bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Topiramate (Topamax®) Therapy on the Development of Aggressive and/or Agitated Behavior
Authors: Farinde Abimbola
Published: October 2011

The use of topiramate therapy to control the neuropsychiatric and behavioral disturbances in individuals with mental and/or developmental disabilities with co-occurring psychiatric disturbances has become a standard of practice in many long-term care assisted living facilities. With increased utilization of this anticonvulsant, there has been a rise in the number documented cases of agitation and/or aggressive behavior associated with topiramate therapy. It is the purpose of this article to explore the current literature documenting the connection between topiramate utilization and the development of aggressive and/or agitated behavior.
A Randomized Study to Assess the Impact of Pharmacist Counseling of Employer-Based Health Plan Beneficiaries With Diabetes
Authors: Kraemer Dale F. , Kradjan Wayne A. , Bianco Theresa M. , Low Judi A.
Published: October 2011

Objective: To assess the impact of pharmacist counseling on empowering people with diabetes to better self-care. Introduction: Community-based pharmacists can play a key role in educating and empowering people in such programs. Methods: A randomized trial compared the effects of pharmacist counseling (intervention group) with printed materials (control group) in diabetic beneficiaries of several employer-based health care plans. All participants also received waiver of out-of-pocket expenses for diabetic-related medications and supplies. Clinical, humanistic, and claim outcomes were evaluated at baseline and at 1 year follow-up. Results: Sixty-seven beneficiaries participated in this study. The 0.50% decrease from baseline in glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) was statistically significant ( P = .0008) in the intervention group and the difference between the groups approached statistical significance ( P = .076). Beneficiaries in both groups had greater claim costs for diabetic-related medications and supplies during the study year. Both groups also improved in ability to manage their diabetes with the counseling group showing a significantly better understanding of diabetes ( P = .0024). Conclusion: There was a trend toward improvement in A1c in patients counseled by pharmacist with an increased utilization of diabetes-related medications and supplies. Counseling also improved diabetes knowledge and empowered patients to better diabetes management.
Comparative Effectiveness of Dalteparin and Enoxaparin in a Hospital Setting
Authors: Carson William , Schilling Blane , Simons W. Robert , Parks Connie , Choe Yoonhee , Faria Claudio , Powers Annette
Published: October 2011

Purpose: This study compared the effectiveness of a change from enoxaparin to dalteparin for the prophylaxis of patients at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Methods: A retrospective cohort study identified hospitalized patients with VTE risk admitted at Wellmont Health System between August 1, 2008 and July 31, 2009. On February 1, 2009, a therapeutic interchange from enoxaparin to dalteparin occurred. All patient records were reviewed from billing data collected 6 months prior and following conversion. Statistical tests of heterogeneity compared distributions of demography between study cohorts and Cochran tests were used to compare pre- versus postchange in the outcomes. Results: A total of 3557 and 3465 patient discharges were analyzed in the 6 months prior and following the interchange, respectively. Of these discharges, 1870 were administered enoxaparin and 1639 dalteparin. VTE rates were similar between the 2 groups. Data showed no significant difference in-hospital length of stay (LOS), readmittance, and bleeding rates in the populations. The system achieved a $40 788 savings over 6 months following the conversion using approved prophylactic dosing per patient indication. Conclusions: Dalteparin is similarly effective as enoxaparin and an alternative for the prophylaxis of VTE in a hospital setting while providing cost savings.
Rotary draw bending of small diameter copper tubes: predicting the quality of the cross-section
Authors: Mentella A , Strano M
Published: October 2011

The purpose of the present work is to study the correlation between the main geometrical tube parameters of the rotary draw bending process and the resulting quality of the cross-section of small hydraulic pipings. The method of choice, named free rotary draw bending, is a rotary draw bending process where no internal support from an internal mandrel or plug is possible, because hydraulic tubes cannot be lubricated on their internal diameter. Furthermore, no axial boosting of the tube or of the pressure die is applied. Free bending is mainly used when small-diameter tubes are involved, with high length and relatively thin walls.

A unique quality estimator QCS of the cross-section geometry of bent tubes has been developed, which is able to synthetically represent the main functional and aesthetical properties of tubes: the maximum ovalization, the minimum hydraulic diameter, and so on. In the case of copper tubes for hydraulic applications a strongly deformed cross-section after bending means a poor quality of the product, since it delivers an increase of head losses and of pressure drops.

The deformation occurring in the cross-section of the tube has been studied through a set of FEM simulations, run with an explicit code with shell elements, and the model has been validated by comparing the experimental and numerical results of specific cases, in terms of geometry of the cross-section in a 90° bend. The plan of simulations has been designed using the typical copper tube dimensions for hydro-thermo-sanitary applications and a few runs have been added with modified parameters with the aim of completing the plan for evaluating the sensitivity to a change either in geometrical variables (thickness t, outer diameter OD, mean bending radius RM) or in the tube material. An indicator (bending factor) is proposed, able to reliably estimate the difficulty of a bending process with respect to tendency to ovalization and collapse of the cross-section. Some design guidelines of the bending tools are provided.
Aircraft heat exchanger fouling detection based on valve control command
Authors: Shang L , Liu G
Published: October 2011

Heat exchanger is a core component in aircraft engine bleed air temperature regulation systems. A potential fault associated with heat exchanger is fouling, which reduces the heat transfer efficiency and introduces additional resistance to flow, causing extra drag and fuel consumption. This article presents a heat exchanger fouling detection method based on the valve control command of an engine bleed air temperature regulation system. Heat exchanger fouling is monitored by estimating the deviation of valve control command using an extended Kalman filter. Computer simulations and experiments on a simulated bleed air temperature regulation system have been conducted and the results have confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method.
The unsteady drag of airfoils having trailing edge flaps with overhang in subsonic flow
Authors: Yi T , Wang H
Published: October 2011

A new analytical method, based on Theodorsen and Hariharan and Leishman’s work, which includes the influence of overhang on unsteady drag, is established to study the two-dimensional aerodynamics of trailing edge flap (TEF) airfoils with overhang. The drag of several TEF airfoils with overhang is calculated and precision improved effectively by the present methods in both steady and unsteady cases. The influence of flap chord ratio (the ratio of the flap chord to the airfoil chord) and overhang ratio (the ratio of overhang value to the flap chord) on steady and unsteady drags is analysed, which showed that (1) appearance of overhang increases the drag significantly, and (2) increase in overhang ratio results in augmenting amplitude and phase lag of drag coefficient. Unsteady lift force, pitching moment and hinge moment, of the TEF airfoils with overhang, for the sake of completeness, are also discussed together with the drag.
A strain amplitude-based algorithm for impact localization on composite laminates
Authors: Hiche Cristobal , Coelho Clyde K. , Chattopadhyay Aditi
Published: October 2011

Automated detection of damage due to low energy impacts in composite structures is very important for aerospace structural health monitoring applications. Low-velocity impact creates subsurface damage that can significantly reduce the stiffness of a component, yet show barely visible damage. This article proposes a novel methodology for impact localization based on the maximum strain amplitude measured by fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors during an impact event. The approach correlates the strain amplitude of each sensor pair to find the location of highest strain corresponding to the impact location. This approach requires minimal knowledge of the structure and fewer number of sensors as opposed to current localization methods. Both simulation and experimental data are used as proof of concept. Since FBG sensors measure strain in only one direction, the effect of sensor orientation on the performance of the algorithm is also studied. The algorithm is tested on graphite/epoxy composite plates and shows good localization results in all impact cases considered.
On the dynamic characteristics of biological inspired multicellular fluidic flexible matrix composite structures
Authors: Li Suyi , Wang K. W.
Published: October 2011

The objective of this research is to explore the dynamic characteristics of a multicellular fluidic flexible matrix composite (F2MC) structure. F2MC is a novel composite idea inspired by the fibrillar organizations of plant cell walls. Previous work on F2MC has mostly focused on single cell studies and on its static or quasi-static characteristics. The F2MC dynamic characteristics with interaction between cells through a flow circuit have not yet been investigated. When under external load, a network of F2MC cells with different fiber angles will generate pressure gradient and induce internal fluid flows. Therefore, the working fluids and flow port can be selected/designed for new types of functionality. An analytical model, incorporating the flow port characteristics with the cell structural dynamics, is developed and analyzed. Experimental investigations are also performed. It is shown that a dual F2MC cellular structure can be used as a vibration absorber and as an enhanced actuator with higher actuation authority compared to a single F2MC cell in a designated frequency band. These features are studied in correlation to the various system parameters, such as the fiber composite parameters, flow port parameters, and working fluid effective bulk modulus.
Beatlemania in the General Music Classroom
Authors: Cardany Audrey Berger
Published: October 2011

In Geoff Edgers’s biography of the Beatles, Who Were the Beatles?, young readers learn of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison’s youth and growth as musicians, the band’s formation, and their contributions to music in popular culture. General Music Today columnist, Cardany provides music teachers with related music listening lessons and suggests question answer relationships (QARs) to aid music teachers in enhancing students’ reading comprehension.
Work Volition, Career Decision Self-Efficacy, and Academic Satisfaction
Authors: Jadidian Alex , Duffy Ryan D.
Published: October 2011

The present study examined the relation of work volition to career decision self-efficacy (CDSE) and academic satisfaction in a diverse sample of 447 undergraduate college students. Work volition was found to be moderately correlated with academic satisfaction and strongly correlated with CDSE. Potential mediators and moderators in the link of work volition to CDSE and academic satisfaction were also examined. Work locus of control (WLOC) was found to partially mediate these relations, and bootstrapping techniques confirmed the significance of indirect effects. Additionally, the moderating effects of gender and ethnicity in these relations were examined. Although gender was not a significant moderator in either relation, ethnicity was found to moderate the relation between work volition and academic satisfaction, such that work volition related more strongly to academic satisfaction for those who self-identified as White, relative to those who did not. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Career Decision Statuses Among Portuguese Secondary School Students
Authors: Santos Paulo Jorge , Ferreira Joaquim Armando
Published: October 2011

Career indecision is a complex phenomenon and an increasing number of authors have proposed that undecided individuals do not form a group with homogeneous characteristics. This study examines career decision statuses among a sample of 362 12th-grade Portuguese students. A cluster-analytical procedure, based on a battery of instruments designed to assess career and personality dimensions, was employed to understand the heterogeneous groupings that underlie the concept of career indecision. Three groups of career decision statuses were identified and their characteristics described. Finally, implications for career counseling interventions are discussed.
Construction of a Physician Skills Inventory
Authors: Richard George V. , Zarconi Joseph , Savickas Mark L.
Published: October 2011

The current study applied Holland’s RIASEC typology to develop a Physician Skills Inventory. We identified the transferable skills and abilities that are critical to effective performance in medicine and had 140 physicians in 25 different specialties rate the importance of those skills. Principal component analysis of their responses produced three major components that aligned with the RIASEC code of Investigative-Realistic-Social (IRS) for physicians. The investigative type fit with problem-solving skills, the realistic type fit with psychomotor skills, and the social type fit with counseling skills. The Physician Skills Inventory may be used in helping medical students profile their skills for further development or remediation and for matching their skills to the requirements of different specialties.
Supporting Science
Authors: Evans Michael S.
Published: October 2011

Religion sometimes appears to motivate objections to science and technology. But how and when does religion matter? The author examines this question from a novel perspective. Given the opportunity to limit scientific research, and having good reasons to do so, are religious persons likely to support such limits? Through individual interviews with 62 respondents, he finds that the answer is generally “no.” Religious and nonreligious respondents alike deploy multiple reinforcing arguments for supporting science in order to resist any proposed limits. With rare exceptions, religious and nonreligious persons concur in their unwavering support for ongoing scientific research.
Effects of the Use of Semipermeable Membranes on Fluid Loss in Low-Birth-Weight Premature Newborns
Authors: de Paula Pessoa Gurgel Eloah , de Oliveira Lopes Marcos Venícios , Caetano Joselany Áfio , Rolim Karla Maria Carneiro , de Almeida Paulo Cesar , Barreto João Osmiro
Published: October 2011

Studies have shown that the application of semipermeable membranes to the skin of premature newborns (NBs) can aid in protecting the skin, reduce disturbances in fluid and electrolyte levels, and decrease neonatal mortality. The aim of this study was to verify the effect of using semipermeable membranes in low-birth-weight preterm newborns (PTNBs). A randomized controlled trial was carried out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with 42 NBs split evenly into an intervention group (IG), in which semipermeable membranes were used to cover large areas of the skin for the first 7 days of life, and a control group (CG), which received normal care. The variables investigated for the study were weight, hydration status, urinary density, glycemic control, sodium concentration, and daily hydration quota. The following variables displayed significant daily variation: weight, hydration quota, and sodium concentration. Statistically significant individual effects by day and by group were found only for sodium concentration. In the overall analysis of the intersubject effects, sodium concentration, alone, proved to be significant ( p = .055). Significant effects by group in relation to the sodium concentration were found, with the IG showing a lower average sodium concentration than the CG. Thus, the use of semipermeable membranes reduced fluid loss in premature NBs in the current study, confirming the findings of previous studies. Guidelines for practice may now be warranted.
Investigation on three-body abrasive wear of ferritic steels, austenitic steel, and low-carbon steel
Authors: Wesley S B , Goyal H S , Harsha A P
Published: October 2011

In order to minimize the investment costs, the use of ferritic stainless steels is being explored for various processing industries. International Stainless Steel Forum suggested the use of ferritic steels AISI 439 and 444 in cane sugar industry instead of austenitic steels and low-carbon steels. The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the abrasion resistance of these ferritic grades and to compare and rank them against austenitic steel AISI 304 and low-carbon steel SAE 1010 for use as construction material in sugar mills. Optical microscope, microhardness tester, and scanning electron microscope have been used to characterize the abraded specimens.The abrasion resistances AISI 439 and 444 grade steels are found to be moderately better than those of the other two materials in the abrasion test.
Pupils' gossip as remedial action
Authors: Tholander Michael
Published: October 2011

This article focuses on sequences of classroom talk, in which Swedish junior high-school pupils engage in reproaches of absent parties or, to use an established gloss, `gossiping'. This kind of talk makes up a significant part of the off-task talk that pupils engage in when working in small groups. In order to initiate and participate in gossip interaction, pupils need to master sophisticated social competencies. The study focuses on these competencies and on one major function that gossip can be seen to perform for the primary gossiper: gossip as remedial action.
Cross-Cultural Cognitive Interviewing
Authors: Willis Gordon B. , Miller Kristen
Published: October 2011

Cognitive interviewing (CI) has emerged as a key qualitative method for the pretesting and evaluation of self-report survey questionnaires. This article defines CI, describes its key features, and outlines the data analysis techniques that are commonly used. The authors then consider recent extensions of cognitive testing to the cross-cultural survey research realm, where the major practical objectives are: (1) to facilitate inclusion of a range of cultural and linguistic groups and (2) for purposes of comparative analysis, to produce survey questionnaire items that exhibit comparability of measurement, across groups. Challenges presented by this extension to the cross-cultural and multilingual areas are discussed. Finally, the authors introduce the articles contained within the current special issue of Field Methods (2011), which endeavor to apply cognitive testing in specific cross-cultural survey projects, and to both identify and suggest solutions to the unique problems that face questionnaire designers and researchers more generally, in the practice of survey pretesting and evaluation methods as these endeavor to cover the sociocultural spectrum.
Optimal stopping for the predictive maintenance of a structure subject to corrosion
Authors: de Saporta B , Dufour F , Zhang H , Elegbede C
Published: October 2011

This paper presents a numerical method to compute the optimal maintenance time for a complex dynamic system applied to an example of maintenance of a metallic structure subject to corrosion. An arbitrarily early intervention may be uselessly costly, but a late one may lead to a partial/complete failure of the system, which has to be avoided. One must therefore find a balance between these too-simple maintenance policies. To achieve this aim, the system is modelled by a stochastic hybrid process. The maintenance problem thus corresponds to an optimal stopping problem. A numerical method is proposed to solve the optimal stopping problem and optimize the maintenance time for this kind of process.
Reliability analysis of series systems with multiple failure modes under epistemic and aleatory uncertainties
Authors: Xiao N-C , Huang H-Z , Wang Z , Li Y , Liu Y
Published: October 2011

Uncertainty exists widely in engineering practice. An engineering system may have multiple failure criteria. In the current paper, system reliability analysis with multiple failure modes under both epistemic and aleatory uncertainties is presented. Epistemic uncertainty is modelled using p-boxes, while aleatory uncertainty is modelled using probability distributions. A first-order reliability method is developed and non-linear performance functions are linearized by the sampling method instead of the commonly used Taylor’s expansion at the most probable point. Furthermore, multiple failure modes in a system are often correlated because they depend on the same uncertain variables. In order to consider these correlated failure modes, the methods proposed by Feng and Frank are extended in this paper in order to calculate the joint probability of failure for two arbitrary failure modes under both aleatory and epistemic uncertainties. The Pearson correlation coefficient of two arbitrary failure modes is determined by the sampling method. Since two types of uncertainty exist in the system, the probability of system failure is an interval rather than a point value. The probability of failure of the system can be obtained by the combination of the extension ‘narrow’ bound method and the interval arithmetic. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method.
Preventing recurrence of radioulnar synostosis with pedicled adipofascial flaps
Authors: Sonderegger J. , Gidwani S. , Ross M.
Published: October 2011

The surgical treatment of post-traumatic radioulnar synostosis is difficult. Recurrence after resection alone is a concern with poor long-term maintenance of forearm rotation. We report on the use of pedicled adipofascial flaps to prevent recurrence and facilitate maintenance of movement in six adult patients with radioulnar synostosis. Five involved the proximal radioulnar joint and one the distal radioulnar joint. In four the flap was based on the radial artery and in two on the posterior interosseous artery. Mean intraoperative supination was 78° and pronation was 76°. Mean follow up was 32 months. At follow-up, mean supination was 71° and pronation was 70°. No patient had radiological recurrence of synostosis. The only complication was a transient posterior interosseous nerve palsy. Pedicled adipofascial flaps are a safe addition to resection alone which may prevent recurrence and maintain the range of forearm rotation achieved at operation.
Otto Hilgenfeldt (1900–1983): tribute to an important pioneer of European hand surgery
Authors: Gohritz A. , Dellon A. L. , Müller F. E. , Vogt P. M.
Published: October 2011

The German surgeon Otto Hilgenfeldt (1900–1983) was a great innovator in European hand surgery in the 20th century, particularly in respect of the tactile (sensate) thumb and grip reconstruction in amputation injuries. His experience, beginning in the 1930s, helped him to treat hundreds of soldiers with mutilating hand injuries from 1941 to 1945 during World War II. While totally isolated and without any access to international publications, he devised many innovative ideas such as a neurovascular middle finger transposition for pollicization (first case done in July 1943) and a sensory dorsoradial first metacarpal flap for thumb resurfacing. His book Operative thumb replacement and substitution of finger losses published in 1950 is regarded as one of the most important German contributions to modern hand surgery. Hilgenfeldt’s life and work remain fascinating and exemplary from a historical and surgical point of view. Many of his pragmatic surgical solutions remain valid despite the advent of microsurgery.
Constrained power allocation schemes for coordinated base station transmission using block diagonalization
Authors: García Armada Ana , Sánchez-Fernández Matilde , Corvaja Roberto
Published: October 2011

In this study, we propose several power allocation schemes in a coordinated base station downlink transmission with per antenna and per base station power constraints. Block Diagonalization is employed to remove interference among users. For each set of power constraints, two schemes based on the waterfilling distribution are proposed and compared to the optimal solution, which can only be obtained numerically by using convex optimization. We show that the proposed schemes achieve a performance, in terms of weighted sum rate, very close to the optimal, without the heavy computational complexity required by the latter. The sum rates are compared first in a simplified two-user two-cell case where we also compare our approach to the previous solutions available in the literature. Then, we examine the performance in a multi-cell scenario where we also evaluate the degradation of the performance caused by imperfect channel state information.
Novel technique for biliary reconstruction using an isolated gastric tube with a vascularized pedicle: a live animal experimental study and the first clinical case
Authors: Helmy Ashraf A , Hamad Mostafa A , Aly Ahmed M , Sherif Tahra , Hashem Mostafa , El-Sers Dalia AH , Semieka Mohammad
Published: October 2011

Background

Biliary tract reconstruction continues to be a challenging surgical problem. Multiple experimental attempts have been reported to reconstruct biliary defects with different materials and variable outcome. Our aim was to evaluate a new method for biliary reconstruction using an isolated pedicled gastric tube in a live animal trial and also to present the first clinical case.

Methods

Seven mongrel dogs underwent biliary reconstruction using gastric tube harvested, completely separated from the greater curvature, and based on a vascularized pedicle with the right gastroepiploic vessels. The tube was interposed between the common bile duct (CBD) and the duodenum. Postoperative mortality, morbidity, liver functions, gross and microscopic histological picture were assessed. The first clinical case was also presented where, in a patient with post-cholecystectomy biliary injury, an isolated pedicled gastric tube was interposed between the proximal and distal ends of the CBD.

Results

One dog did not recover from anesthesia and another one died postoperatively from septic peritonitis. Five dogs survived the procedure and showed uneventful course and no cholestasis. The mean anastomotic circumference was 4.8 mm (range 4-6) for CBD anastomosis and 6.2 mm (range 5-7) for duodenal anastomosis. Histologically, anastomotic sites showed good evidence of healing. In the first clinical case, the patient showed clinical and biochemical improvement. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography was feasible and assured patent biliary anastomoses.

Conclusion

In mongrel dogs, biliary reconstruction using pedicled gastric tube interposition between CBD and duodenum is feasible with satisfactory clinical results, anastomotic circumference and histological evidence of healing. The technique is also feasible in human and seems to be promising.
Hesr1 and Hesr3 are essential to generate undifferentiated quiescent satellite cells and to maintain satellite cell numbers
Authors: Fukada So-ichiro , Yamaguchi Masahiko , Kokubo Hiroki , Ogawa Ryo , Uezumi Akiyoshi , Yoneda Tomohiro , Matev Miroslav M. , Motohashi Norio , Ito Takahito , Zolkiewska Anna , Johnson Randy L. , Saga Yumiko , Miyagoe-Suzuki Yuko , Tsujikawa Kazutake , Takeda Shin’ichi , Yamamoto Hiroshi
Published: October 2011

Satellite cells, which are skeletal muscle stem cells, divide to provide new myonuclei to growing muscle fibers during postnatal development, and then are maintained in an undifferentiated quiescent state in adult skeletal muscle. This state is considered to be essential for the maintenance of satellite cells, but their molecular regulation is unknown. We show that Hesr1 (Hey1) and Hesr3 (Heyl) (which are known Notch target genes) are expressed simultaneously in skeletal muscle only in satellite cells. In Hesr1 and Hesr3 single-knockout mice, no obvious abnormalities of satellite cells or muscle regenerative potentials are observed. However, the generation of undifferentiated quiescent satellite cells is impaired during postnatal development in Hesr1/3 double-knockout mice. As a result, myogenic (MyoD and myogenin) and proliferative (Ki67) proteins are expressed in adult satellite cells. Consistent with the in vivo results, Hesr1/3-null myoblasts generate very few Pax7+ MyoD– undifferentiated cells in vitro. Furthermore, the satellite cell number gradually decreases in Hesr1/3 double-knockout mice even after it has stabilized in control mice, and an age-dependent regeneration defect is observed. In vivo results suggest that premature differentiation, but not cell death, is the reason for the reduced number of satellite cells in Hesr1/3 double-knockout mice. These results indicate that Hesr1 and Hesr3 are essential for the generation of adult satellite cells and for the maintenance of skeletal muscle homeostasis.
Analysis of gene networks in white adipose tissue development reveals a role for ETS2 in adipogenesis
Authors: Birsoy Kıvanç , Berry Ryan , Wang Tim , Ceyhan Ozge , Tavazoie Saeed , Friedman Jeffrey M. , Rodeheffer Matthew S.
Published: October 2011

Obesity is characterized by an expansion of white adipose tissue mass that results from an increase in the size and the number of adipocytes. However, the mechanisms responsible for the formation of adipocytes during development and the molecular mechanisms regulating their increase and maintenance in adulthood are poorly understood. Here, we report the use of leptin-luciferase BAC transgenic mice to track white adipose tissue (WAT) development and guide the isolation and molecular characterization of adipocytes during development using DNA microarrays. These data reveal distinct transcriptional programs that are regulated during murine WAT development in vivo. By using a de novo cis-regulatory motif discovery tool (FIRE), we identify two early gene clusters whose promoters show significant enrichment for NRF2/ETS transcription factor binding sites. We further demonstrate that Ets transcription factors, but not Nrf2, are regulated during early adipogenesis and that Ets2 is essential for the normal progression of the adipocyte differentiation program in vitro. These data identify ETS2 as a functionally important transcription factor in adipogenesis and its possible role in regulating adipose tissue mass in adults can now be tested. Our approach also provides the basis for elucidating the function of other gene networks during WAT development in vivo. Finally these data confirm that although gene expression during adipogenesis in vitro recapitulates many of the patterns of gene expression in vivo, there are additional developmental transitions in pre and post-natal adipose tissue that are not evident in cell culture systems.
Zebrafish mnx1 controls cell fate choice in the developing endocrine pancreas
Authors: Dalgin Gokhan , Ward Andrea B. , Hao Le T. , Beattie Christine E. , Nechiporuk Alexei , Prince Victoria E.
Published: October 2011

The vertebrate endocrine pancreas has the crucial function of maintaining blood sugar homeostasis. This role is dependent upon the development and maintenance of pancreatic islets comprising appropriate ratios of hormone-producing cells. In all vertebrate models studied, an initial precursor population of Pdx1-expressing endoderm cells gives rise to separate endocrine and exocrine cell lineages. Within the endocrine progenitor pool a variety of transcription factors influence cell fate decisions, such that hormone-producing differentiated cell types ultimately arise, including the insulin-producing beta cells and the antagonistically acting glucagon-producing alpha cells. In previous work, we established that the development of all pancreatic lineages requires retinoic acid (RA) signaling. We have used the zebrafish to uncover genes that function downstream of RA signaling, and here we identify mnx1 (hb9) as an RA-regulated endoderm transcription factor-encoding gene. By combining manipulation of gene function, cell transplantation approaches and transgenic reporter analysis we establish that Mnx1 functions downstream of RA within the endoderm to control cell fate decisions in the endocrine pancreas progenitor lineage. We confirm that Mnx1-deficient zebrafish lack beta cells, and, importantly, we make the novel observation that they concomitantly gain alpha cells. In Mnx1-deficient embryos, precursor cells that are normally destined to differentiate as beta cells instead take on an alpha cell fate. Our findings suggest that Mnx1 functions to promote beta and suppress alpha cell fates.
Dendritic cells derived from HOXB4-immortalized hematopoietic bone marrow cells
Authors: Baru Abdul Mannan , Krishnaswamy Jayendra Kumar , Rathinasamy Anchana , Scherr Michaela , Eder Matthias , Behrens Georg M N
Published: October 2011

Dendritic cells (DCs) are essential for the generation and modulation of cell-mediated adaptive immunity against infections. DC-based vaccination involves transplantation of ex vivo-generated DCs loaded with antigen in vitro, but remains limited by the number of autologous or allogeneic cells. While in vitro expansion and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) into DCs seems to be the most viable alternative to overcome this problem, the complexity of HSC expansion in vitro has posed significant limitations for clinical application. We immortalized lineage-depleted murine hematopoietic bone marrow (lin−BM) cells with HOXB4, and differentiated them into CD11c+MHCII+ DCs. These cells showed the typical DC phenotype and upregulated surface expression of co-stimulatory molecules on stimulation with various toll-like receptor ligands. These DCs efficiently presented exogenous antigen to T-cells via major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I and II and viral antigen on infection. Finally, they showed migratory capacity and were able to generate antigen-specific primed T-cells in vivo. In summary, we provide evidence that HOXB4-transduced lin−BM cells can serve as a viable means of generating fully functional DCs for scientific and therapeutic applications.
Competing for Low-End Markets
Authors: Amaldoss Wilfred , Shin Woochoel
Published: October 2011

Recent business research points to the fortune awaiting to be tapped in low-end markets. In this paper, we investigate how the size of the low-end market influences a firm's profits and the pioneering firm's quality choice. As low-valuation consumers increase in a market, on average, consumers' willingness to pay decreases. This may lead us to expect firms' profits to decrease as the size of the low-end market increases. Our analysis shows that, if the size of the low-end market is below a threshold, an increase in the size of the low-end market may actually dampen price competition and improve profits, as firms can then strategically choose their quality levels such that their products are more differentiated. Conventional wisdom also suggests that the pioneering firm will offer a higher-quality product and earn more profits compared with the later entrant. In contrast to this notion of quality advantage, our analysis identifies circumstances in which a pioneer can offer a lower-quality product and yet earn more profits. An experimental test lends support for some of our model's predictions. We further extend the model to consider markets with multiple firms, firms with multiple products, and consumers with limited purchasing power.
Expressions of Gratitude in Disaster Management: An Economic, Social Marketing, and Public Policy Perspective on Post-Katrina Campaigns
Authors: Raggio Randle D. , Folse Judith Anne Garretson
Published: October 2011

In this article, the authors argue that in the wake of a major disaster, it is not only appropriate but also beneficial for governments to spend public funds to support official gratitude campaigns in response to outside assistance. These assertions are based on results of multiple studies on gratitude from both psychology and marketing that show that expressions of gratitude can offer both economic and social marketing benefits. Evidence demonstrates increased consumer willingness to purchase products produced in the devastated area and intentions to continue prosocial support through volunteerism and financial donations after receiving expressions of gratitude. Evidence also shows that public expressions of gratitude encourage those who did not participate in prior relief/recovery activities to do so in the future. As such, the authors recommend the implementation of a disaster management policy that encourages and rewards private and public groups to partner in similar campaigns. Such a policy leads to both economic and social rewards for the devastated areas and its citizens—and, importantly, the broader society—that outweigh and outlast the expense of the campaign. Specifically, these benefits save those directly affected by a disaster from having to bear the full burden of disaster recovery and rebuilding efforts and could increase the amount of outside economic and social assistance provided.
From Right to Responsibility: Sustainable Change in Water Consumption
Authors: Phipps Marcus , Brace-Govan Jan
Published: October 2011

With demand increasingly outstripping supply, the sustainable consumption of water is a crucial public policy issue. This article outlines a case study of the urban water marketing system of Melbourne, Australia. The study illustrates how Melbourne's water marketing system responded to the shock of drought and then was reset through changes in the formal, informal, and philosophical antecedents of the marketplace. Change was facilitated in part through public policy but also through the interplay between the antecedent classes that enabled new marketplace outcomes to occur. Interviews with seven upstream water experts and 16 downstream household water consumers, in combination with secondary sources, illustrate how consumers shifted their perspective on water consumption from a right to consume to a view that water needed to be consumed responsibly. Through an examination of the interactions among the external factors that shape the water marketing system, this article shows how changes in public policy can be effected if they are appropriately integrated into the informal and philosophical foundations of the marketplace.
The Control of “Sex in Advertising” in France
Authors: Boddewyn Jean J. , Loubradou Esther
Published: October 2011

The growing use and abuse of sex in French advertising prompted strong reactions from consumer and feminist associations and resulted in extensive and strict public and private controls. Recently, the French self-regulatory system developed a system involving various stakeholder organizations to analyze social trends related to the acceptability of sexually oriented advertisements, develop new voluntary guidelines, solicit complaints, and handle them through an independent jury. Subsequently, the number and proportion of controversial advertisements has significantly decreased, and French advertising practitioners have been nudged to accept greater professional responsibility in exchange for the freedom of creativity to which they aspire. A few U.S. developments parallel this increasing cooperation between the public and private controllers of the old issue of “taste and decency in advertising,” which has not faded in societal importance.
Origin and function of embryonic Sertoli cells
Authors: Barrionuevo Francisco , Burgos Miguel , Jiménez Rafael
Published: October 2011

In the adult testis, Sertoli cells (SCs) are the epithelial supporting cells of the seminiferous tubules that provide germ cells (GCs) with the required nutrients and structural and regulatory support to complete spermatogenesis. SCs also form the blood-testis barrier, phagocytose apoptotic spermatocytes and cell debris derived from spermiogenesis, and produce and secrete numerous paracrine and endocrine signals involved in different regulatory processes. In addition to their essential functions in the adult testis, SCs play a pivotal role during testis development. They are the first cells to differentiate in the embryonic XY gonadal primordium and are involved in the regulation of testis-specific differentiation processes, such as prevention of GC entry into meiosis, Leydig and peritubular myoid cell differentiation, and regression of the Müllerian duct, the anlagen of the uterus, oviducts, and the upper part of the vagina. Expression of the Y-linked geneSRYin pre-SCs initiates a genetic cascade that leads to SC differentiation and subsequently to testis development. Since the identification of theSRYgene, many Sertoli-specific transcription factors and signals underlying the molecular mechanisms of early testis differentiation have been identified. Here, we review the state of the art of the molecular interactions that commit the supporting cell lineage of the gonadal primordium to differentiate as SCs and the subsequent Sertoli-specific signaling pathways involved in early testis differentiation.
Subprime Factorization and the Numbers of Binomial Coefficients Exactly Divided by Powers of a Prime
Authors: Everett William B.
Published: October 2011

We use the notion of subprime factorization to establish recurrence relations for the number of binomial coefficients in a given row of Pascal's triangle that are divisible by
The Effect of Contact on the Filter Paper Method for Measuring Soil Suction
Authors: Marinho Fernando A. M. , da Silva Gomes Jorge E.
Published: October 2011

The filter paper method is one of the most commonly used and critiqued techniques for measuring soil suction. However, many aspects related to its use still require some clarification. The results of a comprehensive study on the effect of the contact between the soil grains and soil water and the filter paper are presented herein. We investigated the influence of the equilibration time, the texture of the porous material and the degree of contact, or lack thereof, between the soil grains and the filter paper using Whatman #42 and three different types of porous material. To enhance the difference between the total suction and the matrix suction, osmotic suction was induced by saturating the specimens with a sodium chloride solution.
The Secret of the Secret Chromatic Art
Authors: Gordon Bonnie
Published: October 2011

In 1946, just after emigrating from Nazi Germany via the Netherlands and Cuba to the United States, Edward Lowinsky published The Secret Chromatic Art in the Netherlands Motet. He posited a system of chromatic modulations through musica ficta in sixteenth-century Netherlandish polyphony circulated by clandestine heretic societies during the period of religious struggle in the Low Countries. According to Lowinsky, in the second half of the century a small contingent of northern musicians with radical Protestant sympathies wrote pieces that appeared on the surface to set texts and use diatonic melodies condoned by the Church. Beneath that compliant surface lurked secret chromaticism and seditious meanings that remained hidden from the Inquisition.

Despite Lowinsky’s obvious interest in odd passages in motets of Clemens non Papa, Lassus, and others, I argue that his history as a Jew in Nazi Germany and then as an exile from that regime compelled his idiosyncratic hearing of sixteenth-century polyphony. A close reading of the text suggests that Lowinsky identified with the composers he wrote about and that he aligned Nazi Germany with the Catholic Inquisition. Beyond its engagement with music theory and cultural history, The Secret Chromatic Art delivers a modern narrative of oppressed minorities, authoritarian regimes, and the artistic triumph of the dispossessed. The Secret Chromatic Art matters today because its themes of displacement and cultural estrangement echo similar issues that Pamela Potter and Lydia Goehr have discerned in the work of other exiled musicians and scholars who migrated from Nazi-controlled Europe to the United States, and whose contributions helped shape our discipline. Moreover, Lowinsky’s theory figured prominently in the debate initiated by Joseph Kerman in the 1960s that pitted American criticism against German positivism, a polemic that is still with us today.
Debt and Taxes: Can the Financial Industry Save Public Universities?
Authors: Meister Bob
Published: October 2011

This article examines the limitations of tuition (higher personal debt) as a mode of funding public university systems and, also, the widespread resistance to any tax increase by citizens with falling or stagnant income and growing burdens of debt. It argues that the questions of debt servitude and tax resistance must be considered together if public universities are to regain taxpayer support and become, once again, drivers of greater economic and social equality.
From Eternity to Here: Shrinkage in American Thinking About Higher Education
Authors: Harpham Geoffrey Galt
Published: October 2011

Following WWII, America committed itself to a system of mass liberal education with a core component of the humanities, a system designed to improve the quality of people's lives and strengthen the social bond. This linkage of private and public ends was both symbolized and secured by the combination of public and private support for higher education. Today, the American system is in jeopardy because the private and public entities that support the university have largely turned away from the educational mission even as they have dramatically increased their support for research and other activities. The resulting alteration in the character of the university necessarily comes at a cost to the democratic aspirations and the vision of human flourishing that higher education has traditionally served.