bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Emotions Matter in Crisis
Authors: Kim Hyo J. , Cameron Glen T.
Published: January 2011

This experiment revealed that emotional news frames (anger-inducing vs. sadness-inducing) affect people’s emotional response to a corporate crisis such as a cell phone battery explosion accident. The distinct emotions induced by different news frames influenced individuals’ information processing (i.e., heuristic vs. systematic processing) and the evaluation of the company differently. Participants exposed to anger-inducing crisis news read the news less closely and had more negative attitudes toward the company than those exposed to sadness-inducing news. Also, emotional frames affected how individuals perceived the different types of corporate responses (relief-focused message vs. punishment-focused message; emotional appeal vs. no emotional appeal). The advantage of emotional appeals was found contingent on how the crisis was previously framed by the media. Findings demonstrate a potential for developing effective corporate response strategies in a given crisis situation, considering the type of crisis, how it has been framed by the media, the publics’ emotional responses, and the use of emotional appeals.
Structural Anomie and Crime
Authors: Cochran John K. , Bjerregaard Beth
Published: January 2011

Anomie is a highly prominent theoretical construct in macro-social, particularly cross-national, criminological inquiry. Yet despite its prominence, it has proven to be quite elusive with regard to its measurement and, hence, making it nearly impossible to test theoretical hypotheses regarding its predictive efficacy. Although the concept, whether derived from Merton’s classic conceptualization or from its current incarnation in the form of institutional anomie as developed by Messner and Rosenfeld, is multidimensional and complex in its theoretical structure, most researchers have attempted to operationalize it through simple, single-item, often surrogate/proxy measures. The present research note attempts to develop a measure that is more consistent with its multidimensional and complex nature. This more complex operationalization is then examined with regard to its efficacy at predicting cross-national levels of both homicide and theft. Our results suggest that that this new operationalization has considerable predictive efficacy, accounting for approximately one third of the variation in the cross-national level of both homicide and theft.
Connective tissue disorders in patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension
Authors: Liu Fang-Chun , Fuh Jong-Ling , Wang Yen-Feng , Wang Shuu-Jiun
Published: January 2011

Objective: Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is caused by spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage. An underlying connective tissue disorder has been hypothesized to cause dural weakness and predisposition to CSF leak. We conducted a case-controlled study to investigate the role of connective tissue disorders in SIH patients.

Methods: We recruited 55 consecutive SIH patients (38 F, 17 M; mean age, 40.8 ± 9.8 years) and 55 age- and sex-matched control individuals (mean age, 38.0 ± 8.9 years) for this study. The connective tissue disorders were evaluated by: (i) Beighton hypermobility scores and revised diagnostic criteria for benign joint hypermobility syndrome; (ii) skin and skeletal manifestations of Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS); and (iii) skeletal features of Marfan syndrome.

Results: The frequencies of joint hypermobility according to Beighton scores >4/9 (SIH 23.6% vs controls 16.4%, P = 0.48) and revised benign joint hypermobility syndrome criteria (SIH 23.6% vs controls 34.5%, P = 0.29) did not differ between SIH patients and controls. Sixteen patients and 16 controls had one or more skin features of EDS ( P = 1.0). Nine SIH patients (16.4%) demonstrated the skeletal features of Marfan syndrome; this frequency did not differ from that of the control group (9.1%; P = 0.262). Only dolichostenomelia (disproportionately long limbs) was more prominent in SIH patients than in controls (34.5% vs 9.1%; P = 0.002).

Conclusion: Compared with Western studies, the frequencies of connective tissue disorders were higher in our SIH patients. However, these frequencies did not differ between SIH patients and control individuals, except for dolichostenomelia.
Return-to-Play Rates in National Football League Linemen After Treatment for Lumbar Disk Herniation
Authors: Weistroffer Joseph K. , Hsu Wellington K.
Published: January 2011

Background: There is a paucity of evidence demonstrating clinical outcomes of high-end athletes sustaining a treatment for lumbar disk herniation.

Purpose: To evaluate the ability of a National Football League lineman to return to play after lumbar diskectomy.

Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods: National Football League offensive and defensive linemen diagnosed with a lumbar disk herniation were identified by previously published protocols using multiple sources of the public record. Demographic and statistical performance data were compiled for each player both before and after treatment.

Results: A total of 66 linemen (36 offensive and 30 defensive) met the inclusion criteria. Fifty-two were treated surgically, and 14 were treated nonsurgically. On average, this group had a body mass index of 35.4 and was 27.6 years old. Of those players treated surgically, 80.8% (42/52) successfully returned to play an average of 33 games over 3.0 years, with 63.5% (33/52) becoming starters after treatment. Conversely, only 28.6% (4/14) of linemen successfully returned to play after nonoperative intervention, which was significantly lower than those treated with a diskectomy ( P < .05). Of the linemen in the surgical cohort, 13.5% (7/52) required revision decompression, and 85.7% (6/7) of these players successfully returned to play.

Conclusion: National Football League linemen have high return-to-play rates after lumbar diskectomy. Furthermore, because those linemen requiring revision decompression successfully returned to play 85.7% of the time, this cohort should not be denied surgical treatment after recurrent problems. Although the data in our study suggest that National Football League linemen who are treated surgically have superior outcomes to those treated nonoperatively, because of the limitations with the methodology used in this study, further prospective studies are necessary to accurately compare treatment effects and to determine the long-term prognosis for these athletes after retirement.
Diagnostic Values of 3 Methods for Evaluating Meniscal Healing Status After Meniscal Repair
Authors: Miao Yu , Yu Jia-Kuo , Ao Ying-Fang , Zheng Zhuo-Zhao , Gong Xi , Leung Kevin Kar Ming
Published: January 2011

Background: The main diagnostic methods for evaluating repaired menisci include second-look arthroscopy, clinical assessment, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). None of the previous studies applied all 3 methods for each consecutive case nor made any systematic comparison among them.

Purpose: This study was undertaken to compare the diagnostic values of the 3 different methods in an attempt to propose suggestions for evaluating meniscal healing results.

Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.

Methods: Eighty-one patients (89 menisci), with a mean age of 25.4 years (standard deviation [SD], 7.7; range, 15-50 years), underwent arthroscopic meniscal repair, including 65 medial menisci and 24 lateral menisci. Follow-up evaluation for each meniscus included clinical assessment, second-look arthroscopy, and postoperative MRI, with a mean follow-up time of 25.4 months (SD, 6.0; range, 17.4-48.3 months). Defined criteria for unhealed meniscus were any symptoms such as joint-line tenderness, swelling, locking, or positive McMurray test for clinical assessment; cleft or instability on second-look arthroscopy; and grade 3 signal intensity shown at the repaired site on postoperative MRI.

Results: Seventy-seven menisci were confirmed completely healed by second-look arthroscopy, with a total healing rate of 86.5%. Clinical assessment found 63 menisci healed, with a clinical healing rate of 70.8% (sensitivity, 58.3%; specificity, 75.3%; accuracy, 73.0%). By using the second-look arthroscopy as the standard, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy, respectively, were calculated for MRI in 5 sequences: sagittal T1: 91.7%, 58.4%, 62.9%; sagittal proton density (PD): 83.3%, 40.3%, 46.1%; sagittal T2: 58.3%, 89.6%, 85.4%; coronal PD: 75.0%, 74.0%, 74.2%; and coronal T2: 41.7%, 98.7%, 91.0%.

Conclusion: Second-look arthroscopy was the most dependable way to determine meniscal healing. Clinical assessment had obvious limitations in diagnosing healed menisci. On MRI examination, T2-weighted sequences had obviously higher specificity and accuracy, while PD and T1 had higher sensitivity. The diagnostic value could be improved by a combined application of different sequences.
Landfills, complexity and biogas risk assessment
Authors: Mavropoulos Antonis , Kaliampakos Dimitris
Published: January 2011

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the context of complexity in landfills as a conceptual framework for biogas risk assessment procedures. The paper suggests that there is an endogenous non-predictability to landfills’ accidents and sudden events, which is created by the iterative process of building a landfill and the emerging complexity that characterizes it. Following the view of complexity a conceptual framework for a new biogas risk assessment model is proposed.
Novel Approach of Self-Sensing Actuation for Active Vibration Control
Authors: Ji H.L. , Qiu J.H. , Wu Y.P. , Cheng J. , Ichchou M.N.
Published: January 2011

In a self-sensing actuator, the same piezoelectric element functions as both a sensor and an actuator. Due to their advantages of reducing the number of needed piezoelectric elements and true collocation of sensors and actuators, self-sensing actuators have attracted the attention of many researchers and many studies have been reported. Since the actuator signal and the sensor signal are mixed together in a self-sensing actuator, usually a bridge circuit is used to separate the two signals. It has been found that the two signals cannot be separate ideally, because the bridge is difficult to balance and the actuator signal is much larger than the sensor signal. In this study, the influence of the local strain on the output signal of a piezoelectric sensor is investigated numerically and experimentally. In order to delete the influence of local strain on performance of the self-sensing actuator, a new method using neural network is proposed to identify the strain of global vibration. The identified signal is used as feedback signal for an adaptive control system and the effectiveness in suppressing the beam vibration is verified in the experiment.
Going global: Rankings as rhetorical devices to construct an international field of management education
Authors: Wedlin Linda
Published: January 2011

Analysing the introduction of international rankings in the field of management education, this article aims to understand how and why rankings have proliferated and institutionalized and with what effects. Building on institutional theory, I propose that rankings function as rhetorical devices to construct legitimacy within the field, which actors use to attempt to shape and reform the field as it develops. Rhetorical devices shape meaning, as they are used to justify practices and procedures and shape the means of comparison and assessment. The rankings are used by European business schools to attempt to alter perceptions of the field and their own positions within it. The result of these processes is also, however, a preservation of status and the principles whereby status is formed in the field, primarily through the work of habitus. I discuss the implications of these findings for understanding rankings and for institutional theories of fields.
Crisis Management in Higher Education: What Have We Learned From Virginia Tech?
Authors: Jia Wang  , Hutchins Holly M.
Published: January 2011

Crisis management is a relatively new research territory in the field of human resource development (HRD). With the increasing number of crisis events occurring in higher education institutions in recent years, crisis management has increasingly attracted research attention. This article focuses on the shootings that occurred on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (US) in 2007. By adopting the single case study as research methodology and Mitroff’s crisis management model as the conceptual and analytical framework, the authors examine one higher education institution’s real-life experience with crisis events and the resultant change management. The authors highlight implications this crisis experience has for HRD practice, specific to educational institutions and business organizations that may experience crises of the same/similar nature.
Engaging Organizations in Environmental Change: A Greenprint for Action
Authors: McGuire David
Published: January 2011

In the past decade, awareness of environmental issues has increased tremendously and organizations are increasingly looking at ways of becoming more environmentally responsible and responsive. However, to date, progress on environmental issues has predominantly taken place in the scientific and engineering fields, with less emphasis on green issues in the management disciplines. This article issues a call for greater attention to environmental issues in all areas of management and as a starting point sets down eight ideas for engaging organizations in environmental change. These ideas include the development of green management modules, establishment of a green contract, environmental scenario planning, environmental auditing, green product redesign, environmental labeling, corporate consciousness, and environmental outreach. Following the discussion of each idea, some examples are provided looking at the concept in practice. The article concludes by encouraging the field of HRD to take a greater role in promoting environmental change in organizations. It argues that HRD practitioners can play an important role in reminding organizations of their social and moral responsibilities and fostering environmentally responsive innovation and change.
Ex vivo–expanded DCs induce donor-specific central and peripheral tolerance and prolong the acceptance of donor skin grafts
Authors: Yamano Tomoyoshi , Watanabe Sho , Hasegawa Hiroyuki , Suzuki Toshihiro , Abe Ryo , Tahara Hideaki , Nitta Takeshi , Ishimaru Naozumi , Sprent Jonathan , Kishimoto Hidehiro
Published: January 2011

Dendritic cells (DCs) are known to regulate immune responses by inducing both central and peripheral tolerance. DCs play a vital role in negative selection of developing thymocytes by deleting T cells with high-affinity for self-peptide–major histocompatibility complexes. In the periphery, DCs mediate peripheral tolerance by promoting regulatory T-cell development, induction of T-cell unresponsiveness, and deletion of activated T cells. We studied whether allogeneic DCs, obtained from bone marrow cultured with either Flt3L (FLDCs) or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GMDCs), could induce allospecific central and peripheral tolerance after IV injection; B cells were used as a control. The results showed that only FLDCs reached the thymus after injection and that these cells induced both central and peripheral tolerance to donor major histocompatibility complexes. For central tolerance, injection of FLDCs induced antigen-specific clonal deletion of both CD8 and CD4 single-positive thymocytes. For peripheral tolerance, injection of FLDCs induced donor-specific T-cell unresponsiveness and prolonged survival of donor-derived skin grafts. Tolerance induction by adoptive transfer of FLDCs could be a useful approach for promoting graft acceptance after organ transplantation.
Hematopoietic cell transplantation comorbidity index predicts transplantation outcomes in pediatric patients
Authors: Smith Angela R. , Majhail Navneet S. , MacMillan Margaret L. , DeFor Todd E. , Jodele Sonata , Lehmann Leslie E. , Krance Robert , Davies Stella M.
Published: January 2011

Quantifying the risk of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT)–related mortality for pediatric patients is challenging. The HCT-specific comorbidity index (HCT-CI) has been confirmed as a useful tool in adults, but has not yet been validated in children. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 252 pediatric patients undergoing their first allogeneic HCT between January 2008 and May 2009. Pretransplantation comorbidities were scored prospectively using the HCT-CI. Median age at transplantation was 6 years (range, 0.1-20) and median follow-up was 343 days (range, 110-624). HCT-CI scores were distributed as follows: 0, n = 139; 1-2, n = 52; and 3+, n = 61. The 1-year cumulative incidence of nonrelapse mortality (NRM) increased (10%, 14%, and 28%, respectively; P < .01) and overall survival (OS) decreased (88%, 67%, and 62%, respectively; P < .01) with increasing HCT-CI score. Multivariate analysis showed that compared with score 0, those with scores of 1-2 and 3+ had relative risks of NRM of 1.5 (95% confidence interval, 0.5-4.3, P = .48) and 4.5 (95% confidence interval, 1.7-12.1, P < .01), respectively. These results indicate that the HCT-CI score predicts NRM and OS in pediatric patients undergoing HCT and is a useful tool to assess risk, guide counseling in the pretransplantation setting, and devise innovative therapies for the highest risk groups.
Molecular and clinical features of the myeloproliferative neoplasm associated with JAK2 exon 12 mutations
Authors: Passamonti Francesco , Elena Chiara , Schnittger Susanne , Skoda Radek C. , Green Anthony R. , Girodon François , Kiladjian Jean-Jacques , McMullin Mary Frances , Ruggeri Marco , Besses Carles , Vannucchi Alessandro M. , Lippert Eric , Gisslinger Heinz , Rumi Elisa , Lehmann Thomas , Ortmann Christina A. , Pietra Daniela , Pascutto Cristiana , Haferlach Torsten , Cazzola Mario
Published: January 2011

Although approximately 95% of patients with polycythemia vera (PV) harbor the V617F mutation in JAK2 exon 14, several mutations in exon 12 have been described in the remaining patients. We conducted a European collaborative study to define the molecular and clinical features of patients harboring these mutations. Overall, 106 PVs were recruited and 17 different mutations identified. Irrespective of the mutation, two-thirds of patients had isolated erythrocytosis, whereas the remaining subjects had erythrocytosis plus leukocytosis and/or thrombocytosis. Compared with JAK2 (V617F)-positive PV patients, those with exon 12 mutations had significantly higher hemoglobin level and lower platelet and leukocyte counts at diagnosis but similar incidences of thrombosis, myelofibrosis, leukemia, and death. In a multivariable analysis, age more than 60 years and prior thrombosis predicted thrombosis. These findings suggest that, despite the phenotypical difference, the outcome of JAK2 exon 12 mutations-positive PV is similar to that of JAK2 (V617F)-positive PV.
Total variation regularization for depth-to-basement estimate: Part 2 — Physicogeologic meaning and comparisons with previous inversion methods
Authors: Lima Williams A. , Martins Cristiano M. , Silva João B. , Barbosa Valeria C.
Published: January 2011

We applied the mathematical basis of the total variation (TV) regularization to analyze the physicogeologic meaning of the TV method and compared it with previous gravity inversion methods (weighted smoothness and entropic Regularization) to estimate discontinuous basements. In the second part, we analyze the physicogeologic meaning of the TV method and compare it with previous gravity inversion methods (weighted smoothness and entropic regularization) to estimate discontinuous basements. Presenting a mathematical review of these methods, we show that minimizing the TV stabilizing function favors discontinuous solutions because a smooth solution, to honor the data, must oscillate, and the presence of these oscillations increases the value of the TV stabilizing function. These three methods are applied to synthetic data produced by a simulated 2D graben bordered by step faults. TV regularization and weighted smoothness are also applied to the real anomaly of Steptoe Valley, Nevada, U.S.A. In all applications, the three methods perform similarly. TV regularization, however, has the advantage, compared with weighted smoothness, of requiring no a priori information about the maximum depth of the basin. As compared with entropic regularization, TV regularization is much simpler to use because it requires, in general, the tuning of just one regularization parameter.
Permeability prediction and its impact on reservoir modeling at Postle Field, Oklahoma
Authors: López Crucelis “Cucha” , Davis Thomas L.
Published: January 2011

A permeability model was developed for a thin valley-fill reservoir at Postle Field, Oklahoma, with the objective of increasing the accuracy of flow simulation. The presence of high-permeability zones that are below seismic resolution represented the greatest challenge to overcome. This challenge is common as the average reservoir thickness in North America is 17 ft (5 m). Enhanced oil recovery is underway at Postle Field to increase production and to revitalize the field. The process involves carbon dioxide flooding which is fast becoming the dominant mechanism of Tertiary recovery. To optimize the recovery efficiency of this process, it is important to understand the influence of permeability heterogeneity and its role on fluid flow. High-permeability zones have the potential to cause early breakthrough and poor sweep efficiency.
Outcome in Renal AL Amyloidosis After Chemotherapy
Authors: Pinney Jennifer H. , Lachmann Helen J. , Bansi Loveleen , Wechalekar Ashutosh D. , Gilbertson Janet A. , Rowczenio Dorota , Sattianayagam Prayman T. , Gibbs Simon D.J. , Orlandi Emanuela , Wassef Nancy L. , Bradwell Arthur R. , Hawkins Philip N. , Gillmore Julian D.
Published: January 2011

Purpose

Chemotherapy in AL (primary or light chain) amyloidosis is associated with improved survival, but its effect on renal outcome has not been examined systematically. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of chemotherapy on clinical outcome among patients with renal AL amyloidosis.

Patients and Methods

We evaluated factors influencing survival among 923 patients with renal AL amyloidosis observed during a 21-year period, including 221 patients who became dialysis dependent. Factors associated with renal outcome were analyzed, including serum free light chain (FLC) response to chemotherapy using a simple subtraction formula applicable to all stages of chronic kidney disease. Patient survival and graft survival were analyzed in 21 renal transplantation recipients.

Results

Median survival from diagnosis for the whole cohort was 35.2 months. Magnitude of FLC response with chemotherapy was strongly and independently associated with overall survival (P < .001) and renal outcome. Evaluable patients achieving more than 90% FLC response had a significantly higher rate of renal responses and lower rate of renal progression compared with patients achieving a 50% to 90% response, whose renal outcomes were, in turn, better than patients achieving less than 50% FLC response (P < .001). Median survival from dialysis dependence was 39.0 months, and median survival from renal transplantation was 89.0 months.

Conclusion

Renal outcome and overall outcome in AL amyloidosis are strongly associated with FLC response to chemotherapy and are best among patients achieving more than 90% suppression of the amyloidogenic monoclonal component. Survival on dialysis was substantially superior to that previously reported, and renal transplantation should be considered in selected patients with AL amyloidosis with end-stage renal disease.
Modern Approaches to Treating Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia
Authors: Sanz Miguel A. , Lo-Coco Francesco
Published: January 2011

The advent of all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and its combination with anthracycline-containing chemotherapy have contributed in the past 2 decades to optimize the antileukemic efficacy in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), leading to complete remission rates greater than 90%, virtual absence of resistance, and cure rates of nearly 80%. Recently reported studies from large cooperative trials have also shown that more rational delivery of treatment and improved outcomes may derive from the use of risk-adapted protocols. In particular, patients at higher risk of relapse (ie, those presenting with WBC > 10 × 109/L) seem to benefit from treatments that include cytarabine in the ATRA-plus-chemotherapy scheme, whereas patients with standard-risk disease can be successfully managed with less-intensive regimens that contain ATRA and anthracycline-based chemotherapy. After the outstanding results with arsenic trioxide (ATO) in the treatment of APL relapse, several experimental trials have been designed to explore the role of ATO in front-line therapy with the aim not only of minimizing the use of chemotherapy but also to reinforce standard ATRA-plus-chemotherapy regimens and additionally improve therapeutic efficacy. In this review article, we discuss most recent advances in the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed and relapsed APL.
Dear Stanley
Authors: Tymoczko Dmitri
Published: January 2011

Part personal reminiscence and part scholarly disquisition, this article discusses some ways in which Stanley Cavell's work has shaped my own thinking and composing. I begin by suggesting that Cavell's overarching goal is to “redeem” traditional philosophy (and secondarily, avant-garde art) from its more stringent critics. I then explain how my early work, while sharing Cavell's general aims, diverges from his specific claims. This involves considering some ways in which false beliefs can contribute to human flourishing. I then explore general objections to redemptive narratives of this sort. The essay ends with a brief discussion of Cavell's response to skepticism, in which I propose that philosophy and art might be farther apart than Cavell believes.
Stanley Cavell on Modern Music: “Music Discomposed” and “A Matter of Meaning It” After Forty Years
Authors: Cox Franklin
Published: January 2011

Cavell's influential mid-1960s critique of the “new music” of the postwar era poses significant challenges for contemporary composers who value this music. As with postmodernist critics, he has ably identified shortcomings in justifications for recent modernist music. With the benefit of time, however, the distance between Cavell's and the postmodernists' views concerning subjectivity and the role of the arts in defining it have become increasingly clear. In Cavell's scenario, a contemporary listener or critic confronted with the new music faces a sort of existentialist crisis: he or she is unable to individually affirm the value of a music that conforms to no recognizable models for music yet accepts the fact that this music is, according to Cavell's model of modernism, the fruit of an inexorable historical development. Cavell's interest in this dilemma stems from the wider aims of his philosophical project, particularly his focus on the perils of the nihilism he finds evident in deterministic and mechanistic theories of the arts. In this light, in both “Music Discomposed” and “A Matter of Meaning It,” Cavell appears to be using new music primarily as a vehicle to articulate his concerns and to criticize formalist theories of artistic interpretation, such as that of Wimsatt and Beardsley. Unfortunately, there is little evidence of an effort on Cavell's part to engage this music with the same seriousness that is evident in his writings on modernist authors and visual artists. Toward the end of the article, attention is drawn to the ethical responsibility, given the situation Cavell has sketched, for a critic of the modern arts to make a commitment, either to an existing modern music or to a possible future music.
Fraudulence and the Gift Economy of Music
Authors: Drott Eric
Published: January 2011

In his classic essay “Music Discomposed,” Stanley Cavell draws attention to the threat of fraudulence that pervades contemporary art music. With the erosion of convention, not only is the ability of listeners to comprehend new music called into question, so too is their ability to ascertain whether or not works are being offered in good faith. Yet Cavell's choice of the word fraudulent to describe this situation is provocative. In everyday parlance, fraud describes an act of deception undertaken for the material benefit of some individual at the expense of another. But when imposture is passed off as art, what reward does the perpetrator stand to gain? What does the victim stand to lose?

To flesh out the stakes involved in Cavell's notion of fraudulence, this article reframes the issue in terms of the peculiar economy of music. As Pierre Bourdieu and others have suggested, the art world is characterized by its disavowal of the market. Commercial transactions are disguised or renounced, while ostensibly altruistic gifts (of time, money, labor, or prestige) are valorized. Controversies involving pianist Joyce Hatto and composer Giacinto Scelsi are examined to show why fraudulence represents such a threat to the gift economy of music.
Neural crest stem cell multipotency requires Foxd3 to maintain neural potential and repress mesenchymal fates
Authors: Mundell Nathan A. , Labosky Patricia A.
Published: January 2011

Neural crest (NC) progenitors generate a wide array of cell types, yet molecules controlling NC multipotency and self-renewal and factors mediating cell-intrinsic distinctions between multipotent versus fate-restricted progenitors are poorly understood. Our earlier work demonstrated that Foxd3 is required for maintenance of NC progenitors in the embryo. Here, we show that Foxd3 mediates a fate restriction choice for multipotent NC progenitors with loss of Foxd3 biasing NC toward a mesenchymal fate. Neural derivatives of NC were lost in Foxd3 mutant mouse embryos, whereas abnormally fated NC-derived vascular smooth muscle cells were ectopically located in the aorta. Cranial NC defects were associated with precocious differentiation towards osteoblast and chondrocyte cell fates, and individual mutant NC from different anteroposterior regions underwent fate changes, losing neural and increasing myofibroblast potential. Our results demonstrate that neural potential can be separated from NC multipotency by the action of a single gene, and establish novel parallels between NC and other progenitor populations that depend on this functionally conserved stem cell protein to regulate self-renewal and multipotency.
The effect of the floral repressorFLCon the timing and progression of vegetative phase change inArabidopsis
Authors: Willmann Matthew R. , Poethig R. Scott
Published: January 2011

Plants undergo two major post-embryonic developmental transitions – the juvenile-to-adult vegetative transition (vegetative phase change) and the adult-to-reproductive transition (flowering). In woody plants, these transitions can be separated by years, but in herbaceous species they are often very close together, making it difficult to differentiate the effects of vegetative phase change and floral induction on vegetative development. To distinguish between these factors, we have compared the vegetative morphology of plants highly expressing the floral repressor FLC (FRI;FLC) with plants mutant for this gene (FRI;flc-3) under both photoinductive (long day, LD and night interruption, NI) and non-photoinductive (short day, SD) conditions. We show that the onset of abaxial trichome production is insensitive to floral induction, but the distribution and overall number of abaxial trichomes, as well as several other leaf traits associated with vegetative change, are strongly influenced by flowering. Most of the major differences in leaf morphology between FRI;FLC and FRI;flc-3 plants grown in LD can be attributed to the early flowering phenotype of FRI;flc-3, because these differences are not apparent in plants grown in SD. These include differences in leaf size, hydathode number and the distribution of abaxial trichomes along the length of the leaf. Leaf shape and the total number of abaxial trichomes are affected by FLC independently of its effect on flowering. Our results demonstrate that the onset and the progression of vegetative phase change are regulated by different combinations of endogenous and environmental factors, and reveal a role for FLC in vegetative development.
Dysfunctional uterine bleeding: from adolescence to menopause
Authors: Druckmann Réne
Published: January 2011

Dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB) is defined as excessive or prolonged uterine bleeding in premenopausal women that is not caused by pelvic pathology, medications, systemic disease or pregnancy. It is a common condition that can lead not only to physical symptoms such as iron deficiency, anaemia, cramps and fatigue, but also has significant psychological and social effects that impair a woman's quality of life. Progesterone is highly important in the regulation of menstrual bleeding and a progesterone-deficient anovulatory state is a common cause of DUB. There are a wide range of treatment options available including hormonal therapies (oral cyclical progestogens, depot progestogens, progestogen-releasing intrauterine devices, combined oral contraceptives, danazol, gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues and hormone replacement therapy), non-hormonal therapies (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antifibrinolytic drugs) and surgery (hysterectomy and endometrial ablation). The choice of appropriate therapy should be based on factors such as the mechanism behind the DUB, which symptoms are most problematic, and the woman's need for fertility or contraception. However, there is currently a lack of clinical evidence to help support these decisions.
Antigonadotropic progestogens as contraceptive agents in women with contraindication to combined pill
Authors: Maitrot-Mantelet Lorraine , Agopian Anahid , Gompel Anne
Published: January 2011

Synthetic progestogens belong to different pharmacological classes and are mixed steroids. They display different properties due to their various affinities to the different steroid receptors. In addition, the dosage used can modify their side effects. Normethyltestosterone used at minimal doses, also called progestogen only pill (POP), constitute the standard recommended hormonal contraception for women with vascular and metabolic contraindications to combined pill (COC). However, POP efficacy and gynecological tolerance are limited. We have developed for more than 20 years in France the use of two pregnane derivatives as contraceptive agents in women with contraindication to COC. Chlormadinone acetate and cyproterone acetate have different antigonadotropic potencies but remain neutral on vascular risk. We have analyzed the efficacy, vascular and gynecological tolerances in 187 women with systemic lupus erythematous with or without antiphospholipids. Venous thrombosis and arterial events rates were lower than those reported in the literature. The current experience in women with thrombophilia is similar as reported in a series of 150 patients. In addition, we have also used antigonadotropic progestins in women with hereditary angioedema (HAE) types I, II or III. HAE symptoms can be induced or worsened by COC. We could demonstrate a significant improvement of the symptoms in most women with HAE under antigonadotropic progestins. Gynecological and general tolerances were satisfactory. In conclusion, antigonadotropic progestins could have clinical positive benefits as contraceptive agents in women with contraindication to COC.
Biological responses of progestogen metabolites in normal and cancerous human breast
Authors: Pasqualini Jorge R. , Chetrite Gérard S.
Published: January 2011

At present, more than 200 progestogen molecules are available, but their biological response is a function of various factors: affinity to progesterone or other receptors, their structure, the target tissues considered, biological response, experimental conditions, dose, method of administration and metabolic transformations. Metabolic transformation is of huge importance because in various biological processes the metabolic product(s) not only control the activity of the maternal hormone but also have an important activity of its own. In this regard, it was observed that the 20-dihydro derivative of the progestogen dydrogesterone (Duphaston®) is significantly more active than the parent compound in inhibiting sulfatase and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in human breast cancer cells. Estrone sulfatase activity is also inhibited by norelgestromin, a norgestimate metabolite. Interesting information was obtained with a similar progestogen, tibolone, which is rapidly metabolized into the active 3α/3β-hydroxy and 4-ene metabolites. All these metabolites can inhibit sulfatase and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and stimulate sulfotransferase in human breast cancer cells. Another attractive aspect is the metabolic transformation of progesterone itself in human breast tissues. In the normal breast progesterone is mainly converted to 4-ene derivatives, whereas in the tumor tissue it is converted mostly to 5α-pregnane derivatives. 20α-Dihydroprogesterone is found mainly in normal breast tissue and possesses antiproliferative properties as well as the ability to act as an anti-aromatase agent. Consequently, this progesterone metabolite could be involved in the control of estradiol production in the normal breast and therefore implicated in one of the multifactorial mechanisms of the breast carcinogenesis process. In conclusion, a better understanding of both natural and synthetic hormone metabolic transformations and their control could potentially provide attractive new therapies for the treatment of hormone-dependent pathologies.
Chromatographic separation of Am and Cm
Authors: Kurosaki Hiromu , Clark Sue B.
Published: January 2011

This paper describes the development of a radioanalytical procedure to separate Am3+ and Cm3+ that relies on chromatography with the TRU® resin available from Eichrom Technologies, Inc. Although the TRU chromatographic materials are not currently recommended for the separation of the trivalent actinides from each other, our work demonstrates their suitability. We explored parameters such as nitric acid concentration, column length, and flow rate; standard chromatographic parameters such as resolution, theoretical plates, and total separation time are reported for each variable. The advantages of the method described herein include use of a commercially available product and no application of an organic solvent during elution. Optimal resolution between the Am3+ and Cm3+ was achieved with the slowest flow rate.
Plutonium sorption onto hematite colloids at femto- and nanomolar concentrations
Authors: Romanchuk Anna Yu. , Kalmykov Stepan N. , Aliev Ramiz A.
Published: January 2011

The surface-mediated reduction of Pu(VI) upon sorption onto hematite colloids is addressed in the paper that bring some new light on the mechanisms of interaction of Pu in high valence states with different Fe(III) oxides. We study the sorption of Pu taken at two different total concentrations around 10−9 and 10−14 M using 239Pu and short-lived 237Pu tracer. In order to conclude on the mechanisms of Pu sorption onto hematite, the kinetics of sorption of Pu(IV) and Pu(VI) at two concenrations is studied as well as its leching behavior. The rate limiting step in Pu(VI) sorption is its surface-mediated reduction. The experimental evidence of the polymerization of Pu(IV) on the surface taken at Pu total concentration of ∼10−9 M is presented based on the kinetics of sorption and leaching behavior.
The Death of Authentic Primitive Art and Other Tales of Progress
Authors: Stoller Paul
Published: January 2011

The Death of Authentic Primitive Art and Other Tales of Progress. Shelly Errington. Berkeley. University of California Press, 1998. 309 pages. $48.00 (cloth); $19.95 (paper).
Mitotane has a strong and a durable inducing effect on CYP3A4 activity
Authors: van Erp Nielka P , Guchelaar Henk-Jan , Ploeger Bart A , Romijn Johannes A , Hartigh Jan den , Gelderblom Hans
Published: January 2011

Objective

The effects of mitotane on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of co-administered drugs are mostly unknown. The aim of the present study was to describe the effects of mitotane on the PK of the phenotypic probe midazolam and of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib.

Design

A serendipitous observation was made in two of nine patients who volunteered in a sunitinib pharmacokinetic study. Both patients were diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) and were exposed to mitotane. The sunitinib PK study was designed to determine the relationship between CYP3A4 activity and sunitinib exposure using 7.5 mg midazolam orally as a phenotypic probe.

Patient and methods

Serial blood samples for PK analysis of midazolam, 1-hydroxy-midazolam, and sunitinib were collected at steady-state sunitinib PK (between days 14 and 20). To confirm this observation in the mitotane-exposed patients, midazolam PK was evaluated in two additional patients with ACC and mitotane treatment.

Results

The four mitotane-treated patients showed highly induced CYP3A4 activity, even after interrupting mitotane therapy months before study entry, reflected by decreased midazolam exposure compared with the other seven patients (mean AUC0–12 h (95% CI): 7.6 (5.5–9.7) vs 139.0 (95.1–182.9) μg×h/l respectively P=0.001) and increased 1-hydroxy-midazolam exposure (mean AUC0–12 h (95% CI): 409.6 (290.5–528.7) vs 35.0 (26.4–43.6) μg×h/l, P=0.008). Sunitinib exposure was decreased in the two patients who were co-treated with mitotane (267 and 268 μg×h/l versus 1344 (1079–1609) (mean (95% CI)) μg×h/l).

Conclusion

Mitotane has a strong and long-lasting inducing effect on CYP3A4 activity, which will result in clinically relevant interactions with multiple drugs since many drugs are metabolized by this enzyme.
Cost-effectiveness of Outpatient Management for Febrile Neutropenia in Children With Cancer
Authors: Teuffel Oliver , Amir Eitan , Alibhai Shabbir M. H. , Beyene Joseph , Sung Lillian
Published: January 2011

OBJECTIVE:

Inpatient management remains the standard of care for treatment of febrile neutropenia (FN) in children with cancer. Clinical data suggest, however, that outpatient management might be a safe and efficacious alternative for patients with low-risk FN episodes.

METHODS:

A cost-utility model was created to compare 4 treatment strategies for low-risk FN. The base case considered pediatric cancer patients with low-risk FN. The model used a health care payer's perspective and a time horizon of 1 FN episode. Four treatment strategies were evaluated: (1) entire treatment in hospital with intravenous antibiotics (HospIV); (2) early discharge consisting of 48 hours of inpatient observation with intravenous antibiotics followed by oral outpatient treatment (EarlyDC); (3) entirely outpatient management with intravenous antibiotics (HomeIV); and (4) entirely outpatient management with oral antibiotics (HomePO). Outcome measures were quality-adjusted FN episodes (QAFNEs), costs (Canadian dollars), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Parameter uncertainty was assessed with probabilistic sensitivity analyses.

RESULTS:

The most cost-effective strategy was HomeIV. It was cost-saving ($2732 vs $2757) and more effective (0.66 vs 0.55 QAFNE) as compared with HomePO. EarlyDC was slightly more effective (0.68 QAFNE) but significantly more expensive ($5579) than HomeIV, which resulted in an unacceptably high incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of more than $130 000 per QAFNE. HospIV was the least cost-effective strategy because it was more expensive ($14 493) and less effective (0.65 QAFNE) than EarlyDC.

CONCLUSION:

The findings of this decision-analytic model indicate that the substantially higher costs of inpatient management cannot be justified on the basis of safety and efficacy considerations or patient/parent preferences.
Re-examining “Idolatry” in Pagan Studies
Authors: Clifton Chas S.
Published: January 2011

Editorial introduction to special section on idolatry, Pomegranate 12, no. 1.
Pagans and Things: Idolatry or Materiality?
Authors: Whitehead Amy
Published: January 2011

Although Michael York's work on idolatry is important to the study of Paganism, I see the word itself as problematic and provocative. Instead, I opt for the term "materiality" as being more neutral and pointing toward more expansive possibilities.
In Vitro Analysis of Resistance to Cyclic Load and Preload Distribution of Two Implant/Abutment Screwed Connections
Authors: Murmura Giovanna , Di Iorio Donato , Cicchetti Angelo Raffaele , Sinjari Bruna , Caputi Sergio
Published: January 2011

The aim of the present research is an in vitro evaluation of the preload distribution in screw-retained implant systems under cyclic load. Two implant systems with internal connection were tested: fifteen 4.5 × 10 mm implants with internal hexagon and fifteen 4.5 × 10 mm implants with internal octagon. Samples underwent cyclic load that was between 20 N and 200 N for 1 × 106 cycles. After mechanical tests, samples were sectioned along the long axis and analyzed under a scanning electron microscope. Five 4.5 × 10 mm implants with internal hexagon and five 4.5 × 10 mm implants with internal octagon were collected for photoelastic analysis. Each fixture was mounted in a wax-made parallelepiped measuring 20 mm × 20 mm × 10 mm. A mold was made for each wax parallelepiped/fixture assembly using a silicone-based impression material, and an epoxy resin was poured in each mold. After setting of the resin, 25° angled titanium abutments were screwed onto each replica; afterwards, assemblies underwent photoelastic analysis. After cyclic load, screw threads and heads were still in contact with internal fixture threads and abutment holes, respectively, suggesting that preload has not been lost during load. During load, SSO and Xsigñ implants behave in a different way. SSO samples revealed the presence of fringes radiating from the base of the abutment. Xsigñ implants showed the presence of fringes radiating from the threads of the retention screw. From the present in vitro research, it is possible to state that screw-retained abutment based on an internal octagonal connection is less likely to come loose after cyclic load.
Regular and Switching Platform: Bone Stress Analysis With Varying Implant Diameter
Authors: Vargas Luis Carlos Merson , de Almeida Erika Oliveira , Rocha Eduardo Passos , Kina Sidney , Anchieta Rodolfo Bruniera , Júnior Amílcar Chagas Freitas , França Fabiana Mantovani Gomes
Published: January 2011

The aim of this study was to evaluate stress distribution of the peri-implant bone by simulating the biomechanical influence of implants with different diameters of regular or platform switched connections by means of 3-dimensional finite element analysis. Five mathematical models of an implant-supported central incisor were created by varying the diameter (5.5 and 4.5 mm, internal hexagon) and abutment platform (regular and platform switched). For the cortical bone, the highest stress values (σmax and σvm) were observed in situation R1, followed by situations S1, R2, S3, and S2. For the trabecular bone, the highest stress values (σmax) were observed in situation S3, followed by situations R1, S1, R2, and S2. The influence of platform switching was more evident for cortical bone than for trabecular bone and was mainly seen in large platform diameter reduction.