bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Solar radiation interception and utilization by chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) crops in northern Syria
Authors: Hughes G. , Keatinge J. D. H. , Cooper P. J. M. , Dee N. F.
Published: March 2009

An analysis of chickpea experiments carried out in northern Syria during the 1980–1 and 1981–2 growing seasons showed that both intercepted solar radiation and its rate of conversion to dry matter were variable components of dry-matter production. Among the sources of variation in the experiments, the most important factor affecting both interception and utilization of solar radiation was site. Winter planting also led to increased solar radiation interception and utilization. Used in conjunction with chickpea lines resistant to blight, winter planting seems likely to lead to increased productivity. In higher rainfall areas, where the crop is usually grown, such an increase would be of commercial significance. In drier areas, winter planting would enable the cultivation of chickpea as a subsistence crop.
Response of maize cultivars to sowing in the winter
Authors: Narwal S. S. , Dahiya D. S. , Singh G. , Malik D. S.
Published: March 2009

In a 2-year field study, all the maize cultivars tried (Partap-1 Ageti-76, Ganga-5 and DHM-103) produced similar length of ears and equivalent grain yields. However, Partap-1 and Ganga-5 produced greater 100-kernel weight and greater grain yield per ear but fewer ears per hectare than Ageti-76 and DHM-103. The yield attributes and grain yields of maize sown on 19 December, 29 December and 8 January were identical and were superior to those of the 19 January sowing. Maize sown on 19 December, 29 December and 8 January exhibited longer ears, more ears and fully developed kernels and thereby produced greater grain yields than the 18 January sowing.

During 1983–4, in the 19 December and 29 December sowings all the cultivars gave identical grain yields. In the 8 January sowing Partap-1 and Ageti-76 produced similar yields and proved better than Ganga-5 and DHM-103. In the 18 January sowing Ageti-76, Ganga-5 and DHM-103 yielded more than Partap-1.
Effect of sulphur on prevention of iron chlorosis and plant composition of groundnut on alkaline calcareous soils
Authors: Sahu M. P. , Singh H. G.
Published: March 2009

A microplot experiment was conducted for two consecutive years, 1978–9 and 1979–80, on alkaline calcareous soils of Chittor, Kapasan, Nimbaheda and Chhotisadari blocks at the Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Udaipur (India). It was found that soil application of 250 kg S/ha both of elemental sulphur and gypsum significantly increased chlorophyll a and b and concentrations of N, K and S of plants. Leaf sap pH and P and Fe concentrations were, however, significantly reduced by sulphur treatments. Foliar application of 0·2% Fe-EDDHA increased chlorophyll a and b and caused marginal increase in N concentration of plants. K and S concentrations remained unaffected but P and Fe concentrations underwent significant reduction. Leaf sap pH was not at all affected by this treatment.

Failure of metabolic translocation of iron and hence its inactivation inside the plant is suggested to be the most probable cause for the incidence of chlorosis despite high tissue Fe concentration. Sulphur application created a balanced nutritional environment and thus kept iron physiologically active for chlorophyll synthesis. Reduced efficacy of Fe-EDDHA might be due to high P concentration in the plant.
Field investigations into the manurial value of lagoon-matured digested sewage sludge
Authors: Coker E. G. , Hall J. E. , Carlton-Smith C. H. , Davis R. D.
Published: March 2009

Experiments were carried out during 1978–81 in which lagoon-matured digested sludge (LMDS) was applied in November and in February to four soils which were cropped with ryegrass and the effects compared with ammonium nitrate fertilizer.

Over the whole experimental series the nitrogen in spring-applied LMDS was 47·6% as effective in producing dry matter as nitrogen in ammonium nitrate fertilizer, and was 40·2% as effective in nitrogen uptake. Overall, 20·3% of the N available from the LMDS was derived from mineralization of sludge organic nitrogen, equivalent to a 1st-year release from the organic-N in sludge of about 9%. This compares with reported values of 15–16% for 1st-year release of organic-N liquid digested sludge. Overall, autumn-applied LMDS sludge gave poorer results than when applied in spring. This did not apply to a silty loam with a pH of about 5, but poorer results with autumn-applied LMDS were associated with soils with pH values of 7·5 or more. On average an application of 140 m3 LMDS/ha provided 178 kg available-N/ha and 36 kg potassium/ha; this is an N:K ratio of 4·9:1.

There were increases of Cd, Cu and Zn in herbage as a result of applications of both fertilizer and of sludge; the effects were additive. Sludge increased herbage Ni concentrations but fertilizer-N reduced them. Three years' applications hardly raised Cu and Zn herbage concentrations to the threshold level for deficiency for ruminant animals, and were not near toxic levels for plant growth or animal nutrition.
Field investigations into the manurial value of liquid undigested sewage sludge when applied to grassland
Authors: Coker E. G. , Hall J. E. , Carlton-Smith C. H. , Davis R. D.
Published: March 2009

Two sets of experiments were carried out during 1978–82 in order to compare the value of nitrogen in liquid undigested sludge (LUDS) with that in ‘Nitro-Chalk’. One set took place in the area of north Hertfordshire-south Bedfordshire, and the other at the University of Leeds. In the first growing season after application the relative effectiveness of LUDS-N was about 20%. In subsequent years it was about 40% though it was less on a soil initially very deficient in soil-N. At Leeds the 2nd-year value was 60–75%.

In the growing season immediately following treatment, N mineralized from LUDS became available too late to increase D.M. yields greatly; much of this appeared to be retained in the turf mat and increased the yield of D.M. the following year. When the lower 1st-year responses were taken into account there did not appear to be any yield penalty in making autumn (November) applications, compared with spring (February). This overall result concealed differences between soils.

In a year when it was dry during the main growing period yields were reduced by about 25%. It seems that LUDS-N is most valuable when it is applied regularly to the same area, and in the wetter parts of the country. Much LUDS comes from smaller rural sewage treatment works which are much less likely to carry contamination from potentially toxic elements.
Effects of chloride fertilizers on yield and uptake of chloride, potassium and sodium by fodder beet (Beta vulgaris L.) in two New Zealand soils
Authors: Magat S. S. , Goh K. M.
Published: March 2009

summary

The effects of applications of sodium chloride (NaCl) and potassium chloride (KCl) ranging from 0 to 720 kg Cl/ha on the yield and uptakes of chloride (Cl) potassium (K) and sodium (Na) by fodder beet were studied in field experiments at two sites in New Zealand. At 360 kg Cl/ha applied, both NaCl (590 kg/ha) and KC1 (758 kg/ha) increased significantly yields of fresh roots, dry roots and fresh sugar content of fodder beet over the minus-Cl plants. Compared with the sulphate anion, chloride application stimulated K uptake in tops and roots. Results indicated that in the beet crop, uptake of K is enhanced with the presence or addition of Cl (as NaCl) compared with SO4 (as NaSO4).

In both soils, total (tops and roots) uptakes of K, Cl, and Na were significantly correlated with fresh roots, dry roots and fresh sugar content. Multiple regression analyses showed that total K uptake was the main nutritional factor which determined yields of fresh and dry roots in the Templeton soil, whilst in the Wakanui soil total Cl uptake and total K+total Cl uptakes determined fresh root and dry root yields, respectively. In both soils, high Cl uptake was required for increased sugar yields.
Interaction between Phytophthora infestans and potato viruses X and Y in potato
Authors: Kalra A. , Grover R. K. , Rishi N. , Khurana S. M. P.
Published: March 2009

The interaction between Phytophthora infestans and potato viruses X (PVX) and Y (PVY) was studied in the potato cultivar Kufri Chandramukhi. Prior infection by PVX and PVY reduced the susceptibility of the plants to P. infestans. The reduction in susceptibility was more marked when leaflets were inoculated with P. infestans 72 h after inoculation with PVY. The same type of reaction was observed in whole plants when the interval between PVY and P. infestans inoculation was 30 days. No significant differences were observed when the sequence of inoculation was reversed.
Comminution of roughages by red deer (Cervus elaphus) during the prehension of feed
Authors: Dryden G. McL. , Stafford K. J. , Waghorn G. C. , Barry T. N.
Published: March 2009

The chewing behaviour of red deer (Cervus elaphus) during eating and the effectiveness of chewing on feed comminution was studied in two experiments. In Expt 1, deer were fed long or chopped lucerne (Medicago sativa) hay, and feed intake and chewing activity were recorded. In Expt 2, the rumen was emptied and test meals of fresh chicory (Cichorium intybus cv. Puna), lotus (Lotus corniculatus cv. Grasslands Goldie), ryegrass (Lolium perenne cv. Ruanui) forage and long lucerne hay were given, chewing activity recorded and the ingested forage quantitatively removed from the rumen. In Expt 1, the chopped hay was eaten more quickly than long hay (11·4 v. 8·3 g dry matter/min), and required fewer chewing bites per g dry matter eaten. In Expt 2, the four forages were consumed at similar rates (mean 4·3 g organic matter/min) and there was no significant difference in the chewing required to consume either total organic matter (OM) or cell wall OM. Deer chewed more quickly when eating lucerne hay than when eating lotus, and it was estimated that a greater number of chewing bites were required to form a bolus of lucerne hay than to form a lotus bolus. The proportion of ingested OM which was comminuted so as to pass a 1 mm sieve (efficiency of chewing) was greater for lotus (0·485) and lucerne hay (0·.518) than for chicory (0·.267). The efficiency of chewing ryegrass (0·.366) was intermediate and not significantly different from any other forage. For all forages, the main effect of chewing during eating appeared to be the release of cell contents, rather than the comminution of cell wall. Physical breakdown to particles which passed a 1 mm screen but were retained on an 0·25 mm screen was low for fresh forages (0·074–0·086) but was slightly higher for lucerne hay (0·127). Deer reduced feed particle size during eating with a similar efficiency to sheep, but were less efficient than goats.

It is suggested that the chewing effort associated with forage consumption by red deer is related to the need to form a bolus. The amount of chewing may be as much influenced by the physical characteristics of the forage (e.g. leaf size and shape) as by its chemical composition, and the extent of comminution during eating may be determined by the processing needed to form a bolus and the resistance of the feed to bolus formation.
Herbage allowance and intake of cattle
Authors: Dougherty C. T. , Lauriault L. M. , Cornelius P. L. , Bradley N. W.
Published: March 2009

Rates of intake of herbage and grazing time of beef cattle are essential components of simulation models of grassland agroecosystems. We studied the effects of herbage allowance on rates of intake and ingestive behaviour of twelve 2-year-old Angus heifers (Bos taurus)(364 ± 12 kg) grazing pastures of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). A balanced change-over design and a novel tethering technique were used to estimate direct, residual and permanent effects of three herbage allowances on intake per bite, rate of biting and rate of intake. Herbage dry matter (D.M.) allowances, which were established by varying tether lengths, were 5, 9 and 13 kg (1·4, 2·5 and 3·6 kg/100 kg of live weight) and made available in circular plots of 15, 27 and 38 m2, respectively, for a single measured 2 h grazing session each day. Heifers grazing Kenhy tall fescue swards, composed of vegetative tillers and free from the endophyte Acremonium coenophialum, with herbage D.M. masses (> 5 cm) of 2000 kg/ha and D.M. allowances of 9 and 13 kg/2 h per heifer, ingested D.M. at 1·9 kg/h by taking bites averaging 800 mg D.M. at 38 bites/min. Allowances of 5 kg/2 h per heifer slowed the rate of intake to 1·3 kg/h by limiting D.M. intake per bite to 654 mg and biting rate to 35/min. Rate of D.M. intake of cattle grazing vegetative temperate grass swards appears to be ca. 0.5% of live weight per hour when allowance and availability of herbage are not limiting.
Effects of dietary deficiencies of energy, protein and calcium on the pregnant ewe: V. Chemical analyses and histological examination of some individual bones
Authors: Sykes A. R. , Nisbet D. I. , Field A. C.
Published: March 2009

The effects of low protein and low Ca intakes during pregnancy on the chemical composition and histological appearance of selected bones of ewes and lambs is reported. Twenty-eight 6½-year-old Blackface ewes were used in a 2 x 2 experiment in which semi-purified diets containing 11·8 and 6·0% crude protein and 1·2 and 0·11% Ca in the dry matter were offered in amounts designed to induce a level of undernutrition typical of that experienced by hill sheep in winter. In addition, six sheep were killed in early pregnancy as controls, and a further six were offered, during pregnancy, a conventional diet containing 16% crude protein and 1·9% Ca in the dry matter at levels which prevented energy undernutrition. Ewes and lambs were killed at parturition and the tibias, 3rd ribs and 3rd and 4th lumbar vertebrae removed for chemical and histological examination.

The degree of mineralization of the organic matrix (ash:organic-matter ratio) of the bones at the beginning of pregnancy was poor and it increased in all groups during pregnancy largely irrespective of protein or Ca intake, but especially in the wellnourished sheep. The density of ash in the whole bone (ash:volume ratio) increased in the well-nourished and high-protein groups but did not change in the low-protein groups. These differences were attributable to the effect of protein nutrition on the density of the bone organic matrix (organic matter:volume ratio). Matrix density of the bones of the well-nourished groups increased while that of the low-protein groups decreased.

The histological data essentially confirmed this picture and showed that trabecular or cancellous bone from the tibial head and vertebrae of the low-protein and to a lesser extent the high-protein sheep was porotic, but microscopic assessment conflicted with the chemical findings in that histologically Ca intake appeared to affect bone quality in the vertebrae.

There was considerable variation in the histology of individual lamb bones which was independent of maternal nutritional experiences, but the overall size of the bones was determined by maternal protein nutrition.
Mixtures of annual legumes and small-grained cereals for forage production under low rainfall
Authors: Droushiotis D. N.
Published: March 2009

Two small-grained cereals, Mulga oats and a triticale line, and two legumes, local vetch and local peas, were grown in pure stands and in mixtures at various cereal: legume seed ratios (20:80, 40:60, 60:40 and 80:20) for three successive cropping years, 1981/82 to 1983/84, at Laxia and Dromolaxia, Cyprus, in each year.

The cereal pure stands produced, on average, more dry matter, 8·40 t/ha, and more digestible organic matter, 4·12 t/ha, than the legume pure stands, 3·68 and 2·18 t/ha, respectively. On average, total dry matter production decreased linearly as the seed proportion of the legume component in the mixture increased. The proportion of the legume in the harvested material was much lower than expected from the seed ratios. The highest proportion of legume was seen in the mixtures of peas with triticale and ranged from 8·1 to 35·5% at the various sowing rates. Digestibility and crude protein content were highest in the mixtures of triticale and peas.
Response of mint species to nitrogen fertilization
Authors: Singh V. P. , Chatterjee B. N. , Singh D. V.
Published: March 2009

Herbage and oil yields of Mentha arvensis (Japanese mint), M. piperita (peppermint) and M. spicata (spearmint) increased significantly with N fertilization up to 100 kg N/ha and those of M. citrata (bergamot mint) with up to 150 kg N/ha. Plant height, leaf: stem ratio and leaf area index increased with N application; and oil content decreased in all the species. Economic optimum doses of N for M. arvensis, M. piperita and M. spicata were 167, 153 and 145 kg N/ha, respectively and their oil yields expected from the response equation were 190, 103 and 50 kg/ha, respectively. The calculated optimum fertilizer rate for M. citrata was 225 kg N/ha, giving a yield of 193 kg oil/ha. Oil quality did not vary appreciably with N fertilization.
Effects of spring nitrogen fertilizer on the Hagberg falling number of grain from breadmaking varieties of winter wheat
Authors: Gooding M. J. , Kettlewell P. S. , Davies W. P. , Hocking T. J.
Published: March 2009

Hagberg falling number (HFN) is used to estimate alpha-amylase activity in wheat grain (Perten, 1964) and it is utilized by flour millers and the Intervention Agencies of the European Economic Community as a grain quality measurement for breadmaking (Anon. 1983). High nitrogen fertilizer application can lead to lodging and can decrease HFN (Brun, 1982). This may result from damp conditions around the ear encouraging germination, and therefore increasing alpha-amylase activity (Stewart, 1984). However, since nitrogen application can also delay maturity, it has been suggested that this influence could maintain high falling number (Anon. 1985). Pushman & Bingham (1976) found that increased nitrogen application decreased alpha-amylase activity, lending support to the previous suggestion, but contrasting with the results of Brun (1982).
Relations of carbon isotope discrimination and other physiological traits to yield in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) under rainfed conditions
Authors: White J. W. , Castillo J. A. , Ehleringer J. R. , Garcia J. A. C. , Singh S. P.
Published: March 2009

Although direct selection for seed yield under water deficit can result in genetic gains in the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), progress could be enhanced through selection for additional traits that are related to underlying mechanisms of adaptation to water deficit. Carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) has received considerable attention as an indicator of water use efficiency and adaptation to water deficit. To test the utility of Δ as a selection criterion, Δ and other traits were measured in F2 and F3 generations of a nine-parent diallel grown under rainfed conditions at two locations in Colombia with contrasting soil types. An irrigated trial was also conducted at one location. Significant (P 0·05) differences among parents, F2 and F3 were found for carbon isotope discrimination (Δ), leaf optical density (OD), leaf nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) concentrations, relative duration of pod-filling period (RDPF), shoot dry weight (SDW) and harvest index (HI). Effect of location and water regime and their interactions with genotype were also frequently significant. Heritability estimates, determined by regressing the F3 on the F2, ranged from 0·11±011 (S.E.) to 0·33 ±0·10 for OD, 0·22 ± 0·07 to 0·44±0·09 for N, 0·04±0·05 to 0·29±0·08 for K, 0·40 ± 0·08 to 0·43 ± 0·15 for RDPF and 0·30±0·22 to 1·00±0·24 for SDW. All values for Δ and HI did not differ significantly from zero. Correlations between seed yield and OD and RDPF were negative, whereas those with N, K, SDW, and HI were positive. For all traits, mean square values for general combining ability (GCA) were usuall significant and larger than those for specific combining ability (SCA). All significant GCA effects for Δ for ‘Rio Tibagi’, ‘San Cristobal 83’ and ‘Apetito’ were negative, while those for ‘Bayo Rio Grande’, ‘Bayo Criollo del Llano’, ‘Durango 222’ and BAT1224 were positive. Although Δappears unsuitable as an indirect criterion for selection for yield under water deficit, further study of genotypes exhibiting contrasting values of A might reveal differences in mechanisms of adaptation to water deficits, thus leading to other selection criteria or identification of valuable parental lines.
Nutritive value of pasture. V. Pasture grass conservation: the influence of artificial drying on the digestibility of pasture herbage
Authors: Woodman H. E. , Bee J. W. , Griffith G.
Published: March 2009

The recognition of the protein-concentrated and highly digestible character of young leafy pasturage has led to proposals for conserving such herbage by artificial drying for feeding to farm animals during winter as a substitute for oil cakes. Before contemplating the adoption of such proposals on a commercial scale, however, it was necessary to demonstrate that young pasturage could be dried artificially without losing its highly digestible nature.

That this is possible is clear from the results brought forward in this communication. It has been shown that young grass does not suffer any depression in respect of digestibility when it is dried (a) at the temperature of steam, or (b) by direct heat in a kiln.
Sulphur uptake, yield responses and the interactions between nitrogen and sulphur in winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus)
Authors: McGrath S. P. , Zhao F. J.
Published: March 2009

Field experiments were conducted to test the seed yield responses of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L., cvs Libravo or Falcon) to the addition of different rates of S fertilizer, at three N application rates, on a sandy loam at Woburn, Bedfordshire, in 1990/91, 1991/92 and 1993/94. Large increases in seed yields, ranging from 0·7 to 1·6 t/ha, or 42–267% on a relative scale, were obtained in response to the application of 40 kg S/ha with 180 and 230 kg N/ha treatments. The effects of S were highly significant in 1991/92 (P < 0·01) and 1993/94 (P < 0·001) and close to significant (P = 0·053) in 1990/91. The yield benefits were obtained mainly from the application of the first 10 kg S/ha and further yield increases were unlikely above 40 kg S/ha. Increasing N application from 180 to 230 kg/ha decreased seed yield in 1990/91 and 1993/94, when no S was applied. In contrast, seed yield was not increased by S at zero or low (50 or 100 kg/ha) N rates. The interactions between N and S on seed yield were significant (P < 0·05) in 1990/91 but not in the other two seasons. Application of S also increased seed oil content in 1993/94, when the degree of S deficiency was particularly severe. With an application of 230 kg N/ha, the crops took up 5–22 kg S/ha at maturity when no S was applied and 26–51 kg S/ha when 40 kg S/ha was applied. The utilization efficiency of the fertilizer S ranged from 50 to 73% in the three seasons. Although the concentrations of total N in plants were largely unaffected by S treatments, large amounts of NO3-N accumulated in the leaves of S-deficient plants in 1993/94. This indicates that N metabolism was disrupted by S deficiency. The concentrations of S and the N: S ratios in different tissues and the whole plant changed considerably with time. The concentration of S in leaves at early flowering was found to be the best index in predicting S deficiency in terms of seed yield, and a critical value of 3·8 mg/g was obtained. In comparison, the N: S ratio in leaves at early flowering was a much poorer predictor of S deficiency.
Factors affecting nitrate leaching from a calcareous loam in East Anglia
Authors: Davies D. B. , Garwood T. W. D. , Rochford A. D. H.
Published: March 2009

The effects of overwinter cover cropping, delayed ploughing and method of straw disposal on the quantities of nitrate leached (averaged over three winters during 1989–93) from a chalk loam in Eastern England were examined. The recovery of ‘retained’ nitrogen (retained through cover crop uptake, delayed ploughing and immobilization by straw) in a following spring crop was also assessed. In the first two winters, the rye cover crop decreased nitrate leaching by > 90% (28 kg N/ha per year), as compared with bare fallow treatments. In 1992/93 this decrease was only 23% (10 kg/ha), due to the early onset of drainage before cover was well established. Delayed ploughing on bare treatments, to decrease autumn N mineralization and subsequent nitrate leaching, was ineffectual in 1989/90 but had substantial effects in 1990/91 and 1992/93; N mineralization, inferred from soil mineral nitrogen content, and nitrate leaching were decreased by 31 and 35% in 1990/91 and by 36 and 61% in 1992/93, respectively. Nitrate leaching (averaged over three winters) was unaffected by straw incorporation. There was no evidence of recovery of cover crop N in the spring sown test crops (barley or sugarbeet). In the low soil N input situation encountered in this experiment, it was unnecessary to sow cover crops before early September in years of average or below average rainfall to ensure that the average soil solution concentrations remained below the EU drinking water limit of 11 mg NO3-N/1. However, in wetter seasons substantial N leaching occurred before cover had taken up much N. In 1992/93 N retained against leaching by a rye cover crop in previous years was apparently being remobilized and lost through leaching, although if cover was grown again there was less leaching than from bare land. In the future, an increase in the extent of cover cropping might increase transpiration rates and therefore lead to a decrease in aquifer recharge.
Response to Webster and Lauber
Authors: Pitstick Alyssa Lyra
Published: March 2009

Given the extent of agreement between Dr Webster and myself, his article suggests how this topic may promote ecumenical reappropriation of our common Christian heritage. Now if we can only get the Catholics to agree among themselves. . . Seriously, however, he has identified the fundamental questions of my book: what are our doctrinal commitments as Christians, and do we take them seriously enough to accept that not all positions are compatible with them? Are we consequently willing to set aside some propositions, or even adopt others?
Public Opinion, Public Order, and Press Policy in the Neoabsolutist State: Bohemia, 1849–52
Authors: Leigh Jeffrey T.
Published: March 2009

In the historiography of the Habsburg monarchy, the era of neoabsolutism, 1849–59, has generally been defined as either a period of reaction or one of missed opportunity when domestic policy was subordinated to the dynasty's great power interests. Historians commenting on this era have made important contributions, mostly in the area of foreign policy, state finance, economic developments, and constitutional theory, and have focused on what could or should have happened had the government chosen various reform agendas. None, however, have investigated the substantial developments then taking place in the alteration of state-society relations in the area of public opinion formation. Their interpretations have therefore missed and consequently masked the neoabsolutist state's pioneering efforts to create a wholly new relationship with the monarchy's disparate lands and peoples founded upon the rule of law under the Stadion Constitution, 4 March 1849, and then the Sylvester Patent, 31 December 1851.
German Conservatism at the Crossroads: Count Kuno von Westarp and the Struggle for Control of the DNVP, 1928–30
Authors: JONES LARRY EUGENE
Published: March 2009

The years from 1928 to 1930 witnessed a bitter struggle for the control of the German National People's Party (DNVP), the bastion of German conservatism in the Weimar Republic. One of the principal protagonists in this conflict was Count Kuno von Westarp, chairman of the DNVP from 1926 to 1928 and of the DNVP delegation to the Reichstag from 1924 to 1929. Westarp struggle with great determination to preserve the unity of the party in the face of a concerted effort from the radical Pan-German nationalists around the newly elected party chairman, film and press magnate Alfred Hugenberg. But Westarp's efforts on behalf of party unity ultimately failed as the moderates who stood on the DNVP's left wing abandoned the party in two secessions, the first in December 1929 and the second in July 1930. In the second of these Westarp himself left the party. In the meantime the DNVP had been transformed from a conservativeSammelparteiinto an instrument of the radical right.
Housing and Citizenship: Building Social Rights in Twentieth-Century Portugal
Authors: PINTO PEDRO RAMOS
Published: March 2009

This article investigates the origins of modern citizenship in Portugal through the example of the historical construction of housing as a social right. It argues this process owes much to the centralisation and strengthening of the state undertaken by Salazar's ‘New State’ (1933–74), whose transformative project changed the nature of the relationship between the governing and the governed, making political claims based on social rights plausible. The ensuing political dynamic changed the nature of the social contract in Portugal, tying the legitimacy of the state to the provision of social rights, a factor which eventually contributed to the dictatorship's demise.
Complex magma dynamics at Mount Etna revealed by seismic, thermal, and volcanological data
Authors: Behncke B. , Falsaperla S. , Pecora E.
Published: March 2009

Three eruptive episodes during the 2006 summit eruptions of Mount Etna were exceptionally well documented by visual, seismic, and thermal monitoring. The first (16 November) was strongly explosive, with vigorous Strombolian activity and ash emission from multiple vents, lava emission, and phreatomagmatic explosions generating pyroclastic density currents (PDCs). The second episode (19 November) had a rather weakly explosive component, with mild Strombolian activity but more voluminous lava emission. The third (24 November) was a moderately explosive paroxysm, with intermittent lava fountaining and generation of a tephra column as well as lava emission and PDCs. Data recorded by a thermal monitoring camera clearly document the different phases of each paroxysm, weather clouds occasionally hampering thermal monitoring. The images show a rapid onset of the volcanic activity, which during each of the paroxysms reached a peak in eruptive and thermal intensity and then decreased gradually. The stronger phreatomagmatic explosions and PDCs on 16 and 24 November did not yield any seismic signature linked to the opening of new vents nor were they associated with peculiar characteristics of the seismic signal. Nevertheless, eruptive styles (Strombolian activity, lava emission) and different levels in the intensity of explosive activity were generally well reflected in the amplitude and frequency content of the seismic signal and in the source location of the volcanic tremor centroid throughout the three eruptive episodes. This multidisciplinary study, therefore, not only provides a key to distinguish between endogenous and exogenous origins of the phenomena observed but also documents the complex magma dynamics within the volcano.
Seasonal upper circulation in the Sulu Sea from satellite altimetry data and a numerical model
Authors: Cai Shuqun , He Yinghui , Wang Shengan , Long Xiaomin
Published: March 2009

Eight years of Absolute Dynamic Topography from satellite altimetry data are used to study the seasonal variability of the circulation in the Sulu Sea (SS) through Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis. It is revealed that first seasonal EOF mode shows a basin‐scale anticyclonic/cyclonic circulation in summer/winter and second seasonal EOF mode shows a weak basin‐scale anticyclonic/cyclonic meander flow from the Mindoro Strait to the Sibutu Passage, and the typical surface circulation structure in the SS is shown as a basin‐scale anticyclonic/cyclonic circulation (or meander) centered at about 120.8°E, 8.6°N in August and December. According to the numerical experiments by a connected single‐layer and two‐layer model, it is shown that the upper circulation in the SS is closely related to the outflow via the Sibutu Passage and seasonal local wind stress. Either an outflow via the Sibutu Passage or the summer monsoon may cause an anticyclonic circulation in the SS, while the winter monsoon may cause a cyclonic circulation. Either an outflow via the Sibutu Passage or the winter monsoon would push the water out of the SS via the Balabac Strait but bring the water into the SS via the Mindoro Strait, while the summer monsoon would bring the water into the SS via the Balabac Strait but push the water out of the SS via the Mindoro Strait. Thus, in summer, the induced anticyclonic circulation with the negative relative vorticity is stronger in the SS but the water transports via the Mindoro and the Balabac straits are less, while in winter, the induced cyclonic circulation with the mainly positive relative vorticity is weaker but the water transports via the Mindoro and the Balabac straits are larger. The inflow via the Mindoro Strait is also significant since the outflow via the Sibutu Passage is mainly compensated by the inflow via the Mindoro Strait. The western strengthening near the Palawan Island and the asymmetry of the circulation in the SS is caused by the β effect. The transport via the Mindoro Strait is generally much larger than that via the Balabac Strait. An inflow into the SS via the Dipolog Strait contributes little to the circulation in the SS except for the current field near this strait. A stronger lower layer current than the upper layer one near the Mindoro Strait is also discussed.
Influence of Indian Ocean Dipole on boreal summer intraseasonal oscillations in a coupled general circulation model
Authors: Ajayamohan R. S. , Rao Suryachandra A. , Luo Jing‐Jia , Yamagata Toshio
Published: March 2009

The role of Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) on poleward propagation of boreal summer intraseasonal oscillations (BSISO) is examined using long simulation of a coupled ocean‐atmosphere general circulation model. The model (SINTEX‐F1) simulates the salient features of BSISO realistically. It is found that coherent (incoherent) poleward propagation of precipitation anomalies from 5°S to 25°N are observed during negative (positive) IOD years. The probable mechanisms behind such an anomaly in poleward propagation of BSISO in contrasting IOD years are identified. We find that the mean structure of meridional specific humidity distribution undergoes cardinal changes in contrasting IOD years, which in turn influences the meridional propagation of BSISO. Enhanced (decreased) air‐sea interaction in negative (positive) IOD years also supports coherent (incoherent) poleward propagation of BSISO anomalies. This study has important implications, considering the critical role of BSISO in modulating the seasonal mean summer monsoon rainfall.
Metallothioneins in Aquatic Organisms: Fish, Crustaceans, Molluscs, and Echinoderms
Authors: Vergani Laura
Published: March 2009

Metallothioneins (MTs) have been described in a wide range of organisms, from bacteria to mammals, thus representing an interesting example of evolutionary molecular adaptation. If the moderate variability of MTs across phylogenetically distant organisms reflects their highly conserved function, the specific environmental requirements may explain the multiplicity of isoforms also in the same organism. The MT polymorphism is particularly important in invertebrates with respect to vertebrates. This review is an attempt to summarize the knowledge about MTs from aquatic animals, both vertebrates and invertebrates, to gain new insights into the structure-function relationship of this class of proteins. The large and increasing literature on MTs indicates that MTs from aquatic vertebrates are rather similar to mammalian counterparts, whereas a variety of structures have been described in invertebrates. Although the prototypical αβ-domain organization of vertebrate MTs has been observed in most invertebrate isoforms, some invertebrate MTs display alternative structures in which the canonical organization has been modified, such as the ββ-domain, the αββ-domain, and the multiple α-domain structures of oyster MTs, and the inverted βα-domain organization of sea urchin MTs. In this review we emphasize three major taxa of aquatic invertebrates, the molluscs, the crustaceans and the echinoderms, although some data have been reported for other invertebrates.
Electroluminescence from a pentacene based ambipolar organic field-effect transistor
Authors: Schidleja Martin , Melzer Christian , von Seggern Heinz
Published: March 2009

In this letter light emission from a pentacene-based ambipolar organic field-effect transistor is reported. Electroluminescence appears from a narrow region extending over the entire transistor channel width. The position of the light-emitting recombination zone is spatially controllable by the applied voltages. The current/voltage characteristics of the ambipolar device exhibit a hysteresis caused by trapped electrons in the transistor channel, which is also mirrored in the voltage dependent position of the light-emitting region. From the voltage dependence of the light intensity it can be concluded that Ohmic contacts are formed between pentacene and the utilized metal contacts calcium and gold.
Reduction in critical current of current induced switching in an inhomogeneous nanomagnet
Authors: Wu M. C. , Aziz A. , Ali M. , Marrows C. H. , Hickey B. J. , Barber Z. H. , Blamire M. G.
Published: March 2009

We report low current-density switching of pseudospin valve nanopillars fabricated by a three-dimensional focused ion beam lithography. Simulations using the Landau–Liftshitz–Gilbert equation with Slonczewski spin transfer torque term demonstrate that magnetostatic coupling combined with an in-plane applied field results in a strongly inhomogeneous magnetization, which is close to the point of switching in both parallel and antiparallel configurations and so significantly reduced switching currents are possible.
Drosophila
IKK-related kinase Ik2 and Katanin p60-like 1 regulate dendrite pruning of sensory neuron during metamorphosis
Authors: Lee Hsiu-Hsiang , Jan Lily Yeh , Jan Yuh-Nung
Published: March 2009

Pruning is a widely observed mechanism for developing nervous systems to refine their circuitry. During metamorphosis, certain
Drosophila
sensory neurons undergo large-scale dendrite pruning to remove their larval branches before regeneration of their adult dendrites. Dendrite pruning involves dendrite severing, followed with debris removal. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying dendrite severing. Here, we show that both the Ik2 kinase and Katanin p60-like 1 (Kat-60L1) of the Katanin family of microtubule severing proteins are required for dendrite severing. Mutant neurons with disrupted Ik2 function have diminished ability in severing their larval dendrites in pupae. Conversely, premature activation of Ik2 triggers precocious dendrite severing in larvae, revealing a critical role of Ik2 in initiating dendrite severing. We found a role for Kat-60L1 in facilitating dendrite severing by breaking microtubule in proximal dendrites, where the dendrites subsequently separate from the soma. Our study thus implicates Ik2 and Kat-60L1 in dendrite severing that involves local microtubule disassembly.
Screening for Down's syndrome in the first trimester: Combined risk calculation, methodology, and validation of a web‐based system
Authors: KUBLICKAS MARIUS , CROSSLEY JENNIFER , AITKEN DAVID
Published: March 2009

Objective. To provide the necessary mathematical formulae to construct a risk calculation package for Down's syndrome using maternal serum free beta human chorionic gonadotrophin, pregnancy associated plasma protein A, and ultrasound nuchal translucency(NT) measurements in the first trimester for use in a web‐based system. Setting. Swedish antenatal screening program. Population. Swedish women choosing to have first trimester screening for Down's syndrome. Methods. A standard Gaussian approach to calculation of likelihood ratios for each marker value was used following conversion of analyte concentrations and NT measurements to multiples of the normal gestational median (MoM). Validation of the algorithm was carried out on a study group of 3,900 pregnancies (including 29 cases of Down's syndrome). Predicted detection and screen positive rates were compared with an alternative calculation package. Main outcome measures. Sensitivity and specificity of screening delivered by risk calculation package. Results. A cut‐off risk of 1 in 200 produced a detection rate of 90% at a 4.7% false‐positive rate. In addition, use of the calculation package in a web‐based system proved efficient in routine practice, providing rapid access by individual centers to results and easy central monitoring and auditing of the program. Conclusions. The system described here fulfills the requirement for an appropriately validated risk calculation package, is fully user configurable with easy access through a web‐based system allowing extension of the screening program to multiple centers.
Mimicking biopolymers on a molecular scale: nano(bio)technology based on engineered proteins
Authors: Grunwald Ingo , Rischka Klaus , Kast Stefan M , Scheibel Thomas , Bargel Hendrik
Published: March 2009

Proteins are ubiquitous biopolymers that adopt distinct three-dimensional structures and fulfil a multitude of elementary functions in organisms. Recent systematic studies in molecular biology and biotechnology have improved the understanding of basic functional and architectural principles of proteins, making them attractive candidates as concept generators for technological development in material science, particularly in biomedicine and nano(bio)technology. This paper highlights the potential of molecular biomimetics in mimicking high-performance proteins and provides concepts for applications in four case studies, i.e. spider silk, antifreeze proteins, blue mussel adhesive proteins and viral ion channels.
Simulation, situated conceptualization, and prediction
Authors: Barsalou Lawrence W.
Published: March 2009

Based on accumulating evidence, simulation appears to be a basic computational mechanism in the brain that supports a broad spectrum of processes from perception to social cognition. Further evidence suggests that simulation is typically situated, with the situated character of experience in the environment being reflected in the situated character of the representations that underlie simulation. A basic architecture is sketched of how the brain implements situated simulation. Within this framework, simulators implement the concepts that underlie knowledge, and situated conceptualizations capture patterns of multi-modal simulation associated with frequently experienced situations. A pattern completion inference mechanism uses current perception to activate situated conceptualizations that produce predictions via simulations on relevant modalities. Empirical findings from perception, action, working memory, conceptual processing, language and social cognition illustrate how this framework produces the extensive prediction that characterizes natural intelligence.
Predicting not to predict too much: how the cellular machinery of memory anticipates the uncertain future
Authors: Dudai Yadin
Published: March 2009

Although the faculty of memory holds information about the past, it is mostly about the present and the future, because it permits adaptive responses to ongoing events as well as to events yet to come. Since many elements in the future are uncertain, the plasticity machinery that encodes memories in the brain has to operate under the assumption that stored information is likely to require fast and recurrent updating. This assumption is reflected at multiple levels of the brain, including the synaptic and the cellular level. Recent findings cast new light on how combinations of plasticity and metaplasticity mechanisms could permit the brain to balance over time between stability and plasticity of the information stored.
Analysis of Acyl Fluxes through Multiple Pathways of Triacylglycerol Synthesis in Developing Soybean Embryos
Authors: Bates Philip D. , Durrett Timothy P. , Ohlrogge John B. , Pollard Mike
Published: March 2009

The reactions leading to triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis in oilseeds have been well characterized. However, quantitative analyses of acyl group and glycerol backbone fluxes that comprise extraplastidic phospholipid and TAG synthesis, including acyl editing and phosphatidylcholine-diacylglycerol interconversion, are lacking. To investigate these fluxes, we rapidly labeled developing soybean (Glycine max) embryos with [14C]acetate and [14C]glycerol. Cultured intact embryos that mimic in planta growth were used. The initial kinetics of newly synthesized acyl chain and glycerol backbone incorporation into phosphatidylcholine (PC), 1,2-sn-diacylglycerol (DAG), and TAG were analyzed along with their initial labeled molecular species and positional distributions. Almost 60% of the newly synthesized fatty acids first enter glycerolipids through PC acyl editing, largely at the sn-2 position. This flux, mostly of oleate, was over three times the flux of nascent [14C]fatty acids incorporated into the sn-1 and sn-2 positions of DAG through glycerol-3-phosphate acylation. Furthermore, the total flux for PC acyl editing, which includes both nascent and preexisting fatty acids, was estimated to be 1.5 to 5 times the flux of fatty acid synthesis. Thus, recycled acyl groups (16:0, 18:1, 18:2, and 18:3) in the acyl-coenzyme A pool provide most of the acyl chains for de novo glycerol-3-phosphate acylation. Our results also show kinetically distinct DAG pools. DAG used for TAG synthesis is mostly derived from PC, whereas de novo synthesized DAG is mostly used for PC synthesis. In addition, two kinetically distinct sn-3 acylations of DAG were observed, providing TAG molecular species enriched in saturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Update in understanding common variable immunodeficiency disorders (CVIDs) and the management of patients with these conditions
Authors: Chapel Helen , Cunningham‐Rundles Charlotte
Published: March 2009

The common variable immunodeficiency disorders are a mixed group of heterogeneous conditions linked by lack of immunoglobulin production and primary antibody failure. This variability results in difficulty in making coherent sense of either immunopathogenesis or the role of various genetic abnormalities reported in the literature. The recent attempt to collate the varied complications in these conditions and to define particular clinical phenotypes has improved our understanding of these diseases. Once refined and confirmed by other studies, these definitions will facilitate improved accuracy of prognosis and better management of clinical complication. They may also provide a method of analysing outcomes as related to new immunopathological and genetic findings.