bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perfusion precision in bolus‐tracking MRI: Estimation using the wild‐bootstrap method
Authors: Calamante Fernando , Connelly Alan
Published: December 2008

Bolus‐tracking MRI involves the bolus injection of contrast agent, and the resultant concentration time course can be used to calculate perfusion by deconvolution analysis. However, most deconvolution methods do not provide a measure of precision. Precision could be estimated from many repeated measurements; however, this would involve a series of successive bolus injections, which is not a feasible option in practice due to contrast agent dose constraints. In this work, a method is presented to estimate precision in bolus‐tracking MRI using the wild‐bootstrap method. This approach is able to estimate the uncertainty in perfusion measurements from the data acquired during a single bolus of contrast agent injection. The methodology was assessed using numerical simulations and applied to real data with a range of image qualities. The method is shown to provide useful estimates of precision, and the results from real data were consistent with the underlying MRI data quality. The methodology provides an important complementary tool in clinical and research applications of bolus‐tracking MRI. Magn Reson Med, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Initial results of cardiac imaging at 7 tesla
Authors: Snyder C.J. , DelaBarre L. , Metzger G.J. , van de Moortele P.‐F. , Akgun C. , Ugurbil K. , Vaughan J.T.
Published: December 2008

This work reports preliminary results from the first human cardiac imaging at 7 Tesla (T). Images were acquired using an eight‐channel transmission line (TEM) array together with local B1 shimming. The TEM array consisted of anterior and posterior plates closely positioned to the subjects' thorax. The currents in the independent elements of these arrays were phased to promote constructive interference of the complex, short wavelength radio frequency field over the entire heart. Anatomic and functional images were acquired within a single breath hold to reduce respiratory motion artifacts while a vector cardiogram (VCG) was used to mitigate cardiac motion artifacts and gating. SAR exposure was modeled, monitored, and was limited to FDA guidelines for the human torso in subject studies. Preliminary results including short‐axis and four‐chamber VCG‐retrogated FLASH cines, as well as, short‐axis TSE images demonstrate the feasibility of safe and accurate human cardiac imaging at 7T. Magn Reson Med, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Increasing spatial coverage for high‐resolution functional MRI
Authors: Hu Yanle , Glover Gary H.
Published: December 2008

For high‐resolution functional MRI (fMRI) studies, one of the major challenges is limited spatial coverage, which results because of the tradeoffs between temporal resolution and covering more k‐space. Given the same temporal resolution, fewer slices can be collected for high‐resolution fMRI. If the number of slices is not large enough to cover all regions of interest, additional scans may become necessary, which increases both the total scan time and the complexity of interpreting data. In this work, we propose a method that combines the undersampled 3D stack‐of‐spirals acquisition method with the UNFOLD technique to significantly increase the spatial coverage for high‐resolution fMRI. Undersampling allows more slices to be fit into a given temporal resolution. The signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) drop associated with undersampling can be compensated by the increase in the excited volume in 3D acquisitions. Theoretical analysis shows that although there is a negligible increase in temporal coherence due to spectral filtering in the UNFOLD technique, twice the spatial coverage can be achieved given the same total scan time and similar quality of activation maps, which was confirmed by experiments on normal subjects. Magn Reson Med, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A domain decomposition strategy to efficiently solve structures containing repeated patterns
Authors: Gosselet P. , Rixen D. J. , Rey C.
Published: December 2008

This paper presents a strategy for the computation of structures with repeated patterns based on domain decomposition and block‐Krylov solvers. It can be seen as a special variant of the FETI method. We propose using the presence of repeated domains in the problem to compute the solution by minimizing the interface error on several directions simultaneously. The method not only drastically decreases the size of the problems to solve but also accelerates the convergence of interface problem for nearly no additional computational cost and minimizes expensive memory accesses. The numerical performances are illustrated on some thermal and elastic academic problems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adverse drug reactions in patients in an Iranian department of internal medicine
Authors: Pourseyed Sara , Fattahi Fatemeh , Pourpak Zahra , Gholami Keirollah , Shariatpanahi Seyed Shamsa , Moin Athar , Kazemnejad Anoushirvan , Moin Mostafa
Published: December 2008

Purpose

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a major cause of hospital admission and inpatient morbidity. The department of internal medicine is not an exception to this issue. This study was performed to determine the nature and frequency of ADRs in an internal medicine ward in Iran.

Methods

This survey was a prospective observational study based on admissions of 400 patients to the internal medicine ward over a 15‐week period. Patients were intensively followed in order to assess any ADR as a cause of admission or occurring during hospitalization. Any suspicious ADR was confirmed by a pharmacist/pharmacologist.

Results

There were 47 patients of 400 patients (11.75%) that experienced at least one ADR. ADR leading to the admission was seen in seven cases (1.75%) and in 40 (10%) it occurred during hospitalization. ADRs were identified as preventable reactions in 50% of cases and as predictable in 94.3%. The severity of 18.6% of the ADRs was identified as mild, 62.9% as moderate, 14.3% as severe and 4.3% as lethal. Gastrointestinal system disorders (44.3%) represented the most frequent ADRs. The therapeutic groups that most commonly associated with suspected ADRs were antineoplastic, immunosuppressive and medicines used in palliative care (54.8%).

Conclusions

ADRs are common among hospitalized patients in department of internal medicine and can be severe and even lethal. Since most ADRs occurred during hospitalization in studied patients and half of them were preventable, prevention strategies should be considered in hospitals. Also, our findings confirmed the role of hospital pharmacists in the reducing ADRs. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Drug information for patients—an update of long‐term results: type of enquiries and patient characteristics
Authors: Huber Martin , Kullak‐Ublick Gerd A. , Kirch Wilhelm
Published: December 2008

Purpose

To analyse the type of enquiries to a drug information service in Germany, available exclusively for patients.

Methods

Sociodemographic characteristics of the patients who used the service, number and kind of drugs taken, existing diseases, reasons for enquiry as well as type of answers provided were recorded. For the present evaluation we analysed all enquiries to the service from August 2001 to January 2007.

Results

A total of 5587 enquiries were received. 5013 enquiries from 4091 patients were available for further analysis in detail. The patient group using the service most frequently were women between 61 and 70 years (23.3%). 1457 enquiries (29.1%) were made by patients who had contacted the information service once or several times before. The group of drugs most often asked about were cardiovascular drugs (33.4%), followed by drugs for the nervous system (16.2%) and for the alimentary tract and metabolism (12.4%). On average, each patient had questions about 2.6 (median 1; 1–22) drugs simultaneously. Common reasons for contacting the service were adverse drug reactions (22.1%), the need for general information about the drug (19.9%), information about therapy (12.4%) and drug interactions (10.2%).

Conclusions

A lot of patients need additional information about their medication, especially concerning drug groups that are frequently prescribed. The presented drug information service can be one helpful tool to counteract these information deficits and to increase patients' knowledge about their drugs. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
IT Project Portfolio Governance: The Emerging Operation Manager
Authors: Bouraad Fatat
Published: December 2008

Today's information technology (IT) organizations are under pressure to meet or improve IT service levels for critical business functions. Various industry standards, such as the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and the Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (COBIT) standard, have gained wide acceptance as comprehensive methodologies for improving the effectiveness of IT management. The role of IT operations management is subsequently changing from a component orientation (such as networks, systems, storage, database, and applications) to managing business-oriented, end-to-end IT services. This article presents a detailed analysis of available literature in order to identify the most appropriate competencies and necessary skill sets that will be needed by an operation manager for strategic business alignment.
Evaluating an Agile Method for Planning and Controlling Innovative Projects
Authors: Conforto Edivandro Carlos , Amaral Daniel Capaldo
Published: December 2008

This article presents an extensive investigation carried out in two technology-based companies of the São Carlos technological pole in Brazil. Based on this multiple case study and literature review, a method, entitled hereafter IVPM2, applying agile project management (APM) principles was developed. After the method implementation, a qualitative evaluation was carried out by a document analysis and questionnaire application. This article shows that the application of this method at the companies under investigation evidenced the benefits of using simple, iterative, visual, and agile techniques to plan and control innovative product projects combined with traditional project management best practices, such as standardization.
Fear of recurrence and psychological distress in head and neck cancer patients and their carers
Authors: Hodges Laura J. , Humphris Gerry M.
Published: December 2008

Background: Fear of recurrence (FOR) has been increasingly recognised as an issue of significant burden for most cancer patients, and has been associated with psychological morbidity and reduced quality of life. More recently, the impact of recurrence fears has been indicated in the families of cancer patients. However, there has been a lack of prospective research.

Aim: To systematically examine distress and illness concerns among patient–carer dyads.

Methods: A multi‐centre prospective study of head and neck cancer patients and their carers (patients, n=101; carers, n=101), surveyed at two time‐points following diagnosis.

Results: Carers recorded higher recurrence concerns on average than the patient group (p<0.001). A predictive path model of patient and carer self‐reports of distress and FORs was explored, with an excellent overall fit of the final model (χ2=15.4, df=12, p=0.22, Comparative Fit Index (CFI)=0.994, Root Mean Square Estimate of Approximation (RMSEA)=0.053).

Conclusions: The preliminary results establish that early fears and distress within individuals govern later reports on these same attributes, but that there is some weak evidence of influence from one attribute to another within and across individuals in the dyad. Future prospective dyadic research is warranted to ascertain the level of these fears over an extended time and their relationship to patient and carer adaptation. Intervention may be needed to reduce this disease concern to a manageable level at an early stage of the illness trajectory. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Learning from organizational incidents: Resilience engineering for high‐risk process environments
Authors: Huber Stefanie , van Wijgerden Ivette , de Witt Arjan , Dekker Sidney W.A.
Published: December 2008

For years, safety improvements have been made by evaluating incident reports and analyzing errors and violations. Current developments in safety science, however, challenge the idea that safety can meaningfully be seen as the absence of errors or other negatives. Instead, the question becomes whether a company is aware of positive ways in which people, at all level of the organization, contribute to the management and containment of the risks it actually faces. The question, too, is whether the organization has the adaptive capacity necessary to respond to the changing nature of risk as operations shift and evolve. This article presents the results of a resilience engineering safety audit conducted on a chemical company site. An interdisciplinary team of seven researchers carried out 4 days of field studies and interviews in several plants on this site. This company enjoyed an almost incident‐free recent history but turned out to be ill‐equiped to handle future risks and many well‐known daily problems. Safety was often borrowed from to meet acute production goals. Organizational learning from incidents was fragmented into small organizational or production units without a company‐wide learning. We conclude that improving safety performance hinges on an organization's dynamic capacity to reflect on and modify its models of risk as operations and insight into them evolve, for example, as they are embodied in safety procedures and policies. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 2009
Application of the simple model for f–d transition to assignment of 4f–5d excitation spectra of Yb3+ doped in crystals
Authors: Wang Da‐Jun , Wang Jue , Chen Tao , Ma Chong‐Geng , Yin Min , Xia Shang‐Da
Published: December 2008

The simple model for 4f–5d transitions proposed by Duan and Reid is successfully applied to the simulation of the 4f–5d spectra of Yb3+ doped in crystals, where the parameterized energy matrix elements and the coefficients contained in f–d transition matrix elements have been obtained and tabulated. As an example, these data tables have been used to explain the absorption spectra of Yb3+ doped in crystal CaF2. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Density‐functional based tight‐binding modelling of ZnO structures
Authors: Fisker Christian , Pedersen Thomas G.
Published: December 2008

A self‐consistent charge density‐functional based tight‐binding (SCC‐DFTB) parametrisation for structural optimization and electronic properties of zinc oxide is presented. Repulsive potentials are obtained from the ZnO wurtzite geometry and a thin nanowire and applied to the bulk rock salt phase, a (0001) oriented slab and nanowires of different sizes. The parametrisation is shown to reproduce geometries in agreement with DFT calculations.

A different set of parameters is generated for electronic calculations giving band structures with a bulk band gap of 3.3 eV and a strong split‐off of the d‐bands in agreement with experiments. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Single quantum dot controlled gain modulation in high‐Q micropillar lasers
Authors: Reitzenstein S. , Böckler C. , Bazhenov A. , Gorbunov A. , Münch S. , Löffler A. , Kamp M. , Kulakovskii V. D. , Forchel A.
Published: December 2008

We present single quantum dot lasing effects in optically pumped high quality (Q) micropillar cavities. The micropillar cavities are realized by means of high resolution electron beam lithography and plasma etching on planar microcavity structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy. We observe lasing action for micropillars with a diameter as small as 1.0 μm containing on average less than 80 QDs in the active layer. Pronounced single quantum dot (QD) controlled lasing effects are observed by tuning a single QD exciton on resonance with the lasing mode. When lasing action is due to the contribution of an ensemble of QDs, photon autocorrelation studies of the emitted photons reveal a transition from thermal light to coherent light near threshold pump power. In contrast, single QD gain modulation which helps to lower the threshold pump power of a 1.6 μm micropillar by a factor of two, is reflected in non‐classical photon antibunching up to about two times the on‐resonance threshold power. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Electrical transport phenomena in magnesium‐doped p‐type GaN
Authors: Konczewicz Leszek , Litwin‐Staszewska Elżbieta , Contreras Sylvie , Piotrzkowski Ryszard , Dmowski Lesław
Published: December 2008

In this paper we present the resistivity and Hall‐effect measurements on p‐type GaN doped with Mg. The experiments were carried out as a function of hydrostatic pressure up to 1200 MPa in the temperature range 260–400 K. Both bulk GaN crystals as well as GaN:Mg epilayers were studied. In the investigated samples the decrease of resistivity and increase of hole concentration under pressure was observed. Such a behavior, which is contrary to the n‐type material, strongly suggests a decrease of the ionization energy of Mg acceptor (Ea = 183 meV) with pressure. This shift is very weak, less than –2 meV/GPa. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Morphology and wetting layer properties of InAs/GaAs nanostructures
Authors: Zhao Chao , Chen Yonghai , Xu Bo , Tang Chenguang , Wang Zhanguo
Published: December 2008

In this work, we present the growth of InAs rings by droplet epitaxy. A complete process from the rings formation to their density saturation has been demonstrated. A morphological evolution with the varying of the indium deposition amount has been clearly observed. Our results indicate that there is a critical deposition amount (∼1.1 ML) for the indium to form InAs dots before droplets form; there is also a critical deposition amount (∼1.4 ML) to form InAs rings, but it is caused by the formation of droplets as the deposition amount increases. The density of the rings saturates when the deposition amount exceeds ∼3.3 ML, because the adsorbed indium atoms block sites for further adsorption and the following supplied In only contributes to the size increase of In droplets. Still, as the In deposition amount increases, we can find coupled quantum rings. Moreover, the wetting layer properties of these structures are studied by reflectance difference spectroscopy, which shows a complicated evolution with the In amount. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Exchange interaction tuned by electric field in quantum dots
Authors: Kwaśniowski Artur , Adamowski Janusz
Published: December 2008

The effect of external electric field on exchange interaction has been studied by a configuration interaction method for electrons localized in double quantum dots. We model the confinement potential by the twocenter power‐exponential function, with different range and “softness”, which allows us to investigate various types of quantum dots. We have found that – for quantum dots separated by a sufficiently thick barrier – the exchange energy rapidly increases if the electric field increases, for intermediate electric field reaches a maximum, and decreases to zero at high electric fields. We have discussed the physical reasons of this nonmonotonic dependence. The present results show that the exchange coupling between the electrons in quantum dots can be tuned by applying the external electric field (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Fabrication of coupled GaAs quantum dots and their optical properties
Authors: Kim Jong Su , Song Jin Dong , Byeon Clare C. , Kang Hoonsoo , Jeong Mun Seok , Cho Nam Ki , Park Sung Jun , Choi Won Jun , Lee Jung Il , Kim Jin Soo , Leem Jae‐Young , Yim Sang‐Youp , Ko Do‐Kyeong , Lee Jongmin
Published: December 2008

The coupled GaAs quantum dot molecules (QDMs), which were laterally coupled along the [1$ \bar 1 $0] direction, were formed by droplet epitaxy. The optical properties of QDMs were investigated by femtosecond laser excited photoluminescence (PL) measurement. When the laser polarization is parallel to [1$ \bar 1 $0] direction on the QDMs, the main PL peak is red‐shifted by 55 meV from the PL peak measured with the laser polarization parallel to [110] direction. By changing the excitation power, we found that the emission wavelength of the QDMs was strongly depending on the excitation laser polarization. From this result, we carefully suggested that the confined states in QDMs could be tuned by optical field. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Deformation‐induced microstructural heterogeneity in monolithic Zr44Ti11Cu9.8Ni10.2Be25 bulk metallic glass
Authors: Lee Min Ha , Lee Jin Kyu , Kim Kyung Tae , Thomas Jürgen , Das Jayanta , Kühn Uta , Eckert Jürgen
Published: December 2008

We present investigations on the development of microstructural inhomogeneity introduced by simple room temperature deformation for a typical bulk metallic glass (Zr44Ti11Cu9.8Ni10.2Be25). The experimental evidence (e.g., transmission electron microscopy, electron energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and density measurements) clearly supports that an inhomogeneous glassy structure can be produced during deformation in the bulk metallic glass, that does not depend on a specific pinpointed chemical composition. The micrometer‐sized structural inhomogeneity in the monolithic bulk metallic glass originates from deformation due to the introduction of a high concentration of free volume in the glassy phase without significant change in the local chemical composition. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Design schemes for the X̄ control chart
Authors: Schoonhoven Marit , Riaz Muhammad , Does Ronald J. M. M.
Published: December 2008

This paper studies several issues regarding the design of the X̄ control chart under normality. Different estimators of the standard deviation are considered and the effect of the estimator on the performance of the control chart is investigated. Furthermore, the choice of the factor used to get accurate control limits for moderate sample sizes is addressed. The paper gives an overview on the performance of the charts by studying different characteristics of the run length distribution, both in the in‐control and in the out‐of‐control situation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Generalized confidence intervals for assessing process capability of multiple production lines
Authors: Wu Chien‐Wei , Shu Ming‐Hung , Cheng Feng‐Tsung
Published: December 2008

Process capability indices (PCIs) have become popular as unit‐less measures on whether a process is capable of reproducing items meeting the quality requirement. A reliable approach for testing process capability is to establish an interval estimate, for which we can assert that it contains the true PCI value with a reasonable degree of certainty. However, the construction of such an interval estimate is not trivial, since the distribution of the commonly used Cpk index involves unknown parameters. In this paper, we adopt the concept of generalized confidence intervals and generalized pivotal quantities to derive the generalized lower confidence bounds for providing critical information on process performance. Two practical applications in the area of process capability were considered, they include (i) assessing whether a process under investigation is capable and (ii) providing the lowest performance of the manufacturing processes from several production lines or several suppliers for quality assurance. The applicability of the derived results is also illustrated with examples. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
3D‐QSAR Studies on DATAs and DAPYs for HIV‐RT Inhibitors using CoMFA and CoMSIA Approaches
Authors: Park Hyung Yeon , Ju Sun Mi , Lee Do Young , Zhang Hui , Kim Chan Kyung
Published: December 2008

Structure‐based Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationship (QSAR) studies were performed on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Reverse Transcriptase (HIV‐RT) inhibitors with Diaryltriazines (DATAs) and Diarylpyrimidines (DAPYs) using Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) and Comparative Molecular Similarity Indices Analysis (CoMSIA) implemented in the SYBYL software packages. From the X‐ray structure of dapivirine, 38 training set molecules were sketched and minimized using the MMFF94 force field. In structure‐based QSAR, all the HIV‐RT complexes were subjected to subset minimization and aligned against a fixed point of the enzyme. The best CoMFA and CoMSIA results presented cross‐validated values (q2) of 0.640 and 0.663, and non‐cross‐validated values (r2) of 0.976 and 0.932, respectively. Contour map analysis enables the identification of crucial interactions between the enzyme and inhibitors, which can be used further to design new HIV‐RT inhibitors.
QSPR Study of n‐Octanol/Water Partition Coefficient of Some Aromatic Compounds Using Support Vector Regression
Authors: Yang Shan‐Sheng , Lu Wen‐Cong , Gu Tian‐Hong , Yan Liu‐Ming , Li Guo‐Zheng
Published: December 2008

Quantitative Structure–Property Relationship (QSPR) model was developed to correlate structures of aromatic compounds with their n‐octanol–water partition coefficient (logKow). The 68 molecular descriptors derived solely from the structures of the aromatic compounds were calculated using Gaussian 03, HyperChem 7.5, and TSAR V3.3. The descriptors were screened by the minimum Redundancy Maximum Relevance (mRMR)‐Genetic Algorithm (GA)‐Support Vector Regression (SVR) method. The parameters of the SVR model were optimized using the five‐fold cross‐validation method. The QSPR model was developed from a training set consisting of 300 compounds using the SVR method with a good determination coefficient (R2=0.85). The QSPR model was then tested using an external test set consisting of 50 compounds with satisfactory external predictive ability (q2=0.84). The results show that mRMR‐GA‐SVR feature selection method and SVR method can be used to model logKow for a diverse set of aromatic compounds and could be promising tools in the field of QSPR research.
XPS study of the effect of aluminium on the atmospheric corrosion of the AZ31 magnesium alloy
Authors: Feliu Jr S. , Merino M. C. , Arrabal R. , Coy A. E. , Matykina E.
Published: December 2008

The surface characteristics and corrosion behaviour of the AZ31 magnesium alloy exposed to a high relative humidity (RH) atmosphere were investigated. During the first 15 days of humidity test at 98% RH and 50 °C, a significant increase of magnesium carbonate and a decrease of magnesium oxide were detected on the surface film by XPS; after this stage, increased exposure times did not produce substantial changes on the relative amounts of these compounds. The surface film of commercially pure magnesium, also examined for comparison purposes, revealed more magnesium carbonate and less magnesium oxide compared with the AZ31 alloy. Unlike the AZ31 alloy, the surface of pure Mg disclosed almost complete substitution of MgO by magnesium carbonate after 30 days of exposure time. Mass gain values of tested specimens and scanning electron microscope characterisation of corroded surfaces indicated lower corrosion susceptibility of the AZ31 alloy compared with the commercially pure Mg, suggesting superior chemical stability of the oxide/hydroxide film formed over the magnesium–aluminium alloy surface. XPS and energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) analyses did not revealed any substantial enrichment of aluminium in the corrosion products film on the AZ31 alloy after 30 days of testing. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Estimating diagnostic accuracy of multiple binary tests with an imperfect reference standard
Authors: Albert Paul S.
Published: December 2008

The goal in diagnostic medicine is often to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of multiple experimental tests relative to a gold standard reference. When a gold standard reference is not available, investigators commonly use an imperfect reference standard. This paper proposes methodology for estimating the diagnostic accuracy of multiple binary tests with an imperfect reference standard when information about the diagnostic accuracy of the imperfect test is available from external data sources. We propose alternative joint models for characterizing the dependence between the experimental tests and discuss the use of these models for estimating individual‐test sensitivity and specificity as well as prevalence and multivariate post‐test probabilities (predictive values). We show using analytical and simulation techniques that, as long as the sensitivity and specificity of the imperfect test are high, inferences on diagnostic accuracy are robust to misspecification of the joint model. The methodology is demonstrated with a study examining the diagnostic accuracy of various HIV‐antibody tests for HIV. Published in 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A new method for DNA extraction from feces and hair shafts of the South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis)
Authors: Zhang Wenping , Zhang Zhihe , Xu Xiao , Wei Kun , Wang Xiaofang , Liang Xu , Zhang Liang , Shen Fujun , Hou Rong , Yue Bisong
Published: December 2008

It is commonly known that tigers (Panthera tigris) groom themselves by licking their coats, which leads to an abundance of hairs in their feces. These hairs are designated specially as “fecal hairs”. In our study, in order to explore fecal hairs potential as a DNA source for genetic analysis, 55 fecal hair samples were collected from 23 captive South China tigers (P. t. amoyensis). According to the amplification of mitochondrial primers loop F and loop R, DNA quality of noninvasive samples were grouped into three grades: grade I—the highest‐quality DNA, grade II—high‐quality DNA, and grade III—poor‐quality DNA. No failed amplifications on microsatellite primers and only 0.27% genotyping errors occurred with grade I fecal hair DNA, as compared with 9.4% failed amplifications on microsatellite primers and 9.5% genotyping errors with grade II fecal hair DNA. It was found that 25.45% of fecal hair DNA was grade I and 65.45 and 10.00% of fecal hair DNA were grades II and III, respectively, as compared with 4.35% grade I fecal DNA and 34.78 and 60.87% grades II and III fecal DNA, respectively. Thus, higher‐quality DNA can be extracted from fecal hairs than feces. In addition, DNA could be extracted from hair shafts of tigers and a minimum of 2000 hair shafts were required for visible DNA bands on a 1% agarose gel. These findings demonstrate that fecal hairs may serve as a convenient and reliable genomic DNA source for genotype analysis. Zoo Biol 28:49–58, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Multiple shRNA‐mediated knockdown of TACE reduces the malignancy of HeLa cells
Authors: Yan Yuan , Zhang Jie , Guo Jian‐Li , Huang Wei , Yang Yu‐Zhen
Published: December 2008

Tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) converting enzyme (TACE) is a key enzyme involved in the proteolytic shedding of the ectodomain of several membrane‐bound growth factors, cytokines and receptors. Here, we constructed a multiple short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression vector containing four shRNAs against TACE. We found that in HeLa cells our multiple shRNAs vector produced a higher level of TACE knockdown than any single shRNA vector containing only one TACE shRNA. Silencing TACE expression in HeLa cells decreased their malignancy by decreasing the proliferation, adhesion and migration, as well as inducing apoptosis in these cells. Furthermore, our data suggest that the effects of TACE on the malignancy of HeLa cells may be mediated via activation of the EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) signaling pathway. Our findings suggest that using a combination of shRNAs within one vector to silence the expression of TACE might be a potential therapeutic strategy for tumors.
Epiblast isolation by a new four stage method (peeling) from whole bovine cloned blastocysts
Authors: Kwon Dae Kee , Hong So Gun , Park Hee Jung , Kang Jung Taek , Koo Ok Jae , Lee Byeong Chun
Published: December 2008

We have established a new 4 stage epiblast isolation method from whole bovine cloned blastocysts without using immunosurgery. The new “peeling” method consists of dissolution of the zona pellucida (first stage), elimination of mural trophoblast (second stage), isolation of primitive endoderm and epiblast from polar trophoblast (third stage), and isolation of epiblast from primitive endoderm (fourth stage). The bovine cloned blastocyst consists of 4 different types of cells showing abundant alkaline phosphatase activity. The epiblast origin of isolated cells was confirmed by in vitro differentiation of isolated cells to tubulin β3‐positive neurons and by embryoid body formation. The bovine cloned blastocyst origin of isolated epiblasts was confirmed by microsatellite analysis and mitochondrial DNA sequencing analysis. This new method might accelerate establishment of somatic cell nuclear transfer derived embryonic stem cell lines from bovine and other mammals.
Factors impacting on doctors’ management of acute low back pain: A systematic review
Authors: Fullen Brona M. , Baxter G. David , O'Donovan Barry G.G. , Doody Catherine , Daly Leslie E. , Hurley Deirdre A.
Published: December 2008

The aim of this review was to determine the factors that impact on doctors’ management of patients with acute low back pain. A methodological assessment of databases (Medline, EMBASE, Psychinfo, BIOSIS, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) identified papers which were screened for inclusion criteria by two independent reviewers. Data were extracted from accepted papers, and the internal validity and strength of the evidence were determined using valid and reliable scales.

The search generated a total of 28 papers [quantitative (n=27), qualitative (n=1) methodologies]. Themes were identified from the accepted papers: education (n=18), knowledge of clinical guidelines and impact on management (n=7), and doctors’ demographics (n=4). There was consistent evidence that doctors did not adhere to clinical guidelines when performing a spinal assessment. There was inconsistent evidence that education increased adherence with acute LBP guideline recommendations in terms of referral rates to physiotherapy, for investigations, to secondary care and for maintaining patients at work. Strategies to address the factors impacting on doctors’ management of acute LBP are required; these would lead to improvement in patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
The Bayh–Dole Act: A model for promoting research translation?
Authors: Loewenberg Samuel
Published: December 2008

The Bayh‐Dole Act of 1980 was passed with the intention of promoting research into cancer and other diseases by providing institutions and researchers with a commercial incentive, even though much of their work was publicly funded. Now, many are questioning whether the system has worked as promised and some warn it may be jeopardizing the pursuit of science with no direct market relevance.
Large‐scale genomic analysis of ovarian carcinomas
Authors: Gorringe Kylie L. , Campbell Ian G.
Published: December 2008

Epithelial ovarian cancers are typified by frequent genomic aberrations that have been difficult to unravel. Recently, high‐resolution array technologies have provided the first glimpse of the remarkable complexity of these aberrations with some ovarian cancers containing hundreds of copy number breakpoints, micro‐deletions and amplifications. Many of these alterations contain cancer‐related genes suggesting that the majority is disease‐associated and not just the product of random genomic instability. Future developments such as next‐generation sequencing and integrated analysis of data from multiple array platforms on large numbers of samples are poised to revolutionise our understanding of this complex disease.
Ultrabroadband electromagnetic wave propagation in hydrocarbon reservoirs in the presence of an oil-water interface
Authors: Epov M.I. , Mironov V.L. , Komarov S.A. , Muzalevskii K.V.
Published: December 2008

Numerical experiments are applied to simulate propagation of broadband pulses which are transmitted by an electric dipole and travel in a uniform oil-bearing formation or in a layered reservoir with an oil-water interface. We calculate the frequency responses of the oil- and water-saturated layers as low-frequency filters for the propagating waves and find the respective cutoff frequencies. Attenuation rates are analyzed in the cases of incident nanosecond and picosecond pulses in uniform oil-bearing formations and those reflected from the oil-water interface. The low frequency filtering of pulses is investigated in terms of its effect on wave energy attenuation during propagation in oil-bearing rocks.
A new method of controlled-source frequency induction soundings
Authors: Zhuravleva R.B. , Mironov D.G.
Published: December 2008

We suggest a new inversion method for frequency induction data implying the use of a new parameter, which has a simple analytical form in the case of a uniform subsurface. The new parameter is found from induction numbers measured in the field of a vertical magnetic dipole or a vertical magnetic dipole combined either with a horizontal electrical dipole or with a horizontal magnetic dipole. Compared with the classical methods, the new technique provides better resolved resistivity curves and faithful images of the subsurface at higher frequencies and smaller transmitter-receiver separations. The inversion algorithm is applied to amplitude and amplitude-phase data and provides reliable depth assignment of the detected resistivity layers in the latter case.
Permo-Triassic volcanics of the Koltogory-Urengoi rift of the West Siberian geosyneclise
Authors: Saraev S.V. , Baturina T.P. , Ponomarchuk V.A. , Travin A.V.
Published: December 2008

The lithologic composition of basalts from the most complex sections of the Koltogory-Urengoi Rift is considered, and their 40Ar/39Ar ages are given: basalts from the lower section of Nikol’skaya BH-1 (Bergamak Formation) — 272.9 ± 10.5 and 249.5 ± 3.0 Ma, basalts from the uppermost section (Voinov Formation) — 247.5 ± 2.9 Ma, and basalts from the lower section of Tyumenskaya SDB-6 (Korotchaevo Formation) — 251.2 ± 2.0 Ma. According to these and the paleomagnetic data, trap magmatism began in the Koltogory-Urengoi Rift in the Permian and ended in the Early Triassic, whereas the paleontological data suggest its beginning in the Early Triassic and its termination in the late Middle Triassic.

In Tyumenskaya SDB-6 we have recognized both low-K tholeiitic and medium- to high-K subalkalic and calc-alkalic basalts, which form large alternating packets up to 480 m thick. This section is juxtaposed to the anomalous sections of the Siberian Platform trap formation near the margins of the Tunguska syneclise. The section of Nikol’skaya BH-1 is composed mainly of medium- and high-K subalkaline basalts with scarce flows of low-K ones. The low-K basalts differ from the medium- and high-K varieties in having lower contents of TiO2, P2O5, Ba, Rb, Th, and ΣLREE.

The Tyumenskaya SDB-6 basalts are characterized by paleohypergene alterations, up to the development of more than five levels of alumina-ferruginous cuirasses, as well as superposed chloritization, sericitization (hydromication), carbonatization, zeolitization, silicification, and epidotization, whereas the Nikol’skaya BH-1 basalts are subjected mainly to carbonatization, chloritization, and hydromication. We have concluded that the existence of a vast mega-arch above the superplume within the West Siberian geosyneclise in the Permo-Triassic was complicated by the Koltogory-Urengoi Rift. The Triassic rift deposits are both continental and marine sediments (sandstones and siltstones with glauconite, coccolith oozes, spherulitic lavas, and hyaloclastites). The basic volcanism within the rift showed the features of both rift and flood basalts as well as E-MORB.
Paleoarchean tonalite-trondhjemite complex in the northwestern part of the Sharyzhalgai uplift (southwestern Siberian craton): results of U-Pb and Sm-Nd study
Authors: Turkina O.M. , Berezhnaya N.G. , Larionov A.N. , Lepekhina E.N. , Presnyakov S.L. , Saltykova T.E.
Published: December 2008

In the northwestern part of the Sharyzhalgai uplift of the Siberian craton (Bulun block), the earliest sialic crust (grey-gneiss complex) is composed of plagiogneisses, their migmatized varieties, and subordinate plagiogranitoids. The petrochemical, trace-element, and Sm-Nd isotope compositions of rocks were studied, and U-Pb dating of zircons (SHRIMP II) was performed. Plagiogneisses and plagiogranitoids of trondhjemite and, more seldom, tonalite compositions are predominant; their compositions are typical of rocks of Archean tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) complexes (Al2O3 ≥ 15%, Mg# = 28–38, (La/Yb)n = 23–66, Sr/Y = 27–135, Eu/Eu* = 0.7–1.1). Plagiogneisses of meta-andesite-rhyodacite association are subordinate (SiO2 = 59–69%, (La/Yb)n = 7–32, Sr/Y = 11–24, Eu/Eu* = 0.5–0.7). Cathodoluminescent study of zircons revealed “magmatic cores” and metamorphic rims; most of the rims differ from the cores in U and Th contents and low or greatly varying Th/U ratios. In migmatized plagiogneisses of trondhjemite composition, two zircon generations of different morphologies have been recognized. The protoliths of the grey-gneiss complex rocks formed in the Paleoarchean as a result of two discrete magmatic events, at ∼3.3 and 3.25 Ga, and their metamorphism and migmatization took place at ∼3.2 Ga. The isotopic and geochemical features of rocks evidence that the primary melts were produced mainly through the melting of metabasic sources at different depths of the thickened crust. Plagiogneisses of trondhjemite composition apparently resulted from magma generation involving ancient sialic material.
Rare-earth elements as indicators of ore sources and the degree of differentiation and ore potential of rare-metal granite intrusions (eastern Transbaikalia)
Authors: Kozlov V.D.
Published: December 2008

The meteoritic-material-normalized REE patterns of rare-metal granite intrusions of the ore-bearing Kukul’bei complex (J2–J3), eastern Transbaikalia, were studied. It is shown that the intrusions were initially enriched in granitophile volatiles and trace elements (rare metals), i.e., this phenomenon is not related to the differentiation of their parental magma chambers. On the differentiation of the Kukul’bei rare-metal intrusions, the REE contents decrease in passing from granites of the main intrusive phase (MP) to late leucocratic differentiates (muscovite and amazonite granites), the differentiates become more enriched in granitophile elements, and their rare-metal contents drastically increase as compared with the MP granites. The ore-bearing bodies of muscovite and amazonite granites have extremely low REE contents and the highest contents of granitophile (including ore-forming) elements.

The REE patterns of the Kukul’bei intrusive differentiates are not universal among rare-metal intrusions. By the example of highly ore-bearing rare-metal granite intrusions of the Erzgebirge, Central Europe, it has been established that their late deep-seated differentiates (ultrarare-metal lithionite-zinnwaldite Li-F-granites) accompanied by highly productive Sn-W mineralization concentrate both granitophile elements and REE (particularly HREE). Among the studied Transbaikalian rare-metal intrusions of the Kukul’bei complex, only the differentiates of the most ore-bearing Sherlovaya Gora intrusive system belong to the above type. The analysis of the REE patterns of the Kukul’bei granites confirmed the earlier conclusions on the low ore potential of the rare-metal mineralization of the studied intrusive complex.
A macroseismic study of the Taldy-Sai caravanserai in the Kara-Bura River valley (Talas basin, Kyrgyzstan)
Authors: Korjenkov A.M. , Tabaldiev K.Sh. , Bobrovskii Al.V. , Bobrovskii Ar.V. , Mamyrov E.M. , Orlova L.A.
Published: December 2008

We report a macroseismic study of a ruined medieval building, a small caravanserai located along the caravan way from the Talas valley to the Chatkal and Fergana valleys in Kyrgyzstan. The ruins document several events in which the caravanserai was destroyed, apparently during earthquakes, and was rebuilt or repaired. The earliest earthquake occurred soon after the building was put up, about 400 years ago, according to radiocarbon dating of charcoal, and another event shook the area between 400 and 50 years BP. After being damaged in the ultimate earthquake, in the middle of the 20th century, the building was eventually abandoned.
Efficient colonic mucosal wound repair requires Trem2 signaling
Authors: Seno Hiroshi , Miyoshi Hiroyuki , Brown Sarah L. , Geske Michael J. , Colonna Marco , Stappenbeck Thaddeus S.
Published: December 2008

The colonic epithelial lining undergoes constant replacement, driven by epithelial stem cells in crypts of Lieberkühn. Stem cells lost because of damage or disease can be replaced by adjacent crypts that undergo fission. The close proximity of an extraordinary number of luminal microbes creates a challenge for this repair process; infection must be prevented while immune system activation and epithelial stem cell genetic damage must be minimized. To understand the factors that modulate crypt/stem cell replacement in the mouse colon, we developed anin vivoacute injury system analogous to punch biopsy of the skin. In contrast to epidermal stem cells, colonic epithelial progenitors did not migrate over the wound bed. Instead, their proliferative expansion was confined to crypts adjacent to wound beds and was delayed to the latter phase of healing. This increased epithelial proliferation was coincident with the infiltration of Trem2 expressing macrophages and increased expression of IL-4 and IL-13 in the wound bed. Interestingly,Trem2−/−mice displayed slow and incomplete wound healing of colonic mucosal injuries. We found the latter phase of healing inTrem2−/−mice showed a diminished burst of epithelial proliferation, increased expression of IFN-γ and TNF-α, diminished expression of IL-4 and IL-13, and increased markers of classical macrophage activation. Ablation of these cytokines in injured WT andTrem2−/−mice demonstrated that their expression ultimately determined the rate and nature of wound healing. These studies show that Trem2 signaling is an important pathway to promote healing of wounds in the colon where stem cell replacement is necessary.
Great ranging associated with greater reproductive investment in mammals
Authors: Pontzer Herman , Kamilar Jason M.
Published: December 2008

Most animals must travel to find food, incurring an unavoidable energy and time cost. Economic theory predicts, and experimental work confirms, that within species, increasing the distance traveled each day to find food has negative fitness consequences, decreasing the amount of energy invested in maintenance, repair, and reproduction. Here, we show that this relationship between daily distance traveled and reproductive success is fundamentally different between species and over evolutionary time in many lineages. Phylogenetically controlled analyses of 161 eutherian mammals indicate that, after controlling for body mass, evolutionary increases in the daily distance traveled are associated with corresponding increases in both total fertility (number of offspring per lifetime) and total offspring mass (grams of offspring per lifetime). This suggests that over evolutionary time, increasing travel distance is often part of a strategy for procuring more food energy and not necessarily a response to decreased food availability. These results have important implications for ecological comparisons among species, including assessments of habitat quality based on locomotor behavior.