bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
II. Monsieur Cassini his new and exact tables for the eclipses of the first satellite of Jupiter, reduced to the Julian stile, and Meridian of London
Authors: Halley Edmond
Published: December 2006

Among the books the
Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris
has lately gratified the world withal, there is one which has for title,
Recueuil d'Observations faites en plusiers Voiages pour parfectionner l’Astronomie & la Geographie, Avec divers Astronomiques
.
VI. Part of a letter from Mr Anthony van Leuwenhoek, F. R. S. concerning the figures of sand
Authors: Leeuwenhoek Antoni Van
Published: December 2006

I take the liberty again of sending you the following observations.
II. Carigueya, Seu Marsupiale Americanum Masculum. Or, the anatomy of a male opossum: In a letter to Dr Edward Tyson, from Mr William Cowper, Chirurgeon, and Fellow of the Royal Society, London. To which are premised some further observations of terrestrial brute animals, particularly of those that have their feet formed like hands. Where an account is given of some animals not yet described
Authors: Cowper William , Tyson Edward
Published: December 2006

Having formerly given the
Anatomy
of a
Female Opossum
; for compleating the History of this Animal, I intended like wife to add that of the
Male
.
IV. A supplement to the account of the
Pediculus Pulsatorius
or death-watch, in Philos. Trans. No 271. Serving to the more perfect natural history of that insect.
Authors: Derham William
Published: December 2006

The R. Society having so favourably received my former Account of the Death-Watch, as not only to publish it, but to require also my perfecting the History of that Insect, I think my self bound to comply, as far as I am able.
V. A letter from Dr. William Oliver, Physician and fellow of the Royal Society, to Mr. James Petiver, F. R. S. concerning the jesuits bark
Authors: Oliver William
Published: December 2006

Sir,
Peru Bark
, comes from a
Tree
about the bigness of a
Plumb Tree
, with
Leaves
like
Ivy
, but not quite so big, and are always green.
VIII. Part of a letter from Dr David Krieg, F. R. S. to the publisher, concerning cobalt, and the preparations of smalt and arsenic.
Authors: Krieg David
Published: December 2006

I spent about 8 weeks in my own Country, and my chiefest Business was to enquire for the Minerals found thereabout, and to observe their preparations.
I. A letter to the Royal Society, from Mr. Anthony Van Leeuwenhoek, F. R. S. concerning animalcula on the roots of duck-weed, &c
Authors: Leeuwenhoek Antoni Van
Published: December 2006

You may remember, that in my letter of the 25th of
Decemb
. 1702. I affirm’d that the animalcula, represented by Fig. 8. a. b. c. that were fastned to the small roots of that green stuff found on the top of the water, in our ditches and little canals, which we call duck-weeds, had two small wheels, issuing out of their bodies.
II. Part of letter from Mr Ralph Thoresby, F. R. S. concerning pewter money, coyn'd in Ireland, by the late King James
Authors: James King
Published: December 2006

Honoured Sir
, This brings you an account of a curiosity that relates to the late King
James's
Irish
moneys, which I am apt to think you never heard of,
viz
. a
Crown piece of pewter
, inscribed
Melioris tessera fati
.
III. Of officiations or petrifications in the coats of arteries, particularly in the valves of the great artery
Authors: Cowper William
Published: December 2006

How far anatomical enquiries inform in the true causes of diseases, which have been ascribed to the want of spirits in some, and radical moisture in aged people, &c. may be in some measure seen by two observations, among others, publisht in the Transactions No 280
III. Epistola Viri Reverendi D. Georgii Hickes, S. T. P. ad D. Hans Sloane, M.D. & S. R. Secr. De varia lectione inscriptionis, quæ in statua TAGIS exaratur, per quatuor Alpbabeta Hetrusca
Authors: Hickes George , Sloane Hans
Published: December 2006

Perlustravi, vir clarissime, quam descriptam ad Societatem Regiam perserendam dederunt D. D. Spanhemius & Geoffroy, Inconem unà cum D. Boivini dissertatione de eâ Gallicè Scriptâ
V. Several experiments on the mercurial phosphorus, made before the Royal Society, at Gresham-College, by Mr Fra. Hauksbee, F. R. S
Authors: Hauksbee Francis
Published: December 2006

I Took a Glass Recipient open and grownd at both ends, whose content was Equal to about 30 ounces of Water.
I. Epistola D. Antonii Mesaporiti, M. C. Genuensis ad Cl. Antonium Vallesnerium, Med. Pract. Prof. P. Patavin. de eruptione sanguinis e singulis sere corporis humani partibus; de dolore ventris ab intestinis in crassam cartilagineam substantiam concretis orto
Authors: Mesaporiti Antonii D
Published: December 2006

Grratulari tibi, Amice, quem jam diu plurimi faciebam, venio, sie tua te studia disposuisse, ut quoæternitati vivas ampliori nomine non indigeas.
V. Observations of the Solar Eclipse, May 1
12
. 1706. At the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, &c. Communicated by the Reverend Mr John Flamsted, Math. Reg. & F. R. S
Authors: Flamsteed John
Published: December 2006

The morning was Cloudy and moist till about eight a clock, when the Clouds began to break, and we had sometimes a sight of the Sun through the spaces betwixt them. A Sevenfoot Telescope was fitted up with a Scene to receive the Species of the Sun cast through it, and on which it was about Seven inches diameter, divided into digits by fix concentrick Circles.
I. Part of a Letter from Robert Sibbald, Knight, to Dr. Hans Sloane, R. S. Secr, concerning a second volume of his prodromus historæ naturalis scotiæ; with a description of the pediculus Cæti, & c
Authors: Sibbald Robert
Published: December 2006

You ask in yours about the Cætologia: I worte it indeed in our Language about the years ago; but I find so few here cuirous of that sort of Learing, I judg'd it better to Publish it in Latin.
I. Observations made at Rome, by the late Reverend Mr. John Ray, of the comet which appeared Anno 1664. Communicated to the publisher by Mr. Samuel Dale.
Authors: Ray John
Published: December 2006

About three of the Clock this Morning, I observed the Comet; it was in the Constellation of Hydra, not far from the Foot of Crater.
III. An account of a pyramidal appearance in the heavens, observed near Upminster in Essex.
Authors: Derham William
Published: December 2006

The Afternoon of Thursday April 3. last, I devoted in some measure to the Service of the Royal Society, to take Angles, in order to finish my Observations about Sounds.
VII. An account of a book, intitled, a voyage to the islands of Madera, Barbadoes, Nieves, St Christophers, and Jamaica; with the natural history of the herbs and trees, four-footed beasts, fishes, birds, insects, reptiles, &c. of the last of those Islands. To which is prefixed an introduction, wherein is an account of the inhabitants, air, waters, diseases, trade, &c. of that place, and some relations concerning the neighbouring continent and Islands of America. Illustrated with the figures of the
Authors: Sloane Hans
Published: December 2006

VII. An account of a book, intitled, a voyage to the islands of Madera, Barbadoes, Nieves, St Christophers, and Jamaica; with the natural history of the herbs and trees, four-footed beasts, fishes, birds, insects, reptiles, &c. of the last of those Islands. To which is prefixed an introduction, wherein is an account of the inhabitants, air, waters, diseases, trade, &c. of that place, and some relations concerning the neighbouring continent and Islands of America. Illustrated with the figures of the things described, which have not been heretofore engraved, in large copper plates as big as as the life. By Hans Sloane, M. D. Fellow of the College of Physicians, and Secretary of the Royal Society. In two volumes in fol. The Author of this Work, having, as he intimates in the Preface, a great desire to satisfie his Curiosity, and improve his Knowledge, by making particular Observations in some parts of the
West-Indies
, whence a great part of the
Materia Medica
is brought to us, as likewise to view and examine the things themselves in their Natural and Vegetating state, laid hold of an occasion that offered it self, and accompanied the Duke of
Albemarle
as his Physician in those Parts.
II. An account of some experiments, touching the electricity and light producible on the attrition of several bodies
Authors: Hauksbee Francis
Published: December 2006

According to the commands of the Society, I have made the following experiments. I caus´d a piece of wood to be turn´d into the form of a short cylinder, it being about four inches diameter, and three in length. This being fixt on an axis, I melted in a ladle about a pound and half of the best sealing-wax I could procure, and when it was fluid. I plung´d the wooden cylinder into it, where I kept it moving round till it had go a coat of it about half an inch thick on its surface.
III. An extract of two letters from the missionary Jesuits, concerning the discovery of the new Philippine-Islands, with a map of the same
Authors: Clain Paul , Le Gobien Charles
Published: December 2006

After the ship had sailed, that carried the Letters I writ to you last Year, most Reverend Father; there arrived here another, that brought me Orders to accompany the Reverend Father
Antonio Fuccio
of
Sicily
, our new Provincial of this Country.
IV. An account of an experiment, touching the production of light within a globe glass, whose inward surface is lin'd with sealing-wax, upon an attrition of its outside
Authors: Hauksbee Francis
Published: December 2006

The seeming Congruity that appears to be between Sealing-Wax and Glass, in several Experiments already made in relation to Light and Electricity, producible on the Attrition of them, has already been taken notice of: And for a farther Confirmation of their agreableness, take the following Experiment.
V. An account of some experiments, in relation to the weight of common water under different circumstances
Authors: Hauksbee Francis
Published: December 2006

First, I took a Glass of Common Water, and having weigh'd nicely a Glass-Bottle in it, whose Bulk was equal to the Bulk of 575 Grains of the same Fluid; then I caus'd some of the same Water to be boyl'd over the Fire, and after that, it was included in
Vacuo
, and there remained till it became of the same Temperature (as to coolness) with common Water.
I. A letter from Mr. Anthony van Leeuwenhoek, F. R. S. concerning the circulation of the blood in fishes, &c.
Authors: Leeuwenhoek Antoni Van
Published: December 2006

Some time ago, I viewed the Hearts of several Fishes, and particularly that of the great Silver-Eel, which I cou’d not be weary of looking on, and observing its motion that lasted near four Hours, after 'twas out of the Body of the Fish.
II. Several experiments touching the seeming spontaneous ascent of water
Authors: Hauksbee Francis
Published: December 2006

The several Experiments, which already hath been made in relation to the Spontaneous Ascent of Water in small Tubes, not only by my self, but several others, with much the same success, gave me the occasion of thinking, whether the Figure of the Vessel might, or might not, contribute to the oddness of the Appear­ance.
VI. Part of a letter from Mr. Ralph Thoresby, F. R. S. to Dr. Hans Sloane, Reg. Soc. Secr. Concerning some Roman antiquities found in York-shire; and a storm of thunder, lightning, and rain, that happen'd there, August 5, 1708
Authors: Thoresby Ralph
Published: December 2006

Honoured Sir
, If there had been any legible Inscriptions upon any of the three
Roman
Monuments sent me some Months ago from our
Adellocum
, you had then heard from me
II. An experiment touching the freezing of common water, and water purg'd of air
Authors: Hauksbee Francis
Published: December 2006

This Experiment was recommended to me, in order to discover what difference would happen in the Swelling or Bulk of Ice, producible on the Freezing of Common Water, and Water purg'd of Air.
IV. An experiment touching the weighing of bodies of the same species, but of very unequal surfaces, in common water, being of an equal weight in common air
Authors: Hauksbee Francis
Published: December 2006

I Took a Piece of Sheet-Brass (which I take to be more close and solid than that which is cast) of an exact Square Inch, weighing just 482 Grains.
VIII. A brief narrative of the shot of Dr. Robert Fielding with a musket-bullet, and its strange manner of coming out of his head, where it had lam near thirty years. Written by himself
Authors: Fielding Robert
Published: December 2006

At the first
Newberry
Fight, in the Time of the late Civil Wars, the Doctor was shot by the Right Eye on the
Os Petrosum
, by the Orbit of the Eye to the Skull, which was likewise broke, with great Effusion of Blood from the Wound, Mouth and Nostrils.
I. Experiments upon metals, made with the Burning-glass of the Duke of Orleans
Authors: Geoffroy Claude Joseph
Published: December 2006

The Duke of
Orleans
, out of the desire he has to promote useful Arts and Sciences, having permitted such of the Royal Academy of Sciences as have had most Experience in subjects of this Nature, to make use of his Burning-glass; I took this Opportunity to examine the different Changes that Metals suffer when placed in the Focus of this Glass, whose Heat and Efficacy far surpasses the force of our common Fires.
V. A letter from Mr. Tho. Hearne, M. A. of Oxford, to Mr. Ralph Thoresby, F. R. S. occasion'd by some antiquities lately discover'd near Bramham-Moor in Yorkshire
Authors: Hearne Tho.
Published: December 2006

Worthy Sir, I. From the great Variety of
antient Monuments
continually found in these
Islands
'tis plain that vast
Improvements
might be made to the
Accounts
that have been hitherto given of the
British Antiquities
, and there is no reason to doubt but if Mr.
Cambden
were now living he could with ease inlarge his
Britannia
to
another
Volume of
equal Value
with the
former
.
XII. On the nervous circle which connects the voluntary muscles with the brain
Authors: Bell Charles , Davy Humphry
Published: December 2006

In the Papers which I have had the honour of addressing to the Society on the arrangement of the nerves of the human body, I have proceeded upon a comparison of the nerves of the spinal marrow with the nerves of the encephalon. It was shown that the former were compounded of filaments possessing different powers, and that each nerve, having several properties or endowments collected within itself, proceeded to its destination without intricacy.
XIX. On the parallax of the fixed stars
Authors: Herschel John Frederick William
Published: December 2006

The determination of the existence and amount of annual parallax in the fixed stars, was the object which originally drew the attention of astronomers to the examination and measurement of double stars, upon a principle suggested originally by Galileo, and improved on and more fully developed by my Father in one of his earliest communications to the Royal Society, Phil. Trans. 1782; according to which, two stars placed very nearly in a line with each other and with our system, ought, if situated at very different distances, in the line of sight, to be subject to periodical variations in their apparent distance from each other, according as the earth in its annual motion approaches to or recedes from that point in the plane of the ecliptic, where the line joining them, prolonged, would meet it. The difficulty of determining the distance of two stars of a double star with the necessary degree of exactness for this delicate purpose, has however hitherto put a stop to this enquiry; and, as it is now rendered extremely probable that the parallax at least of the generality of stars is much below 1", must continue to do so, until some very great improvement of micrometers shall enable us to measure tenths of seconds with as great certainty as we at present can units. I do not find that it has been noticed, however, that parallax must occasion a periodical change in the angle of position, as well as in the distance of the two stars composing a double star, and that this variation is much more susceptible of ready and exact appreciation with our present micrometers than that of their distance. To render this sensible, we need only remark, that the effect of parallax is to cause each star to describe (apparently) a small ellipse in the heavens, the major axis of which is parallel to the ecliptic, and the minor in the direction of a secondary to that great circle, the true place of the stars being in the centre. Were these ellipses of the same magnitude, for each of two contiguous stars, the line joining their apparent places (which are necessarily homologous points in the circumferences of each) would preserve its parallelism at all times; but as the axes of the ellipses are reciprocally as the distances of the stars, that parallelism cannot obtain when the stars are situated at very unequal distances from the earth, and an alternate increase and decrease of the angle of position made by this line with any fixed direction must be the necessary consequence.
XXXIII. On the figure of the earth
Authors: Airy George Biddell , Herschel John Frederick William
Published: December 2006

The ellipticity of the earth, deduced by Captain Sabine from a series of pendulum experiments the most extensive, and apparently the most deserving of confidence, that has ever been made, differs considerably from that which, as is generally believed, is indicated by geodetic measures. The difference can only be explained by errors of observation, by peculiarities of local circumstances, or by some defect in the theory which connects the figure of the earth with the variation of gravity on its surface: under the last head may be placed defects in the mathematical part of the theory, and errors in the assumptions of the original constitution and present state of the earth. It was with a view to ascertain the sufficiency of the mathematical theory, that I undertook the investigations contained in this paper. The celebrated proposition called Clairaut's theorem, by which the earth's ellipticity is inferred from the variation of gravity on its surface, is obtained only by the rejection of the squares and higher powers of the ellipticity. It is by the same rejection that the figure of the earth, supposed a heterogeneous fluid, is proved to be an elliptic spheroid. It appeared therefore probable, that a more accurate theory might introduce some modification into Clairaut's theorem, and might also show he figure of the earth to differ from an ellipsoid ; and there was no reason to think that the first approximation to that figure was more accurate, than the first approximation to the motion of the moon’s perigee. The result of my investigation does not at all serve to reconcile the pendulum observations made by Captain Sabine with the measures of degrees : and with respect to one object, which I hoped to obtain, I am therefore completely unsuccessful. The theory shows, however, that the earth’s figure, on the usual suppositions as to its constitution, is not an elliptic spheroid; and the formulæ which I have obtained will give the means of determining very exactly the figure of the earth, when the experiments on the variation of gravity, or the measures of arcs on the earth’s surface, shall be thought sufficiently accurate. As the subject is one whose interest is not confined to the present time, I have ventured to offer my investigations to the Royal Society. The first part of the following sheets contains the theory of the heterogeneous earth, pushed so far as to include all the terms of the second order: it is succeeded by a comparison of this theory with Captain Sabine’s results, and with the best arcs of the meridian that have been measured and in the conclusion, I have offered some suggestions on the propriety of repeating some of these measures.
VIII. On the action of the rays of the spectrum on vegetable juices. Extract of a letter from Mrs. M. Somerville to Sir J. F. W. Herschel, Bart., dated Rome, September 20, 1845. Communicated by Sir J. Herschel
Authors: Somerville Mary , Herschel John
Published: December 2006

In the following experiments the solar spectrum was condensed by a lens of flint glass of 7 1/2 inches focus, maintained in the same part of the screen by keeping a pinhole, or the mark of a pencil constantly at the corner of the red rays, which were sharply defined by using blue spectacles to protect my eyes from the glare of light, and the apparatus was covered with black cloth in order to exclude extraneous light. Thick white letter paper, moistened with the liquid to be examined, was exposed wet to the spectrum, as the action of the coloured light was more immediate and more intense than when the surface was dry. As I had not access to the morning sun, the observations were made between noon and three in the afternoon.
Evaluation of different iron sources and their influence in biofilm formation by the dental pathogen Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans
Authors: Rhodes Eric R. , Shoemaker Christopher J. , Menke Sharon M. , Edelmann Richard E. , Actis Luis A.
Published: December 2006

Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, a pathogen associated with oral and extra-oral infections, requires iron to grow under limiting conditions. Although incapable of producing siderophores, this pathogen could acquire iron by direct interaction with compounds such as haemin, haemoglobin, lactoferrin and transferrin. In this work the ability of different A. actinomycetemcomitans strains to bind and use different iron sources was tested. None of the strains tested used haemoglobin, lactoferrin or transferrin as sole sources of iron. However, all of them used FeCl3 and haemin as iron sources under chelated conditions. Dot-blot binding assays showed that all strains bind lactoferrin, haemoglobin and haemin, but not transferrin. Insertion inactivation of hmsF, which encodes a predicted cell-envelope protein related to haemin-storage proteins produced by other pathogens, reduced haemin and Congo red binding drastically without affecting haemin utilization as an iron source under chelated conditions. Biofilm assays showed that all strains tested attached to and formed biofilms on plastic under iron-rich and iron-chelated conditions. However, scanning electron microscopy showed that smooth strains formed simpler biofilms than rough isolates. Furthermore, the incubation of rough cells in the presence of FeCl3 or haemin resulted in the formation of more aggregates and microcolonies compared with the fewer cell aggregates formed when cells were grown in the presence of the synthetic iron chelator dipyridyl. These cell responses to changes in extracellular iron concentrations may reflect those that this pathogen expresses under the conditions it encounters in the human oral cavity.
Acetylation of the foamy virus transactivator Tas by PCAF augments promoter-binding affinity and virus transcription
Authors: Bodem Jochen , Kräusslich Hans-Georg , Rethwilm Axel
Published: December 2006

It was shown recently that retrovirus transactivators interact with transcriptional coactivators, such as histone acetyltransferases (HATs). Foamy viruses (FVs) direct gene expression from the long terminal repeat and from an internal promoter. The activity of both promoters is strictly dependent on the DNA-binding transactivator Tas. Recently, it was shown that Tas interacts with the HATs p300 and PCAF. Based on these findings, it is demonstrated here that PCAF has the ability to acetylate Tas in vitro and in vivo. Tas acetylation resulted in enhanced DNA binding to the virus promoters. In vitro transcription reactions on non-chromatinized template showed that only acetylated Tas enhanced transcription significantly. These results demonstrate that acetylation of the FV transactivator Tas may be an effective means to regulate virus transcription.
In vitro integration of an ichnovirus genome segment into the genomic DNA of lepidopteran cells
Authors: Doucet Daniel , Levasseur Anic , Béliveau Catherine , Lapointe Renée , Stoltz Don , Cusson Michel
Published: December 2006

Polydnaviruses (PDVs) are dsDNA viruses transmitted by ichneumonid and braconid endoparasitoids to their lepidopteran hosts during oviposition. Wasp carriers are asymptomatic and transmit the virus to their progeny through the germ line; replication is confined to the calyx region of the wasp ovary, where the virus accumulates in the fluid bathing the eggs. In the lepidopteran host, however, no virus replication takes place, but PDV gene expression is essential for successful parasitism. Sustained gene expression in the absence of virus replication thus requires that the circular PDV genome segments persist for days within host cells. Available evidence suggests that most genome segments persist as episomes, but recent studies have indicated that some genome segments may undergo integration within lepidopteran genomic DNA, at least in vitro. In the present study, an integrated form of a Tranosema rostrale ichnovirus (TrIV) genome segment was cloned from genomic DNA extracted from infected Choristoneura fumiferana CF-124T cells and junction regions on either side of the viral DNA sequence were sequenced. This is the first proven example of integration of an ichnovirus genome segment in infected lepidopteran cells. Interestingly, circular forms of this genome segment do not appear to persist in these cells; none the less, a gene (TrFrep1) carried by this genome segment displays long-term transcription in infected cultured cells.
Feline immunodeficiency virus infection is enhanced by feline bone marrow-derived dendritic cells
Authors: van der Meer F. J. U. M. , Schuurman N. M. P. , Egberink H. F.
Published: December 2006

In the pathogenesis of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection, feline dendritic cells (feDCs) are thought to play an important role. As with DCs in other species, feDCs are believed to transport virus particles to lymph nodes and transfer them to lymphocytes. Our investigation has focused on the ability of feDCs to influence the infection of syngeneic peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and allogeneic thymocytes. feDCs were derived from bone marrow mononuclear cells that were cultured under the influence of feline interleukin-4 and feline granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor. By using these feDCs in co-culture with resting PBMCs, an upregulation of FIV replication was shown. An enhancement of FIV infection was also detected when co-cultures of feDCs/feline thymocytes were infected. To obtain this enhancement, direct contact of the cells in the co-culture was necessary; transwell cultures showed that the involvement of only soluble factors produced by feDCs in this process is not likely. These feDCs were also able to induce the proliferation of resting thymocytes, which might explain the enhanced FIV replication observed. Together, these data suggest that feDCs have abilities similar to those shown for simian and human DCs in the interaction with leukocytes. This system is suitable for further investigations of the interplay of DC and T cells during FIV infectionin vitro.
Clinical experience with plasmid DNA- and modified vaccinia virus Ankara-vectored human immunodeficiency virus type 1 clade A vaccine focusing on T-cell induction
Authors: Hanke Tomáš , McMichael Andrew J. , Dorrell Lucy
Published: December 2006

Candidate human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vaccines focusing on T-cell induction, constructed as pTHr.HIVA DNA and modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA).HIVA, were delivered in a heterologous prime–boost regimen. The vaccines were tested in several hundred healthy or HIV-1-infected volunteers in Europe and Africa. Whilst larger trials of hundreds of volunteers suggested induction of HIV-1-specific T-cell responses in <15 % of healthy vaccinees, a series of small, rapid trials in 12–24 volunteers at a time with a more in-depth analysis of vaccine-elicited T-cell responses proved to be highly informative and provided more encouraging results. These trials demonstrated that the pTHr.HIVA vaccine alone primed consistently weak and mainly CD4+, but also CD8+T-cell responses, and the MVA.HIVA vaccine delivered a consistent boost to both CD4+and CD8+T cells, which was particularly strong in HIV-1-infected patients. Thus, whilst the search is on for ways to enhance T-cell priming, MVA is a useful boosting vector for human subunit genetic vaccines.
Poorly differentiated tumours of the anal canal: a diagnostic strategy for the surgical pathologist
Authors: Balachandra B , Marcus V , Jass J R
Published: December 2006

Poorly differentiated malignancies affecting the anal canal are uncommon but pose diagnostic difficulties because of the wide range of normal cell types that may occur within a limited anatomical region. The range of lesions that may present as poorly differentiated tumours includes squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, small and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma expressing epithelial cytokeratins and other patterns of mixed differentiation, undifferentiated carcinoma, malignant melanoma, lymphoma and secondary tumours. This review discusses the differential diagnosis of these neoplasms with the aid of short illustrative case studies.
Thermostatic tissue platform for intravital microscopy: ‘the hanging drop’ model
Authors: PAVLOVIC DRAGAN , FRIELING HELGE , LAUER KAI‐STEPHAN , BAC VO HOAI , RICHTER JOERN , WENDT MICHAEL , LEHMANN CHRISTIAN , USICHENKO TARAS , MEISSNER KONRAD , GRUENDLING MATTHIAS
Published: December 2006

Intravital microscopy imposes the particular problem of the combined control of the body temperature of the animal and the local temperature of the observed organ or tissues. We constructed and tested, in the rat ileum microcirculation preparation, a new organ‐support platform. The platform consisted of an organ bath filled with physiological solution, and contained a suction tube, a superfusion tube, an intestine‐support hand that was attached to a micromanipulator and a thermometer probe. To cover the intestine we used a cover glass plate with a plastic ring glued on its upper surface. After a routine procedure (anaesthesia, monitoring and surgery), the intestine segment (2–3 cm long) was gently exteriorized and placed on the ‘hand’ of the organ support. A small part of the intestine formed a small ‘island’ in the bath that was filled with physiological salt solution. The cover glass was secured in place. The physiological salt solution from the superfusion tube, which was pointed to the lower surface of the cover glass, formed a ‘hanging drop’. The objective of the microscope was then immersed into distilled water that was formed by the cover glass plastic ring. The ‘hanging drop’ technique prevented any tissue quenching, ensured undisturbed microcirculation, provided for stable temperature and humidity, and permitted a clear visual field.
Nanostructural analysis of starch components by atomic force microscopy
Authors: DANG J. M. C. , BRAET F. , COPELAND L.
Published: December 2006

Morphological and structural features of starch from potato (Solanum tuberosa) and rice (Oryza sativa) have been examined using atomic force microscopy. Amylose from potato and rice was observed in aggregated structures, which are suggested to be a result of retrogradation during sample preparation. The degrees of polymerization of amylose from potato and rice starches were calculated from the mean contour lengths of the observed structures to be approximately 1440 and 1860, respectively. Potato amylopectin appeared as a highly branched and extended molecule. Our results show that atomic force microscopy provides a useful method for examining the fine structural features and estimating the dimensions of starch molecules.
Investigation of dyed human hair fibres using apertureless near‐field scanning optical microscopy
Authors: FORMANEK F. , DE WILDE Y. , LUENGO G. S. , QUERLEUX B.
Published: December 2006

We present the first studies of dyed human hair fibres performed with an apertureless scanning near‐field optical microscope. Samples consisted of 5‐µm‐thick cross‐sections, the hair fibres being bleached and then dyed before being cut. Hair dyed with two molecular probes diffusing deep inside the fibre or mainly spreading at its periphery were investigated at a wavelength of 655 nm. An optical resolution of about 50 nm was achieved, well below the diffraction limit; the images exhibited different optical contrasts in the cuticle region, depending on the nature of the dye. Our results suggest that the dye that remains confined at the hair periphery is mainly located at its surface and in the endocuticle.
Hereditary hemochromatosis screening: effect of mutation penetrance and prevalence on cost‐effectiveness of testing algorithms
Authors: Gagné G , Reinharz D , Laflamme N , Adams PC , Rousseau F
Published: December 2006

Screening for hereditary hemochromatosis, although largely discussed, is not yet implemented in clinical practice. We evaluated the cost‐effectiveness of 165 hemochromatosis population‐screening algorithms involving two or three of several screening tests by developing a computer program that simulates all possible screening scenarios. Input data comprised government estimates of health services data and costs and a virtual population with user‐defined demographic characteristics (including variable HFE mutation frequencies and penetrance values). We show that when C282Y homozygote prevalence is set at 3:1000, population screening appears cost‐effective when penetrance of the biochemical phenotype is >0.70. When only hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis are considered as the cost‐driving complications, population‐based screening is not significantly more cost‐efficient than no screening, but life expectancy of individuals identified with hereditary hemochromatosis and treated is still improved by 7 years. Among the 165 screening algorithms tested in 91 different virtual populations of one million individuals, biochemical tests usually perform better as the initial test than genetic testing. Indeed, the genetic testing is most cost‐effective as the final confirmatory test. Finally, for most combinations of prevalence and penetrance of HFE, one screening algorithm – unbound iron‐binding capacity + transferrin saturation – appeared robust enough to be always within the top 5 most cost‐effective strategies.
The correlation of CTG repeat length with material and social deprivation in myotonic dystrophy
Authors: Laberge L , Veillette S , Mathieu J , Auclair J , Perron M
Published: December 2006

Socioeconomic deprivation has long been recognized as a prominent feature of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), but studies performed before the discovery of the mutation causing DM1 may have suffered an ascertainment bias towards the more severe forms of the disease. We have sought to clarify the relationship between CTG repeats, muscular impairment, and socioeconomic characteristics of 200 patients with DM1. Patients with DM1 reported lower educational attainment, lower employment rate, lower family income, and higher reliance on social assistance than the reference population. Logistic regression showed, on one hand, that CTG repeats and marital status were significant predictors of social assistance recipiency and, on the other hand, that CTG repeats and gender were significant predictors of low social support from family, after adjustment for age, gender, degree of muscular impairment, CTG repeats, educational level, and marital status. For example, each additional 100 CTG repeats was found to increase the odds of relying on social assistance by about 35% and having low social support by about 22%. The chances of experiencing socioeconomic deprivation are loaded heavily against patients with DM1. The relationship between increased CTG repeat length and higher risk of material and social deprivation must be acknowledged in the clinical management of DM1.
Within field movement of overwintered Colorado potato beetle: a patch‐based approach
Authors: Schmera D. , Szentesi Á. , Jermy T.
Published: December 2006

Abstract:  After comparing the persistence of four marking techniques, a mark–release–resight study was performed to characterize mid‐season movement of the Colorado potato beetle [Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say); Col., Chrysomelidae] simultaneously in a fallow and in a wheat field. Isolated patches of potatoes were installed in a random spatial arrangement on both fields similarly. Overwintered beetles were individually marked and released. Beetles showed limited inter‐patch movement activity (15.9% of recovery events) with an overall mean daily dispersal of 0.309 m (0.0–7 m). There was a significant difference in the insects’ movement distance between the fallow and wheat field but there was no difference between the movement distances of males and females. The distance between the patches varied between 1 and 7.81 m, and inter‐patch movement was infrequent (15.9%). Results suggest that surrounding fields by wheat rather than fallow grounds should be studied as a possible strategy to reduce the movement of overwintered beetles between potato fields.
Serum granulysin level as a novel prognostic marker in patients with gastric carcinoma
Authors: Saigusa Susumu , Ichikura Takashi , Tsujimoto Hironori , Sugasawa Hidekazu , Majima Takashi , Kawarabayashi Nobuaki , Chochi Kentaro , Ono Satoshi , Kinoshita Manabu , Seki Shuhji , Ogawa Kazuyuki , Mochizuki Hidetaka
Published: December 2006

Background:  Granulysin is a cytolytic molecule present in human cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cell granules, and plays a key role in the cell‐mediated immunity against tumor and infection. However, few studies have estimated serum granulysin concentrations in patients with solid or hematological malignancies.

Methods:  Peripheral blood samples were taken from patients with gastric carcinoma preoperatively and from healthy volunteers. Serum and tumor tissue granulysin concentrations were measured using a granulysin‐specific ELISA kit in order to assess its prognostic value.

Results:  Both serum and tumor tissue granulysin concentrations were higher in patients with stage II or III gastric cancer and lower in patients with stage IV disease as compared to healthy controls. The low preoperative granulysin levels were associated with more frequent hepatic and peritoneal metastases, and with a poor outcome of the curative gastrectomy.

Conclusions:  Preoperative serum granulysin levels reflect the status of cell‐mediated immunity in patients with gastric carcinoma. It has significance as a prognostic determinant following a curative resection.
Effect of ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor antagonists in a mouse model of colorectal cancer liver metastases
Authors: Neo Jaclyn H , Malcontenti‐Wilson Cathy , Muralidharan Vijayaragavan , Christophi Christopher
Published: December 2006

Background and Aims: Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE‐I) and angiotensin II type I receptor (AT1R) antagonists are commonly used as a treatment for hypertension. Recent experimental and population studies have suggested that these agents may exert an inhibitory effect on malignancy, possibly through anti‐angiogenic pathways. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an ACE‐I (captopril) and an AT1R antagonist (irbesartan) in colorectal cancer liver metastases.

Methods: The effect of captopril and irbesartan on tumor growth was investigated in a mouse model using quantitative stereological and histological analysis. Tumor microcirculation was assessed by microvascular resin casting. A survival study was also carried out.

Results: Both captopril and irbesartan markedly decreased tumor growth when compared to control (P = 0.003 andP = 0.004, respectively). However, there was no significant difference in survival or tumor necrosis for either of the drugs. Tumor microvasculature exhibited a reduction in central microvascular density, with constriction and tapering of vessels.

Conclusion: Captopril and irbesartan caused a marked reduction in volume of colorectal cancer liver metastases and caused changes in tumor microvasculature. However, there was no difference in percentage tumor necrosis or improvements in survival. Further investigation is needed to identify the mode of action of these agents.
Factors that predict cecal insertion time during sedated colonoscopy: The role of waist circumference
Authors: Hsieh Yu‐Hsi , Kuo Chin‐Sung , Tseng Kuo‐Chih , Lin Hwai‐Jeng
Published: December 2006

Background and Aim:  Various factors have been closely linked to the cecal insertion time. These factors include age, sex, body mass index, quality of bowel preparation, doctor's technique, a history of prior hysterectomy, diverticulosis, and constipation. Waist circumference is better than body mass index in assessing abdominal obesity and therefore may be better than body mass index in predicting cecal insertion time. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors influencing cecal insertion time and the impact of waist circumference.

Methods:  This prospective study was conducted between August 2004 and June 2005 in Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital. Asymptomatic patients admitted to our physical check‐up department were enrolled. A single endoscopist performed all colonoscopies under sedation with a single‐handed method. Age, sex, body mass index, waist circumference, history of hysterectomy, constipation, bowel cleansing status, and diverticulosis were analyzed.

Results:  A total of 1022 patients were enrolled. Among them, 996 (97.5%) completed the colonoscopic examinations (472 men and 524 women). The mean ± SD insertion time was 307 ± 166 s for men and 403 ± 195 s for women (P < 0.01). Female sex, poor bowel preparation, smaller waist circumference, lower body mass index and older age were associated with longer insertion time. Waist circumference was better than body mass index in predicting cecal insertion time.

Conclusion:  Female sex, poor bowel preparation, smaller waist circumference, lower body mass index and older age were associated with a longer insertion time. Waist circumference was a better predictor than body mass index in assessing cecal insertion time.
PARALLEL TRADE, INTERNATIONAL EXHAUSTION AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS: A WELFARE ANALYSIS*
Authors: VALLETTI TOMMASO M. , SZYMANSKI STEFAN
Published: December 2006

This paper analyses the issue of parallel trade (arbitrage) for products protected by intellectual property rights. We discuss a basic trade‐off that arises between the ex post better allocation that typically occurs under parallel trade when demand dispersion is not too high, and the ex ante reduced product quality because of lower investment. We show that the size of the welfare effects is significantly affected by the presence of a ‘generic’ product, which represents a form of competition for the monopolist. The monopolist will introduce a ‘fighting brand’ to compete with the generic, which dilutes but does not eliminate the result on the adverse effects of parallel trade on investments.
Instinctive Incest Avoidance: A Paradigm Case for Evolutionary Psychology Evaporates
Authors: LEIBER JUSTIN
Published: December 2006

Westermarck proposed that humans have an incest avoidance instinct, triggered by frequent intimate contact with family members during the first several years of life. Westermarck reasons that (1) familial incest will tend to produce less fit offspring, (2) those humans without instinctive incest avoidance would hence have tended to die off and those with the avoidance instinct would have produced more viable offspring, and hence (3) familial incest would be, as indeed it is, universally and instinctively avoided (the desire simply does arise given early continuous intimate contact; the “potty principle” as some psychologists have succinctly termed it). Victorian Westermarck claimed this as a human adaptation. Evolutionary psychologists have generalized these claims to Pleistocene humans and their ancestors, to primates, and indeed to animals generally. Yet there is surprisingly little evidence for these claims of universal instinctive avoidance. Considerable inbreeding appears among large, territorial primates and may have been so with early humans and with their ancestors. While there is little reliable non‐anecdotal evidence about incestuous behavior or the lack of it among humans, what little there is does not fit well with the Westermarck thesis.
Reclaiming the Human Stratum, Acknowledging the Complexity of Social Behaviour: From the Linguistic Turn to the Social Cube in Theory of Decision‐making
Authors: PIIPARINEN TOUKO
Published: December 2006

Roy Bhaskar's Social Cube model based on critical realist philosophy has not been dealt with in theory of decision‐making at any length, nor has it raised any notable debate in social theory in general. The model demonstrates that decision‐making is regulated and transformed by a constantly evolving complexity of mechanisms emerging from physical, mental, material, human and social levels of reality. With the help of this device, Graham Allison's argument against the Rational Actor Model (RAM) that decisions are not so much acts of unitary decision‐makers but more outputs of large organisations can be elaborated and converted into a statement that decisions are products of a complexity of knowledge‐producing mechanisms. The openness of social systems revealed by the Social Cube therefore requires methodological pluralism, for example the application of psychological theories in order to explain political phenomena. By applying the Social Cube model and by drawing new empirical evidence from the Linda Melvern Rwanda Genocide Archive, this article demonstrates that the Somalia effect on the UN's failure in Rwanda was more complicated than the existing literature claims; it was “multi‐layered”, generated not only by intentional political calculations, as previous studies argue, but also by a multiplicity of other mechanisms operative at various levels, particularly cognitive dissonance in organisational learning at the unintentional or subconscious level.
Does the Pricing of Financial Reporting Quality Change Around Dividend Changes?
Authors: CHEN SHUPING , SHEVLIN TERRY , TONG YEN H.
Published: December 2006

We examine whether accrual earnings quality is a priced information risk factor in a dividend change setting. We define information risk as the probability that firm‐specific financial statement information pertinent to investor pricing decisions is of low precision, and use the factor‐mimicking portfolio returns formed on theDechow‐Dichev [2002]accrual quality (AQ) metric to proxy for the information risk (IR) factor returns. We augment the Fama‐French three‐factor model with this IR factor, and find that dividend initiation and increase firms exhibit a decrease in the factor loadings on the IR factor while dividend decrease firms exhibit an increase in the corresponding factor loadings, but such changes in the factor loadings occur months prior to the dividend change announcements. The results are robust to further controls for operating risk and using an alternative measure of information risk. Further analysis on changes in information characteristics such as AQ, the probability of informed trading score (PIN), forecast dispersion, and return volatility surrounding dividend change events are consistent with the asset pricing results. Overall, we interpret our results as being consistent with investors treating the information risk associated with the precision of financial statement information as a priced risk factor, with both the precision and pricing changing in predictable directions around dividend changes. However, while we attempt to control for operating risk changes in additional tests, we cannot completely rule out changes in operating risk as a competing alternative explanation for our observed results.