bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Berberine Inhibits Pulmonary Metastasis through Down‐regulation of MMP in Metastatic B16F‐10 Melanoma Cells
Authors: Hamsa T. P. , Kuttan Girija
Published: September 2011

The present study demonstrated the potential antimetastatic and antiinvasive effect of berberine using both in vivo mouse lung metastasis and in vitro models. Administration of berberine resulted in significant suppression of B16F‐10 melanoma induced tumor nodule formation and enhanced the survival of tumor‐bearing mice. Berberine treatment also decreased various biochemical parameters associated with lung metastasis. These inhibitory actions may be due to the significant suppression of several signaling molecules such as ERK1/2, NF‐κB, ATF‐2 and CREB involved in the transcription signaling pathways for MMP gene expression. It could also inhibit the migration and invasion of highly metastatic murine melanoma cells in a dose‐dependent manner in vitro. The results clearly show that berberine could significantly inhibit experimental lung metastasis produced by intravenous injection of B16F‐10 melanoma cells and this effect could be linked to the down‐regulation of metastasis‐related signaling molecules. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Distribution‐free Control Chart for the Joint Monitoring of Location and Scale
Authors: Mukherjee A. , Chakraborti S.
Published: September 2011

Traditional statistical process control for variables data often involves the use of a separate mean and a standard deviation chart. Several proposals have been published recently, where a single (combination) chart that is simpler and may have performance advantages, is used. The assumption of normality is crucial for the validity of these charts. In this article, a single distribution‐free Shewhart‐type chart is proposed for monitoring the location and the scale parameters of a continuous distribution when both of these parameters are unknown. The plotting statistic combines two popular nonparametric test statistics: the Wilcoxon rank sum test for location and the Ansari–Bradley test for scale. Being nonparametric, all in‐control properties of the proposed chart remain the same and known for all continuous distributions. Control limits are tabulated for implementation in practice. The in‐control and the out‐of‐control performance properties of the chart are investigated in simulation studies in terms of the mean, the standard deviation, the median, and some percentiles of the run length distribution. The influence of the reference sample size is examined. A numerical example is given for illustration. Summary and conclusions are offered. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Unpacking Firm Exit at the Firm and Industry Levels: The Adaptation and Selection of Firm Capabilities
Authors: Fortune Annetta , Mitchell Will
Published: September 2011

Evolutionary theory of business activity studies how firms are selected out of environments in which they do not fit, but most existing work underemphasizes the distinction between acquisition and dissolution as selection processes. We address this gap with a multilevel analysis that investigates how managerial and functional organizational capabilities affect whether struggling firms exit by acquisition or dissolution. We demonstrate that managerial and functional capabilities have heterogeneous effects on selection processes, with managerial capabilities having particularly strong influence on acquisition exits by struggling firms. The work provides a bridge between adaptation and selection views on organizational change; exit by dissolution represents selection of both firms and capabilities, while exit by acquisition represents firm selection but capability adaptation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Contextualizing agile software development
Authors: Kruchten Philippe
Published: September 2011

This paper presents a contextual model for software‐intensive systems development to guide the adoption and adaptation of agile software development practices. This model was found especially useful when the project context departs significantly from the “agile sweet spot”, that is, the ideal conditions in which agile software development practices originated from, and where they are most likely to succeed, “out of the box”. This is the case for large systems, distributed development environment, safety‐critical systems, system requiring a novel architecture, or systems with an unorthodox business model or governance model. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rho GTPases Mediate the Mechanosensitive Lineage Commitment of Neural Stem Cells
Authors: Keung Albert J. , de Juan-Pardo Elena M. , Schaffer David V. , Kumar Sanjay
Published: September 2011

Adult neural stem cells (NSCs) play important roles in learning and memory and are negatively impacted by neurological disease. It is known that biochemical and genetic factors regulate self-renewal and differentiation, and it has recently been suggested that mechanical and solid-state cues, such as extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness, can also regulate the functions of NSCs and other stem cell types. However, relatively little is known of the molecular mechanisms through which stem cells transduce mechanical inputs into fate decisions, the extent to which mechanical inputs instruct fate decisions versus select for or against lineage-committed blast populations, or the in vivo relevance of mechanotransductive signaling molecules in native stem cell niches. Here we demonstrate that ECM-derived mechanical signals act through Rho GTPases to activate the cellular contractility machinery in a key early window during differentiation to regulate NSC lineage commitment. Furthermore, culturing NSCs on increasingly stiff ECMs enhances RhoA and Cdc42 activation, increases NSC stiffness, and suppresses neurogenesis. Likewise, inhibiting RhoA and Cdc42 or downstream regulators of cellular contractility rescues NSCs from stiff matrix- and Rho GTPase-induced neurosuppression. Importantly, Rho GTPase expression and ECM stiffness do not alter proliferation or apoptosis rates indicating that an instructive rather than selective mechanism modulates lineage distributions. Finally, in the adult brain, RhoA activation in hippocampal progenitors suppresses neurogenesis, analogous to its effect in vitro. These results establish Rho GTPase-based mechanotransduction and cellular stiffness as biophysical regulators of NSC fate in vitro and RhoA as an important regulatory protein in the hippocampal stem cell niche.
Brief Report: Phenotypic Rescue of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Motoneurons of a Spinal Muscular Atrophy Patient
Authors: Chang Tammy , Zheng Weiyan , Tsark Walter , Bates Steven , Huang He , Lin Ren-Jang , Yee Jiing-Kuan
Published: September 2011

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is one of the most common autosomal recessive disorders in humans and is a common genetic cause of infant mortality. The disease is caused by loss of the survival of motoneuron (SMN) protein, resulting in the degeneration of alpha motoneurons in spinal cord and muscular atrophy in the limbs and trunk. One function of SMN involves RNA splicing. It is unclear why a deficiency in a housekeeping function such as RNA splicing causes profound effects only on motoneurons but not on other cell types. One difficulty in studying SMA is the scarcity of patient's samples. The discovery that somatic cells can be reprogrammed to become induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs) raises the intriguing possibility of modeling human diseases in vitro. We reported the establishment of five iPSC lines from the fibroblasts of a type 1 SMA patient. Neuronal cultures derived from these SMA iPSC lines exhibited a reduced capacity to form motoneurons and an abnormality in neurite outgrowth. Ectopic SMN expression in these iPSC lines restored normal motoneuron differentiation and rescued the phenotype of delayed neurite outgrowth. These results suggest that the observed abnormalities are indeed caused by SMN deficiency and not by iPSC clonal variability. Further characterization of the cellular and functional deficits in motoneurons derived from these iPSCs may accelerate the exploration of the underlying mechanisms of SMA pathogenesis.
Concise Review: Transmissible Animal Tumors as Models of the Cancer Stem-Cell Process
Authors: O'Neill Iain D.
Published: September 2011

Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) and canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) are highly unusual cancers capable of being transmitted between animals as an allograft. The concept that these tumors represent a cancer stem-cell process has never been formally evaluated. For each, evidence of self-renewal is found in the natural history of these tumors in the wild, tumor initiation in recipient animals, and serial transplantation studies. Additional data for stem-cell-specific genes and markers in DFTD also exist. Although both tumor types manifest as undifferentiated cancers, immunocytohistochemistry supports a histiocytic phenotype for CTVT and a neural crest origin, possibly a Schwann-cell phenotype, for DFTD. In these data, differential expression of lineage markers is seen which may suggest some capacity for differentiation toward a heterogeneous variety of cell types. It is proposed that DFTD and CTVT may represent and may serve as models of the cancer stem-cell process, but formal investigation is required to clarify this. Appreciation of any such role may act as a stimulus to ongoing research in the pathology of DFTD and CTVT, including further characterization of their origin and phenotype and possible therapeutic approaches. Additionally, they may provide valuable models for future studies of their analogous human cancers, including any putative CSC component.
Dopamine agonist radioligand binds to both D2High and D2Low receptors, explaining why alterations in D2High are not detected in human brain scans
Authors: Seeman Philip
Published: September 2011

The features of schizophrenia are consistent with increased sensitivity to endogenous dopamine. Animal models of schizophrenia reveal an increase in the in vitro proportion of striatal dopamine D2 receptors in the high‐affinity state for dopamine (i.e., D2High), as measured by dopamine/[3H]domperidone competition. However, in vivo studies did not reveal the dopamine agonist [11C](+)PHNO to be elevated in amphetamine‐sensitized rats. Also, no increase was found in the in vivo binding of [11C](+)PHNO in schizophrenia patients. This work was done to resolve the contradictory findings. It was found that the in vitro density of rat striatal D2 receptors was 18 pmol/g for [3H]raclopride and 12 pmol/g for [3H](+)PHNO; most of the latter sites disappeared in the presence of guanine nucleotide. Using 2 nM [3H](+)PHNO (Kd of 0.72 nM at D2) to label D2 receptors in the striata and the human D2 clone, 10 nM to 100 nM dopamine inhibited 10–20% of the [3H](+)PHNO bound, representing high‐affinity binding of [3H](+)PHNO, with the remainder inhibited above 100 nM dopamine, representing low‐affinity binding of [3H](+)PHNO. It was found that (+)PHNO and (−)NPA dissociated from the D2 clone with half‐times of 96 and 600 s, respectively. These rates are slower than the reported sub‐second dissociation of the G protein from a receptor, suggesting that these two ligands still occupy the D2Low receptor after the G protein has separated. Thus, the radio‐agonist label for (+)PHNO is not selective for dopamine D2High receptors, but also binds to the D2Low state of the dopamine receptor. Synapse, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A new automatic algorithm to extract craniofacial measurements from fetal three‐dimensional volumes
Authors: Tsai P.‐Y. , Chen H.‐C. , Huang H.‐H. , Chang C.‐H. , Fan P.‐S. , Huang C.‐I. , Cheng Y.‐C. , Chang F.‐M. , Sun Y.‐N.
Published: September 2011

Objectives

Three‐dimensional (3D) ultrasound is useful in the prenatal evaluation of fetal craniofacial structures, particularly as it provides a multiplanar view. However, an expert must designate the area of interest and the appropriate view, making measurement of fetal structures using 3D ultrasound both time‐consuming and subjective. In this study we propose an image analysis system that measures automatically and precisely the fetal craniofacial structures and evaluate its performance in the second trimester of pregnancy using a new 3D volume analysis algorithm.

Methods

A universal facial surface template model containing the geometric shape information of a fetal craniofacial structure was constructed from a fetal phantom. Using the proposed image analysis system we fitted this stored template model using a model deformation approach to individual fetal 3D facial volumes from 11 mid‐trimester fetuses, and extracted automatically the following standard measurements: biparietal diameter (BPD), occipitofrontal diameter (OFD), interorbital diameter (IOD), bilateral orbital diameter (BOD) and distance between vertex and nasion (VN). The same five parameters were measured manually by an expert and the results compared.

Results

Comparison of the algorithm‐based automatic measurements with manual measurements made by an expert gave correlation coefficients of 0.99 for BPD, 0.98 for OFD, 0.80 for BOD, 0.83 for IOD and 0.99 for VN. There were no significant differences between automatic and manual measurements.

Conclusion

Our proposed system measures precisely the fetal craniofacial structures using 3D ultrasound, making it potentially useful for clinical service. This system could also be applied to other clinical fields in future testing. Copyright © 2012 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison between prenatal ultrasound and postmortem findings in fetuses and infants with developmental anomalies
Authors: Vogt C. , Blaas H.‐G. K. , Salvesen K. Å. , Eik‐Nes S. H.
Published: September 2011

Objective

To determine if postmortem examinations of fetuses and infants change the diagnosis obtained at prenatal ultrasound and affect counseling of future pregnancies, and if there has been a change over recent years in the accuracy of prenatal ultrasound diagnosis.

Methods

This was a retrospective review of 455 autopsies of fetuses and infants with developmental anomalies performed at Trondheim University Hospital between 1995 and 2004 and with a prenatal ultrasound examination performed at a tertiary referral center. The routine ultrasound examinations were performed by specially trained midwives and obstetricians, referral scans by fetal medicine experts and autopsies by consultant pathologists with experience in perinatal pathology. The results of this study were also compared with those of a previous similar study performed between 1985 and 1995, with fetuses and infants coming from the same population and diagnosed at the same center.

Results

Of all cases analyzed during the study period, there was complete agreement between prenatal ultrasound and postmortem findings in 84% (384/455), i.e. prenatal ultrasound diagnoses were supplemented by postmortem examinations in 16% (71/455). Autopsy findings in four of these cases influenced further counseling. There was agreement regarding the main diagnosis in 98% (445/455) of cases. In the previous 10‐year period, there was complete agreement in 75% and the main diagnosis was correct in 90% of cases. These differences between the two time periods were statistically significant (P = 0.0004 and P < 0.0001, respectively). The most frequent defects involved the central nervous system, heart and urinary tract. For these defects, detection rates for the main diagnoses were significantly better in 1995–2004 compared with in the previous 10‐year period (P = 0.0125, P = 0.0111 and P = 0.0241, respectively).

Conclusion

The accuracy of prenatal sonographic detection of developmental anomalies has increased in recent years. However, postmortem examination is still necessary to verify or improve the prenatal diagnosis and may influence future counseling. Copyright © 2012 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structure of transfer RNAs: similarity and variability
Authors: Giegé Richard , Jühling Frank , Pütz Joern , Stadler Peter , Sauter Claude , Florentz Catherine
Published: September 2011

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are ancient molecules whose origin goes back to the beginning of life on Earth. Key partners in the ribosome‐translation machinery, tRNAs read genetic information on messenger RNA and deliver codon specified amino acids attached to their distal 3′‐extremity for peptide bond synthesis on the ribosome. In addition to this universal function, tRNAs participate in a wealth of other biological processes and undergo intricate maturation events. Our understanding of tRNA biology has been mainly phenomenological, but ongoing progress in structural biology is giving a robust physico‐chemical basis that explains many facets of tRNA functions. Advanced sequence analysis of tRNA genes and their RNA transcripts have uncovered rules that underly tRNA 2D folding and 3D L‐shaped architecture, as well as provided clues about their evolution. The increasing number of X‐ray structures of free, protein‐ and ribosome‐bound tRNA, reveal structural details accounting for the identity of the 22 tRNA families (one for each proteinogenic amino acid) and for the multifunctionality of a given family. Importantly, the structural role of post‐transcriptional tRNA modifications is being deciphered. On the other hand, the plasticity of tRNA structure during function has been illustrated using a variety of technical approaches that allow dynamical insights. The large range of structural properties not only allows tRNAs to be the key actors of translation, but also sustain a diversity of unrelated functions from which only a few have already been pinpointed. Many surprises can still be expected. WIREs RNA 2012, 3:37–61. doi: 10.1002/wrna.103

This article is categorized under:

RNA Structure and Dynamics > RNA Structure, Dynamics, and Chemistry

RNA Processing > tRNA Processing
Preparation, Crystal Structure, and Thermal Decomposition of Two Novel Energetic Compounds [Ni(IMI)6](L)2 (L = ClO4– and NO3–) and one Carbonate Compound [Ni(IMI)6](CO3)·5H2O (IMI = Imidazole)
Authors: Wu Bi‐Dong , Wang Shi‐Wei , Yang Li , Zhang Tong‐Lai , Zhang Jian‐Guo , Zhou Zun‐Ning
Published: September 2011

Three novel multi‐ligand coordination compounds, namely [Ni(IMI)6](ClO4)2 (1), [Ni(IMI)6](NO3)2 (2), and [Ni(IMI)6](CO3)·5H2O (3) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and FT‐IR spectroscopy. The crystal structures were determined by X‐ray single crystal diffraction. The title compounds crystallize monoclinically, rhombohedrally, and hexagonally, and belong to space groups P21/m, R3, and P63/m, respectively. The nickel(II) ions are hexacoordinated to six imidazole molecules by the nitrogen atoms. The thermal decomposition mechanisms of compounds 1 and 2 were studied by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry‐derivative thermogravimetry (TG‐DTG) techniques. The thermal decompositions were carried out in a nitrogen atmosphere with a heating rate of 10 K·min–1 and contain one endothermic process between 350 K and 500 K and one main exothermic process between 500 K and 800 K in the DSC curves. In addition, the non‐isothermal kinetical parameters were calculated by using Kissinger's and Ozawa's method, respectively. The energies of combustion and the enthalpies of formation were measured and calculated, and the results indicated that both compounds have good combustion performance. The sensitivities were also determined with standard methods. The results showed that [Ni(IMI)6](L)2 compounds have a potential application as energetic materials.
A Novel Heterometallic 3d–4f Complex with an Unusual [MnIV4Nd4O4] Core Topology
Authors: Hallier Kirstin , Hołyńska Małgorzata , Dehnen Stefanie
Published: September 2011

The complex [Mn4Nd4O4(Me‐sao)6(NO3)4(OMe)4(MeOH)2] (1) with an unprecedented [MnIV4Nd4O4] core topology was synthesized from MnCl2, Nd(NO3)3 and Me‐saoH2 in methanol at basic conditions (Me‐saoH2 = 2′‐hydroxyacetophenoxime). In 1 MnIV and NdIII ions are bridged by oxido and methoxido ligands to form an unusual topology including two distorted tetrahedral [Nd2Mn2(μ4‐O)] units. 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with Z = 2 and lattice constants (at 100 K) a = 14.142(4), b = 19.365(5), c = 14.637(4) Å, β = 90.32(3)°.
Synthesis and Characterization of Gold(III) Complexes Bearing a Picoline‐functionalized N‐Heterocyclic Carbene
Authors: Topf Christoph , Hirtenlehner Christa , Fleck Michel , List Manuela , Monkowius Uwe
Published: September 2011

3‐Methyl‐1‐(2‐picolyl)‐imidazolium chloride (1) has been synthesized and used as a precursor for the preparation of the (NHC)AgCl complex [NHC = 3‐methyl‐1‐(2‐picolyl)imidazol‐2‐ylidene] (2). Transmetalation of 2 with (tht)AuBr (tht = tetrahydrothiophene) yields the corresponding (NHC)AuBr complex 3, which is further oxidized by Br2 to give the (NHC)AuBr3 compound 4. Treatment of 4 with one equivalent of solid AgBF4 affords the [(NHC)AuBr2][BF4] congener 5 as a pale green, crystalline powder. The structure of 4 and 5 were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, revealing for 5 a κ‐N‐coordination of the AuIII atom by the picolyl nitrogen atom. Further attempts to exchange all bromides by carboxylates results in the reduction to the dimeric AuI compound [(NHC)2Au2][BF4]2, 6.
Organoelement Complexes of a Dinucleating Double β‐Diiminato Ligand – Precedent Cases from Groups 1, 2, and 13
Authors: Falkenhagen Jan P. , Haack Peter , Limberg Christian , Braun Beatrice
Published: September 2011

Main group chemistry of dinucleating ligands based on a xanthene backbone and two parallel diiminato binding sites (Xanthdim) has been investigated. To complement studies concerning the coordination modes adopted by Xanthdim in combination with alkali metal ions a di‐rubidium complex with toluene co‐ligands has been prepared. Its structural parameters lie in between those previously observed for corresponding K+ and Cs+ complexes. Furthermore, the complexes [Xanthdim](MgMe(thf))2 (2) and [Xanthdim](MgBr(thf))2 (3) were synthesised by reaction of [Xanthdim](K(thf)2)2 and [Xanthdim]H2, respectively, with MeMgBr. Both compounds proved stable against ligand exchange according to the Schlenk equilibrium. After reaction of [Xanthdim]H2 and [Xanthdim]H2, respectively, with AlMe3 the complexes [Xanthdim](AlMe2)2 (4) and [Xanthdim](AlMe2)2 (5) were isolated and fully characterised. They were found to be dynamic in solution and Al–CH3···F‐aryl interactions were detected in case of 5. The solid‐state structures and NMR spectroscopic properties of all compounds were determined and analysed.
Prognostic Factors of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Vary According to Sex and Patient Age
Authors: Ito Yasuhiro , Kudo Takumi , Takamura Yuuki , Kobayashi Kaoru , Miya Akihiro , Miyauchi Akira
Published: September 2011

Background

We previously showed that preoperative and intraoperative evaluations of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) are important for predicting a patient’s prognosis, and we identified several prognostic factors. In this study, we investigated differences in the significance of these factors according to patient age and sex.

Methods

A total of 5768 PTC patients (608 men, 5160 women) without distant metastasis at diagnosis who underwent initial surgery between 1987 and 2004 in Kuma Hospital were enrolled in this study. The postoperative follow‐up period was 129 months (10.8 years) on average.

Results

We examined variations in the prognostic significance of tumor size >4 cm (T), extrathyroid extension (Ex), node metastasis >3 cm (N), and extranodal (tumor extension (LN‐Ex)—which were identified as prognostic factors in our previous studies—in four subsets of patients based on age and sex. In older women, Ex was the most significant prognostic factor for local and distant recurrences and carcinoma death. In older men as well, Ex was a strong prognostic factor, but N had a prognostic impact similar to Ex for local recurrence and LN‐Ex was the strongest prognostic factor for carcinoma death. N was the most significant prognostic factor for local and distant recurrences and carcinoma death in younger women. T and N independently affected local recurrence with similar significance, and Ex was the only independent prognostic factor for distant recurrence in younger men. Because only two of the younger men in this series died of carcinoma, we could not analyze prognostic factors for carcinoma death in this subgroup.

Conclusions

The significance of prognostic factors of PTC varied according to patient sex and age, which might contribute not only to evaluating the prognosis but also to deciding therapeutic strategies for each patient. Because Ex was a prominent prognostic factor for local and distant recurrences in older patients, careful and extensive excision of the site of carcinoma extension and extensive lymph node dissection should be performed, especially for older patients with Ex.
Indications for Staging Laparoscopy in Clinical T4M0 Gastric Cancer
Authors: Tsuchida Kazuhito , Yoshikawa Takaki , Tsuburaya Akira , Cho Haruhiko , Kobayashi Osamu
Published: September 2011

Background

This study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of the clinical indications for performing staging laparoscopy for locally advanced gastric cancer to detect peritoneal metastasis or positive cytology findings.

Methods

The study included 231 patients with T4 gastric cancer without hematogenous or clinically evident peritoneal metastasis. The clinicopathologic features, including T and N factors, were diagnosed by clinical staging. The relation between the clinicopathologic features and the presence of peritoneal metastasis or lavage cytology at surgery was analyzed.

Results

A total of 31 patients underwent staging laparoscopy; 200 others underwent open surgery as a primary treatment. Both peritoneal metastasis and lavage cytology were negative in 145 (62.8%) patients, whereas peritoneal metastasis or lavage cytology was positive in 86 patients (37.2%). When calculating diagnostic accuracy in the 23 patients who underwent open laparotomy after staging laparoscopy, the accuracy rate was 95.7%. A multivariate analysis showed that a tumor location involving three portions; macroscopic type 3, 4, or 5; and positive lymph node metastasis to all three is significantly correlated with either peritoneal metastasis or positive cytology. When patients had two or three factors among these three independent risk factors, peritoneal metastasis or positive cytology could be detected with 91.9% sensitivity and 46.7% positive predictive value.

Conclusions

The selection of T4 tumors based on clinically evaluable risk factors is therefore considered useful for detecting peritoneal metastasis efficiently and hence avoiding unnecessary staging laparoscopy.
The Utility of a Noninvasive 13C‐Acetate Breath Test to Predict Quality of Life After Gastrectomy
Authors: Toyomasu Yoshitaka , Mochiki Erito , Ando Hiroyuki , Ohno Tetsuro , Kamiyama Yoichi , Kuwano Hiroyuki
Published: September 2011

Background

The radioscintigraphic technique has been accepted as the standard by which to measure gastric emptying but it is invasive and expensive. A 13C‐acetate breath test was reported to be a noninvasive and reliable method. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of a 13C‐acetate breath test in reflecting gastric function and the relationship between food intake and change in body weight after distal gastrectomy.

Methods

Twenty‐five patients who had undergone curative distal gastrectomy with Billroth‐I reconstruction for gastric cancer and ten healthy volunteers were included in the study. The gastrectomy group was divided into two groups: the stasis group and the nonstasis group. The breath test was performed on the patients with gastrectomy and the healthy volunteers, and the time lag between ingestion and the peak of 13CO2 expiration (T lag) was calculated. The manometry study was performed on the patients who underwent gastrectomy and the motility index (MI) was calculated. The relationships between T lag and food intake and body weight were examined.

Results

The T lag was significantly shorter in the nonstasis group than in the stasis group. The MI in the duodenum in the nonstasis group was significantly larger than that in the stasis group. There was significant correlation between T lag and food intake, but no significant correlation between T lag and body weight.

Conclusion

The 13C‐acetate breath test might be useful not only for the evaluation of the function of the remnant stomach, but also for the prediction of postoperative status.
Brief report: Self‐harm is associated with immature defense mechanisms but not substance use in a nonclinical Scottish adolescent sample
Authors: Brody Stuart , Carson Carron Maryjane
Published: September 2011

It has been unclear whether adolescent deliberate self‐harm (DSH) is more associated with substance use or with characterological impairments. Multivariate determination of (N = 114 Scottish adolescents) ever engaging in DSH (Youth Risk Behavior Survey) from alcohol use, other substance use, and immature defense mechanism use (Defense Style Questionnaire; DSQ‐40) revealed that a history of DSH was associated with more use of immature defense mechanisms by not with substance use or recent alcohol use. More research and clinical attention might be given to immature defense mechanisms in cases of DSH.
Namibia's community-based natural resource management programme: an unrecognized payments for ecosystem services scheme
Authors: NAIDOO ROBIN , WEAVER L. CHRIS , DE LONGCAMP MARIE , DU PLESSIS PIERRE
Published: September 2011

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) programmes are widely recognized as novel and innovative mechanisms that seek to promote the conservation of biodiversity while simultaneously improving human livelihoods. A number of national-level PES programmes have made significant contributions to advancing knowledge of these mechanisms. Namibia's community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) programme effectively operates as one such large-scale PES programme, making it one of the world's longest-standing schemes. In this review, Namibia's CBNRM scheme is compared and contrasted with the formal definition of a PES programme, some of the outcomes that the programme has produced illustrated by examples, and the challenges that must still be faced identified. Most of the requirements for a PES programme are present in Namibia's CBNRM programme, and when it does not meet these criteria, it is not exceptional. Notwithstanding the increases in wildlife populations and financial benefits that have been associated with the programme, a major challenge going forward revolves around diversifying the number of services produced. Namibia's CBNRM programme has much to contribute to the design of large-scale PES schemes.
Intangible Cultural Heritage in a Modernizing Bhutan: The Question of Remaining Viable and Dynamic
Authors: Lees Emma
Published: September 2011

This article considers the measures being taken in Bhutan to support the cultural practices and traditions of weaving as Bhutan rapidly moves to modernize. Woven cloth is one of a number of artisan practices in Bhutan that contribute to a unique body of intangible cultural heritage, and a distinctive and instantly recognizable Bhutanese identity. Cloth and cloth production have come to have significant influence on the cultural, socioeconomic and political, as well as the ceremonial and religious life of the people of Bhutan. However with modernization and an increasingly global outlook, many socioeconomic transformations are taking place, challenging traditional cultural practices to remain relevant and viable to younger generations. Bhutan offers a unique case study as a country engaging only relatively recently with globalization after a long history of cultural isolation. Bhutan also offers up a unique policy response to modernization, its Gross National Happiness (GNH) measure, which attempts to embody a strong social, cultural, and environmental imperative within the development process. This article will analyze the various measures taking place to maintain cultural identity and cultural practices within the context of development policy and practice, and will link this discussion to measures and approaches taking place at an international level by agencies such as UNESCO.
Power Relations in the Traditional Knowledge Debate: A Critical Analysis of Forums
Authors: Maina Charles Kamau
Published: September 2011

An ongoing debate on the protection of traditional knowledge was prompted by the United Nations General Assembly declaration of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples in 1995 and the declaration of the Second International Decade in 2004. These two declarations challenged governments and the international community to address, nationally and internationally, issues that affect indigenous communities. One such issue is the protection of traditional knowledge. The three key international multilateral forums that are debating traditional knowledge issues are the World Intellectual Property Organization, the World Trade Organization, and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Using a political economy framework, this study analyzes the policymaking processes and mandates of the three multilateral forums in order to highlight stakeholders' levels of involvement in these processes. The study found that the multilateral forums' power structures, mandates, and decision-making processes disadvantage indigenous peoples and hinder their full participation in the forums' processes. The study recommends establishing a forum that would take into account indigenous peoples' worldviews; otherwise policy outcomes from these discussions will probably disadvantage indigenous peoples.
Allais on Transcendental Idealism
Authors: Roche Andrew F.
Published: September 2011

Lucy Allais argues that we can better understand Kant's transcendental idealism by taking seriously the analogy of appearances to secondary qualities that Kant offers in theProlegomena. A proper appreciation of this analogy, Allais claims, yields a reading of transcendental idealism according to which all properties that can appear to us in experience are mind-dependent relational properties that inhere in mind-independent objects. In section 1 of my paper, I articulate Allais's position and its benefits, not least of which is its elegant explanation of how the features of objects that appear to us are transcendentally ideal while still being ‘empirically’ real. In section 2, I contend that there are elements of Allais's account that are problematic, yet also inessential, to what I view to be the core contribution of her analysis. These elements are the views that the properties that appear to human beings are not really distinct from properties that things have ‘in themselves’ and that Kant embraced a relational account of perception. In section 3, I return to the core of Allais's reading and argue that, despite its multiple virtues, it cannot make sense of key features of Kant's idealism.
Making Sense of the Relationship of Reason and Sensibility in Kant's Ethics
Authors: Grenberg Jeanine
Published: September 2011

In this essay, I look at some claims Anne Margaret Baxley makes, in her recent book Kant's Theory of Virtue: The Value of Autocracy, about the relationship between reason and sensibility in Kant's theory of virtue. I then reflect on tensions I find in these claims as compared to the overall goal of her book: an account of Kant's conception of virtue as autocracy. Ultimately, I argue that interpreters like Baxley (and myself) who want to welcome a more robust role for feeling in Kantian ethics must, in order to achieve our purposes, move beyond the general account of the limits for the role of the moral feeling of respect in the grounding of Kant's ethics which Henry Allison established in his influential Kant's Theory of Freedom.
ONE-DIMENSIONAL LIE FOLIATIONS WITH GENERIC SINGULARITIES IN COMPLEX DIMENSION THREE
Authors: MAFRA ALBETÃ , SCARDUA BRUNO
Published: September 2011

We prove that a germ of a one-dimensional holomorphic foliation with a generic singularity in dimension two or three that exhibits a Lie group transverse structure in the complement of some codimension one analytic subset is logarithmic, that is, given by a system of closed meromorphic one-forms with simple poles. In the global context, we prove that a foliation by curves in a three-dimensional complex manifold with generic singularities and a Lie group transverse structure off a codimension one analytic subset is logarithmic; that is, it is given by a system of closed meromorphic one-forms with simple poles.
From the “ornamental and evanescent” to “good, useful things”: Redesigning the Gift in Progressive America
Authors: Litwicki Ellen
Published: September 2011

This article examines the transformation of American gift giving in the early twentieth century, using prescriptive and trade literature, as well as individual stories. This transformation occurred within the context of the transition from a Victorian to a modernist ethos and from a production to a consumption orientation. Changes in gift-giving practices were shaped by Progressive Era hygiene and home economics reformers and by aesthetic movements such as Arts and Crafts and interior decoration. Gift reformers divorced the gift from the Victorian ideal of ornamental and sentimental items, asserting that a gift's beauty lay in its functionality. This transformation fostered a second shift in the ideology of the gift. Rather than the giver's knowledge of and sentiment toward the recipient determining gift selection, the recipient's needs and desires increasingly dictated the choice. The gift thereby became more consumer-oriented. This change paved the way for the gift registry, which provided a commercial forum where prospective gift recipients could list their preferences.
Patterns and statistics of in‐water polarization under conditions of linear and nonlinear ocean surface waves
Authors: Xu Zao , Yue Dick K. P. , Shen Lian , Voss Kenneth J.
Published: September 2011

We study the polarization properties of the light field under a dynamic ocean surface using realistic linear and nonlinear ocean surface waves. The three‐dimensional polarized radiative transfer of the dynamic ocean–atmosphere system is considered using a Monte Carlo vector radiative transfer simulation for arbitrary depth. The program is validated with measurement data taken in Hawaii during the Radiance in a Dynamic Ocean project. The main focus of this study is the influence of the wind‐driven ocean waves on the polarization patterns and statistics at different optical depths under various conditions of light wavelength and solar incidence. Of special interest is the effect of the nonlinearity of the surface waves on the polarization statistics. To facilitate the study, phase‐resolved direct simulations of the linear and nonlinear surface wavefields are performed using a high‐order spectral method. The results show that the time‐averaged degree of polarization within the Snell's window is dependent on the mean square slope of the ocean surface. Higher mean square slope, or wind speed, leads to a smaller degree of polarization. At the same time, the variability of the degree of polarization has a strong dependence on the surface roughness. A rougher ocean surface induces higher variability of the degree of polarization. The effect of wave nonlinearity can be neglected for the mean value of polarization, but is manifested in the variability of the degree of polarization, with a general increase in the variance with increasing wave nonlinearity. The present findings provide possible mechanisms for characterizing the dynamic ocean surface based on underwater polarized light measurements.
Mechanisms Underlying Potentiation of Endothelin-1-Induced Myofilament Ca2+ Sensitization after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Kikkawa Yuichiro , Matsuo Satoshi , Kameda Katsuharu , Hirano Mayumi , Nakamizo Akira , Sasaki Tomio , Hirano Katsuya
Published: September 2011

Increased vascular smooth muscle contractility has an important role in the development of cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity is a major determinant of smooth muscle contractility. We investigated changes in the Ca2+-sensitizing effect of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and the mechanisms underlying ET-1-induced Ca2+ sensitization after SAH using a rabbit SAH model. After SAH, the contractile response to ET-1 was enhanced, and the ETA receptor expression was upregulated in the basilar artery. In α-toxin-permeabilized preparations, ET-1 induced enhanced and prolonged contraction after SAH, suggesting that ET-1-induced Ca2+ sensitization is potentiated after SAH. Endothelin-1-induced Ca2+ sensitization became less sensitive to inhibitors of Rho-associated coiled-coil protein kinase (ROCK) and protein kinase C (PKC) after SAH. The expression of PKCα, ROCK2, PKC-potentiated phosphatase inhibitor of 17 kDa (CPI-17) and myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1) was upregulated, and the level of phosphorylation of CPI-17 and MYPT1 was elevated after SAH. This study demonstrated for the first time that the Ca2+-sensitizing effect of ET-1 on myofilaments is potentiated after SAH. The increased expression and activity of PKCα, ROCK2, CPI-17, and MYPT1, as well as the upregulation of ETA receptor expression are suggested to underlie the enhanced and prolonged Ca2+ sensitization induced by ET-1.
Varying dependency of periplasmic peptidylprolyl cis–trans isomerases in promoting Yersinia pseudotuberculosis stress tolerance and pathogenicity
Authors: Obi Ikenna R. , Nordfelth Roland , Francis Matthew S.
Published: September 2011

Periplasmic PPIases (peptidylprolyl cis–trans isomerases) catalyse the cis–trans isomerization of peptidyl-prolyl bonds, which is a rate-limiting step during protein folding. We demonstrate that the surA, ppiA, ppiD, fkpA and fklB alleles each encode a periplasmic PPIase in the bacterial pathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Of these, four were purified to homogeneity. Purified SurA, FkpA and FklB, but not PpiD, displayed detectable PPIase activity in vitro. Significantly, only Y. pseudotuberculosis lacking surA caused drastic alterations to the outer membrane protein profile and FA (fatty acid) composition. They also exhibited aberrant cellular morphology, leaking LPS (lipopolysaccharide) into the extracellular environment. The SurA PPIase is therefore most critical for maintaining Y. pseudotuberculosis envelope integrity during routine culturing. On the other hand, bacteria lacking either surA or all of the genes ppiA, ppiD, fkpA and fklB were sensitive to hydrogen peroxide and were attenuated in mice infections. Thus Y. pseudotuberculosis exhibits both SurA-dependent and -independent requirements for periplasmic PPIase activity to ensure in vivo survival and a full virulence effect in a mammalian host.
A phospholamban-tethered cardiac Ca2+ pump reveals stoichiometry and dynamic interactions between the two proteins
Authors: Chen Zhenhui
Published: September 2011

To study PLB (phospholamban) inhibition of the cardiac Ca2+ pump [SERCA2a (sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2a)], a fusion protein (SER-20G-PLB) was engineered by tethering SERCA2a with PLB through a 20-glycine residue chain, allowing the PLB tether to either bind to or dissociate from the inhibition site on SERCA2a. When expressed in insect cells, SER-20G-PLB produced active Ca2+ uptake, which was stimulated by the anti-PLB antibody, both similar to that which occurred with the control sample co-expressing WT (wild-type)-SERCA2a and WT-PLB. The KCa values of Ca2+-dependent ATPase were similar for SER-20G-PLB (0.29±0.02 μM) and for the control sample (0.30±0.02 μM), both greater than 0.17±0.01 μM for WT-SERCA2a expressed alone. Thus SER-20G-PLB retains a fully active Ca2+ pump, but its apparent Ca2+ affinity was decreased intrinsically by tethered PLB at a 1:1 molar stoichiometry. Like WT-PLB, SER-20G-PLB ran as both monomers and homo-pentamers on SDS/PAGE. As Ca2+ concentrations increase from 0 to the micromolar range, the proportion of non-inhibiting pentamers increased from 32% to 52%, suggesting that Ca2+ activation of the pump completely dissociates the PLB tether from the inhibition site on SERCA2a, with concurrent association of PLB pentamers. Collectively, the regulation of SERCA2a is achieved through the Ca2+-dependent equilibria involving PLB association and dissociation from SERCA2a, and assembling and disassembling of SER-20G-PLB pentamers.
An analysis on transmission microwave frequency spectrum of cut-off probe
Authors: Kim D. W. , You S. J. , Na B. K. , Kim J. H. , Chang H. Y.
Published: September 2011

We investigated the formation mechanism of transmission microwave frequency (TMF) spectrum of cut-off probe using a simple circuit model to elucidate the physics behind the TMF spectrum. The result showed that the overall shape of the TMF spectrum of cut-off probe (N – shape spectrum) is well reproduced with our proposed circuit model and can be understood as the combined result of two different resonances caused by the elements between two probe tips (a sheath, a plasma, and a vacuum which is filled by the plasma). Furthermore, based on this simple modeling, a more precise method to find the plasma frequency by taking account with the e-n collision frequency and the pressure limitation of the cut-off probe application is established.
Guiding a terahertz quantum cascade laser into a flexible silver-coated waveguide
Authors: Vitiello Miriam S. , Xu Ji-Hua , Beltram Fabio , Tredicucci Alessandro , Mitrofanov Oleg , Harrington James A. , E. Beere Harvey , Ritchie David A.
Published: September 2011

We report on a promising experimental approach to efficiently couple quantum cascade laser (QCL) sources fabricated in either surface emitting micro-ring resonator or standard edge emitting geometry with terahertz (THz) hollow waveguides. We show that the THz beam of a QCL can be guided into flexible silver-coated polycarbonate waveguides having length in the range 4–12 cm with coupling efficiencies >80%. The dominant optical modes propagating through the waveguides can be selected by varying the polarization of the incoming QCL beam, the coupling geometries, and/or bending the hollow waveguide. Either the lowest loss TE11 or the TE01 mode can be selected and guided through the waveguide with propagation losses in the range 2.1–4.4 dB/m and bending losses lower than 1.2 dB.
Modifications of local structures of Gd2O3 on incorporation of SiO2
Authors: Das N. C. , Sahoo N. K. , Bhattacharyya D. , Thakur S. , Nanda D. , Hazra S. , Bal J. K. , Lee J. F. , Tai Y. L. , Hsieh C. A.
Published: September 2011

In the present work we have reported the results of investigations on local structures of e-beam evaporated (Gd2O3-SiO2) composite thin films by synchrotron based EXAFS measurements. The evolution of local structure in the case of the Gd2O3-SiO2 system is found to be different from the HfO2-SiO2 system reported by us earlier. The EXAFS analysis has shown that the Gd-O bond length decreases monotonically as SiO2 content in the films increases. Also the amplitudes of the peaks in the FT-EXAFS spectra of the samples, which depend jointly on the coordination numbers as well as the Debye-Waller factors (measure of disorder) are found to decrease monotonically with increase in SiO2 contents in the Gd2O3 matrix. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements of the samples also show continuous evolution of amorphous-like denser microstructure with increase in SiO2 content in the films. Hence incorporation of SiO2 in the Gd2O3 matrix, results in a continuous change in oxygen coordination yielding a change in the Gd-O bond length and also results in a continuous increase in amorphousness and a smoother morphology of the samples and, unlike the HfO2-SiO2 system, does not show any maximum for a particular SiO2 concentration.