bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment of Frey's syndrome with botulinum toxin type B
Authors: Cantarella Giovanna , Berlusconi Alessandra , Mele Vincenzo , Cogiamanian Filippo , Barbieri Sergio
Published: July 2010

OBJECTIVE

Frey's syndrome is a frequent sequela of parotidectomy, causing facial sweating and flushing because of gustatory stimuli. Although botulinum toxin type A has become first‐line therapy for Frey's syndrome, some patients become resistant. In this study, we investigated whether another serotype, botulinum toxin type B, might be an effective alternative.

STUDY DESIGN

Case series with planned data collection.

SETTING

Otolaryngology department in a university hospital.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Seven patients aged 30 to 68 years, with severe Frey's syndrome, underwent the Minor test and had 80 U of botulinum toxin type B per cm2 (mean total dose, 2354 U) injected intracutaneously in the mapped area of gustatory sweating. All patients were followed up for 12 months.

RESULTS

One month after treatment, six of the seven patients reported that gustatory sweating and flushing had resolved, and, in the remaining patient, these symptoms had decreased. The Minor test confirmed a significant improvement. The subjective benefits remained stable for six months in four patients and for nine months in the remaining three patients; 12 months after treatment, all patients still reported some improvement.

CONCLUSION

Botulinum toxin type B afforded symptomatic relief in a small sample of patients with Frey's syndrome and might be considered a potential alternative to botulinum toxin type A.

© 2010 American Academy of Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. All rights reserved.
Pseudarthroses of the cornu of the thyroid cartilage
Authors: Knopke Steffen , Todt Ingo , Ernst Arneborg , Seidl Rainer O.
Published: July 2010

OBJECTIVE

Injuries to the cartilaginous larynx are rare disorders that usually undergo good spontaneous healing and rarely require surgery.

STUDY DESIGN

Case series with chart review from patients with pseudarthrosis of the cornu of the thyroid cartilage.

SETTING

ENT department of a level I trauma center.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

We examined the medical records of seven patients treated for impaired healing of the cornu of the thyroid cartilage at a level I trauma center between 1997 and 2009.

RESULTS

Seven patients were treated as a result of impaired healing of injuries to the cornu of the thyroid cartilage caused by trivial trauma (e.g., car accidents). The principal symptom was odynophagia. Computed tomography was used to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment involved resecting the cornu of the thyroid cartilage. Histology showed a hypertrophic pseudarthrosis at the base of the cornu. All patients were free of symptoms 10 days after resection.

CONCLUSION

Pseudarthrosis of the cornu of the thyroid cartilage is a previously undescribed condition. Pseudarthrosis of the laryngeal skeleton should be excluded in patients with odynophagia.

© 2010 American Academy of Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. All rights reserved.
Preoperative planning for ear surgery using store‐and‐forward telemedicine
Authors: Kokesh John , Ferguson A. Stewart , Patricoski Chris
Published: July 2010

OBJECTIVE

To determine if store‐and‐forward telemedicine can be used to accurately plan ear surgery.

STUDY DESIGN

Case series with chart review.

SETTING

Tertiary care hospital.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Charts were reviewed for elective major ear surgeries resulting from telemedicine referrals during a 13‐month period. The store‐and‐forward telemedicine referrals (electronic consultations) included clinical history, digital images, and audiology data. Consultants reviewed each telemedicine case and documented the recommended surgery and estimated operative time. These charts were matched with patients seen in person during a standard evaluation and had identical surgeries recommended. For the telemedicine evaluation and in‐person evaluation groups, the recommended surgeries were compared with actual surgeries performed and the estimated time was compared with the actual operative time.

RESULTS

Forty‐five ear surgeries were recommended by the telemedicine evaluation and were matched with 45 surgeries from the standard evaluation and included tympanoplasty with or without canalplasty, mastoidectomy, stapes surgery, and myringoplasty. Telemedicine and in‐person evaluation accurately predicted the surgery 89 percent and 84 percent of the time, respectively. The average difference of “actual time” and “estimated time” for the actual surgical procedures performed was not statistically different between the two groups: 32 minutes for the telemedicine evaluation group and 35 minutes for the in‐person evaluation group.

CONCLUSION

Store‐and‐forward telemedicine is as effective as in‐person evaluation for planning elective major ear surgery.

© 2010 American Academy of Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. All rights reserved.
Article Commentary: Waiting for the evidence: VEMP testing and the ability to differentiate utricular versus saccular function
Authors: Welgampola Miriam S. , Carey John P.
Published: July 2010

The advent of cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (CVEMPs) marked a milestone in clinical vestibular testing because they provided a simple means of assessing human otolith function. The availability of air‐conducted (AC) sound and bone‐conducted vibration (BCV) to evoke CVEMPs and development of a new technique of recording ocular vestibular‐evoked myogenic potentials (OVEMPs) have increased the complexity of this simple test, yet extended its diagnostic capabilities. Here we highlight the evidencebased assumptions that guide interpretation of AC sound‐and BCV‐evoked VEMPs and the gaps in VEMP research thus far.

© 2010 American Academy of Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. All rights reserved.
Description of complex flow behaviour using global dynamic modes
Authors: HENNINGSON DAN S.
Published: July 2010

A novel method for performing spectral analysis of a fluid flow solely based on snapshot sequences from numerical simulations or experimental data is presented by Schmid (J. Fluid Mech., 2010, this issue, vol. 656, pp. 5–28). Dominant frequencies and wavenumbers are extracted together with dynamic modes which represent the associated flow structures. The mathematics underlying this decomposition is related to the Koopman operator which provides a linear representation of a nonlinear dynamical system. The procedure to calculate the spectra and dynamic modes is based on Krylov subspace methods; the dynamic modes reduce to global linear eigenmodes for linearized problems or to Fourier modes for (nonlinear) periodic problems. Schmid (2010) also generalizes the analysis to the propagation of flow variables in space which produces spatial growth rates with associated dynamic modes, and an application of the decomposition to subdomains of the flow region allows the extraction of localized stability information. For finite-amplitude flows this spectral analysis identifies relevant frequencies more effectively than global eigenvalue analysis and decouples frequency information more clearly than proper orthogonal decomposition.
A large deviations bound for the Teichmüller flow on the moduli space of abelian differentials
Authors: ARAÚJO VÍTOR , BUFETOV ALEXANDER I.
Published: July 2010

Large deviation rates are obtained for suspension flows over symbolic dynamical systems with a countable alphabet. We use a method employed previously by the first author [Large deviations bound for semiflows over a non-uniformly expanding base.Bull. Braz. Math. Soc. (N.S.)38(3) (2007), 335–376], which follows that of Young [Some large deviation results for dynamical systems.Trans. Amer. Math. Soc.318(2) (1990), 525–543]. As a corollary of the main results, we obtain a large deviation bound for the Teichmüller flow on the moduli space of abelian differentials, extending earlier work of Athreya [Quantitative recurrence and large deviations for Teichmuller geodesic flow.Geom. Dedicata119(2006), 121–140].
On quasi-compact Markov nets
Authors: BARTOSZEK WOJCIECH , ERKURŞUN NAZIFE
Published: July 2010

We extend a theorem of Lotz, which says that any Markov operator T acting on C(X) such that T* is mean ergodic and all invariant measures have non-meager supports must be quasi-compact, to Lotz–Räbiger nets.
Views of life and sense of identity in people with Alzheimer's disease
Authors: WESTIUS ANDERS , KALLENBERG KJELL , NORBERG ASTRID
Published: July 2010

Making it possible for people with Alzheimer's disease to retain a sense of identity during the process of the disease poses a great challenge to care-givers, professionals and family carers. The aim of this study is to elucidate the role of the view of life of people with Alzheimer's in framing their sense of identity. Is their view of life a vital aspect of their sense of identity? ‘View of life’ was interpreted as a vital aspect of sense of identity, understood as the individual's beliefs about their life history and about the attributes that characterised them. Twenty-one people with mild to moderate stages of Alzheimer's disease were interviewed about their life story. The narratives were interpreted using a phenomenological hermeneutic method. By telling their life story, the participants also narrated their view of life,i.e. their conception of reality, their central system of values and their basic emotional attitudes. By their own accounts, the origins of the narrators' central values and basic emotional attitudes were established in early life. They also expressed a sense of meaningfulness and continuity when looking back on their lives. The findings suggest that for a care-giver or confidant, having knowledge of a person with dementia's view of life is valuable when seeking to confirm that person's sense of identity.
Older women's body image: a lifecourse perspective
Authors: LIECHTY TONI , YARNAL CAREEN M.
Published: July 2010

Body-image research has focused on younger women and girls, and tended to ignore women in later life, although recent studies have called for more research into the body image of older women, particularly from a lifecourse perspective. The lifecourse perspective can address the complexity of body image by identifying personal and/or environmental factors that shape body image and the trajectories of body image across the lifecourse. Accordingly the purpose of the study reported in this paper was to explore older women's body image using a lifecourse perspective. We conducted individual interviews and follow-up focus groups with 13 women aged 60–69 years, all of them resident in a United States non-metropolitan county (its largest city having a population of 38,420) and having lived in the country for more than 30 years. The findings highlight the influence of inter-personal relationships (e.g. with a spouse or parent), the macro-environment (e.g. media or community attitudes) and key life events (e.g. physiological changes or educational experiences) that shaped body image at various life stages. In addition, the findings demonstrate that as women age, they de-prioritise appearance in favour of health or internal characteristics. Finally, the findings highlight the complexity of body image as a construct, which includes attitudes toward appearance, evaluations of health and physical ability, and assessments of appearance.
Transition-Cherenkov radiation of terahertz generated by super-luminous ionization front in femtosecond laser filament
Authors: Hu Guang-Yue , Shen Baifei , Lei An-Le , Li Ru-Xin , Xu Zhi-Zhan
Published: July 2010

Super-luminous ionization front achieved by using axicon as focus lens is proposed to improve the transition-Cherenkov radiation of terahertz emitted from a femtosecond laser filament in air. Benefitted from the better coherent superposition of radiation electric field generated by dipole-like electron current behind the ionization front, the terahertz radiation in far zone is enhanced by one order when the velocity of ionization front exceeds the light speed. Moreover, the radiation spectrum extends toward high frequency and covers the entire terahertz gap.
An initial design of hohlraum driven by a shaped laser pulse
Authors: Lan Ke , Gu Peijun , Ren Guoli , Li Xin , Wu Changshu , Huo Wenyi , Lai Dongxian , He Xian-Tu
Published: July 2010

In this paper, the plasma-filling model was extrapolated to the case of a hohlraum driven by a shaped laser pulse, and this extended model was used to obtain an initial design of the hohlraum size. A density criterion ofne = 0.1 was used for designing hohlraums which have low plasma filling with maximum achievable radiation. The method was successfully used to design a half hohlraum size with a three-step laser pulse on SGIII prototype and a U hohlraum size with shaped laser pulse for ignition. It was shown that the extended model with the criterion can provide reasonable initial design of a hohlraum size for optimal designing with a two-dimensional code.
Laser-assisted metal surface micro- and nanostructurization
Authors: Zavestovskaya Irina N.
Published: July 2010

The kinetics of the crystallization of metals from the melt under superfast cooling velocities realized in the treatment of the materials by ultrashort laser pulses is investigated. The size distribution function for crystalline phase nuclei is analytically found within the framework of the classical kinetic equation in case of superfast temperature changing. The average number of particles in the crystalline nuclei and relative volume of the crystalline phase are determined as functions of thermodynamic and laser treatment regime parameters. Good agreement is observed with experimental results for ultrashort laser pulses induced micro- and nanostructures production.
Molecular epidemiology of norovirus infections in children and adults: sequence analysis of region C indicates genetic diversity of NVGII strains in Kolkata, India
Authors: NATARAJU S. M. , PATIVADA M. , CHATTERJEE D. , NAYAK M. K. , GANESH B. , BHATTACHARYA M. K. , RAMAMURTHY T. , GANGULY S. , SAHA D. R. , RAJENDRAN K. , GHOSH M. , KOBAYASHI N. , KRISHNAN T.
Published: July 2010

Faecal specimens of diarrhoea cases (n=2495, collected between November 2007 and October 2009) from Infectious Diseases and Beliaghata General (ID&BG) Hospital, Kolkata, India, were screened by RT–PCR using specific primers targeting region C of the capsid gene of noroviruses (NoVs) to determine the seasonal distribution and clinical characteristics of NoVs associated with diarrhoea. NoV infection was detected in 78 cases, mostly in children aged <2 years. In 22/78 positive cases, the virus was detected as the sole agent; others were as mixed infections with other enteric pathogens. Sequencing of NVGII strains showed clustering with GII.4 NoVs followed by GII.13 and GII.6 NoVs. Clinical characteristics of the diarrhoeic children and adults in Kolkata indicated that NoV infections were detected throughout the year and were associated with a mild degree of dehydration.
Congenital rubella syndrome and rubella in Vellore, South India
Authors: CHANDY S. , ABRAHAM A. M. , JANA A. K. , AGARWAL I. , KEKRE A. , KORULA G. , SELVARAJ K. , MULIYIL J. P.
Published: July 2010

Rubella, a mild, vaccine-preventable disease, can manifest as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), a devastating disease of the fetus. To emphasize the inadequacy of the existing rubella vaccination programme in India, we evaluated epidemiological evidence of rubella virus activity with data available from a tertiary-care centre. The proportion of suspected CRS cases that were laboratory confirmed increased from 4% in 2000 to 11% in 2008. During the same period, 329 clinically suspected postnatal rubella cases were tested of which 65 (20%) were laboratory confirmed. Of women (n=770) of childbearing age, 12·5% were susceptible to rubella.
Lexical borrowings in French: Anglicisms as a separate phenomenon
Authors: CHESLEY PAULA
Published: July 2010

This study examines the occurrences of new lexical borrowings in a French newspaper corpus to determine whether the phenomenon of English lexical borrowings (Anglicisms) is different than the phenomenon of non-English borrowings. Based on a search for all occurrences of new lexical borrowings in a corpus, it is found that new Anglicisms outnumber all other new borrowings combined. When cross-checking these results against the online archives of another French newspaper, it is found that the Anglicisms are more productive than borrowings with similar frequencies from other languages. Additionally, qualitative findings show that new Anglicisms are more likely than other borrowings to be integrated into the French lexicon. In French, Anglicisms are employed for different reasons than lexical borrowings from other languages.
Military involvement in law enforcement
Authors: Stephens Dale
Published: July 2010

Law enforcement is not a task usually undertaken by military forces, at least within domestic legal contexts. Conversely, maintaining or restoring security within dysfunctional or ‘post-conflict’ areas of operation is a role commonly undertaken by them. Within these latter operations, the skill sets and highly calibrated application of force that are commonly associated with police forces in their law enforcement role are in fact manifested in a decisively military context. This article reviews the experiences and legal frameworks associated with military participation in two separate types of mission, namely UN-sponsored peace operations and unilateral/multilateral stabilization and counter-insurgency operations. It argues that these contexts have demanded a revised interpretative approach to the applicable law, one that is much more sensitive to social and political effect.
Electronic Emergency Safeguards
Authors: Nehmer Jürgen , Becker Martin , Kleinberger Thomas , Prückner Stephan
Published: July 2010

Germany is challenged by the phenomenon of aging societies with increasing risks of age-related diseases that frequently result in the general loss of the ability to lead an independent, self-determined life. Instead of continuing to focus on the provision of care in nursing homes, the public should be concentrating its efforts on preserving elders’ independence in their own homes for as long as possible. We claim that electronic systems designed to assist people in their day-to-day lives, which make use of ambient intelligence technology, have the potential to promote “aging in place.” As an example of an electronic life-assistance system, we describe the architecture and operation of an emergency safeguard system developed as part of the EU project EMERGE.
Trait and State Components of Perceived Parental Differential Treatment in Middle Adulthood
Authors: Boll Thomas , Michels Tom , Ferring Dieter , Filipp Sigrun-Heide
Published: July 2010

Despite its importance for basic and applied psychology, only a few longitudinal studies have examined whether parental differential treatment (PDT) is a persistent or a transient phenomenon, these studies being confined to childhood or adolescence. Based on latent state-trait theory, the present study identified the amount of variance in three dimensions of perceived PDT in middle adulthood attributable to stable interindividual differences (trait variance) and to intraindividual changes (state variance). At two occasions of measurement (2 years apart), 709 middle-aged adults rated how often they and a sibling currently received parental recognition, nurture, and demand to assume filial responsibility. Tests of latent state-trait models for these three dimensions of PDT by structural equation modeling revealed that trait variance represented the largest proportion of the systematic variance in all observed indicators of perceived maternal and paternal differential treatment. Yet there was a considerable increase in state variance for the dimension of differential parental demand for assuming responsibility. Results are discussed with respect to the conditions accounting for the high overall stability of actual and/or perceived PDT in adulthood, and different approaches for determining their role are proposed.
Simultaneous FAST and Double Star TC1 observations of broadband electrons during a storm time substorm
Authors: Nakajima A. , Shiokawa K. , Seki K. , Nakamura R. , Keika K. , Baumjohann W. , Takada T. , McFadden J. P. , Carlson C. W. , Fazakerley A. N. , Rème H. , Dandouras I. , Strangeway R. J. , Le Contel O. , Cornilleau‐Wehrlin N. , Yearby K. H.
Published: July 2010

Broadband electrons (BBEs) exhibit remarkable electron flux enhancements over a broad energy range (0.03–30 keV) near the equatorward edge of the auroral oval during geomagnetic storms. Here, we report a BBE event observed by the Fast Auroral Snapshot (FAST) satellite at 1355–1359 UT, ∼61°–66° invariant latitudes, ∼0600 magnetic local time (MLT), and ∼3800 km altitude during a storm on 25 July 2004. The Double Star (DS) TC1 satellite was located near the magnetic equator at L = 5.7, close to the same local time as FAST. We investigate the acceleration process of BBEs from the inner magnetosphere to near the ionosphere by comparing electron data obtained by FAST and DS TC1. We also investigate both plasma and field variations in the inner magnetosphere associated with substorm onset using DS TC1 data to examine the relationship between the BBEs and the storm time substorm. Ground geomagnetic field data show a positive H‐bay at ∼1349 UT at ∼0600 MLT, indicating that a storm time substorm started just before the appearance of the BBEs. At ∼1350 UT, a tailward ion flow was observed by DS TC1. Then, DS TC1 observed a local dipolarization and a drastic ion density enhancement at ∼1351 UT, indicating that particle heating associated with the substorm was occurring in the inner magnetosphere. From ∼1352 UT, electron fluxes were isotropically enhanced at energies above ∼0.5 keV as observed by DS TC1. On the other hand, the pitch angle distribution of BBEs at the FAST altitude showed field‐aligned lower‐energy electrons below ∼0.5 keV and isotropic higher‐energy electrons above ∼0.5 keV. From these data, it was inferred that the BBEs might consist of two energy components due to the acceleration or heating of electrons at different altitudes in association with the storm time substorm.
Artificial plasma cave in the low‐latitude ionosphere results from the radio occultation inversion of the FORMOSAT‐3/COSMIC
Authors: Liu J. Y. , Lin C. Y. , Lin C. H. , Tsai H. F. , Solomon S. C. , Sun Y. Y. , Lee I. T. , Schreiner W. S. , Kuo Y. H.
Published: July 2010

Previous studies report unexpected electron density reductions, termed “plasma caves,” located underneath the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) crests. A radio occultation (RO) observation simulation experiment has been built to evaluate possible biases introduced by the spherical symmetry assumption in the standard (Abel) RO inversion processes. The experiment simulates the electron density profiles and reconstructs the plasma structure of the EIA at low latitudes, where the horizontal gradient is most significant. The reconstruction shows that artificial plasma caves are created underneath the EIA crests along with three density enhancements in adjacent latitudes. The artifact appears mainly below 250 km altitudes and becomes pronounced when the EIAs are well developed. Above that altitude, the two EIA features in the original (truth) model, the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI‐2007), and in the inversion are similar, but the inversion reconstructs less distinct EIA crests with underestimation of the electron density. A simple correction has been introduced by multiplying the ratio between the truth and inversion with actual FORMOSAT‐3/COSMIC observations. This initial correction shows that the artificial plasma caves are mitigated. Results also reveal that the RO technique is not suitable to detect or rule out possible existence of the plasma caves.
Mosses Indicating Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition and Sources in the Yangtze River Drainage Basin, China
Authors: Xiao Hua‐Yun , Tang Cong‐Guo , Xiao Hong‐Wei , Liu Xue‐Yan , Liu Cong‐Qiang
Published: July 2010

Characterizing the level and sources of atmospheric N deposition in a large‐scale area is not easy when using physical monitoring. In this study, we attempted to use epilithic mosses (Haplocladium microphyllum (Hedw.)) as a bioindicator. A gradient of atmospheric N deposition from 13.8 kg N ha−1 yr−1 to 47.7 kg N ha−1 yr−1 was estimated on the basis of moss tissue N concentrations and the linear equation between them. The estimated results are reliable because the highest atmospheric N deposition occurred in the middle parts of the Yangtze River, where the highest TN concentrations were also observed. Moss δ15N values in cities and forests were found in distinctly different ranges of approximately −10‰ to −6‰ and approximately −2‰ to 2‰, respectively, indicating that the main N sources in most of these cities were excretory wastes and those in forests were soil emissions. A negative correlation between moss δ15N values and the ratios of NH4‐N/NO3‐N in deposition (y = −1.53 x + 1.78) has been established when the ratio increased from 1.6 to 6.5. On the basis of the source information, the negative moss δ15N values in this study strongly indicate that NHy‐N is the dominant N form in N deposition in the whole drainage basin. These findings are supported by the existing data of chemical composition of local N deposition.
Estimating convective momentum fluxes using geostationary satellite data
Authors: Jewett Christopher P. , Mecikalski John R.
Published: July 2010

Research and case studies have shown that convection plays a large role toward the feedbacks of momentum to the large‐scale environment. Convective momentum fluxes have been studied for many years using in situ and aircraft measurements, along with numerical simulations. However, little work has been conducted on developing a method to use satellite remote sensing as a tool to diagnose these fluxes. Using this as motivation, a case study‐based approach is used to determine if information derived from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) data, such as cloud‐drift winds and brightness temperature differences, can be used to diagnose these fluxes. Using satellite‐derived winds for mesoscale atmospheric motion vectors (MAMVs), one can obtain the appropriate winds occurring within a convective environment. Outflow boundaries and upper tropospheric anvil outflow produce “perturbation” winds on convective scales (∼1–3 km) that the MAMV algorithm can measure. Using a computed background wind field from the MAMVs (smoothed and averaged over a larger region), horizontal perturbations,u′ andv′, associated with the mesoscale flow are calculated. To computew′, an algorithm was developed using IR satellite temperature differences, along with convective available potential energy profiles, to diagnose mass fluxes which can be used to infer vertical motion. Using these methods resulted in area‐averaged convective momentum fluxes between ±1 m2s−2, which were similar in magnitude and sign to those computed using a cloud‐resolving model.
Monitoring microbial sulfate reduction in porous media using multipurpose electrodes
Authors: Zhang Chi , Ntarlagiannis Dimitrios , Slater Lee , Doherty Rory
Published: July 2010

There is growing interest in the application of electrode‐based measurements for monitoring microbial processes in the Earth using biogeophysical methods. In this study, reactive electrode measurements were combined to electrical geophysical measurements during microbial sulfate reduction occurring in a column of silica beads saturated with natural river water. Electrodic potential (EP), self potential (SP) and complex conductivity signals were recorded using a dual electrode design (Ag/AgCl metal as sensing/EP electrode, Ag/AgCl metal in KCl gel as reference/SP electrode). Open‐circuit potentials, representing the tendency for electrochemical reactions to occur on the electrode surfaces, were recorded between sensing/EP electrode and reference/SP electrode and showed significant spatiotemporal variability associated with microbial activity. The dual electrode design isolates the microbial driven sulfide reactions to the sensing electrode and permits removal of any SP signal from the EP measurement. Based on the known sensitivity of a Ag electrode to dissolved sulfide, we interpret EP signals exceeding 550 mV recorded in this experiment in terms of bisulfide (HS−) concentration near multiple sensing electrodes. Complex conductivity measurements capture an imaginary conductivity (σ″) signal interpreted as the response of microbial growth and biomass formation in the column. Our results suggest that the implementation of multipurpose electrodes, combining reactive measurements with electrical geophysical measurements, could improve efforts to monitor microbial processes in the Earth using electrodes.
Segment‐scale and intrasegment lithospheric thickness and melt variations near the Andrew Bain megatransform fault and Marion hot spot: Southwest Indian Ridge, 25.5°E–35°E
Authors: Takeuchi Christopher S. , Sclater John G. , Grindlay Nancy R. , Madsen John A. , Rommevaux‐Jestin Céline
Published: July 2010

We analyze bathymetric, gravimetric, and magnetic data collected on cruise KN145L16 between 25.5°E and 35°E on the ultraslow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge, where the 750 km long Andrew Bain transform domain separates two accretionary segments to the northeast from a single segment to the southwest. Similar along‐axis asymmetries in seafloor texture, rift valley curvature, magnetic anomaly amplitude, magnetization intensity, and mantle Bouguer anomaly (MBA) amplitude within all three segments suggest that a single mechanism may produce variable intrasegment lithospheric thickness and melt delivery. However, closer analysis reveals that a single mechanism is unlikely. In the northeast, MBA lows, shallow axial depths, and large abyssal hills indicate that the Marion hot spot enhances the melt supply to the segments. We argue that along‐axis asthenospheric flow from the hot spot, dammed by major transform faults, produces the inferred asymmetries in lithospheric thickness and melt delivery. In the southwest, strong rift valley curvature and nonvolcanic seafloor near the Andrew Bain transform fault indicate very thick subaxial lithosphere at the end of the single segment. We suggest that cold lithosphere adjacent to the eastern end of the ridge axis cools and thickens the subaxial lithosphere, suppresses melt production, and focuses melt to the west. This limits the amount of melt emplaced at shallow levels near the transform fault. Our analysis suggests that the Andrew Bain divides a high melt supply region to the northeast from an intermediate to low melt supply region to the southwest. Thus, this transform fault represents not only a major topographic feature but also a major melt supply boundary on the Southwest Indian Ridge.
Effect of pressure on grain‐growth kinetics of ferropericlase to lower mantle conditions
Authors: Tsujino Noriyoshi , Nishihara Yu
Published: July 2010

Grain‐growth kinetics of (Mg0.85Fe0.15)O ferropericlase was investigated at a temperature of 1873 K up to a pressure of 25 GPa under dry conditions using a Kawai‐type multi‐anvil apparatus. The grain‐growth kinetics of ferropericlase is described by Gn − G0n = k0 exp(−)t where G is the average grain‐size at annealing time t; G0, the initial average grain‐size; P, pressure; R, the gas constant; and T, absolute temperature. Least squares fit of this equation for the present data and our previous data on the same material yielded n = 2.8 ± 0.2, k0 = 10−8.4±1.1 m2.8/s, E* = 273 ± 24 kJ/mol, and V* = 4.5 ± 0.2 cm3/mol. The present results show that at the conditions at the top of the lower mantle (700 km depth), the grain‐size of ferropericlase in a single phase system evolves to ∼1 cm after significant geological time of 1 My. The present results may be applied to regions where single phase ferropericlase aggregates are present, say by deformation‐induced phase segregation. In these areas, the grain‐growth kinetics is fast so that one expects a large grain‐size that will results in strong lattice‐preferred orientation causing significant seismic anisotropy.
Large electric field at the nightside plasmapause observed by the Polar spacecraft
Authors: Kim K.‐H. , Mozer F. S. , Lee D.‐H. , Jin H.
Published: July 2010

We report an example of large electric field with a peak amplitude of ∼60 mV/m observed at the plasmapause by the Polar spacecraft on April 25, 1998. This electric field pointed radially outward and predominantly perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field. As comparing the plasmapause crossings in the previous and following Polar passes, we found that the large electric field is associated with forming a sharp plasmapause structure. Comparing with previous observations of subauroral electric fields in the ionosphere and magnetosphere, we suggest that the large electric field observed at Polar is associated with the subauroral ion drift phenomenon. In addition, we observed a negative‐then‐positive magnetic field perturbation at the plasmapause. That is, the magnetic field is reduced outside the plasmapause and enhanced inside the plasmapause. The field perturbation is dominant in the meridional plane. We suggest that the magnetic field perturbation is due to the dawnward plasmapause current (Jpp), which is associated with the balance of forces (∇P ∼ Jpp × B) at the plasmapause, perpendicular to the background magnetic field.
Characterization of a new series of non-covalent proteasome inhibitors with exquisite potency and selectivity for the 20S β5-subunit
Authors: Blackburn Christopher , Gigstad Kenneth M. , Hales Paul , Garcia Khristofer , Jones Matthew , Bruzzese Frank J. , Barrett Cynthia , Liu Jane X. , Soucy Teresa A. , Sappal Darshan S. , Bump Nancy , Olhava Edward J. , Fleming Paul , Dick Lawrence R. , Tsu Christopher , Sintchak Michael D. , Blank Jonathan L.
Published: July 2010

The mammalian 26S proteasome is a 2500 kDa multi-catalytic complex involved in intracellular protein degradation. We describe the synthesis and properties of a novel series of non-covalent di-peptide inhibitors of the proteasome used on a capped tri-peptide that was first identified by high-throughput screening of a library of approx. 350000 compounds for inhibitors of the ubiquitin–proteasome system in cells. We show that these compounds are entirely selective for the β5 (chymotrypsin-like) site over the β1 (caspase-like) and β2 (trypsin-like) sites of the 20S core particle of the proteasome, and over a panel of less closely related proteases. Compound optimization, guided by X-ray crystallography of the liganded 20S core particle, confirmed their non-covalent binding mode and provided a structural basis for their enhanced in vitro and cellular potencies. We demonstrate that such compounds show low nanomolar IC50 values for the human 20S β5 site in vitro, and that pharmacological inhibition of this site in cells is sufficient to potently inhibit the degradation of a tetra-ubiquitin–luciferase reporter, activation of NFκB (nuclear factor κB) in response to TNF-α (tumour necrosis factor-α) and the proliferation of cancer cells. Finally, we identified capped di-peptides that show differential selectivity for the β5 site of the constitutively expressed proteasome and immunoproteasome in vitro and in B-cell lymphomas. Collectively, these studies describe the synthesis, activity and binding mode of a new series of non-covalent proteasome inhibitors with unprecedented potency and selectivity for the β5 site, and which can discriminate between the constitutive proteasome and immunoproteasome in vitro and in cells.
Fragment-based screening by X-ray crystallography, MS and isothermal titration calorimetry to identify PNMT (phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase) inhibitors
Authors: Drinkwater Nyssa , Vu Hoan , Lovell Kimberly M. , Criscione Kevin R. , Collins Brett M. , Prisinzano Thomas E. , Poulsen Sally-Ann , McLeish Michael J. , Grunewald Gary L. , Martin Jennifer L.
Published: July 2010

CNS (central nervous system) adrenaline (epinephrine) is implicated in a wide range of physiological and pathological conditions. PNMT (phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase) catalyses the final step in the biosynthesis of adrenaline, the conversion of noradrenaline (norepinephrine) to adrenaline by methylation. To help elucidate the role of CNS adrenaline, and to develop potential drug leads, potent, selective and CNS-active inhibitors are required. The fragment screening approach has advantages over other lead discovery methods including high hit rates, more efficient hits and the ability to sample chemical diversity more easily. In the present study we applied fragment-based screening approaches to the enzyme PNMT. We used crystallography as the primary screen and identified 12 hits from a small commercial library of 384 drug-like fragments. The hits include nine chemicals with two fused rings and three single-ring chemical systems. Eight of the hits come from three chemical classes: benzimidazoles (a known class of PNMT inhibitor), purines and quinolines. Nine of the hits have measurable binding affinities (~5–700 μM) as determined by isothermal titration calorimetry and all nine have ligand efficiencies of 0.39 kcal/mol per heavy atom or better (1 kcal≈4.184 kJ). We synthesized five elaborated benzimidazole compounds and characterized their binding to PNMT, showing for the first time how this class of inhibitors interact with the noradrenaline-binding site. Finally, we performed a pilot study with PNMT for fragment-based screening by MS showing that this approach could be used as a fast and efficient first-pass screening method prior to characterization of binding mode and affinity of hits.
Macrostructure in the Narratives of Estonian Children With Typical Development and Language Impairment
Authors: Soodla Piret , Kikas Eve
Published: July 2010

Purpose

This study examined the macrostructure in Estonian children’s narratives according to the story grammar (SG) model. The study’s aims were to determine whether differences exist in narrative macrostructure between Estonian- and English-speaking children, among typically developed (TD) children, and between children with and without language impairment (LI).

Method

A clinical group of 18 children with LI (ages 6–8) and a control group of 216 TD children (ages 6–7), divided into 3 language competence subgroups, participated in the study. Narratives were analyzed for the presence of SG components and quantity of story information units.

Results

Estonian children’s narratives reflected age-expected SG structures similar to those of children in English-speaking countries. The analyses revealed significant group influences for the setting category, demonstrating the superior skills of TD children with high language competence in starting stories, compared with their peers. The quantity of story information units differed significantly between the high and low language competence TD subgroups, likewise between the control and the clinical groups.

Conclusions

The contrasts between stories of TD children and between TD and LI children are discussed. The findings support the suitability of the SG model in terms of quantity of story information units for language assessment.
Emotional Prosody Perception and Production in Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type
Authors: Horley Kaye , Reid Amanda , Burnham Denis
Published: July 2010

Purpose

In this study, the authors investigated emotional prosody in patients with moderate Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (DAT) With Late Onset. It was expected that both expression and reception of prosody would be impaired relative to age-matched controls.

Method

Twenty DAT and 20 control participants engaged in 2 expressive and 2 receptive tasks with randomly presented exemplars of sentences targeting the emotions of happiness, anger, sadness, and surprise.

Results

In the expressive tasks, objective acoustic measurements revealed significantly less pitch modulation by the patient group, but these measurements showed that they retained the ability to vary pitch level, pitch modulation, and speaking rate as a function of emotion. In the receptive tasks, perception of emotion by the patient group was significantly inferior to the control group.

Conclusions

Implications are discussed regarding impaired emotional prosody in DAT, and the utility of objective acoustic measures in revealing subtle deficits and overcoming methodological inconsistencies is emphasized. Further research is critical in advancing our understanding of this pervasive disorder and is important, clinically, in the provision of specific interventions.
Characteristics of Disfluency Clusters Over Time in Preschool Children Who Stutter
Authors: Sawyer Jean , Yairi Ehud
Published: July 2010

Purpose

Disfluency clusters in preschool children were analyzed to determine whether they occurred at rates above chance, whether they changed over time, and whether they could differentiate children who would later persist in, or recover from, stuttering.

Method

Thirty-two children recruited near stuttering onset were grouped on the basis of their eventual course of stuttering and matched to 16 normally fluent children. Clusters were classified as stuttering-like disfluencies (SLD), other disfluencies (OD), or mixed (SLD and OD combined). Cluster frequency and length were calculated for all children and again after 6 months for those who stuttered.

Results

Clusters occurred at rates greater than chance for both stuttering and normally fluent children. Children who stuttered had significantly more and longer clusters than did normally fluent children. Close to stuttering onset, clusters did not differentiate the course of stuttering. Cluster frequency and length decreased over time for children in the persistent and recovered groups. The proportion of disfluencies in clusters was significantly lower in the recovered group than it was in the persistent group after 6 months.

Conclusions

Clusters are an integral part of disfluent speech in preschool children in general. Although they do not serve as indicators of recovery or persistency at the onset of stuttering, they may have some prognostic value several months later.
Expressive Language Profiles of Verbally Expressive Adolescents and Young Adults With Down Syndrome or Fragile X Syndrome
Authors: Finestack Lizbeth H. , Abbeduto Leonard
Published: July 2010

Purpose

In this study, the authors examined the expressive language abilities of a subset of highly verbally expressive adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome (DS) and those with fragile X syndrome (FXS) for evidence of syndrome-related differences. FXS gender differences were also examined in an exploratory fashion.

Method

The authors evaluated 24 adolescents and young adults with DS, 17 adolescents and young adults with FXS, and 21 children with typical development (TD), with the groups matched on nonverbal mental age. Language ability was examined using the Oral and Written Language Scales (OWLS; Carrow-Woolfolk, 1995) and Developmental Sentence Scoring (DSS; Lee, 1974) scores derived from an oral narrative language sample.

Results

Study analyses revealed the following group differences: The FXS group outperformed the DS and TD groups on the OWLS measure; the TD group outperformed both other groups on some of the DSS measures; the FXS group outperformed the DS group on the DSS Sentence Point measure; and females with FXS outperformed males with FXS on several measures.

Conclusions

Results contribute to the ongoing construction of the language phenotypes of individuals with DS and individuals with FXS and support the conclusion that there are quantitative rather than qualitative differences in their expressive language profiles.
Identifying Behavioral Measures of Stress in Individuals With Aphasia
Authors: Laures-Gore Jacqueline S. , DuBay Michaela F. , Duff Melissa C. , Buchanan Tony W.
Published: July 2010

Purpose

To develop valid indicators of stress in individuals with aphasia (IWA) by examining the relationship between certain language variables (error frequency [EF] and word productivity [WP]) and cortisol reactivity.

Method

Fourteen IWA and 10 controls participated in a speaking task. Salivary cortisol was collected pre- and posttask. WP and EF were calculated from the language sample elicited during the speaking task.

Results

As expected, IWA had less WP and a higher EF than did control participants, and these effects were related to aphasia severity. Cortisol reactivity of IWA was moderately associated with WP, such that those with higher WP showed greater cortisol reactivity. The control group did not demonstrate this relation. Neither group demonstrated a relation between salivary cortisol reactivity and EF.

Conclusion

WP in individuals with aphasia holds potential as a behavioral index of stress in this population.
Distance and angular holonomic constraints in molecular simulations
Authors: Dubbeldam David , Oxford Gloria A. E. , Krishna Rajamani , Broadbelt Linda J. , Snurr Randall Q.
Published: July 2010

Finding the energy minima of systems with constraints is a challenging problem. We develop a minimization method based on the projection operator technique to enforce distance and angle constraints in minimization and reaction-path dynamics. The application of the projection operator alone does not maintain the constraints, i.e., they are slightly violated. Therefore, we use the SHAKE-methodology to enforce the constraints after each minimization step. We have extended θ -SHAKE for bend angles and introduce ϕ -SHAKE and χ -SHAKE to constrain dihedral and out-of-plane angles, respectively. Two case studies are presented: (1) A mode analysis of united-atom n-butane with various internal degrees of freedom kept frozen and (2) the minimization of chromene at a fixed approach toward the catalytic site of a (salen)Mn. The obtained information on energetics can be used to explain why specific enantioselectivity is observed. Previous minimization methods work for the free molecular case, but fail when molecules are tightly confined.
The Hamiltonian formulation for the dynamics of a multishell self-gravitating system
Authors: Kijowski J. , Magli G. , Malafarina D.
Published: July 2010

Hamiltonian function describing a system composed of n gravitating shells in general relativity is derived from general considerations and its dynamics is presented. The results appear to be promising for the description of colliding system of astrophysical and cosmological interest.
Barrier-free tunneling in a carbon heterojunction transistor
Authors: Yoon Youngki , Salahuddin Sayeef
Published: July 2010

Recently it has been experimentally shown that a graphene nanoribbon (GNR) can be obtained by unzipping a carbon nanotube (CNT). This makes it possible to fabricate all-carbon heterostructures that have a unique interface between a CNT and a GNR. Here we demonstrate that such a heterojunction may be utilized to obtain a unique transistor operation. By performing a self-consistent nonequilibrium Green’s function based calculation on an atomistically defined structure, we show that such a transistor may reduce energy dissipation below the classical limit while not compromising speed—thus providing an alternate route toward ultralow-power, high-performance carbon-heterostructure electronics.
Optimizing working parameters of the smooth particle mesh Ewald algorithm in terms of accuracy and efficiency
Authors: Wang Han , Dommert Florian , Holm Christian
Published: July 2010

We construct an accurate error estimate for the root mean square force error of the smooth particle mesh Ewald (SPME) algorithm, which is often used for molecular dynamics simulations, where charge configurations under periodic boundary conditions require considerable amounts of CPU time. The error estimates are provided for the ik- as well as analytical force differentiation schemes, and their validity is tested for a random homogeneous sample system. Finally, we demonstrate that it is possible to straightforwardly and precisely determine the SPME parameters via the error estimates prior to the simulation for a predetermined accuracy. This can save precious computer and user time and allows an easy choice of a suitable parameter set for nearly optimal speed.