bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Space-time thermodynamics and subsystem observables in a kinetically constrained model of glassy materials
Authors: Jack Robert L. , Garrahan Juan P. , Chandler David
Published: November 2006

In a recent article [M. Merolle et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102, 10837 (2005)], it was argued that dynamic heterogeneity in d-dimensional glass formers is a manifestation of an order-disorder phenomenon in the d+1 dimensions of space time. By considering a dynamical analog of the free energy, evidence was found for phase coexistence between active and inactive regions of space time, and it was suggested that this phenomenon underlies the glass transition. Here we develop these ideas further by investigating in detail the one-dimensional Fredrickson-Andersen (FA) model, in which the active and inactive phases originate in the reducibility of the dynamics. We illustrate the phase coexistence by considering the distributions of mesoscopic space-time observables. We show how the analogy with phase coexistence can be strengthened by breaking microscopic reversibility in the FA model, leading to a nonequilibrium theory in the directed percolation universality class.
Structural relaxation in complex liquids: Non-Markovian dynamics in a bistable potential
Authors: Chaudhury Srabanti , Cherayil Binny J.
Published: November 2006

The time correlation function C(t)≡⟨x(0)x(t)⟩ of the distance fluctuations of a particle moving in a bistable potential under the action of fractional Gaussian noise (fGn) is calculated from a Smoluchowski-type equation derived from a generalized Langevin equation (GLE). The time derivative of this function, dC(t)∕dt, is compared with data from optical Kerr effect measurements of liquid crystal dynamics in the vicinity of the isotropic-to-nematic transition, which are related to the time derivative of an orientational correlation function. A number of characteristic features of the experimental decay curves, including short and intermediate time power law behavior and long time exponential relaxation, are qualitatively reproduced by the analytical calculations, even though the latter do not explicitly treat orientational degrees of freedom. The GLE formalism with fGn was, in fact, originally proposed as a model of protein conformational fluctuations, so the present results suggest that it may also serve more generally as a model of structural relaxation in complex condensed phase media.
Effects of O vacancies and C doping on dielectric properties of ZrO2: A first-principles study
Authors: Dutta Gargi , Hembram K. P. S. S. , Rao G. Mohan , Waghmare Umesh V.
Published: November 2006

The authors determine electronic properties, structural stability, and dielectric response of zirconia (ZrO2) with oxygen vacancies (O vacancies) and carbon doping (C doping) using first-principles density functional theory calculations based on pseudopotentials and a plane wave basis. They find significantly enhanced static dielectric response in zirconia with oxygen vacancies arising from a softened phonon mode. They also find that effects of carbon doping on the dielectric response are anisotropic.
Domain overlap in antiferromagnetically coupled [Co∕Pt]∕NiO∕[Co∕Pt] multilayers
Authors: Baruth A. , Yuan L. , Burton J. D. , Janicka K. , Tsymbal E. Y. , Liou S. H. , Adenwalla S.
Published: November 2006

Antiferromagnetically coupled magnetic thin films with perpendicular anisotropy exhibit domain overlap regions originating from magnetostatic stray fields localized in the vicinity of the domain walls. Using high resolution magnetic force microscopy, the authors investigate these overlap regions in [Co∕Pt]∕NiO∕[Co∕Pt] multilayers with various strengths of the interlayer exchange coupling. They develop a simple model that provides a quantitative explanation of the formation of these regions and the relationship between the domain overlap width and the coupling strength. Their results are important for application of magnetic layered structures with perpendicular anisotropy in advanced magnetoresistive devices.
A Synthetic Approach to (±)-Tridentoquinone
Authors: Brown RFC , Robinson AJ
Published: November 2006

Synthesis of the ansa-bridged benzofuranquinone (�)- tridentoquinone (�)-(1) is approached by construction of a C4 methyl ketone chain at the 3-position of 6-bromo-4,5,7-trimethoxy-2,2-dimethyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran (10) and alkylation at its 6-position leading after modification to a dimethyl C10 aldehydic chain. Closure of the ansa bridge by McMurry coupling of the aldehyde and ketone groups of the intermediate (33) with C8K/TiCl3 appears to occur, but in poor yield and with uncertain stereochemistry, and the synthesis has not been completed.
Neil F. Curtis
Authors: Waters N
Published: November 2006

No Abstract Available.
Imidazo[1,2-b]Pyridazines. XVIII. Syntheses and Central Nervous System Activities of Some 6-, 7- and 8-(Chloro and methoxy)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine Analogs
Authors: Barlin GB , Davies LP , Harrison PW
Published: November 2006

Syntheses are reported for some 2-aryl-3-(benzamidomethyl and methoxy)-6(7 and 8)-chloro- and 6(and 8)-methoxy-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines. In tests of the ability of these compounds to displace [3H]diazepam from rat brain membrane, those with 6-chloro and 6-methoxy groups bound most strongly, and relatively small differences only were observed between corresponding imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines and imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazines.
Experiments Directed Towards the Synthesis of Anthracyclinones. XXVII. Transformations of 2,3-Bisalkynyl and 2,3-Bisalkenyl Anthraquinones
Authors: Boniface PJ , Cambie RC , Higgs C , Rutledge PS , Woodgate PD
Published: November 2006

2,3-Bisalkynyl anthraquinones have been synthesized and their behaviour under Bergman-type cyclization conditions has been studied. Cyclization reactions of 2,3-bis(propenyl)anthraquinones yield a number of products, mechanisms for the formation of which are proposed. An attempt to elaborate an A-ring from the 2,3-allyl side chains of the bisallylated anthraquinone (32) is reported.
Steric Modification of Metal-Phosphorus Bond Lengths: the Preparation, Characterization and CrystalStructures of mer-trans-(PPri3)2(Pme2Ph)-Cl-cis-H2IrIII(1) and mer-trans-(PPri3)2(PMe2Ph)H3IrIII
Authors: Ditzel EJ , Robertson GB
Published: November 2006

The syntheses and subsequent characterization of the complexes mer -trans-(PPri3)2(Pme2Ph)-Cl-cis-H2IrIII(1) and mer-trans-(PPri3)2(PMe2Ph)H3IrIII (2) by n.m.r. and by low temperature (153�5 K) X-ray diffraction analyses are reported. Crystals of (1) are monoclinic, space group P21/c with a 19.277(2), b 9.020(1), c 17.657(2) Ǻ, β 101.40(1)° and Z 4. Crystals of (2) are orthorhombic, space group P212121, with a 19.373(3), b 18.724(2), c 8.113(1) Ǻ and Z 4. Full-matrix least-squares analyses converged with R = 0.027 and wR = 0.031 for (1) (3243 reflections), and R = 0.030 and wR = 0.038 for (2) (2892 reflections). Consistent with previous observation, the unit increase in chloride content (in place of hydride) in (1) is accompanied by a global lengthening of 0.036 Ǻ (av.) in the Ir -P bond lengths cf. those in (2). Also, because of increased steric crowding (two PPri3 ligands in place of two Pme2Ph), the Ir-PMe2Ph bond in (1) is 0.019(2) Ǻ longer than the chemically equivalent bond in mer-(PMe2Ph)3Cl-cis-H2IrIII. In previously reported complexes in this series metrically similar increases in Ir-PMe2Ph distances result from the replacement of just one Pme2Ph ligand by PPri3.
The Structure of Echinocarpic Acid. A Benzyl Ester From the Lichen Parmelia norcrambidiocarpa
Authors: Elix JA , Elix JA , Lajide L , Lajide L , Wardlaw JH , Wardlaw JH
Published: November 2006

The benzyl ester echinocarpic acid (1′,4′-dihydroxy-6'-methoxy-3′-oxo-1′,3′-dihydroisobenzo-furan-5′-ylmethyl 2,4-dihydroxy-3,6-dimethylbenzoate) (7) has been isolated from the lichen Parmelia norcrambidiocarpa together with atranorin and chloroatranorin. The structure of the compound (7) followed from a combination of spectroscopic and chemical data.
The Crystal and Molecular Structure of trans-Dichloro-mer-trans-bis (triisopropylphosphine)(phosphine)hydridoiridium(III)
Authors: Ditzel EJ , Robertson GB
Published: November 2006

The structure of mer-trans-(PPri3)2(PH3)H-trans-Cl2IrIII (1) (Pri = isopropyl), the second third-row transition-metal-PH3 complex to be so characterized, has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Crystals are monoclinic, space group C 2/c with a 21.701(2), b 8.735(1), c 15.594(1) Ǻ, β 119.57(1)° and Z 4. Structure refinement by full-matrix least-squares analysis (2811 reflections, 113 parameters) converged with R = 0.016 and Rw = 0.022. Molecules exhibit crystallographically imposed C2 symmetry. The C2 axis passes through the iridium, hydride and PH3 phosphorus atoms, and requires the PH3 hydrogen atoms to be disordered. Important molecular dimensions are Ir-PPri3 2.371(1) Ǻ, Ir-PH3 2.362(1) Ǻ, Ir-Cl 2.374(1) Ǻ and P- Ir -P(trans) 163.21(3)°.
Conhypoprotocetraric Acid, a New Lichen β-Orcinol Depsidone
Authors: Elix JA , Lumbsch HT , Wardlaw JH
Published: November 2006

The β-orcinol depsidone, conhypoprotocetraric acid (2), has been identified in the lichens Relicina cf. incongrua and Lecanora myriocarpoides. This new depsidone has been synthesized and characterized, and the biosynthetic implications are discussed.
New Macrocyclic Ligands. VII. The Synthesis of Mixed-Donor Spiro-Linked Macrocycles
Authors: Kim J , Lindoy LF , Matthews OA , Meehan GV , Nachbaur J , Saini V
Published: November 2006

The syntheses of five new spiro -linked bis-macrocyles, incorporating four ether oxygen and four or six secondary nitrogen heteroatoms , are reported. Two strategies were employed-the first involved the condensation of a spiro tetraaldehyde with 2 equiv. of ethane-1,2-diamine or propane-1,3-diamine or 2,2′-diaminodiethylamine followed by in situ reduction of the resulting intermediate tetraimines . The second procedure began with pentaerythrityl tetraamine [C(CH2NH2)4] which was then condensed with 2 equiv. of a dialdehyde moiety in which two ether oxygen atoms, bridged by either two or three methylene groups, were incorporated in its backbone. A related in situ reduction step to that employed in the first procedure then yielded the required double-ring macrocycles. For use in comparative studies, the corresponding single-ring macrocycles were also synthesized where they had not been reported previously.
Population ecology of Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) and interference competition with Pacific rats (R. exulans) on Raoul Island, New Zealand
Authors: Harper Grant , Veitch Dick
Published: November 2006

Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) are sympatric with, and more often trapped, than the smaller Pacific rat (R. exulans) on Raoul Island, New Zealand. Rats were removed from a four-hectare grid by trapping and poisoning in the winters of 1994, 1995 and 1996. Pacific rats were trapped in increasing numbers only after Norway rats were removed. Norway rats also ate significantly more bait than Pacific rats. Competitive interference of Pacific rats by Norway rats was apparent, which casts doubt on the ability to accurately monitor individual species abundance within assemblages of rat species and to effectively manage them in control grids. Snap-trapping lines provided baseline data on the abundance of the two species before, during and after the removal grids were operated. Maximum abundances of rats were recorded in late summer and autumn following spring and summer breeding.
Do wildlife warning reflectors elicit aversion in captive macropods?
Authors: Ramp Daniel , Croft David B.
Published: November 2006

A goal to reduce the frequency of animal–vehicle collisions is motivating extensive research on this topic world-wide. Over the last 30 years, one popular mechanism to warn wildlife of approaching vehicles has been the wildlife warning reflector, manufactured and distributed under the brands Swareflex (Austria) and Strieter-Lite (USA). These reflectors were designed to scare deer and other ungulates from roadways at night by reflecting light from the headlights of approaching vehicles into the eyes of animals on the road verge. Robust documentation of their effectiveness has been lacking, yet there has been a push in Australia to examine their efficacy with regard to medium to large macropodids. Field trials of the reflectors are problematic and difficult to design rigorously, so we chose to examine the behavioural response of two captive macropodid species (Macropus rufus and M. rufogriseus) to the reflectors on a simulated road in order to derive some indication as to their efficacy. The behavioural response to the reflectors was negligible for both species and not consistent with an aversive effect to deter road use or crossing. We conclude that they would be of little value in our efforts to reduce the frequency of collisions of kangaroos or wallabies with vehicles in Australia.
Murine cytomegalovirus encodes a stable intron that facilitates persistent replication in the mouse
Authors: Kulesza Caroline A. , Shenk Thomas
Published: November 2006

The human cytomegalovirus immediate-early 5-kb RNA previously has been shown to be a stable intron that is not required for efficient replication of the virus in cultured fibroblasts. Here we describe a murine cytomegalovirus 7.2-kb ortholog of the human cytomegalovirus 5-kb RNA. The 5′ end of the 7.2-kb transcript maps to a consensus splice-donor site that is conserved among all cytomegaloviruses. We constructed mutant viruses lacking the entire 7.2-kb coding domain, the splice-donor site predicted to function in the generation of the intron or a hairpin predicted to stabilize the intron. All three mutant viruses failed to produce the 7.2-kb RNA, supporting our conclusion that it is a stable intron. Each of the mutants replicated with normal kinetics in cultured fibroblasts, but the mutants exhibited a clear defect within infected mice. Although the initial acute phase at 4 days after infection appeared to be normal, none of the mutant viruses progressed to the persistent phase, i.e., little virus was detected in the salivary gland at 14 days after infection. The intron functions as an
in vivo
virulence factor, facilitating progression from the acute to persistent phase of infection.
Detecting protein dissimilarities in multiple alignments using Bayesian variable selection
Authors: Kim Sinae , Tsai Jerry , Kagiampakis Ioannis , LiWang Patricia , Vannucci Marina
Published: November 2006

Motivation: We present an application of Bayesian variable selection to the novel detection of sequence elements that confer negative design to protein structure and function. As an illustration, we analyze the different dimer interfaces between the CXCL8 chemokine family with the CCL4 and CCL2 chemokine families to discover the changes that disfavor CXCL8 of quaternary structure.

Results: In comparison with known experimental results, our method identifies evolutionarily conserved sequence changes in the CC families that inhibit CXCL8 quaternary structure. Therefore, we find positive selection of negative design elements. Furthermore, our approach predicts that a two-residue deletion conserved in the CCL4 chemokine family disfavors CXCL8 dimerization.

Availability: The Matlab code for the Bayesian variable selection is freely available at

Contact:  mvannucci@stat.tamu.edu
Reliable prediction of Drosha processing sites improves microRNA gene prediction
Authors: Helvik Snorre A. , Snøve Ola , Sætrom Pål
Published: November 2006

Motivation: Mature microRNAs (miRNAs) are processed from long hairpin transcripts. Even though it is only the first of several steps, the initial Drosha processing defines the mature product and is characteristic for all miRNA genes. Methods that can separate between true and false processing sites are therefore essential to miRNA gene discovery.

Results: We present a classifier that predicts 5′ Drosha processing sites in hairpins that are candidate miRNAs. The classifier, called Microprocessor SVM, correctly predicts the processing site for 50% of known human 5′ miRNAs, and 90% of its predictions are within two nucleotides of the true site. Another classifier that is trained on the output from the Microprocessor SVM outperforms existing methods for prediction of unconserved miRNAs. Reanalysis of characteristics and supporting evidence for a set of newly annotated miRNAs shows that some miRNAs may be misannotated. This suggests that expressed hairpins should not be annotated as miRNAs until they are verified to be Drosha and Dicer substrates.

Availability: The classifiers are publicly available at

Contact:  paal.saetrom@interagon.com

Supplementary information: Supplementary data is available at Bioinformatics online.
Complementary intron sequence motifs associated with human exon repetition: a role for intragenic, inter-transcript interactions in gene expression
Authors: Dixon Richard J. , Eperon Ian C. , Samani Nilesh J.
Published: November 2006

Motivation: Exon repetition describes the presence of tandemly repeated exons in mRNA in the absence of duplications in the genome. The regulation of this process is not fully understood. We therefore investigated the entire flanking intronic sequences of exons involved in exon repetition for common sequence elements.

Results: A computational analysis of 48 human single exon repetition events identified two common sequence motifs. One of these motifs is pyrimidine-rich and is more common in the upstream intron, whilst the other motif is highly enriched in purines and is more common in the downstream intron. As the two motifs are complementary to each other, they support a model by which exon repetition occurs as a result of trans-splicing between separate pre-mRNA transcripts from the same gene that are brought together during transcription by complementary intronic sequences. The majority of the motif instances overlap with the locations of mobile elements such as Alu elements. We explore the potential importance of complementary intron sequences in a rat gene that undertakes natural exon repetition in a strain specific manner. The possibility that distant complementary sequences can stimulate inter-transcript splicing during transcription suggests an unsuspected new role for potential secondary structures in endogenous genes.

Availability:

Contact:  rd67@le.ac.uk

Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Ki26894, a novel transforming growth factor‐β type I receptor kinase inhibitor, inhibits in vitro invasion and in vivo bone metastasis of a human breast cancer cell line
Authors: Ehata Shogo , Hanyu Aki , Fujime Makoto , Katsuno Yoko , Fukunaga Erina , Goto Kouichiro , Ishikawa Yuichi , Nomura Kimie , Yokoo Hiroshi , Shimizu Toshiyuki , Ogata Etsuro , Miyazono Kohei , Shimizu Kiyoshi , Imamura Takeshi
Published: November 2006

Transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β signaling has been shown to promote tumor growth and metastasis in advanced cancer. Use of inhibitors of TGF‐β signaling may thus be a novel strategy for treatment of patients with such cancers. In this study, we investigated the effects of a novel TGF‐β type I receptor (TβR‐I) kinase inhibitor, Ki26894, on bone metastasis of a highly bone‐metastatic variant of human breast cancer MDA‐MB‐231 cells, termed MDA‐MB‐231–5a‐D (MDA‐231‐D). Ki26894 blocked TGF‐β signaling in MDA‐231‐D cells, as detected by suppression of phosphorylation of Smad2 and inhibition of TGF‐β‐responsive reporter activity. Moreover, Ki26894 decreased the motility and the invasion of MDA‐231‐D cells induced by TGF‐βin vitro. Ki26894 also suppressed transcription of plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 (PAI‐1), parathyroid hormone‐related protein (PTHrP), and interleukin‐11 (IL‐11) mRNA of MDA‐231‐D cells, which were stimulated by TGF‐β. X‐ray radiography revealed that systemic Ki26894 treatment initiated 1 day before the inoculation of MDA‐231‐D cells into the left ventricle of BALB/c nu/nu female mice resulted in decreased bone metastasis of breast cancer cells. Moreover, Ki26894 prolonged the survival of mice inoculated with MDA‐231‐D cells compared to vehicle‐treated mice. These findings suggest that TβR‐I kinase inhibitors such as Ki26894 may be useful for blocking the progression of advanced cancers. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 127–133)
Programming of the Appetite‐Regulating Neural Network: A Link Between Maternal Overnutrition and the Programming of Obesity?
Authors: Mühlhäusler B. S.
Published: November 2006

The concept of a functional foetal ‘appetite regulatory neural network’ is a new and potentially critical one. There is a growing body of evidence showing that the nutritional environment to which the foetus is exposed during prenatal and perinatal development has long‐term consequences for the function of the appetite‐regulating neural network and therefore the way in which an individual regulates energy balance throughout later life. This is of particular importance in the context of evidence obtained from a wide range of epidemiological studies, which have shown that individuals exposed to an elevated nutrient supply before birth have an increased risk of becoming obese as children and adults. This review summarises the key pieces of experimental evidence, by our group and others, that have contributed to our current understanding of the programming of appetite, and highlights the important questions that are yet to be answered. It is clear that this area of research has the potential to generate, within the next few years, interventions that could begin to alleviate the adverse long‐term consequences of being exposed to an elevated nutrient supply before birth.
Diabetes Induces Rapid Suppression of Adaptive Immunity Followed by Homeostatic T‐cell Proliferation
Authors: Luo B. , Chan W. F. N. , Lord S. J. , Nanji S. A. , Rajotte R. V. , Shapiro A. M. J. , Anderson C. C.
Published: November 2006

Surprisingly, the effect of acute diabetes on immunity has not been examined in detail. We, herein, show for the first time that untreated acute diabetes causes rapid lymphopenia followed by homeostatic T‐cell proliferation. The diabetes‐induced lymphopenia was associated with an immunosuppressed state that could be sufficiently strong to allow engraftment of fully allogeneic β‐cells or block rejection of islet transplants. In contrast, homeostatic proliferation and recovery of T‐cell numbers were associated with islet rejection. Thus, the timing of islet transplant challenge in relation to diabetes induction was critical in determining whether islets were accepted or rejected. In addition, we tested whether diabetes‐related immunosuppression could result in an overestimation of the efficacy of a tolerance‐inducing protocol. Consistent with this possibility, a protocol targeting CD40L and ICOS that we have shown induces tolerance in diabetic recipients was unable to induce tolerance in non‐diabetic recipients. The data uncover a previously unrecognized suppressive effect of diabetes on adaptive immunity. Furthermore, they suggest that the standard methods of testing new tolerance‐inducing protocols in islet transplantation require modification and that diabetes itself can contribute to homeostatic proliferation, a process associated with autoimmunity and a resistance to tolerance induction.
Occupation and occupational therapy: Knowledge paradigms and everyday practice
Authors: Wilding Clare , Whiteford Gail
Published: November 2006

Aims:  This article presents some preliminary findings from an action research study into the everyday practice of a group of occupational therapists working in a large metropolitan hospital delivering a range of acute services.

Methods and Findings:  Narrative data gathered from 10 individual interviews were analysed through numerous iterative cycles to reveal salient themes. These include epistemological tensions associated with working in a hospital environment, antagonistic reasoning processes, overinclusive descriptions of practice, and communication challenges.

Conclusions:  The findings suggest that occupational therapists in acute settings may experience challenges in describing occupational therapy and engaging in occupation‐based practice. This is because of a range of factors, including, but not limited to, the paradigmatic conflict that arises between a profession informed by occupation and a predominantly biomedical setting. However, through in‐depth, reflective processes undertaken collectively within a supportive community of practice milieu, significant changes in everyday practices can be activated.
The rising trend of on‐demand and intermittent proton pump inhibitor therapy in gastroesophageal reflux disease: What is the evidence?
Authors: Bautista Jimmy M
Published: November 2006

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a chronic and relapsing disease. Its symptoms do not correlate well with the degree of reflux events or injury that pose a challenge in its management. Thus far, treatment modalities include lifestyle and dietary modifications, antacids and anti‐secretory medications, and anti‐reflux surgery. With an erratic symptomatology, high cost of treatment, and fear of complications and side effects, the dilemma arises as to when treatment is stopped. Diverse therapeutic strategies continue to advance to address such concerns. The rising trend of on‐demand and intermittent proton pump inhibitor therapy has raised various issues regarding efficacy.
Medical economy and acid reflux diseases
Authors: Chang Full‐Young
Published: November 2006

Today’s medicine is focused to improve the quality of life of patients. Hence, the increase in social health‐care utilization through patients themselves or a third party: the payer is apparently a burden to society. The negotiation between willingness of payers, expensive interventions, society acceptance, social costs, legal or moral encounters etc. remains unresolved. Knowing the medical economic analyses is obviously a way to reduce the nonsensical expenses and risks in daily practice. Of them, cost‐minimization analysis is the simplest form, which assumes that different approaches achieve the same outcome, therefore, the least expensive option is obtained. Cost‐utility analysis is not only to identify costs and outcomes of interventions but also to assign quality of life to suggest their likely acceptance by society. Cost–benefit analysis quantifies costs and benefits in monetary value of changing well‐being based on intervention and policy decision. Currently, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been very common in the gastrointestinal clinics of modern societies. The direct GERD expenditures in terms of diagnosis, drug price, maintenance and surveillance in the event of Barrett’s epithelial change are considerable to payers and society. Now it is believed that the most effective treatment is the most economic measure, whereas the step‐up approach is almost abandoned because of the lack of economic value. On‐demand therapy for mild GERD looks ideal to save on expenses. Nevertheless, how to define an effective guideline in approaching and treating GERD remains evolving. It is also difficult to apply globally due to the existing discrepancies in terms of disease epidemiology, culture, social acceptance, economy, insurance system etc. In conclusion, as the health‐care costs and payer oversight continue to grow due to the advanced science, technology and evolving humanitarian angles, the daily medical practice should consider their effectiveness and cost–benefits in reducing the burden on society.
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the two‐spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae)
Authors: UESUGI R. , OSAKABE MH.
Published: November 2006

Sixteen microsatellite loci are described for the two‐spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae, which is an agricultural pest. The microsatellite loci were obtained through the construction of an enriched library; these loci exhibited polymorphisms (2–5 alleles per locus) and high levels of observed (0.033–0.667, average 0.415) and expected (0.033–0.602, average 0.336) heterozygosities. The isolated microsatellite markers are expected to be useful for the construction of a linkage map of this species.
Prevention of sudden cardiac death by n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
Authors: Leaf Alexander
Published: November 2006

There were already several epidemiologic studies that showed eating fish frequently seemed to reduce deaths from coronary heart disease. There were also observational and clinical trials, which more specifically showed that the reduction in cardiovascular deaths from eating fish were largely the result of n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish oil for the prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD). This led me to perform a clinical trial in which all subjects had an implanted cardioverter–defibrillator and were at very high risk of SCD. The results of this study and the mechanisms by which the n‐3 fish oil fatty acids prevent fatal cardiac arrhythmias will be the subject of this review.
Cassava‐enriched diet is not diabetogenic rather it aggravates diabetes in rats
Authors: Yessoufou Akadiri , Ategbo Jean‐Marc , Girard Aurelie , Prost Josiane , Dramane Karim L. , Moutairou Kabirou , Hichami Aziz , Khan Naim A.
Published: November 2006

Chronic intake of cassava has been thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetes. We investigated the effects of dietary cassava (Manihot esculenta), which naturally contains cyanogenic glycosides, in the progression of diabetes mellitus in rats. Diabetes was induced by five mild doses of streptozotocin, in male Wistar rats which were fed a standard or cyanide‐free cassava (CFC) diet containing or not containing exogenous cyanide with or without methionine. Methionine was employed to counterbalance the toxic effects of cyanide. During diabetes progression, we determined glycaemia and antioxidant status, by measuring vitamin C levels and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) and glutathione reductase (GSSG‐Red). Feeding CFC diet did not induce diabetes in control rats; rather this diet, in diabetic animals, aggravated hyperglycaemia the severity of which was increased in these animals fed CFC diet, supplemented with cyanide. Addition of methionine curtailed the toxic effects of cyanide supplementation in CFC diet‐fed diabetic animals. In standard diet‐fed animals, the activities of SOD, GSH‐Px and GSSG‐Red were lower in diabetic rats than control rats. Interestingly, all of the CFC diets with or without cyanide or methionine, increased vitamin C levels and antioxidant enzyme activities in both control and diabetic animals. However, supplementing cyanide to CFC diet (without methionine) curtailed SOD and GSH‐Px activities in diabetic rats. Our study shows that cassava diet containing cyanide is ‘diabetes‐aggravating’.
Sacred to secular, east to west: the Renaissance study and strategies of display
Authors: Ruvoldt Maria
Published: November 2006

Perhaps no other space in the domestic interior embodied and articulated the values of Renaissance culture quite like the study. As a space reserved for the use of just one person, the study and the objects it contained allowed its owner to fashion and display an image of his ideal self. This paper examines how scholarly identity was constructed through the choice and display of objects in private studies. Focusing on Oriental carpets and other rare objects, it demonstrates how the decorative strategies of the study derive from sacred contexts and reveals how the transition from sacred to secular space informed and was in turn informed by conceptions of the scholarly self.
Not Crossing the “Extra Line”: How Cohabitors With Children View Their Unions
Authors: Reed Joanna M.
Published: November 2006

I use qualitative interview data from a sample of 44 cohabiting couples who have children together to investigate how they view their unions and how the presence of children influences the meanings they attach to them. I find most cohabiting parents begin cohabiting in response to a pregnancy but do not believe they should stay in a relationship because of shared children. They view cohabitation as a practical response to parenthood that allows them to coparent and share expenses yet avoid the greater expectations of commitment, relationship quality, and more traditional and scripted family roles they associate with marriage. Cohabiting parents do not believe they should marry because they have a child together but value the symbolic aspects of marriage.
The Division of Household Labor in Germany and Israel
Authors: Lewin‐Epstein Noah , Stier Haya , Braun Michael
Published: November 2006

We compare the patterns of household division of labor in Germany and Israel—two countries that share key elements of the corporatist welfare regime but differ in their gender regimes—and evaluate several hypotheses using data from the 2002 International Social Survey Program. Although time constraints and relative resources affect the division of household labor and women’s housework in both societies, we find that in Germany the gender order of household labor is more rigid, whereas in Israel the spouses’ linked labor market status exerts distinctive effects. We also find significant relationships between gender ideology and the division of household labor. We discuss the theoretical advantages of approaching the comparative study of gender inequality from the vantage point of family and gender regimes.
Effects of Diverse Forms of Family Structure on Female and Male Homicide
Authors: Schwartz Jennifer
Published: November 2006

Utilizing 2000 data on 1,618 counties and seemingly unrelated regression, I assess whether family structure effects on homicide vary across family structure measures and gender. There is evidence of robust, multidimensional family structure effects across constructs reflecting the presence of two‐parent families: mother/father absence, shortages of employed men, and nonmarital/teen childbearing. Findings indicate mainly gender similarity in family structural sources of homicide, but subtle gender differences include stronger effects on male homicide patterns and female‐specific mediating effects of the care burden on homicide. Further exploration of diverse family constructs is warranted, but, methodologically, father absence is adequate as a control for family structure. Public policies and social programs aimed at strengthening families could lessen violence among both women and men.
Intentional Families: Fictive Kin Ties Between Cross‐Gender, Different Sexual Orientation Friends
Authors: Muraco Anna
Published: November 2006

This study explores the nature of intentional family relationships between friends of different genders and different sexual orientations. Drawing on in‐depth interviews with 46 members of 23 friendship dyads, I first make the case that the friends considered one another family and I specify the criteria they use for making such designations. I then focus on the ways in which gender and sexual orientation influenced relationships between lesbians and straight men and between gay men and straight women. The data provided evidence that the dyad members identified one another as family and served the functions of family for each other. The findings also suggest that various gender issues affect cross‐gender, different sexual orientation relationships. Exploring the meaning and functioning of these intentional family ties documents their existence and illuminates their meaning and maintenance.
Maternal Employment, Nonparental Care, Mother‐Child Interactions, and Child Outcomes During Preschool Years
Authors: Nomaguchi Kei M.
Published: November 2006

This study examines the relationships between maternal employment, nonparental care, mother‐child interactions, and preschoolers’ outcomes. Data from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (N= 1,248) show that maternal employment during the previous year, especially full‐time employment, was related to care by nonrelatives, longer hours in school settings, fewer positive mother‐child interactions, and less reading with parents at ages 2 and 4. Controlling for these mediators, maternal employment was related to children’s lower hyperactivity, more prosocial behavior, and less anxiety at age 4, although little relationship was found at age 2. The results indicate that preschoolers may benefit from maternal employment, but benefits may be offset by long hours of nonparental care and fewer positive mother‐child interactions.
Comparing Analytic Techniques to Classify Dyadic Relationships: An Example Using Siblings
Authors: Whiteman Shawn D. , Loken Eric
Published: November 2006

Several methods exist for typologizing dyadic relationships. The present study reviews the utility of methods for typologizing relationships, exploring the strengths and weaknesses of 3 different approaches, and applying them to the study of adolescent sibling relationships. The 3 methods examined are a priori methods, cluster analysis, and mixture models. Each approach was used to analyze the same data taken from a cross section of a longitudinal study of 384 families with adolescent children. Clustering appeared to favor a 2‐type solution whereas the mixture model approach supported 4 types. The 3 strategies are discussed in terms of their statistical rigor and utility in the study of close relationships.
Discrete conformational changes as regulators of the hydrolytic properties of beta‐amyloid (1–40)
Authors: Brzyska Maria , Trzesniewska Katarzyna , Gers Tomasz , Elbaum Danek
Published: November 2006

Beta‐amyloid (1–40) (Abeta), the main component of senile plaques seen in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients, was found to be toxic both as fibrils and smaller soluble globular aggregates. The hydrolytic properties of Abeta, a new biochemical activity described previously [Brzyska M, Bacia A & Elbaum D (2001) Eur J Biochem268, 3443–3454], may contribute to its overall toxicity. In this study, the hydrolysis of fluorescein ester series was studied under predetermined conditions affecting Abeta hydrophobicity and conformation. Reaction products of the most effectively decomposed ester (dibutyrate) were characterized using HPLC and ESI‐MS. Hydrophobicity of Abeta, as measured by bis‐8‐anilinonaphthalene fluorescence, correlated with its hydrolytic abilities. FTIR and CD data analysis showed a relationship between enhanced hydrolytic abilities and Abeta structure. Seriously limited hydrolysis caused by higher peptide concentrations is consistent with monomeric/dimeric Abeta species participation in the process, confirmed by thioflavine T binding. Inhibition of hydrolysis was caused by β‐sheet breaker peptide (LPFFD), indicating that the Abeta central hydrophobic cluster (amino acids 17–21) participates in the process. The reported Abeta properties suggest that small conformational alterations of the peptide structure may have a pronounced effect on its functions and biological activity.
Subunit composition and in vivo substrate‐binding characteristics of Escherichia coli Tat protein complexes expressed at native levels
Authors: McDevitt Christopher A. , Buchanan Grant , Sargent Frank , Palmer Tracy , Berks Ben C.
Published: November 2006

The Tat system transports folded proteins across the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane and the thylakoid membrane of plant chloroplasts. Substrates are targeted to the Tat pathway by signal peptides containing a pair of consecutive arginine residues. The membrane proteins TatA, TatB and TatC are the essential components of this pathway in Escherichia coli. The complexes that these proteins form at native levels of expression have been investigated by the use of affinity tag‐coding sequences fused to chromosomal tat genes. Distinct TatA and TatBC complexes were identified using size‐exclusion chromatography and shown to have apparent molecular masses of ∼ 700 and 500 kDa, respectively. Following in vivo expression, the Tat substrate protein SufI was found to copurify with the TatBC, but not the TatA, complex. This binding required the SufI signal peptide. Substitution of the twin‐arginine residues in the SufI signal peptide by either twin lysine or twin alanine residues abolished export. However, both variant SufI proteins still copurified with the TatBC complex. These data show that the twin‐arginine residues of the Tat consensus motif are not essential for binding of precursor to the TatBC complex but are required for the successful entry of the precursor into the transport cycle. The effect on substrate binding of single amino acid substitutions in TatC that affect Tat transport were studied using TatC variants Phe94Ala, Glu103Ala, Glu103Arg and Asp211Ala. Only variant Glu103Arg showed reduced copurification of SufI with TatBC. The transport defects associated with the other TatC variants do not, therefore, arise from an inability to bind substrate proteins.
Commentary: A Response to Reckase's Conceptual Framework and Examples for Evaluating Standard Setting Methods
Authors: Schulz E. Matthew
Published: November 2006

A look at real data shows that Reckase's psychometric theory for standard setting is not applicable to bookmark and that his simulations cannot explain actual differences between methods. It is suggested that exclusively test‐centered, criterion‐referenced approaches are too idealized and that a psychophysics paradigm and a theory of group behavior could be more useful in thinking about the standard setting process. In this view, item mapping methods such as bookmark are reasonable adaptations to fundamental limitations in human judgments of item difficulty. They make item ratings unnecessary and have unique potential for integrating external validity data and student performance data more fully into the standard setting process.
A Historical Perspective and Current Views on the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing
Authors: Camara Wayne J. , Lane Suzanne
Published: November 2006

The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing have evolved in the breadth and depth of coverage of issues in educational testing and measurement since their first publication in 1954. There were a number of substantive changes in the 1999 revision that addressed validity, fairness, accommodations, and compliance with the Standards. In addition, there was nearly a 50% increase in the number of standards contained in the last revision. The next revision of the Standards may be initiated in 2007 and there are remaining concerns about access and awareness by non‐measurement professionals, compliance by test publishers and users, relevance in addressing mandates for accountability, and substantive areas of educational assessment. This review of major changes to the Standards and discussion of future topics is designed to inform the next revision.
Steps Toward More Effective Implementation of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing
Authors: Koretz Daniel
Published: November 2006

The goal of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing is to improve testing practices, but their impact on practice appears spotty. Self‐regulation clearly fails in some instances. The establishment of an external agency to oversee testing practices and adherence to the Standards would face substantial hurdles, and the ambiguity of many of the Standards would hobble such an organization if one were created. Many of the Standards are general statements of principle, and past controversies make clear that we in the field often disagree about the reasons for them, their applicability to specific cases, and their practical meaning in specific contexts. This paper argues that the field should follow two approaches to lessen this ambiguity. First, using journals, conferences, and other vehicles, we should foster more frequent and more protracted debate about the practical meaning of key Standards, such as 13.6 and 13.7, which mandate that a decision that will have a “major impact” on a student should not be based on a single score. Second, future revisions of the Standards should use concrete examples of testing practices to clarify the meaning of the Standards, much as the legal system uses case law to clarify the meaning of the general principles embodied in statutes.
Judicial Globalization in the Service of Self-Government
Authors: Flaherty Martin S.
Published: November 2006

For at least the past several decades, judges around the world have been looking beyond their own states' jurisprudence to international law and the decisions of foreign courts in order to apply domestic law. This widespread practice is part of a phenomenon that Anne-Marie Slaughter calls “judicial globalization.” The American judiciary, however, has exhibited a distinct diffidence toward the use of comparative and international law to decide domestic cases, a diffidence that extends to many elected officials as well… .

Various defenses of the Supreme Court's reliance on international and comparative sources have been made, not least by some of the Supreme Court justices themselves. None of the defenses, however, have met the democratic objections head-on. Instead, justifications have mainly defended the general utility of referencing additional sources rather than the specific legitimacy of referencing sources from outside the U.S. legal system. The defenses to date fall short for at least two sets of reasons. They fail to grapple with legitimate concerns about the practice. In consequence, they offer no reasons for those opposed to this practice to reconsider their resistance.
In-Plane and Out-Of-Plane Thermal Conductivity of Silicon Thin Films Predicted by Molecular Dynamics
Authors: Gomes Carlos J. , Madrid Marcela , Goicochea Javier V. , Amon Cristina H.
Published: November 2006

The thermal conductivity of silicon thin films is predicted in the directions parallel and perpendicular to the film surfaces (in-plane and out-of-plane, respectively) using equilibrium molecular dynamics, the Green-Kubo relation, and the Stillinger-Weber interatomic potential. Three different boundary conditions are considered along the film surfaces: frozen atoms, surface potential, and free boundaries. Film thicknesses range from 2to217nm and temperatures from 300to1000K. The relation between the bulk phonon mean free path (Λ) and the film thickness (ds) spans from the ballistic regime (Λ⪢ds) at 300K to the diffusive, bulk-like regime (Λ⪡ds) at 1000K. When the film is thin enough, the in-plane and out-of-plane thermal conductivity differ from each other and decrease with decreasing film thickness, as a consequence of the scattering of phonons with the film boundaries. The in-plane thermal conductivity follows the trend observed experimentally at 300K. In the ballistic limit, in accordance with the kinetic and phonon radiative transfer theories, the predicted out-of-plane thermal conductivity varies linearly with the film thickness, and is temperature-independent for temperatures near or above the Debye’s temperature.