bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Radioiodination and bioevaluation of nitrofurantoin for urinary tract imaging
Authors: El‐Azony K. M. , El‐Mohty A. A. , Seddik U. , Khater S. I.
Published: July 2012

Nitrofurantoin (NF) was labeled with iodine‐125 via electrophilic substitution reaction. Some factors affecting the radiochemical yield of 125I‐NF, such as NF concentration, chloramine‐T (CAT) concentration, pH of the reaction mixture, reaction time, temperature, and reaction medium, were studied. The maximum yield of 125I‐NF (90%) was obtained by using 3.7 MBq of Na125I, 1 mM CAT, 1 mM NF in DMF, at pH 2 and 60 °C within 5 min. The specific activity of 125I‐NF reaches 33.3 MBq/0.2 mmol, and the 125I‐NF was completely separated and purified by means of high pressure liquid chromatography. The biological distribution in normal mice indicates the suitability of radioiodinated NF for urinary tract imaging. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Noninvasive mapping of water diffusional exchange in the human brain using filter‐exchange imaging
Authors: Nilsson Markus , Lätt Jimmy , van Westen Danielle , Brockstedt Sara , Lasič Samo , Ståhlberg Freddy , Topgaard Daniel
Published: July 2012

We present the first in vivo application of the filter‐exchange imaging protocol for diffusion MRI. The protocol allows noninvasive mapping of the rate of water exchange between microenvironments with different self‐diffusivities, such as the intracellular and extracellular spaces in tissue. Since diffusional water exchange across the cell membrane is a fundamental process in human physiology and pathophysiology, clinically feasible and noninvasive imaging of the water exchange rate would offer new means to diagnose disease and monitor treatment response in conditions such as cancer and edema. The in vivo use of filter‐exchange imaging was demonstrated by studying the brain of five healthy volunteers and one intracranial tumor (meningioma). Apparent exchange rates in white matter range from 0.8 ± 0.08 s−1 in the internal capsule, to 1.6 ± 0.11 s−1 for frontal white matter, indicating that low values are associated with high myelination. Solid tumor displayed values of up to 2.9 ± 0.8 s−1. In white matter, the apparent exchange rate values suggest intra‐axonal exchange times in the order of seconds, confirming the slow exchange assumption in the analysis of diffusion MRI data. We propose that filter‐exchange imaging could be used clinically to map the water exchange rate in pathologies. Filter‐exchange imaging may also be valuable for evaluating novel therapies targeting the function of aquaporins. Magn Reson Med, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Changes in close relationships between cancer patients and their partners
Authors: Drabe Natalie , Wittmann Lutz , Zwahlen Diana , Büchi Stefan , Jenewein Josef
Published: July 2012

Purpose

Distress caused by cancer may have an important impact on the quality of a couple's relationship. This investigation examined perceived relationship changes in a sample of cancer patients and their partners, accounting for gender and role (i.e., patient or partner).

Patients and Methods

A total of 209 patients with different cancer types and stages and their partners completed questionnaires with items on psychological distress (anxiety and depression), quality of life, and perceptions regarding positive and negative relationship changes.

Results

A total of 149 patients (71.3%) and 156 partners (74.6%) reported that the diagnosis of cancer had changed their relationship. Of these, 121 (57.9%) patients and 116 (55.5%) partners reported positive changes only, whereas eight patients (3.8%) and 18partners (8.6%) indicated negative changes only. Twenty patients (9.6%) and 22 partners (10.5%) had experienced both positive and negative changes. In male patients and partners, negative dyadic changes were associated with lower quality of life and higher levels of anxiety and depression. This finding was similar in female partners, but not in female patients. The association between perceived negative relationship changes and both increased psychological distress and reduced quality of life remained significant even when controlled for gender and congruency of perception.

Conclusions

Although most couples in our sample reported growing closer while dealing with cancer, a small but sizeable percentage observed negative changes in their relationships, and these negative changes resulted in increased psychological distress and worse quality of life. Female partners were at greatest risk for these negative perceptions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Random graphs containing few disjoint excluded minors
Authors: McDiarmid Colin , Kurauskas Valentas
Published: July 2012

The Erdős‐Pósa theorem (1965) states that in each graph G which contains at most k disjoint cycles, there is a ‘blocking’ set B of at most f(k) vertices such that the graph G – B is acyclic. Robertson and Seymour (1986) give an extension concerning any minor‐closed class of graphs, as long as does not contain all planar graphs: in each graph G which contains at most k disjoint excluded minors for , there is a set B of at most g(k) vertices such that G – B is in .

In an earlier paper (Kurauskas and McDiarmid, Combin, Probab Comput 20 (2011) 763–775), we showed that, amongst all graphs on vertex set which contain at most k disjoint cycles, all but an exponentially small proportion contain a blocking set of just k vertices.

In the present paper we build on the previous work, and give an extension concerning any minor‐closed graph class with 2‐connected excluded minors, as long as does not contain all fans (here a ‘fan’ is a graph consisting of a path together with a vertex joined to each vertex on the path). We show that amongst all graphs G on which contain at most k disjoint excluded minors for , all but an exponentially small proportion contain a set B of k vertices such that G – B is in . (This is not the case when contains all fans.) For a random graph Rn sampled uniformly from the graphs on with at most k disjoint excluded minors for , we consider also vertex degrees and the uniqueness of small blockers, the clique number and chromatic number, and the probability of being connected. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 44, 240‐268, 2014
Understanding needs embodiment: A theory‐guided reanalysis of the role of metaphors and analogies in understanding science
Authors: Niebert Kai , Marsch Sabine , Treagust David F.
Published: July 2012

Many authors stress the importance of basing teaching on students' prior knowledge. To build a bridge between students' everyday knowledge and scientific concepts, the role of metaphors and analogies came into the focus of the science education community during the past two decades. Approaches using metaphor‐based teaching strategies often regard metaphors and analogies as teaching tools that can be adopted by a teacher. On the basis of the theoretical framework of experientialism, we argue that not only teaching but also thinking about and understanding science without metaphors and analogies is not possible. An analysis of studies dealing with metaphors and analogies in science education shows that instructional analogies and metaphors are often not understood as intended or not used by students in their own explanations. By reanalyzing 199 instructional metaphors and analogies on the basis of a metaphor analysis, we show that it takes more than making a connection to everyday life to communicate science fruitfully. We show that good instructional metaphors and analogies need embodied sources. These embodied sources are everyday experiences conceptualized in, for example, schemata such as containers, paths, balances, and up and down. For the analysis, we introduce the concept of conceptual metaphors for analyzing metaphors as well as analogies. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 96:849–877, 2012
The Polio Journals: Lessons From My Mother
Authors: Fortner Patricia A.
Published: July 2012

The Polio Journals: Lessons From My Mother. Anne K. Gross, PhD, DeHart & Company, 2011, 273 pages, paperback
Staged Separation of Craniopagus Conjoined Twins: A Multidisciplinary Approach
Authors: Kho Uy Esther , Speranza Mary , Wong Clemencia S.
Published: July 2012

During 2003 and 2004, a multidisciplinary team at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York, successfully separated twin infants who presented with a total craniopagus vertical O'Connell type 1 conjoining. The twins underwent a series of four staged separation procedures over 10 months. The first three stages involved performing gradual circumferential craniotomies, dividing the dura, ligating large and small bridging veins, separating abutting brains, and inserting skin expanders. The fourth stage involved dividing the remaining dura and veins, transecting shared brain tissue not detected in preoperative imaging, replacing dura in twin B, and replacing skin over native dura in twin A. Planning and carrying out separation of the conjoined twins required organization and cooperation of all the disciplines involved to prepare the children preoperatively, care for them perioperatively and postoperatively, and support the mother during the process.
Diets versus Diseases in the Anthropometrics of Slave Children: A Reply
Authors: Steckel Richard H.
Published: July 2012

Having labored for many years in the fields of slavey research, I have learned to appreciate the challenges and complexities of the subject. My work has led me to change my assumptions and opinions on several questions, and the comment by Philip Coelho and Robert McGuire requires me to revisit my thoughts on explanations for the remarkable catch-up growth of American slaves.
Marine benthic communities of the sound of Jura
Authors: Brown B. J.
Published: July 2012

Synopsis

Benthic communities, controlled predominantly by the environmental parameters of sediment type and hydrography, have been determined by computer cluster analysis and by reference to previously established offshore communities.

A gravel association floors much of the central and northern parts of the sound while a deep mud association is flanked by a muddy sand association in the south.
Salmon and freshwater fishes of the Inner Hebrides
Authors: Campbell R. N. , Williamson R. B.
Published: July 2012

Synopsis

Apart from limited studies on salmon and sea trout no previous investigation of the status and distribution of Inner Hebridean freshwater fishes has been made. Only euryhaline fishes were able to recolonise Hebridean freshwaters after the last glaciation. Thus seven indigenous, freshwater fishes have been recorded in the Inner Hebrides: Atlantic salmon, trout, Arctic charr, three- and ten-spined stickleback, European eel and brook lamprey. Trout occur both as anadromous and sedentary forms but charr as the sedentary form only.

Flounders penetrate far upstream and may be found in lochs while grey mullet occur seasonally in streams a short way inland from the sea. In contrast to the Outer Hebrides there are established populations of non-indigenous species; American brook charr occur in lochs only on Eigg and Mull and pike and perch only on Islay.

Populations of rainbow trout are artificially maintained. On some small islands, freshwater bodies are temporary so that there are no permanent fish populations while on others, where freshwaters are present as ditches and small streams, only eels can exist. A survey showed that freshwater eels were the most widely distributed fish, followed by trout and three-spined stickleback in that order.

Salmon and sea trout are found in all the major river systems and are also caught in nets on the coasts of the larger islands. These coastal fisheries also exploit salmon in passage to river systems elsewhere in Scotland.
The Frontal-Anatomic Specificity of Design Fluency Repetitions and Their Diagnostic Relevance for Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia
Authors: Possin Katherine L. , Chester Serana K. , Laluz Victor , Bostrom Alan , Rosen Howard J. , Miller Bruce L. , Kramer Joel H.
Published: July 2012

On tests of design fluency, an examinee draws as many different designs as possible in a specified time limit while avoiding repetition. The neuroanatomical substrates and diagnostic group differences of design fluency repetition errors and total correct scores were examined in 110 individuals diagnosed with dementia, 53 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 37 neurologically healthy controls. The errors correlated significantly with volumes in the right and left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the right and left superior frontal gyrus, the right inferior frontal gyrus, and the right striatum, but did not correlate with volumes in any parietal or temporal lobe regions. Regression analyses indicated that the lateral OFC may be particularly crucial for preventing these errors, even after excluding patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) from the analysis. Total correct correlated more diffusely with volumes in the right and left frontal and parietal cortex, the right temporal cortex, and the right striatum and thalamus. Patients diagnosed with bvFTD made significantly more repetition errors than patients diagnosed with MCI, Alzheimer's disease, semantic dementia, progressive supranuclear palsy, or corticobasal syndrome. In contrast, total correct design scores did not differentiate the dementia patients. These results highlight the frontal-anatomic specificity of design fluency repetitions. In addition, the results indicate that the propensity to make these errors supports the diagnosis of bvFTD. (JINS, 2012, 18, 1–11)
Novel MEMS-Based Gas-Cell/Heating Specimen Holder Provides Advanced Imaging Capabilities forIn SituReaction Studies
Authors: Allard Lawrence F. , Overbury Steven H. , Bigelow Wilbur C. , Katz Michael B. , Nackashi David P. , Damiano John
Published: July 2012

In prior research, specimen holders that employ a novel MEMS-based heating technology (AduroTM) provided by Protochips Inc. (Raleigh, NC, USA) have been shown to permit sub-Ångström imaging at elevated temperatures up to 1,000°C duringin situheating experiments in modern aberration-corrected electron microscopes. The Aduro heating devices permit precise control of temperature and have the unique feature of providing both heating and cooling rates of 106°C/s. In the present work, we describe the recent development of a new specimen holder that incorporates the Aduro heating device into a “closed-cell” configuration, designed to function within the narrow (2 mm) objective lens pole piece gap of an aberration-corrected JEOL 2200FS STEM/TEM, and capable of exposing specimens to gases at pressures up to 1 atm. We show the early results of tests of this specimen holder demonstrating imaging at elevated temperatures and at pressures up to a full atmosphere, while retaining the atomic resolution performance of the microscope in high-angle annular dark-field and bright-field imaging modes.
The role of salinity on the dynamics of the Arabian Sea mini warm pool
Authors: Nyadjro Ebenezer S. , Subrahmanyam Bulusu , Murty V. S. N. , Shriver Jay F.
Published: July 2012

Warmer (>28°C) sea surface temperature (SST) occurs in the South Eastern Arabian Sea (SEAS, 5°N–13°N, 65°E–76°E) during March–April, and is known as the Arabian Sea Mini Warm Pool (ASMWP). In this study, we address the role of salinity and the upper layer heat and salt budgets in the formation and collapse of this ASMWP. An assessment of Level 3 sea surface salinity (SSS) data from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite mission for the year 2010 shows that SMOS is able to capture the SSS variability in the SEAS. Analysis of temperature, salinity and currents from the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model during 2003–06, and, in situ temperature and salinity data from Argo floats during 2003–06 for the SEAS revealed that low salinity waters cap the top 60 m of the SEAS in January–February. This minimum salinity was concurrent with the formation of a barrier layer and with the time when the SEAS gained little net heat flux and the equatorward flowing East India Coastal Current (EICC) fed low saline waters into the SEAS. Subsequently, the net heat flux increased to a peak value under the increased salinity stratification, leading to the formation of the ASMWP in March–April. The ASMWP collapsed by May due to increase in SSS and the associated weakening of the salinity stratification. The monsoon onset vortex in May 2004 could be related to the minimum SSS that occurred in February 2004, followed by higher SST and heat content of the ASMWP in April 2004.
A global single‐sensor analysis of 2002–2011 tropospheric nitrogen dioxide trends observed from space
Authors: Schneider P. , van der A R. J.
Published: July 2012

A global nine‐year archive of monthly tropospheric NO2 data acquired by the SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CartograpHY (SCIAMACHY) instrument was analyzed with respect to trends between August 2002 and August 2011. In the past, similar studies relied on combining data from multiple sensors; however, the length of the SCIAMACHY data set now for the first time allows utilization of a consistent time series from just a single sensor for mapping NO2 trends at comparatively high horizontal resolution (0.25°). This study provides an updated analysis of global patterns in NO2 trends and finds that previously reported decreases in tropospheric NO2 over Europe and the United States as well as strong increases over China and several megacities in Asia have continued in recent years. Positive trends of up to 4.05 (±0.41) × 1015 molecules cm−2 yr−1 and up to 19.7 (±1.9) % yr−1 were found over China, with the regional mean trend being 7.3 (±3.1) % yr−1. The megacity with the most rapid relative increase was found to be Dhaka in Bangladesh. Subsequently focusing on Europe, the study further analyzes trends by country and finds significantly decreasing trends for seven countries ranging from −3.0 (±1.6) % yr−1 to −4.5 (±2.3) % yr−1. A comparison of the satellite data with station data indicates that the trends derived from both sources show substantial differences on the station scale, i.e., when comparing a station trend directly with the equivalent satellite‐derived trend at the same location, but provide quite similar large‐scale spatial patterns. Finally, the SCIAMACHY‐derived NO2 trends are compared with equivalent trends in NO2concentration computed using the Co‐operative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long‐range Transmission of Air Pollutants in Europe (EMEP) model. The results show that the spatial patterns in trends computed from both data sources mostly agree in Central and Western Europe, whereas substantial differences are found in Eastern Europe.
Including debris cover effects in a distributed model of glacier ablation
Authors: Reid T. D. , Carenzo M. , Pellicciotti F. , Brock B. W.
Published: July 2012

Distributed glacier melt models generally assume that the glacier surface consists of bare exposed ice and snow. In reality, many glaciers are wholly or partially covered in layers of debris that tend to suppress ablation rates. In this paper, an existing physically based point model for the ablation of debris‐covered ice is incorporated in a distributed melt model and applied to Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland, which has three large patches of debris cover on its surface. The model is based on a 10 m resolution digital elevation model (DEM) of the area; each glacier pixel in the DEM is defined as either bare or debris‐covered ice, and may be covered in snow that must be melted off before ice ablation is assumed to occur. Each debris‐covered pixel is assigned a debris thickness value using probability distributions based on over 1000 manual thickness measurements. Locally observed meteorological data are used to run energy balance calculations in every pixel, using an approach suitable for snow, bare ice or debris‐covered ice as appropriate. The use of the debris model significantly reduces the total ablation in the debris‐covered areas, however the precise reduction is sensitive to the temperature extrapolation used in the model distribution because air near the debris surface tends to be slightly warmer than over bare ice. Overall results suggest that the debris patches, which cover 10% of the glacierized area, reduce total runoff from the glacierized part of the basin by up to 7%.
A probabilistic description of the bed load sediment flux: 2. Particle activity and motions
Authors: Roseberry John C. , Schmeeckle Mark W. , Furbish David Jon
Published: July 2012

High‐speed imaging of coarse sand particles transported as bed load over a planar bed reveals that the particle activity, the solid volume of particles in motion per unit streambed area, fluctuates as particles respond to near‐bed fluid turbulence while simultaneously interacting with the bed. The relative magnitude of these fluctuations systematically varies with the size of the sampling area. The particle activity within a specified sampling area is distributed in a manner that is consistent with the existence of an ensemble of configurations of particle positions wherein certain configurations are preferentially selected or excluded by the turbulence structure, manifest as patchiness of active particles. The particle activity increases with increasing bed stress far faster than does the average particle velocity, so changes in the transport rate with changing stress are dominated by changes in the activity, not velocity. The probability density functions of the streamwise and cross‐stream particle velocities are exponential‐like and lack heavy tails. Plots of the mean squared particle displacement versus time may ostensibly indicate non‐Fickian diffusive behavior while actually reflecting effects of correlated random walks associated with intrinsic periodicities in particle motions, not anomalous diffusion. The probability density functions of the particle hop distance (start‐to‐stop) and the associated travel time are gamma‐like, which provides the empirical basis for showing that particle disentrainment rates vary with hop distance and travel time.
Practical estimates of field‐saturated hydraulic conductivity of bedrock outcrops using a modified bottomless bucket method
Authors: Mirus Benjamin B. , Perkins Kim S.
Published: July 2012

The bottomless bucket (BB) approach (Nimmo et al., 2009a) is a cost‐effective method for rapidly characterizing field‐saturated hydraulic conductivityKfsof soils and alluvial deposits. This practical approach is of particular value for quantifying infiltration rates in remote areas with limited accessibility. A similar approach for bedrock outcrops is also of great value for improving quantitative understanding of infiltration and recharge in rugged terrain. We develop a simple modification to the BB method for application to bedrock outcrops, which uses a nontoxic, quick‐drying silicone gel to seal the BB to the bedrock. These modifications to the field method require only minor changes to the analytical solution for calculatingKfs on soils. We investigate the reproducibility of the method with laboratory experiments on a previously studied calcarenite rock and conduct a sensitivity analysis to quantify uncertainty in our predictions. We apply the BB method on both bedrock and soil for sites on Pahute Mesa, which is located in a remote area of the Nevada National Security Site. The bedrock BB tests may require monitoring over several hours to days, depending on infiltration rates, which necessitates a cover to prevent evaporative losses. Our field and laboratory results compare well to Kfs values inferred from independent reports, which suggests the modified BB method can provide useful estimates and facilitate simple hypothesis testing. The ease with which the bedrock BB method can be deployed should facilitate more rapid in situ data collection than is possible with alternative methods for quantitative characterization of infiltration into bedrock.
Long‐range genomic interactions epigenetically regulate the expression of a cytokine receptor
Authors: Deligianni Chrysoula , Spilianakis Charalampos G
Published: July 2012

Current research on the cytokine‐mediated signalling towards the polarization and differentiation of a T‐helper cell lineage lacks mechanistic insights on the transcriptional regulation of cytokine receptor genes. Here, we propose a new mechanism for the transcriptional regulation of the interferon gamma receptor 1 gene via long‐range intrachromosomal interactions with the Ifnγ locus mediated by the protein CTCF. These interactions sustain the monoallelic expression of the differentially methylated IfnγR1 gene and are persistent on blockade of active transcription. Our findings suggest that regulatory elements for a cytokine gene locus can also positively regulate the transcription of its receptor.
A novel mass assay to quantify the bioactive lipid PtdIns3P in various biological samples
Authors: Chicanne Gaëtan , Severin Sonia , Boscheron Cécile , Terrisse Anne-Dominique , Gratacap Marie-Pierre , Gaits-Iacovoni Frédérique , Tronchère Hélène , Payrastre Bernard
Published: July 2012

PtdIns3P is recognized as an important player in the control of the endocytotic pathway and in autophagy. Recent data also suggest that PtdIns3P contributes to molecular mechanisms taking place at the plasma membrane and at the midbody during cytokinesis. This lipid is present in low amounts in mammalian cells and remains difficult to quantify either by traditional techniques based on radiolabelling followed by HPLC to separate the different phosphatidylinositol monophosphates, or by high-sensitive liquid chromatography coupled to MS, which is still under development. In the present study, we describe a mass assay to quantify this lipid from various biological samples using the recombinant PtdIns3P 5-kinase, PIKfyve. Using this assay, we show an increase in the mass level of PtdIns3P in mouse and human platelets following stimulation, loss of this lipid in Vps34-deficient yeasts and its relative enrichment in early endosomes isolated from BHK cells.
Real-time MSE measurements for current profile control on KSTAR
Authors: De Bock M. F. M. , Aussems D. , Huijgen R. , Scheffer M. , Chung J.
Published: July 2012

To step up from current day fusion experiments to power producing fusion reactors, it is necessary to control long pulse, burning plasmas. Stability and confinement properties of tokamak fusion reactors are determined by the current or q profile. In order to control the q profile, it is necessary to measure it in real-time. A real-time motional Stark effect diagnostic is being developed at Korean Superconducting Tokamak for Advanced Research for this purpose. This paper focuses on 3 topics important for real-time measurements: minimize the use of ad hoc parameters, minimize external influences and a robust and fast analysis algorithm. Specifically, we have looked into extracting the retardance of the photo-elastic modulators from the signal itself, minimizing the influence of overlapping beam spectra by optimizing the optical filter design and a multi-channel, multiharmonic phase locking algorithm.
Methods for characterizing x-ray detectors for use at the National Ignition Facility
Authors: Khan S. F. , Benedetti L. R. , Hargrove D. R. , Glenn S. M. , Simanovskaia N. , Holder J. P. , Barrios M. A. , Hahn D. , Nagel S. R. , Bell P. M. , Bradley D. K.
Published: July 2012

Gated and streaked x-ray detectors generally require corrections in order to counteract instrumental effects in the data. The method of correcting for gain variations in gated cameras fielded at National Ignition Facility (NIF) is described. Four techniques for characterizing the gated x-ray detectors are described. The current principal method of characterizing x-ray instruments is the production of controlled x-ray emission by laser-generated plasmas as a dedicated shot at the NIF. A recently commissioned pulsed x-ray source has the potential to replace the other characterization systems. This x-ray source features a pulsed power source consisting of a Marx generator, capacitor bank that is charged in series and discharged in parallel, producing up to 300 kV. The pulsed x-ray source initially suffered from a large jitter (∼60 ns), but the recent addition of a pulsed laser to trigger the spark gap has reduced the jitter to ∼5 ns. Initial results show that this tool is a promising alternative to the other flat fielding techniques.
In situ multipurpose time-resolved spectrometer for monitoring nanoparticle generation in a high-pressure fluid
Authors: Wei Shaoyu , Saitow Ken-ichi
Published: July 2012

We developed a multipurpose time-resolved spectrometer for studying the dynamics of nanoparticles generated by pulsed-laser ablation (PLA) in a high-pressure fluid. The apparatus consists of a high-pressure optical cell and three spectrometers for in situ measurements. The optical cell was designed for experiments at temperatures up to 400 K and pressures up to 30 MPa with fluctuations within ±0.1% h−1. The three spectrometers were used for the following in situ measurements at high pressures: (i) transient absorption spectrum measurements from 350 to 850 nm to investigate the dynamics of nanoparticle generation from nanoseconds to milliseconds after laser irradiation, (ii) absorption spectrum measurements from 220 to 900 nm to observe the time evolution of nanoparticles from seconds to hours after laser ablation, and (iii) dynamic light scattering measurements to track nanoparticles with sizes from 10 nm to 10 μm in the time range from seconds to hours after laser ablation. By combining these three spectrometers, we demonstrate in situ measurements of gold nanoparticles generated by PLA in supercritical fluids. This is the first report of in situ time-resolved measurements of the dynamics of nanoparticles generated in a supercritical fluid.
Perpendicular propagating modes for weakly magnetized relativistic degenerate plasma
Authors: Abbas Gohar , Bashir M. F. , Murtaza G.
Published: July 2012

Using the Vlasov-Maxwell system of equations, the dispersion relations for the perpendicular propagating modes (i.e., X-mode, O-mode, and upper hybrid mode) are derived for a weakly magnetized relativistic degenerate electron plasma. By using the density (n0=pF3/3π2ℏ3) and the magnetic field values for different relativistic degenerate environments, the propagation characteristics (i.e., cutoff points, resonances, dispersions, and band widths in k-space) of these modes are examined. It is observed that the relativistic effects suppress the effect of ambient magnetic field and therefore the cutoff and resonance points shift towards the lower frequency regime resulting in enhancement of the propagation domain. The dispersion relations of these modes for the non-relativistic limit (pF2≪m02c2) and the ultra-relativistic limit (pF2≫m02c2) are also presented.
Control of misfit dislocation glide plane distribution during strain relaxation of CuPt-ordered GaInAs and GaInP
Authors: France R. M. , McMahon W. E. , Norman A. G. , Geisz J. F. , Romero M. J.
Published: July 2012

We show a strong relationship between CuPt atomic ordering and misfit dislocation glide plane preference during strain relaxation. A miscut substrate creates an asymmetry in the resolved mismatch stress between {111} glide planes, causing a preference for one glide plane that results in a systematic tilt of the epilayer relative to the substrate. However, a small degree of ordering leads to nearly 100% of dislocation glide on planes opposite to the expected planes from the substrate miscut. This result is explained as a consequence of the asymmetry between {111} glide planes of CuPt-ordered material. Lowering the ordering parameter by changing bulk composition results in a change in glide plane distribution and is accomplished through the formation of new dislocations. Control of the glide plane distribution is therefore possible by controlling the ordering parameter on a vicinal substrate. Knowledge and control of this relaxation mechanism is important for the reduction of threading dislocations in lattice-mismatched devices.
Medical Assessment Units and the older patient: a retrospective case-control study
Authors: Ong Bin S. , Van Nguyen Huong , Ilyas Mohammad , Boyatzis Irene , Ngian Vincent J. J.
Published: July 2012

Objective.
To evaluate the effect of a Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) on older patients.

Methods.
Retrospective case-control study of patients 65 years and above admitted to the MAU (study group) and the general medical wards (control group) in Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital from 1 October 2008 to 31 March 2009 with four most common Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRG) (‘falls and gait disorder’, ‘chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)’, ‘other major respiratory diseases and ‘cellulitis’).

Main outcome measures.
Length of stay (LOS) in Emergency Department (ED) and in the hospital, mortality, readmissions within 1 month, and discharge destination.

Results.
Eighty-nine patients were studied; 47 in the MAU group and 42 in the non-MAU group. The MAU cohort was significantly older (84.1 ± 7.9 years v. 80.4 ± 7.8 years, respectively, P = 0.03); and had shorter ED LOS (4.9 ± 3.0 h v. 6.5 ± 2.8 h, P = 0.012). Overall hospital LOS did not differ except for patients with ‘cellulitis’, (5.7 ± 4.9 days for MAU cohort v. 14.8 ± 6.8 days for non-MAU cohort, P = 0.022). There was no significant difference in mortality, readmission rate or discharge destination.

Conclusions.
The MAU can be an effective service model for older patients. More research is required to confirm this and to define the key elements that are essential for its effectiveness.

What is known about the topic?
The Medical Assessment Unit is a model of care that has been developed in response to increasing Emergency Department presentations and rising demand on hospital beds. There has been some evidence that this model of care improves efficiency by reducing Emergency Department length of stay and overall hospital length of stay, but little published data targeting the Aged Care population group, who account for a high proportion of Emergency Department admissions.

What does this paper add?
This paper is a case-control study and provides additional evidence on the benefit of the Medical Assessment Unit model in the elderly population, specifically the benefits in the reduction of Emergency Department length of stay and overall hospital length of stay. This paper also assists in identifying key elements essential for the success of the Medical Assessment Unit model.

What are the implications for practitioners?
With increasing demand on healthcare, practitioners need to continually redesign how they deliver healthcare to maximise cost efficiency and effectiveness. We believe the Medical Assessment Unit is an effective new model of care. However, more research is required to further refine this model and also identify target patient groups who can most benefit from this model of care.
Recognition of modification status on a histone H3 tail by linked histone reader modules of the epigenetic regulator UHRF1
Authors: Arita Kyohei , Isogai Shin , Oda Takashi , Unoki Motoko , Sugita Kazuya , Sekiyama Naotaka , Kuwata Keiko , Hamamoto Ryuji , Tochio Hidehito , Sato Mamoru , Ariyoshi Mariko , Shirakawa Masahiro
Published: July 2012

Multiple covalent modifications on a histone tail are often recognized by linked histone reader modules. UHRF1 [ubiquitin-like, containing plant homeodomain (PHD) and really interesting new gene (RING) finger domains 1], an essential factor for maintenance of DNA methylation, contains linked two-histone reader modules, a tandem Tudor domain and a PHD finger, tethered by a 17-aa linker, and has been implicated to link histone modifications and DNA methylation. Here, we present the crystal structure of the linked histone reader modules of UHRF1 in complex with the amino-terminal tail of histone H3. Our structural and biochemical data provide the basis for combinatorial readout of unmodified Arg-2 (H3-R2) and methylated Lys-9 (H3-K9) by the tandem tudor domain and the PHD finger. The structure reveals that the intermodule linker plays an essential role in the formation of a histone H3–binding hole between the reader modules by making extended contacts with the tandem tudor domain. The histone H3 tail fits into the hole by adopting a compact fold harboring a central helix, which allows both of the reader modules to simultaneously recognize the modification states at H3-R2 and H3-K9. Our data also suggest that phosphorylation of a linker residue can modulate the relative position of the reader modules, thereby altering the histone H3–binding mode. This finding implies that the linker region plays a role as a functional switch of UHRF1 involved in multiple regulatory pathways such as maintenance of DNA methylation and transcriptional repression.
Magnetic resonance imaging with hyperpolarized [1,4-
13
C
2
]fumarate allows detection of early renal acute tubular necrosis
Authors: Clatworthy Menna R. , Kettunen Mikko I. , Hu De-En , Mathews Rebeccah J. , Witney Timothy H. , Kennedy Brett W. C. , Bohndiek Sarah E. , Gallagher Ferdia A. , Jarvis Lorna B. , Smith Kenneth G. C. , Brindle Kevin M.
Published: July 2012

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and important medical problem, affecting 10% of hospitalized patients, and it is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The most frequent cause of AKI is acute tubular necrosis (ATN). Current imaging techniques and biomarkers do not allow ATN to be reliably differentiated from important differential diagnoses, such as acute glomerulonephritis (GN). We investigated whether
13
C magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) might allow the noninvasive diagnosis of ATN.
13
C MRSI of hyperpolarized [1,4-
13
C
2
]fumarate and pyruvate was used in murine models of ATN and acute GN (NZM2410 mice with lupus nephritis). A significant increase in [1,4-
13
C
2
]malate signal was identified in the kidneys of mice with ATN early in the disease course before the onset of severe histological changes. No such increase in renal [1,4-
13
C
2
]malate was observed in mice with acute GN. The kidney [1-
13
C]pyruvate/[1-
13
C]lactate ratio showed substantial variability and was not significantly decreased in animals with ATN or increased in animals with GN. In conclusion, MRSI of hyperpolarized [1,4-
13
C
2
]fumarate allows the detection of early tubular necrosis and its distinction from glomerular inflammation in murine models. This technique may have the potential to identify a window of therapeutic opportunity in which emerging therapies might be applied to patients with ATN, reducing the need for acute dialysis with its attendant morbidity and cost.
Soluble guanylyl cyclase requires heat shock protein 90 for heme insertion during maturation of the NO-active enzyme
Authors: Ghosh Arnab , Stuehr Dennis J.
Published: July 2012

Heme insertion is key during maturation of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) because it enables sGC to recognize NO and transduce its multiple biological effects. Although sGC is often associated with the 90-kDa heat shock protein (hsp90) in cells, the implications are unclear. The present study reveals that hsp90 is required to drive heme insertion into sGC and complete its maturation. We used a mammalian cell culture approach and followed heme insertion into transiently and endogenously expressed heme-free sGC. We used pharmacological hsp90 inhibitors, an ATP-ase inactive hsp90 mutant, and heme-dependent or heme-independent sGC activators as tools to decipher the role of hsp90. Our findings suggest that hsp90 complexes with apo-sGC, drives heme insertion through its inherent ATPase activity, and then dissociates from the mature, heme-replete sGC. Together, this improves our understanding of sGC maturation and reveals a unique means to control sGC activity in cells, and it has important implications for hsp90 inhibitor-based cancer therapy.
Role of proton ordering in adsorption preference of polar molecule on ice surface
Authors: Sun Zhaoru , Pan Ding , Xu Limei , Wang Enge
Published: July 2012

Adsorption of polar monomers on ice surface, relevant to the physical/chemical reaction in ice clouds as well as growth of ice, remains an open issue partially due to the unusual surface characteristics with protons at the top layer of ice. Using first-principle calculations, we explore the adsorption properties of ice surface in terms of a surface proton order parameter, which characterizes the inhomogeneity of the dangling atoms on ice surface. We show that, due to an effective electric field created by dangling OH bonds and lone pairs of water molecules not only directly neighboring but also further away from the adsorbed polar molecule on the ice surface, the adsorption energy of polar monomer on ice surface exhibits large variance and a strong correlation with the proton order parameter of ice surface. Our results about the positive correlation between the inhomogeneity of ice surface and adsorption energies suggest that the physical/chemical reactions as well as the growth of ice may prefer to occur firstly on surfaces with larger proton order parameter.
XPS characterization and photoelectrochemical behaviour of p-type 3C-SiC films on p-Si substrates for solar water splitting
Authors: Ma Quan-Bao , Kaiser Bernhard , Ziegler Jürgen , Fertig Dominic , Jaegermann Wolfram
Published: July 2012

The electrochemical (EC) properties of single-crystalline p-type 3C-SiC films on p-Si substrates were investigated as electrodes in H2SO4 aqueous solutions in dark and under white light illumination. Before EC tests, the SiC films were etched by HF solution and aqua-regia–HF solution, respectively, and then investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) including one untreated SiC sample. After EC tests, XPS was also applied to investigate the surface chemical state changes. The EC measurements indicate that the p-type 3C-SiC films on p-Si substrates can generate a cathodic photocurrent as the photocathode, which corresponds to hydrogen production, and generate an anodic photocurrent as the photoanode, which corresponds to oxygen evolution. XPS shows the surface of all the SiC films was oxidized due to anodic oxidation applied by a positive bias during the EC test, which indicates the formation of silicon oxides, CO2 or CO and carbonates.
Stuck on Stubble? The Non‐market Value of Agricultural Byproducts for Diversified Farmers in Morocco*
Authors: Magnan Nicholas , Larson Douglas M. , Taylor J. Edward
Published: July 2012

Diversified agricultural households often use byproducts of one activity as inputs for another. For crop‐livestock farmers, cereal production provides grain and crop residue, where the latter can be used as livestock feed. To properly assess the cost of introducing new technologies into such systems, one must value the implicit cost of byproducts, which is made difficult by missing byproduct markets. We estimate the shadow value of non‐market crop stubble using household data from Morocco and find that stubble accounts for around one‐quarter of the value of cereal production in a normal rainfall year and three quarters in a drought year.
zCall: a rare variant caller for array-based genotyping
Authors: Goldstein Jacqueline I. , Crenshaw Andrew , Carey Jason , Grant George B. , Maguire Jared , Fromer Menachem , O’Dushlaine Colm , Moran Jennifer L. , Chambert Kimberly , Stevens Christine ,   Swedish Schizophrenia Consortium,   ARRA Autism Sequencing Consortium, Sklar Pamela , Hultman Christina M. , Purcell Shaun , McCarroll Steven A. , Sullivan Patrick F. , Daly Mark J. , Neale Benjamin M.
Published: July 2012

Summary: zCall is a variant caller specifically designed for calling rare single-nucleotide polymorphisms from array-based technology. This caller is implemented as a post-processing step after a default calling algorithm has been applied. The algorithm uses the intensity profile of the common allele homozygote cluster to define the location of the other two genotype clusters. We demonstrate improved detection of rare alleles when applying zCall to samples that have both Illumina Infinium HumanExome BeadChip and exome sequencing data available.

Availability:  http://atguweb.mgh.harvard.edu/apps/zcall.

Contact:  bneale@broadinstitute.org

Supplementary Information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Literature and Theology From a North American Perspective
Authors: Ziolkowski Eric
Published: July 2012

The ‘non-confessional’ stance of Literature and Theology, together with its embrace of ‘theology broadly understood’, has allowed the Journal to carve out a unique niche in the academic terrain of North America, for the Journal affords a forum for theologically inclined scholars to pursue the enterprise traditionally, and perhaps still most often, associated with its title, that of seeking transcendent meanings manifest or concealed within the immanence of literary texts, while also welcoming contributions that represent perspectives at odds, sometimes quite emphatically, with any traditional, strictly literalist, etymological construal of ‘theology.’ This article considers the rather precarious relationship that ‘theology’ has historically had to American culture, before concluding with some reflections on why the specific association of ‘theology’ with ‘literature’ in this Journal’s purview has proven so alluring and fertile a subject in America over the past twenty-five years, and why this same association promises to make the Journal all the more crucial a forum for critical reflection in the coming decades.
Legal Protection in Retail Financial Markets
Authors: Carlin Bruce Ian , Gervais Simon
Published: July 2012

We model a retail financial institution that outsources its advice services to an intermediary, making the two parties jointly responsible for consumers' experience with the products. In this context, courts that enforce state-contingent legal rules are necessary in order to avoid market breakdowns. To maximize social welfare, the government implements a system of penalties that depends on product characteristics and on the firm's relative ability to control quality. This legal system emphasizes reliable advice over transaction pace. Furthermore, the implicit team structure of the firm and its intermediary prevents self-regulation from achieving the same social efficiency. (JEL G18, G28, D11, D18, L51, K20)
Phylogenetic analysis identifies a ‘Candidatus

Phytoplasma oryzae
’-related strain associated with yellow leaf disease of areca palm (Areca catechu L.) in India
Authors: Ramaswamy Manimekalai , Nair Smita , Soumya V. P. , Thomas George V.
Published: July 2012

Yellow leaf disease (YLD) with phytoplasmal aetiology is a serious disease of arecanut palm in India. The present study was undertaken to characterize the 16S rRNA and secA gene sequences of the Indian arecanut YLD phytoplasma for ‘Candidatus

Phytoplasma
’ species assignment and 16Sr group/subgroup classification. Phytoplasma 16S rRNA genes were amplified using three sets of semi-nested/nested primers, 1F7/7R3–1F7/7R2, 4Fwd/3Rev–4Fwd/5Rev and P1/P7–R16F2n/R16R2, producing amplicons of 491, 1150 and 1250 bp, respectively, from diseased samples. The amplicons were cloned and sequenced. A blast search showed that the sequences had 99 % similarity with sugar cane white leaf phytoplasma (16SrXI) and Napier grass stunt phytoplasma (16SrXI). Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene revealed the clustering of YLD phytoplasma with the rice yellow dwarf and Bermuda grass white leaf groups. The YLD phytoplasma F2nR2 sequence shared 97.5 % identity with that of ‘Candidatus

Phytoplasma oryzae
’ and 97.8 % identity with that of ‘Candidatus

Phytoplasma cynodontis
’. Hence, for finer differentiation, we examined the secA gene-based phylogeny, where the YLD phytoplasma clustered with Napier grass stunt and sugar cane grassy shoot phytoplasmas, both belonging to the rice yellow dwarf group. Hence, we are assigning the Indian arecanut YLD phytoplasma as a ‘Candidatus

Phytoplasma oryzae
’-related strain. Virtual RFLP analysis of a 1.2 kb fragment of the 16S rRNA gene (F2nR2 region) identified the Indian arecanut YLD phytoplasma as a member of 16SrXI-B subgroup. We name the phytoplasma Indian yellow leaf disease phytoplasma, to differentiate it from the Hainan YLD phytoplasma, which belongs to group 16SrI.