bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Compounds Consisting of Turbostratic Intergrowths: Ultra-low Thermal Conductivities and Tunable Electric Properties
Authors: Beekman Matt , Moore Daniel B. , Atkins Ryan , Heideman Colby , Lin Qiyin , Hill Krista , Anderson Michael , Johnson David C.
Published: September 2011

A recently discovered synthetic route to new kinetically stable [(MSe)y]m[TSe2]n layered intergrowths has been applied to prepare several different compositions (M = Pb or Sn, T = Ta, Nb, Mo, or W) with m = n = 1, in thin film form. Scanning transmission electron microscopy and synchrotron X-ray diffraction show the nanostructure of these materials is characterized by a combination of in-plane component crystallinity with misregistration and rotational mis-orientation between adjacent layers. Extremely low cross-plane thermal conductivity as low as 0.1 W m-1 K-1 are attributed to the turbostratic nanostructure. By appropriate choice of M and T, we demonstrate that a range of electrical transport properties are possible, from metallic to semiconducting. Annealing (PbSe)0.99WSe2 and (PbSe)1.00MoSe2 specimens in a controlled atmosphere of PbSe or WSe2 is observed to systematically influence carrier properties, and is interpreted in terms of reduction of the concentration of electrically active defects. Considering these observations and the large composition and structural space that can be explored in such [(MSe)y]m[TSe2]n intergrowths, these materials are of interest for further investigation as potential thermoelectric materials.
High-κ Insulator Thin Films and Retention Properties of MFIS Diodes
Authors: Zhou Yichun
Published: September 2011

Ferroelectric field effect transistor (FFET) is a promising candidate for non-volatile random access memory because of its high speed, single device structure, low power consumption, and nondestructive read-out operation. Currently, however, such ideal devices are commercially not available due to poor interface properties between ferroelectric film and Si substrate, such as leakage current and interdiffusion etc. So we choose YSZ and HfO2 insulating thin films as buffer layer due to they possess relatively high dielectric constant, high thermal stability, low leakage current, and good interface property with Si substrates. Two structural diodes of Pt/BNT/YSZ/Si and Pt/SBT/HfO2/Si were fabricated, and the microstructures, interface properties, C-V, I-V, and retention properties were investigated in detail. Experimental results show that the fabricated diodes exhibit excellent long-term retention properties, which is due to the good interface and the low leakage density, demonstrating that the YSZ and HfO2 buffer layers are playing a critical modulation role between the ferroelectric thin film and Si substrate.
Biogeochemical processes and the diversity of Nhecolândia lakes, Brazil
Authors: Almeida Teodoro I. R , Calijuri Maria do Carmo , Falco Patrícia B , Casali Simone P , Kupriyanova Elena , Paranhos Filho Antonio C , Sigolo Joel B , Bertolo Reginaldo A
Published: September 2011

The Pantanal of Nhecolândia, the world's largest and most diversified field of tropical lakes, comprises approximately 10,000 lakes, which cover an area of 24,000 km² and vary greatly in salinity, pH, alkalinity, colour, physiography and biological activity. The hyposaline lakes have variable pHs, low alkalinity, macrophytes and low phytoplankton densities. The saline lakes have pHs above 9 or 10, high alkalinity, a high density of phytoplankton and sand beaches. The cause of the diversity of these lakes has been an open question, which we have addressed in our research. Here we propose a hybrid process, both geochemical and biological, as the main cause, including (1) a climate with an important water deficit and poverty in Ca2+ in both superficial and phreatic waters; and (2) an elevation of pH during cyanobacteria blooms. These two aspects destabilise the general tendency of Earth's surface waters towards a neutral pH. This imbalance results in an increase in the pH and dissolution of previously precipitated amorphous silica and quartzose sand. During extreme droughts, amorphous silica precipitates in the inter-granular spaces of the lake bottom sediment, increasing the isolation of the lake from the phreatic level. This paper discusses this biogeochemical problem in the light of physicochemical, chemical, altimetric and phytoplankton data.
Nutrient budgets (C, N and P) and trophic dynamicsof a Brazilian tropical estuary: Barra das Jangadas
Authors: Noriega Carlos E. D , Araujo Moacyr
Published: September 2011

This paper focuses on the nutrient dynamics of a tropical estuary on the northeastern Brazilian coast, studied using the LOICZ biogeochemical budgeting protocol. We describe the methodology and assumptions underlying this model. Input data (monthly for rainfall, evaporation, river discharge, and concentrations of salt, phosphorus and nitrogen) were obtained during field campaigns in the Barra das Jangadas Estuary (BJE) over a 5 years period (1999 to 2003). Mass balance results indicate large inputs of nutrients to the system. The model shows that the seasonal variation of the Net Ecosystem Metabolism (NEM) indicates that the system passes from a stage of organic matter liquid production and mineralization during the dry season (-0.5 mmoles C m-2 d-1) to liquid mineralization during the rainy season (-19 mmoles C m-2 d-1). We suggest that the system varies slightly between autotrophy and heterotrophy during the year due to the rainfall regime, human activities in the basin (density population and sugarcane plantations), and associated DIP riverine loads. High per capita loads of N and P indicate a high population density and high runoff. The application of flux balance modeling was useful to understand the nutrient dynamics of this typical small tropical estuary
Espaços públicos e práticas participativas na gestão do meio ambiente no Brasil
Authors: Jacobi Pedro Roberto
Published: September 2011

O objetivo deste texto é de aprofundar a reflexão em torno das dimensões da participação e das possibilidades de ampliação da cidadania na gestão do meio ambiente, com ênfase na gestão compartilhada de recursos hídricos. A análise focaliza, de um lado, o fortalecimento do espaço público e a abertura da gestão pública à participação da sociedade civil na elaboração de suas políticas públicas; e, de outro lado, a sempre complexa e contraditória institucionalização de práticas participativas inovadoras que marcam rupturas com a dinâmica predominante. Os temas aqui desenvolvidos estão organizados de forma a introduzir o leitor no universo de questões que, apesar da sua multiplicidade, se centram na associação entre cidadania, democracia participativa, governabilidade e sustentabilidade.
Model Order Reduction and the Heat Transfer Modelling of a Heat Exchanger by Using Artificial Neural Approach
Authors: Chetouani Yahya
Published: September 2011

The main aim of this paper is to establish a reliable model of a process behavior under the normal operating conditions. The use of this model should reflect the true behavior of the process in the whole way and thus distinguish a normal mode from the abnormal modes. In order to obtain a reliable model for the process dynamics, the black-box identification by means of a NARMAX model has been chosen in this paper. It is based on the neural networks approach. The main advantage of the proposed approach consists in the natural ability of neural networks in modeling non-linear dynamics in a fast and simple way and in the possibility to address the process to be modeled as an input-output black-box, with little or no mathematical information on the system. This paper will show the choice and the performance of the neural network in the training and the test phases. A study is related to the number of inputs, and of hidden neurons used and their influence on the behavior of the neural predictor. Three statistical criterions, Aikeke’s information criterion (AIC), Rissanen’s Minimum Description Length (MDL), and Bayesian information criteria (BIC), are used for the validation of the experimental data. In order to illustrate the ideas proposed concerning the dynamics modelling, a heat exchanger is used. The outlet temperature is modeled according to the inlet temperature. The model is implemented by training a Multilayer Perceptron artificial neural network with input-output experimental data. Satisfactory agreement between identified and experimental data is found and results show that the model successfully predicts the evolution of the outlet temperature of the process.
Accuracy of 7-8-9 Rule for Endotracheal Tube Placement in Nepalese Neonates
Authors: Paudel KP , Nepal D , Mahaseth C
Published: September 2011

Introduction: Neonatal intubation is done for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hypoxemia, and hypercapnia, for surfactant therapy or for airway protection. When correctly placed, endotracheal tube (ETT) tip should be at mid tracheal position which is half way between the clavicles and the carina to prevent complications of ventilation. Objective: To assess the accuracy of 7-8-9 Rule in neonates at Kanti Children’s hospital. Methodology: Prospective observational study was conducted in neonates who required oral intubations from July 2009 to December 2009 at NICU of Kanti Children’s Hospital. The initial ETT depth of insertion was determined using admission weight in the 7-8-9 Rule calculation. This depth was compared to the midtracheal depth to determine clinical accuracy of the 7-8-9 Rule. Results: Mean gestation age of the 69 infants was 36.01 weeks (26 to 42 weeks) and weight was 2411 g( 900 g to 3800 g ). 7 (10.1%) neonates weighed 1000 g or less, 19 (27.5%) weighed between 1001 to 2000 g, 31 ( 44.9%) weighed between 2001 to 3000 g, 12(17.4%) weighed between 3001 to 4000 g. The accuracy of 7-8-9 rule in clinical setting with auscultation and Chest x-ray resulted in ETT depth 0.11 cm above midtracheal position. (-1.5 to 1.5 cm). Using this rule ET tube was placed 0.11 cm above the mid tracheal position. Conclusions: The 7-8-9 Rule appears to be an accurate clinical method for endotracheal tube placement in Nepalese neonates. Keywords: Intubation; Neonate; Mid Tracheal Position DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jnps.v31i3.4299 J Nep Paedtr Soc 2011;31(3): 175-179
Methods To Identify Aptamers against Cell Surface Biomarkers
Authors: Cibiel Agnes , Dupont Daniel Miotto , Ducongé Frédéric
Published: September 2011

Aptamers are nucleic acid-based ligands identified through a process of molecular evolution named SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential enrichment). During the last 10-15 years, numerous aptamers have been developed specifically against targets present on or associated with the surface of human cells or infectious pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites. Several of the aptamers have been described as potent probes, rivalling antibodies, for use in flow cytometry or microscopy. Some have also been used as drugs by inhibiting or activating functions of their targets in a manner similar to neutralizing or agonistic antibodies. Additionally, it is straightforward to conjugate aptamers to other agents without losing their affinity and they have successfully been used in vitro and in vivo to deliver drugs, siRNA, nanoparticles or contrast agents to target cells. Hence, aptamers identified against cell surface biomarkers represent a promising class of ligands. This review presents the different strategies of SELEX that have been developed to identify aptamers for cell surface-associated proteins as well as some of the methods that are used to study their binding on living cells.
Bankfull Hydraulic Geometry Relationships for the Inner and Outer Bluegrass Regions of Kentucky
Authors: Agouridis Carmen , Brockman Ruth , Workman Stephen , Ormsbee Lindell , Fogle Alex
Published: September 2011

Bankfull hydraulic geometry relationships relate bankfull stream dimensions, such as cross-sectional area, width, mean depth, mean velocity, width to depth ratio, and slope to bankfull discharge. These relationships can assist in determining a design discharge for stream restoration and management projects. This study assessed 27 stable streams located in the Inner Bluegrass and Outer Bluegrass regions of Kentucky. Reaches were selected based on the presence of a U.S. Geological Survey gage, as well as other conditions such as presence of readily identifiable bankfull indicators, stability indices, and site accessibility. Bankfull channel dimensions and discharges were determined, and hydraulic geometry relationships were developed for both the Inner Bluegrass and Outer Bluegrass regions. These scaling relationships for karst-influenced streams were similar to others reported in the literature for non-karst areas. Significant differences between the regions were found only for bankfull width and width-to-depth ratio. Streams in the Inner Bluegrass tended to be more narrow and deep at bankfull discharges less than 10 m3s−1 and wider and shallower at bankfull discharges greater than 20 m3s−1 as compared to stream in the Outer Bluegrass. It is suspected that physiographic conditions related to local geology and/or riparian vegetation at three sites in the Outer Bluegrass accounted for these differences. Results of this study indicate that in instances of geologic variation within a physiographic region, hydraulic geometry relationships may require evaluation at the watershed scale.
PROJECT PERFORMANCE MONITORING METHODS USED IN MALAYSIA AND PERSPECTIVES OF INTRODUCING EVA AS A STANDARD APPROACH / MALAIZIJOJE NAUDOJAMI PROJEKTŲ EFEKTYVUMO STEBĖJIMO METODAI IR GALIMYBĖS EVA NAUDOTI KAIP STANDARTINĘ METODIKĄ
Authors: Abdul-Rahman Hamzah , Wang Chen , Muhammad Norjuma’ah Binti
Published: September 2011

Earned value analysis (EVA) is a well-known project management tool for monitoring and forecasting the project performance such as time and cost. Despite the benefits found in the manufacturing industry, EVA has not been widely implemented in the Malaysian construction industry. This study is aimed to determine the advantages of EVA over other project control methods, to determine the suitability of implementing EVA in construction projects, and to develop a working flowchart as a guide in implementing EVA. Accordingly, qualitative approaches including the structured interview survey and the flowchart development were employed in this study. Findings reveal that comparing to stochastic methods, Fuzzy logic model, and miscellaneous methods, the EVA has remarkable advantages in accuracy, flexibility, and adaptability for complexity. Malaysian government has decided to implement EVA to enhance the level of project management for the whole country. Hence, an EVA working flowchart was developed by the authors, through which more de- tailed project status could be monitored and more accurate future performance of the project could be forecasted. Santrauka Uždirbtos vertės analizė (UVA, angl. Earned Value Analysis, EVA) – paplitęs projektų valdymo įrankis, skirtas projekto efektyvumui, pavyzdžiui, laikui ir sąnaudoms, stebėti ir prognozuoti. Nors UVA nauda gamybos sektoriuje akivaizdi, Malaizijos statybų sektoriuje ji nėra plačiai taikoma. Šiuo tyrimu siekiama nustatyti UVA pranašumus prieš kitus projektų kontrolės metodus, nustatyti UVA tinkamumą statybų projektams ir sukurti darbinę srautų diagramą, kuri padėtų diegiant UVA. Taigi tyrime taikyti kokybiniai metodai, įskaitant apklausą, naudojant nustatytos struktūros pokalbius, ir srautų diagramos kūrimą. Išvados rodo, kad tikslumu, lankstumu ir pritaikymu sudėtingiems atvejams UVA yra gerokai prana- šesnė už stochastinius metodus, neraiškiosios logikos modelį ir įvairius kitus metodus. Malaizijos Vyriausybė nutarė įdiegti UVA, taip pagerindama projektų valdymą visoje šalyje. Dėl to autoriai sukūrė darbinę UVA srautų diagramą, kuri leidžia stebėti smulkesnius projekto būsenos aspektus ir tiksliau prognozuoti projekto efektyvumą ateityje.
TLR2-Mediated Production of IL-27 and Chemokines by Respiratory Epithelial Cells Promotes Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis in Mice
Authors: Kim Hye Sung , Go Heounjeong , Akira Shizuo , Chung Doo Hyun
Published: September 2011

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a fatal disease characterized by progressive destruction of the lung. Although TLR2 bridges innate and adaptive immunity by sensing tissue damage, its role in pulmonary fibrosis remains unclear. To address this issue, TLR2−/− and WT mice were examined for bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis (BIPF). Flow cytometric and immunohistochemical analysis revealed that TLR2 expression in bronchial epithelial and immune cells of the lungs was upregulated in WT mice during BIPF. Levels of IL-27, TGF-β, chemokines, and hydroxyproline were lower in lungs of TLR2−/− mice than in those of WT mice, but IL-17 levels were higher in TLR2−/− mice. In in vivo experiments using bone marrow-chimeric mice, TLR2 expression on respiratory epithelial cells, rather than immune cells, induced IL-27 and chemokine production in the lungs, further stimulating BIPF. This effect of TLR2 depended on IRF complexes and MyD88. BIPF was more severe in IL-17A−/− mice and in TLR2−/− mice treated with anti–IL-17 mAb than in TLR2−/− and WT mice. Furthermore, IL-27 blockade in WT mice reduced hydroxyproline levels by enhancing IL-17 production, whereas the treatment of TLR2−/− mice with a chemokine mixture increased hydroxyproline levels by recruiting inflammatory cells into the lungs. TLR2 signaling promotes BIPF by inducing IL-27 and chemokine production by respiratory epithelial cells, thereby inhibiting IL-17 production and recruiting inflammatory cells into the lungs.
An Unusual Cause of Dementia: Essential Diagnostic Elements of Corticobasal Degeneration—A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Mastrolilli F. , Benvenga A. , Di Biase L. , Giambattistelli F. , Trotta L. , Salomone G. , Quintiliani L. , Landi D. , Melgari J. M. , Vernieri F.
Published: September 2011

Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is an uncommon, sporadic, neurodegenerative disorder of mid‐ to late‐adult life. We describe a further example of the pathologic heterogeneity of this condition. A 71‐year‐old woman initially presented dysarthria, clumsiness, progressive asymmetric bradykinesia, and rigidity in left arm. Rigidity gradually involved ipsilateral leg; postural instability with falls, blepharospasm, and dysphagia subsequently developed.
She has been previously diagnosed as unresponsive Parkinson′s Disease. At our clinical examination, she presented left upper‐arm‐fixed‐dystonia, spasticity in left lower limb and pyramidal signs (Babinski and Hoffmann). Brain MRI showed asymmetric cortical atrophy in the right frontotemporal cortex. Neuropsychological examination showed an impairment in visuospatial functioning, frontal‐executive dysfunction, and hemineglect.
This case demonstrates that association of asymmetrical focal cortical and subcortical features remains the clinical hallmark of this condition. There are no absolute markers for the clinical diagnosis that is complicated by the variability of presentation involving also cognitive symptoms that are reviewed in the paper. Despite the difficulty of diagnosing CBD, somatosensory evoked potentials, motor evoked potentials, long latency reflexes, and correlations between results on electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) provide further support for a CBD diagnosis. These techniques are also used to identify neurophysiological correlates of the neurological signs of the disease.
Knockdown of BACE1‐AS Nonprotein‐Coding Transcript Modulates Beta‐Amyloid‐Related Hippocampal Neurogenesis
Authors: Modarresi Farzaneh , Faghihi Mohammad Ali , Patel Nikunj S. , Sahagan Barbara G. , Wahlestedt Claes , Lopez-Toledano Miguel A.
Published: September 2011

Background. Alzheimer′s disease (AD) is a devastating neurological disorder and the main cause of dementia in the elderly population worldwide. Adult neurogenesis appears to be upregulated very early in AD pathogenesis in response to some specific aggregates of beta‐amyloid (Aβ) peptides, exhausting the neuronal stem cell pools in the brain. Previously, we characterized a conserved nonprotein‐coding antisense transcript for β‐secretase‐1 (BACE1), a critical enzyme in AD pathophysiology. We showed that the BACE1‐antisense transcript (BACE1‐AS) is markedly upregulated in brain samples from AD patients and promotes the stability of the (sense) BACE1 transcript. In the current paper, we examine the relationship between BACE1, BACE1‐AS, adult neurogenesis markers, and amyloid plaque formation in amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice (Tg‐19959) of various ages. Results. Consistent with previous publications in other APP overexpressing mouse models, we found adult neurogenesis markers to be noticeably upregulated in Tg‐19959 mice very early in the development of the disease. Knockdown of either one of BACE1 or BACE1‐AS transcripts by continuous infusion of locked nucleic acid‐ (LNA‐) modified siRNAs into the third ventricle over the period of two weeks caused concordant downregulation of both transcripts in Tg‐19959 mice. Downregulation of BACE1 mRNA was followed by reduction of BACE1 protein and insoluble Aβ. Modulation of BACE1 and BACE1‐AS transcripts also altered oligomeric Aβ aggregation pattern, which was in turn associated with an increase in neurogenesis markers at the RNA and protein level. Conclusion. We found alterations in the RNA and protein concentrations of several adult neurogenesis markers, as well as non‐protein‐coding BACE1‐AS transcripts, in parallel with the course of β‐amyloid synthesis and aggregation in the brain of Tg15999 mice. In addition, by knocking down BACE1 or BACE1‐AS (thereby reducing Aβ production and plaque deposition), we were able to modulate expression of these neurogenesis markers. Our findings suggest a distortion of adult neurogenesis that is associated with Aβ production very early in amyloid pathogenesis. We believe that these alterations, at the molecular level, could prove useful as novel therapeutic targets and/or as early biomarkers of AD.
Effect of Processing on Grain Size and Corrosion of AA2024-T3
Authors: Ralston K.D. , Brunner J.G. , Virtanen S. , Birbilis N.
Published: September 2011

Recent works on high-purity materials have indicated that microstructural modification via grain refinement can alternately reduce or enhance corrosion, depending on the specific material-environment combination. Generally, however, a paucity of information exists in understanding how microstructural alteration and processing, in combination with grain refinement, affects corrosion. In this work, the effect of microstructural refinement on an alloy containing a high number density of precipitates and intermetallics is explored. Grain-refined AA2024-T3 (UNS A92024) samples were produced through severe plastic deformation processes and their corrosion response was compared to control samples of commercial ingot and sheet across the pH range. Microstructure and grain size were characterized using a combination of electron backscattered diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. It is revealed that there is a difference in corrosion between the specimens (which possess nearly the same bulk chemistry) as based on anodic potentiodynamic polarization, current transient, and exposure/profilometry experiments in sodium chloride (NaCl) electrolytes. However, in all cases, the effect is dominated by the environment, micro-chemical differences, and grain size.
Electrochemical Noise Analysis of Type 316L Stainless Steel in a LiBr + Ethylene Glycol + H2O Solution
Authors: Sarmiento E. , Uruchurtu J. , González-Rodriguez J.G. , Menchaca C. , Sarmiento O.
Published: September 2011

The corrosion behavior of Type 316L (UNS S31603) stainless steel in a lithium bromide (LiBr) + ethylene glycol (C2H6O2) + H2O solution at different temperatures was evaluated using electrochemical noise and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The evaluation was performed from the fractal dimension of the electrochemical noise time series obtained using the so-called Rescale Range Analysis (R/S) proposed by Hurst. The fractal dimensions were calculated from the time series obtained for the different condition signals. Also, the surface fractal dimension from the depression angle of the Nyquist plot was obtained, and both dimensions were correlated. The fractal analysis of electrochemical noise helps to evaluate the surface condition and electrochemical performance under the corrosion conditions tested.
High‐Rate Oxygen Reduction in Mixed Nonaqueous Electrolyte Containing Acetonitrile
Authors: Zheng Dong , Yang Xiao‐Qing , Qu Deyang
Published: September 2011

A mixed nonaqueous electrolyte that contains acetonitrile and propylene carbonate (PC) was found to be suitable for a LiO2 battery with a metallic Li anode. Both the concentration and diffusion coefficient for the dissolved O2 are significantly higher in the mixed electrolyte than those in the pure PC electrolyte. A powder microelectrode was used to investigate the O2 solubility and diffusion coefficient. A 10 mA cm−2 discharge rate on a gas‐diffusion electrode is demonstrated by using the mixed electrolyte in a LiO2 cell.
Tips for success: Networking is not a bad word
Authors: Kiefer Julie C.
Published: September 2011

To many scientists, the word “networking” sounds like an enterprise only suitable for those who run in circles with the business elite. However in reality, most scientists depend on networking to generate and maintain professional relationships, disseminate and gather information, and to climb the professional ladder. Presented here are tips from three seasoned professors, Kathy Cheah, PhD, Susan Mango, PhD, and Randall Moon, PhD, who describe what networking means to them, why it is important, and how they go about doing it. Developmental Dynamics 240:2597–2599, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Use of a Nonimmersive Virtual Reality Programme in Anorexia Nervosa: A Single Case‐Report
Authors: Cardi Valentina , Krug Isabel , Perpiñá Conxa , Mataix‐Cols David , Roncero Maria , Treasure Janet
Published: September 2011

Objective: People with anorexia nervosa (AN) experience high levels of fear and anxiety related to eating. The aim of this case report was to describe the use of a virtual reality (VR) programme developed to facilitate exposure to food as a supplement to treatment for a person with AN.

Method: A 21‐year‐old patient with AN was given the VR module in addition to the Maudsley Model of Treatment for Adults with Anorexia Nervosa. Weight, eating disorder symptomatology (EDE‐Q) and general psychopathology (DASS) were assessed before and after the module was delivered.

Results: At the end of the module, the patient reported lower levels of anxiety, safety behaviours and fears related to food. Both eating disorder symptoms and distress were reduced. Body mass index increased from 15 to 16.8 kg/m2 during the module.

Conclusion: The VR exposure module was associated with a beneficial change in the relationship to food and was perceived to be helpful by the individual. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Selective apoptotic effects of piceatannol and myricetin in human cancer cells
Authors: Morales Paloma , Haza Ana I.
Published: September 2011

Numerous studies have shown the potential of dietary polyphenols as anticarcinogenic agents. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the apoptotic effects of piceatannol and myricetin, naturally occurring polyphenols in red wine, alone or in combination, in two human cell lines: HL‐60 (leukemia) and HepG2 (hepatoma). Apoptotic cells were identified by chromatin condensation, poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase cleavage and flow cytometry analysis. Results from TUNEL assay showed that piceatannol or myricetin alone induced apoptotic cell death in a concentration‐ and time‐dependent manners in HL‐60 cells. Furthermore, in combined treatment the percentage of apoptotic HL‐60 cells was significantly higher. Nevertheless, the percentage of TUNEL positive HepG2 cells only was significant after piceatannol treatment and in combined treatment was even lower than in cells treated with piceatannol alone. Moreover, we also studied the relative reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Our results indicate that apoptosis induced by piceatannol or myricetin occurs through an ROS‐independent cell death pathway. In conclusion, piceatannol and myricetin synergistically induced apoptosis in HL‐60 cells but not in HepG2 cells. These findings suggest that the potential anticarcinogenic properties of dietary polyphenols depend largely on the cell line used. The relevance of these data needs to be verified in human epidemiological studies. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The distributions of enhancement factors in close‐packed and nonclose‐packed surface‐enhanced Raman substrates
Authors: Fang Ying , Yang Hongta , Jiang Peng , Dlott Dana D.
Published: September 2011

A method employing photochemical hole burning, previously developed to measure the distribution of Raman enhancement factors on a nanostructured substrate for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering, is used to compare the enhancement distributions of benzenethiol adsorbed on substrates optimized for 532 nm laser excitation consisting of close‐packed (CP) or nonclose‐packed (NCP) nanospheres. The ensemble‐averaged Raman enhancement factor was 2.8 times smaller for the NCP substrate. The measured distributions revealed additional information. For instance, 92% of the molecules on the CP substrate and 93.6% of the molecules on the NCP substrate had Raman enhancements below average. The minimum enhancements on both substrates were ~104, but on the NCP substrate the maximum enhancement was 1.2 × 108, whereas on the CP substrate the maximum was 2 × 1010. The Ag‐coated nanospheres form hemisphere‐on‐cylinder mushroom‐like structures on both lattices, but on the NCP lattice, one third of the molecules are on the flat regions between the mushrooms. The flats on the NCP lattice have enhancements of ~104, showing they are part of a resonant plasmonic structure. The highest NCP enhancements of ~108 are tentatively associated with regions at the bases of the mushrooms, whereas the highest CP enhancements of 2 × 1010 are tentatively associated with gaps between nanospheres where 0.0025% of the molecules reside. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preparation of reactive block copolymers and their transformation to hollowed nanostructures
Authors: Xie Meiran , Zhang Liya , Liao Yang , Ding Liang , Zeng Chi , You Zewang
Published: September 2011

A novel polymeric hollow nanostructure was generated using micellar template method through a three‐step procedure. First, the block copolymers were synthesized via ring‐opening metathesis polymerization by sequentially adding monomers 7‐oxanorborn‐5‐ene‐exo‐exo‐2,3‐dicarboxylic acid dimethyl ester and the mixture of norbornene and 2,3‐bis(2‐bromoisobutyryloxymethyl)‐5‐norbornene in chloroform, and also atom transfer radical polymerization of 4‐(3‐butenyl)styrene was carried out by using the as‐obtained block copolymer poly(7‐oxanorborn‐5‐ene‐exo,exo‐2,3‐dicarboxylic acid dimethylester)‐block‐poly(norbornene‐co‐2,3‐bis(2‐bromoisobutyryloxymethyl)‐5‐norbornene as macroinitiator to afford a graft copolymer bearing poly(4‐(3‐butenyl)styrene) branch poly(7‐oxanorborn‐5‐ene‐exo,exo‐2,3‐dicarboxylic acid dimethylester)‐block‐poly(norbornene‐co‐2,3‐bis(2‐bromoisobutyryloxymethyl)‐5‐norbornene)‐graft‐poly(4‐(3‐butenyl)styrene). Second, the shell‐crosslinked micelles were prepared by ruthenium‐mediated ring‐closing metathesis of poly(4‐(3‐butenyl)styrene) branches in intramicelle formed from the copolymers self‐assembly spontaneously in toluene. Finally, the hollowed spherical nanoparticles were presented by removing the micellar copolymer backbone through the cleavage of the ester bonds away from the crosslinked network of branches. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011
Right hepatic lobectomy with thoracotomy: a description (with video)
Authors: Kubota Keiichi
Published: September 2011

Background/purpose

To describe surgical techniques and results of right hepatic lobectomy (RHL) with thoracotomy.

Methods

This procedure consists of laparotomy and thoracotomy, cholecystectomy, division of the right hepatic artery and right portal vein, mobilization of the liver, division of the right hepatic vein, transection of the liver parenchyma, and division of the right hepatic duct. Thoracotomy allows effective retraction of the costal arch, creating a better operative field and widening the working space.

Results

Between April 2000 and May 2011, RHL, excluding RHL with partial resection of the liver, with bile duct resection, and with combined resection of other organs, was performed in 62 patients. Thoracotomy was employed in 55 patients, but not in the remaining 7. There were no statistically significant differences in age, ICG15, blood loss, Pringle time, or morbidity between the two groups, but there was a significant inter‐group difference in operation time. There was no postoperative mortality in either of the groups.

Conclusion

Although RHL with thoracotomy requires a longer operation time than RHL without thoracotomy, a thoraco‐abdominal approach offers a greater degree of safety, particularly in patients with massive tumors, or tumors invading the diaphragm, without any increase in morbidity or mortality.
Deconstructing Neolithic Monumental Space: the Montenegro Enclosure in Galicia (Northwest Iberia)
Authors: Gianotti Camila , Mañana-Borrazás Patricia , Criado-Boado Felipe , López-Romero Elías
Published: September 2011

This article presents a comparative analysis of archaeological sites in northwest Iberia focusing on Neolithic spatial concepts and their materialization in different architectures from this period. The recently excavated site of Montenegro in Galicia is analysed to determine how the construction of circular enclosures reproduces the organizational model of space identified in monumental architectures elsewhere. The origin of these constructions, their functionality and their relation with other archaeological phenomena are explored to show how they are all different versions of the same concept. Finally the authors discuss what they consider their key point that the prevalence of circular design may be recognized behind the diverse materialities as an essential instrument of Neolithic societies which began to tame the world.
Reproductive Symbolism in Great Basin Rock Art: Bighorn Sheep Hunting, Fertility and Forager Ideology
Authors: Garfinkel Alan P. , Austin Donald R.
Published: September 2011

Coso Range rock drawings are a central subject and focus for debates positing alternative meanings and agents responsible for animal depictions in Great Basin prehistoric rock art. We present new evidence offering a middle ground between the divergent views of the ‘hunting religion, increase rites and overkill’ and the ‘shaman, visions and rain-making’ models. We argue that rock-art images, in general, possess multivocality and manifest imbricated conceptual metaphors operating on a variety of scales simultaneously. We recognize that Coso pictures, in one sense, metaphorically represent increase and renewal, human and animal fertility, and game animal magnification. Evidence for that perspective is presented including Coso bighorn with up-raised tails, ‘spirit arrows’, animals giving birth, those that appear pregnant, and an abundance of animals evidencing vitality and movement. Ritually adept shamans also appear to have often been the religious specialists or agents responsible for Coso rock art and the sources for fashioning these images were frequently visionary experiences.
Class Politics, American-Style
Authors: Box-Steffensmeier Janet M.
Published: September 2011

Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson's Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer—And Turned Its Back on the Middle Class is both a work of political science and a contribution to broad public discussion of distributive politics. Its topic could not be more relevant to a US polity wracked by bitter partisan disagreements about taxes, social spending, financial regulation, social insecurity, and inequality. The political power of “the rich” is a theme of widespread public attention. The headline on the cover of the January–February 2011 issue of The American Interest—“Inequality and Democracy: Are Plutocrats Drowning Our Republic?”—is indicative. Francis Fukuyama's lead essay, entitled “Left Out,” clarifies that by “plutocracy,” the journal means “not just rule by the rich, but rule by and for the rich. We mean, in other words, a state of affairs in which the rich influence government in such a way as to protect and expand their own wealth and influence, often at the expense of others.” Fukuyama makes clear that he believes that this state of affairs obtains in the United States today.

Readers of Perspectives on Politics will know that the topic has garnered increasing attention from political scientists in general and in our journal in particular. In March 2009, we featured a symposium on Larry Bartels's Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age. And in December 2009, our lead article, by Jeffrey A. Winters and Benjamin I. Page, starkly posed the question “Oligarchy in the United States?” and answered it with an equally stark “yes.” Winner-Take-All Politics thus engages a broader scholarly discussion within US political science, at the same time that it both draws upon and echoes many “classic themes” of US political science from the work of Charles Beard and E. E. Schattschneider to Ted Lowi and Charles Lindblom.

In this symposium, we have brought together a group of important scholars and commentators who offer a range of perspectives on the book and on the broader themes it engages. While most of our discussants are specialists on “American politics,” we have also sought out scholars beyond this subfield. Our charge to the discussants is to evaluate the book's central claims and evidence, with a focus on three related questions: 1) How compelling is its analysis of the “how” and “why” of recent US public policy and its “turn” in favor of “the rich” and against “the middle class”? 2) How compelling is its critique of the subfield of “American politics” for its focus on the voter–politician linkage and on “politics as spectacle” at the expense of an analysis of “politics as organized combat”? 3) And do you agree with its argument that recent changes in US politics necessitate a different, more comparative, and more political economy–centered approach to the study of US politics?—Jeffrey C. Isaac, Editor
Inner Contradiction to Immigration Quagmire: A Response to Rogers Smith
Authors: Barvosa Edwina
Published: September 2011

The question of how to understand and address longstanding—and at times violent—hostility toward Mexican immigrants in the United States remains pressing. In his essay, Rogers Smith attempts to describe a just immigration policy, one that could ease anti-immigrant conflict, based on obligations upon the U.S. government that arise from its coercive shaping of the social identities and aspirations of Mexican immigrants. Smith is correct to focus on the conflicts between intersecting and contradictory factors that affect identity formation among immigrants, but I argue that a focus on similar conflicts among those who hold strong anti-immigrant views suggests that such contradictions may also be animating anti-Mexican immigrant hostility. Among the most important of these may be those arising from the American dream—a formative narrative that encourages euphoria about socioeconomic possibilities but that cloaks underlying economic instabilities, exploitation, and widespread vulnerabilities. The pain of these contradictions, typically unacknowledged by those whom they affect, can spike in times of economic downturn, exciting anti-Mexican immigrant sentiments that provide an outlet for the rage and agony of unresolved conflict.
The Future is Always the Place of Hope: Two Poems by Mohammad-Hossein Shahriyar
Authors: Shahriyar Mohammad-Hossein
Published: September 2011

Although the predominant language of Iran's literature is Persian, a trickle of literary works has always been written in other languages, most notably in Azeri Turkish, the language spoken in Iranian Azerbaijan as well as in the Republic of Azerbaijan to the north of the Araxes river. The following two poems, translated from the original Azeri Turkish, demonstrate the presence of that minority voice.

With regard to the translated poems, a reference to a historical event is necessary here. From 1946, when the autonomous movement in Iranian Azerbaijan was defeated, to the downfall of the Iranian monarchy in 1979, contact between the people of the two regions was discouraged on both sides, and Azeri Turkish was aggressively suppressed by the state, which defined Iranian nationalism through the increasing dominance of the Persian language. However, individual poets of the two regions were in sporadic contact.
Pistachios, Camels and Cement Blocks: The Familiar and the Shock of the New in Simin Behbahani's Ghazals
Authors: Behbahani Simin
Published: September 2011

The five poems below, as will be evident to the reader, are as “contemporary” as any poems in Persian, at least thematically. With shocking clarity, they are “about” traumatic experiences that have shaped recent Iranian history: revolution and war.

They are all the more shocking in this respect: for their choice of language and imagery. Simin Behbahani resists the penchant that remains, even in Modern Persian poetry (whether by choice, habit, or force of circumstance), for oblique and symbolic expression—whereby “skewered nightingales” stand for silenced or censored poets, “dogs giving up their freedom for shelter and a piece of bone” connote political and moral compromise, and “dark and stormy nights” and other meteorological signs serve as barometers for political, moral, and cultural oppression.
Fauna
Authors: Anderson Steven C.
Published: September 2011

The Principal Users of the Encyclopaedia are Likely to be Students and scholars of Iranian culture, history, literature, geography, and area studies. Most of these will not be looking so much for technical articles in their own specialties as for general introductory entries in ancillary areas. I hope that another category of user of the fauna and other natural history entries, for which some forty articles have now been published, will be the student or scholar beginning studies of Iranian natural history looking for summary and review articles and bibliographic sources. For such users, the EIr can perform an invaluable service, as there is no other existing source in any language attempting to pull together the knowledge of Iranian natural history as a whole.

To serve the needs of this diverse audience, entries about individual species of native animals ought to include some description or definition of the creature, a brief summary of its natural history, viz., its habits and behavior, its habitat, its status in the biotic community (as prey, predator, relative abundance, etc.), its general distribution, and its range within Iran (and the other areas covered by the EIr); cultural information that applies, such as conservation, economic importance, history of use or human interactions, appearance in literature, folklore, and mythology, should be discussed.
Population length variability and nucleoid numbers in Escherichia coli
Authors: Athale Chaitanya A. , Chaudhari Hemangi
Published: September 2011

Motivation: Cell sizes and shapes are a fundamental defining characteristic of all cellular life. In bacteria like Escherichia coli, the machinery that determines cell length is complex and interconnected, spanning extracellular cues, biosynthesis and cell division. Few tools exist to study cell lengths in a population. We have developed and tested three automated image analysis routines on growing E.coli cultures to simultaneously measure cell lengths and nucleoid numbers in populations of bacteria. We find population profiles changing with culture density—higher density of culture leads to fewer long cells. Additionally, lab strains mutant for recA show a correlation between the number of nucleoids and cell length.

Contact:  cathale@iiserpune.ac.in; chaitanya.athale@gmail.com

Supplementary Information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
High‐throughput resequencing of target‐captured cDNA in cancer cells
Authors: Ueno Toshihide , Yamashita Yoshihiro , Soda Manabu , Fukumura Kazutaka , Ando Mizuo , Yamato Azusa , Kawazu Masahito , Choi Young Lim , Mano Hiroyuki
Published: September 2011

The recent advent of whole exon (exome)‐capture technology, coupled with second‐generation sequencers, has made it possible to readily detect genomic alterations that affect encoded proteins in cancer cells. Such target resequencing of the cancer genome, however, fails to detect most clinically‐relevant gene fusions, given that such oncogenic fusion genes are often generated through intron‐to‐intron ligation. To develop a resequencing platform that simultaneously captures point mutations, insertions–deletions (indels), and gene fusions in the cancer genome, we chose cDNA as the input for target capture and extensive resequencing, and we describe the versatility of such a cDNA‐capture system. As a test case, we constructed a custom target‐capture system for 913 cancer‐related genes, and we purified cDNA fragments for the target gene set from five cell lines of CML. Our target gene set included Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1 (ABL1), but it did not include breakpoint cluster region (BCR); however, the sequence output faithfully detected reads spanning the fusion points of these two genes in all cell lines, confirming the ability of cDNA capture to detect gene fusions. Furthermore, computational analysis of the sequence dataset successfully identified non‐synonymous mutations and indels, including those of tumor protein p53 (TP53). Our data might thus support the feasibility of a cDNA‐capture system coupled with massively parallel sequencing as a simple platform for the detection of a variety of anomalies in protein‐coding genes among hundreds of cancer specimens. (Cancer Sci 2012; 103: 131–135)
Quality control in cervicovaginal cytology by cytohistological correlation
Authors: Izadi‐Mood N. , Sarmadi S. , Sanii S.
Published: September 2011

N. Izadi‐Mood, S. Sarmadi and S. Sanii  Quality control in cervicovaginal cytology by cytohistological correlation

Objective:  Frequent studies attest to the correlation of cytological interpretations with defined histopathological entities. Nevertheless, as part of quality control, cytology laboratories are required to compare Papanicolaou smear reports with those of cervical biopsies to search for discrepancies. We have attempted to determine and categorize the causes of existing discrepancies in our laboratory in order to clarify the source of errors.

Methods:  We reviewed 670 cervical smears that were paired with subsequent punch biopsy or endocervical curettage samples, obtained within 2 months of the cytology, and found out that 60 smear‐biopsy pairs were discrepant regarding the diagnosis. These cases were categorized into four error groups after careful re‐evaluation of the original smear and biopsy slides.

Results:  In 51 (85%) of 60 cervical smear‐biopsy pairs with reports that disagreed, the initial diagnoses of both cervical smear and biopsy were confirmed by the review opinion; in these cases, cytology and biopsy ‘sampling errors’ were responsible for 40 and 11 instances of discrepancy, respectively. Seven cases (11.1%) were discrepant due to ‘smear interpretation errors’ and consisted of five cases with initial under‐diagnosis and two cases with initial over‐diagnosis. One case (1.7%) was due to ‘screener error’. In another case, discordance was due to cervical ‘biopsy interpretation error’, with initial over‐diagnosis as squamous intraepithelial lesion.

Conclusion:  In this retrospective study, we determined the causes of cytohistological discrepancies in cervical samples. The main explanation for discrepancy was ‘sampling error’.