bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
8 - The Emergence of Public Spheres in Colonial Cameroon: The Case of Palm Wine Drinking Joints as lieux de sociabilité in Bamenda Township
Authors: Fru Nicodemus Awesome
Published: November 2011

Although Habermas might not have had Africa in mind when he pro- pounded his public sphere theory, we still find his basic premise useful in capturing the public sphere scenario in Africa where people like to periodically congregate in various sites to socialize and indulge in po- litical discourse while drinking. Using the case of colonial Bamenda township, this study examines the emergence and functioning of palm wine drinking joints as public spaces par excellence. These palm wine joints were comparable to European coffee shops and salons which were areas where various people could gather and discuss matters that concerned them. The palm wine joints were informal public spaces that emerged to respond to urbanization and cosmopolitanism, and stood out as one of the distinctive lieux de sociabilité. They were accessible to people of all classes and served as centres for drinking traditional liquor, gathering and spreading news and rumours, discussing politics and social issues, playing and dancing the ‘bottle dance’, and transiting to the ‘red streets’ to visit damsels after sucking in alcohol. The study relied on interviews and archival material as data for this article.
2 - Géophilosophie et déterritorialisation chez Gilles Deleuze : esquisse d’une nouvelle citoyenneté dans l’espace public postnational
Authors: Aliana Serge Bernard Emmanuel
Published: November 2011

En nette rupture avec la métaphysique traditionnelle qui pensait le sujet humain en terme d’un Moi hypostasié, stable, rationnel, identique à soi, conscient de soi, autonome et assigné à un lieu ou une « Polis » aux normes circonscrites, G. Deleuze, sous le prisme conceptuel de la
« Géophilosophie » repense la condition destinale de l’homme d’une manière nouvelle. S’adossant sur les catégories nietzschéennes du tragique et du dionysiaque, Deleuze tente de défonder le sujet rationnel chéri par la philosophie classique pour soutenir l’idée d’un sujet irrationnel, esthétisant, déshistorisé, délocalisé, mobile, flexible, plurielle, décentré, nourrit à la sève d’une identité « rhizomique » et ouvert aux flux du monde. Dans la mesure où les flux sont toujours aléatoires et mutants et que le décentrement nie toute identité stable ou tout lieu d’assignation, Deleuze esquisse une véritable politique de l’hybridisme, du nomadisme, l’errance et de l’exil qui valorise à chaque fois les « lignes de fuites » comme principe de la « déterritorialisation ». Que signifie déterritorialiser sinon « faire passer des flux à l’état libre sur un corps sans organe désocialisé ». Arrachant le sujet humain des cadres institutionnels rigides et des pouvoirs étatiques établis, Deleuze entend émanciper celui-ci de tous les « codes » pour laisser s’exprimer en lui les désirs décodés. Il s’agit donc d’une libération du désir comme
« processus schizophrénique ». Pour Deleuze, le devenir universel, c’est-à-dire l’Histoire a pour fin « la production désirante dans sa libération à l’égard d la production sociale ». C’est donc le désir qui est déterritorialisant.
3 - Public Spheres, Personal Papers, Pedagogical Practices: Ruth First’s Academic Postings to/ from Dar es Salaam and Maputo
Authors: Harlow Barbara
Published: November 2011

This article proposes to consider, in particular, Ruth First’s work in her final years at the University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique (UEM), with reference to her own biographical trajectory and towards a reconsideration of contemporary and subsequent developments in the institutional history of post-independence education: public spheres (the university), personal papers (the archive), and pedagogical practices (the classroom).
11 - Household-level Social Capital in Cameroon and Children’s Schooling: A Gender Analysis
Authors: Atemnkeng Johannes Tabi
Published: November 2011

This article examines household-level social capital as a determinant of children’s schooling using a cross-sectional data of the 2001 Cameroon Household Survey. Reduced form demand equations of schooling for the entire sample, male and female children are estimated separately. Results indicate that parent’s education and income strongly influence parental decisions towards a child’s schooling. However, social capital, especially in the female dimension, is more important as both male and female children are equally given the opportunity to attend school and there is no gender bias in children’s schooling outcome when parents participate in groups or associations. We recommend the building of social capital by creating associations and encouraging females to be actively involved in such associative groups.
12 - Mise en scène de la culture et espace public au Sénégal
Authors: Benga Ndiouga
Published: November 2011

Cette présentation suit à la trace, d’une part, la trajectoire heurtée des arts et de la culture au Sénégal sous le magistère de Senghor, président-poéte- philosophe, puis de ses successeurs, dans la séquence post-indépendance et d’autre part la transformation générationnelle qui la traverse. Dans la philosophie de Senghor, où « tout est culture », le « tout État » assigne à la politique culturelle la vocation d’exprimer et de forger une identité nationale, exploitant la veine mythico-historique, s’incarnant dans des institutions culturelles voulues, créées et entretenues par les pouvoirs publics. Sous Abdou Diouf et Abdoulaye Wade, la générosité culturelle fait face à la réalité économique, caractérisée par la raréfaction des ressources. La scène culturelle se caractérise, à partir des années 1980, par l’informel, l’esprit de débrouille, l’abolition de la représentation et de la distance si chères à Senghor, la démultiplication et la déterritorialisation des initiatives culturelles. La contestation de l’État et de sa censure dans l’espace public, des années 1970 à la fin des années 1990, se donne à lire dans une tentative de culture populaire alternative, depuis le Front Culturel, en passant par le cin ma (Sembène) et les artistes indépendants du Village des Arts et de Agit-Art.
Glucan Biosynthesis Protein G Is a Suitable Reference Gene in Escherichia coli K-12
Authors: Heng Sean S. J. , Chan Oliver Y. W. , Keng Bryan M. H. , Ling Maurice H. T.
Published: November 2011

The expressions of reference genes used in gene expression studies are assumed to be stable under most circumstances. However, a number of studies had demonstrated that such genes were found to vary under experimental conditions. In addition, genes that are stably expressed in an organ may not be stably expressed in other organs or other organisms, suggesting the need to identify reference genes for each organ and organism. This study aims at identifying stably expressed genes in Escherichia coli. Microarray datasets from E. coli substrain MG1655 and 1 dataset from W3110 were analysed. Coefficient of variance (COV) of was calculated and 10% of the lowest COV from 4631 genes common in the 3 MG1655 sets were analysed using NormFinder. Glucan biosynthesis protein G (mdoG), which is involved in cell wall synthesis, displayed the lowest weighted COV and weighted NormFinder Stability Index for the MG1655 datasets, while also showing to be the most stable in the dataset for substrain W3110, suggesting that mdoG is a suitable reference gene for E. coli K-12. Gene ontology over-representation analysis on the 39 genes suggested an over-representation of cell division, carbohydrate metabolism, and protein synthesis which supports the short generation time of E. coli.
INTENSITY ESTIMATION OF STATIONARY FIBRE PROCESSES FROM DIGITAL IMAGES WITH A LEARNED DETECTOR
Authors: Rancoita Paola M.V. , Giusti Alessandro , Micheletti Alessandra
Published: November 2011

Stationary fibre processes are processes of curves in a higher dimensional space, whose distribution is translation invariant. In practical applications, they can be used to model several real objects, such as roots, vascular networks and fibres of materials. Often it is required to compare processes showing similar shape, thus a quantitative approach to describe their stochastic geometry is necessary. One of the basic geometric characteristics of these processes is the intensity (i.e., mean total length per unit area or volume). Here, a general computational-statistical approach is proposed for the estimation of this quantity from digital images of the process, thus only planar fibre processes or projections of processes onto a plane are considered. Differently from approaches based on segmentation, it does not depend on the particular application. The statistical estimator of the intensity is proportional to the number of intersections between the process under study and an independent motion invariant test fibre process. The intersections are detected on the real digital image by a learned detector, easily trained by the user. Under rather mild regularity conditions on the fibre process under study, the method also allows to estimate approximate confidence intervals for the intensity, which is useful especially for comparison purposes.
Energy efficient and controlled flow processing under microwave heating by using a millireactor–heat exchanger
Authors: Patil N. G. , Hermans A.I.G. , Benaskar F. , Meuldijk J. , A. Hulshof L. , Hessel V. , Schouten J. C. , Rebrov E.V.
Published: November 2011

A continuously operated microwave heated millireactor setup has been developed for performing reactions of highly microwave absorbing media in a controlled and energy efficient manner. The setup consists of a tubular reactor integrated with a heat exchanger. A microwave transparent liquid was used as coolant to extract the excess heat from the reaction mixture, thus controlling the temperature of the reaction mixture by avoiding overshoots and subsequent boiling. A reactor‐heat exchanger shell and tube unit with a diameter of the inner tube of 3·10−3 m and a shell of 7·10−3 m inner diameter has been manufactured in quartz. The unit size was defined based on simulation with a heat‐transfer model for the microwave cavity part. Microwave heating was incorporated as a volumetric heating source term using the temperature‐dependent dielectric properties of the liquid. Model predictions were validated with measurements for a range of 0.167·10−6 to 1.67·10−6 m3/s flow rates of coolant. The outlet temperature of both the reaction mixture and the coolant, were predicted accurately (tolerance of 3 K), and the process window was determined. The model for the reactor part provided the required length of the reactor for a hetero‐geneously catalyzed esterification reaction. The predicted conversions, based on the obtained temperature profile in the reactor packed with the catalyst bed, known residence times and kinetics of the esterification reaction, were found to be in good agreement with the experimental results. Efficient utilization of microwave energy with heat recovery up to 20% of the total absorbed microwave power and heating efficiencies up to 96% were achieved. It has been demonstrated that the microwave heating combined with millireactor flow processing provides controlled and energy efficient operation thus making it a viable option for a fine chemical production scale of 1 kg/day (24 h period). © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 3144–3155, 2012
Maternal cortisol disproportionately impacts fetal growth in male offspring: Evidence from the philippines
Authors: Thayer Zaneta M. , Feranil Alan B. , Kuzawa Christopher W.
Published: November 2011

Objectives:

Lower birth weight (BW) reoccurs across generations, but the intermediate mechanisms remain poorly understood. One potential pathway involves cortisol, which may be elevated in women born small and in turn could lead to fetal growth restriction in offspring. To test this possibility, we evaluated whether BW predicts hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) function in the nonpregnant state in a cohort of young Filipino women, and whether differences in HPA function predict offspring BW.

Methods:

Multiple regression relating maternal BW, adult salivary cortisol profiles and recalled offspring BW (N = 488) among participants of the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey.

Results:

Maternal BW related inversely to evening cortisol in adulthood (P < 0.04). Maternal BW and evening cortisol were both stronger predictors of male than of female BW (maternal BW: P < 0.0001 for males; P = 0.07 for females; bedtime cortisol: P = 0.003 for males; P = 0.3 for females). Waking and 30‐min postwaking cortisol did not predict offspring BW. Controlling for evening cortisol did not diminish the relationship between maternal and offspring BW in males or females.

Conclusions:

Being born small predicted higher evening cortisol in adulthood among these young mothers. Lower maternal BW and elevated evening cortisol independently predicted giving birth to lower BW offspring, with effects greatest and only significant among males. We speculate that sex differences in sensitivity to maternal stress hormones could help explain the stronger relationships between BW and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors reported among the males in this and other populations. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Musculoskeletal symptoms and associated risk factors in a large sample of Chinese workers in henan province of China
Authors: Yu Shanfa , Lu Ming‐Lun , Gu Guizhen , Zhou Wenhui , He Lihua , Wang Sheng
Published: November 2011

Objective

To investigate the one‐year prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and associated risk factors in a large sample of Chinese workers in various industrial settings.

Methods

A total of 5,338 (3,632 males and 1,706 females) workers from 13 companies participated in this study. Musculoskeletal symptoms in different body regions in the previous year and their risk factors were assessed by a self‐reported questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the individual, work‐related physical and psychosocial risk factors for the musculoskeletal symptoms.

Results

The most commonly affected body regions among the workers were lower back (59.7%), neck (48.6%), shoulders (38.8%), and wrists (33.5%). Female workers had greater prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck, shoulders, and wrists than male workers. Results of multivariate analyses indicated that individual, work‐related physical and psychosocial factors were associated with the musculoskeletal symptoms.

Conclusion

The results suggest that interventions aimed at reducing musculoskeletal symptoms in the Chinese working population should take into account multiple risk areas including individual, physical job characteristics and work‐related psychosocial factors. Am. J. Ind. Med. 55:281–293, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Biodegradable blends based on polyvinyl pyrrolidone for insulation purposes
Authors: El‐Houssiny A. S. , Ward A. A. M. , Mansour S. H. , Abd‐ El‐ Messieh S. L.
Published: November 2011

Polyvinyl pyrrolidone/polyvinyl alcohol (PVP/PVA) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone/starch (PVP/St) blends were prepared with different compositions. The compatibility studies indicate that PVP/PVA is compatible while PVP/St is incompatible. The addition of glycerol and glutaraldehyde can improve to some extent the phase separation behavior between PVP and St. The permittivity ε′ and the dielectric loss ε″ were measured in the frequency range 0.01 Hz up to 10 MHz and temperatures from 30 up to 90°C. It is found that the blend ratio (50/50) of both investigated systems is preferable for insulation purposes in comparable with the other blends under investigation. The data of the loss electric modulus M″ was calculated from the dielectric parameters ε′ and ε″and analyzed into three relaxation mechanisms ascribing the cooperative motion of the main and side chains τ1 (αβ), the side chain motion τ2 (β) and the segmental motion of the groups attached to the side chains τ3 (βγ). The activation energy corresponds to the second relaxation process ΔH2 was calculated using Arrhenius equation and found to be in the range which justifies the presumption of β‐relaxation process. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
The invisibility of science publications in hebrew: A comparative database study
Authors: Gordon Avishag
Published: November 2011

Since the end of World War II, the English language has become the lingua franca of science publications worldwide. Science publications written in other languages do not gain the same exposure to the international scientific community as does the material in English. In this sense, non‐English articles constitute an “invisible science” for the rest of the scientific world. This study compares publications indexed in the academic‐oriented Hebrew Index of Periodicals (IHP) database with those in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) in order to document the amount of scientific material published in Israel, where Hebrew is the native language. Except for abstracts, which are sometimes given in English, as well as Hebrew, and therefore provide some idea of a paper's content, most of this research remains hidden from the international scientific community. The SCIE and IHP databases for our examination cover the three grand disciplines: the exact and life sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. Additionally, the study probes the coverage of medical publications in the two databases. The difference between old and emerging disciplines in the use of a language other than Hebrew is observed and non‐English citation patterns for various disciplines are examined. The results confirm the dominance of English as the lingua franca of science and point to the large number of scientific studies in Hebrew that lack international exposure.
Bioreactor controlled by PI algorithm and operated with a perfusion chamber to support endothelial cell survival and proliferation
Authors: Shkilnyy Andriy , Dubois Justin , Sabra Georges , Sharp Jamie , Gagnon Serge , Proulx Pierre , Vermette Patrick
Published: November 2011

This paper reports the optimization of a perfusion bioreactor system previously reported by us (Chouinard et al., 2009). The implementation of a proportional–integral (PI) controller algorithm to control oxygen concentration and pH is presented and discussed. P and I values used by the controller were first estimated using a First‐Order‐Plus‐Dead‐Time (FOPDT, Matlab Simulink) and then tuned manually. A new gas exchanger design compatible with the PI controller was introduced and validated to decrease interaction between the injected gases and overall inertia of the system. The gas exchanger was used to adjust both pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration. This new bioreactor system allowed real‐time PI control over pH and DO concentration at different flow rates (from 2 to 70 mL min−1). Cell viability and proliferation were investigated to validate the updated bioreactor design and performance. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:1305–1313. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Production of mouse granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor by gateway technology and transgenic rice cell culture
Authors: Liu Yu‐Kuo , Huang Li‐Fen , Ho Shin‐Lon , Liao Chun‐Yu , Liu Hsin‐Yi , Lai Ying‐Hui , Yu Su‐May , Lu Chung‐An
Published: November 2011

To establish a production platform for recombinant proteins in rice suspension cells, we first constructed a Gateway‐compatible binary T‐DNA destination vector. It provided a reliable and effective method for the rapid directional cloning of target genes into plant cells throughAgrobacterium‐mediated transformation. We used the approach to produce mouse granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (mGM‐CSF) in a rice suspension cell system. The promoter for theαAmy3amylase gene, which is induced strongly by sugar depletion, drove the expression of mGM‐CSF. The resulting recombinant protein was fused with the αAmy3 signal peptide and was secreted into the culture medium. The production of rice‐derived mGM‐CSF (rmGM‐CSF) was scaled up successfully in a 2‐L bioreactor, in which the highest yield of rmGM‐CSF was 24.6 mg/L. Due to post‐translational glycosylation, the molecular weight of rmGM‐CSF was larger than that of recombinant mGM‐CSF produced inEscherichia coli. The rmGM‐CSF was bioactive and could stimulate the proliferation of a murine myeloblastic leukemia cell line, NSF‐60. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:1239–1247. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Optimizing H.264/AVC interprediction on a GPU‐based framework
Authors: Rodríguez‐Sánchez Rafael , Martínez José Luis , Fernández‐Escribano Gerardo , Sánchez José L. , Claver José M. , Diaz Pedro
Published: November 2011

H.264/MPEG‐4 part 10 is the latest standard for video compression and promises a significant advance in terms of quality and distortion compared with the commercial standards currently most in use such as MPEG‐2 or MPEG‐4. To achieve this better performance, H.264 adopts a large number of new/improved compression techniques compared with previous standards, albeit at the expense of higher computational complexity. In addition, in recent years new hardware accelerators have emerged, such as graphics processing units (GPUs), which provide a new opportunity to reduce complexity for a large variety of algorithms. However, current GPUs suffer from higher power consumption requirements because of its design. Up to now, GPU‐based software developers have not taken this into account. In this paper, we present a detailed procedure to implement the H.264 motion estimation for a GPU, with the aim of reducing time and, as a consequence, the energy consumption. The results show a negligible drop in rate distortion with a time reduction of over 91.5% on average and it reduces the energy consumption by a factor of 11.78 compared with the reference implementation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Drug development in NZ: can a country be a cluster?
Authors: Lockhart Michelle Marie , Babar Zaheer‐Ud‐Din , Garg Sanjay
Published: November 2011

The aims of this research were to assess New Zealand's (NZ) growing drug development industry, and compare it with drug development and biotechnology clusters overseas. This article presents the results of questionnaires administered dutring interviews with 60 senior people representing the industry. It narrates their expertise, knowledge management, and innovative behaviors. NZ's industry comprises highly qualified, very experienced, and motivated people. Their organizations have particular expertise in drug discovery, which has arisen from long‐term government support for biomedical research. There is also significant expertise in early‐stage clinical development and contract clinical research. Knowledge sharing was rated as better within organizations than externally. The participants gave the highest ratings of their organizations' innovative performance to solving problems that had caused others difficulty, teamwork and having new ideas; they prefer informal methods of knowledge acquisition. These factors may reflect the NZ approach of applying ingenuity to solve problems and preference for casual and internal knowledge sharing. NZ has a hub of drug development activity; however, its size, limited resources, and remoteness from major markets may limit the development of a complete pharmaceutical industry. NZ could be promoted as a unique “country cluster” offering niche areas of expertise especially in drug discovery and clinical research. Drug Dev Res 73: 51–58, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Forms of Participatory Modelling and its Potential for Widespread Adoption in the Water Sector
Authors: Hare Matt
Published: November 2011

This article serves as a support for those interested in learning more about participatory modelling and its potential for widespread adoption by resource managers. The first part introduces the reader to four basic forms of participatory modelling, identified by classifying nine example participatory modelling processes. The second part considers the potential widespread adoption of participatory modelling by resource managers in the water sector, concluding that this potential is low. It proposes recommendations as to how the potential for the adoption of participatory modelling by water managers can be increased. One of the most important recommendations is that policy‐makers should focus on the promotion of forms of participatory modelling that support social learning and the development of conceptual models. These forms of participatory modelling are considered most likely to be adopted, especially if they can be promoted in terms of supporting learning cycles within an Adaptive Water Resources Management approach. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Transethnic meta‐analysis of genomewide association studies
Authors: Morris Andrew P.
Published: November 2011

The detection of loci contributing effects to complex human traits, and their subsequent fine‐mapping for the location of causal variants, remains a considerable challenge for the genetics research community. Meta‐analyses of genomewide association studies, primarily ascertained from European‐descent populations, have made considerable advances in our understanding of complex trait genetics, although much of their heritability is still unexplained. With the increasing availability of genomewide association data from diverse populations, transethnic meta‐analysis may offer an exciting opportunity to increase the power to detect novel complex trait loci and to improve the resolution of fine‐mapping of causal variants by leveraging differences in local linkage disequilibrium structure between ethnic groups. However, we might also expect there to be substantial genetic heterogeneity between diverse populations, both in terms of the spectrum of causal variants and their allelic effects, which cannot easily be accommodated through traditional approaches to meta‐analysis. In order to address this challenge, I propose novel transethnic meta‐analysis methodology that takes account of the expected similarity in allelic effects between the most closely related populations, while allowing for heterogeneity between more diverse ethnic groups. This approach yields substantial improvements in performance, compared to fixed‐effects meta‐analysis, both in terms of power to detect association, and localization of the causal variant, over a range of models of heterogeneity between ethnic groups. Furthermore, when the similarity in allelic effects between populations is well captured by their relatedness, this approach has increased power and mapping resolution over random‐effects meta‐analysis. Genet. Epidemiol. 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.35: 809‐822, 2011
Effects of epidermal growth factor receptor blockade on ependymoma stem cells in vitro and in orthotopic mouse models
Authors: Servidei Tiziana , Meco Daniela , Trivieri Nadia , Patriarca Valentina , Vellone Valerio Gaetano , Zannoni Gian Franco , Lamorte Giuseppe , Pallini Roberto , Riccardi Riccardo
Published: November 2011

Some lines of evidence suggest that tumors, including ependymoma, might arise from a subpopulation of cells, termed cancer stem cells (CSCs), with self‐renewal and tumor‐initiation properties. Given the strict dependence of CSCs on epidermal growth factor (EGF) through EGF receptor (EGFR), we investigated the effects of EGFR inhibitors in ependymoma‐stem cells (SCs) in vitro and in orthotopic mouse models. We established two ependymoma‐SC lines from two recurrent pediatric ependymoma. Both lines expressed markers of radial glia—the candidate SCs of ependymoma—and showed renewal ability, multipotency, and tumorigenicity after orthotopic implantation, despite markedly different expression of CD133 (94 vs. 6%). High phosphorylated‐EGFR/EGFR ratio was detected, which decreased after differentiation. EGFR inhibitors (gefitinib and AEE788) reduced clonogenicity, proliferation and survival of ependymoma‐SC lines dose‐dependently, and blocked EGF‐induced activation of EGFR, Akt and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2. Overall, AEE788 was more effective than gefitinib. EGFR blockade as well as differentiation strongly reduced CD133 expression. However, ex vivo treatment with AEE788 did not impair orthotopic tumor engraftment, whereas ex vivo differentiation did, suggesting that CD133 does not absolutely segregate for tumorigenicity in ependymoma‐SCs. Orally administered AEE788 prolonged survival of mice bearing ependymoma‐SC‐driven orthotopic xenografts from 56 to 63 days, close to statistical significance (log‐rank p = 0.06). Our study describes for the first time EGFR signaling in ependymoma‐SCs and the effects of EGFR blockade in complementary in vitro and in vivo systems. The experimental models we developed can be used to further investigate the activity of EGFR inhibitors or other antineoplastic agents in this tumor.
Highly lubricious poly(vinyl alcohol)–poly(acrylic acid) hydrogels
Authors: Choi Jeeyoung , Kung Hsiang J. , Macias Celia E. , Muratoglu Orhun K.
Published: November 2011

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels have desirable characteristics for use as artificial cartilage, such as biocompatibility, high water content, and surface lubricity. However, PVA hydrogels are not strong enough to withstand the demanding load‐bearing environment in human joints. Thermal annealing can greatly improve compressive strength, but it also causes substantial loss in water content and lubricity. We demonstrated that incorporating anionic moieties of poly(acrylic acid) improves surface lubricity, whereas adding poly(ethylene‐glycol) prevents pore collapse during thermal annealing, yielding a tough hydrogel with high lubricity. We also found a “super‐lubricous” response from the gels when they were annealed in air versus argon gas. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 100B: 524–532, 2012.
Viscoelastic, mechanical, and thermal characterization of fly ash‐filled ABS composites and comparison of fly ash surface treatments
Authors: Bonda Sateesh , Mohanty Smita , Nayak Sanjay K.
Published: November 2011

In the present investigation, viscoelastic, mechanical, thermal properties, and microstructural analysis of ABS reinforced with various surface treated fly ash (FA) has been studied. FA particles were surface treated with various chemical reagents, i.e., Ca(OH)2, NaOH, and Bis(3‐triethoxysilylpropyl)tetrasulfane (Si69) to improve the interfacial adhesion between ABS and FA. DMA tests confirmed an increase in the stiffness in the surface treated composites. Hybrid ABS/FA composites showed optimum storage modulus and Tg as compared with the virgin matrix. TGA analysis also showed higher thermal stability of ABS/FA composites than virgin matrix with the surface treatments of FA. The treated FA composites also show improved mechanical properties compared to untreated FA composite. The morphology of virgin matrix, untreated and treated FA composites was studied employing SEM. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers
Ring opening polymerization of α‐amino acid N‐carboxyanhydrides catalyzed by rare earth catalysts: Polymerization characteristics and mechanism
Authors: Peng Hui , Ling Jun , Shen Zhiquan
Published: November 2011

Five rare earth complexes are first introduced to catalyze ring opening polymerizations (ROPs) of γ‐benzyl‐L‐glutamate N‐carboxyanhydride (BLG NCA) and L‐alanine NCA (ALA NCA) including rare earth isopropoxide (RE(OiPr)3), rare earth tris(2,6‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐methylphenolate) (RE(OAr)3), rare earth tris(borohydride) (RE(BH4)3(THF)3), rare earth tris[bis(trimethylsilyl)amide] (RE(NTMS)3), and rare earth trifluoromethanesulfonate. The first four catalysts exhibit high activities in ROPs producing polypeptides with quantitative yields (>90%) and moderate molecular weight (MW) distributions ranging from 1.2 to 1.6. In RE(BH4)3(THF)3 and RE(NTMS)3 catalytic systems, MWs of the produced polypeptides can be controlled by feeding ratios of monomer to catalyst, which is in contrast to the systems of RE(OiPr)3 and RE(OAr)3 with little controllability over the MWs. End groups of the polypeptides are analyzed by MALDI‐TOF MS and polymerization mechanisms are proposed accordingly. With ligands of significant steric hindrance in RE(OiPr)3 and RE(OAr)3, deprotonation of 3‐NH of NCA is the only initiation mode producing a N‐rare earth metallated NCA (i) responsible for further chain growth, resulting in α‐carboxylic‐ω‐aminotelechelic polypeptides after termination. In the case of RE(BH4)3(THF)3 with small ligands, another initiation mode at 5‐CO position of NCA takes place simultaneously, resulting in α‐hydroxyl‐ω‐aminotelechelic polypeptides. In RE(NTMS)3 system, the protonated ligand hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) initiates the polymerization and produces α‐amide‐ω‐aminotelechelic polypeptides. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012
Structure and activity of DmmA, a marine haloalkane dehalogenase
Authors: Gehret Jennifer J. , Gu Liangcai , Geders Todd W. , Brown William Clay , Gerwick Lena , Gerwick William H. , Sherman David H. , Smith Janet L.
Published: November 2011

DmmA is a haloalkane dehalogenase (HLD) identified and characterized from the metagenomic DNA of a marine microbial consortium. Dehalogenase activity was detected with 1,3‐dibromopropane as substrate, with steady‐state kinetic parameters typical of HLDs (Km = 0.24 ± 0.05 mM, kcat = 2.4 ± 0.1 s−1). The 2.2‐Å crystal structure of DmmA revealed a fold and active site similar to other HLDs, but with a substantially larger active site binding pocket, suggestive of an ability to act on bulky substrates. This enhanced cavity was shown to accept a range of linear and cyclic substrates, suggesting that DmmA will contribute to the expanding industrial applications of HLDs.
Prenatal stress alters dendritic morphology and synaptic connectivity in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of developing offspring
Authors: Mychasiuk Richelle , Gibb Robbin , Kolb Bryan
Published: November 2011

The current study used stereological techniques in combination with Golg‐Cox methods to examine the neuroanatomical alterations in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of developing offspring exposed to gestational stress. Morphological changes in dendritic branching, length, and spine density, were examined at weaning along with changes in actual numbers of neurons. Using this information we generated a gross estimation of synaptic connectivity. The results showed region‐specific and sex‐dependent alterations to neuroanatomy in response to prenatal stress. The two regions of the prefrontal cortex, medial prefrontal, and orbital prefrontal cortices, exhibited sexually dimorphic, opposite changes, in synaptic connectivity in response to the same experience. Both male and female offspring demonstrated a loss of neuron number and estimated synapse number in the hippocampus despite exhibiting increased spine density. The results from this study suggest that prenatal stress alters normal development and the organization of neuronal circuits in both neocortex and hippocampus early in development and thus likely influences the course of later experience‐dependent synaptic changes. Synapse, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Small saturating inductors for more compact switching power supplies
Authors: Milner Luke , Rincón‐Mora Gabriel A.
Published: November 2011

Other than by reducing power, extending battery life in portable microelectronics amounts to increasing power efficiency, which, when coupled with accuracy, translates to increasing filter inductance. The problem with higher inductances is that magnetic cores require more space to prevent the onset of saturation, so accuracy and efficiency (via their need for bulky inductors) hamper the miniaturization benefits gained from chip integration. This paper illustrates the time‐domain and efficiency effects of inductor saturation in switched‐inductor DC–DC converters and shows how they can accommodate saturation (with up to 65% reduction in inductance) with minimal impact on battery life and accuracy. Extending the useful range of an inductor in this fashion not only reduces the printed circuit board (PCB) area and volume to a fraction (e.g., 30–50%) of what an otherwise larger unsaturated inductor would require, but also helps bridge the integration gap that enables practical system‐on‐chip (SoC) implementations. © 2011 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Medial Pectoral Nerve to Axillary Nerve Neurotization following Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injuries: Indications and Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Ray Wilson Z. , Murphy Rory K. J. , Santosa Katherine , Johnson Philip J. , Mackinnon Susan E.
Published: November 2011

Introduction

The medial pectoral nerve (MPN) represents a viable donor nerve for neurotization procedures for restoration of shoulder function following upper trunk brachial plexus injuries.

Materials and Methods

We report an eight-case series, single-surgeon experience of patients with upper trunk brachial plexus injuries who underwent MPN to axillary nerve (AXN) transfer from 2001-2007 for shoulder stability and abduction.

Results

The mean patient age was 31.5 (range, 19-51 years). The mean follow-up for all patients was 22.25±7.4 months. Surgery was performed at a mean of 5.8±2.9 months post-injury. On initial evaluation, all eight patients had no deltoid function (M0). Of the eight patients examined postoperatively, we observed excellent recovery in four, good recovery in two, fair recovery in one, and poor functional recovery in the remaining patient.

Discussion

MPN to AXN neurotization is a valid surgical option in the restoration of shoulder stability and shoulder abduction following trauma-related upper trunk brachial plexus injury.
Mentorship in Surgical Training: A Systematic Review
Authors: Entezami Pouya , Franzblau Lauren E. , Chung Kevin C.
Published: November 2011

Objective

This review systematically examines the literature regarding mentor-mentee relationships in surgery.

Background

The usefulness of mentorship in surgical training has been expressed in many articles. However, to date, there has been no systematic review on mentoring surgical trainees. This surgical environment is different from other areas of medicine and requires young surgeons to learn skills not readily available from textbooks. Instead, mentors are a valuable mode of transferring this knowledge to the next generation of surgeons. Thus, mentorship is a worthy area of research and attention.

Methods

We identified all articles discussing mentorship in surgery between January 1985 and August 2010 using PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge. Predetermined exclusion and inclusion criteria were used to screen articles by title, abstract, and full text in sequence. We extracted the relevant data, and then analyzed the prevalence of major surgical mentoring themes in the literature.

Results

Of the 1,091 unique articles found during our original literature search, 38 were selected for review. The majority (68%) were commentary/editorial articles. The most discussed themes include the desirable qualities of a surgical mentor, the structure of mentor-mentee relationships, and advice for overcoming barriers to mentoring. Much less discussed themes include the desirable traits in a mentee and the appreciation of generational and cultural differences in mentorship.

Conclusions

Several barriers to effective surgical mentoring were identified, such as time constraints and a lack of female mentors. By focusing on the positive traits found in this review, for example, developing formal programs to alleviate time constraints, these barriers can be overcome and effective mentor-mentee relationships can be built. Many articles draw attention to the dying art of mentorship in surgical training programs, and currently, the literature on mentorship in surgery is somewhat scarce. These concerns should serve as motivation to revive mentorship in surgery education and to expand the literature regarding underexplored themes and overcoming the current barriers. Although mentorship may not always take on a structured form, it should not be treated casually because proper mentorship is the foundation for training quality surgeons.
Characterization of Secretory Phospholipase A2 with Phospholipase A1 Activity in Tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum (L.)
Authors: Fujikawa Yukichi , Fujikawa Ritsuko , Iijima Noriaki , Esaka Muneharu
Published: November 2011

A cDNA encoding protein with homology to plant secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2), denoted as Nt1 PLA2, was isolated from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). The cDNA encodes a mature protein of 118 amino acid residues with a putative signal peptide of 29 residues. The mature form of Nt1 PLA2 has 12 cysteines, Ca2+ binding loop and catalytic site domain that are commonly conserved in plant sPLA2s. The recombinant Nt1 PLA2 was expressed as a fusion protein with thioredoxin in E. coli BL21 cells and was purified by an ion exchange chromatography after digestion of the fusion proteins by Factor Xa protease to obtain the mature form. Interestingly, Nt1 PLA2 could hydrolyze the ester bond at the sn‐1 position of glycerophospholipids as well as at the sn‐2 position, when the activities were determined using mixed‐micellar phospholipids with sodium cholate. Both activities for the sn‐1 and ‐2 positions of glycerophospholipids required Ca2+ essentially, and maximal activities were found in an alkaline region when phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol or phosphatidylethanolamine was used as a substrate. The level of Nt1 PLA2 mRNA was detected at a higher level in tobacco flowers than stem, leaves and roots, and was induced by salicylic acid.
7‐Ketocholesterol is Not Cytotoxic to U937 Cells When Incorporated into Acetylated Low Density Lipoprotein
Authors: Rutherford Lucy D. , Gieseg Steven P.
Published: November 2011

The growth of the necrotic core region within advanced atherosclerotic plaque is thought to be driven by oxidised low density lipoprotein (oxLDL)‐induced death of macrophage cells. OxLDL and atherosclerotic plaque are rich in oxysterols, especially 7‐ketocholesterol (7KC). As 7KC triggers cell death at physiological concentrations when added directly to the cell culture media, 7KC and other oxysterols have been suggested to be the main cytotoxic agent of oxLDL. We investigated this hypothesis by examining the toxicity of 7KC to monocyte‐like U937 cells when incorporated into high‐uptake non‐toxic acetylated LDL (acLDL). Incorporation of 7KC into acLDL greatly reduced the oxysterol toxicity when compared with an equivalent amount of 7KC added directly to U937 cells. Enrichment of oxLDL with 7KC did not significantly enhance lipoprotein toxicity. OxLDL was highly cytotoxic yet generated only low levels of intracellular 7KC. In comparison, 7KC‐acLDL generated high intracellular 7KC concentrations with little loss in cell viability. The data show that when incorporated into lipoprotein, 7KC cytotoxicity is greatly reduced, even though intracellular levels exceed those measured when cells are incubated with oxLDL, which suggests 7KC is not the significant toxic agent within oxLDL.
Bedforms in a turbulent stream: ripples, chevrons and antidunes
Authors: Andreotti Bruno , Claudin Philippe , Devauchelle Olivier , Durán Orencio , Fourrière Antoine
Published: November 2011

The interaction between a turbulent flow and a granular bed via sediment transport produces various bedforms associated with distinct hydrodynamical regimes. In this paper, we compare ripples (downstream-propagating transverse bedforms), chevrons and bars (bedforms inclined with respect to the flow direction) and antidunes (upstream-propagating bedforms), focusing on the mechanisms involved in the early stages of their formation. Performing the linear stability analysis of a flat bed, we study the asymptotic behaviours of the dispersion relation with respect to the physical parameters of the problem. In the subcritical regime (Froude number$\mathscr{F}$smaller than unity), we show that the same instability produces ripples or chevrons depending on the influence of the free surface. The transition from transverse to inclined bedforms is controlled by the ratio of the saturation length${L}_{\mathit{sat}} $, which encodes the stabilizing effect of sediment transport, to the flow depth$H$, which determines the hydrodynamical regime. These results suggest that alternate bars form in rivers during flooding events, when suspended load dominates over bedload. In the supercritical regime$\mathscr{F}\gt 1$, the transition from ripples to antidunes is also controlled by the ratio${L}_{\mathit{sat}} / H$. Antidunes appear around resonant conditions for free surface waves, a situation for which the sediment transport saturation becomes destabilizing. This resonance turns out to be fundamentally different from the inviscid prediction. Their wavelength selected by linear instability mostly scales on the flow depth$H$, which is in agreement with existing experimental data. Our results also predict the emergence, at large Froude numbers, of ‘antichevrons’ or ‘antibars’, i.e. bedforms inclined with respect to the flow and propagating upstream.
WHERE THE LAW BECOMES IRRELEVANT: CONSULAR ASSISTANCE AND THE EUROPEAN UNION
Authors: Vermeer-Künzli Annemarieke
Published: November 2011

In recent years, the European Union (‘eu’) has taken a number of initiatives with a view to co-ordinating consular assistance in third countries. Not only have EU citizens an entitlement to consular assistance by any EU Member State in the absence of a representation of their own, but EU Member States themselves are encouraged to co-operate by means of the Lead State Concept and other forms of co-operation. While this may seem relatively unproblematic from the perspective of the EU, it is very difficult to reconcile with general international law. The various EU agreements in this area have no application to third States: some do not have legally binding form and even those that do only apply to the parties to the treaties, ie EU Member States. This article will present the situation, analyse its complexities and offer some reflections on the global application and desirability of the regime created by the EU.
The departmental impact of magnetic resonance imaging in the management of cervical cancer brachytherapy: a discussion paper
Authors: Warren M.J. , Eddy A.
Published: November 2011

This discussion paper will explore the impact of using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the treatment of cervical cancer with brachytherapy. It is written from the perspective of current departmental practice in the UK and aims to highlight the issues associated with using MRI as a tool for image guided brachytherapy planning. To support the discussion, a literature review was undertaken focussing specifically on the use of MRI in brachytherapy treatment planning for cervical cancer. Results from planning case studies and clinical series were analysed, and the literature showed that image guided brachytherapy treatment planning is a promising development. MRI assisted planning could theoretically be implemented in centres that have access to a MRI scanner. Alternative brachytherapy technologies (e.g. Computed Tomography (CT) assisted planning), and alternative radiotherapy modalities (e.g. an external beam radiotherapy boost), were not found to be superior in effect or of implementation. Although MRI shows great promise, the evidence base for MRI in brachytherapy planning for cervical cancer is currently limited and therefore careful implementation and evaluation is required. It is suggested by the authors that new methods of working are devised to ensure consistency and quality in implementation and delivery, and that outcomes are measured and audited to evaluate efficacy.