bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advances and challenges in the treatment of branched‐chain amino/keto acid metabolic defects
Authors: Knerr Ina , Weinhold Natalie , Vockley Jerry , Gibson K. Michael
Published: February 2011

Disorders of branched‐chain amino/keto acid metabolism encompass diverse entities, including maple syrup urine disease (MSUD), the ‘classical’ organic acidurias isovaleric acidemia (IVA), propionic acidemia (PA), methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) and, among others, rarely described disorders such as 2‐methylbutyryl‐CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MBDD) or isobutyryl‐CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (IBDD). Our focus in this review is to highlight the biochemical basis underlying recent advances and ongoing challenges of long‐term conservative therapy including precursor/protein restriction, replenishment of deficient substrates, and the use of antioxidants and anaplerotic agents which refill the Krebs cycle. Ongoing clinical assessments of affected individuals in conjunction with monitoring of disease‐specific biochemical parameters remain essential. It is likely that mass spectrometry‐based ‘metabolomics’ may be a helpful tool in the future for studying complete biochemical profiles and diverse metabolic phenotypes. Prospective studies are needed to test the effectiveness of adjunct therapies such as antioxidants, ornithine‐alpha‐ketoglutarate (OKG) or creatine in addition to specialized diets and to optimize current therapeutic strategies in affected individuals. With the individual life‐time risk and degree of severity being unknown in asymptomatic individuals with MBDD or IBDD, instructions regarding risks for metabolic stress and fasting avoidance along with clinical monitoring are reasonable interventions at the current time. Overall, it is apparent that carefully designed prospective clinical investigations and multicenter cohort‐controlled trials are needed in order to leverage that knowledge into significant breakthroughs in treatment strategies and appropriate approaches.
Evaluation of high density lipoprotein as a circulating biomarker of Gaucher disease activity
Authors: Stein Philip , Yang Ruhua , Liu Jun , Pastores Gregory M. , Mistry Pramod K.
Published: February 2011

Circulating biomarkers are important surrogates for monitoring disease activity in type I Gaucher disease (GD1). We and others have reported low high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) in GD1. We assessed HDL cholesterol as a biomarker of GD1, with respect to its correlation with indicators of disease severity and its response to imiglucerase enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). In 278 consecutively evaluated GD1 patients, we correlated HDL cholesterol, chitotriosidase, and angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) with indicators of disease severity. Additionally, we measured the response of these biomarkers to ERT. HDL cholesterol was negatively correlated with spleen volume, liver volume, and GD severity score index; the magnitude of this association of disease severity with HDL cholesterol was similar to that for ACE and for chitotriosidase. Within individual patients monitored over many years, there was a strikingly strong correlation of HDL with liver and spleen volumes; there was a similarly strong correlation of chitotriosidase and ACE with disease severity in individual patients monitored serially over many years (chitotriosidase r = 0.96 to 0.98, ACE r  = 0.88 to 0.94, and HDL r = −0.84 to −0.94, p < 0.001). ERT for 3 years resulted in a striking increase of HDL while serum levels of chitotriosidase and ACE decreased. Our results reveal markedly low HDL cholesterol in untreated GD1, a correlation with indicators of disease severity in GD1, and a rise towards normal after ERT. These findings suggest HDL cholesterol merits inclusion within the “biomarker basket” for monitoring of patients with GD1.
Dietary treatment of phenylketonuria: the effect of phenylalanine on reaction time
Authors: Dawson Charlotte , Murphy Elaine , Maritz Charlé , Chan Heidi , Ellerton Charlotte , Carpenter R. H. S. , Lachmann Robin H.
Published: February 2011

There is no evidence that high phenylalanine (Phe) levels have irreversible effects on the adult brain. Many adults with phenylketonuria (PKU) no longer follow a protein‐restricted diet. Neuropsychological studies have shown that reaction time in adults with PKU is slower than controls. There are no data to show that this is directly related to Phe levels. Another way to assess reaction time is to measure saccadic latency. We have used a portable, head‐mounted saccadometer to measure latency in the outpatient setting. Patients with PKU were split into three groups: off‐diet (Phe>1,200 μmol/l), on‐diet (Phe <800 μmol/l) and maternal diet (Phe 100–400 μmol/l ). Reciprocal median latency (RML) was compared between groups. Latency was significantly slower in patients who were off‐diet than in patients on‐diet, on a maternal diet or in normal controls. Reaction times in both diet‐treated groups were not significantly different from normal controls. In 16 women planning pregnancy we obtained values before and after they commenced the maternal diet. Stricter control of Phe levels resulted in a significant improvement in reaction times. We conclude that saccadometry is useful in monitoring PKU patients. Adult patients with PKU not on a protein‐restricted diet have significantly slower reaction times than controls. In addition, off‐diet patients have significantly slower reaction times than on‐diet. Paired data show that effects of Phe levels on reaction time are reversible.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction of the Knee
Authors: Madick Susan
Published: February 2011

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries affect more than 175,000 patients annually. Located in the center of the knee joint, the ACL is the major stabilizing ligament of the knee. If the ACL is injured, then the knee becomes unstable and can buckle when the person pivots. Surgeons can use autograft or allograft tissue to accomplish ACL reconstruction by using a single‐bundle or double‐bundle type of repair. The surgeon performs the reconstruction arthroscopically, using two ports and a small incision over the anteromedial surface of the tibia to facilitate passage of the graft and for distal fixation of the graft. Correct placement of the tibial and femoral tunnels is the most important technical aspect of the procedure. After reconstruction, the patient must undergo intense physical therapy starting one or two days after surgery. If diligent with physical therapy, then the patient can return to full activity as soon as four months after surgery.
A Prospective Comparison of the NMP22 Bladderchek® Assay and Voided Urine Cytology in the Detection of Bladder Transitional Cell Carcinoma: Is it Time up for Urine Cytology?
Authors: Srirangam Shalom J. , Marri Rajendar , Crump Ann , Gunendran Thiru , Neilson Donald
Published: February 2011

Objectives:

To prospectively compare the performance of voided urine cytology (VUC) and the Matritech NMP22 BladderChek® assay (NMP22) in their ability to detect urothelial transitional cell carcinoma (TCC).

Methods:

Successive patients presenting to our haematuria clinic were enrolled. All patients underwent ultrasound scan (US), intravenous urography (IVU), flexible cystoscopy and VUC. If bladder TCC was detected, urine was tested using the NMP22 BladderChek® assay. The study group (group I) comprised 110 patients diagnosed with bladder tumour on flexible cystoscopy. The control group (group II) included 52 patients with a history of haematuria but no demonstrable bladder tumour. The TCC detecting ability of both the NMP22 BladderChek® assay and VUC were compared.

Results:

In group I, the NMP22 result was positive in 62.7% (69/110) patients, while a positive VUC result was noted in 52.0% (52/100) patients. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive values for NMP22 vs. VUC were 62.7% vs. 52.0%; 86.5% vs. 95.5%; 90.8% vs. 96.3% and 52.3% vs. 48.0% respectively (not significant). The performance of both urine tests improved with increasing tumour grade ( p ≤ 0.05). False positive rate in group II was 13.5% (7/52) for NMP22 and 4.5% (2/42) for VUC.

Conclusion:

The diagnostic accuracy of the NMP22 BladderChek® assay for TCC detection is equivalent to conventional VUC, but the NMP22 BladderChek® has distinct advantages to promote its use over VUC.
When should mood stabilizers be withdrawn due to lack of efficacy? Some methodological considerations
Authors: Murru A. , Colom F. , Nivoli A. , Pacchiarotti I. , Valenti M. , Vieta E.
Published: February 2011

Maintenance therapy in bipolar disorder is primarily aimed at preventing recurrence of acute episodes. Clinicians often decide on the basis of their own experience whether mood stabilizer (MS) is properly satisfying the objective of preventing a relapse/recurrence. Evidence-based data seem far from clinical practice in assessing a MS efficacy, as they mainly focus on a drug's efficacy to first relapse and not considering the patient's course of illness. The problem of assessing MS's efficacy seems further complicated when considering combination therapy, which, due to lack of evidence-based data, economical aspects, attitude of clinicians and legal issues may bring to cumulative prescriptions. Nowadays, the drug therapy for a bipolar patient is usually tailored after longitudinal observation of his specific course of illness. The course of illness should be considered also when choosing practical criteria for the suspension of a MS due to lack of efficacy. The authors propose some preliminary criteria which may help clinicians evaluating whether a mood stabilizer is being useful or not, dividing possible outcomes and suggesting subsequent therapeutic steps in the optimization of a patient's treatment.
A Comment on “On Estimating Current-Customer Equity Using Company Summary Data”
Authors: Venkatesan Rajkumar
Published: February 2011

In this article I explore firm and market conditions that are especially relevant for the modifications to customer equity measurement proposed by Pfeifer [Pfeifer, Phillip, “On Estimating Current-Customer Equity Using Company Summary Data,” Journal of Interactive Marketing, 2011]. I assess the implications of the proposed framework for financial markets and individual firms.
Primary hydatid cyst masquerading as pseudocyst of the pancreas with concomitant small gut obstruction—an unusual presentation
Authors: Dalal Usha , Dalal Ashwani Kumar , Singal Rikki , Naredi Bikash , Gupta Samita
Published: February 2011

Isolated retroperitoneal hydatid cyst is an exceptionally rare entity. Owing to vague and varied symptomatology, it is seldom diagnosed without puncture cytology or surgery. We report an unusual presentation of primary retroperitoneal hydatid cyst with concomitant small gut obstruction. Ultrasonography and computed tomography of the abdomen showed localized abscess or pseudocyst of pancreas. Preoperatively, ultrasound‐guided puncture cytology of the lesion revealed suspicious hydatid pathology. The patient was examined and, peroperatively, the cyst masqueraded as hydatid cyst of pancreas along with an inflammatory band, and the diagnostic dilemma about its exact site of origin was solved by histopathology only. Complete excision of the cyst along with the tail of pancreas was done with concomitant excision of inflammatory band, causing small intestinal obstruction. The patient was discharged in satisfactory condition on albendazole. In follow‐up of 8 months, there was no recurrence.
Lumbar epidural space was narrower in parturients than that in nonpregnant women by ultrasound assessment
Authors: Lu I.‐Cheng , Huang Shu‐Hung , Hsu Chiung‐Dan , Chiu Chin‐Hsi , Wu Sheng‐Hua
Published: February 2011

Labor epidural is commonly used to provide both regional anesthesia and postoperative pain relief. Epidural space is supposed to be narrower and deeper in a parturient than that in a nonpregnant woman. The aim of this study was to explore the difference of epidural spaces between parturient and nonpregnant women by ultrasound assessment. Thirty nonpregnant female volunteers and 30 parturients undergoing labor epidurals were enrolled to receive ultrasound examination. A low‐frequency (2–5 MHz) curved‐array ultrasound probe was used to obtain spinal sonoanatomy for each subject. The longitudinal paramedian scanning plane was used to obtain optimal ultrasound image for spinal sonoanatomy. Primary outcome was evaluated by the diameter and depth of epidural space at three lumbar interspaces (from L2 to L5). The quality of ultrasound images was also compared between the groups by a numerical scoring system (from 0 to 3). The mean diameters of lumbar epidural spaces were 3.03 ± 0.45 mm and 4.44 ± 0.49 mm (p < 0.05) for parturients and nonpregnant women, respectively. The mean depths of lumbar epidural spaces for parturients and nonpregnant women were 3.53 ± 0.62 cm and 3.25 ± 0.63 cm, respectively (p < 0.05). The mean scores for epidural space image quality were 2.58 ± 0.58 and 2.63 ± 0.53 for parturients and nonpregnant women, respectively (p = 0.08). Epidural space is narrower and deeper at lumbar interspaces in obstetrics by ultrasound examination. The quality of ultrasound images did not differ significantly between the groups. These quantitative results improve the understanding of the differences between two groups that have been previously known qualitatively and may help in avoiding complications.
Priority claims and public disputes in astronomy: E.M. Antoniadi, J. Comas i Solà and the search for authority and social prestige in the early twentieth century
Authors: RUIZ-CASTELL PEDRO
Published: February 2011

The reorganization of the astronomical community during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, due to the rise of astrophysics, was seen by some scientists as an opportunity to join an international community of prestigious researchers. This was the case of astronomers such as Josep Comas i Solà, who publicly argued with Eugène Michel Antoniadi during the first decades of the twentieth century about the veracity of astronomical observations and theoretical conclusions on Mars and Jupiter. Their priority claims and public disputes have to be understood in a new context that provided an exceptional opportunity for amateur and professional astronomers both to play an active role in the most interesting scientific debates of these years and to gain prestige, legitimacy and power.
Antioxidant effect of astaxanthin on phospholipid peroxidation in human erythrocytes
Authors: Nakagawa Kiyotaka , Kiko Takehiro , Miyazawa Taiki , Carpentero Burdeos Gregor , Kimura Fumiko , Satoh Akira , Miyazawa Teruo
Published: January 2011

Phospholipid hydroperoxides (PLOOH) accumulate abnormally in the erythrocytes of dementia patients, and dietary xanthophylls (polar carotenoids such as astaxanthin) are hypothesised to prevent the accumulation. In the present study, we conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled human trial to assess the efficacy of 12-week astaxanthin supplementation (6 or 12 mg/d) on both astaxanthin and PLOOH levels in the erythrocytes of thirty middle-aged and senior subjects. After 12 weeks of treatment, erythrocyte astaxanthin concentrations were higher in both the 6 and 12 mg astaxanthin groups than in the placebo group. In contrast, erythrocyte PLOOH concentrations were lower in the astaxanthin groups than in the placebo group. In the plasma, somewhat lower PLOOH levels were found after astaxanthin treatment. These results suggest that astaxanthin supplementation results in improved erythrocyte antioxidant status and decreased PLOOH levels, which may contribute to the prevention of dementia.
CHARLES II, EXILE, AND THE PROBLEM OF ALLEGIANCE
Authors: GREENSPAN NICOLE
Published: January 2011

Following the execution of his father Charles I in January 1649, the exiled king Charles II pursued various political, military, and diplomatic strategies to recover his kingdoms. Proclaimed king of Ireland and Scotland, Charles II adopted the traditional view of monarch–subject relations and expected the loyalty of his subjects and their devotion to his restoration. The recent experiences of war and regicide, however, had changed the ways in which Irish and Scottish subjects determined the nature and degree of allegiance owed to the king. In Ireland and Scotland, subjects placed their own interests above the royalist cause. Tensions in Ireland among Catholics and between Catholics and Protestants tested the bonds of loyalty to Charles II, and Scottish Covenanters circumscribed the king's authority and imposed strict conditions upon their political and military support. Moreover, Charles II's position of exile exacerbated existing tensions within his kingdoms. While Charles I experienced the withdrawal of his subjects' allegiance and strove to recover that loyalty, as an exiled king Charles II struggled to gain the allegiance of his kingdoms and to secure loyalty in the face of religious tension, geographic distance, failing war efforts, and conflicting interests among his subjects.
CONTESTED LEGITIMACY AND THE AMBIGUOUS RISE OF VESTRIES IN EARLY MODERN LONDON
Authors: MERRITT J. F.
Published: January 2011

Studies of the rise of London's vestries in the period to 1640 have tended to discuss them in terms of the inexorable rise of oligarchy and state formation. This article re-examines the emergence of the vestries in several ways, moving beyond this traditional focus on oligarchy, and noting how London's vestries raised much broader issues concerning law, custom, and lay religious authority. The article reveals a notable contrast between the widespread influence and activities of London vestries and the questionable legal framework in which they operated. The political and ecclesiastical authorities – and in particular Archbishop Laud – are also shown to have had very mixed attitudes towards the legitimacy and desirability of powerful vestries. The apparently smooth and relentless spread of select vestries in the pre-war period is also shown to be illusory. The granting of vestry ‘faculties’ by the authorities ceased abruptly at the end of the 1620s, amid a series of serious legal challenges, on both local and ideological grounds, to the existence of vestries. Their rise had thus been seriously contested and stymied well before the upheavals of the 1640s, although opposition to them came from multiple sources – Laudians, Henry Spelman and the royal Commission on Fees, and local parishioners – whose objectives could vary.
Buoyancy-driven instabilities of miscible two-layer stratifications in porous media and Hele-Shaw cells
Authors: TREVELYAN P. M. J. , ALMARCHA C. , DE WIT A.
Published: January 2011

Buoyancy-driven instabilities of a horizontal interface between two miscible solutions in the gravity field are theoretically studied in porous media and Hele-Shaw cells (two glass plates separated by a thin gap). Beyond the classical Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) and double diffusive (DD) instabilities that can affect such two-layer stratifications right at the initial time of contact, diffusive-layer convection (DLC) as well as delayed-double diffusive (DDD) instabilities can set in at a later time when differential diffusion effects act upon the evolving density profile starting from an initial step-function profile between the two miscible solutions. The conditions for these instabilities to occur can therefore be obtained only by considering time evolving base-state profiles. To do so, we perform a linear stability analysis based on a quasi-steady-state approximation (QSSA) as well as nonlinear simulations of a diffusion–convection model to classify and analyse all possible buoyancy-driven instabilities of a stratification of a solution of a given solute A on top of another miscible solution of a species B. Our theoretical model couples Darcy's law to evolution equations for the concentration of species A and B ruling the density of the miscible solutions. The parameters of the problem are a buoyancy ratio R quantifying the ratio of the relative contribution of B and A to the density as well as δ, the ratio of diffusion coefficients of these two species. We classify the region of RT, DD, DDD and DLC instabilities in the (R, δ) plane as a function of the elapsed time and show that, asymptotically, the unstable domain is much larger than the one captured on the basis of linear base-state profiles which can only obtain stability thresholds for the RT and DD instabilities. In addition the QSSA allows one to determine the critical time at which an initially stable stratification of A above B can become unstable with regard to a DDD or DLC mechanism when starting from initial step function profiles. Nonlinear dynamics are also analysed by a numerical integration of the full nonlinear model in order to understand the influence of R and δ on the dynamics.
In vitro assessment of praziquantel and a novel nanomaterial against protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus
Authors: De S. , Pan D. , Bera A.K. , Sreevatsava V. , Bandyopadhyay S. , Chaudhuri D. , Kumar S. , Rana T. , Das S. , Das S.K. , Suryanaryana V.V. , Norjit Singh M. , Bhattacharya D.
Published: January 2011

The present study describes the activity of a nanomaterial on protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus, which exhibited morphological changes and apoptosis. Apoptotic changes were deduced on the basis of effector caspase activation and nucleosomal laddering. Invaginated protoscoleces maintained in vitro became evaginated and had hooks, presumptive suckers and stalks. Degenerative changes of protoscoleces were evidenced after treatment with praziquantel and nano-combination. Protoscoleces treated with praziquantel had distinct attestation of necrosis and nano-combination-treated protoscoleces had signatures of apoptosis.
The epidemiology of soil-transmitted helminth and protozoan infections in south-west Cameroon
Authors: Mbuh J.V. , Ntonifor N.H. , Ojong J.
Published: January 2011

A cross-sectional study of the prevalence, intensity and effects of soil-transmitted helminth and protozoan infections was undertaken among patients at the Buea Hospital Annex located in Buea sub-division of Cameroon. Stool samples from 356 subjects (174 males and 182 females) were collected and processed using standard concentration methods. Our results showed that 31.0% of subjects were infected with intestinal helminths and the prevalence was higher in females (32.4%) than in males (30.5%). A significantly higher prevalence was observed in rural (47.2%) than in urban areas (21.0%); significance < 0.1%. Prevalence was highest among those aged between 6 and 12 years (41.4%). The total prevalence of intestinal helminth infections were 19.3% for Ascaris lumbricoides, 14.0% for hookworm and 11.8% for Trichuris trichiura. The intensity of infection was unevenly distributed, with very heavy loads concentrated in a few individuals. Data also showed that 28.1% (100/356) of the subjects were infected with protozoans. Females showed a higher prevalence (28.6%; 52/182) than males (20.7%; 36/174). Also, there was a significantly higher prevalence in rural (34.0%; 49/144) than urban areas (18.4%; 39/212); significance < 0.1%. The age group 6–12 years again had a higher prevalence (37.1%; 26/70). The total prevalence of intestinal protozoans was: Entamoeba histolytica (24.4%), Entamoeba coli (11.2%) and Giardia lamblia (0.6%). These relatively heavy prevalences in patients may be reduced by appropriate medication and maintaining strict personal hygiene. Health education, clean water supply, good sewage management and a congenial environment will all help to minimize infection.
Prevalence of GJB2-associated deafness and outcomes of cochlear implantation in Iran
Authors: Daneshi A , Hassanzadeh S , Emamdjomeh H , Mohammadi S H , Arzhangi S , Farhadi M , Najmabadi H
Published: January 2011

Objectives:

To investigate the prevalence of mutations in the coding exon of the GJB2 gene in Iranian children with cochlear implants, and to compare the outcomes of auditory perception and speech production in cochlear-implanted children with and without GJB2 mutation.

Materials and methods:

One hundred and sixty-six prelingually deaf children who had undergone cochlear implantation at the Iranian Cochlear Implant Center, Tehran, were selected from a pool of 428 implanted children. The prevalence of GJB2 gene mutations was assessed using nested polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing. To enable comparisons, we also identified 36 implanted children with non-GJB2 deafness. Patients' speech perception and speech production were assessed using the Categorization of Auditory Performance and Speech Intelligibility Rating scales.

Results:

Thirty-three of 166 probands (19.9 per cent) were found to have GJB2 deafness-causing allele variants and were diagnosed with DFNB1 deafness. Results also indicated a significant improvement in speech perception and production scores in both GJB2 and non-GJB2 patients over time.

Conclusion:

Children with GJB2-related deafness benefit from cochlear implantation to the same extent as those with non-GJB2-related deafness.
Airway obstruction due to inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour of the posterior pharyngeal wall
Authors: Theunisse H J , van den Hoogen F J A
Published: January 2011

Objective:

We report a unique case of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour of the posterior wall of the hypopharynx.

Method:

We present the patient's case history, management and histopathological findings. A literature review of all cases localised to the larynx or pharynx is provided and discussed.

Results:

A 67-year-old man presented with airway obstruction due to a spherical mass in the hypopharynx originating from the posterior pharyngeal wall. The tumour was resected. Histopathological examination revealed an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour. We found only five previously reported cases with pharyngeal localisation. Further treatment of the patient is described.

Conclusion:

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour of the pharynx is extremely rare. It is regarded as a neoplastic tumour of intermediate biological potential. In cases with extrapulmonary localisation, the incidence of local recurrence can be as high as 25 per cent. Radical surgery is the treatment of choice; no adjuvant therapy is necessary.
Species composition and spatial distribution of abundances and biomass of phytoplankton and ciliates during summer stratification in the Gulf of Hammamet (Tunisia)
Authors: Hannachi Imen , Drira Zaher , Bel Hassen Malika , Hamza Asma , Ayadi Habib , Aleya Lotfi
Published: February 2011

We studied the distribution of phytoplankton and ciliate communities in relation to environmental factors at 6 stations sampled between 28 and 31 July 2006 during the summer water stratification in the Gulf of Hammamet (Tunisia, eastern Mediterranean Sea). A strong thermocline was established at 30 m, and, on average, the N/P ratio was lower than the Redfield ratio (16), suggesting a potential N limitation. The inshore location was numerically dominated by dinoflagellates (55%) represented essentially by members of the generaProtoperidinium, Gymnodinium, and crypticScrippsiella trochoideaand on the offshore by diatoms (68%). The phytoplankton assemblage was largely dominated by the diatomsThalassionema nitzshioidesandRhizosolenia styliformis, while the ciliate community was numerically dominated by small taxa such asLohmanniella oviformis(6 × 102cells l−1) andUronema marinum(5.50 × 102cells l−1). The total phytoplankton abundance increased from the coastal area (5.26 × 102 ± 4.48 × 102) to the open sea (10.33 ×102 ± 28.06 × 102) and decreased from the surface to the bottom, inversely to the ciliate abundance. Total phytoplankton and abundances showed similar patterns. Total ciliate biomass decreased from the inshore (0.25 ± 0.58) to the offshore (0.06 ± 0.10) areas but increased from the surface to the bottom. The diversity index of both phytoplankton and ciliate communities showed a decrease with a coastal–open sea gradient. The relationships between phytoplankton and ciliates suggest planktonic micro-heterotrophs were implicated in the channelling of matter and energy through the microbial loop in the Gulf of Hammamet.
The spatial and agricultural basis of crop raiding by the Vulnerable common hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius around Ruaha National Park, Tanzania
Authors: Kendall Corinne J.
Published: February 2011

Categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, the common hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius is under considerable pressure from habitat degradation and hunting. Although human–hippopotamus conflict is known to increase retaliatory killing and culling of hippopotamuses, the issue has been little examined. Using interviews I investigated various spatial, ecological and agricultural factors that influence the vulnerability of farms to crop raiding by hippopotamuses in three villages to the south-east of Ruaha National Park, Tanzania. There was a positive correlation between these crop-raiding events and a farm’s proximity to the river and to hippopotamus access points (places where hippopotamuses leave and enter the river). Results from this study provide insights for management and conservation of hippopotamuses, including a need to identify key habitat areas to mitigate future conflict.
Sea turtle bycatch and consumption in Egypt threatens Mediterranean turtle populations
Authors: Nada Mohamed , Casale Paolo
Published: February 2011

Turtle trade in the fish markets of Alexandria was reported up to the late 1990s, motivating conservation initiatives and enforcement of legal protection. To assess the current trade and bycatch levels in Alexandria and other ports we carried out an interview survey of 445 people in 2007, mostly fishermen and fishmongers, in 15 coastal cities and fishing ports along the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. The declared catch rates and official fishing fleet statistics suggest that captures of loggerhead Caretta caretta and green turtles Chelonia mydas are in the order of several thousands per year, possibly > 7,000 per year, mainly from trawling, longlining and set nets. Probably several hundred turtles die each year as a consequence of the high mortality rates typical of these fishing gears. In addition, most fishermen from Alexandria and some fishermen from other regions declared that they kill turtles for meat. Regulations and enforcement appear to be ineffective, as turtles are usually killed and consumed on board or only their meat is landed. Some turtles are still traded on the black market in some Alexandria fish markets. The overall mortality probably represents an unsustainable toll on the Mediterranean loggerhead and green turtle populations, and the perception of fishermen is that turtle numbers are declining. Mitigating the identified threats is thus urgent. In particular, intentional killing should be tackled through its cultural drivers, and measures to reduce bycatch mortality need to be tested and implemented.
Field surveys of the Vulnerable pygmy slow loris Nycticebus pygmaeus using local knowledge in Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia
Authors: Starr Carly , Nekaris K.A.I. , Streicher Ulrike , Leung Luke K.-P.
Published: February 2011

The pygmy slow loris Nycticebus pygmaeus is a little-studied primate endemic to Vietnam, Laos, southern China and eastern Cambodia. Our study aimed to gain local knowledge on the distribution and ecology of, and threats to, the species by interviewing hunters, traders and wildlife protection staff, and to verify this information using a spotlighting survey in three major reserves in Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia. Encounter rates of pygmy loris were assessed along 29 transects (129.5 km), yielding observations of 26 individuals. Mean encounter rates were 0.40 km-1 in Seima Protection Forest, 0.10 km-1 in Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary and 0.00 km-1 in Mondulkiri Protected Forest. Informants had knowledge of where populations occurred, their diet, sociality and habitat preferences. Widespread large population declines were reported and informants linked this to high hunting pressure, particularly in 2001 and 2002. In late 2008 and 2009 we resurveyed three transects that had high encounter rates in early 2008 and failed to detect any lorises. Local informants reported high hunting pressure during the previous wet season in two of these sites, and a gold mine development was underway in the third site. Urgent actions are required to address these population declines and to assess the conservation status of pygmy lorises throughout eastern Cambodia.
Female tiger Panthera tigris home range size in the Bangladesh Sundarbans: the value of this mangrove ecosystem for the species’ conservation
Authors: Barlow Adam C.D. , Smith James L.D. , Ahmad Ishtiaq U. , Hossain Abu N.M. , Rahman Mizan , Howlader Alam
Published: February 2011

Basic information required to conserve wild tigers Panthera tigris is lacking for the Bangladesh Sundarbans. The objectives of this study were therefore to estimate tiger home range size and obtain information on movement. Two adult female tigers were captured in the south-east of the Sundarbans and fitted with global positioning system collars. Mean home range sizes for the two tigers estimated with 95% minimum convex polygon and fixed kernel methods were 12.3 and 14.2 km2, respectively. A mean female home range size of 14.2 km2 would indicate a density for the south-east Sundarbans of seven adult females per 100 km2. The maximum distance moved by a tiger in 1 day was 11.3 km. Although preliminary these home range estimates indicate that the Sundarbans of Bangladesh has good quality tiger habitat relative to other tiger landscapes, highlighting the value of this mangrove ecosystem for the survival of this Endangered species.
Who is really at risk? Identifying risk factors for subthreshold and full syndrome eating disorders in a high-risk sample
Authors: Jacobi C. , Fittig E. , Bryson S. W. , Wilfley D. , Kraemer H. C. , Taylor C. Barr
Published: January 2011

Background

Numerous longitudinal studies have identified risk factors for the onset of most eating disorders (EDs). Identifying women at highest risk within a high-risk sample would allow for focusing of preventive resources and also suggests different etiologies.

Method

A longitudinal cohort study over 3 years in a high-risk sample of 236 college-age women randomized to the control group of a prevention trial for EDs. Potential risk factors and interactions between risk factors were assessed using the methods developed previously. Main outcome measures were time to onset of a subthreshold or full ED.

Results

At the 3-year follow-up, 11.2% of participants had developed a full or partial ED. Seven of 88 potential risk factors could be classified as independent risk factors, seven as proxies, and two as overlapping factors. Critical comments about eating from teacher/coach/siblings and a history of depression were the most potent risk factors. The incidence for participants with either or both of these risk factors was 34.8% (16/46) compared to 4.2% (6/144) for participants without these risk factors, with a sensitivity of 0.75 and a specificity of 0.82.

Conclusions

Targeting preventive interventions at women with high weight and shape concerns, a history of critical comments about eating weight and shape, and a history of depression may reduce the risk for EDs.
Interaction before Agriculture: Exchanging Material and Sharing Knowledge in the Final Pleistocene Levant
Authors: Richter Tobias , Garrard Andrew N. , Allock Samantha , Maher Lisa A.
Published: January 2011

This article discusses social interaction in the Epipalaeolithic of southwest Asia. Discussions of contact, social relationships and social organization have primarily focused on the Pre-Pottery Neolithic and are often considered to represent typical hallmarks of emergent farming societies. The hunter-gatherers of the final Pleistocene, in particular those of the Early and Middle Epipalaeolithic, have more rarely been the focus of such discussions. In this article we consider evidence for interaction from the Azraq Basin of eastern Jordan, to question the uniqueness of the Neolithic evidence for interaction. We argue that interaction between differently-constituted groups can be traced within the Early Epipalaeolithic of the southern Levant, suggesting that it is of far greater antiquity than previously considered.
Perceived Changes in Personal Circumstances Related to Social Change
Authors: Grümer Sebastian , Pinquart Martin
Published: February 2011

Social change is a ubiquitous phenomenon comprising tendencies such as globalization, demographic change, and pluralization of biographical trajectories. Based on stress theories and related challenge-response models, the present study investigated whether depressive symptoms were related to an accumulation of perceived demands associated with social change in a sample of 2,522 German adolescents and adults. In addition, buffering effects of personal and social resources on the association between perceived demands and depressive symptoms were tested. By means of structural equation modeling, we found that accumulations of work-, family-, and public life-related demands were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, even after controlling for demographic and other confounding variables. Optimism and social support were found to be associated with lower depressive symptoms. Furthermore, both optimism and social support reduced the size of associations between demands of social change and depressive symptoms. Overall, these results underscore the association of social change and psychosocial resources with individuals’ depressive symptoms.
Physical Dating Aggression in Adolescence
Authors: Nocentini Annalaura , Menesini Ersilia , Pastorelli Concetta , Connolly Jennifer , Pepler Debra , Craig Wendy
Published: February 2011

The present study aims to investigate the latent structure of a Physical Dating Aggression Scale in Italian and Canadian adolescents and to evaluate the measurement invariance across gender and country. Participants involved 1,628 adolescents (704 Italians and 924 Canadians; 800 males and 828 females) aged 14–16 years. A revised version of the CTS Physical Aggression Scale ( Straus, 1979 ) modified to make the items more acceptable to younger teens was used. Results from Single-Group confirmatory factor analysis supported a monodimensional structure as the most parsimonious index of Physical Dating Aggression. Furthermore, Multiple-Group analyses conducted through different tests (across gender in each country separately, across country in each gender separately, and across country on the whole sample) showed a substantial factorial invariance. Results are discussed in relation to age, gender, and cultural issues on Physical Dating Aggression.
Effect of pharmaceutical treatment on vasospasm, delayed cerebral ischemia, and clinical outcome in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Etminan Nima , Vergouwen Mervyn DI , Ilodigwe Don , Macdonald R Loch
Published: February 2011

As it is often assumed that delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is caused by vasospasm, clinical trials often focus on prevention of vasospasm with the aim to improve clinical outcome. However, the role of vasospasm in the pathogenesis of DCI and clinical outcome is possibly smaller than previously assumed. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on all randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials that studied the effect of pharmaceutical preventive strategies on vasospasm, DCI, and clinical outcome in SAH patients to further investigate the relationship between vasospasm and clinical outcome. Effect sizes were expressed in pooled risk ratio (RR) estimates with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). A total of 14 studies randomizing 4,235 patients were included. Despite a reduction of vasospasm (RR 0.80 (95% CI 0.70 to 0.92)), no statistically significant effect on poor outcome was observed (RR 0.93 (95% CI 0.85 to 1.03)). The variety of DCI definitions did not justify pooling the DCI data. We conclude that pharmaceutical treatments have significantly decreased the incidence of vasospasm, but not of poor clinical outcome. This dissociation between vasospasm and clinical outcome could result from methodological problems, sample size, insensitivity of clinical outcome measures, or from mechanisms other than vasospasm that also contribute to poor outcome.
A multiple replica approach to simulate reactive trajectories
Authors: Cérou Frédéric , Guyader Arnaud , Lelièvre Tony , Pommier David
Published: February 2011

A method to generate reactive trajectories, namely equilibrium trajectories leaving a metastable state and ending in another one is proposed. The algorithm is based on simulating in parallel many copies of the system, and selecting the replicas which have reached the highest values along a chosen one-dimensional reaction coordinate. This reaction coordinate does not need to precisely describe all the metastabilities of the system for the method to give reliable results. An extension of the algorithm to compute transition times from one metastable state to another one is also presented. We demonstrate the interest of the method on two simple cases: A one-dimensional two-well potential and a two-dimensional potential exhibiting two channels to pass from one metastable state to another one.
Computational studies of the x-ray scattering properties of laser aligned stilbene
Authors: Debnarova Andrea , Techert Simone , Schmatz Stefan
Published: February 2011

The enhancement of the x-ray scattering signal from partially aligned molecular samples is investigated. The alignment properties of the studied molecular system are modeled based on the method of laser alignment. With the advances in the area of laser alignment of molecules, the application of this sample manipulation technique promises a great potential for x-ray scattering measurements. Preferential alignment of molecules in an otherwise amorphous sample leads to constructive interference and thus increases the scattering intensity. This enhances the structural information encoded in the scattering images and enables improved resolution in studies of reaction dynamics, as in this work is shown for the example of the photo-isomerization of stilbene. We demonstrate that the scattering signal is strongly influenced by the alignment axis. Even the most basic one-dimensional alignment offers significant improvement compared to the structural information provided by a randomly oriented sample. Although the signal is sensitive to the uncertainty in the alignment angle, it offers encouraging results even at realistic alignment uncertainties.
DNA observation with scanning tunneling microscope using a solution
Authors: Matsuura Hiroshi , Hokonohara Hitomi , Sugita Tomoe , Takagi Akihiko , Suzuki Kohji , Matsumoto Takuya , Kawai Tomoji
Published: February 2011

This paper investigates the roles of a solution (decane) in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) observation with a scanning tunneling microscope. Our study indicates that decane prevents continuous water adsorption from air and subsequent ionization of the water to create specific conditions for DNA observation. Analysis of the tunneling current reveals that the current with decane became twice as stable in deviation and the current is sustained 1 nm further in the z-direction than without decane. The apparent barrier height with decane is also decreased by a factor of 0.18. These properties enable us to measure bulky DNA (4 nm) at the highest success ratio ever attained.
Hydrophobic hydration of tert-butyl alcohol studied by Brillouin light and inelastic ultraviolet scattering
Authors: Lupi L. , Comez L. , Masciovecchio C. , Morresi A. , Paolantoni M. , Sassi P. , Scarponi F. , Fioretto D.
Published: February 2011

The longitudinal viscosity of diluted water–tert-butyl alcohol solutions in the 10 GHz frequency region has been measured by means of Brillouin light scattering and inelastic ultraviolet scattering. The main advantage of our hypersonic investigation compared to more traditional ultrasonic measurements is that in the gigahertz frequency range slow relaxation processes involving the alcohol dynamics are completely unrelaxed, so that the measured viscosity mainly originates from the hydrogen bond restructuring of water. In contrast with previous determinations, we estimate an activation energy which is independent from the alcohol mole fraction up to X = 0.1, and comparable to that of bulk water. A simple two-component model is used to describe the steep increase of viscosity with increasing alcohol mole fraction, and a retardation factor 1.7 ± 0.2 is found between the relaxation times of hydration and bulk water. These findings endorse a dynamic scenario where the slowing down of hydration water is mainly due to a reduction of configurational entropy and does not involve an arrested, icelike, dynamics.
Entropy and enthalpy convergence of hydrophobic solvation beyond the hard-sphere limit
Authors: Sedlmeier Felix , Horinek Dominik , Netz Roland R.
Published: February 2011

The experimentally well-known convergence of solvation entropies and enthalpies of different small hydrophobic solutes at universal temperatures seems to indicate that hydrophobic solvation is dominated by universal water features and not so much by solute specifics. The reported convergence of the denaturing entropy of a group of different proteins at roughly the same temperature as hydrophobic solutes was consequently argued to indicate that the denaturing entropy of proteins is dominated by the hydrophobic effect and used to estimate the hydrophobic contribution to protein stability. However, this appealing picture was subsequently questioned since the initially claimed universal convergence of denaturing entropies holds only for a small subset of proteins; for a larger data collection no convergence is seen. We report extensive simulation results for the solvation of small spherical solutes in explicit water with varying solute-water potentials. We show that convergence of solvation properties for solutes of different radii exists but that the convergence temperatures depend sensitively on solute-water potential features such as stiffness of the repulsive part and attraction strength, not so much on the attraction range. Accordingly, convergence of solvation properties is only expected for solutes of a homologous series that differ in the number of one species of subunits (which attests to the additivity of solvation properties) or solutes that are characterized by similar solute–water interaction potentials. In contrast, for peptides that arguably consist of multiple groups with widely disperse interactions with water, it means that thermodynamic convergence at a universal temperature cannot be expected, in general, in agreement with experimental results.