bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Windstorm impact reduction legislation finds support, but presents some concerns
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: April 2004

Legislation to establish a National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, provide improved federal interagency coordination, and encourage mitigation measures was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee on 29 March.At a 24 March hearing, held by the House Science Subcommittees on Research and on Environment, Technology, and Standards, witnesses generally were supportive of the legislation's aims and the mitigation components of the proposed program. These components include an improved understanding of windstorms, and windstorm impact assessment and reduction.
Review of French research enterprise underway in light of mass resignations
Authors: Jacobs Judith 
Published: April 2004

Mass resignations in March by thousands of high‐level individuals throughout the French research establishment, to express grievances vis‐a‐vis government policies, have led to an ongoing review of all aspects of the way research is conducted in France. The committee undertaking the examination is due to issue a preliminary report this summer.The number of individuals in high‐level administrative and research positions in scientific institutions across France who have resigned is now over 3,500; and includes directors and laboratory team leaders associated with the geosciences. The mass resignations began on 9 March.
NSF Geosciences Advisory Committee solicits input
Authors: Anonymous  
Published: April 2004

The Geosciences Advisory Committee of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is soliciting the views and concerns of the geosciences community in advance of the committee's spring meeting, scheduled for 28–30 April at NSF headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. At this meeting, the committee will consider current and future geoscience plans and programs, priority areas in cooperation with other NSF directorates, and additional issues of relevance to the community.The chair and members welcome and solicit the views and concerns of the geosciences community so they may better represent their constituencies at upcoming meetings of the committee.
Anoxic “dead zones” in oceans
Authors: Jacobs Judith 
Published: April 2004

The number of oxygen‐starved “dead zones” in the world's oceans and seas is rising, according to a report of the United Nations Environment Programme published 29 March—the result of excessive nutrients, mainly nitrogen, from the use of synthetic fertilizers in agriculture, as well as vehicle and factory air emissions. The issue is raised in UNEP's first ever Global Environment Outlook Year Book, which claims that there are now nearly 150 such zones in coastal areas around the world.Some of the earliest recorded dead zones were in Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico in the United States, the Baltic Sea, and the northern Adriatic. However, other newer zones have appeared off South America, China, Japan, southeastern Australia, and New Zealand.
2004 Fellows Citations
Authors: Anonymous  
Published: April 2004

AGU congratulates the forty‐one distinguished scientists who were selected by a committee of their peers to be AGU Fellows for 2004.This selection was based on the individuals' attainment of acknowledged eminence in a branch of geophysics.The number of Fellows selected annually is limited to no more than 0.1% of the AGU membership. The names of the new Fellows are listed below, along with citations recognizing their specific achievements.
Overlapping ion populations in the cusp: polar/TIMAS results
Authors: Trattner K. J. , Coates A. J. , Fazakerley A. N. , Johnstone A. D. , Balsiger H. , Burch J. L. , Fuselier S. A. , Peterson W. K. , Rosenbauer H. , Shelley E. G. 
Published: April 2004

The 90 degree inclined orbit of the Polar satellite crosses the cusp at intermediate altitudes (4RE–6RE). The Toroidal Imaging Mass‐Angle Spectrograph (TIMAS) on the Polar spacecraft can obtain full energy/pitch angle distributions for four masses simultaneously. Many examples of magnetosheath particle injections with velocity dispersion, sometimes overlapping, have been observed.We report on two crossings of the cusp where TIMAS observed several overlapping cusp ion injections. These injections showed simultaneous onset of cusp ion precipitation at two different energies as well as the brief occurrence of ion precipitation above and below the energy of a preexisting population. Existing models of cusp precipitation do not provide an adequate explanation of these observations.
Influence of ACTH‐(1‐24) and Plasma Hyperviscosity on Free Radical Production and Capillary Perfusion After Hemorrhagic Shock
Authors: BERTUGLIA S. , GIUSTI A. 
Published: April 2004

ABSTRACTObjective: The authors investigated the effects of ACTH‐(1‐24) and a high‐viscosity solution in the restoration of microvascular function during resuscitation. They injected NG‐monomethyl‐l‐arginine (l‐NMMA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) before ACTH‐(1‐24) in hamsters resuscitated with the hyperviscous solution to determine the role of ROS and NO in ACTH‐(1‐24) protective mechanism in the cheek pouch. Hemorrhagic shock (HS) was induced by withdrawing blood to reduce mean arterial pressure (MAP) to 30 mm Hg for 45 min.Methods: Animals were injected with ACTH‐(1‐24) and resuscitated with dextran of low molecular weight (70 kDa) and a small amount (4%) of dextran of high molecular weight (500 kDa) plus ACTH‐(1‐24), or autologous (shed) blood withdrawn during HS. Microvascular effects were characterized by measuring blood flow, perfused capillary length (PCL), arteriolar diameter, and red blood cell (RBC) velocity. ROS were assayed at the beginning and after 45 min of HS and after 10 and 90 min of resuscitation.Results: Resuscitation with either shed blood or dextrans 70/500 resulted in the restoration of MAP, whereas PCL, RBC velocity, and arterial diameter decreased significantly. ROS increased significantly after HS, 10 and 45 min of resuscitation. ACTH‐(1‐24) plus dextrans 70/500 increased MAP immediately; it increased vasodilation and PCL, and attenuated significantly ROS production and leukocyte adhesion during resuscitation. l‐NMMA injected after 30 min of HS did not change the protection exerted by ACTH‐(1‐24) and dextrans 70/500, while SOD increased their protective effects.Conclusions: ACTH‐(1‐24) appears to enhance the protective effects on the endothelium exerted by increased plasma viscosity by significantly decreasing the oxidative stress and the leukocyte adhesion during resuscitation.
Mouse Cremaster Venules are Predisposed to Light/Dye‐Induced Thrombosis Independent of Wall Shear Rate, CD18, ICAM‐1, or P‐Selectin
Authors: RUMBAUT ROLANDO E. , RANDHAWA JASPREET KAUR , SMITH C. WAYNE , BURNS ALAN R. 
Published: April 2004

ABSTRACTObjective: Microvascular adhesion of platelets to endothelium occurs in response to various inflammatory stimuli, and in venules is often accompanied by adherent leukocytes. In a light/dye injury model, platelet adhesion and thrombi occur preferentially in venules, though the reasons for this predisposition are unknown. The authors sought to determine whether lower wall shear rates or leukocyte–endothelial interactions accounted for preferential platelet thrombi formation in venules relative to arterioles.Methods: A light/dye injury model of microvascular thrombosis was used in the mouse cremaster microcirculation.Results: In wild‐type mice (n = 17), the time to form microvascular platelet aggregates was delayed in arterioles by 3.1‐fold relative to venules (p < .0001). However, arterioles with spontaneously low wall shear rates, as well as arterioles manipulated to reduce wall shear rate to venous levels, still had delayed thrombosis as compared to venules. Similarly, in animals deficient in CD18, P‐selectin, or ICAM‐1, the time to form platelet thrombi in arterioles was > 3.0‐fold higher than in venules.Conclusions: Mouse cremaster venules are predisposed to light/dye‐induced microvascular thrombosis. The data suggest that functional differences between arteriolar and venular endothelial cells (independent of wall shear rate and of CD18, P‐selectin, and ICAM‐1) account for the venular predisposition to thrombosis.
Recovery of Nitric Oxide from Acetylcholine‐Mediated Vasodilatation in Human Skin In Vivo
Authors: BOUTSIOUKI PARASKEVI , GEORGIOU SOPHIA , CLOUGH GERALDINE F. 
Published: April 2004

ABSTRACTObjectives: To investigate the relative contribution of nitric oxide (NO) to the vascular and neural mechanisms underlying the ACh‐induced vasodilatation in human skin.Methods: ACh was delivered to the skin of the forearm of 28 healthy volunteers using intradermal microdialysis. Subsequent changes in tissue levels of NO and histamine were measured in the dialysate outflow and the associated changes in skin blood flux followed with the use of scanning laser Doppler imaging.Results: ACh caused a dose‐dependent increase in skin blood flux measured directly above the probe, associated with a twofold increase in dialysate NO. l‐NAME (5 mM) delivered simultaneously via the dialysis probe totally blocked the increase in dialysate NO but only partially attenuated (∼ 30%) the ACh‐induced increase in blood flux. At concentrations ≥6.25 mM, ACh also induced a widespread flare response, up to 40 mm in width, accompanied by the sensation of itch. The flare was not blocked by l‐NAME or the H1 receptor antagonist levocetirizine, but was reduced by C‐fiber blockade. Dialysate histamine levels remained unchanged at all times.Conclusions: These experiments offer further insight into the use of dialysis as an experimental technique in the skin. They provide direct evidence that the skin microvascular response to ACh is only partially mediated by NO. Further they suggest that ACh at higher concentrations can induce an axon‐reflex‐mediated response that is independent of NO release at the site of dermal provocation or of local histamine release.
Telomerase‐Immortalized Lymphatic and Blood Vessel Endothelial Cells are Functionally Stable and Retain Their Lineage Specificity
Authors: SCHOPPMANN SEBASTIAN F. , SOLEIMAN AFSCHIN , KALT ROMANA , OKUBO YUKARI , BENISCH CHRISTIAN , NAGAVARAPU USHA , HERRON G. SCOTT , GELEFF SILVANA 
Published: April 2004

ABSTRACTObjective: Microvasculature plays an important role in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. The authors have previously shown that primary cultures of human microvascular endothelial cells consist of 2 distinct populations of blood vascular and lymphatic endothelial cells. These subtypes are ephemeral and lose purity through passaging. To generate reproducible in vitro and in vivo experiments stable blood and lymphatic endothelial cell lines are an essential prerequisite.Methods: In this study they have used human telomerase gene‐immortalized nontransformed human microvascular endothelial cell cloned pure cultures of blood and lymphatic endothelial cell subpopulations. Flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, Northern and Western blotting, microarray gene analysis, as well as basic functional assays were used to characterize these clones.Results and Conclusions: Immortalized blood and lymphatic subpopulations are stable and functionally specialized cell lineages that expressed pan‐endothelial and cell‐type‐specific markers. They are excellent candidates for long‐term culture studies on microvascular‐related diseases.
Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography in Assessing Microcirculation in Baboons with Chagas Disease
Authors: ZABALGOITIA MIGUEL , VENTURA JAIME , LOZANO JOSE L. , ANDERSON LORI , CAREY K. D. , HUBBARD G. B. , WILLIAMS JEFF T. , VANDEBERG JOHN L. 
Published: April 2004

ABSTRACTObjective: Microvascular abnormalities have been postulated in the pathogenesis of chagasic cardiomyopathy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between coronary microcirculation and systolic function impairment in baboons with Chagas disease using myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE).Methods: Seventeen seropositive (5 males, 12 females; mean age 20 years) and 13 age‐ and gender‐matched seronegative baboons underwent MCE using intravenous octafluoropropane human albumin microspheres. Color‐coding was used to enhance tissue contrast in assessing regional myocardium uniformity and texture. Dipyridamole (0.54 mg/kg) was given to a subset of 4 animals to challenge coronary flow reserve. Systolic indices included left ventricular fractional shortening, velocity of circumferential fiber shortening, and left and right ventricular ejection fractions.Results: Four of the 17 (24%) seropositive primates had decreased fractional shortening (25 ± 8% vs. 40 ± 5%, p < .005), velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (1.05 ± 0.36 circ/s vs. 1.84 ± 0.23 circ/s, p < .0001), and reduced right ventricular ejection fraction (44 ± 9% vs. 54 ± 4%, p < .05) compared to other seropositive animals. Seropositive and seronegative groups showed no significant differences on the coronary microcirculation pattern as evaluated by MCE, including the 4 baboons with systolic function impairment. Moreover, coronary flow vasoreactivity resulted in a significant increase in myocardial flow as detected by color‐coding masking.Conclusions: Chagasic heart disease is present in 24% of seropositive baboons spontaneously infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. MCE reveals a discrepancy between coronary microcirculation at rest and alterations in myocardial contractility, suggesting preservation of the microvascular integrity in this unique animal model.
K+‐Induced Dilation of Hamster Cremasteric Arterioles Involves Both the Na+/K+‐ATPase and Inward‐Rectifier K+ Channels
Authors: BURNS WENDY R. , COHEN KENNETH D. , JACKSON WILLIAM F. 
Published: April 2004

ABSTRACTObjective: The mechanism by which elevated extracellular potassium ion concentration ([K+]o) causes dilation of skeletal muscle arterioles was evaluated.Methods: Arterioles (n = 111) were hand‐dissected from hamster cremaster muscles, cannulated with glass micropipettes and pressurized to 80 cm H2O for in vitro study. The vessels were superfused with physiological salt solution containing 5 mM KCl, which could be rapidly switched to test solutions containing elevated [K+]o and/or inhibitors. The authors measured arteriolar diameter with a computer‐based diameter tracking system, vascular smooth muscle cell membrane potential with sharp micropipettes filled with 200 mM KCl, and changes in intracellular Ca2 + concentration ([Ca2 +]i) with Fura 2. Membrane currents and potentials also were measured in enzymatically isolated arteriolar muscle cells using patch clamp techniques. The role played by inward rectifier K+ (KIR) channels was tested using Ba2 + as an inhibitor. Ouabain and substitution of extracellular Na+ with Li+ were used to examine the function of the Na+/K+ ATPase.Results: Elevation of [K+]o from 5 mM up to 20 mM caused transient dilation of isolated arterioles (27 ± 1 μ m peak dilation when [K+]o was elevated from 5 to 20 mM, n = 105, p < .05). This dilation was preceded by transient membrane hyperpolarization (10 ± 1 mV, n = 23, p < .05) and by a fall in [Ca2 +]i as indexed by a decrease in the Fura 2 fluorescence ratio of 22 ± 5% (n = 4, p < .05). Ba2 + (50 or 100 μ M) attenuated the peak dilation (40 ± 8% inhibition, n = 22) and hyperpolarization (31 ± 12% inhibition, n = 7, p < .05) and decreased the duration of responses by 37 ± 11% (n = 20, p < 0.05). Both ouabain (1 mM or 100 μM) and replacement of Na+ with Li+ essentially abolished both the hyperpolarization and vasodilation.Conclusions: Elevated [K+]o causes transient vasodilation of skeletal muscle arterioles that appears to be an intrinsic property of the arterioles. The results suggest that K+‐induced dilation involves activation of both the Na+/K+ ATPase and KIR channels, leading to membrane hyperpolarization, a fall in [Ca2 +]i, and culminating in vasodilation. The Na+/K+ ATPase appears to play the major role and is largely responsible for the transient nature of the response to elevated [K+]o, whereas KIR channels primarily affect the duration and kinetics of the response.
Effect of Fibrinogen on Leukocyte Margination and Adhesion in Postcapillary Venules
Authors: PEARSON MARK J. , LIPOWSKY HERBERT H. 
Published: April 2004

ABSTRACTObjective: To quantitatively evaluate the role of fibrinogen (Fb) as a determinant of leukocyte (WBC) margination in postcapillary venules in light of its ability to induce red blood cell (RBC) aggregation with reductions in shear rate () and increase adhesiveness of WBCs to endothelium (EC).Methods: Red cell aggregation (RCA), WBC margination (flux at the EC), rolling velocity, and adhesion to the EC were measured in rat mesenteric postcapillary venules upon reducing , prior to and following systemic infusion of Fb. Proximal occlusion of feeding microvessels with a blunted probe facilitated reductions in from 600 to 50 s−1. An index of aggregation (G) was derived from light‐scattering properties of RBCs, where G was proportional to the number of RBCs per aggregate. WBC margination was measured as the percentage of total luminal WBC flux that rolled on the EC, F *WBC.Results: For normal levels of Fb (0.07 g%), reductions in resulted in a 4‐fold rise in F WBC* and no change in G as was reduced to 50 s−1. Infusion of Fb to achieve a plasma concentration to 0.7 g% caused a modest 20% increase in G and a 2.5‐fold increase in F WBC* at = 50 s−1. WBC‐EC adhesion appeared to increase significantly, but much less than with infusion of high molecular weight dextran (Dx). With Dx, G increased 3‐fold, with reductions in , but F WBC* increased only half the amount incurred with Fb at low shear. The greater margination in the presence of Fb results from RBC rouleaux that promote radial migration of WBCs. In contrast, clumps of RBCs resulting from high molecular weight Dx entrain WBCs within plasma gaps along the vessel centerline.Conclusions: In the presence of Fb, margination of WBCs increases dramatically at low shear due to rouleaux formation, which enhances radial migration of WBCs. This effect is much greater than with Dx because disruption of the much weaker Fb induced rouleaux precludes reductions in HMICRO, whereas clumping aggregates induced by Dx form plasma gaps. Thus, modest levels of RCA caused by increased Fb may greatly enhance margination and with an enhancement of adhesiveness synergistically promote firm WBC‐EC adhesion in the low flow state.
Address of the President, Sir Aaron Klug, O.M., P.R.S., given at the anniversary meeting on 30 November 1999
Authors: Klug A. 
Published: April 2004

The Royal Society combines three different functions.
First, we are a learned society, established in 1660 to promote the—then radical—values of modern science and, particularly, the notion that knowledge about the natural world is best obtained by careful observations and controlled experiment. We do this by identifying and honouring high achievement, disseminating new science through meetings and publications, and, over time, acquiring and maintaining a pre–eminent library and archive in the history of science. Our function as a learned society is the foundation of everything else we do, since it is the standing of the Fellows, and their expertise, which gives the Society its authority.
Second, we are a funding body, using public and private monies to support the best individuals to undertake the most imaginative and far-reaching research, in Britain and internationally. We do this through Research Professorships and Fellowships, conference and research grants.
Third, we are, in effect, the Academy of Science for the UK, leading the UK scientific community in its relations with UK society, government and the scientific communities of other countries. As part of this role we have a long history of relations with other academies and of international scientific exchanges.
In each of these roles, the Society occupies a special niche. By combining the three roles within one organization, the Society is in a particularly strong, I would say unique, position to provide innovative and practical leadership to the scientific community.
The Wealth and Information Effects of Insurers' Open Market Stock Repurchase Announcements
Authors: Born Patricia , Giaccotto Carmelo , Ritsatos Titos 
Published: April 2004

AbstractThis article examines the use of an increasingly popular method of cash disbursement in the insurance industry: stock repurchase programs. Using a sample of stock repurchase announcements between 1981 and 1997, we examine the motivation for stock repurchase, estimate the market reaction to the repurchase announcement, and evaluate the magnitude of the reaction as it relates to particular insurance industry and firm characteristics. We examine the abnormal returns around the announcement day and find a significant positive wealth effect associated with repurchase announcements—a result that is consistent with that of other studies of both nonfinancial and financial firms. However, we suspect that the nature of the insurance product and the highly regulated status of the insurance industry might serve to mitigate the magnitude of an announcement effect. In fact, we find that the effect for all insurers is smaller than that obtained in samples of industrial firms. Finally, we examine the relationships between the magnitude of the announcement effect and various firm characteristics and test the significance of information signaling and Jensen's free cash flow theories in the insurance setting.
Exposure Triggers and Allocation Methods: Learning Lessons From Prior Court Rulings
Authors: McGuire Charles R. , McCullough Kathleen A. , Flanigan George B. 
Published: April 2004

AbstractThis study provides a review of some of the major court rulings that have shaped and continue to shape the commercial general liability (CGL) market. The evolution of the concepts of “triggers” and allocations systems is examined to gain a perspective on the way in which courts reinterpret contract language to apply to new and emerging exposures. A review of the issues impacting the CGL provides valuable insights into the way court rulings can create a significant impact in the insurance market. A stream of court decisions provides the backdrop for today's challenges, including the reemergence of asbestos claims. The study also fills a gap in the literature related to the crisis in the CGL marketplace and changes in the pricing, regulation, and solvency of insurers operating in those lines. As old risks continue to evolve and new risks emerge, courts have begun to reinterpret liability contracts in much the same way as they reinterpreted contracts with regard to pollution and products in the 1970s and 1980s. Recent rulings related to asbestos and environmental liability underscore the importance of these issues in today's marketplace. By reviewing these events related to the CGL policy, insurers, insureds, and regulators may gain a new perspective on the importance of developing a clear standard wording that will be consistently interpreted in light of new exposures.