bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Secondary motoneurons in juvenile and adult zebrafish: Axonal pathfinding errors caused by embryonic nicotine exposure
Authors: Menelaou Evdokia , Svoboda Kurt R. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractNicotine is a drug of abuse that has been reported to have many adverse effects on the developing nervous system. We previously demonstrated that embryonic exposure to nicotine alters axonal pathfinding of spinal secondary motoneurons in zebrafish. We hypothesize that these changes will persist into adulthood. The Tg(isl1:GFP) line of zebrafish, which expresses green fluorescent protein (GFP) in a subtype of spinal secondary motoneurons, was used to investigate potential long‐term consequences of nicotine exposure on motoneuron development. Anatomical characterization of Tg(isl1:GFP) zebrafish ranging between 3 and 30 days postfertilization (dpf) was initially performed in fixed tissue to characterize axonal trajectories in larval and juvenile fish. Tg(isl1:GFP) embryos were transiently exposed to 5–30 μM nicotine. They were then rescued from nicotine and raised into later stages of life (3–30 dpf) and fixed for microscopic examination. Morphological analysis revealed that nicotine‐induced abnormalities in secondary motoneuron anatomy were still evident in juvenile fish. Live imaging of Tg(isl1:GFP) zebrafish using fluorescent stereomicroscopy revealed that the nicotine‐induced changes in motoneuron axonal pathfinding persisted into adulthood. We detected abnormalities in 37‐dpf fish that were transiently exposed to nicotine as embryos. These fish were subsequently imaged over a 7‐week period of time until they were ≈3 months of age. These pathfinding errors of spinal secondary motoneuron axons detected at 37 dpf persisted within the same fish until 86 dpf, the latest age analyzed. These findings indicate that exposure to nicotine during embryonic development can have permanent consequences for motoneuron anatomy in zebrafish. J. Comp. Neurol. 512:305–322, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Corporate social and environmental reporting and the impact of internal environmental policy in South Africa
Authors: Mitchell Clyde Geoffrey , Hill Trevor 
Published: November 2008

AbstractThe paper investigates the development and use of corporate social and environmental reporting by businesses within a large municipality in South Africa. There is a strong call for improved CSR, and a greater degree of accountability and transparency by business. The survey was conducted through the use of interviews following a structured questionnaire with the Global Reporting Initiative used as an appropriate framework. This approach allowed us to determine the challenges businesses face in implementing a comprehensive CSR system in the South African context and why, other than companies which are part of a group, businesses are unable or unwilling to increase external reporting. We suggest that implementation of a comprehensive and externally controlled and certified standard, such as ISO 14001 would not only reduce environmental impacts, but facilitate increased CSR. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Managing stakeholders or the environment? The challenge of relating indicators in practice
Authors: Brunklaus Birgit , Malmqvist Tove , Baumann Henrikke 
Published: November 2008

AbstractMany organizations present their environmental work in the form of annual reports and use the indicators in them for follow‐up. However, internal communication and management is needed for environmental improvements. The indicators found in reports may be suitable for external communication, but are they also suitable internally and operationally?This article reviews the existing literature on environmental indicators. With the help of an operational approach, from organisation theory, and a life‐cycle approach, indicators are analysed. The analysis shows that formulating indicators for internal management is not an easy task; available guidelines are of little help. It is concluded that the environment can be managed internally by relating indicators. Therefore, an additional set of indicators for internal management and a wider responsibility for the life cycle are recommended. The analysis and recommendations are illustrated with examples drawn from the field of property management. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Collective ideals and practices in sustainable development: managing corporate identity
Authors: Lauring Jakob , Thomsen Christa 
Published: November 2008

AbstractWhen implementing corporate identity initiatives, CSR values are often formally distributed throughout the organization. This is done to coordinate the actions of organizational members to meet demands of social responsibility among stakeholders. However, inconsistencies between ideals and practices can often be observed. Based on an ethnographic study of the implementation of equal opportunity policies in a Danish organization, this article argues that identity making is a socially negotiated process. Consequently, policy interpretations may be guided by different incentives in the different local settings. We suggest that policies should be developed in close interaction with the different organizational members in order to facilitate CSR identity making at a local level. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Brief neonatal maternal separation alters extinction of conditioned fear and corticolimbic glucocorticoid and NMDA receptor expression in adult rats
Authors: Wilber Aaron A. , Southwood Christopher J. , Wellman Cara L. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractNeonatal maternal separation alters adult HPA axis responsiveness to stress, adult emotionality, and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) concentrations in forebrain regions such as hippocampus. To investigate effects of neonatal maternal separation on emotion regulation and its neural substrates, we assessed acquisition and extinction of conditioned fear in adult rats that underwent neonatal maternal separation. Corticolimbic structures including basolateral amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex are critical for acquisition and extinction of conditioned fear, and such learning is N‐methyl‐D‐aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor‐dependent. Thus, we used immunohistochemistry to assess expression of the GR and the NR1 subunit of the NMDA receptor in basolateral amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex. On postnatal days 2–14, pups underwent control rearing or maternal separation for 15 min per day. Fear conditioning and extinction in adulthood were then assessed in male rats. Rats received five tone‐alone habituation trials, then seven tone/footshock pairings. After 1 h, rats received tone‐alone extinction trials to criterion, and 15 recall of extinction trials the next day. Brains were processed for immunohistochemical labeling of GR and NR1, and staining was quantified. Brief maternal separation did not alter acquisition or initial extinction, but impaired extinction recall. Brief maternal separation did not alter GR or NR1 expression in basolateral amygdala. However, brief maternal separation increased GR and decreased NR1 expression specifically in the infralimbic region of medial prefrontal cortex, consistent with work implicating this area in extinction recall. Thus, brief maternal separation impaired extinction recall and altered GR and NR1 expression in its neural substrate in adults. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2009
No clear genetic influences on the association between dyslexia and anxiety in a population‐based sample of female twins
Authors: Whitehouse Andrew J.O. , Spector Tim D. , Cherkas Lynn F. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractIndividuals with dyslexia are at an increased risk for anxiety disorders (e.g. generalized anxiety disorder, stress disorders, panic disorder). The extent to which this association is mediated by genetic and/or environmental influences is unclear. The current study explored the relationship between these two phenotypes using a large population‐based twin sample. In total, 940 monozygotic and 903 dizygotic female twin pairs were included in the analyses. The presence of dyslexia and anxiety was determined by self‐report of diagnosis by a health professional. Tetrachoric correlations confirmed an association between the two phenotypes, but suggested that there was no evidence for shared genetic risks. Bivariate twin modelling corroborated this finding and indicated the relationship between dyslexia and anxiety is mediated by shared environmental factors. Future research should seek to identifying the environmental factors that increase the vulnerability of individuals with dyslexia to emotional problems should be a priority for future research. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Amperometric Determination of Aminobiphenyls Using HPLC‐ED with Boron‐Doped Diamond Electrode
Authors: Pecková Karolina , Jandová Kateřina , Maixnerová Lucie , Swain Greg M. , Barek Jiří 
Published: November 2008

AbstractAmino derivatives of biphenyl have been proven to be genotoxic and/or carcinogenic, thus they are widely monitored in the environment as well as in biological liquids. This study was devoted to HPLC determination of 2‐aminobiphenyl, 3‐aminobiphenyl, and 4‐aminobiphenyl in model drinking and river water samples using amperometric detection in a thin layer cell with boron doped diamond thin film electrode. Satisfactory separation of studied analytes was achieved at a ChiraDex column (Merck, Germany) with chemically bonded β‐cyclodextrin in a mobile phase aqueous buffer/acetonitrile/methanol (40/30/30, v/v/v) with total separation time of six minutes. The highest detector response with satisfactory repeatability (relative standard deviation <2.9% for all aminobiphenyls) was obtained using 0.01 mol L−1 acetate buffer at pH 5.0 as an aqueous component of the mobile phase. For direct determination of aminobiphenyls in drinking and river water model samples limits of quantitation ca. 4×10−7 mol L−1 were achieved. Applying off‐line solid phase extraction using Lichrolut EN (Merck, Germany) cartridges and elution by diethyl ether, limits of quantitation were lowered down to the 10−9 mol L−1 concentration range.
Electrochemical Determination of Manganese Solubility in Mercury via Amalgamation and Stripping in the Room Temperature Ionic Liquid n‐Hexyltriethylammonium Bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, [N6,2,2,2][NTf2]
Authors: Rogers Emma I. , Šljukić Biljana , Hardacre Christopher , Compton Richard G. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractThe solubility of manganese in mercury was determined electrochemically via amalgamation and stripping in the room temperature ionic liquid n‐hexyltriethylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, [N6,2,2,2][NTf2]. A hemispherical mercury electrode was made by electrodepositing mercury onto a planar platinum microelectrode. Cyclic voltammetry of Mn2+ in [N6,2,2,2][NTf2] at the mercury microhemisphere electrode was investigated at temperatures of 298, 303 and 313 K. The solubility of Mn in Hg was determined on the basis of the charge under the reduction peak (Mn2+→Mn0) and the corresponding reoxidation.
Construction of L‐Lysine Sensor by Layer‐by‐Layer Adsorption of L‐Lysine 6‐Dehydrogenase and Ferrocene‐Labeled High Molecular Weight Coenzyme Derivative on Gold Electrode
Authors: Zheng Haitao , Zhou Jingli , Okezaki Yosuke , Suye Shin‐ichiro 
Published: November 2008

AbstractA ferrocene‐labeled high molecular weight coenzyme derivative (PEI‐Fc‐NAD) and a thermostable NAD‐dependent L‐lysine 6‐dehydrogenase (LysDH) from thermophile Geobacillus stearothermophilus were used to fabricate a reagentless L‐lysine sensor. Both LysDH and PEI‐Fc‐NAD were immobilized on the surface of a gold electrode by consecutive layer‐by‐layer adsorption (LBL) technique. By the simple LBL method, the reagentless L‐lysine sensor, with co‐immobilization of the mediator, coenzyme, and enzyme was obtained, which exhibited current response to L‐lysine without the addition of native coenzyme to the analysis system. The amperometric response of the sensor was dependent on the applied potential, bilayer number of PEI‐Fc‐NAD/LysDH, and substrate concentration. A linear current response, proportional to L‐lysine concentration in the range of 1–120 mM was observed. The response of the sensor to L‐lysine was decreased by 30% from the original activity after one month storage.
Comparison of the analytical performance of electrophoresis microchannels fabricated in PDMS, glass, and polyester‐toner
Authors: Coltro Wendell Karlos Tomazelli , Lunte Susan M. , Carrilho Emanuel 
Published: November 2008

AbstractThis paper compares the analytical performance of microchannels fabricated in PDMS, glass, and polyester‐toner for electrophoretic separations. Glass and PDMS chips were fabricated using well‐established photolithographic and replica‐molding procedures, respectively. PDMS channels were sealed against three different types of materials: native PDMS, plasma‐oxidized PDMS, and glass. Polyester‐toner chips were micromachined by a direct‐printing process using an office laser printer. All microchannels were fabricated with similar dimensions according to the limitations of the direct‐printing process (width/depth 150 μm/12 μm). LIF was employed for detection to rule out any losses in separation efficiency due to the detector configuration. Two fluorescent dyes, coumarin and fluorescein, were used as model analytes. Devices were evaluated for the following parameters related to electrophoretic separations: EOF, heat dissipation, injection reproducibility, separation efficiency, and adsorption to channel wall.
Impact of laser excitation intensity on deep UV fluorescence detection in microchip electrophoresis
Authors: Schulze Philipp , Ludwig Martin , Belder Detlev 
Published: November 2008

AbstractA high intensity 266 nm continuous wave (cw‐) laser developed for material processing was utilised as an excitation source for sensitive native fluorescence detection of unlabelled compounds in MCE. This 120 mW laser was attached via an optical fibre into a commercial epifluorescence microscope. With this MCE set‐up we evaluated the impact of laser power on the S/N of aromatic compounds as well as of proteins. Compared with a previous work which used a 4 mW pulsed laser for excitation, improved S/N for small aromatics and to a lesser extent for proteins could be attained. The LOD of the system was determined down to 24 ng/mL for serotonin (113 nM), 24 ng/mL for propranolol (81 nM), 80 ng/mL for tryptophan (392 nM) and 80 ng/mL for an aromatic diol (475 nM). Sensitive protein detection was obtained at concentrations of 5 μg/mL for lysocyme, trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen (340, 208 and 195 nM, respectively). Finally, a comparison of the cw‐ with a pulsed 266 nm laser, operating at the same average power, showed a higher attainable sensitivity of the cw‐laser. This can be attributed to fluorescence saturation and photobleaching effects of the pulsed laser at high pulse energies.
Mutational analysis of the mitochondrial tRNA genes and flanking regions in umbilical cord tissue from uninfected infants receiving AZT‐based therapies for prophylaxis of HIV‐1
Authors: Torres Salina M. , Walker Dale M. , McCash Consuelo L. , Carter Meghan M. , Ming Jessica , Cordova Edmund M. , Pons Rachel M. , Cook Dennis L. , Seilkop Steven K. , Copeland William C. , Walker Vernon E. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractA sensitive vertical denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) method, using 13 unipolar psoralen‐clamped PCR primer pairs, was developed for detecting sequence variants in the 22 tRNA genes and flanking regions (together spanning ∼21%) of the human mitochondrial genome. A study was conducted to determine (i) if mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphisms and/or mutations were detectable in healthy newborns and (ii) if prepartum 3′‐azido‐2′,3′‐dideoxythymidine (AZT) based HIV‐1 prophylaxis was associated with significant increases in mtDNA mutations and changes in the degree of heteroplasmy of sequence variants in uninfected infants born to HIV‐1‐infected mothers. DGGE analysis of umbilical cord tissue (where vascular endothelium and smooth muscle cells are the major source of mtDNA) showed that mtDNA sequence variants were significantly elevated by threefold in AZT‐treated infants compared with unexposed controls (P < 0.001), with 24 changes observed in 19/52 (37%) treated newborns (averaging 0.46 changes/subject) versus only eight changes found in 7/55 (13%) unexposed newborns (averaging 0.15 changes/subject). Six distinct sequence variants occurring in unexposed controls were predominately synonymous and homoplasmic, representing previously reported polymorphisms. Uninfected infants exposed to a combination of AZT and 2′,3′‐dideoxy‐3′‐thiacytidine and “maternal HIV‐1” had a significant shift in the spectrum of mutations (P = 0.04) driven by increases in nonsynonymous heteroplasmic sequence variants at polymorphic sites (10 distinct variants) and novel sites (four distinct variants). While the weight of evidence suggests that prepartum AZT‐based prophylaxis produces mtDNA mutations, additional research is needed to determine the degree to which fetal responses to maternal HIV‐1 infection, in the absence of antiretroviral treatment, contribute to prenatal mtDNA mutagenesis. Environ. Mol. Mutagen., 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Procedure to predict the storey where plastic drift dominates in two‐storey building under strong ground motion
Authors: Hibino Yo , Ichinose Toshikatsu , Domingues Costa J. L. , Nielsen M. P. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractA procedure is presented to predict the storey where plastic drift dominates in two‐storey buildings under strong ground motion. The procedure utilizes the yield strength and the mass of each storey as well as the peak ground acceleration. The procedure is based on two different assumptions: (1) the seismic force distribution is of inverted triangular form and (2) the rigid‐plastic model represents the system. The first and the second assumptions, respectively, lead to lower and upper estimates of the base shear coefficient under which the drift of the first storey exceeds that of the second storey. The efficiency of the procedure is verified by dynamic response analyses using elasto‐plastic model. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hysteretic energy dissipation capacity and the cyclic to monotonic drift ratio for rectangular RC columns in flexure
Authors: Poljanšek Karmen , Peruš Iztok , Fajfar Peter 
Published: November 2008

AbstractPredictions of energy dissipation capacity and of the deterioration of deformation capacity due to cumulative damage have been made by means of a non‐parametric empirical approach, called the conditional average estimator method, using empirical data on rectangular reinforced concrete columns that failed in flexure. Five input parameters were used: axial load index, index related to confinement, shear span index, concrete compressive strength, and longitudinal reinforcement index. The energy capacity was expressed in three different normalized forms and the deterioration of deformation capacity was defined as the ratio of the cyclic to the monotonic ultimate drift. The longitudinal reinforcement index, the index related to confinement, and the axial load index are the most influential input parameters in the case of energy capacity, whereas the latter two indices exhibit the most significant influence in the case of the drift ratio. Energy capacity decreases with an increasing axial load index, whereas it increases with increasing longitudinal reinforcement and with better confinement. In the case of the shear span index, the trend is more complex. Normal concrete has a higher energy dissipation capacity than high‐strength concrete. Similar trends are observed for the drift ratio, with the exception of the influence of the axial load index, where the trend is opposite. The dispersion of the results is high. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Aroma‐impact compounds in Lysimachia foenum‐graecum extracts
Authors: Shu Na , Shen Hong 
Published: November 2008

AbstractTwo different extraction methods were used to obtain representative extracts from stems and leaves of Lysimachia foenum‐graecum, a Chinese plant with a smoky, spicy, green, woody and caramel aroma. An extract was obtained by steam distillation followed by pentane back‐extraction. Plants were also extracted with dichloromethane, and the non‐volatile compounds were separated from volatiles by high‐vacuum distillation (SAFE). Compared to the steam distillate extract, the SAFE‐distilled extract was judged to be more similar to the aroma of the starting materials. The aroma‐impact compounds of the SAFE extract were then determined using multidimensional GC. From the detection frequencies and the intensities of the peaks, 47 peaks with odour‐activity were determined, using an adaptation of the GC–SNIFF method, to have an impact on the overall aroma of the extract. Fifty‐four compounds responsible for the peaks presenting odour‐activity were identified from mass spectral data, retention indices, olfactory character and co‐injection of authentic standards. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Failure of Ca2+‐activated, CREB‐dependent transcription in astrocytes
Authors: Murray Peter D. , Kingsbury Tami J. , Krueger Bruce K. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractAstrocytes participate in signaling via Ca2+ transients that spread from cell to cell across a multicellular syncytium. The effect, if any, of these Ca2+ waves on the transcription of Ca2+/cAMP‐regulatory element binding protein (CREB)‐dependent genes is not known. We report here that, unlike neurons, increasing intracellular Ca2+ in cultured mouse cortical astrocytes failed to activate CREB‐dependent transcription, even though CREB was phosphorylated at serine 133. In contrast, both CREB phosphorylation and CREB‐dependent transcription were robustly stimulated by increasing cAMP. The failure of Ca2+‐activated transcription in astrocytes was correlated with the absence of CaMKIV, a Ca2+‐dependent protein kinase required for Ca2+‐stimulated gene transcription in neurons. The inability of Ca2+ to signal via CaMKIV may insulate CREB‐dependent gene transcription in astrocytes from activation by Ca2+ waves. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.