bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A critical appraisal of endorectal ultrasound and transanal endoscopic microsurgery and decision‐making in early rectal cancer
Authors: Ashraf S. , Hompes R. , Slater A. , Lindsey I. , Bach S. , Mortensen N. J. , Cunningham C. ,   on behalf of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM) Collaboration
Published: September 2011

Aim  Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) for early rectal cancer (ERC) gives results similar to major surgery in selected cases. Endorectal ultrasound (ERUS) is an important part of the preoperative selection process. This study reports its accuracy and impact for patients entered on the UK TEM database.

Method  The UK TEM database comprises prospectively collected data on 494 patients. This data set was used to determine the prevalence of ERUS in preoperative staging and its accuracy by comparing preoperative T‐stage with definitive pathological staging following TEM.

Results  ERUS was performed in 165 of 494 patients who underwent TEM for rectal cancer. It inaccurately staged rectal cancer in 44.8% of tumours: 32.7% were understaged and 12.1% were overstaged. There was no significant difference in the depth of TEM excision or R1 rate between the patients who underwent ERUS before TEM and those who did not (P = 0.73).

Conclusion  The data show that ERUS is employed in a minority of patients with rectal cancers undergoing TEM in the UK and its accuracy in this ‘Real World’ practice is disappointing.
Tear‐film osmolarity in normal cats and cats with conjunctivitis
Authors: Davis Kyshia , Townsend Wendy
Published: September 2011

Objective To compare the tear‐film osmolarity of normal cats and cats with conjunctivitis.

Animal studied The population consisted of shelter, research, and privately owned cats.

Procedures Cats were classified as normal or having conjunctivitis. An ophthalmic examination including Schirmer tear test (STT), fluorescein staining, tear‐film break‐up time (TFBUT), intraocular pressure (IOP), and slit‐lamp biomicroscopy of the anterior segment was performed. The severity of conjunctivitis was graded and assigned a numerical score. The Tear LabTMOsmolarity System was utilized to determine the tear‐film osmolarity. Unpairedt‐tests were used to compare tear‐film osmolarity, TFBUT, IOP, and STT of the two groups.

Results A total of 93 cats (186 eyes) were examined. There were 37 normal cats (74 eyes) and 39 conjunctivitis cats (78 eyes). The mean age was 2.34 years. There was no statistical difference (P = 0.2065) between the median tear‐film osmolarity of normal cats (328.5 ± 17.94 mOsms/L) and conjunctivitis cats (325.0 ± 24.84 mOsms/L). Cats with conjunctivitis had an accelerated TFBUT (P < 0.0001) and lower IOPs (P < 0.0001) as compared to normal cats. No statistical difference was found between STT values (P = 0.1304).

Conclusions The median tear‐film osmolarity of normal cats was 328.5 mOsms/L. Despite the accelerated TFBUT, conjunctivitis did not cause a statistically significant change in tear‐film osmolarity. The Tear LabTMOsmolarity System was easily used and well tolerated by the cats in the study.
Episodic and Systemic Power in the Transformation of Professional Service Firms
Authors: Lawrence Thomas B. , Malhotra Namrata , Morris Tim
Published: September 2011

abstract

We examine the roles of episodic and systemic forms of power in radical organizational change. Drawing on a study of three attempted transformations in professional service firms from traditional professional partnerships into managed professional businesses – one relatively complete and two incomplete – we identify two key mechanisms that link episodic and systemic forms of power and show how those mechanisms affect the likelihood that organizations will be able to successfully undergo radical change. We find that episodic power is able to initiate and energize radical change when it represents a significant break from traditional authority structures and is legitimated through appeals to traditional organizational values. We find that systemic power is able to institutionalize radical change when the systems associated with it are legitimated by the skilled use of language by key actors and then left to operate independently by those actors. By articulating the specific mechanisms that link episodic and systemic power, our study provides a more complete model of the role of power in radical change, enabling better prediction of the likelihood of successful transformation and a fuller theoretical explanation of change outcomes.
A Full‐Frontal History of the Romanov Dynasty: Pictorial “Political Pornography” in Pre‐Reform Russia
Authors: ZITSER ERNEST A.
Published: September 2011

This profusely illustrated article expands the chronological and evidentiary basis of Boris Kolonitskii's argument about the role of scurrilous rumors and sexual innuendo in the desacralization of the Russian monarchy and demonstrates the complexity of the processes of reception, re‐appropriation, and subversion of imperial “scenarios of power.” It does so by offering a close reading of what is arguably the earliest‐known example of the genre of pictorial “political pornography” in Russia: a set of five, unique watercolors from the collection of the New York Public Library depicting eighteenth‐century Russian emperors and empresses in flagrante delicto. The author presents evidence that suggests that this anonymous series of “folded” or “double pictures” (skladnye or dvoinye kartinki) was created in the first half of the nineteenth century by means of a subversive repurposing of Russian popular broadsheets, French revolutionary pornography, and official Russian royal portraiture. He argues that this artifact of male salon culture is the product of a deliberate attempt to create nothing less than an alternative, unexpurgated history of the House of Romanov: a sexually explicit, full‐frontal assault that takes pleasure in exposing the “mysteries of state” that nineteenth‐century royal apologists sought to conceal in official histories of the dynasty, which presented the children of Paul I and Maria Fedorovna as epigones of family values and models for the nation.
These Monuments Must Be Protected! The Stalinist Turn to the Past and Historic Preservation during the Blockade of Leningrad
Authors: MADDOX STEVEN
Published: September 2011

This article analyzes the methods employed to preserve and restore Leningrad's historic monuments during the 900‐day blockade of World War II. Over the course of the blockade, which lasted from September 9, 1941, until January 27, 1944, city authorities and preservationists instituted measures to protect imperial monuments from enemy bombardment. During this period, nearly one million people died from bombings, extreme cold in the winters, and Hitler's policy of starving the city into submission. As bombs rained down on the city and dystrophy began to affect all people trapped within the blockade ring, Leningraders risked their lives to camouflage golden spires, evacuate museum exhibits from areas threatened with German occupation, take measurements of monuments for future restoration, assess damage, and provide emergency conservation where possible. The article argues that the Stalinist turn to the past in the 1930s endowed the country's historic monuments with ideological significance. Due to their newfound importance as embodiments of the “glorious past,” monuments were afforded protection, even in a state of total war.
The Dismantling of Hierarchy and the Defense of Social Class in Anna Karenina
Authors: DE SHERBININ JULIE W.
Published: September 2011

Since the publication of Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina, critics have periodically objected to Tolstoy's defense of aristocratic privilege in the character of Konstantin Levin. These critiques, however, have rarely been performed with reference to the literary fabric of Tolstoy's text, that is, his “labyrinth of linkages.” This essay closely examines images of hierarchy in the novel‐with particular reference to heights and depths, the prefix of ascent (voz‐/vos‐) and a corollary mark of descent (unizhenie, or humiliation), the epithets “tall” and “short,” and the frequent appearance of staircases which are associated with falls. The essay begins by charting in detail the ways in which Tolstoy understands the dangers of vertical thinking–epitomized by Vronsky and Anna; and how he views the dismantling of worldly hierarchies to be a prerequisite for the discovery of meaningful emotional and spiritual values–epitomized by Kitty and Levin's family life at the end of the novel. Disturbingly, however, Tolstoy leaves one obvious worldly hierarchy intact: distinction through social rank. The last part of the essay discusses the paradoxes inherent in Levin's doctrine of the superiority of the nobility with reference to images of hierarchy and to contemporary theory on class and race. Paul Schervish's notion of the “moral biographies” of the wealthy helps to frame Tolstoy's inconsistent thinking, as does an analogy between Levin's borrowings from peasant culture and so‐called “White Negroes” in the United States, who have appropriated African American culture to their own benefit while leaving the basic structures of racial hierarchy untouched. The aim of this exercise is not to diminish the novel, but rather to complicate its seemingly straightforward messages–messages that, if not carefully examined, encourage privileged young American readers to identify with Levin's sense of moral elevation without taking into account the privilege of economic advantage.
From Enlightened Self‐interest to Welfare Coalitions: Overcoming Identity‐based Tensions in the Israeli Welfare State
Authors: Zehavi Amos
Published: September 2011

A common argument in the social policy literature is that ethnic and identity‐based heterogeneity undermines the welfare state. In part, this happens because of difficulties in the generation of broad social solidarity in diverse societies: solidarity which is allegedly necessary for sustaining public support for the welfare state. This study explores this argument's logic in the context of welfare state politics in Israel. Israel would appear to be a near‐perfect example of how heterogeneity strains social solidarity and, in turn, undermines the welfare state. Quite differently from most studies, however, this work's emphasis is not on public attitudes or voting, but on the political interaction between economically disadvantaged identity‐based minorities – specifically Arabs on the one hand and religious Jews on the other – in the welfare field. It is argued that shared interests enable extensive co‐operation among political elites in the welfare field despite religiously‐ and nationally‐based antagonism.
Explanation, Contrast, and the Primacy of Practice
Authors: Wright Larry
Published: September 2011

Abstract: The common practice of giving (comparing, rejecting and inferring) explanations of phenomena is at the root of articulate learning, including the enterprises we collect under the noun ‘science’. The way that practice privileges a single item from the myriad relevant to any phenomenon tells us something about articulateness itself.
Green capital and social reproduction within families practising voluntary simplicity in the US
Authors: Walther Carol S. , Sandlin Jennifer A.
Published: September 2011

In this paper, we examine how parents in the US who practise voluntary simplicity enact family and social reproduction. Two key findings emerged. First, adult simplifiers in our study typically grew up within families that practised voluntary simplicity or frugality and transmit these consumption patterns to their own children. Second, simplifiers often struggle with other family members, friends and society over issues related to the tensions that emerge as they seek to simplify their lives while at the same time raising children who will not be ‘shunned’ by a mainstream, consumption‐focused society. We conclude that parents who voluntarily simplify are able to maintain their social class status through redefining what it means to be middle class through the creation and utilization of ‘green capital’.
Effect of different types of lower body resistance training on arterial compliance and calf blood flow
Authors: Fahs Christopher A. , Rossow Lindy M. , Loenneke Jeremy P. , Thiebaud Robert S. , Kim Daeyeol , Bemben Debra A. , Bemben Michael G.
Published: September 2011

Low‐intensity resistance exercise combined with blood flow restriction has been shown to produce comparable increases in muscle strength and hypertrophy as traditional high‐intensity (HI) resistance training. However, the vascular effects of low‐intensity blood flow–restricted (LI‐BFR) exercise training are not well characterized. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the vascular effects of LI‐BFR, moderate‐intensity (MI), and HI resistance exercise training. Forty‐six young men were divided into four groups: a HI, MI or LI‐BFR lower body resistance training group or a non‐exercise control group (C). Blood pressure, arterial compliance and calf vascular conductance (CVC) were assessed before and after the 6‐week intervention. After the intervention, CVC was significantly increased in the three exercise groups combined compared with C (47·5 ± 3·1 versus 35·0 ± 4·5 flow per mmHg) without any changes in arterial compliance in any group. These results suggest HI, MI and LI‐BFR lower body resistance exercises increase CVC, but do not affect arterial compliance. LI‐BFR resistance exercise may be an effective alternative to HI resistance exercise for improving vascular conductance for individuals unable to perform HI resistance exercise. As more evidence concerning the safety and efficacy of LI‐BFR resistance exercise continues to mount, this may provide a research base for prescribing this type of exercise if and/or when this type of exercise becomes more available worldwide.
Reducing the proportion of stillborn babies classified as unexplained in Vietnam by application of the PSANZ clinical practice guideline
Authors: HIRST Jane E. , HA Lieu T.T. , JEFFERY Heather E.
Published: September 2011

Background:  Over 2.6 million babies are stillborn every year mostly in low‐ and middle‐income countries, where cause of death remains often unexplained.

Aim:  To determine the applicability and utility of the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for Perinatal Mortality in reducing the proportion of unexplained stillbirths in a hospital setting in Vietnam.

Methods:  An analytic cross‐sectional study of stillborn babies born at a major maternity facility in Vietnam. Maternal history, external physical examination of the baby and placental macroscopic examination were performed. Two experienced classifiers independently assigned PSANZ perinatal death classification (PDC). This was compared to cause of death documented in the hospital records.

Results:  107 stillborn babies were born to 105 mothers. The proportion of stillborn babies classified as unexplained was reduced from 52.3 to 24.3% (P < 0.01) using the PSANZ–PDC system. Causes of death were congenital abnormalities (35.6%), hypertension (8.4%), fetal growth restriction (8.4%), specific perinatal conditions (8.4%), spontaneous preterm (6.5%), maternal conditions (5.6%) and antepartum haemorrhage (3.7%).

Conclusions:  Application of the PSANZ–CPG and stillbirth classification system is effective and feasible in a low‐income country facility setting and resulted in a reduction in the number of babies classified as unexplained stillbirth in Vietnam.
Idealized and Industrialized Labor: Anatomy of a Feminist Controversy
Authors: Jones Jane Clare
Published: September 2011

Prompted by the ever‐increasing cesarean rate, this paper considers the interpretive disjunct between two significant strands of feminist analysis that have arisen in the last four decades as a consequence of the phenomenon of medicalized birth. In contrast to the dominant paradigm of bioethical “Principalism,” both modes of analysis, understood as “the critique of industrialized labor” and “the critique of idealized labor,” are attentive to the way in which social discourses inform bioethical deliberation and practice, but significantly diverge in the nature of their accounts. The “industrialization critique” understands the culture of medical intervention to be impelled by an “obstetric desire” to appropriate women's reproductive potency, whereas the “idealization critique” relates new mothers’ “low childbirth satisfaction” to a pernicious normative ideal propagated by the natural childbirth movement. This paper will explore the anatomy of both critiques and interrogate their fidelity to the phenomenological insight of the body as chiasm between material and ideal. I will argue that while the insights of the idealization critique are well grounded, we must exercise caution about the critique's tendency to reductively understand the embodied experience of labor as entirely discursively produced, a gesture that risks re‐performing the dematerialization of women often effected through obstetric intervention itself.
Buddhism and bell hooks: Liberatory Aesthetics and the Radical Subjectivity of No‐Self
Authors: Kalmanson Leah
Published: September 2011

This article engages bell hooks's concept of “radical black subjectivity” through the lens of the Buddhist doctrine of no‐self. Relying on the Zen theorist Dōgen and on resources from Japanese aesthetics, I argue that non‐attachment to the self clarifies hooks's claim that radical subjectivity unites our capacity for critical resistance with our capacity to appreciate beauty. I frame this argument in terms of hooks's concern that postmodernist identity critiques dismiss the identity claims of disempowered peoples. On the one hand, identity critique has an emotional component, as it involves questioning the self and possibly letting go of aspects of that self in which a person has inevitably made emotional investments. On the other hand, it has an aesthetic component, as it opens a space for the creative crafting and recrafting of identity. Japanese aesthetics emphasizes that all aesthetic appreciation is accompanied by feelings of mournfulness, for the object of aesthetic appreciation is transient. Linking hooks's liberatory aesthetics with the resources of the Japanese tradition suggests that mournfulness in the face of self‐loss necessarily accompanies all instances of critical resistance. Thus non‐attachment becomes a useful framework in which to understand both the emotional and aesthetic components of empowered identity critique.
Loss and Recovery of Transparency in Pressure‐Consolidated Lu3Al5O12
Authors: Rhodes William H. , Wang Yimin , Brecher Charles , Gary Baldoni J.
Published: September 2011

Pr‐doped Lu3Al5O12 (LuAG) transparent ceramic, a potential scintillator material, was fabricated by sinter/hot isostatic pressing (HIP). The specimens were subjected to various post‐densification heat treatments and the evolution of porosity and its relationship to transparency was monitored and studied. Annealing was necessary to remove discoloration and to restore stoichiometry, but when performed at too high a temperature it caused a severe decrease in transparency. Transparency was restored by reHIPing, indicating that some nanometer‐size pores remained even after the original HIP cycle, which expanded in size during annealing and contracted again during re‐HIPing. Annealing at a lower temperature restored stoichiometry without serious transparency degradation, due to a favorable difference in diffusion rates for mass transfer and O2− diffusion. This phenomenon illustrates a fundamental difference between residual porosity in ceramics consolidated by pressureless and pressure‐assisted processes.
Death by Potassium Chloride Intravenous Injection: Evaluation of Analytical Detectability
Authors: Bertol Elisabetta , Politi Lucia , Mari Francesco
Published: September 2011

Abstract:  Potassium chloride intravenous injection is used in suicide attempts and lethal procedures for state‐sanctioned punishment. Owing to its relatively high concentrations in hemolyzed blood (25–80 mM) compared to serum (about 4 mM), it is difficult to conclude potassium poisoning by postmortem analysis of biologic samples. A 41‐year‐man was found dead with an injection sign on his foot and a syringe close to the corpse. No particular signs were noted during the autopsy. Blood, bile, and urine were submitted to xenobiotic screening procedures used in the laboratory. Syringe content was found positive to potassium ions. Blood potassium concentration was determined by ion‐selective electrode measurement (range 3.0–150 mM). Blood was found positive for diazepam at therapeutic level. Potassium concentration was 160.0 (cardiac) and 87.3 mM (femoral blood). Our results show that potassium concentration was significantly higher in heart blood in a suicide case. Hence, the general issue of considering potassium poisoning hardly demonstrable by toxicology needs to be questioned and thoroughly studied.
Cervical Soft Tissue Emphysema in Hanging—A Prospective Autopsy Study*
Authors: Nikolić Slobodan , Živković Vladimir , Babić Dragan , Juković Fehim
Published: September 2011

Abstract:  The underlying mechanism of cervical soft tissue emphysema (CSTE) in hanging remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of CSTE in cases of hanging. The sample included 83 deceased persons, average age 55.3 ± 17.9 years. CSTE was established in 44 cases. CSTE is presented as frothy air, soap bubble‐like formations in superficial and/or deep connective tissue between the neck muscles up to the ligature mark, visible during gross neck examination, using special neck autopsy technique—preparation of the neck organs in layers. The interpretation of positive CSTE must be taken with caution: it could be an antemortem phenomenon possibly because of either Macklin Effect or direct or indirect trauma to the cervical airways, as well as an ante‐ or postmortem artifact.
Treatment of experimental periodontal disease with antimicrobial photodynamic therapy in nicotine‐modified rats
Authors: Garcia Valdir Gouveia , Fernandes Leandro Araújo , Macarini Valmir Campos , de Almeida Juliano Milanezi , Martins Thiago Marchi , Bosco Alvaro Francisco , Nagata Maria José Hitomi , Cirelli Joni Augusto , Theodoro Letícia Helena
Published: September 2011

Background

The aim of this study was to compare antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) as an adjunctive treatment to scaling and root planing (SRP) for induced periodontitis in nicotine‐modified rats.

Material & Methods

A total of 240 rats were evenly divided into two groups: C – saline solution treatment; N – nicotine treatment. Periodontal disease was induced in both groups at the first mandibular molar. After 7 days, the ligature was removed. All animals were submitted to SRP and were divided according to the following treatments: SRP – irrigation with saline solution; Toluidine Blue‐O (TBO) – irrigation with phenothiazinium dye (100 μg/ml); LLLT – laser irradiation (660 nm; 0.03 W; 4 J); and aPDT – TBO and laser irradiation. Ten animals in each group/treatment were euthanized at 7, 15 and 30 days. The histometric and immunohistochemical values were statistically analysed.

Results

Intragroup analysis demonstrated that in both groups the aPDT treatment resulted in lower bone loss (BL) when compared to SRP in all experimental periods. Intergroup analysis demonstrated that aPDT treatment resulted in lower BL in Group N than in Group C treated with SRP in all experimental periods.

Conclusion

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy was an effective adjunctive treatment to SRP for induced periodontitis in nicotine‐modified rats.
Semi‐Automated Analysis of Organelle Movement and Membrane Content: Understanding Rab‐Motor Complex Transport Function
Authors: Hume Alistair N. , Wilson Miranda S. , Ushakov Dmitry S. , Ferenczi Michael A. , Seabra Miguel C.
Published: September 2011

Organelle motility is an essential cellular function that is regulated by molecular motors, and their adaptors and activators. Here we established a new method that allows more direct investigation of the function of these peripheral membrane proteins in organelle motility than is possible by analysis of the organelle movement alone. This method uses multi‐channel time‐lapse microscopy to record the movement of organelles and associated fluorescent proteins, and automatic organelle tracking, to compare organelle movement parameters with the association of membrane proteins. This approach allowed large‐scale, unbiased analysis of the contribution of organelle‐associated proteins and cytoskeleton tracks in motility. Using this strategy, we addressed the role of membrane recruitment of Rab GTPases and effectors in organelle dynamics, using the melanosome as a model. We found that Rab27a and Rab32/38 were mainly recruited to sub‐populations of slow‐moving/static and fast‐moving melanosomes, respectively. The correlation of Rab27a recruitment with slow movement/docking was dependent on the effector melanophilin. Meanwhile, using cytoskeleton‐disrupting drugs, we observed that this speed:Rab content relationship corresponded to a decreased frequency of microtubule (MT)‐based transport and an increased frequency of actin‐dependent slow movement/docking. Overall, our data indicate the ability of Rab27a and effector recruitment to switch melanosomes from MT‐ to actin‐based tethering and suggest that a network of Rab signalling may integrate melanosome biogenesis and transport.
Association study of myelin transcription factor 1‐like polymorphisms with schizophrenia in Han Chinese population
Authors: Li W. , Wang X. , Zhao J. , Lin J. , Song X.‐Q. , Yang Y. , Jiang C. , Xiao B. , Yang G. , Zhang H.‐X. , Lv L.‐X.
Published: September 2011

Schizophrenia (SZ) is characterized by a variety of complex positive, negative and cognitive symptoms that are differentially expressed in individual patients. Variability in symptom presentation indicates that multiple genes, many involved in neurodevelopment, contribute to the etiology of SZ. The myelin transcription factor 1‐like (MYT1L) gene encodes the MYT1L protein that participates in several neurodevelopment pathways. The copy number variant of MYT1L gene is associated with SZ, and single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of MYT1L contribute to major depressive disorder. To explore the association of MYT1L polymorphisms with SZ, we examined six SNPs of MYT1L in a Han Chinese population consisting of 528 paranoid schizophrenic patients and 528 healthy subjects. Our results showed that rs17039584 was significantly associated with SZ (A>G), even after Bonferroni correction. When subjects were divided by gender, the rs10190125 allele and genotype remained significantly associated with SZ in female patients. Moreover, we found that rs6742365 was associated with a family history of SZ in females. Other SNPs did not achieve statistical significance for SZ but were associated with individual phenotypes, as measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) inventory. Our findings suggest that MYT1L may represent a susceptibility gene for SZ in the Han Chinese population and show that a specific SNP may increase susceptibility in females.
Can a clinical decision rule help ductus arteriosus management in preterm neonates?
Authors: Cambonie Gilles , Dupuy Anne‐Marie , Combes Clémentine , Vincenti Marie , Mesnage Renaud , Cristol Jean‐Paul
Published: September 2011

Aim:  Patent ductus arteriosus (DA) occurs frequently in premature neonates with respiratory distress syndrome. We assessed a combination of clinical, biological and echocardiographic parameters to derive a decision rule for selecting candidates for treatment based on the criteria in use in our unit.

Methods:  Hundred and forty neonates with a mean (SD) gestational age of 28 (2.3) weeks and a mean birth weight of 1159 (386) g, all requiring invasive ventilation with FiO2 > 0.3 or catecholamines for severe hypotension, were assessed prospectively using echocardiography in conjunction with N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide (NTpBNP) levels within 24–72 h of birth. Independent predictors of DA treatment were identified with univariate analysis and combined in a clinical decision rule.

Results:  Early treatment of significant DA was adopted for 26 (18.6%) neonates. A clinical decision rule suggesting treatment in patients with NTpBNP > 8500 pg/mL, ductal diameter >1.5 mm and, for infants with a birth weight >830 g, left pulmonary artery end‐diastolic velocity >0.20 m/sec showed 88% sensitivity and 94% specificity.

Conclusions:  A decision rule using realistic and/or commonly used parameters for significant patent ductus arteriosus assessment could be derived. External validation of this rule is needed before any application.
Number of natural and prosthetic teeth impact nutrient intakes of older adults in the United States
Authors: Bethene Ervin R. , Dye Bruce A.
Published: September 2011

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2011.00546.x

Number of natural and prosthetic teeth impact nutrient intakes of older adults in the United States

Objective:  To examine the relationship between the number and type of teeth and nutrient intakes in adults, aged 60 years and above, in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2004 using linear regression.

Methods:  Four discrete dental status groups were created: complete natural dentition (reference group), incomplete natural dentition, complete mixed (natural and restored) dentition and incomplete mixed dentition. We ran both unadjusted and adjusted models, controlling for age, race/ethnicity, education and smoking status to examine the effect of these covariates on the association between dentition status and nutrient intakes. Separate models were run for men and women.

Results:  There were significant associations between dental status and all the examined nutrients for men and for the carotenes and folate for women in the unadjusted model. Only caloric and vitamin C intakes were significant for men, and β‐carotene was significant for women in the adjusted model. For men for kilocalories and women for β‐carotene, those with a complete dentition had higher mean intakes than those with an incomplete dentition, regardless of the tooth type. Among men with an incomplete dentition, those with a mixed dentition had a significantly lower vitamin C intake than those with a natural dentition; there were no significant differences between the natural and mixed complete dentition groups.

Conclusions:  Demographic and behavioural variables explained many of the differences seen in nutrient intakes. After controlling for these variables, we found that a numeric threshold of teeth (i.e. a functional dentition) influenced some nutrient intakes while the number and type of teeth present affected other nutrient intakes.
Novel roles for biogenic monoamines: from monoamines in transglutaminase‐mediated post‐translational protein modification to monoaminylation deregulation diseases
Authors: Walther Diego J. , Stahlberg Silke , Vowinckel Jakob
Published: September 2011

Functional protein serotonylation is a newly recognized post‐translational modification with the primary biogenic monoamine (PBMA) serotonin (5‐HT). This covalent protein modification is catalyzed by transglutaminases (TGs) and, for example, acts in the constitutive activation of small GTPases. Multiple physiological roles have been identified since its description in 2003 and, importantly, deregulated serotonylation was shown in the etiology of bleeding disorders, primary pulmonary hypertension and diabetes. The PBMAs 5‐HT, histamine, dopamine, and norepinephrine all act as neurotransmitters in the nervous system and as hormones in non‐neuronal tissues, which points out their physiological importance. In analogy to serotonylation we have found that also the other PBMAs act through the TG‐catalyzed mechanisms of ‘histaminylation’, ‘dopaminylation’ and ‘norepinephrinylation’. Therefore, PBMAs deploy a considerable portion of their effects via protein monoaminylation in addition to their canonical receptor‐mediated signaling. Here, the implications of these newly identified post‐translational modifications are presented and discussed. Furthermore, the potential regulatory roles of protein monoaminylation in small GTPase, heterotrimeric G‐protein and lipid signaling, as well as in modulating metabolic enzymes and nuclear processes, are critically assessed.
Asparagine‐linked glycosylation of human chymotrypsin C is required for folding and secretion but not for enzyme activity
Authors: Bence Melinda , Sahin‐Tóth Miklós
Published: September 2011

Human chymotrypsin C (CTRC) plays a protective role in the pancreas by mitigating premature trypsinogen activation through degradation. Mutations that abolish activity or secretion of CTRC increase the risk for chronic pancreatitis. The aim of the present study was to determine whether human CTRC undergoes asparagine‐linked (N‐linked) glycosylation and to examine the role of this modification in CTRC folding and function. We abolished potential sites of N‐linked glycosylation (Asn‐Xaa‐Ser/Thr) in human CTRC by mutating the Asn residues to Ser individually or in combination, expressed the CTRC mutants in HEK 293T cells and determined their glycosylation state using PNGase F and endo H digestion. We found that human CTRC contains a single N‐linked glycan on Asn52. Elimination of N‐glycosylation by mutation of Asn52 (N52S) reduced CTRC secretion about 10‐fold from HEK 293T cells but had no effect on CTRC activity or inhibitor binding. Overexpression of the N52S CTRC mutant elicited endoplasmic reticulum stress in AR42J acinar cells, indicating that N‐glycosylation is required for folding of human CTRC. Despite its important role, Asn52 is poorly conserved in other mammalian CTRC orthologs, including the rat which is monoglycosylated on Asn90. Introduction of the Asn90 site in a non‐glycosylated human CTRC mutant restored full glycosylation but only partially rescued the secretion defect. We conclude that N‐linked glycosylation of human CTRC is required for efficient folding and secretion; however, the N‐linked glycan is unimportant for enzyme activity or inhibitor binding. The position of the N‐linked glycan is critical for optimal folding, and it may vary among the otherwise highly homologous mammalian CTRC sequences.

Database

 Chymotrypsin EC3.4.21.2
Visuo‐spatial representations of the alphabet in synaesthetes and non‐synaesthetes
Authors: Jonas Clare N. , Taylor Alisdair J.G. , Hutton Sam , Weiss Peter H. , Ward Jamie
Published: September 2011

Visuo‐spatial representations of the alphabet (so‐called ‘alphabet forms’) may be as common as other types of sequence–space synaesthesia, but little is known about them or the way they relate to implicit spatial associations in the general population. In the first study, we describe the characteristics of a large sample of alphabet forms visualized by synaesthetes. They most often run from left to right and have salient features (e.g., bends, breaks) at particular points in the sequence that correspond to chunks in the ‘Alphabet Song’ and at the alphabet mid‐point. The Alphabet Song chunking suggests that the visuo‐spatial characteristics are derived, at least in part, from those of the verbal sequence learned earlier in life. However, these synaesthetes are no faster at locating points in the sequence (e.g., what comes before/after letter X?) than controls. They tend to be more spatially consistent (measured by eye tracking) and letters can act as attentional cues to left/right space in synaesthetes with alphabet forms (measured by saccades), but not in non‐synaesthetes. This attentional cueing suggests dissociation between numbers (which reliably act as attentional cues in synaesthetes and non‐synaesthetes) and letters (which act as attentional cues in synaesthetes only).
Tachyarrhythmia secondary to cardiac metastasis as first presentation of non‐small‐cell lung cancer
Authors: Stroppa Elisa Maria , Malagoli Alessandro , Cavanna Luigi
Published: September 2011

We describe a man who presented at our institution with tachyarrhythmia and dyspnea. Echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) of the chest performed during hospitalization revealed a mass within the left atrium. A biopsy of the mass showed a non‐small‐cell lung cancer, adenocarcinoma G3. Metastatic involvement of the heart is rare; most cases are asymptomatic and diagnosed only during autopsies. Echocardiography, CT scan and MRI are complementary investigations in the evaluation of cardiac lesions. In the setting of cardiac metastatic cancer, all management is palliative.
Acid production and growth by oral Lactobacillus species in vitro
Authors: Piwat Supatcharin , Teanpaisan Rawee , Dahlén Gunnar , Thitasomakul Songchai , Douglas Charles William Ian
Published: September 2011

Aim:  To analyze the acid‐producing and growth abilities of different oral Lactobacillus species.

Methods:  Thirty‐nine oral clinical strains and type strains of Lactobacillus, representing nine species, including Lactobacillus casei/paracasei, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus mucosae, Lactobacillus oris, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus salivarius, and Lactobacillus vaginalis were studied. Anaerobically‐grown bacterial cells were inoculated overnight in de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe broth containing 2% glucose (pH 7.0). Acid production and growth were measured at 0, 1.5, 3, 5, 7, and 24 h.

Results:  Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus casei/paracasei, and Lactobacillus plantarum grew rapidly and reached an optical density higher than other species. They also produced more acid than the others. Lactobacillus vaginalis showed the lowest rate of growth and acid production. These findings demonstrated that the different species of Lactobacillus showed different abilities to generate acid, allowing the species to be categorized into three groups: strongly, moderately, and weakly acidogenic.

Conclusion:  There was variation in acid production and growth between the Lactobacillus species. The strongest acid producers were Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus casei/paracasei, respectively. It seems possible that these species might play a more important role in caries development than the others.
UV‐C‐irradiation sublethal stress does not alter antibiotic susceptibility of the viridans group streptococci to β‐lactam, macrolide, and fluoroquinolone antibiotic agents
Authors: Maeda Yasunori , Coulter Wilson A. , Goldsmith Colin E. , Cherie Millar B. , Moore John E.
Published: September 2011

Abstract Aim:  Previous work has indicated that environmental stresses on bacteria might lead to an upregulation of stress response. LED curing lights (315–400 nm) and other UV lights used in tooth whitening cosmetic procedures might act as stresses. We examined the effect of UV‐C light, as a high‐energy surrogate to the lower‐energy UV‐A light used in such instruments, to examine its effect on the antibiotic susceptibility of viridans group streptococci.

Methods:  Twelve species of viridans group streptococci were examined in this study: Streptococcus anginosus, Streptococcus australis, Streptococcus cristatus, Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus infantis, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus parasanguinis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus salivarius, and Streptococcus sanguinis. These organisms were exposed to varying degrees of sublethal UV‐C radiation, and their minimum inhibitory concentration susceptibility was determined by broth dilution assay against three classes of commonly‐used antibiotics: β‐lactams (penicillin), macrolides (erythromycin), and fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin).

Results:  There was no significant difference between antibiotic susceptibility before UV‐C exposure and following maximum sublethal stress, prior to cell death due to fatal UV‐C exposure.

Conclusions:  Exposure to UV‐C light will not result in altered antibiotic susceptibility patterns on viridans group streptococci. Given that UV‐C is more toxic and mutagenic than UV‐A light, it is unlikely than UV‐A light would yield any difference in response to such exposure.
Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop Correlations for Square Channels With V-Shaped Ribs at High Reynolds Numbers
Authors: Alkhamis Nawaf Y. , Rallabandi Akhilesh P. , Han Je-Chin
Published: September 2011

Heat transfer coefficients and friction factors are measured in a 45 deg V-shaped rib roughened square duct at high Reynolds numbers, pertaining to internal passages of land-based gas turbine engines. Reynolds numbers in this study range from 30,000 to 400,000, which is much higher than prior studies of V-shaped rib roughened channels. The dimensions of the channel are selected to ensure that the flow is in the incompressible regime. Blockage ratio e/D ranges from 0.1 to 0.18 and the spacing ratio P/e ranges from 5 to 10. Reported heat transfer coefficients are regionally averaged, measured by isothermal copper plates. Results show that the heat transfer enhancement decreases with increasing Reynolds number. The friction factor is found to be independent of the Reynolds number. The thermal performance decreases when the Reynolds number increases. 45 deg V-shaped ribs show a higher thermal performance than corresponding 45 deg angled ribs, consistent with the trend established in literature. Correlations for the Nusselt number and the friction factor as function of Re, e/D, and P/e are developed. Also developed are correlations for R and G (friction and heat transfer roughness functions, respectively) as a function of the roughness Reynolds number (e+).
How to Choose From a Synthesized Set of Path-Generating Mechanisms
Authors: Naik Sujitkumar V. , Saxena Anupam , Rai Ashok Kumar , Reddy B. V. S. Nagendra
Published: September 2011

Partially compliant mechanisms inherit the attributes of fully compliant and rigid-body linkages and offer simpler, compact design alternatives to accomplish complex kinematic tasks such as tracing large nonsmooth paths. This paper describes qualitative and quantitative criteria that can be employed to select the linkage configuration. The proposed criteria are categorized as general or specific. General criteria pertain to often-used kinematic attributes whereas specific criteria address the application at hand. The veracity and viability of each mechanism are evaluated with respect to compactness, design simplicity, static and dynamic failure, number of rigid-body joints, relative ease of fabrication, and other relevant criteria. Three decision-making techniques, namely, Pugh decision matrix, analytic hierarchy process, and a variant of the Pugh decision matrix are used to perform the evaluation. An example of a displacement-delimited gripper with a prescribed large nonsmooth path is used to illustrate linkage selection.
Flow Regime Identification in Boiling Two-Phase Flow in a Vertical Annulus
Authors: Hernández Leonor , Enrique Julia J. , Ozar Basar , Hibiki Takashi , Ishii Mamoru
Published: September 2011

This work describes the application of an artificial neural network to process the signals measured by local conductivity probes and classify them into their corresponding global flow regimes. Experiments were performed in boiling upward two-phase flow in a vertical annulus. The inner and outer diameters of the annulus were 19.1 mm and 38.1 mm, respectively. The hydraulic diameter of the flow channel, DH, was 19.0 mm and the total length is 4.477 m. The test section was composed of an injection port and five instrumentation ports, the first three were in the heated section (z/DH = 52, 108 and 149 where z represents the axial position) and the upper ones in the unheated sections (z/DH = 189 and 230). Conductivity measurements were performed in nine radial positions for each of the five ports in order to measure the bubble chord length distribution for each flow condition. The measured experiment matrix comprised test cases at different inlet pressure, ranging from 200 kPa up to 950 kPa. A total number of 42 different flow conditions with superficial liquid velocities from 0.23 m/s to 2.5 m/s and superficial gas velocities from 0.002 m/s to 1.7 m/s and heat flux from 55 kW/m2 to 247 kW/m2 were measured in the five axial ports. The flow regime indicator has been chosen to be statistical parameters from the cumulative probability distribution function of the bubble chord length signals from the conductivity probes. Self-organized neural networks (SONN) have been used as the mapping system. The flow regime has been classified into three categories: bubbly, cap-slug and churn. A SONN has been first developed to map the local flow regime (LFR) of each radial position. The obtained LFR information, conveniently weighted with their corresponding significant area, was used to provide the global flow regime (GFR) classification. These final GFR classifications were then compared with different flow regime transition models.
Process-structure-property correlations in pulsed dc reactive magnetron sputtered vanadium oxide thin films
Authors: Venkatasubramanian Chandrasekaran , Cabarcos Orlando M. , Drawl William R. , Allara David L. , Ashok S. , Horn Mark W. , Bharadwaja S. S. N.
Published: September 2011

Cathode hysteresis in the reactive pulsed dc sputtering of a vanadium metal target was investigated to correlate the structural and electrical properties of the resultant vanadium oxide thin films within the framework of Berg’s model [Berg et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 5, 202 (1987)]. The process hysteresis during reactive pulsed dc sputtering of a vanadium metal target was monitored by measuring the cathode (target) current under different total gas flow rates and oxygen-to-argon ratios for a power density of ∼6.6.W/cm2. Approximately 20%–25% hysteretic change in the cathode current was noticed between the metallic and oxidized states of the V-metal target. The extent of the hysteresis varied with changes in the mass flow of oxygen as predicted by Berg’s model. The corresponding microstructure of the films changed from columnar to equiaxed grain structure with increased oxygen flow rates. Micro-Raman spectroscopy indicates subtle changes in the film structure as a function of processing conditions. The resistivity, temperature coefficient of resistance, and charge transport mechanism, obeying the Meyer–Neldel relation [Meyer and Neldel, Z. Tech. Phys. (Leipzig) 12, 588 (1937)], were correlated with the cathode current hysteric behavior.
Yeast Rrn7 and Human TAF1B Are TFIIB-Related RNA Polymerase I General Transcription Factors
Authors: Knutson Bruce A. , Hahn Steven
Published: September 2011

RNA polymerase I uses a transcription factor IIB–related protein for transcription, similar to the known requirement for polymerase II and III.
Converging on an HIV Vaccine
Authors: Korber Bette , Gnanakaran S.
Published: September 2011

Molecular details of broadly neutralizing antibodies to HIV provide insights into the immunological pathways that potentiate their natural generation.
Pyrazinamide—Old TB Drug Finds New Target
Authors: Cole Stewart T.
Published: September 2011

A tuberculosis-specific drug validates a new target for broad-spectrum antibiotics.
Novel Antibody Response May Explain HIV Vaccine Success
Authors: Cohen Jon
Published: September 2011

A new analysis of the only AIDS vaccine trial ever to report positive results suggests that a novel antibody response led to the modest level of efficacy seen in the study.
Tracing the Common Roots of Antibiotic Resistance
Authors: Pennisi Elizabeth
Published: September 2011

Bacteria can evolve in a repeatable manner, sometimes with the same mutations occurring over and over, researchers reported at the meeting.
U.S. Physicists, a Long Way From Home
Authors: Cho Adrian
Published: September 2011

The United States has gone to great lengths to keep its scientists at the world's biggest atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider, integrated. Nevertheless, many make personal sacrifices to be there.