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Special Attention (special + attention)
Selected Abstracts2. PRESENCE ACHIEVED IN LANGUAGE (WITH SPECIAL ATTENTION GIVEN TO THE PRESENCE OF THE PAST)HISTORY AND THEORY, Issue 3 2006HANS ULRICH GUMBRECHT ABSTRACT The aim of this essay is to ask whether what it calls the "presence" of things, including things of the past, can be rendered in language, including the language of historians. In Part I the essay adumbrates what it means by presence (the spatio-temporally located existence of physical objects and events). It also proposes two ideal types: meaning-cultures (in which the interpretation of meaning is of paramount concern, so much so that the thinghood of things is often obscured), and presence-cultures (in which capturing the tangibility of things is of utmost importance). In the modern period, linguistic utterance has typically come to be used for, and to be interpreted as, the way by which meaning rather than presence is expressed, thereby creating a gap between language and presence. Thus, in Part II the essay explores ways that this gap might be bridged, examining seven instances in which presence can be "amalgamated" with language. These range from instances in which the physical dimensions of language itself are made manifest, to those through which the physicality of the things to which language refers is supposed to be made evident. Of particular note for theorists of history are those instances in which things can be made present by employing the deictic, poetic, and incantatory potential of linguistic expression. The essay concludes in Part III with a reflection on Heidegger's idea that language is the "house of being," now interpreted as the idea that language can be the medium through which the separation of humans and the (physical) things of their environment may be overcome. The hope of achieving presence in language is no less than a reconciliation of humans with their world, including,and of most interest to historians,the things and events of their past. [source] Special Attention for Elderly Women: Atypical Left Ventricular Apical Ballooning Syndrome Induced by Dobutamine Stress Test: A Case ReportJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 9 2009Osman Sonmez MD No abstract is available for this article. [source] Fluoride Intake and Prevalence of Dental Fluorosis: Trends in Fluoride Intake with Special Attention to Infants: REVIEW & COMMENTARYJOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY, Issue 3 2000Samuel J. Fomon MD ABSTRACT Background : Although the predominant beneficial effect of fluoride occurs locally in the mouth, the adverse effect, dental fluorosis, occurs by the systemic route. The caries attack rate in industrialized countries, including the United States and Canada, has decreased dramatically over the past 40 years. However, the prevalence of dental fluorosis in the United States has increased during the last 30 years both in communities with fluoridated water and in communities with nonfluoridated water. Dental fluorosis is closely associated with fluoride intake during the period of tooth development. Methods: We reviewed the major changes in infant feeding practices that have occurred since 1930 and the changes in fluoride intakes by infants and young children associated with changes in feeding practices. Results and Conclusions: Based on this review, we conclude that fluoride intakes of infants and children have shown a rather steady increase since 1930, are likely to continue to increase, and will be associated with further increase in the prevalence of enamel fluorosis unless intervention measures are instituted. Recommendations: We believe the most important measures that should be undertaken are (1) use, when feasible, of water low in fluoride for dilution of infant formulas; (2) adult supervision of toothbrushing by children younger than 5 years of age; and (3) changes in recommendations for administration of fluoride supplements so that such supplements are not given to infants and more stringent criteria are applied for administration to children. [source] A Comparative Study of Modal Parameter Identification Based on Wavelet and Hilbert,Huang TransformsCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2006Banfu Yan Special attention is given to some implementation issues, such as the modal separation and end effect in the WT, the optimal parameter selection of the wavelet function, the new stopping criterion for the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and the end effect in the HHT. The capabilities of these two techniques are compared and assessed by using three examples, namely a numerical simulation for a damped system with two very close modes, an impact test on an experimental model with three well-separated modes, and an ambient vibration test on the Z24-bridge benchmark problem. The results demonstrate that for the system with well-separated modes both methods are applicable when the time,frequency resolutions are sufficiently taken into account, whereas for the system with very close modes, the WT method seems to be more theoretical and effective than HHT from the viewpoint of parameter design. [source] NMR nomenclature: Nuclear spin properties and conventions for chemical shifts (IUPAC recommendations 2001),CONCEPTS IN MAGNETIC RESONANCE, Issue 5 2002Robin K. Harris Abstract A unified scale is recommended for reporting the NMR chemical shifts of all nuclei relative to the 1H resonance of tetramethylsilane. The unified scale is designed to provide a precise ratio, ,, of the resonance frequency of a given nuclide to that of the primary reference, the 1H resonance of tetramethylsilane (TMS) in dilute solution (volume fraction, , < 1%) in chloroform. Referencing procedures are discussed, including matters of practical application of the unified scale. Special attention is paid to recommended reference samples and values of , for secondary references on the unified scale are listed, many of which are the results of new measurements. Some earlier recommendations relating to the reporting of chemical shifts are endorsed. The chemical shift, ,, is redefined to avoid previous ambiguities but to leave practical usage unchanged. Relations between the unified scale and recently published recommendations for referencing in aqueous solutions (for specific use in biochemical work) are discussed, as well as the special effects of working in the solid state with magic-angle spinning. In all, nine new recommendations relating to chemical shifts are made. Standardized nuclear spin data are also presented in tabular form for the stable (and some unstable) isotopes of all elements with non-zero quantum numbers. The information given includes quantum numbers, isotopic abundances, magnetic moments, magnetogyric ratios and receptivities, together with quadrupole moments and linewidth factors (where appropriate). © 2001 IUPAC. Concepts Magn Reson 14:326,346, 2002 [source] Corporate social responsibility and the identification of stakeholdersCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2003Janita F. J. Vos As a management problem the identification of stakeholders is not easily solved. It comprises a modelling and a normative issue, which need to be solved in connection with each other. In stakeholder literature knowledge can be found, e.g. on various stakeholder categorizations, that could be useful for the modelling issue. However, the normative issue remains unresolved. Additionally, the modelling of the so-called stakeholder category ,the affected' further complicates this issue. Nevertheless, from a normative perspective, this group holds justified interests in aspects of organizational activity and its members are, for that reason, legitimate stakeholders. In this article it is explored to what extent critical systems heuristics can help in resolving the managerial problem of identifying stakeholders. Critical systems heuristics is a modelling methodology in which the normative aspect of modelling is crucial. Using the distinction between ,the involved' and ,the affected', a variety of boundary judgments are discussed. Special attention is given to the so-called ,witness' as a representative of the affected. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Cells meeting our immunophenotypic criteria of endothelial cells are large plateletsCYTOMETRY, Issue 2 2007Michiel H. Strijbos Abstract Background Circulating endothelial cells (CEC) are shed from damaged vasculature, making them a rational choice to serve as surrogate marker for vascular damage. Currently, various techniques and CEC definitions are in use, and their standardization and validation is needed. A flow cytometric single platform assay defining CEC as forward light scatter (FSC)low-to-intermedate, sideward light scatter (SSC)low, CD45,, CD31++ and CD146+ is a promising approach to enumerate CEC because of its simplicity (Mancuso et al., Blood 2001;97:3658,3661). Here, we set out to confirm the endothelial nature of these cells. Methods We isolated cells with a FSClow-to-intermediate, SSClow, CD31++, CD45dim immunophenotype (termed "cells meeting our immunophenotypic criteria for endothelial cells" [CMOIC]) from healthy donors to study the expression of endothelium-associated markers using several techniques. Special attention was paid to reagents identifying the endothelial cell-specific marker CD146. We compared antigen expression patterns of CMOIC with those of the HUVEC endothelial cell line and lymphocytes. Electron microscopy was used to detect the presence of endothelial cell-specific Weibel,Palade bodies in the sorted cells. Results CD146 expression was negative on CMOIC for all tested CD146 mAbs, but positive on HUVEC cells and a minor subset of T lymphocytes. Using flow cytometry, we found no expression of any endothelium-associated marker except for CD31 and CD34. HUVEC cells were positive for all endothelial markers except for CD34. Evaluation of CMOIC morphology showed a homogenous population of cells with a highly irregular nucleus-like structure and positive endothelial immunohistochemistry. CMOIC contained neither nuclei nor DNA. Electron microscopy revealed the absence of a nucleus, the absence of endothelial specific Weibel,Palade bodies, and revealed CMOIC to be large platelets. Conclusion The vast majority of cells with the immunophenotype FSClow-to-intermediate, SSClow, CD45,, CD31++ do not express CD146 and are large platelets rather than endothelial cells. © 2007 Clinical Cytometry Society. [source] MANDATORY HIV TESTING IN PREGNANCY: IS THERE EVER A TIME?DEVELOPING WORLD BIOETHICS, Issue 1 2008RUSSELL ARMSTRONG ABSTRACT Despite recent advances in ways to prevent transmission of HIV from a mother to her child during pregnancy, infants continue to be born and become infected with HIV, particularly in southern Africa where HIV prevalence is the highest in the world. In this region, emphasis has shifted from voluntary HIV counselling and testing to routine testing of women during pregnancy. There have also been proposals for mandatory testing. Could mandatory testing ever be an option, even in high-prevalence settings? Many previous examinations of mandatory testing have dealt with it in the context of low HIV prevalence and a well-resourced health care system. In this discussion, different assumptions are made. Within this context, where mandatory testing may be a strategy of last resort, the objections to it are reviewed. Special attention is paid in the discussion to the entrenched vulnerability of women in much of southern Africa and how this contributes to both HIV prevalence and ongoing challenges for preventing HIV transmission during pregnancy. While mandatory testing is ethically plausible, particularly when coupled with guaranteed access to treatment and care, the discussion argues that the moment to employ this strategy has not yet come. Many barriers remain for pregnant women in terms of access to testing, treatment and care, most acutely in the southern African setting, despite the presence of national and international human rights instruments aimed at empowering women and removing such barriers. While this situation persists, mandatory HIV testing during pregnancy cannot be justified. [source] Atrial Endocarditis,The Importance of the Regurgitant Jet LesionECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2005Shawn A. Gregory M.D. The jet lesions of valvular regurgitation or intracardiac shunts have been hypothesized to play an important role in the pathogenesis of endocarditis for many years. We describe a case of mitral valve endocarditis that involved the left atrium along the path of a jet lesion. This resulted in atrial endocarditis and pericarditis, both of which complicated her presentation and hospital course. Using transesophageal echocardiography, we were able to directly visualize the path and full extent of infection prior to surgery. Special attention should be focused upon the path of eccentric jets in order to fully define the extent of endocarditis. [source] Seeking asylum in EuropeECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 38 2004Timothy J. Hatton SUMMARY Seeking asylum in Europe Over the last three decades the annual number of applications for asylum in the countries of the European Union has increased from about 15 000 to more than 300 000. This has sparked a political backlash, a revolution in policy, a lively academic debate, but very little economic analysis. Although the causes of asylum flows and the effects of policy are much discussed, they have rarely been the subject of quantitative analysis. This article examines the evolution of asylum flows and asylum policy across the EU since the early 1980s. It investigates the effects of war and conflict, economic incentives, and asylum policies on the total numbers and on the proportions going to the different countries of the EU. Special attention is given to the growth of policy restrictiveness across the EU and to the harmonization of asylum policies. Contrary to some views, policy has worked to stem the flows, but it has been overwhelmed by other forces. [source] Analysis and Speciation of Traces of Arsenic in Environmental, Food and Industrial Samples by Voltammetry: a ReviewELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 9 2004Andrea Cavicchioli Abstract Voltammetric approaches for the determination of arsenic and speciation at trace levels are critically appraised in a review covering the literature from 1970 to 2002. Special attention is devoted to stripping modes and to issues related to the choice of working material and supporting electrolyte. A section is dedicated to the management of real samples and aspects of sample preparation. An extensive compilation, organized by real sample type, gathers essential experimental conditions. Potentiometric stripping analysis is introduced for sake of comparison. The coupling of voltammetric detection or preaccumulation with FIA, chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and ICP techniques is also addressed. [source] Capillary electrophoresis-time of flight-mass spectrometry using noncovalently bilayer-coated capillaries for the analysis of amino acids in human urineELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 12 2008Rawi Ramautar Abstract A capillary electrophoresis-time of flight-mass spectrometry (CE-TOF-MS) method for the analysis of amino acids in human urine was developed. Capillaries noncovalently coated with a bilayer of Polybrene (PB) and poly(vinyl sulfonate) (PVS) provided a considerable EOF at low pH, thus facilitating the fast separation of amino acids using a BGE of 1,M formic acid (pH,1.8). The PB,PVS coating proved to be very consistent yielding stable CE-MS patterns of amino acids in urine with favorable migration time repeatability (RSDs <2%). The relatively low sample loading capacity of CE was circumvented by an in-capillary preconcentration step based on pH-mediated stacking allowing 100-nL sample injection (i.e. ca. 4% of capillary volume). As a result, LODs for amino acids were down to 20,nM while achieving satisfactory separation efficiencies. Preliminary validation of the method with urine samples showed good linear responses for the amino acids (R2 >0.99), and RSDs for peak areas were <10%. Special attention was paid to the influence of matrix effects on the quantification of amino acids. The magnitude of ion suppression by the matrix was similar for different urine samples. The CE-TOF-MS method was used for the analysis of urine samples of patients with urinary tract infection (UTI). Concentrations of a subset of amino acids were determined and compared with concentrations in urine of healthy controls. Furthermore, partial least squares,discriminant analysis (PLS,DA) of the CE-TOF-MS dataset in the 50,450,m/z region showed a distinctive grouping of the UTI samples and the control samples. Examination of score and loadings plot revealed a number of compounds, including phenylalanine, to be responsible for grouping of the samples. Thus, the CE-TOF-MS method shows good potential for the screening of body fluids based on the analysis of endogenous low-molecular weight metabolites such as amino acids and related compounds. [source] Process Development in Biotechnology , A Re-EvaluationENGINEERING IN LIFE SCIENCES (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2005K. Schügerl Abstract This review considers some process development problems in biotechnology and presents examples of solutions, which were developed in cooperation with industrial partners. These processes include the production of restriction endonuclease EcoRI by recombinant Escherichia coli, which is toxic to the cell, penicillin V by Penicillium chrysogenum, xylanase by Aspergillus awamori, cephalosporin C by Acremonium chrysogenum, erythritol by Moniliella tomentosa var pollinis, and alkaline serine protease by Bacillus licheniformis. Special attention is given to the practical aspects of product development. [source] Odor-mediated patch choice in the parasitoid Venturia canescens: temporal decision dynamicsENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 2 2009Yin-Quan Liu Abstract Parasitoids foraging for hosts in a heterogeneous environment would greatly benefit if they could decide already from a distance in which areas search for resources would be most profitable and to avoid areas of low fitness returns. Interestingly, the temporal dynamics of the decision process in parasitoid patch choice have rarely been investigated. In a Y-tube olfactometer, we tested whether thelytokous and arrhenotokous females of the parasitoid wasp Venturia canescens (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) respond to differences in cues indicating the quality of a host-containing patch and choose more profitable patches. Special attention was given to the time it took females to make their choices (patch choice time) when differences in patch quality were either qualitative (absence vs. presence of hosts and kairomone) or quantitative (various concentrations of hosts and kairomone, and presence of competitors). We found that both thelytokous and arrhenotokous wasps only chose the higher-quality patch based on odor cues when the difference was qualitative. When patches differed only with respect to the number of hosts, or the presence or absence of competing female parasitoids, no significant preference could be found in females of either strain of the parasitoid. In contrast, both the time until females reached the junction of the Y-tube olfactometer (response time) and the time until females decided for either patch (decision time) varied with parasitoid strain and odor treatment. Thelytokous wasps were faster than arrhenotokous wasps in their response time and in their decision time. However, females of both strains responded faster with increasing number of total hosts releasing kairomone. Yet, decision time for patches did not significantly vary as a function of patch quality offered to Venturia wasps. [source] Two New Iron(II) Spin-Crossover Complexes with N4O2 Coordination Sphere and Spin Transition around Room TemperatureEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 36 2009Birgit Weber Abstract The reaction of iron(II) acetate with the tetradentate Schiff base like ligand H2L1 {[3,3,]-[4,5-dihydroxy-1,2-phenylenebis(iminomethylidyne)bis(2,4-pentanedion)]} leads to the formation of the complex [FeL1(MeOH)]. Reaction of this complex with pyridine (py) or N,N,-dimethylaminopyridine (dmap) leads to the two N4O2 -coordinated complexes [FeL1(py)2]·py (1) and [FeL1(dmap)2]·MeOH·0.5dmap (2). Both complexes are spin-crossover compounds that were characterised by using magnetic measurements, X-ray crystallography and temperature-dependent 1H NMR spectroscopy. Special attention was given to the role of the two hydroxy groups on the phenyl ring in the formation of a hydrogen-bonding network and the influence of this network on the spin-transition properties. Although only a gradual spin crossover was observed for both complexes, the transition temperature was shifted to higher temperatures relative to that of the complexes with no additional hydroxy groups at the Schiff base like ligand. The hydrogen-bonding network was responsible for this effect.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009) [source] The Chemistry of Technetium,Water Complexes within the Manganese Triad: Challenges and PerspectivesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2009Roger Alberto Abstract The chemistry of technetium is essentially driven by radiopharmaceutical applications. These comprise the syntheses of novel complexes but, moreover, the combination of targeting biomolecules with metal complexes. Aqua ions are especially convenient for facilitatating the introduction of metal cations into biomolecules, but are nonexistent for Tc and Re in the Mn triad. This microreview will discuss the chemistry of those Tc complexes that contain H2O as ligands. Special attention will be payed to organometallic aqua ions, i.e. complexes that are typically organometallic with water as ligand. Of particular interest is the coordination chemistry of [M(OH2)3(CO)3]+ (M = Mn, Tc, Re) complexes in water since it is the origin of the widely applied radiopharmaceutical research with 99mTc and 188Re. The chemistry of organometallic aqua ions is not confined to Werner-type ligands, hence, a further emphasis will be placed on pure organometallic chemistry in water.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009) [source] Statistical Analysis of Microarray DataADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2005Mark Reimers Microarrays promise dynamic snapshots of cell activity, but microarray results are unfortunately not straightforward to interpret. This article aims to distill the most useful practical results from the vast body of literature availalable on microarray data analysis. Topics covered include: experimental design issues, normalization, quality control, exploratory analysis, and tests for differential expression. Special attention is paid to the peculiarities of low-level analysis of Affymetrix chips, and the multiple testing problem in determining differential expression. The aim of this article is to provide useful answers to the most common practical issues in microarray data analysis. The main topics are pre-processing (normalization), and detecting differential expression. Subsidiary topics include experimental design, and exploratory analysis. Further discussion is found at the author's web page (http://discover.nci.nih.gov, Notes on Microarray Data Analysis). [source] The concept and status of trait in research on temperamentEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 4 2001Jan Strelau The aim of the paper is to show that research on temperament is inescapably bound with the concept of trait as applied in personality research. It is the individual differences approach on which temperament studies are based, and traits are the basic units by means of which these differences are described. Taking as a point of departure the definition of trait understood as a relatively stable and individual-specific generalized tendency to behave or react in a certain way expressed in a variety of situations, the hypothetical status of temperament traits is discussed. Special attention is paid to states and behaviour by means of which temperament traits are inferred as well as to the biological and environmental determinants of these traits. Temperamental traits constitute only a part of the personality structure viewed from the perspective of individual differences and this perspective is only one of the many from which the complex nature of personality should be viewed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Structure, reactivity and spectroscopic properties of minerals from lateritic soils: insights from ab initio calculationsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 4 2007E. Balan Summary We review here some recent applications of ab initio calculations to the modelling of spectroscopic and energetic properties of minerals, which are key components of lateritic soils or govern their geochemical properties. Quantum mechanical ab initio calculations are based on density functional theory and density functional perturbation theory. Among the minerals investigated, zircon is a typical resistant primary mineral. Its resistance to weathering is at the origin of the peculiar geochemical behaviour of Zr, an element often used in mass balance calculations of continental weathering. Numerical modelling gives a unique picture of the origin of the chemical durability and radiation-induced amorphization of zircon. We also present several applications of ab initio calculations to the description of properties of secondary minerals, such as kaolinite-group minerals and gibbsite. Special attention is given to the calculation of infrared and Raman spectra. Surface properties and particle shape are major properties of finely-divided materials such as clay minerals. We show how theoretical modelling of infrared spectroscopic data provides information on natural samples at both the microscopic (atomic structure) and macroscopic (particle shape) length-scale. The systematic comparison of experimental and theoretical data significantly improves our understanding of mineral transformations during soil formation and evolution in lateritic environments. [source] Human evolution at the Matuyama-Brunhes boundaryEVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 1 2004Article first published online: 12 FEB 200, Giorgio Manzi Abstract The cranial morphology of fossil hominids between the end of the Early Pleistocene and the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene provides crucial evidence to understand the distribution in time and space of the genus Homo. This evidence is critical for evaluating the competing models regarding diversity within our genus. The debate focuses on two alternative hypotheses, one basically anagenetic and the other cladogenetic. The first suggests that morphological change is so diffused, slow, and steady that it is meaningless to apply species names to segments of a single lineage. The second is that the morphological variation observed in the fossil record can best be described as a number of distinct species that are not connected in a linear ancestor-descendant sequence. Today much more fossil evidence is available than was in the past to test these alternative hypotheses, as well as intermediate variants. Special attention must be paid to Africa because this is the most probable continental homeland for both the origin of the genus Homo (around 2.5,2 Ma),1 as well as the site, two million or so years later, of the emergence of the species H. sapiens.2 However, the African fossil record is very poorly represented between 1 Ma and 600 ka. Europe furnishes recent discoveries in this time range around the Matuyama-Brunhes chron boundary (780,000 years ago), a period for which, at present, we have no noteworthy fossil evidence in Africa or the Levant. Two penecontemporaneous sources of European fossil evidence, the Ceprano calvaria (Italy)3 and the TD6 fossil assemblage of Atapuerca (Spain)4 are thus of great interest for testing hypotheses about human evolution in the fundamental time span bracketed between the late Early and the Middle Pleistocene. This paper is based on a phenetic approach to cranial variation aimed at reviewing the Early-to-Middle Pleistocene trajectories of human evolution. The focus of the paper is on neither the origin nor the end of the story of the genus Homo, but rather its chronological and phylogenetic core. Elucidation of the evolutionary events that happened around 780 ka during the transition from the Early to Middle Pleistocene is one of the new frontiers for human paleontology, and is critical for understanding the processes that ultimately led to the origin of H. sapiens. [source] A comparison of 5-aminolaevulinic acid- and its heptyl ester: dark cytotoxicity and protoporphyrin IX synthesis in human adenocarcinoma WiDr cells and in athymic nude mice healthy skinEXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 11 2009Xiao Pudroma Abstract:, 5-aminolevulinic acid heptyl ester was investigated in human adenocarcinoma WiDr cells and in healthy skin of athymic nude mice in comparison with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). Incubation of WiDr cells with ALA and ALA heptyl ester resulted in production of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). Concentrations higher than 0.01 mm of ALA heptyl ester and higher than 1 mm of ALA were cytotoxic. The dark cytotoxicity was not related to PpIX. Intracellular localization, photocytoxicity and photobleaching rate of PpIX were the same for both drugs, although a 100 times lower concentration of ALA heptyl ester (0.01 mm) was needed in comparison with ALA (1 mm) to induce the same level of PpIX. ALA heptyl ester, topically (but not systemically) applied, is a promising candidate for fluorescence diagnosis and photodynamic therapy. Special attention must be focused on the concentrations of ALA heptyl ester; as excess may lead to cytotoxicity and inefficient PpIX generation. [source] Effects of solidification structure on tear resistance of Al,7% Si,0.4% Mg cast alloysFATIGUE & FRACTURE OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES, Issue 1 2004S.-W. HAN ABSTRACT The tear resistance behaviour of Al,7% Si,0.4% Mg cast alloys was examined using Kahn-type tear test specimens. Tests were performed for two permanent mould casts with an ordinary dendrite structure and a semi-liquid die cast with a globular cell and fine grain structure. The microstructure of the two permanent mould casts was controlled by the cooling rates and the addition of Ti elements. Tear resistance was evaluated by the ,pop-in' stress, the energies required for crack initiation, UEi and the crack propagation, UEp. Special attention was paid to an effective microstructural parameter for tear resistance improvement. Pop-in, indicating sudden crack extension and arrest, was observed in all specimens. Homogeneous deformation occurs near the notch tip of the semi-liquid die cast, characterized by a refined grain structure. Refinement of the grain size is more effective than that of the dendrite cell size or eutectic Si particle size to increase the energy for crack initiation. Unit propagation energy, UEp, can be converted into a critical stress intensity factor, Kc, which in the semi-liquid die cast was improved due to an increased amount of slant or shear fracture surface. [source] Genetic immunity and influenza pandemicsFEMS IMMUNOLOGY & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Sergey N. Rumyantsev Abstract In addition to the great number of publications focused on the leading role of virus mutations and reassortment in the origin of pandemic influenza, general opinion emphasizes the victim side of the epidemic process. Based on the analysis and integration of relevant ecological, epidemiological, clinical, genetic and experimental data, the present article is focused on the evolution of ,virus , victim' ecological systems resulting in the formation of innate (i.e. genetic, constitutional) immunity in the involved species and populations. This kind of immunity functions today as the greatest natural barrier to the pandemic spread of influenza among humans and ecologically related kinds of animals. Global influenza pandemics can arise when the worldwide population contains at least a minimum number of people susceptible to a known or mutant influenza virus. Special attention is paid in this article to individual tests for the presence of this barrier, including the implications of specific findings for public health policy. Such tests could be based on in vitro observation of the action of relevant virus strains on primary cell cultures or on their cellular or molecular components extracted from individuals. The resources of the Human Genome Project should also be utilized. [source] Novel insights into the osmotic stress response of yeastFEMS YEAST RESEARCH, Issue 3 2002Willem H Mager Abstract Response to hyperosmolarity in the baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has attracted a great deal of attention of molecular and cellular biologists in recent years, from both the fundamental scientific and applied viewpoint. Indeed the underlying molecular mechanisms form a clear demonstration of the intricate interplay of (environmental) signalling events, regulation of gene expression and control of metabolism that is pivotal to any living cell. In this article we briefly review the cellular response to conditions of hyperosmolarity, with focus on the high-osmolarity glycerol mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway as the major signalling route governing cellular adaptations. Special attention will be paid to the recent finding that in the yeast cell also major structural changes occur in order to ensure maintenance of cell integrity. The intriguing role of glycerol in growth of yeast under (osmotic) stress conditions is highlighted. [source] The effect of accelerated ageing of building wiresFIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 5 2007Viktor Emanuelsson Abstract The fire performance of two electric cables (building wires) designed for indoor use has been tested, both as new products and after accelerated thermooxidative ageing. The cables were aged for a maximum time of 16.5 weeks at 80°C. The cables are commercially available, and were constructed using a PVC material in one case and a non-halogenated polyolefin-based material, called Casico, in the other. The effects of ageing on the fire performance of the cables, and the chemical changes that have caused the observed fire behaviour, have been investigated and are discussed. Special attention is paid to the behaviour of the plasticizers that are used in the PVC cable, and how the fire behaviour is affected by the loss of plasticizers from the cable and by the migration of plasticizers between the parts of the cable (insulation, bedding and sheathing). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] HOW CHILDREN PLACE THEMSELVES AND OTHERS IN LOCAL SPACEGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2008Danielle Van Der Burgt ABSTRACT This study examines the ways in which children aged 11 to 15 in six adjacent neighbourhoods in a medium-sized Swedish town place themselves and others in local space. Special attention is given to how they discuss a neighbourhood stigmatized in the public discourse and how children who live in this neighbourhood react to the negative representations of the place in which they live. The study is based on group interviews and maps. The study shows that children construct representations of their own neighbourhoods as "quiet" neighbourhoods and place objects of "trouble" and "danger" somewhere else. It is argued that this is done both in relation to their personal knowledge of the neighbourhood and in relation to local and/or media representations of their own and other neighbourhoods. It is shown that the children are influenced by media representations of a stigmatized neighbourhood, but also that they are not passive reproducers of these discourses and that some of them are able to offer counter-discourses. The children living in this neighbourhood experience difficulties in defending it as the quiet place which they perceive it to be to outsiders because of the negative discourses. [source] The Local Shape of Revolution: Reflections on Quantitative Geography at Cambridge in the 1950s and 1960sGEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS, Issue 3 2008Peter Haggett The "quantitative revolution" in human geography which swept across so many universities in the 1950s and 1960s had its main diffusion centers in a few locations which were to have global significance. Two critical early centers were the University of Washington in the Pacific Northwest and Lund University in southern Sweden. But the experience of change was different in different locations as the general forces of perturbation sweeping around academia were translated into local eddies with local repercussions. Here, small and somewhat random quirks at the outset, led eventually to fundamental divergences between adoption and rejection. The theme is illustrated by reference to changes which occurred at Cambridge, one of England's two oldest universities, as seen from the perspective of someone who,as undergraduate, graduate student, and later, faculty member,was caught up in these changes and took some small part in propagating them. Special attention is given to the role of two environmental scientists, Vaughan Lewis and Richard Chorley, in introducing changes and the way in which later developments in human geography drew on preceding experiences in physical geography. The reasons behind the "Cambridge variant" and the questions of how intellectual DNA is passed across the generations are discussed. [source] Synthesis and Triple-Helix-Stabilization Properties of Branched Oligonucleotides Carrying 8-Aminoadenine MoietiesHELVETICA CHIMICA ACTA, Issue 2 2004Anna Aviño The synthesis of several branched oligonucleotides, i.e., of the parallel hairpins 5,8 and the Y-shaped 9 is described, together with their use in the formation of pyrimidine,pyrimidine,purine triple helices. Special attention was paid to the optimization of the assembly of the second strand from asymmetric branching molecules. The presence of 8-aminoadenine moieties in the WatsonCrick purine strand and 2,- O -methyl-RNA in the Hoogsteen pyrimidine strand produced strong stabilization of the triplex. [source] Radical Opinion in an Age of Reform: Thomas Perronet Thompson and the Westminster ReviewHISTORY, Issue 281 2001Michael J. Turner Historians have long been interested in the growth of the nineteenth-century political press, and many commentators recognize the instrumentality of newspapers, pamphlets, prints and publications of all kinds in the development of radical opinion and popular participation in politics. This article is offered as a contribution to continuing debates about the links between radicalism and the press. Its purpose is to examine the establishment and early history of the Westminster Review, the leading radical periodical of the early nineteenth century. Special attention will be paid to the role of Thomas Perronet Thompson (1783-1869), who was associated with the review for several years as owner, editor and contributor. This article will demonstrate the importance of Thompson's involvement with the Westminster Review with reference to its politics, reputation, influence, management and status. Personal relationships which had a bearing on the review's early history - particularly those between Thompson, Jeremy Bentham, John Bowring and the Mills - will be examined, and there will also be discussion of editorial processes, journalistic standards, business rivalry, the nature of the Westminster Review's content, and its conflict with the Whig Edinburgh Review. [source] A History of Disasters: Spanish Colonialism in the Age of EmpireHISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2007Christopher Schmidt-Nowara Historians have long relegated colonialism to the margins of modern Spanish history. Spain lost the majority of its overseas empire in the Spanish American revolutions of the early nineteenth century. It was a late, reluctant, and small-scale participant in the partition of Africa. Recent scholarship, however, is bringing colonialism back to the center of Spain's nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This article examines these findings and considers their consequences for narratives of Spanish marginality and modernity. Special attention is given to two recent works: John Tone's War and Genocide in Cuba and Sebastian Balfour's Deadly Embrace. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||