bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
HOW A UNIQUE CULTURE PROPOSITION BECAME A USP
Authors: Kingl Adam
Published: February 2010

How can you transform the way you do things into a compelling sales proposition? Zurich Insurance has created a Unique Culture Proposition which may well be its Unique Selling Point. Adam Kingl tells the story.
IS YOUR COMPANY READY TO SUCCEED?
Authors: Rao Srikumar
Published: February 2010

Srikumar Rao has asked thousands of students about the ideal company of the future, the kind of place where they would want to spend their lives. Thinking about what he has heard from them, he believes tomorrow's successful enterprise will be a different kind of company indeed.
Animals, Ethics and Public Policy
Authors: GARNER ROBERT
Published: February 2010

In orthodox moral thinking in the West, animals count for something but human interests take precedence. It is argued that this moral orthodoxy or animal welfare position is flawed. It fails to take into account that some animals, like humans, are persons and that some, so‐called ‘marginal’ humans lack personhood. More importantly, although it is likely that animals do not have an interest in liberty for its own sake and have less of an interest in continued life than humans, there is little justification for the animal welfare claim that an animal's suffering should be regarded as less important morally than that of a human. It is concluded that the adoption of a ‘sentiency position’, whereby animals have a right not to suffer, has radical implications for the way animals are treated, ruling out intensive forms of animal agriculture and those scientific procedures that inflict suffering as morally illegitimate.
‘May Contain Nuts’? The Reality behind the Rhetoric Surrounding the British Conservatives' New Group in the European Parliament
Authors: BALE TIM , HANLEY SEÁN , SZCZERBIAK ALEKS
Published: February 2010

The British Conservative Party's decision to leave the European Peoples' Party‐European Democrats (EPP‐ED) group in the European Parliament and establish a new formation—the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)—has attracted criticism, much of it focused on the supposedly extremist politics and character of the partners with which the Conservatives have chosen to work. In fact, while those parties which have joined the Conservatives in the new group are for the most part socially conservative, they are less extreme and more pragmatic than their media caricatures suggest. Moreover, such caricatures obscure some interesting incompatibilities within the new group as a whole and between some of its Central and East European members and the Conservatives, not least with regard to their foreign policy preoccupations and their by no means wholly hostile attitude to the European integration project.
Wasting a Crisis? Democracy and Markets in Britain after 2007
Authors: FROUD JULIE , MORAN MICHAEL , NILSSON ADRIANA , WILLIAMS KAREL
Published: February 2010

The banking crisis of 2007‐2008 briefly threatened to overturn a system of market government that had lasted for nearly three decades—a system designed to minimise democratic control over markets. The crisis drew politicians once more into financial politics and exposed bankers and banking institutions to popular criticism and control. But the development of regulatory debates, and of the institutions designed to manage the crisis, have combined to avert this threat to the established order. The crisis is being ‘wasted’: it is failing to produce radical reforms. The paper establishes the intellectual and institutional origins of this failure, and argues that, while the reform window is closing, it is not yet fully shut: there exists yet scope for radical argument and popular mobilisation in the creation of a financial system with fewer pathological features.
Multiculturalism and Free Speech
Authors: LESTER ANTHONY
Published: February 2010

Anthony Lester tackles the complex and sensitive issues of multiculturalism and free speech. He explores the various meanings given to multiculturalism, integration and assimilation, as well as the relationship between the right to equality and dignity for ethnic and religious minorities and the right to freedom of expression. Placing our multicultural society in its historical context, he considers the treatment of Commonwealth immigrants in the 1960s and 1970s and discusses more recent confrontations involving racial or religious groups which have raised the right to free speech. He argues that our approach to integration and cultural diversity should promote equality and individuality but resist unreasonable demands to respect customs and practices which, for example, harm the rights of women and children, in the name of misguided multiculturalism. We must guard against political correctness that panders to the thin‐skinned but remember that the right to offend does not mean a duty to do so.
What Rationality Assumption? or, How ‘Positive Political Theory’ Rests on a Mistake
Authors: Johnson James
Published: February 2010

In this article I address the reception of game-theoretic methods in political science. In particular I challenge the notion that such methods afford a plausible basis for what is commonly called ‘positive political theory’ (PPT). The standard rationale for PPT suggests that the point of formal models is, starting from ‘the’ rationality assumption, to derive predictions that can then be tested empirically. I argue that this standard rationale is hopelessly confused. The confusion stems from the assumption that game-theoretic models are empirically testable in some direct sense. This view is far from unanimously accepted among game theorists outside political science. I argue instead that game-theoretic models are best understood as tools for exploring the operation and limits of one set of basic causal mechanisms. I show how this works in practice and on that basis reassert the value of formal models in political science.
Discriminating Methods: Tests for Non-Nested Discrete Choice Models
Authors: Clarke Kevin A. , Signorino Curtis S.
Published: February 2010

We consider the problem of choosing between rival statistical models that are non-nested in terms of their functional forms. We assess the ability of two tests, one parametric and one distribution-free, to discriminate between such models. Our Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that both tests are, to varying degrees, able to discriminate between strategic and non-strategic discrete choice models. The distribution-free test appears to have greater relative power in small samples.
Politics against History: Temporal Distortions in the Study of Politics
Authors: Norton Anne
Published: February 2010

While physicists have advanced theories that directly challenged unidimensional theories of history, the social sciences have held on to older, linear conceptions of historical time, but all this should change. Politics entails the making and remaking of the past, the making and remaking of the future, the inheritance of imagined futures, the recognition of the cyclic and the repetitive, reversals of linear causality, and other strategies and effects at odds with dominant historical conventions. If we are to study politics then we must attend to the broader, less disciplined, relation of politics to history, which is the purpose of the current article.
High level of primary drug resistance in Mali
Authors: Haidara A , Chamberland A , Sylla M , Aboubacrine SA , Cissé M , Traore HA , Maiga MY , Tounkara A , Nguyen VK , Tremblay C ,   for the Appuyer le Traitement Anti Rétroviral en Afrique de l'Ouest (ATARAO) Group 1
Published: February 2010

Background

As access to antiretroviral drugs increases in developing countries, it will become increasingly important to monitor the emergence of resistance and to define the molecular pathways involved to identify optimal therapeutic regimens.

Methods

We performed genotypic resistance testing on plasma obtained from 101 HIV‐infected treatment‐naïve individuals from Mali. Genotyping was carried out using the Virco protocols and HXB2 was used as the reference strain.

Results

CRF02_AG was the most common subtype, present in 71.3% of our patient population. Other subtypes included B, C, G, CRF06_CPX, CRF09_CPX, CRF01_AE, A2/CRF16_A2D, A1 and CRF13_CPX. A total of 9.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) 6.9–12.9%] of patients had at least one resistance mutation. The prevalences of mutations conferring resistance to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) and protease inhibitors (PIs) were 5% (95% CI 0.7–9.2%), 6% (95% CI 1.3–10.6%) and 0%, respectively. The most frequent mutations were T215A/Y for NRTIs and K103N/T for NNRTIs. One patient harboured three NRTI resistance mutations and one NNRTI mutation. This is the first reported case of multi‐drug‐resistant viral transmission in Mali. Polymorphisms at protease codons 10I/V and 33F potentially associated with resistance were observed in 18.8% and 1% of patients, respectively. Several polymorphisms in the C‐terminal domain of reverse transcriptase were observed: A371V (in 63.4% of patients), G335D (76.2%), E399D (10.9%) and G333E (1%).

Conclusion

Primary resistance was seen in 9.9% of subjects, which is higher than previously reported in Mali. Taking into consideration other polymorphisms in protease such as L10I/V and 33F, primary resistance could reach 28.7% (95% CI 19.9–37.5%). Our study reflects the need to monitor the evolution of resistance on a regular basis and trends of transmitted resistance.
Upper gastrointestinal endoscopic findings in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Nkuize M , De Wit S , Muls V , Arvanitakis M , Buset M
Published: February 2010

Background

The current literature suggests that there has been a decrease in opportunistic diseases among HIV‐infected patients since the widespread introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in 1995.

Objectives

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of HAART and CD4 lymphocyte count on diseases of the upper gastrointestinal (UGI) tract, digestive symptoms, and endoscopic and histological observations.

Methods

A review of 706 HIV‐infected patients who underwent GI endoscopy was undertaken. The cohort was divided into three groups: group 1 (G1), pre‐HAART, consisting of 239 patients who underwent endoscopy between January 1991 and December 1994; group 2 (G2), early HAART, consisting of 238 patients who underwent endoscopy between January 1999 and December 2002; and group 3 (G3), recent HAART, consisting of 229 patients who underwent endoscopy between January 2005 and December 2008. Parameters studied included age, gender, opportunistic chemoprophylaxis, antiretroviral therapies, CD4 cell counts, symptoms, observations at the first UGI endoscopy and histology.

Results

When G1, G2 and G3 were compared, significant increases were seen over time in the following parameters: the percentage of women, the mean CD4 cell count, and the frequencies of reflux symptoms, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), inflammatory gastropathy, gastric ulcer and Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection. Significant decreases were seen in the frequencies of the administration of anti‐opportunistic infection prophylaxis, odynophagia/dysphagia, acute/chronic diarrhoea, candida oesophagitis, nonspecific oesophageal ulcer and Kaposi sarcoma. No significant change was observed in the other parameters, i.e. digestive bleeding, duodenal ulcer and inflammatory duodenopathy.

Conclusion

These results suggest a correlation between the improvement of immunity as a result of more efficient antiviral therapy and the decrease in the frequency of digestive diseases in AIDS, mainly opportunistic pathologies. However, HP infection, reflux symptoms and GERD have increased in the HAART era.
Prevention of mother‐to‐child transmission of HIV in Denmark, 1994–2008
Authors: Von Linstow ML , Rosenfeldt V , Lebech AM , Storgaard M , Hornstrup T , Katzenstein TL , Pedersen G , Herlin T , Valerius NH , Weis N
Published: February 2010

Objectives

The aim of this study was to describe trends in the management of pregnancies in HIV‐infected women and their outcomes over a 14‐year period in Denmark on a national basis.

Methods

The study was a retrospective cohort study of all HIV‐infected women in Denmark giving birth to one or more children between 1 June 1994 and 30 June 2008.

Results

We identified 210 HIV‐infected women with 255 pregnancies, ranging from 7 per year in 1995 to 39 per year in 2006. Thirty per cent of the women were Caucasian and 51% were Black African. Knowledge of HIV status before pregnancy increased from 8% (four of 49) in 1994–1999 to 80% (164 of 206) in 2000–2008. Only 29% (53 of 183) of the women chose to consult an infectious disease specialist when planning pregnancy, while 14% (27 of 199) received assistance with fertility. The proportion of women on antiretroviral therapy (ART) increased from 76% (37 of 49) in 1994–1999 to 98% (201 of 206) in 2000–2008. Vaginal deliveries ranged from 0 in 2003 to 35% of pregnancies in 2007. Mother‐to‐child transmission (MTCT) of HIV decreased from 10.4% in 1994–1999 to 0.5% in 2000–2008. All women giving birth to an HIV‐positive child were diagnosed with HIV during or after delivery and did not receive prophylactic ART.

Conclusions

The annual number of HIV pregnancies increased fivefold during this 14‐year period and substantial changes in pregnancy management were seen. No woman treated according to the national guidelines, i.e. ART before week 22, intravenous zidovudine (ZDV) during labour, neonatal ZDV for 4 to 6 weeks and no breastfeeding, transmitted HIV to her child.
Interwoven branches of the plant and fungal trees of life
Authors: Arnold A. E. , Lamit Louis J. , Gehring Catherine A. , Bidartondo Martin I. , Callahan Hilary
Published: February 2010

Commentary p 871
Multicompetence and L2 users' associative links: being unlike nativelike
Authors: Zareva Alla
Published: February 2010

The study set out to examine the effects of multicompetence on proficient L2 users' associative links. Three groups of 36 participants each were recruited – NSs of English, NSs of Bulgarian, and proficient Bulgarian L2 users of English – who completed a familiarity and word association test. The findings revealed that L2 users' natural drive to main connectivity of their lexicons was the motivation for their building lexicosemantic connectedness – which, however, was unlike the patterns of connectivity maintained by the native speakers of both their languages. This showed that, as a result of their developing multicompetence, the L2 users were unlike nativelike in that they developed their lexicosemantic associative links favoring diversity over communality and language‐neutral idiosyncrasy over L1 or L2 nativelikeness.
Lay people's language problems
Authors: Janicki Karol
Published: February 2010

This paper takes up the question of what lay language users conceive of as language‐related problems. A total of 1,076 subjects were recruited for the study. The data were collected from native speakers of English (American and Canadian), Norwegian, Lithuanian, Polish, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish (Chilean), German, Cantonese, and Mandarin. The subjects were asked questions intended to disclose what language‐related problems they thought they had experienced. ‘Understanding problems’ were reported by most subjects. The second most frequently reported language‐related problem was the difficulty in expressing verbally the complex non‐verbal reality, for instance, emotions. If one wants to address language‐related problems that have been very frequently indicated by many ordinary lay language users, problems concerning understanding should be given priority.

Der Artikel befasst sich mit der Frage, was für Laien sprachliche Probleme darstellen. 1076 Probanden wurden für die Studie herangezogen. Die Daten wurden von Muttersprachlern des Amerikanischen und Kanadischen Englisch, des Norwegischen, des Litauischen, des Polnischen, des Japanischen, des Niederländischen, des Chilenischen Spanisch, des Deutschen, des Kantonesischen und des Mandarins ermittelt. Den Probanden wurden Fragen gestellt, die aufzeigen sollten, welche Art sprachlicher Probleme sie glaubten erfahren zu haben. Von den meisten Probanden wurden Verständnisprobleme genannt. Das am zweithäufigsten genannte Sprachproblem war die Schwierigkeit, die komplexe nichtsprachliche Realität, wie zum Beispiel Gefühle, sprachlich auszudrücken. Wenn man die Sprachprobleme ansprechen möchte, die am häufigsten von Laien genannt werden, sollte Verständnisproblemen die größte Priorität beigemessen werden.
Redefining multicompetence for bilingualism and ELF
Authors: Alptekin Cem
Published: February 2010

Cook's construct of multicompetence has been criticized for not being usage‐based and for failing to account for language variation associated with different contexts and interlocutors. This paper argues that a usage‐based reconceptualization of multicompetence should involve not only bilingualism but also biculturalism, so that it can accommodate bilinguals' sense of their own reality as well as that of the native speaker. The paper then argues for a reconceptualization of multicompetence that accounts for ELF, whose users operate in an ‘interculture’ of bilingualism with multiculturalism. Operating in an interculture involves having a sense of one's own reality and that of other ELF users. Thus, usage‐based multicompetence for bilingualism should be distinguished from that for ELF with regard to native‐speaker norms and conventions of accuracy and appropriateness.

Cook'un çokdillilik kurgusu dil kullanımına yönelik olmaması ve farklı bağlam ve muhataplarla ilintili olarak dilde değişkenliği dikkate almaması nedeniyle eleştirilmiştir. Bu makale, dil kullanımına odaklı bir çokdillilik olgusunu irdeleyerek, bunun ikidilliliği olduğu kadar ikikültürlülüğü de içermesi gereğini savunmaktadır. Şöyle ki, çokdilliliğin bu doğrultuda yeniden kavramsallaştırılması ikidillilerin hem kendi gerçekliklerini hem de salt anadilini konuşan tek dillilerin gerçekliğini algılamalarını sağlayacaktır. Makale daha sonra ikidillilik ve çokkültürlülük içeren bir ‘arakültür’ de ELF kullanma durumunda olanları da içeren yeni bir çokdillilik kavramının oluşturulması gereği üzerinde durmakta ve arakültürde dil kullanımının kişinin kendi gerçekliği ile diğer ELF kullanıcılarının değişik gerçekliklerinin bilincinde olmasına bağlı olduğuna değinmektedir. Sonuç olarak, ikinci dil öğreniminde normatif açıdan model alınan o dili anadil olarak konuşanların dilbilimsel ve edimbilimsel kurallarına uyumun, ELF kullanımını içeren ikidillilik için geçerli olamayacağını belirtmektedir.
Modelling and Measuring the Effect of Public Subsidies on Business R&D: A Critical Review of the Econometric Literature*
Authors: CERULLI GIOVANNI
Published: February 2010

This paper reviews the principal econometric models used to measure the effects of public support for firm R&D investment. A taxonomy classifying papers according to the estimation method used (system of equations versus reduced‐form), type of data (cross‐sectional versus longitudinal), and type of policy variable (binary versus continuous) is provided. Through a historical reconstruction of the literature, the review starts by exploring the main features of early structural models and their recent refinements, by paying special attention to the issue of subsidy endogeneity. Subsequently, it discusses the second generation of the structural approach, the Selection‐models, pointing out their ability in properly describing the two‐player form of an R&D incentive scheme. It then goes on by treating and discussing more data‐driven approaches, such as those based on Control‐function and, more specifically, Matching. Finally, we address evaluation methods rooted in dynamic models of imperfect competition, considered as a novel promising stream of research within the last generation of ‘harder’ structural approaches. A discussion of features, advantages and drawbacks of each approach in a comparative perspective is offered to the reader, as well as suggestions for future improvements in this field of economic research.
The Impact of Immigration on the Geographic Mobility of New Zealanders
Authors: MARÉ DAVID C. , STILLMAN STEVEN
Published: February 2010

We use data from the New Zealand Census to examine how the arrival of new migrants affects the geographic mobility of the New Zealand (NZ)‐born and earlier migrants. We identify the impact of recent migration by exploiting the fact that immigration is spatially concentrated, and therefore a change in the local supply of migrants in a particular skill‐group should have an impact on the mobility of similarly skilled non‐migrants in that local labour market. Overall, our results provide little support for the hypothesis that migrant inflows displace either the NZ‐born or earlier migrants with similar skills in the areas that new migrants are settling.
Licensing a Vertical Product Innovation*
Authors: LI CHANGYING , WANG JUNMEI
Published: February 2010

This paper studies the case where an outside patent holder licenses its vertical product innovation to two Cournot competitors. It is found that, under a fixed‐fee contract, the patent holder prefers exclusive licensing. However, under a royalty or two‐part tariff contract, the patent holder favours non‐exclusive licensing. Moreover, in contrast to the standard argument by Kamien and Tauman, we show that, from the perspective of the patentee, royalty licensing can be superior to fixed‐fee licensing, if the degree of innovation is small. Two‐part tariff licensing generates a monopoly outcome in the final market and hence reduces both consumer surplus and social welfare, if the innovation is low.
Unravelling the tectonothermal evolution of reworked Archean granulite facies metapelites using in situ geochronology: an example from the Gawler Craton, Australia
Authors: DUTCH R. A. , HAND M. , KELSEY D. E.
Published: February 2010

The use of in situ geochronological techniques allows for direct age constraints to be placed on fabric development and the metamorphic evolution of polydeformed and reworked terranes. The Shoal Point region of the southern Gawler Craton consists of a series of reworked granulite facies metapelitic and metaigneous units which belong to the Late Archean Sleaford Complex. Structural evidence indicates three phases of fabric development with D1 retained within boudins, D2 consisting of a series of upright open to isoclinal folds producing an axial planar fabric and D3 composed of a highly planar vertical high‐strain fabric which overprints the D2 fabric. Th–U–total Pb EPMA monazite and garnet Sm–Nd geochronology constrain the D1 event to the c. 2450 Ma Sleaford Orogeny, whereas the D2 and D3 events are constrained to the 1730–1690 Ma Kimban Orogeny. P–T pseudosections constrain the metamorphic conditions for the Sleafordian Orogeny to between 4.5 and 6 kbar and between 750 and 780 °C. Subsequent Kimban‐aged reworking reached peak metamorphic conditions of 8–9 kbar at 820–850 °C during the D2 event, followed by high‐temperature decompression to metamorphic conditions <6 kbar and 790–850 °C associated with the development of the D3 high‐strain fabric. The P–T–t evolution of the Shoal Point rocks reflects the transpressional exhumation of lower crustal rocks during the Kimban Orogeny and the development of a regional ‘flower structure’.
Structure, Sintering, and Crystallization Kinetics of Alkaline‐Earth Aluminosilicate Glass–Ceramic Sealants for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
Authors: Goel Ashutosh , Tulyaganov Dilshat U. , Ferrari Anna Maria , Shaaban Essam R. , Prange Andreas , Bondioli Federica , Ferreira José M. F.
Published: February 2010

The most common approach to seal an electrolyte or a ceramic anode with a metallic interconnect in solid oxide fuel cells of planar configuration (pSOFC), in order to achieve a hermetic and stable cell, is to use rigid glass or glass–ceramic (GC) seals. The properties of these sealants can be tailored specifically for use in SOFCs through variation of the glass composition. In the present manuscript, we aim to study the structure, sintering behavior, and crystallization kinetics of a new series of aluminosilicate GC sealants derived from substitution via scheme 0.1(Ca2++Si4+)↔0.1(La3++Al3+) in a pure CaMgSi2O6 (diopside) system. The substitution of BaO for CaO and the addition of fixed amounts of B2O3, Cr2O3, and NiO were attempted in order to achieve desirable traits that qualify the investigated GCs for sealing application in pSOFCs. The investigated glasses showed a steady increase in density, coefficient of thermal expansion, and molar volume with addition of Cr2O3 and increasing BaO contents while no significant variation in glass transition temperature (Tg) was observed. Sintering and crystallization behavior of the glasses were investigated using hot‐stage microscopy and differential thermal analysis, respectively. The microstructure and the properties of GCs were investigated under nonisothermal heat treatment conditions (800° and 850°C; 1 h). Finally, Rietveld–R.I.R. technique was used to quantify the amount of crystalline and amorphous content in the GCs. It was observed that while addition of Cr2O3 improved the sinterability of glass‐powder compacts and decreased the amorphous content in the resultant GCs, substitution of BaO for CaO led to an increase in amorphous content in the GCs.
Solubility of Cr2O3 and Speciation of Chromium in Soda–Lime–Silicate Melts
Authors: Khedim Hichem , Katrina Tuti , Podor Renaud , Panteix Pierre‐Jean , Rapin Christophe , Vilasi Michel
Published: February 2010

Chromium oxide solubility was measured in soda–lime–silicate melts using a thermochemical reactor allowing an independent control of temperature, glass composition, and oxygen fugacity in a closed system. This investigation performed in the ternary Na2O–CaO–xSiO2 (NCS) system showed that the physicochemical and thermochemical models used for chromium chemistry description in binary melts are applicable in the ternary system. The presence of Cr(II), Cr(III), and Cr(VI) has been evidenced and their respective contributions in the total chromium content dissolved in the melt were determined. A new approach based on optical basicity allowed the quantification of the basicity of the melt and consequently the free oxygen ions activity (aO2−). The treatment of the obtained results led to the determination of thermodynamical properties of the system. The standard enthalpies and entropies corresponding to the oxidation and reduction reactions were determined.
Cytogenetic characterization of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines as model systems for the functional analyses of tumor‐associated genes
Authors: Freier Kolja , Hofele Christof , Knoepfle Karl , Gross Madeleine , Devens Frauke , Dyckhoff Gerhard , Plinkert Peter , Lichter Peter , Herold‐Mende Christel
Published: February 2010

J Oral Pathol Med (2010) 39: 382–389

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a solid malignant neoplasm exhibiting aggressive phenotypes and high recurrence rates. To improve its clinical management, understanding the molecular basis of HNSCC development is of critical importance. For the investigation of tumor‐associated genes, functional analyses in well‐characterized tumor cell systems are required. To establish an experimental platform, a set of 20 HNSCC cell lines was screened for genetic imbalances by chromosomal comparative genomic hybridization (cCGH). Frequent DNA copy number gains were detected on 3q26.3‐qter, 5p, 7p11‐p13, 8q23‐qter, 9p11‐p13, 9q31‐qter, 11q13 and 20q13.1, whereas copy number losses were found on 3p, 4p, 4q32.1‐qter, 8p11‐p12 and 18q22 in agreement with previous observations on genetic aberrations detected in primary HNSCC specimens. Subsequent mRNA expression analysis of 11q13 candidate genes CCND1 and CTTN revealed that HNSCC cell lines exhibiting a DNA copy number gain on 11q13 had a higher transcript level of CCND1 and CTTN compared with HNSCC cell lines without 11q13 copy number gain (P = 0.014 and P = 0.009, respectively). Furthermore, CCND1 and CTTN amplification as detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization correlated with protein expression as assessed by immunocytochemistry. In summary, the cytogenetic characterization illustrates that this set of HNSCC cell lines is representative for the HNSCC genome and provides tumor model systems for detailed analysis of genes with a possible role in the pathomechanism of head and neck tumors.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The Effect of High Gravidity on the Carcinogenesis of Mammary Gland in TA2 Mice
Authors: Wang Xuan , Huang Chun , Sun Baocun , Gu Yanjun , Cui Yanfen , Zhao Xiulan , Li Yan , Zhang Shiwu
Published: February 2010

Citation Wang X, Huang C, Sun B, Gu Y, Cui Y, Zhao X, Li Y, Zhang S. The effect of high gravidity on the carcinogenesis of mammary gland in TA2 mice. Am J Reprod Immunol 2010

Problem

Spontaneous breast cancer in Tientsin Albinao 2 (TA2) mice, like human pregnancy‐associated breast cancer (PABC), often occurs in pregnancy and puerperium, especially in mice with high gravidity. We hypothesized that the dysfunction of cellular immunity caused by the increase of 17β‐estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) might be one of the reasons for carcinogenesis of mammary gland.

Method of study

We investigated the T lymphocyte subsets and the concentration of serum hormone and cytokines in cancer‐bearing, pregnant or postpartum TA2 mice using flow cytometry, chemiluminescent immunoassay, and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively.

Results

The number of T lymphocytes and the concentration of E2, P, interleukin‐2 (IL‐2), IL‐4, and interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) changed with the increase of pregnancy and puerperium. During four pregnancies, elevated E2 and P resulted in a decrease in the number of CD3+, CD4+ T lymphocytes, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, and the concentration of IL‐2, IL‐4, and IFN‐γ. Data in the fourth pregnancy were the closest to those of cancer‐bearing mice.

Conclusion

T lymphocyte subsets and concentration of IL‐2, IL‐4, and IFN‐γ are affected by E2 and P during multiple pregnancy and delivery to some degree, which may contribute to the genesis of spontaneous breast cancer in TA2 mice.
Paul and the Old Testament – His Legacy and Ours
Authors: Turner Geoffrey
Published: February 2010

The legacy that Paul received was the Jewish scriptures that he quoted extensively in Greek from the Septuagint. This was a legacy not widely appreciated, for various theological reasons, until relatively recently. However, a count of Paul's citations, quotations from and allusions to scripture comes to over 250. Paul's thinking was framed by his re-reading of scripture and emphasises how Jewish was his historical context and theological frame of reference. How this affects our interpretation of Paul's theology is illustrated by four examples from Wisdom, the Psalms in general, Ps 78 in particular, and Paul's rewriting of the Shema Israel in 1 Cor 8.6. There are some brief comments on the difficulties that Paul's use of scripture leaves us with.
St. Paul and Ecumenism: Justification and All That
Authors: Murray Paul D.
Published: February 2010

After some opening reflections on the place of justification in recent Pauline scholarship, the essential argument is that both Catholic and Lutheran readings of Paul on justification, regardless of their strict exegetical accuracy, serve to articulate key principles of Christian existence under grace which need not only to be conjoined or placed alongside each other but need to be allowed, in the spirit of Receptive Ecumenism, to inform each other. In the Catholic case the need is for an expansion in the direction of a more effective and genuinely Pauline emphasis on the dynamism of grace. There are three sections. First, a detailed exploration, presented in a number of subsections, of the historic theological background to the issues at stake in the ecumenical dialogues and the way in which these might be best conceptualised. Second, situated against this backdrop is a summary exposition of some of the key achievements of the 1999 affirmation of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification by the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church. Third, note is taken of some of the criticisms that have been made of the Joint Declaration, identifying the need for receptive ecumenical learning if its best intentions are to be realised. This generic need is illustrated in relation to one area of potential receptive Catholic learning from Lutheranism concerning the effective dynamism of grace and the character of Christian life as confident trust in this as a continually renewed event.
Paul and the Philosophers: Alain Badiou and the Event
Authors: Barclay John M.G.
Published: February 2010

This essay discusses the reading of Paul offered by the contemporary French philosopher, Alain Badiou. Badiou's emphasis on event and unconditioned grace is supported by readings from Galatians, such that his philosophical notion of ‘event’, with its militant and universal effects, may claim real consonance with Paul. However, Paul's strong notions of divine creation from nothing, and of the benevolence of the Christ event, require that God be reinserted into Paul's theology, while Badiou's focus on the resurrection, rather than the cross, misses the social radicalism latent in Paul.
Amyloid oligomers: formation and toxicity of Aβ oligomers
Authors: Sakono Masafumi , Zako Tamotsu
Published: February 2010

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age‐related, progressive degenerative disorder that is characterized by synapse and neuron loss in the brain and the accumulation of protein‐containing deposits (referred to as ‘senile plaques’) and neurofibrillary tangles. Insoluble amyloid β‐peptide (Aβ) fibrillar aggregates found in extracellular plaques have long been thought to cause the neurodegenerative cascades of AD. However, accumulating evidence suggests that prefibrillar soluble Aβ oligomers induce AD‐related synaptic dysfunction. The size of Aβ oligomers is distributed over a wide molecular weight range (from < 10 kDa to > 100 kDa), with structural polymorphism in Aβ oligomers of similar sizes. Recent studies have demonstrated that Aβ can accumulate in living cells, as well as in extracellular spaces. This review summarizes current research on Aβ oligomers, focusing on their structures and toxicity mechanism. We also discuss possible formation mechanisms of intracellular and extracellular Aβ oligomers.
Amyloid oligomers: diffuse oligomer‐based transmission of yeast prions
Authors: Taguchi Hideki , Kawai‐Noma Shigeko
Published: February 2010

Prions are infectious proteins, in which self‐propagating amyloid conformations of proteins are transmitted. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one of the best‐studied model eukaryotes, also has prions, and thus provides a tractable model system with which to understand the mechanisms of prion phenomena. The yeast prions are protein‐based heritable elements, such as [PSI+], in which aggregates of prion proteins are transmitted to daughter cells in a non‐Mendelian manner. Although the genetic approaches preceded the yeast prion studies, recent investigations of the dynamic aspects of the prion proteins have unraveled the molecular mechanisms by which prions are propagated and transmitted. In particular, several lines of evidence have revealed that the oligomeric species of prion proteins dispersed in the cytoplasm are critical for the transmission. This review summarizes the topics on the transmissible entities of yeast prions, focusing mainly on the Sup35 protein in [PSI+].
Amyloid oligomers: dynamics and toxicity in the cytosol and nucleus
Authors: Kitamura Akira , Kubota Hiroshi
Published: February 2010

The accumulation of misfolded proteins in the cytosol and nucleus of neuronal cells leads to neurodegenerative disorders. Polyglutamine diseases are caused by polyglutamine‐expanded proteins, whereas mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 lead to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These structurally unstable mutant species perturb essential interactions between normal proteins and tend to aggregate because of the presence of exposed hydrophobic surfaces. Accumulating evidence suggests that soluble species, including misfolded monomers and oligomers, are more toxic than large insoluble aggregates or inclusions. Spectroscopic analysis, including fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and fluorescence loss in photobleaching, in living cells revealed that protein aggregates of misfolded proteins are dynamic structures that interact with other proteins, such as molecular chaperones. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy analysis detected soluble oligomers/aggregates of misfolded proteins in cell extracts. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer analysis supported the notion that soluble oligomers/aggregates are formed before the formation of inclusions in vivo. Here, we reviewed the characteristics of oligomers and aggregates of misfolded proteins, with a particular focus on those revealed by spectroscopic analysis, and discussed how these oligomers may be toxic to cells.
Amyloid oligomers: spectroscopic characterization of amyloidogenic protein states
Authors: Lindgren Mikael , Hammarström Per
Published: February 2010

It is assumed that protein fibrils manifested in amyloidosis result from an aggregation reaction involving small misfolded protein sequences being in an ‘oligomeric’ or ‘prefibrillar’ state. This review covers recent optical spectroscopic studies of amyloid protein misfolding, oligomerization and amyloid fibril growth. Although amyloid fibrils have been studied using established protein‐characterization techniques throughout the years, their oligomeric precursor states require sensitive detection in real‐time. Here, fluorescent staining is commonly performed using thioflavin T and other small fluorescent molecules such as 4‐(dicyanovinyl)‐ julolidine and 1‐amino‐8‐naphtalene sulphonate that have high affinity to hydrophobic patches. Thus, populated oligomeric intermediates and related ‘prefibrillar structures’ have been reported for several human amyloidogenic systems, including amyloid‐beta protein, prion protein, transthyretin, α‐synuclein, apolipoprotein C‐II and insulin. To obtain information on the progression of the intermediate states, these were monitored in terms of fluorescence parameters, such as anisotropy, and quantum efficiency changes upon protein binding. Recently, new antibody stains have allowed precise monitoring of the oligomer size and distributions using multicolor labelling and single molecule detection. Moreover, a pentameric thiophene derivative (p‐FTAA) was reported to indicate early precursors during A‐beta1‐40 fibrillation, and was also demonstrated in real‐time visualization of cerebral protein aggregates in transgenic AD mouse models by multiphoton microscopy. Conclusively, molecular probes and optical spectroscopy are now entering a phase enabling the in vivo interrogation of the role of oligomers in amyloidosis. Such techniques used in parallel with in vitro experiments, of increasing detail, will probably couple structure to pathogenesis in the near future.
Cysteine residues exposed on protein surfaces are the dominant intramitochondrial thiol and may protect against oxidative damage
Authors: Requejo Raquel , Hurd Thomas R. , Costa Nikola J. , Murphy Michael P.
Published: February 2010

Cysteine plays a number of important roles in protecting the cell from oxidative damage through its thiol functional group. These defensive functions are generally considered to be carried out by the low molecular weight thiol glutathione and by cysteine residues in the active sites of proteins such as thioredoxin and peroxiredoxin. In addition, there are thiols exposed on protein surfaces that are not directly involved with protein function, although they can interact with the intracellular environment. In the present study, in subcellular fractions prepared from rat liver or heart, we show that the quantitatively dominant free thiols are those of cysteine residues exposed on protein surfaces and not those carried by glutathione. Within the mitochondrial matrix, the concentration of exposed protein thiols is 60–90 mm, which is approximately 26‐fold higher than the glutathione concentration in that compartment. This suggests that exposed protein thiols are of greater importance than glutathione for nonenzyme catalysed reactions of thiols with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and with electrophiles within the cell. One such antioxidant role for exposed protein thiols may be to prevent protein oxidative damage. In the present study, in mitochondrial membranes and in complex I, we show that exposed protein thiols protect against tyrosine nitration and protein dysfunction caused by peroxynitrite. Therefore, exposed protein thiols are the dominant free thiol within the cell and may play a critical role in intracellular antioxidant defences against oxidative damage.
Best Guess method: A further external validation study and comparison with other methods
Authors: Casey Julian , Borland Meredith
Published: February 2010

Objective:  Validation of the ‘Best Guess’ weight estimation method on a geographically divergent external sample of children, plus comparison with APLS and Broselow weight estimation methods

Methods:  Prospective cross‐sectional analytical study at Princess Margaret Hospital Emergency Department. A convenience sample of children aged 0–14 years recruited from May to June 2008. Age, sex, ethnicity, height and actual weight obtained. Agreement between the methods is reported as a comparative mean and distribution of the percentage error, plus the proportion of instances where the error exceeded 20% of the measured weight.

Results:  A total of 1235 children were included. The ‘Best Guess’ method was the most accurate, particularly in children aged 1–4 years (mean percentage error +1.69%). In other age groups it overestimated weight, with mean percentage errors ranging from 3.41% to 6.25%. Across all age groups the Broselow method was most precise, with tendency to underestimate weight across age groups with mean percentage errors ranging from −5.28% to −7.24%. The APLS method was least accurate and precise, with mean percentage errors ranging from −12.61% to −17.36%. Net weight underestimation errors exceeding 20% were associated with increased mean body mass index.

Conclusion:  The Best Guess weight estimation method is accurate, especially in children aged 1–4 years. It moderately overestimates weight in other ages. The Broselow method was more precise, whereas the APLS method was the least accurate and precise of all. The ease of use of the Broselow method argues for greater use in the ED and prehospital setting.
Emergency medicine in the Netherlands
Authors: Holmes John L
Published: February 2010

The Dutch health‐care system provides high‐quality inpatient care, but emergency care apart from trauma is poorly developed. A model for emergency medicine based on Anglo‐American and Australasian principles was introduced in 2000, and a national integrated training curriculum was introduced in 2007. There exist many impediments and opposition to the acceptance of emergency medicine as a defined discipline. Despite this emergency medicine became a recognized specialty this year (2009). The present paper gives an overview of the Dutch health‐care system and the history, current status, training and future development of emergency medicine in the Netherlands.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a resuscitation measure in the emergency department
Authors: Leung Julie , Finckh Andrew S , Jansz Paul , Pye Roger , Nicholls Mark , Wilson Stephanie H
Published: February 2010

A 53‐year‐old man presented to the ED with refractory ventricular fibrillation secondary to an occluded proximal left anterior descending coronary artery. We report the first case of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation instituted in our ED. It is one of the few reports in the literature of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation being utilized in the ED as a resuscitation measure.
Liquefied petroleum gas cold burn sustained while refueling a car
Authors: Scarr Bronwyn , Mitra Biswadev , Maini Amit , Cleland Heather
Published: February 2010

There have been few cases of cold burn related to the exposure of liquid petroleum gas (LPG). We present the case of a young woman exposed to LPG while refueling her car who sustained partial thickness burns to the dorsum of her hand. Contact with LPG leaking from a pressurized system causes tissue damage because of cold injury. Immediate management of LPG is extrapolated from the management of frostbite. The increasing use of LPG mandates an awareness of prevention strategies and management principles in the setting of adverse events.
EMA‐Real‐Time PCR as a Reliable Method for Detection of Viable Salmonella in Chicken and Eggs
Authors: Wang Luxin , Mustapha Azlin
Published: February 2010

ABSTRACT:  Culture‐based Salmonella detection takes at least 4 d to complete. The use of TaqMan® probes allows the real‐time PCR technique to be a rapid and sensitive way to detect foodborne pathogens. However, unlike RNA‐based PCR, DNA‐based PCR techniques cannot differentiate between DNA from live and dead cells. Ethidium bromide monoazide (EMA) is a dye that can bind to DNA of dead cells and prevent its amplification by PCR. An EMA staining step prior to PCR allows for the effective inhibition of false positive results from DNA contamination by dead cells. The aim of this study was to design an accurate detection method that can detect only viable Salmonella cells from poultry products. The sensitivity of EMA staining coupled with real‐time PCR was compared to that of an RNA‐based reverse transcription (RT)‐real‐time PCR. To prevent false negative results, an internal amplification control was added to the same reaction mixture as the target Salmonella sequences. With an optimized EMA staining step, the detection range of a subsequent real‐time PCR was determined to be 103 to 109 CFU/mL for pure cultures and 105 to 109 CFU/mL for food samples, which was a wider detection range than for RT‐real‐time PCR. After a 12‐h enrichment step, EMA staining combined with real‐time PCR could detect as low as 10 CFU/mL Salmonella from chicken rinses and egg broth. The use of EMA with a DNA‐based real‐time PCR can successfully prevent false positive results and represents a simple, yet accurate detection tool for enhancing the safety of food.
Simple, Selective, and Rapid Quantification of 1‐Deoxynojirimycin in Mulberry Leaf Products by High‐Performance Anion‐Exchange Chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection
Authors: Yoshihashi Tadashi , Do Huong Thi Thu , Tungtrakul Patcharee , Boonbumrung Sumitra , Yamaki Kohji
Published: February 2010

ABSTRACT:  1‐Deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) occurs in mulberry and other plants and is a highly potent glycosidase inhibitor reported to suppress blood glucose levels, thus preventing diabetes. Derivatization is required for quantification of DNJ upon use of spectral detection methods. Because of this difficulty, the DNJ contents of mulberry‐based food products are rarely stated, even if DNJ is their active component. A simple, selective, and rapid method of high‐performance anion‐exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC‐PAD) to quantify DNJ in mulberry‐based food products was developed. Stability testing of DNJ under heat treatment was also performed. A water extract of mulberry tea sample was subjected to HPAEC‐PAD in a CarboPac MA1 column with a sodium hydroxide gradient. DNJ was clearly separated at a retention time of 7.26 min without interference and was selectively detected in the water extract. The detection limit was 5 ng. Heat stability studies suggested that DNJ was heat stable. HPAEC‐PAD was not subject to interference, was highly selective for DNJ, and was superior to other high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques in terms of sample preparation, resolution, and sensitivity. The method allowed simple, selective, and rapid analysis of DNJ in food matrices and might be useful for development of mulberry‐based food products. Heat treatment could be an option for sterilizing mulberry‐based products.