bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ozone effects in a drier climate: implications for stomatal fluxes of reduced stomatal sensitivity to soil drying in a typical grassland species
Authors: Hayes Felicity , Wagg Serena , Mills Gina , Wilkinson Sally , Davies William
Published: December 2011

The widely distributed temperate grassland species Dactylis glomerata was grown in competition with Ranunculus acris at two different watering regimes and exposed for 20 weeks to eight ozone treatments with mean concentrations ranging from 16.2 to 89.5 ppb, representing pre‐industrial to predicted post‐2100 ozone climates. Measurements of stomatal conductance were used to parameterize ozone flux models for D. glomerata. For the first time, a modification was made to the standard flux model to account for the observed decrease in sensitivity of stomatal conductance to reduced water availability with increasing ozone. Comparison of calculated cumulative ozone flux between the two versions of the model demonstrated that exclusion of the ozone effect on stomatal conductance in the standard flux model led to a large underestimation of ozone fluxes at mid‐ to high‐ozone concentrations. For example, at a mean ozone concentration of 55 ppb (as predicted for many temperate areas in the next few decades), the standard flux model underestimated ozone fluxes in D. glomerata by 30–40% under reduced water availability. Although the modified flux model does not markedly change the flux‐based critical level for D. glomerata, this study indicates that use of the standard flux model to quantify the risk of ozone damage to a widely distributed grassland species such as D. glomerata in areas where high ozone concentrations and reduced soil moisture coincide could lead to an underestimation of effects. Thus, this study has shown that under predicted future climate change and ozone scenarios, ozone effects on vegetation may be even greater than previously predicted in the drier areas of the world.
On the design of online synchronous assessments in a synchronous cyber classroom
Authors: Chao K.‐J. , Hung I.‐C. , Chen N.‐S.
Published: December 2011

Online learning has been rapidly developing in the last decade. However, there is very little literature available about the actual adoption of online synchronous assessment approaches and any guidelines for effective assessment design and implementation. This paper aims at designing and evaluating the possibility of applying online synchronous assessments in a formal credit course. Relying on the four dimensions of knowledge taxonomy, this paper describes four different online synchronous assessments for conducting a formal mid‐term exam, including synchronous quiz, synchronous practicum, synchronous essay and synchronous oral assessments. The designs were implemented and evaluated in a synchronous cyber classroom for an online credit course. This study identified the challenges and potential issues while conducting the online synchronous assessments, including (1) the extent of monitoring and cheating; (2) the lack of suitable software tools specifically for supporting online synchronous assessments; and (3) the need for a variety of online synchronous assessment methods for different subject matter. This paper concludes with some possible solutions, such as a short time limit for answering questions and a well analysed need of a software tool, to address all the issues.
The value of pre‐donation pulse assessment for apheresis donors
Authors: Page E. A. , Harrison J. F.
Published: December 2011

Objectives: During apheresis, donors have up to 6·5 L of blood processed and receive citrated plasma during the return cycle. It is of concern that a donor with an unrecognised significant cardiac abnormality might therefore be put at further risk during apheresis.

Background: Apheresis donors with cardiac abnormalities may be at increased risk of severe adverse reactions as a result of repeated volume loss or the adverse effect of citrate anticoagulant on cardiac contractility as the result of reduction in ionised calcium. An abnormal rate or rhythm may indicate a cardiac abnormality.

Methods: At two donation centres between May 2001 and April 2009, the pulse rate and rhythm of every donor was measured before each apheresis procedure they underwent. Donors with a pulse rate outside the range 50–100 beats per minute and/or pulse irregularity were deferred from donation and referred to their general practitioner (GP).

Results: Data from 3945 apheresis donors (3874 platelet donors, 71 plasma donors, 3595 males, 350 females) were reviewed. Two hundred thirty‐eight donors (6%) were identified as having abnormal pulses and were referred to their GP. Eighty‐one donors had bradycardia, 16 had tachycardia and 141 had an irregular pulse. Fifteen of the 3945 donors (0·4%) were found to have significant cardiac disease and withdrawn from the donor panel.

Conclusions: By simple monitoring, donors who may be at increased risk from the apheresis procedure can be identified. By performing pre‐donation pulse assessment of all apheresis donors, we fulfil our medicolegal duty by not putting donors at avoidable risk.
Impact of PGPR inoculation on growth and antioxidant status of wheat under saline conditions
Authors: Upadhyay Sudhir Kumar , Singh Jay Shankar , Saxena Anil Kumar , Singh Devendra Pratap
Published: December 2011

Two plant growth‐promoting rhizobacterial (PGPR) strains, Bacillus subtilis SU47 and Arthrobacter sp. SU18, were found to tolerate 8% NaCl. Wheat co‐inoculated with these two PGPR strains, and grown under different salinity regimes (2–6 dS m−1), showed an increase in dry biomass, total soluble sugars and proline content. Wheat sodium content was reduced under co‐inoculated conditions but not after single inoculation with either strain or in the control. The activity of antioxidant enzymes in wheat leaves decreased under salinity stress after PGPR co‐inoculation, suggesting these PGPR species could be used for amelioration of stress in wheat plants. Activity of three antioxidant enzymes in wheat grown with both PGPR strains was reduced, most notably that of catalase activity at a salinity of 6 dS m−1, when compared with the control. The results indicate that co‐inoculation with B. subtilis and Arthrobacter sp. could alleviate the adverse effects of soil salinity on wheat growth.
Radiofrequency ablation of synchronous bilateral renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Shiwei , Zhao Xiaozhi , Ji Changwei , Liu Guangxiang , Li Xiaogong , Zhang Gutian , Gan Weidong , Guo Hongqian
Published: December 2011

Objectives:  The treatment of synchronous bilateral renal cell carcinoma is challenging. Radiofrequency ablation has been increasingly applied in the management of renal tumors. Herein, we report our experience of radiofrequency ablation on 12 patients with synchronous bilateral renal cell carcinoma.

Methods:  From March 2006 to September 2010, 12 patients with bilateral synchronous sporadic renal cell carcinoma (29 lesions overall) were identified from our kidney database. The mean age was 62.3 years (range 35–81). The mean tumor diameter was 4.5 cm (range 0.9–9.0). Three patients received unilateral radiofrequency ablation and contralateral radical nephrectomy, whereas nine patients received bilateral radiofrequency ablation. The oncological and functional outcomes were analyzed. Contrast‐enhanced computed tomography examinations were carried out at day 7, and at 3 and 6 months after the procedure, and every 6 months thereafter.

Results:  The mean follow‐up period was 33 months (range 10–64). The local tumor control rate was 93.1% (27/29). Cancer‐specific survival and the overall survival rates were 100%. No death or renal failure after the procedure was found. In patients who underwent bilateral radiofrequency ablation, the latest mean glomerular filtration rate had not significantly declined compared with preoperative levels (93.7 ± 13.0 mL/min/1.73 m2vs 96.9 ± 13.3 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively; P > 0.05).

Conclusion:  Radiofrequency ablation shows encouraging outcomes in the treatment of bilateral renal cell carcinoma. It can provide adequate local tumor control and cancer‐specific survival compared with nephron‐sparing surgery while not affecting the renal function.
MODELLING BANKS' LENDING BEHAVIOUR IN A CAPITAL‐REGULATED FRAMEWORK
Authors: Karagiannis Stelios , Panagopoulos Yannis , Spiliotis Aristotelis
Published: December 2011

This paper adds to the literature on the money supply theory by assessing the effect of banks' equity on the loan generating process. First, a new ‘credit’ multiplier is examined, the so‐called ‘equity’ multiplier model. This, in a second stage, is incorporated in a new multivariate lending model. The models are assessed by using panel data cointegration techniques for the G7 countries. According to our results, a feedback relationship exists between banks' loans and equity. Moreover, the factors determining loans are: the aggregate demand, the loan–customer relation, the banks' equity and banks' portfolio adjustments and/or the monetary stance.
Writing the History of the Natural Sciences in the Pre‐modern Muslim World: Historiography, Religion, and the Importance of the Early Modern Period
Authors: Stearns Justin
Published: December 2011

In recent years, the subject of science in the Muslim World in the pre‐modern period has largely been discussed in the context of two master narratives: (1) how and to what extent did Muslim scholarship influence European intellectual history, and (2) the nature of the decline of science and intellectual life in general in the Muslim world during the Late Medieval and Early Modern periods. This essay moves beyond these two narratives by first summarizing the history of European studies of science in the Muslim world. It then draws upon recent developments in Europeanist history of science and outstanding work by historians of Islamicate science to stress the importance of avoiding Whiggish readings of the history of the natural sciences in the Muslim world as well as the necessity for situating the same sciences in relation to developments in theology, jurisprudence, philosophy, and mysticism.
Cardiovascular Importance of the MicroRNA‐23/27/24 Family
Authors: BANG CLAUDIA , FIEDLER JAN , THUM THOMAS
Published: December 2011

Please cite this paper as: Bang C, Fiedler J, Thum T. Cardiovascular importance of the microRNA‐23/27/24 family. Microcirculation19: 208–214, 2012.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of highly conserved, noncoding short RNA molecules that regulate gene expression on the post‐transcriptional level. MiRNAs are involved in a variety of processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Deregulated expression of miRNAs has been linked to the development of diseases including cardiovascular disorders. Recently, the miR‐23/27/24 cluster has been shown to be involved in angiogenesis and endothelial apoptosis in cardiac ischemia and retinal vascular development. In the present review, we summarize and discuss the role and importance of the miRNA‐23/27/24 cluster during cardiovascular angiogenesis. Moreover, we illustrate a novel therapeutic application of the miRNA‐23/27/24 cluster in vascular disorders and ischemic heart disease.
Scientific Aspects of Kaolinite Based Coal Mining Wastes in Pozzolan/Ca(OH)2 System
Authors: Frías M. , de la Villa R. Vigil , de Rojas MI. Sanchez , Medina C. , Juan Valdés A.
Published: December 2011

The transformation process of the natural kaolinite into metakaolinite for its use as a cement addition was very much known long time ago. However, environmental policies prioritize the waste recycling as raw material by its environmental benefits. This article reports, for the first time, the scientific aspects related to the recycling of three Spanish coal mining wastes of different nature and origin, as an alternative source to obtain future pozzolans based on metakaolinite. The effect of activation conditions on the mineralogy, as well as the formation and evolution of hydrated phases formed during the pozzolanic reaction, was analyzed using different instrumental techniques such as X‐ray fluorescence, X‐ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that all activated coal mining wastes exhibited high pozzolanic activity. The identification and evolution of hydrated phases with the hydration time in activated kaolin/Ca(OH)2 system were directly related to the origin and nature of the starting coal mining waste and not to the activation temperature itself. Finally, the coal mining wastes are suitable for being used as future pozzolans.
Writing and Remembering: Paradoxes of Memory, Imagination and Fiction in Stories about Lives
Authors: Neale Derek
Published: December 2011

This survey concentrates on a refined corner of life writing and poetics – writers of various genres talking and writing about what and how they write. It considers the implications of the relationship between narrative and memory within life writing and fiction practice, reviewing potential connections between creative writing, critical theory and theories of mind. It focuses in particular on the under‐explored borderland between fiction and autobiography, and uses illustrations from writers who are both novelists and memoirists. Writers often suggest that it is impossible or undesirable to narrate the creative process – while paradoxically trying to talk about it. They resist using theoretical terms about their work, yet their considerations often reveal an idiosyncratic technical eloquence, together with an intimate, sometimes paradoxical relationship between writing and remembering. Some writers experience elements of déjà vu, as if they find or recall, rather than make, some part of what they write (a character, a voice, a situation); part of the writing process is willed, part not. Other writers declare paradoxical ways in which memory and imagination are deployed in their writing. This essay reviews the notion of writing as an act of memory. The discussion looks at narrative and recall in tandem, referring to relevant theories of consciousness and memory – including those put forward by Adam Phillips in On Flirtation and Henri Bergson in Matter and Memory. The main focus is on writers’ testimonies. Authors discussed include Jean Paul Sartre, Paul Auster, Hilary Mantel, Graham Greene, Lorna Sage, Andrew Cowan, Richard Holmes and Jenny Diski. The essay uses fictional and autobiographical illustrations and transcripts from recorded interviews with writers. It examines the collaboration between narrative memory and associative memory in the writing process, as well as suggesting possible future lines of research into the borderland between fiction and life writing.
In My Father’s Closet: Reflections of a Critic Turned Life Writer
Authors: Couser G. Thomas
Published: December 2011

Relatively late in my career (in my early 60s), I began to write a biographical memoir of my father, William Griffith Couser (1906–1975), based initially and primarily on documents, mostly letters, that I found after his death. In doing so, after nearly 30 years of working as a critic of life writing, I became a life writer myself. The value of this memoir will lie in the letters themselves, partly because they are well written, partly because they are sufficiently numerous to allow me to reconstruct the web of my father’s significant relationships during a formative period. And that is because they come from an era and a social set in which letter writing was a significant medium through which life was lived. In short, I have come to regard the materials not as the residue of a life but in a way as scraps of it, not an epiphenomenon thrown off by the ‘real life’ of which they are the tantalizing written remains, but the actual stuff of life itself – preserved moments. I have become convinced that in his 20s, at least, my father lived a good deal of his life in and through correspondence with friends and family. The letters I will highlight in this talk are from correspondence with an apparently gay man with whom my father had a ‘romantic friendship.’ The nature of the relationship made the correspondence it evoked especially tricky but also revealing.
EFFECT OF XYLANASE ON EXTRUDED NIXTAMALIZED CORN FLOUR AND TORTILLA: PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND RHEOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Authors: PLATT‐LUCERO L.C. , RAMÍREZ‐WONG B. , TORRES‐CHÁVEZ P.I. , LÓPEZ‐CERVANTES J. , SÁNCHEZ‐MACHADO D.I. , CARVAJAL‐MILLAN E. , MARTÍNEZ‐BUSTOS F. , QUINTERO‐RAMOS A. , MORALES‐ROSAS I.
Published: December 2011

Whole white corn was ground, and lime, water and xylanase enzyme (0.05, 0.075 or 0.1% w/w) were added. Blends were extruded, dried and ground to obtain extruded nixtamalized corn flour (ENCF), which was used to make tortillas. The water absorption index and water absorption capacity (WAC) of the corn flours were determined. Viscoelastic characteristics were determined in corn masa made of extruded nixtamalized flours. Tortillas were made, and determination of moisture content and texture (cutting force and rollability) during storage was carried out. Furthermore, tortillas were evaluated by sensory evaluation. The flours containing xylanase showed significantly higher WAC (P < 0.05) than the flour without xylanase. The viscoelastic parameters were increased by adding xylanase, which also decreased the hardening and increased the flexibility of tortillas. Corn tortillas with 0.075 and 0.1% xylanase concentrations were 15% softer than the control (without xylanase). Additionally, corn tortillas made with ENCF containing the xylanase enzyme had acceptable organoleptic characteristics.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The extrusion process permits the use of whole corn, lowers processing costs and reduces contaminant effluents (cooking liquor). The addition of the xylanase enzyme during extrusion partially hydrolyzes the main cellular components of the dietary fiber, the arabinoxylans, and modifies its rheological properties. Softening of most corn pericarp layers is essential in forming masa that has acceptable sheeting characteristics, which is important during the tortilla‐making process.
Nasal polyps in dogs: five cases (2005 to 2011)
Authors: Holt D. E. , Goldschmidt M. H.
Published: December 2011

This series describes five dogs with nasal polyps diagnosed between 2000 and 2011. Clinical signs included reverse sneezing, nasal discharge, epistaxsis, and stertor when breathing. Computerised tomographic findings included soft tissue mass, turbinate destruction, extension through the bony nasal septum and partial lysis of bones surrounding the nasal cavity. Three dogs were treated by dorsal rhinotomy, one dog was treated by ventral rhinotomy, and in one dog the polyp tissue was removed during nasal flushing. Three dogs have no clinical signs of nasal disease. One dog had confirmed recurrence of nasal polyps and was successfully treated with megavoltage radiation. One dog had recurrent nasal disease eight months after dorsal rhinotomy. Nasal polyps are a possible cause of nasal disease in dogs with nasal discharge, epistaxsis and stertor, and a differential diagnosis for dogs with extensive soft tissue lesions of the nasal cavities on computerised tomography. Nasal polyps can be treated successfully by rhinotomy in some cases but may reoccur.
Newborn screening for SCID: three years of experience
Authors: Chase Nicole M. , Verbsky James W. , Routes John M.
Published: December 2011

Over the past three years, newborn blood screening (NBS) for severe T cell lymphopenia/severe combined immunodeficiency (sTCL/SCID) using the T cell receptor excision circle (TREC) assay has revolutionized the early detection of infants with primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) associated with T cell lymphopenia. Nonetheless, despite the comprehensive NBS protocols developed by each state, additional issues unique to screening for sTCL/SCID have surfaced, including variability in the performance of the TREC assay, diagnostic and treatment algorithms, definition of sTCL/SCID, and approach to the discovery of new genetic variants. Although NBS using the TREC assay has been highly successful, new and difficult challenges have emerged that need to be addressed to enhance our knowledge of the causes of sTCL/SCID and to optimize the detection and outcomes of affected infants.
Inhibition of Ostwald Ripening in Model Beverage Emulsions by Addition of Poorly Water Soluble Triglyceride Oils
Authors: Julian McClements David , Henson Lulu , Popplewell L. Michael , Decker Eric Andrew , Jun Choi Seung
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  Beverage emulsions containing flavor oils that have a relatively high water‐solubility are unstable to droplet growth due to Ostwald ripening. The aim of this study was to improve the stability of model beverage emulsions to this kind of droplet growth by incorporating poorly water‐soluble triglyceride oils. High pressure homogenization was used to prepare a series of 5 wt% oil‐in‐water emulsions stabilized by modified starch that had different lipid phase compositions (orange oil : corn oil). Emulsions prepared using only orange oil as the lipid phase were highly unstable to droplet growth during storage, which was attributed to Ostwald ripening resulting from the relatively high water‐solubility of orange oil. Droplet growth could be effectively inhibited by incorporating ≥ 10% corn oil into the lipid phase prior to homogenization. In addition, creaming was also retarded because the lipid phase density was closer to that of the aqueous phase density. These results illustrate a simple method of improving the physical stability of orange oil emulsions for utilization in the food, beverage, and fragrance industries.
Experimental pancreatitis results in increased blood‐brain barrier permeability in rats: A potential role of MCP‐1
Authors: DING Zhen , LIU Jun , LIN Rong , HOU Xiao Hua
Published: December 2011

OBJECTIVE:  To measure the changes of blood‐brain barrier (BBB) permeability in rats with acute pancreatitis (AP) and to investigate the role of monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)‐1 expression in this alteration.

METHODS:  Rat model of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) was induced by pancreatic duct infusion of 5% and 0.5% sodium choleate, respectively, and a saline infusion was used in the control. The severity of AP was evaluated by a pathological score system. BBB permeability was detected by Evan's blue tracer and BBB tight junction was assessed by brain occludin expression. Immunohistochemistry and real‐time polymerase chain reaction were used to detect MCP‐1 expression in the brain. Nifedipine was used as the antagonist of MCP‐1.

RESULTS:  Compared to the control group, change of BBB permeability was more significant in SAP groups, but not in MAP groups. Occludin level decreased 12 h after SAP induction. Pathological score of SAP group was higher than that in MAP group. BBB opening was associated with pancreatic injury. Brain MCP‐1 expression was detected in all the SAP groups, which was correlated with increased BBB permeability, but was not found in the control group or the MAP group. After treatment with nifedipine, brain MCP‐1 level decreased and BBB function improved synchronously in SAP groups.

CONCLUSIONS:  BBB permeability increased in SAP significantly and time‐dependently, and was correlated with brain MCP‐1 expression. Nifedipine may improve BBB function by inhibiting MCP‐1 expression.
Gender and Tobacco in (Globalizing) Asia – Exorcizing the Ghosts of Dualistic Thought?
Authors: Tan Qian Hui
Published: December 2011

This paper investigates the intersections between tobacco, gender and globalizing Asia. I argue that binary tropes like modernity/westernization‐tradition and masculinity–femininity are incessantly invoked in a burgeoning tobacco‐control literature focused on Asia. This tends to reify discursive and material gendered smoking stereotypes, as well as their underlying asymmetrical power relations. Responding to this I chart out three ways in which dualistic gender ideologies can be rethought. Firstly, I attend to varieties within gender categories to account for more nuanced articulations of gender identities. I do this by demonstrating the co‐imbrication between polyvalent masculinities and smoking practices. Secondly, I am attuned to intersecting facets of smoking subjectivities – situated within a specific Asian cultural fabric – that complicate the easy conflation of masculinity with power, and femininity with disempowerment. Lastly, I contend that fleshing out the embodied aspects of gendered smoking practices can assist us in confounding polarized gender categories and their associated attributes. I conclude my paper with a discussion on the uneasy relationships between Asia, Westernization, gender and a possible move away from a Western‐centric dualistic thinking.
Sociological Conceptualisations of ‘Career’: A Review and Reorientation
Authors: Cuzzocrea Valentina , Lyon Dawn
Published: December 2011

In the last decades, the use and meaning of the concept of career has profoundly changed, shaped by a ‘new career’ literature rhetoric and a move away from mainstream sociological debate. Our aim in this article is to provide a critical assessment of the concept, and to make a productive contribution to the current debate on careers, and work more generally. Specifically, we seek to: (i) critique the lack of elaboration of the concept within the discipline of sociology in recent years; (ii) reposition the concept of careers as a key sociological category; and (iii) assess and reorient the current meanings of career. After tracing the history of career from linear to boundaryless, we situate the concept in a broader sociological understanding of gender and habitus and structure and agency, and through a methodological discussion of narrative approaches for studying careers. These concepts and approaches are especially effective for understanding careers. Having showed the added value of the concept of career for sociology, we conclude with a research agenda which attempts to overcome the voluntaristic pitfall of its use in recent years and opens up a more thoughtful and articulated understanding of careers for both teaching and research.
Dysregulation of melanocyte function by Th17‐related cytokines: significance of Th17 cell infiltration in autoimmune vitiligo vulgaris
Authors: Kotobuki Yorihisa , Tanemura Atsushi , Yang Lingli , Itoi Saori , Wataya‐Kaneda Mari , Murota Hiroyuki , Fujimoto Minoru , Serada Satoshi , Naka Tetsuji , Katayama Ichiro
Published: December 2011

The aim of this study was to determine whether CD4+IL‐17A+Th17 cells infiltrate vitiligo skin and to investigate whether the proinflammatory cytokines related to Th17 cell influence melanocyte enzymatic activity and cell fate. An immunohistochemical analysis showed Th17 cell infiltration in 21 of 23 vitiligo skin samples in addition to CD8+ cells on the reticular dermis. An in vitro analysis showed that the expression of MITF and downstream genes was downregulated in melanocytes by treatment with interleukin (IL)‐17A, IL‐1β, IL‐6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α. Treatment with these cytokines also induced morphological shrinking in melanocytes, resulting in decreased melanin production. In terms of local cytokine network in the skin, IL‐17A dramatically induced IL‐1β, IL‐6, and TNF‐α production in skin‐resident cells such as keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Our results provide evidence of the influence of a complex Th17 cell‐related cytokine environment in local depigmentation in addition to CD8+ cell‐mediated melanocyte destruction in autoimmune vitiligo.
WHAT'S IN A TEXT?RECONSTRUCTING THE ROMAN REPUBLIC– APPROACHES AND AIMS ONCE AGAIN
Authors: HÖLKESKAMP KARL-J.
Published: December 2011

In this rejoinder to Michael Crawford's critical (re)view (pp. 105–14) of Karl-J. Hölkeskamp's book Reconstructing the Roman Republic: An Ancient Political Culture and Modern Research (Princeton 2010), the author answers concrete criticisms, restates his most important positions, perspectives, and proposals on the topic, and gives a survey of possible theories and models, methodological approaches, and conceptual frameworks discussed at length in the book: concepts of ‘politics’, ‘policies’etc. and the overcoming of traditional ‘constitutionalist’ and ‘factionalist’ approaches in recent research; the concept of ‘political culture’ as a catalyst for a change of paradigm and the new look at rituals and other symbolic dimensions of politics; ‘culturalist’, sociological and comparative approaches to ‘city-statehood’ as well as some concrete controversial issues of his so-called ‘elitist’ view of the Roman republic, its political class and the foundations of its self-construction, legitimization, and successful reproduction.
Standing laparoscopic castration in an equine male pseudohermaphrodite
Authors: Rubio‐Martínez L. M.
Published: December 2011

This report describes the surgical anatomy and successful removal of the internal gonads in a 6‐year‐old male pseudohermaphrodite Friesian horse by standing laparoscopy. Gonads could not be identified by physical or ultrasonographic examination and bilateral standing flank laparoscopy revealed the presence of intra‐abdominal gonads suspended from the dorsal aspect of the abdominal cavity by 10–15 cm long vascular pedicles. No evidence of female internal genitalia such as a uterus was found and bilateral gonadectomy was performed laparoscopically. Histological analysis of the excised gonads confirmed the diagnosis of male pseudohermaphroditism. Minor cosmetic surgery of the external genitalia to correct urinary misdirection was successfully performed 3 months after laparoscopic castration. Standing flank laparoscopic examination was excellent for identification and surgical removal of internal genitalia. Standing flank laparoscopy should be considered for inspection and removal of internal genitalia in intersex horses.
Physical activity fluctuations and body fat during adolescence
Authors: Bélanger M. , O'Loughlin J. , Karp I. , Barnett T. A. , Sabiston C. M.
Published: December 2011

Objective

The objective of the study was to test the hypothesis that greater fluctuations in physical activity lead to greater increases in body fat during adolescence.

Methods

Seven hundred fifty‐six adolescents in Montreal, Canada, aged 12–13 years at baseline, completed a 7‐d physical activity recall questionnaire every 3 months over 5 years. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness were measured at baseline and at the end of follow‐up. Subject‐specific linear regressions, expressing physical activity as a function of time, were fitted and physical activity fluctuation scores were obtained by averaging the absolute values of regression residuals. The association between body fat after 5 years and the physical activity fluctuation score was assessed in linear regressions adjusting for baseline body fat, average number of physical activity sessions per week, diet and sociodemographic variables.

Results

Among boys, there were statistically significant positive associations between physical activity fluctuation and BMI (β, 95% confidence interval: 0.12, 0.02–0.21) and triceps skinfold (0.40, 0.17–0.63). The associations with waist circumference or subscapular skinfold were not statistically significant (0.22, −0.04–0.49; 0.13, −0.05–0.32, respectively). In girls, there were statistically significant negative associations between physical activity fluctuation and BMI (−0.12, −0.20 to −0.03), waist circumference (−0.54, −0.91 to −0.17), subscapular skinfold (−0.41, −0.56 to −0.26) and triceps skinfold (−0.22, −0.38 to −0.05).

Conclusion

Physical activity fluctuations appear to affect body fat during adolescence. Sex‐specific interventions may be needed given that greater physical activity fluctuations seem unfavourable for boys and beneficial for girls.
Involutions in Janko’s simple group J4
Authors: Rowley Peter , Taylor Paul
Published: December 2011

In this paper we determine the suborbits of Janko’s largest simple group in its conjugation action on each of its two conjugacy classes of involutions. We also provide matrix representatives of these suborbits in an accompanying computer file. These representatives are used to investigate a commuting involution graph for J4.

Supplementary materials are available with this article.
A Modular Differential Dielectric Sensor for Use in Multiphase Separation, Process Measurement, and Control—Part II: Experimental Investigation
Authors: Xiang Dong , Mohan Ram S. , Marrelli Jack D. , Wang Shoubo , Shoham Ovadia
Published: December 2011

Accurate and continuous measurement of the percent water in crude oil production streams (watercut) over 0 to 100% range is critical for petroleum industry. High accuracy and stability are also required for surface measurement to support process control applications aimed at removing trace amounts of oil and particulates from produced water. This paper is a two-part paper—the first part [1] deals with analytical modeling of the differential dielectric sensors (DDS) and the second part (current paper) discusses the results of key experimental investigations. A dedicated closed-loop experimental facility is used to obtain in-line real-time measurement of DDS data in a controlled configuration. A complete description of test facility is presented followed by detailed experimental results. The results show that DDS is unique in its use of very low noise and high sensitivity differential measurements between two identical sensors. In a process control system, DDS shows good measurement stability and is adaptive to composition measurements compensating for changes in oil composition, gas fraction, emulsion state, water salinity, temperature, and flow rate. Because of its auto calibration capability, DDS can also perform real-time calibration for sensor configuration changes caused by factors such as corrosion and erosion.
The Reproducibility of Observational Estimates of Surface and Atmospheric Temperature Change
Authors: Santer B. D. , Wigley T. M. L. , Taylor K. E.
Published: December 2011

Although concerns have been expressed about the reliability of surface temperature data sets, findings of pronounced surface warming over the past 60 years have been independently reproduced by multiple groups. In contrast, an initial finding that the lower troposphere cooled since 1979 could not be reproduced. Attempts to confirm this apparent cooling trend led to the discovery of errors in the initial analyses of satellite-based tropospheric temperature measurements.
Snf1-Like Protein Kinase Ssp2 Regulates Glucose Derepression in Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Authors: Matsuzawa Tomohiko , Fujita Yasuko , Tohda Hideki , Takegawa Kaoru
Published: December 2011

The function of two fission yeast genes, SPCC74.03c/
ssp2
+
and SPAC23H4.02/
ppk9
+
, encoding an Snf1-like protein kinase were investigated. Deletion of
ssp2
+
caused a partial defect in glucose derepression of
inv1
+
,
fbp1
+
, and
gld1
+
and in assimilation of sucrose and glycerol, while a mutation in
ppk9
+
had no apparent effect. Scr1, a transcription factor involved in glucose repression, localized to the nucleus under glucose-rich conditions and to the cytoplasm during glucose starvation in wild-type cells. In contrast, in the
ssp2
Δ mutant, Scr1 localized to the nucleus in cells grown in glucose-rich medium as well as in glucose-starved cells. Immunoblot analysis showed that Ssp2 is required for the phosphorylation of Scr1 upon glucose deprivation. Mutation of five putative Ssp2 recognition sites in Scr1 prevented glucose derepression of invertase in glucose-starved cells. These results indicate that Ssp2 regulates phosphorylation and subcellular localization of Scr1 in response to glucose.
Nucleolin Interacts with US11 Protein of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and Is Involved in Its Trafficking
Authors: Greco Anna , Arata Loredana , Soler Eric , Gaume Xavier , Couté Yohann , Hacot Sabine , Callé Aleth , Monier Karine , Epstein Alberto L. , Sanchez Jean-Charles , Bouvet Philippe , Diaz Jean-Jacques
Published: December 2011

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection induces profound nucleolar modifications at the functional and organizational levels, including nucleolar invasion by several viral proteins. One of these proteins is US11, which exhibits several different functions and displays both cytoplasmic localization and clear nucleolar localization very similar to that of the major multifunctional nucleolar protein nucleolin. To determine whether US11 interacts with nucleolin, we purified US11 protein partners by coimmunoprecipitations using a tagged protein, Flag-US11. From extracts of cells expressing Flag-US11 protein, we copurified a protein of about 100 kDa that was further identified as nucleolin.
In vitro
studies have demonstrated that nucleolin interacts with US11 and that the C-terminal domain of US11, which is required for US11 nucleolar accumulation, is sufficient for interaction with nucleolin. This association was confirmed in HSV-1-infected cells. We found an increase in the nucleolar accumulation of US11 in nucleolin-depleted cells, thereby revealing that nucleolin could play a role in US11 nucleocytoplasmic trafficking through one-way directional transport out of the nucleolus. Since nucleolin is required for HSV-1 nuclear egress, the interaction of US11 with nucleolin may participate in the outcome of infection.
System tools for system change
Authors: Willis Cameron D , Mitton Craig , Gordon Jason , Best Allan
Published: December 2011

Background

Health system transformations are influenced by dynamic relationships within and between individuals and institutions, as well as political, educational and legislative factors. This article aims to promote awareness of five tools that recognise this complexity and that are proposed to have value for decision makers: concept mapping, social network analysis, system dynamics modelling, programme budgeting and marginal analysis, and the tools for knowledge management and translation.

Methods

The authors briefly describe the methodological approach of each tool, provide a commentary on the conditions in which these tools have been employed, and discuss their impact on the processes and outcomes of system transformation. An international advisory panel was convened based on a combination of experience, expertise and perspective. The panel assisted in synthesising the evidence relating to each tool and, in partnership with the authors, refined the interpretation of the role and value of each tool for system transformation.

Findings

The tools discussed may impact the structural and procedural outcomes of transformation as well as the values, behaviours and attitudes of people undergoing change. The techniques described provide those undertaking transformation with methods to negotiate clinical, academic, political, organisational and cultural perspectives, and recognise the pivotal role of context in transformation.

Conclusions

This review offers a novel synthesis of how these tools may add value to decision making for health policy. The tools discussed, while not a panacea to the challenges of large system change, provide methods that acknowledge the complexity of the transformative challenge and present innovative paths to co-produced solutions.
Bile duct changes in different etiologic types of end-stage chronic liver disease: a study on native explant livers
Authors: Jain Deepali , Nayak Nabeen C
Published: December 2011

Aims

Bile duct changes in the form of intraepithelial neoplasia or dysplasia have been well studied in chronic biliary tract diseases. It is important to analyse the morphologic spectrum of bile duct changes in non-biliary diseases as a link has been reported between intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and chronic liver disease associated with viral hepatitis, metabolic syndromes and with alcohol abuse.

Methods

The authors retrospectively reviewed liver explants of alcoholic liver disease (ALD)-, hepatitis C virus- and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-related end-stage liver diseases to analyse morphologic changes in large intrahepatic bile ducts. Diagnostic criteria of biliary intraepithelial lesions at end-stage disease are discussed.

Results

Majority of explants exhibited reactive changes. Normal cuboidal epithelium of septal bile ducts was observed in minority of cases. Low-grade biliary intraepithelial neoplastic lesions were identified in all cases with variable frequency. None of the cases were associated with cholangiocarcinoma. Nuclear hyperchromasia, cellular polarity and presence o inflammation were considered as differentiating points between reactive and neoplastic lesions.

Conclusions

At end stage of liver disease, large septal bile ducts rarely show normal morphology. Presence of low-grade biliary dysplasia at end stage signifies its frequent occurrence probably in response to alcohol/viral/metabolic syndrome-related injury.

Addition to literature

Observational analysis of large bile ducts in non-biliary diseases of varied aetiology has not been discussed from this part of world where incidence of cholangiocarcinoma is low. Identifying these lesions correctly is important. The frequency of these lesions is not uncommon especially at the end-stage liver disease.
The relationship between oxygen uptake reserve and heart rate reserve is affected by intensity and duration during aerobic exercise at constant work rate
Authors: Cunha Felipe A. , Midgley Adrian W. , Monteiro Walace D. , Campos Felipe K. , Farinatti Paulo T.V.
Published: December 2011

The relationship between the percentage of heart rate reserve (%HRR) and percentage of oxygen uptake reserve (%VO2R) has been recommended for prescribing aerobic exercise intensity. However, this relationship was derived from progressive maximal exercise testing data, and the stability of the relationship during prolonged exercise at a constant work rate has not been established. The main aim of this study was to investigate the stability of the %VO2R–%HRR relationship during prolonged treadmill exercise bouts performed at 3 different constant work rates. Twenty-eight men performed 4 exercise tests: (i) a ramp-incremental maximal exercise test to determine maximal heart rate (HRmax) and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and (ii) three 40-min exercise bouts at 60%, 70%, and 80% VO2R. HR and VO2 significantly increased over time and were influenced by exercise intensity (p < 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively). A 1:1 relationship between %HRR and %VO2R, and between %HRR and %VO2max, was not observed, with mean differences of 8% (t = 5.2, p < 0.001) and 6% (t = 4.8, p < 0.001), respectively. The VO2 values predicted from the ACSM running equation were all significantly higher than the observed VO2 values (p < 0.001 for all comparisons), whereas a difference for HR was observed only for the tenth min of exercise at 80% VO2R (p = 0.041). In conclusion, the main finding of this study was that the %HRR–%VO2R relationship determined by linear regression, obtained from progressive maximal exercise testing, did not apply to prolonged treadmill running performed at 3 work rates.
Short-term muscle power and speed in preschoolers exhibit stronger tracking than physical activity
Authors: Gabel Leigh , Obeid Joyce , Nguyen Thanh , Proudfoot Nicole A. , Timmons Brian W.
Published: December 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine the tracking of short-term muscle power, speed, and physical activity over a 15-month period in a sample of healthy Canadian preschool-aged children. Seventeen preschoolers (age, 4.4 ± 0.8 years) completed exercise testing and physical activity monitoring at baseline and follow-up separated by 14.6 ± 4.1 months. Short-term muscle power was measured using a modified 10-s Wingate test with peak power and mean power normalized to body mass. Speed was assessed with a 25-m dash. Physical activity was measured by accelerometry (Actigraph GT1M) using a 3-s epoch over 7 consecutive days. Total physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, expressed as a percentage of accelerometer wear time, were examined. Tracking of the variables between year 1 and year 2 was analyzed using Spearman rank order correlations and Kappa statistics. Paired t-tests were used to assess differences in performance and physical activity between year 1 and year 2. Total physical activity was not significantly different at year 2 (p > 0.05) and showed fair tracking (r = 0.51, p = 0.05; ĸ = 0.30). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was increased at year 2 (p = 0.03) and exhibited poor tracking (r = 0.29, p = 0.28; ĸ = 0.00). Short-term muscle power and speed was increased at year 2 (p < 0.0001) and exhibited significant tracking: peak power (r = 0.72, p = 0.001; ĸ = 0.46), mean power (r = 0.83, p = 0.00004; ĸ = 0.82), and 25-m dash (r = 0.82, p = 0.0001; ĸ = 0.47). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity increased in this sample of boys and girls during the preschool years, and short-term muscle power and speed exhibited stronger tracking than physical activity.
Use of cranial characters in taxonomy of the Minnesota wolf (Canis sp.)
Authors: Mech L. David , Nowak Ronald M. , Weisberg Sanford
Published: December 2011

Minnesota wolves (Canis sp.) sometimes are reported to have affinity to a small, narrow-skulled eastern form ( Canis lupus lycaon Schreber, 1775) and sometimes to a larger, broader western form ( Canis lupus nubilus Say, 1823). We found that pre-1950 Minnesota wolf skulls were similar in size to those of wolves from southeastern Ontario and smaller than those of western wolves. However, Minnesota wolf skulls during 1970–1976 showed a shift to the larger, western form. Although Minnesota skull measurements after 1976 were unavailable, rostral ratios from 1969 through 1999 were consistent with hybridization between the smaller eastern wolf and the western form. Our findings help resolve the different taxonomic interpretations of Minnesota skull morphology and are consistent with molecular evidence of recent hybridization or intergradation of the two forms of wolves in Minnesota. Together these data indicate that eastern- and western-type wolves historically mixed and hybridized in Minnesota and continue to do so. Our findings are relevant to a recent government proposal to delist wolves from the endangered species list in Minnesota and surrounding states.
Habitat heterogeneity and climatic seasonality structure the avifauna trophic guilds in the Brazilian Pantanal wetland
Authors: Figueira J.E.C. , Mourão F.A. , Coelho A.S.
Published: December 2011

Landscape heterogeneity and annual flood pulses characterize the Brazilian Pantanal, the largest floodplain in South America. The objective of this work was to explain spatial and temporal variations in the trophic structure of a bird assemblage consisting of 316 species of terrestrial and aquatic birds, out of which 88 are visitors. The food items potentially consumed by these species were combined into 12 trophic guilds and were compared based on habitats (terrestrial or aquatic), periods of the year, and visitor or resident species. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling was used to determine which trophic guilds characterize the different habitats and months. The habitats were separated into a gradient of trophic guild similarity ranging from woodlands to purely aquatic, with swamps and floodable fields in intermediate positions. Species that consume invertebrates and plants predominate in the terrestrial habitats, whereas the consumption of terrestrial and (or) aquatic invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants predominate in the aquatic habitats. The monthly similarities in trophic structure vary with rainfall, and the period of receding waters is characterized by an increase in the number of species in guilds that consume nectar, invertebrates, vertebrates, and (or) plant parts obtained or captured in the drying landscape and terrestrial habitats. Visitor species do not exploit new resource types; instead they accommodate themselves in the pre-existing trophic guilds.