bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CHEMICAL COMPARISON OF RARE CHINESE WHITE POTTERY FROM FOUR SITES OF THE ERLITOU STATE: RESULTS AND ARCHAEOMETRICAL IMPLICATIONS
Authors: LI BAO‐PING , LIU LI , CHEN XING‐CAN , ZHAO JIAN‐XIN , DRENNAN J. , GREIG A. , FENG YUE‐XING , LAWRENCE M. , XU HONG , HAN GUO‐HE , ZHU JUN‐XIAO , ZHANG SONG‐LIN
Published: December 2009

White pottery is among the most significant finds from China's earliest state, Erlitou (c. 1900–1500 bc). Samples were primarily discovered in small numbers from elite tombs of a few sites, leading to the hypothesis that they were made at only a few locations and then circulated regionally as prestige items. To facilitate determining provenances, we compare the ICP–MS trace elements and TIMS Sr isotopes of whiteware with two soil samples from Nanwa, a possible manufacturing site, and with shards found at three other sites: Erlitou, Huizui and Nanzhai. The Nanwa shards demonstrate special elemental and Sr isotopic features. Considering the chemical observation and archaeological background together, we propose that Nanwa was a centre for whiteware production, although the two soil samples we collected there were probably not the exact materials used. Some whiteware pieces from Erlitou, Huizui and Nanzhai fall in the chemical field defined by Nanwa samples, indicating that they were possibly made at Nanwa. Many other samples from these three sites plot outside the Nanwa field, implying they were probably not Nanwa products. This study demonstrates that while chemical sourcing is very useful, firm archaeological context must remain the cornerstone of such research.
Police Powers, Regulatory Takings and the Efficient Compensation of Domestic and Foreign Investors*
Authors: AISBETT EMMA , KARP LARRY , MCAUSLAND CAROL
Published: December 2009

Modern international investment agreements have challenged the customary exclusion of public good regulations from being considered government ‘takings’ subject to compensation rules. Full compensation for regulatory takings can, however, lead to over‐investment and excessive entry in risky industries. An alternative is to ‘carve‐out’ apparently efficient regulation from compensation requirements. We design a carve‐out/compensation rule that induces efficient regulation and firm‐level investment even when the regulator suffers fiscal illusion and has private information about the social benefit from regulation. We also show that a carve‐out reduces the subsidy to risky industry implicit in compensation rules, and thus mitigates the entry problem.
Maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnancies complicated by asthma in an Australian population
Authors: CLIFTON Vicki L. , ENGEL Patricia , SMITH Roger , GIBSON Peter , BRINSMEAD Maxwell , GILES Warwick B.
Published: December 2009

Objective:  To determine if there are sex differences in risk and incidence of stillbirth, preterm delivery and small‐for‐gestational age (SGA) in pregnancies complicated by maternal asthma relative to a non‐asthmatic population.

Study design:  Univariant and multiple regression analysis of the incidence of preterm delivery, SGA and stillbirth in singleton pregnancies complicated by asthma in Newcastle, NSW, Australia, from 1995 to 1999.

Results:  Asthma complicated 12% of all singleton pregnancies. The incidence of preterm delivery was not significantly different between asthmatic (13%) and non‐asthmatic (11%) pregnancies. Male fetuses (53%) were more likely to deliver preterm than female fetuses (47%) in both asthmatic and non‐asthmatic populations. There were significantly more male neonates of pregnancies complicated by asthma that were SGA at term relative to those of the non‐asthmatic population. There were significantly more preterm female neonates that were SGA in pregnancies complicated by asthma relative to those of the non‐asthmatic population. Male fetuses were more likely to be associated with a stillbirth in pregnancies complicated by asthma than female fetuses.

Conclusion:  The presence of maternal asthma during pregnancy increases the risk of stillbirth for the male fetus and is associated with changes in fetal growth, but does not increase the incidence of a preterm delivery.
Role of general practitioners in primary maternity care in South Australia and Victoria
Authors: SUTHERLAND Georgina , YELLAND Jane , WIEBE Jan , KELLY Jennifer , MARLOWE Penny , BROWN Stephanie
Published: December 2009

Background:  Recent policy debates about the challenges facing maternity services in Australia provide an opportunity to reflect on current care practices.

Aims:  To identify the provision of primary maternity care models in two Australian states: South Australia (SA) and Victoria.

Methods:  All public and private hospitals with maternity facilities in SA and Victoria were mailed a survey requesting information about the organisation and provision of maternity care.

Results:  All hospitals in SA (35) and 99% (75/76) in Victoria completed the survey. Among public hospitals, approximately 50% (14/30 in SA and 29/56 in Victoria) reported primary care arrangements where all antenatal care is provided by medical practitioners working in the community. The vast majority of hospitals offering this type of care were located outside metropolitan areas. Twenty per cent of public hospitals in SA (6/30) and 36% in Victoria (20/59) reported offering primary midwifery models, such as team, caseload and/or birth centre care. In SA, hospitals offering these models were located in both metropolitan and regional areas. In Victoria, 60% of hospitals offering women primary midwifery care were large hospitals with more than 1000 births per annum.

Conclusions:  This study shows that community‐based medical practitioners, general practitioners in particular, are major providers of maternity care despite the emergence of primary midwifery models of care. With 25% of the population living outside metropolitan areas in both states, providing access to choice and continuity of care for women living in regional and rural areas will be a challenge for maternity reform.
Opinion: Integration of diagnostic and management perspectives for placenta accreta
Authors: WELSH Alec W. , ELLWOOD David , CARTER Jonathan , PEDUTO Anthony J. , VEDELAGO John , BENNETT Michael
Published: December 2009

The 2007 New South Wales/Queensland Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Annual Scientific Meeting convened a panel to discuss multidisciplinary perspectives on the management of placenta accreta, percreta or increta. While it was anticipated that this panel would stimulate discussion, the cohesion between the approaches was underestimated. This document represents an integration of the perspectives of the invited speakers at this presentation, with backgrounds in maternal–fetal medicine, gynaecological oncology, radiology and general obstetrics and gynaecology.
Risk factors on the menstrual cycle of healthy Taiwanese college nursing students
Authors: CHANG Pei‐Jen , CHEN Pau‐Chung , HSIEH Chia‐Jung , CHIU Li‐Tan
Published: December 2009

Background:  The purpose of this study was to explore risk factors, including age at menarche, body mass index (BMI), psychiatric stress and physical exercise on the menstrual cycle of healthy Taiwanese college nursing students.

Methods:  We conducted a cross‐sectional survey involving 1300 female college students in the nursing curriculum between December 2002 and March 2003. We provided a structured questionnaire for each student. Information on the women’s demographics, lifestyles and reproductive history related to menstrual cycle characteristics was requested. A total of 1095 healthy students were included in the analysis. A logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios for each of the menstrual cycle characteristics.

Results:  We found that age at menarche, BMI and psychiatric stress were associated with menstrual cycle characteristics in healthy college nursing students. In addition to menarche at the age of 14 years or later, obesity and psychological stress, menarche before 12 years of age was an important risk factor for menstrual dysfunction. Moreover, obese students had the highest risk of having a longer cycle and cycle irregularity.

Conclusions:  Early menarche might be related to menstrual dysfunction in addition to late menarche, obesity and psychological stress. Moreover, obese students are at the highest risks for longer cycles and cycle irregularity.
Intravenous lacosamide as short‐term replacement for oral lacosamide in partial‐onset seizures
Authors: Krauss Gregory , Ben‐Menachem Elinor , Mameniskiene Ruta , Vaiciene‐Magistris Nerija , Brock Melissa , Whitesides John G. , Johnson Martin E.
Published: December 2009

Purpose:  Lacosamide is a new antiepileptic drug effective for adjunctive treatment of partial‐onset seizures. We evaluated the safety and tolerability of an intravenous (i.v.) formulation of lacosamide (200–800 mg/day) infused over 10, 15, and 30 min as short‐term replacement for oral lacosamide in patients with partial‐onset seizures.

Methods:  This multicenter, open‐label, inpatient trial enrolled 160 patients from ongoing open‐label, long‐term trials who were taking stable doses of oral lacosamide and up to three concomitant antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Serial cohorts of patients were converted from oral lacosamide treatment to the same intravenous doses infused over progressively shorter infusion durations: 30, 15, and 10 min for 2–5 days. A data monitoring committee (DMC) reviewed safety data for each cohort. The safety of intravenous lacosamide was assessed from adverse events (AEs), laboratory variables, electrocardiography findings, and physical/neurologic examinations.

Results:  A total of 160 patients received lacosamide 200–800 mg/day, i.v., for 2–5 days, of which 69% received 400–800 mg/day doses. The most common AEs (reported by ≤10% of patients) were headache, dizziness, and somnolence. There was no increase in frequency or severity of AEs with shorter durations of infusion or increased days of exposure. AEs were similar, but more frequent, with higher doses (≥400 mg/day). Injection‐site events were rare and did not appear to be linked to infusion doses or rates. Lacosamide plasma concentrations were linearly related to dose across the cohorts.

Discussion:  This comprehensive evaluation supports the safety of an intravenous lacosamide infusion duration as short as 15 min for short‐term (2–5 days) replacement for patients temporarily unable to take oral lacosamide.
Formalin‐Induced Short‐ and Long‐Term Modulation of CavCurrents Expressed inXenopusOocytes: AnIn VitroCellular Model for Formalin‐Induced Pain
Authors: Rajagopal Senthilkumar , Fang Hongyu , Lynch Carl , Kamatchi Ganesan L.
Published: December 2009

Abstract: Xenopusoocytes expressing high voltage‐gated calcium channels (Cav) were exposed to formalin (0.5%, v/v, 5 min.) and the oocyte death and Cavcurrents were studied for up to 10 days. Cavchannels were expressed with α1β1b and α2δ sub‐units and the currents (IBa) were studied by voltage clamp. None of the oocytes was dead during the exposure to formalin. Oocyte death was significant between day 1 and day 5 after the exposure to formalin and was uniform among the oocytes expressing various Cavchannels. PeakIBaof all Cavand A1, the inactivating current component was decreased whereas the non‐inactivated R current was not affected by 5 min. exposure to formalin. On day 1 after the exposure to formalin, Cav1.2c currents were increased, 2.1 and 2.2 currents were decreased and 2.3 currents were unaltered. On day 5, both peakIBaand A1currents were increased. Cav1.2c, 2.2 and 2.3 currents were increased and Cav2.1 was unaltered on day 10 after the exposure to formalin. Protein kinase C (PKC) may be involved in formalin‐induced increase in Cavcurrents due to the (i) requirement for Cavβ1b sub‐units; (ii) decreased phorbol‐12‐myristate,13‐acetate potentiation of Cav2.3 currents; (iii) absence of potentiation of Cav2.3 currents following down‐regulation of PKC; and (iv) absence of potentiation of Cav2.2 or 2.3 currents with Ser→Ala mutation of Cavα12.2 or 2.3 sub‐units. Increased Cavcurrents and PKC activation may coincide with changes observed inin vivopain investigations, and oocytes incubated with formalin may serve as anin vitromodel for some cellular mechanisms of pain.
Closed Form Expression for the Vibration Problem of a Transversely Isotropic Magneto-Electro-Elastic Plate
Authors: Liu Mei-Feng , Chang Tai-Ping
Published: December 2009

A closed form expression for the transverse vibration of a magnetoelectroelastic (MEE) thin plate is derived, and the exact solution for the free vibration of a two-layered BaTiO3–CoFe2O4 composite is obtained. Based on the Kirchhoff thin plate theory, the bending problem of a transversely isotropic MEE rectangular plate is investigated, and the governing equation in terms of the transverse displacement is then presented in a rather compact form. The material coefficients for such MEE plate are expressed uniquely by the volume fraction (vf) of the two-layered BaTiO3–CoFe2O4 composite, which indicates a transversely isotropic MEE medium. The natural frequencies of such MEE plate are evaluated analytically, and the effects of different volume fractions on the natural frequency are further discussed.
Two State M-Integral Analysis for a Nano-Inclusion in Plane Elastic Materials Under Uni-Axial or Bi-Axial Loadings
Authors: Hui Tong , Chen Yi-Heng
Published: December 2009

In this paper, the two state M-integral is extended from macrofacture to nanodefect mechanics. The question as to why the M-integral for a nanovoid or a soft nano-inclusion might be negative is clarified. It is concluded that the surface tension plays a dominant role in evaluating the M-integral, whereas the surface Lamè constants yield much less influence than the surface tension. Their influence on the M-integral for a nanovoid or a soft nano-inclusion could be neglected.
Closed Form Solution of the Exterior-Point Eshelby Tensor for an Elliptic Cylindrical Inclusion
Authors: Kim B. R. , Lee H. K.
Published: December 2009

With the help of the I-integrals expressed by Mura (1987, Micromechanics of Defects in Solids, 2nd ed., Martinus Nijhoff, Dordrecht) and the outward unit normal vector introduced by Ju and Sun (1999, “A Novel Formulation for the Exterior-Point Eshelby’s Tensor of an Ellipsoidal Inclusion,” ASME Trans. J. Appl. Mech., 66, pp. 570–574), the closed form solution of the exterior-point Eshelby tensor for an elliptic cylindrical inclusion is derived in this work. The proposed closed form of the Eshelby tensor for an elliptic cylindrical inclusion is more explicit than that given by Mura, which is rough and unfinished. The Eshelby tensor for an elliptic cylindrical inclusion can be reduced to the Eshelby tensor for a circular cylindrical inclusion by letting the aspect ratio of the inclusion α=1. The closed form Eshelby tensor presented in this study can contribute to micromechanics-based analysis of composites with elliptic cylindrical inclusions.
“Radio-Active” Learning: Visual Representation of Radioactive Decay Using Dice
Authors: Klein Lynda , Kagan David
Published: December 2009

The idea of using a dice game to simulate radioactive decay is not new.1 However, modern pedagogy encourages, if not requires, us to provide multiple representations and visualizations2 for our students. The advantage of interactive engagement methods also has been made clear.3 Here we describe a highly visual and interactive use of dice to develop student understanding of radioactive decay.
Discrete time hazards models for occupational and environmental cohort analyses
Authors: Richardson D B
Published: December 2009

Objective:

To discuss the use of discrete time hazards models for the analysis of occupational and environmental cohort data.

Methods:

Analytical data structures and regression methods for discrete time hazards models are described. This approach is illustrated via analyses of data from a study of mortality in a cohort of chemical workers exposed to dioxin.

Results and conclusions:

Analyses employing a discrete time hazards model facilitate examination of observed and expected counts, the calculation of attributable fractions, and empirical description of the estimated hazard rates. In addition, this approach can be used to fit non-multiplicative models, such as the linear hazards ratio model (which has been employed in epidemiological analyses of a variety of environmental and occupational exposures).
Redox regulation of stem cell mobilizationThis article is one of a selection of papers published in a special issue on Advances in Cardiovascular Research.
Authors: Lekli Istvan , Gurusamy Narasimman , Ray Diptarka , Tosaki Arpad , Das Dipak K.
Published: December 2009

A growing body of evidence supports the role of redox signaling in the mechanisms of hematopoietic stem cell mobilization and homing. Cytokines and adhesion molecules control stem cell mobilization through a redox-regulated process. The FoxO–SirT network appears to be intimately involved in redox-regulated stem cell homeostasis, whereas the process of stem cell differentiation is regulated by redox effector factor-1 (Ref-1) protein. Lack of oxygen (hypoxia), specifically controlled hypoxia, can stimulate the growth of the stem cells in their niche, and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α appears to play a significant role in their maintenance and homing mechanism.
Occult Breast Carcinoma Presenting as Gastrointestinal Metastases
Authors: Neal Lonzetta , Sookhan Nicole , Reynolds Carol
Published: December 2009

Occult breast cancer has frequently been described as presenting as axillary lymph node metastases but rarely as gastrointestinal metastases, Varadarajan et al. (2007). In extremely rare situations, cancerous lesions identified in the gastrointestinal tract have been determined to be metastatic lesions from primary breast cancers, Taal et al. (2000). We report a case of an occult lobular adenocarcinoma presenting as gastrointestinal metastases. It is essential that the possibility of lesions found in the gastrointestinal tract originating from distant or occult cancers be considered in order that appropriate therapeutic options may be discussed and considered early after diagnosis.
Quasicone Metric Spaces and Generalizations of Caristi Kirk's Theorem
Authors: Abdeljawad Thabet , Karapinar Erdal
Published: December 2009

Cone-valued lower semicontinuous maps are used to generalize Cristi-Kirik's fixed point theorem to Cone metric spaces. The cone under consideration is assumed to be strongly minihedral and normal. First we prove such a type of fixed point theorem in compact cone metric spaces and then generalize to complete cone metric spaces. Some more general results are also obtained in quasicone metric spaces.
PPARγAgonists: Blood Pressure and Edema
Authors: Blazer-Yost Bonnie L.
Published: December 2009

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptorγ(PPARγ) agonists are widely used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Side effects of drug treatment include both fluid retention and a lowering of blood pressure. Data from animal and human studies suggest that these effects arise, at least in part, from drug-induced changes in the kidney. In order to capitalize on the positive aspect (lowering of blood pressure) and exclude the negative one (fluid retention), it is necessary to understand the mechanisms of action underlying each of the effects. When interpreted with known physiological principles, current hypotheses regarding potential mechanisms produce enigmas that are difficult to resolve. This paper is a summary of the current understanding of PPARγagonist effects on both blood pressure and fluid retention from a renal perspective and concludes with the newest studies that suggest alternative pathways within the kidney that could contribute to the observed drug-induced effects.
Neuropsychological and Behavioral Aspects of Noonan Syndrome
Authors: Wingbermuehle Ellen , Egger Jos , van der Burgt Ineke , Verhoeven Willem
Published: December 2009

The current paper introduces concise neuropsychological assessment as an essential tool for studying the contribution of cognition and behavior in the expression of genetic syndromes, like Noonan syndrome (NS). Cognitive and behavioral findings in NS show intelligence scores across a wide range, with a mildly lowered average level. Language and motor development are often delayed, but no longer dysfunctional in adulthood. Continuing mild problems in selective and sustained attention are noted, as well as suboptimal organization skills and compromised abilities to structure complex information. These problems seem to culminate in learning difficulties, requiring attention for special needs in education. It seems that a complex of psychosocial immaturity, alexithymia and amenable traits is typical of NS patients. Consequently, psychopathology or psychological problems in leading a self-serving life may often remain underreported. This is why the authors advocate the integration of the domain of social cognition and personality in NS assessment.
Evolutionary Conservation of the Signaling Proteins Upstream of Cyclic AMP-Dependent Kinase and Protein Kinase C in Gastropod Mollusks
Authors: Sossin Wayne S. , Abrams Thomas W.
Published: December 2009

The protein kinase C (PKC) and the cAMP-dependent kinase (protein kinase A; PKA) pathways are known to play important roles in behavioral plasticity and learning in the nervous systems of a wide variety of species across phyla. We briefly review the members of the PKC and PKA family and focus on the evolution of the immediate upstream activators of PKC and PKA i.e., phospholipase C (PLC) and adenylyl cyclase (AC), and their conservation in gastropod mollusks, taking advantage of the recent assembly of the Aplysiacalifornica and Lottia gigantea genomes. The diversity of PLC and AC family members present in mollusks suggests a multitude of possible mechanisms to activate PKA and PKC; we briefly discuss the relevance of these pathways to the known physiological activation of these kinases in Aplysia neurons during plasticity and learning. These multiple mechanisms of activation provide the gastropod nervous system with tremendous flexibility for implementing neuromodulatory responses to both neuronal activity and extracellular signals.
Molluscan Memory of Injury: Evolutionary Insights into Chronic Pain and Neurological Disorders
Authors: Walters Edgar T. , Moroz Leonid L.
Published: December 2009

Molluscan preparations have yielded seminal discoveries in neuroscience, but the experimental advantages of this group have not, until now, been complemented by adequate molecular or genomic information for comparisons to genetically defined model organisms in other phyla. The recent sequencing of the transcriptome and genome of Aplysia californica, however, will enable extensive comparative studies at the molecular level. Among other benefits, this will bring the power of individually identifiable and manipulable neurons to bear upon questions of cellular function for evolutionarily conserved genes associated with clinically important neural dysfunction. Because of the slower rate of gene evolution in this molluscan lineage, more homologs of genes associated with human disease are present in Aplysia than in leading model organisms from Arthropoda (Drosophila) or Nematoda (Caenorhabditis elegans). Research has hardly begun in molluscs on the cellular functions of gene products that in humans are associated with neurological diseases. On the other hand, much is known about molecular and cellular mechanisms of long-term neuronal plasticity. Persistent nociceptive sensitization of nociceptors in Aplysia displays many functional similarities to alterations in mammalian nociceptors associated with the clinical problem of chronic pain. Moreover, in Aplysia and mammals the same cell signaling pathways trigger persistent enhancement of excitability and synaptic transmission following noxious stimulation, and these highly conserved pathways are also used to induce memory traces in neural circuits of diverse species. This functional and molecular overlap in distantly related lineages and neuronal types supports the proposal that fundamental plasticity mechanisms important for memory, chronic pain, and other lasting alterations evolved from adaptive responses to peripheral injury in the earliest neurons. Molluscan preparations should become increasingly useful for comparative studies across phyla that can provide insight into cellular functions of clinically important genes.
Reactive Oxygen Species and Cyclooxygenase 2-Derived Thromboxane A2 Reduce Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor Vasorelaxation in Diabetic Rat Resistance Arteries
Authors: Retailleau Kevin , Belin de Chantemèle Eric J. , Chanoine Sébastien , Guihot Anne-Laure , Vessières Emilie , Toutain Bertrand , Faure Sébastien , Bagi Zsolt , Loufrani Laurent , Henrion Daniel
Published: December 2009

Angiotensin II has a key role in the control of resistance artery tone and local blood flow. Angiotensin II possesses 2 main receptors. Although angiotensin II type 1 receptor is well known and is involved in the vasoconstrictor and growth properties of angiotensin II, the role of the angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R) remains much less understood. Although AT2R stimulation induces vasodilatation in normotensive rats, it induces vasoconstriction in pathological conditions involving oxidative stress and cyclooxygenase 2 expression. Thus, we studied the influence of cyclooxygenase 2 on AT2R-dependent tone in diabetes mellitus. Mesenteric resistance arteries were isolated from Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) and lean Zucker rats and studied using in vitro using wire myography. In ZDF rats, AT2R-induced dilation was lower than in lean rats (11% versus 21% dilation). Dilation in ZDF rats returned to the control (lean rats) level after acute superoxide reduction (Tempol and apocynin), cyclooxygenase 2 inhibition (NS398), or thromboxane A2synthesis inhibition (furegrelate). Cyclooxygenase 2 expression and superoxide production were significantly increased in ZDF rat arteries compared with arteries of lean rats. After chronic treatment with Tempol, AT2R-dependent dilation was equivalent in ZDF and lean rats. Chronic treatment of ZDF rats with NS398 also restored AT2R-dependent dilation to the control (lean rats) level. Plasma thromboxane B2(thromboxane A2metabolite), initially high in ZDF rats, was decreased by chronic Tempol and by chronic NS398 to the level found in lean Zucker rats. Thus, in type 2 diabetic rats, superoxide and thromboxane A2reduced AT2R-induced dilation. These findings are important to take into consideration when choosing vasoactive drugs for diabetic patients.
N
-Acetyl-Seryl-Aspartyl-Lysyl-Proline Attenuates Renal Injury and Dysfunction in Hypertensive Rats With Reduced Renal Mass
Authors: Liao Tang-Dong , Yang Xiao-Ping , D'Ambrosio Martin , Zhang Yanlu , Rhaleb Nour-Eddine , Carretero Oscar A.
Published: December 2009

N
-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP) is a naturally occurring peptide of which the plasma concentration is increased 4- to 5-fold by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. We reported previously that, in models of both hypertension and postmyocardial infarction, Ac-SDKP reduces cardiac inflammation and fibrosis. However, it is unknown whether Ac-SDKP can prevent or reverse renal injury and dysfunction in hypertension. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that, in rats with 5/6 nephrectomy (5/6Nx)-induced hypertension, Ac-SDKP reduces renal damage, albuminuria, and dysfunction by decreasing inflammatory cell infiltration and renal fibrosis and by increasing nephrin protein. Ac-SDKP (800 μg/kg per day, SC via osmotic minipump) or vehicle was either started 7 days before 5/6Nx (prevention) and continued for 3 weeks or started 3 weeks after 5/6Nx (reversal) and continued for another 3 weeks. Rats with 5/6Nx developed high blood pressure, left ventricular hypertrophy, albuminuria, decreased glomerular filtration rate, and increased macrophage infiltration (inflammation) and renal collagen content (fibrosis). Ac-SDKP did not affect blood pressure or left ventricular hypertrophy in either group; however, it significantly reduced albuminuria, renal inflammation, and fibrosis and improved glomerular filtration rate in both prevention and reversal groups. Moreover, slit diaphragm nephrin protein expression in the glomerular filtration barrier was significantly decreased in hypertensive rats. This effect was partially prevented or reversed by Ac-SDKP. We concluded that Ac-SDKP greatly attenuates albuminuria and renal fibrosis and improves renal function in rats with 5/6Nx. These effects may be related to decreased inflammation (macrophages) and increased nephrin protein.
Adaptive Design Optimization: A Mutual Information-Based Approach to Model Discrimination in Cognitive Science
Authors: Cavagnaro Daniel R. , Myung Jay I. , Pitt Mark A. , Kujala Janne V.
Published: December 2009

Discriminating among competing statistical models is a pressing issue for many experimentalists in the field of cognitive science. Resolving this issue begins with designing maximally informative experiments. To this end, the problem to be solved in adaptive design optimization is identifying experimental designs under which one can infer the underlying model in the fewest possible steps. When the models under consideration are nonlinear, as is often the case in cognitive science, this problem can be impossible to solve analytically without simplifying assumptions. However, as we show in this letter, a full solution can be found numerically with the help of a Bayesian computational trick derived from the statistics literature, which recasts the problem as a probability density simulation in which the optimal design is the mode of the density. We use a utility function based on mutual information and give three intuitive interpretations of the utility function in terms of Bayesian posterior estimates. As a proof of concept, we offer a simple example application to an experiment on memory retention.
Dynamical Mean Field Model of a Neural-Glial Mass
Authors: Sotero Roberto C. , Martínez-Cancino Ramón
Published: December 2009

Our goal is to model the behavior of an ensemble of interacting neurons and astrocytes (the neural-glial mass). For this, a model describing N tripartite synapses is proposed. Each tripartite synapse consists of presynaptic and postsynaptic nerve terminals, as well as the synaptically associated astrocytic microdomain, and is described by a system of 13 stochastic differential equations. Then, by applying the dynamical mean field approximation (DMA) (Hasegawa, 2003a , 2003b ) the system of 13N equations is reduced to 13(13 + 2) = 195 deterministic differential equations for the means and the second-order moments of local and global variables. Simulations are carried out for studying the response of the neural-glial mass to external inputs applied to either the presynaptic terminals or the astrocytes. Three cases were considered: the astrocytes influence only the presynaptic terminal, only the postsynaptic terminal, or both the presynaptic and postsynaptic terminals. As a result, a wide range of responses varying from singles spikes to train of spikes was evoked on presynaptic and postsynaptic terminals. The experimentally observed phenomenon of spontaneous activity in astrocytes was replicated on the neural-glial mass. The model predicts that astrocytes can have a strong and activity-dependent influence on synaptic transmission. Finally, simulations show that the dynamics of astrocytes influences the synchronization ratio between neurons, predicting a peak in the synchronization for specific values of the astrocytes’ parameters.
General Macro- and Microphysical Properties of Deep Convective Clouds as Observed by MODIS
Authors: Yuan Tianle , Li Zhanqing
Published: December 2009

Deep convective clouds (DCCs) are an important player in the climate system. In this paper the authors use remote sensing data mainly from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud product to investigate a few general cloud macro- and microphysical properties of DCCs. This investigation concentrates on the tallest convective clouds and associated thick anvils that are labeled “deep convective clouds.” General geographical patterns of DCCs from MODIS data are consistent with previous studies. By examining statistics of optical properties of DCCs over different locations of the globe, it is found that cloud optical depth distribution for DCCs shows little interannual variability for individual regions. These distributions, however, change with geographical regions. DCC ice particle size varies with surface elevation and cloud brightness temperature. DCCs that develop over elevated areas tend to have smaller ice particles at cloud top. There is a positive correlation between ice particle size and brightness temperature. The slope of this correlation has significant regional variations, which can be explained either with a simple thermodynamic consideration or with homogeneous freezing of aerosols. The findings have important implications in studying radiation budget, ice cloud microphysics parameterization, and troposphere–stratosphere water vapor exchange.
The Effects of Victim Gender, Defendant Gender, and Defendant Age on Juror Decision Making
Authors: Pozzulo Joanna D. , Dempsey Julie , Maeder Evelyn , Allen Laura
Published: December 2009

Mock jurors provided credibility ratings for a victim (12 years old) and defendant when victim gender, defendant gender, and defendant age (15 vs. 40 years old) were manipulated. Verdicts and sentence recommendations also were assessed. Higher guilt ratings were found for a male versus female defendant. Juror gender was examined as a covariate in the analyses. Female jurors rated the victim higher on accuracy, truthfulness, and believability than male jurors. Male jurors rated the defendant higher on reliability, credibility, truthfulness, and believability than female jurors. Male jurors perceived the victim to desire and cause the crime to a greater extent than female jurors. Mock jurors rated the victim as more responsible for the crime with an older versus younger defendant. Female jurors ascribed higher responsibility to the defendant compared to male jurors. The younger versus older defendant was perceived to have desired the event but only when the victim was female versus male.
Reforming justice for women: A century of struggle
Authors: Vivien Stern Baroness
Published: December 2009

Reforming women’s justice in the UK is on the policy agenda but change has been slow. The equality and human rights movements give an impetus but comparisons with Canada and Western Australia show the philosophical clash between equality and human rights ideology and criminal justice orthodoxy is not yet resolved.
‘What works’ with women offenders: The past 30 years
Authors: Worrall Anne , Gelsthorpe Loraine
Published: December 2009

In this article the authors review the development of ideas about working with women offenders over the past 30 years. They provide an overview of articles appearing in Probation Journal related specifically to women offenders, set in the context of criminological thinking about female offending and current government policy.
Arterio-venous shunts or low oxygen utilization?
Authors: Rozin Alexander P
Published: December 2009

An idea of arteriovenous shunts (AVS) was proposed for explanation of dynamic regulation of oxygenation and venous hyperoxia. A formula enabling calculation of AVS and real CO 2 production has recently been derived by comparing data of arterial and venous blood gases. Regarding venous hyperoxia, there is a need to differentiate capillary to tissue transport defect (low oxygen utilisation-LOU) from AVS, which may exist simultaneously. The AVS may be associated with normal or relatively high oxygen utilization from the capillary vessels and increased CO2 production. AVS is proposed to carry protective and ‘stealing’ properties including renal, cardiac, and pulmonary hemodynamic. Calculations of the AVS may be important for dynamic assessment of vascular and metabolic status and in emergency medicine.
Social Networking Web Sites Teaching Appropriate Social Competence to Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
Authors: Morgan Joseph J.
Published: December 2009

The Internet has opened a variety of different avenues for people to interact with each other. As new digital environments are developed, new sets of social skills are needed to appropriately interact. Students with emotional and behavioral disorders often have deficits in social competence and require specialized training in specific social skills to appropriately participate in specific situations. For students with emotional and behavioral disorders to access the academic and social benefits of social networking Web sites, it is important that the skills for these new environments be taught to them. This article covers ways that classroom teachers can address this need.
Why do Chinese Canadians not Consult Mental Health Services: Health Status, Language or Culture?
Authors: Chen Alice W. , Kazanjian Arminée , Wong Hubert
Published: December 2009

Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey Cycle 1.1 showed that Chinese immigrants to Canada and Chinese individuals born in Canada were less likely than other Canadians to have contacted a health professional for mental health reasons in the previous year in the province of British Columbia. The difference persisted among individuals at moderate to high risk for depressive episode. Both immigrant and Canadian-born Chinese showed similar characteristics of mental health service use. The demographic and health factors that significantly affected their likelihood to consult mental health services included Chinese language ability, restriction in daily activities, frequency of medical consultations, and depression score. Notwithstanding lower levels of mental illness in ethnic Chinese communities, culture emerged as a major factor explaining differences in mental health consultation between Chinese and non-Chinese Canadians.
Generational Differences in Registered Nurse Turnover
Authors: LeVasseur Sandra A. , Wang Chen-Yen , Mathews Barbara , Boland Mary
Published: December 2009

The chronic nature of the nursing workforce shortage in the United States is a continuing concern. As the nationwide gap between supply and demand grows, it remains unknown what impact turnover will have on nursing, access to care, and efforts to improve quality and safety of health care. It also remains unclear whether the recent turnover trends among new graduate registered nurses differ from past generational cohorts of new nurses. The aims of this study were to identify the reasons why registered nurses turnover by generational cohort (Veterans, Baby Boomers, and GenXMs) and to compare the length of time nurses were employed in their first five nursing positions by generational cohort. The findings suggest the three generational cohorts displayed similar reasons for leaving nursing positions with relocation, career advancement, and personal/family reasons reported most frequently. Except for the first nursing position, significant generational effects were found in the length of time Veterans, Baby Boomer, and GenXMs stayed employed in their nursing positions. It remains unknown why the GenXMs displayed a significantly shorter length of employment time in their second, third, fourth, and fifth nursing positions. The decline in length of employment time displayed in both the Baby Boomers and GenXMs may be an issue of concern requiring future research.
The integration of bio-medicine and culturally based alternative medicine: implications for health care providers and patients
Authors: Lovell Brenda
Published: December 2009

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are therapies used along with or in place of bio-medicine. Many forms of CAM originate in culture, referred to as culturally based alternative medicines. Usage of CAM is high with large numbers of patients using CAM for mental health, pain and musculoskeletal problems. Their desire for holistic care may be the impetus for this interest, as alternative care practitioners spend more time analyzing illness symptoms. These factors along with the global migration of immigrants accustomed to traditional medicine but now immersed in biomedical health care systems, has created potential for misunderstanding. Drug interactions for some forms of CAM taken with bio-medicine can occur. Insufficient scientific studies about CAM has reduced acceptance and educational opportunities to learn about CAM are limited. Ideas for policy and research are forming. (Global Health Promotion, 2009; 16 (4): pp. 65—68).
Genetically-increased taste cell population with G-gustducin-coupled sweet receptors is associated with increase of gurmarin-sensitive taste nerve fibers in mice
Authors: Yasumatsu Keiko , Ohkuri Tadahiro , Sanematsu Keisuke , Shigemura Noriatsu , Katsukawa Hideo , Sako Noritaka , Ninomiya Yuzo
Published: December 2009

Background

The peptide gurmarin is a selective sweet response inhibitor for rodents. In mice, gurmarin sensitivity differs among strains with gurmarin-sensitive C57BL and gurmarin-poorly-sensitive BALB strains. In C57BL mice, sweet-responsive fibers of the chorda tympani (CT) nerve can be divided into two distinct populations, gurmarin-sensitive (GS) and gurmarin-insensitive (GI) types, suggesting the existence of two distinct reception pathways for sweet taste responses. By using the dpa congenic strain (dpa CG) whose genetic background is identical to BALB except that the gene(s) controlling gurmarin sensitivity are derived from C57BL, we previously found that genetically-elevated gurmarin sensitivity in dpa CG mice, confirmed by using behavioral response and whole CT nerve response analyses, was linked to a greater taste cell population co-expressing sweet taste receptors and a Gα protein, Gα-gustducin. However, the formation of neural pathways from the increased taste cell population to nerve fibers has not yet been examined.

Results

Here, we investigated whether the increased taste cell population with Gα-gustducin-coupled sweet receptors would be associated with selective increment of GS fiber population or nonselective shift of gurmarin sensitivities of overall sweet-responsive fibers by examining the classification of GS and GI fiber types in dpa CG and BALB mice. The results indicated that dpa CG, like C57BL, possess two distinct populations of GS and GI types of sweet-responsive fibers with almost identical sizes (dpa CG: 13 GS and 16 GI fibers; C57BL: 16 GS and 14 GI fibers). In contrast, BALB has only 3 GS fibers but 18 GI fibers. These data indicate a marked increase of the GS population in dpa CG.

Conclusion

These results suggest that the increased cell population expressing T1r2/T1r3/Gα-gustducin in dpa CG mice may be associated with an increase of their matched GS type fibers, and may form the distinct GS sweet reception pathway in mice. Gα-gustducin may be involved in the GS sweet reception pathway and may be a key molecule for links between sweet taste receptors and cell type-specific-innervation by their matched fiber class.
Relationship between home care service use and changes in the care needs level of Japanese elderly
Authors: Kato Gohei , Tamiya Nanako , Kashiwagi Masayo , Sato Mikiya , Takahashi Hideto
Published: December 2009

Background

With the introduction of long-term care insurance (LTCI) in Japan, more home care services are available for the community-dwelling elderly. To deliver effective home care services, it is important to know the effects of service use. In this study, as the first step to determine this, we sought to describe different home service use in the sustained/improved group and deteriorated group in their care needs levels, and to report the relationship between the use of home care services and changes in care needs levels.

Methods

The participants included 624 of a total of 1,474 users of LTCI services in one city in Japan. Home care service users were stratified into a 'lower care needs level subgroup' and a 'higher care needs level subgroup' based on the baseline care needs level. Simple statistical comparison and multiple logistic regression analyses in which the change in care needs level was set as a dependent variable were performed. Gender, age, and baseline care needs level were designated as control variables. Home based services were treated as independent variables. In this study, home care services consisted of home help, home bathing services, a visiting nurse, home rehabilitation, nursing home daycare, health daycare, loan of medical devices, respite stay in a nursing home, respite stay in a health care facility, respite stay in a sanatorium-type medical care facility, and medical management by a physician.

Results

In the lower care needs level subgroup, age (OR = 1.04, CI, 1.01-1.08), use of respite stay in a nursing home (OR = 2.55; CI, 1.43-4.56), and the number of types of long-term care services (OR = 1.33; CI, 1.02-1.74) used during an 11 month period were significantly related to a deterioration of the user's care needs level. In the higher care needs level subgroup, use of medical management by a physician (OR = 6.99; CI, 1.42-41.25) was significantly related to a deterioration of the user's care needs level. There were no home based services significantly related to sustaining or improving the user's care needs level.

Conclusion

There were different home service use in two groups (the sustained/improved group and the deteriorated group). Respite stay in a nursing home service use and more types of service use were related to experiencing a deterioration of care needs level in lower care needs level community-dwelling elderly persons in Japan. Further, medical management by a physician service was related to experiencing a deterioration of care needs level in higher care needs level community-dwelling elderly persons.