund (CDF), which offers
more precise measures of legislator effort than are common in the
literature. Examining the CDF in India, we find that legislator effort is
significantly lower in constituencies that are party strongholds. This
result, which is robust to controls for alternate explanations, implies that
legislators pass on pork when voters are more attached to political parties.
It has implications not only for understanding political incentives and the
dynamics of party formation, but also for evaluating the impact of
CDFs.
Protein kinase inhibitors: contributions from structure to clinical compounds
Authors: Johnson Louise N.
Published: March 2009

Protein kinases catalyse key phosphorylation reactions in signalling cascades that affect every aspect of cell growth, differentiation and metabolism. The kinases have become prime targets for drug intervention in the diseased state, especially in cancer. There are currently 10 drugs that have been approved for clinical use and many more in clinical trials. This review summarises the structural basis for protein kinase inhibition and discusses the mode of action for each of the approved drugs in the light of structural results. All but one of the approved compounds target the ATP binding site on the kinase. Both the active and inactive conformations of protein kinases have been used in strategies to produce potent and selective compounds. Targeting the inactive conformation can give high specificity. Targeting the active conformation is favourable where the diseased state has arisen from activating mutations, but such inhibitors generally target several protein kinases. Drug resistance mutations are a potential risk for both conformational states, where drug-binding regions are not directly involved in catalysis. Imatinib (Glivec), the most successful of protein kinase inhibitors, targets the inactive conformation of ABL tyrosine kinase. Newer compounds, such as dasatinib, which targets the ABL active state, have been developed to increase potency and have proved effective for some, but not all, drug-resistant mutations. The first epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors in clinical use [gefitinib (Iressa) and erlotinib (Tarceva)] targeted the active form of the kinase, and this proved advantageous for patients whose cancer was caused by mutations that resulted in a constitutively active EGFR kinase domain. Newer approved compounds, such as lapatinib (Tykerb), target the inactive conformation with high potency. A further compound that forms a covalent attachment to the kinase has been found to overcome one of the major drug resistance mutations, where the effectiveness of the drugin vivois dependent on its ability to compete successfully in the presence of cellular concentrations of ATP. Inhibitors of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) kinase against cancer angiogenesis show the advantage of some relaxation in specificity. Sorafenib, originally developed as RAF inhibitor, is now in clinical use as a VEGFR inhibitor. Temsirolimus (a derivative of rapamycin) is the only example of a drug in clinical use that does not target the kinase ATP site. Instead rapamycin, when in complex with the protein FKBP12, effectively targets mTOR kinase at a site located on a domain, the FRB domain, that appears to be involved in localisation or substrate docking.
Investigation of an outbreak of Salmonella enterica serovar Newport infection
Authors: IRVINE W. N. , GILLESPIE I. A. , SMYTH F. B. , ROONEY P. J. , McCLENAGHAN A. , DEVINE M. J. , TOHANI V. K.
Published: March 2009

A large outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Newport infection occurred in Northern Ireland during September and October 2004. Typing of isolates from patients confirmed that this strain was indistinguishable from that in concurrent outbreaks in regions of England, in Scotland and in the Isle of Man. A total of 130 cases were distributed unequally across local government district areas in Northern Ireland. The epidemic curve suggested a continued exposure over about 4 weeks. A matched case-control study of 23 cases and 39 controls found a statistically significant association with a history of having eaten lettuce in a meal outside the home and being a case (odds ratio 23·7, 95% confidence interval 1·4–404·3). This exposure was reported by 57% of cases. Although over 300 food samples were tested, none yielded any Salmonella spp. Complexity and limited traceability in salad vegetable distribution hindered further investigation of the ultimate source of the outbreak.
Time resolved star formation in the SMC: the youngest star clusters
Authors: Sabbi Elena , Smith Linda J. , Carlson Lynn R. , Nota Antonella , Tosi Monica , Cignoni Michele , Gallagher Jay S. , Sirianni Marco , Meixner Margaret
Published: March 2009

The two young clusters NGC 346 and NGC 602 in the Small Magellanic Cloud provide us with the opportunity to study and the efficiency of feedback mechanism at low metallicity, as well as the impact of local and global conditions in cluster formation and evolution. I describe the latest results from a multi-wavelength, large-scale study of these two clusters. HST/ACS images reveal that the clusters have very different structures: NGC 346 is composed by a number of sub-clusters which appear coeval with ages of 3 ± 1 Myr, strongly suggesting formation by the hierarchical fragmentation of a turbulent molecular cloud (Nota et al. 2006; Sabbi et al. 2007a). NGC 602, on the contrary, appears as a single small cluster of OB stars surrounded by pre-main sequence stars. For both clusters high-resolution spectroscopy of the ionized gas shows little evidence for gas motions. This suggests that at the low SMC metallicity, the winds from the hottest stars are not powerful enough to sweep away the residual gas. Instead we find that stellar radiation is the dominant process shaping the interstellar environment of NGC 346 and NGC 602.
An observational study of GMCs in the Magellanic Clouds with the ASTE telescope
Authors: Minamidani Tetsuhiro , Mizuno Norikazu , Mizuno Yoji , Kawamura Akiko , Onishi Toshikazu , Tatematsu Ken'ichi , Hasegawa Tetsuo , Ikeda Masafumi , Fukui Yasuo
Published: March 2009

We report the results of the submillimeter observations with the ASTE 10 m telescope toward the giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in the Magellanic Clouds to reveal the physical properties of dense molecular gas, the principle sites of star and cluster formation. Six GMCs in the Large Magellanic Cloud have been mapped in the 12CO(J = 3 − 2) transition and 32 clumps are identified in these GMCs at a resolution of 5 pc. These data are combined with 12CO(J = 1 − 0) and 13CO(J = 1 − 0) results and compared with LVG calculations to derive the density and temperature of clumps. The derived density and temperature are distributed in wide ranges. We have made small mapping observations in the 13CO(J = 3 − 2) transition toward 9 representative peak positions of clumps to determine the density and temperature of clumps. These physical properties are constrained well and there are differences in density and temperature among clumps. We suggest that these differences of clump properties represent an evolutionary sequence of GMCs in terms of density increase leading to star formation.
Star cluster evolution in the Magellanic Clouds revisited
Authors: de Grijs Richard , Goodwin Simon P.
Published: March 2009

The evolution of star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds has been the subject of significant recent controversy, particularly regarding the importance and length of the earliest, largely mass-independent disruption phase (referred to as “infant mortality”). Here, we take a fresh approach to the problem, using a large, independent, and homogeneous data set of UBVR imaging observations, from which we obtain the cluster age and mass distributions in both the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC, SMC) in a self-consistent manner. We conclude that the (optically selected) SMC star cluster population has undergone at most ~30% (1σ) infant mortality between the age range from about 3–10 Myr, to that of approximately 40–160 Myr. We rule out a 90% cluster mortality rate per decade of age (for the full age range up to 109 yr) at a > 6σ level. Using a simple approach, we derive a “characteristic” cluster disruption time-scale for the cluster population in the LMC that implies that we are observing the initial cluster mass function (CMF). Preliminary results suggest that the LMC cluster population may be affected by <10% infant mortality.
Properties of X-ray binaries in the Magellanic Clouds from RXTE and Chandra observations
Authors: Corbet R. H. D. , Coe M. J. , McGowan K. E. , Schurch M. P. E. , Townsend L. J. , Galache J. L. , Marshall F. E.
Published: March 2009

The X-ray binary population of the SMC is very different from that of the Milky Way consisting, with one exception, entirely of transient pulsating Be/neutron star binaries. We have now been monitoring these SMC X-ray pulsars for over 10 years using the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer with observations typically every week. The RXTE observations have been complemented with surveys made using the Chandra observatory. The RXTE observations are non-imaging but enable detailed studies of pulsing sources. In contrast, Chandra observations can provide precise source locations and detections of sources at lower flux levels, but do not provide the same timing information or the extended duration light curves that RXTE observations do. We summarize the results of these monitoring programs which provide insights into both the differences between the SMC and the Milky Way, and the details of the accretion processes in X-ray pulsars.
Optical properties of High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) in the Small Magellanic Cloud
Authors: Coe M. J. , Corbet R. H. D. , McGowan K. E. , McBride V. A. , Schurch M. P. E. , Townsend L. J. , Galache J. L. , Negueruela I. , Buckley D.
Published: March 2009

The SMC represents an exciting opportunity to observe the direct results of tidal interactions on star birth. One of the best indicators of recent star birth activity is the presence of significant numbers of High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) — and the SMC has them in abundance! We present results from nearly 10 years of monitoring these systems plus a wealth of other ground-based optical data. Together they permit us to build a picture of a galaxy with a mass of only a few percent of the Milky Way but with a more extensive HMXB population. However, as often happens, new discoveries lead to some challenging puzzles — where are the other X-ray binaries (e.g., black hole systems) in the SMC? And why do virtually all the SMC HMXBs have Be star companions? The evidence arising from these extensive optical observations for this apparently unusual stellar evolution are discussed.
Experimental removal of wetland emergent vegetation leads to decreased methylmercury production in surface sediment
Authors: Windham‐Myers Lisamarie , Marvin‐Dipasquale Mark , Krabbenhoft David P. , Agee Jennifer L. , Cox Marisa H. , Heredia‐Middleton Pilar , Coates Carolyn , Kakouros Evangelos
Published: March 2009

We performed plant removal (devegetation) experiments across a suite of ecologically diverse wetland settings (tidal salt marshes, river floodplain, rotational rice fields, and freshwater wetlands with permanent or seasonal flooding) to determine the extent to which the presence (or absence) of actively growing plants influences the activity of the Hg(II)‐methylating microbial community and the availability of Hg(II) to those microbes. Vegetated control plots were paired with neighboring devegetated plots in which photosynthetic input was terminated 4–8 months prior to measurements, through clipping aboveground biomass, severing belowground connections, and shading the sediment surface to prevent regrowth. Across all wetlands, devegetation decreased the activity of the Hg(II)‐methylating microbial community (kmeth) by 38%, calculated MeHg production potential (MP) rates by 36%, and pore water acetate concentration by 78%. Decreases in MP were associated with decreases in microbial sulfate reduction in salt marsh settings. In freshwater agricultural wetlands, decreases in MP were related to indices of microbial iron reduction. Sediment MeHg concentrations were also significantly lower in devegetated than in vegetated plots in most wetland settings studied. Devegetation effects were correlated with live root density (percent volume) and were most profound in vegetated sites with higher initial pore water acetate concentrations. Densely rooted wetlands had the highest rates of microbial Hg(II)‐methylation activity but often the lowest concentrations of bioavailable reactive Hg(II). We conclude that the exudation of labile organic carbon (e.g., acetate) by plants leads to enhanced microbial sulfate and iron reduction activity in the rhizosphere, which results in high rates of microbial Hg(II)‐methyation and high MeHg concentrations in wetland sediment.
Gender, Ethnicity, Marital Status, and Body Weight in the United States
Authors: Sobal Jeffery , Hanson Karla L. , Frongillo Edward A.
Published: March 2009

Married individuals tend to be heavier than those who are unmarried, particularly men, and individuals in different ethnic categories vary in their involvement in marriage and in their body weights. We examined gender and ethnic differences in relationships between marital status and body weight using cross‐sectional data from the 1999–2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for 3,947 women and 4,019 men. The findings revealed that compared to married men in the same ethnic category, white divorced men, black never‐married men, and all Hispanic men except for widows had lower odds of being overweight. Compared to married women in the same ethnic category, white women's weights did not significantly differ by marital status, black separated women had greater odds of being overweight, and Hispanic never‐married women had lower odds of being overweight. Associations of marriage with body weight appear to be at least partly contingent upon gender and ethnicity, which may reflect larger societal patterns of involvement in marriage, commitment to family, and body‐weight norms and expectations.
Sexual Orientation Disparities in Weight Status in Adolescence: Findings From a Prospective Study
Authors: Austin S. Bryn , Ziyadeh Najat J. , Corliss Heather L. , Haines Jess , Rockett Helaine R. , Wypij David , Field Alison E.
Published: March 2009

A growing number of studies among adult women have documented disparities in overweight adversely affecting lesbian and bisexual women, but few studies have examined sexual orientation–related patterns in weight status among men or adolescents. We examined sexual orientation group trends in BMI (kg/m2), BMI Z‐scores, and overweight using 56,990 observations from 13,785 adolescent females and males in the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS), a large prospective cohort of US youth. Participants provided self‐reported information from six waves of questionnaire data collection from 1998 to 2005. Gender‐stratified linear regression models were used to estimate BMI and BMI Z‐scores and modified Poisson regression models to estimate risk ratios for overweight, controlling for age and race/ethnicity, with heterosexuals as the referent group. Among females, we observed fairly consistently elevated BMI in all sexual orientation minority groups relative to heterosexual peers. In contrast, among males we documented a sexual‐orientation‐by‐age interaction indicating steeper increases in BMI with age from early‐to‐late adolescence in heterosexuals relative to sexual orientation minorities. Additional prospective research is needed to understand the determinants of observed sexual orientation disparities and to inform appropriate preventive and treatment interventions. The long‐term health consequences of overweight are well‐documented and over time are likely to exact a high toll on populations with elevated rates.
Treatment of Malocclusion and TMJ Dysfunction Secondary to Condylar Fractures
Authors: Ellis Edward , Walker Robert V.
Published: March 2009

Unfavorable sequelae from mandibular fractures includes malocclusion and temporomandibular joint dysfunction. The management of these complications is presented in this article and is largely based on the authors’ experience. Cases that provide details on treatment methods are shown. Finally, an algorithm for treatment is suggested.
Application of the thermal flash technique for low thermal diffusivity micro/nanofibers
Authors: Demko Michael T. , Dai Zhenting , Yan Han , King William P. , Cakmak Miko , Abramson Alexis R.
Published: March 2009

The thermal flash method was developed to characterize the thermal diffusivity of micro/nanofibers without concern for thermal contact resistance, which is commonly a barrier to accurate thermal measurement of these materials. Within a scanning electron microscope, a micromanipulator supplies instantaneous heating to the micro/nanofiber, and the resulting transient thermal response is detected at a microfabricated silicon sensor. These data are used to determine thermal diffusivity. Glass fibers of diameter 15 μm had a measured diffusivity of 1.21×10−7 m2/s; polyimide fibers of diameters 570 and 271 nm exhibited diffusivities of 5.97×10−8 and 6.28×10−8 m2/s, respectively, which compare favorably with bulk values.
Levels of self-consistency in the GW approximation
Authors: Stan Adrian , Dahlen Nils Erik , van Leeuwen Robert
Published: March 2009

We perform GW calculations on atoms and diatomic molecules at different levels of self-consistency and investigate the effects of self-consistency on total energies, ionization potentials, and particle number conservation. We further propose a partially self-consistent GW scheme in which we keep the correlation part of the self-energy fixed within the self-consistency cycle. This approximation is compared to the fully self-consistent GW results and to the GW0 and the G0W0 approximations. Total energies, ionization potentials, and two-electron removal energies obtained with our partially self-consistent GW approximation are in excellent agreement with fully self-consistent GW results while requiring only a fraction of the computational effort. We also find that self-consistent and partially self-consistent schemes provide ionization energies of similar quality as the G0W0 values but yield better total energies and energy differences.
Slow surface phonon polaritons for sensing in the midinfrared spectrum
Authors: Balin Igal , Dahan Nir , Kleiner Vladimir , Hasman Erez
Published: March 2009

We demonstrate a reflection-type sensor in the midinfrared spectra based on resonant excitation of surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs). In this range, SPhPs are characterized by the high density of states associated with slow surface waves that lead to enhanced resonance absorption. Delocalized SPhPs were excited by irradiating TM-polarized light on a one-dimensional grating embedded in a SiC substrate. The sensor response was characterized by changing the refractive index (RI) of a lossless CO2 gas. A detection limit of 2×10−5 RI units was obtained at a wavelength of 11.9 μm.
Interface dipole at metal-organic interfaces: Contribution of metal induced interface states
Authors: Lee C. S. , Tang J. X. , Zhou Y. C. , Lee S. T.
Published: March 2009

Despite the importance of interface dipole on the charge carrier injection at metal/organic contacts, there is yet no estimation of the various contributions to the overall dipole. We propose a simple approach to delineate and estimate the contribution of metal-induced interface states (MISs) toward the overall dipole. The relative contribution of the MIS was found to increase as the slope parameter decreases. By using published results, we estimate the relative MIS contributions in organic-silver contacts for various organic semiconductors to be −30%–80% of the overall dipole.
Three-dimensional grain mapping by x-ray diffraction contrast tomography and the use of Friedel pairs in diffraction data analysis
Authors: Ludwig W. , Reischig P. , King A. , Herbig M. , Lauridsen E. M. , Johnson G. , Marrow T. J. , Buffière J. Y.
Published: March 2009

X-ray diffraction contrast tomography (DCT) is a technique for mapping grain shape and orientation in plastically undeformed polycrystals. In this paper, we describe a modified DCT data acquisition strategy which permits the incorporation of an innovative Friedel pair method for analyzing diffraction data. Diffraction spots are acquired during a 360° rotation of the sample and are analyzed in terms of the Friedel pairs ((hkl) and (hkl¯) reflections, observed 180° apart in rotation). The resulting increase in the accuracy with which the diffraction vectors are determined allows the use of improved algorithms for grain indexing (assigning diffraction spots to the grains from which they arise) and reconstruction. The accuracy of the resulting grain maps is quantified with reference to synchrotron microtomography data for a specimen made from a beta titanium system in which a second phase can be precipitated at grain boundaries, thereby revealing the grain shapes. The simple changes introduced to the DCT methodology are equally applicable to other variants of grain mapping.
Retroposon analysis and recent geological data suggest near-simultaneous divergence of the three superorders of mammals
Authors: Nishihara Hidenori , Maruyama Shigenori , Okada Norihiro
Published: March 2009

As a consequence of recent developments in molecular phylogenomics, all extant orders of placental mammals have been grouped into 3 lineages: Afrotheria, Xenarthra, and Boreotheria, which originated in Africa, South America, and Laurasia, respectively. Despite this advancement, the order of divergence of these 3 lineages remains unresolved. Here, we performed extensive retroposon analysis with mammalian genomic data. Surprisingly, we identified a similar number of informative retroposon loci that support each of 3 possible phylogenetic hypotheses: the basal position for Afrotheria (22 loci), Xenarthra (25 loci), and Boreotheria (21 loci). This result indicates that the divergence of the placental common ancestor into the 3 lineages occurred nearly simultaneously. Thus, we examined whether these molecular data could be integrated into the geological context by incorporating recent geological data. We obtained firm evidence that complete separation of Gondwana into Africa and South America occurred 120 ± 10 Ma. Accordingly, the previous reported time frame (division of Pangea into Gondwana and Laurasia at 148–138 Ma and division of Gondwana at 105 Ma) cannot be used to validate mammalian divergence order. Instead, we use our retroposon results and the recent geological data to propose that near-simultaneous divisions of continents leading to isolated Africa, South America, and Laurasia caused nearly concomitant divergence of the ancient placental ancestor into 3 lineages, Afrotheria, Xenarthra, and Boreotheria, ≈120 Ma.
Scaling Laws for Branching Vessels of Human Cerebral Cortex
Authors: FRANCIS CASSOT , FREDERIC LAUWERS , SYLVIE LORTHOIS , PRASANNA PUWANARAJAH , HENRI DUVERNOY
Published: March 2009

Objective: Vascular architecture, particularly of cerebral microvessels, has profound implications for both health and disease in a variety of areas, such as neuroimaging, angiogenesis and development, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular tumors. We analyzed the architecture of tree‐like vessels of the human cerebral cortex.

Methods: Digital three‐dimensional images of the microvascular network were obtained from thick sections of India ink–injected human brain by confocal laser microscopy covering a large zone of secondary cortex. A novel segmentation method was used to extract the skeleton and measure the diameter at every vertex.

Results: In this paper, we focus on the topology of the cortical tree‐like vessels. Using stem‐crown decomposition, power‐scaling laws were shown to govern the relationships between integrated parameters, such as the distal cumulative length, volume, or normalized flow. This led us toward an experimental confirmation of the allometric equation between mass and metabolic rate. Inversely, the power‐law model did not match the relationships between local parameters, such as diameter, and integrated ones. As a consequence, Murray's law did not appropriately model the architecture of cerebrovascular bifurcations.

Conclusions: This study provides a unique, large database and mathematical characterization that may prove valuable for modeling the cerebral.
13th EU–US Transport Task Force Workshop on transport in fusion plasmas
Authors: Connor J.W. , Fasoli A. , Hidalgo C. , Kirk A. , Naulin V. , Peeters A.G. , Tala T.
Published: March 2009

This report summarizes the contributions presented at the 13th EU–US Transport Task Force Workshop on transport in fusion plasmas, held in Copenhagen, Denmark, 1–4 September 2008. There were sessions on core heat and particle transport; core and edge momentum transport; edge and scrape-off-layer transport and MHD and fast particle interaction with transport.
The Exocyst Protein Sec10 Is Necessary for Primary Ciliogenesis and Cystogenesis In Vitro
Authors: Zuo Xiaofeng , Guo Wei , Lipschutz Joshua H.
Published: March 2009

Primary cilia are found on many epithelial cell types, including renal tubular epithelial cells, in which they are felt to participate in flow sensing and have been linked to the pathogenesis of cystic renal disorders such as autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. We previously localized the exocyst, an eight-protein complex involved in membrane trafficking, to the primary cilium of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells and showed that it was involved in cystogenesis. Here, using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to knockdown exocyst expression and stable transfection to induce exocyst overexpression, we show that the exocyst protein Sec10 regulates primary ciliogenesis. Using immunofluorescence, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy, primary cilia containing only basal bodies are seen in the Sec10 knockdown cells, and increased ciliogenesis is seen in Sec10-overexpressing cells. These phenotypes do not seem to be because of gross changes in cell polarity, as apical, basolateral, and tight junction proteins remain properly localized. Sec10 knockdown prevents normal cyst morphogenesis when the cells are grown in a collagen matrix, whereas Sec10 overexpression results in increased cystogenesis. Transfection with human Sec10 resistant to the canine shRNA rescues the phenotype, demonstrating specificity. Finally, Par3 was recently shown to regulate primary cilia biogenesis. Par3 and the exocyst colocalized by immunofluorescence and coimmunoprecipitation, consistent with a role for the exocyst in targeting and docking vesicles carrying proteins necessary for primary ciliogenesis.
Statistical detection of cooperative transcription factors with similarity adjustment
Authors: Pape Utz J. , Klein Holger , Vingron Martin
Published: March 2009

Motivation: Statistical assessment of cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) is a crucial task in computational biology. Usually, one concludes from exceptional co-occurrences of DNA motifs that the corresponding transcription factors (TFs) are cooperative. However, similar DNA motifs tend to co-occur in random sequences due to high probability of overlapping occurrences. Therefore, it is important to consider similarity of DNA motifs in the statistical assessment.

Results: Based on previous work, we propose to adjust the window size for co-occurrence detection. Using the derived approximation, one obtains different window sizes for different sets of DNA motifs depending on their similarities. This ensures that the probability of co-occurrences in random sequences are equal. Applying the approach to selected similar and dissimilar DNA motifs from human TFs shows the necessity of adjustment and confirms the accuracy of the approximation by comparison to simulated data. Furthermore, it becomes clear that approaches ignoring similarities strongly underestimate P-values for cooperativity of TFs with similar DNA motifs. In addition, the approach is extended to deal with overlapping windows. We derive Chen–Stein error bounds for the approximation. Comparing the error bounds for similar and dissimilar DNA motifs shows that the approximation for similar DNA motifs yields large bounds. Hence, one has to be careful using overlapping windows. Based on the error bounds, one can precompute the approximation errors and select an appropriate overlap scheme before running the analysis.

Availability: Software to perform the calculation for pairs of position frequency matrices (PFMs) is available at http://mosta.molgen.mpg.de as well as C++ source code for downloading.

Contact:  utz.pape@molgen.mpg.de
Stopover decision during migration: physiological conditions predict nocturnal restlessness in wild passerines
Authors: Fusani Leonida , Cardinale Massimiliano , Carere Claudio , Goymann Wolfgang
Published: March 2009

During migration, a number of bird species rely on stopover sites for resting and feeding before and after crossing ecological barriers such as deserts or seas. The duration of a stopover depends on the combined effects of environmental factors, endogenous programmes and physiological conditions. Previous studies indicated that lean birds prolong their refuelling stopover compared with fat birds; however, the quantitative relationship between physiological conditions and stopover behaviour has not been studied yet. Here, we tested in a large sample of free-living birds of three European passerines (whinchats,
Saxicola rubetra
, garden warblers,
Sylvia borin
and whitethroats,
Sylvia communis
) whether the amount of migratory restlessness (Zugunruhe) shown at a stopover site depends on physiological conditions. An integrated measure of condition based on body mass, amount of subcutaneous fat and thickness of pectoral muscles strongly predicted the intensity of Zugunruhe shown in recording cages in the night following capture. These results provide novel and robust quantitative evidence in support of the hypothesis that the amount of energy reserves plays a major role in determining the stopover duration in migratory birds.
Gliding hexapods and the origins of insect aerial behaviour
Authors: Yanoviak Stephen P , Kaspari Michael , Dudley Robert
Published: March 2009

Directed aerial descent (i.e. gliding and manoeuvring) may be an important stage in the evolution of winged flight. Although hypothesized to occur in ancestrally wingless insects, such behaviour is unexplored in extant basal hexapods, but has recently been described in arboreal ants. Here we show that tropical arboreal bristletails (Archaeognatha) direct their horizontal trajectories to tree trunks in approximately 90 per cent of falls. Experimental manipulation of the median caudal filament significantly reduced both success rate (per cent of individuals landing on a tree trunk) and performance (glide index) versus controls. The existence of aerial control in the ancestrally wingless bristletails, and its habitat association with an arboreal lifestyle, are consistent with the hypothesis of a terrestrial origin for winged flight in insects.
The Arabidopsis Callose Synthase Gene GSL8 Is Required for Cytokinesis and Cell Patterning
Authors: Chen Xiong-Yan , Liu Lin , Lee EunKyoung , Han Xiao , Rim Yeonggil , Chu Hyosub , Kim Seon-Won , Sack Fred , Kim Jae-Yean
Published: March 2009

Cytokinesis is the division of the cytoplasm and its separation into two daughter cells. Cell plate growth and cytokinesis appear to require callose, but direct functional evidence is still lacking. To determine the role of callose and its synthesis during cytokinesis, we identified and characterized mutants in many members of the GLUCAN SYNTHASE-LIKE (GSL; or CALLOSE SYNTHASE) gene family in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Most gsl mutants (gsl1–gsl7, gsl9, gsl11, and gsl12) exhibited roughly normal seedling growth and development. However, mutations in GSL8, which were previously reported to be gametophytic lethal, were found to produce seedlings with pleiotropic defects during embryogenesis and early vegetative growth. We found cell wall stubs, two nuclei in one cell, and other defects in cell division in homozygous gsl8 insertional alleles. In addition, gsl8 mutants and inducible RNA interference lines of GSL8 showed reduced callose deposition at cell plates and/or new cell walls. Together, these data show that the GSL8 gene encodes a putative callose synthase required for cytokinesis and seedling maturation. In addition, gsl8 mutants disrupt cellular and tissue-level patterning, as shown by the presence of clusters of stomata in direct contact and by islands of excessive cell proliferation in the developing epidermis. Thus, GSL8 is required for patterning as well as cytokinesis during Arabidopsis development.
HISTONE MONOUBIQUITINATION1 Interacts with a Subunit of the Mediator Complex and Regulates Defense against Necrotrophic Fungal Pathogens inArabidopsis
Authors: Dhawan Rahul , Luo Hongli , Foerster Andrea Maria , AbuQamar Synan , Du Hai-Ning , Briggs Scott D. , Scheid Ortrun Mittelsten , Mengiste Tesfaye
Published: March 2009

This work examines the role of the Arabidopsis thaliana RING E3 ligase, HISTONE MONOUBIQUITINATION1 (HUB1) in disease resistance. Loss-of-function alleles of HUB1 show increased susceptibility to the necrotrophic fungal pathogens Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria brassicicola, whereas HUB1 overexpression conferred resistance to B. cinerea. By contrast, responses to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae are unaltered in hub1 plants. hub1 mutants have thinner cell walls but increased callose around an infection site. HUB1 acts independently of jasmonate, but ethylene (ET) responses and salicylate modulate the resistance of hub1 mutants to necrotrophic fungi. The ET response factor ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE2 is epistatic to HUB1 for A. brassicicola resistance but additive to HUB1 for B. cinerea resistance. HUB1 interacts with MED21, a subunit of the Arabidopsis Mediator, a conserved complex that regulates RNA polymerase II. RNA interference lines with reduced MED21 expression are highly susceptible to A. brassicicola and B. cinerea, whereas T-DNA insertion alleles are embryonic lethal, suggesting an essential role for MED21. However, HUB1-mediated histone H2B modification is independent of histone H3 and DNA methylation. In sum, histone H2B monoubiquitination is an important chromatin modification with regulatory roles in plant defense against necrotrophic fungi most likely through modulation of gene expression.
A Chloroplastic UDP-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase fromArabidopsisIs the Committed Enzyme for the First Step of Sulfolipid Biosynthesis
Authors: Okazaki Yozo , Shimojima Mie , Sawada Yuji , Toyooka Kiminori , Narisawa Tomoko , Mochida Keiichi , Tanaka Hironori , Matsuda Fumio , Hirai Akiko , Hirai Masami Yokota , Ohta Hiroyuki , Saito Kazuki
Published: March 2009

Plants synthesize a sulfur-containing lipid, sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol, which is one of three nonphosphorus glycerolipids that provide the bulk of the structural lipids in photosynthetic membranes. Here, the identification of a novel gene, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase3 (UGP3), required for sulfolipid biosynthesis is described. Transcriptome coexpression analysis demonstrated highly correlated expression of UGP3 with known genes for sulfolipid biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of leaf lipids in two Arabidopsis ugp3 mutants revealed that no sulfolipid was accumulated in these mutants, indicating the participation of UGP3 in sulfolipid biosynthesis. From the deduced amino acid sequence, UGP3 was presumed to be a UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase) involved in the generation of UDP-glucose, serving as the precursor of the polar head of sulfolipid. Recombinant UGP3 was able to catalyze the formation of UDP-glucose from glucose-1-phosphate and UTP. A transient assay using fluorescence fusion proteins and UGPase activity in isolated chloroplasts indicated chloroplastic localization of UGP3. The transcription level of UGP3 was increased by phosphate starvation. A comparative genomics study on UGP3 homologs across different plant species suggested the structural and functional conservation of the proteins and, thus, a committing role for UGP3 in sulfolipid synthesis.
Obligate Heterodimerization ofArabidopsisPhytochromes C and E and Interaction with the PIF3 Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factor
Authors: Clack Ted , Shokry Ahmed , Moffet Matt , Liu Peng , Faul Michael , Sharrock Robert A.
Published: March 2009

Phytochromes are dimeric chromoproteins that regulate plant responses to red (R) and far-red (FR) light. The Arabidopsis thaliana genome encodes five phytochrome apoproteins: type I phyA mediates responses to FR, and type II phyB–phyE mediate shade avoidance and classical R/FR-reversible responses. In this study, we describe the complete in vivo complement of homodimeric and heterodimeric type II phytochromes. Unexpectedly, phyC and phyE do not homodimerize and are present in seedlings only as heterodimers with phyB and phyD. Roles in light regulation of hypocotyl length, leaf area, and flowering time are demonstrated for heterodimeric phytochromes containing phyC or phyE. Heterodimers of phyC and chromophoreless phyB are inactive, indicating that phyC subunits require spectrally intact dimer partners to be active themselves. Consistent with the obligate heterodimerization of phyC and phyE, phyC is made unstable by removal of its phyB binding partner, and overexpression of phyE results in accumulation of phyE monomers. Following a pulse of red light, phyA, phyB, phyC, and phyD interact in vivo with the PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR3 basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, and this interaction is FR reversible. Therefore, most or all of the type I and type II phytochromes, including heterodimeric forms, appear to function through PIF-mediated pathways. These findings link an unanticipated diversity of plant R/FR photoreceptor structures to established phytochrome signaling mechanisms.