bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High resolution preparation of monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) protein fractions for clinical proteomics
Authors: Polati Rita , Castagna Annalisa , Bossi Alessandra , Campostrini Natascia , Zaninotto Federica , Timperio Anna Maria , Zolla Lello , Olivieri Oliviero , Corrocher Roberto , Girelli Domenico
Published: February 2009

Background

Macrophages are involved in a number of key physiological processes and complex responses such as inflammatory, immunological, infectious diseases and iron homeostasis. These cells are specialised for iron storage and recycling from senescent erythrocytes so they play a central role in the fine tuning of iron balancing and distribution. The comprehension of the many physiological responses of macrophages implies the study of the related molecular events. To this regard, proteomic analysis, is one of the most powerful tools for the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms, in terms of changes in protein expression levels.

Results

Our aim was to optimize a protocol for protein fractionation and high resolution mapping using human macrophages for clinical studies. We exploited a fractionation protocol based on the neutral detergent Triton X-114. The 2D maps of the fractions obtained showed high resolution and a good level of purity. Western immunoblotting and mass spectrometry (MS/MS analysis) indicated no fraction cross contamination. On 2D-PAGE mini gels (7 × 8 cm) we could count more than five hundred protein spots, substantially increasing the resolution and the number of detectable proteins for the macrophage proteome. The fractions were also evaluated, with preliminary experiments, using Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS).

Conclusion

This relatively simple method allows deep investigation into macrophages proteomics producing discrete and accurate protein fractions, especially membrane-associated and integral proteins. The adapted protocol seems highly suitable for further studies of clinical proteomics, especially for the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms controlling iron homeostasis in normal and disease conditions.
Measuring health-related quality of life in tuberculosis: a systematic review
Authors: Guo Na , Marra Fawziah , Marra Carlo A
Published: February 2009

Introduction

Tuberculosis remains a major public health problem worldwide. In recent years, increasing efforts have been dedicated to assessing the health-related quality of life experienced by people infected with tuberculosis. The objectives of this study were to better understand the impact of tuberculosis and its treatment on people's quality of life, and to review quality of life instruments used in current tuberculosis research.

Methods

A systematic literature search from 1981 to 2008 was performed through a number of electronic databases as well as a manual search. Eligible studies assessed multi-dimensional quality of life in people with tuberculosis disease or infection using standardized instruments. Results of the included studies were summarized qualitatively.

Results

Twelve original studies met our criteria for inclusion. A wide range of quality of life instruments were involved, and the Short-Form 36 was most commonly used. A validated tuberculosis-specific quality of life instrument was not located. The findings showed that tuberculosis had a substantial and encompassing impact on patients' quality of life. Overall, the anti-tuberculosis treatment had a positive effect of improving patients' quality of life; their physical health tended to recover more quickly than the mental well-being. However, after the patients successfully completed treatment and were microbiologically 'cured', their quality of life remained significantly worse than the general population.

Conclusion

Tuberculosis has substantially adverse impacts on patients' quality of life, which persist after microbiological 'cure'. A variety of instruments were used to assess quality of life in tuberculosis and there has been no well-established tuberculosis-specific instrument, making it difficult to fully understand the impact of the illness.
Maternal celiac disease autoantibodies bind directly to syncytiotrophoblast and inhibit placental tissue transglutaminase activity
Authors: Anjum Naheed , Baker Philip N , Robinson Nicola J , Aplin John D
Published: February 2009

Background

Celiac disease (CD) occurs in as many as 1 in 80 pregnant women and is associated with poor pregnancy outcome, but it is not known if this is an effect on maternal nutrient absorption or, alternatively, if the placenta is an autoimmune target. The major autoantigen, tissue transglutaminase (tTG), has previously been shown to be present in the maternal-facing syncytiotrophoblast plasma membrane of the placenta.

Methods

ELISA was used to demonstrate the presence of antibodies to tissue transglutaminase in a panel of CD sera. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the binding of IgA autoantibodies from CD serum to term placenta. In addition, novel direct binding and activity assays were developed to mimic the in vivo exposure of the villous placenta to maternal autoantibody.

Results and Discussion

CD IgA autoantibodies located to the syncytial surface of the placenta significantly more than IgA antibodies in control sera (P < 0.0001). The distribution of antigen was similar to that observed using a monoclonal antibody to tissue transglutaminase. Staining was reduced by pre-absorption of CD serum with recombinant human tissue transglutaminase. In direct binding assays, autoimmune immunoglobulin A (IgA) from the maternal compartment became associated with antigen at the syncytial surface of the placenta, as a result of which transglutaminase activity at this site was inhibited.

Conclusion

These data indicate that direct immune effects in untreated CD women may compromise placental function.
Deletions of neuraminidase and resistance to oseltamivir may be a consequence of restricted receptor specificity in recent H3N2 influenza viruses
Authors: Gulati Shelly , Smith David F , Air Gillian M
Published: February 2009

Background

Influenza viruses attach to cells via sialic acid receptors. The viral neuraminidase (NA) is needed to remove sialic acids so that newly budded virions can disperse. Known mechanisms of resistance to NA inhibitors include mutations in the inhibitor binding site, or mutations in the hemagglutinin that reduce avidity for sialic acid and therefore reduce the requirement for NA activity.

Results

Influenza H3N2 isolates A/Oklahoma/323/03 (Fujian-like), A/Oklahoma/1992/05 (California-like), and A/Oklahoma/309/06 (Wisconsin-like) lost NA activity on passage in MDCK cells due to internal deletions in the NA-coding RNA segment. The viruses grow efficiently in MDCK cells despite diminished NA activity. The full length NA enzyme activity is sensitive to oseltamivir but replication of A/Oklahoma/323/03 and A/Oklahoma/309/06 in MDCK cells was resistant to this inhibitor, indicating that NA is not essential for replication. There was no change in HA activity or sequence after the NA activity was lost but the three viruses show distinct, quite restricted patterns of receptor specificity by Glycan Array analysis. Extensive predicted secondary structure in RNA segment 6 that codes for NA suggests the deletions are generated by polymerase skipping over base-paired stem regions. In general the NA deletions were not carried into subsequent passages, and we were unable to plaque-purify virus with a deleted NA RNA segment.

Conclusion

H3N2 viruses from 2003 to the present have reduced requirement for NA when passaged in MDCK cells and are resistant to NA inhibitors, possibly by a novel mechanism of narrow receptor specificity such that virus particles do not self-aggregate. These viruses delete internal regions of the NA RNA during passage and are resistant to oseltamivir. However, deletions are independently generated at each passage, suggesting that virus with a full length NA RNA segment initiates the first round of infection.
Effect of the welding sequence in the circumferential direction on residual stress distribution in a thin-walled pipe weld
Authors: Lee C-H , Chang K-H
Published: February 2009

This paper presents a three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) analysis to investigate the influence of the welding sequence in the circumferential direction on residual stress distribution in a thin-walled carbon steel pipe weld. Single-pass butt-welded joint geometry with an outer diameter of 300 mm and a thickness of 7 mm is studied. A 3D uncoupled thermomechanical FE model is developed in order to incorporate the 3D features and the welding sequence in the steel pipe weld. The thermomechanical model is described and details of the analysis methodology are provided. Six different welding sequences in the circumferential direction considering actual welding circumstances are employed, and it is shown that the residual stresses within and near the weld deposit are generally influenced by the welding sequence. The variations are not large, however, thus the benefits arising from the change of the residual stresses in and around the weld area are offset by the potential drawback of the several stop and start positions, with the special risk of weld defects.
Rapid casting of hollow turbine blades using integral ceramic moulds
Authors: Wu H , Li D , Tang Y , Guo N , Cui F , Sun B
Published: February 2009

A new rapid casting process based on gelcasting and stereolithography (SL) has been developed to fabricate integral ceramic moulds for complex castings. An overview of the fabrication process is demonstrated. It is shown that preparation for ceramic slurry, design of the process system, pyrolysis of the resin prototype, and integrity of the ceramic mould all play a significant role in the whole process. A hollow turbine blade with complex internal and external structure was taken as the case study to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed process.
The geyser as a self-oscillatory system. Randomness or dynamical chaos?
Authors: Landa P , Vlasov D
Published: February 2009

In this paper, geysers are considered as self-oscillatory systems functioning in a relaxation regime and generating a random consequence of short eruptions of water and vapour. These eruptions can be treated as a random consequence of autosolitons. Our calculations show that the random character of these ejections is not a manifestation of dynamical chaos but it is conditioned by the randomness of the boiling process.
A novel multi-event-based control for robot bilateral tele-operation with an exoskeleton arm under time delay
Authors: Zhang J-F , Yang C-J , Chen Y
Published: February 2009

A novel control architecture based on a multi-event for tele-operation with an exoskeleton arm over the internet in case of transmission delay and communication failure is proposed. In this proposed control scheme a non-time event reference s is chosen to coordinate two sites and promises synchronization of the system. In addition, more than one event generator is employed to compose the multi-event-based control structure, in which the state of the slave site and uncertainties on the master site, such as singularity of the master arm and so on, are both evaluated. Through the bilateral tele-operation experiments in case of time delay with a rigid obstacle and master arm singularity structure, this control scheme is well demonstrated. The tele-operation system has solid performance with good stability and synchronization.
An analytical solution of the stiffness equation for linear guideway type recirculating rollers with arbitrarily crowned profiles
Authors: Horng T-L
Published: February 2009

This article derives the stiffness equation for linear guideway type (LGT) recirculating rollers with arbitrarily crowned profiles. Recirculating rollers compressed between a carriage and a profile rail are simulated as rollers compressed between two plates, and each roller is divided into three parts: two crowned and one cylindrical. The superposition method is introduced to obtain the stiffness equation for a crowned roller, for which rollers with circular, quadratic, cubic, fourth-order power, and exponential profiles were analysed. A model of discrete normal springs is used to obtain the stiffness equation for LGT recirculating rollers. The results reveal that a higher-order power can make an LGT with higher stiffness. The stiffness of the exponential profile is close to that of the fourth power profile. Therefore, recirculating rollers with an exponential profile, a small crowned depth, and a large crowned length seem to be optimal, obtaining a higher LGT stiffness and a lower edge stress concentration.
Sliding mode control of a vibrating system using a hybrid active mount
Authors: Nguyen V-Q , Choi S-M , Choi S-B , Moon S-J
Published: February 2009

This article proposes a new hybrid active mount featuring piezostacks and rubber element that can provide high performance in vibration control. After describing the configuration and operating principle of the proposed mount, appropriate rubber element and piezostack are designed and manufactured. Subsequently, dynamic characteristics of the piezostacks and the rubber element are experimentally identified. A two-degree-of-freedom control system, in which the hybrid active mount is installed with a supported mass of 100 kg, is then constructed for evaluating vibration control performance. To attenuate actively the vibration transmitted from the base excitation, a robust sliding mode controller is formulated by considering parameter uncertainties. The controller is then experimentally realized and vibration control performances of the proposed mount system are evaluated in both time and frequency domains.
Development and testing of a novel portable pneumatic power source using phase transition at the triple point
Authors: Wu H , Kitagawa A , Tsukagoshi H , Park S-H
Published: February 2009

This study is concerned with the development of a novel portable pneumatic power source applicable to wearable robots, pneumatically operated tools, and other pneumatic devices. Dry ice was chosen as the source of power because it is non-poisonous, inexpensive, and it expands to 750 times its volume after it sublimes into gas. When dry ice fills a confined pressure container, it sublimes and then liquefies after the pressure reaches the triple point of CO2 (0.52 MPa (abs), −56.6 °C). As long as dry ice remains at the triple point state in which all three phases coexist in equilibrium, the pressure remains constant and does not decrease even though the gas is released at a high rate of flow. In this study, by controlling the heat transfer between the pressure container and the ambient atmosphere, a novel pneumatic power source, which always stores dry ice in a state near its triple point, was developed. It has a constant output pressure of 0.42 MPa and is quiet, light, and safe, and produces a large capacity of pneumatic flow. Most significantly, the device does not require a large amount of operation power because it uses saved latent heat.
Nucleate boiling heat transfer coefficients of halogenated refrigerants up to critical heat fluxes
Authors: Park K-J , Jung D , Shim S E
Published: February 2009

In this work, nucleate pool boiling heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) of five refrigerants of differing vapour pressures are measured on a horizontal, smooth copper surface of 9.53×9.53 mm. The tested refrigerants are R123, R152a, R134a, R22, and R32 and HTCs are taken from 10 kW/m2 to the critical heat flux (CHF) of each refrigerant. Wall and fluid temperatures are measured directly by thermocouples located underneath the test surface and in the liquid pool, respectively. Test results show that nucleate pool boiling HTCs of halogenated refrigerants increase as the heat flux and vapour pressure increase. This typical trend is maintained even at high heat fluxes above 200 kW/m2. Zuber's prediction equation for CHF is quite accurate showing a maximum deviation of 21 per cent for all refrigerants tested. For all refrigerants, Stephan and Abdelsalam's well-known correlation underpredicted nucleate boiling HTC data up to the CHF with an average deviation of 21.3 per cent, while Cooper's correlation overpredicted the data with an average deviation of 14.2 per cent. On the other hand, Gorenflo's and Jung et al.'s correlations showed 5.8 and 6.4 per cent deviations, respectively, in the entire nucleate boiling range up to the CHF.
On the non-linear response of piezoelectric slabs under weak electric fields: Experimental and analytical modelling
Authors: Samal M K , Seshu P
Published: February 2009

Piezoceramic materials exhibit different types of non-linearities depending on the magnitude of the mechanical and electric field strength in the piezoelectric continuum. Some of the non-linearities observed under weak electric fields are the presence of superharmonics in the response spectra, jump phenomena, and so on, especially if the system is excited near resonance. In this article, an analytical solution (in the two-dimensional plane stress domain) for the non-linear response of a rectangular piezoceramic slab has been obtained by the use of Rayleigh—Ritz method and perturbation technique. The eigenfunction obtained from the solution of differential equations of the linear problem has been used as the shape function in the Rayleigh—Ritz method. Forced vibration experiments have been conducted on rectangular piezoceramic slabs of two different materials (e.g. PIC 181 and PIC 255) by applying varying electric field strengths across the thickness, and the displacement and current responses have been measured. Experiments have also been conducted for the first two free in-plane modes in the case of the piezoceramic PIC 181. Analytical solutions have been obtained by using the current formulations and they are found to compare well with those of the experiment. These solutions should serve as a method to validate the finite-element formulations as well as to help in the determination of non-linear material property coefficients for these materials.
Carbon capture and storage: Pulling down the barriers in the European Union
Authors: Tysoe S
Published: February 2009

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one of the number of approaches to mitigating climate change by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere. It involves capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from large point sources such as power plants, prior to compressing, transporting, and storing it securely in geological formations. The CO2 emitted is thus prevented from entering the atmosphere. CCS is believed, by many, to have massive potential to significantly reduce GHG emissions, with the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggesting that CCS could contribute between 10 and 55 per cent of the world's total carbon mitigation effort until 2100.

This article considers the principal impediments to the development of CCS projects and the steps taken in the European Union (EU) to overcome them. The development of CCS requires not only the establishment of adequate funding mechanisms and, most likely, the existence of consistently higher carbon prices than those prevail today, but also the settlement of a number of key legal issues. Although much further work is required on the part of legislators, a regulatory framework for CCS is slowly growing in various jurisdictions, especially in the EU where a large step forward was taken in December 2008 with the passing of a CCS Directive.
The fuel efficiency and exhaust gas emissions of a low heat rejection free-piston diesel engine
Authors: Mikalsen R , Roskilly A P
Published: February 2009

This article investigates the in-cylinder heat transfer losses of a free-piston diesel engine and compares the results with those of a conventional engine, using a multidimensional simulation model. In-cylinder heat transfer, fuel efficiency, and nitrogen oxides (NO) emissions formation are studied, along with the suitability of the free-piston engine to use a low heat rejection combustion chamber design. It is found that the high piston acceleration around top dead centre and the fast power stroke expansion in the free-piston engine lead to reduced heat transfer losses and reduced NO emissions formation, the latter in the order of 17 per cent compared with conventional engines. Even for highly insulated combustion chambers, the free-piston engine is predicted to have lower NO emissions than the conventional engine in the original configuration. The use of a low heat rejection combustion chamber is found to benefit engine fuel efficiency in both free-piston and conventional engines, with a 30 per cent heat loss reduction improving the indicated efficiency by approximately 3 percentage points. With a simpler implementation of combustion chamber insulation due to the low side forces on the piston, it is argued that the free-piston engine should be well suited for such an operation.
A new theory for laminated composite plates
Authors: Karama M , Afaq K S , Mistou S
Published: February 2009

This work presents a new multilayered laminated composite structure model to predict the mechanical behaviour of multilayered laminated composite structures. This new multilayered structure model describes the shear stress distribution model through the thickness respecting free boundary conditions on the top and bottom surfaces by an exponential function. This model has the same order of complexity as Touratier's model ‘Sine’, so a shear correction factor is not required like in the first-order shear deformation theory. This model is more precise than all other existing refined theories. This theory is based on the kinematic approach in which the shearing is represented by an exponential function. The virtual power principal is used to deduce the boundary value problem. To verify the precision of the present model, several significant problems on bending, vibration, and buckling of laminated and sandwich structures have been studied. The results by the present model are compared with the exact three-dimensional elasticity theory and with several other well-known theories. The proposed model is found to be more precise for analysing multilayered structures.
Homogeneous charge compression ignition of hydrogen in a single-cylinder diesel engine
Authors: Caton P A , Pruitt J T
Published: February 2009

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) of hydrogen was studied using a single-zone model based in chemical reaction kinetics and using a single-cylinder Cooperative Fuels Research (CFR) diesel engine. Comparison was made with conventional diesel combustion at the same compression ratio and load. Simulation indicated that hydrogen HCCI should be feasible at compression ratios around 18 with intake heating to 100 °C, with peak efficiency occurring for moderately dilute equivalence ratios (0.2–0.5) with the minimum possible amount of intake heating. Experimental hydrogen HCCI was achieved with intake heating to 80 °C and 100 °C for equivalence ratios between 0.15 and 0.37. Hydrogen HCCI exhibited unburned hydrogen emissions of the order of 0.5–1.0 per cent, corresponding to combustion efficiencies of 90–95 per cent. Emissions of nitric oxides were typically below 1 ppm and were at least two orders of magnitude lower than a comparable diesel cycle. Efficiency of hydrogen HCCI was lower than a comparable diesel cycle owing primarily to higher thermal losses and higher chemical enthalpy losses (lower combustion efficiency). These losses are hypothesized to depend strongly on surface area—volume ratio, and methods of mitigating these losses suggest how an engine could be designed to employ hydrogen HCCI.
Multiple roles for polypyrimidine tract binding (PTB) proteins in trypanosome RNA metabolism
Authors: Stern Michael Zeev , Gupta Sachin Kumar , Salmon-Divon Mali , Haham Tomer , Barda Omer , Levi Sarit , Wachtel Chaim , Nilsen Timothy W. , Michaeli Shulamit
Published: February 2009

Trypanosomatid genomes encode for numerous proteins containing an RNA recognition motif (RRM), but the function of most of these proteins in mRNA metabolism is currently unknown. Here, we report the function of two such proteins that we have named PTB1 and PTB2, which resemble the mammalian polypyrimidine tract binding proteins (PTB). RNAi silencing of these factors indicates that both are essential for life. PTB1 and PTB2 reside mostly in the nucleus, but are found in the cytoplasm, as well. Microarray analysis performed on PTB1 and PTB2 RNAi silenced cells indicates that each of these factors differentially affects the transcriptome, thus regulating a different subset of mRNAs. PTB1 and PTB2 substrates were categorized bioinformatically, based on the presence of PTB binding sites in their 5′ and 3′ flanking sequences. Both proteins were shown to regulate mRNA stability. Interestingly, PTB proteins are essential for trans-splicing of genes containing C-rich polypyrimidine tracts. PTB1, but not PTB2, also affects cis-splicing. The specificity of binding of PTB1 was established in vivo and in vitro using a model substrate. This study demonstrates for the first time that trans-splicing of only certain substrates requires specific factors such as PTB proteins for their splicing. The trypanosome PTB proteins, like their mammalian homologs, represent multivalent RNA binding proteins that regulate mRNAs from their synthesis to degradation.
Genome-wide evolutionary analysis of the noncoding RNA genes and noncoding DNA of Paramecium tetraurelia
Authors: Chen Chun-Long , Zhou Hui , Liao Jian-You , Qu Liang-Hu , Amar Laurence
Published: February 2009

The compact genome of the unicellular eukaryote Paramecium tetraurelia contains noncoding DNA (ncDNA) distributed into >39,000 intergenic sequences and >90,000 introns of 390 base pairs (bp) and 25 bp on average, respectively. Here we analyzed the molecular features of the ncRNA genes, introns, and intergenic sequences of this genome. We mainly used computational programs and comparative genomics possible because the P. tetraurelia genome had formed throughout whole-genome duplications (WGDs). We characterized 417 5S rRNA, snRNA, snoRNA, SRP RNA, and tRNA putative genes, 415 of which map within intergenic sequences, and two, within introns. The evolution of these ncRNA genes appears to have mainly involved purifying selection and gene deletion. We then compared the introns that interrupt the protein-coding gene duplicates arisen from the recent WGD and identified a population of a few thousands of introns having evolved under most stringent constraints (>95% of identity). We also showed that low nucleotide substitution levels characterize the 50 and 80–115 base pairs flanking, respectively, the stop and start codons of the protein-coding genes. Lower substitution levels mark the base pairs flanking the highly transcribed genes, or the start codons of the genes of the sets with a high number of WGD-related sequences. Finally, adjacent to protein-coding genes, we characterized 32 DNA motifs able to encode stable and evolutionary conserved RNA secondary structures and defining putative expression controlling elements. Fourteen DNA motifs with similar properties map distant from protein-coding genes and may encode regulatory ncRNAs.
Characterization of a mimivirus RNA cap guanine-N2 methyltransferase
Authors: Benarroch Delphine , Qiu Zhicheng R. , Schwer Beate , Shuman Stewart
Published: February 2009

A 2,2,7-trimethylguanosine (TMG) cap is a signature feature of eukaryal snRNAs, telomerase RNAs, and trans-spliced nematode mRNAs. TMG and 2,7-dimethylguanosine (DMG) caps are also present on mRNAs of two species of alphaviruses (positive strand RNA viruses of the Togaviridae family). It is presently not known how viral mRNAs might acquire a hypermethylated cap. Mimivirus, a giant DNA virus that infects amoeba, encodes many putative enzymes and proteins implicated in RNA transactions, including the synthesis and capping of viral mRNAs and the promotion of cap-dependent translation. Here we report the identification, purification, and characterization of a mimivirus cap-specific guanine-N2 methyltransferase (MimiTgs), a monomeric enzyme that catalyzes a single round of methyl transfer from AdoMet to an m7G cap substrate to form a DMG cap product. MimiTgs, is apparently unable to convert a DMG cap to a TMG cap, and is thereby distinguished from the structurally homologous yeast and human Tgs1 enzymes. Nonetheless, we show genetically that MimiTgs is a true ortholog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Tgs1. Our results hint that DMG caps can satisfy many of the functions of TMG caps in vivo. We speculate that DMG capping of mimivirus mRNAs might favor viral protein synthesis in the infected host.
Comparative Evaluation of the Iris iQ200 Body Fluid Module With Manual Hemacytometer Count
Authors: Walker Teanya J. , Nelson Lydia D. , Dunphy Brian W. , Anderson Danna M. , Kickler Thomas S.
Published: February 2009

Manual cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and body fluid cell counts done using a hemacytometer are labor-intensive and time-consuming. The automated Iris iQ200 with the Body Fluids Module (Iris Diagnostics, Chatsworth, CA) counts RBCs and nucleated cells in CSF and other body fluids using flow cell digital imaging. We compared the cell counts from the iQ200 and the hemacytometer. CSF and body fluid samples were first analyzed in duplicate using the Neubauer hemacytometer. We then counted the samples on the iQ200. CSF samples for RBC counts of 0 to 6.7 x 105/μL and nucleated cell counts of 0 to 1,707/μL resulted in r = 0.996 and r = 0.998, respectively. Body fluid samples for RBC counts of 0 to 2.7 x 105/μL and nucleated cell counts of 0 to 1.1 x 104/μL resulted in r = 0.988 and r = 0.987, respectively. Day-to-day precision with quality control yielded coefficients of variation of 12.5% and 13.3% for RBC counts and 9.4% and 12.3% for nucleated cell counts. Linearity studies yielded slopes of 0.99 and 1.010 for RBC and nucleated cell counts, respectively. The results from the iQ200 correlate well with the manual hemacytometer method.
A Review of Coupled Multielectrode Array Sensors for Corrosion Monitoring and a Study on the Behaviors of the Anodic and Cathodic Electrodes
Authors: Yang Lietai , Chiang K. T.
Published: February 2009

Localized corrosion is often the cause of many failures and unplanned shutdowns in industry. For example, statistics have shown that more than 80 % of the corrosion-induced failures in the chemical processing industry are due to localized corrosion, rather than general corrosion. Thanks to the advancement in coupled multielectrode array sensors (CMAS) technology, localized corrosion rates can now be quantitatively measured. If interfaced with controllers, CMAS probes can be used to automatically control the dosing of corrosion inhibitors and reduce the cost for corrosion control. This paper presents an overview for the CMAS technology and the experimental data that verifies the working principles of the CMAS for localized corrosion rate measurement.
Full-Field Measurements of Fracture Initiation and Crack Growth in Superelastic Nitinol
Authors: Perry Kenneth E. , Labossiere Paul E.
Published: February 2009

We present results for full-field measurements of crack tip deformation fields in Nitinol using high sensitivity moiré interferometry. Three fatigue loading scenarios are examined illustrating the effect of stress induced martensite transformations at the tip of the crack. Understanding the behavior of fatigue crack growth is paramount to the successful use of this highly complex material response, especially for such application as implantable medical devices. The results demonstrate the sensitivity of heterogeneous phase transformations on the crack growth behavior.
Effect of Contaminated Suspended Solids on Water and Sediment Qualities and Their Treatment
Authors: Inoue Tomohiro , Mulligan Catherine N. , Zadeh Ehsan M. , Fukue Masaharu
Published: February 2009

Suspended solids (SS) have been discharged into water areas such as rivers, lakes, and ponds. The SS adsorb various contaminants such as heavy metals and nutrients and also form sediments by sedimentation. Therefore, contaminated SS will be able to influence not only the water quality, but also the sediment quality. In order to understand the effect of contaminated SS on the water and the sediment, SS and sediment samples were obtained from the des Hurons River in Canada. In addition, laboratory filtration tests were performed to develop a technique for removal of the SS. A downward filtration system was used with a nonwoven geotextile as a filter medium. The apparent opening size (AOS) and the thickness of the filter were 150 μm and 0.2 cm, respectively. For the investigation, the results showed that both SS and the sediments contained heavy metals with concentrations in the SS higher. In particular, zinc concentrations of the SS were approximately from two to five times higher than the Canadian guideline for sediments. In addition, it was found that SS concentrations were associated with chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total phosphorus (T-P) concentrations. Therefore, it was found that SS can play an important role in the water and the sediment qualities. The laboratory filtration tests showed the SS were reduced from 32 mg/L to 2 mg/L or less by the nonwoven filter. Thus, SS removal will improve not only the water quality, but also the quality of the bottom sediments.
Correlates of Perceptual Learning in an Oculomotor Decision Variable
Authors: Connolly Patrick M. , Bennur Sharath , Gold Joshua I.
Published: February 2009

In subjects trained extensively to indicate a perceptual decision with an action, neural commands that generate the action can represent the process of forming the decision. However, it is unknown whether this representation requires overtraining or reflects a more general link between perceptual and motor processing. We examined how perceptual processing is represented in motor commands in naive monkeys being trained on a demanding perceptual task, as they first establish the sensory–motor association and then learn to form more accurate perceptual judgments. The task required the monkeys to decide the direction of random-dot motion and respond with an eye movement to one of two visual targets. Using electrically evoked saccades, we examined oculomotor commands that developed during motion viewing. Throughout training, these commands tended to reflect both the subsequent binary choice of saccade target and the weighing of graded motion evidence used to arrive at that choice. Moreover, these decision-related oculomotor signals, along with the time needed to initiate the voluntary saccadic response, changed steadily as training progressed, approximately matching concomitant improvements in behavioral sensitivity to the motion stimulus. Thus, motor circuits may have general access to perceptual processing used to select between actions, even without extensive training. The results also suggest a novel candidate mechanism for some forms of perceptual learning, in which the brain learns rapidly to treat a perceptual decision as a problem of action selection and then over time to use sensory input more effectively to guide the selection process.
Polyglutamine-Expanded Androgen Receptor Truncation Fragments Activate a Bax-Dependent Apoptotic Cascade Mediated by DP5/Hrk
Authors: Young Jessica E. , Garden Gwenn A. , Martinez Refugio A. , Tanaka Fumiaki , Miguel Sandoval C. , Smith Annette C. , Sopher Bryce L. , Lin Amy , Fischbeck Kenneth H. , Ellerby Lisa M. , Morrison Richard S. , Taylor J. Paul , La Spada Albert R.
Published: February 2009

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is an inherited neuromuscular disorder caused by a polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat expansion in the androgen receptor (AR). PolyQ-AR neurotoxicity may involve generation of an N-terminal truncation fragment, as such peptides occur in SBMA patients and mouse models. To elucidate the basis of SBMA, we expressed N-terminal truncated AR in motor neuron-derived cells and primary cortical neurons. Accumulation of polyQ-AR truncation fragments in the cytosol resulted in neurodegeneration and apoptotic, caspase-dependent cell death. Using primary neurons from mice transgenic or deficient for apoptosis-related genes, we determined that polyQ-AR apoptotic activation is fully dependent on Bax. Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) was required for apoptotic pathway activation through phosphorylation of c-Jun. Expression of polyQ-AR in DP5/Hrk null neurons yielded significant protection against apoptotic activation, but absence of Bim did not provide protection, apparently due to compensatory upregulation of DP5/Hrk or other BH3-only proteins. Misfolded AR protein in the cytosol thus initiates a cascade of events beginning with JNK and culminating in Bax-dependent, intrinsic pathway activation, mediated in part by DP5/Hrk. As apoptotic mediators are candidates for toxic fragment generation and other cellular processes linked to neuron dysfunction, delineation of the apoptotic activation pathway induced by polyQ-expanded AR may shed light on the pathogenic cascade in SBMA and other motor neuron diseases.
Economic Games Quantify Diminished Sense of Guilt in Patients with Damage to the Prefrontal Cortex
Authors: Krajbich Ian , Adolphs Ralph , Tranel Daniel , Denburg Natalie L. , Camerer Colin F.
Published: February 2009

Damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) impairs concern for other people, as reflected in the dysfunctional real-life social behavior of patients with such damage, as well as their abnormal performances on tasks ranging from moral judgment to economic games. Despite these convergent data, we lack a formal model of how, and to what degree, VMPFC lesions affect an individual's social decision-making. Here we provide a quantification of these effects using a formal economic model of choice that incorporates terms for the disutility of unequal payoffs, with parameters that index behaviors normally evoked by guilt and envy. Six patients with focal VMPFC lesions participated in a battery of economic games that measured concern about payoffs to themselves and to others: dictator, ultimatum, and trust games. We analyzed each task individually, but also derived estimates of the guilt and envy parameters from aggregate behavior across all of the tasks. Compared with control subjects, the patients donated significantly less and were less trustworthy, and overall our model found a significant insensitivity to guilt. Despite these abnormalities, the patients had normal expectations about what other people would do, and they also did not simply generate behavior that was more noisy. Instead, the findings argue for a specific insensitivity to guilt, an abnormality that we suggest characterizes a key contribution made by the VMPFC to social behavior.
Neural Response to Reward Anticipation under Risk Is Nonlinear in Probabilities
Authors: Hsu Ming , Krajbich Ian , Zhao Chen , Camerer Colin F.
Published: February 2009

A widely observed phenomenon in decision making under risk is the apparent overweighting of unlikely events and the underweighting of nearly certain events. This violates standard assumptions in expected utility theory, which requires that expected utility be linear (objective) in probabilities. Models such as prospect theory have relaxed this assumption and introduced the notion of a “probability weighting function,” which captures the key properties found in experimental data. This study reports functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data that neural response to expected reward is nonlinear in probabilities. Specifically, we found that activity in the striatum during valuation of monetary gambles are nonlinear in probabilities in the pattern predicted by prospect theory, suggesting that probability distortion is reflected at the level of the reward encoding process. The degree of nonlinearity reflected in individual subjects' decisions is also correlated with striatal activity across subjects. Our results shed light on the neural mechanisms of reward processing, and have implications for future neuroscientific studies of decision making involving extreme tails of the distribution, where probability weighting provides an explanation for commonly observed behavioral anomalies.
External Tufted Cells Drive the Output of Olfactory Bulb Glomeruli
Authors: De Saint Jan Didier , Hirnet Daniela , Westbrook Gary L. , Charpak Serge
Published: February 2009

Odors synchronize the activity of olfactory bulb mitral cells that project to the same glomerulus.In vitro, a slow rhythmic excitation intrinsic to the glomerular network persists, even in the absence of afferent input. We show here that a subpopulation of juxtaglomerular cells, external tufted (ET) cells, may trigger this rhythmic activity. We used paired whole-cell recording and Ca2+imaging in bulb slices from wild-type and transgenic mice expressing the fluorescent Ca2+indicator protein GCaMP-2. Slow, periodic population bursts in mitral cells were synchronized with spontaneous discharges in ET cells. Moreover, activation of a single ET cell was sufficient to evoke population bursts in mitral cells within the same glomerulus. Stimulation of the olfactory nerve induced similar population bursts and activated ET cells at a lower threshold than mitral cells, suggesting that ET cells mediate feedforward excitation of mitral cells. We propose that ET cells act as essential drivers of glomerular output to the olfactory cortex.
The Wisdom of Indigo Children: An Emphatic Restatement of the Value of American Children
Authors: Whedon Sarah W.
Published: February 2009

In late twentieth-century America the notion of Indigo children emerged. Said to have indigo-colored auras and unique spiritual abilities, these young people have had difficulty fitting into social institutions and are often diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. This article argues that good children turned bad through psychological illness were reinscribed as good with the aid of New Age beliefs and practices. These New Age components included ideas about auras, millennialism, and personal transformation.
Comparison of long-acting testosterone undecanoate formulation versus testosterone enanthate on sexual function and mood in hypogonadal men
Authors: Jockenhövel F , Minnemann T , Schubert M , Freude S , Hübler D , Schumann C , Christoph A , Ernst M
Published: February 2009

Objective

To compare the effects of two treatment modalities of testosterone on sexual functioning and mood.

Design

Forty men were randomized to receive either parenteral testosterone enanthate (TE) or long-acting parenteral testosterone undecanoate (TU) over a period of 30 weeks. Thereafter, 20 men who had received TU and 16 men who had received TE continued with TU and completed another 65 weeks to study longer-term effects of TU.

Methods

The following variables of sexual functioning were studied: sexual thoughts and fantasy, sexual interest and desire, satisfaction with sex life, number of erections and ejaculations per week, and number of spontaneous morning erections per week. Also variables related to mood were analyzed.

Results

Improvements in these variables were significant and were of a similar magnitude in the group treated with TU and TE for 30 weeks. Improvements were maintained at the same levels over a period of another 65 weeks when all men received TU. Effects on mood were recorded for 30 weeks, but were more difficult to establish in the study population. There were significant differences in baseline values between the two groups and scores showed wide s.d.

Conclusions

Both TE and TU were effective in improving sexual functions in hypogonadal men. An advantage of TU over TE is its lower frequency of administration and its better tolerability and safety profile.
Does having a twin brother make for a bigger brain?
Authors: Peper Jiska S , Brouwer Rachel M , van Baal G Caroline M , Schnack Hugo G , van Leeuwen Marieke , Boomsma Dorret I , Kahn René S , Hulshoff Pol Hilleke E
Published: February 2009

Objective

Brain volume of boys is larger than that of girls by ∼10%. Prenatal exposure to testosterone has been suggested in the masculinization of the brain. For example, in litter-bearing mammals intrauterine position increases prenatal testosterone exposure through adjacent male fetuses, resulting in masculinization of brain morphology.

Design

The influence of intrauterine presence of a male co-twin on masculinization of human brain volume was studied in 9-year old twins.

Methods

Magnetic resonance imaging brain scans, current testosterone, and estradiol levels were acquired from four groups of dizygotic (DZ) twins: boys from same-sex twin-pairs (SSM), boys from opposite-sex twin-pairs (OSM), girls from opposite-sex twin-pairs (OSF), and girls from same-sex twin-pairs (SSF; n=119 individuals). Data on total brain, cerebellum, gray and white matter volumes were examined.

Results

Irrespective of their own sex, children with a male co-twin as compared to children with a female co-twin had larger total brain (+2.5%) and cerebellum (+5.5%) volumes. SSM, purportedly exposed to the highest prenatal testosterone levels, were found to have the largest volumes, followed by OSM, OSF and SSF children. Birth weight partly explained the effect on brain volumes. Current testosterone and estradiol levels did not account for the volumetric brain differences. However, the effects observed in children did not replicate in adult twins.

Conclusions

Our study indicates that sharing the uterus with a DZ twin brother increases total brain volume in 9-year olds. The effect may be transient and limited to a critical period in childhood.
Expression of anti-Mullerian hormone in hens selected for different ovulation rates
Authors: Johnson P A , Kent T R , Urick M E , Trevino L S , Giles J R
Published: February 2009

In hens, the granulosa layer is the primary source of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), as it is in mammals. Small follicles express the greatest amount ofAmhmRNA with less in the larger follicles. Laying hens have a distinct ovarian hierarchy of follicles while broiler breeder hens often have excessive follicle growth with a disrupted hierarchy. The objective of Experiment 1 was to examineAmhexpression in two strains of hens differing in ovulatory efficiency.Amhexpression was greater (P<0.01) in broiler breeder hens (n=6) as compared with laying hens (n=6). Experiment 2 was designed to examine whether alterations in follicular development due to diet, within the broiler breeder hens, were correlated with changes in the expression ofAmh. Restricted feeding (RF) in broiler breeder hens promotes optimal follicular development. Egg production in broiler breeder hens on full feed (FF;n=8) was 78% that of hens on RF (n=9). The number of large follicles (P<0.05), total ovarian weight (P<0.01), andAmhmRNA expression were greater in FF hens as compared with RF hens (P<0.01). There was no difference in FSH receptor expression between the two groups. A direct nutritional effect was not supported because culture of granulosa cells with varying concentrations of glucose and insulin showed no effect on granulosaAmhexpression. Finally, testis-conditioned medium resulted in a dose-related increase in granulosa cell proliferation, which could be inhibited by preincubation with AMH antibody. AMH may enhance granulosa cell proliferation through an autocrine or paracrine mechanism although excessive AMH may inhibit optimal follicle selection.