bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Ambient Gas and Temperature on Crystallization of Boron Nitride Spheres Prepared by Vapor Phase Pyrolysis of Ammonia Borane
Authors: Wang Yuting , Yamamoto Yasunori , Kiyono Hajime , Shimada Shiro
Published: March 2009

Synthesis of boron nitride spheres (BNS) was achieved by vapor phase pyrolysis of ammonia borane (BH3NH3) using two independently temperature‐controlled furnaces in a glove box filled with N2. The BNS were heated at 1300°–1700°C in flowing NH3, N2, or Ar by multistep heat treatment. The sizes of the BNS could be controlled by heating BH3NH3 at different rates (1°C/min: 300–800 nm, 5°C/min: 300 nm–1.2 μm and 10°C/min: 300 nm–1.8 μm). The microstructures of BNS heated in different ambient gases were observed using transmission electron microscopy with selected area electron diffraction. NH3 gas produced BNS with well‐crystallized surface shells and amorphous cores whereas N2 and Ar gases crystallized the entire BNS. It is evident that of these three ambient gases (NH3, N2, and Ar), N2 gas significantly enhances the crystallization of BN with randomly oriented grains.
Low‐Temperature Pressureless Sintering of Sr‐ and Mg‐Doped Lanthanum Gallate Ceramics by Sintering Atmosphere Control
Authors: Chang Jaemyung , Lee Hae‐Weon , Kang Suk‐Joong L.
Published: March 2009

The present investigation reports a new processing technique that can reduce the sintering temperature of Sr‐ and Mg‐doped lanthanum gallate (LSGM), a good candidate material for the electrolyte of the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). When LSGM was sintered at 1623 K for 5 h in N2 or O2, the samples were densified over 98% relative density. In contrast, only 93% relative density was achieved after sintering in air, the conventional sintering atmosphere. As a result of better densification in N2 or O2, the electrical conductivity of the N2‐sintered and air‐annealed or the O2‐sintered sample was higher than that of the air‐sintered sample by 30%. This result shows the beneficial effect of N2 or O2 sintering of LSGM and provides a high possibility of a low‐temperature preparation of an LSGM‐based SOFC.
High‐Temperature Thermoelectric Properties in the La2−xRxCuO4 (R: Pr, Y, Nb) Ceramics
Authors: Liu Yong , Lin Yuan‐Hua , Zhang Bo‐Ping , Zhu Hong‐Min , Nan Ce‐Wen , Lan Jinle , Li Jing‐Feng
Published: March 2009

La2−xRxCuO4 (R: Pr, Y, Nb) polycrystalline ceramics have been prepared by a spark plasma sintering process. Analysis of the microstructure and phase composition shows that pure La2CuO4 ceramics with a high density can be obtained, and no impurity phases appear. All the samples exhibit a metal–semiconductor transition behavior at ∼750 K, which could be ascribed to the decreasing charge density as a result of loss of oxygen atoms and various conduction mechanisms in these La2CuO4‐based ceramics. Our results indicate that the La1.98Y0.02CuO4 ceramics show large thermoelectric power ∼1.0 × 10−3μW·(m·K2)−1, and the evaluated ZT can reach 0.17 at 330 K, which potentially make them useful for thermoelectric applications.
Structural and Optical Characterization of Flower‐Like Rutile Nanostructures Doped with Fe3+
Authors: Abazović Nadica D. , Čomor Mirjana I. , Zec Slavica , Nedeljković Jovan M. , Piscopiello Emanuela , Montone Amelia , Antisari Marco Vittori
Published: March 2009

Flower‐like agglomerates with sizes of 200–400 nm of pure and Fe3+‐doped TiO2 with rutile crystalline structure were synthesized by the coprecipitation method. The morphology of the agglomerates was determined by electron microscopy (TEM and HRTEM). TiO2 agglomerates consist of nanorods with clearly visible crystalline faces, parallel to the axis of elongation whose direction was along the [101] direction of pure TiO2 and the [111] direction of doped TiO2. Furthermore, nanorods consist of “chains” of spherical particles, most likely interconnected through the so‐called oriented attachment or grain‐rotation‐induced grain coalescence (GRIGC) process. UV/Vis reflection measurements revealed that the absorption of pure TiO2 was significantly shifted from UV toward the visible spectral region upon the incorporation of Fe3+ into the TiO2 host.
Microwave Dielectric Properties of Li2TiO3 Ceramics Doped with ZnO–B2O3 Frit
Authors: Liang Jun , Lu Wen‐Zhong
Published: March 2009

A type of new low sintering temperature ceramic, Li2TiO3 ceramic, has been found. Although it is difficult for the Li2TiO3 compound to be sintered compactly at temperatures above 1000°C for the volatilization of Li2O, dense Li2TiO3 ceramics were obtained by conventional solid‐state reaction method at the sintering temperature of 900°C with the addition of ZnO–B2O3 frit. The sintering behavior and microwave dielectric properties of Li2TiO3 ceramics with less ZnO–B2O3 frit (≤3.0 wt%) doping were investigated. The addition of ZnO–B2O3 frit can lower the sintering temperature of the Li2TiO3 ceramics, but it does not apparently degrade the microwave dielectric properties of the Li2TiO3 ceramics. Typically, the good microwave dielectric properties of ɛr=23.06, Q×f=32 275 GHz, τf=35.79 ppm/°C were obtained for 2.5 wt% ZnO–B2O3 frit‐doped Li2TiO3 ceramics sintered at 900°C for 2 h. The porosity was 0.08%. The Li2TiO3 ceramic system may be a promising candidate for low‐temperature cofired ceramics applications.
Developing the Moral Person: The Concepts of Human, Godmanhood, and Feelings in Some Russian Articulations of Morality
Authors: ZIGON JARRETT
Published: March 2009

Based on ethnographic research done in Moscow, Russia, this article describes how some Muscovites articulate their moral consciousness, that is, the ways in which persons articulate to themselves and others how they conceptualize morality. While it may be possible, and indeed is often the case, that these concepts influence how people act and help guide individuals toward moral behavior, what is more important for our purposes is that these concepts provide a way for persons to give meaning, both for themselves and for others, to their moral worlds and experience. Thus, what I hope to do in this article is describe just one of the conceptual frameworks within which moral experience is rendered meaningful for my Muscovite interlocutors. In doing so, I will consider how certain concepts of the moral person that have their origins in turn of the century Russian religious philosophy, Russian Orthodox Christianity, and Soviet ideology have all come together to make up various aspects of this moral consciousness.
Encountering the Wilderness, Encountering the Mist: Nature, Romanticism, and Contemporary Paganism
Authors: SAGE VANESSA
Published: March 2009

This article asks how ideas about nature in the 18th and 19th century Romantic movement have traveled in and been translated by the various religious groups that constitute contemporary Paganism. Drawing on the work of poets, philosophers, historians, social scientists, and contemporary Pagans themselves, the article argues that contemporary Paganism borrows freely from Romantic notions of inspiration and imagination to craft a vision of nature, that, for them, responds to the emotional and political needs of their own time and place. At the center of this vision is what I describe as the Romantic hero, a figure in search of a more authentic existence in a broadly conceived “natural world.”
Ritual, Stories, and the Poetics of a Journey Home Among Latino Catholics
Authors: SANDELL DAVID P.
Published: March 2009

This essay centers on a storyteller's performance of ritual in stories to draw associations between the life of the Biblical Mary with her son Jesus and the subjectivities and dispositions of people living in impoverished conditions. The storyteller explores these subjectivities and dispositions, characterizing the exploration as a journey. She also defines an ethical position where the self meets otherness—both sacred and cultural—to engender positive human relations. The essay combines the storyteller's performance with the author's to reproduce the effects, advance the ethics, mitigate the politics of representation, and provide an understanding of the journey's end—a place called home.
Ultraviolet and violet light: attractive orientation cues for the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella
Authors: Cowan Thomas , Gries Gerhard
Published: March 2009

The Indian meal moth (IMM), Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), engages in long‐distance or foraging flights in the twilight hours of the scotophase when blue light dominates the irradiance spectrum of the sky. We tested the hypothesis that IMM uses wavelengths of visible blue/violet light as orientation cues that trigger phototactic responses. In four‐choice laboratory experiments, blue light (400–475 nm) was significantly more effective than green (475–600 nm), orange (575–700 nm), or red (590–800 nm) light in attracting males and mated females. In subsequent experiments that tested light emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting peak wavelengths in the blue/violet‐light range, the 405‐nm ‘violet’ LED was significantly more effective than the 435‐, 450‐, or 470‐nm ‘blue’ LED in attracting males as well as virgin and mated females. In electroretinogram recordings, the 405‐nm wavelength elicited significantly stronger receptor potentials from female and male eyes than the 350‐nm (UV) wavelength, and in a behavioral experiment it significantly enhanced the known attractiveness of UV light. Equal attraction of IMMs to 405‐nm LEDs at 600–700 µW/cm2 with or without UV light, and significantly stronger attraction to a 405‐nm LED than to a 350‐nm LED at maximum light intensities, suggest that the deployment of violet instead of UV light could become one of several management tactics for control of IMMs.
From the laboratory to the field: contrasting effects of multi‐trophic interactions and agroforestry management on coffee pest densities
Authors: Teodoro Adenir V. , Tscharntke Teja , Klein Alexandra‐Maria
Published: March 2009

Only few factors influencing pest populations can be studied in the laboratory, but many population‐driving factors interact in the field. Therefore, complementary laboratory and field approaches are required for reliable predictions of real‐world patterns and processes. Laboratory and field experiments with the red spider mite, Oligonychus ilicis McGregor (Acari: Tetranychidae), and the coffee leaf miner, Leucoptera coffeella Guérin‐Méneville (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae), on coffee plants, Coffea arabica L. (Rubiaceae), were combined to study the relative importance of biotic interactions, including resource preferences and natural‐enemy impact, and habitat factors, such as agroforestry type and management intensity, on coffee pest densities. In the laboratory, leaf discs cut from undamaged coffee plants were significantly preferred by red spider mites over those from plants infested with conspecific mites, leaf rust pathogens [Hemileia vastatrix Berkeley & Broome (Uredinales)], or coffee leaf miners, resulting in higher reproductive success. Similarly, undamaged plants were preferred by coffee leaf miners over red spider mite‐infested plants. However, in the field, red spider mite densities were positively correlated with coffee leaf miner and leaf rust densities, thereby contrasting with laboratory predictions. Hence, our study suggests that the importance of resource preferences and fitness expected based on laboratory experiments was suppressed by environmental conditions in the field, though other unassessed biotic interactions could also have played a role. Furthermore, intensified agroforestry was characterized by higher red spider mite densities, whereas densities of its major natural enemy, the predatory mite Amblyseius herbicolus Chant (Acari: Phytoseiidae), were not related to agroforestry management. Densities of coffee leaf miner and its main natural enemy, a eulophid parasitoid (Hymenoptera), were not affected by management practices. In conclusion, patterns found in the laboratory did not hold for the field, emphasizing the difficulties of extrapolating small‐scale experiments to larger spatial scales and the need to combine both approaches.
Trade‐off between foliage and tuber resistance to Phthorimaea operculella in wild potatoes
Authors: Horgan Finbarr G. , Quiring Dan T. , Lagnaoui Aziz , Pelletier Yvan
Published: March 2009

Plants allocate resources between defence, reproduction, maintenance, and growth. This can lead to detectable allocation and ecological costs expressed as trade‐offs between distinct plant functions. It could also lead to trade‐offs between a plant's defences to different kinds of herbivores or a plant's defences to herbivory on different plant parts. We examined the hypothesis that allocation to defence in leaves is inversely related to allocation to defence in tubers of two distinct trichome‐bearing morphotypes of the wild potato, Solanum berthaultii Hawkes (Solanaceae). This species has been widely used in potato breeding programs aimed at acquiring foliage resistance to Phthorimaea operculella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) and other herbivores. Phthorimaea operculella lays eggs in the soil and neonate larvae generally initiate host attack. We exposed leaves and tubers from multiple wild potato populations to neonate P. operculella. For both plant morphotypes, survival of neonate larvae placed on foliage was negatively correlated with the survival of neonate larvae placed on tubers, suggesting a trade‐off between the levels of herbivore defence in these plant tissues. These results suggest that the evolution of tuber resistance and trichome‐mediated foliage resistance to herbivores may not be independent, and that potato‐breeding programs that select for resistance in one tissue might compromise resistance in another.
Phylogeny and biogeography of the genus Illadopsis (Passeriformes: Timaliidae) reveal the complexity of diversification of some African taxa
Authors: Nguembock Billy , Cibois Alice , Bowie Rauri C. K. , Cruaud Corinne , Pasquet Eric
Published: March 2009

African jungle babblers or illadopsises, genus Illadopsis Heine, 1859, are small shy babblers which occupy the undergrowth of African humid forest habitats. The taxonomy of Illadopsis as well as its biogeography are currently poorly known because the morphological differentiation is rather subtle and no phylogenetic analysis has been undertaken. To investigate these issues, we sequenced four loci (mitochondrial ND2 and ND3, and nuclear myoglobin intron 2 and β‐fibrinogen intron 5) for the seven species of Illadopsis. Our analyses retrieve the monophyly of Illadopsis and suggest that I. albipectus and I. cleaveri, I. puveli and I. rufescens, some individuals of I. rufipennis and I. pyrrhoptera are sister taxa respectively. I. fulvescens appears to be an isolated taxon and our data reveal several cases of “incipient speciation” among its populations. Our dating analyses, using a Bayesian relaxed‐clock method, reveal that most splits in Illadopsis occurred synchronously around the Plio‐Pleistocene transition, suggesting that some diversification events in African forest taxa took place before the onset of the large‐amplitude climatic cycles of the Pleistocene epoch. Thus, the diversification of African taxa in time and space to be more complex than the Pleistocene time frame traditionally associated with the diversification of African forest taxa. Instead we observe a process of differentiation which roughly corresponds to the broadly hypothesised lowland refugia of upper Guinea, eastern and western Guinea‐Congolia, although the time frame of this divergence well predates the Pleistocene epoch. Our results also suggest that deep genetic divergences do exist among species complexes of African birds which differ only slightly in morphological characters. As such, molecular analyses are powerful and essential tools if we are to construct the evolutionary history of such lineages in a meaningful manner.
Singing in the face of death: male banded wrens Thryophilus pleurostictus sing more to playback in their last breeding season
Authors: Hall Michelle L , Molles Laura E , Illes Anya E , Vehrencamp Sandra L
Published: March 2009

Investment in signalling is subject to multiple trade‐offs that vary with life‐stage, leading to a complex relationship between survival and trait expression. We show a negative relationship between survival and song rate in response to simulated territorial intrusion in male banded wrens Thryophilus pleurostictus, and test several explanations for this association. (1) Male age failed to explain the association: though age affected song rate in a cross‐sectional analysis, longitudinal analysis showed that individuals did not increase their song rate as they got older. Reconciling these results suggests differential selection against young males that respond to intrusion with low song rates. (2) Mortality costs of high song rates did not appear to explain the negative relationship between song rate and survival because, though song rate in response to playback was condition‐dependent, high song rates in a different context did not appear to impose mortality costs. (3) High levels of territorial pressure may have increased mortality, but were not associated with high song rates in response to playback. (4) Since song rates did not increase with age, but tended to increase only in the last year of life, we tentatively suggest that the negative relationship between song rate and survival could represent a terminal investment in territorial defence by males in their final breeding season, though further work is needed to confirm this conclusion.
Isotopic evidence for endogenous protein contributions to greylag goose Anser anser flight feathers
Authors: Fox Anthony D. , Hobson Keith A. , Kahlert Johnny
Published: March 2009

Feather stable isotope composition may not reflect local isoscapes in which they were grown if supplemented with protein of endogenous origin. Thus, feather isotope analysis, combined with knowledge of local isoscapes can be used to infer endogenous nutrient composition to feathers in cases where birds travel to moult. We investigated this possibility in a study of flightless moulting greylag geese Anser anser on the Danish island of Saltholm, which are known to mobilise endogenous protein stores (acquired at previous terrestrial staging locations in Sweden) to reconstitute muscle blocks and organs whilst feeding on a saltmarsh (i.e. marine‐influenced) diet with contrasting stable isotope ratios. We used stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N) measurements to test the prediction that new‐grown flight feathers would have stable isotope values intermediate between those derived from a purely terrestrial C3 diet and one composed purely of saltmarsh plants. Feather δ13C and δ15N values were intermediate between those expected for feather material derived from local saltmarsh (i.e. exogenous) food items and Swedish terrestrial (endogenous muscle) sources, suggesting a mixing of endogenous and exogenous sources. These results confirm that moult migrant Anatidae exploit body stores to meet specific protein needs during the flightless period of remige regrowth and caution against the use of feather stable isotope ratios as direct indicators of the isotopic environment in which they were regrown, where endogenous contributions may occur.
Comprehensive analysis of cooperative gene mutations between class I and class II in de novo acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Ishikawa Yuichi , Kiyoi Hitoshi , Tsujimura Akane , Miyawaki Shuichi , Miyazaki Yasushi , Kuriyama Kazutaka , Tomonaga Masao , Naoe Tomoki
Published: March 2009

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been thought to be the consequence of two broad complementation classes of mutations: class I and class II. However, overlap‐mutations between them or within the same class and the position of TP53 mutation are not fully analyzed. We comprehensively analyzed the FLT3, cKIT, N‐RAS, C/EBPA, AML1, MLL, NPM1, and TP53 mutations in 144 newly diagnosed de novo AML. We found 103 of 165 identified mutations were overlapped with other mutations, and most overlap‐mutations consisted of class I and class II mutations. Although overlap‐mutations within the same class were found in seven patients, five of them additionally had the other class mutation. These results suggest that most overlap‐mutations within the same class might be the consequence of acquiring an additional mutation after the completion both of class I and class II mutations. However, mutated genes overlapped with the same class were limited in N‐RAS, TP53, MLL‐PTD, and NPM1, suggesting the possibility that these irregular overlap‐mutations might cooperatively participate in the development of AML. Notably, TP53 mutation was overlapped with both class I and class II mutations, and associated with morphologic multilineage dysplasia and complex karyotype. The genotype consisting of complex karyotype and TP53 mutation was an unfavorable prognostic factor in entire AML patients, indicating this genotype generates a disease entity in de novo AML. These results collectively suggest that TP53 mutation might be a functionally distinguishable class of mutation.
Increased expression of TRPV1 in squamous cell carcinoma of the human tongue
Authors: Marincsák R , Tóth BI , Czifra G , Márton I , Rédl P , Tar I , Tóth L , Kovács L , Bíró T
Published: March 2009

Objectives:  Recent reports have unambiguously identified the presence and the growth‐modulatory role of transient receptor potential vanilloid‐1 (TRPV1), a central integrator of pain sensation, on numerous non‐neuronal cell types and, of great importance, in certain malignancies. In this study, we have investigated the molecular expression of TRPV1 in the human tongue and its high‐incidence malignant (squamous cell carcinoma, SCC) and premalignant (leukoplakia) conditions.

Methods:  Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and quantitative ‘real‐time’ Q‐PCR were performed to define the expression of TRPV1.

Results:  A weak and sparse TRPV1‐specific immunoreactivity was identified in the basal layers of the healthy human tongue epithelium. By contrast, we observed a dramatically elevated TRPV1‐immunoreactivity in all layers of the epithelium both in precancerous and malignant samples. Furthermore, statistical analysis revealed that the marked overexpression of TRPV1 found in all grades of SCC showed no correlation with the degree of malignancy of the tumours. Finally, the molecular expression of TRPV1 was also identified in an SCC‐derived cell line and was shown to be increased in parallel with the accelerated growth of the cells.

Conclusion:  Collectively, our findings identify TRPV1 as a novel, promising target molecule in the supportive treatment and diagnosis of human tongue SCC.
A major QTL for acute ethanol sensitivity in the alcohol tolerant and non‐tolerant selected rat lines
Authors: Radcliffe R. A. , Erwin V. G. , Bludeau P. , Deng X. , Fay T. , Floyd K. L. , Deitrich R. A.
Published: March 2009

The Alcohol Tolerant and Alcohol Non‐Tolerant rats (AT, ANT) were selectively bred for ethanol‐induced ataxia as measured on the inclined plane. Here we report on a quantitative trait locus (QTL) study in an F2 intercross population derived from inbred AT and ANT (IAT, IANT) and a follow‐up study of congenics that were bred to examine one of the mapped QTLs. Over 1200 F2 offspring were tested for inclined plane sensitivity, acute tolerance on the inclined plane, duration of the loss of righting reflex (LORR) and blood ethanol at regain of the righting reflex (BECRR). F2 rats that were in the upper and lower 20% for inclined plane sensitivity were genotyped with 78 SSLP markers. Significant QTLs for inclined plane sensitivity were mapped on chromosomes 8 and 20; suggestive QTLs were mapped on chromosomes 1, 2 and 3. Highly significant QTLs for LORR duration (LOD = 12.4) and BECRR (LOD = 5.7) were mapped to the same locus on chromosome 1. Breeding and testing of reciprocal congenic lines confirmed the chromosome 1 LORR/BECRR QTL. A series of recombinant congenic sub‐lines were bred to fine‐map this QTL. Current results have narrowed the QTL to an interval of between 5 and 20 Mb. We expect to be able to narrow the interval to less than 5 Mb with additional genotyping and continued breeding of recombinant sub‐congenic lines.
Clinical Impact of Radiologist Interpretation of CT in PET‐CT Imaging
Authors: Qing F. , Graham M. , Abraham T. , Sohi J. , Van Beek E. J. R.
Published: March 2009

We assessed whether radiologists’ reading of the CT portion of the PET‐CT identifies significant additional lesions and whether these findings result in major clinical management changes.

716 consecutive patients (pts) aged 13–87 underwent FDG PET‐CT scans for known or suspected cancer between 07/05–03/06. Only those pts without a diagnostic CT within 1 month prior to the PET‐CT were included. The CT portion of the PET‐CT was read by a nuclear medicine or radiology resident or fellow with 1 of 3 designated radiologists and dictated separately from the PET report, which was read with 1 of 5 nuclear medicine faculty physicians. Typically the PET portion was read on the day of scan and CT portion next morning. The radiologists were aware of the PET results and had access to fused PET‐CT images. The PET‐CT system used was a 2‐slice Siemens Biograph. Particular attention was paid to 5 major findings, which are not FDG avid: small pulmonary nodules, lymph nodes, pneumothorax, aortic aneurysm, and renal cell carcinoma. Other CT findings were listed as minor.

The major findings identified by radiologists, but not mentioned by nuclear medicine faculty, were FDG‐negative lung nodules (typically sub‐cm) in 91 pts (12.8%), 43 FDG‐negative lymph node/soft tissue masses (6.0%), 1 pneumothorax, 1 pneumoperitoneum, 15 aortic aneurysms (1.9%) and no renal cell carcinoma. This resulted in 21% of all patients having findings. However, major clinical management changes as a result of these findings only occurred in 3 pts: one with a 7‐cm AAA who underwent endograft repair and another patient with enlarged right iliac lymph nodes that were subsequently excised. The pt with pneumothorax did not require chest drain. The pt with pneumoperitoneum underwent laparotomy for perforation of duodenal ulcer. The remaining 7 aneurysms are being followed, as are the cases of small pulmonary nodules. Among the minor radiology findings were: calcified granulomas 122 (17%), atherosclerotic calcifications 77 (10.8%), kidney/liver cysts 35 (4.9%), emphysema 39 (5.4%), gallstones 21 (2.9%), and pericardial effusion 19 (2.7%). None of these led to major clinical management changes.

The reading of the CT portion of a PET‐CT study often identifies FDG‐negative lesions; however, it infrequently leads to major clinical management changes in oncology patients. Nevertheless, given the severity of some of these findings, it seems warranted that that the CT portion of the examination be carefully examined by a physician with appropriate CT experience.
Cardiac PET‐CT and its Implementation into Clinical Practice
Authors: Graf S. , Pirich C.
Published: March 2009

Positron emission tomography (PET) is the most advanced scintigraphic imaging technique used for in vivo assessment of cardiac pathophysiology. Very recently, 16‐ and 64‐slice hybrid PET‐ computed tomography (CT) scanners have been introduced into clinical routine allowing the comprehensive work up of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The integration of radionuclide imaging of myocardial perfusion with multidetector CT scanners (i.e. PET‐CT) provides the opportunity to detect cardiac and vascular anatomic abnormalities, and their potential clinical consequences, within a single session. Hybrid imaging offers a unique strategy to assess the cardiovascular risk of patients with known or suspected CAD. This includes the detection and quantification of the extent of calcified and non‐calcified plaques via coronary artery calcium and coronary angiography, and extends to the quantification of vascular reactivity and endothelial health, the identification of haemodynamically relevant coronary stenoses with the extent of myocardial area at risk, and in the end the assessment of myocardial viability. Dedicated PET‐CT protocols have been developed to answer many complex clinical questions. Taken together cardiac hybrid imaging can provide all information to increase the accuracy of noninvasive diagnosis of CAD, to assess cardiac risk, to monitor its course and to improve the clinical decision‐making in the management of cardiac patients.
Recycled Creatures and Rogue Genomes: Biotechnology in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas
Authors: Economides Louise
Published: March 2009

In an era when the modern sense of ‘nature’ as a domain outside of culture is quickly becoming obsolete – in large part due to advanced technology such as bioengineering – is there a way of conceiving of this collapse that does not bolster an anthropocentric drive to dominate nature and/or to erase its différance? Science fiction has always created myths that allow us to explore both the efficacy and limitations of technology's ability to control nature. In Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell's clone, Sonmi‐451, updates and radicalizes Mary Shelley's caution to modern science in Frankenstein. As a biological cyborg, Sonmi's material and semiotic identity is irreducibly unpredictable, suggesting nature's resistance to control even within social systems that seek absolute power over living entities.
Adenine, a hairpin ribozyme cofactor – high‐pressure and competition studies
Authors: Ztouti Myriam , Kaddour Hussein , Miralles Francisco , Simian Christophe , Vergne Jacques , Hervé Guy , Maurel Marie‐Christine
Published: March 2009

The RNA world hypothesis assumes that life arose from ancestral RNA molecules, which stored genetic information and catalyzed chemical reactions. Although RNA catalysis was believed to be restricted to phosphate chemistry, it is now established that the RNA has much wider catalytic capacities. In this respect, we devised, in a previous study, two hairpin ribozymes (adenine‐dependent hairpin ribozyme 1 and adenine‐dependent hairpin ribozyme 2) that require adenine as cofactor for their reversible self‐cleavage. We have now used high hydrostatic pressure to investigate the role of adenine in the catalytic activity of adenine‐dependent hairpin ribozyme 1. High‐pressure studies are of interest because they make it possible to determine the volume changes associated with the reactions, which in turn reflect the conformational modifications and changes in hydration involved in the catalytic mechanism. They are also relevant in the context of piezophilic organisms, as well as in relation to the extreme conditions that prevailed at the origin of life. Our results indicate that the catalytic process involves a transition state whose formation is accompanied by a positive activation volume and release of water molecules. In addition, competition experiments with adenine analogs strongly suggest that exogenous adenine replaces the adenine present at the catalytic site of the wild‐type hairpin ribozyme.
Do N‐terminal nucleophile hydrolases indeed have a single amino acid catalytic center?
Authors: Zhiryakova Diana , Ivanov Ivaylo , Ilieva Sonya , Guncheva Maya , Galunsky Boris , Stambolieva Nicolina
Published: March 2009

A new set of experimental kinetic data on the hydrolysis of a series of phenylacetyl p‐substituted anilides catalyzed by penicillin G acylase from Escherichia coli (PGA) is presented in this article. The Hammett plot of log(kcat,R/kcat,H) versus σp− has three linear segments, which distinguishes the enzyme from the other N‐terminal nucleophile hydrolases for which data are available. Three amino acids in the vicinity of the catalytic SerB1 (AsnB241, AlaB69, and GlnB23) were included in the quantum mechanical model. The stable structures and the transition states for acylation were optimized by molecular mechanical modeling and at the AM1 level of theory for three model substrates (with H, a methoxy group or a nitro group in the para position in the leaving group). Intrinsic interactions of several functional groups at the active site of PGA are discussed in relation to the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme. The energy barrier computed for the first step of acylation (the nucleophilic attack of SerB1) is lower than that for the second step (the collapse of the tetrahedral intermediate). However, the electronic properties of the substituent on the leaving group affect the structure of the second transition state. It is shown that the main chain carbonyl group of GlnB23 forms a hydrogen bond with the leaving group nitrogen, thus influencing the hydrolysis rate. On the basis of our computations, we propose an interpretation of the complex character of the Hammett plot for the reaction catalyzed by PGA. We suggest a modified scheme of the catalytic mechanism in which some of the intramolecular interactions essential for catalysis are included.
In Silico Quantitative Structure–Toxicity Relationship Study of Aromatic Nitro Compounds
Authors: Pasha Farhan Ahmad , Neaz Mohammad Morshed , Cho Seung Joo , Ansari Mohiuddin , Mishra Sunil Kumar , Tiwari Sharvan
Published: March 2009

Small molecules often have toxicities that are a function of molecular structural features. Minor variations in structural features can make large difference in such toxicity. Consequently, in silico techniques may be used to correlate such molecular toxicities with their structural features. Relative to nine different sets of aromatic nitro compounds having known observed toxicities against different targets, we developed ligand‐based 2D quantitative structure–toxicity relationship models using 20 selected topological descriptors. The topological descriptors have several advantages such as conformational independency, facile and less time‐consuming computation to yield good results. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to correlate variations of toxicity with molecular properties. The information index on molecular size, lopping centric index and Kier flexibility index were identified as fundamental descriptors for different kinds of toxicity, and further showed that molecular size, branching and molecular flexibility might be particularly important factors in quantitative structure–toxicity relationship analysis. This study revealed that topological descriptor‐guided quantitative structure–toxicity relationship provided a very useful, cost and time‐efficient, in silico tool for describing small‐molecule toxicities.
Support Vector Machine‐Based Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationship Study of Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein Inhibitors
Authors: Riahi Siavash , Pourbasheer Eslam , Ganjali Mohammad Reza , Norouzi Parviz
Published: March 2009

To explore inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein, a support vector machine in quantitative structure–activity relationship was developed for modeling cytotoxicity data for a series of cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitors. A large number of descriptors were calculated and genetic algorithm was used to select variables that resulted in the best‐fitted models. The data set was randomly divided into 68 molecules of training and 17 molecules of test set. The selected molecular descriptors were used as inputs for support vector machine. The obtained results using support vector machine were compared with those of multiple linear regression which revealed superiority of the support vector machine model over the multiple linear regression. The root mean square errors of the training set and the test set for support vector machine model were calculated to be 3.707, 5.273 and the correlation coefficients (r 2) were obtained to be 0.947, 0.899, respectively. The obtained statistical parameter of leave‐one‐out cross‐validation test correlation coefficients (q 2) on support vector machine model was 0.852, which indicates the reliability of the proposed model.
BACH HO FIELD, A FRACTURED GRANITIC BASEMENT RESERVOIR, CUU LONG BASIN, OFFSHORE SE VIETNAM: A “BURIED‐HILL” PLAY
Authors: Cuong Trinh Xuan , Warren J. K.
Published: March 2009

A combination of seismic, wireline, FMI and core data shows that Bach Ho field in the Cuu Long Basin, offshore SE Vietnam, is an unusual “buried hill” reservoir. There is little or no production from associated siliciclastic “grus” or granite wash, and the fractured reservoir matrix is largely made up of unaltered acid igneous lithologies (mostly granites and granodiorites). A major NE‐SW late Oligocene reverse fault system cross‐cuts the field, with about 2000 m of lateral displacement in the highly productive Central Block. The associated fracture meshwork greatly enhances reservoir quality. Transpressional wrench faulting in the late Oligocene in this part of the field emplaced a block of brittle granitic rock on top of organic‐rich Eocene – Oligocene mudstones, and facilitated the early migration of hydrocarbons into the fracture network.

Structure, not erosion, set up the 1000 m column of liquids in the fractured granodiorites which form the reservoir at Bach Ho. Faulted intervals with associated damage zones create an enhanced secondary porosity system in the granodiorite; effective porosities range from 3‐5% and occasionally up to 20%. Some associated fractures are partially blocked by authigenic calcite and kaolinite.

Features that degrade reservoir quality at Bach Ho include: (i) a thin, low‐permeability clay‐plugged “rind” created by surface‐related (meteoric) Eocene – Oligocene weathering — this rind variably overprints the uppermost 10‐40 m of exposed basement throughout the Cuu Long Basin; and (ii) widespread hydrothermal cements which largely predate late Oligocene wrench faulting; cementation mostly took place during post‐magmatic cooling and precipitated zeolites, carbonates and silica in fractures which cut across both the igneous and the country rocks.

Porosity‐occluding hydrothermal and authigenic precipitates developed in pre‐existing fractures in the Bach Ho granodiorite. These pre– late Oligocene mineral‐filled fractures acted as zones of structural weakness during and after subsequent late Oligocene structural deformation. Together with new fractures formed during thrusting, the older fractures may have reopened during thrust emplacement, and subsequent gravitational settling of, the Central Block.
INVESTIGATION OF ELASTIC INVERSION ATTRIBUTES USING THE EXPANSIBLE CLAY MODEL FOR WATER SATURATION
Authors: Ugbo J. O. , Ward C. R. , Lennox P. G.
Published: March 2009

Quantitative X‐ray diffraction has been used to characterize water saturation levels in complex shaly sand reservoirs (i.e. shaly sands with infrequent carbonates and minor proportions of iron‐rich minerals such as pyrite and siderite). The results led to the design of a total expansible clay model for water saturation, which is similar in form to the Dual Water model except that the excess effect of the clay minerals has been accounted for by a volume‐conductivity relationship, rather than one of the usual volume‐porosity translations, effectively reducing the uncertainties in estimating water saturation. Given the ambiguities associated with predicting these petrophysical properties from data on rock properties, such as mineralogy, an investigation of the relationship of estimated water saturation based on the total expansible clay model to independently determined rock properties was undertaken using well log inversion and forward modelling techniques. The results show that there is consistency in the relationship between water saturation estimates made from the total expansible clay model and known elastic parameters such as primary and shear‐wave sonic velocity (Vp, Vs), bulk density (ρb) and impedance (I), when the Raymer‐Gardner‐Hunt model is used. Use of the Raymer‐Gardner‐Hunt model to reconstruct the required rock‐physics relationship avoids the classic limitation of the more advanced Gassman model, which assumes that the dry shear modulus is equivalent to the wet shear modulus (μdry=μwet).

The present work raises further questions on the application of the Voigt‐Reuss‐Hill (VRH) limits, or the Hashin Shtrikman bounds for averaging the effective shear modulus of the dry matrix in complex shaly sand reservoirs, where a two‐mineral matrix is normally assumed. The study shows the inapplicability of the VRH or Hashin‐Shtrikman averaging techniques but provides a minor adjustment to the averaging that solves the problems faced in reconstructing the relationships between directly measured elastic properties and derived petrophysical properties for this type of reservoir rock.
Treatment and Prevention of Posttraumatic Stress Reactions in Children and Adolescents Exposed to Disasters and Terrorism: What Is the Evidence?
Authors: La Greca Annette M. , Silverman Wendy K.
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT—
Youth who are exposed to devastating natural disasters or terrorist attacks report high levels of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and may develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This article summarizes evidence on the treatment of PTS reactions in these youth and describes interventions developed for the immediate aftermath of the event, the short‐term recovery and rebuilding phase, or the long‐term recovery phase. Psychological first aid and evidence‐based psychoeducational materials show promise for the early phases of postdisaster recovery. For youth with persistent PTSD, cognitive‐behavioral interventions appear promising but require further study. Children and adolescents exposed to disasters and acts of terrorism may need multicomponent interventions because their reactions are often multifaceted and often include other psychological problems.
Effective Curriculum‐Based Sex and STD/HIV Education Programs for Adolescents
Authors: Kirby Douglas , Laris B. A.
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT—
High rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) are important problems in the United States. Curriculum‐based sex and STD/HIV education programs have been proffered as a partial solution. This article reviews evaluations of the impact of such programs that met specified criteria and finds that about two thirds of programs had a significant impact on behavior. The proportion having a negative impact was less than expected by chance. Those having a positive impact had such effects as delaying the initiation of sex, reducing the frequency of sex or the number of sexual partners, and increasing the use of condoms or other contraceptive methods. Positive findings were robust across different groups of youth and replication of programs in different locations. Programs with 17 specific characteristics were much more likely to be effective than programs without these characteristics. These programs alone cannot dramatically reduce teen pregnancy and STD, but they can contribute to the reduction of those problems.
Response to Intervention: Preventing and Remediating Academic Difficulties
Authors: Fletcher Jack M , Vaughn Sharon
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT—
This article addresses the advantages and challenges of service delivery models based on student response to intervention (RTI) for preventing and remediating academic difficulties and as data sources for identification for special education services. The primary goal of RTI models is improved academic and behavioral outcomes for all students. The evidence is reviewed for the processes underlying RTI, including screening and progress monitoring assessments, evidence‐based interventions, and schoolwide coordination of multitiered instruction. We also discuss the secondary goal of RTI, which is to provide data for identification of learning disabilities (LDs). Incorporating instructional response into identification represents a controversial shift away from discrepancies in cognitive skills that have traditionally been a primary basis for LD identification. RTI processes potentially integrate general and special education and suggest new directions for research and public policy related to LDs, but the scaling issues in schools are significant and more research is needed on the use of RTI data for identification.
On the Importance of a Unified Model of Responsiveness to Intervention
Authors: Fuchs Lynn S. , Fuchs Douglas
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT—
In this commentary, only one aspect of J. M. Fletcher and S. Vaughn’s overall balanced description of the potential advantages and disadvantages of response to intervention (RTI) is discussed: their assertion that RTI models are best conceptualized as a set of processes, not as a single model of service delivery. It is instead argued that RTI’s major goal, to prevent long‐term and debilitating academic failure, is better served with a unified model that encourages shared understanding among all school‐based practitioners about intervention intensity, roles and responsibilities, and constructive and effective relationships between general and special education. A unified model is briefly described, how it eases some of the challenges associated with RTI implementation is explained, and implications for learning disabilities are considered.
Response to Intervention: Prevention and Remediation, Perhaps. Diagnosis, No
Authors: Reynolds Cecil R. , Shaywitz Sally E.
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT—

J. M. Fletcher and S. Vaughn (2009) describe recent changes to federal laws governing special education eligibility for specific learning disabilities (LDs) focusing on what is commonly known as response to intervention (RTI). The article appears to be a selective review of empirical support for RTI and a consequently overly optimistic view of many practical issues surrounding the implementation of RTI models that neglects the potential negative long‐term impact on the range of students with and without an LD. These include (a) the lack of a firm evidence base reflected in vagaries and ambiguity of the critical details of the model in practice; (b) the worrisome shortcomings of the RTI process as a means of diagnosis or determination of a disability; (c) the contextual, situation‐dependent nature of who is identified; (d) the seeming lack of consideration of bright struggling readers in the RTI process; and (e) the apparent lack of student‐based data to guide the most effective choice of approaches to, and specific components of, intervention.
Isolation and characterization of 15 nuclear microsatellite markers for Baillonella toxisperma Pierre (Sapotaceae), a low‐density tree species of Central Africa
Authors: NDIADE‐BOUROBOU D. , VAILLANT A. , FAVREAU B. , GAYRIN E. , BOUVET J. M.
Published: March 2009

Baillonella toxisperma is a scattered endemic species of the Guineo‐Congolian forest. We developed 15 nuclear microsatellite markers specifically for B. toxisperma to analyse the genetic diversity of 188 individuals distributed in two natural populations in Gabon. On average, 8.3 alleles per locus were identified; observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.056 to 0.872 and expected heterozygosity from 0.282 to 0.823 among populations. Only three loci showed a significant departure to Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, but no linkage disequilibrium was observed for any pair of loci.
Reproductive ecology of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Myrtaceae)
Authors: Wei Ming‐Si , Chen Zhang‐He , Ren Hai , Yin Zuo‐Yun
Published: March 2009

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Ait.) Hassk. is widely distributed in tropical Asia and is an invasive species in Florida, USA. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the reproductive ecology of the species in order to provide information that may be useful in elucidating factors contributing to its invasiveness. The research was carried out at Heshan Hilly Land Integrated Experimental Station, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangdong Province, China in 2003 and 2004. Rhodomyrtus tomentosa flowers in March or April and the flowering period lasts for about 3 months. Flowers open early in the morning and last 2–3 days. The pollen remain viable for about 12 h and the stigma is only receptive on the blooming day. The breeding system is a mixed mating system (outcrossing and geitonogamy). The species is bee‐pollinated with pollen as the floral reward. Almost all pollinators appeared before 12 am. Amegilla florea (Smith) Brooks and Xylocopa nasalis Westwood are the primary pollinators for the species. The results indicate that the reproductive features of R. tomentosa – with the mixed mating system and common generalist pollinators – are not limiting factors when colonization occurs in a new environment.