bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coming into One's Own: John Locke's Theory of Property, God, and Politics
Authors: Brubaker Stanley C.
Published: April 2012

In the three centuries since the publication of theTwo Treatises, a trail set down by Locke, although scarcely concealed, has gone unremarked—as has its final destination. If we miss this trail, we miss the work's coherence. If we follow this trail, we find a compelling, even shocking, case against Revelation as an independent source of authority. And we find a theory of property so powerful—certainly in Locke's own estimation—it compels the reconstitution of the relation between children and parents, wives and husbands, servants and masters, persons and polities, and ultimately between man and God. Indeed, Locke's story of the right of property is also the story of man's coming into his own, his coming into his own mind, freed from the irrational claims of Revelation. Thus, Locke's theory of property is nothing less than a story of man's Enlightenment.
“Good and Bad: I Defined These Terms, Quite Clear, No Doubt, Somehow” A Commentary on Stefan Claesson's “The Value and Valuation of Maritime Cultural Heritage”
Authors: King Thomas F.
Published: April 2012

In his article, “The Value and Valuation of Maritime Cultural Heritage”, Stefan Claesson discusses methods by which the relative or absolute value of submerged cultural sites like shipwrecks might be established, to provide rational bases for decisions about their management. He emphasizes systems used in ecosystem valuation, notably an average individual's projected “willingness to pay” (WTP) to preserve something and “willingness to accept” (WTA) its loss. He suggests that systems to apply such measurement devices be built into things like the procedures for addressing impacts on historic properties under Section 106 of the U.S. National Historic Preservation Act.
The Effects of Judicial Decisions and Patrimony Laws on the Price of Italian Antiquities
Authors: Stoll Cameron Semmes
Published: April 2012

While practitioners of the legal and art and culture industries have traditionally believed their businesses to be independent of the other, the escalating battle over the repatriation of cultural property teaches otherwise. The antiquities market has flourished despite the increase in litigation surrounding some works and the number of works repatriated in recent years, making interdisciplinary study of the market more relevant and necessary than ever. This study establishes that the number of antiquities sold with legally- significant provenance information is steadily increasing as a result of the legal environment. Also, these objects are less risky and therefore sell for higher prices than works with no recorded history of ownership. Finally, evidence indicates that the occurrence of a legal event causes a slight, short drop in the market, followed by a significant rise in prices for the objects with reliable provenance information. In the end, the auction market for Italian antiquities is inexorably linked to activities that have ramifications for the legality of collecting these works.
Human Nature and Aristotelian Virtue Ethics
Authors: Hursthouse Rosalind
Published: April 2012

Given that it relies on claims about human nature, has Aristotelian virtue ethics (henceforth AVE) been undermined by evolutionary biology? There are at least four objections which are offered in support of the claim that this is so, and I argue that they all fail. The first two (Part 1) maintain that contemporary AVE relies on a concept of human nature which evolutionary biology has undercut and I show this is not so. In Part 2, I try to make it clear that Foot's Aristotelian ethical naturalism, often construed as purporting to provide virtue ethics with a foundation, is not foundationalist and is not attempting to derive ethics from biology. In Part 3, I consider the other two objections. These do not make a misguided assumption about Aristotelian ethical naturalism's foundational aspirations, nor question AVE's use of the concept of human nature, but maintain that some of AVE's empirical assumptions about human nature may well be false, given the facts of our evolution. With respect to these, I argue that, as attempts to undermine AVE specifically, they fail, though they raise significant challenges to our ethical thought quite generally.
Resilience theory and social memory. Avoiding abstraction
Authors: Pillatt Toby
Published: April 2012

The aim of my article is to stimulate debate about the roles weather and climate might play in archaeological interpretations. It is, therefore, encouraging that the respondents have sought to develop and build upon the theoretical themes highlighted. Respondents have tended to agree with me that weather is and was an integral part of people's lives, and also that this is a subject worthy of archaeological research. This was by no means a certainty when we are considering something so ephemeral as weather in a discipline often held in thrall by the imprecisions of chronologies, and which has a penchant for the broad scale and the long term. Of course, these concerns do partly remain, yet the importance of weather, both as the lived experience of climate and as a medium through which people live their daily lives, is not questioned. As Wilkinson points out, the record of Michael the Syrian illuminates the many and varied environmental trials faced by past people, but Davies's anecdote concerning her perception of the Highland landscape warns against assuming that all people recognized and responded to similar weather (or climate) events in similar ways. This suggests that there is value in exploring a weather-based perspective. The question is, how do we get at the human experience of climate in the deeper past, when chronological resolution is coarser and where the lack of written records restricts access to people's perceptions?
ALGEBRAIC DIVISIBILITY SEQUENCES OVER FUNCTION FIELDS
Authors: INGRAM PATRICK , MAHÉ VALÉRY , SILVERMAN JOSEPH H. , STANGE KATHERINE E. , STRENG MARCO
Published: April 2012

In this note we study the existence of primes and of primitive divisors in function field analogues of classical divisibility sequences. Under various hypotheses, we prove that Lucas sequences and elliptic divisibility sequences over function fields defined over number fields contain infinitely many irreducible elements. We also prove that an elliptic divisibility sequence over a function field has only finitely many terms lacking a primitive divisor.
EMBEDDING PERMUTATION GROUPS INTO WREATH PRODUCTS IN PRODUCT ACTION
Authors: PRAEGER CHERYL E. , SCHNEIDER CSABA
Published: April 2012

We consider the wreath product of two permutation groups G≤Sym Γ and H≤Sym Δ as a permutation group acting on the set Π of functions from Δ to Γ. Such groups play an important role in the O’Nan–Scott theory of permutation groups and they also arise as automorphism groups of graph products and codes. Let X be a subgroup of Sym Γ≀Sym Δ. Our main result is that, in a suitable conjugate of X, the subgroup of SymΓ induced by a stabiliser of a coordinate δ∈Δ only depends on the orbit of δ under the induced action of X on Δ. Hence, if X is transitive on Δ, then X can be embedded into the wreath product of the permutation group induced by the stabiliser Xδ on Γ and the permutation group induced by X on Δ. We use this result to describe the case where X is intransitive on Δ and offer an application to error-correcting codes in Hamming graphs.
The politics of justification? Applying the ‘Discourse Quality Index’ to the study of the European Parliament
Authors: Lord Christopher , Tamvaki Dionysia
Published: April 2012

In this paper, we apply a revised version of the Discourse Quality Index (DQI) developed by Steenbergen et al. to European Parliament (EP) debates. This updated measurement instrument, after the inclusion of new indicators, helps us identify not just the principles of European Union (EU) deliberation but most importantly the favourable contextual conditions of supranational deliberation. We illustrate the new DQI coding for selected debates over the last EU parliamentary term and discuss how the data can be employed to assess the overall quality of deliberation in the EP. At the same time we demonstrate that institutional issues matter for the quality of EP discourse, as do Members of the European Parliaments’ personal characteristics. Issue attributes on the other hand, influence supranational deliberation but not in the expected direction.
The dysregulation profile in children and adolescents: a potential index for major psychopathology?
Authors: Bellani M. , Negri G. A. L. , Brambilla P.
Published: April 2012

We here review the literature on Child Behaviour Checklist-Dysregulation Profile (CBCL-DP) index, which potentially represents a developmental profile of major psychopathology in early adulthood. The understanding of the neural underpinnings of children and adolescents with altered regulation of affect and behaviour may ultimately help in planning strategies to prevent psychiatric syndromes during development.
The depth of pseudotachylyte formation from detailed thermochronology and constraints on coseismic stress drop variability
Authors: Kirkpatrick J. D. , Dobson K. J. , Mark D. F. , Shipton Z. K. , Brodsky E. E. , Stuart F. M.
Published: April 2012

Pseudotachylytes are accepted as recording paleo‐seismicity in the rock record. However, the interpretation of the mechanics of faulting based on pseudotachylyte generation is often hindered because the depth at which they form is poorly constrained. Here, we use thermochronology to determine the depth at which pseudotachylytes in the Sierra Nevada, California, formed. The pseudotachylytes formed in ≤10 m long patches over a rupture surface, the rest of which comprised cataclasites that did not melt. The age of the pseudotachylytes is found to be 76.6 ± 0.3 Ma (2σ) from40Ar/39Ar dating of pristine vein matrix. A suite of thermochronometers define the temperature‐time path of the host rock granodiorite from ∼550 to 60°C. When the pseudotachylytes formed, the ambient temperature was 110 to 160°C, implying a depth of ∼2.4 to 6.0 km under typical geothermal gradients. At these depths, the failure stress on optimally oriented faults with Byerlee friction and hydrostatic pore pressure was ≤51 MPa. Following melting, the dynamic stress acting on the fault is the melt shear resistance, which we calculate to be <0.2 MPa, suggesting that the stress drop associated with melting was complete. To conform with seismologically observed dynamic stress drops averaged over an entire rupture (1 to 10 MPa), dynamic stress drop must have varied by at least an order of magnitude between the parts of the fault that melted and those that did not. Constraining the depth of pseudotachylyte formation using thermochronology therefore provides a quantitative estimate of the degree and scale of coseismic stress heterogeneity.
Have steering flows in the western North Pacific and the South China Sea changed over the last 50 years?
Authors: Chu Pao‐Shin , Kim Joo‐Hong , Ruan Chen Ying
Published: April 2012

Long‐term trends in steering flows over the western North Pacific (WNP) and the South China Sea (SCS) are examined during the peak typhoon season. A nonparametric and robust trend detection method is employed. Both the NCEP and ERA reanalysis data sets suggest a statistically significant decreasing trend in steering flows in the subtropical region of the western WNP (between 120°E or near Taiwan and 145°E) and the northern SCS during 1958–2001. Over this period, the decrease in the WNP is quite large with a magnitude of 1.1 m s−1 given that the background mean steering flow is only 3.26 m s−1. This decrease corresponds approximately to one third of the mean flow. When the data are extended from 1958 to 2009 the long‐term decrease in steering flows in the aforementioned subtropical region are still significant, although more modest at a rate of 0.7 m s−1. Time series of translational speeds averaged over the same subtropical region also exhibit a slow‐down of storms' motion over the last 52 years. This is consistent with the weakening of easterly steering flows analyzed from independent data sets. Results of this study imply a longer life span for tropical cyclones and a greater tendency for storms along prevailing typhoon tracks to recurve.
Local micro-photoreflectance spectroscopy measurements on type II InGaAlAs/GaAsSb/InP heterojunction bipolar transistor: Correlation with electrical characteristics
Authors: Chouaib H. , Bru-Chevallier C.
Published: April 2012

Micro-photoreflectance (micro-PR) is performed on patterned type II InGaAlAs/GaAsSb/InP heterojunction bipolar transistor to locally measure the built-in electric fields. The results show that the efficiency of the electric field modulation correlates with the ideality factor extracted from the electrical characteristics (Gummel characteristics). The Franz-Keldysh oscillations (FKO) completely disappear at the emitter/base heterojunction on devices with high ideality factor (nearly 2), whereas typical FKO spectra are seen on samples with ideality factor ∼1. Such behavior is attributed to the type II recombination across the InGaAlAs/GaAsSb interface which can reduce the photovoltage effect. Prior to the micro-PR experiments, photoluminescence is performed to demonstrate that the InGaAlAs/GaAsSb interface nature is of type II as well as to estimate the band offset discontinuity ΔEC.
rf-power and the ring-mode to red-mode transition in an inductively coupled plasma
Authors: Coffer J. G. , Camparo J. C.
Published: April 2012

The optical output of an alkali-metal inductively coupled plasma (alkali-ICP) plays an important role in both atomic magnetometers and atomic clocks, producing these devices’ atomic signals through optical pumping. Unfortunately, though the alkali-ICP’s optical pumping efficiency grows exponentially with temperature, at relatively high temperatures (∼140 °C) the discharge transitions from “ring mode” to “red mode,” which is a spectral change in the plasma’s output that corresponds broadly to a transition from “good emission” for optical pumping to “poor emission.” Recently, evidence has accumulated pointing to radiation trapping as the mechanism driving the ring-mode to red-mode transition, suggesting that the phenomenon is primarily linked to the alkali vapor’s temperature. However, observations of the transition made in the 1960 s, demonstrating that the ICP temperature associated with the transition depended on rf-power, would appear to cast doubt on this mechanism. Here, we carefully investigate the influence of rf-power on the ring-mode to red-mode transition, finding that rf-power only affects the transition through discharge heating. Thus, the present work shows that the primary effect of rf-power on the ring-mode to red-mode transition can be understood in terms of the radiation trapping mechanism.
Photoluminescence induced by twinning interface in CdS nanocrystals
Authors: Zhao P. Q. , Xiong S. J. , Wu X. L. , Chu Paul K.
Published: April 2012

The photoluminescence (PL) spectra acquired from CdS nanocrystals encapsulated with oleic acid synthesized by a two-phase approach exhibit two fine features, including a narrow peak arising from near-band edge emission and a broader one composed of two subpeaks at slightly lower energy. Solvent effects suggest that the surface defect states on the nanocrystals are not the origin of this broad PL band. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy examinations and density function theory calculation reveal that the broad low-energy PL band stems from twinning interfaces in the CdS nanocrystals.
Accurately estimating neuronal correlation requires a new spike-sorting paradigm
Authors: Ventura Valérie , Gerkin Richard C.
Published: April 2012

Neurophysiology is increasingly focused on identifying coincident activity among neurons. Strong inferences about neural computation are made from the results of such studies, so it is important that these results be accurate. However, the preliminary step in the analysis of such data, the assignment of spike waveforms to individual neurons (“spike-sorting”), makes a critical assumption which undermines the analysis: that spikes, and hence neurons, are independent. We show that this assumption guarantees that coincident spiking estimates such as correlation coefficients are biased. We also show how to eliminate this bias. Our solution involves sorting spikes jointly, which contrasts with the current practice of sorting spikes independently of other spikes. This new “ensemble sorting” yields unbiased estimates of coincident spiking, and permits more data to be analyzed with confidence, improving the quality and quantity of neurophysiological inferences. These results should be of interest outside the context of neuronal correlations studies. Indeed, simultaneous recording of many neurons has become the rule rather than the exception in experiments, so it is essential to spike sort correctly if we are to make valid inferences about any properties of, and relationships between, neurons.
SINGLET OXYGEN RESISTANT
1
links reactive electrophile signaling to singlet oxygen acclimation in
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Authors: Fischer Beat B. , Ledford Heidi K. , Wakao Setsuko , Huang ShihYau Grace , Casero David , Pellegrini Matteo , Merchant Sabeeha S. , Koller Andreas , Eggen Rik I. L. , Niyogi Krishna K.
Published: April 2012

Acclimation of
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
cells to low levels of singlet oxygen, produced either by photoreactive chemicals or high light treatment, induces a specific genetic response that strongly increases the tolerance of the algae to subsequent exposure to normally lethal singlet oxygen-producing conditions. The genetic response includes the increased expression of various oxidative stress response and detoxification genes, like the glutathione peroxidase homologous gene
GPXH/GPX5
and the σ-class glutathione-
S
-transferase gene
GSTS1
. To identify components involved in the signal transduction and activation of the singlet oxygen-mediated response, a mutant selection was performed. This selection led to the isolation of the
singlet oxygen resistant 1
(
sor1
) mutant, which is more tolerant to singlet oxygen-producing chemicals and shows a constitutively higher expression of
GPXH
and
GSTS1
. Map-based cloning revealed that the
SOR1
gene encodes a basic leucine zipper transcription factor, which controls its own expression and the expression of a large number of oxidative stress response and detoxification genes. In the promoter region of many of these genes, a highly conserved 8-bp palindromic sequence element was found to be enriched. This element was essential for
GSTS1
induction by increased levels of lipophilic reactive electrophile species (RES), suggesting that it functions as an electrophile response element (ERE). Furthermore,
GSTS1
overexpression in
sor1
requires the ERE, although it is unknown whether it occurs through direct binding of SOR1 to the ERE. RES can be formed after singlet oxygen-induced lipid peroxidation, indicating that RES-stimulated and SOR1-mediated responses of detoxification genes are part of the singlet oxygen-induced acclimation process in
C. reinhardtii
.
Live imaging of nascent RNA dynamics reveals distinct types of transcriptional pulse regulation
Authors: Muramoto Tetsuya , Cannon Danielle , Gierliński Marek , Corrigan Adam , Barton Geoffrey J. , Chubb Jonathan R.
Published: April 2012

Transcription of genes can be discontinuous, occurring in pulses or bursts. It is not clear how properties of transcriptional pulses vary between different genes. We compared the pulsing of five housekeeping and five developmentally induced genes by direct imaging of single gene transcriptional events in individual living
Dictyostelium
cells. Each gene displayed its own transcriptional signature, differing in probability of firing and pulse duration, frequency, and intensity. In contrast to the prevailing view from both prokaryotes and eukaryotes that transcription displays binary behavior, strongly expressed housekeeping genes altered the magnitude of their transcriptional pulses during development. These nonbinary “tunable” responses may be better suited than stochastic switch behavior for housekeeping functions. Analysis of RNA synthesis kinetics using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching implied modulation of housekeeping-gene pulse strength occurs at the level of transcription initiation rather than elongation. In addition, disparities between single cell and population measures of transcript production suggested differences in RNA stability between gene classes. Analysis of stability using RNAseq revealed no major global differences in stability between developmental and housekeeping transcripts, although strongly induced RNAs showed unusually rapid decay, indicating tight regulation of expression.
Phage-based molecular probes that discriminate force-induced structural states of fibronectin in vivo
Authors: Cao Lizhi , Zeller Mark K. , Fiore Vince F. , Strane Patrick , Bermudez Harry , Barker Thomas H.
Published: April 2012

Applied forces and the biophysical nature of the cellular microenvironment play a central role in determining cellular behavior. Specifically, forces due to cell contraction are transmitted into structural ECM proteins and these forces are presumed to activate integrin “switches.” The mechanism of such switches is thought to be the partial unfolding of integrin-binding domains within fibronectin (Fn). However, integrin switches remain largely hypothetical due to a dearth of evidence for their existence, and relevance, in vivo. By using phage display in combination with the controlled deposition and extension of Fn fibers, we report the discovery of peptide-based molecular probes capable of selectively discriminating Fn fibers under different strain states. Importantly, we show that the probes are functional in both in vitro and ex vivo tissue contexts. The development of such tools represents a critical step in establishing the relevance of theoretical mechanotransduction events within the cellular microenvironment.
Identifying sources of variation and the flow of information in biochemical networks
Authors: Bowsher Clive G. , Swain Peter S.
Published: April 2012

To understand how cells control and exploit biochemical fluctuations, we must identify the sources of stochasticity, quantify their effects, and distinguish informative variation from confounding “noise.” We present an analysis that allows fluctuations of biochemical networks to be decomposed into multiple components, gives conditions for the design of experimental reporters to measure all components, and provides a technique to predict the magnitude of these components from models. Further, we identify a particular component of variation that can be used to quantify the efficacy of information flow through a biochemical network. By applying our approach to osmosensing in yeast, we can predict the probability of the different osmotic conditions experienced by wild-type yeast and show that the majority of variation can be informational if we include variation generated in response to the cellular environment. Our results are fundamental to quantifying sources of variation and thus are a means to understand biological “design.”
Order parameter fluctuations at a buried quantum critical point
Authors: Feng Yejun , Wang Jiyang , Jaramillo R. , van Wezel Jasper , Haravifard S. , Srajer G. , Liu Y. , Xu Z.-A. , Littlewood P. B. , Rosenbaum T. F.
Published: April 2012

Quantum criticality is a central concept in condensed matter physics, but the direct observation of quantum critical fluctuations has remained elusive. Here we present an X-ray diffraction study of the charge density wave (CDW) in 2
H
-NbSe
2
at high pressure and low temperature, where we observe a broad regime of order parameter fluctuations that are controlled by proximity to a quantum critical point. X-rays can track the CDW despite the fact that the quantum critical regime is shrouded inside a superconducting phase; and in contrast to transport probes, allow direct measurement of the critical fluctuations of the charge order. Concurrent measurements of the crystal lattice point to a critical transition that is continuous in nature. Our results confirm the long-standing expectations of enhanced quantum fluctuations in low-dimensional systems, and may help to constrain theories of the quantum critical Fermi surface.
Oxford Handbook of Nutrition and Dietetics
Authors: Webster-Gandy Joan , Madden Angela , Holdsworth Michelle
Published: April 2012

This online resource provides an integrated approach which facilitates the links between all aspects of nutrition and dietetics. Including nutritional science and based on clinical evidence, it covers everything you will need to be able to carry out your role effectively and confidently.
Three dimensional echocardiography
Authors: Monaghan M. , Adhya S.
Published: April 2012

Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography allows the real-time acquisition of volumes containing entire cardiac structures. The analysis of 3D volumes does not require any assumptions as to the shape of structures.

3D echocardiography is more accurate than two-dimensional (2D) in the assessment of left ventricular (LV) volumes, mass, and function, and is comparable to cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. This makes it an ideal modality for measuring LV function particularly when this will determine significant interventions such as implanting of cardioverter/defibrillators, biventricular pacing, and the commencement and continuation of cancer chemotherapy. 3D echocardiography makes it easy to visualize valves and define pathological mechanisms. 3D assessment of dyssynchrony, myocardial strain, and stress imaging are attractive.

However, 3D echocardiography is limited by the need for specialist software and lower spatial and temporal resolution when compared to 2D echocardiography.
Non-invasive haemodynamic assessment
Authors: Kallmeyer Andrea , Zamorano José Luis , Locorotondo G , Garbi Madalina , Diego José Juan Gómez de , Fernández Miguel Ángel García
Published: April 2012

The diagnostic power of two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography resides not only in its capability of providing anatomical information and of studying myocardial contractile function, but also in the possibility of performing a non-invasive haemodynamic assessment. Such non-invasive haemodynamic assessment is the subject of this chapter.

2D echocardiography, colour flow imaging, and Doppler modality make this haemodynamic assessment possible, by studying the following parameters: ◆ Blood flow velocities. ◆ Transvalvular pressure gradients. ◆ Valvular areas. ◆ Stroke volume, regurgitant volume, and regurgitant fraction. ◆ Cardiac function.

The application of these concepts in clinical practice will be explained through this chapter. They can be summarized in the following points: ◆ The study of valvular insufficiencies. ◆ The study of the valvular stenosis. ◆ The study of intracardiac shunts. ◆ The study of myocardial systolic and diastolic function. ◆ The estimation of intracardiac pressures.

Finally, non-invasive haemodynamic study represents an alternative to invasive procedures in some clinical circumstances and it is very important in the diagnostic and therapeutic decision making. Therefore, it is necessary for the cardiologist to understand how this echocardiographic study is performed, as well as its advantages and limitations.
Contrast echocardiography
Authors: Galiuto L. , Senior R. , Becher H.
Published: April 2012

Contrast echocardiography is a non-invasive, well tolerated echocardiographic technique which employs ultrasound contrast agent in order to improve the quality of echocardiographic images, by enhancing blood flow signal.

Clinical usefulness of this echocardiographic imaging modality resides in the possibility of providing better acoustic signal in cases of poor quality images, with additional important information related to assessment of myocardial perfusion. Indeed, about one-third of echocardiographic images are affected by poor quality due to high acoustic impedance of the chest wall of the patients secondary to obesity or pulmonary diseases, not allowing detection of left ventricular endocardial border. Moreover, in patients with low ejection fraction and apical left ventricular aneurysm, intraventricular thrombus could be undetectable with standard echocardiography. Furthermore, coronary microcirculation cannot be assessed by standard echocardiography. Contrast echocardiography can be performed in all such conditions to improve diagnostic power of echocardiography.

The adjunctive role of contrast echocardiography is well defined in both rest and stress echocardiography in order to detect the endocardial border and intraventricular thrombi, to accurately measure ejection fraction, wall motion, and to assess myocardial perfusion.

The purpose of this chapter is to explain basic principles, feasibility, safety, major clinical applications, current indications, and further developments of contrast echocardiography.
Assessment of systolic function
Authors: Gonçalves Alexandra , Marcos-Alberca Pedro , Sogaard Peter , Zamorano José Luis
Published: April 2012

This chapter describes the different modalities for assessment of systolic function by transthoracic echocardiography. Firstly, the basic principles of physiology and the determinants of left ventricular (LV) performance are considered, followed by a systematic appraisal of the methodologies for global LV systolic function assessment. Starting with M-mode echocardiography, passing through the traditional two-dimensional echocardiography evaluation to three-dimensional echocardiography approaches, main strengths and limitations are described. Power Doppler usefulness, regarding stroke volume calculations and dP/dt measurement are summarily explained, taking into consideration the usual pitfalls found in daily practice. There is a section dedicated to regional systolic function evaluation, with the recommendations for standardized LV division and differential characteristics of wall motion abnormalities. Additionally, more recent approaches with tissue Doppler imaging and strain analyses for global and regional LV function assessment are described. Finally, a section is dedicated to right ventricle systolic function which describes all modalities of evaluation.
Assessment of left atrial function
Authors: Aguilar-Torres Río
Published: April 2012

The left atrium (LA) plays an important role in cardiovascular performance, not only as a mechanical contributor, elastic reservoir, and a primer for left ventricular filling, but also as a participant in the regulation of intravascular volume through the production of atrial natriuretic peptide.

Although LA diameter in the parasternal long-axis view has been routinely employed, LA volume is a more robust marker for predicting events than LA areas or diameters. The assessment of LA performance based on two-dimensional volumetrics, Doppler evaluation of mitral, pulmonary vein flow, and annular tissue Doppler, as well as deformation imaging techniques, may provide incremental information for prognostic purposes and for the evaluation of severity and duration of conditions associated with LA overload.

The aims of this chapter are to explain the basics of LA function, and to describe the role of Doppler echocardiography techniques, and how to implement them, for the non-invasive evaluation of LA in clinical practice.
Aortic valve disease
Authors: Rosenhek Raphael , Feneck Robert , Guarracino Fabio
Published: April 2012

Echocardiography is the gold standard for the assessment of patients with aortic valve (AoV) disease. It allows a detailed morphological assessment of the AoV and thereby makes determination of the aetiology possible. In general, the quantification of aortic stenosis is based on the measurement of transaortic jet velocities and the calculation of AoV area, thus combining a flow-dependent and a flow-independent variable. In the setting of low-flow low-gradient AS, dobutamine echocardiography is of particular diagnostic and prognostic importance. The quantification of aortic regurgitation is based on qualitative and quantitative parameters. Awareness of potential pitfalls is fundamental. Haemodynamic consequences of AoV disease on left ventricular size, hypertrophy, and function as well as potentially coexisting valve lesions can be assessed simultaneously. In patients with AoV disease, predictors of outcome and indications for surgery are substantially defined by echocardiography.
Mitral valve disease
Authors: Lancellotti Patrizio , Magne Julien , O’Connor Kim , Pierard Luc A.
Published: April 2012

Native mitral valve disease is the second valvular heart disease after aortic valve disease. For the last few decades, two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography was the cornerstone technique for evaluating patients with mitral valve disease. Besides aetiological information, echocardiography allows the description of valve anatomy, the assessment of disease severity, and the description of the associated lesions.

This chapter will address the echocardiographic evaluation of mitral regurgitation (MR) and mitral stenosis (MS).

In MR, the following findings should be assessed: 1. Aetiology. 2. Type and extent of anatomical lesions and mechanisms of regurgitation. 3. The possibility of mitral valve repair. 4. Quantification of MR severity. 5. Quantification of MR repercussions.

In MS, the following findings should be assessed: 1. Aetiology. 2. Type and extent of anatomical lesions. 3. Quantification of MS severity. 4. Quantification of MS repercussions. 5. Wilkins or Cormier scores for the possibility of percutaneous mitral commissuroplasty.

Management of patients with mitral valve disease is currently based on symptoms and on echocardiographic evaluation at rest. Therefore, knowing how to assess the severity of valve diseases as well as the pitfalls and the limitations of each echocardiographic method is of primary importance.
Cardiac involvement in systemic diseases
Authors: Hagendorff Andreas
Published: April 2012

Systemic diseases are generally an interdisciplinary challenge in clinical practice. Systemic diseases are able to induce tissue damage in different organs with ongoing duration of the illness. The heart and the circulation are important targets in systemic diseases. The cardiac involvement in systemic diseases normally introduces a chronic process of alterations in cardiac tissue, which causes cardiac failure in the end stage of the diseases or causes dangerous and life-threatening problems by induced acute cardiac events, such as myocardial infarction due to coronary thrombosis. Thus, diagnostic methods—especially imaging techniques—are required, which can be used for screening as well as for the detection of early stages of the diseases. Two-dimensional echocardiography is the predominant diagnostic technique in cardiology for the detection of injuries in cardiac tissue—e.g. the myocardium, endocardium, and the pericardium—due to the overall availability of the non-invasive procedure.

The quality of the echocardiography and the success rate of detecting cardiac pathologies in patients with primary non-cardiac problems depend on the competence and expertise of the investigator. Especially in this scenario clinical knowledge about the influence of the systemic disease on cardiac anatomy and physiology is essential for central diagnostic problem. Therefore the primary echocardiography in these patients should be performed by an experienced clinician or investigator. It is possible to detect changes of cardiac morphology and function at different stages of systemic diseases as well as complications of the systemic diseases by echocardiography.

The different parts of this chapter will show proposals for qualified transthoracic echocardiography focusing on cardiac structures which are mainly involved in different systemic diseases.
Diseases of the aorta
Authors: Evangelista Arturo , González-Alujas T.
Published: April 2012

Evaluation of the aorta is a routine part of the standard echocardiographic examination, because echocardiography plays an important role both in the diagnosis and follow-up of aortic diseases. In particular, echocardiography is useful for assessing aorta size, biophysical properties, and atherosclerotic involvement of the thoracic aorta.

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) permits adequate assessment of several aortic segments, particularly the aortic root and proximal ascending aorta. Transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) overcomes the limitations of TTE in thoracic aorta assessment, so TTE and TOE should be used in a complementary manner.

Although TOE is the technique of choice in the diagnosis of aortic dissection, TTE may be used as the initial modality in the emergency setting. Intimal flap in proximal ascending aorta, pericardial effusion/tamponade, and left ventricular function can be easily visualized by TTE. However, a negative TTE does not rule out aortic dissection and other imaging techniques must be considered. TOE should define entry tear location, mechanisms of aortic regurgitation, and true lumen compression.

In addition, echocardiography is essential in selecting and monitoring surgical and endovascular treatment and in detecting possible complications. Although other imaging techniques have a greater field of view, echocardiography is portable, rapid, accurate, and cost-effective in the diagnosis and follow-up of most aortic diseases.
Adult congenital heart disease
Authors: Diller G.P. , Kempny A. , Baumgartner H.
Published: April 2012

The heterogeneity of adult congenital heart disease requires a thorough understanding of cardiac anatomy as well as common surgical and interventional techniques. Echocardiographic studies should be comprehensive and performed in a structured fashion, to avoid missing important anatomical or functional information. The majority of clinical questions can be answered based on the results of echocardiographic studies, but the echocardiographer should be aware of the inherent limitations of the technique and additional image modalities such as cardiac magnetic resonance and computed tomography should be used when appropriate. Assessment of pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance may be essential and still requires cardiac catheterization.
The Pyrolytic Profile of Lyophilized and Deep-Frozen Compact Part of the Human Bone
Authors: Lodowska Jolanta , Wolny Daniel , Kurkiewicz Sławomir , Węglarz Ludmiła
Published: April 2012

Background. Bone grafts are used in the treatment of nonunion of fractures, bone tumors and in arthroplasty. Tissues preserved by lyophilization or deep freezing are used as implants nowadays. Lyophilized grafts are utilized in the therapy of birth defects and bone benign tumors, while deep-frozen ones are applied in orthopedics. The aim of the study was to compare the pyrolytic pattern, as an indirect means of the analysis of organic composition of deep-frozen and lyophilized compact part of the human bone.Methods. Samples of preserved bone tissue were subjected to thermolysis and tetrahydroammonium-hydroxide- (TMAH-) associated thermochemolysis coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS).Results. Derivatives of benzene, pyridine, pyrrole, phenol, sulfur compounds, nitriles, saturated and unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons, and fatty acids (C12–C20) were identified in the pyrolytic pattern. The pyrolyzates were the most abundant in derivatives of pyrrole and nitriles originated from proteins. The predominant product in pyrolytic pattern of the investigated bone was pyrrolo[1,2-α]piperazine-3,6-dione derived from collagen. The content of this compound significantly differentiated the lyophilized graft from the deep-frozen one. Oleic and palmitic acid were predominant among fatty acids of the investigated samples. The deep-frozen implants were characterized by higher percentage of long-chain fatty acids than lyophilized grafts.
Purification and Characterization of ZmRIP1, a Novel Reductant-Inhibited Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase from Maize
Authors: Li Bingbing , Zhao Yanxia , Liang Liyan , Ren Huibo , Xing Yu , Chen Lin , Sun Mingzhu , Wang Yuanhua , Han Yu , Jia Haifeng , Huang Conglin , Wu Zhongyi , Jia Wensuo
Published: April 2012

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) have long been thought to be activated by reductants and deactivated by oxidants, owing to the presence of a crucial sulfhydryl group in their catalytic centers. In this article, we report the purification and characterization of Reductant-Inhibited PTPase1 (ZmRIP1) from maize (Zea mays) coleoptiles, and show that this PTPase has a unique mode of redox regulation and signaling. Surprisingly, ZmRIP1 was found to be deactivated by a reductant. A cysteine (Cys) residue (Cys-181) near the active center was found to regulate this unique mode of redox regulation, as mutation of Cys-181 to arginine-181 allowed ZmRIP1 to be activated by a reductant. In response to oxidant treatment, ZmRIP1 was translocated from the chloroplast to the nucleus. Expression of ZmRIP1 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants and maize protoplasts altered the expression of genes encoding enzymes involved in antioxidant catabolism, such as At1g02950, which encodes a glutathione transferase. Thus, the novel PTPase identified in this study is predicted to function in redox signaling in maize.
Safe from the Start? An Action Research Project on Early Intervention Materials for Children Affected by Domestic and Family Violence
Authors: Spinney Angela
Published: April 2012

This paper first considers the impacts on children who have experienced domestic and family violence and consequential homelessness. This is followed by an account of an Australian qualitative research project, Safe from the Start, which was designed to identify and form a register of intervention activities and therapeutic play for affected young children aged up to six. The key finding of this innovative applied research, substantiated by the participatory evaluation, is that effective early intervention with such children can be conducted by non‐specialised workers and parents, given the right training and tools.
Calreticulin as a hydrophilic chimeric molecular adjuvant enhances IgG responses to the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus
Authors: Qiu Xiang , Hong Chao , Li Yue , Bao Wanrong , Gao Xiao‐Ming
Published: April 2012

Fragment 450–650 of the spike (S) protein (S450–650) of severe acute respiratory syndrome‐associated coronavirus (SARS‐CoV) contains epitopes capable of being recognized by convalescent sera of SARS patients. Vaccination of mice with recombinant S450–650 (rS450–650) can induce Abs against SARS‐CoV, although the titer is relatively low. In the present study, a fusion protein linking a fragment (residues 39–272) of murine calreticulin (CRT) to S450–650 in a prokaryotic expression system was created. Compared with target antigen alone, the recombinant fusion product (rS450–650‐CRT) has much improved hydrophilicity and immunogenicity. The S450–650‐specific IgG Abs of BALB/c mice subcutaneously immunized with rS450–650‐CRT were in substantially higher titer (approximately fivefold more). Furthermore, the fusion protein, but not rS450–650 alone, was able to elicit S450–650‐specific IgG responses in T cell deficient nude mice. Given that rCRT/39–272 can drive the maturation of bone‐marrow‐derived dendritic cells, directly activate macrophages and B cells, and also elicit helper T cell responses in vivo, we propose that fragment 39–272 of CRT is an effective molecular adjuvant capable of enhancing target Ag‐specific humoral responses in both a T cell‐dependent and independent manner. Fusion protein rS450–650‐CRT is a potential candidate vaccine against SARS‐CoV infection.
Chronic inflammation as predictor of 1‐year hospitalization and mortality in elderly population
Authors: de Gonzalo‐Calvo David , de Luxán‐Delgado Beatriz , Martínez‐Camblor Pablo , Rodríguez‐González Susana , García‐Macia Marina , Suárez Francisco M. , Solano Juan J. , Rodríguez‐Colunga María J. , Coto‐Montes Ana
Published: April 2012

Eur J Clin Invest 2012; 42 (10): 1037–1046

Background  Systemic low‐grade inflammation is thought to be associated with an increased risk of adverse clinical outcomes in elderly population. We tested this notion with the goal of identifying useful potential biomarkers of 1‐year hospitalization and mortality in the elderly population.

Design  A total of 120 institutionalized older subjects were enrolled as participants in this study, including 90 women and 30 men (ranging in age from 68 to 105 years), selected from Santa Teresa nursing home (Oviedo, Spain). We studied functional status, morbidity, socio‐demographic characteristics and several inflammation and inflammation‐related markers.

Results  The study included 95 non‐hospitalized participants and 23 participants with at least one hospitalization during 1 year (19% of subjects). The study also included 100 survivors and 19 participants who died during the 1‐year study (16% of subjects). In logistic regression models adjusted by age, sex, anti‐inflammatory drug use and morbid conditions, high levels of interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1ra) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) were associated with hospitalization and death at 1 year. Elevated levels of tumour necrosis factor α (TNF‐α) were also associated with an increased risk of death at 1 year after adjusting for the same potential confounders. Multivariate logistic regression models showed that elevated serum levels of IL‐1ra were intimately associated with 1‐year subsequent hospitalization and mortality in aged subjects after adjusting for age, sex, anti‐inflammatory drug use and morbid conditions.

Conclusions  Current data suggest that IL‐1ra is a predictor of 1‐year hospitalization and mortality in the elderly population.
The role of natural VWF/FVIII complex concentrates in contemporary haemophilia care: a guideline for the next decade
Authors: MANNUCCI P. M.
Published: April 2012

Summary.  Current treatment for haemophilia provides excellent efficacy and safety albeit with a number of unresolved issues. The development of inhibitors following treatment with factor VIII (FVIII) is the most challenging complication of haemophilia and bears the highest economic burden for a chronic disease. Moreover, prophylactic therapy for haemophilia requires repeated infusions of FVIII, frequently as often as two or three times weekly, which can impact greatly on patients’ daily lives. As considerable scope remains for further advancements in the management of this condition, the primary focus of this paper relates to issues regarding current treatment and strategies in place to resolve the various issues. For countries approaching access to replacement therapy, it is important to know whether or not plasma‐derived and recombinant products are associated with different risks of inhibitor development in previously untreated patients with severe haemophilia. The ongoing international SIPPET study is expected to provide an answer to this clinical dilemma. Methods under investigation to prolong the half‐life of factor concentrates offer new hope to reduce the burden of prophylaxis for patients with haemophilia, with early results suggesting greater benefits with FIX.
Management of bleeding disorders in adults
Authors: PEYVANDI F. , KLAMROTH R. , CARCAO M. , FEDERICI A. B. , DI MINNO G. , JIMÉNEZ‐YUSTE V. , RODRIGUEZ MERCHÁN E. C.
Published: April 2012

Summary.  Development of FVIII inhibitors is currently the most severe and challenging complication of haemophilia A treatment and represents a very large economic burden for a chronic disease. As a result, clinical research is making major efforts to optimize the therapeutic approaches for this condition. In this section we will review some important aspects of the management of haemophilia in adults, including an overview of bleeding in women with von Willebrand disease, an analysis of FVIII consumption in patients with severe haemophilia A, an update of the ongoing RES.I.ST study, long‐term prophylaxis and experience from the Pro.Will study, current evidence relating to economic aspects of the treatment of haemophilic patients with inhibitors (based on the PROFIT study), and an overview of musculoskeletal complications in adults with severe bleeding disorders.