bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immigration & Language Diversity in the United States
Authors: Rumbaut Rubén G. , Massey Douglas S.
Published: July 2013

While the United States historically has been a polyglot nation characterized by great linguistic diversity, it has also been a zone of language extinction in which immigrant tongues fade and are replaced by monolingual English within a few generations. In 1910, 10 million people reported a mother tongue other than English, notably German, Italian, Yiddish, and Polish. The subsequent end of mass immigration from Europe led to a waning of language diversity and the most linguistically homogenous era in American history. But the revival of immigration after 1970 propelled the United States back toward its historical norm. By 2010, 60 million people (a fifth of the population) spoke a non-English language, especially Spanish. In this essay, we assess the effect of new waves of immigration on language diversity in the United States, map its evolution demographically and geographically, and consider what linguistic patterns are likely to persist and prevail in the twenty-first century.
Immigration, Civil Rights & the Evolution of the People
Authors: Rodríguez Cristina M.
Published: July 2013

In considering what it means to treat immigration as a “civil rights” matter, I identify two frameworks for analysis. The first, universalistic in nature, emanates from personhood and promises non-citizens the protection of generally applicable laws and an important set of constitutional rights. The second seeks full incorporation for non-citizens into “the people,” a composite that evolves over time through social contestation – a process that can entail enforcement of legal norms but that revolves primarily around political argument. This pursuit of full membership for non-citizens implicates a reciprocal relationship between them and the body politic, and the interests of the polity help determine the contours of non-citizens' membership. Each of these frameworks has been shaped by the legal and political legacies of the civil rights movement itself, but the second formulation reveals how the pursuit of immigrant incorporation cannot be fully explained as a modern-day version of the civil rights struggle.
Toward an Operational Land Surface Temperature Algorithm for GOES
Authors: Sun Donglian , Yu Yunyue , Fang Li , Liu Yuling
Published: July 2013

For most land surface temperature (LST) regression algorithms, a set of optimized coefficients is determined by manual separation of the different subdivisions of atmospheric and surface conditions. In this study, a machine-learning technique, the regression tree (RT) technique, is introduced with the aim of automatically finding these subranges and the thresholds for the stratification of regression coefficients. The use of RT techniques in LST retrieval has the potential to contribute to the determination of optimal regression relationships under different conditions. Because of the lack of split-window channels for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) M–Q series (GOES-12–GOES-15, plus GOES-Q), a dual-window LST algorithm was developed by combining the infrared 11-μm channel with the shortwave-infrared (SWIR) 3.9-μm channel, which presents lower atmospheric absorption than does the infrared split-window channels (11 and 12 μm). The RT technique was introduced to derive the regression models under different conditions. The algorithms were used to derive the LST product from GOES observations and were evaluated against the 2004 Surface Radiation budget network. The results indicate that the RT technique outperforms the traditional regression method.
Response of Tropical Deep Convection to Localized Heating Perturbations: Implications for Aerosol-Induced Convective Invigoration
Authors: Morrison Hugh , Grabowski Wojciech W.
Published: July 2013

A cloud-system-resolving model is used to investigate the effects of localized heating/cooling perturbations on tropical deep convection, in the context of the aerosol “invigoration effect.” This effect supposes that a reduction of droplet collision–coalescence in polluted conditions leads to lofting of cloud water in convective updrafts and enhanced freezing, latent heating, and buoyancy. To specifically isolate and test this mechanism, heating perturbations were applied to updrafts with corresponding cooling applied in downdrafts. Ensemble simulations were run with either perturbed or unperturbed conditions and large-scale forcing from a 7.5-day period of active monsoon conditions during the 2006 Tropical Warm Pool–International Cloud Experiment. In the perturbed simulations there was an initial invigoration of convective updrafts and surface precipitation, but convection returned to its unperturbed state after about 24 h because of feedback with the larger-scale environment. This feedback led to an increase in the horizontally averaged mid-/upper-tropospheric temperature of about 1 K relative to unperturbed simulations. When perturbed conditions were applied to only part of the domain, gravity waves rapidly dispersed buoyancy anomalies in the perturbed region to the rest of the domain, allowing convective invigoration from the heating perturbations to be sustained over the entire simulation period. This was associated with a mean mesoscale circulation consisting of ascent (descent) at mid-/upper levels in the perturbed (unperturbed) region. In contrast to recent studies, it is concluded that the invigoration effect is intimately coupled with larger-scale dynamics through a two-way feedback, and in the absence of alterations in the larger-scale circulation there is limited invigoration beyond the convective adjustment time scale.
Impacts of A Priori Databases Using Six WRF Microphysics Schemes on Passive Microwave Rainfall Retrievals
Authors: Kim Ju-Hye , Shin Dong-Bin , Kummerow Christian
Published: July 2013

Physically based rainfall retrievals from passive microwave sensors often make use of cloud-resolving models (CRMs) to build a priori databases of potential rain structures. Each CRM, however, has its own cloud microphysics assumptions. Hence, approximated microphysics may cause uncertainties in the a priori information resulting in inaccurate rainfall estimates. This study first builds a priori databases by combining the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation radar (PR) observations and simulations from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with six different cloud microphysics schemes. The microphysics schemes include the Purdue–Lin (LIN), WRF Single-Moment 6 (WSM6), Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE), Thompson (THOM), WRF Double-Moment 6 (WDM6), and Morrison (MORR) schemes. As expected, the characteristics of the a priori databases are inherited from the individual cloud microphysics schemes. There are several distinct differences in the databases. Particularly, excessive graupel and snow exist with the LIN and THOM schemes, while more rainwater is incorporated into the a priori information with WDM6 than with any of the other schemes. Major results show that convective rainfall regions are not well captured by the LIN and THOM schemes-based retrievals. Rainfall distributions and their quantities retrieved from the WSM6 and WDM6 schemes-based estimations, however, show relatively better agreement with the PR observations. Based on the comparisons of the various microphysics schemes in the retrievals, it appears that differences in the a priori databases considerably affect the properties of rainfall estimations.
Application of Cloud Occurrence Climatology from CALIOP to Evaluate Performances of Airborne and Satellite Electro-Optical Sensors
Authors: Bizard A. , Caillault K. , Lavigne C. , Roblin A. , Chervet P.
Published: July 2013

A wide variety of optronic sensors, on board a satellite or airborne platform, are used for remote sensing, surveillance applications, and telecommunications. Cloud presence in the field of view is one of the key factors limiting the performances of these sensors. Consequently, cloud presence must be taken into account in order to evaluate their performances. To that end, a Monte Carlo method is used. Geometrical and optical cloud properties necessary to build the model are obtained from Cloud–Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) measurements that enable one to deal with the optically thinnest clouds. Different viewing geometries are presented, corresponding to surveillance missions by an airborne sensor with close-to-the-horizon viewing and to an optical link between an aircraft and a satellite. Results obtained are compared to a previous study and improvements reached with this new method are discussed.
The Evolution and Role of the Saharan Air Layer during Hurricane Helene (2006)
Authors: Braun Scott A. , Sippel Jason A. , Shie Chung-Lin , Boller Ryan A.
Published: July 2013

The Saharan air layer (SAL) has received considerable attention in recent years as a potential negative influence on the formation and development of Atlantic tropical cyclones. Observations of substantial Saharan dust in the near environment of Hurricane Helene (2006) during the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Activities (AMMA) Experiment (NAMMA) field campaign led to suggestions about the suppressing influence of the SAL in this case. In this study, a suite of satellite remote sensing data, global meteorological analyses, and airborne data are used to characterize the evolution of the SAL in the environment of Helene and assess its possible impact on the intensity of the storm. The influence of the SAL on Helene appears to be limited to the earliest stages of development, although the magnitude of that impact is difficult to determine observationally. Saharan dust was observed on the periphery of the storm during the first two days of development after genesis when intensification was slow. Much of the dust was observed to move well westward of the storm thereafter, with little SAL air present during the remainder of the storm's lifetime and with the storm gradually becoming a category-3 strength storm four days later. Dry air observed to wrap around the periphery of Helene was diagnosed to be primarily non-Saharan in origin (the result of subsidence) and appeared to have little impact on storm intensity. The eventual weakening of the storm is suggested to result from an eyewall replacement cycle and substantial reduction of the sea surface temperatures beneath the hurricane as its forward motion decreased.
The Ethical Dilemmas Associated with Working in an Immigration Removal Centre
Authors: Allen Danny
Published: July 2013

The purpose of this paper is to share with colleagues some of the ethical problems encountered in working in an environment unfamiliar to the vast majority of psychiatrists. The author, a consultant psychiatrist with 17 plus years' experience in the NHS, spent a year working part-time in Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre; an institution holding just over 300 men who are held in administrative detention for periods of time ranging from days to years pending decisions on their immigration status. About 50% of these men have criminal records and the turnover of detainees is fast and unpredictable. The paper describes some of the everyday ethical problems encountered by the author together with some background to the working environment and attempts to tease out some of the key pillars upon which the doctor's work is based in order to inform the limitations and challenges she/he faces.
Subaltern placiality in modern Tibet: Critical discourses in the works of Shogdong
Authors: Smyer Yü Dan
Published: July 2013

I attempt to write this article as a pathology of modernity in connection with how place, memory, and subalternity are expressed by urban Tibetans in China. The literary works of Shogdong, a contemporary Tibetan writer and cultural critic, are the focus of my interpretation of the sociopolitical, religious, and psychological meanings of an anti-traditional discourse among urban Tibetans. My pathologizing this intra-Tibetan discourse is meant to discern how modern subjectivity or its mindscape in the case of urban Tibetans is inherently conditioned by place as both geographic landscape and locus of memory. I then argue that the negation of anti-traditional Tibetans of their native traditional cultural and religious values and practices is a remembering process which is inversed as a process of seemingly intentional subversion, rejection, and forgetting; and I further argue that the anti-traditionalist imagining of a modern Tibet, though it uses nomenclature identical to that of China’s socialism, is not a replica of China’s modernity, but an exercise of a power discourse in a subaltern sense.
Improvements in antenatal screening for Down's syndrome
Authors: Wald N J , Bestwick J P , Huttly W J
Published: July 2013

Objectives

To estimate improvements to four antenatal screening tests for Down's syndrome (first trimester Combined, second trimester Quadruple, and first and second trimester Integrated and Serum Integrated tests) based on adding ductus venosus pulsatility index (DVPI), fetal nasal bone examination (NBE) and serum placental growth factor (PlGF).

Setting

Statistical analysis of data from several sources modelled using the maternal age distribution of live births in England and Wales from 2006 to 2008.

Methods

Monte Carlo simulation carried out to estimate the screening performance of tests with the addition of combinations of DVPI, NBE and PlGF.

Results

At a 95% detection rate (DR), with first trimester markers measured at 11 completed weeks’ gestation, the addition of DVPI, NBE and PlGF decreased the false-positive rate (FPR) of the Combined test from 16.1% to 3.0%, the addition of PlGF to the Quadruple test decreased the FPR from 15.7% to 15.3%, the addition of DVPI, NBE and PlGF to the Integrated test decreased the FPR from 4.1% to 0.6% and the addition of PlGF to the Serum Integrated test decreased the FPR from 15.1% to 11.1%. At a 90% detection rate, the reductions in the FPR were from 6.8% to 0.8%, 7.7% to 7.4%, 1.2% to 0.1% and 6.2% to 4.8%, respectively.

Conclusions

The addition of DVPI, NBE and PlGF to the Combined and Integrated tests significantly improves screening performance, reducing the FPRs by over 80%. The Integrated test with DVPI, NBE and PlGF is significantly better than the Combined test with DVPI, NBE and PlGF.
Hearing screening and diagnosis in a large sample of infants in Central China
Authors: Liu Zhiqi , Liu Lisi
Published: July 2013

Objective

To investigate the referral rate, prevalence and aetiology of neonatal hearing loss.

Methods

A total of 11,894 infants were screened by two-stage transient evoked otoacoustic emission testing. Those who failed were diagnosed by distortion product otoacoustic emission, 1000 Hz probe tone tympanometry and auditory brainstem response. The results of these tests were analysed by statistical software SPSS16.0.

Results

The initial referral rate was 17.36%. The rescreening referral rate was 21.29%. The referral rate of initial screening in maternity wards (15.37%) was lower than in neonatal intensive care unit wards (22%) (chi-square [ χ2], P < 0.05). There were 68 cases (106 ears) diagnosed with hearing loss (incidence 0.571%). Of these, 31 cases were conductive, 16 cases were sensorineural, and 21 cases were mixed hearing loss. The prevalence of hearing loss was 12.92% (38/294) in the bilateral referred group and 5.00% (30/600) in the unilateral referred group. The moderate/severe hearing loss was 33.33% (10/30) and 86.84% (66/76), respectively ( χ2, P < 0.05). The causes of hearing loss included jaundice (24.56%, 14/57), infection (24.56%, 14/57), asphyxia (19.30%, 11/57), low birth weight (17.54%, 10/57) and other factors (14.04%, 8/57).

Conclusion

Bilateral referrals were more likely to suffer greater degrees of hearing loss than unilateral referrals. Jaundice, infection, asphyxia and low birth weight were the major aetiologies of neonatal hearing loss.
Promoting cervical screening after introduction of the human papillomavirus vaccine: the effect of repeated mass media campaigns
Authors: Mullins R , Coomber K , Broun K , Wakefield M
Published: July 2013

Objectives

In 2007, Australia implemented an ongoing, school-based human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme for school-aged girls, and a catch-up programme for 18–26-year-old women that ran until the end of 2009. The availability of what is widely known as the ‘cervical cancer vaccine’ means there is the potential for women to believe, incorrectly, that they no longer require regular cervical screening, and this risk needs to be addressed. The current study aimed to assess the effect of three mass media campaigns to promote cervical screening on the rate of cervical screening tests in the Australian state of Victoria, after HPV vaccine became available.

Methods

Seasonal time series assessed the effect of media campaigns broadcast in 2007, 2009 and 2010 on the rate of weekly cervical screening tests in Victorian women from 2006 to 2010, stratified by time since last screening test.

Results

The 2007 and 2009 media campaigns significantly increased the number of cervical screening tests per week. The 2007 campaign had a significant impact on lapsed screeners (>36 months since last test), overdue screeners (28–36 months since last test), and women never previously screened. The 2009 campaign significantly increased screening tests for overdue screeners, and the 2010 media campaign was associated with a significant increase in screening tests for lapsed screeners.

Conclusions

A well-researched and carefully pretested television advertising campaign with accurate, actionable messages can elicit appropriate screening behaviour among some of the appropriate groups even in a changed environment of complex, and potentially competing, messages.
The impact of repeat testing in the New Zealand antenatal HIV screening programme: a qualitative study
Authors: McAllister Susan , Lovell Sarah , Dickson Nigel
Published: July 2013

Objectives

To investigate the impact on women, and their healthcare providers, of initial-reactive HIV test results which required re-testing in the New Zealand antenatal HIV screening programme.

Methods

Women with initial-reactive HIV test results from 2007 to 2011 were identified through the antenatal HIV screening programme. Semi-structured telephone interviews were undertaken with seven women and 30 healthcare providers. Responses to questions were written verbatim. Three researchers undertook preliminary coding of the interviews and identified common themes which were applied to the transcripts and key excerpts obtained.

Results

All of the women interviewed experienced considerable anxiety upon receiving the result, but the extent of this anxiety was rarely appreciated by their healthcare provider. Their main worries were for their own health, that of their children and family, and their relationship with a spouse or partner. Despite this stressful experience, support for the screening programme was strong. Adequate information and timely receipt of results were identified as vital. Healthcare providers also supported the programme but stressed that clear, timely and personal communication with laboratory personnel was important.

Conclusions

The ideal way to alleviate anxiety in women from re-testing is to limit the need for this by obtaining as much information as possible from the original sample. If re-testing is necessary, healthcare providers need to appreciate the anxiety that will arise, ensure that they have the best possible information and communicate this to the women, as soon as is practicable, in an easily understood manner.
Screening for prostate cancer in New Zealand general practice
Authors: Zuzana Obertová , Ross Lawrenson , Fraser Hodgson , Charis Brown , Alistair Stewart , Leanne Tyrie , Michael Holmes , Peter Gilling
Published: July 2013

Objective

To ascertain the rates and patterns of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening in New Zealand men.

Methods

The study population included 35,958 men aged 40+ years, with no prior diagnosis of prostate cancer, enrolled in 31 general practices in the Midland Cancer Network Region of New Zealand in 2010. Computerized practice records were searched for information, including reasons for testing, for men with elevated PSA test results in 2010. PSA results for 2007–2010 were obtained from community laboratories. Screened men were identified and screening rates calculated by age.

Results

Of 9344 men who underwent one or more PSA tests in 2010, 84.9% were classified as having been screened. The overall screening rate was 22.1%, with 24.4% of men aged 70+ years screened. Elevated PSA levels were found in 2.1% of screened men. Of the men screened in 2010, 57.3% had had a screening test in the previous three years.

Conclusions

General practitioners in New Zealand commonly screen men (including those aged 70+) for prostate cancer, despite the lack of trial evidence that these men would benefit from screening. The value of annual PSA testing in men with previous normal PSA levels is unproven. Longer intervals between tests would be appropriate.
Post-human viewing: a discussion of the ethics of mobile phone imagery
Authors: Blaagaard Bolette B
Published: July 2013

This article discusses the relationship between theories of photography and mobile phone footage. In doing so, it asks if theories of photography still apply in a technologically saturated world of imagery. Technology is an increasingly important part of viewing imagery today and enables imagery to become part of a global cultural flow, thus calling into question the physical connection between viewer and image. This article analyses what happens to that connection when not only the image but also the physical body is mediated and challenged in post-human relations, and examines the ensuing ethical implications. The author takes photojournalism and, in particular, mobile phone footage as a starting point for an exploration of the (post-human) body as evidence and sign of authenticity in the modern age of digital communications and journalism.
The melodrama of being a child: NGO representations of poverty
Authors: Wells Karen
Published: July 2013

This article shows how NGO films deploy melodramatic modes in constructing the narrative arcs of their campaign films and it explores the potential of this mode for generating solidarity between the spectator and the suffering subject. The author analyses how, through the use of music, colour and gesture, a visceral emotional response is evoked that produces an identification of the spectator with the experiences of the suffering subject. She argues that the criticism of melodrama as a mode or genre that substitutes politics with compassion is misplaced; compassion for distant others may be at least as critical to the formation of solidarity as a politically informed understanding of the structural causes of social injury.
The humanity of war: iconic photojournalism of the battlefield, 1914–2012
Authors: Chouliaraki Lilie
Published: July 2013

This article examines the changing ethics of war photojournalism. It provides a review of the major paradigms of war communication studies, propaganda and memory studies, to argue that, despite their contributions, neither focuses on historical change in the ethics of war. In the light of an analytical discussion of iconic images of the First World War and Second World War as well as the War on Terror in terms of how they portray the battlefield the article argues that there is a historical shift towards an increasingly explicit visualisation of war, which today tends to emphasise the emotional, rather than physical, impact of the battlefield upon both soldiers and civilians. This shift, it concludes, reflects the contemporary political context of humanitarian wars fought with a view to alleviating suffering, rather than wars fought over national sovereignty.
Acute chest pain and acute coronary syndromes
Authors: Thampy Harish
Published: July 2013

Chest pain is a common symptom with up to 40% of the general population experiencing chest pain at some point in their lives. In the UK, up to 1% of GP consultations are due to chest pain. In secondary care, chest pain accounts for around 5% of visits to the emergency department with around 114 000 patients admitted each year with acute coronary syndromes. This article focuses on the clinical features that can help differentiate cardiac and non-cardiac chest pain, primary care management of suspected cardiac chest pain and the further management of acute coronary syndromes.
Common electrolyte disturbances in primary care
Authors: Kandasamy Mayuri , Perry Visha
Published: July 2013

Electrolytes play a vital role in maintaining homeostasis within the body. As GPs, we measure electrolytes commonly when requesting blood tests. As a result, we are often faced with the task of having to interpret and manage abnormal electrolyte results. The most serious and common electrolyte disturbances involve abnormalities of sodium, potassium and calcium. This article aims to provide an overview of the common causes of such electrolyte disturbances and how they are best managed in primary care.
Insulin treatment in diabetes
Authors: Gadsby Roger
Published: July 2013

Insulin therapy for people with type 1 diabetes is life saving and without insulin the condition is terminal. Insulin treatment is also needed in a significant number of people with type 2 diabetes to optimise their glycaemic control. As more people with diabetes are now being managed exclusively in primary care, GPs and those training to become GPs need to have an understanding of insulin and its use in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. This article will review the types of insulin that are available, their formulation and their methods of delivery and will discuss their place in treatment all in the light of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines on the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Fluorcalcioroméite, (Ca,Na)2Sb25+(O,OH)6F, a new roméite-group mineral from Starlera mine, Ferrera, Grischun, Switzerland: description and crystal structure
Authors: Atencio D. , Ciriotti M. E. , Andrade M. B.
Published: July 2013

Fluorcalcioroméite, (Ca,Na)2Sb25+(O,OH)6F, is a new roméite-group, pyrochlore-supergroup mineral (IMA 2012-093), from Starlera mine, Ferrera, Hinterrhein district, Grischun, Switzerland. The intimately associated minerals are: braunite, hematite, calcite, quartz and, rarely, wallkilldellite-(Mn). It occurs as euhedral octahedra, untwinned, from 0.1 to 1 mm in size. The crystals are yellow to orange and translucent; the streak is white, and the lustre is vitreous to resinous. It is non-fluorescent under ultraviolet light. Mohs' hardness is ∼5½, tenacity is brittle. Cleavage is not observed; fracture is conchoidal. The calculated density is 5.113 g/cm3. The mineral is isotropic, ncalc. = 1.826. The Raman spectrum is dominated by bands of Sb–O octahedral bond stretching and O–Sb–O bending modes. The chemical composition (n = 13) is (by wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy (WDS), H2O calculated by difference, wt.%): Na2O 4.11, CaO 15.41, MnO 0.54, CuO 0.01, ZnO 0.01, PbO 0.02, Al2O3 0.10, FeO 0.50, Y2O3 0.07, SiO2 0.04, TiO2 0.01, UO2 0.01, Sb2O5 76.18, WO3 0.78, F 2.79, H2O 0.59, O = F–1.17, total 100.00. The empirical formula, based on 2 cations at the B site, is (Ca1.16Na0.56☐0.22Fe0.032+ Mn0.032+)Σ2.00(Sb5+1.98Al0.01W0.01)Σ2.00O6[F0.62(OH)0.28O0.06☐0.04]Σ1.00. The strongest eight X-ray powder-diffraction lines [d in Å (I)(hkl)] are: 5.934(81)(111), 3.102(20)(311), 2.969(100)(222), 2.572(6)(400), 1.979(7)(333), 1.818(8)(440), 1.551(15)(622), and 1.484(5)(444). The crystal structure refinement (R1 = 0.0106) gave the following data: cubic, Fdm, a = 10.2987(8) Å, V = 1092.31(15) Å3, Z = 8. Unit-cell parameters refined from the powder data are: a = 10.284(2), V = 1087.7(7) Å3, Z = 8.
Weissite from Gambatesa mine, Val Graveglia, Liguria, Italy: occurrence, composition and determination of the crystal structure
Authors: Bindi L. , Carbone C. , Belmonte D. , Cabella R. , Bracco R.
Published: July 2013

Weissite, Cu2–xTe (x ≈ 0.21), a very rare copper telluride, occurs in a sample from the Gambatesa mine, Val Graveglia, Liguria, Italy, where it occurs as purplish black anhedral grains up to 0.1 mm in length and shows a black streak. No cleavage is observed and the Vickers hardness (VHN100) is 142 kg/mm2. Weissite is dark bluish black, weakly pleochroic, and moderately anisotropic in bluish tints. Reflectance percentages in air for Rmin and Rmax are 37.0, 38.4 (471.1 nm), 33.2, 34.2 (548.3 nm), 31.2, 32.1 (586.6 nm), and 28.6, 31.0 (652.3 nm), respectively.

Weissite is trigonal and belongs to the space group P3m1 with the following unit-cell parameters: a = 8.3124(7) Å, c = 21.546(1) Å, V = 1289.3(2) Å3, and Z = 24. Electron microprobe analyses gave the chemical formula (Cu1.62Ag0.04Au0.04Fe0.04Sb0.04)Σ=1.78(Te0.96S0.02Se0.02). The crystal structure has been solved and refined to R = 1.95%. It consists of Cu and Te polyhedra forming complex crystal-chemical environments as is typical of many intermetallic compounds. The exceedingly short bond distances observed among the metals are discussed in relation to other copper tellurides and pure metals.
Description and crystal structure of domerockite, Cu4(AsO4)(AsO3OH)(OH)3·H2O, a new mineral from the Dome Rock Mine, South Australia
Authors: Elliott P. , Kolitsch U. , Willis A. C. , Libowitzky E.
Published: July 2013

Domerockite, Cu4(AsO4)2(AsO3OH)(OH)3·H2O, is a new mineral from the Dome Rock Mine, South Australia. It occurs as aggregates of bluish green, equant to short prismatic and tabular crystals up to 0.3 mm long and 0.2 mm across. Domerockite is translucent, with a vitreous lustre and pale green streak. It displays no fluorescence under UV irradiation. The mineral is brittle with an uneven fracture, a Mohs hardness of ∼3 and a calculated density of 4.44 g/cm3 (based on the structure refinement). Optically, it is biaxial negative, with α = 1.798(4), β = 1.814(4), γ = 1.817(4), 2Vcalc. = 46°; pleochroism is very weak; X pale greenish yellow, Y greenish blue, Z greenish blue; absorption X < Y = Z; orientation is uncertain. Chemical analysis by electron microprobe gave CuO 52.04, ZnO 0.78, BaO 0.11, As2O537.67, P2O50.32, SiO20.24, H2O 8.84, total 100.00 wt.%, with H2O calculated by difference. The empirical chemical formula is (Cu3.94, Zn0.06)Σ4.00H0.91(As1.97, P0.03, Si0.02)Σ2.02O8(OH)3.00˙H2O based on 12 oxygen atoms.

Domerockite is triclinic, space group P, with a = 5.378(11), b = 8.962(18) c = 9.841(2) Å, α = 75.25(3), β = 83.56(3), γ = 79.97(3)°, V = 450.5(16) Å3 and Z = 2. The eight strongest lines in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern are [d (Å), (I)(hkl)]: 4.716 (30)(101, 002, 111), 3.697 (25)(121), 3.605 (30)(120, 12), 3.119 (60)(12), 3.073 (100)(1), 2.856 (40)(02, 030), 2.464 (50)(212, 13), 2.443 (40)(014). The crystal structure of domerockite has been solved by direct methods and refined to an R index of 7.44% using 2635 observed reflections. The structure comprises [Cuφ4] (φ = O, OH) chains of edge-sharing sharing, distorted octahedra that extend along [10] and are decorated by AsO4 tetrahedra to form sheets in the (010) plane. Dimers of edge-sharing [CuO4(OH)(H2O)] octahedra share corners with dimers of edge-sharing [CuO4(OH)] square pyramids to form zigzag chains which extend along [101]. The chains lie between and link to the sheets by sharings corners of octahedra, square pyramids and tetrahedra to form a heteropolyhedral framework.
Identification of both copy number variation-type and constant-type core elements in a large segmental duplication region of the mouse genome
Authors: Umemori Juzoh , Mori Akihiro , Ichiyanagi Kenji , Uno Takeaki , Koide Tsuyoshi
Published: July 2013

Background

Copy number variation (CNV), an important source of diversity in genomic structure, is frequently found in clusters called CNV regions (CNVRs). CNVRs are strongly associated with segmental duplications (SDs), but the composition of these complex repetitive structures remains unclear.

Results

We conducted self-comparative-plot analysis of all mouse chromosomes using the high-speed and large-scale-homology search algorithm SHEAP. For eight chromosomes, we identified various types of large SD as tartan-checked patterns within the self-comparative plots. A complex arrangement of diagonal split lines in the self-comparative-plots indicated the presence of large homologous repetitive sequences. We focused on one SD on chromosome 13 (SD13M), and developed SHEPHERD, a stepwise ab initio method, to extract longer repetitive elements and to characterize repetitive structures in this region. Analysis using SHEPHERD showed the existence of 60 core elements, which were expected to be the basic units that form SDs within the repetitive structure of SD13M. The demonstration that sequences homologous to the core elements (>70% homology) covered approximately 90% of the SD13M region indicated that our method can characterize the repetitive structure of SD13M effectively. Core elements were composed largely of fragmented repeats of a previously identified type, such as long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs), together with partial genic regions. Comparative genome hybridization array analysis showed that whereas 42 core elements were components of CNVR that varied among mouse strains, 8 did not vary among strains (constant type), and the status of the others could not be determined. The CNV-type core elements contained significantly larger proportions of long terminal repeat (LTR) types of retrotransposon than the constant-type core elements, which had no CNV. The higher divergence rates observed in the CNV-type core elements than in the constant type indicate that the CNV-type core elements have a longer evolutionary history than constant-type core elements in SD13M.

Conclusions

Our methodology for the identification of repetitive core sequences simplifies characterization of the structures of large SDs and detailed analysis of CNV. The results of detailed structural and quantitative analyses in this study might help to elucidate the biological role of one of the SDs on chromosome 13.
Synergetic effect of yeast cell-surface expression of cellulase and expansin-like protein on direct ethanol production from cellulose
Authors: Nakatani Yuki , Yamada Ryosuke , Ogino Chiaki , Kondo Akihiko
Published: July 2013

Background

Numerous studies have examined the direct fermentation of cellulosic materials by cellulase-expressing yeast; however, ethanol productivity in these systems has not yet reached an industrial level. Certain microorganisms, such as the cellulolytic fungus Trichoderma reesei, produce expansin-like proteins, which have a cellulose-loosening effect that may increase the breakdown of cellulose. Here, to improve the direct conversion of cellulose to ethanol, yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae co-displaying cellulase and expansin-like protein on the cell surface were constructed and examined for direct ethanol fermentation performance.

Results

The cellulase and expansin-like protein co-expressing strain showed 246 mU/g-wet cell of phosphoric acid swollen cellulose (PASC) degradation activity, which corresponded to 2.9-fold higher activity than that of a cellulase-expressing strain. This result clearly demonstrated that yeast cell-surface expressed cellulase and expansin-like protein act synergistically to breakdown cellulose. In fermentation experiments examining direct ethanol production from PASC, the cellulase and expansin-like protein co-expressing strain produced 3.4 g/L ethanol after 96 h of fermentation, a concentration that was 1.4-fold higher than that achieved by the cellulase-expressing strain (2.5 g/L).

Conclusions

The PASC degradation and fermentation ability of an engineered yeast strain was markedly improved by co-expressing cellulase and expansin-like protein on the cell surface. To our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate the synergetic effect of co-expressing cellulase and expansin-like protein on a yeast cell surface, which may be a promising strategy for constructing direct ethanol fermenting yeast from cellulose.
A single mutation in the core domain of the lac repressor reduces leakiness
Authors: Gatti-Lafranconi Pietro , Dijkman Willem P , Devenish Sean RA , Hollfelder Florian
Published: July 2013

Background

The lac operon provides cells with the ability to switch from glucose to lactose metabolism precisely when necessary. This metabolic switch is mediated by the lac repressor (LacI), which in the absence of lactose binds to the operator DNA sequence to inhibit transcription. Allosteric rearrangements triggered by binding of the lactose isomer allolactose to the core domain of the repressor impede DNA binding and lift repression. In Nature, the ability to detect and respond to environmental conditions comes at the cost of the encoded enzymes being constitutively expressed at low levels. The readily-switched regulation provided by LacI has resulted in its widespread use for protein overexpression, and its applications in molecular biology represent early examples of synthetic biology. However, the leakiness of LacI that is essential for the natural function of the lac operon leads to an increased energetic burden, and potentially toxicity, in heterologous protein production.

Results

Analysis of the features that confer promiscuity to the inducer-binding site of LacI identified tryptophan 220 as a target for saturation mutagenesis. We found that phenylalanine (similarly to tryptophan) affords a functional repressor that is still responsive to IPTG. Characterisation of the W220F mutant, LacIWF, by measuring the time dependence of GFP production at different IPTG concentrations and at various incubation temperatures showed a 10-fold reduction in leakiness and no decrease in GFP production. Cells harbouring a cytotoxic protein under regulatory control of LacIWF showed no decrease in viability in the early phases of cell growth. Changes in responsiveness to IPTG observed in vivo are supported by the thermal shift assay behaviour of purified LacIWF with IPTG and operator DNA.

Conclusions

In LacI, long-range communications are responsible for the transmission of the signal from the inducer binding site to the DNA binding domain and our results are consistent with the involvement of position 220 in modulating these. The mutation of this single tryptophan residue to phenylalanine generated an enhanced repressor with a 10-fold decrease in leakiness. By minimising the energetic burden and cytotoxicity caused by leakiness, LacIWF constitutes a useful switch for protein overproduction and synthetic biology.
A comparison of polyethylene wear between cobalt-chrome ball heads and alumina ball heads after total hip arthroplasty: a 10-year follow-up
Authors: Wang ShiJun , Zhang ShuDong , Zhao YuChi
Published: July 2013

Study design

This is a retrospective study comparing polyethylene wear between ceramic ball heads and metal ball heads in total hip arthroplasty.

Background

The ceramic-on-polyethylene bearing option has been introduced as an alternative to metal-on-polyethylene to minimize polyethylene wear debris and reduce subsequent osteolysis and aseptic loosening. However, the reported data were debatable. We designed this retrospective study to compare polyethylene wear between alumina ceramic ball heads and cobalt-chrome ball heads.

Methods

Bilateral simultaneous primary total hip arthroplasty was performed in 22 patients between January 2002 and December 2002, with one side using metal-on-polyethylene bearing surface and the other side using alumina ceramic-on-polyethylene bearing surface. After 10 years of follow-up, the wear rate of polyethylene liner on both sides was measured using the Dorr method and compared.

Results

The annual wear rate of the polyethylene liner was 0.133 mm with a standard deviation of 0.045 in the metal-on-polyethylene group and 0.056 mm with a standard deviation of 0.032 in the ceramic-on-polyethylene group. The wear rate per year was significantly lower in the ceramic-on-polyethylene group (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Although the implication is still controversial, our study showed that the use of ceramic head lowered the liner wear rate.

Clinical relevance

Ceramic is harder and more resistant to scratching than cobalt-chrome. By increasing polyethylene liner survivorship and decreasing potential osteolytic response and aseptic loosening, ceramic head is a better alternative than cobalt-chrome head.
Alkaline twin-screw extrusion pretreatment for fermentable sugar production
Authors: Liu Chao , van der Heide Evert , Wang Haisong , Li Bin , Yu Guang , Mu Xindong
Published: July 2013

Background

The inevitable depletion of fossil fuels has resulted in an increasing worldwide interest in exploring alternative and sustainable energy sources. Lignocellulose, which is the most abundant biomass on earth, is widely regarded as a promising raw material to produce fuel ethanol. Pretreatment is an essential step to disrupt the recalcitrance of lignocellulosic matrix for enzymatic saccharification and bioethanol production. This paper established an ATSE (alkaline twin-screw extrusion pretreatment) process using a specially designed twin-screw extruder in the presence of alkaline solution to improve the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of corn stover for the production of fermentable sugars.

Results

The ATSE pretreatment was conducted with a biomass/liquid ratio of 1/2 (w/w) at a temperature of 99°C without heating equipment. The results indicated that ATSE pretreatment is effective in improving the enzymatic digestibility of corn stover. Sodium hydroxide loading is more influential factor affecting both sugar yield and lignin degradation than heat preservation time. After ATSE pretreatment under the proper conditions (NaOH loading of 0.06 g/g biomass during ATSE and 1 hour heat preservation after extrusion), 71% lignin removal was achieved and the conversions of glucan and xylan in the pretreated biomass can reach to 83% and 89% respectively via subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis (cellulase loading of 20 FPU/g-biomass and substrate consistency of 2%). About 78% of the original polysaccharides were converted into fermentable sugars.

Conclusions

With the physicochemical functions in extrusion, the ATSE method can effectively overcome the recalcitrance of lignocellulose for the production of fermentable sugars from corn stover. This process can be considered as a promising pretreatment method due to its relatively low temperature (99°C), high biomass/liquid ratio (1/2) and satisfied total sugar yield (78%), despite further study is needed for process optimization and cost reduction.
Role of biomarkers in the management of antibiotic therapy: an expert panel review II: clinical use of biomarkers for initiation or discontinuation of antibiotic therapy
Authors: Quenot Jean-Pierre , Luyt Charles-Edouard , Roche Nicolas , Chalumeau Martin , Charles Pierre-Emmanuel , Claessens Yann-Eric , Lasocki Sigismond , Bedos Jean-Pierre , Péan Yves , Philippart François , Ruiz Stéphanie , Gras-Leguen Christele , Dupuy Anne-Marie , Pugin Jérôme , Stahl Jean-Paul , Misset Benoit , Gauzit Rémy , Brun-Buisson Christian
Published: July 2013

Biomarker-guided initiation of antibiotic therapy has been studied in four conditions: acute pancreatitis, lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), meningitis, and sepsis in the ICU. In pancreatitis with suspected infected necrosis, initiating antibiotics best relies on fine-needle aspiration and demonstration of infected material. We suggest that PCT be measured to help predict infection; however, available data are insufficient to decide on initiating antibiotics based on PCT levels. In adult patients suspected of community-acquired LRTI, we suggest withholding antibiotic therapy when the serum PCT level is low (<0.25 ng/mL); in patients having nosocomial LRTI, data are insufficient to recommend initiating therapy based on a single PCT level or even repeated measurements. For children with suspected bacterial meningitis, we recommend using a decision rule as an aid to therapeutic decisions, such as the Bacterial Meningitis Score or the Meningitest®; a single PCT level ≥0.5 ng/mL also may be used, but false-negatives may occur. In adults with suspected bacterial meningitis, we suggest integrating serum PCT measurements in a clinical decision rule to help distinguish between viral and bacterial meningitis, using a 0.5 ng/mL threshold. For ICU patients suspected of community-acquired infection, we do not recommend using a threshold serum PCT value to help the decision to initiate antibiotic therapy; data are insufficient to recommend using PCT serum kinetics for the decision to initiate antibiotic therapy in patients suspected of ICU-acquired infection. In children, CRP can probably be used to help discontinue therapy, although the evidence is limited. In adults, antibiotic discontinuation can be based on an algorithm using repeated PCT measurements. In non-immunocompromised out- or in- patients treated for RTI, antibiotics can be discontinued if the PCT level at day 3 is < 0.25 ng/mL or has decreased by >80-90%, whether or not microbiological documentation has been obtained. For ICU patients who have nonbacteremic sepsis from a known site of infection, antibiotics can be stopped if the PCT level at day 3 is < 0.5 ng/mL or has decreased by >80% relative to the highest level recorded, irrespective of the severity of the infectious episode; in bacteremic patients, a minimal duration of therapy of 5 days is recommended.
Integration of surface-based tomographic models for zonation and multimodel guided extrapolation of sparsely known petrophysical parameters
Authors: Hachmöller Barbara , Paasche Hendrik
Published: July 2013

We integrate the information of multiple tomographic models acquired from the earth’s surface by modifying a statistical approach recently developed for the integration of cross-borehole tomographic models. In doing so, we introduce spectral cluster analysis as the new core of the model integration procedure to capture the spatial heterogeneity present in all considered tomographic models and describe this heterogeneity in a fuzzy sense. Because spectral cluster algorithms analyze model structure locally, they are considered relatively robust with regard to systematically and spatially varying imaging capabilities typical for geophysical tomographic surveys conducted on the earth’s surface. Using a synthetic aquifer example, a fuzzy spectral cluster algorithm can be used to integrate the information provided by 2D tomographic refraction seismic and DC resistivity surveys. The integrated information in the fuzzy membership domain is then used to derive an integrated zonal geophysical model outlining the major structural units present in both input models. We also explain how the fuzzy membership information can be used to identify optimal locations for sparse logging of additional target parameters, i.e., porosity information in our synthetic example. We demonstrate how this sparse porosity information can be extrapolated based on all tomographic input models. The resultant 2D porosity model matches the original porosity distribution reasonably well within the spatial resolution limits of the underlying tomographic models. Consecutively, we apply this approach to a field data base acquired over a former river channel. Sparse information about natural gamma radiation is available and extrapolated on the basis of the fuzzy membership information obtained by spectral cluster analysis of 2D P-wave velocity and electrical resistivity models. This field data shows that the presented parameter extrapolation procedure is robust, even if the locations of target parameter acquisition have not been optimized with regard to the fuzzy membership information.