bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Emergency tracheal intubation without drugs: outcome and one-year survival of medical patients not in cardiac arrest
Authors: Paul A M , Young N H , Price G C
Published: May 2012

Non-medicine-assisted tracheal intubation in prehospital trauma is associated with a dismal prognosis. We wished to study the outcome of medical patients who underwent non-medicine-assisted tracheal intubation. This retrospective study of patients attending our university hospital emergency department was conducted over seven years. The tracheal intubation database was analysed to identify medical patients not in cardiac arrest undergoing tracheal intubation without medicines. Intensive care unit, hospital, 12-month mortality and patients’ residence at 12 months were recorded. Eighty patients were identified who met inclusion criteria. The most common reason for intubation was definite airway compromise due to decreased conscious level (62.5%), then respiratory failure (26.3%) and finally potentially compromised airway due to a decreased conscious level (11.2%). Eighty-eight percent of patients with a definitely compromised airway were successfully intubated at first attempt compared with 66.7% of patients with a potentially compromised airway or respiratory failure ( P = 0.03). Of 75 patients with complete data, 30 (40%) were survivors at 12 months, with all but two (6.7%) living at home. Non-medicine-assisted laryngoscopy leads to an increased first time tracheal intubation failure rate in patients with intact airway reflexes and, therefore, cannot be recommended as best practice.
Upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage in the acute cardiac care setting: antiplatelets and endoscopy
Authors: Musa S A , Brecker S J , Rahman T M , Kang J Y
Published: May 2012

Upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage (UGIH) in cardiac patients receiving antiplatelets presents a difficult management problem. The aim of this study was to describe a series of cardiac inpatients receiving antiplatelets who underwent endoscopy for an acute UGIH. Cardiac inpatients receiving antiplatelets and requiring endoscopy for UGIH over an 18-month period were followed up. Forty-one patients were studied. Most patients (25 [61%]) presented with melaena. Antiplatelets were withheld in 34 (83%) patients; predominantly in those with higher pre-endoscopy Rockall scores (median, 4; interquartile range [IQR], 3–5 versus median, 3; IQR, 2–4; P < 0.05). Positive findings were identified at endoscopy in 80%. Duodenal ulcers were the most common lesion and adrenaline the most common method of haemostasis. Median time to first endoscopy was 0 (IQR, 0–1) days. Seven (17%) patients re-bled, median Rockall score was six (IQR, 4–8). Three (7%) patients experienced procedural complications, two patients became hypoxic and one patient died. Following endoscopy, antiplatelets were restarted after a median of three (IQR, 3–5) days. On discharge, 27/28 (96%) patients continued with antiplatelet and proton-pump inhibitor therapy. Thirty-day inpatient mortality was 7% (3 patients). One patient re-bled within six months of discharge. Endoscopy helped assess the risk of re-bleeding and timing of antiplatelet re-introduction in cardiac inpatients experiencing UGIH.
Marketing amid the Uncertainty of the Social Sector: Do Social Entrepreneurs Follow Best Marketing Practices?
Authors: Newbert Scott L.
Published: May 2012

In a recent study in Journal of Marketing, Read et al. (2009) conduct an experiment to identify how experts approach marketing in uncertain, entrepreneurial contexts. In response, the current study adapts Read et al.'s model slightly to make it relevant to practicing entrepreneurs and tests it on a randomized database of experts and novices in the process of creating for-profit organizations in the United States. The results suggest that these best marketing practices are largely reflective of those employed by practitioners. The author then conducts tests to determine the degree to which social entrepreneurs employ these best marketing practices. The results suggest that social entrepreneurs are less likely than commercial entrepreneurs to implement several best marketing practices.
The Evolutionary Bases for Sustainable Behavior: Implications for Marketing, Policy, and Social Entrepreneurship
Authors: Griskevicius Vladas , Cantú Stephanie M. , van Vugt Mark
Published: May 2012

How can evolved human nature be leveraged to help eliminate or alleviate environmental problems? The authors examine the evolutionary bases of destructive and ecologically damaging human behavior. They propose that many modern environmental and social problems are caused or exacerbated by five adaptive tendencies rooted in evolutionary history: (1) propensity for self-interest, (2) motivation for relative rather than absolute status, (3) proclivity to unconsciously copy others, (4) predisposition to be shortsighted, and (5) proneness to disregard impalpable concerns. By considering the evolutionary processes that produced these tendencies, the authors present ways that marketers, policy makers, and social entrepreneurs can harness evolved human tendencies to lessen or even eradicate environmental and social problems. From an evolutionary perspective, optimally effective influence strategies must work with humans’ evolved tendencies, rather than ignoring them or working against them.
Prone to Progress: Using Personality to Identify Supporters of Innovative Social Entrepreneurship
Authors: Wood Stacy
Published: May 2012

One of the main challenges in social entrepreneurship is capturing stakeholder support—from consumers, to legislators, to volunteers, to many others. Identifying likely supporters is the first step to sustainable success, but a difficult one. This research examines whether personality influences a person's tendency to support innovative social entrepreneurial (SE) ventures. Here, the possible influence of the “Big Five” personality traits (i.e., openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism [OCEAN]) is examined; however, in line with prior research, attention is focused on both openness(an OCEAN trait) and empathy(a non-OCEAN trait). Two types of SE ventures are considered: social innovations and technological innovations. Data from a survey evaluating six SE ventures (three social and three technological) reveal that participants’ personality influences support; however, observed influence differs by type of venture—openness underlies support of technological innovations, and empathy underlies support of social innovations. Further process analysis demonstrates that this influence is not direct but rather is mediated by people's perceptions of how much change the venture will make. These results offer social entrepreneurs insights into who might be prone to support SE ventures and, more important, why.
Scaling Effective Education for the Poor in Developing Countries: A Report from the Field
Authors: Epstein Marc J. , Yuthas Kristi
Published: May 2012

Many school programs in developing countries have achieved scale but with varying quality. Conversely, some programs have achieved quality in one or two schools but have not achieved scale. This article describes an extensive field investigation of three education organizations in developing countries that have achieved both scale and quality: Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, Escuela Nueva in Colombia, and Pratham in India. The research led to the development of a framework of organizational characteristics and practices that are important for the successful scaling of effective education in impoverished regions. The three scaling levers—program, process, and passion—can also be effectively applied to other social enterprises addressing social issues in many industries.
Studies on the Microstructure and Thermal Properties of Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF)-Treated Maize Starch
Authors: Han Zhong , Yu Qian , Zeng Xin An. , Luo Dong Hui , Yu Shu Juan , Zhang Ben Shan , Chen Xiao Dong
Published: May 2012

Maize starch-water suspensions (8.0%) were submitted to the pulsed electric fields (PEF) with different electric field strength and treatment time up to 50 kV/cm and 1272 μs. Samples were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). GPC analysis showed that molecular weights (Mw and Mn) were decreased with increasing electric field strength and treatment time. DSC studies showed a decrease in gelatinization temperatures (To and Tp) and the enthalpy of gelatinization (ΔHgel) with increasing electric field strength and treatment time. It was explored that electric field strength played a dominant role in the PEF treatments. On the other hand, it was demonstrated from NMR and TGA analysis that no significant difference among the native and PEF-treated maize starches was obtained, which indicated that PEF treatments did not affect the chemical structure of maize starch.
Introduction
Authors: Lee Yong-Shik
Published: May 2012

Introduction to 2012 LDR Special Issue (No. 1). The 2012 special issue of the Law and Development Review features articles on microtrade, which have been presented at the 2011 Law and Development Conference held in Seattle, USA.
Temporal, structural, and pragmatic synchrony between intonation and gesture
Authors: Loehr Daniel P.
Published: May 2012

This paper explores the interaction between intonation and gesture, noting temporal, structural, and pragmatic synchrony. Videotapes of subjects conversing freely were annotated for intonation according to ToBI (Beckman and Elam 1997), and for gesture according to Kendon (1980) and McNeill (1992). The time-stamped annotations were analyzed statistically, as well as visually in the Anvil tool (Kipp 2001), which allows time-aligned viewing of videos with their annotations. Alignments were investigated between three levels of intonational units and four levels of gestural units. The intonational units were, from smallest to largest, pitch accents, intermediate phrases, and intonational phrases. The gestural units, again from smallest to largest, were apices of strokes, gesture phases, gesture phrases, and gesture units. Of these possible combinations, two pairs aligned. Apices clearly aligned with pitch accents, and gesture phrases tended to align with intermediate phrases. The existence of intermediate phrases in English has been the subject of some debate (Ladd 2008), and this paper suggests that a probable gestural correlate to intermediate phrases provides independent evidence for their existence. In addition, intonation and gesture were found to perform simultaneous complementary pragmatic functions. This temporal, structural, and pragmatic synchrony between the two channels reinforces the claim that speech and gesture are two surface forms of the same underlying and emerging cognitive content.
Here's looking at you, baby: What gaze and movement reveal about minimal pair word-object association at 14 months
Authors: Fais Laurel , Werker Janet F. , Cass Bronwyn , Leibowich Julia , Barbosa Adriano Vilela , Vatikiotis-Bateson Eric
Published: May 2012

The ability, or lack thereof, of 14-month-old infants to associate novel, minimal pair word-forms with novel objects in a variety of experimental settings has been a crucial research window into how infants go about the quintessential linguistic task of learning words. Here we ask whether the presence of a human interactor in the experimental setting facilitates minimal pair word-object association at this age. In addition to standard looking time measures to test this question, we also introduce the use of measures of infant movement derived by the application of an efficient algorithm that measures motion from 2D video. Infant gaze patterns across the experimental session identified two groups of infants, those engaging in more and those engaging in less mutual gaze with the Experimenter; both groups demonstrated success in the task by both looking time and movement measures. Infants did not succeed in the task by either measure when a videotaped Experimenter presented the labels. We suggest that infants at this age are in transition from being good “information consumers” to becoming good “information seekers,” and that the presence of the live Experimenter plays a crucial role in making it possible for infants to demonstrate their nascent word learning abilities. Further, we explore insights into the looking time results provided by the movement measures as well as novel contributions to our understanding of language acquisition afforded by the examination of infant movement.
Vowel acoustics reliably differentiate three coronal stops of Wubuy across prosodic contexts
Authors: Bundgaard-Nielsen Rikke L. , Baker Brett J. , Kroos Christian , Harvey Mark , Best Catherine T.
Published: May 2012

The present study investigates the acoustic differentiation of three coronal stops in the indigenous Australian language Wubuy. We test independent claims that only VC (vowel-into-consonant) transitions provide robust acoustic cues for retroflex as compared to alveolar and dental coronal stops, with no differentiating cues among these three coronal stops evident in CV (consonant-into-vowel) transitions. The four-way stop distinction /t, t̪, ʈ, c/ in Wubuy is contrastive word-initially (Heath 1984) and by implication utterance-initially, i.e., in CV-only contexts, which suggests that acoustic differentiation should be expected to occur in the CV transitions of this language, including in initial positions. Therefore, we examined both VC and CV formant transition information in the three target coronal stops across VCV (word-internal), V#CV (word-initial but utterance-medial) and ##CV (word- and utterance-initial), for /а/ vowel contexts, which provide the optimal environment for investigating formant transitions. Results confirm that these coronal contrasts are maintained in the CVs in this vowel context, and in all three positions. The patterns of acoustic differences across the three syllable contexts also provide some support for a systematic role of prosodic boundaries in influencing the degree of coronal stop differentiation evident in the vowel formant transitions.
New and Redesigned pRS Plasmid Shuttle Vectors for Genetic Manipulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Chee Mark K , Haase Steven B
Published: May 2012

We have constructed a set of 42 plasmid shuttle vectors based on the widely used pRS series for use in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the bacterium Escherichia coli. This set of pRSII plasmids includes new shuttle vectors that can be used with histidine and adenine auxotrophic laboratory yeast strains carrying mutations in the genes HIS2 and ADE1, respectively. Our pRSII plasmids also include updated versions of commonly used pRS plasmids from which common restriction sites that occur within their yeast-selectable biosynthetic marker genes have been removed to increase the availability of unique restriction sites within their polylinker regions. Hence, our pRSII plasmids are a complete set of integrating, centromere and 2μ episomal plasmids with the biosynthetic marker genes ADE2, HIS3, TRP1, LEU2, URA3, HIS2, and ADE1 and a standardized selection of at least 16 unique restriction sites in their polylinkers. Additionally, we have expanded the range of drug selection options that can be used for PCR-mediated homologous replacement using pRS plasmid templates by replacing the G418-resistance kanMX4 cassette of pRS400 with MX4 cassettes encoding resistance to phleomycin, hygromycin B, nourseothricin, and bialaphos. Finally, in the process of generating the new plasmids, we have determined several errors in existing publicly available sequences for several commonly used yeast plasmids. Using our updated sequences, we constructed pRS plasmid backbones with a unique restriction site for inserting new markers to facilitate future expansion of the pRS series.
Simplified Insertion of Transgenes Onto Balancer Chromosomes via Recombinase-Mediated Cassette Exchange
Authors: Sun Florence F , Johnson Justine E , Zeidler Martin P , Bateman Jack R
Published: May 2012

Balancer chromosomes are critical tools for Drosophila genetics. Many useful transgenes are inserted onto balancers using a random and inefficient process. Here we describe balancer chromosomes that can be directly targeted with transgenes of interest via recombinase-mediated cassette exchange (RMCE).
Aging Uncouples Heritability and Expression-QTL in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Viñuela Ana , Snoek L Basten , Riksen Joost A G , Kammenga Jan E
Published: May 2012

The number and distribution of gene expression QTL (eQTL) represent the genetic architecture of many complex traits, including common human diseases. We previously reported that the heritable eQTL patterns are highly dynamic with age in an N2 × CB4856 recombinant inbred population of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In particular, we showed that the number of eQTL decreased with age. Here, we investigated the reason for this decrease by combining gene expression profiles at three ages in the wild types N2 and CB4856 with the reported expression profiles of the RIL population. We determined heritability and transgression (when gene expression levels in the RILs are more extreme than the parents) and investigated their relation with eQTL changes with age. Transgressive segregation was widespread but depended on physiological age. The percentage of genes with an eQTL increased with a higher heritability in young worms. However, for old worms this percentage hardly increased. Using a single marker approach, we found that almost 20% of genes with heritability >0.9 had an eQTL in developing worms. Surprisingly, only 10% was found in old worms. Using a multimarker approach, this percentage increased to almost 30% for both age groups. Comparison of the single marker to a multiple marker eQTL mapping indicated that heritable regulation of gene expression becomes more polygenic in aging worms due to multiple loci and possible epistatic interactions. We conclude that linkage studies should account for the relation between increased polygenic regulation and diminished effects at older ages.
Multienvironment Quantitative Trait Loci Analysis for Photosynthate Acquisition, Accumulation, and Remobilization Traits in Common Bean Under Drought Stress
Authors: Asfaw Asrat , Blair Matthew W , Struik Paul C
Published: May 2012

Many of the world’s common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) growing regions are prone to either intermittent or terminal drought stress, making drought the primary cause of yield loss under farmers’ field conditions. Improved photosynthate acquisition, accumulation, and then remobilization have been observed as important mechanisms for adaptation to drought stress. The objective of this study was to tag quantitative trait loci (QTL) for photosynthate acquisition, accumulation, and remobilization to grain by using a recombinant inbred line population developed from the Mesoamerican intragenepool cross of drought-susceptible DOR364 and drought-tolerant BAT477 grown under eight environments differing in drought stress across two continents: Africa and South America. The recombinant inbred line population expressed quantitative variation and transgressive segregation for 11 traits associated with drought tolerance. QTL were detected by both a mixed multienvironment model and by composite interval mapping for each environment using a linkage map constructed with 165 genetic markers that covered 11 linkage groups of the common bean genome. In the multienvironment, mixed model, nine QTL were detected for 10 drought stress tolerance mechanism traits found on six of the 11 linkage groups. Significant QTL × environment interaction was observed for six of the nine QTL. QTL × environment interaction was of the cross-over type for three of the six significant QTL with contrasting effect of the parental alleles across different environments. In the composite interval mapping, we found 69 QTL in total. The majority of these were found for Palmira (47) or Awassa (18), with fewer in Malawi (4). Phenotypic variation explained by QTL in single environments ranged up to 37%, and the most consistent QTL were for Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) leaf chlorophyll reading and pod partitioning traits. QTL alignment between the two detection methods showed that yield QTL on b08 and stem carbohydrate QTL on b05 were most consistent between the multilocation model and the single environment detection. Our results indicate the relevance of QTL detection in the sites in which bean breeding will be undertaken and the importance of photosynthate accumulation as a trait for common bean drought tolerance.
Genetics of Ascites Resistance and Tolerance in Chicken: A Random Regression Approach
Authors: Kause Antti , van Dalen Sacha , Bovenhuis Henk
Published: May 2012

Resistance and tolerance are two complementary mechanisms to reduce the detrimental effects of parasites, pathogens, and production diseases on host performance. Using body weight and ascites data on domesticated chicken Gallus gallus domesticus, we demonstrate the use of random regression animal model and covariance functions to estimate genetic parameters for ascites resistance and tolerance and illustrate the way individual variation in resistance and tolerance induce both genotype re-ranking and changes in variation of host performance along increasing ascites severity. Tolerance to ascites displayed significant genetic variance, with the estimated breeding values of tolerance slope ranging from strongly negative (very sensitive genotype) to weakly negative (less sensitive). Resistance to ascites had heritability of 0.34. Both traits are hence expected to respond to selection. The two complementary defense strategies, tolerance and resistance, were genetically independent. Ascites induced changes to the correlations between ascites resistance and body weight, with the genetic correlations being weak when birds were ascites-free but moderately negative when both healthy and affected birds were present. This likely results because ascites reduces growth, and thus high ascites incidence is genetically related to low adult body weight. Although ascites induced elevated phenotypic and genetic variances in body weight of affected birds, heritability displayed negligible changes across healthy and affected birds. Ascites induced moderate genotype re-ranking in body weight, with the genetic correlation of healthy birds with mildly affected birds being unity but with severely affected birds 0.45. This study demonstrates a novel approach for exploring genetics of defense traits and their impact on genotype-by-environment interactions.
Two-Phase Analysis in Consensus Genetic Mapping
Authors: Ronin Y , Mester D , Minkov D , Belotserkovski R , Jackson B N , Schnable P S , Aluru S , Korol A
Published: May 2012

Numerous mapping projects conducted on different species have generated an abundance of mapping data. Consequently, many multilocus maps have been constructed using diverse mapping populations and marker sets for the same organism. The quality of maps varies broadly among populations, marker sets, and software used, necessitating efforts to integrate the mapping information and generate consensus maps. The problem of consensus genetic mapping (MCGM) is by far more challenging compared with genetic mapping based on a single dataset, which by itself is also cumbersome. The additional complications introduced by consensus analysis include inter-population differences in recombination rate and exchange distribution along chromosomes; variations in dominance of the employed markers; and use of different subsets of markers in different labs. Hence, it is necessary to handle arbitrary patterns of shared sets of markers and different level of mapping data quality. In this article, we introduce a two-phase approach for solving MCGM. In phase 1, for each dataset, multilocus ordering is performed combined with iterative jackknife resampling to evaluate the stability of marker orders. In this phase, the ordering problem is reduced to the well-known traveling salesperson problem (TSP). Namely, for each dataset, we look for order that gives minimum sum of recombination distances between adjacent markers. In phase 2, the optimal consensus order of shared markers is selected from the set of allowed orders and gives the minimal sum of total lengths of nonconflicting maps of the chromosome. This criterion may be used in different modifications to take into account the variation in quality of the original data (population size, marker quality, etc.). In the foregoing formulation, consensus mapping is considered as a specific version of TSP that can be referred to as “synchronized TSP.” The conflicts detected after phase 1 are resolved using either a heuristic algorithm over the entire chromosome or an exact/heuristic algorithm applied subsequently to the revealed small non-overlapping regions with conflicts separated by non-conflicting regions. The proposed approach was tested on a wide range of simulated data and real datasets from maize.
Identification of Mutant Versions of the Spt16 Histone Chaperone That Are Defective for Transcription-Coupled Nucleosome Occupancy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Hainer Sarah J , Charsar Brittany A , Cohen Shayna B , Martens Joseph A
Published: May 2012

The highly conserved FACT (Facilitates Chromatin Transactions) complex performs essential functions in eukaryotic cells through the reorganization of nucleosomes. During transcription, FACT reorganizes nucleosomes to allow passage of RNA Polymerase II and then assists in restoring these nucleosomes after RNA Polymerase II has passed. We have previously shown, consistent with this function, that Spt16 facilitates repression of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SER3 gene by maintaining nucleosome occupancy over the promoter of this gene as a consequence of intergenic transcription of SRG1 noncoding DNA. In this study, we report the results of a genetic screen to identify mutations in SPT16 that derepress SER3. Twenty-five spt16 mutant alleles were found to derepress SER3 without causing significant reductions in either SRG1 RNA levels or Spt16 protein levels. Additional phenotypic assays indicate that these mutants have general transcription defects related to altered chromatin structure. Our analyses of a subset of these spt16 mutants reveal defects in SRG1 transcription-coupled nucleosome occupancy over the SER3 promoter. We provide evidence that these mutants broadly impair transcription-coupled nucleosome occupancy at highly transcribed genes but not at lowly transcribed genes. Finally, we show that one consequence shared by these mutations is the reduced binding of mutant Spt16 proteins across SRG1 and other highly transcribed genes. Taken together, our results highlight an important role for Spt16 in orchestrating transcription-coupled nucleosome assembly at highly transcribed regions of the genome, possibly by facilitating the association of Spt16 during this process.
Regulation of Histone Gene Expression in Budding Yeast
Authors: Eriksson Peter R , Ganguli Dwaipayan , Nagarajavel V , Clark David J
Published: May 2012

We discuss the regulation of the histone genes of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These include genes encoding the major core histones (H3, H4, H2A, and H2B), histone H1 (HHO1), H2AZ (HTZ1), and centromeric H3 (CSE4). Histone production is regulated during the cell cycle because the cell must replicate both its DNA during S phase and its chromatin. Consequently, the histone genes are activated in late G1 to provide sufficient core histones to assemble the replicated genome into chromatin. The major core histone genes are subject to both positive and negative regulation. The primary control system is positive, mediated by the histone gene-specific transcription activator, Spt10, through the histone upstream activating sequences (UAS) elements, with help from the major G1/S-phase activators, SBF (Swi4 cell cycle box binding factor) and perhaps MBF (MluI cell cycle box binding factor). Spt10 binds specifically to the histone UAS elements and contains a putative histone acetyltransferase domain. The negative system involves negative regulatory elements in the histone promoters, the RSC chromatin-remodeling complex, various histone chaperones [the histone regulatory (HIR) complex, Asf1, and Rtt106], and putative sequence-specific factors. The SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex links the positive and negative systems. We propose that the negative system is a damping system that modulates the amount of transcription activated by Spt10 and SBF. We hypothesize that the negative system mediates negative feedback on the histone genes by histone proteins through the level of saturation of histone chaperones with histone. Thus, the negative system could communicate the degree of nucleosome assembly during DNA replication and the need to shut down the activating system under replication-stress conditions. We also discuss post-transcriptional regulation and dosage compensation of the histone genes.
The Current Status of Research and Development on Ecomaterials around the World
Authors: Halada Kohmei , Yamamoto Ryoichi
Published: May 2012

The final decade of the 20th century was the most important period yet in establishing a sustainable society for the coming century. After the Earth summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the world's population was challenged to decrease its environmental impact on the Earth. Nine years after the Rio summit, we are living in a more dangerous and unsustainable world with a higher population, more resource consumption, more waste, and more poverty, but with less biodiversity, less forest area, less available fresh water, less fertile soil, and less stratospheric ozone.
Nanostructured Cerium Oxide “Ecocatalysts”
Authors: Flytzani-Stephanopoulos Maria
Published: May 2012

Catalysts based on cerium oxide are now used as effective oxidation systems in numerous environmental applications. Cerium oxide was introduced into the catalysis field relatively recently, in 1976, and not as a catalyst initially. Rather, it was chosen as the key oxygen-storage component of the three-way catalyst (TWC) used in automotive exhausts. Accordingly, ceria is used to extend the air/fuel ratio window in the exhaust gas, releasing or accepting oxygen, respectively, under fuel-rich or fuellean conditions, so that the noble metal catalyst operates at the desirable stoichiometric air/fuel ratio, at which it effectively converts all three gaseous pollutants—CO, hydrocarbons, and NO—to innocuous products. A solid solution of cerium and zirconium oxides is used in today's catalytic converters because of its higher oxygen-storage capacity (OSC) compared with pure ceria. In the years that followed the introduction of ceria into the catalytic converter, many additional merits of cerium oxide were realized, first as an active catalytic component of the TWC and subsequently as a catalyst and sorbent in various industrial applications. A review article by Trovarelli on ceria-based catalysts is a good recent compilation.
Semiconducting and Metallic Polymers: The Fourth Generation of Polymeric Materials
Authors: Heeger Alan J.
Published: May 2012

Prior to receiving the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2000 for my work in polymers, polymer science had been recognized three times. The first Nobel Prize in chemistry for polymer science was awarded in 1953 to Hermann Staudinger, for his pioneering work in the 1920s. At that time, the concept of macromolecules was new, and his ideas were controversial. However, the data prevailed, and he was awarded the Prize “for his discoveries in the field of macromolecular chemistry.” The next major event in polymer science was the discovery and invention of nylon by Wallace Carothers at the Dupont Company in 1935. Although Carothers died as a young man, his discoveries created an industry. I have little doubt that his work was deserving of a Nobel Prize and probably would have been awarded. The next related Prize went to Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta in 1963 for their work on polymer synthesis in the 1950s. The Ziegler–Natta catalysts made possible the large-scale production of polymers such as polypropylene. They were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry “for their discoveries in the field of chemistry and technology of high polymers.” In 1974, the Prize for chemistry went to Paul J. Flory, who was a giant in this field. He was awarded the Nobel “for his fundamental achievements, both theoretical and experimental, in the physical chemistry of macromolecules.”
Monodisperse 3d Transition-Metal (Co,Ni,Fe) Nanoparticles and Their Assembly intoNanoparticle Superlattices
Authors: Murray C.B. , Sun Shouheng , Doyle Hugh , Betley T.
Published: May 2012

Magnetic colloids, or ferrofluids, have been studied to probe the fundamental size-dependent properties of magnetic particles and have been harnessed in a variety of applications. The magnetorheological properties of magnetic colloids have been exploited in high-performance bearings and seals. The deposition of magnetic dispersions on platters and tapes marked the earliest embodiments of magnet information storage. Magnetic particles enhance contrast in magnetic resonance imaging and promise future diagnostic and drug delivery applications. The need to explore the scaling limits of magnetic storage technology has motivated the preparation of size-tunable monodisperse magnetic nanoparticles with controlled internal structures. The study of these nanoparticles is critical to efforts to separate the role of defects from intrinsic, finite size effects.
Ordered Layered Assemblies of Nanoparticles
Authors: Kotov Nicholas A.
Published: May 2012

The development of advanced materials from inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) is currently one of the most dynamic areas of science. NPs are attracting significant fundamental and commercial interest, with a wide range of applications including the next generation of optics, electronics, and sensors. In optical, electrical, and magnetic devices, NPs will be mostly used in the form of thin films. Currently, such films are typically made by the spincoating, spraying, or sometimes simple painting of nanoparticle–matrix mixtures. Layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly is one of the new methods of thin-film deposition, often realized as sequentially adsorbed (mono)layers of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. LBL assembly has also been successfully applied to thin films of NPs and nanocolloids, that is, dispersed species with only one or two spatial dimensions in the nanoscale regime.
Doping and Charging in Colloidal Semiconductor Nanocrystals
Authors: Shim Moonsub , Wang Congjun , Norris David J. , Guyot-Sionnest Philippe
Published: May 2012

Modern semiconductor technology has been enabled by the ability to control the number of carriers (electrons and holes) that are available in the semiconductor crystal. This control has been achieved primarily with two methods: doping, which entails the introduction of impurity atoms that contribute additional carriers into the crystal lattice; and charging, which involves the use of applied electric fields to manipulate carrier densities near an interface or junction. By controlling the carriers with these methods, the electrical properties of the semiconductor can be precisely tailored for a particular application. Accordingly, doping and charging play a major role in most modern semiconductor devices.
Development of a life safety model to estimate the risk posed to people by dam failures and floods
Authors: Lumbroso D. M. , Sakamoto D. , Johnstone W. M. , Tagg A. F. , Lence B. J.
Published: May 2012

Dam owners face important decisions about the ways in which finite resources should be allocated to ensure the continuing safe operation of ageing dams. Dam safety risk assessments depend on credible estimates of loss of life for hypothetical failure events to aid in quantifying risk and making decisions concerning how structures are maintained. This paper briefly describes the development of a model, called the ‘life safety model’, to provide a physics-based, dynamic model to estimate loss of life and evacuation times that can result from extreme flood events. The life safety model has an agent-based simulator that enables the model to represent a myriad of probable scenarios, which could result from a flood event. Unknown variables such as the effectiveness of warning, road capacity and time-varying population density can be tested in a range of scenarios. The life safety model uses results of flood water depth and velocity from two-dimensional hydraulic models such as Telemac 2D over the course of the event, to represent the flood hazard. Unlike many other models and methods of this kind the life safety model includes a dynamic interaction between the receptors and the flood hazard. The paper describes the application of the model to the Malapasset dam disaster that occurred in 1959 in the South of France. The application of the life safety model to this disaster demonstrated that the model was capable of making accurate estimates of loss of life from an actual flood event.
Progression of Periodontal Destruction and the Roles of Advanced Glycation End Products in Experimental Diabetes
Authors: Chang Po‐Chun , Chien Li‐Ying , Yeo Jin Fei , Wang Yi‐Ping , Chung Min‐Chun , Chong Li Yen , Kuo Mark Yen‐Ping , Chen Chun‐Hao , Chiang Huan‐Ching , Ng Benjamin N. , Lee Qi Qi , Phay Yong Kang , Ng Jeffery R. , Erk Kok Yong
Published: May 2012

Background: Progression of diabetes‐associated periodontal destruction and the roles of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are investigated.

Methods: Diabetes was induced by streptozocotin injection, and periodontitis was induced via silk ligature placement with Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide injection in 64 Sprague‐Dawley rats for 7 to 21 days. The quality of alveolar bone and attachment loss (AL) were measured by microcomputed tomography and histology. Destruction profiles were evaluated by histology, histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and quantitative assessments of inflammatory cells, expression of receptors for AGEs (RAGE), tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen.

Results: Without periodontitis induction, there was no obvious morphologic change in the periodontium, although slight elevations of AGEs and RAGE levels were noted in animals with diabetes. In the group with experimental periodontitis, significant periodontal bone loss was noted in animals both with and without diabetes from day 7, with more progressive bone loss in animals with diabetes during days 14 to 21. Histologically, the disruption of attachment and inflammation were observed from day 7, but subsequently subsided in animals without diabetes. A stronger and more prolonged response with significant AL was observed in animals with diabetes. Stronger inflammation, attenuated and persistent resorptive activity, and weaker proliferating potential were demonstrated by animals with diabetes. AGE deposition and RAGE expression were noted in animals without diabetes but with periodontitis, although levels were considerably elevated in the later stages in animals with diabetes.

Conclusions: Diabetes augments periodontal destruction by reducing the proliferating capability and activating resorptive activities. Presence of the AGE‐RAGE axis without diabetes implies that it is involved in the regulation of inflammation.
Estimating Horizontal Well PI to Develop Giant Carbonate Reservoir with Artificial Lift
Authors: Al-Otaibi Majid , Pardo Cesar H. , Gunarto Ronny , Kanfar Mohammed
Published: May 2012

Productivity index (PI) is one of the most important well parameters required to have an optimum reservoir development plan in terms of well spacing, number of wells required and ensuring the deliverability of the production target. Having correct PI estimation is also crucial to optimize artificial lift system design when required.

The paper discusses the methodology to estimate horizontal well PI using limited actual data from existing vertical well performances in a giant field that is still in the development phase. Vertical wells’ Pi's were calculated based on the pressure transient analysis, taking into account the correction for stabilized bottom hole flowing pressure (Pwf) and reservoir pressure (Pr). As a means of quality control, the calculated vertical well PI was compared against the radial flow equation using the transmissibility value obtained from the well test data. Vertical wells PI maps were constructed then verified against the reservoir properties distribution, which are well developed in the crest of the field. Converting PIs from vertical to horizontal well configuration involved an analytical calculation that was further tested against actual PI results. The ratio between horizontal and vertical well's PI is obtained by comparing Joshi's and Darcy's equation. Conversion factors per reservoir and area were determined and applied to generate horizontal PI contour maps. These maps were used to assign a PI value to each of the future producers in the field. The estimated values exhibited a reasonable match with actual existing data. Notwithstanding this match, minor discrepancies between estimated and actual PI are analyzed in this paper to further improve the proposed methodology. Reservoir heterogeneities and effective lateral length which contributes to the total well flow are the main reasons for the differences. The impact of the effective lateral length on the actual PI was evaluated and sensitized for better prediction of the well performance, whereas the reservoir heterogeneity influence was assessed using a correlation that includes the known petrophysical properties to estimate the PI of new drilled and undrilled wells.
Optimizing the solar water disinfection (SODIS) method by decreasing turbidity with NaCl
Authors: Dawney Brittney , Pearce Joshua M.
Published: May 2012

Solar water disinfection (SODIS) has proven to be effective at reducing diarrheal incidence in epidemiological intervention studies. However, the SODIS method is limited to waters of low turbidity (<30 NTU). This study investigates the use of common table salt (NaCl) to reduce the turbidity of water containing suspended colloidal clay particles for use in the SODIS method. Three representative clays found in tropical soils (kaolinite, illite and bentonite) were tested at three levels of turbidity (50, 100 and 200 NTU) for their flocculating behavior with multiple NaCl concentrations to find the optimum. Supernatants were tested for sodium concentration for comparison against health and taste thresholds. Results show that unlike kaolinite and illite, pure bentonite solutions were shown to be very responsive to NaCl and produced supernatants with as low as 4 NTU (98% particle removal efficiency). This study has shown that NaCl, in combination with high-activity clay particles in solution, may effectively reduce turbidity to levels suitable for SODIS treatment, thereby expanding the number of people who can utilize the technology effectively.
Impact of climate and bulking materials on characteristics of compost from ecological toilets
Authors: McKinley James W. , Parzen Rebecca E. , Guzmán Álvaro Mercado
Published: May 2012

Urine-diversion dehydration toilets (UDDT) are common throughout the developing world, and the toilet product is widely used as compost. There is no comprehensive research to date that characterizes the compost to determine its quality, extent of pathogen inactivation, and the effects of climate and bulking materials on the compost. Compost was collected from 45 UDDT in Bolivia and analyzed for physical, chemical, and biological parameters. Eighty percent and 56% of samples did not meet acceptable compost guidelines for moisture content and pH, respectively, indicating desiccation was the dominant process in UDDT. Bulking materials significantly impacted compost characteristics in terms of pH, carbon, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, and carbon stability (P < 0.05). Composts with ash exhibited, on average, low carbon concentrations (4.9%) and high pH values (9.7), which can be harmful to plants and composting microorganisms. Composts with sawdust exhibited, on average, high carbon concentrations (40.0%) and carbon-to-nitrogen ratios (31.0). Climate had no significant impact on chemical characteristics, however composts from humid regions had significantly higher moisture contents (34.4%) than those from arid climates (24.8%) (P < 0.05). Viable Ascaris lumbricoides ova were identified in 31% of samples, including samples with high pH, low moisture contents, and long storage times.
A conceptual framework to evaluate the outcomes and impacts of water safety plans
Authors: Gelting Richard J. , Delea Kristin , Medlin Elizabeth
Published: May 2012

A Water Safety Plan (WSP) is a preventive, risk management approach to ensure drinking water safety. The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines place WSPs within a larger 'framework for safe drinking-water' that links WSPs to health, creating an implicit expectation that implementation of WSPs will safeguard health in areas with acceptable drinking water quality. However, many intervening factors can come between implementation of an individual WSP and ultimate health outcomes. Evaluating the impacts of a WSP, therefore, requires a much broader analysis than simply looking at health improvements. Until recently, little guidance for the monitoring and evaluation of WSPs existed. Drawing examples from existing WSPs in various regions, this paper outlines a conceptual framework for conducting an overall evaluation of the various outcomes and impacts of a WSP. This framework can provide a common basis for implementers to objectively monitor and evaluate the range of outcomes and impacts from WSPs, as well as a common understanding of the time frames within which those results may occur. As implementers understand the various outcomes and impacts of WSPs beyond health, a strong evidence base for the effectiveness of WSPs will develop, further enabling the scaling up of WSP implementation and provision of better quality water.
Prediction Models in Women with Postmenopausal Bleeding: A Systematic Review
Authors: van Hanegem Nehalennia , Breijer Maria C , Opmeer Brent C , Mol Ben WJ , Timmermans Anne
Published: May 2012

Postmenopausal bleeding is associated with an elevated risk of having endometrial cancer. The aim of this review is to give an overview of existing prediction models on endometrial cancer in women with postmenopausal bleeding. In a systematic search of the literature, we identified nine prognostic studies, of which we assessed the quality, the different phases of development and their performance. From these data, we identified the most important predictor variables. None of the detected models completed external validation or impact analysis. Models including power Doppler showed best performance in internal validation, but Doppler in general gynecological practice is not easily accessible. We can conclude that we have indications that the first step in the approach of women with postmenopausal bleeding should be to distinguish between women with low risk versus high risk of having endometrial carcinoma and the next step would be to refer patients for further (invasive) testing.
The Safety of Postmenopausal Testosterone Therapy
Authors: Maclaran Kate , Panay Nick
Published: May 2012

Testosterone is increasingly used as part of postmenopausal HRT regimens. Unfortunately, few androgenic preparations designed specifically for use in women have been approved by regulatory authorities. Ongoing concerns exist surrounding the potential long-term effects of testosterone therapy, Here, we review the most recent data on postmenopausal testosterone therapy, focusing particularly on the effects of testosterone on breast, endometrium and cardiovascular health.