bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Controlled Trial of Ligation Plus Nadolol Versus Nadolol Alone for the Prevention of First Variceal Bleeding
Authors: Lo Gin-Ho , Chen Wen-Chi , Wang Huay-Min , Lee Ching-Chang
Published: February 2010

Both nadolol and ligation have proved to be effective in the prophylaxis of first variceal bleeding. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects and safety of combining nadolol with ligation. Cirrhotic patients with high-risk esophageal varices but without a bleeding history were considered for enrolment. Eligible patients were randomized to receive band ligation plus nadolol (Combined group, 70 patients) or nadolol alone (Nadolol group, 70 patients). In the Combined group multiligators were applied. Patients received regular ligation treatment at an interval of 4 weeks until variceal obliteration. Nadolol was administered at a dose to reduce 25% of the pulse rate in both the Combined group and the Nadolol group. Both groups were comparable in baseline data. In the Combined group 50 patients (71%) achieved variceal obliteration. The mean dose of nadolol was 52 ± 16 mg in the Combined group and 56 ± 19 mg in the Nadolol group. During a median follow-up of 26 months, 18 patients (26%) in the Combined group and 13 patients (18%) in the Nadolol group experienced upper gastrointestinal bleeding (

P

= NS). Esophageal variceal bleeding occurred in 10 patients (14%) in the Combined group and nine patients (13%) in the Nadolol group (

P

= NS). Adverse events were noted in 48 patients (68%) in the Combined group and 28 patients (40%) in the Nadolol group (

P

= 0.06). Sixteen patients in each group died.

Conclusion:

The addition of ligation to nadolol may increase adverse events and did not enhance effectiveness in the prophylaxis of first variceal bleeding. (Hepatology 2010)
Liver Sinusoidal Endothelium: A Microenvironment-Dependent Differentiation Program in Rat Including the Novel Junctional Protein Liver Endothelial Differentiation-Associated Protein-1
Authors: Géraud Cyrill , Schledzewski Kai , Demory Alexandra , Klein Diana , Kaus Miriam , Peyre Francis , Sticht Carsten , Evdokimov Konstantin , Lu Shun , Schmieder Astrid , Goerdt Sergij
Published: February 2010

Liver sinusoidal endothelium (LSEC) is a prime example of organ-specific microvascular differentiation and functions. Disease-associated capillarization of LSEC

in vivo

and dedifferentiation of LSEC

in vitro

indicate the importance of the hepatic microenvironment. To identify the LSEC-specific molecular differentiation program in the rat we used a two-sided gene expression profiling approach comparing LSEC freshly isolated

ex vivo

with both lung microvascular endothelial cells (LMEC) and with LSEC cultured for 42 hours. The LSEC signature consisted of 48 genes both down-regulated in LMEC and in LSEC upon culture (fold change >7 in at least one comparison); quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction confirmation of these genes included numerous family members and signaling pathway-associated molecules. The LSEC differentiation program comprised distinct sets of growth (Wnt2, Fzd4, 5, 9, Wls, vascular endothelial growth factors [VEGFR] 1, 2, 3, Nrp2) and transcription factors (Gata4, Lmo3, Tcfec, Maf) as well as endocytosis-related (Stabilin-1/2, Lyve1, and Ehd3) and cytoskeleton-associated molecules (Rnd3/RhoE). Specific gene induction in cultured LSEC versus freshly isolated LSEC as well as LMEC (Esm-1, Aatf) and up-regulation of gene expression to LMEC levels (CXCR4, Apelin) confirmed true transdifferentiation of LSEC

in vitro

. In addition, our analysis identified a novel 26-kDa single-pass transmembrane protein, liver endothelial differentiation-associated protein (Leda)-1, that was selectively expressed in all liver endothelial cells and preferentially localized to the abluminal cell surface. Upon forced overexpression in MDCK cells, Leda-1 was sorted basolaterally to E-cadherin-positive adherens junctions, suggesting functional involvement in cell adhesion and polarity.

Conclusion:

Comparative microvascular analysis in rat identified a hepatic microenvironment-dependent LSEC-specific differentiation program including the novel junctional molecule Leda-1. Hepatology 2010
Heat transfer enhancement by using a rectangular wing vortex generator on the triangular shaped fins of a plate‐fin heat exchanger
Authors: Sachdeva Gulshan , Kasana K.S. , Vasudevan R.
Published: February 2010

The present numerical analysis pertains to the heat transfer enhancement in a plate‐fin heat exchanger employing triangular shaped fins with a rectangular wing vortex generator on its slant surfaces. The study has been carried out for three different angles of attack of the wing, i.e., 15°, 20° and 26°. The aspect ratio of the wing is not varied with its angle of attack. The flow considered herein is laminar, incompressible, and viscous with the Reynolds number not exceeding 200. The pressure and the velocity components are obtained by solving the continuity and the Navier– Stokes equations by the Marker and Cell method. The present analysis reveals that the use of a rectangular wing vortex generator at an attack angle of 26° results in about a 35% increase in the combined spanwise average Nusselt number as compared to the plate‐triangular fin heat exchanger without any vortex generator. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20285
Enhancement of condensation on a vertical plate (2nd report, prediction of condensation on a dispersed finned surface)
Authors: Chu Rencai , Hatanaka Tsutomu , Nishio Shigefumi
Published: February 2010

In this study, a prediction model for condensation heat transfer on a vertical dispersed finned surface was proposed, utilizing the Adamek‐Webb model for condensation heat transfer outside a horizontal finned tube. The prediction model was based on two main experimental observation results. One is the phenomena of the condensate retention at the bottom of each row of the dispersed fin. Another is the offset phenomena of the condensate flow between each row of the dispersed fin. Given the results by the present model, it is predicted that the dependence of the condensation heat transfer coefficient for the dispersed finned surface on the fin pitch is controlled mainly by the dispersed fin length, not the total fin length. On the contrary, for a different fin pitch, the effect to the condensation heat transfer by dispersing the fin is different. From comparison with the experiment results, it is confirmed that the present model was able to predict the condensation with extremely good precision when the fin pitch was larger. Further, when the fin pitch was smaller, the predicted values were higher than the experimental values, but the tendency of the condensation heat transfer with dispersing the fin was nearly predicted. In addition, this condensing model can predict the experimental values with an error of 25% at the maximum in a range of fin pitch 0.6 mm to 1 mm. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20288
Friction and wear behavior of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene as a function of crystallinity in the presence of the phospholipid dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine
Authors: Bruck Angela L. , Kanaga Karuppiah K. S. , Sundararajan Sriram , Wang Jun , Lin Zhiqun
Published: February 2010

In this study, the friction and wear behavior of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) were evaluated as a function of polymer crystallinity in the presence of the phospholipid dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) dissolved in ethanol. Samples of UHMWPE were separately heat treated to get high and low crystallinity samples. Degree of crystallinity was evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry. Quantitative friction and wear experiments were conducted using a custom‐made microtribometer with commercially available spherical Si3N4 probes in controlled and phospholipid‐dissolved lubricants. The higher crystallinity sample exhibited slightly lower friction than the lower crystallinity in the control and decreased significantly when phospholipids were present. The higher crystallinity sample showed a higher wear resistance than the lower crystallinity sample during all reciprocating wear tests. DPPC acting as a lubricant had a marginal effect on the wear resistance of high crystallinity UHMWPE, whereas the low crystallinity sample became more prone to wear. Atomic force microscopy topography images and contact angle measurements of both samples before and after phospholipid exposure indicate that the higher crystallinity sample absorbed a greater density of DPPC. Increasing crystallinity is a way of escalating adsorption of surface active phospholipids onto UHMWPE to make it a more wear‐resistant load‐bearing material for total joint replacements. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2010
The effect of water on particle size, porosity and the rate of drug release from implanted titania reservoirs
Authors: Lopez Tessy , Ortiz Emma , Alexander‐Katz Roberto , Odriozola Jose A. , Quintana Patricia , Gonzalez Richard D. , Lottici Pier Paolo , Marino Iari G.
Published: February 2010

The implantation of controlled drug release devices represents a new strategy in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. Sol–gel titania implants filled with valproic acid, have been used for this purpose to treat induced epilepsy in rats. The kinetics of the drug release depend on: (a) porosity, (b) chemical interactions between valproic acid and surface hydroxyl groups of titania, (c) particle size, and (d) particle size agglomerates. The concentration of water used in the hydrolysis reaction is an important variable in the degree of porosity, hydroxylation, and structural defects of the nanostructured titanium oxide reservoir. The titanium n‐butoxide/water ratio was systematically varied during the sol–gel synthesis, while maintaining the amount of valproic acid constant. Characterization studies were performed using DTA‐TGA, FTIR, Raman, TEM, SEM, BET, and in vitro release kinetic measurements. The particle agglomerate size and porosity were found to depend on the amount of water used in the sol–gel reaction. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2010
Mechanisms of norbornadiene dimerization to Binor‐S using cationic CoI, RhI, and IrI catalysts
Authors: Wu Yong , Jin Lu , Xue Ying , Lee Ik‐Mo , Kim Chan Kyung
Published: February 2010

We investigated the transition metal‐catalyzed reaction mechanisms of NBD dimerization to Binor‐S using cationic CoI, RhI, and IrI catalysts, using mPW1PW91, mPW1K, and B3LYP density functional methods. Our results indicate that the monomeric metal center has the ability to bind with four double bonds of two NBD molecules with a syn spatial geometry to form a penta‐coordinated complex. We designed three possible pathways, but found two of them blocked. The favored pathway involves three steps from the reactant precursor to the product precursor: the first step is the formation of a single bond to connect two NBD units, the second is the alkene insertion leading to the formation of the three‐membered ring structure, and the final step is the formation of the final product precursor. Orbital analysis showed metal…CC σ agostic interaction in the product precursor, which is in agreement with the previous experimental findings. In addition, we found that the solvent and counter‐ions had significant effects on the dimerization reactions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2010
Removal of heavy metals and cyanide from gold mine wastewater
Authors: Acheampong Mike A. , Meulepas Roel J.W. , Lens Piet N.L.
Published: February 2010

This paper reviews the technology and biotechnology to remove heavy metals (such as copper, arsenic, lead and zinc) and cyanide from contaminated wastewater. The paper places special emphasis on gold mine wastewater and the use of low cost materials as sorbent. Various biological as well as physicochemical treatment processes are discussed and compared on the basis of costs, energy requirement, removal efficiency, limitations and advantages. Sorption using natural plant materials, industrial and agricultural waste has been demonstrated to have the potential to replace conventional methods for the removal of heavy metals because of its cost effectiveness, efficiency and the local availability of these materials as biosorbent. The parameters affecting sorption, such as initial ion concentration, pH, sorbent dosage, particle size and temperature, are discussed. The overall treatment cost of metal and cyanide contaminated wastewater depends on the process employed and the local conditions. In general, technical applicability, cost‐effectiveness and plant simplicity are the key factors in selecting the most suitable treatment method. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Silica‐bonded S‐sulfonic acid as recyclable catalyst for the synthesis of 1,8‐dioxo‐decahydroacridines and 1,8‐dioxo‐octahydroxanthenes
Authors: Niknam Khodabakhsh , Panahi Farhad , Saberi Dariush , Mohagheghnejad Molki
Published: February 2010

magnified image

Silica‐bonded S‐sulfonic acid (SBSSA) has been found to be an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of 1,8‐dioxo‐decahydroacridines and 1,8‐dioxo‐octahydroxanthenes in excellent yields. The former have been synthesized from aromatic aldehydes, amines, and 5,5‐dimethyl‐1,3‐cyclohexanedione, whereas the latter from this mixture without amines. The method is an easy access to functionalized acridine and xanthene derivatives. The catalyst can be reused. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2010).
Straightforward microwave‐assisted synthesis of 1‐carboxymethyl‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐5‐hydroxy‐4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrazoles under solvent‐free conditions
Authors: Martins Marcos A. P. , Beck Paulo H. , Moreira Dayse N. , Buriol Lilian , Frizzo Clarissa P. , Zanatta Nilo , Bonacorso Helio G.
Published: February 2010

magnified image

An efficient microwave‐assisted synthesis of 1‐carboxymethyl‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐5‐hydroxy‐4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrazoles from the cyclocondensation reaction between enones [CF3C(O)C(R2) = C(R1)(OR), where R2 = H, Me; R1 = H, Me, Et, Pr, i‐Pr, t‐Bu, i‐Bu, Ph, 4‐NO2‐Ph, 4‐Cl‐Ph, 4‐Br‐Ph, 4‐F‐Ph and R = Me, Et] and methyl hydrazinocarboxylate under solvent‐free conditions is reported. This process is an efficient alternative to the traditional thermal heating and furnishes the heterocyclic compounds in good to excellent yields in a short reaction time. To show the versatility of 1‐carboxymethyl‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐5‐hydroxy‐4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrazoles, dehydration reactions of these compounds are also demonstrated. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2010).
Effect of municipal solid waste compost and sewage sludge use on wheat (Triticum durum): growth, heavy metal accumulation, and antioxidant activity
Authors: Lakhdar Abdelbasset , Iannelli Maria Adelaide , Debez Ahmed , Massacci Angelo , Jedidi Naceur , Abdelly Chedly
Published: February 2010

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate utilisation of biosolids may adversely impact agrosystem productivity. Here, we address the response of wheat (Triticum durum) to different doses (0, 40, 100, 200 and 300 t ha−1) of either municipal solid waste (MSW) compost or sewage sludge in a greenhouse pot experiment. Plant growth, heavy metal uptake, and antioxidant activity were considered.

RESULTS: Biomass production of treated plants was significantly enhanced at 40 t ha−1 and 100 t ha−1 of MSW compost (+48% and +78% relative to the control, respectively). At the same doses of sewage sludge, the increase was only 18%. Higher doses of both biosolids restricted significantly the plant growth, in concomitance with the significant accumulation of heavy metals (Ni2+, Pb2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+), especially in leaves. Leaf activities of antioxidant enzymes (ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, catalase and superoxide dismutase) were unchanged at 40 t ha−1 MSW compost or sewage sludge, but were significantly stimulated at higher doses (200–300 t ha−1), together with higher leaf concentration of reduced glutathione.

CONCLUSION: This preliminary study suggests that a MSW supply at moderate doses (100 t ha−1) could be highly beneficial for wheat productivity. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Solar cell efficiency tables (version 35)
Authors: Green Martin A. , Emery Keith , Hishikawa Yoshihiro , Warta Wilhelm
Published: February 2010

Consolidated tables showing an extensive listing of the highest independently confirmed efficiencies for solar cells and modules are presented. Guidelines for inclusion of results into these tables are outlined and new entries since July 2009 are reviewed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
De‐stigmatising human papillomavirus in the context of cervical cancer: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Kwan Tracy T. C. , Tam Kar‐fai , Lee Peter W. H. , Lo Sue S. T. , Chan Karen K. L. , Ngan Hextan Y. S.
Published: February 2010

Objective: To identify the components of a human papillomavirus (HPV) message contributing to reducing the stigma of HPV in cervical cancer.

Methods: 294 ethnic Chinese women attending a community‐based clinic in Hong Kong were randomly allocated to read one of three written HPV messages: Group ‘lr+hrHPV’: low‐risk and high‐risk HPVs facts, Group ‘hrHPV’: high‐risk HPV facts only and Group ‘ds+hrHPV’: high‐risk HPV facts and de‐stigmatising components, namely being anti‐stereotypical, motivational and low in complexity. Main outcome measures were high‐risk HPV‐related sexual stigma, knowledge, attitude towards message, and intention to be HPV‐tested measured by self‐administered questionnaires immediately before and after reading.

Results: Message allocation had a significant effect on sexual stigma (F=5.219, p=0.006). Participants who read message ds+hrHPV showed the least stigma, and were significantly less likely to believe that high‐risk HPV infection implicated promiscuity, non‐monogamy or that monogamy offered complete protection against high‐risk HPV. The genital HPV‐focused message was more stigmatising than cervical cancer‐focused messages. Of all participants, 93% (237/254) and 97% (260/269) indicated a positive intention to be HPV‐tested before and after reading, respectively. There were no between‐group differences noted in terms of knowledge and intention to be HPV‐tested before or after reading.

Conclusions: Our findings show that an HPV message containing specific de‐stigmatising components may reduce public stigma towards high‐risk HPV. Also, focusing solely on high‐risk HPV in the context of cervical cancer helps to avoid the stigmatising effect of genital warts from tainting perceptions about high‐risk HPV infection. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Manganese as Fuel in Slow‐Burning Pyrotechnic Time Delay Compositions
Authors: Swanepoel Darren , Del Fabbro Olinto , Focke Walter W. , Conradie Corrie
Published: February 2010

Manganese metal was evaluated as a fuel for slow‐burning delay compositions press‐filled in aluminium or compaction‐rolled in lead tubes. Oxides of antimony, bismuth, copper, manganese and vanadium were considered as oxidants. Measured burn rates for binary mixtures varied between 5 and 22 mm s−1 but slower burning ternary and quaternary compositions were also found. The addition of fumed silica to the Mn/MnO2 system had little effect on the propagation rate but a low level addition of hollow glass sphere significantly reduced the burn rate. MnMnO2 mixtures showed reliable burning over a wide stoichiometric range. In this system the fuel and the oxidant share a common metal. They combine to form the more stable intermediate oxide (MnO) releasing considerable quantities of heat in the process.
Light hidden‐sector U(1)s in string compactifications
Authors: Goodsell M. , Ringwald A.
Published: February 2010

We review the case for light U(1) gauge bosons in the hidden‐sector of heterotic and type II string compactifications, present estimates of the size of their kinetic mixing with the visible‐sector hypercharge U(1), and discuss their possibly very interesting phenomenological consequences in particle physics and cosmology.
Transparent conducting thin films by co‐sputtering of ZnO‐ITO targets
Authors: Carreras Paz , Antony Aldrin , Roldán Rubén , Nos Oriol , Frigeri Paolo Antonio , Asensi José Miguel , Bertomeu Joan
Published: February 2010

Transparent and conductive Zn‐In‐Sn‐O (ZITO) amorphous thin films have been deposited at room temperature by the rf magnetron co‐sputtering of ITO and ZnO targets. Co‐sputtering gives the possibility to deposit multicomponent oxide thin films with different compositions by varying the power to one of the targets. In order to make ZITO films with different Zn content, a constant rf power of 50 W was used for the ITO target, where as the rf power to ZnO target was varied from 25 W to 150 W. The as deposited films showed an increase in Zn content ratio from 17 to 67% as the power to ZnO target was increased from 25 to 150 W. The structural, electrical and optical properties of the as deposited films are reported. The films showed an average transmittance over 80% in the visible wavelength range. The electrical resistivity and optical band gap of the ZITO films were found to depend on the Zn content in the film. The ZITO films deposited at room temperature with lower Zn content ratios showed better optical transmission and electrical properties compared to ITO film. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Dependence of transport properties in tunnel junction on boron doping
Authors: Shi M. J. , Zeng X. B. , Liu S. Y. , Peng W. B , Xiao H. B , Liao X. B. , Wang Z. G. , Kong G. L.
Published: February 2010

Boron‐doped hydrogenated silicon films with different gaseous doping ratio (B2H6/SiH4) were fabricated as recombination p layers in tunnel junctions. The measurements of I‐V characteristics of the junctions and transparency spectra of p layer indicated that the best gaseous doping ratio of the recombination layer is 0.04, which is correlated to the degradation of short range order (SRO) in the inserted p thin film. The junction with such recombination layer has small resistance, near ohmic contact. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Variation of the Fermi level in n‐type microcrystalline silicon by electron bombardment and successive annealing: ESR and conductivity studies
Authors: Astakhov Oleksandr , Carius Reinhard , Petrusenko Yuri , Borysenko Valeriy , Barankov Dmytro , Finger Friedhelm
Published: February 2010

ESR and conductivity studies have been preformed on μc‐Si:H exposed to 2 MeV electron bombardment and successive annealing in order to investigate the influence of the defect density on the electronic properties of n‐type μc‐Si:H. With this approach one can vary the defect density in one and the same sample and directly deduce its influence on the electronic properties. The defect density is varied by 2 orders of magnitude with strong influence on the dark conductivity and electron spin resonance (ESR) properties. The relationship of ESR and conductivity data obtained over the whole defect density range is in agreement with the data obtained on the sets of samples deposited with different doping level. The results indicate that the Fermi level position in μc‐Si:H is defined by a balance of defect and donor states densities regardless of which of these quantities is varied. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Thin film silicon deposited at 100 °C by VHF PECVD: optoelectronic properties and incorporation in solar cells
Authors: Brinza Monica , Rath Jatindra K. , Schropp Ruud E. I.
Published: February 2010

This paper explores the possibility of producing amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon using very high frequency PECVD at a low substrate temperature of 123 °C at high deposition rate of 0.4‐0.7 nm/s. The quality of these amorphous layers remains similar to that obtained in layers deposited at low deposition rate of 0.1 nm/s. The amorphous‐to‐nanocrystalline transition is sensitive to deposition chamber history. The microstructure parameter of the best nanocrystalline layers amounts to 0.4. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Effects of dams in river networks on fish assemblages in non‐impoundment sections of rivers in Michigan and Wisconsin, USA
Authors: Wang Lizhu , Infante Dana , Lyons John , Stewart Jana , Cooper Arthur
Published: February 2010

Regional assessment of cumulative impacts of dams on riverine fish assemblages provides resource managers essential information for dam operation, potential dam removal, river health assessment and overall ecosystem management. Such an assessment is challenging because characteristics of fish assemblages are not only affected by dams, but also influenced by natural variation and human‐induced modification (in addition to dams) in thermal and flow regimes, physicochemical habitats and biological assemblages. This study evaluated the impacts of dams on river fish assemblages in the non‐impoundment sections of rivers in the states of Michigan and Wisconsin using multiple fish assemblage indicators and multiple approaches to distinguish the influences of dams from those of other natural and human‐induced factors. We found that environmental factors that influence fish assemblages in addition to dams should be incorporated when evaluating regional effects of dams on fish assemblages. Without considering such co‐influential factors, the evaluation is inadequate and potentially misleading. The role of dams alone in determining fish assemblages at a regional spatial scale is relatively small (explained less than 20% of variance) compared with the other environmental factors, such as river size, flow and thermal regimes and land uses jointly. However, our results do demonstrate that downstream and upstream dams can substantially modify fish assemblages in the non‐impoundment sections of rivers. After excluding river size and land‐use influences, our results clearly demonstrate that dams have significant impacts on fish biotic‐integrity and habitat‐and‐social‐preference indicators. The influences of the upstream dams, downstream dams, distance to dams, and dam density differ among the fish indicators, which have different implications for maintaining river biotic integrity, protecting biodiversity and managing fisheries. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modified Dynamic Gracilis Neosphincter for Fecal Incontinence: An Analysis of Functional Outcome at a Single Institution
Authors: Hassan M. Z. M. , Rathnayaka M. M. G. , Deen K. I.
Published: February 2010

Background

We undertook a prospective longitudinal study of patients with end‐stage fecal incontinence who were undergoing transposition of the gracilis muscle as a neo‐anal sphincter with external low‐frequency electrical stimulation of the nerve to the gracilis combined with biofeedback.

Methods

A total of 31 patients (21 male, 10 female: median age: 22 years; range: 4–77 years) underwent this procedure for treatment of traumatic disruption (11 patients, 35%), congenital atresia (11 patients, 35%), iatrogenic injury (6–20%), and perineal sepsis (3 patients, 10%). The gracilis muscle was transposed at operation in an alpha or gamma configuration. Low‐frequency (7 Hz) transcutaneous electrical stimulation commenced 2 weeks after operation and was continued for up to 12 weeks. Biofeedback therapy, which consisted of supervised neosphincter squeeze exercises, commenced simultaneously and continued for up to 28 weeks. Outcome was assessed by clinical examination, anal manometry, the Cleveland Clinic Florida continence score (CCFS), and the Rockwood quality of life scale (FIQL). Successful outcome was defined by improvement in clinical outcome, patient satisfaction, a positive result on anal manometry, and/or CCFS < 9, or FIQL ≥ 4.

Results

At median follow‐up of 67 months, overall improvement was seen in 22 (71%). Maximum resting pressure (MRP) and maximum squeeze pressure (MSP) improved significantly after operation [MRP pre versus post, mean (SD), cm water—13.8 (9.6) versus 20.9 (11.3); P = 0.01; and MSP 36.6 (22.4) versus 95.4 (71.2), P = 0.001]. In a subset of 18 patients who showed improvement after operation, the CCFS score (mean, SD) improved from 19.2 (3.4) to 5.2 (5.6); P = 0.0001. FIQL (mean, SD) showed significant improvement in all four domains in 14 patients who reported improvement since the year 2000.

Conclusions

A modified dynamic gracilis neoanal sphincter for end‐stage fecal incontinence helps restore and sustain continence with improvement in quality of life in the majority of patients. The procedure was most effective as augmentation in those who had suffered a traumatic injury, when compared with patients with congenital atresia and sepsis that had resulted in loss of the native anal sphincter.
Do seed harvesting ants threaten the viability of a critically endangered non‐myrmecochorous perennial plant population? A complex interaction
Authors: Martínez‐Duro Esmeralda , Ferrandis Pablo , Herranz José M. , Copete Miguel A.
Published: February 2010

This study analyzes the fate of seeds removed by ants, as well as the seed supply, seedling survival, and the ability to form persistent seed banks in the soil, in a critically endangered population of the non‐myrmecochorous perennial halophyteHelianthemum polygonoides, in order to determine the extent to which seed removal by ants represents a real bottleneck for recruitment and thus a threat for long‐term population viability. Apparently, the impact of seed‐harvester ants was dramatic: the primary seed shadow was reduced by up to 93% by the activity ofMessor bouvieriandAphaenogaster dulcineae. However,M. bouvierilost 7% of fruits collected by dropping them on trunk trails, mostly under plant cover, the most propitious microenvironment for recruitment. In addition, some seeds were mistakenly rejected in refuse piles, although here recruitment was extremely low. A significant fraction of seeds (≈40%) remained viable in the soil for over 2 years. In addition,H. polygonoideshad the ability to form short‐term persistent seed banks, in spite of the intense ant seed removal. In general, seedling recruitment was very low, denoting the scarcity of safe sites in the habitat. Overall, the data corroborate that seed removal by ants, although highly intense, does not compromise the viability of perennial‐plant populations, because seed supply and seed reserve in the soil are enough to exploit current and future safe sites. A population viability analysis demonstrated that other threats affecting the survival of reproductiveH. polygonoidesplants actually constitute the real risk for the conservation of this critically endangered species.
Targeted genome-wide investigation identifies novel SNPs associated with diabetic nephropathy
Authors: McKnight Amy Jayne , Currie Diane , Patterson Chris C. , Maxwell Alexander P. , Fogarty Damian G. ,   The Warren 3/UK GoKinD Study Group
Published: February 2010

Loci contributing to complex disease have been identified by focusing on genome-wide scans utilising non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs). We employed Illumina’s HNS12 BeadChip (13,917 high-value SNPs) which was specifically designed to capture nsSNPs and ideally complements more dense genome-wide association studies that fail to consider many of these putatively functional variants. The HNS12 panel also includes 870 tag SNPs covering the major histocompatibility region. All individuals genotyped in this study were Caucasians with (cases) and without (controls) diabetic nephropathy. About 449 individuals with type 2 diabetes (203 cases, 246 controls) were genotyped in the initial study. 1,467 individuals with type 1 diabetes (718 cases, 749 controls) were genotyped in the follow up study. 11,152 SNPs were successfully analysed and ranked for association with diabetic nephropathy based on significance (P) values. The top ranked 32 SNPs were subsequently genotyped using MassARRAY iPLEX™ and TaqMan technologies to investigate association of these polymorphisms with nephropathy in individuals with type 1 diabetes. The top ranked nsSNP, rs1543547 (P = 10−5), is located in RAET1L, a major histocompatibility class I-related gene at 6q25.1. Of particular interest, multiple nsSNPs within the top ranked (0.2%) SNPs are within several plausible candidate genes for nephropathy on 3q21.3 and 6p21.3.
Soviet Nostalgia and Russian Politics
Authors: White Stephen
Published: February 2010

Communist rule did not end suddenly in 1989, or in 1991. And for many, at least in Russia, there was no radical break but a complex evolution in which many of the former ruling group, and many of the values of the Soviet period, remained intact. According to the evidence of national representative surveys, levels of support for the principle of a union state have consistently been very high. In 2008 survey, more than half (57%) largely or entirely agreed that the demise of the USSR had been a ‘disaster’, and nearly two-thirds (64%) thought the former Soviet republics that had established a Commonwealth of Independent States should reconstitute a single state or at least cooperate more closely. Across the three Slavic republics, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, it was guaranteed employment that was seen as the most positive feature of the old regime, and economic stagnation as its most serious shortcoming. Comparing the present and the Soviet period as they recalled it, ordinary Russians thought they had more opportunity to practise a religion, and to express their opinions. But ordinary people had (in their own view) no more influence over the making of public policy than in the communist period, and they thought they were less likely to be treated fairly and equally by government. Age and living standards were the most powerful predictors of Soviet nostalgia when other variables were held constant. Nostalgics were much more likely to support parties of the left, or at least those that favoured public ownership, a Soviet or ‘more democratic Soviet’ system of government, and a closer association among the former Soviet republics; they were much less likely to support the parties that favoured the dissolution of the CIS, a wholly market economy, or Western-style democracy.
Effects of epigallocatechin gallate on regulatory T cell number and function in obese v. lean volunteers
Authors: Yun Jung-Mi , Jialal Ishwarlal , Devaraj Sridevi
Published: February 2010

Obesity predisposes to an increased incidence of diabetes and CVD. Also, obesity is a pro-inflammatory state. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are essential negative regulators of inflammation and are down-regulated in pro-inflammatory states. Animal models of obesity are associated with decreased Tregs. The dietary modulation of Tregs could be used as a therapeutic strategy to control inflammation. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a potent anti-inflammatory agent and an active ingredient of green tea and is suggested to have a role as a preventive agent in obesity, diabetes and CVD. The role of EGCG in the modulation of Tregs has, however, not been studied. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine the effect of EGCG on the number and function of Tregs in obese and lean human subjects in vitro, and to delineate its specific regulation mechanisms. Tregs were isolated from normal-weight and obese subjects. Tregs were cultured in the absence or presence of EGCG (20 μm) for 24 h. Foxp3-expressing Tregs were enumerated using flow cytometry. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity and nuclear NF-κBp65 level were measured by ELISA and Western blots. Obese subjects had lower Tregs and IL-10 production than lean subjects. EGCG treatment significantly enhanced the number of Foxp3-expressing Tregs and IL-10 production in vitro (P < 0·05) in both groups. Also, EGCG decreased NF-κB activity and increased HDAC activity and HDAC-2 expression in Tregs (P < 0·05) in both groups. Thus, in part, EGCG enhances the functionality of Tregs, i.e. IL-10 production and number by suppressing the NF-κB signalling pathway via inducing epigenetic changes.
Attachment patterns of homeless youth: Choices of stress and confusion
Authors: Kang Min Ju , Glassman Michael
Published: February 2010

This commentary explores the reproductive strategies and attachment patterns among homeless youths. Del Giudice's integrated evolutionary model is applied to a homeless youth population that must function in ecological settings of constant high risk and stress. Different reproductive needs result in different patterns of high-risk behaviors. Intervention considering the sex differences, life history, and early caregiver–child relationships is suggested.
English as a trademark of modernity and elitism
Authors: Hasanova D.
Published: February 2010

A case study of the presence of English in shop and service names in Post-Soviet Uzbekistan. The use of English as a trademark of modernity and elitism in the commercial contexts in Uzbekistan is a new phenomenon which has emerged as Uzbekistan entered the global village as an independent and developing country in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union. While during the Cold War (1947–1991) and the Soviet era by and large, English was considered ‘the language of Western imperialism’ (Dushku, 1998), today it is seen as a symbol of advanced education, modernity, prestige, and elitism. In order to have a better understanding of how common and widespread English is on the streets and commercial contexts of Uzbekistan, this study examines the use of written English in shop signs and different service names.

Uzbekistan, the most populous Central Asian country, shares its borders with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan.
English as a foreign language in Azerbaijan: English teaching in the post-Soviet era
Authors: Shafiyeva Ulker , Kennedy Sara
Published: February 2010

During the Soviet era, language teaching methodology in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was premised on promoting a deep knowledge of a language's grammar and vocabulary. To this end, the selection of texts was centrally mandated, and teaching techniques and activities were carefully controlled and monitored. This rigorous approach to language teaching had both benefits and drawbacks for teachers and students. In response to the drawbacks of traditional Soviet methodology, some teachers and teacher trainers in former Soviet republics are currently promoting communicative language teaching, also known as the communicative approach. Communicative language teaching, as opposed to more traditional Soviet teaching methodology, emphasizes learning to use language to communicate rather than learning language solely as a linguistic system. However, the implementation of communicative language teaching has been problematic, for reasons ranging from government policies to teachers' beliefs and training to students' expectations. The purpose of this article is twofold. We first describe important characteristics of traditional Soviet language teaching methodology and the consequences of that methodology for language learning. Then, we explore the challenges of transforming traditional language teaching methodology (for the teaching of English as a foreign language, in particular) in post-Soviet republics, using Azerbaijan as a specific example.
New Ideas for Celestial Navigation in the Third Millennium
Authors: Vulfovich Boris , Fogilev Vasily
Published: February 2010

This paper reports on innovative mathematical and analytical approaches to celestial navigation. Beyond the common-sense recommendation for automation of the calculations, it is necessary to consider the specific algorithms used. The advantages of these new algorithms become evident when navigational practice is extended beyond the usual twilight round of sights or the noon Sun line. But exploiting the full advantages of the algorithms would probably require new software. This leads us to consider the prospects of applying new information technologies to the task of taking celestial observations.
THE STRAIGHT LEFT: SPORT AND THE NATION IN ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
Authors: Kerr Douglas
Published: February 2010

In the last years of the nineteenth century, Arthur Conan Doyle, a prolific writer with a global reputation and readership, was settled with his family at Hindhead in Surrey. In hisMemories and Adventures(M&A) he was to recall this period as an interlude of peace: “The country was lovely. My life was filled with alternate work and sport. As with me so with the nation” (151). This last sentence refers chiefly to the apparent placidity of the time, soon to be rudely spoilt by the outbreak of the South African war, which was to prove a critical and formative testing-ground for Great Britain and for Conan Doyle personally. But the sentence can also refer to the plenitude of a life divided between work and sport, and I will argue that Conan Doyle would be right to claim his experience here as representative of the national life. At the end of the century which invented modern sport, Conan Doyle's enthusiastic participation in sports, his writing about the subject, and his understanding of sporting culture have a great deal to tell us about Victorian Britain. As with him, so with the nation.
BROWNING BELIEVING: “A DEATH IN THE DESERT” AND THE STATUS OF BELIEF
Authors: Loesberg Jonathan
Published: February 2010

Some John, we are told, possibly both the Evangelist and the beloved apostle, but, for reasons we will see, possibly only one, the other, or neither, reanimated so his dying words can be recorded by other early Christians, tries to tell those who will now live with no contact with anyone who had contact with Jesus Christ, how they may live with that absence. Although his reanimaters preserve and venerate his words, it's not clear that they actually follow them or even understand them. In the wake of the questions first German Higher Criticism and then more recent work in the 1860s had raised with regard to the historical accuracy of the New Testament, Robert Browning, tries to propose how his contemporaries might believe. At the same time, as a consequence of a definition of how to believe, Browning also suggests how to look at the beliefs of others as expressions of one's condition and situation rather than as assertions whose accuracy it is in our interests to measure: he tells us what a dramatic monologue may show us. With regard to either aim, either with his contemporaries or with his critics, he did no better than John did with the poem's auditors. At least with regard to the issue of how to believe, one watches an odd critical history as readers have become increasingly aware of how completely Browning seems to have accepted the conclusions of the Higher Criticism about the historicity of the gospels, but have refused to accept how completely this meant that his justification for belief wound up reproducing the Higher Critical position about the historical reality of Christianity, with the addition of an epistemologically daring and dangerous justification of willed belief in an object accepted as possibly fictional that gives his ostensible Christianity only the appearance of an orthodoxy it had in fact abandoned.
Partitioning of India‐Eurasia convergence in the Pamir‐Hindu Kush from GPS measurements
Authors: Mohadjer S. , Bendick R. , Ischuk A. , Kuzikov S. , Kostuk A. , Saydullaev U. , Lodi S. , Kakar D. M. , Wasy A. , Khan M. A. , Molnar P. , Bilham R. , Zubovich A. V.
Published: February 2010

Convergence of 29 ± 1 mm/yr between the NW corner of the Indian plate and Asia is accommodated by a combination of thrust and strike‐slip faulting on prominent faults and apparent distributed deformation within the Hindu Kush, Pamir, South Tien Shan and Kohistan Ranges. An upper bound to the slip rate of known faults is obtained by ignoring distributed strain and rotation: convergence occurs on thrust faults north of the Peshawar Basin (13 ± 1 mm/yr) and in the Alai‐South Tien Shan (12 ± 2 mm/yr), and shear on the northeast‐trending northern Chaman‐Gardiz‐Konar system (18 ± 1mm/yr) and the Darvaz‐Karakul fault zone (11 ± 2 mm/yr). Slip rates on the Herat and Talas‐Ferghana faults are small (<2 mm/yr). Shortening not attributable to known active faults occurs within the Hindu Kush and central Pamir (16 ± 2 mm/yr) with concomitant east‐west extension in the latter of 9 ± 2 mm/yr. This diversity of strain styles confirms the importance of mechanical heterogeneity to continental tectonics and shows that the Pamir, although less than half the size, behaves more like Tibet than like a linear belt of localized deformation.
Nonlinear VLF effects in the topside ionosphere
Authors: Mishin E. V. , Starks M. J. , Ginet G. P. , Quinn R. A.
Published: February 2010

The Demeter satellite observed intense broadband lower‐ and upper‐hybrid electrostatic waves and plasma perturbations associated with high‐power whistler‐mode signals from the very‐low frequency (VLF) transmitter NWC. This paper shows that the Demeter observations can be explained by nonlinear interactions driven by VLF pump waves, thereby suggesting that nonlinear effects are responsible for energy losses of high‐power VLF signals in the ionosphere.
Role of nuclear factor κB in cardiovascular health and disease
Authors: van der Heiden Kim , Cuhlmann Simon , Luong Le A. , Zakkar Mustafa , Evans Paul C.
Published: February 2010

Cardiovascular pathologies are still the primary cause of death worldwide. The molecular mechanisms behind these pathologies have not been fully elucidated. Unravelling them will bring us closer to therapeutic strategies to prevent or treat cardiovascular disease. One of the major transcription factors that has been linked to both cardiovascular health and disease is NF-κB (nuclear factor κB). The NF-κB family controls multiple processes, including immunity, inflammation, cell survival, differentiation and proliferation, and regulates cellular responses to stress, hypoxia, stretch and ischaemia. It is therefore not surprising that NF-κB has been shown to influence numerous cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis, myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury, ischaemic preconditioning, vein graft disease, cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. The function of NF-κB is largely dictated by the genes that it targets for transcription and varies according to stimulus and cell type. Thus NF-κB has divergent functions and can protect cardiovascular tissues from injury or contribute to pathogenesis depending on the cellular and physiological context. The present review will focus on recent studies on the function of NF-κB in the cardiovascular system.
High-intensity ion sources for accelerators with emphasis on H− beam formation and transport (invited)
Authors: Keller R.
Published: February 2010

This paper lays out the fundamental working principles of a variety of high-current ion sources for accelerators in a tutorial manner, and gives examples of specific source types such as dc discharge-driven and rf-driven multicusp sources, Penning-type, and electron cyclotron resonance-based sources while discussing those principles, pointing out general performance limits as well as the performance parameters of specific sources. Laser-based, two-chamber, and surface-ionization sources are briefly mentioned. Main aspects of this review are particle feed, ionization mechanism, beam formation, and beam transport. Issues seen with beam formation and low-energy transport of negative hydrogen-ion beams are treated in detail.