bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Welcome to the Umma: The British State and its Muslim Citizens Since 9/11
Authors: Archer Toby
Published: August 2009

British Muslims are citizens of the United Kingdom and also part of a worldwide community, the Umma, the Muslim community of the faithful. British Muslims have both national and transnational allegiances and on the part of the British state this has necessitated new ways of governing its Muslim citizens. Concerns over both terrorist violence and societal security questions regarding Muslims in the UK are both internal and external to the state. The government has had difficulties in finding transnational policy responses that go beyond the old division of internal and external security. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, security was the main reason why the British state sought to engage Muslims, but this has been transformed into the wider agenda of ‘community cohesion’. In tracing the Muslim groups that the government has engaged with since 2001, I show how the issue of governing Muslims has gone beyond concerns just about terrorism and violence to a wider agenda that accepts British Muslims as citizens, yet at the same time still reflects the fears of Muslim ‘otherness’. I consider how this otherness is seen as a threat to societal security, and how the government’s attempt to create policies to deal with such threats is best understood as the ‘politics of unease’.
The Effects of Text Messaging on Young Drivers
Authors: Hosking Simon G. , Young Kristie L. , Regan Michael A.
Published: August 2009

Objective: This study investigated the effects of using a cell phone to retrieve and send text messages on the driving performance of young novice drivers. Background: Young drivers are particularly susceptible to driver distraction and have an increased risk of distraction-related crashes. Distractions from in-vehicle devices, particularly, those that require manual input, are known to cause decrements in driving performance. Method: Twenty young novice drivers used a cell phone to retrieve and send text messages while driving a simulator. Results: The amount of time that drivers spent not looking at the road when text messaging was up to ~400% greater than that recorded in baseline (no-text-messaging) conditions. Furthermore, drivers’ variability in lane position increased up to ~50%, and missed lane changes increased 140%. There was also an increase of up to ~150% in drivers’ variability in following distances to lead vehicles. Conclusion: Previous research has shown that the risk of crashing while dialing a handheld device, such as when text messaging and driving, is more than double that of conversing on a cell phone. The present study has identified the detrimental effects of text messaging on driving performance that may underlie such increased crash risk. Application: More effective road safety measures are needed to prevent and mitigate the adverse effects on driving performance of using cell phones to retrieve and send text messages.
A Finite Element Methodology for Analysing Degradation and Collapse in Postbuckling Composite Aerospace Structures
Authors: Orifici Adrian C. , Thomson Rodney S. , Degenhardt Richard , Bisagni Chiara , Bayandor Javid
Published: August 2009

A methodology for analysing the degradation and collapse in postbuckling composite structures is proposed. One aspect of the methodology predicts the initiation of interlaminar damage using a strength criterion applied with a global-local analysis technique. A separate approach represents the growth of a pre-existing interlaminar damage region with user-defined multi-point constraints that are controlled based on the Virtual Crack Closure Technique. Another aspect of the approach is a degradation model for in-plane ply damage mechanisms of fiber fracture, matrix cracking, and fiber-matrix shear. The complete analysis methodology was compared to experimental results for two fuselage-representative composite panels tested to collapse. For both panels, the behavior and structural collapse were accurately captured, and the analysis methodology provided detailed information on the development and interaction of the various damage mechanisms.
The Effect of Tool Geometry on the Machinability of Polyamide During Precision Turning
Authors: Silva Leonardo R. , Davim J. Paulo
Published: August 2009

The cutting tool geometry plays a significant role on the performance of conventional machining operations, irrespectively of the work material. For instance, alterations in the cutting edge preparation will result in changes in tool wear rate, cutting forces, temperature, and machined surface finish. This article compares the performance of uncoated carbide tools with standard cutting geometry and tools with modified edge preparation during precision turning of polyamide with and without 30% glass fiber reinforcing. The results indicated that, in general, the turning force components are reduced with the tool nose radius and the specific cutting force (Ks ) decreased as feed rate is elevated, presenting values comparable to metallic alloys. In addition to that, the polyamide without reinforcing presented a three-fold increase in specific cutting force (Ks) compared with the reinforced composite. Finally, the surface roughness increased as feed rate is elevated and tool nose radius is reduced.
Reflections on Dying, Our Last Thought(s), and Living a Spiritual Life
Authors: Massoudi Mehrdad
Published: August 2009

In this essay, the importance of living a spiritual life while maintaining a regular meditative (reflective) attitude toward life, death, and dying is explored. A review of some clinical studies pointing to the importance of having a spiritual outlook in life and toward death is provided. The basic teachings of the Buddha are used as the foundational theme of this paper to discuss death and the possible barriers to its acceptance. The concept of process from a thermodynamical perspective is discussed, implying that life also consists of many processes, resembling a journey with many stages. I then look at the relationship between spirituality and dying.The article ends with a few remarks and reflections on living a spiritual life.
A Linguistic Enclave
Authors: Volland Nicolai
Published: August 2009

After 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) made great efforts to control the Chinese language—the way people write, speak, and think. Especially during the Mao years, linguistic conformity was one of the chief means through which the CCP tried to make the articulation of dissent all but impossible. As this article shows, however, the party’s actual control of language was not total; niches of greater linguistic diversity remained accessible to readers and writers who made the effort to mediate between the party-state’s prescriptions and their individual styles. Comparing three translations of Balzac’s (1949) Père Goriot by the Chinese translator Fu Lei from 1946, 1951, and 1963, and reading them against the official “blueprint” of Mao style, the author argues that Fu Lei was able to resist the pressure for conformity and in his translations continued to apply his own, idiosyncratic style. The analysis shows how segments of public writing that were less susceptible to direct intervention, such as translation of foreign literature, enjoyed more autonomy from the party-state’s pervasive linguistic controls. Due to its high popularity, translated literature thus provided readers with an important alternative to the omnipresent Mao style and served as a source of inspiration for later generations.
Improvements to the Meteorological Office equations in the computation of degree days
Authors: Layberry RL
Published: August 2009

Meteorological Office (MO) equations are used to calculate daily degree days from daily minimum and maximum air temperatures. The resultant degree days are widely used in building energy analysis for monitoring, targeting, prediction and exception reporting and their accuracy is consequently important. Regression analysis has been performed on minimum, maximum and average daily air temperatures and daily degree days from over 100 weather stations over a 20-year time period. The results show how the MO equations consistently overestimate the degree days. This overestimation becomes progressively severe as the air temperature increases relative to the base temperature used in the degree day calculation. The use of optimised equations containing the maximum, minimum and average temperatures in a day most accurately calculates degree days and where the daily average is not available, using the daily minimum and maximum with different coefficients to those used in the MO equations leads to a significant improvement in the calculated degree days. Practical applications: Degree day data is vital in building energy management. Often hourly temperatures are not available and degree days have to be calculated from the MO equations using daily minimum and maximum temperatures. These equations are approximations developed from limited datasets and this paper describes better equations using minimum and maximum data and further improved equations when average daily data is also available. The reductions in errors in either degree days or energy use is important for reducing errors in data extracted from the resultant performance charts.
Racial-Ethnic Differences in Subjective Survival Expectations for the Retirement Years
Authors: Roebuck Bulanda Jennifer , Zhenmei Zhang
Published: August 2009

Prior research finds a race anomaly in subjective life expectancy such that Blacks expect to live longer than Whites even though their actual life expectancy is lower, but it does not include other racial-ethnic groups. Using data from the 1998 Health and Retirement Study ( n = 8,077), the authors find that the race anomaly in subjective survival expectations can be extended to Mexican Americans: Mexican Americans, regardless of their nativity, expect a lower chance of living to ages 75 and 85 than do Whites net of age and gender even though their actual life expectancy is higher. In addition, foreign-born Mexican Americans expect a lower chance of survival to older ages than native-born Mexican Americans, which is also opposite of actual mortality patterns.We also find that education and wealth interact with race-ethnicity to influence subjective survival expectations.
Auditory discriminations of typographic attributes of documents by students with blindness
Authors: Argyropoulos Vassilios S. , Sideridis Georgios D. , Kouroupetroglou Georgios , Xydas Gerasimos
Published: August 2009

The general purpose of the present study was to test the effectiveness of various psycho-acoustic manipulations for the understanding of specific information (typographic attributes such as bold and italic) which was included in texts by individuals with and without blindness. Thirty blind and thirty sighted students participated and were asked to distinguish a number of controlled conditions of auditory components, as well as to express their preferences and opinions on the prosody of the selected acoustic features (pitch, volume and speed of the synthetic speech). Findings indicated that there were significant interactions between groups and experimental conditions across variables. The outcomes of the present study provided a rough assessment of the auditory means that may be conducive to the understanding of the specific typographic attributes. Based on these findings Text-to-Speech systems can deliver such information with all the appropriate auditory prosody in order to facilitate blind students’ memorization and comprehension and enhance inclusion.
Exploring the musical interests and abilities of blind and partially sighted children and young people with Retinopathy of Prematurity
Authors: Matawa Christina
Published: August 2009

This study explores the musical interests and talents of children and young people who are blind or partially sighted as a result of retinopathy of prematurity (RoP). The results from questionnaires completed by 37 parents were analysed using methods drawn from Ockelford et al.’s (2006) study of the musical interests and abilities of children with septo-optic dysplasia (SOD). The findings suggest that music plays a significant part in the lives of children with RoP and these children may display above typical music ability.
The Challenge of Shared Decision Making Among Patients With Lower Literacy: A Framework for Research and Development
Authors: McCaffery Kirsten J. , Smith Sian K. , Wolf Michael
Published: August 2009

There have been major advances in techniques to increase patient involvement in health decisions with the benefits of greater involvement and shared decision making now widely recognized. However, there has been little attention in the development of tools and strategies to support patient participation among adults with lower literacy, a group with poor health knowledge, limited involvement in health decisions, and poor health outcomes. The authors put forward a framework to consider the different stages of shared health decision making and the tasks and skills required to achieve each stage. They consider where current research exists in the decision making literature and where more is needed if adults with limited literacy are to be better engaged in shared decision making in health care.
Measuring Early Literacy Skills: A Latent Variable Investigation of the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening for Preschool
Authors: Townsend Monika , Konold Timothy R.
Published: August 2009

Psychometric properties of the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening for Preschool (PALSPreK) instrument were investigated in a sample of 4,518 children. PALS-PreK figures prominently in state and federal early literacy programs as an assessment of emergent literacy skills in preschool-aged children. Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and multigroup CFA were employed to evaluate the underlying factor structure and determine whether the identified structure was invariant across boys and girls. Results suggest that PALSPreK effectively measures the most important precursors to successful literacy acquisition: alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, and print concepts, with generally the same degree of accuracy for boys and girls. These results, combined with the instructional transparency of the instrument, support the educational utility of PALS-PreK as a tool for guiding instruction in preschool literacy.
Provider Attitudes Associated With Adherence to Evidence-Based Clinical Guidelines in a Managed Care Setting
Authors: Waddimba Anthony C. , Meterko Mark , Beckman Howard B. , Young Gary J. , Burgess James F.
Published: August 2009

In a cross-sectional observational study of Rochester (New York) primary care physicians (PCPs) enrolled in a pay-for-performance (P4P) collaboration, the authors investigated attitudinal factors associated with provider adherence to evidence-based clinical guidelines targeted by explicit incentives. The multivariable adherence model linked guideline adherence rates to provider attitudes among 186 survey respondents, adjusting for individual, practice, and community characteristics. Adherence was defined as the percentage of expected services that were delivered. Attitudes associated with adherence, independent of specialty and prior behavior, were financial salience (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 3.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.7-8.4), peer cooperation (OR = 2.0; 95% CI = 1.0-4.0), control (OR = 0.5; 95% CI = 0.3-1.0), and autonomy regarding the health plan (OR = 0.3; 95% CI = 0.1-0.6). The most adherent providers perceived P4P as financially salient and felt supported by peers. Some PCPs might have perceived P4P and external interventions as challenging their autonomy and “crowding out” their intrinsic motivation, leading them to reduce efforts aimed at guideline adherence.
Review Article: Effectiveness of Patient Care Teams and the Role of Clinical Expertise and Coordination
Authors: Bosch Marije , Faber Marjan J. , Cruijsberg Juliette , Voerman Gerlienke E. , Leatherman Sheila , Grol Richard P. T. M. , Hulscher Marlies , Wensing Michel
Published: August 2009

Health care is increasingly provided by teams of health professionals rather than by individual doctors. For decision makers, it is imperative to identify the critical elements for effective teams to transform health care workplaces into effective team-based environments. The authors reviewed the research literature published between 1990 and February 2008. The available research indicated that teams with enhanced clinical expertise improved professional performance and had mixed effects on patient outcomes. Teams with improved coordination had some positive effects on patient outcomes and limited effects on costs and resource utilization. The combination of enhanced expertise and coordination only showed some limited effect on patient outcomes. The authors conclude that enhancement of the clinical expertise is a potentially effective component of improving the impact of patient care teams. The added value of coordination functions remained unclear. Overall, current studies provide little insight into the underlying mechanisms of teamwork.
Contextualizing the Immigration and Crime Effect
Authors: Vélez María B.
Published: August 2009

Neighborhoods with concentrated disadvantage have heightened levels of crime, and since the 1980s they have seen an infusion of immigrants. The article suggests that the influx of recent immigrants should contribute to the revitalization of disadvantaged neighborhoods and thereby help to reduce violent crime. The article tests whether the effect of concentrated disadvantage on local homicide levels is attenuated by levels of recent arrivals (1985-1990). The article find that recently arrived immigrants are associated with reductions of lethal violence in disadvantaged neighborhoods. It suggest that the influx of recent immigrants in disadvantaged neighborhoods reinvigorates local economic opportunity structures and social networks, and revitalizes neighborhood organizations and institutions. However, recently arrived immigrants are associated with increases in local homicide levels in advantaged contexts. Recent immigrants appear to elevate homicide via the potential disruption they cause in local social networks and efforts at community social control.
A Song for My Supper
Authors: Van Maanen John
Published: August 2009

This essay tries to be true to a podium talk I presented at a conference in March, 2008. But, of necessity, certain consolidation liberties are taken. Beginning with a brief and broad treatment of ethnography as a paired written representation of and lengthy personal experience in a particular social world, I move to consider why the former, the text, has been so infrequently examined in lieu of the latter, the so-called method. I then move to ethnographic texts themselves and look at what I take to be some broad changes the seem apparent — particularly within the organizational ethnography domain — over the past 20 or so years. Alongside these changes comes the emergence of several distinct genres treated only lightly (or not at all) in Tales of the Field. I end by considering what seems to have stayed the course in ethnography and why.
United in Diversity? Disciplinary Normalization in an EU Project
Authors: Ahonen Pasi , Tienari Janne
Published: August 2009

Managing diversity has emerged as a timely issue in organizations operating in the global economy. We contribute to the critical literature on diversity and its management in transnational organizations by exploring ways in which diversity is discursively (re)constructed in a European Union Framework Programme project. We draw on Michel Foucault’s insights on the specificity of the relations and mechanics of power, and the connections between disciplinary power, normalization and knowledge. We conceptualize the EU Framework Programme system as a disciplinary apparatus (dispositif)—a network of time-, place- and field-specific disciplining discursive practices—and approach diversity in an EU project as a technology of normalization. Managing diversity becomes thus understood both as an enabling and a limiting exercise of disciplinary power.
Between Innovation and Legitimation— Boundaries and Knowledge Flow in Management Consultancy
Authors: Sturdy Andrew , Clark Timothy , Fincham Robin , Handley Karen
Published: August 2009

Management consultancy is seen by many as a key agent in the adoption of new management ideas and practices in organizations. Two contrasting views are dominant—consultants as innovators, bringing new knowledge to their clients or as legitimating client knowledge. Those few studies which examine directly the flow of knowledge through consultancy in projects with clients favour the innovator view and highlight the important analytical and practical value of boundaries— consultants as both knowledge and organizational outsiders. Likewise, in the legitimator view, the consultants’ role is seen in terms of the primacy of the organizational boundary. By drawing on a wider social science literature on boundaries and studies of inter-organizational knowledge flow and management consultancy more generally, this polarity is seen as problematic, especially at the level of the consulting project. An alternative framework of boundary relations is developed and presented which incorporates their multiplicity, dynamism and situational specificity. This points to a greater complexity and variability in knowledge flow and its potential than is currently recognized. This is significant not only in terms of our understanding of management consultancy and inter-organizational knowledge dynamics and boundaries, but of a critical understanding of the role of management consultancy more generally.
The Call Centre and its Many Players
Authors: Winiecki Donald J.
Published: August 2009

Call centres have been presented as a poster child for many things ranging from a leap in management success, to a locale of total panoptic power, to electronic sweatshops, to the latest effort in deskilling physical and emotional labour for corporate profit, to an outpost of corporate empire. Proponents of these positions frame their assertions with theoretical positions that advance particular views of either ‘nature’ or ‘society’ as the commonsensically-present ‘active ingredient’ behind the forces at play. Aided by actor-network theory, this article attempts to avoid these theoretically-constructed positions to describe how some of the many and varied actors (both human and non-human) contribute to the day-to-day production of call centres and call centre work in and of themselves. Through this analysis, the article demonstrates how artefacts produced in the field itself both help and enable self-discipline of the living in an ongoing reflective accomplishment of order.
Contested State Spaces: African National Parks and the State
Authors: Dunn Kevin C.
Published: August 2009

Since the ‘linguistic turn’ in International Relations, it is assumed that agents like the state are always effects of discourse and should be ‘decentered’ rather than made the starting point for theory. Yet, most postmodern IR scholarship implicitly assumes a particular conception of the state. This article provides an explicit elaboration of that conceptualization, positing that the state is a discursively produced structural/structuring effect that relies on constant acts of performativity to call it into being. The constituting discourses on the state are never complete or closed, but are always contested, offering spaces for maneuver and resistance. Employing the example of African national parks, this article examines ‘contested state spaces’, those places where officially sanctioned state-making practices are successfully challenged, resisted and replaced by alternatives. The example of African national parks provides a useful way of interrogating state-making practices in the everyday life of international relations.
A Distinct FPA for Europe? Towards a Comprehensive Framework for Analysing the Foreign Policy of EU Member States
Authors: Larsen Henrik
Published: August 2009

In the existing literature, the need for a distinctive approach to the analysis of foreign policy in Europe is usually seen as a uniform requirement applying across policy areas. At the same time, the criteria for judging the need for a new approach are underspecified. The article puts forward the argument that the approach to analysis of the national foreign policies of EU member states ought to vary according to the policy area under study. On the basis of an empirical study of Danish foreign policy, the article presents a comprehensive framework for the analysis of national foreign policy in an EU context which takes account of differing issue areas. The framework includes three analytical lenses: traditional FPA, transformed FPA and postmodern FPA. These lenses are derived from the strength of the EU policy and the national understandings of agency in the area concerned.
‘A potential fifth column’: conflicts and struggles for control in the context of local NHS privatization
Authors: Aldred Rachel
Published: August 2009

This article uses case study data to discuss how a new procurement policy (Local Improvement Finance Trust, or LIFT) in English primary care may affect general practitioners’ control over their work. LIFT, a series of 51 public—private partnerships, will enable over the medium term a shift towards the corporate ownership of surgeries and the creation of polyclinics or ‘onestop-shops’. In this article, I explore the struggles over work autonomy and control within these new LIFT structures, as expressed by clinicians and managers in meetings and in research interviews. More generally, I consider how the findings inform debates over the changing position of professionals within increasingly financialized ‘local health economies’.
Playing with fire
Authors: Maleta Yulia
Published: August 2009

This article considers the roles, identities and experiences of female emergency services volunteers, most of whom are active fire fighters, within a regional brigade of the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS). It is based on interviews and explores how women both adapt to and resist the culture and in the process are transforming it. RFS women were motivated by values of camaraderie, skill and community participation. Their experiences were informed by inclusion and exclusion, and the complex association of gender and competence with physical strength and leadership. Drawing upon the Foucauldian insight that power is never simply repressive but productive and relational, the findings demonstrate how women actively negotiate their position as a collective and as individuals within a mixed gender environment. This article concludes that the demonstrated prowess and agency of women within a non-traditional work context is changing and transforming the cultures and practices of rural fire fighting.
Internet Protocol TV in Perspective
Authors: Kim Pyungho
Published: August 2009

The telecommunications firms have continually attempted to introduce a new intelligent television system for the past thirty-plus years by making the best use of ever-developing information and communication technologies, changes in media consumption patterns, collapse of regulatory barriers, and so on. Internet protocol TV (IPTV) is the most recent version of such corporate attempts. This article contextualizes IPTV in terms of its history, identity, and challenges. Despite the rhetoric of newness, IPTV is a replica of the interactive TV of the past, which has a turbulent genealogy of its own. Even with the interactive services based upon advanced IP technology, it is not structurally different from conventional television as the medium is organized following the TV model. In addition to competition, a contradiction between the open internet and walled-garden IPTV will pose critical challenges to the medium. However, IPTV is still evolving, and its future is not yet fully determined.
Elderspeak’s Influence on Resistiveness to Care: Focus on Behavioral Events
Authors: Herman Ruth E. , Williams Kristine N.
Published: August 2009

Resistiveness to care (RTC) in older adults with dementia commonly disrupts nursing care. Research has found that elderspeak (infantilizing communication) use by nursing home (NH) staff increases the probability of RTC in older adults with dementia. The current analysis used general sequential querier (GSEQ) software to analyze behavior sequences of specific behavioral events. We found that older adults with dementia most frequently reacted to elderspeak communication by negative vocalizations (screaming or yelling, negative verbalizations, crying). Because negative vocalizations disrupt nursing care, reduction in elderspeak use by staff may reduce these behaviors thereby increasing the quality of care to these residents. The results clearly demonstrate that sequential analysis of behavioral events is a useful tool in examining complex communicative interactions and targeting specific problem behaviors.
Effects of RE–Al additions and austenitising time on structural variations of medium carbon Fe–B cast alloy
Authors: Yi D. W. , Xing D. J. , Fu H. G. , Ma S. Q. , Liu Z. X.
Published: August 2009

The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of rare earth and aluminium on the structural variations of medium carbon Fe–B cast alloy under the same austenitising temperature and different austenitising times. It is observed that the as cast microstructure of Fe–B cast alloy consists of the eutectic boride, pearlite, martensite and ferrite. Moreover, the as cast eutectic boride structures are greatly refined, and a blocky, less interconnected boride network is obtained when rare earth and Al are added. After different austenitising times, in each case, the phases in modified Fe–B cast alloy consist of the boride and martensite. The addition of RE in Fe–B cast alloy accelerates the diffusion process of B and Fe atoms during austenitising. Based on this favourable condition, the numbers of the fractured boride networks and isolated granular borides increase with increase in austenitising time. The boride volume fraction, Vickers hardness of martensite matrix and boride, and Rockwell hardness of Fe–B cast alloy modified by rare earth and aluminium have no significant change at different austenitising times. However, the average diameter of boride decreases and the impact toughness increases with increasing austenitising time.
Dynamic recrystallisation in aluminium alloyed hypereutectoid steels under hot working conditions
Authors: Phaniraj M. P. , Jang Y. S. , Kim D.-I. , Shim J.-H. , Lee C. Y. , Lee D. L.
Published: August 2009

Hot deformation behaviour of hypereutectoid steels (0·83–0·92%C) alloyed with 0–2%Al is investigated. Compression tests were carried out in the temperature range 1000–1100°C at 0·1–10 s–1 strain rates. The stress–strain curves are analysed using work hardening rate flow stress plots to determine the critical and peak stress and the corresponding strains associated with dynamic recrystallisation. The addition of Al increases the strain hardening rate and lowers the peak strain. There is an optimum content beyond which peak strain increases with Al addition. Phase diagram calculations show that the multiphase microstructure present during deformation is responsible for the non-linear effect of Al. The steady state stress is modelled using the sine hyperbolic constitutive equation, and the activation energy for deformation is determined.
Tin induced crystallisation of hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin films
Authors: Jeon M. , Jeong C. , Kamisako K.
Published: August 2009

The present article focuses on the effect of annealing temperatures about the Sn induced crystallisation of hydrogenated amorphous Si (a-Si:H) thin films, which are used to fabricate polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) film. The a-Si:H thin films are coated onto Sn metal thin film and subsequently annealed from various temperatures. These are crystallised by annealing for 1 h at 300°C and identified by XRD spectroscopy for the investigation of each phase. Process temperature for crystallisation should not be high because a eutectic temperature of Si–Sn is ∼232°C. Si crystal patterns of the prepared samples showed the tendency of changing from (111) to (002) with increasing temperature. It indicates that the crystal phases depend strongly on the annealing temperature of Sn induced a-Si:H thin films for the preparation of poly-Si film. Semiconducting type of Sn induced poly-Si films were shown in n-type through Hall effect measurement.
Reduced immunoglobulin class switch recombination in the absence of Artemis
Authors: Rivera-Munoz Paola , Soulas-Sprauel Pauline , Le Guyader Gwenaël , Abramowski Vincent , Bruneau Sylvia , Fischer Alain , Pâques Frédéric , de Villartay Jean-Pierre
Published: August 2009

Nonhomologous end-joining DNA repair factors, including Artemis, are all required for the repair of DNA double-strand breaks, which occur during the assembly of the variable antigen recognition domain of B-cell receptors and T-cell receptors through the V(D)J recombination. Mature B cells further shape their immunoglobulin repertoire on antigen recognition notably through the class switch recombination (CSR) process. To analyze the role of Artemis during CSR, we developed a mature B-cell–specific Artemis conditional knockout mouse to bypass the absence of B cells caused by its early deficit. Although CSR is not overwhelmingly affected in these mice, class switching to certain isotypes is clearly reduced both in vitro on B-cell activation and in vivo after keyhole limpet hemocyanin immunization. The reduced CSR in Artemis-deficient B cells is accompanied by the increase in DNA microhomology usage at CSR junctions, the imprint of an alternative DNA end-joining pathway. Likewise, significant increase in DNA microhomology usage is the signature of CSR junctions obtained from human RS-SCID patients harboring hypomorphic Artemis mutations. Altogether, this indicates that Artemis participates in the repair of a subset of DNA breaks generated during CSR.
Taking aim at protein translation in AML
Authors: Carroll Martin
Published: August 2009

In this issue of Blood, Tamburini and colleagues have studied the regulation of protein translation control in primary AML cells and describe a mTORC1-independent mechanism of regulation of the translation initiation complex that can be targeted with 4EGI-1, a small molecule inhibitor of translation, leading to death of the cells.1 This and other recent studies add to a growing body of evidence that AML cells have a critical dependence on active protein translation, which may provide an Achilles' heel for the tumor cells that can be targeted therapeutically.
Finishing off fibrils
Authors: Gertz Morie
Published: August 2009

Bortezomib shows high activity in light chain amyloidosis. Responses occur rapidly and are seen in cardiac, renal, and hepatic disease. Toxicity in this fragile population is significant.
How I treat hypereosinophilic syndromes
Authors: Klion Amy D.
Published: August 2009

Hypereosinophilic syndromes (HESs) are a heterogeneous group of uncommon disorders characterized by marked peripheral eosinophilia and end organ manifestations attributable to the eosinophilia or unexplained in the clinical setting. Whereas corticosteroids remain the mainstay of treatment for most patients, recent diagnostic advances and the development of novel targeted therapies, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors and humanized monoclonal antibodies, have increased the complexity of therapeutic decisions in HESs. This review presents a treatment-based approach to the diagnosis and classification of patients with peripheral blood eosinophilia of 1.5 × 109/L (1500/mm3) or higher and discusses the role of currently available therapeutic agents in the treatment of these patients.
Whole genome duplications and expansion of the vertebrate GATA transcription factor gene family
Authors: Gillis William Q , St John John , Bowerman Bruce , Schneider Stephan Q
Published: August 2009

Background

GATA transcription factors influence many developmental processes, including the specification of embryonic germ layers. The GATA gene family has significantly expanded in many animal lineages: whereas diverse cnidarians have only one GATA transcription factor, six GATA genes have been identified in many vertebrates, five in many insects, and eleven to thirteen in Caenorhabditis nematodes. All bilaterian animal genomes have at least one member each of two classes, GATA123 and GATA456.

Results

We have identified one GATA123 gene and one GATA456 gene from the genomic sequence of two invertebrate deuterostomes, a cephalochordate (Branchiostoma floridae) and a hemichordate (Saccoglossus kowalevskii). We also have confirmed the presence of six GATA genes in all vertebrate genomes, as well as additional GATA genes in teleost fish. Analyses of conserved sequence motifs and of changes to the exon-intron structure, and molecular phylogenetic analyses of these deuterostome GATA genes support their origin from two ancestral deuterostome genes, one GATA 123 and one GATA456. Comparison of the conserved genomic organization across vertebrates identified eighteen paralogous gene families linked to multiple vertebrate GATA genes (GATA paralogons), providing the strongest evidence yet for expansion of vertebrate GATA gene families via genome duplication events.

Conclusion

From our analysis, we infer the evolutionary birth order and relationships among vertebrate GATA transcription factors, and define their expansion via multiple rounds of whole genome duplication events. As the genomes of four independent invertebrate deuterostome lineages contain single copy GATA123 and GATA456 genes, we infer that the 0R (pre-genome duplication) invertebrate deuterostome ancestor also had two GATA genes, one of each class. Synteny analyses identify duplications of paralogous chromosomal regions (paralogons), from single ancestral vertebrate GATA123 and GATA456 chromosomes to four paralogons after the first round of vertebrate genome duplication, to seven paralogons after the second round of vertebrate genome duplication, and to fourteen paralogons after the fish-specific 3R genome duplication. The evolutionary analysis of GATA gene origins and relationships may inform understanding vertebrate GATA factor redundancies and specializations.
Immunoproteomic analysis of outer membrane proteins and extracellular proteins of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae JL03 serotype 3
Authors: Liao Yonghong , Deng Junhua , Zhang Anding , Zhou Mingguang , Hu Yong , Chen Huanchun , Jin Meilin
Published: August 2009

Background

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the causative agent of porcine contagious pleuropneumonia, a highly contagious respiratory infection in pigs, and all the 15 serotypes are able to cause disease. Current vaccines including subunit vaccines could not provide satisfactory protection against A. pleuropneumoniae. In this study, the immunoproteomic approach was applied to the analysis of extracellular and outer membrane proteins of A. pleuropneumoniae JL03 serotype 3 for the identification of novel immunogenic proteins for A. pleuropneumoniae.

Results

A total of 30 immunogenic proteins were identified from outer membrane and extracellular proteins of JL03 serotype 3, of which 6 were known antigens and 24 were novel immunogenic proteins for A. pleuropneumoniae.

Conclusion

These data provide information about novel immunogenic proteins for A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 3, and are expected to aid in development of novel vaccines against A. pleuropneumoniae.
Rationale and design of the HEALTHY-CATH trial: A randomised controlled trial of Heparin versus EthAnol Lock THerapY for the prevention of Catheter Associated infecTion in Haemodialysis patients
Authors: Broom Jennifer K , O'Shea Stacey , Govindarajulu Sridevi , Playford E Geoffrey , Hawley Carmel M , Isbel Nicole M , Campbell Scott B , Mudge David W , Carpenter Sally , Johnson Barbara C , Underwood Neil P , Johnson David W
Published: August 2009

Background

Catheter-related bacteraemias (CRBs) contribute significantly to morbidity, mortality and health care costs in dialysis populations. Despite international guidelines recommending avoidance of catheters for haemodialysis access, hospital admissions for CRBs have doubled in the last decade. The primary aim of the study is to determine whether weekly instillation of 70% ethanol prevents CRBs compared with standard heparin saline.

Methods/design

The study will follow a prospective, open-label, randomized controlled design. Inclusion criteria are adult patients with incident or prevalent tunneled intravenous dialysis catheters on three times weekly haemodialysis, with no current evidence of catheter infection and no personal, cultural or religious objection to ethanol use, who are on adequate contraception and are able to give informed consent. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive 3 mL of intravenous-grade 70% ethanol into each lumen of the catheter once a week and standard heparin locks for other dialysis days, or to receive heparin locks only. The primary outcome measure will be time to the first episode of CRB, which will be defined using standard objective criteria. Secondary outcomes will include adverse reactions, incidence of CRB caused by different pathogens, time to infection-related catheter removal, time to exit site infections and costs. Prospective power calculations indicate that the study will have 80% statistical power to detect a clinically significant increase in median infection-free survival from 200 days to 400 days if 56 patients are recruited into each arm.

Discussion

This investigator-initiated study has been designed to provide evidence to help nephrologists reduce the incidence of CRBs in haemodialysis patients with tunnelled intravenous catheters.

Trial Registration

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Number: ACTRN12609000493246
Preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen, albumin and age are supplementary to UICC staging systems in predicting survival for colorectal cancer patients undergoing surgical treatment
Authors: Sun Li-Chu , Chu Koung-Shing , Cheng Su-Chen , Lu Chien-Yu , Kuo Chao-Hung , Hsieh Jan-Sing , Shih Ying-Ling , Chang Shun-Jen , Wang Jaw-Yuan
Published: August 2009

Background

The aim of this study was to determine influence of prognostic factors in addition to UICC staging systems, on cancer-specific and overall survival rates for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) undergoing surgical treatment.

Methods

Between January 1996 and December 2006, a total of 1367 CRC patients who underwent surgical treatment in Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital were analyzed. We retrospectively investigated clinicopathologic features of these patients. All patients were followed up intensively, and their outcomes were investigated completely.

Results

Of 1367 CRC patients, there were seven hundred and fifty-seven males (55.4%) and 610 (44.6%) females. The median follow-up period was 60 months (range, 3–132 months). A multivariate analysis identified that low serum albumin level (P = 0.011), advanced UICC stage (P < 0.001), and high carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level (P < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors of cancer-specific survival. Meanwhile, a multivariate analysis showed age over 65 years (P < 0.001), advanced UICC stage (P < 0.001), and high CEA level (P < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors of overall survival. Furthermore, combination of UICC stage, serum CEA and albumin levels as predictors of cancer-specific survival showed that the poorer the prognostic factors involved, the poorer the cancer-specific survival rate. Likewise, combination of UICC stage, age and serum CEA level as predictors of overall survival showed that the poorer the prognostic factors involved, the poorer the overall survival rate. Of these prognostic factors, preoperative serum CEA level was the only significant prognostic factor for patients with stage II and III CRCs in both cancer-specific and overall survival categories.

Conclusion

Preoperative serum albumin level, CEA level and age could prominently affect postoperative outcome of CRC patients undergoing surgical treatment. In addition to conventional UICC staging system, it might be imperative to take these additional characteristics of factors into account in CRC patients prior to surgical treatment.
Biochemical and structural characterization of alanine racemase from Bacillus anthracis (Ames)
Authors: Couñago Rafael M , Davlieva Milya , Strych Ulrich , Hill Ryan E , Krause Kurt L
Published: August 2009

Background

Bacillus anthracis is the causative agent of anthrax and a potential bioterrorism threat. Here we report the biochemical and structural characterization of B. anthracis (Ames) alanine racemase (Alr
Bax
), an essential enzyme in prokaryotes and a target for antimicrobial drug development. We also compare the native Alr
Bax
structure to a recently reported structure of the same enzyme obtained through reductive lysine methylation.

Results

B. anthracis has two open reading frames encoding for putative alanine racemases. We show that only one, dal1, is able to complement a D-alanine auxotrophic strain of E. coli. Purified Dal1, which we term Alr
Bax
, is shown to be a dimer in solution by dynamic light scattering and has a Vmax for racemization (L- to D-alanine) of 101 U/mg. The crystal structure of unmodified Alr
Bax
is reported here to 1.95 Å resolution. Despite the overall similarity of the fold to other alanine racemases, Alr
Bax
makes use of a chloride ion to position key active site residues for catalysis, a feature not yet observed for this enzyme in other species. Crystal contacts are more extensive in the methylated structure compared to the unmethylated structure.

Conclusion

The chloride ion in Alr
Bax
is functioning effectively as a carbamylated lysine making it an integral and unique part of this structure. Despite differences in space group and crystal form, the two Alr
Bax
structures are very similar, supporting the case that reductive methylation is a valid rescue strategy for proteins recalcitrant to crystallization, and does not, in this case, result in artifacts in the tertiary structure.