bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Dissimilarity between Patients' and Relatives' Perception of Eating Disorders and its Relation to Patient Adjustment
Authors: Quiles Marcos Yolanda , Weinman John , Terol Cantero Ma Carmen , Beléndez Vázquez Marina
Published: February 2009

This study aims to examine the relation between the degree of dissimilarity in patients' and relatives' perception of eating disorders (ED) and patient adjustment. Sixty ED patients and their relatives were interviewed. They completed the Spanish version for ED of the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R). Patients who agreed with their relatives that their illness was highly distressful, a chronic condition and with high identity, showed higher psychological distress than patients who did not agree with their relatives. When patients and relatives had fairly positive perceptions of illness controllability and curability, these patients showed lower levels of depression and anxiety.
Type I natural killer T cells suppress tumors caused by p53 loss in mice
Authors: Swann Jeremy B. , Uldrich Adam P. , van Dommelen Serani , Sharkey Janelle , Murray William K. , Godfrey Dale I. , Smyth Mark J.
Published: February 2009

CD1d-restricted T cells are considered to play a host protective effect in tumor immunity, yet the evidence for a role of natural killer T (NKT) cells in tumor immune surveillance has been weak and data from several tumor models has suggested that some (type II) CD1d-restricted T cells may also suppress some types of antitumor immune response. To substantiate an important role for CD1d-restricted T cells in host response to cancer, we have evaluated tumor development in p53+/− mice lacking either type I NKT cells (TCR Jα18−/−) or all CD1d-restricted T cells (CD1d−/−). Our findings support a key role for type I NKT cells in suppressing the onset of sarcomas and hematopoietic cancers caused by p53 loss but do not suggest that other CD1d-restricted T cells are critical in regulating the same tumor development.
Intellectual Labor Power, Cultural Capital, and the Value of Prestige
Authors: Shapiro Stephen
Published: February 2009

What lies at the root of academic remuneration in a culture of professionalized celebrity? I take this question as an opportunity to reconsider the notion of cultural capital. Discounting the idea that “intellectual labor” exists, I argue that we need instead to discuss “intellectual labor power,” the process through which thought performance, which includes teaching, is commodified on the price-setting marketplace. When viewed in this light, Pierre Bourdieu's influential definitions of cultural capital will be found wanting, as they do not account for the social differences that capitalist practices make as they reconfigure status societies into contract ones. Instead, I propose the rudiments of a theory of cultural capital grounded in the exploitation of labor power through institutions of knowledge formation, and I nominate the form through which this value appears as prestige. Prestige is the social expression of the labor value given up by subjects to institutions and their agents in return for the perceived security of (occupational) privilege; it is the collective form of charisma. In this light, iconic figures become remunerated, less for their individual work and its putative ingenuity than for how it attracts unpaid labor and its benefits for their institution to use in the congeries of bourgeois civil society.
The Balkans: Radical Conservatism and Desire
Authors: Bjelić Dušan I.
Published: February 2009

This essay focuses on Balkan discourse geography as a hidden contingency of the intellectual work of Slavoj Žižek and Julia Kristeva. It takes into account the extent to which their self-proclaimed cosmopolitanism and universalism reflect disidentification with their Balkan origins. This disidentification alerts one to the unacknowledged centrality of Kristeva's and Žižek's Balkan origins to their writing about the region, and it also points to the Balkanist character of their intellectual production. I emphasize the discourse geography of the Balkans—particularly Maria Todorova's articulation of “Balkanism”—as a dissonant infrastructure to the transcendent, ahistorical quality of Kristeva's and Žižek's work. Antonio Gramsci's incorporation of his origins in Sardinia into his intellectual and political praxis provides a contrapuntal reading of Kristeva's and Žižek's own psychoanalytically mediated decoupling of themselves from their Balkan origins and their own split subject positions. The empirical history of human solidarity formalized in the Marxist philosophy of class struggle and actualized in Gramsci's philosophy of praxis challenged not only Cartesian subjectivity as pure cogito but also the Cartesian elevation of abstraction over the senses. In contrast, Kristeva's and Žižek's local histories are expressed through disidentification and self-Orientalization as a constitutive gesture of subaltern intellectual labor. Instead of exploring geopolitical ambiguity for the sake of the intellectuality of human solidarity, they paradoxically reproduce in their discourse the very conditions they seek to escape.
Settling Accounts with the Sociology of Knowledge: The Frankfurt School, Mannheim, and the Marxian Critique of Ideology qua Mental Labor
Authors: Fischer Ariane
Published: February 2009

Karl Marx's theory of ideology, as outlined in The German Ideology, was primarily a critique of idealist philosophy. When Karl Mannheim picked up the term ideology in the 1930s, he broadened its meaning to the point where it lost its function in the struggle against idealist metaphysics. Claiming to think the problem through to its logical conclusion, the sociology of knowledge went so far as to reconcile the concept of ideology with precisely the speculative thought that historical materialism was originally conceived to displace. In effect, Mannheim's notion of history as the Träger of a unified meaning and his notion of social conflict as the expression of ideal differences composing a harmonious whole contributed to a severe reduction of the critique of idealism. This provoked a drawn-out battle between the Frankfurt School and the sociology of knowledge.

The problem with the new worldview sociology, as Herbert Marcuse, Max Horkheimer, and Theodor Adorno saw it, was that it diluted the message of Marx's materialist approach and veered heavily back toward traditional idealist philosophy. The significance of the intervention of the Frankfurt School lies in the fact that the attack on Mannheim repeated Marx and Friedrich Engels's attack on the Young Hegelians. Like Marx and Engels, Horkheimer and his associates managed to “uncloak [the] sheep, who take themselves and are taken for wolves” and settle their accounts with metaphysics in favor of a thoroughly secular understanding of social contradictions. While it stopped short of framing its critique of metaphysics in Marx's theory of the division between mental and manual labor, which was the real advance of Marx over his antagonist Max Stirner, the Frankfurt School revived the original concept of ideology while demonstrating its rejection of any depoliticization of Marxian theory as well as its deep commitment to the dialectical mode of inquiry.
Intellectual Labor
Authors: Brennan Timothy
Published: February 2009

Only yesterday a discussion of economics in cultural circles was considered boring—a mere “economism”—but it is now everywhere in the arts. “Labor,” while being summoned as a grand economic category, enters conversations in the humanities today in the form of a theory of the latest stage of capitalism in which precisely “intellect” is considered the key productive force. This view, which finds expression in a number of antiestablishment thinkers, not only conforms to official business and policy circles but is directly taken from their writings (often several years after the fact). Economics returns because its materialism is now immaterial: “self-making,” “innovation,” “creativity,” and other entrepreneurial qualities of the poietic intellect (where poiesis means a making or crafting). All are extolled as the new primary forces of value and are distinguished sharply from the physical labor of plantation and maquiladora, which are seen as unrelated to the centers of profit. More is involved in this turn than the reappearance of what was once sardonically called “critical criticism.” There are fully economic reasons as well. To what degree, for example, is contemporary theory a labor-saving operation? And how do we greet the valorization of complexity within theory as an unchallenged value that allows the critic to utter dissident ideas in the form of an ironic dissimulation (a form of job protection in a regime of risk)? This is about the consequences of dwelling on the sumptuousness of thought and an exploration of its situatedness.
Ramelteon for the treatment of insomnia in menopausal women
Authors: Dobkin Roseanne DeFronzo , Menza Matthew , Bienfait Karina L , Allen Lesley A , Marin Humberto , Gara Michael A
Published: February 2009

Objective

Sleep disturbances have been reported to be one of the most troubling manifestations of menopause. While hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has historically been considered a first-line treatment for menopausal insomnia, many women are now seeking alternative treatments due to concerns about the risks and side-effects of HRT. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of ramelteon, a selective melatonin receptor agonist, for the treatment of menopausal insomnia.

Study design

A total of 20 healthy peri- and postmenopausal women with insomnia participated in this six-week, prospective, open-label trial of ramelteon (8 mg) at an academic medical centre. Participants completed sleep–wake diaries on a daily basis for six weeks. Self-report measures of sleep impairment, daytime functioning, quality of life and mood were also completed on a bi-weekly basis.

Results

Significant improvements in latency to sleep onset, total sleep time and sleep efficiency were observed in diary data while gains in sleep quality, sleep impairment, daytime functioning, quality of life and mood were found in self-report measures. There was no evidence of tolerance or rebound over the course of the trial.

Conclusions

Overall, results suggest that ramelteon is an effective non-hormonal approach for the treatment of insomnia in menopause. Randomized-controlled trials are needed to further evaluate the efficacy of this intervention.
Cost-effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms in the UK
Authors: Lekander Ingrid , Borgström Fredrik , Ström Oskar , Zethraeus Niklas , Kanis John A
Published: February 2009

Objective

To estimate the cost-effectiveness of five-year treatment of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) compared with no treatment for women with menopausal symptoms in the UK.

Method

A Markov cohort simulation model with tunnel techniques was used to assess the cost-effectiveness of HRT in women aged 50 years. For the clinical effects of HRT we used, where possible, results taken from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). The model had a life-time horizon with cycle lengths of one year and contained the following disease states: hip fracture, vertebral fracture, wrist fracture, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke and venous thromboembolic events. An intervention was modelled by its impact on the disease risks during and after stopping treatment. The model was populated with UK-specific data on risks, mortality rates, quality-of-life weights and costs. The main outcome of the model was cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained of HRT compared with no treatment.

Results

The results indicated that it was cost-effective to treat women with menopausal symptoms with HRT in the UK. The severity of menopausal symptoms was the single most important determinant of cost-effectiveness, but HRT remained cost-effective even where symptoms were mild or effects on symptom relief were small.

Conclusions

Treatment of women with menopausal symptoms with HRT is cost-effective.
Evolution of the menopause: life histories and mechanisms
Authors: Rashidi Armin , Shanley Daryl
Published: February 2009

A long postreproductive lifespan is a characteristic feature in the life history of human females, which is not shared with other primates. The ultimate cause of menopause has been the focus of much study and has generated a number of evolutionary explanations, most prominently the mother and grandmother hypotheses. Generally, these theories propose that menopause was an adaptive response to changes that led to the divergence of humans from their ancestors, and are based on observations such as the long-dependency time of human infants, early age of weaning of human neonates, high maternal mortality, the supportive role of grandmothers in childcare, and intergroup female transfers. While ongoing debate continues to refine evolutionary theory, the proximate cause of menopause currently receives less attention. Our knowledge about the mechanisms underlying menopause has been largely confined to ovarian exhaustion, the progressive loss of oocytes beginning before birth and continuing to the age of menopause. Most efforts have to date been focused on fitting curves to the few data available, rather than trying to explain why the dynamics of oocyte depletion follows a particular pattern. A few recent studies have attempted to address this problem by demonstrating that oocyte dynamics is a regulated process under tight physiological control, e.g. that ovaries sense both number and quality of their oocytes. In this review we assess our current knowledge from an evolutionary perspective and emphasize the benefit of combining a mechanistic and life history approach.
Health benefits of probiotics and prebiotics in women
Authors: de Vrese Michael
Published: February 2009

Among the numerous positive effects of probiotic microorganisms and prebiotic carbohydrates observed in clinical studies – the majority of which, however, does not fulfil the criteria of pharmaceutical verification – some are of specific relevance to female health. The present review addresses – besides some notes concerning the potential microbiota-hormone interactions – the first line with preventive and/or therapeutic applications of probiotic bacteria in order to maintain a balanced intestinal and urogenital flora, as well as in the case of irritable bowel syndrome, constipation (idiopathic slow-transit) and urogenital tract infections. Further aspects are the promotion of bone health and osteoporosis prevention brought about by inulin, oligofructose and galactooligosaccharides. Some further conditions, namely anorexia nervosa, the premenstrual syndrome as well as prevention or alleviation of climacteric and menopausal disorders, for which the use of probiotics is rather hypothetical or is largely studied by alternative medicine practising physicians, are addressed briefly.
Multiserver Loss Systems with Subscribers
Authors: Randhawa Ramandeep S. , Kumar Sunil
Published: February 2009

We study a multiserver loss system with two kinds of customers: subscribers and infrequent users. We model the infrequent users' requests for service by a Poisson process. However, noting that the Poisson process is unable to capture repeated interactions as well as retrials, we propose a Markovian on-off-hold model for the subscribers' requests for service that takes into account retrials by subscribers denied service. We analyze this system in an asymptotic regime where the number of subscribers and the arrival rate of the Poisson stream, and consequently the number of servers, grow without bound. In this regime, we identify and prove convergence to diffusion limits for the system. We also prove the convergence of the invariant distributions to the invariant distribution of the limiting diffusions.
On Safe Tractable Approximations of Chance-Constrained Linear Matrix Inequalities
Authors: Ben-Tal Aharon , Nemirovski Arkadi
Published: February 2009

In the paper we consider the chance-constrained version of an affinely perturbed linear matrix inequality (LMI) constraint, assuming the primitive perturbations to be independent with light-tail distributions (e.g., bounded or Gaussian). Constraints of this type, playing a central role in chance-constrained linear/conic quadratic/semidefinite programming, are typically computationally intractable. The goal of this paper is to develop a tractable approximation to these chance constraints. Our approximation is based on measure concentration results and is given by an explicit system of LMIs. Thus, the approximation is computationally tractable; moreover, it is also safe, meaning that a feasible solution of the approximation is feasible for the chance constraint.
Network Formulations of Mixed-Integer Programs
Authors: Conforti Michele , Di Summa Marco , Eisenbrand Friedrich , Wolsey Laurence A.
Published: February 2009

We consider mixed-integer sets described by system of linear inequalities in which the constraint matrix A is totally unimodular; the right-hand side is arbitrary vector; and a subset of the variables is required to be integer. We show that the problem of checking nonemptiness of a set of this type is NP-complete, even in the case in which the linear system describes mixed-integer network flows with half-integral requirement on the nodes.

This is in contrast to the case in which A is totally unimodular and contains at most two nonzeros per row. In this case, we provide an extended formulation for the convex hull of solutions whose constraint matrix is a dual-network matrix with an integral right-hand-side vector. The size of this formulation depends on the number of distinct fractional parts taken by the continuous variables in the extreme points of the convex hull of the given set. When this number is polynomial in the dimension of A, the extended formulation is of polynomial size. If, in addition, the corresponding list of fractional parts can be computed efficiently, then our result provides a polynomial algorithm for the optimization problem over these sets. We show that there are instances for which this list is of exponential size, and we also give conditions under which it is short and can be efficiently computed.

Finally, we show that these results provide a unified framework leading to polynomial-size extended formulations for several generalizations of mixing sets and lot-sizing sets studied in the last few years.
A Nonparametric Asymptotic Analysis of Inventory Planning with Censored Demand
Authors: Huh Woonghee Tim , Rusmevichientong Paat
Published: February 2009

We study stochastic inventory planning with lost sales and instantaneous replenishment where, contrary to the classical inventory theory, knowledge of the demand distribution is not available. Furthermore, we observe only the sales quantity in each period and lost sales are unobservable, that is, demand data are censored. The manager must make an ordering decision in each period based only on historical sales data. Excess inventory is either perishable or carried over to the next period. In this setting, we propose nonparametric adaptive policies that generate ordering decisions over time. We show that the T-period average expected cost of our policy differs from the benchmark newsvendor cost—the minimum expected cost that would have incurred if the manager had known the underlying demand distribution—by at most O(1/T0.5).
An Optimal Approximate Dynamic Programming Algorithm for the Lagged Asset Acquisition Problem
Authors: Nascimento Juliana M. , Powell Warren B.
Published: February 2009

We consider a multistage asset acquisition problem where assets are purchased now, at a price that varies randomly over time, to be used to satisfy a random demand at a particular point in time in the future. We provide a rare proof of convergence for an approximate dynamic programming algorithm using pure exploitation, where the states we visit depend on the decisions produced by solving the approximate problem. The resulting algorithm does not require knowing the probability distribution of prices or demands, nor does it require any assumptions about its functional form. The algorithm and its proof rely on the fact that the true value function is a family of piecewise linear concave functions.
Connectivity Upgrade Models for Survivable Network Design
Authors: Balakrishnan Anantaram , Mirchandani Prakash , Natarajan Harihara Prasad
Published: February 2009

Disruptions in infrastructure networks to transport material, energy, and information can have serious economic, and even catastrophic, consequences. Since these networks require enormous investments, network service providers emphasize both survivability and cost effectiveness in their topological design decisions. This paper addresses the survivable network design problem, a core model incorporating the cost and redundancy trade-offs facing network planners. Using a novel connectivity upgrade strategy, we develop several families of inequalities to strengthen a multicommodity flow-based formulation for the problem, and show that some of these inequalities are facet defining. By increasing the linear programming lower bound, the valid inequalities not only lead to better performance guarantees for heuristic solutions, but also accelerate exact and approximate solution methods. We also consider a heuristic strategy that sequentially rounds the fractional values, starting with the linear programming solution to our strong model. Extensive computational tests confirm that the valid inequalities, added via a cutting plane algorithm, and the heuristic procedure are very effective, and their performance is robust to changes in the network dimensions and connectivity structure. Our solution approach generates tight lower and upper bounds with average gaps that are less than 1.2% for various problem sizes and connectivity requirements.
OR FORUM—The Evolution of Closed-Loop Supply Chain Research
Authors: Guide V. Daniel R. , Van Wassenhove Luk N.
Published: February 2009

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the reader to the field of closed-loop supply chains with a strong business perspective, i.e., we focus on profitable value recovery from returned products. It recounts the evolution of research in this growing area over the past 15 years, during which it developed from a narrow, technically focused niche area to a fully recognized subfield of supply chain management. We use five phases to paint an encompassing view of this evolutionary process for the reader to understand past achievements and potential future operations research opportunities.
Artificial proteases toward catalytic drugs for amyloid diseases
Authors: Lee Tae Yeon , Suh Junghun
Published: February 2009

We have proposed catalytic drugs based on artificial proteases as a new paradigm in drug design. Catalytic cleavage of the backbone of a protein related to a disease may effect a cure. Catalytic drugs can be designed even for proteins lacking active sites. Soluble oligomers of amyloid β-42 peptide (Aβ42) are implicated as the primary toxic species in amyloid diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cleavage of Aβ42 included in an oligomer may provide a novel method for reduction of Aβ42 oligomers, offering a new therapeutic option. The Co(III) complex of cyclen was used as the catalytic center for peptide hydrolysis. Binding sites of the catalysts that recognize the target were searched by using various chemical libraries. Four compounds were selected as cleavage agents for the oligomers of Aβ42. After reaction with the cleavage agents for 36 h at 37 °C and pH 7.50, up to 30 mol % of Aβ42 (4.0 μM) was cleaved, although the target oligomers existed as transient species. Considerable activity was manifested at the concentrations of the agents as low as 100 nM.
Aminolithiation of carbon-carbon double bonds as a powerful tool in organic synthesis
Authors: Tomioka Kiyoshi , Sakai Takeo , Ogata Tokutaro , Yamamoto Yasutomo
Published: February 2009

A conjugate amination of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds with lithium amides has become a powerful method of N-C bond-forming reactions. Chiral ligand-controlled asymmetric version of the conjugate amination of enoates was developed for practical bench chemistry, giving the enantioenriched amination product with over 99 % ee. In situ diastereoselective alkylation of resulting lithium enolates allowed us to form vicinal N-C and C-C bonds in a one-pot operation. This protocol enabled us to realize a short-step asymmetric synthesis of otamixaban key intermediate. Treatment of product 3-benzylamino- and 3-allylaminoesters with tert-butyllithium gave five- or seven-membered lactams through [1,2]- or [2,3]-rearrangement of intermediate β-lactams. Isolated C-C double bonds were also found to accept intramolecular aminolithiation affording the corresponding hydroamination products. Chiral lithiophilic ligand-catalyzed reaction gave enantioenriched hydroamination products with high ee. Stereoselective intramolecular aminolithiation of allylaminoalkenes was coupled with subsequent carbolithiation to give doubly cyclized product amines.
Chemical control of biomolecular interaction modules
Authors: Altenbrunn Frank , Grossmann Tom N. , Haase Christian , Mende Franziska , Röglin Lars , Thurley Stefanie , Seitz Oliver
Published: February 2009

The mutual recognition of biomacromolecules often is mediated by dedicated interaction modules. We take two main approaches in order to recognize and control nucleic acid-nucleic acid, protein-protein, and protein-nucleic acid interactions. In one, the rules that govern the formation of nucleic acid structures are used to design molecules that respond to the presence of nucleic acid or protein targets by showing changes of conformation or reactivity. For example, hybrid molecules can transduce changes of nucleic acid structure to changes of peptide structure, and vice versa. The other approach takes advantage of protein domains that once may form the basis of sensor materials and control elements. However, the current chemical synthesis methods have still not reached the level of maturity required to provide routine access to folded protein domains. In this article, we also describe recent progress that may facilitate the chemical synthesis of protein interaction domains.
Exploring RNA-ligand interactions
Authors: Tor Yitzhak
Published: February 2009

RNA molecules play essential roles in biological processes and are evolving as important targets for therapeutic intervention. Small molecules that specifically bind unique RNA sites and prevent the formation of functional RNA folds or RNA-protein complexes can modulate cell functions and can become of therapeutic potential. To explore such recognition events and to fabricate discovery assays, effective biophysical tools need to be advanced. When carefully designed, new fluorescent nucleosides can serve an unparalleled role in such studies. Our criteria for "ideal" fluorescent nucleoside analogs include: (a) high structural similarity to the native nucleobases to faithfully mimic their size and shape, as well as hybridization and recognition properties; (b) red-shifted absorption bands; (c) red-shifted emission band (preferably in the visible); (d) a reasonable emission quantum efficiency; and, importantly, (e) sensitivity of their photophysical parameters to changes in the microenvironment. Our program, aimed at the development of new emissive isomorphic nucleoside analogs, has yielded several useful nucleobases. Selected analogs were implemented in fluorescence-based assays. This overview presents the motivation for this work by introducing RNA-ligand interactions and discusses the design and synthesis of fluorescent isosteric nucleobase analogs and their utilization for the fabrication of "real-time" fluorescence-based biophysical assays.
Amino acid-promoted Ullmann-type coupling reactions and their applications in organic synthesis
Authors: Cai Qian , Zhang Hui , Zou Benli , Xie Xiaoan , Zhu Wei , He Gang , Wang Jing , Pan Xianhua , Chen Yu , Yuan Qiliang , Liu Feng , Lu Biao , Ma Dawei
Published: February 2009

Ullmann-type coupling reactions between aryl halides and N-containing reagents, phenols, and other related nucleophilic agents are very valuable transformations for organic synthesis. Their conventional reaction conditions require high reaction temperatures. We describe here that some amino acids, either as substrates or ligands, can lead Cu-catalyzed C-N, C-O, C-S, and C-C bond formations work at relatively low temperatures. An ortho-substitution effect caused by NHCOR groups is discussed. Applications of these newly developed reactions to heterocycle preparation and asymmetric synthesis are also presented.
A strategy for constructing C-sialosides based on Ireland-Claisen rearrangement and its application for synthesis of CF2-linked ganglioside GM4 analog
Authors: Sodeoka Mikiko , Hirai Go , Watanabe Toru , Miyagi Taeko
Published: February 2009

Sialidase-resistant ganglioside analogs having similar biological activities to natural gangliosides are expected to be important probes for clarifying the biological functions of gangliosides. Focusing on difluoromethylene-linked (CF2
-linked) and methylene-linked (CH2
-linked) α(2,3)sialylgalactose as a core structure of sialidase-resistant ganglioside mimics, we have developed novel, stereocontrolled, and efficient methodologies to synthesize C-sialosides based on Ireland-Claisen rearrangement. These methods were employed to synthesize CF2
-linked GM4. The CF2
-linked GM4 inhibited human sialidases NEU2 and NEU4 with IC50 values of 754 and 930 μM, respectively, and strongly inhibited human lymphocyte proliferation in the same concentration range as natural GM4.
Total synthesis of novel dictyostatin analogs and hybrids as microtubule-stabilizing anticancer agents
Authors: Paterson Ian , Gardner Nicola M. , Naylor Guy J.
Published: February 2009

Structural modification of the dictyostatin macrolide template through adaptation of our total synthesis has led to the identification of a number of potent analogs of this novel microtubule-stabilizing agent. A common synthetic strategy was exploited, employing a (Z)-selective Still-Gennari olefination between various advanced C11-C26 aldehyde and C4-C10 (or C1-C10) β-ketophosphonate intermediates. In vitro evaluation of the growth inhibitory activity of these analogs against both Taxol-sensitive and -resistant human cancer cell lines has provided a foundation for structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies to help define the pharmacophore region.
Sugars and proteins: New strategies in synthetic biology
Authors: Davis Benjamin G.
Published: February 2009

The development of novel methodology for bond-forming processes that are compatible with biomolecules allows the assembly, alteration, or modification of proteins. Such synthetic proteins allow precise insight and investigation of function in a manner that has the potential for almost unlimited diversity.
Facilitating Access: What Information Do Texas Postsecondary Institutions Provide on Accommodations and Services for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing?
Authors: Cawthon Stephanie W. , Nichols Sarah K. , Collier Mike
Published: February 2009

Students who are deaf or hard of hearing often require accommodations in order to participate in essential functions of college life. Although federal law mandates access to campus activities, real access for these students varies by site. The present study investigated the level of access of students who are deaf or hard of hearing at Texas postsecondary institutions. These schools’ online accommodations policies were reviewed in fall 2006. A systematic review of published policies was used to summarize accommodations and services available for instruction, assessment, and campus life. About half of the 157 schools provided information online. Examples of classroom accommodations included note takers during class lectures and extra time for tests. Nonacademic services included referrals to community resources and course registration assistance. Results are discussed in the context of information that prospective students may need to make informed choices regarding postsecondary education.
Symbol-Infused Joint Attention and Language Use in Mothers With Deaf and Hearing Toddlers
Authors: Gale Elaine , Schick Brenda
Published: February 2009

Mother-child interactions in 2-year-old deaf toddlers with deaf parents, deaf toddlers with hearing parents, and hearing toddlers with hearing parents were explored. Fifteen dyads were videotaped in free play and symbol-infused joint attention tasks. Dyads with hearing parents displayed similar responsiveness/directiveness patterns and spent similar amounts of time in symbol-infused joint attention regardless of child hearing status. Deaf toddlers with hearing mothers, however, produced significantly fewer different words and spent less time in sustained interactions than hearing toddlers. Compared with hearing mothers with deaf toddlers, deaf mothers tended to be more responsive to their toddler’s attention focus, an aspect of maternal responsiveness significantly related to the frequency of sustained interaction. Deaf toddlers with deaf mothers spent significantly less time in symbol-infused joint attention, possibly because of deaf toddlers’ need to divide visual attention between looking at objects and attending to their mother’s language.
Diminished Rationality and the Space of Reasons
Authors: Tumulty Maura
Published: February 2009

Some theories of language, thought, and experience require their adherents to say unpalatable things about human individuals whose capacities for rational activity are seriously diminished. Donald Davidson, for example, takes the interdependence of the concepts of thought and language to entail that thoughts may only be attributed to an individual who is an interpreter of others’ speech. And John McDowell's account of human experience as the involuntary exercise of conceptual capacities can be applied easily only to individuals who make some reasonable judgments, because conceptual capacities are paradigmatically exercised in judgments. In both cases, we seem forced towards an error theory about any ordinary understanding of impaired human individuals as minded, or as undergoing human experience.
Dual citizenship rights: do they make more and richer citizens?
Authors: Mazzolari Francesca
Published: February 2009

In the 1990s, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Brazil passed dual citizenship laws granting their expatriates the right to naturalize in the receiving country without losing their nationality of origin. I estimate the effects of these new laws on naturalization rates and labor market outcomes in the United States. Based on data from the 1990 and 2000 U.S. censuses, In find that immigrants recently granted dual nationality rights are more likely to naturalize relative to immigrants from other Latin American countries. They also experience relative employment and earnings gains, together with drops in welfare use, suggesting that dual citizenship rights not only increase the propensity to naturalize but may also promote economic assimilation. The effects of dual citizenship on improved economic performance, if mediated through naturalization, are consistent with American citizenship conferring greater economic opportunities.
Familial and Sporadic Porphyria Cutanea Tarda: Characterization and Diagnostic Strategies
Authors: Aarsand Aasne K , Boman Helge , Sandberg Sverre
Published: February 2009

Background: Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) occurs in sporadic (sPCT) and familial (fPCT) forms, which are generally clinically indistinguishable and have traditionally been differentiated by erythrocyte uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase (UROD, EC 4.1.1.37) activity. We used UROD gene sequencing as the reference standard in assessing the diagnostic accuracy of UROD activity, evaluating the mutation spectrum of the UROD gene, determining the frequency and disease attributes of PCT and its subtypes in Norway, and developing diagnostic models that use clinical and laboratory characteristics for differentiating fPCT and sPCT.

Methods: All consecutive patients with PCT diagnosed within a 6-year period were used for incidence calculations. UROD activity analysis, UROD gene sequencing, analysis of hemochromatosis mutations, and registration of clinical and laboratory data were carried out for 253 patients.

Results: Fifty-three percent of the patients had disease-relevant mutations, 74% of which were c.578G>C or c.636+1G>C. The UROD activity at the optimal cutoff had a likelihood ratio (LR) of 9.2 for fPCT, whereas a positive family history had an LR of 19. A logistic regression model indicated that low UROD activity, a high uroporphyrin-heptaporphyrin ratio, a young age at diagnosis, male sex, and low alcohol consumption were predictors of fPCT. The incidence of PCT was 1 in 100 000.

Conclusions: Two commonly occurring mutations are responsible for the high frequency of fPCT in Norway. UROD activity has a high diagnostic accuracy for differentiating the 2 PCT types, and a model that takes into account both clinical information and laboratory test results can be used to predict fPCT.
Formulation of a Guideline for the Determination of Heat Transfer Coefficient during Gas Quenching
Authors: Luebben Thomas , Lohrmann Michael , Segerberg Soeren , Sommer Peter
Published: February 2009

During the past years high pressure gas quenching was a very actual subject at different conferences. There were a lot of lectures which used heat transfer coefficient as the most important parameter for the characterization of a gas quenching system. This statement is surely correct, but only fully utilizable—for example, for the comparison of measurements from different authors—when a well defined measurement method was used. Up to 2002 this was not realized. To solve this problem on a national basis the German Research Committee for Quenching has delt with this subject in the period from 1998 to 2002. In a first step the possibly influencing parameters were identified. In a second step most of the parameters were predefined. In a few cases there was no information about the magnitude of the possible influence available (example: evaluation procedure). To answer these remaining questions a round-robin test was carried out. The participants were the companies Ipsen International and Dr. Sommer Werkstofftechnik, Germany, and the institutes IVF Sweden and IWT Bremen, Germany. The results of this work were published in 2002 in the German heat treatment journal HTM including a recommendation for the measurement of heat transfer coefficient at gas quenching (in German language). This paper is a translation of this work and shall help to solve the above-mentioned problem on an international level.
Analysis of the Belgian Surveillance Fracture Toughness Database Using Conventional and Advanced Master Curve Approaches
Authors: Lucon Enrico , Scibetta Marc , Gérard Robert
Published: February 2009

The “classical” regulatory approach to the analysis of surveillance capsules in nuclear power plants entails an indirect estimate of the fracture toughness of the beltline materials, by inferring rather than measuring their toughness properties. Indeed, the irradiation-induced shift of the fracture toughness curve is assumed to be equal to the shift of the Charpy absorbed energy transition curve at a predefined level (41 J). An alternative surveillance approach, primarily based on direct fracture toughness measurements in the ductile-to-brittle transition region using the Master Curve procedure, has been applied to surveillance materials from several Belgian nuclear power plants in the past 15 years. This has led to the establishment of a significant database, consisting of 292 fracture toughness data points for 23 material conditions (unirradiated materials and surveillance capsules). In this study, different temperature normalization approaches are applied to the available data. The analyses show that data clearly follow the Master Curve formalism. Moreover, it is confirmed that both the static (KIc) and the dynamic (KIR) curves of the ASME Code Section XI provide an effective lower bound to the measured results, although more conservatism is evident when using RTNDT as the normalization parameter. Both the conventional (ASTM E1921-08, ‘‘Standard Test Method for Determination of Reference Temperature, T0, for Ferritic Steels in the Transition Range’’) and advanced (Multi-Modal) Master Curve analyses of the database clearly demonstrate that normalizing data by (T−RTT0) provides the best rationalization of the available information and the most effective representation of the experimental scatter.
GaN Doped with Neodymium by Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy for Potential Lasing Applications
Authors: Readinger Eric D. , Metcalfe Grace D. , Shen Paul Hongen , Wraback Michael , Jha Naveen , Woodward Nateaniel , Capek Pavel , Dierolf Volkmar
Published: February 2009

We provide an investigation of in situ doping of GaN with the RE element Nd by plasma assisted-molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE). GaN epilayers are grown on c-plane sapphire and free standing GaN substrates and the Nd doping is controlled by an effusion cell. The ideal growth conditions for Nd incorporation maintaining crystal quality in GaN were investigated. The optical absorption characteristics indicate that the GaN:Nd epilayer remains transparent at the Nd emission wavelength of interest. For the highest Nd effusion cell temperatures, Rutherford backscattering and secondary ion mass spectrometry data indicate ˜5 at. % in epilayers grown on c-plane sapphire. X-ray diffraction found no evidence of phase segregation up to ˜1 at. % Nd. The highest luminescence intensities correspond to a doping range 0.05-1 at. %, with the strongest emission occurring at 1.12 eV (1107 nm). We also present the Stark energy sublevels of Nd3+ ions in GaN as determined by luminescence spectra. Photoluminescence excitation spectra reveal an optimal excitation energy of 1.48 eV (836 nm). We correlate the photoluminescence spectra with transitions from the 4F3/2 excited state to the 4I9/2, 4I11/2, and 4I13/2 multiplets of the Nd3+ ion for above (325nm) and below (836nm) bandgap excitation. Spectral correlation of the Nd emission multiplets in addition to site-selective spectroscopy studies using combined excitation-emission spectroscopy with confocal microscopy indicate enhanced substantial doping at the Ga site compared to other techniques (ion implantation and co-sputtering).
Spatially Resolved Site Selective Optical Spectroscopy on Nd Doped GaN Epitaxial Layers
Authors: Woodward Nate , Jha Naveen , Readinger Eric , Metcalfe Grace , Wraback Michael , Dierolf Volkmar
Published: February 2009

Due to its favorable electronic and thermal properties GaN has been considered as a rare-earth host material for solid state amplifier and laser applications. To this end, we performed spatially resolved combined excitation emission spectroscopy (CEES) on Nd ions which were in-situ-doped into GaN epitaxial films grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE) on c-plane sapphire substrate. For a wide range of concentration (up to 8at%) we find in the emission a dominant incorporation site, which can be identified with good certainty as a substitutional ‘Ga’ site. Energy levels and electron-phonon coupling to a localized mode can be identified. For the majority site, confocal spectral imaging under selective excitation show changes in emission intensity, excitation and emission wavelength on a submicron length scale suggesting spatial inhomogeneities in terms of Nd3+ ion concentration.
Studies of III-Nitride Superlattice Structures Implanted with Lanthanide Ions
Authors: Ebdah Mohammad Ahmad , Jadwisienczak Wojciech M , Kordesch Martin E , Ramadan Saleem , Morkoç Hadis , A. Anders A
Published: February 2009

Cathodoluminescence (CL) of rare earth (RE) ions implanted AlN/GaN superlattice (SL) structures grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique on GaN/(0001) sapphire substrate was measured at 10 K and 300 K. Implantation of terbium and thulium in SLs was done at 150 keV with a dose of up to 1×1015 cm-2 at 300 K. Samples were given post implantation isochronal thermal treatment at 900 °C in nitrogen ambient. The interface quality between the SL layers before and after implantation as well as after thermal annealing treatment has been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The characteristic satellite peaks of the SLs were measured for the (0002) reflection in the symmetric Bragg geometry for the reference, RE-implanted, and annealed SLs. Furthermore, the luminescence intensity of a RE3+ ion doped AlN/GaN SL was compared with the one from RE-implanted GaN epilayers. Despite the structural damage of the AlN/GaN structures, an enhancement of the characteristic emission intensities from RE3+ ions in the SLs was observed compared to emission from RE ions in epilayers.
Investigation of the Si-rich silicon oxide by 3D atom probe tomography
Authors: Talbot Etienne , Rodrigue Lardé , Gourbilleau Fabrice , Dufour Christian , Pareige Philippe
Published: February 2009

Silicon rich silicon oxide multilayers for optical devices have been investigated by laser assisted wide angle atom probe tomography. Three dimensional mapping of silicon nanoclusters multilayers was obtained. The composition of the different phases were deduced and compared to theoretical concentration. These results evidenced a size distribution of the Si clusters diameter and an incomplete phase separation between silica and silicon particles.
Photoluminescence Activity of Neodymium-Doped Gallium Oxide Thin Films
Authors: Lecerf Celine , Marie Philippe , Frilay Cedric , Cardin Julien , Portier Xavier
Published: February 2009

Photoluminescence activity was observed for neodymium-doped gallium oxide thin films prepared by radiofrequency magnetron co-sputtering. Structural and optical properties of as-grown and annealed films were studied and photoluminescence activity was especially investigated. The most intense lines were associated to the 4F3/2  4I9/2 and 4F3/2  4I11/2 electronic transitions of Nd3+. The effects of deposition and treatment parameters such as the substrate temperature, the post anneal treatment or the neodymium content in the films were particularly examined with the aim to reach the best luminescence efficiency.
Combined Excitation Emission Spectroscopy Studies on Erbium Ions in Stoichiometric Lithium Tantalate
Authors: Woodward Nate , Miyahara Keiko , Toulouse Alex , Capek Pavel , Dierolf Volkmar
Published: February 2009

We present our site-selective spectroscopic studies on Er3+ doped nearly stoichiometric lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) and compare the results with earlier studies performed on the same dopant in the isostructural lithium niobate host. We present our results in terms of the number and spectroscopic characteristics of the incorporation sites. Overall, the sites found in LiTaO3 closely resemble in their behavior the ones found in LiNbO3 such that the conclusion about the nature of the site drawn in the latter host can be transferred to LiTaO3 as well.