bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Case report of intrafamilial variability in autosomal recessive centronuclear myopathy associated to a novel BIN1 stop mutation
Authors: Böhm Johann , Yiş Uluç , Ortaç Ragıp , Çakmakçı Handan , Kurul Semra Hız , Dirik Eray , Laporte Jocelyn
Published: December 2010

Centronuclear myopathies (CNM) describe a group of rare muscle diseases typically presenting an abnormal positioning of nuclei in muscle fibers. To date, three genes are known to be associated to a classical CNM phenotype. The X-linked neonatal form (XLCNM) is due to mutations in MTM1 and involves a severe and generalized muscle weakness at birth. The autosomal dominant form results from DNM2 mutations and has been described with early childhood and adult onset (ADCNM). Autosomal recessive centronuclear myopathy (ARCNM) is less characterized and has recently been associated to mutations in BIN1, encoding amphiphysin 2. Here we present the first clinical description of intrafamilal variability in two first-degree cousins with a novel BIN1 stop mutation. In addition to skeletal muscle defects, both patients have mild mental retardation and the more severely affected male also displays abnormal ventilation and cardiac arrhythmia, thus expanding the phenotypic spectrum of BIN1-related CNM to non skeletal muscle defects. We provide an up-to-date review of all previous cases with ARCNM and BIN1 mutations.
Global analysis of phase locking in gene expression during cell cycle: the potential in network modeling
Authors: Gao Shouguo , Hartman IV John L , Carter Justin L , Hessner Martin J , Wang Xujing
Published: December 2010

Background

In nonlinear dynamic systems, synchrony through oscillation and frequency modulation is a general control strategy to coordinate multiple modules in response to external signals. Conversely, the synchrony information can be utilized to infer interaction. Increasing evidence suggests that frequency modulation is also common in transcription regulation.

Results

In this study, we investigate the potential of phase locking analysis, a technique to study the synchrony patterns, in the transcription network modeling of time course gene expression data. Using the yeast cell cycle data, we show that significant phase locking exists between transcription factors and their targets, between gene pairs with prior evidence of physical or genetic interactions, and among cell cycle genes. When compared with simple correlation we found that the phase locking metric can identify gene pairs that interact with each other more efficiently. In addition, it can automatically address issues of arbitrary time lags or different dynamic time scales in different genes, without the need for alignment. Interestingly, many of the phase locked gene pairs exhibit higher order than 1:1 locking, and significant phase lags with respect to each other. Based on these findings we propose a new phase locking metric for network reconstruction using time course gene expression data. We show that it is efficient at identifying network modules of focused biological themes that are important to cell cycle regulation.

Conclusions

Our result demonstrates the potential of phase locking analysis in transcription network modeling. It also suggests the importance of understanding the dynamics underlying the gene expression patterns.
Lost in Lit-Terra Incognita, or What Is and to What End Do We Study World Literature?
Authors: Weninger Robert
Published: December 2010

In our era of ever accelerating globalization, scholars of Comparative Literature are increasingly required to study texts from cultures they do not know and written in languages in which they are not proficient. As a result more and more comparatists find themselves called upon to pass academic judgment on texts from literatures they are not sufficiently equipped to handle linguistically, culturally, and historically. Against the backdrop of the recent spate of publications on world literature, especially the monographs by David Damrosch and the various multi-volume anthologies of world literature in English translation now available for classroom use (Norton, Bedford, Longman), this essay explores the possible pitfalls comparatists face as general readers of world literature no less than as scholars when they study texts in languages they do not speak. The author, a professor of modern German literature, sets out to attempt a reading of a poem by the medieval Japanese writer Fujiwara no Teika, only to discover that what remains when linguistic barriers cannot be overcome and cultural specificity cannot be recognized is an interpretation that is constricted by the quality of the existing translations and that rests uncomfortably and problematically on thematic universals. This problem necessitates a critical examination of the fraught legacy of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Eurocentric critics who unthinkingly assigned universal value to their local parameters of interpretation. But in light of the fact that no future scholar will be able to escape reading texts of world literature in translation, this essay simultaneously calls for a renewed discussion of the contested status of so-called universals within the discourse of Comparative Literature today.
“A sane balance of values”:The Cantosas World Literature
Authors: Stasi Paul
Published: December 2010

Ezra Pound argued that it was impossible to think in only one language in the contemporary world. To this end he worked in The Cantos to create a world culture built on the comparison of works of “great value” from a variety of cultures. Pound's epic poem serves to displace the English language that is its ostensible ground, while at the same time arguing, through a specific theory of the art object, against the stability of the perceiving subject. The poem thus critiques the concentric circles of identity, nation, and culture by positing a transnational world literature built upon the objectivity of the work of art. At the same time, Pound's work is an affront to the contemporary regime of “multicultural formalism,” which preserves cultural differences without engaging in any meaningful dialogue about the content of those differences, thus paradoxically supporting both the reification of the nation and the flattening out of cultural difference by making difference a purely “formal” category. In contrast, difference for Pound becomes a mark of the cultural object's historicity. By preserving the specificity of his cultural objects and highlighting the historical routes by which they travel, Pound resists the homogenizing drive of imperial culture as well as the reification of national borders perpetuated in the study of national literatures.
An experimentally validated heat transfer model for thermal management design in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells
Authors: Matian M , Marquis A , Brett D , Brandon N
Published: December 2010

The temperature distribution in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) plays a vital role in defining the overall efficiency and in ensuring the delivery of optimum performance, and understanding the heat transfer taking place is essential for the design of effective thermal and water management systems. This article describes a simple model, validated against experiment, which can be used to investigate the factors such as bipolar plate design, materials of construction, and the external effects of forced convection such as cooling fans and natural convection.

The model employs computational fluid dynamics to account for the reactant flows in composite graphite plates and heat distribution within the stack, while convective heat transfer from the external surface of the fuel cell is treated using well-known heat transfer correlations.

The computational model was validated using a novel fuel cell analogue composed of an electrically controlled heating plate to simulate the heat generated by the membrane electrode assembly and instrumented with 14 calibrated thermocouples. The model showed good agreement with the experiment over a wide range of gas flowrates, both in terms of local temperature distribution and overall energy balance. This suggests that the novel experimental methodology reported here could be used to support the design of bipolar plates for optimum heat transfer.
Modelling and field measurements in support of the hydrokinetic resource assessment for the Tanana river at Nenana, Alaska
Authors: Toniolo H , Duvoy P , Vanlesberg S , Johnson J
Published: December 2010

A comprehensive methodology to assess the hydrokinetic potential of a reach of the Tanana river near Nenana, Alaska, is developed to help determine the suitability of the reach for installing and operating hydrokinetic electric turbines. The methodology utilizes field measurements and two-dimensional model simulations to define the discharge, velocity, power density, turbulence, and Froude number throughout the river reach. Thalweg stability is assessed using the maximum cross-sectional velocity, specific discharge, and turbulence. The thalweg was determined to be stable, for the current river condition, from the upstream end of the reach to about 800 m downstream. From 800 m to the end of the reach, at 1100 m, river hydrodynamics indicate an unstable thalweg shifting towards the right bank. The thalweg instability is associated with the transition between upstream and downstream river bends, which may migrate with river stage, bed load, existing bed conditions, and other factors. The flow is subcritical with an average Froude number of 0.30 along the thalweg. Averaged measured velocities along the thalweg are about 1.5 m/s. The average value for instantaneous power density is approximately 4500 W/m2 at the period of measurement (late August). Study results indicate that hydraulic conditions in the river reach may be suitable for turbine operations above the 800 m location with the exception of a possible eddy located around the 400 m location.
Experimental study on the performance of a twin-screw CO2 compressor in NH3/CO2 cascade refrigeration system
Authors: Wang B M , Xing Z W , Wu H G
Published: December 2010

A twin-screw compressor with CO2 as the working fluid is investigated experimentally for using it in NH3/CO2 cascade refrigeration system. Experimental measurement was conducted for the CO2 low-temperature cycle in the cascade system. The analysis of the compressor efficiencies and power consumption is performed. Mathematical expressions of the volumetric efficiency and isentropic efficiency are obtained with a regression method. The absolute values of the maximum deviations between the results using the regression correlations and the experiment data in this study are lower than 8 per cent. The effect of oil injection pressure on the compressor performance is also studied. It is indicated that the oil injection pressure of the compressor should not be too high to enhance the compressor efficiencies and decrease the power consumption on the premise of fulfilling the compressor works.
Visual art in hospitals: case studies and review of the evidence
Authors: Lankston Louise , Cusack Pearce , Fremantle Chris , Isles Chris
Published: December 2010

Summary

In 2006 a Department of Health Working Group on Arts and Health reported that the arts have ‘a clear contribution to make and offer major opportunities in the delivery of better health, wellbeing and improved experience for patients, service users and staff alike’. In this review we examine the evidence underpinning this statement and evaluate the visual art of three of Scotland's newest hospitals: the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, the new Stobhill Hospital, and the new Victoria Infirmary in Glasgow. We conclude that art in hospitals is generally viewed positively by both patients and staff, but that the quality of the evidence is not uniformly high. Effects may be mediated by psychological responses to colour hue, brightness and saturation. Colours that elicit high levels of pleasure with low levels of arousal are most likely to induce a state of calm, while those causing displeasure and high levels of arousal may provoke anxiety. The fact that patients frequently express a preference for landscape and nature scenes is consistent with this observation and with evolutionary psychological theories which predict positive emotional responses to flourishing natural environments. Contrary to a view which may prevail among some contemporary artists, patients who are ill or stressed about their health may not always be comforted by abstract art, preferring the positive distraction and state of calm created by the blues and greens of landscape and nature scenes instead.
Telemetric monitoring of fetal blood pressure and heart rate in the freely moving pregnant sheep: a feasibility study
Authors: Abi-Nader Khalil N , Mehta Vedanta , Shaw S W Steven , Bellamy Tom , Smith Neil , Millross Laura , Laverick Beth , Filippi Elisa , Boyd Michael , Peebles Donald M , David Anna L
Published: December 2010

Remote telemetric monitoring of fetal haemodynamics in pregnant sheep would allow unrestricted animal movement, minimize suffering and distress, and improve animal welfare, while enhancing the quality of data collected. This may also be useful in clinical practice following fetal surgery. Using an open fetal surgical technique at approximately two-thirds of gestation, we implanted the catheter of a D70-PCTP haemodynamic telemetric device (Data Sciences International, Tilburg, The Netherlands) into the carotid artery of the fetal sheep ( n = 4). The attached transmitter was secured to the posterior aspect of the maternal anterior abdominal wall. Two receivers, with a range of 1 m each, were sited in an 11 m2 sheep enclosure to maximize animal freedom while allowing continuous monitoring of the ewe. The receivers were connected by cable to a nearby computer. In the first two procedures, both fetuses died eight and 12 days after surgery, and the catheter tip was observed to be lying in the bicarotid trunk. In the next two procedures the catheter tip was threaded further upstream from the insertion point, in an attempt to reach the fetal aorta, and both fetuses survived until the scheduled postmortem examination at the end of pregnancy. After catheter implantation, fetal blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were successfully recorded continuously for seven days and then hourly per day for a further three weeks. The fetal BP and HR values were in the normal range for healthy sheep fetuses.
Automating Bivariate Transformations
Authors: Yang Jeff X. , Drew John H. , Leemis Lawrence M.
Published: December 2010

We automate the bivariate change-of-variables technique for bivariate continuous random variables with arbitrary distributions. This extends the algorithm for univariate change-of-variables devised by Glen et al. [Glen, A. G., L. M. Leemis, J. H. Drew. 1997. A generalized univariate change-of-variable transformation technique. INFORMS J. Comput. 9(3) 288–295]. Our transformation procedure handles one–to–one, k–to–one, and piecewise k–to–one transformations for both independent and dependent random variables. We also present other procedures that operate on bivariate random variables (e.g., calculating correlation and marginal distributions).
Optimization of Supply Chain Systems with Price Elasticity of Demand
Authors: Kaplan Uğur , Türkay Metin , Karasözen Bülent , Biegler Lorenz T.
Published: December 2010

A centralized multiechelon, multiproduct supply chain network is presented in a multiperiod setting with products that show varying demand against price. An important consideration in such complex supply chains is to maintain system performance at high levels for varying demands that may be sensitive to product price. To examine the price-centric behavior of the customers, the concept of price elasticity of demand is addressed. The proposed approach includes many realistic features of typical supply chain systems such as production planning and scheduling, inventory management, transportation delay, transportation cost, and transportation limits. In addition, the proposed system can be extended to meet unsatisfied demand in future periods by backordering. Effects of the elasticity in price demand in production and inventory decisions are also examined. The supply chain model is formulated as a convex mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem. Reformulations are presented to make the problem tractable. The differential equations are reformulated as difference equations, and unbounded derivatives in the nonlinear objective function are handled with an approximation, with guaranteed bounds on the loss of optimality. The approach is illustrated on a multiechelon, multiproduct supply chain network.
Optimal Testing of Digital Microfluidic Biochips
Authors: Paşaniuc Bogdan , Garfinkel Robert , Măndoiu Ion , Zelikovsky Alex
Published: December 2010

Digital microfluidic biochips (DMFBs) are rectangular arrays of electrodes, or cells, that enable precise manipulation of nanoliter-sized droplets of biological fluids and chemical reagents. Because of the safety-critical nature of their applications, biochips must be tested frequently, both off-line (e.g., postmanufacturing) and concurrent with assay execution. Under both scenarios, testing is accomplished by routing one or more test droplets across the chip and recording their arrival at the destination. In this paper, we formalize the DMFB-testing problem under the common objective of completion time minimization, including previously ignored constraints of droplet noninterference. Our contributions include a proof that the general version of the problem is NP-hard, tight lower bounds for both off-line and concurrent testing, optimal and approximation algorithms for off-line testing of commonly used rectangular shaped biochips, as well as a concurrent testing heuristic producing solutions within 23%–34% of the lower bound in experiments conducted on data sets simulating varying percentages of biochip cells occupied by concurrently running assays.
Conjugated polyelectrolyte–lipid interactions: Opportunities in biosensing
Authors: Ngo An Thien , Karam Pierre , Cosa Gonzalo
Published: December 2010

Fluorescent conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) have attracted considerable interest over the past decade as novel materials for developing biosensing schemes and sensing devices for biomolecules. This interest stems from the exquisite polymer sensitivity to the presence of fluorescence quenchers, enabling amplified sensing of molecules of interest. Efficient energy transport along the polymer backbone is critical to their sensing capabilities. Considerable research efforts have thus gone into understanding and controlling energy transport along the polymer backbone. In particular, it has been shown that interactions between CPEs with either surfactants or lipid molecules may significantly reduce energy transport along the polymer backbone that in turn may provide for unique biosensing opportunities. In the first half of this review, we give a historical overview on energy transport in conjugated polymers and polyelectrolytes. In the second half, we summarize the most recent work on the interaction of CPEs with surfactants with an emphasis on our own work elucidating electronic energy transport in CPEs encapsulated into lipid vesicles or embedded within the membrane of lipid vesicles.
Personalized Medicine in Diabetes
Authors: Malandrino Noemi , Smith Robert J
Published: December 2010

BACKGROUND

Multiple genes that are associated with the risk of developing diabetes or the risk of diabetes complications have been identified by candidate gene analysis and genomewide scanning. These molecular markers, together with clinical data and findings from proteomics, metabolomics, pharmacogenetics, and other methods, lead to a consideration of the extent to which personalized approaches can be applied to the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

CONTENT

Known genes that cause monogenic subtypes of diabetes are reviewed, and several examples are discussed in which the genotype of an individual with diabetes can direct considerations of preferred choices for glycemic therapy. The extent of characterization of polygenic determinants of type 1 and type 2 diabetes is summarized, and the potential for using this information in personalized management of glycemia and complications in diabetes is discussed. The application and current limitations of proteomic and metabolomic methods in elucidating diabetes heterogeneity is reviewed.

There is established heterogeneity in the determinants of diabetes and the risk of diabetes complications. Understanding the basis of this heterogeneity provides an opportunity for personalizing prevention and treatment strategies according to individual patient clinical and molecular characteristics. There is evidence-based support for benefits from a personalized approach to diabetes care in patients with certain monogenic forms of diabetes. It is anticipated that strategies for individualized treatment decisions in the more common forms of diabetes will emerge with expanding knowledge of polygenic factors and other molecular determinants of disease.
Generating Action and Responding to Local Issues: Collective Efficacy in Context
Authors: Wickes Rebecca L.
Published: December 2010

Recent research suggests that communities can be collectively efficacious without dense networks and kith and kinship relations. Yet few studies examine how collective efficacy is generated and sustained in the absence of close social ties. Using in-depth interviews with local residents and key stakeholders in two collectively efficacious suburbs in Brisbane, Australia, this study explores the role of social ties and networks in shaping residents' sense of active engagement and perceptions of community capacity. Results suggest that strong social bonds among residents are not necessary for the development of social cohesion and informal social control. Instead, collective representations or symbols of ‘community’ provide residents with a sense of social cohesion, trust and a perceived willingness of others to respond to problems of crime and disorder. Yet there is limited evidence that these collectively efficacious communities comprise actively engaged residents. In both communities, participants report a strong reliance on key institutions and organisations to manage and respond to a variety of problems, from neighbourhood nuisances to crime and disorder. These findings suggest a more a nuanced understanding of collective efficacy theory is needed.
‘Cop[ying] it Sweet’: Police Media Units and the Making of News
Authors: McGovern Alyce , Lee Murray
Published: December 2010

Over the past two decades police media units have played an ever-increasing role in managing the dissemination of information between the police and media organisations. Using the example of the New South Wales Police Media Unit in Australia (hereafter NSW PMU) this article assesses the journalistic deployment of PMU information and develops a broader sociopolitical argument explaining the growth of PMUs more generally. We analyse qualitative research data, in the form of interviews with journalists and NSW PMU staff (n = 29), and quantitative data from an analysis of two Sydney-based daily newspapers. We suggest that the growth of PMUs can be explained with reference to new programs of governing crime that developed throughout the last quarter of the 20th century as well as significant changes to the global media landscape.
Considering Criminal Continuity: Testing for Heterogeneity and State Dependence in the Association of Past to Future Offending
Authors: Blokland Arjan A. J. , Nieuwbeerta Paul
Published: December 2010

This study examines the extent to which the positive association between past and future offending can be explained by either (un)observed population heterogeneity, or by state dependence. We use criminal career data derived from (1) a self-report survey administered to 2,900 Dutch individuals aged 15 years or older, and (2) the Criminal Career and Life-course Study (CCLS) that has official data on a 4% ( N = 4,684) sample of Dutch offenders convicted in 1977. Using hierarchical linear modelling we find both heterogeneity and state dependence partially explaining continuity in crime in both samples. In addition, we find that the impact of prior offending decreases over time and that that impact depends on the total number of previously committed offences.
Non-infectious conditions and gestational age influence C-reactive protein values in newborns during the first 3 days of life
Authors: Hofer Nora , Müller Wilhelm , Resch Bernhard
Published: December 2010

Background: Our aim was to analyze C-reactive protein (CRP) values in term and preterm infants and correlate non-infection-associated increases with various neonatal disorders.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study that included all newborns hospitalized at a tertiary care center between 2004 and 2007 with documented CRP values in the first 3 days of life. Analysis of differences in CRP values between term and preterm newborns and cases with CRP increases in sepsis negative newborns.

Results: For diagnosis of blood culture proven sepsis (19 and 14 cases, respectively) in 353 preterm and 179 term newborns, CRP at a cut-off of 8 mg/L had sensitivities of 53% and 86% and specificities of 91% and 88%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curves were 0.799 and 0.890, respectively. Preterm newborns had lower median values compared to term newborns in sepsis positive (9 vs. 18.5 mg/L, p<0.001) and negative newborns (0.5 vs. 2 mg/L, p<0.001). Increases in individuals without infection were correlated significantly with meconium aspiration syndrome and surfactant application in term newborns (p=0.009 and 0.025, respectively) and with surfactant application and higher birth weight in preterm newborns (p<0.001 and 0.031, respectively).

Conclusions: CRP values were significantly lower in preterm compared to term newborns, and its application in the diagnosis of sepsis in preterm newborns was not as reliable as in term newborns. Meconium aspiration syndrome, surfactant application, and high birth weight were associated significantly with increased CRP values.
Words Spoken by Osiris or the Ibis? An Ibis Coffin with a Hieroglyphic Inscription in the Macquarie University Museum of Ancient Cultures
Authors: Coussement Sandra , Depauw Mark
Published: December 2010

The article discusses an unprovenanced Ptolemaic lid of an ibis coffin from the collection of the Macquarie University Museum of Ancient Cultures (Sydney). Various aspects suggest that it originates from the ibis cemetery in Tuna El-Gebel. The lid bears a demotic and a hieroglyphic inscription, which are both transliterated, translated and provided with detailed commentary. The demotic inscription includes the usual practical information but the hieroglyphic text is exceptional. It contains the first part of chapter 72 of the Book of the Dead. So far, no other ibis coffin with a similar hieroglyphic text is known. Special attention goes to the peculiar introduction of the chapter on this lid, leaving it unclear who should utter the words following Dd mdw jn, or on whose behalf.
Theben-Ost III. Dritter Teil1: Zehn inj-Tempel-Quittungen (Nr. 47-56), eine Brief-Quittung über Smw und Hw-aHwtj (Nr. 57), zwei Abkommen über Acker-Pacht (Nr. 58, 58A), sechs (staatliche) Acker-Amt-Quittungen2 (Nr. 59-64), die drei mir bekannten (staatlichen) i.ir.ir-iw-Quittungen (Nr. 65-67), das Akten-Fragment aus der Öl-Mühle (des Tempels?) (Nr. 68) und Indices
Authors: Kaplony-Heckel Ursula
Published: December 2010

The 23 Demotic Ostraca of the Third Part of Theben-Ost III all come from the Theban area. They have some peculiarities: In No. 47, 48, 51, 55, 56 one finds percents; No. 48, 51, 52, 53, 54 are syntaxis receipts of the temple; No. 49 notes the bakshish [of the temple scribe]; No. 57 is a letter receipt of tax-free land of Djême; No. 58, 58A are two fragmentary early Roman land leases of temple land, noting the “one aroura for the Pharao”; No. 50 Recto and Verso contains a temple receipt, starting with “Copy of the income” (Xt pA iw). The receipts for labour (r.rx=w) No. 59, 60, 64 from Western Thebes, and No. 62 from Eastern Thebes, are issued by the state, No. 61 by the temple. The difficult No. 63 may be an abbreviated r.rx=w Text. No. 65, 66, 67 show a rare receipt type i.ir.ir-iw, issued by the state (?). The very fragmentary oil seed notes No. 68 presents i.a. a list of Eastern Theban land names.
Traces of a Stative-Eventive Opposition in Ancient Egyptian. Rethinking Pseudoparticiple as Old Perfective
Authors: Oréal Elsa
Published: December 2010

Challenging the usual semantic characterisation of the “adjectival” or nfr sw predication, this paper shows that it originally functioned as a non-eventive, stative (vs. dynamic) predication rather than as an essential (vs. contigent) predication. Conversely, the traditional characterisation of the Pseudoparticiple with statal verbs as an alleged stative will be questioned. This study thus claims that the Pseudoparticiple was initially a V-S periphrastic conjugation specialized for dynamical/eventive predication, forming one and the same paradigm with the Old Perfective sDm + lexical subject (which is not a sDm=f). The real “stative” counterpart to this re-united Old Perfective paradigm appears to be the nfr sw predication. From a typological point of view, this suggests that the opposition between event and state may have played a crucial role in the Proto-Egyptian verbal system.
Bell pepper maturity determination by ultrasonic techniques
Authors: Ignat Timea , Mizrach Amos , Schmilovitch Ze’ev , Felföldi József
Published: December 2010

Ultrasonic wave attenuation within the flesh of intact greenhouse-grown pepper (Capsicum annumL.) fruits was measured during growth, to try to correlate this attenuation with quality-related physical properties: firmness, dry weight percentage (DW%) and total soluble solids (TSS) contents, and chemical composition. Twenty examples of each of three cultivars were picked weekly during a 7-week growth period, and weight, color, and ultrasonic wave attenuation were recorded, to nondestructively trace the changes during growth, and each intact pepper was then subjected to a relaxation test to determine firmness. Then, small samples of fruit flesh were destructively analyzed to determine DW% and TSS.During the 55thto the 65thday after flowering the fruits of all three cultivars reached their maximum weight, color started to change, and DW% and TSS started to increase rapidly; and the fruits were nondestructively examined by mechanical relaxation and ultrasonically. Principal component regression (PCR) analysis revealed significant (95%) correlation between ultrasonic attenuation, TSS and physical parameters. A TSS prediction model was developed for all three cultivars.
A simplified two layer model for light diffuse reflectance in thin skin fruits
Authors: Brázio António , Cavaco Ana , Guerra Rui
Published: December 2010

A simple model of light diffuse reflectance in thin skin fruits is presented. The model is based in a semi-infinite two-layer geometry (skin and flesh) and introduces simplifications due to the fact that the first layer is very thin. The flesh is described in terms of the usual reduced scattering and absorption coefficients µs′ and µa but the skin is modeled by simple reflection (R), absorption (A) and transmission (T) coefficients. The problem of diffuse reflectance is thus reduced to the problem of determining the four constants µs′, µa, R and T. It is shown that the problem can be solved by using absolute reflectance and spatially resolved reflectance measurements simultaneously. The coefficients µs′ and µa are determined by the usual fit of the diffuse reflectance profile (photons re-emitted from the flesh far from the incidence point) to the diffusion approximation. The coefficients R and T are determined by a second fit involving the total reflectance profile (photons reemitted both from skin and flesh), the incident beam profile and the diffuse reflectance profile calculated according to the previously determined values of µs′ and µa. The anisotropy of the light re-emitted by the fruit can also be roughly compared with the Lambertian expected behavior. In order to test the model we have followed a population of 22 ‘Rocha’ pears along a period of two weeks. We have then performed the population averages along the time and checked the plausibility of the values obtained for µs′, µa, R and T according to the expected fruit physiological changes along ripening. The results show that all parameters are physically acceptable and evolve in time according to the expected fruit ripening physiology.
On Lomonosov’s Lemma in normed spaces
Authors: Szűcs Zsolt
Published: December 2010

In this paper we give a new proof with the Fan-Glicksberg fixed point theorem to a special case of the famous Lomonosov Invariant Subspace Theorem.
Stanley’s conjecture for critical ideals
Authors: Haider Azeem , Khan Sardar
Published: December 2010

Let S = K[x1,…,xn] be a polynomial ring in n variables over a field K. Stanley’s conjecture holds for the modules I and S/I, when I ⊂ S is a critical monomial ideal. We calculate the Stanley depth of S/I when I is a canonical critical monomial ideal. For non-critical monomial ideals we show the existence of a Stanley ideal with the same depth and Hilbert function.
New analytical procedure for seismic analysis of reinforced retaining wall with cohesive-frictional backfill
Authors: Ghanbari A. , Ahmadabadi M.
Published: December 2010

ABSTRACT: A simple analytical method is proposed for analysis of reinforced retaining walls with cohesive-frictional backfill under pseudo-dynamic loadings. The suggested formulation for n layers (slices), including 5n equations and 5n unknowns for analysis of each retaining wall, is presented based on limit equilibrium principles and the horizontal slices method. The angle of the critical failure wedge, the tensile force in the reinforcements and distribution of active earth pressure along the height of wall can all be determined in each moment of loading using this method. The results of the analysis indicate that seismic active earth pressure has a nonlinear distribution in cohesive-frictional soils. Also, the results reveal that the period of seismic load is of considerable influence on the tensile force in the reinforcements. Moreover, comparison of results reported by other researchers with those of the suggested method shows a small difference between them in most cases. Finally, it has been concluded that the proposed analytical procedure reliably calculates the resultant seismic earth pressure and its distribution, the tensile forces in the reinforcements, and the angle of failure wedge for unreinforced and reinforced walls in cohesive-frictional soil.
A Small Victorious War: Domestic Revolution and International Conflict
Authors: Libman Alexander
Published: December 2010

The paper provides an extremely simple model of the interaction of international and internal conflicts. Specifically, it analyzes the situation when investments in both domestic and international wars are complementary. Therefore it predicts a possibility of inefficiently high spending for the international conflict due to the threat of the domestic revolution. The results are debated from the point of view of several cases of military conflicts caused by the domestic regime stability considerations.
Meaning Making Using New Media: Learning by Design Case Studies
Authors: Neville Mary
Published: December 2010

This article discusses a study of three Australian middle-years teachers who deployed Learning by Design principles and practice to support multiliteracies learning through students' production of digital/multimodal texts. The aim of the research was to develop an understanding of how three teachers embraced new e-learning pedagogical designs for teaching and learning about multiliteracies, and to what extent Learning by Design facilitated both the teachers' and students' learning. This qualitative research involved the collection and analysis of the three teachers' curriculum-planning artefacts before and after professional development on Learning by Design, interviews, audio and video recordings, classroom observations and student digital/multimodal products. This article examines Learning by Design as an e-learning pedagogical framework and the dimensions of professional practice that contribute to quality student production of digital/multimedia texts. The study demonstrates the existence of five conditions that are necessary for the Learning by Design pedagogical framework to be effective as a heuristic to enhance digital/multimodal literacy outcomes.
Technologies in Literacy Learning: A Case Study
Authors: Cloonany Anne
Published: December 2010

This article draws on outcomes of a study which explored changes in teachers' literacy pedagogies as a result of their participation in a collaborative teacher professional learning project. The educational usability of schemas drawn from multiliteracies and Learning by Design theory is illustrated through a case study of a teacher's work on website exploration and design with 8- to 11-year-olds. The teacher sought to develop pedagogical responses which were cognisant of multimodal shifts resulting from an increasingly digitised, networked communications environment. Engagement with the schemas influenced the teacher's print-based literacy pedagogies to incorporate multimodal literacy practices.
Berengario da Carpi: a pioneer in neurotraumatology
Authors: Di Ieva Antonio , Gaetani Paolo , Matula Christian , Sherif Camillo , Skopec Manfred , Tschabitscher Manfred
Published: December 2010

Berengario da Carpi was one of the most famous physicians of the 16th century, a recognized master of anatomy and surgery, an emblematic “Renaissance man” who combined his medical experience and engineering knowledge to design new surgical instruments, and effectively used the arts of writing and drawing to describe state-of-the-art medicine and provide illustrations of anatomical structures. His greatest contribution to medicine was to write the most important work on craniocerebral surgery of the 16th century, the Tractatus de Fractura Calvae sive Cranei (Treatise on Fractures of the Calvaria or Cranium), in which he described an entire set of surgical instruments to be used for cranial operations to treat head traumas that became a reference for later generations of physicians. This was a systematic treatise covering the mechanisms, classification, and medical and surgical treatment of head traumas, and can be considered a milestone in the history of neurotraumatology.
Trigeminal neuralgia in young adults
Authors: Bahgat Diaa , Ray Dibyendu K. , Raslan Ahmed M. , McCartney Shirley , Burchiel Kim J.
Published: December 2010

Object

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a form of facial pain that can be debilitating if left untreated. It typically affects elderly adults and is thought to be related to neurovascular compression. It is uncommon in people younger than 30 years of age, with only 1% of cases reportedly occurring in those younger than 20 years of age. The most common cause of compression in young adults is thought to be venous nerve compression either alone or in association with arterial nerve compression. The objective of this study was to review data in cases of TN in which patients were 25 years of age or younger and to identify TN disease characteristics, demographics, clinical features, operative findings, and outcome.

Methods

The authors retrospectively reviewed the clinical records, surgical treatment, and long-term outcome in patients 25 years of age or younger with TN who underwent surgery performed by the senior author (K.J.B.) at Oregon Health & Science University between 1995 and 2008.

Results

Seven patients (2 males and 5 females) met the inclusion criteria. The average age at symptom onset was 19.6 ± 3.4 years (± SD) and the average age at surgery was 22.9 ± 1.7 years. Six patients had right-sided symptoms and 1 had left-sided symptoms. Pain distribution was the V2 in 3 cases, V2–3 in 3 cases, and V3 in 1 case, with no cases of V1 affliction. A total of 11 procedures were performed in 7 patients, and 4 patients underwent a second procedure. Surgery and imaging revealed venous compression in all cases. The average follow-up period was 35.5 ± 39.9 months (median 12 months). Three patients reported a good outcome (no pain with or without medications) and 4 reported a poor outcome (either no pain relief or mild pain relief after surgery).

Conclusions

Trigeminal neuralgia is uncommon in young adults. Patients tend to present with symptoms similar to those in adults: long periods of pain and venous compression, but outcome unfortunately is not as good as that reported in the older population.
Increased striatal injury and behavioral deficits after intracerebral hemorrhage in hemopexin knockout mice
Authors: Chen Lifen , Zhang Xuefeng , Chen-Roetling Jing , Regan Raymond F.
Published: December 2010

Object

Heme toxicity may contribute to the pathogenesis of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The primary defense against extracellular heme is provided by hemopexin, a serum and neuronal glycoprotein that binds it with very high affinity and mitigates its prooxidant effect. In the present study, the authors tested the hypothesis that hemopexin knockout mice would sustain more injury after experimental ICH than their wild-type counterparts.

Methods:

Striatal ICH was induced by the stereotactic injection of bacterial collagenase or autologous blood. Three days later, striatal protein oxidation was assessed via carbonyl assay. Cell viability was quantified at 8–9 days by using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Behavioral deficits were detected with high-resolution digital analysis of 6-hour home cage video recordings and standard testing.

Results:

Perihematomal protein oxidation was increased in wild-type collagenase-injected striata by approximately 2.1-fold, as compared with contralateral striata; protein carbonyls were increased 3-fold in knockout mice. Striatal cell viability was reduced by collagenase injection in wild-type mice to 52.9 ± 6.5% of that in the contralateral striata, and to 31.1 ± 3.7% of that in the contralateral striata in knockout mice; similar results were obtained after blood injection. Digital analysis of 6-hour video recordings demonstrated an activity deficit in both models that was significantly exacerbated at 8 days in knockout mice. Striatal heme content 9 days after blood injection was increased approximately 2.7-fold in knockouts as compared with wild-type mice.

Conclusions:

These results suggest that hemopexin has a protective effect against hemorrhagic CNS injuries. Hemopexin deficiency, which is often associated with sickle cell disease, may worsen outcome after ICH.
Indocyanine green videoangiography to detect aneurysm and related vascular structures buried in subarachnoid clots
Authors: Kuroda Katsuhiro , Kinouchi Hiroyuki , Kanemaru Kazuya , Wakai Takuma , Senbokuya Nobuo , Horikoshi Toru
Published: December 2010

This 44-year-old woman presented with a ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm. Intraoperative indocyanine green (ICG) videoangiography demonstrated the aneurysm neck and dome, which were buried in subarachnoid clots. Dissection and aspiration of the clots around the neck were safely performed without touching the ruptured points. The aneurysm was successfully clipped. The patient's postoperative course was excellent. This case illustrates the use of intraoperative ICG videoangiography to provide information about the anatomical location of the aneurysm neck and dome despite their being completely obscured by subarachnoid clots. Intraoperative ICG videoangiography allowed safer dissection of the ruptured aneurysm from the blood clots.
Registration of ‘Aloha’ Seashore Paspalum
Authors: Scully B. T. , Nagata R. T. , Sistrunk D. M. , Cherry R. H. , Nuessly G. S. , Kenworthy K. E. , DeFrank J.
Published: December 2010

‘Aloha’ (Reg. No. CV‐3, PI 652948) seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum O. Swartz) was developed at the Everglades Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida and jointly released by the Florida and Hawaii agricultural experiment stations. It was initially approved for release in early 2005 and a pending plant patent was submitted in late 2005. This variety of seashore paspalum was selected as an open‐pollinated progeny derived from naturalized local landraces growing on the island of Hawaii and was tested in southern Florida under the coded breeding line number H99–47. Aloha was selected for improved agronomic, horticultural, and host‐plant resistance traits including a faster rate of crop establishment and ground coverage, darker and deeper green leaf color, and superior resistance to the greenbug aphid (Schizaphis graminum Rondani; Homoptera:Aphididae). In comparison to a set of standard varieties, Aloha attained 50% plot coverage in less than 4 mo whereas the standards took, on average, more than 5 mo. The leaf color of Aloha was a darker green and had a deeper hue than the standard varieties, and the greenbug aphids took longer to reach reproductive maturity, had a shorter lifespan, and produced fewer offspring when cultured on Aloha. Aloha also exhibited a morphology distinct from the standards for a set of measured inflorescence and vegetative traits.
‘AU Red Ace’, a Red Clover for the Lower South
Authors: Mosjidis J. A.
Published: December 2010

‘AU Red Ace’ (Reg. No. CV‐30, PI 657696) double‐cut red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) was developed and released in 2008 by Auburn University and the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station. It was released because it has a consistently high forage yield. Restricted phenotypic recurrent selection was used in the first cycle of selection in the development of this cultivar. Subsequent cycles of selection used mass selection with male‐ and female‐plant selection. Initial selection criteria were individual plant biomass, vigor, 2‐yr survival, and susceptibility to northern anthracnose [caused by Kabatiella caulivora (Kirchn.) Karak.], southern anthracnose (caused by Colletotrichum trifolii Bain), and powdery mildew (caused by Erisyphe polygoni DC). Subsequent cycles focused on selecting for mid‐ to late‐summer plant survival and plant vigor. Thus, selected plants were those that survived southern anthracnose and stress caused by high temperatures and/or drought. The cultivar ‘Cherokee’ was the standard of comparison. Forage was harvested when about 20% of the stems had flowers, and additional cuttings were made when the plants began to flower again. On the average, AU Red Ace had a total forage dry‐matter production 12 to 26% higher than Cherokee and has the potential to provide high levels of forage throughout the spring and often into the summer season. AU Red Ace plants are erect with pubescent stems that flower in the seeding year. Flowering can be the same as or up to 6 d earlier than Cherokee. AU Red Ace is well adapted to Alabama and probably other southern states in the Deep South region.