bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The long‐term outcomes of four alternative treatment strategies for primary open‐angle glaucoma
Authors: van Gestel Aukje , Webers Carroll A. , Severens Johan L. , Beckers Henny J. , Jansonius Nomdo M. , Hendrikse Fred , Schouten Jan S.
Published: January 2012

Purpose: To evaluate the long‐term effects and costs of four treatment strategies for primary open‐angle glaucoma compared to usual care.

Methods: Cost‐effectiveness analyses with a lifelong horizon were made from a societal perspective. Data were generated with a patient‐level model based on discrete event simulation. The model structure and parameter estimates were based on literature, particularly clinical studies on the natural course of glaucoma and the effect of treatment. We simulated heterogeneous cohorts of 3000 patients and explored the impact of uncertainty with sensitivity analyses.

Results: The incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICER) of initial treatment with a prostaglandin analogue compared with a β‐blocker was €12.931 per quality‐adjusted life year (QALY) gained. A low initial target pressure (15 mmHg) resulted in 0.115 QALYs gained and €1550 saved compared to a gradual decrease from 21 to 15 mmHg upon progression. Visual field (VF) measurements every 6 rather than 12 months lead to health gains at increased costs (ICER €173 486 per QALY gained), whereas measurements every 24 months lead to health losses at reduced costs (ICER €21 516 per QALY lost). All treatment strategies were dominant over ‘withholding treatment’.

Conclusions: From a cost‐effectiveness point of view, it seems advantageous to aim for a low intraocular pressure in all glaucoma patients. The feasibility of this strategy should therefore be investigated. Additionally, the cost‐effectiveness outcomes of initiating monotherapy with a prostaglandin analogue and reducing the frequency of VF testing may be acceptable.
Is Small Beautiful? Multiparty Politics and Democratic Consolidation in Timor‐Leste
Authors: Shoesmith Dennis
Published: January 2012

Drawing on comparisons of the experience of multiparty politics in postcolonial African states and in Papua New Guinea, this article considers whether the party and electoral systems in Timor‐Leste retard a transition to a consolidated democratic polity. Like FRELIMO in Mozambique, the independence party, FRETILIN, committed to a one‐party regime until both parties adopted multiparty politics from the late 1980s. Since independence, Timor‐Leste has been relatively successful in establishing a competitive party system. This article argues, however, that the proliferation of small parties and the necessity to negotiate unstable coalition governments retard the process of democratic consolidation in Timor‐Leste, and the party system undermines effective state governance and restricts rather than broadens democratic representation. A weak multiparty system has encouraged corruption and poor governance in Papua New Guinea, and multiparty politics threaten similar outcomes in Timor‐Leste.
Democracy Old and New: The Interaction of Modern and Traditional Authority in East Timorese Local Government
Authors: Cummins Deborah , Leach Michael
Published: January 2012

This article examines the evolving relationship between traditional and modern forms of political authority in local government in Timor‐Leste. The “clash of paradigms” between traditional and liberal democratic ideas of legitimacy in Timor‐Leste is widely considered to be an important issue for the stability of the nation‐state as a whole, and integral to engaging local communities in nation building, peace building, and democratization. Drawing on fieldwork conducted by the authors in Baucau, Los Palos, Viqueque, Venilale, and Ainaro in 2008–2009, we examine the ways elected chefes de suku and chefes de aldeia are interacting with traditional authorities at the local government level. The findings suggest that the interaction of modern and traditional systems has produced several hybrid models of local political authority and legitimacy. Specifically, we identify three models: two “co‐incumbency” models, and an “authorization” model emphasizing a separation of powers between traditional and modern authorities.
Association of CiaRH with resistance of Streptococcus mutans to antimicrobial peptides in biofilms
Authors: Mazda Y. , Kawada‐Matsuo M. , Kanbara K. , Oogai Y. , Shibata Y. , Yamashita Y. , Miyawaki S. , Komatsuzawa H.
Published: January 2012

Streptococcus mutans is a cariogenic pathogen in humans. To persist in the oral cavity, S. mutans is resistant against several antibacterial factors derived from the host. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are innate immune factors in humans. Because dltA‐D (teichoic acid biosynthesis) was reported to affect the susceptibility to AMPs in other bacterial species, we evaluated the susceptibility of a dltC knockout mutant of S. mutans to the AMPs human beta‐defensin‐1 (hBD1), hBD2, hBD3 and LL37. The dltC mutant exhibited significantly increased susceptibility to AMPs. Regulation of dltC expression involved CiaRH, a two‐component system. Expression of dltC in the wild‐type strain was significantly increased in biofilm cells compared with that in planktonic cells, whereas expression was not increased in a ciaRH knockout mutant. In biofilm cells, we found that susceptibility to LL37 was increased in the ciaRH mutant compared with that in the wild type. From these results, it is concluded that Dlt is involved in the susceptibility of S. mutans to AMPs and is regulated by CiaRH in biofilm cells.
Experimental Investigation on the Effects of a Large Recirculating Area on the Performance of an Effusion Cooled Combustor Liner
Authors: Tarchi Lorenzo , Facchini Bruno , Maiuolo Francesco , Coutandin Daniele
Published: January 2012

An experimental analysis of a realistic engine cooling scheme was performed on a test article replicating a slot injection and an effusion array with a central large dilution hole. A test section consists of a rectangular cross-section duct with a flat plate comprised of 270 effusion holes arranged in 29 staggered rows (D = 1.65 mm, Sx/D = 7.6, Sy/D = 6, L/D = 5.5, α = 30 deg) and a dilution hole (D = 18.75 mm) located at the 14th row. Both effusion and dilution holes are fed by a channel replicating a combustor annulus, which allows to control of cold gas side cross-flow parameters, especially in terms of Reynolds number of both annulus and effusion holes. Upstream the first row, a 6 mm high slot ensures the protection of the very first region of the liner. In order to simulate the combustor flowpath, a backward facing step was installed upstream the slot to generate a large recirculating area. Adiabatic effectiveness, heat transfer coefficient and net heat flux reduction were evaluated and compared with non- recirculating experiments. Measurements were performed by means of a steady-state Thermochromic liquid crystals (TLC) technique with a thin Inconel heating foil for the heat transfer measurements. A data reduction procedure based on a finite element approach has been developed to take into account the non uniform heat generation and conduction due to the large amount of holes. Experiments were carried out considering the combined effects of slot, effusion and dilution holes. Three different effusion blowing ratios (BR = 3-5-7) are investigated, keeping constant the slot flow parameters (BR = 1.3). Results highlight that the presence of the step leads to a general reduction of effectiveness while does not have effects on the heat transfer coefficient.
Development of Nondestructive Test and Safety Assessment of Electrofusion Joints for Connecting Polyethylene Pipes
Authors: Zheng Jinyang , Shi Jianfeng , Guo Weican
Published: January 2012

Polyethylene (PE) pipes are widely used in transporting natural gas since 1960s. However, there are few published literatures on method for safety assessment of PE pipes. This paper introduces recent work in developing ultrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT) equipment and research on safety assessment of electrofusion (EF) joints of PE pipes. According to the geometrical characteristics and ultrasonic response, defects in EF joints can be divided into four categories, i.e., poor fusion interface, voids, structural deformity, and over welding. The defect of the poor fusion interface includes three typical forms, i.e., cold welding, unscraped oxide skin, and contamination of the fusion interface. Cold welding, which is the most common and dangerous defect, has been successfully detected by using ultrasonic NDT equipment and assessed with a patented cold welding Eigen-line method.
A novel helical chainlike cobalt(II) coordination polymer containing 1D trigonal channels: Synthesis, crystal structure and properties
Authors: Cai Jin-Hua , Zhong Fan , Chen Wen-Tong , Jiang Yi-Min
Published: January 2012

A novel helical-chain coordination polymer [Co(tau)2(4,4′-bipy)]n·nH2O 1 (tau = taurine, 4,4′-bipy = 4,4′-bipyridine) has been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis, magnetic measurements, solid-state CD spectra and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The intertwist trigonal-fold helical chains are further connected through hydrogen bonds to give a three-dimensional supramolecular network, in which trigonal microporous channels filled with water guest molecules exist within the polymer coils. Compound 1 shows weak antiferromagnetic interactions among metal ions.
Copper- and amine-free Sonogashira–Hagihara coupling reaction catalyzed by Pd(0) nanoparticles supported on modified crosslinked polyacrylamide
Authors: Tamami Bahman , Ghasemi Soheila
Published: January 2012

Pd(0) nanoparticles supported on modified crosslinked polyacrylamide containing phosphinite ligand was prepared. The complex was a highly efficient catalyst for the Sonogashira– Hagihara coupling reaction in the absence of a copper cocatalyst and an amine base under aerobic condition. This protocol can be applied for different aryl halides including chloroarenes. The catalyst can be reused several times without any considerable decrease in its activity because of low leaching of palladium metal from the support. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of the catalyst revealed the formation of stable and polydispersed Pd(0) nanoparticles.
EVOLUTION OF INTERFERENCE PATTERNS OF SUPERFLUID FERMI GASES RELEASED FROM A TWO-DIMENSIONAL OPTICAL LATTICE
Authors: LIU SUJUAN , WEN WEN , HUANG GUOXIANG
Published: January 2012

We study interference patterns and their time evolution of a superfluid fermionic gas released from a two-dimensional (2D) optical lattice below and above Feshbach resonance. We calculate initial distribution of many subcondensates formed in a combined potential of a parabolic trap and a 2D optical lattice in the crossover from Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) superfluid to a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC). By using Feynman propagator method combined with numerical simulations we investigate the interference patterns of the subcondensates for two different cases. One is when both the parabolic trap and optical lattice are switched off. In this case, interference pattern displays a main peak and many secondary peaks. The distance between these interference peaks grows as time increases. The other one is when only the 2D optical lattice is switched off. The interference pattern in this case is found to display decay and revival, and such behavior repeats periodically with increasing time. In different regimes of the BCS-BEC crossover, coherent arrays of interference patterns show different features, which can be used to characterize experimentally different properties in different superfluid regimes of the BCS–BEC crossover.
ACOUSTIC SCATTERING BY AN ELASTIC SPHERICAL SHELL NEAR THE SEABED
Authors: SESSAREGO JEAN-PIERRE , CRISTINI PAUL , GRIGORIEVA NATALIE S. , FRIDMAN GREGORY M.
Published: January 2012

The paper describes the theory and implementation issues of modeling of the backscattered field from a thin air-filled spherical elastic shell immersed in water close to the seabed or to the air/water interface. Computational results obtained for the full multiple scattering solution are compared with the model utilizing the single-scatter approximation in a wide-frequency range 0 < k0a ≤ 55. In this frequency range for a thin air-filled spherical shell the main elastic contribution to scattering is due to the lowest-order compressional wave which is the generalization of the Lamb symmetric wave of a flat plate and due to the subsonic mode of the first antisymmetric Lamb wave. Strong resonance peaks produced by these waves in the backscattered form functions have been identified in numerical modeling. It has been shown that when the object is close to the interface in addition to geometrical reflections between the shell and the interface, strong interactions due to these resonances can be observed.
ENHANCEMENT OF INTRINSIC SPIKING COHERENCE BY EXTERNAL NON-GAUSSIAN NOISE IN A STOCHASTIC HODGKIN–HUXLEY NEURON
Authors: WANG LI , GONG YUBING , LIN XIU
Published: January 2012

In this paper, we study the effect of external non-Gaussian noise on the temporal coherence of the intrinsic spiking induced by the channel noise in a stochastic Hodgkin–Huxley neuron. It is found that, for a sufficiently large membrane patch, the intrinsic spiking coherence can be enhanced by the proper values of non-Gaussian noise's strength, correlation time, or deviation from Gaussian distribution. And that the intrinsic spiking can exhibit coherence resonance when the noise's strength is optimal. This implies that the channel noise-induced intrinsic spiking may become more or the most ordered in time with the assistance of the external non-Gaussian noise. These results show that the external non-Gaussian noise can play a constructive role for improving the time precision of information processing in stochastic neurons.
VISIBILITY GRAPHS FOR TIME SERIES CONTAINING DIFFERENT COMPONENTS
Authors: QI JINGCHAO , WANG JIANYONG , WANG JIANBO , XIAO QIN , YANG HUIJIE
Published: January 2012

We consider the visibility graphs for superpositions of fractional Brownian motions with different Hurst exponents. It is found that the degree distributions obey power-law. The components with lower Hurst exponents dominate the heterogeneity behaviors of the visibility graphs. These findings are helpful for us to understand the characteristics of visibility graphs for real-world time series.
1/f CHANNEL NOISE AT HIGH DRAIN CURRENT IN MOS TRANSISTORS
Authors: GAUBERT P. , TERAMOTO A. , OHMI T.
Published: January 2012

On account of low resistivity contacts and of a newly developed device, the investigation of the 1/f noise at high drain current has been made possible. Therefore, it has been acknowledged that the correlated carrier number and mobility fluctuations model were not able to satisfactorily explain the 1/f noise within this particular region. Indeed, the fundamental mobility fluctuations were also generating 1/f fluctuations and were furthermore, taking over at high biases. It eventually came to light that the fundamental mobility fluctuations along with the sole oxide charge fluctuations were accurately modeling the noise all over the measurement range, allowing us to notice that the fundamental mobility fluctuations were generating the same amount of 1/f fluctuations as the induced mobility added to the cross correlated ones.
CHARACTERIZATION OFCdSexS1-xQUANTUM DOTS USING XRD, UV-VIS ABSORPTION AND RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY MEASUREMENTS
Authors: KUMAR JITENDER , MADAN SHIKHA , MADHWAL DEVINDER , SINGH INDERPREET , BHATNAGAR P. K. , MATHUR P. C. , ISLAM S. S.
Published: January 2012

CdSexS1-xquantum dots (QDs) have been grown in borosilicate glass matrix using two step annealing technique and are characterized by AFM, XRD, UV-Vis absorption, HRTEM and Raman spectroscopy measurements. AFM studies show that nearly spherical clusters of about 5–10 nanocrystals were grown. From XRD measurements, it is found that the nanocrystals are grown in hexagonal phase. From HRTEM measurements, it is observed that the size of QDs increases from 5.1 to 9.5 nm with increasing annealing duration from 3 to 10 hrs. Blue shift in absorption spectrum indicates that quantum confinement increases with decreasing annealing durations. Raman spectrum of CdSexS1-xQDs shows two mode type of behavior i.e., CdSe like longitudinal optical phonon mode (LO1) and CdS like longitudinal optical phonon mode (LO2). It has been observed that with increasing the size of QDs from 5.1 to 9.5 nm, LO1shifts from 205 to 210 cm-1while LO2shifts from 278 to 291 cm-1. The shift in the LO1and LO2Raman peaks towards high frequencies has been interpreted due to increase in the lattice compressive strain with the increase in QDs size. The effect of phonon negative dispersion on the shift of LO1and LO2is found to be comparatively insignificant. It is also found that the ratio of intensity of overtones to the fundamental mode increases from 0.34 to 0.48 with decreasing QD size. This indicates that the electron–phonon coupling increases with the decrease in size of QD due to increasing overlap of electron and hole wave function in small size QDs. It is further observed that the frequency of the surface optical phonon mode remains unchanged as the size of QD changes but the intensity decreases with the increase in the size of QDs finally merging in LO mode Raman spectrum.
PLASMONIC PROPERTIES OF DIELECTRIC-CORE PLASMONIC-SHELL NANOCYLINDERS IN PASCAL TRIANGLE
Authors: KUMAR G. V. PAVAN
Published: January 2012

We report on the plasmonic properties of silver-coated dielectric nanocylinders arranged according to an unconventional geometrical representation called Pascal's triangle. We performed numerical simulations to calculate the extinction spectrum and identify the collective optical modes in the geometry. For resonant excitation at 410 nm, we found pronounced field localization (50 nm) at the center of the Pascal triangle. Further, we studied the near-field intensity as a function of experimentally-relevant variables such as excitation wavelength, angle of incidence and dielectric constant of the core material. Our analysis revealed pronounced difference between near-field intensities for resonant and non-resonant excitation wavelength at various angle of incident radiation; and an increment in near-field intensity at excitation wavelengths greater than 600 nm, with increase in dielectric constant of core material. Our study has relevance in development of substrates with tunable electromagnetic hot-spots for on-chip plasmonics.
Single walled carbon nanotubes functionalized with nickel phthalocyanines: effects of point of substitution and nature of functionalization on the electro-oxidation of 4-chlorophenol
Authors: Khene Samson , Nyokong Tebello
Published: January 2012

In this work we report on electrochemical behavior of nickel phthalocyanine derivatives tetrasubstituted peripherally and non-peripherally with hydroxy and used to modify single walled carbon nanotubes. Nickel phthalocyanine complex octasubstituted at the peripheral positions with hydroxy groups was also used to modify single walled carbon nanotubes. Nickel phthalocyanine complex tetrasubstituted with amino groups at peripheral position was covalently and non-covalently linked to single walled carbon nanotubes. All the conjugates of nickel phthalocyanine derivatives with single walled carbon nanotubes were used for the electro oxidation of 4-chlorophenol. The nickel phthalocyanine octabsubstituted with hydroxy groups at the non-peripheral positions gave the best current response and the best resistance against electrode fouling for the oxidation of 4-chlorophenol.
5-(1-(4-phenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)triazene)-10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin: a new triazene-porphyrin dye and its spectroelectrochemical properties
Authors: Iglesias Bernardo A. , Hörner Manfredo , Toma Henrique E. , Araki Koiti
Published: January 2012

The new triazene-porphyrin dye 5-(1-(4-phenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)triazene)-10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin, encompassing a reactive protonated triazene moiety, was prepared starting from meso-tetraphenylporphyrin ( H2TPP ), first converting it to the 5-(4-nitrophenyl)-10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin, then reducing to the 5-(4-aminophenyl)-10,15,20-tri(phenyl)porphyrin intermediate, and reacting with the diazonium salt of 4-nitroaniline; and characterized by spectroscopic and electrochemical methods. The absorption spectrum of the neutral species resembled the sum of H2TPP and of 1,3-bis(4-nitrophenyl)triazene spectrum, but the deprotonated anionic species showed more delocalized frontier orbitals, behaving as a push-pull system exhibiting triazenide-to-porphyrin charge-transfer transitions.
ON THE QUATERNIONIC p-ADIC L-FUNCTIONS ASSOCIATED TO HILBERT MODULAR EIGENFORMS
Authors: VAN ORDER JEANINE
Published: January 2012

We construct p-adic L-functions associated to cuspidal Hilbert modular eigenforms of parallel weight two in certain dihedral or anticyclotomic extensions via the Jacquet–Langlands correspondence, generalizing works of Bertolini–Darmon, Vatsal and others. The construction given here is adelic, which allows us to deduce a precise interpolation formula from a Waldspurger-type theorem, as well as a formula for the dihedral μ-invariant. We also make a note of Howard's non-vanishing criterion for these p-adic L-functions, which can be used to reduce the associated Iwasawa main conjecture to a certain non-triviality criterion for families of p-adic L-functions.
THE 2-ADIC VALUATIONS OF STIRLING NUMBERS OF THE SECOND KIND
Authors: HONG SHAOFANG , ZHAO JIANRONG , ZHAO WEI
Published: January 2012

In this paper, we investigate the 2-adic valuations of the Stirling numbers S(n, k) of the second kind. We show that v2(S(4i, 5)) = v2(S(4i + 3, 5)) if and only if i ≢ 7 (mod 32). This confirms a conjecture of Amdeberhan, Manna and Moll raised in 2008. We show also that v2(S(2n+ 1, k + 1)) = s2(n) - 1 for any positive integer n, where s2(n) is the sum of binary digits of n. It proves another conjecture of Amdeberhan, Manna and Moll.
NON-VANISHING OF DERIVATIVES OF L-FUNCTIONS ATTACHED TO HILBERT MODULAR FORMS
Authors: TANABE NAOMI
Published: January 2012

This paper is to show a non-vanishing property of the derivative of certain L-functions. For certain primitive holomorphic Hilbert modular forms, if the central critical value of the standard L-function does not vanish, then neither does its derivative. This is a generalization of a result by Gun, Murty and Rath in the case of elliptic modular forms. Some applications in transcendental number theory deduced from this result are discussed as well.
DEVELOPMENT OF A GENERIC ULTRASOUND VIBRO-ACOUSTIC IMAGING PLATFORM FOR TISSUE ELASTICITY AND VISCOSITY
Authors: WANG YI , CHEN SIPING , WANG TIANFU , ZHOU TING , LI QIAOLIANG , ZHENG YI , CHEN XIN
Published: January 2012

Tissue elasticity and viscosity are always associated with pathological changes. As a new imaging method, ultrasound vibro-acoustic imaging is developed for quantitatively measuring tissue elasticity and viscosity which have important significance in early diagnosis of cancer. This paper developed an ultrasound vibro-acoustic imaging research platform mainly consisting of excitation part and detection part. The excitation transducer was focused at one location within the medium to generate harmonic vibration and shear wave propagation, and the detection transducer was applied to detect shear wave at other locations along shear wave propagation path using pulse-echo method. The received echoes were amplified, filtered, digitized and then processed by Kalman filter to estimate the vibration phase. According to the phase changes between different propagation locations, we estimated the shear wave speed, and then used it to calculate the tissue elasticity and viscosity. Preliminary phantom experiments based on this platform show results of phantom elasticity and viscosity close to literature values. Upcoming experiments are now in progress to obtain quantitative elasticity and viscosity in vitro tissue.
ODOR DISCRIMINATION BY MITRAL CELLS IN RAT OLFACTORY BULB USING MICROWIRE ARRAY RECORDING
Authors: ZHOU JUN , DONG QI , ZHUANG LIUJING , LIU QINGJUN , ZHANG SHAOMIN , ZHENG XIAOXIANG , WANG PING
Published: January 2012

Response features of mitral cells in the olfactory bulb were examined using principal component analysis to determine whether they contain information about odorant stimuli. Using microwire electrode array to record from the olfactory bulb in freely breathing anesthetized rats, we recorded responses of different mitral cells to saturated vapor of anisole (1 M), carvone (1 M), isobutanol (1 M), citral (1 M) and isoamyl actate (1 M). The responses of single mitral cells to the same odorant varied over time. The response profiles showed similarity during certain amount of period, which indicated that the response was not only depended on odor itself but also associated with context. Furthermore, the responses of single mitral cell to different odorants were observed with difference in firing rate. In order to recognize different odorant stimuli, we apply four cells as a sensing group for classification using principal component analysis. Features of each cell's response describing both temporal and frequency characteristics were selected. The results showed that five different single molecular odorants can be distinguished from each other. These data suggest that action potentials of mitral cells may play a role in odor coding.
Traumatic Endophthalmitis due toCellulosimicrobium cellulans
Authors: Jaru-ampornpan Pimkwan , Agarwal Anita , Midha Narinder K. , Kim Stephen J.
Published: January 2012

Purpose. To report a case of traumatic endophthalmitis due toCellulosimicrobium cellulans.Design. Case report.Methods. Retrospective chart review.Results. To our knowledge, this is the first report of traumatic endophthalmitis due toC. cellulans, which did not respond to intravitreal antibiotics or repeat vitrectomy and ultimately led to the discovery of an occult intraocular foreign body.Conclusions.C. cellulansis a rare cause of endophthalmitis. Greater awareness of this bacterium in the ophthalmic literature as a cause of endophthalmitis and its association with foreign bodies may allow earlier and more purposeful intervention in future cases.
Direct Two‐Point Block One‐Step Method for Solving General Second‐Order Ordinary Differential Equations
Authors: Abdul Majid Zanariah , Mokhtar Nur Zahidah , Suleiman Mohamed
Published: January 2012

A direct two‐point block one‐step method for solving general second‐order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) directly is presented in this paper. The one‐step block method will solve the second‐order ODEs without reducing to first‐order equations. The direct solutions of the general second‐order ODEs will be calculated at two points simultaneously using variable step size. The method is formulated using the linear multistep method, but the new method possesses the desirable feature of the one‐step method. The implementation is based on the predictor and corrector formulas in the PE(CE) m mode. The stability and precision of this method will also be analyzed and deliberated. Numerical results are given to show the efficiency of the proposed method and will be compared with the existing method.
Tetraband Small-Size Printed Strip MIMO Antenna for Mobile Handset Application
Authors: Zeng Qinghao , Yao Yuan , Liu Shaohua , Yu Junsheng , Xie Peng , Chen Xiaodong
Published: January 2012

A compact printed multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna for tetraband (GSM900/1800/1900/UMTS) mobile handset application is presented. The proposed MIMO antenna, which consists of two coupled-fed loop antennas with symmetrical configuration, was printed on a 120 * 60 * 0.8 mm3Fr-4 substrate of relative permittivity of 4.4, loss tangent 0.02. Each element antenna requires only a small area of 22.5 * 25 mm2on the circuit board. The edge-to-edge spacing between the two elements is only0.03λ0of 920 MHz. A slot and a dual-inverted-L-shaped ground branch were added in the ground plane to decrease the mature coupling between the antenna elements. The measured isolation of the proposed antenna is better than 15 dB among the four operating frequency bands. The simulated 3D radiation patterns at 900 MHz and 1900 MHz of both antenna elements show that two loop antennas in general cover complementary space regions with good diversity performance. Detailed antenna impedance matching performance comparisons were done to evaluate the benefit of using different decoupling technology. The envelop correlation coefficient is calculated to represent the diversity performance of the MIMO antenna.
Biological Therapy in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Postal Mariana , Costallat Lilian TL , Appenzeller Simone
Published: January 2012

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic inflammatory autoimmune disorder characterized by multisystem involvement and fluctuating disease activity. Symptoms range from rather mild manifestations such as rash or arthritis to life-threatening end-organ manifestations. Despite new and improved therapy having positively impacted the prognosis of SLE, a subgroup of patients do not respond to conventional therapy. Moreover, the risk of fatal outcomes and the damaging side effects of immunosuppressive therapies in SLE call for an improvement in the current therapeutic management. New therapeutic approaches are focused on B-cell targets, T-cell downregulation and costimulatory blockade, cytokine inhibition, and the modulation of complement. Several biological agents have been developed, but this encouraging news is associated with several disappointments in trials and provide a timely moment to reflect on biologic therapy in SLE.
At the Start of the Sarcomere: A Previously Unrecognized Role for Myosin Chaperones and Associated Proteins during Early Myofibrillogenesis
Authors: Myhre J. Layne , Pilgrim David B.
Published: January 2012

The development of striated muscle in vertebrates requires the assembly of contractile myofibrils, consisting of highly ordered bundles of protein filaments. Myofibril formation occurs by the stepwise addition of complex proteins, a process that is mediated by a variety of molecular chaperones and quality control factors. Most notably, myosin of the thick filament requires specialized chaperone activity during late myofibrillogenesis, including that of Hsp90 and its cofactor, Unc45b. Unc45b has been proposed to act exclusively as an adaptor molecule, stabilizing interactions between Hsp90 and myosin; however, recent discoveries in zebrafish andC. eleganssuggest the possibility of an earlier role for Unc45b during myofibrillogenesis. This role may involve functional control of nonmuscle myosins during the earliest stages of myogenesis, when premyofibril scaffolds are first formed from dynamic cytoskeletal actin. This paper will outline several lines of evidence that converge to build a model for Unc45b activity during early myofibrillogenesis.
Advanced Receiver Design for Mitigating Multiple RF Impairments in OFDM Systems: Algorithms and RF Measurements
Authors: Kiayani Adnan , Anttila Lauri , Zou Yaning , Valkama Mikko
Published: January 2012

Direct‐conversion architecture‐based orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems are troubled by impairments such as in‐phase and quadrature‐phase (I/Q) imbalance and carrier frequency offset (CFO). These impairments are unavoidable in any practical implementation and severely degrade the obtainable link performance. In this contribution, we study the joint impact of frequency‐selective I/Q imbalance at both transmitter and receiver together with channel distortions and CFO error. Two estimation and compensation structures based on different pilot patterns are proposed for coping with such impairments. The first structure is based on preamble pilot pattern while the second one assumes a sparse pilot pattern. The proposed estimation/compensation structures are able to separate the individual impairments, which are then compensated in the reverse order of their appearance at the receiver. We present time‐domain estimation and compensation algorithms for receiver I/Q imbalance and CFO and propose low‐complexity algorithms for the compensation of channel distortions and transmitter IQ imbalance. The performance of the compensation algorithms is investigated with computer simulations as well as with practical radio frequency (RF) measurements. The performance results indicate that the proposed techniques provide close to the ideal performance both in simulations and measurements.
Anabolic Androgenic Steroids in the General Population: User Characteristics and Associations with Substance Use
Authors: Hakansson Anders , Mickelsson Kajsa , Wallin Camilla , Berglund Mats
Published: January 2012

Aims: To analyse correlates of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) use in the general male population. Design: A national household survey. Participants: Individuals aged 15–64 years in Sweden. Measurements: AAS use and potential correlates of AAS use, including demographic data, financial situation, physical training, and substance use. In hierarchical logistic regression analyses, lifetime users of AAS (n = 240) were compared to all nonusers (n = 13,920) and to nonusers who reported that they had been offered AAS (n = 487). Results: AAS use was most strongly associated with a lifetime history of illicit drug use and the misuse of prescription drugs. When controlling for substance use, AAS was associated with physical training and lower education. Illicit drug use and misuse of prescription drugs separated AAS users from nonusers who had been offered AAS. No associations were seen with AUDIT scores for risk alcohol drinking. Conclusions: In this general population survey in men, lifetime use of AAS appears to share common characteristics with illicit substance use. Both substance use variables and physical training remained associated with AAS use when controlling for one another.
Subculture Affiliation Is Associated with Substance Use of Adolescents
Authors: Bobakova Daniela , Madarasova Geckova Andrea , Reijneveld Sijmen A. , van Dijk Jitse P.
Published: January 2012

Youth subcultures (hip-hop, punk, skinhead, techno scene, metal) are known for specific lifestyles, music preferences, shared values and behaviours of their members. The aim of this study was to assess the association between subculture affiliation and substance use (tobacco, alcohol and cannabis), and whether gender, family affluence and substance use by peers explain this association. Subculture affiliation was significantly associated with substance use (OR/95% CI: smoking 3.13/2.30–4.24; drinking 2.58/1.95–3.41; drunkenness 2.02/1.54–2.66; cannabis use 2.42/1.46–4.00). Only a part of this risk runs via gender, family affluence and peer substance use. Health promotion should be targeted in particular at adolescents with a subculture affiliation as they are at higher risk of substance use.
Influence of Differences in Case Mix on the Better Outcome of Smokers after Intravenous Thrombolysis for Acute Cerebral Ischemia
Authors: Moulin Solène , Padjen-Bogosavljevic Visnja , Marichal Aurélie , Cordonnier Charlotte , Jovanovic Dejana R. , Gautier Sophie , Hénon Hilde , Beslac-Bumbasirevic Ljiljana , Bordet Régis , Leys Didier
Published: January 2012

Background/Aims: Thrombolysis for myocardial infarction is more effective in smokers. Our aim wasto determine whether smokers treated by intravenous (i.v.) rt-PA for acute cerebral ischemia have better outcomes. Method: Comparison of smokers and non-smokers for baseline characteristics and month-3 outcome in patients treated by i.v. rt-PA for cerebral ischemia in Lille, France, and Belgrade, Serbia. The primary outcome was a modified Rankin scale (mRS) 0–1 or similar to the pre-stroke mRS. Secondary outcomes were an mRS 0–2 and death. Results: We included 459 patients (255 men; median age 65 years, interquartile range 52–76; 135 smokers). Smokers were younger (median 53 vs. 70 years, p < 0.0001) and had less severe strokes (median NIHSS 10 vs. 14, p < 0.0001). At month 3, they were more likely to have an mRS 0–1 [odds ratio (OR) 1.75; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17–2.62], or an mRS 0–2 (OR 2.90; 95% CI 1.86–4.52) and less likely to be dead (OR 0.28; 95% CI 0.13–0.61). Smoking was not independently associated with outcome after adjustment for case mix [adjusted OR (adjOR) 0.86; 95% CI 0.52–1.43]. Conclusion: Smoking does not independently influence the outcome in patients treated by rt-PA for cerebral ischemia. The better outcome in smokers is the consequence of differences in case mix.
Cytokeratin Expression Profiling in Gastric Carcinoma: Clinicopathologic Significance and Comparison with Tumor-Associated Molecules
Authors: Takami Hokuto , Sentani Kazuhiro , Matsuda Miho , Oue Naohide , Sakamoto Naoya , Yasui Wataru
Published: January 2012

Objective: The expressions of cytokeratin (CK) 7 and 20 have been studied in various primary and metastatic carcinomas, and their determination may help distinguish the site of origin of metastatic carcinomas. However, little is known about the molecular basis that determines variations in CK patterns in gastric cancers (GCs). The aim of the present study was to analyze the CK expression patterns in a large number of GCs and to investigate how the CK patterns correlate with clinicopathologic parameters, histology, mucin phenotype or several tumor-related molecules. Methods and Results: We immunohistochemically examined the CK7/CK20 patterns, mucin expression profiles (MUC5AC, MUC6, MUC2 and CD10), and the cancer-related molecules (CDX2, p53, EGFR and β-catenin), using a tissue microarray with 870 GCs. The GCs were divided into four patterns; 17% of CK7+/CK20+, 57% of CK7+/CK20–, 9% of CK7–/CK20+ and 17% of CK7–/CK20. GCs with the CK7–/CK20– pattern demonstrated a close relation to undifferentiated adenocarcinoma. CK7 expression was significantly correlated with the expression of MUC5AC and MUC6, while CK20 expression was correlated with MUC2 and CDX2. There were statistically significant associations between CK expression patterns and mucin phenotypes. Conclusion: These results indicate that the CK7/CK20 expression patterns in GCs demonstrated different clinicopathologic features and molecular signatures.
Meta-Analysis of the Association of the C677T Polymorphism of the Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Gene with Hyperuricemia
Authors: Wei Wen , Liu Sheng-yuan , Zeng Fang-fang , Ma Ling , Li Ke-shen , Wang Bin-you
Published: January 2012

Background: The association between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and hyperuricemia has been investigated in several studies. Although these epidemiological studies have shown that genetic factors are determinants of serum uric acid levels, the power of the association is weak due to the small sample size. Methods: To study whether the MTHFR C677T polymorphism has an effect on hyperuricemia, we carried out a meta-analysis of case-control studies from PubMed, EMBASE and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) databases mainly in English and Chinese. We used the odds ratio (OR) as main effect size; explored potential sources of heterogeneity; performed subgroup analyses by race and performed sensitivity analyses of studies meeting the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). Results: Six studies with 1,470 subjects were included in the meta-analysis. Tests for heterogeneity showed the difference in OR among studies was not statistically significant (p = 0.63, I2 = 0). When excluding the study of Caucasians not in HWE, the association remained robust (OR = 1.82, 95% CI 1.52-2.17) in the East Asian subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Although the mechanism of the relationship between the C677T polymorphism and uric acid still remains unclear, these original articles showed that the MTHFR C677T polymorphism may be an independent risk factor for hyperuri-cemia.
How Do Spatial Learning and Memory Occur in the Brain? Coordinated Learning of Entorhinal Grid Cells and Hippocampal Place Cells
Authors: Pilly Praveen K. , Grossberg Stephen
Published: January 2012

Spatial learning and memory are important for navigation and formation of episodic memories. The hippocampus and medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) are key brain areas for spatial learning and memory. Place cells in hippocampus fire whenever an animal is located in a specific region in the environment. Grid cells in the superficial layers of MEC provide inputs to place cells and exhibit remarkable regular hexagonal spatial firing patterns. They also exhibit a gradient of spatial scales along the dorsoventral axis of the MEC, with neighboring cells at a given dorsoventral location having different spatial phases. A neural model shows how a hierarchy of self-organizing maps, each obeying the same laws, responds to realistic rat trajectories by learning grid cells with hexagonal grid firing fields of multiple spatial scales and place cells with unimodal firing fields that fit neurophysiological data about their development in juvenile rats. The hippocampal place fields represent much larger spaces than the grid cells to support navigational behaviors. Both the entorhinal and hippocampal self-organizing maps amplify and learn to categorize the most energetic and frequent co-occurrences of their inputs. Top–down attentional mechanisms from hippocampus to MEC help to dynamically stabilize these spatial memories in both the model and neurophysiological data. Spatial learning through MEC to hippocampus occurs in parallel with temporal learning through lateral entorhinal cortex to hippocampus. These homologous spatial and temporal representations illustrate a kind of “neural relativity” that may provide a substrate for episodic learning and memory.
Age-related Differences in Corticomotor Excitability and Inhibitory Processes during a Visuomotor RT Task
Authors: Fujiyama Hakuei , Hinder Mark R. , Schmidt Matthew W. , Tandonnet Christophe , Garry Michael I. , Summers Jeffery J.
Published: January 2012

This study tested the postulation that change in the ability to modulate corticospinal excitability and inhibitory processes underlie age-related differences in response preparation and generation during tasks requiring either rapid execution of a motor action or actively withholding that same action. Younger (n = 13, mean age = 26.0 years) and older adults (n = 13, mean age = 65.5 years) performed an RT task in which a warning signal (WS) was followed by an imperative signal (IS) to which participants were required to respond with a rapid flexion of the right thumb (go condition) or withhold their response (no-go condition). We explored the neural correlates of response preparation, generation, and inhibition using single- and paired-pulse TMS, which was administered at various times between WS and IS (response preparation phase) and between IS and onset of response-related muscle activity in the right thumb (response generation phase). Both groups exhibited increases in motor-evoked potential amplitudes (relative to WS onset) during response generation; however, this increase began earlier and was more pronounced for the younger adults in the go condition. Moreover, younger adults showed a general decrease in short-interval intracortical inhibition during response preparation in both the go and no-go conditions, which was not observed in older adults. Importantly, correlation analysis suggested that for older adults the task-related increases of corticospinal excitability and intracortical inhibition were associated with faster RT. We propose that the declined ability to functionally modulate corticospinal activity with advancing age may underlie response slowing in older adults.
Observations of Thermohaline Convection adjacent to Brunt Ice Shelf
Authors: Fer Ilker , Makinson Keith , Nicholls Keith W.
Published: January 2012

Observations were made of ocean microstructure and horizontal currents adjacent to Brunt Ice Shelf in the southeastern Weddell Sea. Periods of in situ supercooled water extending as deep as 65 m were associated with ice nucleation and frazil formation at depth. Ascending ice crystals due to convection lead to increased dissipation rates. The main outflow of potentially supercooled water from deep beneath ice shelf is suggested to be in the deep channel northeast of the measurement site. Because this water is advected southward along the front, it becomes in situ supercooled, leading to suspended ice formation, thermohaline convection, and enhanced dissipation.
Distinct Modes of Internal Variability in the Global Meridional Overturning Circulation Associated with the Southern Hemisphere Westerly Winds
Authors: Wei Wei , Lohmann Gerrit , Dima Mihai
Published: January 2012

The internal variability of the global meridional overturning circulation (GMOC) in long-term integration of the earth system model Community Earth System Models (COSMOS) is examined in this study. Two distinct modes of the GMOC, which are closely linked to the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds (SWW) anomalies, are found to vary on multidecadal and centennial time scales. The dominant mode is characterized by Southern Ocean dynamics: strengthening and poleward shift of the SWW associated with a positive phase of the southern annular mode yield Ekman-induced northward mass transport, including a zonally asymmetric response in the Southern Ocean sea surface temperature and a cooling in the tropical Pacific Ocean due to large-scale upwelling. The second mode projects mainly onto the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). It is driven by a combination of SWW variation and buoyancy forcing. Based on the relationship between the two modes together with the wind perturbation experiments, the authors emphasize that the full AMOC response to the SWW change takes several centuries in their model. The sea surface temperature in Northern Hemisphere high latitudes is significantly affected in this mode, showing a large-scale warming. Their results from a mid-Holocene experiment imply that both modes are independent from the climate background conditions in the Holocene. Finally, the authors argue that the natural modes of GMOC are important to understand trends in ocean circulation, with consequences for heat and carbon budgets for past, present, and future climate.
In the Spotlight of Crisis
Authors: Schelkle Waltraud
Published: January 2012

This special issue of Politics & Society explores the relationship between social policy and financial markets, which was thrown into sharp relief by the financial crisis of 2007-09. The research asks how particular social policies underpin and even create financial markets, specifically mass markets for consumer finance, mortgages, and pensions.
Credit Access and Social Welfare
Authors: Trumbull Gunnar
Published: January 2012

Research into the causes of the 2008 financial crisis has drawn attention to a link between growing income inequality in the United States and high household indebtedness. Most accounts trace the U.S. idea of credit-as-welfare to the period of wage stagnation and welfare retrenchment that began in the early 1970s. Using France as a comparison case, I argue that the link between credit and welfare was not unique to the United States. Indeed, U.S. charitable lending institutions that emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century were modeled in part on older French financial institutions. Three historical factors drove U.S. lenders and policymakers to push for expanded credit access for the working class. First, welfare reformers in the interwar period embraced private credit as an alternative to an expansive welfare state. Second, U.S. organized labor in the wake of World War II embraced credit access as a means to sustain industrial employment and finance strike actions. Third, commercial banks in the 1950s began offering revolving credit accounts as a means to attract new depositors at a time when banking regulation restricted the interest they could offer on deposits.