bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of AlN growth temperature on trap densities of in-situ metal-organic chemical vapor deposition grown AlN/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterostructure field-effect transistors
Authors: Freedsman Joseph J. , Kubo Toshiharu , Egawa Takashi
Published: May 2012

The trapping properties of in-situ metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) grown AlN/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterostructure field-effect transistors (MIS-HFETs) with AlN layers grown at 600 and 700 °C has been quantitatively analyzed by frequency dependent parallel conductance technique. Both the devices exhibited two kinds of traps densities, due to AlN (DT-AlN) and AlGaN layers (DT-AlGaN) respectively. The MIS-HFET grown at 600 °C showed a minimum DT-AlN and DT-AlGaN of 1.1 x 1011 and 1.2 x 1010 cm-2eV-1 at energy levels (ET) -0.47 and -0.36 eV. Further, the gate-lag measurements on these devices revealed less degradation ∼ ≤ 5% in drain current density (Ids-max). Meanwhile, MIS-HFET grown at 700 °C had more degradation in Ids-max ∼26 %, due to high DT-AlN and DT-AlGaN of 3.4 x 1012 and 5 x 1011 cm-2eV-1 positioned around similar ET. The results shows MIS-HFET grown at 600 °C had better device characteristics with trap densities one order of magnitude lower than MIS-HFET grown at 700 °C.
Assessing efficiency and fairness in multilingual communication
Authors: Gazzola Michele , Grin François
Published: May 2012

The comparison between various language policies that aim to manage multilingual communication ought to rely on some robust methodology for evaluation. This paper discusses the possibility to found such a methodology on the well-established concepts of efficiency and fairness. Assessing efficiency implies comparing how resources are allocated under alternative policy options (or scenarios) in order to identify the policy promising the best overall allocation. Assessing fairness calls for the evaluation of the distributive effects of each scenario on the linguistic groups involved in communication — that is, ascertaining who benefits and who loses (and how much) under alternative policy options.

This paper develops indictors of effective and fair communication, which synthesise some desirable characteristics of communication processes, and which enable us to rank-order, with respect to their relative efficiency and fairness, different ways of handling communication in multilingual settings. In order to assess effectiveness and efficiency, we work with three (not mutually exclusive) definitions of communication, namely, informatory, cooperative and strategic communication, which reflect the different (main) communicational intents of the actors. In order to assess fairness, we establish a distinction between communication in terms of access, process and outcome.
Speaker commitment: Back to the speaker. Evidence from Spanish alternations
Authors: Cornillie Bert , Delbecque Nicole
Published: May 2012

This paper proposes an alternative cognitive account of the notion of speaker commitment in terms of speaker involvement and processing. The focus will be on the role of the speaker as conceptualizer. Invoking conceptualizer-related processing instead of speaker commitment has the advantage of avoiding reliance on non-speakerrelated dimensions to determine degrees of speaker commitment for introducing some propositional content. Our theoretical claim is based on two case studies from Spanish.

First, canonical direct que ‘that’-clauses and oblique de que ‘of that’-clauses present an occasional switch to the alternate oblique and non-oblique construction, known as dequeísmo and queísmo, respectively. Dequeísmo has hitherto been related to notions such as doubt, hearsay, or distancing, i.e., to weak speaker commitment. Context analysis, however, shows that this approach is descriptively inadequate and that the phenomenon can best be accounted for in terms of speaker involvement: the speaker-conceptualizer is highly involved in selective information retrieval. Queísmo, by contrast, minimizes stage-managing, thus yielding low speaker involvement. In both cases, the relative strength of the speaker’s commitment is to be inferred on other grounds.

Second, the Spanish modals poder, deber and tener que have been described in terms of weak, intermediate and strong speaker commitment. Yet, it will be shown that speaker involvement in downplaying the force structure decreases from poder to tener que. The more the deontic background can be subjectified the more the speaker is involved in the subjective construal. Here, weak commitment thus correlates with strong speaker involvement, and vice versa.
Speaker involvement through cognition verbs in Spanish
Authors: Saeger Bram De
Published: May 2012

This article reports on the results of a corpus-based investigation of the functions of the “cognition verb + que-clause” complementation structure in Spanish. We will show that the interpretation of this pattern depends on the choice between subject and speaker perspective, and on the use made of both perspectives in descriptive and argumentative contexts. These two axes, perspective and use, determine the involvement of the speaker in the propositional content of the complement clause. Various configurations of speaker involvement can thus be identified.
Commitment to an implicit aspect of meaning: A notional differentiation between concessive connectives
Authors: Izutsu Mitsuko Narita
Published: May 2012

This paper argues that the notion of commitment can clarify the distinction between two Japanese concessive connectives -noni and -kedo: the former expresses a high degree and the latter a relatively low degree of speaker commitment to an assumption underlying the concessive meaning. This difference in meaning supports a satisfactory account of some syntactic differences between the two connectives. It is also shown that the difference in the degree of commitment to an assumption is attested in the lexical contrast of the concessive meanings of Russian connectives a and no. These observations, along with some examples of commitment to a presupposition or speech act, show that the notion of commitment is applicable not only to the explicit part of an utterance (statement or propositional content) but also to implicit aspects of meaning.
Zum Außenweltproblem in der Antike
Authors: Gabriel Markus
Published: May 2012

Miles Burnyeat famously argued that there could, in principle, be no idealism in Greek philosophy, because it was not yet prepared to regard the existence of an external world beyond our veil of perception as a serious philosophical problem. I believe that this thesis is historically and systematically false. Burnyeat’s claim is backed up by a short sketch of the most important philosophical systems in Greek philosophy that might seem to contradict his no-idealism view, viz. ancient skepticism and Neo-Platonism. In this paper, I argue against Burnyeat’s view on the basis of a reconstruction of Sextus Empiricus’ epistemological skepticism regarding the external world. Then, I try to show that Plotinus’ idealism and his theory of νοῦς are built on the assumption that metaphysical realism entails the problem of the external world and is, therefore, potentially inconsistent because of its skeptical results. Plotinus shows how skepticism about the external world can be avoided by idealism which can, thus, be seen as an explicit overcoming of epistemological skepticism. This whole train of thought explicitly refers to the problem of an external world. Therefore, Plotinus can be seen as answering the skeptical challenge with an idealistic metaphysic of experience.
Die Pluralität der Intellekte und die Einheit der Erkenntnis: Kritiken und Rezeptionen des Monopsychismus des Averroes in der sog. Scholastik
Authors: Lee Sang-Sup
Published: May 2012

From an epistemological point of view, monopsychism implies that the unity or universality of cognition can be secured only through the unity of the subject. Scholastics in the 13–14th centuries who did not accept it for various reasons therefore had to show that the multiplicity of subjects does not impair the unity of cognition. But the attempts to harmonize the unity of cognition with the plurality of subjects were not successful. While some of them only transformed the issue into another with some variations, others accepted monopsychism to some extent.
Nécessité, rôle et nature de l'art logique, d'après Albert le Grand
Authors: Tremblay Bruno
Published: May 2012

Albertus Magnus’ logic and philosophy of logic have drawn little attention so far, partly due to his reputation among some historians of the discipline as a somewhat confused and muddleheaded thinker. This article looks at his teachings on the necessity and nature of the logical art, and more precisely the epistemological and psychological background that serves as their basis. This examination brings to the fore Albert’s effort and success in bringing together ideas from different traditions in order to reach a unified and coherent view on the question. Albert’s analysis of the actualization of the human intellect, presentation of the inherent fallibility that accompanies rational discourse, and identification of the available means for correcting that weakness are some of the elements of that general doctrine which are addressed in the present article. Such considerations lead Albert to conceive logic as a science whose subject is used as an instrument within each part of philosophy and whose scientific consideration of that subject can therefore be used as rules for the other sciences as they build and use their instrument, thus making the science of logic an art in the broad sense of the word.
Grammaticalization through inherent variability
Authors: Torres Cacoullos Rena
Published: May 2012

With the goal of elucidating the diachronic trajectory of a progressive, multivariate analysis is used to track the linguistic factors conditioning variation between the Spanish Progressive and the simple Present, in 13th–15th, 17th, and 19th century texts. The Progressive begins as more of a locative construction, as shown by the early favoring effect of co-occurring locatives. The direction of this co-occurring locative effect is retained over time, but the magnitude weakens relative to aspectual constraints (limited vs. extended duration contexts, dynamic vs. stative verbs), and the Progressive is increasingly disfavored in negatives and interrogatives. Increasing frequency is accompanied by changes in linguistic conditioning. An aspectual opposition arises as, in the course of speakers’ recurrent choices between variant forms, the variants develop functional differentiation.
Emergent neologisms and lexical gaps in specialised languages
Authors: Roldán Vendrell Mercedes , Fernández Domínguez Jesús
Published: May 2012

One of the characteristics traditionally attributed to neologisms is that they label new realities, which is particularly relevant in terminological studies because these are concerned with areas of intense denominative activity. This article proposes that, besides this well-known feature, the neologisms of specialised fields may also take a different role, more related to filling lexical gaps than to naming innovative concepts. This investigation examines the specialised vocabulary of modern olive oil agriculture and analyses a selection of neologisms before bringing forward a theoretical proposal concerning their linguistic use. Subsequently, this argument is illustrated by applying our model to the definitions of the terminological neologisms under study.
Neology and terminological dependency
Authors: Humbley John , García Palacios Joaquín
Published: May 2012

The situation of the terminologies of cutting-edge sciences and technologies in such important languages as French and Spanish is rapidly changing. It can be demonstrated that they rely more and more directly on English-language terms and conceptual structures. This new situation calls for a review of the factors involved and how they affect neology as secondary term formation. This article seeks to characterize terminological dependency and to identify those parameters by which it can be measured. To do this, the authors first interviewed some Spanish-speaking researchers about their own practice, and then took three highly specialized micro-domains brought to light in the terminology work of graduate students of translation. After evaluating the validity of this latter approach, the authors analyse the three terminologies from linguistic and pragmatic points of view, concluding that, in the three fields, new terms are as closely modeled as possible on their existing English-language counterparts.
Secondary term formation in Greek
Authors: Floros Georgios , Grammenidis Simos
Published: May 2012

This paper aims at discussing some theoretical aspects of the creation of term neologisms through translation, using as examples Greek terms from the field of Translation Studies itself. The premise of the paper is that while a basically semiotic approach tends to be the prevailing one in theoretical discussions, in practice, the creation of neologisms seems to be mainly achieved through correspondences at signifier level only, often leading to Greek neologisms which are not totally in line with the notion (signified) lying behind the designation of a term. Within this wider theoretical framework provided by the semiotic approach, this paper will propose that a combination of terminological unit (level of signifier), notion (level of signified) and definition (transitional level) is an operational theoretical framework for the successful creation of Greek neologisms, using as example three cases taken from the Greek adaptation of the Translation terminology by Delisle et al. (1999).
Approaching secondary term formation through the analysis of multiword units
Authors: Sanz Vicente Lara
Published: May 2012

Secondary term formation is a process of undeniable importance in modern specialised communication due to the dominance of English. However, empirical works and methodologies to approach this issue on specialised neology are scarce. This paper describes a contrastive study that proposes to tackle secondary term formation by addressing the most productive units in term formation in the dominant language, syntagmatic noun compounds. It describes and compares these multiword units in an English-Spanish comparable corpus containing research papers in the field of remote sensing. The compounds originating in the language of primary term formation are analysed first and then compared to the resulting units in the target language, with special attention paid to their morphosyntactic and semantic structure. Finally, the influence of English in the Spanish equivalents is assessed through the identification of the transferring procedures used to import them. The results show a strong preference for loan translations in this process.
Framing translation
Authors: Woods Michelle
Published: May 2012

Adolf Hoffmeister (1902–1973), a Czech translator, writer, painter, journalist and caricaturist was one of the Czech translators of James Joyce’s Anna Livia Plurabelle and the illustrator of Czech translations of George Bernard Shaw’s plays. His paratextual work for translated modernist literature — prefaces, caricatures, comic strips, travelogues and interviews — engaged with modernist practice in producing an abusive mimesis in his re-presentation of authors and their writing. This included a verbal and visual insertion of the translator and re-presenter that makes him visible and also fallible, unreliable and humorous. Hoffmeister’s use of humor and demystification made the complex modernist translations more accessible to a wider readership while also bringing into question the practices and mechanics of translation and cultural domestication. Analyzing non-English language modernist translation practices might provide a model for inventive translation paratexts in the modern English-language context.
‘A path in the woods’: Child psychotherapists’ participation in a large randomised controlled trial
Authors: Henton Isabel , Midgley Nick
Published: May 2012

Introduction: Much literature is devoted to the gap between clinical practice and research, particularly outcome research in the form of the randomised controlled trial (RCT). However, the RCT's central role in health services policy has increasingly led to calls for psychotherapists of all theoretical backgrounds to participate in RCT research. Aims: This study explored how actual participation in outcome research may change clinicians’ attitudes towards this type of research. The specific focus is on psychoanalytic child psychotherapists’ experiences of participation in a large‐scale RCT in the UK studying the effectiveness of treatments for adolescent depression. Method: Five child psychotherapists were interviewed towards the end of the planning stage of the trial, and transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Findings: Many child psychotherapists found their experience of participation in outcome research transformative, and the study identified six key ‘stages’ in the story of their evolving attitudes to outcome research. Discussion: The contribution of this study to ongoing debates about the relationship between psychotherapy research and practice is discussed.
Engaging work as a calling: examining the link between spirituality and job involvement
Authors: Word Jessica
Published: May 2012

This research examines the link between workplace spirituality and job involvement. The literature on job involvements suggests that meaningful work has the potential to increase both employee satisfaction and organizational outcomes. Workplace spirituality has the potential to increase job involvement of employees across different organizational types and professions by engaging individuals in meaningful ways. The integration of job involvement into research on spirituality also has the potential to provide clear empirical evidence to support the value of workplace spirituality for organizations. We also discuss concerns for individuals and organizations that integrate spirituality and directions for future research.
Detecting flatness over smooth bases
Authors: Avramov Luchezar , Iyengar Srikanth
Published: May 2012

Given an essentially finite type morphism of schemes

f
:
X
→
Y

f\colon X\to Y

and a positive integer

d
d

, let

f

{
d
}

:

X

{
d
}

→
Y

f^{\{d\}}\colon X^{\{d\}}\to Y

denote the natural map from the

d
d

-fold fiber product

X

{
d
}

=
X

×

Y

⋯

×

Y

X

X^{\{d\}}= X\times _{Y}\cdots \times _{Y}X

and

π
i

:

X

{
d
}

→
X

\pi _i\colon X^{\{d\}}\to X

the

i
i

th canonical projection. When

Y
Y

is smooth over a field and

F

\mathcal F

is a coherent sheaf on

X
X

, it is proved that

F

\mathcal F

is flat over

Y
Y

if (and only if)

f

{
d
}

f^{\{d\}}

maps the associated points of

⨂

i
=
1

d

π
i
∗

F

{\bigotimes _{i=1}^d}\pi _i^*{\mathcal F}

to generic points of

Y
Y

, for some

d
≥
dim
⁡
Y

d\ge \dim Y

. The equivalent statement in commutative algebra is an analog—but not a consequence—of a classical criterion of Auslander and Lichtenbaum for the freeness of finitely generated modules over regular local rings.
Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome
Authors: Chau Edmond H. L. , Lam David , Wong Jean , Mokhlesi Babak , Chung Frances , Warner David S.
Published: May 2012

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is defined by the triad of obesity, daytime hypoventilation, and sleep-disordered breathing without an alternative neuromuscular, mechanical, or metabolic cause of hypoventilation. It is a disease entity distinct from simple obesity and obstructive sleep apnea. OHS is often undiagnosed but its prevalence is estimated to be 10-20% in obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea and 0.15-0.3% in the general adult population. Compared with eucapnic obese patients, those with OHS present with severe upper airway obstruction, restrictive chest physiology, blunted central respiratory drive, pulmonary hypertension, and increased mortality. The mainstay of therapy is noninvasive positive airway pressure. Currently, information regarding OHS is extremely limited in the anesthesiology literature. This review will examine the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical characteristics, screening, and treatment of OHS. Perioperative management of OHS will be discussed last.
Noxious Stimulation Attenuates Ketamine-induced Neuroapoptosis in the Developing Rat Brain
Authors: Liu Jia-Ren , Liu Qian , Li Jing , Baek Chongwha , Han Xiao Hui , Athiraman Umeshkumar , Soriano Sulpicio G.
Published: May 2012

Background

Ketamine induces neuroapoptosis in neonatal rodents. However, these experimental paradigms were performed without concurrent noxious stimulation, a condition that does not reflect the interaction of anesthesia and surgical stimulation. Noxious stimulation with and without concurrent analgesic drugs has been shown to have divergent patterns of neuronal activation and cell death. We hypothesized that concurrent noxious stimulation would attenuate ketamine-induced caspase-3 activation.

Methods

Postnatal day 7 Sprague-Dawley rat pups were randomized to a 6-h exposure to ketamine with and without peripheral noxious stimulation by intraplantar injection of complete Freund's adjuvant. A cohort of naïve rat pups with and without complete Freund's adjuvant injections served as control subjects. Neuroapoptosis was measured by cleaved caspase-3 expression and terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase mediated 2'-deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate nick end labeling staining. In order to determine if concurrent noxious simulation altered the expression of cell survival and cell cycle proteins, levels of protein kinase B and glycogen synthase kinase-3β and cyclin D1 were measured.

Results

Ketamine induced a significant increase in cleaved caspase-3 expression and terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase mediated 2'-deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate nick end labeling staining with increases in cyclin D1 levels. Concurrent noxious stimulation with ketamine attenuated caspase-3 activation and maintained cyclin D1 levels. Phosphorylation of protein kinase B and glycogen synthase kinase-3β was not definitively altered under these conditions.

Conclusion

The administration of ketamine with concurrent noxious stimulation results in the attenuation of the neuroapoptotic response. These findings suggest that concurrent surgery and procedural pain attenuates ketamine-induced neuroapoptosis.
Decoding the energy landscape: extracting structure, dynamics and thermodynamics
Authors: Wales David J.
Published: May 2012

Describing a potential energy surface in terms of local minima and the transition states that connect them provides a conceptual and computational framework for understanding and predicting observable properties. Visualizing the potential energy landscape using disconnectivity graphs supplies a graphical connection between different structure-seeking systems, which can relax efficiently to a particular morphology. Landscapes involving competing morphologies support multiple potential energy funnels, which may exhibit characteristic heat capacity features and relaxation time scales. These connections between the organization of the potential energy landscape and structure, dynamics and thermodynamics are common to all the examples presented, ranging from atomic and molecular clusters to biomolecules and soft and condensed matter. Further connections between motifs in the energy landscape and the interparticle forces can be developed using symmetry considerations and results from catastrophe theory.
DNA information: from digital code to analogue structure
Authors: Travers A. A. , Muskhelishvili G. , Thompson J. M. T.
Published: May 2012

The digital linear coding carried by the base pairs in the DNA double helix is now known to have an important component that acts by altering, along its length, the natural shape and stiffness of the molecule. In this way, one region of DNA is structurally distinguished from another, constituting an additional form of encoded information manifest in three-dimensional space. These shape and stiffness variations help in guiding and facilitating the DNA during its three-dimensional spatial interactions. Such interactions with itself allow communication between genes and enhanced wrapping and histone–octamer binding within the nucleosome core particle. Meanwhile, interactions with proteins can have a reduced entropic binding penalty owing to advantageous sequence-dependent bending anisotropy. Sequence periodicity within the DNA, giving a corresponding structural periodicity of shape and stiffness, also influences the supercoiling of the molecule, which, in turn, plays an important facilitating role. In effect, the super-helical density acts as an analogue regulatory mode in contrast to the more commonly acknowledged purely digital mode. Many of these ideas are still poorly understood, and represent a fundamental and outstanding biological question. This review gives an overview of very recent developments, and hopefully identifies promising future lines of enquiry.
DNA, dichotomic classes and frame synchronization: a quasi-crystal framework
Authors: Giannerini Simone , Gonzalez Diego Luis , Rosa Rodolfo
Published: May 2012

In this article, we show how a new mathematical model of the genetic code can be exploited for investigating the almost periodic properties of DNA and mRNA protein-coding sequences. We present the main mathematical features of the model and highlight its connections with both number theory and group theory. The group theoretic framework presents interesting analogies with the theory of crystals. Moreover, we exploit the information provided by dichotomic classes, binary variables naturally derived from the mathematical model, in order to build statistical classifiers for retrieving and predicting the normal reading frame used by the ribosome in protein synthesis. The results show that coding sequences possess a local informational structure that can be related to frame synchronization processes. The information for retrieving the normal reading frame, which implies the existence of short-range correlations and almost periodic structures related to the organization of codons, offers an interesting analogy with the properties of quasi-crystals. From a theoretical point of view, our results might contribute to clarifying the relation between biological information and shape in nucleic acids and proteins. Also, from the point of view of applications, we present new promising tools for designing efficient algorithms for frame synchronization, which plays a crucial role in faithful synthesis of proteins.
Crystal growth as an excitable medium
Authors: Cartwright Julyan H. E. , Checa Antonio G. , Escribano Bruno , Ignacio Sainz-Díaz C.
Published: May 2012

Crystal growth has been widely studied for many years, and, since the pioneering work of Burton, Cabrera and Frank, spirals and target patterns on the crystal surface have been understood as forms of tangential crystal growth mediated by defects and by two-dimensional nucleation. Similar spirals and target patterns are ubiquitous in physical systems describable as excitable media. Here, we demonstrate that this is not merely a superficial resemblance, that the physics of crystal growth can be set within the framework of an excitable medium, and that appreciating this correspondence may prove useful to both fields. Apart from solid crystals, we discuss how our model applies to the biomaterial nacre, formed by layer growth of a biological liquid crystal.
Peptic ulcer bleeding in patients with or without cirrhosis: different diseases but the same prognosis?
Authors: Rudler M. , Rousseau G. , Benosman H. , Massard J. , Deforges L. , Lebray P. , Poynard T. , Thabut D.
Published: May 2012

Background

Physiopathology and prognosis of peptic ulcer bleeding (PUB) have never been described in cirrhotic patients.

Aim

To assess risk factors and outcome of PUB in two groups of patients with PUB with or without cirrhosis.

Methods

We included prospectively all patients with PUB referred to our ICU of Hepatology and Gastroenterology between January 2008 and March 2011. All patients were treated according to international recommendations. Diagnosis of cirrhosis was based on clinical, biological and morphological exams. Aetiologies, characteristics and outcomes of PUB were compared in cirrhotic vs. noncirrhotic patients.

Results

A total of 203 patients with PUB were included prospectively. Twenty‐nine patients had cirrhosis (group Cirr+), and 174 patients had no cirrhosis (group Cirr−). Demographic data were similar between the two groups except for age and alcohol consumption. Aetiology of cirrhosis was alcohol in 97% of cirrhotic patients. Characteristics of PUB were not different between the two groups. Ninety‐three per cent of patients with cirrhosis had endoscopic portal hypertension. Aetiology of PUB was different between the group Cirr+ and Cirr− (Helicobacter pylori = 10.3% vs. 48.8%, P < 0.0001; NSAID's = 17.2% vs. 54.0%, P < 0.0001; idiopathic PUB = 79.3% vs. 23.8%, P < 0.0001). Outcome was comparable concerning re‐bleeding (7.0% vs. 6.9%, P = 0.31), need for arterial embolisation (10.3 vs. 8.6%, P = 0.76), need for salvage surgery (0 vs. 1.7%, P = 0.31) and mortality (3.0% vs. 1.1%, P = 0.87).

Conclusions

Physiopathology of PUB seems to be different in patients with cirrhosis. In cirrhotic patients, PUB occurs almost only in alcoholics. In our series, prognosis was similar to general population. PUB in cirrhosis might be related to portal hypertension and/or alcohol.
Single oral doses of netazepide (YF476), a gastrin receptor antagonist, cause dose‐dependent, sustained increases in gastric pH compared with placebo and ranitidine in healthy subjects
Authors: Boyce M. , David O. , Darwin K. , Mitchell T. , Johnston A. , Warrington S.
Published: May 2012

Background

Nonclinical studies have shown netazepide (YF476) to be a potent, selective, competitive and orally active gastrin receptor antagonist.

Aim

To administer to humans for the first time single oral doses of netazepide, to assess their tolerability, safety, pharmacokinetics and effect on 24‐h gastric pH.

Methods

We did two randomised double‐blind single‐dose studies in healthy subjects. The first (n = 12) was a six‐way incomplete crossover pilot study of rising doses of netazepide (range 0.5–100 mg) and placebo. The second (n = 20) was a five‐way complete crossover study of netazepide 5, 25 and 100 mg, ranitidine 150 mg and placebo. In both trials we collected frequent blood samples, measured plasma netazepide and calculated pharmacokinetic parameters. In the comparative trial we measured gastric pH continuously for 24 h and compared treatments by percentage time gastric pH ≥4.

Results

Netazepide was well tolerated. Median t
max and t
½ for the 100 mg dose were about 1 and 7 h, respectively, and the pharmacokinetics were dose‐proportional. Netazepide and ranitidine each increased gastric pH. Onset of activity was similarly rapid for both. All netazepide doses were more effective than placebo (P ≤ 0.023). Compared with ranitidine, netazepide 5 mg was as effective, and netazepide 25 and 100 mg were much more effective (P ≤ 0.010), over the 24 h after dosing. Activity of ranitidine lasted about 12 h, whereas that of netazepide exceeded 24 h.

Conclusions

In human: netazepide is an orally active gastrin antagonist, and gastrin has a major role in controlling gastric acidity. Repeated‐dose studies are justified. NCT01538784 and NCT01538797.
Elevated circulating tissue factor procoagulant activity, factor VII, and plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 in childhood obesity: evidence of a procoagulant state
Authors: Singh Anamika , Foster Gary D. , Gunawardana Jay , McCoy Tara Alexis , Nguyen Tina , Vander Veur Stephanie , Komaroff Eugene , Rao Angara Koneti
Published: May 2012

Childhood obesity is rapidly increasing in prevalence. We compared circulating membrane‐bound tissue factor (FIII, F3) procoagulant activity (TF‐PCA) and plasma markers of coagulation, fibrinolysis and endothelial dysfunction in 21 obese (10·1 ± 1·5 years, mean ± standard deviation) and 22 healthy weight children (9·9 ± 1·6 years), classified by Body Mass Index (BMI). TF‐PCA and factor VII coagulant activity (FVII:C), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI‐1, SERPINE1) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM1) were higher in obese children. BMI correlated positively with TF‐PCA, FVII:C, and PAI‐1. Childhood obesity is associated with a procoagulant state and endothelial dysfunction. Studies are needed to assess whether weight reduction reverses these abnormalities.
Prenatal and postnatal probiotics reduces maternal but not childhood allergic diseases: a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial
Authors: Ou C.‐Y. , Kuo H.‐C. , Wang L. , Hsu T.‐Y. , Chuang H. , Liu C.‐A. , Chang J.‐C. , Yu H.‐R. , Yang K. D.
Published: May 2012

Background

The prevalence of atopic diseases has increased rapidly in recent decades globally. The administration of probiotics to reduce gastrointestinal inflammation has been popular, but its role in the prevention or treatment of allergic disease remains controversial. This study evaluated the effectiveness of prenatal and postnatal probiotics in the prevention of early childhood and maternal allergic diseases.

Methods

In a prospective, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial, pregnant women with atopic diseases determined by history, total immunoglobulin (Ig)E > 100 kU/L, and/or positive specific IgE were assigned to receive either probiotics (Lactobacillus GG; ATCC 53103; 1 × 1010 colony‐forming units daily) or placebo from the second trimester of pregnancy. Both of clinical evaluation performed by questionnaires concerning any allergic symptoms and plasma total IgE, and allergen‐specific IgE were obtained in high‐risk parents and children at 0, 6, 18, and 36 months of age. The primary and secondary outcomes were the point and cumulative prevalence of sensitization and developing of allergic diseases, and improvement of maternal allergic symptom score and plasma immune parameters before and after intervention, respectively.

Results

In total, 191 pregnant women (LGG group, n = 95; control group, n = 96) were enrolled. No significant effects of prenatal and postnatal probiotics supplementation on sensitization, development of allergic diseases, and maternal IgE levels between placebo and LGG groups. Symptoms of maternal allergic scores improved significantly in the LGG group (P = 0.002). Maternal allergic diseases improvement was more prominent in pregnant women with IgE > 100 kU/L (P = 0.01) and significantly associated with higher interleukin‐12p70 levels (P = 0.013).

Conclusions

LGG administration beginning at the second trimester of pregnancy reduced the severity of maternal allergic disease through increment of Th1 response, but not the incidence of childhood allergic sensitization or allergic diseases (ClinicalTrials.govnumber, IDNCT00325273).
Physiological significance of alternatively spliced exon combinations of the single‐copy gene class A chitin synthase in the insect Ostrinia furnacalis (Lepidoptera)
Authors: Qu M. , Yang Q.
Published: May 2012

Insect chitin synthase is an essential enzyme involved in chitin biosynthesis in insects. Chitin synthase A (CHSA) is expressed in different insect tissues during different developmental stages. CHSA contains alternative‐splicing exons that allow tissue‐ and development‐specific chitin synthesis. Here, we report that OfCHSA from the lepidopteran Ostrinia furnacalis contains two alternative‐splicing exons, exons 2a and 2b and exons 19a and 19b. Although four combinations of these exons are theoretically possible, we found that transcripts containing exon 2a were dominant during most developmental stages, including embryonic development, larval−larval moulting, the larval−pupal transition and pupal−adult metamorphosis. Unexpectedly, 2b‐containing transcripts were much more responsive to 20‐hydroxyecdysone regulation than 2a‐containing ones, suggesting that although OfCHSA isoforms encoded by 2b‐containing transcripts are normally expressed at very low levels, they play unique roles. Spliced exons 2a and 2b have also been observed in Bombyx mori; therefore, this work provides new insights into the regulation of insect chitin synthase, particularly in lepidopteran insects.
Fluorescence excitation and imaging of single molecules near dielectric‐coated and bare surfaces: a theoretical study
Authors: AXELROD DANIEL
Published: May 2012

Microscopic fluorescent samples of interest to cell and molecular biology are commonly embedded in an aqueous medium near a solid surface that is coated with a thin film such as a lipid multilayer, collagen, acrylamide, or a cell wall. Both excitation and emission of fluorescent single molecules near film‐coated surfaces are strongly affected by the proximity of the coated surface, the film thickness, its refractive index and the fluorophore's orientation. For total internal reflection excitation, multiple reflections in the film can lead to resonance peaks in the evanescent intensity versus incidence angle curve. For emission, multiple reflections arising from the fluorophore's near field emission can create a distinct intensity pattern in both the back focal plane and the image plane of a high aperture objective. This theoretical analysis discusses how these features can be used to report film thickness and refractive index, and fluorophore axial position and orientation.
Clinical and polysomnographic determinants of snoring
Authors: KOUTSOURELAKIS IOANNIS , PERRAKI ELENI , ZAKYNTHINOS GEORGIOS , MINARITZOGLOU ALIKI , VAGIAKIS EMMANOUIL , ZAKYNTHINOS SPYROS
Published: May 2012

Snoring is considered one of the hallmarks of sleep‐disordered breathing, but its determinants remain obscure in both obstructive sleep apnoea (apnoeic) and non‐apnoeic snorers. We aimed to document positional dependency of snoring along with its association with clinical and polysomnographic variables. Seventy‐seven apnoeic and 27 non‐apnoeic snorers who complained for every‐night loud snoring and slept in supine and lateral positions in all sleep stages during overnight polysomnography were included. Snoring (i.e. sound intensity > 40 dB) was quantified by measuring the mean and maximum sound intensity, and snoring frequency. In apnoeic and non‐apnoeic snorers, mean snoring intensity and snoring frequency were higher in supine than in lateral positions irrespective of sleep stage, and were also usually higher in N3 in comparison to rapid eye movement and/or N2 sleep stage in any given position. Positional change in snoring intensity as expressed by the ratio of mean intensity in the supine to lateral positions was independently and positively correlated with body mass index, tonsils size and age in the total of patients. Snoring is more prominent in the supine position and in N3 sleep stage in apnoeic and non‐apnoeic snorers. Snoring positional dependence is determined by body mass index, tonsils size and age.
Cooperativity of peptidoglycan synthases active in bacterial cell elongation
Authors: Banzhaf Manuel , van den Berg van Saparoea Bart , Terrak Mohammed , Fraipont Claudine , Egan Alexander , Philippe Jules , Zapun André , Breukink Eefjan , Nguyen‐Distèche Martine , den Blaauwen Tanneke , Vollmer Waldemar
Published: May 2012

Growth of the bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan sacculus requires the co‐ordinated activities of peptidoglycan synthases, hydrolases and cell morphogenesis proteins, but the details of these interactions are largely unknown. We now show that the Escherichia coli peptidoglycan glycosyltrasferase‐transpeptidase PBP1A interacts with the cell elongation‐specific transpeptidase PBP2 in vitro and in the cell. Cells lacking PBP1A are thinner and initiate cell division later in the cell cycle. PBP1A localizes mainly to the cylindrical wall of the cell, supporting its role in cell elongation. Our in vitro peptidoglycan synthesis assays provide novel insights into the cooperativity of peptidoglycan synthases with different activities. PBP2 stimulates the glycosyltransferase activity of PBP1A, and PBP1A and PBP2 cooperate to attach newly synthesized peptidoglycan to sacculi. PBP2 has peptidoglycan transpeptidase activity in the presence of active PBP1A. Our data also provide a possible explanation for the depletion of lipid II precursors in penicillin‐treated cells.
Exceptional inheritance of plastids via pollen in Nicotiana sylvestris with no detectable paternal mitochondrial DNA in the progeny
Authors: Thyssen Gregory , Svab Zora , Maliga Pal
Published: May 2012

Plastids and mitochondria, the DNA‐containing cytoplasmic organelles, are maternally inherited in the majority of angiosperm species. Even in plants with strict maternal inheritance, exceptional paternal transmission of plastids has been observed. Our objective was to detect rare leakage of plastids via pollen in Nicotiana sylvestris and to determine if pollen transmission of plastids results in co‐transmission of paternal mitochondria. As father plants, we used N. sylvestris plants with transgenic, selectable plastids and wild‐type mitochondria. As mother plants, we used N. sylvestris plants with Nicotiana undulata cytoplasm, including the CMS‐92 mitochondria that cause cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) by homeotic transformation of the stamens. We report here exceptional paternal plastid DNA in approximately 0.002% of N. sylvestris seedlings. However, we did not detect paternal mitochondrial DNA in any of the six plastid‐transmission lines, suggesting independent transmission of the cytoplasmic organelles via pollen. When we used fertile N. sylvestris as mothers, we obtained eight fertile plastid transmission lines, which did not transmit their plastids via pollen at higher frequencies than their fathers. We discuss the implications for transgene containment and plant evolutionary histories inferred from cytoplasmic phylogenies.
Cutaneous sporotrichosis: a six‐year review of 19 cases in a tertiary referral center in Malaysia
Authors: Tang Min Moon , Tang Jyh Jong , Gill Priya , Chang Choong Chor , Baba Roshidah
Published: May 2012

Background  Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous fungal infection caused by a thermally dimorphic aerobic fungus, Sporothrix schenckii. It results from traumatic inoculation or contact with animals. Most cases were reported mainly in the tropics and subtropics.

Objective  The objective of our study is to assess the clinical characteristic of cutaneous sporotrichosis among our patients.

Methodology  We performed a retrospective review of all cases diagnosed with cutaneous sporotrichosis from July 2004 to June 2010. Patients’ medical records were retrieved and analyzed according to demography, preceding trauma, sites of lesions, clinical subtypes, treatment, and clinical response.

Results  Nineteen cases were diagnosed with cutaneous sporotrichosis with a male/female ratio of 9 : 10. Thirteen cases (68.4%) were able to recall preceding trauma, and seven of them reported cat scratches or cat bites. Lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis was observed in 13 cases (68.4%) followed by four cases of fixed cutaneous sporotrichosis and two cases of disseminated sporotrichosis. Histologically, 11 cases (57.8%) demonstrated a granulomatous reaction. Sporothrix schenckii was cultured in 12 cases (63.2%). Thirteen cases (68.4%) were successfully treated with oral itraconazole alone for a mean duration of 15.6 weeks. Two cases with disseminated cutaneous sporotrichosis were treated with intravenous amphotericin B.

Conclusion  Lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis was the most common subtype of cutaneous sporotrichosis in our series, with cat scratches or bites being the most common preceding trauma. Oral itraconazole was highly effective for the localized subtypes, whereas intravenous amphotericin B was required in disseminated cutaneous sporotrichosis.
Climate change and skin disease: a review of the English‐language literature
Authors: Andersen Louise K. , Hercogová Jana , Wollina Uwe , Davis Mark D. P.
Published: May 2012

Climate change describes variation in regional or global climates over time. The question of how climate change affects skin disease remains largely unanswered. We reviewed the English‐language literature describing the influence of climate change on skin. Relatively few publications detail aspects of how climate change affects skin. Direct effects include the effects of extreme weather events, and indirect effects include the effects of longer‐term changes in patterns of infections and infestations worldwide. The effect of climate change on skin is unclear, and more studies on this topic are needed.
Eyelash trichomegaly: review of congenital, acquired, and drug‐associated etiologies for elongation of the eyelashes
Authors: Paul Laura J. , Cohen Philip R. , Kurzrock Razelle
Published: May 2012

Eyelash trichomegaly is defined as eyelashes which are found to be of increased length, thickness, and pigmentation. This unique finding can be present at birth as part of a variety of congenital syndromes or as a benign familial trait. There are also acquired conditions and drugs that are known to cause these changes. Case reports and clinical studies in the medical literature concerning eyelash trichomegaly were investigated and summarized to compile a comprehensive review of the etiology of eyelash trichomegaly. Previously published reviews and studies that report on the finding of increased generalized hair growth and which do not specifically mention eyelashes were not included. Trichomegaly of the eyelashes may occur as a key feature among rare congenital syndromes, develop in association with certain acquired diseases, or present as an intended or treatment‐related adverse drug effect. Eyelash trichomegaly may be present from birth or manifest later in life in association with acquired diseases or drug therapy. The relevance of this finding may be benign, however eyelash trichomegaly in some individuals can be a symptom for immune dysfunction or a clinical measure of response to drug therapy.
HLA‐B*40:179, a novel allele identified by sequence‐based typing in cord blood from a Korean woman
Authors: Kim K. M. , Sung H. Y. , Jung B. , Kang M. S. , Huh J. Y.
Published: May 2012

The novel allele B*40:179 showed one nucleotide difference with B*40:01:01 in exon 4.
Reproduction and embryogenesis of the mandi‐amarelo catfish, Pimelodus maculatus (Pisces, Pimelodidae), in captivity
Authors: Arantes F. P. , Borçato F. L. , Sato Y. , Rizzo E. , Bazzoli N.
Published: May 2012

To study reproduction and embryogenesis, Pimelodus maculatus specimens were kept in captivity and captured bimonthly during 1 year. Gonads samples (211 specimens) were collected and submitted to routine histological techniques. Pimelodus maculatus prepared to reproduce when water temperature was high, and even reached advanced maturation but did not spawn in captivity. Spent fish gonads were not documented, and atretic follicles were frequent (60%) in late maturation females. When then submitted to hypophysation, 70% of the females responded positively to hormonal treatment. Oocyte extrusion occurred 8 h after a second hormonal injection at 26°C. The fertilisation rate was 65.1 ± 9.2% at 24°C. Recently spawned oocytes of P. maculatus were spherical, non‐adhesive, yellow in colour, with an average diameter of 1113.92 ± 37.02 μm and covered by a thick gelatinous layer. Blastopore closure occurred 7 h and 30 min after fertilisation. Embryonic development was completed within 18 h after fertilisation. The results of this work provide important knowledge for the handling and cultivation of not only P. maculatus, but other species of potential value for fish culture.