bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recognition of accented English in quiet and noise by younger and older listeners
Authors: Gordon-Salant Sandra , Yeni-Komshian Grace H. , Fitzgibbons Peter J.
Published: November 2010

This study investigated the effects of age and hearing loss on perception of accented speech presented in quiet and noise. The relative importance of alterations in phonetic segments vs. temporal patterns in a carrier phrase with accented speech also was examined. English sentences recorded by a native English speaker and a native Spanish speaker, together with hybrid sentences that varied the native language of the speaker of the carrier phrase and the final target word of the sentence were presented to younger and older listeners with normal hearing and older listeners with hearing loss in quiet and noise. Effects of age and hearing loss were observed in both listening environments, but varied with speaker accent. All groups exhibited lower recognition performance for the final target word spoken by the accented speaker compared to that spoken by the native speaker, indicating that alterations in segmental cues due to accent play a prominent role in intelligibility. Effects of the carrier phrase were minimal. The findings indicate that recognition of accented speech, especially in noise, is a particularly challenging communication task for older people.
A generalized polar coordinate method for sound propagation over large-scale irregular terrain
Authors: Parakkal Santosh , Gilbert Kenneth E. , Di Xiao , Bass Henry E.
Published: November 2010

The polar coordinate method in You [Ph.D. thesis, The University of Mississippi (1993)] is rederived in differential form and is generalized by defining a local, continuously varying, radius of curvature. The generalization makes it possible to compute sound propagation over arbitrary large-scale terrain where the local radii of curvature are much larger than an acoustic wavelength. For a simple hill, both the original and generalized method are in good agreement with measured low-frequency propagation loss data. The generalized method is applied to more complex terrain in a numerical example. The example demonstrates the utility of the method and also shows that complex terrain can have a significant effect on low-frequency sound propagation, even when the slope angles are small.
Dissociation of perceptual judgments of “what” and “where” in an ambiguous auditory scene
Authors: Schwartz Andrew H. , Shinn-Cunningham Barbara G.
Published: November 2010

Whenever an acoustic scene contains a mixture of sources, listeners must segregate the mixture in order to compute source content and/or location. Some past studies have explored whether perceived location depends on which sound elements are perceived within a source. However, no direct comparisons have been made of “what” and “where” judgments for the same sound mixtures using the same listeners. The current study tested if the sound elements making up an auditory object predict that object’s perceived location. Listeners were presented with an auditory scene containing competing “target” and “captor” sources, each of which could logically contain a “promiscuous” tone complex. In separate blocks, the same listeners matched the perceived spectro-temporal content (“what”) and location (“where”) of the target. Generally, as the captor intensity decreased, the promiscuous complex contributed more to both what and where judgments of the target. However judgments did not agree either quantitatively or qualitatively. For some subjects, the promiscuous complex consistently contributed more to the spectro-temporal content of the target than to its location while for some it consistently contributed more to target location. These results show a dissociation between the perceived spectro-temporal content of an auditory object and where that object is perceived.
Acoustic attenuation, phase and group velocities in liquid-filled pipes: Theory, experiment, and examples of water and mercury
Authors: Baik Kyungmin , Jiang Jian , Leighton Timothy G.
Published: November 2010

Del Grosso’s [Acustica 24, 299–311 (1971)] formulation, which predicts the phase speed of propagating axisymmetric modes inside a liquid-filled tube, is here extended to the complex domain in order to predict the attenuation, as well as the sound speed, of the modes as a function of frequency. Measurements of the sound speeds and the attenuations of the modes were performed in a water-filled Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) tube of internal radius, b=4.445 cm, in the range of the wavenumber-radius product, k1b, from 2 to 10. Parts of three or four modes were investigated and the measured sound speeds and the damping of the modes were compared with the theoretical predictions. The theory was then used to estimate the modal sound speeds and attenuations in a stainless-steel pipe filled with mercury having the same dimensions as are used in the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee.
Tracking sperm whales with a towed acoustic vector sensor
Authors: Thode Aaron , Skinner Jeff , Scott Pam , Roswell Jeremy , Straley Janice , Folkert Kendall
Published: November 2010

Passive acoustic towed linear arrays are increasingly used to detect marine mammal sounds during mobile anthropogenic activities. However, these arrays cannot resolve between signals arriving from the port or starboard without vessel course changes or multiple cable deployments, and their performance is degraded by vessel self-noise and non-acoustic mechanical vibration. In principle acoustic vector sensors can resolve these directional ambiguities, as well as flag the presence of non-acoustic contamination, provided that the vibration-sensitive sensors can be successfully integrated into compact tow modules. Here a vector sensor module attached to the end of a 800 m towed array is used to detect and localize 1813 sperm whale “clicks” off the coast of Sitka, AK. Three methods were used to identify frequency regimes relatively free of non-acoustic noise contamination, and then the active intensity (propagating energy) of the signal was computed between 4–10 kHz along three orthogonal directions, providing unambiguous bearing estimates of two sperm whales over time. These bearing estimates are consistent with those obtained via conventional methods, but the standard deviations of the vector sensor bearing estimates are twice those of the conventionally-derived bearings. The resolved ambiguities of the bearings deduced from vessel course changes match the vector sensor predictions.
Singing behavior of fin whales in the Davis Strait with implications for mating, migration and foraging
Authors: Simon Malene , Stafford Kathleen M. , Beedholm Kristian , Lee Craig M. , Madsen Peter T.
Published: November 2010

Most baleen whales undertake migrations between low-latitude breeding grounds and high-latitude feeding grounds. Though little is known about the timing of their migration from the Arctic, fin whales are assumed to undertake a similar migratory pattern. To address questions about habitat use and migrations, the acoustic activity of fin whales in Davis Strait, between Greenland and Canada, was monitored continuously for two years using three bottom-moored acoustic recorders. The acoustic power in the fin whale call frequencies peaked in November–December, showing that fin whales are present in Davis Strait much later in the year than previously expected. The closely timed peaks in song activity and conception time imply that not all fin whales migrate south to mate, but rather start mating at high latitudes rather than or before migrating. Singing activity was strongly linked to daylight hours, suggesting that fin whales might feed during the few daylight hours of the late fall and early Arctic winter. A negative correlation between the advancing sea ice front and power in fin whale frequencies indicates that future changes in sea ice conditions from global warming might change the distribution and migratory patterns of fin whales near the poles.
Stretched-exponential Doppler spectra in underwater acoustic communication channels
Authors: van Walree P. A. , Jenserud T. , Otnes R.
Published: November 2010

The theory of underwater sound interacting with the sea surface predicts a Gaussian-spread frequency spectrum in the case of a large Rayleigh parameter. However, recent channel soundings reveal more sharply peaked spectra with heavier tails. The measured Doppler spread increases with the frequency and differs between multipath arrivals. The overall Doppler spectrum of a broadband waveform is the sum of the spectra of all constituent paths and frequencies, and is phenomenologically described by a stretched or compressed exponential. The stretched exponential also fits well to the broadband spectrum of a single propagation path, and narrowband spectra summed over all paths.
Cavitation-enhanced delivery of macromolecules into an obstructed vessel
Authors: Rifai Bassel , Arvanitis Costas D. , Bazan-Peregrino Miriam , Coussios Constantin-C.
Published: November 2010

Poor drug penetration through tumor tissue has emerged as a fundamental obstacle to cancer therapy. The aim of this study was to examine the ability of cavitation instigated by high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to increase convective transport of a model therapeutic in an in vitro tumor model. Cavitation activity was quantified by analyzing passively recorded acoustic emissions, and mass transfer was quantified using post-treatment image analysis of the distribution of a dye-labeled macromolecule. The strong correlation between cavitation activity and drug delivery suggests the potential for non-invasive treatment and monitoring.
Robust speech recognition from binary masks
Authors: Narayanan Arun , Wang DeLiang
Published: November 2010

Inspired by recent evidence that a binary pattern may provide sufficient information for human speech recognition, this letter proposes a fundamentally different approach to robust automatic speech recognition. Specifically, recognition is performed by classifying binary masks corresponding to a word utterance. The proposed method is evaluated using a subset of the TIDigits corpus to perform isolated digit recognition. Despite dramatic reduction of speech information encoded in a binary mask, the proposed system performs surprisingly well. The system is compared with a traditional HMM based approach and is shown to perform well under low SNR conditions.
Ultrasonic differentiation of normal versus malignant breast epithelial cells in monolayer cultures
Authors: Doyle Timothy E. , Goodrich Jeffrey B. , Ambrose Brady J. , Patel Hemang , Kwon Soonjo , Pearson Lee H.
Published: November 2010

Normal and malignant mammary epithelial cells were studied using laboratory measurements, wavelet analysis, and numerical simulations of monolayer cell cultures to determine whether microscopic breast cancer can be detected in vitro with high-frequency ultrasound. Pulse-echo waveforms were acquired by immersing a broadband, unfocused 50-MHz transducer in the growth media of cell culture well plates and collecting the first reflection from the well bottoms. The simulations included a multilayer pulse-reflection model and a model of two-dimensional arrays of spherical cells and nuclei. The results show that normal and malignant cells produce time-domain signals and spectral features that are significantly different.
Real-time magnetic resonance imaging investigation of resonance tuning in soprano singing
Authors: Bresch Erik , Narayanan Shrikanth
Published: November 2010

This article investigates using real-time magnetic resonance imaging the vocal tract shaping of 5 soprano singers during the production of two-octave scales of sung vowels. A systematic shift of the first vocal tract resonance frequency with respect to the fundamental is shown to exist for high vowels across all subjects. No consistent systematic effect on the vocal tract resonance could be shown across all of the subjects for other vowels or for the second vocal tract resonance.
The role of peripheral resolvability in pitch-sequence processing
Authors: Cousineau Marion , Demany Laurent , Pressnitzer Daniel
Published: November 2010

The authors previously reported that same/different judgments on pitch sequences were more accurate for tones with resolved (low-rank) harmonics compared to unresolved (high-rank) harmonics, even when discriminability between tones was equated [Cousineau et al. (2009). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 126, 3179–3187]. Here, peripheral resolvability, defined by the number of harmonics per cochlear filter, was contrasted with harmonic number. Tones were presented either diotically or dichotically. In the latter case, even and odd harmonics were presented to different ears, thus halving the number of harmonics per cochlear filter. Performance was better for dichotic than for diotic presentations. This indicates that peripheral resolvability is necessary and sufficient for efficient pitch-sequence processing.
Applications of Fresnel-Kirchhoff diffraction theory in the analysis of human-motion Doppler sonar grams
Authors: Bradley Marshall , Sabatier James M.
Published: November 2010

Observed human-gait features in Doppler sonar grams are explained by using the Boulic-Thalmann (BT) model to predict joint angle time histories and the temporal displacements of the body center of mass. Body segments are represented as ellipsoids. Temporally dependent velocities at the proximal and distal end of key body segments are determined from BT. Doppler sonar grams are computed by mapping velocity-time dependent spectral acoustic-cross sections for the body segments onto time-velocity space, mimicking the Short Time Fourier Transform used in the Doppler sonar processing. Comparisons to measured data indicate that dominant returns come from trunk, thigh and lower leg.
Electric-field induced strain in biological tissues
Authors: Doganay Ozkan , Xu Yuan
Published: November 2010

This paper reports a new effect whereby a physiological-level direct-current electrical field (at 1.4 V/cm) can induce time-varying mechanical strain in various types of biological tissues and gel phantoms. This effect cannot be explained by the piezoelectric effect, tissue contraction, temperature changes, and electrorestriction. The induced strain in tissues was analyzed by processing ultrasound echo signals. The sample expanded perpendicularly to the applied electric field. The expansion rate depended on the history of the applied electric field. The speed of sound changed little compared with the expansion. The new effect might be related to electrokinetic effects.
Padé approximants and their application to scattering from fluid media
Authors: Denis Max , Tsui Jing , Thompson Charles , Chandra Kavitha
Published: November 2010

In this work, a numerical method for modeling the scattered acoustic pressure from fluid occlusions is described. The method is based on the asymptotic series expansion of the pressure expressed in terms of sound speed contrast between the host medium and entrained fluid occlusions. Padé approximants are used to extend the applicability of the result for larger values of sound speed contrast. For scattering from a circular cylinder, an improvement in convergence between the exact and numerical solutions is demonstrated. In the case of scattering from an inhomogeneous medium, a numerical solution with reduced order of Padé approximants is presented.
Extraction of the velocity of walking human’s body segments using ultrasonic Doppler
Authors: Mehmood Asif , Sabatier James M. , Bradley Marshall , Ekimov Alexander
Published: November 2010

The focus of this paper is to experimentally extract the Doppler signatures of a walking human’s individual body segments using an ultrasonic Doppler system (UDS) operating at 40 kHz. In a human’s walk, the major contribution to Doppler velocities and acoustic scattering is from the foot, lower leg, thigh (upper leg) and torso. The Doppler signature of these human body segments are extracted experimentally. The measurements were made by illuminating one of these body segments at a time and blocking the remaining body segments using acoustic screens. The results obtained in our experiment were verified with the results published by Bradley using a physics-based model for Doppler sonar spectrograms.
A direct method for measuring acoustic ground impedance in long-range propagation experiments
Authors: Soh Jin H. , Gilbert Kenneth E. , Frazier Wm. Garth , Talmadge Carrick L. , Waxler Roger
Published: November 2010

A method is reported for determining ground impedance in long-range propagation experiments by using the definition of impedance directly. The method is envisioned as way of measuring the impedence at multiple locations along the propagation path, using the signals broadcast during the experiment itself. In a short-range (10 m) test, the direct method was in good agreement with a more conventional model-based least-squares method. The utility of the direct method was demonstrated in a 400 m propagation experiment in a agricultural field. The resulting impedance was consistent with the impedance measured previously in the same field.
Role of spectral and temporal cues in restoring missing speech information
Authors: Gilbert Gaëtan , Lorenzi Christian
Published: November 2010

This study measured the role of spectral details and temporal envelope (E) and fine structure (TFS) cues in reconstructing sentences from speech fragments. Four sets of sentences were processed using a 32-band vocoder. Twenty one bands were either processed or removed, leading to sentences differing in their amount of spectral details, E and TFS information. These sentences remained perfectly intelligible, but intelligibility significantly fell after the introduction of periodic silent gaps of 120-ms. While the role of E was unclear, the results unambiguously showed that TFS cues and spectral details influence the ability to reconstruct interrupted sentences.
The temporal window of audio-tactile integration in speech perception
Authors: Gick Bryan , Ikegami Yoko , Derrick Donald
Published: November 2010

Asynchronous cross-modal information is integrated asymmetrically in audio-visual perception. To test whether this asymmetry generalizes across modalities, auditory (aspirated “pa” and unaspirated “ba” stops) and tactile (slight, inaudible, cutaneous air puffs) signals were presented synchronously and asynchronously. Results were similar to previous AV studies: the temporal window of integration for the enhancement effect (but not the interference effect) was asymmetrical, allowing up to 200 ms of asynchrony when the puff followed the audio signal, but only up to 50 ms when the puff preceded the audio signal. These findings suggest that perceivers accommodate differences in physical transmission speed of different multimodal signals.
Acoustic time-frequency domain imaging
Authors: Zhang Guang-Ming , Braden Derek R. , Harvey David M. , Burton David R.
Published: November 2010

The axial resolution of conventional acoustic micro imaging is limited by the wavelength of acoustic waves. Acoustic time-frequency domain imaging was recently proposed to overcome the wavelength limit [Zhang et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 118, 3706–3720 (2005)]. A continuous wavelet transform based acoustic time-frequency domain imaging technique is investigated in this paper. Experiments are performed on real 3D data collected from microelectronic packages. Results demonstrate the proposed technique reveals more image details and enhances the image contrast in comparison with conventional time domain imaging.
Effectiveness of JUMP-in, a Dutch primary school-based community intervention aimed at the promotion of physical activity
Authors: de Meij Judith S B , Chinapaw Mai J M , van Stralen Maartje M , van der Wal Marcel F , van Dieren Lotte , van Mechelen Willem
Published: November 2010

Purpose

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the JUMP-in programme on sports participation, overall physical activity (PA), shuttle run score and body composition in 6–12-year-old children.

Methods

JUMP-in is a school-based strategy combining environmental policy, neighbourhood, parents- and personal components. A controlled trial was carried out in 19 primary schools including 2848 children (50% boys). Measures were performed at the beginning of the first school year (T0: 2006) and repeated at the end of the first (T1: 2007) and second school year (T2: 2008).

Results

A significant beneficial intervention effect was found on organised sports participation (OR 2.8 (2.2 to 3.6)). Effects were stronger for girls (OR 3.6 (2.3 to 5.6)), and for Moroccan (OR 4.2 (3.6 to 5.7)) and Turkish children (OR 3.2 (1.9 to 5.2)). Participation in organised sports was associated with increased shuttle run score. No significant intervention effects on overall daily PA rates and body composition were observed.

Conclusion

The present study proves that a school-based strategy combining environmental and personal interventions was successful in improving structural sports participation among children.
Extent and consequences of misclassified injury diagnoses in a national hospital discharge registry
Authors: Bergström Monica Frick , Byberg Liisa , Melhus Håkan , Michaelsson Karl , Gedeborg Rolf
Published: November 2010

Background

Classification of injuries and estimation of injury severity on the basis of ICD-10 injury coding are powerful epidemiological tools. Little is known about the characteristics and consequences of primary coding errors and their consequences for such applications.

Materials and methods

From the Swedish national hospital discharge register, 15 899 incident injury cases primarily admitted to the two hospitals in Uppsala County between 2000 and 2004 were identified. Of these, 967 randomly selected patient records were reviewed. Errors in injury diagnosis were corrected, and the consequences of these changes were analysed.

Results

Out of 1370 injury codes, 10% were corrected, but 95% of the injury codes were correct to the third position. In 21% (95% CI 19% to 24%) of 967 hospital admissions, at least one ICD-10 code for injury was changed or added, but only 13% (127) had some change made to their injury mortality diagnosis matrix classification. Among the cases with coding errors, the mean ICD-based injury severity score changed slightly (difference 0.016; 95% CI 0.007 to 0.032). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.892 for predicting hospital mortality and remained essentially unchanged after the correction of codes (95% CI for difference –0.022 to 0.013).

Conclusion

Errors in ICD-10-coded injuries in hospital discharge data were common, but the consequences for injury categorisation were moderate and the consequences for injury severity estimates were in most cases minor. The error rate for detailed levels of cause-of-injury codes was high and may be detrimental for identifying specific targets for prevention.
Design and performance of the Yele asphalt-core rockfill dam
Authors: Wang Weibiao , Höeg Kaare , Zhang Yingbo
Published: November 2010

The planning, design, and performance of the Yele asphalt-core rockfill dam in Sichuan Province, China, are presented. The dam has a maximum height of 124.5 m, is located in a very seismic region with inclement climate, and is founded on a geologically complex foundation, partly resting on a deep and pervious alluvial overburden and partly on bedrock. With these site conditions only an embankment-type dam was considered feasible, and three different options were considered for the design of the impervious barrier: (i) earth core, (ii) concrete facing, and (iii) asphalt core. The third option was chosen. The design is based on extensive analyses and laboratory tests, and a special model test was performed to study the behavior of the connection between the narrow asphalt core and concrete plinth. An impoundment test was performed when the dam was 73 m high to test the imperviousness of the constructed core and the connections between (i) the core and plinth and (ii) the plinth and foundation cut-off wall. An extensive field monitoring program was implemented. Design predictions are compared with field performance observations of the core and its interaction with the adjacent transition zones.
Mitochondrial BKCachannels contribute to protection of cardiomyocytes isolated from chronically hypoxic rats
Authors: Borchert Gudrun H. , Yang Chengtao , Kolář František
Published: November 2010

Chronic hypoxia protects the heart against injury caused by acute oxygen deprivation, but its salutary mechanism is poorly understood. The aim was to find out whether cardiomyocytes isolated from chronically hypoxic hearts retain the improved resistance to injury and whether the mitochondrial large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+(BKCa) channels contribute to the protective effect. Adult male rats were adapted to continuous normobaric hypoxia (inspired O2fraction 0.10) for 3 wk or kept at room air (normoxic controls). Myocytes, isolated separately from the left ventricle (LVM), septum (SEPM), and right ventricle, were exposed to 25-min metabolic inhibition with sodium cyanide, followed by 30-min reenergization (MI/R). Some LVM were treated with either 30 μM NS-1619 (BKCaopener), or 2 μM paxilline (BKCablocker), starting 25 min before metabolic inhibition. Cell injury was detected by Trypan blue exclusion and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. Chronic hypoxia doubled the number of rod-shaped LVM and SEPM surviving the MI/R insult and reduced LDH release. While NS-1619 protected cells from normoxic rats, it had no additive salutary effect in the hypoxic group. Paxilline attenuated the improved resistance of cells from hypoxic animals without affecting normoxic controls; it also abolished the protective effect of NS-1619 on LDH release in the normoxic group. While chronic hypoxia did not affect protein abundance of the BKCachannel regulatory β1-subunit, it markedly decreased its glycosylation level. It is concluded that ventricular myocytes isolated from chronically hypoxic rats retain the improved resistance against injury caused by MI/R. Activation of the mitochondrial BKCachannel likely contributes to this protective effect.
Gene transfer, expression, and sarcomeric incorporation of a headless myosin molecule in cardiac myocytes: evidence for a reserve in myofilament motor function
Authors: Vandenboom Rene , Herron Todd , Favre Elizabeth , Albayya Faris P. , Metzger Joseph M.
Published: November 2010

The purpose of this study was to implement a living myocyte in vitro model system to test whether a motor domain-deleted headless myosin construct could be incorporated into the sarcomere and affect contractility. To this end we used gene transfer to express a “headless” myosin heavy chain (headless-MHC) in complement with the native full-length myosin motors in the cardiac sarcomere. An NH2-terminal Flag epitope was used for unique detection of the motor domain-deleted headless-MHC. Total MHC content (i.e., headless-MHC + endogenous MHC) remained constant, while expression of the headless-MHC in transduced myocytes increased from 24 to 72 h after gene transfer until values leveled off at 96 h after gene transfer, at which time the headless-MHC comprised ∼20% of total MHC. Moreover, immunofluorescence labeling and confocal imaging confirmed expression and demonstrated incorporation of the headless-MHC in the A band of the cardiac sarcomere. Functional measurements in intact myocytes showed that headless-MHC modestly reduced amplitude of dynamic twitch contractions compared with controls ( P < 0.05). In chemically permeabilized myocytes, maximum steady-state isometric force and the tension-pCa relationship were unaltered by the headless-MHC. These data suggest that headless-MHC can express to 20% of total myosin and incorporate into the sarcomere yet have modest to no effects on dynamic and steady-state contractile function. This would indicate a degree of functional tolerance in the sarcomere for nonfunctional myosin molecules.
Central interactions of aldosterone and angiotensin II in aldosterone- and angiotensin II-induced hypertension
Authors: Xue Baojian , Beltz Terry G. , Yu Yang , Guo Fang , Gomez-Sanchez Celso E. , Hay Meredith , Johnson Alan Kim
Published: November 2010

Many studies have implicated both angiotensin II (ANG II) and aldosterone (Aldo) in the pathogenesis of hypertension, the progression of renal injury, and cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction. In several cases, ANG II and Aldo have been shown to have synergistic interactions in the periphery. In the present studies, we tested the hypothesis that ANG II and Aldo interact centrally in Aldo- and ANG II-induced hypertension in male rats. In rats with blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) measured by DSI telemetry, intracerebroventricular (icv) infusions of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonists spironolactone and RU28318 or the angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R) antagonist irbesartan significantly inhibited Aldo-induced hypertension. In ANG II-induced hypertension, icv infusion of RU28318 significantly reduced the increase in BP. Moreover, icv infusions of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger tempol or the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin attenuated Aldo-induced hypertension. To confirm these effects of pharmacological antagonists, icv injections of either recombinant adeno-associated virus carrying siRNA silencers of AT1aR (AT1aR-siRNA) or MR (MR-siRNA) significantly attenuated the development of Aldo-induced hypertension. The immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses of AT1aR-siRNA- or MR-siRNA-injected rats showed a marked reduction in the expression of AT1R or MR in the paraventricular nucleus compared with scrambled siRNA rats. When animals from all studies underwent ganglionic blockade with hexamethonium, there was a smaller reduction in the fall of BP in animals receiving icv AT1R or MR antagonists. These results suggest that ANG II and Aldo interact in the brain in a mutually cooperative manner such that the functional integrity of both brain AT1R and MR are necessary for hypertension to be induced by either systemic ANG II or Aldo. The pressor effects produced by systemic ANG II or Aldo involve increased central ROS and sympathetic outflow.
Sphingolipids regulate [Mg2+]o uptake and [Mg2+]i content in vascular smooth muscle cells: potential mechanisms and importance to membrane transport of Mg2+
Authors: Zheng Tao , Li Wenyan , Altura Bella T. , Shah Nilank C. , Altura Burton M.
Published: November 2010

Sphingolipids have a variety of important signaling roles in mammalian cells. We tested the hypothesis that certain sphingolipids and neutral sphingomyelinase (N-SMase) can regulate intracellular free magnesium ions ([Mg2+]i) in vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells. Herein, we show that several sphingolipids, including C2-ceramide, C8-ceramide, C16-ceramide, and sphingosine, as well as N-SMase, have potent and direct effects on content and mobilization of [Mg2+]i in primary cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells. All of these sphingolipid molecules increase, rapidly, [Mg2+]i in these vascular cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The increments of [Mg2+]i, induced by these agents, are derived from influx of extracellular Mg2+ and are extracellular Ca2+ concentration-dependent. Phospholipase C and Ca2+/calmodulin/Ca2+-ATPase activity appear to be important in the sphingolipid-induced rises of [Mg2+]i. Activation of certain PKC isozymes may also be required for sphingolipid-induced rises in [Mg2+]i. These novel results suggest that sphingolipids may be homeostatic regulators of extracellular Mg2+ concentration influx (and transport) and [Mg2+]i content in vascular muscle cells.
Nasal potential difference to detect Na+channel dysfunction in acute lung injury
Authors: Mac Sweeney R. , Fischer H. , McAuley D. F.
Published: November 2010

Pulmonary fluid clearance is regulated by the active transport of Na+and Cl−through respiratory epithelial ion channels. Ion channel dysfunction contributes to the pathogenesis of various pulmonary fluid disorders including high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Nasal potential difference (NPD) measurement allows an in vivo investigation of the functionality of these channels. This technique has been used for the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis, the archetypal respiratory ion channel disorder, for over a quarter of a century. NPD measurements in HAPE and RDS suggest constitutive and acquired dysfunction of respiratory epithelial Na+channels. Acute lung injury (ALI) is characterized by pulmonary edema due to alveolar epithelial-interstitial-endothelial injury. NPD measurement may enable identification of critically ill ALI patients with a susceptible phenotype of dysfunctional respiratory Na+channels and allow targeted therapy toward Na+channel function.
Cigarette smoke-induced lung emphysema in mice is associated with prolyl endopeptidase, an enzyme involved in collagen breakdown
Authors: Braber Saskia , Koelink Pim J. , Henricks Paul A. J. , Jackson Patricia L. , Nijkamp Frans P. , Garssen Johan , Kraneveld Aletta D. , Blalock J. Edwin , Folkerts Gert
Published: November 2010

There is increasing evidence that the neutrophil chemoattractant proline-glycine-proline (PGP), derived from the breakdown of the extracellular matrix, plays an important role in neutrophil recruitment to the lung. PGP formation is a multistep process involving neutrophils, metalloproteinases (MMPs), and prolyl endopeptidase (PE). This cascade of events is now investigated in the development of lung emphysema. A/J mice were whole body exposed to cigarette smoke for 20 wk. After 20 wk or 8 wk after smoking cessation, animals were killed, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue were collected to analyze the neutrophilic airway inflammation, the MMP-8 and MMP-9 levels, the PE activity, and the PGP levels. Lung tissue degradation was assessed by measuring the mean linear intercept. Additionally, we investigated the effect of the peptide l-arginine-threonine-arginine (RTR), which binds to PGP sequences, on the smoke-induced neutrophil influx in the lung after 5 days of smoke exposure. Neutrophilic airway inflammation was induced by cigarette smoke exposure. MMP-8 and MMP-9 levels, PE activity, and PGP levels were elevated in the lungs of cigarette smoke-exposed mice. PE was highly expressed in epithelial and inflammatory cells (macrophages and neutrophils) in lung tissue of cigarette smoke-exposed mice. After smoking cessation, the neutrophil influx, the MMP-8 and MMP-9 levels, the PE activity, and the PGP levels were decreased or reduced to normal levels. Moreover, RTR inhibited the smoke-induced neutrophil influx in the lung after 5 days' smoke exposure. In the present murine model of cigarette smoke-induced lung emphysema, it is demonstrated for the first time that all relevant components (neutrophils, MMP-8, MMP-9, PE) involved in PGP formation from collagen are upregulated in the airways. Together with MMPs, PE may play an important role in the formation of PGP and thus in the pathophysiology of lung emphysema.
Estimating the Impact and Cost of the WHO 2010 Recommendations for Antiretroviral Therapy
Authors: Stover John , Bollinger Lori , Avila Carlos
Published: November 2010

In July 2010, WHO published new recommendations on providing antiretroviral therapy to adults and adolescents, including starting ART earlier, usually at a CD4 count of 350 or lower, specific regimens for first- and second-line therapies, and other recommendations. This paper estimates the potential impact and cost of the revised guidelines by first, calculating the number of people that would be in need of antiretroviral therapy (ART) with different eligibility criteria, and second, calculating the costs associated with the potential impact. Results indicate that switching the eligibility criterion from CD4 count <200 to <350 increases the need for ART in low- and middle-income countries (country-level) by 50% (range 34% to 70%). The costs of ART programs only to increase coverage to 80% by 2015 would be 44% more (range 29% to 63%) when switching the eligibility criterion to CD4 count <350. When testing and outreach costs are included, total costs increase by 62%, from US$26.3 billion under the previous eligibility criterion of treating those with CD4 <200 to US$42.5 billion using the revised eligibility criterion of treating those with CD4 <350.
Transplantation for Congenital Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes
Authors: Morimoto Kenji , Moore Theodore B. , Schiller Gary , Sakamoto Kathleen M.
Published: November 2010

Congenital bone marrow failure syndromes (BMFSs) are relatively rare disorders characterized by aberrant development in one or more hematopoietic lineages. Genetic alterations have now been identified in most of these disorders although the exact role of the molecular defects has yet to be elucidated. Most of these diseases are successfully managed with supportive care, however, treatment refractoriness and disease progression—often involving malignant transformation—may necessitate curative treatment with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Due to the underlying molecular defects, the outcome of transplantation for BMFS may be dramatically different than those associated with transplantation for more common diseases, including leukemia. Given recent improvements in survival and molecular diagnosis of bone marrow failure syndrome patients presenting at adult ages without physical stigmata, it is important for both pediatric and adult hematologists to be aware of the possible diagnosis of BMF syndromes and the unique approaches required in treating such patients.
Followership or Followersheep? Searching for Transformational Leaders for Accelerated National Development in Ghana
Authors: Tagoe Michael
Published: November 2010

The recent interest in transformational leaders is based on the fact that this type of leadership is change-oriented and focuses on followership development. In Ghana, a long history of failed development strategies and different political leadership styles has left the citizens disappointed in their leaders. This paper argues that Ghana needs transformational leaders who will be able to raise the quality of life of its citizens. Political leaders need to structurally transform the economic base, deal with corruption, and accelerate the pace of empowerment of ordinary Ghanaians through an effective decentralization programme.
Madrassah Education in Pre-colonial and Colonial South Asia
Authors: Riaz Ali
Published: November 2010

This paper traces the history of madrassahs (Islamic seminaries) in South Asia from their inception in the 12th century until the end of colonial rule in 1947. The paper argues that many of the pre-colonial rulers of South Asia, including the Mughals (1526—1857), played key roles in promoting education and providing patronage of various educational institutions, including madrassahs. The policies of British colonial rule (1757—1947), however, made the most indelible marks on madrassah education, not only directly, wherein their policies have impacted on the structure, functions and curriculum of madrassahs, but also indirectly, through the prompting of responses from the ulama and the Muslim community that determined the contours and the content of madrassah education. The paper examines the roles of various strands of madrassah education, and the interplay of politics and curriculum of various major madrassahs. The paper demonstrates that madrassah as a concept and as an institution has come a long way, that its contents and contours have undergone changes, and that as an institution it has largely remained embedded within the society.
Histochemical Study of Dentin in Hydrocortisone- and Fluoride-Treated Rats
Authors: Bernick S. , Zipkin I. , Menczel J.
Published: November 2010

SYNOPSIS IN INTERLINGUA

STUDIO HISTOCHIMIC DE DENTINA IN RATIOS TRACTATE CON HYDROCORTISONA E FLUORURO.—Rattos feminin esseva tractate con 5 mg de hydrocortisona e/o fluor in un concentration de 75 partes per million. Sectiones histologic de dentina incisal ab omne le gruppos experimental esseva tincturate per varie methodos histochimic pro determinar le influentia de hydrocortisona e/o fluoruro super le calcification de dentina. Le dentina tractate con hydrocortisona e etiam illo tractate con fluoruro se tincturava un rubio forte con P.A.S. e exhibiva un abundantia de material a positivitate blau alcian que esseva marcatemente metachromatic in natura. Iste reactiones tincturatori pare indicar un alteration in le substantia de fundo, un situation que produceva un interferentia in le calcification de dentina.
In Vitro Glosure of the Rat Palate
Authors: Reeve Wayne L. , Porter Kendall , Lefkowitz William
Published: November 2010

SYNOPSIS IN INTERLINGUA CLAUSURA IN ViTRO DEL PALATO DEL RATTO.—Le clausura del palato del ratto observate in vivo in fetos grossier occurreva per crescentia median del segmentos anterior del processos latero-palatal. Le segmentos posterior formava un apertura rectangule con processos parallel que se approchava le unes al alteres con le resultato de un clausura tanto anterior como etiam posterior. Le clausura in vitro sequeva le mesme schema con minor variationes. Le requirite tempore esseva accelerate per le positionamento del explanto causante un cadita del processos palatal le un verso le altere in le absentia del lingua.
Effects of Short -Term Lathyrogen Treatment on the Rupture Strength of Healing Wounds
Authors: Bickley Harmon C. , Little James W. , Blevins Thomas J.
Published: November 2010

SYNOPSIS IN INTERLINGUA LE EFFECTOS DE BREVE PERIODOS DE TRACTAMENTO CON LATHYROGENO SUPER LE FORTIA DE RESISTENTIA CONTRA RUPTURAS IN VULNERES DURANTE LE PROCESSO GUARITORI.—Le alterationes de tissu conjunctive incontrate in lathyrismo experimental es possibilemente mediate per le liberation de collagenase tissular. Iste hypothese esseva testate indirectemente per un analyse del fortia tensile de vulneres cutanee in stato guaritori in rattos subjicite a injectiones de fumarato de di-beta-aminopropionitril. Tres consecutive injectiones diurne causava un declino in le fortia de resistentia contra rupturation usque ad un nivello infra illo attingite per vulneres de controlo 3 dies previemente. II pare justificate concluder que iste resultatos se trova in harmonia con le hypothese sub investigation, sed il non es justificate concluder que illos provide un prova de illos in ulle senso del termino. Un studio simultanee del acceptation de sulfato ha remanite inconclusive.
Thermal Properties of Dental Composition
Authors: Braden M.
Published: November 2010

PROPRIETATES THERMIC DE MATERIALES PRO PROSTHESES DENTAL.-Le diffusivitate thermic esseva mesurate pro materiales typic. Le tempore requirite pro calefacer un placa o baston standard usque al stato plastic a un temperatura de 60 C esseva de accordo con le theoria del conduction thermic. Le diffusivitates variava levemente ab un material al altere. Le tempores de mollification esseva governate principalmente per le spissitate del specimen. Esseva etiam mesurate le coefficientes frigidatori ((3). Le valor 0 es obtenite ab le lege de frigidation de Newton, e~3t. Placas de material calefacite a 60 C esseva passivemente frigidate, e le tempores del durification esseva mesurate. Le resultatos de novo esseva de accordo con le theoria. Tamen, le tempore del durification es plus governate per 0 que le diffusivitate. Per consequente, le durification require multo plus tempore que le mollification e non depende del spissitate del placa.
Effects of Cortisone and Thalidomide on Morphogenesis of Secondary Palate in A/Hej Mice
Authors: Chaudhry Anand P. , Schwartz Sidney , Schmutz John A.
Published: November 2010

SYNOPSIS IN INTERLINGUA LE EFFECTOS DE CORTISONA E THALIDOMIDA SUPER LE MORPHOGENESE DEL PALATO SECUNDARI IN MUSES A/HEJ.—Un studio del palatogenese normal durante le periodo inter die 11 1/2 e 16 1/2 post le conception ha monstrate que le clausura palatal occurre approximativemente al die 15. Le administration intraperitonee de thalidomida in doses de 10 e de 15 mg. resultava in nulle malformation palatal quando illo esseva effectuate 11 1/2 dies post le conception. Acetato de cortisona in doses de 5 e 10 mg. causava 35, respectivemente 83 pro cento de palatos fisse.
Macromolecular Effects on the Titration Curves of Parotid Gland Fluid
Authors: Hoerman K.C. , Clark G.E. , Balekjian A.Y.
Published: November 2010

Macromolecules were found to act as additives to the total buffering action in parotid saliva. This additive effect was related to the proteins in the gland fluid, and could be demonstrated by analyzing changes in the end-point segments of titration curves.
Microscopic Appearances of Tetracycline Deposition in Human Dentin
Authors: Weyman Joan
Published: November 2010

Fluorescent bands of tetracycline deposition in human teeth were always more sharply demarcated on the side toward the amelodentinal junction than on the pulpal side. This probably is related to diminution of the drug serum level in connection with intake. A nonfluorescent space at the end of the band at the amelodentinal junction may be related to the mantle dentin.
Experimental Ischemia in Monkeys: I. Effect of Ischemia on Gingival Epithelium
Authors: Kennedy James E. , Zander Helmut A.
Published: November 2010

Unilateral ischemia was produced in periodontal tissues of squirrel monkeys by introduction of carbonized microspheres into the external carotid circulation. The palate and gingival tissues appeared blanched unilaterally. Histopathology ranged from moderate acanthosis to frank ulceration. Deoxyribonucleic (DNA) duplication was depressed during the period of ischemia and hyperemia, and then increased.
Experimental Ischemia in Monkeys: II. Vascular Response
Authors: Kennedy James
Published: November 2010

The extent and duration of experimental vascular occlusion in the periodontium of squirrel monkeys was determined by India ink perfusion. Three, hours after the induction of carbonized microspheres, only vessels of the periodontal ligament contained perfusion material. The palatal gingiva was vascularized before the maxillary buccal gingiva, Gingival vessels adjacent to the epithelial attachment and crevicular epithelium vascularized first.
Skeletal Changes in Cortisone-Treated Male Rats
Authors: Che-Kuo Hsien , Johannessen Leif B.
Published: November 2010

Considerable growth depression was shown by histologic study and radiographic measurements of skulls and tibias of immature male rats fed cortisone, 0.05 mg/gm food, for 20 days. The depression was augmented by 0.2 mg desiccated thyroid/gm of cortisone diet. Intracranial height was greater in cortisone-treated rats, compared to that of pair-fed controls.
Metal-Sprayed Dies: I. Dimensional Accuracy-Comparative Study
Authors: Palmqvist Sigvard
Published: November 2010

Metal-sprayed dies were compared to stone and epoxy resin dies. Dimensionally, they were found to be as accurate as the stone dies and superior to the resin dies. The dies were prepared from standardized impressions of a master die, using a technic that included an impression device.
Normal Closure of Secondary Palate in Paralyzed Mouse Embryos
Authors: Jacobs Richard M.
Published: November 2010

Muscle relaxants, anesthetics, and central nervous system depressants administered to pregnant mice before and during the critical period of palate closure showed no teratogenic effects on palate formation. These findings indicate that muscular activity is not essential for normal palate closure.
Measurement of the Tensile Strength of Dental Restorative Materials by Use of a Diametral Compression Test
Authors: Williams P.D. , Smith D.C.
Published: November 2010

The effect of specimen size on tensile strength of restorative materials by use of the disk diametral compression test was evaluated. The results indicate that a miniature specimen can be used to give values and ranking for materials that agree with subjective practical experience.