bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synchronized brain network associated with essential tremor as revealed by magnetoencephalography
Authors: Schnitzler Alfons , Münks Christian , Butz Markus , Timmermann Lars , Gross Joachim
Published: June 2009

Despite the fact that essential tremor (ET) is the most prevalent movement disorder, the underlying pathological mechanisms are not fully understood. There is accumulating evidence that this specific type of tremor is mainly of central origin, in particular involving inferior olive, cerebellum, thalamus, and primary motor cortex. We studied 8 patients with ET recording simultaneously neural activity with a whole‐scalp neuromagnetometer and tremor activity with surface electromyography (EMG). Subjects performed an isometric contraction of the left forearm. Tremor frequency of 5 to 7 Hz and its first harmonic were clearly evident in power spectra of EMG recordings. We used the localization technique dynamic imaging of coherent sources (DICS) to identify cerebral areas coherent to the EMG signal at tremor frequency and its first harmonic. All subjects showed coherence to the contralateral primary motor cortex. In a further step, DICS was used to identify areas of significant cerebro‐cerebral coherence. The analysis revealed a network of areas consisting of contralateral primary motor cortex, premotor cortex, thalamus, brainstem, and ipsilateral cerebellum. These results are consistent with the view that in ET, a network of cerebral areas including brainstem shows oscillatory interactions, which lead to a rhythmic modulation of muscle activity becoming apparent as tremor. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society
Vertical optokinetic nystagmus in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Knapp Christopher M. , Gottlob Irene , McLean Rebecca J. , Rajabally Yusuf A. , Abbott Richard J. , Rafelt Suzanne , Proudlock Frank A.
Published: June 2009

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with a number of oculomotor deficits; however, little is known about changes in vertical optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) associated with PD. We recorded eye movements in 14 PD patients and 14 age‐matched controls in response to large field OKN stimulation using stimulus velocities of 20°/second and 40°/second. We compared asymmetry of horizontal and vertical responses in the two groups. We found vertical OKN to be strongly asymmetric in PD with reduced gains for downward‐moving stimuli. This asymmetry was significantly greater than that recorded in control volunteers. We postulate that this could result from an abnormal pursuit/early OKN system in PD leading to greater influence of the delayed OKN system. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society
Clinical and genetic characteristics of non‐Asian dentatorubral‐pallidoluysian atrophy: A systematic review
Authors: Wardle Mark , Morris Huw R. , Robertson Neil P.
Published: June 2009

Dentatorubral‐pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder regarded as found almost exclusively among the Japanese. We have performed as systematic review of published literature to investigate the clinical and genetic characteristics of non‐Asian DRPLA. We identified 183 non‐Asian patients in 27 families reported with DRPLA with a variable level of clinical information. Mean age at onset was 31 (range 1–67) with epilepsy, ataxia, and chorea common presenting features. A highly significant relationship was identified between repeat length and age at onset with repeat length accounting for 62% of the observed variation in age at onset (P < 0.0001). In addition, a highly significant relationship between repeat length and main presenting complaint was identified (P < 0.001). There was evidence of marked anticipation with a median intergenerational reduction in age at onset of 19 years with a corresponding increase of five repeats per generation. DRPLA is not exclusively found among the Japanese but has been reported worldwide. As such, DRPLA should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a wide spectrum of neurological disease, particularly if there is a dominant family history. Non‐Asian DRPLA clinico‐genetic phenomenology are similar to Asian series and our study confirms marked genetic anticipation together with a clear association between repeat length and clinical phenotype and disease severity. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society
The PRIAMO study: A multicenter assessment of nonmotor symptoms and their impact on quality of life in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Barone Paolo , Antonini Angelo , Colosimo Carlo , Marconi Roberto , Morgante Letterio , Avarello Tania P. , Bottacchi Eugenio , Cannas Antonino , Ceravolo Gabriella , Ceravolo Roberto , Cicarelli Giulio , Gaglio Roberto M. , Giglia Rosa M. , Iemolo Francesco , Manfredi Michela , Meco Giuseppe , Nicoletti Alessandra , Pederzoli Massimo , Petrone Alfredo , Pisani Antonio , Pontieri Francesco E. , Quatrale Rocco , Ramat Silvia , Scala Rosanna , Volpe Giuseppe , Zappulla Salvatore , Bentivoglio Anna Rita , Stocchi Fabrizio , Trianni Giorgio , Dotto Paolo Del
Published: June 2009

We performed a multicenter survey using a semistructured interview in 1,072 consecutive patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) enrolled during 12 months in 55 Italian centers to assess the prevalence of nonmotor symptoms (NMSs), their association with cognitive impairment, and the impact on patients' quality of life (QoL). We found that 98.6% of patients with PD reported the presence of NMSs. The most common were as follows: fatigue (58%), anxiety (56%), leg pain (38%), insomnia (37%), urgency and nocturia (35%), drooling of saliva and difficulties in maintaining concentration (31%). The mean number of NMS per patient was 7.8 (range, 0–32). NMS in the psychiatric domain were the most frequent (67%). Frequency of NMS increased along with the disease duration and severity. Patients with cognitive impairment reported more frequently apathy, attention/memory deficit, and psychiatric symptoms. Apathy was the symptom associated with worse PDQ‐39 score but also presence of fatigue, attention/memory, and psychiatric symptoms had a negative impact on QoL. These findings further support a key role for NMS in the clinical frame of PD and the need to address them specifically in clinical trials using dedicated scales. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society
Using global statistical tests in long‐term Parkinson's disease clinical trials
Authors: Huang Peng , Goetz Christopher G. , Woolson Robert F. , Tilley Barbara , Kerr Douglas , Palesch Yuko , Elm Jordan , Ravina Bernard , Bergmann Kenneth J. , Kieburtz Karl
Published: June 2009

Parkinson's disease (PD) impairments are multidimensional, making it difficult to choose a single primary outcome when evaluating treatments to stop or lessen the long‐term decline in PD. We review commonly used multivariate statistical methods for assessing a treatment's global impact, and we highlight the novel Global Statistical Test (GST) methodology. We compare the GST to other multivariate approaches using data from two PD trials. In one trial where the treatment showed consistent improvement on all primary and secondary outcomes, the GST was more powerful than other methods in demonstrating significant improvement. In the trial where treatment induced both improvement and deterioration in key outcomes, the GST failed to demonstrate statistical evidence even though other techniques showed significant improvement. Based on the statistical properties of the GST and its relevance to overall treatment benefit, the GST appears particularly well suited for a disease like PD where disability and impairment reflect dysfunction of diverse brain systems and where both disease and treatment side effects impact quality of life. In future long term trials, use of GST for primary statistical analysis would allow the assessment of clinically relevant outcomes rather than the artificial selection of a single primary outcome. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society
Motor performance in patients with restless legs syndrome
Authors: Jiménez‐Jiménez Félix Javier , Rubio Lluisa , Calleja Marisol , Alonso‐Navarro Hortensia , Turpín‐Fenoll Laura , Plaza‐Nieto José Francisco , Pilo‐de‐la‐Fuente Belén , García‐Ruiz Pedro J. , Agúndez José A.G.
Published: June 2009

Dopaminergic dysfunction could play a role in restless legs syndrome, and patients with central dopaminergic dysfunction exhibit difficulties in performing alternating movements or in the movement initiation. Therefore, we analyzed basic motor function performance in patients with idiopathic restless legs syndrome and in healthy matched controls. We studied 50 patients diagnosed with restless legs syndrome and 100 age and sex matched controls. Evaluation included four timed tests (pronation–supination, finger tapping and movement between two points with both hands, and walking test); and three tests performed on a personal computer (speed for pressing repetitively a key frequency, simple reaction time, and movement time with both hands). In a univariate study, restless legs patients showed lower mean values for right pronation–supination, minimum value for right frequency and movement time, and standard deviation, maximum and rank values of movement time with the left arm; and higher mean values for left finger tapping, right and left movement between two points, and standard deviation and rank for right and left frequency. With a multivariate study, restless legs patients showed significantly lower mean values for right pronation–supination, minimum right movement time, and rank of left movement time; and higher mean values for left finger tapping and movement between two points, and rank of right frequency. Motor performance of patients with restless legs syndrome is similar to that of healthy matched controls with the exception of impaired left finger tapping and movement between two points, and better performance of right pronation–supination movements. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society
Single‐warehouse multi‐retailer inventory systems with full truckload shipments
Authors: Jin Yue , Muriel Ana
Published: June 2009

We consider a multi‐stage inventory system composed of a single warehouse that receives a single product from a single supplier and replenishes the inventory of n retailers through direct shipments. Fixed costs are incurred for each truck dispatched and all trucks have the same capacity limit. Costs are stationary, or more generally monotone as in Lippman (Management Sci 16, 1969, 118–138). Demands for the n retailers over a planning horizon of T periods are given. The objective is to find the shipment quantities over the planning horizon to satisfy all demands at minimum system‐wide inventory and transportation costs without backlogging. Using the structural properties of optimal solutions, we develop (1) an O(T2) algorithm for the single‐stage dynamic lot sizing problem; (2) an O(T3) algorithm for the case of a single‐warehouse single‐retailer system; and (3) a nested shortest‐path algorithm for the single‐warehouse multi‐retailer problem that runs in polynomial time for a given number of retailers. To overcome the computational burden when the number of retailers is large, we propose aggregated and disaggregated Lagrangian decomposition methods that make use of the structural properties and the efficient single‐stage algorithm. Computational experiments show the effectiveness of these algorithms and the gains associated with coordinated versus decentralized systems. Finally, we show that the decentralized solution is asymptotically optimal. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 2009
Consecutive k‐within‐m‐out‐of‐n:F system with exchangeable components
Authors: Eryilmaz Serkan , Kan Cihangir , Akici Fatih
Published: June 2009

As a generalization of k‐out‐of‐n:F and consecutive k‐out‐of‐n:F systems, the consecutive k‐within‐m‐out‐of‐n:F system consists of n linearly ordered components such that the system fails iff there are m consecutive components which include among them at least k failed components. In this article, the reliability properties of consecutive k‐within‐m‐out‐of‐n:F systems with exchangeable components are studied. The bounds and approximations for the survival function are provided. A Monte Carlo estimator of system signature is obtained and used to approximate survival function. The results are illustrated and numerics are provided for an exchangeable multivariate Pareto distribution. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 2009
Inside national service: AmeriCorps' impact on participants
Authors: Frumkin Peter , Jastrzab JoAnn , Vaaler Margaret , Greeney Adam , Grimm Robert T. , Cramer Kevin , Dietz Nathan
Published: June 2009

This study examines the short‐ and long‐term impact of AmeriCorps participation on members' civic engagement, education, employment, and life skills. The analysis compares changes in the attitudes and behaviors of participants over time to those of individuals not enrolled in AmeriCorps, controlling for interest in national and community service, member and family demographics, and prior civic engagement. Results indicate that participation in AmeriCorps led to positive impacts on members, especially in the area of civic engagement, members' connection to community, knowledge about problems facing their community, and participation in community‐based activities. AmeriCorps had some positive impacts on its members' employment‐related outcomes. Few statistically significant impacts were found for measures of participants' attitude toward education or educational attainment, or for selected life skills measures. Within a subset of community service programs that incorporate a residential component for members, the study also uncovered a short‐term negative impact of participation on members' appreciation for ethnic and cultural diversity, which disappeared over time. The implications of these findings for future research on national service are discussed. © 2009 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
The nonprofit advantage: Producing quality in thick and thin child care markets
Authors: Cleveland Gordon , Krashinsky Michael
Published: June 2009

Nonprofit child care centers are frequently observed to produce child care which is, on average, of higher quality than care provided in commercial child care centers. In part, this nonprofit advantage is due to different input choices made by nonprofit centers—lower child‐staff ratios, better‐educated staff and directors, higher rates of professional development for staff. Nonprofit centers may have an additional productivity advantage, due to unmeasured staff motivation and abilities or to better management of the production of good‐quality child care. However, where nonprofit and for‐profit child care firms compete in the same local markets, we speculate that this extra advantage should only appear where demand is sufficiently “thick” to permit a quality differentiation strategy to be financially viable for nonprofits. We estimate the effect of nonprofit status on quality, controlling for differences in financial resources available to the center, differences in the clientele served, and differences in staff and center inputs. In this conventional examination, nonprofit status has a moderately positive impact on quality. However, when we account for the unobserved heterogeneity and separate markets into “thick” and “thin,” a particularly strong nonprofit advantage is found in thick markets, but no productivity advantage for nonprofits is found in thin markets. This finding suggests a clear role for nonprofit organizations in improving the cost‐quality trade‐off faced by parents, but also identifies the market conditions that affect the ability of nonprofit managers to employ this advantage. © 2009 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
Normal ovarian function and assessment of ovarian reserve in the survivor of childhood cancer
Authors: Johnston Robert J. , Wallace W. Hamish B.
Published: June 2009

Increasingly young people survive cancer in childhood and as a result complications of its treatment are becoming more common and important. Premature ovarian failure is recognized as a complication of radiotherapy to a field that includes the pelvis and alkylating‐agent‐based chemotherapy. Young pre‐pubertal girls are not protected from the effects of gonadal toxic therapy. A young woman, successfully treated for cancer during childhood, may experience regular periods in the presence of a significantly reduced ovarian reserve. There is, however, no reliable measure of ovarian reserve available for the individual woman. Assessment of ovarian function relies on the use of surrogate markers such as follicle stimulating hormone, inhibin‐B, and anti‐mullerian hormone as well as ultrasound assessment of ovarian volume and antral follicle count. We discuss the physiology of normal ovarian function, the effects of cancer treatments on ovarian function and the techniques for evaluation of ovarian reserve in survivors of childhood cancer. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;53:296–302. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Historically Black Colleges and University students' and faculties' views of school psychology: Implications for increasing diversity in higher education
Authors: Graves Scott L. , Wright Lynda Brown
Published: June 2009

This study investigates Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) students' and faculties' knowledge related to school psychology. A total of 165 students and 14 faculty members completed inventories that assessed the understanding and views of various psychological disciplines. Results indicated that HBCU students rated their perceived knowledge of school psychology significantly lower than all psychological disciplines. In addition, these students have significantly fewer sources of information for school psychology than comparable disciplines. Although more than 90% of students stated that they would attend graduate school, the majority was only somewhat interested in school psychology as a career choice. Furthermore, HBCU psychology faculty members stated that the American Psychological Association and the National Association of School Psychologists do not actively recruit or provide information to their students. Results are discussed in terms of increasing the number of African American school psychologists. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Target domain definition and classification in CASP8
Authors: Tress Michael L. , Ezkurdia Iakes , Richardson Jane S.
Published: June 2009

In order to be successful CASP experiments require experimentally determined protein structures. These structures form the basis of the experiment. Structural genomics groups have provided the vast majority of these structures in recent editions of CASP. Before the structure prediction assessment can begin these target structures must be divided into structural domains for assessment purposes and each assessment unit must be assigned to one or more tertiary structure prediction categories. In CASP8 target domain boundaries were based on visual inspection of targets and their experimental data, and on superpositions of the target structures with related template structures. As in CASP7 target domains were broadly classified into two different categories: “template‐based modeling” and “free modeling.” Assessment categories were determined by structural similarity between the target domain and the nearest structural templates in the PDB and by whether or not related structural templates were used to build the models. The vast majority of the 164 assessment units in CASP8 were classified as template‐based modeling. Just 10 target domains were defined as free modeling. In addition three targets were assessed in both the free modeling and template based categories and a subset of 50 template‐based models was evaluated as part of the “high accuracy” subset. The targets submitted for CASP8 confirmed a trend that has been apparent since CASP5: targets submitted to the CASP experiments are becoming easier to predict. Proteins 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prioritising stop‐smoking services and available treatment options
Authors: Chaplin Steve
Published: June 2009

The DoH publication NHS Stop Smoking Services: Service and Monitoring Guidance 2009/10 outlines the provisions that should be made to support smokers trying to quit and the available treatment options. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Interface Ltd
Diagnosis, allergen avoidance and treatment of allergic rhinitis
Authors: Farooque Sophie
Published: June 2009

Allergic rhinitis is common and increasing in prevalence, but it is often undertreated and its effect on quality of life often underestimated. Our Drug review discusses the available treatments as well as diagnosis and allergen avoidance strategies, followed by a review of the prescription data and sources of further information. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Interface Ltd
Group II element nitrides M3N2under pressure: a comparative density functional study
Authors: Römer S. Rebecca , Dörfler Thilo , Kroll Peter , Schnick Wolfgang
Published: June 2009

The high‐pressure behavior of group II element nitrides M3N2(M=Be, Mg, Sr, and Ba) was studied up to 100 GPa and beyond. Evaluating a manifold of hypothetical polymorphs of composition A3X2leads to proposing a new high‐pressure polymorph of Be3N2with an anti‐A‐sesquioxide structure appearing at 82 GPa. Two high‐pressure phases were found for Mg3N2: first an anti‐B‐sesquioxide‐type structure should appear at 21 GPa followed by an anti‐A‐sesquioxide‐type structure at 65 GPa. While structure and true nature of Sr3N2and Ba3N2are not yet experimentally determined, we identified an anti‐bixbyite structure to be the ground state structure of Sr3N2and a distortion variant of the anti‐A‐sesquioxide‐type structure as lowest energy modification for Ba3N2. For Sr3N2the sequence of high‐pressure phases are (1) an anti‐Rh2O3‐II structure appearing at 3 GPa, (2) an anti‐B‐sesquioxide structure becoming most stable at 12 GPa and (3) a hexagonalP63/mmcstructure favored at 26 GPa. The development of thec/a‐ratio of anti‐A‐sesquioxide Ba3N2under pressure was examined, revealing a gradual reduction under pressure. Three high‐pressure polymorphs are then further proposed for Ba3N2: (1) an anti‐Rh2O3‐II structure at 2 GPa, (2) an anti‐CaIrO3structure at 32 GPa and (3) a hexagonalP63/mmcstructure at 52 GPa. The results for all group II element nitrides M3N2were compared. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Simplistic approach for 2D grown‐in microdefect modeling
Authors: Prostomolotov Anatoly , Verezub Nataliya
Published: June 2009

In the present paper the analysis of cooling conditions influence on microdefect formation in Si single crystal was carried out on the basis of an analytical formulation for crystal temperature field jointly with developed two‐dimensional (2D) models of microdefect formation. The new mathematical model is applied for calculations of vacancy microdefect formation, in which the 2D vacancy migration process is taken into account and the approached calculation algorithm is offered, which is not requiring the data storage for whole defect growth pre‐history. The calculated results are discussed for conditions of Cz silicon single crystal growing. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Ultra‐thin nanocrystalline diamond films (<100 nm) with high electrical resistivity
Authors: Lions Mathieu , Saada Samuel , Mazellier Jean‐Paul , Andrieu François , Faynot Olivier , Bergonzo Philippe
Published: June 2009

Thick diamond films are known to exhibit remarkably high electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity. However, on thin films, difficulties are often observed to achieve such performances. In this study, the synthesis of ultra‐thin diamond films was optimized towards the possibility to maintain high dielectric performances on layers compatible with today requirements for Silicon‐On‐Diamond technology, and namely aiming at films with thicknesses equal or below 150 nm. The nucleation of diamond nanocrystals is crucial to obtain films with thickness lower than 100 nm. A Bias Enhanced Nucleation step (BEN) was improved to achieve nucleation densities above 1011 cm–2 although the process was also tuned to limit the size of the nanocrystals during this step. The control of the carbonization of the silicon substrate is also essential to reach such a density with a high reproducibility. The BEN is followed by a growth step with optimized conditions. The films were characterized by SEM and Spectroscopic Ellipsometry. Electrical conductivity measurements were conducted on thin diamond films and values obtained on layers below 100 nm were as high as 5 × 1013 Ω cm; a value significantly higher than the state of the art for such thin films. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Use of chlorinated carbon and silicon precursors for epitaxial growth of 4H‐SiC at very high growth rates
Authors: Kotamraju Siva , Krishnan Bharat , Koshka Yaroslav
Published: June 2009

A possibility to apply the advantages of chlorinated carbon precursors, which had been previously used in low‐temperature epitaxial growth of 4H‐SiC, to achieve very high growth rates at higher growth temperatures was investigated. Silicon tetrachloride was used as the silicon precursor to suppress gas‐phase homogeneous nucleation. The temperature increase from 1300 °C (which is the temperature of the previously reported low‐temperature halo‐carbon epitaxial growth) to 1600 °C enabled an increase of the precursor flow rates and consequently of the growth rate from 5 to more than 100 μm/h without morphology degradation. High quality of the epilayers was confirmed by low‐temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy and time‐resolved luminescence. No evidences of homogeneous nucleation were detected, however, liquid Si droplet formation on the epilayer surface seems to remain a bottleneck at very high growth rate. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Rectifying properties and photoresponse of CVD diamond p(i)n‐junctions
Authors: Haenen Ken , Lazea Andrada , Nesládek Miloš , Koizumi Satoshi
Published: June 2009

The current–voltage characteristics and photoresponse of mesa structured {111}‐oriented homoepitaxial CVD diamond p(i)n‐junctions with different intrinsic layer thickness are investigated. When a sufficiently thick intrinsic layer is present, a rectification ratio of 108 at ±10 V could be obtained. Good rectifying diodes show a high photoresponse ratio between 210 nm (above bandgap) and 500 nm (below bandgap), making them suitable for UV detection purposes. The results are compared with similar measurements carried out on polycrystalline CVD diamond pn‐junctions.

magnified image

18 diamond pin mesa structures (250 μm in diameter) based on a boron‐doped/intrinsic/P‐doped CVD layer stack deposited on a 2 × 2 × 0.5 mm3 {111} Ib HPHT diamond substrate.

(© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Carton erection using reconfigurable folder mechanisms
Authors: Dai Jian S. , Medland Anthony J. , Mullineux Glen
Published: June 2009

Consideration of the motions involved in erecting a range of carton types shows that the individual motions are essentially simple. It is the combination of them that gives the complexity that is often required. This suggests that it is possible to design mechanisms to generate the individual motions and then combine these, thus creating an approach that allows reconfiguration for different carton sizes and styles. The design of a novel reconfigurable folder mechanism is discussed and it is shown how several folders can be combined to erect carton trays of varying sizes in times comparable with those for corresponding dedicated machines. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Die Bahretalbrücke – eine Verbundbrücke mit Vollfertigteilen
Authors: Jung Rolf , Heymel Ulrich , Reintjes Karl‐Heinz , Schreiber Oliver
Published: June 2009

Der Einsatz von Vollfertigteilen im Stahlverbundbrückenbau hat bisher in Deutschland wenig Anwendung gefunden. Im internationalen Großbrückenbau, insbesondere auch beim Bau von Schrägseilbrücken, ist die Herstellung der Fahrbahnplatte von Stahlverbundbrücken mit Vollfertigteilen eine häufig ausgeführte Variante. Am Beispiel der Bahretalbrücke im Zuge der Staatsstraße S 107n sollen die Vorteile dieser Bauweise beschrieben und einige Hinweise zur konstruktiven Ausbildung dargestellt werden.

Application of prefabricated sections for composite bridges shown on the example of Bahretal Bridge.

The application of the prefabricated sections in composite constructions has not been often used in Germany. In the international bridge building especially in building of cable stayed bridges prefabricated sections in the assembly of the deck are often used. The advantages of using this method and some details of the construction will be shown on the example of the Bahretal Bridge.
WM 2010: Stadiondach für die “Windy City” Port Elizabeth
Authors: Göppert Knut , Haspel Lorenz
Published: June 2009

Begeistert haben wir die Herausforderung angenommen, das Stadiondach für das neue Nelson‐Mandela‐Bay‐Stadion in Port Elizabeth zu planen. Wir haben es als Ehre empfunden, einen Beitrag zur Baukultur in Südafrika zu leisten. Der Entwurf eines markanten, als zukünftiges Wahrzeichen der Stadt tauglichen Daches und die Umsetzung in ein konstruktiv sinnfälliges und effizientes Tragwerk werden im Folgenden näher beschrieben. Häufige Winde in der “windy city” und extrem korrosives Klima sind Teil der Randbedingungen, auf die vom Entwurf über die Planung bis zur Fertigstellung individuell eingegangen werden musste.

WM 2010: Roofing the stadium of the “windy city” Port Elizabeth.

Designing the roof of the new Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth and thus contributing to the South African building culture is challenge and honor at the same time. The following article covers the design of the roof shape as a signature landmark and its implementation in an economic and structurally meaningful solution. Frequent wind in the “windy city” and an extreme corrosive environment are part of the boundary conditions that required individual solutions from initial design until final completion.
Ascot Racecourse – Stahl‐Kunststoff‐Sandwich für die Tribüne des neuen Grandstand
Authors: Stihl Thomas
Published: June 2009

Die erste kommerzielle Tribünenanwendung mit dem Sandwich‐Plate‐System (SPS) – einem Stahl‐Kunststoff‐Sandwich‐System – konnte durchgeführt werden, weil besondere Umstände an dem gerade fertiggestellten Tribünengebäude der Pferderennbahn in Ascot [1] eine zusätzliche dringliche Anpassung erforderten.

Ascot Racecourse – Steel‐plastic sandwich for the terrace of the new Grandstand.

The first commercial application of the sandwich‐plate‐system (SPS) – a steel‐plastic sandwich system – could be carried out because special circumstances at the just completed building of the Grandstand at Ascot Racecourse [1] required additional urgent adjustments.
Seismic performance of friction dampers using flexure of rc shear wall system
Authors: Chung Hee‐San , Moon Byoung‐Wook , Lee Sung‐Kyung , Park Ji‐Hun , Min Kyung‐Won
Published: June 2009

Shear wall systems in high‐rise apartments are governed by the flexural behaviour of members such as a cantilever beam. The installation of the damper‐brace system in a structure governed by flexural behaviour is not suitable. Because of the relatively high lateral stiffness of the shear wall, a load is not concentrated on the brace and the brace cannot perform the role of a damping device. In this paper, a friction damper that applies the flexibility of a shear wall is proposed in order to reduce the deformation of the structure. To evaluate the performance of the proposed friction damper, a nonlinear time history analysis is executed by the SeismoStruct analysis program, and a multiple vertical linear element model is used for simulating flexural behaviour of the shear wall. It is found that the control performance of the proposed friction damper is superior to that of a coupled wall with a rigid beam. In conclusion, this study verified that the optimal control performance of the proposed friction damper is equal to 45% of the maximum shear force induced in the middle floor beam with the rigid beam. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
How should the psychological well‐being of zoo elephants be objectively investigated?
Authors: Mason Georgia J. , Veasey Jake S.
Published: June 2009

Animal welfare (sometimes termed “well‐being”) is about feelings – states such as “suffering” or “contentment” that we can infer but cannot measure directly. Welfare indices have been developed from two main sources: studies of suffering humans, and of research animals deliberately subjected to challenges known to affect emotional state. We briefly review the resulting indices here, and discuss how well they are understood for elephants, since objective welfare assessment should play a central role in evidence‐based elephant management. We cover behavioral and cognitive responses (approach/avoidance; intention, redirected and displacement activities; vigilance/startle; warning signals; cognitive biases, apathy and depression‐like changes; stereotypic behavior); physiological responses (sympathetic responses; corticosteroid output – often assayed non‐invasively via urine, feces or even hair; other aspects of HPA function, e.g. adrenal hypertrophy); and the potential negative effects of prolonged stress on reproduction (e.g. reduced gametogenesis; low libido; elevated still‐birth rates; poor maternal care) and health (e.g. poor wound‐healing; enhanced disease rates; shortened lifespans). The best validated, most used welfare indices for elephants are corticosteroid outputs and stereotypic behavior. Indices suggested as valid, partially validated, and/or validated but not yet applied within zoos include: measures of preference/avoidance; displacement movements; vocal/postural signals of affective (emotional) state; startle/vigilance; apathy; salivary and urinary epinephrine; female acyclity; infant mortality rates; skin/foot infections; cardio‐vascular disease; and premature adult death. Potentially useful indices that have not yet attracted any validation work in elephants include: operant responding and place preference tests; intention and vacuum movements; fear/stress pheromone release; cognitive biases; heart rate, pupil dilation and blood pressure; corticosteroid assay from hair, especially tail‐hairs (to access endocrine events up to a year ago); adrenal hypertrophy; male infertility; prolactinemia; and immunological changes. Zoo Biol 29:237–255, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Value of MELD and MELD‐Based Indices in Surgical Risk Evaluation of Cirrhotic Patients: Retrospective Analysis of 190 Cases
Authors: Costa Beatriz P. , Castro Sousa F. , Serôdio Marco , Carvalho César
Published: June 2009

Background

Recent studies have suggested that the Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) may represent a promising alternative to the Child‐Turcotte‐Pugh classification as a predictive factor of operative mortality and morbidity. This study was designed to evaluate the value of MELD and four MELD‐based indices (iMELD: integrated MELD; MESO: MELD to sodium ratio; MELD‐Na: MELD with incorporation of sodium; MELD‐XI: MELD excluding the International Normalized Ratio) in the quantification of surgical risk for patients with cirrhosis and compare its prognostic value with the Child‐Turcotte‐Pugh classification and two derived scores (proposed by Huo and Giannini, respectively).

Methods

A retrospective study of 190 patients with cirrhosis, operated on in our department between 1993 and 2008, was undertaken.

Results

Forty‐three percent of patients were included in Child‐Turcotte‐Pugh A class, and their mean MELD score was 12.2 ± 4.9 (range, 6.4–35.2). Mortality and morbidity rates were 13% and 24%, respectively. In global analysis of mortality, MELD‐based indices presented an acceptable prognostic performance (auROC = 71–77%), similar to the three analyzed Child‐Turcotte‐Pugh‐derived scores. iMELD demonstrated the highest prognostic capacity (auROC = 77%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 66–88; p = 0.0001); operative death probability was 4% (95% CI, 3.6–4.4) when the score was inferior to 35, 16.1% (95% CI, 14.4–17.9) between 35 and 45, and 50.1% (95% CI, 42.2–58.1) when superior to 45. In elective surgical procedures, iMELD represented a useful prognostic factor of operative mortality (auROC = 80%; 95% CI, 63–97; p = 0.044) with significant correlation and better accuracy then MELD and Child‐Turcotte‐Pugh‐derived indices.

Conclusions

In this study, iMELD was a useful predictive parameter of operative mortality for patients with cirrhosis submitted to elective procedures. Further studies are necessary to define the relevance of MELD‐based indices in the individual surgical risk evaluation.
Blood phenylalanine concentrations in patients with PAH‐deficient hyperphenylalaninaemia off diet without and with three different single oral doses of tetrahydrobiopterin: Assessing responsiveness in a model of statistical process control
Authors: Lindner M. , Gramer G. , Garbade S. F. , Burgard P.
Published: June 2009

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) cofactor loading is a standard procedure to differentiate defects of BH4 metabolism from phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) deficiency. BH4 responsiveness also exists in PAH‐deficient patients with high residual PAH activity. Unexpectedly, single cases with presumed nil residual PAH activity have been reported to be BH4 responsive, too. BH4 responsiveness has been defined either by a ≥30% reduction of blood Phe concentration after a single BH4 dose or by a decline greater than the individual circadian Phe level variation. Since both methods have methodological disadvantages, we present a model of statistical process control (SPC) to assess BH4 responsiveness. Phe levels in 17 adult PKU patients of three phenotypic groups off diet were compared without and with three different single oral dosages of BH4 applied in a double‐blind randomized cross‐over design. Results are compared for ≥30% reduction and SPC. The effect of BH4 by ≥30% reduction was significant for groups (p < 0.01) but not for dose (p = 0.064), with no interaction of group with dose (p = 0.24). SPC revealed significant effects for group (p < 0.01) and the interaction for group with dose (p < 0.05) but not for dose alone (p = 0.87). After one or more loadings, seven patients would be judged to be BH4 responsive either by the 30% criterion or by the SPC model, but only three by both. Results for patients with identical PAH genotype were not very consistent within (for different BH4 doses) and between the two models. We conclude that a comparison of protein loadings without and with BH4 combined with a standardized procedure for data analysis and decision would increase the reliability of diagnostic results.
Factors affecting leaf morphology: a case study of Ranunculusnatans C. A. Mey. (Ranunculaceae) in the arid zone of northwest China
Authors: Li Zhongqiang , Yu Dan
Published: June 2009

In order to examine the role of environmental factors affecting foliar morphology, we performed a case study of leaf morphological variation of Ranunculusnatans found in the arid zone of northwest China. We found that foliar phenotypic variation differed significantly between populations. We described substantial positive correlations between altitude and leaf area (LA) as well as leaf perimeter (LP), and also between longitude and number of teeth, along with dissection index (DI). The pH, conductivity, and salinity of the environment caused a significant decrease in both LA and LP. Ranked in terms of their impacts on leaf morphology, the six selected factors were: altitude > pH > conductivity > salinity > longitude > latitude. We found that foliar morphological variations are functional responses to water‐quantity factors (e.g., altitude and longitude at regional scales) and water‐availability relation factors (e.g., pH, conductivity, and salinity at local scales), rather than to temperature‐relation factors (latitude). Therefore, altitude and longitude, along with pH, conductivity, and salinity, are the main factors that significantly influence foliar morphology in the arid zone of China. We found that main factors played major roles in plant phenotypic plasticity in a complex ecosystem, although different combinations and interactions of environmental and geographical factors in each local environment may obscure the general trends in trait changes along environmental gradients.
Occurrence and distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal species in three types of grassland community of the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Gai J. P. , Christie P. , Cai X. B. , Fan J. Q. , Zhang J. L. , Feng G. , Li X. L.
Published: June 2009

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal spore communities and distribution patterns were surveyed in montane scrub grassland, alpine steppe, and alpine meadow sites at altitudes ranging from 3,500 to 5,200 m a.s.l. on the Tibetan Plateau. Thirty‐two representative soil samples were collected from the root zone of the dominant and common plant species in late May 2004. Twenty‐three AM fungal species representing six genera (Acaulospora, Entrophospora, Glomus, Pacispora, Paraglomus, and Scutellospora) were detected and species richness varied from 5.3 ± 0.8 to 10.5 ± 2.5 per site. Some AM fungal species were restricted to one vegetation type and Glomus mosseae, Glomus intraradices, and Scutellospora calospora were detected in all three vegetation types. Glomus species were found to be the most frequent and abundant in all three vegetation types. Acaulospora occurred mostly in the alpine steppe and alpine meadow. Scutellospora occurred mostly in montane scrub grassland. At the species level, Glomus mosseae was dominant in the montane scrub, Acaulospora laevis and Pacispora scintillans were dominant in the alpine steppe, and Acaulospora laevis, Pacispora scintillans, and Glomus claroideum dominated the alpine meadow. It was evident from the distribution pattern of AM fungi in the different vegetation types that the abundance and diversity of AM fungal species were lowest in the montane scrub grassland than the other two plant communities. Climatic conditions, especially temperatures, and intensity of land use may be the most important factors influencing the AM fungal community.
Fine Mapping of HWC2, a Complementary Hybrid Weakness Gene, and Haplotype Analysis Around the Locus in Rice
Authors: Kuboyama Tsutomu , Saito Toshiya , Matsumoto Takashi , Wu Jianzhong , Kanamori Hiroyuki , Taura Satoru , Sato Muneharu , Marubashi Wataru , Ichitani Katsuyuki
Published: June 2009

Hybrid weakness is a reproductive barrier. In rice, the hybrid weakness caused by two complementary genes––HWC1 and HWC2––has been surveyed extensively. However, their gene products and the molecular mechanism that causes hybrid weakness have remained unknown. We first performed fine mapping of HWC2, narrowing down the area of interest to 19 kb. We thereby identified five candidate genes. Second, we performed haplotype analysis around the HWC2 locus of 33 cultivars. With 15 DNA markers examined, all the 13 Hwc2-1 carriers share the same haplotype for consecutive 14 DNA markers. As for hwc2-2 carriers, five out of 20 have the haplotypes relatively similar to those of Hwc2-1 carriers. However, the other haplotypes differ remarkably from them. These results are useful to identify the HWC2 gene and to study rice varietal differentiation.
Fatty acid composition of lipids in day 7–13 blastocysts, serum and uterine fluid of rabbits
Authors: Tsujii Hirotada , Matsuoka Y. , Obata R. , Hossain M. S. , Takagi Y.
Published: June 2009

Purpose

The fatty acid composition of rabbit blastocysts, blood serum and uterine fluids were analyzed to study embryonic lipid metabolism.

Methods

Embryos were collected from Japanese white rabbits and fatty acids were analyzed by gas chromatograph.

Results

Total amount of fatty acids in blastocysts was higher than that in serum and uterine fluid. The amount of fatty acids in blastocysts markedly decreased during days 7–13 of pregnancy, and in serum had hovered, but in uterine fluid on day 13 was nine times higher than that on day 7 of pregnancy. Palmitic acid predominates in blastocysts, serum and uterine fluid during this period.

Conclusion

Palmitic acid is the most abundant fatty acid in the blastocysts, serum and uterine fluids of rabbit during days 7–13 of pregnancy.
Distinct roles of the two isoforms of the dynamin‐like GTPase Mgm1 in mitochondrial fusion
Authors: Zick Michael , Duvezin-Caubet Stéphane , Schäfer Anja , Vogel Frank , Neupert Walter , Reichert Andreas S.
Published: June 2009

The mitochondrial dynamin‐like GTPase Mgm1 exists as a long (l‐Mgm1) and a short isoform (s‐Mgm1). They both are essential for mitochondrial fusion. Here we show that the isoforms interact in a homotypic and heterotypic manner. Their submitochondrial distribution between inner boundary membrane and cristae was markedly different. Overexpression of l‐Mgm1 exerts a dominant negative effect on mitochondrial fusion. A functional GTPase domain is required only in s‐Mgm1 but not in l‐Mgm1. We propose that l‐Mgm1 acts primarily as an anchor in the inner membrane that in concert with the GTPase activity of s‐Mgm1 mediates the fusion of inner membranes.
Ubiquitin ligase Cbl‐b sensitizes leukemia and gastric cancer cells to anthracyclines by activating the mitochondrial pathway and modulating Akt and ERK survival signals
Authors: Qu Xiujuan , Zhang Ye , Li Yingchun , Hu Xuejun , Xu Yingying , Xu Ling , Hou Kezou , Sada Kiyonao , Liu Yunpeng
Published: June 2009

The present study reported that the ubiquitin ligase Cbl‐b was up‐regulated during anthracycline‐induced apoptosis in two cell lines, RBL‐2H3 leukemia cells and MGC803 gastric cancer cells. Overexpression of Cbl‐b strongly promoted the cytotoxic and apoptosis‐inducing effects of anthracyclines, while a dominant negative (DN) Cbl‐b mutation abolished these effects in both cell lines. Further investigation revealed that mitochondrial depolarization was enhanced by Cbl‐b and decreased by Cbl‐b (DN) in RBL‐2H3 cells. Moreover, overexpression of Cbl‐b significantly suppressed ERK activation, and Cbl‐b (DN) strongly enhanced both ERK and Akt activation. Altogether, these results indicate that Cbl‐b sensitized both leukemia and gastric cancer cells to anthracyclines by activating the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and modulating the ERK and Akt survival pathways.
Subcellular localization of rice histone deacetylases in organelles
Authors: Chung Pil Joong , Kim Youn Shic , Park Su-Hyun , Nahm Baek Hie , Kim Ju-Kon
Published: June 2009

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are known to function in the nucleus. Here, we report on the organellar localization of three rice HDACs, OsSIR2b, OsHDAC6, and OsHDAC10. The 35S:OsSIR2b‐GFP and 35S:OsHDAC10‐GFP constructs were introduced into tobacco BY2 cells. Co‐localization analysis of the green fluorescent protein and MitoTracker fluorescent signals in the transformed BY2 cells indicated that OsSIR2b and OsHDAC10 are localized in the mitochondria. Transgenic Arabidopsis lines harboring 35S:OsHDAC6‐GFP and 35S:OsHDAC10‐GFP constructs were similarly analyzed, revealing that OsHDAC6‐GFP is localized exclusively in chloroplasts, whereas OsHDAC10‐GFP is localized in both mitochondria and chloroplasts. The presence of OsHDAC6‐GFP and OsHDAC10‐GFP in chloroplasts was verified by immunodetection.
Autophagy in tumour suppression and promotion
Authors: Brech Andreas , Ahlquist Terje , Lothe Ragnhild A. , Stenmark Harald
Published: June 2009

Autophagy, a well‐described cellular mechanism for lysosomal degradation of cytoplasmic content, has emerged as a tumour suppression pathway. Recent evidence indicates that the tumour suppressor function of autophagy is mediated by scavenging of damaged oxidative organelles, thereby preventing accumulation of toxic oxygen radicals that would cause genome instability. Paradoxically, however, in some cases autophagy can also promote the survival of cancer cells once tumours have developed. This is attributed to the ability of autophagy to promote cell survival under conditions of poor nutrient supply, as often faced by solid tumours and metastasising cancer cells. In addition, autophagy is frequently upregulated in tumours as a response to therapy and may protect tumours against therapy‐induced apoptosis. In this review we discuss the mechanisms that link autophagy to tumour suppression and promotion and provide examples of the dual functions of autophagy in cancer.