bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The implementation of anaerobic digestion of food waste in a highly populated urban area: an LCA evaluation
Authors: Grosso Mario , Nava Chiara , Testori Roberta , Rigamonti Lucia , Viganò Federico
Published: September 2012

While source separation of waste packaging materials for recycling is well established in several metropolitan areas, the collection of food waste from the households is less widespread because of its more difficult implementation. Source segregation of food waste in densely populated areas is raising new interest, as the availability of biogas following its anaerobic digestion (AD) paves the road to a number of possibilities, from electric energy production to its upgrading to biomethane and subsequent feeding in to the natural gas network or in vehicles as a fuel. The study addresses this waste management option by analysing a real metropolitan situation where food waste currently ends up mixed with the residual waste in a waste-to-energy plant (WTE). We assume to establish a new collection scheme for household food waste, followed by its treatment in a new AD and post-composting facility. A comparative life cycle assessment was carried out, where possible synergies between the existing WTE plant and the new one were evaluated. All new scenarios based on AD attained similar or better results compared with the reference scenario for almost all of the impact indicators. The most robust indication is related to global warming potential, with a potential improvement of up to 37%. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to assess the effect of the variation of the most relevant parameters. Results have proven to be very sensible to the hypothesis on the type of substituted electric energy. All the other examined sensitivities resulted in variations well below 10%.
An analytical framework and tool (‘InteRa’) for integrating the informal recycling sector in waste and resource management systems in developing countries
Authors: Velis Costas A , Wilson David C , Rocca Ondina , Smith Stephen R , Mavropoulos Antonis , Cheeseman Chris R
Published: September 2012

In low- and middle-income developing countries, the informal (collection and) recycling sector (here abbreviated IRS) is an important, but often unrecognised, part of a city’s solid waste and resources management system. Recent evidence shows recycling rates of 20–30% achieved by IRS systems, reducing collection and disposal costs. They play a vital role in the value chain by reprocessing waste into secondary raw materials, providing a livelihood to around 0.5% of urban populations. However, persisting factual and perceived problems are associated with IRS (waste-picking): occupational and public health and safety (H&S), child labour, uncontrolled pollution, untaxed activities, crime and political collusion. Increasingly, incorporating IRS as a legitimate stakeholder and functional part of solid waste management (SWM) is attempted, further building recycling rates in an affordable way while also addressing the negatives. Based on a literature review and a practitioner’s workshop, here we develop a systematic framework—or typology—for classifying and analysing possible interventions to promote the integration of IRS in a city’s SWM system. Three primary interfaces are identified: between the IRS and the SWM system, the materials and value chain, and society as a whole; underlain by a fourth, which is focused on organisation and empowerment. To maximise the potential for success, IRS integration/inclusion/formalisation initiatives should consider all four categories in a balanced way and pay increased attention to their interdependencies, which are central to success, including specific actions, such as the IRS having access to source separated waste. A novel rapid evaluation and visualisation tool is presented— integration radar (diagram) or InterRa—aimed at illustrating the degree to which a planned or existing intervention considers each of the four categories. The tool is further demonstrated by application to 10 cases around the world, including a step-by-step guide.
Study on curing kinetics of a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A epoxy resin/microencapsulated curing agent system
Authors: Fang Wang , Jun Xiao , Jing-wen Wang , Shu-qin Li
Published: September 2012

A modified imidazole curing agent, EMI-g-BGE, was encapsulated for one-package of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy resin system. Polyetherimide (PEI) was used as the wall material, and the emulsion solvent evaporation method was used to form the microcapsules. The morphology and particle size distribution of microcapsules were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mastersizer analyzer. Microcapsules exhibited spherical shapes and the mean particle size was about 745 nm. The curing kinetic of DGEBA/microcapsules curing agent was studied by nonisothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique at different heating rates. Dynamic DSC scans indicated the microcapsule was an effective curing agent of epoxy resin. The apparent activation energy Ea was 88.03 kJ/mol calculated through Kissinger method, more than DGEBA/EMI-g-BGE system. This microcapsule of EMI-g-BGE exhibited a long shelf life, and the curing did not occur in this epoxy-microcapsule resin system for more than 3months at room temperature. The kinetic parameters were determined by Málek method and a two-parameter ( m, n) autocatalytic model (Šesták–Berggren equation) was found to be the most adequate selected kinetic model, which showed the encapsulation of the curing agent EMI-g-BGE did not change the cure reaction mechanism of the epoxy resin system. From the experimental data, the nonisothermal DSC curves show the results being in accordant with those theoretically calculated.
Study of the nanostructuration capacity of some azopolymers with rigid or flexible chains
Authors: Sava Ion , Hurduc Nicolae , Sacarescu Liviu , Apostol Ileana , Damian Victor
Published: September 2012

Azobenzene polymers have been the subject of intensive research due to their unique and unexpected properties that allow various applications triggered by light. One of their attractive features is the possibility of changing the orientation of azobenzene chain through trans-cis-trans photoisomerization cycles to photoinduce birefringerence and linear dichroism in thin polymer films. The photochromic behavior and surface structuring capacity of rigid or flexible polymers having side azobenzene units have been investigated. The polyimides with side azobenzene units have rigid structure, while polysiloxane chains modified with azobenzene groups and nucleobases are considered materials with flexible structure. During the photochromic studies of the investigated polymers, a mechanism concerning the possibility to generate a fluid phase under UV/VIS irradiation was proposed. The photoisomerisation kinetic by UV-Vis irradiation in the solid state compared with the solution and the cis-trans azobenzene relaxation phenomena were presented. The surface structuring capacity of these polymers was studied using a Nd:YAG laser at 355 nm, at different incident fluencies and pulse numbers.
Practical analytical model to predict high-altitude balloon shape and film tension
Authors: Xiong Jun Jiang , Yun Xin Yao , Cheng Xu
Published: September 2012

This article seeks to outline novel simplified model and analytical solution for predicting geometrical shape and film tension of high-altitude balloon. Sphero-conical and ellipsoid-conical models were proposed to depict geometrical configuration of high-altitude balloon subjected to a payload. By considering the effect of atmospheric factors and lifting gas temperature on geometrical shape of balloon, geometrical parameters of equilibrium shape were solved, based on minimum potential energy principle satisfying material constraint. New analytical solution was derived to allow balloon film tensions in meridional and circumferential directions. Finally, new model and its solution were used for predicting geometrical shape and film tension of natural-shape balloon on the ground and on float in stratosphere respectively, demonstrating the practical and effective use of the proposed model.
Deterministic end-to-end delay analysis in an avionics network
Authors: Zhou Hairui , Li Jian , Hu Chengchen , Ji Xiaoqiang , He Lina , Hu Fei
Published: September 2012

Avionics Full DupleX Switched Ethernet is a deterministic communication protocol for distributed embedded real-time applications over asynchronous channels. It is a promising technique that can replace the existing avionics data buses, such as ARINC429 and MIL-STD-1553B. One of the key challenges for deploying and maintaining Avionics Full DupleX Switched Ethernet is to determine the end-to-end transmission delay in such a network. This article aims at handling this challenge effectively applying a completely theoretical analysis. An analytical method based on the network calculus theory is presented in detail to calculate the end-to-end transmission delay in an Avionics Full DupleX Switched Ethernet network, which consists of many interconnect nodes with different scheduling disciplines. Further, this approach is improved by taking into account the effects of source node initial jitter and first in, first out optimization. Additionally, a Matlab/TrueTime simulation platform is constructed to verify the effectiveness of the method. Simulation results show that switches with advanced scheduling algorithms, i.e. static priority scheduling, can significantly improve the delay performance in a multi-hop network.
Voice and choice for users and carers? Developments in patterns of care for older people in Australia, England and Finland
Authors: Yeandle Sue , Kröger Teppo , Cass Bettina
Published: September 2012

This article identifies key trends over the last 20 years in residential and community care for older people in England, Finland and Australia, investigating the extent of ‘de-institutionalisation’, ‘privatisation’ and ‘individualisation’. The concepts of collective and individual ‘voice’ and ‘choice’ are used to interrogate the roles of collective and individual actors, older people and carers, in influencing policy formulation. While these three processes have been pursued by policy-makers in each country, their implementation is illuminated by understanding how ‘voice’ and ‘choice’ have been operationalised – individually and collectively – in each context. In the reshaping of eldercare in the three states, the analysis identifies the greater influence of claims-making by family carers, who provide the informal bastion of formal care services in the push to de-institutionalisation, in comparison with the collective and individual voices of older people as ‘service users’.
Convergent care regimes? Childcare arrangements in Australia, Canada, Finland and Sweden
Authors: Mahon Rianne , Anttonen Anneli , Bergqvist Christina , Brennan Deborah , Hobson Barbara
Published: September 2012

This article is about the transnational movement of policy discourses on childcare. It considers whether the spread of neoliberal ideas with their emphasis on marketisation, on the one hand, and a social investment discourse on the other, are leading to convergence in childcare arrangements in Nordic countries (Finland and Sweden) and liberal Anglo-Saxon countries (Australia and Canada). We find points of convergence around both themes at the level of policy discourse and continued diversity in the way these ideas are translated into actual policies. In other words, convergence is mediated by institutions and political realignments.
Rickets
Authors: Madson Darin M. , Ensley Steve M. , Gauger Phil C. , Schwartz Kent J. , Stevenson Greg W. , Cooper Vickie L. , Janke Bruce H. , Burrough Eric R. , Goff Jesse P. , Horst Ronald L.
Published: September 2012

Rickets can be attributed to nutritional, genetic, hormonal, or toxic disturbances and is classified as a metabolic bone disease. Rickets is most often associated with inappropriate dietary levels of calcium, phosphorus, and/or vitamin D. During a 27-month period (January 2010 through March 2012), the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory investigated causes of sudden, unexpected death and lameness in growing pigs throughout the Midwestern United States. Clinical observations from 17 growing pig cases included weakness, lameness, reluctance to move, muscle fasciculations and/or tremors, tetany, and death. Ribs were weak, soft, and bent prior to breaking; rachitic lesions were apparent at costochondral junctions in multiple cases. Acute and/or chronic bone fractures were also noted in multiple bones. Failure of endochondral ossification, expanded physes, infractions, thin trabeculae, and increased osteoclasts were noted microscopically. Decreased bone ash and serum 25(OH)D3, combined with clinical and microscopic evaluation, confirmed a diagnosis of vitamin D–dependent rickets in all cases. In 3 cases, disease was linked to a specific nutrient supplier that ultimately resulted in a voluntary feed recall; however, most cases in the current investigation were not associated with a particular feed company. The present report describes vitamin D–associated rickets and its importance as a potential cause of weakness, lameness, muscle fasciculations, recumbency or sudden unexpected death in swine, and describes appropriate samples and tests for disease diagnosis.
Persistent right aortic arch and associated axial skeletal malformations in cats
Authors: Tremolada Giovanni , Longeri Maria , Polli Michele , Parma Pietro , Acocella Fabio
Published: September 2012

Persistent right aortic arch (PRAA) in cats is an uncommon vascular anomaly with clinical signs referable to oesophageal obstruction. To our knowledge no reports of axial skeletal malformations concomitant to PRAA have been reported in cats. The aim of this study is to depict a new clinical feature in cats affected by PRAA. In the study six cats with a diagnosis of vascular ring anomaly were enrolled. A complete physical examination, a neurological examination and a total body radiograph were performed on each animal. Four of the six cats showed contemporary PRAA and skeletal malformations. Additionally, for the first time, a genetic test was performed on one subject to detect DNA alterations in the homologous DiGeorge region of cat. The percentage of skeletal malformations reported in the normal population was compared with animals with PRAA and showed a higher frequency. Genetic testing failed to demonstrate a correlation between PRAA and DiGeorge genomic deletion. A review of veterinary and human diseases that presented both conditions was assessed. The few animals enrolled do not allow definitive conclusions. Further studies are required to corroborate the correlation between PRAA and axial skeletal malformations in cats.
Dicationic ionic liquids as lubricants
Authors: Pagano F , Gabler C , Zare P , Mahrova M , Dörr N , Bayon R , Fernandez X , Binder WH , Hernaiz M , Tojo E , Igartua A
Published: September 2012

Twelve dicationic ionic liquids have been investigated for their potential inlubricants. The dications selected were synthesized from oligoethylene glycols linking two cationic moieties based on either N-methylimidazolium or N-methylpyrrolidinium at the extremities. As anions, chloride, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (Tf2N), methanesulfonate and butansulfonate were chosen. Thermal stability of the IL has been evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry showing good properties up to 150 °C for all IL. SRV tribotests of neat IL using steel–steel contacts with ball-on-disc geometry were performed at 50 °C, 100 °C and 150 °C. Friction and wear were significantly influenced by both anion structure and chain length of the oligoethylene glycol moiety where longer chains yielded better tribological behavior. The tribological behavior improved with a mixture of different types of ILcontaining F, O, S in their anions. A large variation of ionic liquids corrosiveness and corrosion inhibition, respectively, was found attributed to structure variation. A general tendencyof improving the corrosion resistance when increasing the chain length of the neat ILshas been found. In addition to the neat dicationic ionic liquids, mixtures of 1% of the mostinteresting IL in polypropylene glycol base oil have been studied at 100 °C resulting in more favorable tribological properties for ionic liquids with Tf2N anion. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed that the structures with Tf2N anion create a tribofilm of inorganic fluorine that greatly improves the performance of the base oil.
The celebritization of society and culture: Understanding the structural dynamics of celebrity culture
Authors: Driessens Olivier
Published: September 2012

In recent debates about the ever-growing prominence of celebrity in society and culture, a number of scholars have started to use the often intermingled terms ‘celebrification’ and ‘celebritization’. This article contributes to these debates first by distinguishing and clearly defining both terms, and especially by presenting a multidimensional conceptual model of celebritization to remedy the current one-sided approaches that obscure its theoretical and empirical complexity. Here ‘celebrification’ captures the transformation of ordinary people and public figures into celebrities, whereas ‘celebritization’ is conceptualized as a meta-process that grasps the changing nature, as well as the societal and cultural embedding of celebrity, which can be observed through its democratization, diversification and migration. It is argued that these manifestations of celebritization are driven by three separate but interacting moulding forces: mediatization, personalization and commodification.
Beyond research ethics: anonymity as ‘ontology’, ‘analysis’ and ‘independence’
Authors: Vainio Annukka
Published: September 2012

Anonymity – its desirability and perceived difficulty divides the domain of qualitative research. This article shows that such divisions are associated with discrepancies in assumptions about what the power relations between the researcher and the researched, as well as the desired goals of the research, should be. This article questions the assumption that anonymity is necessary only for ethical reasons and identifies three additional functions of it in qualitative research: anonymity as ‘ontology’, anonymity as ‘analysis’ and anonymity as ‘independence’. First, ontologically, anonymity is a way of turning into ‘data’ what someone has said or written. Second, anonymization as ‘analysis’ turns the participants into examples of specific theoretical categories, and as such is a part of the data analysis. Third, anonymity as ‘independence’ enables the researcher to interpret the data irrespective of the participants’ wishes. As a conclusion, this article argues that anonymizing research participants has an influence on the overall quality of research and therefore is also useful when no ethical risks are perceived, when participants wish not to remain anonymous or when their anonymity cannot be guaranteed.
Planning and the invisible hand: Allies or adversaries?
Authors: Holcombe Randall G
Published: September 2012

Sometimes planning is designed to counteract market forces, revealing an adversarial relationship between planning and the invisible hand. Other times, planning builds on the spontaneous order of the market and the two will be allies. This article offers two related arguments on the division between top-down planning and the bottom-up planning produced by the spontaneous order of the market. First, planning as a whole has insufficiently appreciated both the effectiveness of the spontaneous order of the market and the difficulty of overriding it. Second, when one recognizes the way in which bottom-up planning creates an orderly outcome, one can see that governments have simultaneously planned too much of the affairs of market participants, but at the same time have insufficiently planned their own activities.
Dealing with international crimes in post-war Bosnia: A look through the lens of the affected population
Authors: Jones Nicholas A. , Parmentier Stephan , Weitekamp Elmar G.M.
Published: September 2012

Debates about serious human rights violations and international crimes committed in the past appear during times of political transition. New political elites are confronted with fundamental questions of how to seek truth, establish accountability for offenders, provide reparation to victims, promote reconciliation, deal with trauma and build trust. ‘Transitional’ or ‘post-conflict justice’ is most often managed by elites, national and international, while the views and expectations of the local populations are rarely taken into account. Population-based research can yield deep insights into strategies and mechanisms for dealing with the crimes of the past. This paper reports on the major findings of a study in Bosnia and on the factors that may contribute to trust and reconciliation in the country.
Neuropsychological and Neuroimaging Markers in Early Versus Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Kaiser Natalie C. , Melrose Rebecca J. , Liu Collin , Sultzer David L. , Jimenez Elvira , Su Michael , Monserratt Lorena , Mendez Mario F.
Published: September 2012

Background:

Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (EOAD) has been overshadowed by the more common late-onset AD (LOAD). Yet, the literature indicates EOAD may have less hippocampal-memory presentations and more focal neocortical localization early in the disease.

Objective:

To evaluate these proposed differences between these 2 forms of AD and to explore what they inform about differences in AD pathophysiology.

Methods:

In all, 21 patients with EOAD and 24 patients with LOAD matched for disease progression and severity were compared on neurocognitive measures and resting state fluorodeoxy-glucose positron–emission tomography (FDG-PET).

Results:

Patients with EOAD had worse executive functions with greater hypometabolism in the parietal regions; whereas patients with LOAD had worse confrontation naming and verbal recognition memory with greater hypometabolism in inferior frontotemporal regions.

Conclusions:

In addition to highlighting significant differences between EOAD and LOAD, these results reveal dissociation between executive deficits in AD and frontal hypometabolism, suggesting early disturbances of the parietal–frontal network in EOAD.
Clinical Significance of the Clopidogrel–Proton Pump Inhibitor Interaction After Peripheral Endovascular Intervention for Claudication
Authors: Meltzer Andrew J. , Silva Priscilla Da , Schneider Darren B. , Shrikhande Gautam V.
Published: September 2012

Objective: Despite numerous studies in the cardiology literature, the clinical impact of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) administration on the antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel remains controversial. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of concurrent PPI and clopidogrel administration on outcomes after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting (PTA&S) of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) for claudication. Methods: Retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database (2004-2010) identified patients undergoing PTA&S of the SFA for lifestyle-limiting claudication (Rutherford Class III). Statistical analysis included univariate comparison (Wilcoxon, chi-square) of demographics, lesion characteristics, complication rates, and outcome measures. Patency comparisons were made with Cox-PH multivariable models and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Results: Totally, 109 limbs were treated in 103 patients. All were prescribed clopidogrel for 1 month; concurrent PPI use (+PPI) was identified after 42 (38.5%) interventions. There were no statistically significant differences in demographics, comorbidity prevalence, lesion length, degree of stenosis, or runoff associated with PPI use. There were no cases of early thrombosis in either group. There were more instances of patency loss (28 [50%] vs 21 [42%]; P = .40) in patients with +PPI, and a trend toward reduced primary patency that did not achieve statistical significance ( P = .5). By multivariate analysis only TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC) D lesions were independent predictors of primary (hazards ratio [HR] = 4.366; [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.291-14.764; P = .018) and assisted patency loss (HR = 6.815 [1.181-39.327]; P = .032). Conclusions: The clinical significance of the clopidogrel-PPI interaction is a controversial topic that has been the subject of numerous studies in the cardiology literature. This is the first report to examine this medication interaction after peripheral intervention. While there is no apparent association between PPI coadministration with clopidogrel in this series, the high prevalence of PPI use among patients prescribed clopidogrel following peripheral intervention warrants ongoing attention to this purported medication interaction.
Carotid Artery Compression by the Hyoid Bone
Authors: Pearlman Ronald C. , Naficy Mohammad A. , Koby Myles B. , Nyanzu Martin
Published: September 2012

An 83-year-old male presented with bilateral carotid stenosis. Stenosis on the left side was reported to be greater than 70%. A left carotid endarterectomy was undertaken to increase the lumen size and remove the atherosclerotic plaque. During Surgery, the hyoid bone was observed to have a 2-cm calcified horn capable of compressing the carotid artery. This unusual compression was confirmed by radiographic images. In cases where the carotid artery is compressed by the hyoid bone, a carotid endarterectomy rather than a stent may be the procedure of choice.
Minihepcidins prevent iron overload in a hepcidin-deficient mouse model of severe hemochromatosis
Authors: Ramos Emilio , Ruchala Piotr , Goodnough Julia B. , Kautz Léon , Preza Gloria C. , Nemeth Elizabeta , Ganz Tomas
Published: September 2012

The deficiency of hepcidin, the hormone that controls iron absorption and its tissue distribution, is the cause of iron overload in nearly all forms of hereditary hemochromatosis and in untransfused iron-loading anemias. In a recent study, we reported the development of minihepcidins, small drug-like hepcidin agonists. Here we explore the feasibility of using minihepcidins for the prevention and treatment of iron overload in hepcidin-deficient mice. An optimized minihepcidin (PR65) was developed that had superior potency and duration of action compared with natural hepcidin or other minihepcidins, and favorable cost of synthesis. PR65 was administered by subcutaneous injection daily for 2 weeks to iron-depleted or iron-loaded hepcidin knockout mice. PR65 administration to iron-depleted mice prevented liver iron loading, decreased heart iron levels, and caused the expected iron retention in the spleen and duodenum. At high doses, PR65 treatment also caused anemia because of profound iron restriction. PR65 administration to hepcidin knockout mice with pre-existing iron overload had a more moderate effect and caused partial redistribution of iron from the liver to the spleen. Our study demonstrates that minihepcidins could be beneficial in iron overload disorders either used alone for prevention or possibly as adjunctive therapy with phlebotomy or chelation.
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) efficacy for colorectal aberrant crypt foci (ACF): a double-blind randomized controlled trial
Authors: Higurashi Takuma , Hosono Kunihiro , Endo Hiroki , Takahashi Hirokazu , Iida Hiroshi , Uchiyama Takashi , Ezuka Akiko , Uchiyama Shiori , Yamada Eiji , Ohkubo Hidenori , Sakai Eiji , Maeda Shin , Morita Satoshi , Natsumeda Yutaka , Nagase Hajime , Nakajima Atsushi
Published: September 2012

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most commonly occurring neoplasms and a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and new preventive strategies are needed to lower the burden of this disease. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid that is widely used in the treatment of hyperlipidemia and prevention of cardiovascular disease, has recently been suggested to have a suppressive effect on tumorigenesis and cancer cell growth. In CRC chemoprevention trials, in general, the incidence of polyps or of the cancer itself is set as the study endpoint. Although the incidence rate of CRC would be the most reliable endpoint, use of this endpoint would be unsuitable for chemoprevention trials, because of the relatively low occurrence rate of CRC in the general population and the long-term observation period that it would necessitate. Moreover, there is an ethical problem in conducting long-term trials to determine whether a test drug might be effective or harmful. Aberrant crypt foci (ACF), defined as lesions containing crypts that are larger in diameter and stain more darkly with methylene blue than normal crypts, are considered as a reliable surrogate biomarker of CRC. Thus, we devised a prospective randomized controlled trial as a preliminary study prior to a CRC chemoprevention trial to evaluate the chemopreventive effect of EPA against colorectal ACF formation and the safety of this drug, in patients scheduled for polypectomy.

Methods

This study is a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized controlled trial to be conducted in patients with both colorectal ACF and colorectal polyps scheduled for polypectomy. Eligible patients shall be recruited for the study and the number of ACF in the rectum counted at the baseline colonoscopy. Then, the participants shall be allocated randomly to either one of two groups, the EPA group and the placebo group. Patients in the EPA group shall receive oral 900-mg EPA capsules thrice daily (total daily dose, 2.7 g per day), and those in the placebo group shall receive oral placebo capsules thrice daily. After one month’s treatment with EPA/placebo, colonoscopic examination and polypectomy will be performed to evaluate the formation of ACF, and the cell-proliferative activity and cell-apoptotic activity in normal colorectal mucosa and colorectal polyps.

Discussion

This is the first study proposed to explore the effect of EPA against colorectal ACF formation in humans.

This trial has been registered in the University hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Clinical Trials Registry as UMIN000008172.
Decreased expression of C-erbB-2 and CXCR4 in breast cancer after primary chemotherapy
Authors: Yang Shi-Xin , Loo Wings TY , Chow Louis WC , Yang Xin-hua , Zhan Yi , Fan Lin-Jun , Zhang Fan , Chen Li , Wang Qing-liang , Xiao Hua-Liang , Wu Jin-Long , Bian Xiu-wu , Jiang Jun
Published: September 2012

Background

Biological molecular markers such as proto-oncogene erbB-2 (HER-2/neu, c-erbB-2), the CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), estrogen receptor (ER), Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA), DNA topoisomerase II (topo II), P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) were observed for changes after administration of neochemotherapy and whether these protein expression changes were correlated with response to chemotherapy.

Methods

Sixty-four patients with primary breast cancer who had undergone neo-adjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled in the present study. The expressions of C-erbB-2, CXCR4 and ER-α were measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC) on full tissue sections and on tissue microarrays (TMAs). PCNA, TopoII, P-gp and GST were measured by IHC on TMAs. On the other hand, CXCR4, C-erbB-2 and ER-α expressions were detected using western blot analysis to 16 pairs of fresh preoperative core biopsies. The final surgical specimens were obtained from patients with breast carcinoma who received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and obtained a partial response (PR).

Results

Our data demonstrated that the levels of C-erbB-2, CXCR4 and ER-α in patients decreased after they received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy on full tissue sections and on TMAs. The PCNA level was down-regulated after receiving neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, and no significant change was observed for TopoII, P-gp and GST. The levels of C-erbB-2, CXCR4 and ER-α were also down-regulated after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy was administered, as detected by western blot. In addition, the change expressions of C-erbB-2 and CXCR4 in specimens tended to be correlated with pathological change to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy on full tissue sections and on TMAs in a Pearson chi-square analysis.

Conclusions

As demonstrated in our study, after breast cancer patients were treated with neo-adjuvant systemic therapy, decreased expressions of C-erbB2, ER-α and CXCR4 were observed. Down-regulated expressions of c-erbB-2 and CXCR4 may be a novel mechanism of chemotherapy; the changes of these objective markers may be useful in evaluating the clinical response of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer.
Advancing the evidence base in cancer: psychosocial multicenter trials
Authors: Sanson-Fisher Robert , Mackenzie Lisa , Butow Phyllis , Rankin Nicole , Paul Christine
Published: September 2012

Background

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer is associated with significant distress and psychosocial morbidity. Although psychosocial interventions have been developed in an attempt to improve psychosocial outcomes in cancer patients and survivors, there is continued debate about whether there is adequate high-level evidence to establish the effectiveness of these interventions. The evidence base is limited as a result of numerous challenges faced by those attempting to conduct psychosocial intervention trials within the health system. Barriers include insufficient participant recruitment, difficulty generalizing from single-trial studies, difficulty in building and managing research teams with multidisciplinary expertise, lack of research design expertise and a lack of incentives for researchers conducting intervention research. To strengthen the evidence base, more intervention studies employing methodologically rigorous research designs are necessary.

Methods

In order to advance the evidence base of interventions designed to improve psychosocial outcomes for cancer patients and survivors, we propose the formation of a collaborative trials group that conducts multicenter trials to test the effectiveness of such interventions.

Results

Establishment of such a group would improve the quality of the evidence base in psychosocial research in cancer patients, by increasing support for conducting intervention research and providing intervention research training opportunities. A multidisciplinary collaborative group conducting multicenter trials would have the capacity to overcome many of the barriers that currently exist.

Conclusions

A stronger evidence base is necessary to identify effective psychosocial interventions for cancer patients. The proposed formation of a psycho-oncology collaborative trials group that conducts multicenter trials to test the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions would assist in achieving this outcome.
Improvement of quality of life and survival using self-expandable metal stent placement for severe malignant stenosis of the gastric body: a case report
Authors: Kumagai Hozumi , Nio Kenta , Shirakawa Tsuyoshi , Uchino Keita , Kusaba Hitoshi , Isobe Taichi , Komoda Masato , Tamura Shingo , Maeyama Ryo , Nagai Eishi , Akashi Koichi , Baba Eishi
Published: September 2012

Introduction

Advanced gastric carcinoma often decreases quality of life because of upper gastrointestinal tract stenosis. Self-expandable metal stents have been thought to be an effective, minimally invasive treatment for stenosis. However, the effectiveness of self-expandable metal stent placement for carcinomatous stenosis of the gastric body and antrum has not been clarified, and there have been few reports of such cases.

Case presentation

A 74-year-old Japanese woman developed stenosis of the gastric body and antrum caused by advanced gastric cancer during first-line chemotherapy. She developed weight loss and poor nutrition due to inadequate intake. Self-expandable metal stent placement for stenosis of the gastric body and antrum ameliorated her symptoms rapidly and improved her general condition and quality of life. Eight days after self-expandable metal stent placement, second-line chemotherapy could be administered safely. Oral intake and nutritional status were maintained for 117 days after self-expandable metal stent placement, and she died of gastric cancer 176 days after self-expandable metal stent placement and initiation of second-line chemotherapy.

Conclusions

Self-expandable metal stent placement for carcinomatous stenosis in the gastric body and antrum could be an effective therapeutic strategy for patients with inadequate oral uptake. It may provide rapid improvement of the patient’s general condition and oral intake with minimal complications, comparatively long-term symptom relief, and a survival benefit by allowing second-line chemotherapy.
Regionalisation - what will the future bring?
Authors: Raakjær Jesper , Degnbol Poul , Hegland Troels Jacob , Symes David
Published: September 2012

It is the contention of this special issue that regionalisation, in the sense of focusing important aspects of governance on the scale of marine eco-regions, can make a valuable contribution to the reform of the European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy (cfp). Despite recent trials and tribulations associated with the current reforms, we remain firmly convinced of the merits of reforming the cfp around a process of devolving detailed, technical decision-making to some form of collective organisation of member states working together at the level of the regional sea. We remain hopeful that something more substantive will prevail by the end of 2012, perhaps in the form of non-statutory regional governance structures capable of implementing Community policy in a regionally sensitive and practical way. Though we believe that regional management is inevitable if the cfp is eventually to deliver sustainable fisheries, we acknowledge that in reality regionalising the cfp was always likely to proceed incrementally.
Overexpression of the Adiponectin Receptor AdipoR1 in Rat Skeletal Muscle Amplifies Local Insulin Sensitivity
Authors: Patel S. A. , Hoehn K. L. , Lawrence R. T. , Sawbridge L. , Talbot N. A. , Tomsig J. L. , Turner N. , Cooney G. J. , Whitehead J. P. , Kraegen E. W. , Cleasby M. E.
Published: September 2012

Adiponectin is an adipokine whose plasma levels are inversely related to degrees of insulin resistance (IR) or obesity. It enhances glucose disposal and mitochondrial substrate oxidation in skeletal muscle and its actions are mediated through binding to receptors, especially adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1). However, the in vivo significance of adiponectin sensitivity and the molecular mechanisms of muscle insulin sensitization by adiponectin have not been fully established. We used in vivo electrotransfer to overexpress AdipoR1 in single muscles of rats, some of which were fed for 6 wk with chow or high-fat diet (HFD) and then subjected to hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. After 1 wk, the effects on glucose disposal, signaling, and sphingolipid metabolism were investigated in test vs. contralateral control muscles. AdipoR1 overexpression (OE) increased glucose uptake and glycogen accumulation in the basal and insulin-treated rat muscle and also in the HFD-fed rats, locally ameliorating muscle IR. These effects were associated with increased phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1, Akt, and glycogen synthase kinase-3β. AdipoR1 OE also caused increased phosphorylation of p70S6 kinase, AMP-activated protein kinase, and acetyl-coA carboxylase as well as increased protein levels of adaptor protein containing pleckstrin homology domain, phosphotyrosine binding domain, and leucine zipper motif-1 and adiponectin, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α, and uncoupling protein-3, indicative of increased mitochondrial biogenesis. Although neither HFD feeding nor AdipoR1 OE caused generalized changes in sphingolipids, AdipoR1 OE did reduce levels of sphingosine 1-phosphate, ceramide 18:1, ceramide 20:2, and dihydroceramide 20:0, plus mRNA levels of the ceramide synthetic enzymes serine palmitoyl transferase and sphingolipid Δ-4 desaturase, changes that are associated with increased insulin sensitivity. These data demonstrate that enhancement of local adiponectin sensitivity is sufficient to improve skeletal muscle IR.
Debt and Taxes: Village Relations and Economic Obligations in Seventeenth-Century Auvergne
Authors: Bonar Daphne L.
Published: September 2012

This article looks at tax collection practices at the village level through the lens of microcredit—a system of local, undocumented, informal credit that, in a semimonetized economy like the Auvergne, inevitably comprised a wide range of exchanges of goods and obligations. Research on the historical role of microcredit offers fruitful ways to understand social relations in rural Auvergne, especially as they mediated and were mediated by local practices of exchange and tax collection. Conversely, studying the appropriation of tax collection and how its practices entered a local economy of informal credit expands our general understanding of microcredit.

Cet article examine les pratiques de la collection des impôts, « la collecte », au village à travers le microcrédit. Le crédit au niveau local, non-documenté, dans une région semimonétaire se fait souvent par échanges de biens et d’obligations. Les recherches sur le rôle historique du microcrédit nous offrent des moyens de comprendre les relations sociales en Auvergne rurale, surtout comment elles étaient négociées par les coutumes d’échange et de « collecte », mais aussi comment elles influencent ces pratiques. En revanche, l’étude particulière de l’appropriation de la collecte et les moyens par lesquelles ces pratiques sont absorbées par une économie locale du microcrédit approfondit notre compréhension en général du microcrédit.
Eye on the Street
Authors: Tucker Jennifer
Published: September 2012

Some of the most powerful historical images of streets and the people traversing them have been served up by photographers. Public urban spaces are not merely subject matter for photography, however, since photographers themselves are actively engaged in navigating city streets fraught with politics and social meaning. This essay reflects on a few of these urban practices and spaces of photography and identifies some enduring themes through this history, from the technical challenges of depicting humans passing through static structures and built environments of the city to conflicts over access and surveillance. An exploration of the many different appropriations of public spaces for photography shows that walking in city streets has not only been a central subject for fine art photography; it also has been one of its primary historical conditions.
Revolutionary Transubstantiation in “The Republic of Students”
Authors: Vrana Heather
Published: September 2012

Escalation of state violence against Guatemala City's University of San Carlos (USAC) in the late 1970s compelled students to rework the politics of death. In this essay, the commemorative texts and funeral photographs of three student leaders — Mario López Larrave, Oliverio Castañeda de León, and Robin Garcia — demonstrate that political funerals acted as moments of revolutionary transubstantiation. The transubstantive funerals permitted an individual's shift from embodied flesh to martyr and reflected the insurgent syncretism of revolutionary secularism and religious millennialism. Transubstantive political funerals marked a distinct ajuridical politic that nonetheless invoked the rights of the living and dead to occupy pedestrian public space. At the same time, this practice had broader consequences for urban Guatemalan landscapes, because political funerals required the public to do mourning work. When street-walking mourners wielded the coffins of their comrades, they revised spatial practice as funereal flaneurs, and even revolutionary metaphysicists.
Traffic Logic and Political Logic
Authors: Mitchell Don
Published: September 2012

This article reviews three books that make important contributions to our understanding of how city streets and sidewalks are structured, and thus what their social and political potential might and might not be. Each of the books shows how streets and sidewalks are produced through the operationalization of what one of the authors calls “traffic logic.” This traffic logic, the three books together show, is vital to understand if we are ever to see it supplanted by a more progressive “political logic” for the governing of city space.
Management of chronic venous disease by primary care
Authors: Lane T R A , Sritharan K , Herbert J R , Franklin I J , Davies A H
Published: September 2012

Objective:

To assess the patterns of referral for chronic venous disease (CVD).

Method:

General practitioners (GPs) were invited by an email to complete a validated online survey evaluating the referral and community management of CVD.

Results:

A total of 138 participants were recruited. Most GPs (85%) saw fewer than 50 patients with CVD a year. Thirty-one percent were aware of National Institute for Clinical Excellence referral guidelines for CVD and 36% were aware of and agreed with local referral guidelines. Eleven percent were aware of clinical venous scoring systems. Sixty-three percent believed mild CVD would progress and 84% believed treatment would improve the quality of life. Sixteen referred C3 disease, 43% C4, 37% C5 and 65% C6 disease. Forty-one percent would refer on request. Pain symptoms increased referral in C2 disease. Endothermal ablation was believed available to 33% and traditional stripping to 62% and 27% were unaware of the treatment options. Forty-five percent were happy to provide postoperative care.

Conclusions:

Despite national guidelines, the management of CVD in the UK is variable.
Plasma betaine concentrations correlate with plasma cortisol but not with C-reactive protein in an elderly population
Authors: Lever Michael , Storer Malina K. , Lewis John G. , George Peter M. , Chambers Stephen T.
Published: September 2012

Low plasma betaine concentrations are a feature of seriously ill patients. Increased dietary betaine intake has been associated with lowered systemic inflammation. We aimed to compare plasma cortisol (a stress marker) and C-reactive protein (an inflammation marker) as statistical predictors of plasma betaine concentrations.

Plasma carnitine, cortisol and C-reactive protein concentrations, other biochemical measures and urine betaine excretion, were compared with plasma betaine concentration by correlation and in multiple regression models, using morning blood and urine samples from 64 ambulant elderly subjects and from 55 patients admitted to hospital with hip fractures.

In the ambulant elderly without acute trauma, plasma cortisol (with negative coefficients) and carnitine (with positive coefficients) statistically predicted plasma betaine concentrations. C-reactive protein was not a predictor. In the patients, the significant predictors were plasma carnitine (positive coefficient) and plasma homocysteine (negative coefficient) and C-reactive protein again was not a predictor. In regression models using combined patient and control data there were large ranges of both cortisol and especially C-reactive protein; cortisol and homocysteine (negative coefficients) and carnitine (positive coefficient) were significant predictors but C-reactive protein was not significant.

Stress rather than inflammation may affect plasma betaine concentrations.