bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Photonic network-on-chip architectures using multilayer deposited silicon materials for high-performance chip multiprocessors
Authors: Biberman Aleksandr , Preston Kyle , Hendry Gilbert , Sherwood-Droz Nicolás , Chan Johnnie , Levy Jacob S. , Lipson Michal , Bergman Keren
Published: June 2011

Integrated photonics has been slated as a revolutionary technology with the potential to mitigate the many challenges associated with on- and off-chip electrical interconnection networks. To date, all proposed chip-scale photonic interconnects have been based on the crystalline silicon platform for CMOS-compatible fabrication. However, maintaining CMOS compatibility does not preclude the use of other CMOS-compatible silicon materials such as silicon nitride and polycrystalline silicon. In this work, we investigate utilizing devices based on these deposited materials to design photonic networks with multiple layers of photonic devices. We apply rigorous device optimization and insertion loss analysis on various network architectures, demonstrating that multilayer photonic networks can exhibit dramatically lower total insertion loss, enabling unprecedented bandwidth scalability. We show that significant improvements in waveguide propagation and waveguide crossing insertion losses resulting from using these materials enables the realization of topologies that were previously not feasible using only the single-layer crystalline silicon approaches.
Extreme Online Course Makeover
Authors: Everson Michelle
Published: June 2011

For online course instructors it is a constant struggle to engage students with relevant, interesting and up to date content. Figuring out when it's time to implement a makeover is never easy. Is a complete overhaul necessary, or should changes be taken one step at a time?
Enforcing safety of cyberphysical systems using flatness and abstraction
Authors: Colombo Alessandro , Del Vecchio Domitilla
Published: June 2011

The diffusion of cyberphysical systems acting in human-populated environments brings to the fore the problem of implementing provably safe control laws, to avoid potentially dangerous collisions between moving parts of the system, and with nearby obstacles, without compromising the system's functionality. The limiting factor in most implementations is the model's complexity, and a common workaround includes the reduction of the physical model, based on differential equations, to a finite symbolic model. Following this strategy, we are investigating ways to exploit the specific structure of many mechanical systems (the differentially flat systems) to achieve this simplification. Our objective is to construct a supervisor enforcing a given set of safety rules, while imposing as little constraints as possible on the system's functionality. In this paper, we outline our approach, and present an example -- a collision avoidance algorithm for a fleet of vehicles converging to an intersection. Our approach improves on previous results by providing a deterministic symbolic model for a class of system, regardless of their stability properties, and by addressing explicitly the problem of safety enforcing.
A co-simulation approach for control performance analysis during design space exploration of cyber-physical systems
Authors: Mühleis Nina , Glaß Michael , Zhang Liyuan , Teich Jürgen
Published: June 2011

In modern embedded systems, more and more control applications are executed in a distributed fashion. Here, the architecture as well as the scheduling policies influence the control performance. Thus, considering control performance as design objective at Electronic System Level becomes mandatory. This work presents a control performance analysis approach based on the co-simulation of high level models of plants and a virtual prototype of the controllers in the system. The work in hand integrates this co-simulation in a
Design Space Exploration
, resulting in a fully automatic toolflow at the ESL that accounts for several control performance metrics as additional principle design objectives together with other design objectives such as monetary cost or energy consumption.
A core language for executable models of cyber physical systems
Authors: Taha Walid , Brauner Paul , Cartwright Robert , Gaspes Verónica , Ames Aaron , Chapoutot Alexandre
Published: June 2011

Recently we showed that an expressive class of mathematical equations can be automatically translated into simulation codes. Focusing on the expressivity of equations on continuous functions, this work considered only minimal interaction with discrete behaviors and only a static number of statically connected components. However, the interaction between continuous and hybrid components in many cyber physical domains is highly coupled, and such systems are often highly dynamic in both respects. This paper gives an overview of a proposed core language for capturing executable hybrid models of highly dynamic cyber physical systems.
High confidence embedded software design
Authors: Zhang Zhenkai , Porter Joseph , Kottenstette Nicholas , Koutsoukos Xenofon , Sztipanovits Janos
Published: June 2011

Traditional design methodology is not suitable for high-confidence embedded software due to the lack of a formal semantic model for software analysis, automatic code generation, and often designed embedded software is hard to reuse. In order to automatically generate high-confidence and reusable embedded software, we propose a TLM-centric, platform-based, time-triggered and component-oriented method. We use this new method to generate the control software for a quadrotor helicopter.
Existence Theory for Pseudo‐Symmetric Solution to p‐Laplacian Differential Equations Involving Derivative
Authors: Su You-Hui , Wu Weili , Yan Xingjie
Published: June 2011

We all‐sidedly consider a three‐point boundary value problem for p‐Laplacian differential
equation with nonlinear term involving derivative. Some new sufficient conditions
are obtained for the existence of at least one, triple, or arbitrary odd positive pseudosymmetric solutions by using pseudosymmetric technique and fixed‐point theory in cone. As an application, two examples are given to illustrate the main results.
Hydrothermal Synthesis of Sb2S3Nanorods Using Iodine via Redox Mechanism
Authors: Alemi Abdolali , Joo Sang Woo , Hanifehpour Younes , Khandar Aliakbar , Morsali Ali , Min Bong-Ki
Published: June 2011

Crystalline antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) with nanorods morphology was successfully prepared via hydrothermal method by the reaction of elemental sulfur, antimony, and iodine as starting materials with high yield at 180∘C for 24 h. Using oxidation reagent like iodine as an initiator of redox reaction to prepare Sb2S3is reported for first time. The powder X-ray diffraction pattern shows the Sb2S3crystals belong to the orthorhombic phase with calculated lattice parameters,a=1.120 nm,b=1.128 nm, andc=0.383 nm. The quantification of energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry analysis peaks gives an atomic ratio of 2 : 3 for Sb : S. TEM and SEM studies reveal the appearance of the as-prepared Sb2S3is rodlike which is composed of nanorods with the typical width of 50–140 nm and length of up to 4 μm. The PL emission indicates that band gap of Sb2S3is around 2.50 ev, indicating a considerable blue shift relative to the bulk. A formation mechanism of Sb2S3nanostructure is proposed.
Racial/Ethnic Patterns in Prostate Cancer Outcomes in an Active Surveillance Cohort
Authors: Cullen Jennifer , Brassell Stephen A. , Chen Yongmei , Porter Christopher , L'Esperance James , Brand Timothy , McLeod David G.
Published: June 2011

Introduction. Concern regarding overtreatment of prostate cancer (CaP) is leading to increased attention on active surveillance (AS). This study examined CaP survivors on AS and compared secondary treatment patterns and overall survival by race/ethnicity.Methods. The study population consisted of CaP patients self-classified as black or white followed on AS in the Center for Prostate Disease Research (CPDR) multicenter national database between 1989 and 2008. Secondary treatment included radical prostatectomy (RP), external beam radiation therapy or brachytherapy (EBRT-Br), and hormone therapy (HT). Secondary treatment patterns and overall survival were compared by race/ethnicity.Results. Among 886 eligible patients, 21% were black. Despite racial differences in risk characteristics and secondary treatment patterns, overall survival was comparable across race. RP following AS was associated with the longest overall survival.Conclusion. Racial disparity in overall survival was not observed in this military health care beneficiary cohort with an equal access to health care.
Clinical Usefulness of Haptoglobin Levels to Evaluate Hemolysis in Recently Transfused Patients
Authors: Gupta Shilpi , Ahern Kathleen , Nakhl Fadi , Forte Frank
Published: June 2011

Introduction.Haptoglobin binds the globin portion of free hemoglobin. Serum haptoglobin measurement is used as a laboratory marker for the diagnosis of hemolytic anemia. Since stored blood contains free hemoglobin, transfusion may affect haptoglobin levels.Study Objectives.The aim of the study was to evaluate whether serum haptoglobin could be measured to assess hemolysis in recently transfused patients.Patients and Methods.Twenty-one patients, receiving more than one unit of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) for presumed nonhemolytic indications, were enrolled. Serum haptoglobin levels were recorded before, immediately after, and 24 and 48 hours after transfusion.Observations and Results.Analysis of variance with a repeated measures was used to examine the serum haptoglobin levels at different time periods and no significant difference was found (P=.28).Conclusion.The results suggest that serum haptoglobin can be used in the diagnosis of hemolysis in patients receiving multiple units of PRBC.
Sex Differences in Energy Metabolism Need to Be Considered with Lifestyle Modifications in Humans
Authors: Wu Betty N. , O'Sullivan Anthony J.
Published: June 2011

Women have a higher proportion of body fat compared to men. However, women consume fewer kilojoules per kilogram lean mass and burn fat more preferentially during exercise compared with men. During gestation, women store even greater amounts of fat that cannot be solely attributed to increased energy intake. These observations suggest that the relationship between kilojoules consumed and kilojoules utilised is different in men and women. The reason for these sex differences in energy metabolism is not known; however, it may relate to sex steroids, differences in insulin resistance, or metabolic effects of other hormones such as leptin. When considering lifestyle modifications, sex differences in energy metabolism should be considered. Moreover, elucidating the regulatory role of hormones in energy homeostasis is important for understanding the pathogenesis of obesity and perhaps in the future may lead to ways to reduce body fat with less energy restriction.
Review and Simulation of Fixed and Adaptive Hysteresis Current Control Considering Switching Losses and High-Frequency Harmonics
Authors: Vahedi Hani , Sheikholeslami Abdolreza , Tavakoli Bina Mohammad , Vahedi Mahmood
Published: June 2011

Hysteresis Current Control (HCC) is widely used due to its simplicity in implementation, fast and accurate response. However, the main issue is its variable switching frequency which leads to extraswitching losses and injecting high-frequency harmonics into the system current. To solve this problem, adaptive hysteresis current control (AHCC) has been introduced which produces hysteresis bandwidth which instantaneously results in smoother and constant switching frequency. In this paper the instantaneous power theory is used to extract the harmonic components of system current. Then fixed-band hysteresis current control is explained. Because of fixed-band variable frequency disadvantages, the adaptive hysteresis current control is explained that leads to fixing the switching frequency and reducing the high-frequency components in source current waveform. Due to these advantages of AHCC, the switching frequency and switching losses will be diminished appropriately. Some simulations are done in MATLAB/Simulink. The Fourier Transform and THD results of source and load currents and the instantaneous switching frequency diagram are discussed to prove the efficiency of this method. The Fourier Transform and THD results of source and load currents are discussed to prove the validity of this method.
Distribution of Maps with Transversal Homoclinic Orbits in a Continuous Map Space
Authors: Xing Qiuju , Shi Yuming
Published: June 2011

This paper is concerned with distribution of maps with transversal homoclinic orbits in a continuous map space, which consists of continuous maps defined in a closed and bounded set of a Banach space. By the transversal homoclinic theorem, it is shown that the map space contains a dense set of maps that have transversal homoclinic orbits and are chaotic in the sense of both Li‐Yorke and Devaney with positive topological entropy.
C. trachomatisin Female Reproductive Tract Infections and RFLP-Based Genotyping: A 16-Year Study from a Tertiary Care Hospital
Authors: Gita Satpathy , Suneeta Mittal , Anjana Sharma , Niranjan Nayak , Sujata Mohanty , Pandey R. M.
Published: June 2011

Presence ofChlamydia trachomatisin endocervix was determined in 2466 women attending a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi, India over a period of 16 years, using a monoclonal-based direct immunofluorescence assay, tissue culture isolation, and a conventional PCR assay.Chlamydiaantigen could be detected in 391 out of 2466 (15.85%) of patients studied; in 27.27% women with PID, 16.74% women with cervicitis, 16.03% women with infertility, and 12.06% women with adverse pregnancy outcomes, respectively. There was a statistically significant decreasing trend inChlamydiaantigen positivity between the years 1994–1999 and 2000–2004; the apparent decline in antigen positivity between the years 2000–2004 and 2005–2010 was not statistically significant. Antigen detection assay detected equal number of positives as the PCR assay; tissue culture isolation demonstrated lower positivity. In a few representative specimens from cervicitis patients, genotyping was done using RFLP pattern analysis ofC. trachomatisMOMP gene amplified by PCR assay, all of these belonged toChlamydia trachomatisserovar E.
Friction Experiments for Dynamical Coefficient Measurement
Authors: Arnoux J. J. , Sutter G. , List G. , Molinari A.
Published: June 2011

An experimental study, including three experimental devices, is presented in order to investigate dry friction phenomena in a wide range of sliding speeds for the steel on steel contact. A ballistic setup, with an air gun launch, allows to estimate the friction coefficient between 20 m/s and 80 m/s. Tests are completed by an adaptation of the sensor on a hydraulic tensile machine (0.01 m/s to 3 m/s) and a pin-on-disk tribometer mounted on a CNC lathe (1 to 30 m/s). The interactions at the asperity scale are characterized by a white light interferometer surface analysis.
Design of Pixellated CMOS Photon Detector for Secondary Electron Detection in the Scanning Electron Microscope
Authors: Chuah Joon Huang , Holburn David
Published: June 2011

This paper presents a novel method of detecting secondary electrons generated in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The method suggests that the photomultiplier tube (PMT), traditionally used in the Everhart-Thornley (ET) detector, is to be replaced with a configurable multipixel solid-state photon detector offering the advantages of smaller dimension, lower supply voltage and power requirements, and potentially cheaper product cost. The design of the proposed detector has been implemented using a standard 0.35 μm CMOS technology with optical enhancement. This microchip comprises main circuit constituents of an array of photodiodes connecting to respective noise-optimised transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs), a selector-combiner (SC) circuit, and a postamplifier (PA). The design possesses the capability of detecting photons with low input optical power in the range of 1 nW with 100 μm × 100 μm sized photodiodes and achieves a total amplification of 180 dBΩ at the output.
Application of Certain π-Acceptors for the Spectrophotometric Determination of Alendronate Sodium in Pharmaceutical Bulk and Dosage Forms
Authors: Raza Asad , Zia-ul-Haq Muhammad
Published: June 2011

Two simple, fast, and accurate spectrophotometric methods for the determination of alendronate sodium are described. The methods are based on charge-transfer complex formation of the drug with twoπ-electron acceptors 7,7,7,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) and 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) in acetonitrile and methanol medium. The methods are followed spectrophotometrically by measuring the maximum absorbance at 840 nm and 465 nm, respectively. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the calibration curves showed a linear relationship over the concentration ranges of 2–10 μg mL−1and 2–12 μg mL−1, respectively. The optimal reactions conditions values such as the reagent concentration, heating time, and stability of reaction product were determined. No significant difference was obtained between the results of newly proposed methods and the B.P. Titrimetric procedures. The charge transfer approach using TCNQ and DDQ procedures described in this paper is simple, fast, accurate, precise, and extraction-free.
Infections and Ischemic Stroke Outcome
Authors: Grabska Katarzyna , Gromadzka Grażyna , Członkowska Anna
Published: June 2011

Background. Infections increase the risk of ischemic stroke (IS) and may worsen IS prognosis. Adverse effects of in-hospital infections on stroke outcome were also reported. We aimed to study the prevalence of pre- and poststroke infections and their impact on IS outcome.Methods. We analysed clinical data of 2066 IS patients to assess the effect of pre-stroke and post-stroke infections on IS severity, as well as short-term (up to 30 days) and long-term (90 days) outcome. The independent impact of infections on poor outcome (death, death/dependency) was investigated by use of logistic regression analysis. The effect of antibiotic therapy during hospitalization on the outcome was also assessed.Results. Pre-stroke infections independently predicted worse short-term outcome. In-hospital infections were associated with worse short-term and long-term IS prognosis. Antibacterial treatment during hospitalization did not improve patients' outcome.Conclusions. Prevention of infections may improve IS prognosis. The role of antibiotic therapy after IS requires further investigations.
Formaldehyde in Alcoholic Beverages: Large Chemical Survey Using Purpald Screening Followed by Chromotropic Acid Spectrophotometry with Multivariate Curve Resolution
Authors: Jendral Julien A. , Monakhova Yulia B. , Lachenmeier Dirk W.
Published: June 2011

A strategy for analyzing formaldehyde in beer, wine, spirits, and unrecorded alcohol was developed, and 508 samples from worldwide origin were analyzed. In the first step, samples are qualitatively screened using a simple colorimetric test with the purpald reagent, which is extremely sensitive for formaldehyde (detection limit 0.1 mg/L). 210 samples (41%) gave a positive purpald reaction. In the second step, formaldehyde in positive samples is confirmed by quantitative spectrophotometry of the chromotropic acid-formaldehyde derivative combined with Multivariate Curve Resolution-Alternating Least Squares (MCR-ALS). Calculation of UV-VIS and13C NMR spectra confirmed the monocationic dibenzoxanthylium structure as the product of the reaction and disproved the widely citedpara,para-quinoidal structure. Method validation for the spectrophotometric procedure showed a detection limit of 0.09 mg/L and a precision of 4.2–8.2% CV. In total, 132 samples (26%) contained formaldehyde with an average of 0.27 mg/L (range 0–14.4 mg/L). The highest incidence occurred in tequila (83%), Asian spirits (59%), grape marc (54%), and brandy (50%). Our survey showed that only 9 samples (1.8%) had formaldehyde levels above the WHO IPCS tolerable concentration of 2.6 mg/L.
Three Possible Encapsulation Mechanics of TiO2Nanoparticles into Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Sukchom Wisit , Chayantrakom Kittisak , Satiracoo Pairote , Baowan Duangkamon
Published: June 2011

Titanium dioxide nanoparticle (TiO2-NP) is widely used in manufactured nanomaterials such as sunscreens, cosmetics, drugs, and some food products. It can be encapsulated in a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) depending on their physical and chemical interactions. On applying the Lennard-Jones potential function and the continuous approximation, we determine three encapsulation mechanisms for spherical shape TiO2-NP entering a tube: (i) head-on at the tube open end, (ii) around the edge of the tube open end, and (iii) through a defect opening on the tube wall. The total potential energy of the system is obtained as an exact expression by performing double surface integrals. We find that the TiO2-NP is most (least) likely to be encapsulated into a SWNT by head-on configuration (around the edge of the tube open end). This encapsulation procedure is a potential application for targeted drug delivery. For convenience, throughout this analysis all configurations are assumed to be in vacuum and the TiO2-NP is initially at rest.
The Role of Dopant Concentration on Conductivity and Mobility of CdTe Thin Films
Authors: Al-Douri Ala J. , Al-Shakily F. Y. , Alnajjar Abdalla A. , Alias Maysoon F. A.
Published: June 2011

Films of CdTe pure and doped with various atomic percentages of Al and Sb (0.5, 1.5 & 2.5) were prepared, and their electrical properties were investigated. The films were prepared by thermal evaporation on glass substrates at two substrate temperatures (Ts=RT& 423 K). The results showed that the conduction phenomena of all the investigated CdTe thin films on glass substrates are caused by two distinct mechanisms. Room temperature DC conductivity increases by a factor of four for undoped CdTe thin films asTsincreases and by 1-2 orders of magnitude with increasing dopant percentage of Al and Sb. In general, films doped with Sb are more efficient than Al-doped films. The activation energy (Ea2) decreases with increasingTsand dopant percentage for both Al and Sb. Undoped CdTe films deposited at RT are p-type convert to n-type with increasingTsand upon doping with Al at more than 0.5%. The carrier concentration decreases asTsincreases while it increases with increasing dopant percentage. Hall mobility decreases more than three times as Al increases whereas it increases about one order of magnitude with increasing Sb percentage in CdTe thin films deposited at 423 K and RT, respectively.
Weighted Composition Operators from Weighted Bergman Spaces to Weighted‐Type Spaces on the Upper Half‐Plane
Authors: Stević Stevo , Sharma Ajay K. , Sharma S. D.
Published: June 2011

Let ψ be a holomorphic mapping on the upper half‐plane Π+ = {z ∈ ℂ : 𝔍z > 0} and φ be a holomorphic self‐map of Π+. We characterize bounded weighted composition operators acting from the weighted Bergman space to the weighted‐type space on the upper half‐plane. Under a mild condition on ψ, we also characterize the compactness of these operators.
Inhibition of the Acetyltransferases p300 and CBP Reveals a Targetable Function for p300 in the Survival and Invasion Pathways of Prostate Cancer Cell Lines
Authors: Santer Frédéric R. , Höschele Philipp P.S. , Oh Su Jung , Erb Holger H.H. , Bouchal Jan , Cavarretta Ilaria T. , Parson Walther , Meyers David J. , Cole Philip A. , Culig Zoran
Published: June 2011

Inhibitors of histone deacetylases have been approved for clinical application in cancer treatment. On the other hand, histone acetyltransferase (HAT) inhibitors have been less extensively investigated for their potential use in cancer therapy. In prostate cancer, the HATs and coactivators p300 and CBP are upregulated and may induce transcription of androgen receptor (AR)-responsive genes, even in the absence or presence of low levels of AR. To discover a potential anticancer effect of p300/CBP inhibition, we used two different approaches: (i) downregulation of p300 and CBP by specific short interfering RNA (siRNA) and (ii) chemical inhibition of the acetyltransferase activity by a newly developed small molecule, C646. Knockdown of p300 by specific siRNA, but surprisingly not of CBP, led to an increase of caspase-dependent apoptosis involving both extrinsic and intrinsic cell death pathways in androgen-dependent and castration-resistant prostate cancer cells. Induction of apoptosis was mediated by several pathways including inhibition of AR function and decrease of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) subunit p65. Furthermore, cell invasion was decreased upon p300, but not CBP, depletion and was accompanied by lower matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 transcriptions. Thus, p300 and CBP have differential roles in the processes of survival and invasion of prostate cancer cells. Induction of apoptosis in prostate cancer cells was confirmed by the use of C646. This was substantiated by a decrease of AR function and downregulation of p65 impairing several NF-κB target genes. Taken together, these results suggest that p300 inhibition may be a promising approach for the development of new anticancer therapies. Mol Cancer Ther; 10(9); 1644–55. ©2011 AACR.
Morphometric Differences between the Medial and Lateral Meniscus in Healthy Men – A Three-Dimensional Analysis Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Bloecker K. , Wirth W. , Hudelmaier M. , Burgkart R. , Frobell R. , Eckstein F.
Published: June 2011

The objective of this work was to characterize tibial plateau coverage and morphometric differences of the medial (MM) and lateral meniscus (LM) in a male reference cohort using three-dimensional imaging. Coronal multiplanar reconstructions of a sagittal double-echo steady state with water excitation magnetic resonance sequence (slice thickness: 1.5 mm, and in-plane resolution: 0.37 × 0.70 mm) were analyzed in 47 male participants without symptoms, signs or risk factors of knee osteoarthritis of the reference cohort of the Osteoarthritis Initiative. The medial and lateral tibial (LT) plateau cartilage area and the tibial, femoral and external surfaces of the MM and LM were manually segmented throughout the entire knee. This process was assisted by parallel inspection of a coronal intermediately weighted turbo spin echo sequence. Measures of tibial coverage, meniscus size, and meniscus position were computed three-dimensionally for the total menisci, the body, and the anterior and the posterior horn. The LM was found to cover a significantly greater (p < 0.001) proportion of the LT plateau (59 ± 6.8%) than the MM of the medial plateau (50 ± 5.5%). Whereas the volume of both menisci was similar (2.444 vs. 2.438 ml; p = 0.92), the LM displayed larger tibial and femoral surface areas (p < 0.05) and a smaller maximal (7.2 ± 1.0 vs. 7.7 ± 1.1 mm; p < 0.01) and mean thickness (2.7 ± 0.3 vs. 2.8 ± 0.3 mm; p < 0.001) than the medial one. Also, the LM displayed less (physiological) extrusion than the medial one. These data may guide strategies for meniscal tissue engineering and transplantation aiming to restore normal joint conditions.
Intravenous Thrombolysis for Acute Cerebral Ischemia in Belgrade, Serbia: Comparison with Lille, France
Authors: Bogosavljevic Visnja , Bodenant Marie , Beslac-Bumbasirevic Ljiljana , Cordonnier Charlotte , Jovanovic Dejana R. , Budimkic Maja , Leys Didier
Published: June 2011

Background: Worse socioeconomic situation is associated with worse outcomes in stroke cases. Whether it also influences outcomes in patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis remains unknown. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that outcomes are less favorable in patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis in Belgrade, Serbia, than in Lille, France. Methods: We compared outcomes at day 7 and month 3, between 123 consecutive stroke patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis in Belgrade and 273 in Lille. Results: At month 3, there was no significant difference between Belgrade and Lille in patients’ excellent outcomes [modified Rankin Scale 0–1; 49.6 vs. 45.4%, odds ratio (OR): 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.79–1.86] or in death (11.4 vs. 16.1%, OR 0.67, 95% CI: 0.35–1.27). However, compared with a subgroup of age-matched patients from Lille, Belgrade patients tended to have worse outcomes. Patients from Belgrade were 16 years younger (p < 0.0001), more likely to be men (OR 2.40, 95% CI: 1.52–3.78), and more likely to be smokers (OR 2.24, 95% CI: 1.43–3.51). Also, a trend for a slightly higher rate of symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation was registered in this group (7.3 vs. 3.3%, OR 2.32, 95% CI: 0.90–5.99). In Belgrade, patients arrived 27 min earlier to the hospital (p < 0.0001), but their door-to-needle time was 37 min longer (p < 0.0001). Compared with a subgroup of age-matched patients from Lille, they tended to have worse outcomes. Conclusion: Intravenous thrombolysis-treated stroke patients in Belgrade have similar outcomes and rates of complications as those from Lille.
Blood C-Reactive Protein Concentration with ABCD2 Is a Better Prognostic Tool than ABCD2 Alone
Authors: Corso Giovanni , Bottacchi Edo , Brusa Adriana , Lia Chiara , Cordera Susanna , Giardini Guido , Pesenti Campagnoni Massimo , Veronese Morosini Massimo
Published: June 2011

Background: Increased C-reactive protein (CRP) is a known predictor of vascular events in asymptomatic individuals and stroke patients. Only a few studies included transient ischaemic attack (TIA) patients. We assessed CRP levels in addition to traditional risk factors in a cohort of patients with TIA to examine the relationship of these parameters to the occurrence of ischaemic stroke. Methods: This is a prospective, longitudinal clinical evaluation of the efficacy of CRP as a prognostic indicator. CRP levels were measured in 194 TIA patients and in 1,024 asymptomatic individuals (recruited from a project on stroke prevention, the PrATO, which was ongoing at the same time in the Aosta Valley). A clinical risk score was determined using the ABCD2 score in TIA patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the significance of the markers as predictors. Two models were evaluated: model 1 used the ABCD2 score and model 2 used serum CRP levels in addition to the ABCD2 score. The primary outcome was an ischaemic stroke. Results: Within 2 years ischaemic strokes occurred in 33/194 patients. The Cox proportional hazards models, after adjustments for conventional risk factors, identified CRP levels ≧3 mg/l and ABCD2 scores ≧4 as independent predictors of stroke. The corresponding AUCs were 0.565 and 0.636, based on model 1 and model 2, respectively; this represented a statistically significant difference (p = 0.043). The absolute integrated discrimination improvement was 0.0249 (p = 0.007) and the relative integrated discrimination improvement was 2.3710. The net benefit became significant from a predicted probability ≧10% and was 0.077 when based on model 1 and 0.087 when based on model 2. Conclusions: Routine CRP measurements in the acute phase might be a useful tool for identifying TIA patients who are at a higher risk of ischaemic stroke. The additional use of CRP levels for the risk assessment in TIA patients improves risk definition in terms of the ABCD2 score alone.
Effects of Immobilization Stress on Kidneys of Wistar Male Rats: A Morphometrical and Stereological Analysis
Authors: Benchimol de Souza Diogo , Silva Dilson , Marinho Costa Silva Camila , Barcellos Sampaio Francisco José , Silva Costa Waldemar , Martins Cortez Célia
Published: June 2011

This paper verifies the morphological changes induced by immobilization stress on the kidney of rats by using stereological methods. Fifteen 4-week-old Wistar male rats were randomly assigned to control (n = 7) and stressed (n = 8) groups. Stress stimuli were performed over 5 weeks by immobilization of the rats for 2 h daily in a rigid opaque plastic cylinder that restrained their movements. Increases in the adrenal mass index (p < 0.05) and decreases in serum testosterone levels (p < 0.05) demonstrated the efficacy of the stressor stimuli. Stressed rats presented diminished body weight gain when compared to controls (p < 0.05). The mean values of kidney weight, kidney volume, kidney volume index and glomerular volume density were significantly lower in the stressed group (p < 0.05); nevertheless, no significant difference was found in the cortical/medullar ratio or in the volume-weighted mean glomerular volume. The number of glomeruli per kidney was 45% lower in the stressed group (p < 0.0001), but no change in serum creatinine levels was found. However, the morphological alterations may have serious implications predisposing individuals to renal disease and hypertension in adult life.
Cost-Effectiveness of Statin Therapy for Primary Prevention in a Low-Cost Statin Era
Authors: Lazar Lawrence D. , Pletcher Mark J. , Coxson Pamela G. , Bibbins-Domingo Kirsten , Goldman Lee
Published: June 2011

Background—

With wide availability of low-cost generics, primary prevention with statins has become less expensive. We projected the cost-effectiveness of expanded statin prescribing strategies using low-cost generics and identified conditions under which aggressive prescribing ceases to be cost-effective.

Methods and Results—

We simulated expanded statin prescribing strategies with the coronary heart disease policy model, a Markov model of the US population ã35 years of age. If statins cost $4/mo, treatment thresholds of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ã160 mg/dL for low-risk persons (0 to 1 risk factor), ã130 mg/dL for moderate-risk persons (≥2 risk factors and 10-year risk <10%), and ã100 mg/dL for moderately high-risk persons (≥2 risk factors and 10-year risk ã10%) would reduce annual healthcare costs by $430 million compared with Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. Lowering thresholds to ã130 mg/dL for persons with 0 risk factors and ã100 mg/dL for persons with 1 risk factor and treating all moderate- and moderately high-risk persons regardless of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol would provide additional health benefits for $9900 per quality-adjusted life-year. These findings are insensitive to most adverse effect assumptions (including statin-associated diabetes mellitus and severe hypothetical effects) but are sensitive to large reductions in the efficacy of statins or to a long-term disutility burden for which a patient would trade 30 to 80 days of life to avoid 30 years of statins.

Conclusions—

Low-cost statins are cost-effective for most persons with even modestly elevated cholesterol or any coronary heart disease risk factors if they do not mind taking a pill daily. Adverse effects are unlikely to outweigh benefits in any subgroup in which statins are found to be efficacious.
'Verfallpfand' in early classical Roman Law: real security in the archive of the Sulpicii
Authors: Verhagen H.L.E.
Published: June 2011

The writing tablets discovered in 1959 near Pompeii (Tabulae Pompeianae Sulpiciorum or Tabulae Pompeianae Novae) provide a unique and extremely valuable insight into the 'law in action' in the Roman Empire of the first century AD. In particular, these tablets allow us to assess the functioning of the law of secured finance, as it was applied by the Sulpicii family and other commercial lenders in the seaport town of Puteoli (Pozzuoli). The focus of this article is on the enforcement of a right of pledge in case of default by the debtor. In particular, it discusses whether the creditor then acquired ownership of the pledged property or whether he was only entitled to suspend his obligation to return the pledged property to the debtor. It is argued that the most likely interpretation of the writing tablets is that the creditor acquired ownership when the debtor defaulted and that this enabled him to sell the property at auction or otherwise.
Philips Wielant and the 'Briève instruction en causes civiles'
Authors: De Smidt J.Th.
Published: June 2011

Extensive review of the edition of the Briève instruction en causes civiles of Philips Wielant (1441–1520), edited by L.H.J. Sicking and C.H. van Rhee. The text is a French version of Wielant's Practijke civile, published in 1573. J.Th. de Smidt compares both texts very closely; he adds a comparison with the Pratique judiciaire of Joos de Damhouder (1507–1581).
Bijnkershoek as author and elegant jurist
Authors: Sirks Boudewijn
Published: June 2011

Bijnkershoek wrote next to his three works on international law a series of books on Roman law and on the private law of Holland and Zeeland. Those on Roman Law deal with various aspects, mostly with textual criticism of the Corpus juris, while a part consists of essays on specific subjects. The book on private law combines analyses of certain legal problems with jurisprudence of courts. Are all these texts obsolete by now? A modest exploration of these essays suggests that is not the case as far as textual criticism is concerned; at least some of the essays in Roman law are still actual for present-day research. The essays on private law are of course of value for historical research.
Transregional Military Dimensions of Civilian Protection: A Two-Part Problem with a Two-Part Solution
Authors: Daniel D.C.F. , Wheatb Tromila
Published: June 2011

The utilization of peacekeepers to protect civilians confronting devastation remains an issue of considerable debate about whether sufficient capacity exists to take on the task. This paper examines the difficulties of providing resources both for quick response civilian protection against ongoing devastation and follow-on longer-term activities that can help guarantee against a resurgence of violence. Research drawing on the CPASS database of worldwide peacekeeping operations reveals two clusters of troop contributing countries: a UN set and a cross-cutting “Western” agendas group. The fist cluster has demonstrated a willingness to deploy to long-term multidimensional peacekeeping missions that can help dampen the prospects of resurgence, and the second group (plus one important idiosyncratic actor) has demonstrated a willingness to take on usually shorter but more dangerous peace enforcement missions. For the foreseeable future, the most promising prospect for the protection of civilians involves the two clusters operating either in parallel or in sequence. While this division of labor may not be the most efficient way of doing business in an ideal world, it is the best we can expect for the world in which we live.
The Macro-Sudan Belt and Niger-Congo Reconstruction
Authors: Hyman Larry
Published: June 2011

Basing himself largely on areal and typological arguments, Güldemann (2010) claims that neither Proto-Niger-Congo nor Proto-Bantu had more than a "moderate" system of derivational verb suffixes ("extensions"), and that both proto-languages lacked inflectional verb prefixes. Although drawing largely on the same materials as Hyman (2004, 2007a, b), he arrives at the opposite conclusion that Niger-Congo languages which have such morphology, in particular Bantu and Atlantic, would have had to innovate multiple suffixation and prefixation. However, such hypotheses are weakened by two serious problems: (i) These proto-languages, which possibly reach back as far as 10,000–12,000 bp, have clearly had enough time for their morphosyntax to have cycled more than once. (ii) The areal properties of Güldemann's Macro-Sudan Belt most likely represent more recent innovations which have diffused after the Niger-Congo break-up. In this paper, I present further evidence that multiple suffixation and prefixation must have existed even in languages which have lost them. The general conclusion is that current areal distributions are largely irrelevant for long-range linguistic reconstruction.
‘‘ HipHopKhasene: a Marriage between Hip hop and Klezmer’’
Authors: Margolis Rebecca
Published: June 2011

Jewish identity is increasingly fluid in Canada, as evidenced by new developments in Jewish culture. Klezmer music—traditionally associated with Jewish wedding celebrations—has experienced a mass revival and entry into the mainstream and has become firmly entrenched within Yiddish culture, including the emergence of new unions with genres such as hip hop. This close study of a bilingual Yiddish—English track called ‘‘Kale bazetsn’’ (Veiling the Bride) by Canadian artist DJ Socalled (a.k.a. Josh Dolgin) on his 2003 album HipHopKhasene situates it within the paradoxical state of secular Yiddish culture today: while the Yiddish language is facing global attrition, there is renewed interest in its culture among young musicians and audiences.
Supporting Special-Needs Adoptive Couples
Authors: Baskin Thomas W. , Rhody Margaret , Schoolmeesters Shannon , Ellingson Colleen
Published: June 2011

An educational group intervention focusing on forgiveness and marriage education was implemented with adoptive parents. Couples qualified by having adopted at least one special-needs child. Data were examined for 112 adoptive parents: 54 from a treatment group that immediately received a 36–contact hour intervention and 58 from a waiting list comparison group that received the intervention after the treatment group was completed. Forgiveness, marital satisfaction, and depressive symptoms were measured in both groups. The treatment group showed statistically significant gains on all three dependent measures vis-à-vis the comparison group. The comparison group showed similar gains when they became the treatment group. All gains were maintained at a 3.5-month follow-up (one semester). Implications are discussed for the effectiveness and appropriateness of this intervention for special-needs adoptive families.
Moving Counseling Forward on LGB and Transgender Issues
Authors: Smith Lance C. , Shin Richard Q. , Officer Lindsay M.
Published: June 2011

Using a case example, the authors explore how the counseling field’s participation in the discourse of heterosexist dominance fosters microaggressions toward sexual and gender-transgressive minorities. Specifically, the authors deconstruct four linguistic assumptions of the discourse of heterosexist dominance: (a) the sex/gender binary, (b) decontextualized disposition language of homophobia, (c) hierarchical disposition language of affirmation, and (d) gendered pronouns. The authors will also examine how these assumptions influence egalitarian, well-intended counselors and counseling psychologists to engage in microinvalidations of LGB and transgender clients. Implications regarding more effective practice, training, and research will be discussed.
Practitioner Review: Continuity and Change: The Fair Work Act in Aviation
Authors: Bussell Sue , Farrow John
Published: June 2011

This article begins by discussing the specific industrial relations challenges of the highly competitive aviation industry. It then reflects on the outcome of the recent intense national debate over industrial relations, exploring the consequences of that debate for practice and policy, and discusses some key issues that remain in play. Although the Fair Work Act 2009 may have come about as a reaction to what many perceive as the ‘excesses’ of Work Choices, the new Act does not so much ‘wind back the clock’ as represent a significant new development in Australia’s long and unique industrial relations history. This article will discuss the impact of the changes, to date, made by the Fair Work Act on one organization, including the expansion of the ‘safety net’, and how the new compromise between the role of the ‘collective’ and the role of the ‘individual’ struck by the Act has the potential to fundamentally change the nature and structure of bargaining. We offer these comments as practitioners who have worked under successive industrial relations regimes since the early 1980s.
Industrial Legislation in 2010
Authors: McCrystal Shae , Smith Belinda
Published: June 2011

Two themes in legislative activity in 2010 were national uniformity and some movement in using law to promote equality, especially gender equality. The Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) came into full effect with the commencement of the new safety net provisions and the referral to the Commonwealth of industrial relations powers over private-sector workforces in all states except Western Australia. Progress continued on the promised harmonization of Australian occupational health and safety laws with the release of a model Work Health and Safety Bill by Safe Work Australia, although developments in some states threaten to derail the process. An attempt to repeal most of the industry-specific regulation of the building and construction industry failed. The Federal Parliament passed legislation establishing a national paid parental leave scheme, and a number of changes to federal discrimination laws came into effect or were proposed, including the potential consolidation of federal discrimination legislation. This article provides an overview of these developments at federal level and concludes with a discussion of developments in the states including a brief overview of Victoria’s new equal opportunity legislation.
Self-esteem and delinquency in South Korean adolescents: Latent growth modeling
Authors: Lee Kyungeun , Lee Julie
Published: June 2011

This study examined the inter-related development of self-esteem and delinquency across three years. Participants were 3449 Korean high school adolescents (age M = 15.8, SD = 0.42, 1725 boys, 1724 girls) from Korea Youth Panel Study (KYPS), in 2005–2007, nationally representative of Korean adolescents. Latent growth modeling was employed for analysis. Results showed that: 1) there were linear growth in self-esteem and delinquency. Moreover, there were significant individual differences in initial level of self-esteem and delinquency, and rate of change in self-esteem and delinquency; 2) the analyses of panel data did not support Kaplan's theory by showing that delinquency was negatively associated with growth in self-esteem among adolescents. Cultural implications are illustrated. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.
Classing early intervention: Social class, occupational moralities and criminalization
Authors: Mccarthy Daniel J.
Published: June 2011

This article interrogates the nature of judgements used by social control professionals to identify signs of anti-social behaviour amongst young people and families referred to early intervention programmes. The emphasis of professionals working within such networks is mostly benevolent in seeking to support and direct specific services at particular individuals. This article traces the effects of these processes of social control in action, specifically the ways through which professionals’ judgements formed around the normative social class status of clients become prime reasons for intervening. The article reflects on the ways occupational moralities translate social class judgements into control responses, arguing that one of the principal outcomes of early intervention is class correction rather than crime control.
Predictions of three-dimensional stress variations in indented pipes due to internal pressure fluctuations
Authors: Hyde T H , Luo R , Becker A A
Published: June 2011

The stress variations which occur in indented pipes, due to internal pressure fluctuations, are investigated using the results of finite element (FE) analyses for two typical pipe steel materials. The insertion, and subsequent withdrawal, of an indenter results in residual stress and indentation. It is found that the stress variations in indented pipes, due to the internal pressure fluctuations, are in the elastic range for practical pressures. Semi-empirical formulations for predicting the stress variations and the indentation depth changes due to internal pressure fluctuations are developed. A very close correlation is obtained between the results obtained from the FE analyses and predictions based on semi-empirical formulations.