bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An apparatus for the measurement of lung volume and compliance in mice
Authors: Struhar David , Harbeck Ronald J.
Published: June 2007

Pressure-volume (P-V) curves and total lung capacity (TLC) were measured in excised lung of mice using a water manometer and a closed system in which the humidity and temperature were controlled. In pathogen-free mice there are no significant differences in elastic properties of these lungs in relation to their age. The measured TLC in those normal mice was approximately 2·9 ml. This relatively simple apparatus which allows one to make sensitive and accurate measurements of pulmonary function in mice and other small animals.
Gnotobiotic, athymic mice; a possible system for the study of the role of bacteria in human amoebiasis
Authors: Owen D. G.
Published: June 2007

Two groups of 12+14 gnotobiotic, athymic mice were intracaecally injected with Entamoeba histolytica strain HK9 and NIH : 200, respectively. Two groups of 16 and 15 mice were given amoebae together with a pure strain of Escherichia coli and a further two groups of 16 and 27 were given amoebae with a pure strain of Clostridium perfringens.

Batches of 3-7 mice from each group were killed at intervals of 1-4 weeks. All the mice given NIH : 200 alone were found to be infected with trophozoites. Of those given HK9 alone, 20% of the first and 57% of the second group to be examined were infected.

Groups of mice given either strain of amoeba monocontaminated with E. coli were all found to be infected at post-mortem examination with no apparent clinical signs and little histological change. The group given HK9 and C. perfringens, although all were infected, failed to produce clinical signs or histological lesions, though some died expectedly. In the group given NIH : 200 with C. perfringens the amoebae showed a change of activity and there was evidence of both caecal and liver lesions after 120 days. The usefulness of the system in studying the effect of individual species of bacteria on invasive amoebae is discussed.
Background pathology in BDF1 mice allowed to live out their life-span
Authors: Yamate J. , Tajima M. , Kudow S. , Sannai S.
Published: June 2007

Fifty male and 50 female BDF1 mice were observed allowing them to live out their life-span. Mortality up to 104 weeks of age was higher in males (42%) than in females (34%), and the 50% survival age was 112 weeks for males and 118 weeks for females. Body weight reached the peak at 82 weeks of age in males and 92 weeks of age in females, showing the mean body weight of 54·3 g for males and 48·0 g for females. The incidence of calculi and proteinaceous casts in the kidneys, that were not associated with exposure to chloroform, cell-alteration in the adrenal cortex, and islet cell hyperplasia in the pancreas was significantly higher in males than in females. On the other hand, hyaline droplet degeneration of the renal tubular epithelium, spindle cell proliferation in the adrenal cortex and milk-retention in the mammary glands occurred at a significantly higher incidence in females than in males. Cerebral mineralization in both sexes, atrophy and calcification of the testes and enlargement of the seminal vesicles of males, as well as cyst-formations in the ovary and endometrium of females developed at a very high incidence. Frequent neoplasms in males were hepatocellular adenomas and carcinomas, blood vessel tumours, pulmonary adenomas and carcinomas, and malignant lymphomas. In females, malignant lymphomas were the most common neoplasm, followed by blood vessel tumours, chromophobe pituitary adenomas and hepatocellular adenomas. Hepatocellular carcinomas developed only in males, whereas the histiocytic and lymphocytic types of malignant lymphomas and chromophobe cell adenomas arose solely or at a significantly higher incidence in females than in males.
Critical factors in an enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) for antibodies to mouse thymic virus (MTLV)
Authors: Morse Stephen S.
Published: June 2007

Mouse thymic virus (MTLV; murid herpesvirus 3) is a naturally occurring herpesvirus of mice. Critical variables in an enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) for antibodies to mouse thymic virus (MTLV) were assessed. High protein binding plates proved unsuitable. For storing coated plates, the most consistent results were obtained when coated plates were washed and stored with coating buffer (phosphate buffered saline, PBS) at -70°C. Storage of antigen at -20°C was unsatisfactory, although coated plates could be stored at -20°C for at least 1-2 weeks. In performing the ELISA, vigorous washing and blocking were critical. However, substituting isotonic (0-9%) saline for PBS in washing solutions gave reliable results at considerable cost savings. For blocking, and as sample diluent, a modification of 'BLOTTO' (5% nonfat dry milk and 0-2% Tween 20) was most satisfactory.
In vivo activity of orally administered antibiotics and chemotherapeutics against acute septicaemic pasteurellosis in rabbits
Authors: Okerman L. , Devriese L. A. , Gevaert D. , Uyttebroek E. , Haesebrouck F.
Published: June 2007

Different antibiotics and chemotherapeutics were tested for therapeutic efficacy in rabbits, in an experimental model using a Pasteurella multocida strain which causes hyperacute septicaemia in this animal species. Only enrof1oxacin, administered in the drinking water at a concentration of 50-100 mg/l cured the rabbits, provided that a daily intake of 5 mg/kg body weight was achieved. The other drugs tested (tetracycline, spiramycin, erythromycin and a combination of sulfamerazine with trimethoprim), at doses recommended for rabbits, showed little or no activity at all, with the exception of chloramphenicol, which was only partially effective.
Auricular chondritis in Wistar rats
Authors: McEwen B. J. , Barsoum N. J.
Published: June 2007

The macroscopic and microscopic features of auricular chondritis in Wistar rats are described. Histologic lesions are characterized by granulomatous inflammation, chondrolysis, and multinodular proliferative foci. The condition in Wistar rats is compared to auricular chondritis in other strains of rats.
An improved method of bronchoalveolar lavage of lungs of small laboratory animals: short report
Authors: Van Soolingen D. , Moolenbeek C. , Van Loveren H.
Published: June 2007

This report describes a semi-automatic method for standardized bronchoalveolar lavage of small laboratory animals. In essence the method is constructed from a dispenser and a pressure chamber.
Age related changes in weight and the concentrations of zinc and copper in the brain of the adult rat
Authors: Palm R. , Wahlström G. , Hallmans G.
Published: June 2007

Two groups of adult male rats aged 15 weeks and 49 weeks, 15 rats in each group, were analysed for the concentrations of the trace elements zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) in serum, liver, kidney, and five parts of the brain (cortex, corpus striatum, hippocampus, midbrain+medulla, and cerebellum). All organs increased in weight from 15 weeks to 49 weeks. In all parts of the brain, except for corpus striatum, there was a significant increase of the weights. The dry weight (% of wet) increased in all parts of the brain. In serum, the Zn and Cu concentrations increased from 15 weeks to 49 weeks. In the liver, both concentrations decreased and in the kidney the concentrations increased with increasing age. The Zn concentrations increased in cortex and corpus striatum and decreased in cerebellum and hippocampus. The Cu levels increased in all parts of the brain with the largest changes in corpus striatum. For rats aged 49 weeks, a significant correlation was found between the Cu concentrations of corpus striatum or midbrain+medulla and the fluid consumption. The findings of the present study reveal a dynamic age-related pattern of changes in the concentrations of Zn and Cu in different organs of the adult rat. This stresses the need of age-matching as an important control in experiment studies.
Ringtail in the pouched mouse (Saccostomus campestris)
Authors: Ellison G. T. H. , Aarde L. M. Westlin-Van
Published: June 2007

Laboratory colonies of the pouched mouse ( Saccostomus campestris) were housed in solid bottom cages and fed a varied diet containing excess fatty acids. Ringtail was only initiated in animals of all ages, from populations originating from different areas of South Africa, when the relative humidity fell below 30%. The incidence of ringtail was curtailed by maintaining relative humidity above 45% in animal houses.
Population density and growth rate in laboratory mice
Authors: Peters Alan , Festing Michael
Published: June 2007

Home Office guidelines recommend an area of 60 cm2 per mouse for growing mice up to 30 g. However, the overall growth rate, and final adrenal weight of weanling BALB/c and MF1 strain mice was not affected by being housed at a density of down to 27 cm2 per mouse, though there was some evidence of strain differences in ability to tolerate such dense housing. The presence of cage accessories had no effect on growth rate of BALB/c and female mice, but reduced growth of MF1 and male mice, though the effect was small. It is concluded that present Home Office guidelines make a generous provision for the space requirements of growing laboratory mice, and that the use of cage accessories of varying design may be worth exploring in more detail.
A technique for creating partial obstruction of the common bile duct in the rat
Authors: Sekas Gail
Published: June 2007

Partial obstruction of the common bile duct was produced in rats by tightly tying a 0·5 mm stainless steel rod to the proximal common bile duct. The rod was then removed from the ligature leaving a constriction around the duct. Within 2 weeks the bile duct proximal to the partial obstruction was markedly dilated. Liver histology was notable for marked proliferation of the interlobular bile ductules and minimal cholangitis, changes which are characteristic of partial obstruction.
Responses of female rhesus macaques to an environmental enrichment apparatus
Authors: Line S. W. , Clarke A. S. , Markowitz H. , Ellman G.
Published: June 2007

Environmental enrichment devices are a potential way to enhance psychological well-being in laboratory animals. The effects of such devices need to be systematically evaluated before they are recommended for widespread use. The purpose of this research was to monitor the behavioural and physiological responses of adult female rhesus macaques to a simple enrichment device. The apparatus consisted of a box attached to the monkey's home cage that contained a radio and a food dispenser, which could be controlled by the monkeys via contact detectors. Radio and food dispenser use were automatically recorded. Whole blood serotonin (WBS), plasma cortisol and abnormal behaviour were measured in 5 monkeys before, during and after a 20-week period in which the monkey's cages were equipped with the device. All monkeys used the device (3 of the 5 subjects earned an average of more than 200 food pellets per day). Mean plasma cortisol and whole blood serotonin did not differ across sampling times, suggesting that the apparatus had no effect on basal stress levels. There was an inverse relationship between apparatus use and cortisol levels in 76% of the samples, but only 3 of 17 coefficients were significant. There was a significant but small negative correlation between apparatus use and self-abusive behaviour. This enrichment device was readily used by adult rhesus monkeys and could be adapted for use in a wide variety of laboratory settings.
Improved procedures for maintaining and breeding the short-tailed fruit bat (Carollia perspicillata) in a laboratory setting
Authors: Rasweiler John J. , Badwaik Nilima K.
Published: June 2007

Improved methods have been developed for maintaining and breeding the neotropical short-tailed fruit bat, Carollia perspicillata, in an easily-reproduced, laboratory setting. Bipartite, all-metal cages have been designed which permit efficient, non-injurious handling of the animals. Also, a fruit-based liquid diet, which is simple and inexpensive to prepare, has been formulated from readily-available canned and powdered components.

When efforts were initiated to breed wild-caught animals at 3-6 months after capture, this progressed slowly in most (but not all) cages. Breeding took place more rapidly when the bats had been in captivity for 11-24 months. Most females (122/144, 84.7%) then bred within 30 days of the introduction of a stud male, and the overall conception rate was 94.3% in those females which bred. This pattern of breeding activity, evidence that this bat is a spontaneous ovulator, and observed intervals between successive breeding periods (apparently representing much or all of non-pregnant cycles) in some individuals suggest that the cycle length in many of these bats probably falls between 20 and 30 days. Analysis of the breeding data also showed that certain patterns of breeding activity were frequently associated with a failure of females to establish ongoing pregnancies.

Most laboratory-bred females (69/81) that were permitted to carry their pregnancies to term did so and successfully reared their young. The laboratory-reared young have generally exhibited excellent body condition, and many have proved to be fertile.

The bats were found to exhibit a post-partum oestrus, which in nearly all cases (35/36) was fertile. The interval between the discovery of a new baby and the detection of a sperm-positive vaginal aspirate varied between 3-10 days, but most frequently was 3-6 days. Females which aborted non-term fetuses also had a post-partum oestrus with similar timing.

These findings indicate that the short-tailed fruit bat, which is widely abundant in the lowland tropics of the New World, can be successfully maintained under controlled conditions, in cages of modest dimensions, for research purposes.
Strain-specific response to hypercholesterolaemic diets in the rat
Authors: Bottger A. , den Bieman M. , Lankhorst Æ. , van Lith H.A. , van Zutphen L.F.M.
Published: June 2007

The cholesterolaemic effect of 2 hypercholesterolaemic diets was tested in 12 rat inbred strains. Diet I is a commercial diet supplemented with 2.0% (w/w) cholesterol and 5.0% (w/w) olive oil, diet II is identical to diet I with addition of 0.5% (w/w) sodium cholate.

Strains with the highest plasma cholesterol response after diet I (BN and LEW) also had the highest cholesterol response after diet II (hyperresponders, mean response>3.5 mmol/l). In the strains DA, SHR, BC, WAC, LOU, PVG and BUF the strain mean cholesterol response remained below 1.3mmol/l after both diets (hyporesponders). Strains F344 and OM had an intermediate cholesterol response after both diets (normoresponders, mean response between 1.3 and 3.5 mmol/l).

Only in the strains LOU, PVG and SHR there appeared to be a significant higher cholesterol response after diet II when compared with the cholesterol response after diet I. In the strain WKY this difference was of a borderline significance ( P=0.052) and this strain turned from a normoresponder after diet I into a hyperresponder after diet II.

Liver cholesterol levels as measured after feeding diet II for two weeks also appeared to be strain-specific. No correlation was found between the plasma cholesterol response after diet II and the liver cholesterol levels. Changes in plasma phospholipid and triglyceride levels have been measured for both diet I and diet II. For group means a correlation between the cholesterol response and the change in phospholipid levels was found (r=0.86 for diet I, P<0.001 and r=0.76 for diet II, P<0.01). No such correlation was found for triglyceride levels.
Successful vitrification of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive and normal Wistar rat 2-cell embryos
Authors: Sato Masahiro , Yokokawa Kazuo , Kasai Kazuhiro , Tada Norihiro
Published: June 2007

Stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSPs) have been widely used as models of hypertension and cerebral apoplexy. They were obtained by selective sib-breeding of Wistar Kyoto rats with higher blood pressure than rats of the original Wistar Kyoto strain. For vitrification of SHRSP 2-cell embryos, DPS solution containing 2.75 M dimethylsulfoxide, 2.75 M propylene glycol and 1.0 M sucrose was prepared and diluted in a modified phosphatebuffered saline, PBl, containing 0.3% bovine serum albumin. Embryos were exposed to the resulting solution in one step at room temperature, kept in the solution for 15 s, vitrified in liquid nitrogen, and warmed rapidly. The post-warming survival rate as morphologically assessed was 70% (148/210), which was comparable ( P>0.05) to the rate of 88% (78/89) for the solution control. After vitrification, the embryos were transferred into recipient animals, and 62% (48/78) were normally delivered, comparable ( P>0.05) to the percentage for the solution control (68%, 57/84). These was no significant difference between pups from vitrified embryos and those from unvitrified control embryos in either the growth curve or degree of blood pressure increase. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the simple vitrification method we used for cryopreservation of SHRSP and Wistar rat 2-cell embryos, and also demonstrate that vitrification-mediated cryopreservation does not affect the phenotypic characteristics of SHRSPs.
Isolation of Enterococcus durans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a scid mouse colony
Authors: Dietrich H. M. , Khaschabi D. , Albini B.
Published: June 2007

In a colony of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice conspicuously altered behavioural characteristics were observed: hunched position, apathy, dullness, short breath, bristled fur, emaciation, circling movements around their longitudinal axis and oblique head posture. This was most common in pregnant and lactating animals and also observed in 4 mice after experimental treatment. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, serotype PI and Enterococcus durans, serotype D were isolated from various organs and from the middle ear. On autopsy, the mice showed signs of focal pericarditis and thickened liver capsules. The histological examination of the liver revealed mild, focal accumulations of mononuclear cells. In addition, it was observed that mice with signs of this disease did not allow human peripheral blood mononuclear cells to engraft.
Detection and in vivo transmission of rat orphan parvovirus (ROPV)
Authors: Ueno Y. , Sugiyama F. , Yagami K.
Published: June 2007

Antibodies to rodent parvovirus were detected by the immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) test but not by haemagglutination inhibition (HAI) in a commercial rat breeding colony. These antibodies were considered to be a response to so-called 'orphan parvovirus'. The virus was transmissible by intraperitoneal inoculation of infected materials (spleen cell or lymphoid tissue homogenate), and direct contact with infected rats or contaminated bedding. Furthermore, parvoviral-specific DNA sequence coded non-structural (NS) protein was detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in spleen cells and peripheral lymphocytes of experimentally infected rats.
Oral endotracheal intubation of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniiculus)
Authors: Davies A. , Dallak M. , Moores C.
Published: June 2007

Endotracheal intubation of rabbits is reported, both personally and in the literature, to be so difficult that special equipment has been constructed by other workers to facilitate the procedure. We report that the positioning of the operator, behind the animal, viewing from the dorsal surface of the head, facilitates this procedure enormously.
Monitoring and controlling reproduction in captive common marmosets on the basis of urinary oestrogen metabolites
Authors: Nievergelt C. , Pryce C. R.
Published: June 2007

Non-invasive methods for routine monitoring of reproductive states and reproduction control in large colonies of captive Callithrix jacchus have been developed. Immunoactive urinary oestrone-3-conjugates (E1C) were measured during non-conception cycles ( n=5) and pregnancy ( n=7). Using plasma progesterone levels to time ovulation, ovulation was quantitatively estimated by a) calculating the first E1C rise and b) by establishing an E1C threshold. Ovulation was thus defined as taking place 4 days preceding a) the first rise of E1C above follicular-phase levels, or b) a concentration 4≥.5 µg E1/mg creatinine. Early pregnancy could be determined after day 20 by continued luteal-phase levels of E1C. Secondly, the luteolytic effect of cloprostenol, injected over a wide range of doses and between days 1 and 64 after ovulation/conception, was analysed. Luteolysis was achieved when cloprostenol was administered after day 5 post-ovulation; the luteolytic effect was found not to be dose-dependent. The success of cloprostenol treatment was 87% as confirmed by endocrine monitoring. The methods described are effective and minimize intervention, and are therefore suitable for long-term applications, particularly in combination with behavioural studies.
Preference of laboratory rats for potentially enriching stimulus objects
Authors: Chmiel Dennis J. , Noonan Michael
Published: June 2007

In an effort to identify suitable stimulus objects which could be placed into standard laboratory cages in order to provide rats with a degree of environmental enrichment, the preference of rats to spend time near 15 diverse objects was measured in a free-choice paradigm. Rats showed no preference for objects such as pipes and partitions which we had reasoned might satisfy a wall-hugging tendency. They also showed no preference for objects which we had reasoned to be potentially interesting as manipulanda. The rats did show reliable preferences for spending time with some, but not all, chewable objects. A block of wood predrilled with holes was the most attractive, and we cautiously recommend that researchers consider providing laboratory rats with such an object to allow them the opportunity to exercise a fundamental, species-typical behaviour-chewing.
Enhancement of respiratory immunity to Pasteurella mu/tocida by cholera toxin in rabbits
Authors: Suckow M. A. , Bowersock T. L. , Nielsen K. , Grigdesby C. F.
Published: June 2007

Cholera toxin (CT) is a potent adjuvant for the mucosal immune system. The purpose of this study was to determine if coadministration of CT with a potassium thiocyanate extract of Pasteurella multocida (PTE) leads to enhanced anti-PTE antibody activity and increased protection of rabbits against infection with P. multocida and associated disease. Groups of rabbits were immunized intranasally on days 0, 7, and 14, with phosphate buffered saline (PBS), 200 µg of CT, 1.0 mg of PTE, or 1.0 mg PTE with 200 ±g CT. Nasal lavage and serum samples were collected over 28 days after initial immunization and evaluated by ELISA for specific antibody directed against PTE. Marked increases in serum (IgG) and nasal lavage (IgA) anti-PTE antibody activity were found beginning after day 14 in rabbits immunized with PTE. Rabbits immunized with PTE and CT demonstrated further increases in this activity. Tracheobronchial lavage samples collected at the time of necropsy demonstrated a significant level of anti-PTE IgA activity in animals immunized with PTE, and coadministration with CT stimulated a further significant increase in this activity. Groups of similarly immunized rabbits were challenged 16 days after initial immunization with 5 × 107 CFUs of P. multocida. Nasal lavage samples were cultured for P. multocida over the next 10 days. Rabbits were euthanized within 10 days after challenge, tissues cultured for P. multocida, and histopathologic lesion severity graded using a numeric scale. Rabbits immunized with PTE survived longer, had less severe lesions of the lungs, pleura, and liver, and fewer P. multocida CFUs cultured from samples than PBS or CT controls. Coadministration of CT led to further reductions in lesion severity of those tissues and numbers of P. multocida CFUs cultured from samples. Increased nasal turbinate atrophy of rabbits immunized with PTE with or without CT was associated with increased mean survival time. In summary, coadministration of CT with PTE enhanced protective immunity to P. multocida disease and infection in rabbits.
Effects of crude fibre level in the diet on the intestinal morphology of growing rabbits
Authors: Yu Bi , Peter W. S.
Published: June 2007

The experiment was conducted to study the effects of 5.5, 8.5, 11.5 and 14.5% dietary fibre levels on growth performance and intestinal villi in growing rabbits. After the 5-week feeding period, food intake and body weight gain increased with increasing dietary fibre levels, feed conversion was highest with 11.5% dietary fibre. Scanning electron microscopy showed slight changes to the jejunal villi and the caecal mucosa in rabbits fed high dietary fibre (14.5%) but the degree of damage was greater in the caecum than the jejunum. Flattened colon villi were seen in the low dietary fibre group whereas high levels showed no effect.
Influence of unsuccessful lactation on subsequent reproduction and age of onset of mammary tumours in SHN mice
Authors: Tsunoda S. , Nagasawa H.
Published: June 2007

SHN/Mei female mice were classified into 8 groups according to their lactation records in 3 litters from group 1 with successful lactation in all 3 litters to group 8, which failed to lactate in all litters, and the differences in reproductive parameters and the age of onset of mammary tumours was compared between group 1 and the other groups. Pup growth was retarded and the age of onset of mammary tumours were shortened by the experience of the unsuccessful lactation; both parameters were largely affected by the proliferation and differentiation of mammary glands, which are modulated by the unsuccessful lactation. The unsuccessful lactation did not affect consistently litter size or rearing rate.
Comparison of the proportions of oral bacterial species in BALB/c mice from different suppliers
Authors: Rodrigue L. , Lavoie M. C.
Published: June 2007

In order to assess the influence of the origin of mice on their oral bacteria, the proportions of bacterial species found in the oral cavity of BALB/c mice from 5 suppliers were determined. The results indicated that mice from different origins harboured different oral bacterial populations upon arrival at our animal facilities and the differences persisted for at least one week after arrival. Except in one case, the oral bacteria did not differ from one shipment to another from each supplier and remained similar after one week at our animal facilities. The results thus indicate that the composition of the oral bacterial population is influenced by the origin of the mice.
Incidence of spontaneous post-implantation deaths in CFT-Swiss mice: its suitability to assess dominant lethal mutations
Authors:   Muralidhara, Narasimhamurthy K.
Published: June 2007

The primary objective of the study was to determine the incidence of spontaneous post-implantation deaths (DI) in our randomly-bred closed colony of CFT-Swiss mice. These data are required mainly to ascertain the suitability of the strain for their use in dominant lethal (DL) mutation assays, a well validated in vivo mammalian germ cell assay. To achieve the first goal, randomly drawn healthy adult males were sequentially mated to adult virgin females (1:2 ratio) for a period of 8 weeks. Male-based analysis of the 3 major variables viz., implantations, live embryos, and dead implants (DI) were carried out. Absence of outliers and low variation in spontaneous DI, as well as the other variables associated with DL assay were observed in all matings. Secondly, the degree of induction of DI were studied following administration (i.p.) of an acute dose of ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS). EMS induced nearly a 5-fold increase in the mduring the first 2 weeks and a 3-fold during the third week suggesting its DL-type effect only in specific post-meiotic stages of spermatogenesis as reported earlier.
Estimation of Buckling Loads of Elliptic Paraboloidal Single Layer Lattice Domes under Vertical Loads
Authors: Kato Shiro , Ueki Takashi , Nakazawa Shoji
Published: June 2007

The present paper presents an effective evaluation method for elasto-plastic buckling loads of elliptic paraboloidal lattice domes for roof on a rectangular plan. The roofs are assumed as three way of single layer with a pin-support or a simple-support at all peripheries on a rectangular plan. The buckling loads are evaluated using a simple procedure adopting a linear buckling analysis, a knockdown factor for imperfection sensitivity, and column buckling strength for axial forces in terms of a generalized slenderness proposed in ordinary recommendations.
Correlation between eigenmodes and the selfstress state identification of a tensegrity grid
Authors: Dubé Jean-François , Angellier Nicolas
Published: June 2007

Tensegrity systems are structures in equilibrium under an initial selfstress state. This selfstress state is a composition of elementary selfstress states, which constitute its basis. In order to identify the selfstress state of a system, we use a non-destructive method based on a vibratory analysis of the structure. The structure is subjected to sinewave excitation for a given frequency. It appears that some frequencies allow a better identification than others. This study tries to establish a relation between eigenmode, selfstress state, and the effectiveness of the identification of a double layer tensegrity grid in six elementary selfstress states. Numerical simulations validate the method proposed here for the identification of such a tensegrity grid.
Form-Finding of Tensegrity Structures Subjected to Geometrical Constraints
Authors: Zhang J.Y. , Ohsaki M.
Published: June 2007

Geometrical constraints are formulated as linear equations with respect to force densities and nodal coordinates. These constraints are incorporated into the adaptive force density method proposed by the authors for finding the non-degenerate and self-equilibrated configurations of tensegrity structures. The form-finding process is divided into two design stages: (1) finding the feasible force densities that satisfy the non-degeneracy condition, and (2) uniquely determining the configuration (nodal location) that satisfies the self-equilibrium conditions. The proposed method is demonstrated to be powerful for systematically searching new configurations of tensegrity structures subjected to given geometrical constraints.
Continuous and Finite Element Methods for the Vibrations of Inflatable Beams
Authors: Thomas J.C. , Jiang Z. , Wielgosz C.
Published: June 2007

Inflatable structures are under increasing development in various domains. Their study is often carried out by using 3D membrane finite elements and for static loads. There is a lack of knowledge in dynamic conditions, especially for simple and accurate solutions for inflatable beams. This paper deals with the research on the natural frequencies of inflatable Timoshenko beams by an exact method: The continuous element method (CEM), and by the classical finite element method (FEM). The dynamic stiffness matrix D(ω) is here established for an inflatable beam; it depends on the natural frequency and also on the inflation pressure. The stiffness and mass matrixes used in the FEM are deduced from D(ω). Natural frequencies and natural modes of a simply supported beam are computed, and the accuracy of the CEM is checked by comparisons with the finite element method and also with experimental results.
Mobility of important toxic analytes in urban dust and simulated air filters determined by sequential extraction and GFAAS/ICP-OES methods
Authors: Sysalová J. , Száková J.
Published: June 2007

The modified BCR three-step sequential extraction procedure has been applied to homogenized urban dust samples and to simulated air filters loaded with the prepared urban dust via the wet deposition procedure. This work has been focused on comparative study of the distribution of trace elements in both samples and evaluation of the factors influencing the reliability of results with respect to the proposed extraction procedure. Extracted chemical fractions were analyzed by ICP-OES and GFAAS depending on the concentration levels of investigated trace elements As, Cd, Cr, Mn, Ni, and Pb, selected according to their adverse effect on the human health. Statistically evaluated results indicate significant differences between the extracted portions of analytes in urban dust and simulated air filters, where the mobility of some analytes in simulated air filters was higher than that in urban dust samples. The impact of surfactant Triton X-100 (0.05 vol. %) on the extraction procedure was also investigated.
Effect of addition of ameliorative materials on the distribution of As, Cd, Pb, and Zn in extractable soil fractions
Authors: Száková J. , Tlustoš P. , Pavlíková D. , Hanč A. , Batysta M.
Published: June 2007

The effects of lime, limestone, and zeolite addition on the availability of As, Cd, Pb, and Zn in three contaminated soils were investigated in a pot experiment after four vegetation periods of spring wheat, spring barley, and oat. The results showed different responses of extractable element portions to soil amendment when 0.01 mol dm−3 aqueous CaCl2 was applied as a soil extraction agent. Substantial differences were evident among the investigated elements as well as among the individual soil treatments. Except natural zeolite, the ability of ameliorative materials to redistribute cadmium and zinc from a soil solution into less mobile but labile soil fractions was observed. The lead availability was less affected and the extractability of arsenic even increased in some of the treated pots. Moreover, the availability of arsenic was more affected by different characteristics of experimental soils than by individual soil treatments. It was found that these treatments can be applied neither for multicontaminated nor for all the soil types. The soil treatments had a lower effect on the less mobile soil fractions.
Synthesis of new triphenodithiazine- and indolocarbazolediones of biological interest
Authors: Hammam A. , Youssef M. , Atta F. , Mohamed Th.
Published: June 2007

Tetrabromo-p-benzoquinone reacted with excess aromatic amines to give 2,5-dirylamino-3,6-dibromo-p-benzoquinones. The latter molecules on heating with sodium sulfide in alcohol in the presence of air gave triphenodithiazinediones. Heating with copper powder in nitrobenzene transformed these compounds into the respective indolocarbazolediones. Comparative antimicrobial and antifungal activities of the studied compounds were determined and discussed.
Ab initio study of small coinage metal telluride clusters AunTem (n, m = 1, 2)
Authors: Rong Q. , Liu F. , Li X. , Zhao Y. , Jing X.
Published: June 2007

The geometries of the most stable isomers of gold telluride systems AuTe, Au2Te, and AuTe2 are determined using the MP2 method. The aspect of gold—telluride interaction, the electron correlation, and relativistic effects on geometry and stability are investigated at the MP2 and CCSD(T) theoretical levels. The results show that the electron correlation and relativistic effects are responsible not only for gold—gold attraction but also for additional gold—telluride interaction. The gold—telluride interaction is strong enough to modify the known pattern of bare gold clusters. Both effects are essential for determining the geometry and relative stability of this type of systems.
Enantioselective extraction of mandelic acid enantiomers by L-dipentyl tartrate and β-cyclodextrin as binary chiral selectors
Authors: Jiao F. , Chen X. , Hu W. , Ning F. , Huang K.
Published: June 2007

A new binary chiral selector system effective for the enantioselective extraction of racemic mandelic acid is presented. While L-dipentyl tartrate and β-cyclodextrin had a very low enantioselectivity as single selectors, a preferential extraction of D-mandelic acid to the organic phase was found in the binary selector system. Using decanol as organic solvent and pH of a phoshate buffer equal to 2.3, the distribution coefficients of D-and L-mandelic acids as high as 14.9 and 7.0, respectively, and the enantioselectivity value of 2.1 were found at optimum concentration of β-cyclodextrin.
Mechanism of thermal decomposition of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate
Authors: Wanjun T. , Donghua C.
Published: June 2007

The thermal decomposition of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate (Co(CH3COO)2 · 4H2O) has been studied via thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, in situ X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results of TG and XRD showed that the parent salt melted and then the dissolved crystalline water was vaporized in two steps. The dehydration process was followed by a major step concerning the decomposition of the acetate group, leading to basic acetate as an intermediate, which then produced CoO and Co in N2 and H2 atmosphere, respectively. Three decomposition intermediates Co(CH3COO)2 · 0.5H2O, Co(CH3COO)2, and Co(OH)(CH3COO) were presumed. In situ XRD experiments revealed that the intermediate basic acetate was poorly crystallized or even amorphous. Evolved gases analysis indicated that the volatile products of acetate decomposition were water vapor, acetic acid, ethylenone, acetone, and CO2. A detailed thermal decomposition mechanism of Co(CH3COO)2 · 4H2O was discussed.
Three-component, one-pot synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-ones catalyzed by bromodimethylsulfonium bromide
Authors: Shaabani A. , Maleki A.
Published: June 2007

An efficient synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-one derivatives by one-pot three-component condensation reaction between an alkyl or aryl aldehyde, a 1,3-dicarbonyl compound, and urea or thiourea in the presence of catalytic amount of bromodimethylsulfonium bromide has been developed. The condensation product was obtained in excellent yields in refluxing ethanol and easily separated from the reaction mixture and purified.
Which aspects of reading ability show a ‘hump’ in their distribution?
Authors: Stevenson Jim
Published: June 2007

Data from two studies on large samples of 7‐, 11‐ and 13‐year‐old children were used to estimate the regression relationship between reading, spelling and maths achievement and IQ. Using these regression equations the number of children obtaining achievement scores more than two standard deviations below that expected were identified. It was found that there was a significant excess of underachievers for reading and spelling at 11 years but not for maths. This ‘hump’ was also found for the reading of non‐words. It was concluded that the issue of whether such a ‘hump’ can be found is only a minor facet of the debate about the nature of reading failure, and that more direct studies of the processing of written text are likely to prove more decisive.
Of private talk and public print: General pre‐trial publicity and juror decision‐making
Authors: Greene Edith , Wade Russell
Published: June 2007

The term ‘general pre‐trial publicity’ refers to trial‐related information that is prominently in the news, and that affects jurors in wholly unrelated cases. Two experiments explored the impact of general pre‐trial publicity on juror decision‐making. In Experiment 1 mock jurors who earlier read a newspaper article about a defendant mistakenly identified and subsequently convicted of a crime he did not commit were less likely to convict the defendant in an unrelated case than were jurors who read instead about a series of heinous crimes or who had no pre‐trial publicity. Experiment 2 demonstrated that this effect is somewhat stronger when the general pre‐trial publicity concerns a case that closely resembles the one jurors must decide than when the two cases are dissimilar. These data are discussed in terms of the availability of relevant information in memory. People may evaluate the probability of a defendant's guilt by the ease with which similar or relevant examples come to mind.
An extension of the keyword method facilitates the acquisition of simple Spanish sentences
Authors: Kasper Loretta F. , Glass Arnold L.
Published: June 2007

Subjects were taught Spanish‐English paired‐associates by using the keyword method. The item pairs ranged in length from one to four words. Subjects using the keyword method recalled many more constituents of n‐a‐v‐n Spanish sentences than subjects spontaneously using rehearsal, but no more than subjects spontaneously using imagery. The results of the study suggest that the keyword method facilitates recall by inducing subjects to process item‐specific information for individual words.
Expert knowledge as mnemonic cues
Authors: Bellezza Francis S. , Buck Debra K.
Published: June 2007

It is proposed that expert knowledge can operate as a cognitive cueing structure for the acquisition and retention of new information in memory. Two experiments are reported which demonstrate that expert knowledge about football and clothing can act as mnemonic cues for the recall of information newly associated with that knowledge. In Experiment 1 expert terms from the domains of football and clothing and those neutral nouns paired with them were both better recalled by experts than by non‐experts. In Experiment 2 passages containing information contrary to factual knowledge about football and clothing were recalled better by experts than by non‐experts, in spite of the fact that information in the passages contradicted what the experts already knew. The results of the two experiments were interpreted as showing that expert knowledge provides mental cues that have desirable mnemonic properties such as constructibility, associability, discriminability and invertibility. Also, the interpretation of expert knowledge as a cognitive cueing structure is compared to Ausubel's ideas regarding advance organizers.
Predictions of movie entertainment value and the representativeness heuristic
Authors: Glass Arnold L. , Waterman David
Published: June 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether college students make use of the representativeness heuristic in predicting how entertaining a film will be from a brief description. A group of 45 students were asked to rate how entertaining they expected certain films to be on the basis of brief descriptions. Another group of 45 students were presented with the same film descriptions but asked to recall a film that was similar, and to rate how entertaining the film they had recalled had been. The correlation between the two sets of entertainment ratings was.72, which is consistent with the representativeness hypothesis. However, including the similarity ratings in the equation to predict the entertainment ratings of the film descriptions did not improve the correlation. Also, the film descriptions received significantly lower ratings than the films they reminded the students of.
Dating recent and historical events
Authors: Kemp Simon
Published: June 2007

Subjects were asked to date 28 ‘recent’ public events that had occurred in the previous 7 years, and 28 ‘historical’ events that occurred between 1765 and 1947. For both kinds of event, the age of older events was underestimated and that of more recent events overestimated, a result agreeing with previous research. Whether the events were well or poorly known, as rated by a separate sample of subjects, affected the dating error of historical but not recent events. The results suggest that both recent and historical events are dated by a rather abstract, constructive process, rather than by cues relating to the age of the memory or the time of its formation.
A comparison of componential and traditional approaches to training reading skills
Authors: Schwartz Steven
Published: June 2007

Primary school children with average intelligence and no oral language comprehension deficits—but who were 18 or more months behind their peers in reading comprehension—served as subjects in an evaluation of two approaches to reading remediation. Half the children received teacher‐based tutoring using the DISTAR programme (Science Research Associates, 1983). The remaining students received practice on four computer games. These games were designed to improve performance on a set of information‐processing components shown in previous research to have an important impact on reading comprehension. Training in both conditions focused mainly on word decoding and phonics. Although almost all students improved their reading comprehension test scores after training, the poorest readers made significantly greater gains in the componential training condition than in the DISTAR condition. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the componential approach with a sample of specifically reading‐disabled children. They also show that componential training can be a practical adjunct to a traditional tutoring programme.
Sign language as cognition for deaf people: Pitfalls and prospects
Authors: Kyle J. G.
Published: June 2007

With a tradition reliance on verbal paradigms cognitive psychology has repeatedly rediscovered the centrality of verbal processes in the cognitive representation of the world. Frequently it has been considered that non‐speaking groups offer the proof of such psychological theories. Deaf people, because of their apparently poor memory, retardation in reading, relative lack of speech, yet cognitive viability, have offered an ideal test population for cognitive paradigs. Unfortunately deaf people turn out not to be a non linguistic control. We have now discovered sign language—a visual, spatial representation form used naturally by profoundly deaf people. This apparently offers the key the deaf people's cognition without speech. This paper describes some aspects of what we know of deaf people and their language, critically examines some of the evidence for sign representation in memory, and discusses the methodological problems to be faced by anyone searching for conclusive evidence on deaf people's working memory. Despite the attractiveness of ‘sings for words’ in cognition, this paper argues that the evidences is weak and signs may not be equated easily with words.
Memories of a bicycle tour
Authors: Bruce Darryl , Van Pelt Marianne
Published: June 2007

One person's memories of a 47‐day bicycle tour of Scandinavia were tested 3–4 months later. The tests assessed frequency, spatial, and temporal knowledge of events. Results indicated that frequency judgements were based on some combination of counts of discrete event memories and a general impression of the tour. Episodic memories showed clear variation as a function of where events had occurred, and judged and actual locations of episodes were strongly related. In fact, knowledge of the week in which something had happened appeared to hinge on where in a sequence of locations it was thought to have taken place. The apparent dependence of temporal judgements on spatial information is consistent with other findings in the literature indicating that temporal memories about past events are derived from a variety of other associated information, much of which is temporally referenced.