bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Developmental expression and subcellular localization of glutaminyl cyclase in mouse brain
Authors: Hartlage‐Rübsamen Maike , Staffa Katharina , Waniek Alexander , Wermann Michael , Hoffmann Torsten , Cynis Holger , Schilling Stephan , Demuth Hans‐Ulrich , Roßner Steffen
Published: August 2009

Glutaminyl cyclase (QC) converts N‐terminal glutaminyl residues into pyroglutamate (pE), thereby stabilizing these peptides/proteins. Recently, we demonstrated that QC also plays a pathogenic role in Alzheimer's disease by generating the disease‐associated pE‐Abeta from N‐terminally truncated Abeta peptides in vivo. This newly identified function makes QC an interesting pharmacological target for Alzheimer's disease therapy. However, the expression of QC in brain and peripheral organs, its cell type‐specific and subcellular localization as well as developmental profiles in brain are not known. The present study was performed to address these issues in mice. In brain, QC mRNA expression was highest in hypothalamus, followed by hippocampus and cortex. In liver, QC mRNA concentration was almost as high as in brain while lower QC mRNA levels were detected in lung and heart and very low expression levels were found in kidney and spleen. In the developmental course, stable QC mRNA levels were detected in hypothalamus from postnatal day 5 to 370. On the contrary, in cortex and hippocampus QC mRNA levels were highest after birth and declined during ontogenesis by 20–25%. These results were corroborated by immunocytochemical analysis in mouse brain demonstrating a robust QC expression in a subpopulation of lateral and paraventricular hypothalamic neurons and the labeling of a significant number of small neurons in the hippocampal molecular layer, in the hilus of the dentate gyrus and in all layers of the neocortex. Hippocampal QC‐immunoreactive neurons include subsets of parvalbumin‐, calbindin‐, calretinin‐, cholecystokinin‐ and somatostatin‐positive GABAergic interneurons. The density of QC labeled hippocampal neurons declined during postnatal development matching the decrease in QC mRNA expression levels. Subcellular double immunofluorescent analysis localized QC within the endoplasmatic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and secretory granules, consistent with a function of QC in protein maturation and/or modification. Our results are in compliance with a role of QC in hypothalamic hormone maturation and suggest additional, yet unidentified QC functions in brain regions relevant for learning and memory which are affected in Alzheimer's disease.
Reconstruction of a large diaphragmatic defect in a kitten using small intestinal submucosa (SIS)
Authors: Andreoni Angelo A. , Voss Katja
Published: August 2009

A double-layer sheet of small intestinal submucosa (SIS) was used to reconstruct a large chronic diaphragmatic defect in a 4-month-old kitten. The SIS graft was easy to use, postoperative recovery was uneventful, no side effects of the SIS implant were observed, and the SIS graft resulted in restoration of normal clinical function while allowing growth of the kitten without restriction of chest wall development. Herniation of fat through the caval hiatus was diagnosed 29 months postoperatively on a CT scan. The cat was free of clinical signs.
Skin fragility syndrome in a cat with cholangiohepatitis and hepatic lipidosis
Authors: Daniel Alexandre GT , Lucas Sílvia RR , Júnior Archivaldo R , Monteiro Paula RG , Ramos Daniela , Pires Carolina G , Sinhorini Idércio L
Published: August 2009

A case of acquired skin fragility syndrome associated with hepatic disease in a 9-year-old, spayed female, domestic shorthair cat is described. The cat was admitted to the veterinary hospital of the University of São Paulo (Brazil) with a 6-week history of vomiting, inappetence and weight loss. Remarkable signs were weakness, lethargy and profound jaundice that had been present for 10 days according to the owner. On completion of the physical examination, when the cat was gently manipulated for blood collection the thoracic limb and interscapular skin tore. Liver enzymes and bilirubin levels were all above the normal range. On histological examination of skin and liver, Masson's trichrome stain showed collagen fibre alteration and major hepatocyte abnormalities. Findings were consistent with feline skin fragility syndrome associated with cholangiohepatitis and hepatic lipidosis.
Early Proterozoic diamond-bearing kimberlites of Karelia and their formation peculiarities
Authors: Ustinov V.N. , Zagainyi A.K. , Smith C.B. , Ushkov V.V. , Laz’ko E.E. , Luk’yanova L.I. , Lobkova L.P.
Published: August 2009

Early Proterozoic kimberlites of Karelia are among the most ancient diamond-bearing primary source rocks in the world. They compose the large (2.0 × 0.8 km) Kimozero body localized in the predicted Zaonezhskoe kimberlite field. The established and assumed occurrences of kimberlite magmatism are located within the Karelian craton, which was stabilized during the Early Archean. They are confined to the central part of a large geophysical anomaly detected by gravity, magnetic, seismic, and heat-flow studies and mark a deep-seated magma chamber. Kimberlite bodies occur within structural blocks bounded by zones of plicative-rupture dislocations.

The Kimozero kimberlites form an extensive but thin saucer-like body cut by narrow quasi-cylindrical feeders and dikes. It consists of metamorphosed kimberlites, their breccias and tuffs with widely varying amounts of mica. The body includes fragmentary fine-layered crater formations. The rocks contain olivine and phlogopite phenocrysts in an extremely altered groundmass of serpentine, chlorite, calcite, mica, and ore minerals as well as indicator minerals of kimberlites, such as Cr-spinel, manganiferous ilmenite, Cr-diopside, and rare pyrope. About 100 diamonds were extracted from 12 samples (total weight 815 kg). The crystals are colorless resorbed octahedra and, more seldom, combined octahedra-dodecahedra and spinel twins with abundant green spots caused by natural irradiation, which often make the whole crystal surface green. The diamonds contain inclusions of Mg-rich orthopyroxene and pentlandite suggestive of peridotitic lithospheric mantle derivation and dating of the sulfide inclusion implies a late Archean mantle source. By petrochemistry, the rocks are classified as kimberlites.

The Kimozero kimberlites differ from classical Phanerozoic ones in having higher Fe contents, low contents of alkalies and P2O5, and intense superimposed carbonate, magnetite, and amphibole mineralization. The saucer-like bodies with narrow feeders without developed diatremes have no analogs in Russia but are similar to the saucer-like kimberlite bodies in Canada (Fort a la Corne), India (Tokapal), and Central Africa (Bakwanga) and the West Kimberley lamproites in Australia. By analogy with these bodies and on the basis of some common petrographic features (presence of pyroclastics and specific amoeba-like autoliths, scarcity of fragments of the enclosing rocks, local reworking of the deposited matter), the Kimozero kimberlites are considered to be the products of subaerial volcanic central-type eruptions.
Geochemistry and SHRIMP geochronology of alkaline rocks of the Zijinshan massif in the eastern Ordos basin, China
Authors: Xingke Yang , Huixia Chao , Volkova N.I. , Menglin Zheng , Weihua Yao
Published: August 2009

Characteristics of geology, petrology, and geochemistry of the Zijinshan massif were studied in the eastern part of the Ordos basin. Geochemical analysis shows that the massif is characterized by high alkali, relatively high Fe, and low Mg and Ca contents. The rocks are undersaturated in SiO2, rich in REE (with no Eu anomaly) and belong to the alkaline-peralkaline series. The geologic history of the Zijinshan massif consists of several stages of magmatism. The obtained isotope-geochronological (U-Pb SHRIMP) data show that the magmatic activity climaxed in the interval 150–110 Ma, while the age of 16 zircon grains fitted a narrower interval, 132–125 Ma, i.e., the Early Cretaceous. The younger age corresponds to the middle and late stages of the evolution of the Ordos basin and agrees with a large Early Cretaceous tectonothermal event in North China. This event led to the large-scale uplift of the eastern flank of the Ordos basin, rise of the Lüliang asthenosphere, and to the formation of a large west-sloping monocline. The U-Pb SHRIMP studies have also revealed magmatic zircons of Carboniferous–Permian age, which evidences the multistage character of the thermal process.
Geochemistry, petrogenesis, and geodynamic typification of metavolcanics of the Tunka terrane (Baikal–Hövsgöl region)
Authors: Shkol’nik S.I. , Reznitskii L.Z. , Belichenko V.G. , Barash I.G.
Published: August 2009

The geochemical composition of metavolcanics (metabasalts and metaandesites) of the Tunka terrane is considered. They are differently enriched in incompatible elements relative to N-MORB. The geochemical features of the basalts (LILE and LREE enrichment, Zr and Hf negative anomalies) point to the suprasubductional nature of synsedimentary volcanism; at the same time, the rocks lack negative Nb, Ta, and Ti anomalies. Comparison of the Tunka metavolcanics with those of modern geodynamic settings shows their analogy to back-arc basin basalts.
Structural features of the northern West Siberian geosyneclise and new exploration targets
Authors: Plesovskikh I.A. , Nesterov I.I. , Nechiporuk L.A. , Bochkarev V.S.
Published: August 2009

The northern part of the West Siberian geosyneclise is characterized by a thick sedimentary cover and widespread Triassic sedimentary and volcanosedimentary rocks and Paleozoic platform structures. New targets have been recognized in the basement and deeply buried horizons of the geosyneclise cover. Reservoirs might be found in the following formations: Paleozoic cover deposits, weathering crusts, zones of Paleozoic rock deconsolidation, Triassic sedimentary and volcanosedimentary deposits, buried structures in the lower part of the cover, Lower and Middle Jurassic basal layers, pinch-outs of Jurassic horizons, Upper Jurassic bituminous shales and cavernous carbonates. Exploration of these potential structures will change the structure of the existing resource base toward the long-term replenishment of hydrocarbon resources and a stable rate of production replacement.
Computer simulation of Neocomian clinoform reservoirs in northern and arctic West Siberia
Authors: Ershov S.V. , Bukreeva G.F. , Krasavchikov V.O.
Published: August 2009

Neocomian reservoirs in the Mesozoic sedimentary cover of West Siberia have a complex geological structure. Their wedge-like (clinoform) geometry, with abrupt thickness changes and facies diversity (continental, shoreface, and pelagic deposits), causes difficulty in correlation between drilling- and seismics-based sand formations and clay caps. East-wedging (west-dipping) clinoforms consisting of interbedded clay and sand have the greatest reservoir potential in the West Siberian basin. Prediction of new oil and gas plays and their reservoir potential assessment require regional reconstructions in addition to local contour maps of individual zones and fields. However, the simulation technology which has been applied for years to Jurassic regional reservoirs is not fully applicable to the Neocomian clinoform sequences. Therefore we have adapted it correspondingly and suggest new tools to make due regard for the clinoform reservoir structure. The new approach has been tested through computing several structure and thickness contour maps of clinoform sequences for three largest regional Neocomian reservoirs (sub-Sarman, sub-Pim, and sub-Alymka) in northern and arctic West Siberia.
Nonlocal response functions: application to processing BEAR data
Authors: Plotkin V.V. , Belinskaya A.Yu. , Gavrysh P.A.
Published: August 2009

It has been suggested that regional array MTS data be processed with an algorithm based on the nonlocal response of laterally heterogeneous subsurface to an arbitrary electromagnetic excitation. The algorithm is tested with synthetic models which show that the inversion quality can be improved by accumulation of information through repeated measurements, at either changing or fixed array configurations. Besides the array configuration, the inversion quality depends on the selected size of the survey area. The choice of the area size defines the inversion conditions in terms of choice between the magnetic and electric mode for correlation of electromagnetic potentials. The algorithm has been applied to data acquired during the BEAR Project in the Fennoscandian shield. Preliminary results indicate a spatial correlation between conductivity minimums and Moho depth maximums. The apparent resistivity maps obtained with the suggested algorithm highlight the boundaries between the Lapland–Kola, Karelia, and Svecofennia tectonic provinces.
Thermal history, geodynamics, and current thermal activity of lithosphere in China
Authors: Lysak S.V.
Published: August 2009

The tectonic framework of China includes major and smaller-scale units that differ in age and in style of tectonomagmatic activity, the latter being related to the thermal history of the lithosphere. Heat flow in the area varies from 25 to 150 mW/m2 or higher, with an average of 58±11 mW/m2. It is high in active faults, rifts, and other structures of extension (or sometimes compression) subject to heating from rising lithospheric and mantle plumes. The current thermal activity in the region is controlled by the Pacific subduction beneath Eurasia in eastern China and mainly by the lateral strain and rotation of the Ordos block associated with the India–Eurasia interaction in central and western China.
Melt migration in the mantle beneath spreading zones and formation of replacive dunites: a review
Authors: Batanova V.G. , Savelieva G.N.
Published: August 2009

The state of the art of the problem of mantle melt transport through the upper mantle beneath spreading zones is reviewed. The geochemical data and physical properties of the mantle constraining the melt migration processes are considered. The review concentrates on the ways of mantle magma transport and mechanisms of the localization of diffuse intergranular porous melt percolation into the channel flow. The hypothesis of the reaction of migrating mantle magmas with wall peridotites and the formation of replacive dunites as a result of this process are discussed. We examine the publications on the field, theoretical, and geochemical studies of the reactive melt migration and its role in the dunite formation in the mantle sections of the ophiolites. Alternative models of the dunite origin in the mantle are also tested. The results of experimental studies of the melt/peridotite interaction are presented.
Ecological variations in diatom assemblages in the Paleo-Kathmandu Lake linked with global and Indian monsoon climate changes for the last 600,000 years
Authors: Hayashi Tatsuya , Tanimura Yoshihiro , Kuwahara Yoshihiro , Ohno Masao , Mampuku Mami , Fujii Rie , Sakai Harutaka , Yamanaka Toshiro , Maki Takeshi , Uchida Masao , Yahagi Wataru , Sakai Hideo
Published: August 2009

Variations in fossil diatom assemblages and their relationship with global and Indian monsoon climate changes for the last 600,000 yr were investigated using a core of ancient lake (Paleo-Kathmandu Lake) sediments drilled at the Kathmandu Basin, Nepal Himalaya. Chronological scales of the core were constructed by tuning pollen wet and dry index records to the SPECMAP δ18O stack record. Examinations of biogenic silica contents and fossil diatom assemblages revealed that variations in productivity and compositions of diatom assemblages were closely linked with global and Indian monsoon climate changes on glacial and interglacial time scales. When summer monsoonal rainfall increased during interglacials (interstadials), diatom productivity increased because of increased inputs of terrestrial nutrients into the lake. When summer monsoonal rainfall reduced and/or winter monsoonal aridification enhanced during glacials (stadials), productivity of the diatoms decreased and lake-level falling brought about changes in compositions of diatom assemblages. Monospecific assemblages by uniqueCyclotella kathmanduensisandPuncticulata versiformisappeared during about 590 to 390 ka. This might be attributed to evolutionary fine-tuning of diatom assemblages to specific lake environmental conditions. Additionally, low-amplitude precessional variations in monsoon climate and less lake-level changes may have also allowed both species to dominate over the long periods.
Early bronze in two Holocene archaeological sites in Gansu, NW China
Authors: Dodson John , Li Xiaoqiang , Ji Ming , Zhao Keliang , Zhou Xinying , Levchenko Vladimir
Published: August 2009

Understanding of the origin and development of bronze technology in eastern Asia remains unresolved. Here we report on the distribution of copper and associated cations in sediments from Huoshiliang in northwestern Gansu, China, strontium and lead isotope analyses of ore and slag samples, and some artifact fragments at archaeological sites at Ganggangwa and Huoshiliang in the Black River valley.

We conclude that bronze production began perhaps as early as 2135 BC and that the Baishantang modern mine site at Dingxin was a possible source of copper ore. There was at least one other, but currently unidentified, source of ore. The Bronze Age people were also farmers and planted cereals such as wheat, and they may have abandoned the region when wood was exhausted and desertification took over.
The Charitable John Locke
Authors: Forde Steven
Published: August 2009

Locke's political philosophy, like any that centers on individual rights such as property rights, raises the question whether human beings have any duty to charity, or economic assistance, to the needy. Locke's works contain some strong statements in favor of such a duty, but in his definitive treatment of property, chapter 5 of theSecond Treatise of Government, he is conspicuously silent on charity. Based on a reading of that chapter and other texts, I conclude that the basis of Lockean morality is not individual right per se, but concern for the common good. I compare Locke's theory of property to those of Aquinas, Grotius, and Pufendorf in order to shed light on Locke's view of property and charity. Finally, I argue that Locke has a tiered moral theory that separates justice from charity. His economic and political theories focus on justice, masking Locke's actual devotion to charity.
Interview with Ho Tzu Nyen
Authors: CHUI JANE WONG YEANG
Published: August 2009

JW: The King Lear Project shares some of the documentary aspects of works like Looking for Richard, The Lear Diaries, Richard II in New York, but it is unique, and very unusual in that it draws from a selection of key Lear essays. Why have you chosen this approach, and what draws you to these three particular essays?
Why Quality Is Addressed So Rarely in Clinical Ethics Consultation
Authors: AGICH GEORGE J.
Published: August 2009

In a practice like ethics consultation, quality and accountability are intertwined. Critics of ethics consultation have complained that clinical ethics consultants exercise power or influence in patient care without sufficient external oversight. Without oversight or external accountability, ethics consultation is seen as more sophistical than philosophical. Although there has been more discussion of accountability, concern for quality in ethics consultation is arguably more important, because it represents a central challenge for the field, namely, how to structure a responsible practice of ethics consultation.
Development of a land surface heating index–based method to locate regions of potential mesoscale circulation formation
Authors: Walker John R. , Mecikalski John R. , Knupp Kevin R. , MacKenzie Wayne M.
Published: August 2009

A new method is developed to create a land surface heating index (HI) that has the potential to identify preferred source regions of convective initiation (CI) on a daily basis. The method employs remotely sensed land surface characteristics of vegetation and soil moisture, as well as GOES‐derived insolation, to develop the HI. Strong gradients in land surface heating can lead to the development of mesoscale circulations, resembling inland sea breezes, which under synoptically calm conditions may lead to the development of CI. By using the proposed HI to locate areas of strong differential surface heating, the source regions of these circulations may be identified hours before any convection forms. The HI has many advantages over most current methods of CI nowcasting, because it is not dependent upon the extrapolation of observed radar and satellite trends, nor does it rely upon complex numerical weather prediction modeling. Also, by incorporating a variety of high‐resolution data fields, it has the ability to mitigate some of the drawbacks of existing remotely sensed land surface products. The goal of this paper is to describe the development of the method, with the application and verification of the procedures to follow in a subsequent study.
A coupled Eulerian and Lagrangian mixing model for intermittent concentration time series
Authors: Cassiani M. , Franzese P. , Albertson J. D.
Published: August 2009

The time series of scalar concentration at fixed points in space is modeled by a system of Eulerian stochastic differential equations for velocity and concentration using statistics obtained from a Lagrangian micromixing model. The interaction by exchange with the conditional mean model is used in both the Eulerian and Lagrangian frameworks allowing the natural representation of the external, large scale, scalar intermittency due to meandering. The calculated time series includes both the meandering and the relative dispersion time scales. The model is compared to experimental data in decaying grid turbulence and to Lagrangian simulations in stationary homogeneous turbulence. Scalar probability density functions conditioned on the velocity are calculated at two downwind distances from the source along with the corresponding time series to illustrate the separate effects of meandering and relative dispersion.
Design and control of electron transport properties of single molecules
Authors: Pan Shuan , Fu Qiang , Huang Tian , Zhao Aidi , Wang Bing , Luo Yi , Yang Jinlong , Hou Jianguo
Published: August 2009

We demonstrate in this joint experimental and theoretical study how one can alter electron transport behavior of a single melamine molecule adsorbed on a Cu (100) surface by performing a sequence of elegantly devised and well-controlled single molecular chemical processes. It is found that with a dehydrogenation reaction, the melamine molecule becomes firmly bonded onto the Cu surface and acts as a normal conductor controlled by elastic electron tunneling. A current-induced hydrogen tautomerization process results in an asymmetric melamine tautomer, which in turn leads to a significant rectifying effect. Furthermore, by switching on inelastic multielectron scattering processes, mechanical oscillations of an N-H bond between two configurations of the asymmetric tautomer can be triggered with tuneable frequency. Collectively, this designed molecule exhibits rectifying and switching functions simultaneously over a wide range of external voltage.
Aryans or Proto-Turks? Contested Ancestors in Contemporary Central Asia*
Authors: Shnirelman Victor
Published: August 2009

Every newly emerged and nationalizing state has to confirm its legitimacy and, more often than not, employs a cultural-historical approach for that. It is even more so, if, under an authoritarian regime, the given society presents itself as a cultural-historical entity rather than a civic one based on political cohesion. The less democratic a society the more it is eager to depict itself as an organic community based on a well-bound culture and deeply rooted in the given soil. In this case the idea of an ancestral heritage is used as a substitute for political legitimacy.
Due Process in Wartime? Secret Imperial Russian Police Files on the Forced Relocation of Russian Germans during World War I
Authors: Vakareliyska Cynthia M.
Published: August 2009

In 1762 and 1763, manifestos were issued by Catherine II, and later were extended further by her son Paul I, inviting foreign artisans and others to settle in far-flung rural areas of the Russian Empire in order to help strengthen the economy. Under a policy somewhat similar to the later US Homestead Act, under the manifestos German and other foreign-national settlers and their descendants were offered Russian citizenship, land ownership after three years, religious tolerance (including, in the case of Germans, German clergy and German-language churches), and exemption from the military draft—although by the end of the nineteenth century the last of these had been rescinded. The call was not restricted to Germans, but Germans comprised the largest group to take advantage of it, settling for the most part in Ukraine, Bessarabia, and the mid-Volga region. Those who participated in the migration, known as theAuswanderung, and their descendants are often referred to in English as “Russian Germans” or “Germans from Russia” (rossiiskie nemtsy). A second wave of German immigration occurred in 1894, when some Germans who had settled in Prussia moved across the border into Russia. By 1897, there were over 2 million German immigrants and descendants in the Russian Empire.
Minorities in Samarkand: A Case Study of the City's Koreans*
Authors: Buttino Marco
Published: August 2009

Annexation into the Russian Empire transformed the cities of Central Asia. The European presence increased steadily from year to year and with it new city neighborhoods were created, often alongside the old quarters in which the autochthonous population lived. With increased immigration during the Soviet era, the majority of the population in the region's principal cities were either Slavs or Russified minorities and the common language used by all the inhabitants, including the autochthonous ones who continued to use their mother tongue, was Russian. The Soviets saw these changes as part of a process of modernization starting in the cities’ European neighborhoods which would spread progressively to the local population.
Monometapoly or the Economics of the Music Industry
Authors: Rayna Thierry , Striukova Ludmila
Published: August 2009

With four major companies sharing more than 85% of the market, the recording industry is one of the most concentrated industries. While this market concentration has been traditionally linked with high barriers to entry, recent technological changes have made these barriers almost disappear. Nonetheless, market concentration remains, mostly due to IPRs protecting major companies. This has traditionally been considered acceptable due to the high sunk costs of music recording that prevent an efficient outcome in a competitive environment. This article calls this traditional wisdom into question and demonstrates that the majors are not only monopolies but also monoposonies: they are monometapolies. It is shown that the negative effects of a monometapoly are worse than those of a simple monopoly and that the loss of welfare indirectly caused by IPRs is likely to be much higher than is usually expected.
Experience with New Tools and Infrastructures of Research: An Exploratory Study of Distance From, and Attitudes Toward, e‐Research
Authors: Dutton William H. , Meyer Eric T.
Published: August 2009

e‐Research initiatives have been launched around the world, but have they captured the imagination of researchers across the disciplines? This paper reports on a web‐based survey designed to gauge awareness of and support for e‐Research initiatives. Early adoption and interest in e‐Research practices represent a wide range of methodological traditions, but those most interested in e‐Research tend to be among a cohort of more recent graduates of doctoral programmes. However, greater certainty and support is driven largely by proximity to e‐Research. This finding reinforces the value of efforts to engage more social scientists and other researchers in e‐Research, such as through demonstrations, training or other ways of providing hands‐on involvement. Doctoral and early career training might be the most fruitful arenas for engagement.
Contexts Matter: Two Teachers' Language Arts Instruction in this High-stakes Era
Authors: Dooley Caitlin McMunn , Assaf Lori Czop
Published: August 2009

This retrospective cross-case analysis compares two fourth-grade language arts teachers' beliefs and practices as they respond to an influx of high-stakes tests, including district-mandated benchmark testing systems. One teacher works in a suburban school, the other in an urban school. Results from the study show that the teachers' beliefs about literacy instruction are somewhat similar. Both teachers believed that creating a text-rich atmosphere engages students' interests, social interactions around texts aid comprehension, and “best practices” such as guided reading and literature discussions are useful methods. Both teachers harshly criticized the continuous barrage of tests in their district (between 10 and 17 district-mandated benchmark assessments per nine-month school year). However, their practices differed dramatically and created inequitable educational opportunities. Students in the suburban setting spent more time socially constructing knowledge about texts, themes, and topics while students in the urban school spent more time individually practicing the skills necessary to achieve understanding of a text's inherent meaning. Results from the study suggest that research on the influence of high-stakes assessments should go beyond surveys or interview statements of knowledge and should investigate teachers' practices in contexts where evidence of inequity may present itself.
Exploring Perceived Enablers and Barriers to Social Marketing Use in Public Health Nursing
Authors: Knibbs Kristin , Stamler Lynnette Leeseberg
Published: August 2009

Public health managers' perceptions of enablers and barriers to social marketing use among public health nurses were examined. Employing qualitative, action research methods, this study incorporated focus groups using nominal group process and group discussion. Eleven public health managers from large urban, small urban, and rural Canadian public health departments participated. Content analysis was conducted on the focus group transcripts, and trustworthiness was strengthened through independent review by participants and subject experts. Several enablers to social marketing use were identified in the areas of educational preparation of nurses and the nature of public health nursing practice. The majority of barriers to social marketing use related to human and financial resources at the system level. In addition, we identified as imperative that managers at those levels responsible for budgetary planning understand the principles of social marketing more fully if they are to be expected to support its use. Social marketing has the potential to positively influence the health behavior of populations. However, if public health nurses and other health-promotion professions are to incorporate this health-promotion strategy more effectively into their practice, issues related to its use must be addressed.
The Shoreline Project for Street Drinkers: Designing and Running a Supported Housing Project for the “Unhousable”
Authors: James Steve , Skinner Heather
Published: August 2009

The nonprofit sector is increasingly faced with the challenges of adopting unfamiliar orientations focusing on customer service and quality which historically have been more usually associated with the commercial for-profit sector. Such organizations are also facing financial and competitive pressures which are also more commonly associated with the commercial world and market economies. These factors tend to imply that nonprofit organizations should adopt a market orientation. Indeed many initiatives offered by public and nonprofit organizations are now defined as “social marketing.” This article presents empirical evidence from a case study of an innovative supported-housing project for homeless street drinkers and considers the barriers faced when implementing the project. Issues surrounding top management leadership, service design, service quality, consumer engagement, and the engagement of frontline customers facing service delivery personnel are considered, as these would expect to be evident in a service organization with a strong market orientation. However, considering that the project was implemented contrary to the express wishes of both the organization's internal market of its service employees and the primary target market of its service users, conclusions are drawn within a conceptual framework that agrees with the need to consider a social rather than a market orientation to the provision of such services within nonprofit organizations.
Lowe syndrome patient fibroblasts display Ocrl1-specific cell migration defects that cannot be rescued by the homologous Inpp5b phosphatase
Authors: Coon Brian G. , Mukherjee Debarati , Hanna Claudia B. , Riese David J. , Lowe Martin , Aguilar R. Claudio
Published: August 2009

The Lowe syndrome (LS) is a life-threatening, developmental disease characterized by mental retardation, cataracts and renal failure. Although this human illness has been linked to defective function of the phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphatase, Ocrl1 (Oculo-Cerebro-Renal syndrome ofLowe protein1), the mechanism by which this enzyme deficiency triggers the disease is not clear. Ocrl1 is known to localize mainly to the Golgi apparatus and endosomes, however it translocates to plasma membrane ruffles upon cell stimulation with growth factors. The functional implications of this inducible translocation to the plasma membrane are presently unknown. Here we show that Ocrl1 is required for proper cell migration, spreading and fluid-phase uptake in both established cell lines and human dermal fibroblasts. We found that primary fibroblasts from two patients diagnosed with LS displayed defects in these cellular processes. Importantly, these abnormalities were suppressed by expressing wild-type Ocrl1 but not by a phosphatase-deficient mutant. Interestingly, the homologous human PI-5-phosphatase, Inpp5b, was unable to complement the Ocrl1-dependent cell migration defect. Further, Ocrl1 variants that cannot bind the endocytic adaptor AP2 or clathrin, like Inpp5b, were less apt to rescue the migration phenotype. However, no defect in membrane recruitment of AP2/clathrin or in transferrin endocytosis by patient cells was detected. Collectively, our results suggest that Ocrl1, but not Inpp5b, is involved in ruffle-mediated membrane remodeling. Our results provide new elements for understanding how Ocrl1 deficiency leads to the abnormalities associated with the LS.
Electric field assisted hydrogen fluoride etching of silica
Authors: Santiago Neto Ruy Batista , Lesche Bernhard
Published: August 2009

The influence of electric fields on the velocity of the chemical reaction 4HF+SiO
2
→SiF
4
+2H
2
O in aqueous solution is investigated experimentally. The field strengths used were high enough to measure nonlinear effects. The results permit a critical analysis of a theoretical model known in literature. The basic idea of dipole orientation changing the rate of the primary step of the chemical reaction can explain the experimental data, but several important details of the original model had to be changed. The primary step involves two hydrogen fluoride (HF) molecules rather than one, and field screening by mobile ions has a significant influence causing nonlinear effects. The fact that field screening plays an important role implies that electric field-assisted HF etching of silica may by used as an instrument for measuring ion concentrations in highly concentrated electrolytes. The data measured may be well described by a theoretical model based on mean field approximations. The results give an insight into the structure of highly concentrated hydrofluoric acid and also permit a critical analysis of applications of the effect in measuring electric fields written in glass samples by electrothermal poling. The effect may also be used for shaping glass surfaces.
A Nuclear-Targeted Cameleon Demonstrates Intranuclear Ca2+ Spiking in Medicago truncatula Root Hairs in Response to Rhizobial Nodulation Factors
Authors: Sieberer Björn J. , Chabaud Mireille , Timmers Antonius C. , Monin André , Fournier Joëlle , Barker David G.
Published: August 2009

Lipochitooligosaccharide nodulation factors (NFs) secreted by endosymbiotic nitrogen-fixing rhizobia trigger Ca2+ spiking in the cytoplasmic perinuclear region of host legume root hairs. To determine whether NFs also elicit Ca2+ responses within the plant cell nucleus we have made use of a nucleoplasmin-tagged cameleon (NupYC2.1). Confocal microscopy using this nuclear-specific calcium reporter has revealed sustained and regular Ca2+ spiking within the nuclear compartment of Medicago truncatula root hairs treated with Sinorhizobium meliloti NFs. Since the activation of Ca2+ oscillations is blocked in M. truncatula  nfp, dmi1, and dmi2 mutants, and unaltered in a dmi3 background, it is likely that intranuclear spiking lies on the established NF-dependent signal transduction pathway, leading to cytoplasmic calcium spiking. A semiautomated mathematical procedure has been developed to identify and analyze nuclear Ca2+ spiking profiles, and has revealed high cell-to-cell variability in terms of both periodicity and spike duration. Time-lapse imaging of the cameleon Förster resonance energy transfer-based ratio has allowed us to visualize the nuclear spiking variability in situ and to demonstrate the absence of spiking synchrony between adjacent growing root hairs. Finally, spatio-temporal analysis of the asymmetric nuclear spike suggests that the initial rapid increase in Ca2+ concentration occurs principally in the vicinity of the nuclear envelope. The discovery that rhizobial NF perception leads to the activation of cell-autonomous Ca2+ oscillations on both sides of the nuclear envelope raises major questions about the respective roles of the cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments in transducing this key endosymbiotic signal.
CYP704B1 Is a Long-Chain Fatty Acidω-Hydroxylase Essential for Sporopollenin Synthesis in Pollen of Arabidopsis
Authors: Dobritsa Anna A. , Shrestha Jay , Morant Marc , Pinot Franck , Matsuno Michiyo , Swanson Robert , Møller Birger Lindberg , Preuss Daphne
Published: August 2009

Sporopollenin is the major component of the outer pollen wall (exine). Fatty acid derivatives and phenolics are thought to be its monomeric building blocks, but the precise structure, biosynthetic route, and genetics of sporopollenin are poorly understood. Based on a phenotypic mutant screen in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), we identified a cytochrome P450, designated CYP704B1, as being essential for exine development. CYP704B1 is expressed in the developing anthers. Mutations in CYP704B1 result in impaired pollen walls that lack a normal exine layer and exhibit a characteristic striped surface, termed zebra phenotype. Heterologous expression of CYP704B1 in yeast cells demonstrated that it catalyzes ω-hydroxylation of long-chain fatty acids, implicating these molecules in sporopollenin synthesis. Recently, an anther-specific cytochrome P450, denoted CYP703A2, that catalyzes in-chain hydroxylation of lauric acid was also shown to be involved in sporopollenin synthesis. This shows that different classes of hydroxylated fatty acids serve as essential compounds for sporopollenin formation. The genetic relationships between CYP704B1, CYP703A2, and another exine gene, MALE STERILITY2, which encodes a fatty acyl reductase, were explored. Mutations in all three genes resulted in pollen with remarkably similar zebra phenotypes, distinct from those of other known exine mutants. The double and triple mutant combinations did not result in the appearance of novel phenotypes or enhancement of single mutant phenotypes. This implies that each of the three genes is required to provide an indispensable subset of fatty acid-derived components within the sporopollenin biosynthesis framework.
Defining the Far-Red Limit of Photosystem II in Spinach
Authors: Thapper Anders , Mamedov Fikret , Mokvist Fredrik , Hammarström Leif , Styring Stenbjörn
Published: August 2009

The far-red limit of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry was studied in PSII-enriched membranes and PSII core preparations from spinach (Spinacia oleracea) after application of laser flashes between 730 and 820 nm. Light up to 800 nm was found to drive PSII activity in both acceptor side reduction and oxidation of the water-oxidizing CaMn4 cluster. Far-red illumination induced enhancement of, and slowed down decay kinetics of, variable fluorescence. Both effects reflect reduction of the acceptor side of PSII. The effects on the donor side of PSII were monitored using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Signals from the S2-, S3-, and S0-states could be detected after one, two, and three far-red flashes, respectively, indicating that PSII underwent conventional S-state transitions. Full PSII turnover was demonstrated by far-red flash-induced oxygen release, with oxygen appearing on the third flash. In addition, both the pheophytin anion and the Tyr Z radical were formed by far-red flashes. The efficiency of this far-red photochemistry in PSII decreases with increasing wavelength. The upper limit for detectable photochemistry in PSII on a single flash was determined to be 780 nm. In photoaccumulation experiments, photochemistry was detectable up to 800 nm. Implications for the energetics and energy levels of the charge separated states in PSII are discussed in light of the presented results.
Lookback study of HTLV‐1 and 2 seropositive donors and their recipients in Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Authors: Namen‐Lopes M. S. S. , Martins M. L. , Drummond P. C. , Lobato R. R. ,   Interdisciplinary HTLV Research Group (GIPH) and, Carneiro‐Proietti A. B. F.
Published: August 2009

summary.

The objective of this study was to perform lookback study in recipients of blood components from human T‐lymphotropic virus (HTLV) seropositive donors. HTLV‐1/2 may be transmitted by blood transfusion. Brazil is an endemic area for the virus and its screening in blood donors is mandatory since 1993. Hemominas Foundation (HF) is the public transfusion centre in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Data on HTLV‐1/2 seropositive donors and recipients from 1993 to 2004 were obtained at HF and 24 contracting hospitals. From 1993 to 2004, HTLV‐1/2 enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was performed in 918 678 donations of approximately 422 600 blood donor candidates. Of these, 456 donors (0·1%) were reactive and confirmed by Western blot (WB): 449 HTLV‐1 and 7 HTLV‐2. Sixty‐six (14·5%) were repeat donors and had 194 blood cellular components produced from their previous donations. Of the distributed components, 119/146 (81·5%) had the recipient traced, with a total of 114 individuals. Of these, only 13 recipients were tested: six (46%) were HTLV‐1 positive (four recipients of red cell units, two of platelets) and seven (54%) were negative (six of red cell units and one of platelets). Eleven did not respond and 62/114 (54·0%) were deceased. Another 28/114 (25·0%) could not be located. All six seropositive HTLV‐1 recipients identified had no symptoms suggestive of HTLV‐1‐associated diseases. Acellular components, when used alone, were not associated with HTLV seropositivity. HTLV‐1 transmission by cellular blood components occurred before screening for the virus was introduced. Haemovigilance was difficult to perform due to unavailability of computer systems before 1999 and to inadequate medical records at hospitals.
The six‐minute walk test: a useful metric for the cardiopulmonary patient
Authors: Rasekaba T. , Lee A. L. , Naughton M. T. , Williams T. J. , Holland A. E.
Published: August 2009

Measurement of exercise capacity is an integral element in assessment of patients with cardiopulmonary disease. The 6‐min walk test (6MWT) provides information regarding functional capacity, response to therapy and prognosis across a range of chronic cardiopulmonary conditions. A distance less than 350 m is associated with increased mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic heart failure and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Desaturation during a 6MWT is an important prognostic indicator for patients with interstitial lung disease. The 6MWT is sensitive to commonly used therapies in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease such as pulmonary rehabilitation, oxygen, long‐term use of inhaled corticosteroids and lung volume reduction surgery. However, it appears less reliable to detect changes in clinical status associated with medical therapies for heart failure. A change in walking distance of more than 50 m is clinically significant in most disease states. When interpreting the results of a 6MWT, consideration should be given to choice of predictive values and the methods by which the test was carried out.
Glutamate metabolic pathways and retinal function
Authors: Bui Bang V. , Hu Rebecca G. , Acosta Monica L. , Donaldson Paul , Vingrys Algis J. , Kalloniatis Michael
Published: August 2009

Glutamate is a major neurotransmitter in the CNS but is also a key metabolite intimately coupled to amino acid production/degradation. We consider the effect of inhibition of two key glutamate metabolic enzymes: glutamine synthetase (GS) and aspartate aminotransferase on retinal function assessed using the electroretinogram to consider photoreceptoral (a‐wave) and post‐receptoral (b‐wave) amplitudes. Quantitative immunocytochemistry was used to assess amino acid levels within photoreceptors, ganglion and Müller cells secondary to GS inhibition. Intravitreal injections of methionine sulfoximine reduced GS immunoreactivity in the rat retina. Additionally, glutamate and its precursor aspartate was reduced in photoreceptors and ganglion cells, but elevated in Müller cells. This reduction in neuronal glutamate was consistent with a deficit in neurotransmission (−75% b‐wave reduction). Exogenous glutamine supply completely restored the b‐wave, whereas other amino acid substrates (lactate, pyruvate, α‐ketoglutarate, and succinate) only partially restored the b‐wave (16–20%). Inhibition of the aminotranferases using aminooxyacetic acid had no effect on retinal function. However, aminooxyacetic acid application after methionine sulfoximine further reduced the b‐wave (from −75% to −92%). The above data suggest that de novo glutamate synthesis involving aspartate aminotransferase can partially sustain neurotransmission when glutamate recycling is impaired. We also show that altered glutamate homeostasis results in a greater change in amino acid distribution in ganglion cells compared with photoreceptors.