bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interactive effects of cover and hydraulics on brown trout habitat selection patterns
Authors: Ayllón D. , Almodóvar A. , Nicola G. G. , Elvira B.
Published: November 2008

Habitat modelling results are extremely sensitive to the habitat suitability criteria (HSC) used in the simulations. HSCs are usually expressed as univariate habitat suitability curves, although such univariate approach has been long questioned, since overlooking interactions between hydraulic variables may misrepresent the complexity of fish behaviour in habitat selection. It could lead to adopt erroneous flow management decisions based on misleading results. Furthermore, the interactive effects of hydraulic variables on habitat selection may be driven by the structural features of the channel, which determine cover availability. Therefore, we compared brown trout habitat selection patterns through multivariate resource selection functions (RSFs) in structurally contrasting rivers to unveil the interactive effects of hydraulics and cover elements and their consequences in univariate HSC results. Microhabitat preferences of young‐of‐the‐year (0+) trout were similar across fast and slow waters, meanwhile juvenile (1+) and adult (>1+) preferences significantly changed. RSFs for young‐of‐the‐year trout were consistent with univariate results and did not differ among water types. However, RSFs for older trout varied among water types and revealed complex interactions among hydraulic variables and between hydraulics and structural elements, which were not described accurately by univariate curves. Therefore, results suggest that interactions between water depth and current velocity have a significant effect on habitat selection patterns in juvenile and adult brown trout, this effect being controlled by cover availability. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effects of procedural and informational justice in the integration of related acquisitions
Authors: Ellis Kimberly M. , Reus Taco H. , Lamont Bruce T.
Published: November 2008

This study explores the independent and interactive effects of procedural justice and informational justice on post‐deal value creation in large, related acquisitions. Our results show that informational justice and procedural justice affect different components of value creation. Procedural justice is critical in realizing market position improvements following the integration process, while informational justice is essential in achieving market position gains during integration and financial return gains both during and post‐integration. Indicating that the interrelationships between different justice dimensions may be more complex than previously thought, we find that procedural justice reduces the positive effects of informational justice on financial return during the integration process, while it magnifies the effects of informational justice on the combined firms' market position during integration efforts. We explore the implications of these results for future research on the acquisition integration process and for practicing managers engaging in large, related acquisitions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Towards an improved understanding of statistical extrapolation for wind turbine extreme loads
Authors: Fogle Jeffrey , Agarwal Puneet , Manuel Lance
Published: November 2008

One of the load cases that must be evaluated per the International Electrotechnical Commission standard for wind turbine design requires that characteristic loads associated with a 50‐year return period be established. This is usually done by carrying out aeroelastic response simulations of the turbine. In order to estimate such rare loads, extreme loads data of adequate quantity and quality are required to facilitate robust predictions. Practitioners have expressed concerns about aspects of the load extrapolation—for instance, questions have arisen related to the minimum number of required ten‐minute turbine response simulations, about whether only a single (global) maximum load from each simulation should be saved or whether, alternatively, several time‐separated (block) maxima are preferred. Also, though turbine load types are not influenced by each wind speed between cut‐in and cut‐out to the same degree, focused simulation effort on winds that control the largest loads for each load type is not addressed. Using global and block maxima for four load measures from aeroelastic simulations on a 5 MW turbine model, we study short‐term load distributions as a function of wind speed. Block maxima for different block sizes (time separations) are tested for independence and empirical load distributions for global and block maxima are compared. We present a proposal for addressing load extrapolation that focuses on efficiency, that spells out how to employ either global or block load maxima, and that provides convergence criteria for deciding on an adequate number of simulations that must be performed before attempting long‐term load prediction using extrapolation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Informatics approaches for identifying biologic relationships in time‐series data
Authors: McKinney Brett A.
Published: November 2008

A vital goal of the genomic era is to identify biologic relationships between genes and gene products and to understand how these relationships influence phenotypes. Time course data contain a vast amount of causal and mechanistic information about complex systems, but experimental and informatics challenges must be overcome to produce and extract this information from biologic systems. Mathematical modeling and bioinformatics methods are being developed in anticipation of experiments involving the coordinated measurement of cellular and molecular quantities at various spatial and temporal scales. Experimental methods that probe at the nanoscale will facilitate the exploration of biologic systems at the single‐cell and single‐molecule level, but will also introduce special challenges for mathematical modeling because events at nanoscale concentrations are subject to the influence of intrinsic noise. This review addresses the progress, challenges, and frontiers in the field of time‐series informatics. The ultimate goal of time‐series informatics is to move beyond descriptive relationships and toward predictive models of emergent, or systemic, behaviors of biologic systems as a whole. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Cells at the Nanoscale
Synthesis of poly(alkyl cyanoacrylate)‐based colloidal nanomedicines
Authors: Nicolas Julien , Couvreur Patrick
Published: November 2008

Nanoparticles developed from poly(alkyl cyanoacrylate) (PACA) biodegradable polymers have opened new and exciting perspectives in the field of drug delivery due to their nearly ideal characteristics as drug carriers in connection with biomedical applications. Thanks to the direct implication of organic chemistry, polymer science and physicochemistry, multiple PACA nanoparticles with different features can be obtained: nanospheres and nanocapsules (either oil‐ or water‐containing) as well as long‐circulating and ligand‐decorated nanoparticles. This review aims at emphasizing the synthetic standpoint of all these nanoparticles by describing the important aspects of alkyl cyanoacrylate chemistry as well as the experimental procedures and the different techniques involved for the preparation of the corresponding colloidal devices. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies
Magnetic resonance susceptibility based perfusion imaging of tumors using iron oxide nanoparticles
Authors: Pathak Arvind P.
Published: November 2008

Abundant preclinical and preliminary clinical data have convincingly supported antiangiogenic therapy as an effective strategy for the inhibition of tumor growth. This has led to an acute need for developing biological markers (biomarkers) of vascular remodeling that can be monitored in vivo, at repeated intervals in large numbers of patients with a variety of tumors in a noninvasive manner. Recently, magnetic resonance (MR) perfusion imaging with iron oxide nanoparticles has demonstrated the potential to be such a surrogate endpoint, that is, a biomarker intended to substitute for a clinical endpoint and predictive of clinical benefit. Consequently, both US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have major initiatives underway to improve the development of cancer therapies and the outcomes for cancer patients via biomarker development and evaluation. The biophysical principles, physiological relevance and range of imaging techniques underlying the success of susceptibility based contrast MR perfusion imaging with iron oxide nanoparticles as such a biomarker, are the subject of this review. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging
Pharmacokinetics of nanomaterials: an overview of carbon nanotubes, fullerenes and quantum dots
Authors: Riviere Jim E.
Published: November 2008

A full understanding of the pharmacokinetic parameters describing nanomaterial disposition in the body would greatly facilitate development of a firm foundation upon which risk assessment could be based. This review focuses on the disposition of carbon based fullerenes and nanotubes, as well as quantum dots (QD) after parenteral administration to primarily rodents. The common theme across all particle types is that a major determinant of nanomaterial disposition is the degree of interaction with the reticuloendothelial (RE) cell system. Small water‐soluble particles evading this system may be excreted by the kidney. Larger particles and those with the proper surface charge may get targeted to RE cells in the liver, spleen and other organs. Most nanomaterial kinetics are characterized by relatively short blood half‐lives reflecting tissue extraction and not by clearance from the body. In fact, another common attribute to nanomaterial kinetics is retention of particles in the body. Finally, unlike many small organic drugs, nanomaterials may preferentially be trafficked in the body via the lymphatic system that has obvious immunological implications. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Cells at the Nanoscale
Nanotechnology and orthopedics: a personal perspective
Authors: Laurencin Cato T. , Kumbar Sangamesh G. , Nukavarapu Syam Prasad
Published: November 2008

Bone is a nanocomposite material comprised of hierarchically arranged collagen fibrils, hydroxyapatite and proteoglycans in the nanometer scale. Cells are accustomed to interact with nanostructures, thus providing the cells with a natural bone‐like environment that potentially enhance bone tissue regeneration/repair. In this direction, nanotechnology provides opportunities to fabricate as well as explore novel properties and phenomena of functional materials, devices, and systems at the nanometer‐length scale. Recent studies have provided significant insights into the influence of topographical features in regulating cell behavior. Topographical features provide essential chemical and physical cues that cells can recognize and elicit desired cellular functions including preferential adhesion, migration, proliferation, and expression of specific cell phenotype to bring desired effects. The current article will address some of the nanotechnology implications in addressing issues related to orthopedic implants performance and tissue engineering approach to bone repair/regeneration. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanotechnology in Tissue Repair and Replacement
Radioactive liposomes
Authors: Phillips William Thomas , Goins Beth Ann , Bao Ande
Published: November 2008

Many methods of labeling liposomes with both diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclides have been developed since the initial discovery of liposomes 40 years ago. Diagnostic radiolabels can be used to track nanometer‐sized liposomes in the body in a quantitative fashion. This article reviews the basic methods of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and labeling of liposomes with single photon and dual photon positron emission radionuclides. Examples of the use of these diagnostic imaging agents will be shown. The ability to track the uptake of liposomes in humans and research animals on a whole body basis is providing researchers with an excellent tool for developing liposome‐based drug delivery agents. The attachment of therapeutic radionuclides to liposomes also has great promise in cancer therapy. Recent developments in the use of liposomes carrying therapeutic radionuclides for cancer therapy will also be reviewed. Many of the radiolabeling and tracking technologies developed for nanosized liposomes will also be useful for the imaging and tracking of other nanoparticles. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging
The public acceptance of nanomedicine: a personal perspective
Authors: Berube David M.
Published: November 2008

Limited understanding of a subject leads to limited perceptions, including misinformed biases and associations. In regard to the field of nanotechnology, prior biotechnologies have harmed public perception of nanotechnology through association alone. While public bias is slow to convert toward truth, it is likely that the medical applications of nanotechnology will foster a renewed interest and trust in the field through the prolonged escape from death. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Toxicology and Regulatory Issues in Nanomedicine > Regulatory and Policy Issues in Nanomedicine
A Hybrid Model for a Hybrid Science
Authors: Baker Jim
Published: November 2008

This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies
History of the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve: From Galen to Lahey
Authors: Kaplan Edwin L. , Salti George I. , Roncella Manuela , Fulton Noreen , Kadowaki Mark
Published: November 2008

During the second century A.D., Galen described a nerve that came from the brain on each side of the neck, went down toward the heart, and then reversed course and ascended to the larynx and caused the vocal cords to open. He called these “reversivi” (or recurrent nerves) and stated that he was the first to discover “these wonderful things.” Demonstrating before the elders of Rome, he showed that cutting the recurrent laryngeal nerve in the neck caused a live pig to stop squealing—an extraordinary feat. Because of Galen’s fame and influence, this nerve retained great importance in dissections by later anatomists and surgeons before and throughout the Renaissance. This paper documents many of these anatomical findings and highlights the importance of a careful, delicate, recurrent laryngeal nerve dissection during thyroidectomy, as popularized by Dr. Frank Lahey in 1938.
Surgical Training and Certification in the United Kingdom
Authors: Smith Andrew J. , Aggarwal Rajesh , Warren Oliver J. , Paraskeva Paraskevas
Published: November 2008

Training in surgical disciplines in the United Kingdom has undergone tremendous change over the past two decades. The introduction of specialist training programmes, working time directives, quality ratings and a drive toward ambulatory and minimal access surgery have led to challenges with respect to training and service commitments of healthcare professionals. A structured and centralised training system was introduced, with the concept of core followed by specialty‐specific progression, in an openly competitive manner. Within this system is the need to commence training on simulation models, and to demonstrate proficiency prior to performance of tasks on patients. This should be underpinned by objective measures such as video or dexterity‐based tools. There is also a clear need to provide personal, professional and leadership development in the form of mentorship and appraisal systems. Though continuing to develop, the profession must be mindful of current and future advances to ensure the delivery of surgeons for the future who aspire toward excellence.
Evisceration Following Abdominal Stab Wounds: Analysis of 66 Cases
Authors: da Silva Michelle , Navsaria Pradeep H. , Edu Sorin , Nicol Andrew J.
Published: November 2008

Background

Abdominal stab wounds with evisceration remain an indication for emergency laparotomy. The purpose of this study was validate a policy of mandatory laparotomy for organ evisceration and a policy of selective nonoperative management with serial physical abdominal examination for omentum evisceration.

Methods

The charts of 379 patients with abdominal stab wounds who presented to our Level I trauma center over a 3‐year (January 2005 to December 2007) period were retrospectively reviewed. Altogether, 66 (17.4%) patients with evisceration were identified and included in the study. Indications for mandatory laparotomy were peritonitis, hemodynamic instability, organ evisceration, and a high spinal cord or severe head injury with an abdominal stab wound. Further data gathered included the organ eviscerated, intraabdominal organs injured, and complications. Injury severity was categorized using the revised trauma score (RTS), injury severity score (ISS), and penetrating abdominal index (PATI).

Results

Organ and omentum evisceration occurred in 35 (53%) and 31 (47%) patients, respectively. Organs eviscerated were as follows (number of patients): small bowel in 27 (40.9%), stomach in 2 (3%), colon in 1 (1.5%), small bowel and stomach in 2 (3%), and small bowel and colon in 3 (4.5%). The mean RTS, ISS, and PATI scores were 7.71, 13.74, and 8.26, respectively. Only two (5.7%) patients with organ evisceration underwent a negative laparotomy. In total, 23 patients with omentum evisceration (21 with peritonitis, 1 with a head injury, 1 who failed abdominal observation) underwent therapeutic laparotomy. Six patients with omentum evisceration were managed successfully nonoperatively. Two patients with left thoracoabdominal omentum evisceration underwent delayed laparoscopy, which revealed a diaphragm injury in one patient. Overall, 57 (86.4%) patients with evisceration had an intraabdominal injury that required repair.

Conclusions

Evisceration should continue to prompt operative intervention. An exception can be made to a select few patients with omentum evisceration with benign abdominal findings.
Randomized Controlled Trial of Roux‐en‐Y Versus Rho‐Shaped‐Roux‐en‐Y Reconstruction After Distal Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer
Authors: Hirao Motohiro , Kurokawa Yukinori , Fujitani Kazumasa , Tsujinaka Toshimasa
Published: November 2008

Background

The main advantage of the Roux‐en‐Y (RY) operation is that it prevents bile and pancreatic juice from reaching the gastric mucosa, although the gastrojejunostomy may cause functional delayed gastric emptying (DGE), known as RY stasis syndrome. Rho‐shaped Roux‐en‐Y reconstruction (rRY), an RY reconstruction with a rho‐shaped anastomosis, is an established operation that has been found to be effective in preventing DGE.

Methods

We conducted the randomized trial of RY versus rRY reconstruction after gastric cancer resection. The primary endpoint was the frequency of DGE, and secondary endpoints were the length of postoperative hospital stay, morbidity, and nutritional status. Seventy patients were enrolled, with 35 in each group.

Results

The incidences of postoperative mortality and morbidity did not differ significantly between the two groups. There were no significant differences in nutritional status between the two groups after discharge. Delayed gastric emptying occurred in two patients (6%) in the RY group and four patients (11%) in the rRY group (P= 0.67). Logistic regression analysis revealed that truncal vagotomy was significantly associated with DGE inhibition.

Conclusions

Our findings showed that RY reconstruction after gastrectomy may be as simple and sufficient as conventional reconstruction.
Does Extralaryngeal Branching Have An Impact on the Rate of Postoperative Transient or Permanent Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Palsy?
Authors: Casella Claudio , Pata Giacomo , Nascimbeni Riccardo , Mittempergher Francesco , Salerni Bruno
Published: November 2008

Background

This prospective study assessed the prevalence of the extralaryngeal branching of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) and its impact on the incidence of postoperative transient or permanent RLN palsy.

Methods

Total or hemithyroidectomy was performed in 115 patients, with a total of 195 RLNs displayed. The RLN extralaryngeal branches were routinely identified and preserved. The postoperative course of each patient was evaluated. Outcomes of patients with and without branching RLN were compared.

Results

In all, 36 of 195 (18.5%) nerves showed extralaryngeal branching: 27 cases (25.5%) on the right and 9 on the left side (10.1%; p = 0.0088).Trifurcation of the RLN was identified in two dissections (1%). Bilateral bifurcations were observed in 3 of 80 (3.7%) patients. We reported four (2.1%) unilateral permanent RLN palsies, eight cases of unilateral transient nerve palsy (4.1%), and one bilateral transient RLN injury (0.6%). The comparative analysis of postoperative outcomes between branched and nonbranched RLNs revealed that the anatomical variation was more frequently associated both with unilateral permanent RLN palsy (relative risk, 13.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.42–123.73; p = 0.0204) and unilateral transient RLN palsy (relative risk, 7.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.84–29.4; p = 0.0061). The only case of bilateral transient RLN injury was associated with a nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve.

Conclusions

Branched RLNs represent a risk factor both for transient and permanent nerve palsy after surgery. Awareness of this anatomical variation and its routine investigation are essential during thyroid surgery to limit its relevant impact on postoperative RLN injury rate.
HSP90 is required for TAK1 stability but not for its activation in the pro‐inflammatory signaling pathway
Authors: Liu Xin Yu , Seh Cheah Chen , Cheung Peter C.F.
Published: November 2008

MINT‐6797182:

TAK1 (uniprotkb:O43318‐2) physically interacts (MI:0218) with CDC37 (uniprotkb:Q16543) and HSP90 (uniprotkb:P07900) by anti bait coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0006)

MINT‐6797194:

TAK1 (uniprotkb:O43318‐2) physically interacts (MI:0218) with TAB1 (uniprotkb:Q15750), HSP90 (uniprotkb:P07900) and CDC37 (uniprotkb:Q16543) by anti bait coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0006)

MINT‐6797248:

TAK1 (uniprotkb:Q62073) physically interacts (MI:0218) with HSP90 (uniprotkb:P07901), CDC37 (uniprotkb:Q61081), TAB2 (uniprotkb:Q99K90) and TAB1 (uniprotkb:Q8CF89) by anti bait coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0006)

MINT‐6797232:

TAK1 (uniprotkb:O43318‐2) physically interacts (MI:0218) with HSP90 (uniprotkb:P07900) and CDC37 (uniprotkb:Q16543) by pull down (MI:0096)

MINT‐6797216:

TAK1 (uniprotkb:O43318‐2) physically interacts (MI:0218) with TAB2 (uniprotkb:Q9NYJ8), CDC37 (uniprotkb:Q16543), HSP90 (uniprotkb:P07900) and TAB1 (uniprotkb:Q15750) by anti bait coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0006)
Tyr‐51 is the proton donor–acceptor for NAD(H)‐dependent interconversion of xylose and xylitol by Candida tenuis xylose reductase (AKR2B5)
Authors: Pival Simone L. , Klimacek Mario , Kratzer Regina , Nidetzky Bernd
Published: November 2008

Substitution of active‐site Tyr‐51 by Ala (Y51A) disrupted the activity of Candida tenuis xylose reductase by six orders of magnitude. External bromide brought about unidirectional rate enhancement (≈2 × 103‐fold at 300 mM) for NAD+‐dependent xylitol oxidation by Y51A. Activity of the wild‐type reductase was dependent on a single ionizable protein group exhibiting a pK of 9.2 ± 0.1 and 7.3 ± 0.3 in the holo‐enzyme bound with NADH and NAD+, respectively. This group which had to be protonated for xylose reduction and unprotonated for xylitol oxidation was eliminated in Y51A, consistent with a catalytic acid–base function of Tyr‐51. Bromide may complement the xylitol dehydrogenase activity of Y51A by partly restoring the original hydrogen bond between the reactive alcohol and the phenolate of Tyr‐51.
Large nucleotide‐dependent conformational change in Rab28
Authors: Lee Sung Haeng , Baek Kyuwon , Dominguez Roberto
Published: November 2008

Rab GTPases are essential regulators of membrane trafficking. We report crystal structures of Rab28 in the active (GppNHp‐bound) and inactive (GDP‐3′P‐bound) forms at 1.5 and 1.1 Å resolution. Rab28 is a distant member of the Rab family. While the overall fold of Rab28 resembles that of other Rab GTPases, it undergoes a larger nucleotide‐dependent conformational change than other members of this family. Added flexibility resulting from a double‐glycine motif at the beginning of switch 2 might partially account for this observation. The double‐glycine motif, which is conserved in the Arf family, only occurs in Rab28 and Rab7B of the Rab family, and may have a profound effect on their catalytic activities.
Maternal mortality surveillance in an inland Chinese province
Authors: Gao Yu , Kildea Sue , Barclay Lesley , Hao Min , Zeng Weiyue
Published: November 2008

Objectives

To evaluate the Chinese maternal mortality surveillance system in an inland province and identify how it can be improved.

Methods

The review process and Chinese Maternal Deaths Reporting Form were compared with standards recommended by the UK Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health using interviews with key personnel, field observations, and reports and audits from 2003–2005.

Results

The Chinese Maternal Deaths Reporting Form does not provide anonymity for the deceased woman, the health workers, or hospitals. The information collected is often insufficient to identify substandard care. The Review Committee was not multidisciplinary and the review was not confidential. The review findings were only available to the Review Committee.

Conclusion

Confidentiality should be a requirement in the maternal mortality surveillance system. The anonymous findings should be available to health workers, and be used to improve the system and inform the community about performance.
Interpretation of Contrast Dispersal Patterns by Experienced and Inexperienced Interventionalists
Authors: Smuck Matthew , Abbott Zachary , Zemper Eric
Published: November 2008

Objective

Determine how accurately inexperienced interventionalists interpret epidural contrast dispersal patterns compared with experienced interventionalists.

Design

Prospective comparative study.

Setting

University spine center.

Participants

Two experienced interventionalists and 3 pain fellows in training.

Methods

Each participant independently interpreted 100 images showing contrast dispersal patterns from transforaminal epidural injections. All images were obtained by another physician after 0.5 mL of contrast material was injected. The true contrast dispersal pattern was determined under live fluoroscopy during the injection and classified as follows: epidural only, vascular only, or simultaneous epidural and vascular. Participants were told to assume that 0.5 mL of contrast had been injected before each image and were asked to describe the contrast patterns as epidural, vascular, both, or neither.

Main Outcome Measure

Variance in agreement with the true contrast patterns between experienced and inexperienced participants.

Results

Overall, the inexperienced participants were in exact agreement with the true pattern in 52% of the images versus 70% for experienced participants (P=.03). Experienced participants correctly identified epidural contrast patterns with greater accuracy than inexperienced participants (94% and 76%, respectively; P=.01). Not surprisingly, the accuracy for all participants was low in the identification of vascular patterns on these static images, with 73% accuracy for the experienced and 68% for the inexperienced (P=.18).

Conclusion

Even with 6 months of intensive experience, trainees are significantly less accurate than experienced physicians in the interpretation of contrast dispersal patterns from transforaminal epidural injections. The competency of interventional trainees and the amount of experience necessary to safely perform epidural injections deserve further examination.
Inverse Compton backscattering source driven by the multi-10 TW laser installed at Daresbury
Authors: Priebe G. , Laundy D. , Macdonald M.A. , Diakun G.P. , Jamison S.P. , Jones L.B. , Holder D.J. , Smith S.L. , Phillips P.J. , Fell B.D. , Sheehy B. , Naumova N. , Sokolov I.V. , Ter-Avetisyan S. , Spohr K. , Krafft G.A. , Rosenzweig J.B. , Schramm U. , Grüner F. , Hirst G.J. , Collier J. , Chattopadhyay S. , Seddon E.A.
Published: November 2008

Inverse Compton scattering is a promising method to implement a high brightness, ultra-short, energy tunable X-ray source at accelerator facilities. We have developed an inverse Compton backscattering X-ray source driven by the multi-10 TW laser installed at Daresbury. Hard X-rays, with spectral peaks ranging from 15 to 30 keV, depending on the scattering geometry, will be generated through the interaction of laser pulses with electron bunches delivered by the energy recovery linac machine, initially known as energy recovery linac prototype and subsequently renamed accelerators and lasers in combined experiments. X-ray pulses containing 9 × 107photons per pulse will be created from head-on collisions, with a pulse duration comparable to the incoming electron bunch length. For transverse collisions 8 × 106photons per pulse will be generated, where the laser pulse transit time defines the X-ray pulse duration. The peak spectral brightness is predicted to be ~1021 photons/(s mm2 mrad2 0.1% Δλ/λ).
Submanifolds of codimension two attaining equality in an extrinsic inequality
Authors: DAJCZER MARCOS , TOJEIRO RUY
Published: November 2008

We provide a parametric construction in terms of minimal surfaces of the Euclidean submanifolds of codimension two and arbitrary dimension that attain equality in an inequality due to De Smet, Dillen, Verstraelen and Vrancken. The latter involves the scalar curvature, the norm of the normal curvature tensor and the length of the mean curvature vector.
A TENTATIVE MODEL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF COPPER PRODUCTION IN THE TARASCAN STATE
Authors: Maldonado Blanca E.
Published: November 2008

At the time of the Spanish conquest, the main locus of metal production in Mesoamerica was the Tarascan region of western Mexico. Scholars have argued that mining and metallurgy evolved into a state industry, as metal adornments used as insignias of social status and public ritual became closely associated with political control. In spite of its importance, however, Tarascan metallurgy is poorly documented. The extractive processes involved and the organization of the different aspects of this production are virtually unknown. Numerous questions arise from the notion that metal items functioned as wealth finance in the economy of the Tarascan state of Late Postclassic period Michoacan. Foremost among these is whether and how wealth was produced and controlled by the central power. This paper combines archaeological and ethnohistorical data to propose a model for pre-Hispanic copper production among the Tarascans. The goal of this analysis is to gain insights into the nature of metal production and its role in the major state apparatus. This will also provide clues to a better understanding of the development of technology and political economy in ancient Mesoamerica.
TARASCAN CERAMIC PRODUCTION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CERAMIC DISTRIBUTION
Authors: Hirshman Amy J.
Published: November 2008

Research on the emergence of social complexity and state economies tends toward an understanding of either political economies or market economies as the privileged economic form and with producer specialization emerging contemporaneously with the state. Markets and political control need not be seen as oppositional; rather, they are part of the continuum of multiple strategies elites use to create the larger political economy of a state. The Late Postclassic period Tarascan state is known for its strong centralizing tendencies, and an overview of previous research indicates political involvement in various aspects of the larger economic coordination of metal, obsidian, and agricultural production and distribution. Tarascan state ceramics are highly distinctive in form and decoration. Ethnohistoric evidence suggests that they were produced under court control, yet no direct evidence for ceramic production has been found in the Tarascan core, the Lake Patzcuaro Basin. A mix of compositional and statistical analyses of the ceramic assemblage from Urichu, Michoacan, Mexico, indicates that ceramics were not under centralized political control but, instead, were produced at a local level and distributed using the market mechanisms of the larger mixture of economic strategies on the part of the Tarascan political elite.
INTRODUCTION
Authors: Fowler William R. , McCafferty Geoffrey G. , Hirshman Amy J.
Published: November 2008

One of the healthiest trends in Mesoamerican studies in the past two or thee decades has been the recognition that the pre-Columbian cultures of west Mexico were full participants in the Mesoamerican world-system. Long past are the days when west Mexico was excluded from consideration as part of Mesoamerica because of seemingly exotic features such as shaft tombs and round pyramids. Another problem that distanced west Mexico conceptually from greater Mesoamerica was the lack of good chronologies which precluded an understanding of interaction between west and central Mexico. In the introduction to another recent special section, more extensive comments were offered on the history of research in west Mexican archaeology and especially the tension between the fascination with the exotic and the need to develop archaeological research programs based on both chronological and anthropological concerns (Fowler et al. 2006).
Cryogenic preservation of embryos ofProchilodus lineatus(Valenciennes, 1836) (Characiforme; Prochilodontidae)
Authors: Ninhaus-Silveira Alexandre , Foresti Fausto , de Azevedo Alexandre , Agostinho Cláudio Ângelo , Veríssimo-Silveira Rosicleire
Published: November 2008

While the freezing techniques of mammal embryos have been providing promising results, the cryopreservation of teleostean eggs and embryos have remained unsuccessful up to now. Therefore, this work aimed to develop a procedure of cryogenic preservation of embryos ofProchilodus lineatusand to observe, at both structural and ultrastructural levels, the morphological alterations that took place after the application of freezing/thawing techniques. The embryos at the morula stage could not tolerate exposure to the cryoprotectants ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, methanol, dimethyl sulphoxide and propylene glycol, presenting 100% of mortality. Embryos at the 4- to 6-somites stage tolerated exposure to propylene glycol and dimethyl sulphoxide, and the results revealed no significant differences (α = 0.05) regarding survival from both treatments. None of the freezing, thawing and hydration protocols was effective on preserving embryo viability. The ultrastructural analyses of frozen and thawed embryos showed that cells from ectoderm, somites, notochord and endoderm were structurally intact, with well preserved nuclei and mitochondria. The yolk globules were able to tolerate the freezing process, but the yolk syncytial layer was unorganized, displaying an electron-dense and compacted appearance, collapsed reticules, nuclei with modified chromatin and ruptures on the plasmatic membrane at the contact zone with endoderm. It might be concluded that the procedures tested for freezing were unable to avoid the formation of intracellular ice crystals, leading to drastic morphological modifications and makingP. lineatusembryos unviable.
Deforestation and land use under insecure property rights
Authors: AMACHER GREGORY S. , KOSKELA ERKKI , OLLIKAINEN MARKKU
Published: November 2008

We examine the implications of migration and insecure property rights to land use and deforestation in tropical frontier forests. Three forms of property rights risks are introduced to basic land-use forms. Illegal logging risk is associated with forest plantations, a land expropriation risk affects land in agriculture and plantation forestry, and illegal logging risks threaten native forest land. Public and private landowners can reduce these risks by employing costly enforcement effort. We show how that migration, expropriation, and illegal logging risks lead to deforestation by promoting agricultural expansion, and illegal logging. Higher public enforcement reduces illegal logging, but higher private enforcement may or may not reduce deforestation depending on migration pressures. Higher timber prices have an ambiguous effect on deforestation, but an increasing value of non-timber benefits decreases or leaves deforestation unchanged depending on the incentive structures of illegal loggers.
Extreme climate events and adaptation: an exploratory analysis of drought in Mexico
Authors: BOYD ROY , IBARRARÁN MARIA E.
Published: November 2008

Climate change is increasing the intensity of extreme weather events. Mexico is particularly prone to suffer at least two different types of these events: droughts and hurricanes. This paper focuses on the effects of an extended drought on the Mexican economy. Through a computable general equilibrium model, we simulate the impact of a drought that affects primarily agriculture, livestock, forestry, and hydropower generation. We look at the effects on the overall economy. We then simulate the effects of several adaptation strategies in (chiefly) the agricultural, forestry, and power sectors, and we arrive at some tentative yet significant conclusions. We find that the effects of such an event vary substantially by sector with moderate to severe overall impacts. Furthermore, we find that adaptation policies can only effect modest changes to the economic losses to be suffered.
A capital scarcity theory of the environmental Kuznets curve
Authors: CHIMELI ARIASTER B. , BRADEN JOHN B.
Published: November 2008

This paper offers a theory of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) based on the scarcity of capital relative to environmental quality. In a unified treatment of both market and transition economies of the former Soviet Bloc, we characterize a dynamic economy subject to two sources of market failure: a pollution externality and a pure public good ‘environmental quality’. We derive a policy rule to implement the social optimum in market and transition economies and show how, in general, a pollution tax or tradable permits can only implement the social optimum if accompanied by other taxes on consumption or profits.
Pharmacogenetics and breast cancer endocrine therapy: CYP2D6 as a predictive factor for tamoxifen metabolism and drug response?
Authors: Stearns Vered , Rae James M.
Published: November 2008

The identification of genetic polymorphisms that influence the efficacy and safety of therapies for breast cancer may allow future treatments to be individualised based not only on tumour characteristics but also on host genetics. Genetic factors that affect the metabolism, efficacy and safety of tamoxifen, one of the most common drugs used for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer, have received particular attention. Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is crucial in the metabolism of tamoxifen to its active metabolite endoxifen. Women with genetic variants ofCYP2D6or who take drugs that inhibit the enzyme have low endoxifen plasma concentrations and may show reduced benefits to tamoxifen treatment.CYP2D6polymorphisms and variants in other candidate genes may also influence secondary benefits and side effects of tamoxifen. Here, we summarise data suggesting that CYP2D6 status may be an important predictor of the benefits of tamoxifen to an individual; in addition, we briefly discuss the role of variants in other candidate genes. WhetherCYP2D6status should be determined prior to initiating tamoxifen therapy is currently under debate and may be appropriate only for select women who are candidates for tamoxifen alone but for whom alternative standard options are available.
Checking the quality of clinical guidelines using automated reasoning tools
Authors: HOMMERSOM ARJEN , LUCAS PETER J. F. , VAN BOMMEL PATRICK
Published: November 2008

Requirements about the quality of clinical guidelines can be represented by schemata borrowed from the theory of abductive diagnosis, using temporal logic to model the time-oriented aspects expressed in a guideline. Previously, we have shown that these requirements can be verified using interactive theorem proving techniques. In this paper, we investigate how this approach can be mapped to the facilities of a resolution-based theorem prover,otterand a complementary program that searches for finite models of first-order statements,mace-2. It is shown that the reasoning required for checking the quality of a guideline can be mapped to such a fully automated theorem-proving facilities. The medical quality of an actual guideline concerning diabetes mellitus 2 is investigated in this way.
Achieving compositionality of the stable model semantics for
smodels programs
Authors: OIKARINEN EMILIA , JANHUNEN TOMI
Published: November 2008

In this paper, a Gaifman–Shapiro-style module architecture is tailored
to the case of smodels programs under the stable model semantics. The
composition of smodels program modules is suitably limited by module
conditions which ensure the compatibility of the module system with stable
models. Hence the semantics of an entire smodels program depends
directly on stable models assigned to its modules. This result is formalized as
a module theorem which truly strengthens V. Lifschitz and H.
Turner's splitting-set theorem (June 1994, Splitting a logic program. In
Logic Programming: Proceedings of the Eleventh International
Conference on Logic Programming, Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy, P.
V. Hentenryck, Ed. MIT Press, 23–37) for the class of smodels
programs. To streamline generalizations in the future, the module theorem is
first proved for normal programs and then extended to cover smodels
programs using a translation from the latter class of programs to the former
class. Moreover, the respective notion of module-level equivalence, namely
modular equivalence, is shown to be a proper congruence
relation: it is preserved under substitutions of modules that are modularly
equivalent. Principles for program decomposition are also addressed. The
strongly connected components of the respective dependency graph can be
exploited in order to extract a module structure when there is no explicit
a priori knowledge about the modules of a program. The
paper includes a practical demonstration of tools that have been developed for
automated (de)composition of smodels programs.
S wave tomography of the crust and uppermost mantle in China
Authors: Sun Youshun , Toksöz M. Nafi , Pei Shunping , Zhao Dapeng , Morgan F. Dale , Rosca Anca
Published: November 2008

We use 280,000 local and regional arrival times from 13,105 local earthquakes recorded by 220 seismic stations to determine a three‐dimensional S wave velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle under China and surrounding regions. We use a traveltime tomography code that accommodates a heterogeneous crust and varying Moho depth. The grid for tomographic inversion is 1° × 1° in the horizontal direction and 10 km in depth. Our results show that large velocity variations of more than 6% exist in the crust and upper mantle in the China region. The velocity image of the upper crust correlates with surface geological features. Crustal heterogeneity is clearly observed, and velocity changes are visible across some of the large fault zones. In Tibet, low velocities exist in the thick crust, and high Sn velocities exist in the southern and eastern parts. Low‐velocity zones beneath volcanic sites and the rifts are clearly observed in our tomographic results. Under the Tengchong, Hainan, and Changbai volcanic areas, strong low velocity zones are visible down to the upper mantle, indicating the existence of magma chambers beneath the volcanoes.
On the origins of the variability of the Malvinas Current in a global, eddy‐permitting numerical simulation
Authors: Fetter Antonio F. H. , Matano Ricardo P.
Published: November 2008

This article investigates the origins of the variability of the Malvinas Current (MC) transport using the results of an eddy‐permitting ocean general circulation model. First, the dynamical links between the variabilities of the MC and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) transports at the Drake Passage are established. Time series analyses indicate that the connection between the transport variations of the ACC and the MC is masked by high‐frequency oscillations. Although a substantial portion of this high‐frequency variability is produced and dissipated locally, there are also anomalies that propagate between those regions. The most conspicuous of these signals has an average speed of ∼6–7 cm s−1 and a period of ∼150 days. Second, the contribution of the wind forcing to the variability of the ACC and the MC is determined from Principal Estimator Patterns analysis. The analysis indicates that the variance of the transport of both currents is more directly related to the variability of the wind stress than to the wind stress curl. The transport variability is particularly sensitive to zonal wind stress anomalies in the latitudinal range of the Drake Passage that extends farther north over the South Indian Ocean. A rather counterintuitive result of our analysis is that the wind stress forcing over the South Atlantic Ocean is unimportant to the variability of the MC transport.
Malassezia furfur fingerprints as possible markers for human phylogeography
Authors: Gaitanis George , Velegraki Aristea , Alexopoulos Evangelos C , Kapsanaki-Gotsi Evangelia , Zisova Lilia , Ran Yuping , Zhang Hao , Arsenis George , Bassukas Ioannis D , Faergemann Jan
Published: November 2008

Malassezia furfur was the first species described within the cosmopolitan yeast genus Malassezia, which now comprises 13 species. Reported isolation rates of these species from healthy and diseased human skin show geographic variations. PCR-fingerprinting with the wild-type phage M13 primer (5′-GAGGGTGGCGGTTCT-3′) was applied to investigate phylogeographic associations of M. furfur strains isolated from Scandinavians residing permanently in Greece, in comparison to clinical isolates from Greek, Bulgarian and Chinese native residents. Seven M. furfur strains from Scandinavians were compared with the Neotype strain (CBS1878), CBS global collection strains (n=10) and clinical isolates from Greece (n=4), Bulgaria (n=15) and China (n=6). Scandinavian, Greek and Bulgarian M. furfur strains mostly formed distinct group clusters, providing initial evidence for an association with the host's geographical origin and with the underlying skin condition. These initial data address the hypothesis that M. furfur could be a eukaryotic candidate eligible for phylogeographic studies.