bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PathCase-SB: integrating data sources and providing tools for systems biology research
Authors: Coskun Sarp A , Qi Xinjian , Cakmak Ali , Cheng En , Cicek A Ercument , Yang Lei , Jadeja Rishiraj , Dash Ranjan K , Lai Nicola , Ozsoyoglu Gultekin , Ozsoyoglu Zehra Meral
Published: June 2012

Background

Integration of metabolic pathways resources and metabolic network models, and deploying new tools on the integrated platform can help perform more effective and more efficient systems biology research on understanding the regulation of metabolic networks. Therefore, the tasks of (a) integrating under a single database environment regulatory metabolic networks and existing models, and (b) building tools to help with modeling and analysis are desirable and intellectually challenging computational tasks.

Results

PathCase Systems Biology (PathCase-SB) is built and released. This paper describes PathCase-SB user interfaces developed to date. The current PathCase-SB system provides a database-enabled framework and web-based computational tools towards facilitating the development of kinetic models for biological systems. PathCase-SB aims to integrate systems biology models data and metabolic network data of selected biological data sources on the web (currently, BioModels Database and KEGG, respectively), and to provide more powerful and/or new capabilities via the new web-based integrative framework.

Conclusions

Each of the c urrent four PathCase-SB interfaces, namely, Browser, Visualization, Querying, and Simulation interfaces, have expanded and new capabilities as compared with the original data sources. PathCase-SB is already available on the web and being used by researchers across the globe.
Screening significantly hypermethylated genes in fetal tissues compared with maternal blood using a methylated-CpG island recovery assay-based microarray
Authors: Yin Aihua , Zhang Xiangzhong , Wu Jing , Du Li , He Tianwen , Zhang Xiaozhuang
Published: June 2012

Background

The noninvasive prenatal diagnosis procedures that are currently used to detect genetic diseases do not achieve desirable levels of sensitivity and specificity. Recently, fetal methylated DNA biomarkers in maternal peripheral blood have been explored for the noninvasive prenatal detection of genetic disorders. However, such efforts have covered only chromosomal aneuploidy, and fetal methylated DNA biomarkers in maternal whole blood for detecting single-gene diseases remain to be discovered.

Methods

To address this issue, we systematically screened significantly hypermethylated genes in fetal tissues and compared them with maternal peripheral blood potential in an attempt to detect fetal genes in maternal peripheral blood. First, the methylated-CpG island recovery assay combined with a CpG island array was performed for four fetus-toward placental tissues and the corresponding maternal peripheral bloods. Subsequently, direct bisulfite sequencing and combined bisulfite restriction analysis (COBRA) were carried out to validate the methylation status of the hypermethylated genes that were identified by the microarray analysis.

Results

Three hundred and ten significantly hypermethylated genes in the placental tissues were detected by microarray. From the top 15 hypermethylated genes detected by microarray, two were selected for sequencing validation in placental tissue and chorionic villus samples and four were selected for COBRA validation in four placental tissues, ten amniotic fluids and five chorionic villus samples. The six selected genes were confirmed to be hypermethylated in placental tissue and chorionic villus samples, but methylation of the genes could not be detected in the amniotic fluids.

Conclusions

Of the many hypermethylated genes and methylation sites that were found in the fetal tissues, some have great potential to be developed into molecular markers for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of monogenic disorders. Further clinical studies are warranted to confirm these findings.
How do alignment programs perform on sequencing data with varying qualities and from repetitive regions?
Authors: Yu Xiaoqing , Guda Kishore , Willis Joseph , Veigl Martina , Wang Zhenghe , Markowitz Sanford , Adams Mark D , Sun Shuying
Published: June 2012

Background

Next-generation sequencing technologies generate a significant number of short reads that are utilized to address a variety of biological questions. However, quite often, sequencing reads tend to have low quality at the 3’ end and are generated from the repetitive regions of a genome. It is unclear how different alignment programs perform under these different cases. In order to investigate this question, we use both real data and simulated data with the above issues to evaluate the performance of four commonly used algorithms: SOAP2, Bowtie, BWA, and Novoalign.

Methods

The performance of different alignment algorithms are measured in terms of concordance between any pair of aligners (for real sequencing data without known truth) and the accuracy of simulated read alignment.

Results

Our results show that, for sequencing data with reads that have relatively good quality or that have had low quality bases trimmed off, all four alignment programs perform similarly. We have also demonstrated that trimming off low quality ends markedly increases the number of aligned reads and improves the consistency among different aligners as well, especially for low quality data. However, Novoalign is more sensitive to the improvement of data quality. Trimming off low quality ends significantly increases the concordance between Novoalign and other aligners. As for aligning reads from repetitive regions, our simulation data show that reads from repetitive regions tend to be aligned incorrectly, and suppressing reads with multiple hits can improve alignment accuracy.

Conclusions

This study provides a systematic comparison of commonly used alignment algorithms in the context of sequencing data with varying qualities and from repetitive regions. Our approach can be applied to different sequencing data sets generated from different platforms. It can also be utilized to study the performance of other alignment programs.
Prevalence and risk factors associated with self-reported carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) among office workers in Kuwait
Authors: Raman Sudha R , Al-Halabi Becher , Hamdan Elham , Landry Michel D
Published: June 2012

Background

The prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is not well understood in many Arabian Peninsula countries. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with self-reported CTS in Kuwait.

Findings

A cross-sectional, self-administered survey of CTS-related symptoms was used in this study. Multivariate logistic regression was also used to estimate adjusted odds ratios for factors of interest. Participants in this study were adult office workers in Kuwait (n = 470, 55.6% males), who worked in companies employing more than 50 people. Self-reported CTS was reported in 18.7% of the group (88/470). CTS was significantly associated with the following demographic factors: female gender, obesity and number of comorbid conditions. Self-identification of CTS was also associated with key symptoms and impairment in daily activities (e.g., wrist pain, numbness, weakness, night pain, difficulty carrying bags, difficulty grasping [Chi-Square Test for Association: P < 0.05 for all symptoms/activities]). However, symptoms such as wrist pain, weakness, and functional disabilities were also frequently reported among those who do not self report CTS (range: 12.1%–38.2%).

Conclusions

Prevalence of self-reported CTS among office workers in Kuwait is 18.7%, and the risk factors for CTS in this population included female gender, obesity and number of related comorbidities. The frequency of symptoms in the sample who did not self report CTS suggest that CTS may be under-recognized, however further research is required to assess the prevalence of clinically diagnosed CTS.
Clinical characteristics of pediatric hospitalizations associated with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) in Northern Bavaria, Germany
Authors: Wieching Anna , Benser Jasmin , Kohlhauser-Vollmuth Christina , Weissbrich Benedikt , Streng Andrea , Liese Johannes G
Published: June 2012

Background

The 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) (PIA) virus infected large parts of the pediatric population with a wide clinical spectrum and an initially unknown complication rate. The aims of our study were to define clinical characteristics and outcome of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009-associated hospitalizations (PIAH) in children <18 years of age. All hospitalized cases of children <18 years of age with laboratory-confirmed pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 in the region of Wuerzburg (Northern Bavaria, Germany) between July 2009 and March 2010 were identified. For these children a medical chart review was performed to determine their clinical characteristics and complications.

Results

Between July 2009 and March 2010, 94 PIAH (62% males) occurred in children <18 years of age, with a median age of 7 years (IQR: 3–12 years). Underlying diseases and predisposing factors were documented in 40 (43%) children; obesity (n = 12, 30%), asthma (n = 10, 25%) and neurologic disorders (n = 8, 20%) were most frequently reported. Sixteen (17%) children received oxygen supplementation; three (3%) children required mechanical ventilation. Six (6%) children were admitted to an intensive care unit, four of them with underlying chronic diseases.

Conclusions

Most PIAH demonstrated a benign course of disease. However, six children (6%) needed treatment at an intensive care unit for severe complications.
Alterations in the ribosomal machinery in cancer and hematologic disorders
Authors: Shenoy Niraj , Kessel Rachel , Bhagat Tushar D , Bhattacharyya Sanchari , Yu Yiting , Mcmahon Christine , Verma Amit
Published: June 2012

Ribosomes are essential components of the protein translation machinery and are composed of more than 80 unique large and small ribosomal proteins. Recent studies show that in addition to their roles in protein translation, ribosomal proteins are also involved in extra-ribosomal functions of DNA repair, apoptosis and cellular homeostasis. Consequently, alterations in the synthesis or functioning of ribosomal proteins can lead to various hematologic disorders. These include congenital anemias such as Diamond Blackfan anemia and Shwachman Diamond syndrome; both of which are associated with mutations in various ribosomal genes. Acquired uniallelic deletion of RPS14 gene has also been shown to lead to the 5q syndrome, a distinct subset of MDS associated with macrocytic anemia. Recent evidence shows that specific ribosomal proteins are overexpressed in liver, colon, prostate and other tumors. Ribosomal protein overexpression can promote tumorigenesis by interactions with the p53 tumor suppressor pathway and also by direct effects on various oncogenes. These data point to a broad role of ribosome protein alterations in hematologic and oncologic diseases.
Sexually dimorphic effects of a prenatal immune challenge on social play and vasopressin expression in juvenile rats
Authors: Taylor Patrick V , Veenema Alexa H , Paul Matthew J , Bredewold Remco , Isaacs Stephanie , de Vries Geert J
Published: June 2012

Background

Infectious diseases and inflammation during pregnancy increase the offspring’s risk for behavioral disorders. However, how immune stress affects neural circuitry during development is not well known. We tested whether a prenatal immune challenge interferes with the development of social play and with neural circuits implicated in social behavior.

Methods

Pregnant rats were given intraperitoneal injections of the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS – 100 μg /kg) or saline on the 15th day of pregnancy. Offspring were tested for social play behaviors between postnatal days 26–40. Brains were harvested on postnatal day 45 and processed for arginine vasopressin (AVP) mRNA in situ hybridization.

Results

In males, LPS treatment reduced the frequency of juvenile play behavior and reduced AVP mRNA expression in the medial amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. These effects were not found in females. LPS treatment did not change AVP mRNA expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, paraventricular nucleus, or supraoptic nucleus of either sex, nor did it affect the sex difference in the size of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area.

Conclusions

Given AVP’s central role in regulating social behavior, the sexually dimorphic effects of prenatal LPS treatment on male AVP mRNA expression may contribute to the sexually dimorphic effect of LPS on male social play and may, therefore, increase understanding of factors that contribute to sex differences in social psychopathology.
Comprehensive allergy work‐up is mandatory in cystic fibrosis patients who report a history suggestive of drug allergy to beta‐lactam antibiotics
Authors: Caimmi Silvia , Sanfiorenzo Céline , Caimmi Davide , Bousquet Philippe‐Jean , Chiron Raphael , Demoly Pascal
Published: June 2012

Background

In the general population, reports on suspected ß‐lactam hypersensitivity are common. After a drug allergy work‐up at best 20% of the selected patients are positive. However, these considerations have not been explored in cystic fibrosis patients for whom antibiotics are even more crucial.

Methods

The study, part of the Drug Allergy and Hypersensitivity (DAHD) cohort, was performed in the regional cystic fibrosis center of Montpellier, France. After identifying patients with a clinical history suggestive of drug allergy to ß‐lactams, a complete drug allergy work‐up, was carried out according to the EAACI recommendations.

Results

Among the 171 patients involved, 23 reported clinical manifestations potentially compatible with a drug allergy to ß‐lactams. After performing the complete drug‐allergy work‐up, 7 were considered as drug hypersensitive (3 had positive skin tests, 1 a positive provocation test, 3 declined the tests). Excluding the latter 3 patients with incomplete drug allergy work‐up, the rate of proven drug allergy was 2.3%.

Conclusions

Drug allergy to ß‐lactams in cystic fibrosis patients is of importance. A full drug allergy work‐up is mandatory in case of suspicion, because ß‐lactam responsibility is often ruled out.
Vascular diaphragmatic hernia in a patient with cirrhosis first case report
Authors: Lazăr Mihai I , Ion Daniela Adriana IF
Published: June 2012

We report the case of an adult patient recently diagnosed with cirrhosis. The ultrasound evaluation described a multinodular inhomogeneous liver, requiring a magnetic resonance imaging scan for further characterization. The performed magnetic resonance imaging examination confirmed the diagnosis of cirrhosis associated with portal hypertension and detected a vascular left transdiaphragmatic hernia. Although various types of diaphragmatic hernias have been described - congenital or acquired - to the best of our knowledge, this type of pathology has never been reported.
Neuropsychological outcomes of mild traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in Iraq-deployed US Army soldiers
Authors: Vasterling Jennifer J. , Brailey Kevin , Proctor Susan P. , Kane Robert , Heeren Timothy , Franz Molly
Published: June 2012

Background

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a concern of contemporary military deployments. Whether milder TBI leads to enduring impairment remains controversial.

Aims

To determine the influence of deployment TBI, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms on neuropsychological and functional outcomes.

Method

A sample of 760 US Army soldiers were assessed pre- and post-deployment. Outcomes included neuropsychological performances and subjective functional impairment.

Results

In total, 9% of the participants reported (predominantly mild) TBI with loss of consciousness between pre- and post-deployment. At post-deployment, 17.6% of individuals with TBI screened positive for PTSD and 31.3% screened positive for depression. Before and after adjustment for psychiatric symptoms, TBI was significantly associated only with functional impairment. Both PTSD and depression symptoms adjusted for TBI were significantly associated with several neuropsychological performance deficits and functional impairment.

Conclusions

Milder TBI reported by deployed service members typically has limited lasting neuropsychological consequences; PTSD and depression are associated with more enduring cognitive compromise.
Screening for pre-eclampsia using serum placental growth factor and endoglin with Down's syndrome Quadruple test markers
Authors: Wald Nicholas J , Bestwick Jonathan P , George Lynne M , Wu Tiesheng , Morris Joan K
Published: June 2012

Objective

To estimate the pre-eclampsia screening performance of placental growth factor (PlGF) and endoglin with second-trimester Quadruple test markers used for antenatal Down's syndrome screening.

Methods

A nested case-control study of 88 pregnant women with known early second-trimester Down's syndrome Quadruple test marker levels who subsequently developed pre-eclampsia and 275 unaffected controls. Frozen maternal serum samples were thawed and assayed for PlGF and endoglin. Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate the pre-eclampsia screening performance of a pre-eclampsia detection algorithm using the Quadruple test markers with or without the addition of PlGF and/or endoglin.

Results

Median PlGF was 33% lower (95% confidence interval 24–41%) and endoglin 31% (20–43%) higher in pre-eclampsia than in unaffected pregnancies. Adding PlGF to the Quadruple test markers increased the pre-eclampsia detection rate from 34% to 45% at a 5% false-positive rate – it increased it to 43% with endoglin and to 50% with both. The corresponding estimates for early pre-eclampsia (before 36 weeks’ gestation) were a few percentage points higher (48%, 48% and 55% respectively). Including information on parity, pre-eclampsia in a previous pregnancy, family history (woman's mother) and assuming a pre-eclampsia prevalence of 2%, the detection rates for a 5% false-positive rate were 39% with the Quadruple test markers, 48% with addition of endoglin, 49% with addition of PlGF, and 54% with addition of both.

Conclusions

Adding PlGF to the Quadruple test Down's syndrome screening markers improves pre-eclampsia screening performance. There is a modest extra benefit in also adding the measurement of endoglin.
The calculation of targets for the cancer and adenoma detection rates for the NHS bowel screening programme
Authors: Blanks Roger G , Moss Susan M
Published: June 2012

Objectives

The NHS bowel screening programme offers people aged 60–69 screening by faecal occult blood (FOB) testing, with colonoscopy as the diagnostic test. This paper describes the calculation of targets for the purpose of monitoring screening performance in the programme.

Methods

Targets were calculated for the prevalent round of screening in people aged 60–69, and for the ‘steady state’ of the programme when people will be offered their first screen at age 60 and subsequent screens at ages 62–69. Targets for the cancer and adenoma detection rates per 1000 people screened and per 100 colonoscopies were calculated using information from the English bowel cancer screening pilot.

Results

For the prevalent round, prevalent screen and incident screens the calculated targets for the cancer detection rate are 2.3, 1.3 and 1.7 per 1000 people respectively. For the adenoma detection rate the targets are 6.7, 5.2 and 5.5 per 1000 respectively. Targets for the cancer detection rate per 100 colonoscopies are 11.3, 7.5 and 8.4 and those for the adenoma detection rate are 32.0, 30.4 and 32.5 respectively.

Conclusions

The purpose of these targets is to ensure that the national bowel cancer screening programme is effective with a high quality of screening. The cancer detection and adenoma detection rates per 1000 people are those estimated to be necessary to achieve the expected mortality reduction. Rates per 100 colonoscopies (equivalent to the positive predictive value of referral to colonoscopy) are designed to maintain a high quality of screening by minimizing the number of false-positive referrals.
False-positive results from colorectal cancer screening in Catalonia (Spain), 2000–2010
Authors: Garcia Montse , Milà Núria , Binefa Gemma , Borràs Josep Maria , Espinàs Josep Alfons , Moreno Víctor
Published: June 2012

Objective

To identify factors associated with a false-positive result in a population-based colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programme with the faecal occult blood test (FOBT) in Catalonia between 2000 and 2010.

Methods

The study population consisted of participants of the Catalan CRC screening programme with a positive FOBT who underwent a colonoscopy for diagnostic confirmation from 2000 to 2010. A false-positive result was defined as having a positive test but detecting no high-risk adenoma or cancer in the follow-up colonoscopy. Multivariate logistic regression models were performed to identify sociodemographic and screening variables related to false-positive results. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated.

Results

Over the screening period, 1074 (1.7%) of the 63,332 screening tests had a positive result in the Catalan CRC screening programme. The false-positive proportion was 55.2% (n = 546). Women were more likely to have a positive FOBT in the absence of CRC neoplasia than men (adjusted OR = 2.91; 95% CI: 2.22–3.28). During the first prevalence round, the proportion of false-positive results was higher than in subsequent rounds (69.5% vs. 48.9%; P < 0.05). Re-screening and having a bleeding pathology such as haemorrhoids or anal fissures were also associated with a false-positive result.

Conclusion

The proportion of false-positive results and the associated risks should be estimated to provide an eligible population with more reliable information on the adverse effects of screening.
The incidence and outcomes of vertebral column resection in paediatric patients
Authors: Helenius I. , Serlo J. , Pajulo O.
Published: June 2012

We report the results of vertebral column resection (VCR) for paediatric patients with spinal deformity. A total of 49 VCRs in paediatric patients from four university hospitals between 2005 and 2009 with a minimum two-year follow-up were retrospectively identified. After excluding single hemivertebral resections (n = 25) and VCRs performed for patients with myelomeningocele (n = 6), as well as spondylectomies performed for tumour (n = 4), there were 14 patients who had undergone full VCR at a mean age of 12.3 years (6.5 to 17.9). The aetiology was congenital scoliosis in five, neuromuscular scoliosis in three, congenital kyphosis in two, global kyphosis in two, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in one and secondary scoliosis in one. A total of seven anteroposterior and seven posterolateral approaches were used.

The mean major curve deformity was 86° (67° to 120°) pre-operatively and 37° (17° to 80°) at the two-year follow-up; correction was a mean of 54% (18% to 86%) in the anteroposterior and 60% (41% to 70%) in the posterolateral group at the two-year follow-up (p = 0.53). The mean Scoliosis Research Society-24 total scores were 100 (92 to 108) for the anteroposterior and 102 (95 to 105) for the posterolateral group. There was one paraparesis in the anteroposterior group necessitating urgent re-decompression, with a full recovery.

Patients undergoing VCR are highly satisfied after a successful procedure.
Predictors of fracture following suspected injury to the scaphoid
Authors: Duckworth A. D. , Buijze G. A. , Moran M. , Gray A. , Court-Brown C. M. , Ring D. , McQueen M. M.
Published: June 2012

A prospective study was performed to develop a clinical prediction rule that incorporated demographic and clinical factors predictive of a fracture of the scaphoid. Of 260 consecutive patients with a clinically suspected or radiologically confirmed scaphoid fracture, 223 returned for evaluation two weeks after injury and formed the basis of our analysis. Patients were evaluated within 72 hours of injury and at approximately two and six weeks after injury using clinical assessment and standard radiographs. Demographic data and the results of seven specific tests in the clinical examination were recorded.

There were 116 (52%) men and their mean age was 33 years (13 to 95; sd 17.9). In 62 patients (28%) a scaphoid fracture was confirmed. A logistic regression model identified male gender (p = 0.002), sports injury (p = 0.004), anatomical snuff box pain on ulnar deviation of the wrist within 72 hours of injury (p < 0.001), and scaphoid tubercle tenderness at two weeks (p < 0.001) as independent predictors of fracture. All patients with no pain at the anatomical snuff box on ulnar deviation of the wrist within 72 hours of injury did not have a fracture (n = 72, 32%). With four independently significant factors positive, the risk of fracture was 91%.

Our study has demonstrated that clinical prediction rules have a considerable influence on the probability of a suspected scaphoid fracture. This will help improve the use of supplementary investigations where the diagnosis remains in doubt.
Clinical and radiological results of the collarless polished tapered stem at 15 years follow-up
Authors: Burston B. J. , Barnett A. J. , Amirfeyz R. , Yates P. J. , Bannister G. C.
Published: June 2012

We prospectively followed 191 consecutive collarless polished tapered (CPT) femoral stems, implanted in 175 patients who had a mean age at operation of 64.5 years (21 to 85). At a mean follow-up of 15.9 years (14 to 17.5), 86 patients (95 hips) were still alive. The fate of all original stems is known. The 16-year survivorship with re-operation for any reason was 80.7% (95% confidence interval 72 to 89.4). There was no loss to follow-up, with clinical data available on all 95 hips and radiological assessment performed on 90 hips (95%). At latest follow-up, the mean Harris hip score was 78 (28 to 100) and the mean Oxford hip score was 36 (15 to 48). Stems subsided within the cement mantle, with a mean subsidence of 2.1 mm (0.4 to 19.2). Among the original cohort, only one stem (0.5%) has been revised due to aseptic loosening. In total seven stems were revised for any cause, of which four revisions were required for infection following revision of the acetabular component. A total of 21 patients (11%) required some sort of revision procedure; all except three of these resulted from failure of the acetabular component. Cemented acetabular components had a significantly lower revision burden (three hips, 2.7%) than Harris Galante uncemented components (17 hips, 21.8%) (p < 0.001).

The CPT stem continues to provide excellent radiological and clinical outcomes at 15 years following implantation. Its results are consistent with other polished tapered stem designs.
Wear in alumina-on-alumina ceramic total hip replacements
Authors: Esposito C. I. , Walter W. L. , Roques A. , Tuke M. A. , Zicat B. A. , Walsh W. R. , Walter W. K.
Published: June 2012

We analysed 54 alumina ceramic-on-ceramic bearings from total hip replacements retrieved at one centre after a mean duration of 3.5 years (0.2 to 10.6) in situ. These implants were obtained from 54 patients (16 men and 38 women) with a mean age of 67 years (33 to 88) who underwent revision for a variety of reasons. Posterior edge loading was found in the majority of these retrievals (32 out of 54). Anterosuperior edge loading occurred less often but produced a higher rate of wear. Stripe wear on the femoral heads had a median volumetric wear rate of 0.2 mm3/year (0 to 7.2). The wear volume on the femoral heads corresponded to the width of edge wear on the matching liner. Anteversion of the acetabular component was found to be a more important determinant than inclination for wear in ceramic bearings. Posterior edge loading may be considered to be a normal occurrence in ceramic-on-ceramic bearings, with minimal clinical consequences. Edge loading should be defined as either anterosuperior or posterior, as each edge loading mechanism may result in different clinical implications.
Corrosion at the neck-stem junction as a cause of metal ion release and pseudotumour formation
Authors: Gill I. P. S. , Webb J. , Sloan K. , Beaver R. J.
Published: June 2012

We present a series of 35 patients (19 men and 16 women) with a mean age of 64 years (36.7 to 75.9), who underwent total hip replacement using the ESKA dual-modular short stem with metal on-polyethylene bearing surfaces. This implant has a modular neck section in addition to the modular head. Of these patients, three presented with increasing post-operative pain due to pseudotumour formation that resulted from corrosion at the modular neck-stem junction. These patients underwent further surgery and aseptic lymphocytic vaculitis associated lesions were demonstrated on histological analysis.

Retrieval analysis of two modular necks showed corrosion at the neck-stem taper. Blood cobalt and chromium levels were measured at a mean of nine months (3 to 28) following surgery. These were compared with the levels in seven control patients (three men and four women) with a mean age of 53.4 years (32.1 to 64.1), who had an identical prosthesis and articulation but with a prosthesis that had no modularity at neck-stem junction. The mean blood levels of cobalt in the study group were raised at 50.75 nmol/l (5 to 145) compared with 5.6 nmol/l (2 to 13) in control patients.

Corrosion at neck-stem tapers has been identified as an important source of metal ion release and pseudotumour formation requiring revision surgery. Finite element modelling of the dual modular stem demonstrated high stresses at the modular stem-neck junction. Dual modular cobalt-chrome hip prostheses should be used with caution due to these concerns.
Role of nanosized oxide in catalysis on the nanoporous surface of zeolite particles
Authors: Kimura Toshiyuki , Liu Chen , Li Xiaohong , Asaoka Sachio
Published: June 2012

Based on our studies on the hybrid catalysts of nanosized (ns) oxide with zeolite, products obtained from the isomerization and hydrocracking of heavier n-paraffins and the role of ns oxide were investigated using a tricomponent catalyst of [Ni-Mo/γ-Al2O3], ns oxide, and H-beta zeolite catalyst, which showed high activity, high isomerization selectivity, and mild cracking ability. A concerted effect of the three components was observed. From the observed hybridization state of the catalyst, it was suggested that the concerted effect was obtained because the components become attached to each other. The individual and concerted effects of each component and two components, respectively, were investigated based on the ratio of [Ni-Mo/γ-Al2O3]/[H-beta zeolite], the content of ns oxide, the amount of metal, the type of ns oxide species, and the reduction state of metal. It was confirmed that in order to obtain the highest concerted effect, the ratios of [Ni-Mo/γ-Al2O3]/[H-beta zeolite] and/or ns oxide/zeolite are important. Furthermore, among the ns oxide species, nsAl2O3-nsTiO2 displayed the highest activity and cracking ability with an over-cracking suppression. In addition to increasing the concerted effect in the tricomponent catalyst, the performance of this catalyst could also be further increased by controlling the amount and reduction state of metal.
Integrated reactions using addition to conjugated imines and iminium salts
Authors: Nishi Takafumi , Mizota Isao , Shimizu Makoto
Published: June 2012

Recently, nucleophilic addition reactions to imino functions have been utilized in many crucial steps for the synthesis of bioactive and functional materials. This article summarizes the integrated “umpolung” reactions of α-imino esters and the use of iminium salts as reactive electrophiles. Regarding the umpolung reactions, the following five reactions are discussed: (1) N-alkylation/homocoupling; (2) tandem N-ethylation/C-allylation; (3) tandem N-ethylation/C-cyanation; (4) reduction of imines with tris(trimethylsilyl)aluminum; and (5) N-alkylation and Claisen rearrangement. Moreover, the generation and reactions of alkoxycarbonyl iminium species are also discussed. These are prepared easily from trisubstituted amino ketene silyl acetals by oxidation, and the subsequent nucleophilic addition of various nucleophiles readily affords the addition products.
Letters in the Sky: Reading the Signs in Aratus' Phaenomena
Authors: Volk Katharina
Published: June 2012

Aratus' Phaenomena describes the constellations as a sign system devised by Zeus for the benefit of human beings. This article argues that Aratus figuratively depicts these signs as though they were "letters in the sky," a veritable text inscribed in nature. Through a cumulative argument that considers, among other things, the hermeneutics of Aratean sign-reading, the myth of Dike, Aratus' acrostic and other forms of letter play, and the reception of the Phaenomena , the article arrives at the conclusion that the writing metaphor is indeed pervasive in Aratus' poem. The Phaenomena thus presents an important early instance of a pervasive trope in the history of ideas, the concept of the "readability" of the world.
Competing Commemorations: Apostrophes of the Dead in the Aeneid
Authors: Seider Aaron M.
Published: June 2012

This article argues that a series of apostrophes in the Aeneid 's second half explores the challenging dynamics of establishing a dominant social memory. In these apostrophes the narrator addresses several characters on the threshold of death, and each time, he attempts to dictate how they will be remembered by his audience. Yet these narratival exclamations contrast with the characters' competing commemorations of the dead, a juxtaposition which undermines the narrator's seemingly authoritative memorials. Through these various apostrophes, Vergil foregrounds a paradoxical tension within the Aeneid between the need to move forward and the provisional nature of any sense of closure.
Dionysius and Longinus on the Sublime: Rhetoric and Religious Language
Authors: de Jonge Casper C.
Published: June 2012

Longinus' On the Sublime (date unknown) presents itself as a response to the work of the Augustan critic Caecilius of Caleacte. Recent attempts to reconstruct Longinus' intellectual context have largely ignored the works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Caecilius' contemporary colleague (active in Rome between 30 and 8 B.C.E. ). This article investigates the concept of hupsos ("the sublime") and its religious aspects in Longinus and Dionysius, and reveals a remarkable continuity between the discourse of both authors. Dionysius' works inform us about an Augustan debate on Plato and the sublime, and thereby provide us with an important context for Longinus' treatise.
Maculate Conception: Sexual Ideology and Creative Authority in Heliodorus' Aethiopica
Authors: Olsen Sarah
Published: June 2012

This article reconsiders the role of sexual and romantic ideology in Heliodorus' Aethiopica , focusing particularly on Persinna's account of her daughter's conception. I contend that the triangulated sexual dynamics of the conception deviate from the binary, symmetrical romantic model embodied by Charicleia and Theagenes, complicating the novel's apparent norms. I suggest that the sexual multiplicity of Charicleia's conception mirrors the narrative complexity of the Aethiopica , as the authorial decision to include the conception story—despite its disruptive potential—privileges the plot-generating creation of Charicleia over and above a monolithic adherence to sexual and romantic ideology.
"A Trick Men Learn in Paris": Hemingway, Esquire , and Mass Tourism
Authors: Maier Kevin
Published: June 2012

While today we might think of Ernest Hemingway as the consummate traveler, in the 1930s he was just beginning to cultivate a traveler's identity in the pages of Esquire . As men turned to the magazine to sort out questions of style, Hemingway's notions of how to travel both reflected and shaped broader American conceptions of the meaning of travel experiences. Examining his Esquire essays in the context of the magazine's editorial policies, cartoons, and advertisements, Maier argue's that Hemingway's efforts to cultivate a traveler's identity both elucidate and amplify the central and persistent conflicts of mass tourism.
The Spacious Foreground: Interpreting Simplicity and Ecocritical Ethics in The Old Man and the Sea
Authors: Hollenberg Alexander
Published: June 2012

By proposing a new narratological category of "spaciousness," this article articulates how open spaces in The Old Man and the Sea —simply described, visually accessible settings—expose the possibility of our imaginative limitations as readers. The analysis further examines how the contemplation of vast and simple space occasions Santiago's transition from an anthropocentric to a biocentric ethic and how that ethic comes into being for both Santiago and the reader through an interpretive process exposing the inevitability of appropriation in the text and the world beyond. Simplicity becomes a means to help us negotitate that inevitability through moments of self-consciousness.
Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises : The Novel as Gossip
Authors: Adair William
Published: June 2012

Not only does much of The Sun Also Rises take place in gossipy settings such as the cafés of the Montparnasse district or Montoya's hotel, but Jake Barnes, our newspaperman narrator, writes a gossip column. There is a certain amount of spying and eavesdropping in the story as well. This note offers a brief overview of The Sun Also Rises as a novel of gossip and, in the case of Jake Barnes on Robert Cohn, mean-spirited gossip at that.
The Gendered Suspect: Women at the Canada-U.S. Border after September 11
Authors: Ameeriar Lalaie
Published: June 2012

Crossing the border is a gendered and racialized act. Considering the experiences of South Asian women at the border deemed "Suspect," this article examines the ways that discourses of "saving Muslim women" get mobilized at the border. While much has been written on the racial profiling that happens to South Asian men, for South Asian women there is a corresponding phenomenon that draws on popular images of "Other" women. At the border, categories of "victim" and "terrorist" become mutually constitutive and importantly gendered. This article is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Toronto, Canada and Lahore and Karachi Pakistan between 2002 and 2010.
Asymmetries in generalizing alternations to and from initial syllables
Authors: Becker Michael , Nevins Andrew , Levine Jonathan
Published: June 2012

In the English lexicon, laryngeal alternations in the plural (e.g. leaf ~ leaves ) impact monosyllables more than finally stressed polysyllables. This is the opposite of what happens typologically, and would thereby run contrary to the predictions of INITIAL-SYLLABLE FAITHFULNESS . Despite the lexical pattern, in a wug test we found monosyllables to be impacted no more than finally stressed polysyllables were—a 'surfeit of the stimulus' effect, in which speakers fail to learn a statistical generalization present in the lexicon. We present two artificial-grammar experiments in which English speakers indeed manifest a universal bias for protecting monosyllables, and initial syllables more generally. The conclusion, therefore, is that speakers can exhibit spontaneous learning that goes directly against the evidence offered by the ambient language, a result we attribute to formal and substantive biases in phonological acquisition.
Mentors and College Student Leadership Outcomes: The Importance of Position and Process
Authors: Campbell Corbin M. , Smith Meredith , Dugan John P. , Komives Susan R.
Published: June 2012

Mentorship is empirically related to several desired outcomes in college students including academic success and career development. Yet little is known about how mentorship aids leadership development in college students. This study uses data from the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership, a national study with more than 110,000 participants from 101 institutions, to explore this issue. Findings show that leadership capacity is influenced by the mentorship process and the type of mentor (faculty, staff, employer, or peer). By focusing on who does the mentoring and how the mentoring process unfolds, this study informs best practices in mentoring for student leadership development.
Calling the Nation: Karl Hartl's F.P. 1 antwortet nicht (1932)
Authors: Harris Stefanie
Published: June 2012

The article analyzes a rare German science fiction film produced at the end of the Weimar period, with special attention to its complex use of sound in the presentation of telecommunications and other new audio media in the context of a shifting geo-political climate. Produced just before Hitler assumed the chancellorship of Germany, Hartl's film, F.P. 1 antwortet nicht [F.P. 1 Doesn't Answer] draws on the military-industrial complex, public media practices, and advances in telecommunications and cinematic technologies to present the nation as a networked, "sonic" space. The film's portrayal of the design and construction of a landing platform in the Atlantic, told through a series of telephone calls, telegrams, telegraphs, and wireless transmissions, underscores linkages between geo-politics and telecommunications, while exploiting advances in cinematic sound recording, including the musical soundtrack. Although wireless communications (especially radio) may render physical frontiers obsolete and thereby serve to oppose national coherence, they simultaneously serve to reinforce the unity of national culture. Hartl's film likewise underscores the conflict between instability, impermanence, and unpredictability, on the one hand, and constancy, endurance, and prescription, on the other, between deterritorialization and normativity. These dual impulses are further embodied in the clash between the film's leading men: the pilot and the engineer. In the near-future of the film, the concept of Heimat or "home" is not a physical but an aural construction. Dominated by sound transmissions, the film neglects the visual spectacle of most science fiction, but thereby emphasizes the role of audio technologies in the construction of the nation.
A Multifunctional Mesothelin Antibody-tagged Microparticle Targets Human Mesotheliomas
Authors: Macura Sherrill L. , Hillegass Jedd M. , Steinbacher Jeremy L. , MacPherson Maximilian B. , Shukla Arti , Beuschel Stacie L. , Perkins Timothy N. , Butnor Kelly J. , Lathrop Melissa J. , Sayan Mutlay , Hekmatyar Khan , Taatjes Douglas J. , Kauppinen Risto A. , Landry Christopher C. , Mossman Brooke T.
Published: June 2012

Pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas (MMs) are chemoresistant tumors with no effective therapeutic strategies. The authors first injected multifunctional, acid-prepared mesoporous spheres (APMS), microparticles functionalized with tetraethylene glycol oligomers, intraperitoneally into rodents. Biodistribution of APMS was observed in major organs, peritoneal lavage fluid (PLF), and urine of normal mice and rats. After verification of increased mesothelin in human mesotheliomas injected into severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice, APMS were then functionalized with an antibody to mesothelin (APMS-MB) or bovine serum albumin (BSA), a nonspecific protein control, and tumor targeting was evaluated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and multifluorescence confocal microscopy. Some APMS were initially cleared via the urine over a 24 hr period, and small amounts were observed in liver, spleen, and kidneys at 24 hr and 6 days. Targeting with APMS-MB increased APMS uptake in mesenteric tumors at 6 days. Approximately 10% to 12% of the initially injected amount was observed in both spheroid and mesenteric MM at this time point. The data suggest that localized delivery of APMS-MB into the peritoneal cavity after encapsulation of drugs, DNA, or macromolecules is a novel therapeutic approach for MM and other tumors (ovarian and pancreatic) that overexpress mesothelin.
Improving Pandemic Response: A Sensemaking Perspective on the Spring 2009 H1N1 Pandemic
Authors: Keller Ann C. , Ansell Chris K. , Reingold Arthur L. , Bourrier Mathilde , Hunter Mark D. , Burrowes Sahai , MacPhail Theresa M.
Published: June 2012

Abstract

Pandemic response takes place in distributed, uncertain, and high‐tempo environments. These conditions require public health agencies to rapidly generate and roll out publicly accountable responses in the face of incomplete and ambiguous evidence. To perform under these conditions, public health organizations have devised several tools to support decision making and response. This article examines two such tools that debuted during the 2009 H1N1 outbreak—the 2005 International Health Regulations and influenza pandemic planning. Relying on an international network of researchers who gained access to lead public health agencies in advance of the 2009 pandemic, this study draws on several forms of data—primary documentation, interviews, and an extended workshop with key officials—that were collected as the pandemic unfolded. With this unique dataset, we analyze the performance of the International Health Regulations and pandemic influenza plans from a “sensemaking” perspective. We find that insufficient attention to both the complexities and time horizons involved with adequate sensemaking limited the ability of both tools to fully meet their goals. To improve organizational performance during global pandemics, the sensemaking perspective calls attention to the importance of informal venues of information‐sharing and to the need for decisionmakers to continually update planning assumptions.
Labour epidural analgesia and anti-infectious management of the neonate: a meta-analysis
Authors: Heesen Michael , Klöhr Sven , Rossaint Rolf , Straube Sebastian , Van de Velde Marc
Published: June 2012

Background: A known side effect of labour epidural analgesia (EDA) is maternal fever. It is unclear whether this has effects on the anti-infectious management of the neonate.

Methods: A systematic literature search and a hand search of abstract publications were conducted. Studies reporting sepsis evaluation or antibiotic treatment were further assessed. For meta-analysis, risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using the random effects model.

Results: Five relevant articles reporting on 4667 parturients were identified; three were observational studies and two were randomised controlled trials (RCT). The RR for sepsis workup of all studies analysed together was 2.58 (95% CI, 1.06–6.27, P=0.04). The RR for antibiotic treatment of the neonate was 2.76 (95% CI, 1.20–6.31, P=0.02). When considering the RCTs alone, the RRs for sepsis evaluation and antimicrobial treatment were still significantly elevated.

Discussion: Our data suggest that EDA-related maternal hyperthermia results in an increased likelihood of sepsis workup and antibiotic treatment of the infant. A crucial question is whether EDA-related maternal hyperthermia is truly infectious. If not, administration of antibiotics would not be justified and may be dangerous.
Der aufrechte Gang. Die Bedeutung des Fußes für die Aufrichtung
Authors: Eickhoff Hajo
Published: June 2012

Die Menschwerdung beginnt mit dem Fuß. Erst muss er entwickelt sein, damit sich ein Lebewesen vollständig aufrichten kann – aufrechtes Gehen und Stehen mit gestreckter Hüfte und durchgedrückten Knien. Der menschliche Fuß befreit die Hände vom Boden und von der Beteiligung an der Fortbewegung und ist als eine Voraussetzung für die Ausbildung des menschlichen Gehirns anzusehen. Als Rückenflosse der Fische beginnend wird er beim Menschen zum tragenden Organ, obwohl er in Mythen, im Alltag und in den Wissenschaften keine entsprechende Würdigung findet – er wird verleugnet, in skurrile Formen geschnürt und vielfältig versehrt. Der aufrechte Gang des Menschen ist fragil, weshalb der Frage nachgegangen wird, warum die Natur ein Wesen hervorgebracht hat, das sich ganz aufrichtet und den Kopf der Sonne entgegen reckt.