bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Response of Chicken Ductus Arteriosus to Hypercarbic and Normocarbic Acidosis
Authors: Moonen Rob M.J. , Ågren Pia , Cogolludo Angel L. , Perez Vizcaino Francisco , Villamor Eduardo
Published: December 2009

Background: Changes in pH can have profound effects on vascular tone and reactivity, but their influence on the ductus arteriosus (DA) remains unknown. Objective: To analyzethe effects of hypercarbic and normocarbic acidosis in the reactivity of the chicken DA. Methods: DA rings from 19-day chicken fetuses (total incubation time, 21 days) were mounted in a wire myograph for isometric tension recording. Results: In DA rings (pulmonary side) stimulated with O2, norepinephrine (NE), KCl, or U46619, changes from control conditions (5% CO2, 24 mM NaHCO3, pH 7.4) to 7.5% CO2 (pH 7.25) or 10% CO2 (pH 7.14) induced a concentration-dependent relaxation that reached 43.0% (SD 21.3) of the O2-, 28.6% (SD 23.1) of the NE-, 10.4% (SD 18.7) of the KCl-, and 6.8% (SD 12.6) of the U46619-induced contraction. Hypercarbic-acidosis-induced relaxation was impaired by the non-selective K+ channel blocker tetraethylammonium or the BKCa channel inhibitor iberiotoxin. Normocarbic acidosis (5% CO2, 12 mM NaHCO3, pH 7.13) induced transient relaxation of the DA, which was not affected by the presence of tetraethylammonium or iberiotoxin. Euhydric hypercarbia (10% CO2, 48 mM NaHCO3, pH 7.46) induced a transient contraction of the DA. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the chicken DA is very sensitive to changes in extracellular pH, and that stimulation of BKCa channels may account for the ductal-relaxing effects of hypercarbic acidosis.
Selling a New Vision of America to the World: Changing Messages in Early U.S. Cold War Print Propaganda
Authors: Yarrow Andrew L.
Published: December 2009

This article examines how U.S. Cold War print propaganda shifted from an emphasis in the late 1940s on America's liberal democratic idealism to an emphasis by the mid-1950s on the country's high and rising living standards and shiny new system of “people's capitalism.” The United States could claim to have beaten the Soviet Union at its own game, providing “classless abundance for all.” These messages echoed those disseminated domestically, in which political leaders, business executives, journalists, and educators increasingly defined America's greatest virtues and identity in economic terms, emphasizing growth and prosperity. This article assesses how the United States—via the U.S. Information Agency and its precursors from the late 1940s to 1960—presented itself to those in the Soviet bloc and globally. The article relies on content analysis of three magazines—Amerika, a Russian-language monthly published for Soviet audiences from 1945 to 1952; Free World, a magazine sent to East Asia that began publishing in English and various Asian languages in 1952; and America Illustrated, a Russian-language monthly published for three-and-a-half decades beginning in 1956—as well as of many pamphlets and other printed material intended for overseas audiences.
Decision-Making and the Soviet War in Afghanistan: From Intervention to Withdrawal
Authors: Kalinovsky Artemy
Published: December 2009

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan sparked acute Cold War tensions. The war soon became an undesirable distraction and burden for Soviet leaders, who did not expect to spend most of the 1980s propping up a client regime in Kabul. Drawing on archival sources and interviews, this article traces Soviet decision-making from the intervention in late 1979 to the final withdrawal in early 1989. The article shows that the supporters of the Soviet intervention believed that Soviet military and economic aid efforts were making progress and should not be aborted early. They warned that a premature withdrawal would undermine Soviet prestige in the Third World. Before Mikhail Gorbachev came to power and to some extent afterward, the supporters of intervention were usually able to silence or sideline their critics through deft political maneuvering.
Nonfrontier Deforestation in the Eastern Amazon
Authors: de Almeida Arlete Silva , Stone Thomas A. , Vieira Ima Célia G. , Davidson Eric A.
Published: December 2009

While interest in Amazonian deforestation mostly focuses on frontier areas, the amount of forest cover in areas already dominated by human settlement is also changing. Secondary forests play an increasingly important role for maintaining genetic diversity, hydrological functioning, and greenhouse gas emissions of altered landscapes, but secondary forests are also being converted to more intensive agricultural uses. Five dates of Landsat imagery from 1984 to 2002 were analyzed, covering 8000 km2 of the Zona Bragantina of the eastern part of the Brazilian state of Pará, which underwent its most intensive wave of deforestation several decades ago. However, even in this area of relatively long-term human occupation, ongoing decreases of forest cover were found, both in the small remaining areas of mature forest and in the more widespread areas of secondary forests, as human population increased and land use intensified. Although there was an initial increase in the area of secondary forest from 1984 to 1994, there has been a steady decline since then, from 75% secondary forest cover in 1994 to 54% in 2002. The amount of pasture was relatively stable from 1984 to 1994 but more recently has shown a steady increase, reaching 37% cover in 2002. The average rate of carbon loss over the 18-yr study period was 0.9 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 for the 8000 km2 study area. Forests in this long-settled region of eastern Amazonia continue to be degraded, resulting in the loss of ecosystem services and carbon stocks due to continued land-use change.
Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Latent Heating in the South Asian Monsoon Region
Authors: Zuluaga Manuel D. , Hoyos Carlos D. , Webster Peter J.
Published: December 2009

Information from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) level 3 monthly 0.5° × 0.5° Convective and Stratiform Heating (CSH) product and TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) 2A12 datasets is used to examine the four-dimensional latent heating (LH) structure over the Asian monsoon region between 1998 and 2006. High sea surface temperatures, ocean–land contrasts, and complex terrain produce large precipitation and atmospheric heating rates whose spatial and temporal characteristics are relatively undocumented. Analyses show interannual and intraseasonal LH variations with a large fraction of the interannual variability induced by internal intraseasonal variability. Also, the analyses identify a spatial dipole of LH anomalies between the equatorial Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal regions occurring during the summer active and suppressed phases of the monsoon intraseasonal oscillation. Comparisons made between the TRMM CSH and TMI 2A12 datasets indicate differences in the shape of the vertical profile of LH. A comparison of TRMM LH retrievals with sounding budget observations made during the South China Sea Monsoon Experiment shows a high correspondence in the timing of positive LH episodes during the rainy periods. Negative values of atmospheric heating, associated with radiative cooling and with upper-tropospheric cooling from nonsurface-precipitating clouds, are not captured by either of the TRMM datasets. In summary, LH algorithms based on satellite information are capable of representing the spatial and temporal characteristics of the vertically integrated heating in the Asian monsoon region. However, the vertical distribution of atmospheric heating is not captured accurately throughout different convective phases. It is suggested that satellite-derived radiative heating/cooling products are needed to supplement the LH products in order to give a better overall depiction of atmospheric heating.
Characterizing Warm-ENSO Variability in the Equatorial Pacific: An OLR Perspective*,+
Authors: Chiodi A. M. , Harrison D. E.
Published: December 2009

It is shown that space–time smoothed outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) indices of equatorial Pacific seasonal variability can give an interestingly different perspective on El Niño than is obtained from sea surface temperature (SST) indices or the Southern Oscillation index (SOI). In particular, the index defined by averaging over an eastern-central region exhibits strong event like character—more so than in any other El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) warm-phase index known to the authors. Although the historical record for OLR is much shorter than for SST or SOI, OLR offers a direct connection to anomalous atmospheric heating. It is suggested that the years identified as events by this OLR index deserve particular recognition; and it is noteworthy that they all meet the criteria for “El Niño” years. Other years, whose warm-ENSO status differs depending upon the index favored, are not particularly distinctive from an OLR perspective, and a case could be made that either the other years do not deserve special classification or that they should be identified as different from the OLR-distinguished El Niño years.
Climate Adjustments over Africa Accompanying the Indian Monsoon Onset
Authors: Camberlin P. , Fontaine B. , Louvet S. , Oettli P. , Valimba P.
Published: December 2009

Rainfall and circulation changes accompanying the Indian monsoon onset are examined, focusing on the African continent and neighboring areas. The Indian Meteorological Department official monsoon onset dates over Kerala (MOK; on average on 1 June) are used. Composites are formed at a pentad (5 days) time scale to compare pre- and postonset conditions. Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Merged Analysis of Precipitation (CMAP) data for 1979–2007 indicate that a substantial rainfall decrease over several parts of Africa is associated with MOK. Significant rainfall anomalies, after removal of the mean seasonal cycle, are found in eastern Africa and the nearby western Indian Ocean. Indian monsoon onset dates over the period 1958–2001 are correlated at 0.55 with the cessation dates of the March–May rainy season (the long rains) averaged over Kenya and northern Tanzania. The rainy season cessation leads the onset by 12 days, on average. An early cessation of the March–May rains tends to precede an early onset over India. Over East Africa, the rainfall decrease is associated with a strengthening of the southerly winds (Somali jet) shortly before MOK, enhancing wind divergence and wind shear.

A weaker rainfall signal is noted over western Africa and the Gulf of Guinea. MOK coincides with a pause in the progression of the West African monsoon. The pause is associated with anomalous descent over the Sahel, culminating two to three pentads after MOK. Composite maps further indicate that MOK is followed over much of the African continent by a sea level pressure rise and, between India and North Africa, a westward propagation of easterly wind and positive geopotential height anomalies. Many of these signals are associated with Madden–Julian oscillations, but independent features, suggesting Rossby wave propagation over North Africa, are also found to connect MOK and West Africa. Overall, these results are indicative of a large-scale adjustment of the atmospheric dynamics across both eastern and western Africa in conjunction with the monsoon onset over India.
‘Strangers in Paradise’?
Authors: Reay Diane , Crozier Gill , Clayton John
Published: December 2009

This article draws on case studies of nine working-class students at Southern, an elite university. 1 It attempts to understand the complexities of identities in flux through Bourdieu’s notions of habitus and field. Bourdieu (1990a) argues that when an individual encounters an unfamiliar field, habitus is transformed. He also writes of how the movement of habitus across new, unfamiliar fields results in ‘a habitus divided against itself ’ (Bourdieu, 1999a). Our data suggest more nuanced understandings in which the challenge of the unfamiliar results in a range of creative adaptations and multi-faceted responses. They display dispositions of self-scrutiny and self-improvement — almost ‘a constant fashioning and re-fashioning of the self ’ but one that still retains key valued aspects of a working-class self. Inevitably, however, there are tensions and ambivalences, and the article explores these, as well as the very evident gains for working-class students of academic success in an elite HE institution.
Self as Enterprise
Authors: McNay Lois
Published: December 2009

This article considers Foucault’s analysis of ordoliberal and neoliberal governmental reason and its reorganization of social relations around a notion of enterprise. I focus on the particular idea that the generalization of the enterprise form to social relations was conceptualized in such exhaustive terms that it encompassed subjectivity itself. Self as enterprise highlights, inter alia, dynamics of control in neoliberal regimes which operate through the organized proliferation of individual difference in an economized matrix. It also throws into question conceptions of individual autonomy that underpin much political thought and upon which ideas about political resistance are based. Self as enterprise also problematizes the viability of Foucault’s later work on ethics of the self as a practice of resistance. I go on to argue that Foucault’s discussion of an unresolved clash in civil society between monarchical and governmental power, between law and norm, offers an elliptical but more promising account of opposition to normalizing bio-power.
Introduction: Thinking after Michel Foucault
Authors: Venn Couze , Terranova Tiziana
Published: December 2009

This Introduction to the Special Issue of Theory, Culture & Society on Michel Foucault draws out from the papers included the possibilities for new critiques of the present and new directions for the future, both for research in the social sciences and for imagining alternative ways of being. It highlights the innovative aspects of all the papers, and thus demonstrates that, in spite of the shortcomings in Foucault’s work which are picked out in the papers, his explorations of power, subjectivity and what it means to be and to think continue to be relevant as a starting point for a range of reflections about our own times.
Cyberbullying in a Rural Intermediate School: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Bauman Sheri
Published: December 2009

Students ( N = 221) in an intermediate school (grades 5-8) in a rural area of the Southwestern United States completed a survey regarding their familiarity with technology and their experiences with cyberbullying during the school year. Initial evidence of survey reliability is presented. In the sample, 1.5% of participants were classified as cyberbullies only, 3% as cybervictims only, and 8.6% as cyberbully/victims. Grade and gender differences were investigated. The best predictor of cyberbullying in a regression equation was cybervictimization, and vice versa. Self-blaming attributions predicted emotional distress in response to a cyberbullying scenario; moral disengagement predicted acting out behaviors in response to the same scenario. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Attitudes Toward Domestic Violence: A Cultural Perspective
Authors: Wallach Helene S. , Weingram Ziv , Avitan Orli
Published: December 2009

This study examines the effect of acculturation on the attitudes held by Ethiopian Jews in Israel toward domestic violence (DV). The study findings revealed the following: Ethiopians who immigrated to Israel ( n = 31) held more lenient attitudes toward DV than Israeli born Jews ( n = 62), which supported the hypothesis that culture influences attitudes toward DV; in addition, Ethiopians born in Israel ( n = 29) held attitudes closer to those of Israeli-born Jews who were not from Ethiopian origin, thus supporting the hypothesis that integration into the host country results in changes in DV attitudes. These are important findings due to the extremely high number of DV episodes among immigrant populations in general and Ethiopian Jews living in Israel in particular. This study may provide optimism in that it is probable that the younger generation will prove to be less violent than the first-generation immigrants. Perhaps one conclusion that can be drawn is the importance of expediting the integration process of the second-generation Ethiopian Jews in Israel.
Corporate Proactivity as a Discursive Fiction: Managing Environmental Health Activism and Regulation
Authors: Zoller Heather M. , Tener Meagan
Published: December 2009

This essay problematizes dominant theorizing about proactive communication in public relations and issue management. Current literature promotes proactive stakeholder engagement to prevent reputational damage rather than harm reduction to prevent crises from occurring. In practice this approach legitimizes a paradoxical corporate strategy framing crisis responses as proactive. Such framing attributes corporate improvements to voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) rather than external sources such as activist and regulatory challenges. An ethnographic study of a “good neighbor” environmental health campaign targeting a chemical plant found that the discursive construction of proactivity was significant because it (a) played a central role in public sensemaking about organizational legitimacy and responsibility and (b) influenced perceptions about the sources of corporate innovation and change.
Street Credentials and Management Backgrounds: Careers of Nonprofit Executives in an Evolving Sector
Authors: Suarez David F.
Published: December 2009

The nonprofit sector is confronting a potential leadership deficit and mounting pressures to become more efficient and businesslike. To begin to assess how these tensions influence pathways to leadership, this study investigates the professional backgrounds and nonprofit experience of leaders in the sector. Analysis demonstrates that some leaders have management credentials and management experience, but many advance in the nonprofit sector through substantive experience alone. Even though some nonprofit executives have spent most of their careers in the public sector or the business sector, the study also demonstrates that a nonprofit ethic matters a great deal for leadership. These findings suggest that substantive experience and dedication to the nonprofit sector constitute primary pathways to leadership in the sector, raising many questions about the role of management expertise and the evolution of leadership in the sector.
Parrhēsia and Credibility: The Sovereign of Refugee Status Determination
Authors: Beard Jennifer , Noll Gregor
Published: December 2009

This article is concerned with the correlation between credibility and the concept of sovereignty in international law and their relationship to truth. Empirically, the authors focus on the credibility assessment informing the refugee determination procedure operated by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The authors do not provide a rationalized explanation of credibility assessment in terms of a legal procedure turning on probative models of evidence. Instead, the authors attempt to draw out a concurrent phenomenon of credibility assessment, which tests the truth of what it means to be human. This is a political question that requires a consideration of the tension between personal sovereignty and territorial sovereignty and the process of political subjectivization that conditions that tension.
Compressed Mesh Washer Isolators Using the Pseudoelasticity of SMA for Pyroshock Attenuation
Authors: Youn Se-Hyun , Jang Young-Soon , Han Jae-Hung
Published: December 2009

Pyroshock can cause malfunctions of electric components of launch vehicles or satellites, resulting in a catastrophic flight failure. This study introduces a new compressed mesh washer pyroshock isolator using the pseudoelasticity of Ni-Ti alloy wire. The compressed mesh washer isolators were manufactured and tested to evaluate their pyroshock isolation performances. For comparison purposes, shape memory alloy compressed mesh washer isolator was also manufactured. The variations in the dynamic characteristic of the compressed mesh washer isolators due to precompressive displacements were also studied. The results showed that the natural frequency and the isolation capacity can be adjusted by controlling the precompressive displacement of the compressed mesh washer isolator. These characteristics can be used for a smart isolation system that utilizes the adjustable dynamic characteristics of the compressed mesh washer isolators.
Hydrodynamic Bearing Lubricated with Magnetic Fluids
Authors: Urreta Harkaitz , Leicht Zoltan , Sanchez Aitor , Agirre Amaia , Kuzhir Pavel , Magnac Gregory
Published: December 2009

This article summarizes the work carried out in the development of hydrodynamic lubricated journal bearings with magnetic fluids. Two different fluids have been analyzed: one is the ferrofluid from FERROTEC APG s10n and the other is the magnetorheological (MR) fluid from LORD Corp., MRF122-2ED. Theoretical analysis has been carried out with numerical solutions of Reynolds equation, based on apparent viscosity modulation for ferrofluid and Bingham model for MR fluid. To validate this model, one test bench has been designed, manufactured, and set up, where preliminary results showed in this article demonstrate that magnetic fluids can be used to develop active journal bearings.
Optimal Design of Lozenge-shaped Dielectric Elastomer Linear Actuators: Mathematical Procedure and Experimental Validation
Authors: Vertechy Rocco , Berselli Giovanni , Parenti Castelli Vincenzo , Vassura Gabriele
Published: December 2009

A novel mathematical procedure is presented, which makes it possible to optimize lozenge-shaped dielectric-elastomer-based linear actuators for known materials and desired force/stroke requirements. Simulation and experimental results are provided which both demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed optimization procedure with respect to traditional design approaches and show that simpler, cheaper, lighter, and better-behaved lozenge-shaped actuators can be conceived, which do not require any integration of compliant frame elements.
Integration of Electro-mechanical Impedance and Global Dynamic Techniques for Improved Structural Health Monitoring
Authors: Shanker Rama , Bhalla Suresh , Gupta Ashok
Published: December 2009

This article proposes the simultaneous application of the local electro-mechanical impedance (EMI) and the global dynamic techniques using the same set of piezoelectric ceramic (PZT) sensor patches for improved health monitoring of structures. It describes an experimental study conducted on a two-story reinforced concrete frame structure using PZT patches embedded in the structure. The global dynamic technique, which is based on global frequency changes, is effective in low frequency range only, due to which an incipient damage (such as hair crack) cannot be detected by it. On the other hand, the EMI technique, which works in the kilohertz range, is very sensitive to incipient damage. The initial cracks were successfully detected by the EMI technique whereas more severe type damages were identified and suitably quantified by the global dynamic techniques. Selected inputs, chosen from the extracted equivalent parameters, namely stiffness and damping changes (EMI technique) and the damping ratio (global technique), were used to train an artificial neural network, whose outputs were the severity and the location of the damage. The simultaneous use of the two techniques results in an improved structural health monitoring. This approach is very sensitive and cost effective to detect damages ranging from incipient to severe types in the civil structures.
Review: ‘Gimme five’: future challenges in multiple sclerosis. ECTRIMS Lecture 2009
Authors: Hohlfeld Reinhard
Published: December 2009

This article is based on the ECTRIMS lecture given at the 25 th ECTRIMS meeting which was held in Dusseldorf, Germany, from 9 to 12 September 2009. Five challenges have been identified: (1) safeguarding the principles of medical ethics; (2) optimizing the risk/benefit ratio; (3) bridging the gap between multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalitis; (4) promoting neuroprotection and repair; and (5) tailoring multiple sclerosis therapy to the individual patient. Each of these challenges will be discussed and placed in the context of current research into the pathogenesis and treatment of multiple sclerosis.
Technology as Efficacious Action on Objects . . . and Subjects
Authors: Warnier Jean-Pierre
Published: December 2009

Techniques are usually defined as efficacious actions on something, that is, typically, on material substances and artefacts. This definition may be extended to the techniques of the subject as efficacious actions on the embodied human being. Consequently, the relevance of the anthropology of techniques may be extended from the material world to the human subject. This article draws on the work of Hubert, Mauss, Foucault and others, and on an ethnographic example to suggest that the efficacy of the techniques of the subject may rest on a process of identification between subjects and objects.
Ways of Enchanting
Authors: Coupaye Ludovic
Published: December 2009

Yam cultivation and display are central and very contemporary concerns amongst the Abelam of Papua New Guinea. Long yams, especially, have been interpreted as phallic symbols, images of ancestors and valuables. Describing the processes from which these ‘artefacts’ emerge, gives some importance to local interpretations, i.e. the reasons rather than the causes driving local technical processes. This analysis of the notion of operational sequences, or chaînes opératoires, proves very useful in unravelling the interlacing of practices and discourses that leads to the ‘coming-into-being’ of yams. Using a selection of operational sequences, the author discusses the methodology and investigates some aspects that have come out of his own use of the chaîne opératoire. Through its potential for describing the relations actively created between long yam cultivation and other domains of experience, the chaîne opératoire contributes to repositioning the study of techniques and technology in contemporary anthropological discussions of material culture.
Techniques as a Window onto Learning
Authors: Portisch Anna O.
Published: December 2009

This article focuses on the techniques and practices involved in Kazakh women’s domestic textile production in western Mongolia. It looks at the learning trajectory of young girls and the ways in which they are integrated into domestic craft practices and participate in the execution of particular techniques. The aim of this article is to consider two quite different theoretical approaches to learning in relation to this craft knowledge. The author considers the extent to which girls’ learning processes and women’s more expert practices reflect key ideas in cognitive anthropology, on the one hand, and phenomenological approaches, on the other. She positions herself between these theoretical approaches, and argues that we need to consider knowledge evidenced in practice as well as language, both from a methodological and epistemological perspective, to allow for a more dynamic and encompassing understanding of learning and knowledge.
Madelung’s deformity: a review
Authors: Dubey A. , Fajardo M. , Green S. , Lee S. K.
Published: December 2009

Madelung’s deformity is a rare condition of the wrist characterized by a shortened distal radius with volar–ulnar curvature and a dorsally prominent distal ulna. It occurs predominantly in adolescent females who present with pain, decreased wrist mobility, and deformity. Although its aetiology remains unclear, its treatment is becoming more refined. Several different surgical techniques have recently been described in the literature. This review addresses Madelung’s deformity and suggests an algorithm for management based on current literature and the authors' own clinical experience.
Co-existing carpal tunnel syndrome in complex regional pain syndrome after hand trauma
Authors: Koh S. M. , Moate F. , Grinsell D.
Published: December 2009

This study highlights the benefits of carpal tunnel release (CTR) in four patients presenting with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) after hand surgery who also had carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) diagnosed clinically and by nerve conduction studies. Three of the patients underwent pre- and postoperative volumetric, circumference, grip strength and range of motion measurements. The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) functional outcome measure and pain scores were also used. There was almost complete resolution of CRPS symptoms in all four patients, with notable reductions in oedema and improvements in grip strength and range of motion. There were also improvements in DASH outcome scores and pain scores after CTR.
Penetration increase of AISI 304 using ultrasonic assisted tungsten inert gas welding
Authors: Sun Q. J. , Lin S. B. , Yang C. L. , Zhao G. Q.
Published: December 2009

Ultrasonic assisted tungsten inert gas (U-TIG) welding method was developed. Both U-TIG and conventional TIG welding of AISI 304 stainless steel with 5 mm thickness were experimentally studied in this paper. The results show that the penetration depth is increased up to 300% for weld made with U-TIG welding compared with conventional TIG welding. Ultrasonic energy enhances arc push force, causes a continual high frequency oscillation in the arc plasma and increases welding penetration. These effects are thought to be responsible for enhancing the welding efficiency and improving the appearance of stainless steel weld joints.
Welding process impact on residual stress and distortion
Authors: Colegrove P. , Ikeagu C. , Thistlethwaite A. , Williams S. , Nagy T. , Suder W. , Steuwer A. , Pirling T.
Published: December 2009

Residual stress and distortion continue to be important issues in shipbuilding and are still subject to large amounts of research. This paper demonstrates how the type of welding process influences the amount of distortion. Many shipyards currently use submerged arc welding (SAW) as their welding process of choice. In this manuscript, the authors compare welds made by SAW with DC gas metal arc welding, pulsed gas metal arc welding, Fronius cold metal transfer (CMT), autogenous laser and laser hybrid welding on butt welds in 4 mm thick DH36 ship plate. Laser and laser hybrid welding were found to produce the lowest distortion. Nevertheless, a considerable improvement can be achieved with the pulsed gas metal arc welding and CMT processes. The paper seeks to understand the relationship between heat input, fusion area, measured distortion and the residual stress predicted from a simple numerical model, and the residual stresses validated with experimental data.
Development of low spatter CO2 arc welding process with high frequency pulse current
Authors: Tokihiko K. , Rinsei I. , Koichi Y. , Yoshinori H.
Published: December 2009

Metal transfer phenomena and spatter generation in CO2 arc welding with a solid wire were investigated, and a low spatter welding process using a high frequency pulse rectangular current was developed. The optimal conditions of high frequency pulse CO2 arc welding were determined to be a peak current of 450–550 A and pulse frequency of 450–750 Hz. These high frequency pulse currents influenced the droplet oscillation due to resonance between the applied pulse frequency and the natural frequency of the droplet. A droplet was regularly transferred by 9–11 pulses, and the average interval of metal transfer was ∼16 ms, which was half of that in conventional CO2 arc welding. The average droplet weight is 34 mg, showing a large reduction in comparison with that of the conventional method. As a result, the total spatter weight was reduced by 70% in comparison with the conventional method, and particularly large spatters more than 0·5 mm in diameter were reduced from 25 to 3 mg s−1.
Ras-induced reactive oxygen species promote growth factor–independent proliferation in human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells
Authors: Hole Paul S. , Pearn Lorna , Tonks Amanda J. , James Philip E. , Burnett Alan K. , Darley Richard L. , Tonks Alex
Published: December 2009

Excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a feature of human malignancy and is often triggered by activation of oncogenes such as activated Ras. ROS act as second messengers and can influence a variety of cellular process including growth factor responses and cell survival. We have examined the contribution of ROS production to the effects of N-RasG12D and H-RasG12V on normal human CD34+ progenitor cells. Activated Ras strongly up-regulated the production of both superoxide and hydrogen peroxide through the stimulation of NADPH oxidase (NOX) activity, without affecting the expression of endogenous antioxidants or the production of mitochondrially derived ROS. Activated Ras also promoted both the survival and the growth factor–independent proliferation of CD34+ cells. Using oxidase inhibitors and antioxidants, we found that excessive ROS production by these cells did not contribute to their enhanced survival; rather, ROS promoted their growth factor–independent proliferation. Although Ras-induced ROS production specifically activated the p38MAPK oxidative stress response, this failed to induce expression of the cell-cycle inhibitor, p16INK4A; instead, ROS promoted the expression of D cyclins. These data are the first to show that excessive ROS production in the context of oncogene activation can promote proliferative responses in normal human hematopoietic progenitor cells.
Trisomy of Erg is required for myeloproliferation in a mouse model of Down syndrome
Authors: Ng Ashley P. , Hyland Craig D. , Metcalf Donald , Carmichael Catherine L. , Loughran Stephen J. , Di Rago Ladina , Kile Benjamin T. , Alexander Warren S.
Published: December 2009

Down syndrome is characterized by multiple phenotypic manifestations associated with trisomy of chromosome 21. The transient myeloproliferative disorder and acute megakaryocytic leukemia associated with Down syndrome are uniquely associated with mutations in the transcription factor GATA1; however, the identity of trisomic genes on chromosome 21 that predispose to these hematologic disorders remains unknown. Using a loss-of-function allele, we show that specific reduction to functional disomy of the Erg gene corrects the pathologic and hematologic features of myeloproliferation in the Ts(1716)65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome, including megakaryocytosis and progenitor cell expansion. Our data provide genetic evidence establishing the need for Erg trisomy for myeloproliferation in Ts(1716)65Dn mice and imply that increased ERG gene dosage may be a key consequence of trisomy 21 that can predispose to malignant hematologic disorders in Down syndrome.
Melav2, an elav-like gene, is essential for spermatid differentiation in the flatworm Macrostomum lignano
Authors: Sekii Kiyono , Salvenmoser Willi , De Mulder Katrien , Scharer Lukas , Ladurner Peter
Published: December 2009

Background

Failure of sperm differentiation is one of the major causes of male sterility. During spermiogenesis, spermatids undergo a complex metamorphosis, including chromatin condensation and cell elongation. Although the resulting sperm morphology and property can vary depending on the species, these processes are fundamental in many organisms. Studying genes involved in such processes can thus provide important information for a better understanding of spermatogenesis, which might be universally applied to many other organisms.

Results

In a screen for genes that have gonad-specific expression we isolated an elav-like gene, melav2, from Macrostomum lignano, containing the three RNA recognition motifs characteristic of elav-like genes. We found that melav2 mRNA was expressed exclusively in the testis, as opposed to the known elav genes, which are expressed in the nervous system. The RNAi phenotype of melav2 was characterized by an aberrant spermatid morphology, where sperm elongation often failed, and an empty seminal vesicle. Melav2 RNAi treated worms were thus male-sterile. Further analysis revealed that in melav2 RNAi treated worms precocious chromatin condensation occurred during spermatid differentiation, resulting in an abnormally tightly condensed chromatin and large vacuoles in round spermatids. In addition, immunostaining using an early-spermatid specific antibody revealed that melav2 RNAi treated worms had a larger amount of signal positive cells, suggesting that many cells failed the transition from early spermatid stage.

Conclusion

We characterize a new function for elav-like genes, showing that melav2 plays a crucial role during spermatid differentiation, especially in the regulation of chromatin condensation and/or cell elongation.
Cytosolic N-terminal arginine-based signals together with a luminal signal target a type II membrane protein to the plant ER
Authors: Boulaflous Aurélia , Saint-Jore-Dupas Claude , Herranz-Gordo Marie-Carmen , Pagny-Salehabadi Sophie , Plasson Carole , Garidou Frédéric , Kiefer-Meyer Marie-Christine , Ritzenthaler Christophe , Faye Loïc , Gomord Véronique
Published: December 2009

Background

In eukaryotic cells, the membrane compartments that constitute the exocytic pathway are traversed by a constant flow of lipids and proteins. This is particularly true for the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), the main "gateway of the secretory pathway", where biosynthesis of sterols, lipids, membrane-bound and soluble proteins, and glycoproteins occurs. Maintenance of the resident proteins in this compartment implies they have to be distinguished from the secretory cargo. To this end, they must possess specific ER localization determinants to prevent their exit from the ER, and/or to interact with receptors responsible for their retrieval from the Golgi apparatus. Very few information is available about the signal(s) involved in the retention of membrane type II protein in the ER but it is generally accepted that sorting of ER type II cargo membrane proteins depends on motifs mainly located in their cytosolic tails.

Results

Here, using Arabidopsis glucosidase I as a model, we have identified two types of signals sufficient for the location of a type II membrane protein in the ER. A first signal is located in the luminal domain, while a second signal corresponds to a short amino acid sequence located in the cytosolic tail of the membrane protein. The cytosolic tail contains at its N-terminal end four arginine residues constitutive of three di-arginine motifs (RR, RXR or RXXR) independently sufficient to confer ER localization. Interestingly, when only one di-arginine motif is present, fusion proteins are located both in the ER and in mobile punctate structures, distinct but close to Golgi bodies. Soluble and membrane ER protein markers are excluded from these punctate structures, which also do not colocalize with an ER-exit-site marker. It is hypothesized they correspond to sites involved in Golgi to ER retrotransport.

Conclusion

Altogether, these results clearly show that cytosolic and luminal signals responsible for ER retention could coexist in a same type II membrane protein. These data also suggest that both retrieval and retention mechanisms govern protein residency in the ER membrane. We hypothesized that mobile punctate structures not yet described at the ER/Golgi interface and tentatively named GERES, could be involved in retrieval mechanisms from the Golgi to the ER.
Gastric cancer surgery: Billroth I or Billroth II for distal gastrectomy?
Authors: Sah Birendra K , Chen Ming-Min , Yan Min , Zhu Zheng-Gang
Published: December 2009

Background

The selection of an anastomosis method after a distal gastrectomy is a highly debatable topic; however, the available documentation lacks the necessary research based on a comparison of early postoperative complications. This study was conducted to investigate the difference of early postoperative complications between Billroth I and Billroth II types of anastomosis for distal gastrectomies.

Methods

A total of 809 patients who underwent distal gastrectomies for gastric cancer during four years were included in the study. The only study endpoint was analysis of in-patients' postoperative complications. The risk adjusted complication rate was compared by POSSUM (Physiological and operative severity score for enumeration of morbidity and mortality) and the severity of complications was compared by Rui Jin Hospital classification of complication.

Results

Complication rate of Billroth II type of anastomosis was almost double of that in Billroth I (P = 0.000). Similarly, the risk adjusted complication rate was also higher in Billroth II group. More severe complications were observed and the postoperative duration was significantly longer in Billroth II type (P = 0.000). Overall expenditure was significantly higher in Billroth II type (P = 0.000).

Conclusion

Billroth II method of anastomosis was associated with higher rate of early postoperative complications. Therefore, we conclude that the Billroth I method should be the first choice after a distal gastrectomy as long as the anatomic and oncological environment of an individual patient allows us to perform it. However more prospective studies should be designed to compare the overall surgical outcomes of both anastomosis methods.
A survey on knowledge and self-reported formula handling practices of parents and child care workers in Palermo, Italy
Authors: Calamusa Giuseppe , Valenti Rosalia Maria , Guida Ivana , Mammina Caterina
Published: December 2009

Background

Powdered infant formula (PIF) is not a sterile product, but this information appears to be poorly diffused among child caregivers. Parents and child care workers may behave in an unsafe manner when handling PIF.

Methods

This study involved parents and child care workers in the 24 municipal child care centres of Palermo. Knowledge and self-reported practices about PIF handling were investigated by a structured questionnaire. A Likert scale was used to measure the strength of the respondent's feelings. Association of knowledge and self-reported practices with demographic variables was also evaluated.

Results

42.4% of parents and 71.0% of child care workers filled in the questionnaire. Significant differences were found between parents and child care workers for age and education. 73.2% of parents and 84.4% of child care workers were confident in sterility of PIF. Generally, adherence to safe procedures when reconstituting and handling PIF was more frequently reported by child care workers who, according to the existing legislation, are regularly subjected to a periodic training on food safety principles and practices. Age and education significantly influenced the answers to the questionnaire of both parents and child care workers.

Conclusion

The results of the study reveal that parents and child care workers are generally unaware that powdered formulas may contain viable microorganisms. However, child care workers consistently chose safer options than parents when answering the questions about adherence to hygienic practices.

At present it seems unfeasible to produce sterile PIF, but the risk of growth of hazardous organisms in formula at the time of administration should be minimized by promoting safer behaviours among caregivers to infants in both institutional settings and home.
Evaluating the financial protection of patients with chronic disease by health insurance in rural China
Authors: Sun Qiang , Liu Xiaoyun , Meng Qingyue , Tang Shenglan , Yu Baorong , Tolhurst Rachel
Published: December 2009

Background

A growing number of developing countries are developing health insurance schemes that aim to protect households, particularly the poor, from financial catastrophe and impoverishment caused by unaffordable medical care. This paper investigates the extent to which patients suffering from chronic disease in rural China face catastrophic expenditure on healthcare, and how far the New Co-operative Medical Insurance Scheme (NCMS) offers them financial protection against this.

Methods

A household survey was conducted in six counties in Ningxia Autonomous Region and Shandong Province, with a total of 6,147 rural households, including 3944 individual chronic disease patients. Structured questionnaires were used with chronic disease patients to investigate: their basic social and economic characteristics, including income and expenditure levels and NCMS membership; and their health care utilization, associated healthcare costs and levels of reimbursement by NCMS. 'Catastrophic' expenditure was defined as healthcare expenditure of more than 40% of household non-food expenditure.

Results

Expenditure for chronic diseases accounted for an average of 27% of annual non-food per capita expenditure amongst NCMS members in Shandong and 35% in Ningxia. 14-15% of families in both provinces spent more than 40% of their non-food expenditure on chronic healthcare costs. Between 8 and 11% of non NCMS members and 13% of NCMS members did not seek any medical care for chronic illness. A greater proportion of NCMS members in the poorest quintile faced catastrophic expenditure as compared to those in the richest quintile in both study sites. A slightly higher proportion of non-NCMS members than NCMS member households faced catastrophic expenditure, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusion

A significant proportion of patients with chronic diseases face catastrophic healthcare costs and these are especially heavy for the poor. The NCMS offers only a limited degree of financial protection. The heavy financial burden of healthcare for chronic disease poses an urgent challenge to the NCMS. There is an urgent need for a clear policy on how to offer financial protection to those with chronic disease.
Fecal bile acid excretion and messenger RNA expression levels of ileal transporters in high risk gallstone patients
Authors: Herrera Jorge , Amigo Ludwig , Husche Constanze , Benítez Carlos , Zanlungo Silvana , Lütjohann Dieter , Miquel Juan Francisco , Nervi Flavio
Published: December 2009

Background

Cholesterol gallstone disease (GS) is highly prevalent among Hispanics and American Indians. In GS, the pool of bile acids (BA) is decreased, suggesting that BA absorption is impaired. In Caucasian GS patients, mRNA levels for ileal BA transporters are decreased. We aimed to determine fecal BA excretion rates, mRNA levels for ileal BA transporter genes and of regulatory genes of BA synthesis in Hispanic GS patients.

Results

Excretion of fecal BA was measured in seven GS females and in ten GS-free individuals, all with a body mass index < 29. Participants ingested the stool marker Cr2O3 (300 mg/day) for 10 days, and fecal specimens were collected on the last 3 days. Chromium was measured by a colorimetric method, and BA was quantitated by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Intake of calories, nutrients, fiber and cholesterol were similar in the GS and GS-free subjects. Mean BA excretion levels were 520 ± 80 mg/day for the GS-free group, and 461 ± 105 mg/day for the GS group. Messenger RNA expression levels were determined by RT-PCR on biopsy samples obtained from ileum during diagnostic colonoscopy (14 GS-free controls and 16 GS patients) and from liver during surgery performed at 8 and 10 AM (12 GS and 10 GS-free patients operated on for gastrointestinal malignancies), all with a body mass index < 29. Messenger RNA level of the BA transporter genes for ileal lipid binding protein, multidrug resistance-associated protein 3, organic solute transporter alpha, and organic solute transporter beta were similar in GS and GS-free subjects. Messenger RNA level of Cyp27A1, encoding the enzyme 27α-hydroxylase, the short heterodimer partner and farnesoid X receptor remained unchanged, whereas the mRNA level of Cyp7A1, the rate limiting step of BA synthesis, was increased more than 400% (p < 0.01) in the liver of GS compared to GS-free subjects.

Conclusion

Hispanics with GS have fecal BA excretion rates and mRNA levels of genes for ileal BA transporters that are similar to GS-free subjects. However, mRNA expression levels of Cyp7A1 are increased in GS, indicating that regulation of BA synthesis is abnormal in Hispanics with GS.