bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changes in mental distress following individualized physical training in patients suffering from chemical dependence
Authors: Mamen Asgeir , Pallesen Ståle , Martinsen Egil W.
Published: June 2011

Thirty‐three individuals suffering from chemical dependence and psychiatric disorders underwent 150–500 h of training over 8–15 months with assistance from dedicated training partners, who motivated them to carry out exercise and controlled the intensity of their workouts. To accurately monitor fitness development, direct measures of maximum oxygen uptake and lactate threshold performance were recorded at the start and end of the project. The participants improved moderately in aerobic power by ~5%, (P =0.02). Furthermore, lactate threshold performance increased by ~12% (P =0.03). All scores of depression, anxiety, social phobia, and general mental distress declined during the project (P≤0.03). However, the results of screening tests for alcoholism and drug abuse did not show any significant change (P≥0.28). With the use of accurate physical tests, it was possible to distinguish between responders and non‐responders in terms of improvement in aerobic power. The responders showed reduced mental distress on more measures than the non‐responders, although the post‐treatment level of distress did not differ significantly between the two groups. Thus, it can be concluded that mastery of training and a feeling of being in a better shape may have positive effects on several aspects of mental health in patients suffering from substance dependence.
Size–strength relationships of the elbow flexors and extensors are not affected by age or gender
Authors: Akagi Ryota , Takai Yohei , Ohta Megumi , Kanehisa Hiroaki , Fukunaga Tetsuo , Kawakami Yasuo
Published: June 2011

In the present study, we examined the relationships between muscle volume and joint torque for the elbow flexors and extensors in young and elderly individuals, with the aim of evaluating age effects on these relationships. The participants were 45 young (27 men and 18 women aged 20–37 years) and 51 elderly (19 men and 32 women aged 60–77 years) individuals. The joint torques developed during isometric maximal voluntary elbow flexion and extension were measured using a torque meter. The muscle volumes of the elbow flexors and extensors were determined by magnetic resonance imaging. For the elbow flexors, joint torque was significantly correlated with muscle volume in both young and elderly individuals (r=0.564–0.872). There were also significant correlations between muscle volume and joint torque for the elbow extensors in elderly men and women as well as in young men and women (r=0.715–0.826). None of the y‐intercepts of the regression lines between muscle volume and joint torque were significantly different from zero. Furthermore, no significant age or gender effects on the joint torque per muscle volume of the elbow flexors and extensors were observed. The present results suggest that muscle volume is a main determinant of joint torque regardless of age and gender, for both muscle groups.
Association between physical activity and health in German adolescents
Authors: Tittlbach Susanne A. , Sygusch Ralf , Brehm Walter , Woll Alexander , Lampert Thomas , Abele Andrea E. , Bös Klaus
Published: June 2011

The aim of the study was to examine the relationships between physical activity and several health parameters in German adolescents. We predicted that the association between physical activity and physical and psychosocial health resources (physical and psychosocial characteristics that tend to enhance coping and well‐being) would be stronger than the association between physical activity and health deficits. This research is based on a large representative, cross‐sectional study (the German Health Interview and Examination Survey [KiGGS] and the Motoric‐Module [MoMo]). Health was assessed using medical parameters, motor fitness data, and questionnaire data for various health‐related parameters. To assess physical activity, the participants answered questions regarding the duration and intensity of weekly physical activity in leisure and organized sports. We tested our assumptions using a representative sample (N=2291; 50.5% boys) of German adolescents aged 11–17 years. Participants were classified as physically inactive (16.7%), somewhat active (24.7%), medium active (19.8%), active (14.4%) or highly active (24.4%), based on the duration and intensity of their weekly physical activity. In support of our hypothesis, the data revealed that the amount of physical activity explains up to 12.6% in the variance of physical and psychosocial health resources, but only 2.5% of the variance in physical and psychosocial health deficits. We conclude that the relationship between physical activity and health among adolescents should not only be viewed as a way of reducing health deficits, but should also focus on the enhancement of physical and psychosocial resources.
Uncovering diversity of Australian Eucalyptus‐constrained felt scales (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae)
Authors: HARDY NATE B. , BEARDSLEY JOHN W. , GULLAN PENNY J.
Published: June 2011

Several felt scale (Eriococcidae) lineages show deep, phylogenetically constrained, host use. The most diverse of these host‐constrained lineages is Australian, associated with plants in the family Myrtaceae, and the most diverse sublineage within this group is associated with Eucalyptus. Here we use Bayesian analysis of morphological data to estimate relationships among the eucalypt‐feeding species of this group. We identify an unusual species for which we erect the monotypic genus Heathcotia Hardy & Beardsley gen.n., with type species Heathcotia crypta Hardy & Beardsley sp.n., and recover a clade comprised of six new species closely related to Lachnodius hirtus Maskell. We erect the genus Lobimargo Hardy & Gullan gen.n. for the latter clade, designate Lobimargo sagittisetus Hardy & Beardsley sp.n. as its type species, transfer Lachnodius hirtus to the genus as Lobimargo hirtus (Maskell) comb.n. and describe the five other new species: Lobimargo brookesae Hardy & Beardsley sp.n.,Lobimargo donaldsoni Hardy & Gullan sp.n., Lobimargo latrobeus Hardy & Beardsley sp.n., Lobimargo rhipidotrichus Hardy & Gullan sp.n. and Lobimargo williamsi Hardy & Gullan sp.n. A lectotype is designated for L. hirtus. The adult female of each species, the first‐instar nymph of L. sagittisetus, the second‐instar female of L. hirtus and the adult male of L. williamsi are described and illustrated. A key is provided to the adult females of all eriococcid genera found on eucalypts and of all Lobimargo species. Adult females of Lobimargo have been found on stems, sometimes causing shallow pits, and on foliage or under bark, but may move to the latter habitat for oviposition.
New fossil Ochteridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Ochteroidea) from the Upper Mesozoic of north‐eastern China, with phylogeny of the family
Authors: YAO YUNZHI , ZHANG WEITING , REN DONG , SHIH CHUNGKUN
Published: June 2011

Specimens of the velvety shore bugs (Hemiptera: Ochtheridae) occur in the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation in north‐eastern China. We describe two new genera and three new species –Pristinochterus ovatus Yao, Zhang & Ren sp. nov.,Floricaudus multilocellus Yao, Ren & Shih gen.n. et sp.n. and Angulochterus quatrimaculatus Yao, Zhang & Ren gen.n. et sp.n.– from this deposit. A cladistic analysis based on a combination of fossil and extant taxa, and their morphological characters, clarifies the phylogenetic status of the new fossils and allows the reconstruction of relationships within the family Ochteridae. Two main clades within Ochteridae are recognized from the cladistic analysis: Pristinochterus Yao Cai & Ren and Floricaudus Yao, Ren & Shih gen.n. form a monophyletic lineage; and Angulochterus Yao, Zhang & Ren gen.n. emerges as a sister group to all extant velvety shore bugs. A key to all fossil and extant genera of Ochteridae is provided.
Maxfischeriinae: a new braconid subfamily (Hymenoptera) with highly specialized egg morphology
Authors: BORING CHARLES ANDREW , SHARANOWSKI BARBARA J. , SHARKEY MICHAEL J.
Published: June 2011

The tribe Maxfischeriini, previously placed in Helconinae, is emended to subfamily status based on morphological and biological evidence. Proposed autapomorphies for Maxfischeriinae include: the presence of a pronotal shelf, forewing vein 1a and 2a present, although 1a nebulous, ventral valve of the ovipositor with serrations from tip to base and specialized egg morphology. The novel, pedunculate egg morphology is described for Maxfischeria, representing a new life‐history strategy among Braconidae. Based on egg and ovipositor morphology, we suggest that Maxfischeria is a proovigenic, koinobiont ectoparasitoid. Five new species of Maxfischeria Papp are described with an illustrated key to all species (Maxfischeria ameliaesp.n., Maxfischeria anicsp.n., Maxfischeria briggsisp.n., Maxfischeria folkertsorumsp.n. and Maxfischeria ovumancorasp.n.). In addition to the identification key presented here, all known species of Maxfischeria can be separated using the barcoding region of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI). Based on molecular data, the phylogenetic relationships among the six known species of Maxfischeria are as follows: (M. folkertsorumsp.n. (M. ovumancorasp.n. (M. briggsisp.n. (M. anicsp.n. (M. tricolor + M. ameliaesp.n.))))).
Tryptase‐positive mast cells and CD8‐positive T cells in human endometrial cancer
Authors: Ribatti Domenico , Nico Beatrice , Finato Nicoletta , Crivellato Enrico
Published: June 2011

In this study, we correlated the number of tryptase‐reactive mast cells with the number of CD8‐positive T cells in human endometrial adenocarcinoma biopsy specimens by means of immunohistochemical techniques. Results have shown that CD8‐positive T cell counts correlate to tryptase‐positive mast cell counts and that these parameters increase in accordance with the tumor progression of human endometrial carcinoma. These data suggest that inhibition of inflammation or manipulation of inflammatory resolution pathways may be a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of endometrial adenocarcinoma.
PERSISTENCE OF TECHNOLOGICAL LEADERSHIP: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND INCREMENTAL INNOVATION*
Authors: METCALF CHRISTOPHER J.
Published: June 2011

In a model of competitive innovation, I derive theoretical conditions for an entrant to displace the incumbent firm by innovating in an undeveloped, substitute (emerging) technology. The main result presents conditions on profitability and innovation speed that yield a Markov Perfect Equilibrium in which the entrant pursues the emerging technology, while the incumbent chooses to persist with the established technology and collect short‐run profits. Notably, this result does not require the entrant's superiority to the incumbent for innovation. Finally, when the model is calibrated to hard drive industry data, its predictions are consistent with the observed outcomes.
CONSUMER SWITCHING COSTS AND FIRM PRICING: EVIDENCE FROM BANK PRICING OF DEPOSIT ACCOUNTS*
Authors: HANNAN TIMOTHY H. , ADAMS ROBERT M.
Published: June 2011

We employ extensive information on bank deposit rates and area migration patterns to examine pricing relationships implied by switching costs. We argue that, because of the trade‐off between attracting new customers and exploiting old ones, banks offer higher deposit rates in areas experiencing more in‐migration. Further, because greater out‐migration implies that a locked‐in customer will not be with the bank for as many periods, banks will offer lower deposit rates in areas exhibiting greater out‐migration. Also, because this effect of out‐migration logically depends on the extent of in‐migration, an interaction effect exists. We find evidence strongly supporting these relationships.
Credit Unions: A Theoretical and Empirical Overview
Authors: McKillop Donal , Wilson John O.S.
Published: June 2011

In 2009 there were over 49,330 credit unions across 98 countries with more than 184 million members and approximately $1,354 billion in assets. There is a great diversity within the credit union movement across these countries. This reflects the various economic, historic and cultural contexts within which credit unions operate. This paper traces the evolution of the credit union movement. It examines credit union objectives, and considers issues relating to efficiency, technology adoption, product diversification, merger, failure and demutualization. The regulatory environment within which credit unions operate is also explored under the themes of interest rate regulation, common bond requirements, taxation, deposit insurance and capital regulation. The overview also considers demutualization and the costs and benefits to credit unions of altering their organizational form.
Coherent Labyrinths
Authors: BIELLA PETER
Published: June 2011

This essay compares the presentation of evidence in classic detective fiction and in the author's forthcoming interactive digital ethnography. The basis of comparison is thegraph, a concept familiar in the study of topology and artificial intelligence that can be used to model explorations of labyrinths and mazes of linked ideas. In the present study of a Perry Mason novel, the essay distinguishes three kinds of research explorations. These have close parallels to the way that users can conduct virtual fieldwork as they investigate audiovisual evidence in the multimedia ethnography,Maasai Interactive. In addition to discussing patterns in the ethnographic data, that application is designed in a way that facilitates users' discoveries of new and unanticipated ideas.[detective fiction, experimental ethnography, hypermedia, interactive media, Maasai, research methodology]
Ethnographic Termini: Of Moments and Metaphors
Authors: MILLER THOMAS ROSS
Published: June 2011

Crossing and erasing the boundaries between art and anthropology, the installations organized by the Ethnographic Terminalia curatorial collective evoke both the social instability and the sense of possibility embodied in the present historical moment. Constructing a bricolage of aesthetic and scientific viewpoints while instigating public art interventions grounded in critical social inquiry, this wide‐ranging group of artists, anthropologists, and curators is creating a series of mobile, transnational multimedia environments which are equally global and local, virtual, and site‐specific. The concatenation of distance and presence felt in the emplacement of the works reflects the linkages of contemporary networked cybercommunications. At the same time, the activist aims and productive methods used by the participants situate the Ethnographic Terminalia project within the context of a lineage of historical art movements informed by, and often in uneasy dialogic tension with, the traditional subject matter of ethnography.
Struggling to Recover New Orleans: Creativity in the Gaps and Margins
Authors: BRODINE MARIA T.
Published: June 2011

As an ethnographer currently conducting research in New Orleans, I use my own lived experience and role as curator to explore the way in which Ethnographic Terminalia 2010: New Orleans, Art Spill: Disaster, Art, Activism, and Recovery, and other American Anthropological Association (AAA)–sponsored exhibitions entered ongoing local conversations about boundaries, resistance, recovery, and social action in the post‐Katrina era. Taking the position that the exhibition may work as a kind of ethnographic experiment—involving collaboration and agitation between various actors—I build on Shannon Dawdy's use of archaeological taphonomy to speculate on the role of disruptive curatorial projects in the region's chronic, ongoing post‐disaster recovery process.
Human Smuggling in Austria: A Comparative Analysis of Data on Smuggled Migrants from Former Yugoslavia and the Russian Federation
Authors: Peterka-Benton Daniela
Published: June 2011

This article provides a summary of the author's research on human smuggling in Austria comparing migrants from Former Yugoslavia and the Russian Federation. The project's primary intent was to collect more detailed information on migrants seeking asylum in Austria and their use of smuggling services to leave their home countries, including detailed information on demographics, force or threat of force by smugglers, routes and methods of transportation, costs of smuggling, payment methods, and deeper perceptual questions regarding the flight. Another central premise of the article discusses how current distinctions between human smuggling and human trafficking are arbitrary in many regards.
Post-transcriptional silencing of SCN1B and SCN2B genes modulates late sodium current in cardiac myocytes from normal dogs and dogs with chronic heart failure
Authors: Mishra Sudhish , Undrovinas Nidas A. , Maltsev Victor A. , Reznikov Vitaliy , Sabbah Hani N. , Undrovinas Albertas
Published: June 2011

The emerging paradigm for Na+ current in heart failure (HF) is that its transient component ( INaT) responsible for the action potential (AP) upstroke is decreased, whereas the late component ( INaL) involved in AP plateau is augmented. Here we tested whether Navβ1- and Navβ2-subunits can modulate INaL parameters in normal and failing ventricular cardiomyocytes (VCMs). Chronic HF was produced in nine dogs by multiple sequential coronary artery microembolizations, and six dogs served as a control. INa and APs were measured by the whole cell and perforated patch-clamp in freshly isolated and cultured VCMs, respectively. INaL was augmented with slower decay in HF VCMs compared with normal heart VCMs, and these properties remained unchanged within 5 days of culture. Post-transcriptional silencing SCN1B and SCN2B were achieved by virally delivered short interfering RNA (siRNA) specific to Navβ1 and Navβ2. The delivery and efficiency of siRNA were evaluated by green fluorescent protein expression, by the real-time RT-PCR, and Western blots, respectively. Five days after infection, the levels of mRNA and protein for Navβ1 and Navβ2 were reduced by >80%, but mRNA and protein of Nav1.5, as well as INaT, remained unchanged in HF VCMs. Navβ1-siRNA reduced INaL density and accelerated INaL two-exponential decay, whereas Navβ2-siRNA produced an opposite effect in VCMs from both normal and failing hearts. Physiological importance of the discovered INaL modulation to affect AP shape and duration was illustrated both experimentally and by numerical simulations of a VCM excitation-contraction coupling model. We conclude that in myocytes of normal and failing dog hearts Navβ1 and Navβ2 exhibit oppositely directed modulation of INaL.
Z‐Plasty Made Simple
Authors: Aasi Sumaira Z.
Published: June 2011

A Z‐plasty is a critical and reliable technique that is useful for scar revisions and correction of free margin distortion. A Z‐plasty can help lengthen a contracted scar, change the direction of a scar so that it is better aligned with the relaxed skin tension lines, or interrupt and break a scar for better camouflage. This article will review the technique of a basic Z‐plasty as well as provide case examples of its use in free margin distortion and scar revision.
Repeated Intrathecal Triamcinolone Acetonide Administration in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: A Review
Authors: Abu-Mugheisib Mazen , Benecke Reiner , Zettl Uwe K.
Published: June 2011

At the present time, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, or immunosuppressive treatments of multiple sclerosis (MS) are mainly effective in the early phases of the disease but are of less advantage in progressive phases. Current therapeutic strategies of both primary and secondary progressive MS are rare. One alternative may be intrathecal application of triamcinolone acetonide (TCA). Number of papers deal with advantages and disadvantages of intrathecal administration in MS. Former trials lacked detailed selection of MS patients, with small sample sizes, low steroid dosages, and only a small number of intrathecal administration of short acting steroids. The present paper summarizes recent trials performed following a different treatment regime. They were conducted in patients with progressive MS suffering mainly from spinal symptoms and documented a significant improvement of EDSS and walking distance (WD). Intrathecal TCA administration is a proposal to take into account as one therapy option in patients with a progressive clinical course and predominantly spinal symptoms.
Pure Red Cell Aplasia due to B19 Parvovirus Infection after Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation
Authors: Tsirigotis Panagiotis , Girkas Konstantinos , Economopoulou Christina , Bouchla Anthoula , Papanicolaou Nikolaos , Economopoulou Panagiota , Papageorgiou Sotirios , Pappa Vassiliki , Dervenoulas John
Published: June 2011

Parvovirus B19 is recognized as a rare cause of pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) in allogeneic stem cell (SCT) and solid organ transplant patients. We report a patient with Hodgkin's disease who developed PRCA due to parvovirus B19 after autologous SCT and who had an excellent response after treatment with gamma-globulin.
Should Endovascular Repair Be Reimbursed for Low Risk Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Patients? Evidence from Ontario, Canada
Authors: Tarride Jean-Eric , Blackhouse Gord , De Rose Guy , Bowen James M. , Nakhai-Pour Hamid Reza , O'Reilly Daria , Xie Feng , Novick Teresa , Hopkins Robert , Goeree Ron
Published: June 2011

Background. This paper presents unpublished clinical and economic data associated with open surgical repair (OSR) in low risk (LR) patients and how it compares with EVAR and OSR in high risk (HR) patients with an AAA > 5.5 cm.Design. Data from a 1-year prospective observational study was used to compare EVAR in HR patients versus OSR in HR and LR patients.Results. Between 2003 and 2005, 140 patients were treated with EVAR and 195 with OSR (HR: 52; LR: 143). The 1-year mortality rate with EVAR was statistically lower than HR OSR patients and comparable to LR OSR patients. One-year health-related quality of life was lower in the EVAR patients compared to OSR patients. EVAR was cost-effective compared to OSR HR but not when compared to OSR LR patients.Conclusions. Despite a similar clinical effectiveness, these results suggest that, at the current price, EVAR is more expensive than open repair for low risk patients.
Left Ventricular “Diverticulum” in a Patient Affected by Galactosialidosis
Authors: Durante Alessandro , Traini Mariaemilia , Spoladore Roberto
Published: June 2011

We present the case of a 35-year-old man affected by the late juvenile form of galactosialidosis. He was known for a moderate pericardial effusion which remained unchanged in the last 12 months. Last follow-up transthoracic echocardiographic examination showed a bulging of the posterior and lateral wall of the left ventricle. This finding has never been described before in galactosialidosis.
Comparison of Two Novel Solution-Based Routes for the Synthesis of Equiaxed ZnO Nanoparticles
Authors: Elen K. , Kelchtermans A. , Van den Rul H. , Peeters R. , Mullens J. , Hardy A. , Van Bael M. K.
Published: June 2011

Due to a dominant one-dimensional growth rate, nanoparticles of zinc oxide often show a rodlike morphology. As a result, the synthesis of small spherical nanoparticles of undoped ZnO remains challenging. This paper presents two procedures that successfully produce a powder consisting of equiaxed zinc oxide nanoparticles: one using a polyethylene glycol- (PEG-) assisted solvothermal method and the other by calcination of zinc oxalate obtained from a microemulsion-mediated method. In the latter, zinc-substituted aerosol OT (AOT) is used as a surfactant. The samples are characterized by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Both synthesis techniques produce nanoparticles with similar sizes in the range of 10 to 20 nm. Dense aggregates observed in the calcined powder are infrequent in the case of the solvothermal method.
Vascular Endograft Infection withListeria monocytogenesreated with Surgical Debridement but without Graft Removal
Authors: Tanner-Steinmann Beate , Boggian Katia
Published: June 2011

The awareness ofListeria monocytogenesas a pathogen in meningitis and bacteremia in immunosuppressed patients is high. We report a case of vascular graft infection due to Listeria monocytogenes as an example of a less well-known manifestation of listeriosis and focus on the possible treatment procedures emphasizing a management with surgical debridement but preservation of the endograft, in contrast to the gold standard treatment of vascular graft infections which consists of a removal of the graft.
Migration Using a Transversely Isotropic Medium with Symmetry Normal to the Reflector Dip
Authors: Alkhalifah Tariq , Sava Paul
Published: June 2011

A transversely isotropic (TI) model in which the tilt is constrained to be normal to the dip (DTI model) allows for simplifications in the imaging and velocity model building efforts as compared to a general TI (TTI) model. Although this model cannot be represented physically in all situations, for example, in the case of conflicting dips, it handles arbitrary reflector orientations under the assumption of symmetry axis normal to the dip. Using this assumption, we obtain efficient downward continuation algorithms compared to the general TTI ones, by utilizing the reflection features of such a model. Phase-shift migration can be easily extended to approximately handle lateral inhomogeneity using, for example, the split-step approach. This is possible because, unlike the general TTI case, the DTI model reduces to VTI for zero dip. These features enable a process in which we can extract velocity information by including tools that expose inaccuracies in the velocity model in the downward continuation process. We test this model on synthetic data corresponding to a general TTI medium and show its resilience.
Seismic Waveform Inversion by Stochastic Optimization
Authors: van Leeuwen Tristan , Aravkin Aleksandr Y. , Herrmann Felix J.
Published: June 2011

We explore the use of stochastic optimization methods for seismic waveform inversion. The basic principle of such methods is to randomly draw a batch of realizations of a given misfit function and goes back to the 1950s. The ultimate goal of such an approach is to dramatically reduce the computational cost involved in evaluating the misfit. Following earlier work, we introduce the stochasticity in waveform inversion problem in a rigorous way via a technique calledrandomized trace estimation. We then review theoretical results that underlie recent developments in the use of stochastic methods for waveform inversion. We present numerical experiments to illustrate the behavior of different types of stochastic optimization methods and investigate the sensitivity to the batch size and the noise level in the data. We find that it is possible to reproduce results that are qualitatively similar to the solution of the full problem with modest batch sizes, even on noisy data. Each iteration of the corresponding stochastic methods requires an order of magnitude fewer PDE solves than a comparable deterministic method applied to the full problem, which may lead to an order of magnitude speedup for waveform inversion in practice.
Achieving High Coverage of H1N1 Influenza Vaccine in an Ethnically Diverse Obstetric Population: Success of a Multifaceted Approach
Authors: Hoppe Kara K. , Eckert Linda O.
Published: June 2011

Objective. To report on a multifaceted approach to increase uptake of the H1N1 vaccine in our ethnically diverse obstetrical population.Methods. A review of our obstetric clinic vaccine registry and the approaches used to increase vaccine uptake. We created a real-time vaccine registry, educated patients in their own language via educational videos and use of cultural case workers, facilitated patient appointments and transportation, educated staff, and used other interventions to enhance immunization uptake.Results. Within the first month of H1N1 availability, we vaccinated 120 of our total 157 obstetrics patients. Our overall coverage rate was 76% (number vaccinated/total number eligible.) Of the enrolled patients, the vaccine acceptance rates were similar in our English (59 (78%) of 76) versus non-English (59 (75%) of 79) speaking patients.Conclusions. High vaccine coverage is possible in an ethnically diverse, highly immigrant obstetrics population.
Perceptions and Referral Trends into Phase I Oncology Trials: Results of a Clinical Survey
Authors: Brunetto Andre , Olmos David , Arkenau Hendrik-Tobias , Tan Daniel , Yap Timomy , de Bono Johann , Barriuso Jorge , Kaye Stan
Published: June 2011

Introduction. A survey was sent to referring oncologists (ROs) to explore the reasons behind their referral patterns and perceptions of Phase I studies before and after being provided with outcome data from advanced colorectal cancer (ACRC) patients who participated in Phase I trials at the Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH).Results. The response rate was 32/50 (64%). The most common reason for referral was exhaustion of standard treatments (31%), and the main reason for referring to the RMH was proximity to patients (28%). The most frequent clinical parameter assessed prior to referral was performance status (93%). ROs spent a median of 15 min (range: 5–45 min) discussing general aspects of Phase I trials. In the second part of the questionnaire, after reviewing clinical outcome data of ACRC patients who participated in Phase I trials, 47% would change their approach, specifically, spend more time to discuss risks and benefits of Phase I trials (9%), consider prognostic factors before referral (13%), and increase the number of referrals (25%).Conclusion. This is the first report focusing on communication between ROs and a specialist Phase I unit. Outcome reporting can improve communication with ROs and importantly has the potential for better patient selection considered for Phase I oncology trials.
Development of a Single‐Step Subtraction Method for Eukaryotic 18S and 28S Ribonucleic Acids
Authors: Archer Marie J. , Lin Baochuan
Published: June 2011

The abundance of mammalian 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA can decrease the detection sensitivity of bacterial or viral targets in complex host‐pathogen mixtures. A method to capture human RNA in a single step was developed and characterized to address this issue. For this purpose, capture probes were covalently attached to magnetic microbeads using a dendrimer linker and the solid phase was tested using rat thymus RNA (mammalian components) with Escherichia coli RNA (bacterial target) as a model system. Our results indicated that random capture probes demonstrated better performance than specific ones presumably by increasing the number of possible binding sites, and the use of a tetrame‐thylammonium‐chloride (TMA‐Cl‐) based buffer for the hybridization showed a beneficial effect in the selectivity. The subtraction efficiency determined through real‐time RT‐PCR revealed capture‐efficiencies comparable with commercially available enrichment kits. The performance of the solid phase can be further fine tuned by modifying the annealing time and temperature.
Stratified Threshold Values of QuantiFERON Assay for Diagnosing Tuberculosis Infection in Immunocompromised Populations
Authors: Ariga Haruyuki , Nagai Hideaki , Kurashima Atsuyuki , Hoshino Yoshihiko , Shoji Syunsuke , Nakajima Yutsuki
Published: June 2011

Background. The detection of latent tuberculosis (TB) is essential for TB control, but T-cell assay might be influenced by degree of immunosuppression. The relationship between immunocompetence and interferon (IFN)-γ response in QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT) is uncertain, especially in HIV-negative populations.Methods and Results. QFT has been performed for healthy subjects and TB suspected patients. Of 3017 patients, 727 were diagnosed as pulmonary TB by culture. The absolute number of blood lymphocyte in TB patients was significantly associated with QFT. Definitive TB patients were divided into eight groups according to lymphocyte counts. For each subgroup, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was conducted from 357 healthy control subjects. The optimal cut-off for the patient group with adequate lymphocyte counts was found, but this was reduced for lymphocytopenia.Conclusions. The lymphocyte count was positively associated with QFT. Positive criteria should be calibrated in consideration of cell-mediated immunocompetence and risk of progression to active TB.
Seasonal Evolutions of Atmospheric Response to Decadal SST Anomalies in the North Pacific Subarctic Frontal Zone: Observations and a Coupled Model Simulation
Authors: Taguchi Bunmei , Nakamura Hisashi , Nonaka Masami , Komori Nobumasa , Kuwano-Yoshida Akira , Takaya Koutarou , Goto Atsushi
Published: June 2011

Potential impacts of pronounced decadal-scale variations in the North Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) that tend to be confined to the subarctic frontal zone (SAFZ) upon seasonally varying atmospheric states are investigated, by using 48-yr observational data and a 120-yr simulation with an ocean–atmosphere coupled general circulation model (CGCM). SST fields based on in situ observations and the ocean component of the CGCM have horizontal resolutions of 2.0° and 0.5°, respectively, which can reasonably resolve frontal SST gradient across the SAFZ. Both the observations and CGCM simulation provide a consistent picture between SST anomalies in the SAFZ yielded by its decadal-scale meridional displacement and their association with atmospheric anomalies. Correlated with SST anomalies persistent in the SAFZ from fall to winter, a coherent decadal-scale signal in the wintertime atmospheric circulation over the North Pacific starts emerging in November and develops into an equivalent barotropic anomaly pattern similar to the Pacific–North American (PNA) pattern. The PNA-like signal with the weakened (enhanced) surface Aleutian low correlated with positive (negative) SST anomalies in the SAFZ becomes strongest and most robust in January, under the feedback forcing from synoptic-scale disturbances migrating along the Pacific storm track that shifts northward (southward) in accord with the oceanic SAFZ. This PNA-like signal, however, breaks down in February, which is suggestive of a particular sensitivity of that anomaly pattern to subtle differences in the background climatological-mean state. Despite its collapse in February, the PNA-like signal recurs the next January. This subseasonal evolution of the signal suggests that the PNA-like anomaly pattern may develop as a response to the persistent SST anomalies that are maintained mainly through ocean dynamics.
The New Cartographies of Re-Orientalism
Authors: Salgado Minoli
Published: June 2011

This paper explores the concept of Re-Orientalism by evaluating contrasting uses of the term, examining their implications and revealing the way they mark ongoing contestations over cultural legitimacy and authority. I explore some of the connections between Re-Orientalism and Graham Huggan’s postcolonial exoticism and propose an inclusive working definition of Re-Orientalism that I put to the test in an evaluation of Michael Ondaatje’s Running in the Family and Christopher Ondaatje’s The Man-Eater of Punanai. I suggest that “Re-Orientalism” marks a re-orientation of discursive authorization symptomatic of deep anxieties over cultural legitimacy. At its most radical, I argue, such a re-orientation can prompt a profound revaluation of the position of the diasporic and national subject in ways that provoke productive dialogue between them; at its most reactionary, I suggest, it can work to deepen and entrench the differences generated by Orientalist discourse itself.
The Task of the Tusitala: Tusiata Avia’s Wild Dogs Under My Skirt
Authors: Wright Nicholas
Published: June 2011

This article argues that Tusiata Avia’s first volume of poetry, Wild Dogs Under My Skirt (2004), is premised on the recognition of the poet’s work as first and foremost that of the translator. Moreover, Wild Dogs perpetuates an investigation of the politics of translation by pursuing its own interpretation of what Samoan culture refers to as the va — the indefinable concept (or more properly, non-concept) of spatial and temporal relation and difference. As such Avia produces what could be referred to as a va-poetics, a poetics of translation that eschews the notion of the otherness of culture for an understanding of the otherness of translation. In this respect Avia’s text is sympathetic to Walter Benjamin’s conception of the task of translator, that figure charged with the responsibility for translating a work’s relationship to possibility, to reproducibility itself, rather than ideas of similarity, likeness or analogy. In this way Avia’s work negotiates for itself a non-naive charting of Western aesthetics, especially as these are implicated in discourses of neo-colonialism and commodity consumption.
Pontine Tegmental Cap Dysplasia
Authors: Desai Nilesh K. , Young Lindsay , Miranda Mario A. , Kutz Joe Walter , Roland Peter S. , Booth Timothy N.
Published: June 2011

Objectives

Pontine tegmental cap dysplasia (PTCD) is a rare congenital malformation. Clinical and imaging findings in 3 patients and the authors’ experience with bilateral cochlear implantation in 1 patient are described.

Study Design

Retrospective review.

Setting

Two tertiary medical centers.

Subjects and Methods

Three patients were evaluated by an otolaryngologist and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the temporal bones and brain. High‐resolution computed tomography (CT) scanning of the temporal bones was performed in 2 patients. Imaging findings of the brain, the presence and course of resolvable cranial nerves, the membranous labyrinth, and internal auditory canals were reviewed. Clinical data were reviewed.

Results

All patients demonstrated typical brain characteristics of PTCD. Mild, bilateral cochlear dysplasia was noted in 2, and all had a normal vestibular labyrinth. The cochleovestibular nerves were universally absent bilaterally. The facial nerves were subjectively deficient bilaterally in 1 patient, unilaterally in the second patient, and normal in the third. An accessory canal for the seventh cranial nerve, referred to as a duplicated internal auditory canal, was present in all patients. Auditory brainstem response testing revealed profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss in all of the patients; none suffered facial weakness. A single patient underwent bilateral cochlear implantation with only minimal response.

Conclusion

The authors report 3 cases of PTCD with emphasis on imaging of the seventh and eighth cranial nerves and clinical neurotologic findings. All patients manifested duplicated internal auditory canals, a previously unreported finding in PTCD. Bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss is due to absence of the cochleovestibular nerve. Prognosis for cochlear implantation is poor.
Tinnitus with Temporomandibular Joint Disorders
Authors: Vielsmeier Veronika , Kleinjung Tobias , Strutz Jürgen , Bürgers Ralf , Kreuzer Peter Michael , Langguth Berthold
Published: June 2011

Objective

Tinnitus is frequently associated with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction. However, the nature of the relationship is not fully understood. Here the authors compared 30 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of temporomandibular joint dysfunction and tinnitus to a group of 61 patients with tinnitus but without any subjective complaints of TMJ dysfunction with respect to clinical and demographic characteristics.

Study Design

Case‐control study.

Setting

Tertiary referral center.

Subjects

Tinnitus patients with and without TMJ dysfunction presenting at the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and the Tinnitus Clinic at the University of Regensburg.

Results

Tinnitus patients with TMJ disorder had better hearing function (P <. 0005), lower age (P =. 001), and lower age at tinnitus onset (P =. 002) and were more frequently female (P =. 003). Their subjectively perceived tinnitus loudness was lower (P =. 01), and more of them could modulate their tinnitus by jaw or neck movements (P =. 001).

Conclusion

Classical risk factors for tinnitus (age, male gender, hearing loss) are less relevant in tinnitus patients with TMJ disorder, suggesting a causal role of TMJ pathology in the generation and maintenance of tinnitus. Based on this finding, treatment of TMJ disorder may represent a causally oriented treatment strategy for tinnitus.
Di lotta e di governo: The Lega Nord and Rifondazione Comunista in office
Authors: Albertazzi Daniele , McDonnell Duncan , Newell James L.
Published: June 2011

Since 1994, Italian politics has seen a number of coalitions including parties whose identity has been strongly based on their ‘outsider’ status as uncompromising opposition movements which would not previously consider government participation. This article examines the contrasting experiences in office of two such parties: the regionalist populist Lega Nord (LN) and the radical left Rifondazione Comunista (RC). While the Lega confounded expectations not only simply by remaining in the centre-right coalition from 2001 to 2006, but by influencing policy, increasing its vote-share and maintaining its ‘outsider’ identity, RC was unable to match its fellow outsider’s success when it served in the centre-left government from 2006 to 2008. Looking at the experiences in office of the RC and the LN in terms of the three temporal divisions ‘before’, ‘during’ and ‘after’, this article seeks to analyse and explain the differing experiences and effects of government on both parties.
Supervisor and Coworker Incivility: Testing the Work Frustration-Aggression Model
Authors: Reio Thomas G.
Published: June 2011

The purpose of this study was to test the association among situational constraints, emotional reactions, behavioral responses, and their distal outcomes in the workplace through two modified versions of the Fox-Spector (1999) work frustration-aggression model. Demographics (age, gender) and personality traits (emotional stability, thrill seeking), incivility, and two organizational outcomes (organizational commitment and employee satisfaction) were added to the original model. The paper-and-pencil survey battery, consisting of eight scales, was completed by 507 participants. Models were tested with path-analytic procedures. After controlling for the demographic and personality variables, situational constraints, frustration, and supervisor and coworker incivility predicted less organizational commitment and employee satisfaction. The frustration and incivility variables served as mediators between situational constraints and the dependent variables in the models. Human Resource Development (HRD) researchers and practitioners are provided with insights into incivility behavior where HRD leveraging can make a difference in organizational commitment and workplace satisfaction.
Dual Activation in N-Heterocyclic Carbene-organocatalysis
Authors: Hirano Keiichi , Piel Isabel , Glorius Frank
Published: June 2011

N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed transformations have found increasing interest in the last years. Recently, dual catalytic approaches using NHCs in combination with a second catalyst such as another organocatalyst or a metal-based catalyst or by the NHC itself have emerged. The careful choice of the proper combination of catalysts allows two compatible yet independent catalytic systems in one-pot to undergo tandem processes. Moreover, simultaneous action of two activators in a bond-forming event enables new reactivity, which often cannot be achieved by monocatalytic approaches.
Derivatization of a Protein with Fluorescamine Utilizing the Tube Radial Distribution Phenomenon of Ternary Mixed Carrier Solvents in a Capillary Tube
Authors: Masuhara Yuji , Jinno Naoya , Hashimoto Masahiko , Tsukagoshi Kazuhiko
Published: June 2011

The derivatization of bovine serum albumin with fluorescamine was examined utilizing the tube radial distribution phenomenon of the ternary mixed solution of water–acetonitrile–ethyl acetate (3:15:8 volume ratio) in a fused-silica capillary tube. Double capillary tubes having different inner diameters (100 and 250 µm i.d.) were designed to promote the tube radial distribution phenomenon. The smaller tube was inserted into the larger one through a T-type joint. A water–acetonitrile mixture (3:1 volume ratio) including bovine serum albumin was delivered into the large tube from the inside through the small tube, and an acetonitrile–ethyl acetate mixture (7:4 volume ratio) including fluorescamine was delivered from the outside through the joint. The solutions were mixed through the large tube to perform the derivatization reaction. The fluorescence intensity of the fluorescamine-derivatized bovine serum albumin obtained under the tube radial distribution phenomenon was greater than that obtained through a batch-reaction using a homogeneous solution of water–acetonitrile (1:5 volume ratio).
Specific Sorption Behavior of Actinoids on Biogenic Mn Oxide
Authors: Tanaka Kazuya , Tani Yukinori , Ohnuki Toshihiko
Published: June 2011

We made sorption experiments of actinoids on Mn oxide in dilute NaCl solution. Sorption affinity of actinoids on synthetic Mn oxide was Th(IV) > U(VI) > Np(V). The specific sorption behavior of actinoids on biogenic Mn oxide was observed. Thorium sorbed on biogenic Mn oxide was desorbed into solution with increasing time. Neptunium was not sorbed on biogenic Mn oxide. The specific sorption behavior is possibly due to organic ligands released from microorganisms and surface properties of biogenic Mn oxide.
Absence of Nkx2-3 Homeodomain Transcription Factor Induces the Formation of LYVE-1–Positive Endothelial Cysts without Lymphatic Commitment in the Spleen
Authors: Kellermayer Zoltán , Lábadi Árpád , Czömpöly Tamás , Arnold Hans-Henning , Balogh Péter
Published: June 2011

In contrast to peripheral lymph nodes possessing lymphatic and blood vasculature, the spleen in both humans and rodents is largely devoid of functioning lymphatic capillaries. Here it is reported that in mice lacking homeodomain transcription factor Nkx2-3, the spleen contains an extensive network of lymphocyte-filled sacs lined by cells expressing LYVE-1 antigen, a marker associated with lymphatic endothelium cells (LECs). Real-time quantitative PCR analyses of Nkx2-3 mutant spleen revealed a substantial increase of LYVE-1 and podoplanin mRNA levels, without the parallel increase of mRNA for VEGFR-3 (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor Type 3) and Prox1 (Prospero homeobobox protein 1), two markers specific for LECs. Although these structures express VEGFR-2/flk-1, they lack Prox1 protein, indicating their non-LEC endothelial origin. The LYVE-1+ structures are bordered with ER-TR7+ fibroblastic reticular cells with small clusters of macrophages expressing MARCO and sialoadhesin. Short-term cell-tracing studies using labeled lymphocytes indicate that these LYVE-1+ cysts are largely excluded from the systemic circulation. Cells expressing LYVE-1 glycoprotein as putative precursors for such structures are detectable in the spleen of late-stage embryos, and the formation of LYVE-1+ structures is independent from the activity of lymphotoxin β-receptor. Thus the splenic vascular defects in Nkx2-3 deficiency include the generation of LYVE-1+ cysts, comprised of endothelial cells without being committed along the LEC lineage.