bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A shock tube with a high-repetition-rate time-of-flight mass spectrometer for investigations of complex reaction systems
Authors: Dürrstein Steffen H. , Aghsaee Mohammad , Jerig Ludger , Fikri Mustapha , Schulz Christof
Published: August 2011

A conventional membrane-type stainless steel shock tube has been coupled to a high-repetition-rate time-of-flight mass spectrometer (HRR-TOF-MS) to be used to study complex reaction systems such as the formation of pollutants in combustion processes or formation of nanoparticles from metal containing organic compounds. Opposed to other TOF-MS shock tubes, our instrument is equipped with a modular sampling unit that allows to sample with or without a skimmer. The skimmer unit can be mounted or removed in less than 10 min. Thus, it is possible to adjust the sampling procedure, namely, the mass flux into the ionization chamber of the HRR-TOF-MS, to the experimental situation imposed by species-specific ionization cross sections and vapor pressures. The whole sampling section was optimized with respect to a minimal distance between the nozzle tip inside the shock tube and the ion source inside the TOF-MS. The design of the apparatus is presented and the influence of the skimmer on the measured spectra is demonstrated by comparing data from both operation modes for conditions typical for chemical kinetics experiments. The well-studied thermal decomposition of acetylene has been used as a test system to validate the new setup against kinetics mechanisms reported in literature.
Resource allocation and economic evaluation in Australia's healthcare system
Authors: Baghbanian Abdolvahab , Hughes Ian , Khavarpour Freidoon A.
Published: August 2011

Objective. To explore dimensions and varieties of economic evaluations that healthcare decision-makers do or do not use. Design. Web-based survey. Setting and participants. A purposive sample of Australian healthcare decision-makers was recruited by direct invitation through email. All were invited to complete an online questionnaire derived from the EUROMET 2004 survey. Results. A total of 91 questionnaires were analysed. Almost all participants were involved in financial resource allocations. Most commonly, participants based their decisions on patient needs, effectiveness of interventions, cost of interventions or overall budgetary effect, and policy directives. Evidence from cost-effectiveness analysis was used by half of the participants. Timing, ethical issues and lack of knowledge about economic evaluation were the most significant barriers to the use of economic evaluations in resource allocation decisions. Most participants reported being moderately to very familiar with the cost-effectiveness analysis. There was a general impression that evidence from economic evaluations should play a larger role in the future. Conclusions. Evidence from health economic evaluations may provide valuable information in some decisions; however, at present, it is not central to many decisions. The study suggests that, for economic evaluation to be helpful in real-life policy decisions, it has to be placed into context – a context which is complex, political and often resistant to voluntary change. What is known about the topic? There are increasing calls for the use of evidence from formal economic evaluations to improve the quality of healthcare decision making; however, it is widely acknowledged that such evidence, as presently constituted, is underused in its influence on allocation decisions. What does this paper add? This study highlights that resource allocation decisions cannot be purely based on the use of technical, economic data or systematic evidence-based reviews. In order to exploit the full potential value of economic evaluations, researchers need to make better sense of decision contexts at specific times and places. What are the implications for practitioners? The study has the potential to expand researchers and policy-makers’ understanding of the limited use of economic evaluation in decision-making. It produces evidence that decision-making in Australia’s healthcare system is not or cannot be a fully rational bounded process. Economic evaluation is used in some contexts, where information is accurate, complete and available.
From theory to practice of electronic handover
Authors: Barnes Sara L. , Campbell Donald A. , Stockman Keith A. , Wunderlink Dirk
Published: August 2011

Clinical handover is an essential process occurring at many levels of inpatient care. Multiple studies within a hospital setting have identified that a breakdown in the handover process can lead to poor patient outcomes and serious adverse events. The use of electronic handover tools is an intervention identified to decrease errors in clinical care arising from poor handover practice. An electronic handover tool was implemented in a general medical unit in a metropolitan tertiary hospital setting. The program was written by a Medical Professional who also used the tool. The program was evaluated with a pre- and post-intervention survey within the medical, allied health and nursing staff members of the multidisciplinary teams. The use of the Electronic Handover program resulted in improved satisfaction of the handover process within the medical, nursing and allied health professions. This trial demonstrates that an electronic handover program can be successfully integrated into normal medical work practice, resulting in positive outcomes for a multidisciplinary staff team. Further work is required to determine whether patient outcomes are improved as a result.
Role of Australian primary healthcare organisations (PHCOs) in primary healthcare (PHC) workforce planning: lessons from abroad
Authors: Naccarella Lucio , Buchan James , Newton Bill , Brooks Peter
Published: August 2011

Objective. To review international experience in order to inform Australian PHC workforce policy on the role of primary healthcare organisations (PHCOs/Medicare Locals) in PHC workforce planning. Method. A NZ and UK study tour was conducted by the lead author, involving 29 key informant interviews with regard to PHCOs roles and the effect on PHC workforce planning. Interviews were audio-taped with consent, transcribed and analysed thematically. Results. Emerging themes included: workforce planning is a complex, dynamic, iterative process and key criteria exist for doing workforce planning well; PHCOs lacked a PHC workforce policy framework to do workforce planning; PHCOs lacked authority, power and appropriate funding to do workforce planning; there is a need to align workforce planning with service planning; and a PHC Workforce Planning and Development Benchmarking Database is essential for local planning and evaluating workforce reforms. Conclusion. With the Australian government promoting the role of PHCOs in health system reform, reflections from abroad highlight the key action within PHC and PHCOs required to optimise PHC workforce planning.
Impact of sodium adsorption ratio of irrigation water on the structural form of two Vertosols used for cotton production
Authors: Speirs S. D. , Cattle S. R. , Melville G. J.
Published: August 2011

In recent years, the production of cotton in Australia has been limited by the availability of irrigation water. To overcome this problem, poorer quality (Na+-rich) irrigation sources have been used in some situations, despite the effects elevated levels of Na+ may have on soil physical and chemical properties. This paper reports on changes in the surface-connected structural form attributes of two Vertosols from eastern Australia (one Red Vertosol, one Black Vertosol) after treatment with a range of different water-quality solutions. Intact soil columns from each of the Vertosols were irrigated through six wet–dry cycles using one of six treatment solutions with varying Na+ concentrations. Replicate columns for each treatment of each soil were analysed post-irrigation for selected chemical attributes. A second set of replicate columns was impregnated with a fluorescent resin post-irrigation, horizontally sectioned, and photographed under ultraviolet light. Image analysis was carried out on the section photographs to yield quantitative estimates of porosity (P), surface area (Sv), solid and pore star lengths (ls* and lp*), and solid and pore genus (gs and gp). Generally, the soil treated with the low-Na+ solution had the most desirable structural form attributes (larger P, Sv, and gp and smaller ls* and gs), while the soil treated with the high-Na+ solution had the least desirable structural attributes. The structural attributes and chemical properties of the Red Vertosol changed more markedly with water quality than did those of the Black Vertosol. The difference in response to water quality between these two soils is presumed to be related to the clay mineral suites and the exchange capacity of these soils; the Black Vertosol contains appreciably more smectite and has a much larger effective cation exchange capacity than the Red Vertosol.
Alborz College of Tehran, Dr. Samuel Martin Jordan and the American Faculty: Twentieth-Century Presbyterian Mission Education and Modernism in Iran (Persia)
Authors: Ricks Thomas M.
Published: August 2011

The article addresses the twentieth-century social and cultural history of Alborz College (The American College of Tehran) in terms of its curricula, mission education, the faculty and Dr. Samuel Jordan, founder and president. The courses taught, from the natural sciences and humanities to business and journalism, shaped the lives and aspirations of so many of the graduates for decades. Of great importance were the academic training and personal lives of Dr. Jordan, Mary Park Jordan, and the American faculty, particularly those graduates from Lafayette College (Easton, Pennsylvania) who served as role models of modernity and generous public service that so enriched the lives of their young Iranian charges and won the hearts and minds of the Alborzi graduates.
Diversity at Alborz
Authors: Chehabi H. E.
Published: August 2011

This essay discusses the various dimensions of diversity at Alborz, both when it was run by the American missionaries and when it was under Iranian management. In the first part, the ascriptive traits of human beings are the object of the analysis: gender, race, language, religion and class. In both periods Alborz was characterized by its openness to Iranians of different religious backgrounds, both teachers and students. The second part of the essay discusses the variety of the educational experience enjoyed by students, and concludes that it gradually diminished, as education came increasingly to be defined as instruction and extracurricular activities were reduced after the mid-1960s.
Role of Oral History in Preparing Biographies
Authors: Ladjevardi Habib
Published: August 2011

Back in the fall of 1980, Edward Keenan, then Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, asked whether I would organize an oral history project on Iran. A Soviet specialist, Keenan saw certain similarities between the Russian and the Iranian revolutions and considered the immigration to the West of hundreds of former Iranian officials to be an exceptional opportunity to collect and preserve valuable historical data.

In our subsequent discussions it became clear that an in-depth study of the internal workings of Iran's former regime was difficult, as few reliable primary sources are available for this purpose. Because of the autocratic nature of Iran's political system, government papers, documents, and reports were (and still are) infrequently prepared prior to major decisions and subsequent to important events. Moreover, the relevant documents that were produced have not been preserved systematically and, in cases where they do exist, are not generally available to researchers.
Reliability and validity of judging in women's artistic gymnastics at University Games 2009
Authors: Bučar Maja , Čuk Ivan , Pajek Jernej , Karacsony Istvan , Leskošek Bojan
Published: August 2011

The aim of our research was to analyse the reliability and validity of judging on all women's apparatuses and all sessions (qualification, all round finals and apparatus finals) at the World University Games‐Universiade 2009 in Belgrade. For validity assessment, mean absolute and rank deviations of judges’ execution scores were calculated. For consistency and reliability assessment, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, intra‐class correlations, Armor's theta and Kendall's W coefficient were calculated. Vault and floor exercise finals were the sessions with the highest scores and the lowest score dispersion. The overall highest individual judge average absolute deviation was 0.34 point and the largest mean rank deviation was 0.88 with most values well below this. A correlation matrix for between‐judge correlations identified three judges (out of 20) in the apparatus finals sessions with remarkably inferior correlations with others. Except for vault and floor finals, the results in terms of consistency (Cronbach's alpha mostly above 0.95) and reliability (Armor's theta mostly above 0.94, intra‐class correlation for single and average measures above 0.87 and 0.94, respectively) were satisfactory. In conclusion, overall high values of reliability and consistency indices were found. Sessions where the variability between competitors is low (such as vault and floor finals in this competition) should be inspected with special care in future judging analyses.
Effect of warm‐up exercise on delayed‐onset muscle soreness
Authors: Takizawa Kazuki , Soma Toshio , Nosaka Kazunori , Ishikawa Tomoji , Ishii Kojiro
Published: August 2011

In this study, we wished to determine whether a warm‐up exercise consisting of 100 submaximal concentric contractions would attenuate delayed‐onset muscle soreness and decreases in muscle strength associated with eccentric exercise‐induced muscle damage. Ten male students performed two bouts of an elbow flexor exercise consisting of 12 maximal eccentric contractions with a warm‐up exercise for one arm (warm‐up) and without warm‐up for the other arm (control) in a randomized, counterbalanced order separated by 4 weeks. Muscle temperature of the biceps brachii prior to the exercise was compared between the arms, and muscle activity of the biceps brachii during the exercise was assessed by surface integral electromyogram (iEMG). Changes in visual analogue scale for muscle soreness and maximal voluntary isometric contraction strength (MVC) of the elbow flexors were assessed before, immediately after, and every 24 h for 5 days following exercise, and compared between the warm‐up and control conditions by a two‐way repeated‐measures analysis of variance. The pre‐exercise biceps brachii muscle temperature was significantly (P<0.01) higher for the warm‐up (35.8±0.2°C) than the control condition (34.4±0.2°C), but no significant differences in iEMG and torque produced during exercise were evident between conditions. Changes in muscle soreness and MVC were not significantly different between conditions, although these variables showed significant (P<0.05) changes over time. It was concluded that the warm‐up exercise was not effective in mitigating delayed‐onset muscle soreness and loss of muscle strength following maximal eccentric exercise.
The histone methyltransferase Set7/9 promotes myoblast differentiation and myofibril assembly
Authors: Tao Yazhong , Neppl Ronald L. , Huang Zhan-Peng , Chen Jianfu , Tang Ru-Hang , Cao Ru , Zhang Yi , Jin Suk-Won , Wang Da-Zhi
Published: August 2011

The molecular events that modulate chromatin structure during skeletal muscle differentiation are still poorly understood. We report in this paper that expression of the H3-K4 histone methyltransferase Set7 is increased when myoblasts differentiate into myotubes and is required for skeletal muscle development, expression of muscle contractile proteins, and myofibril assembly. Knockdown of Set7 or expression of a dominant-negative Set7 mutant impairs skeletal muscle differentiation, accompanied by a decrease in levels of histone monomethylation (H3-K4me1). Set7 directly interacts with MyoD to enhance expression of muscle differentiation genes. Expression of myocyte enhancer factor 2 and genes encoding contractile proteins is decreased in Set7 knockdown myocytes. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Set7 also activates muscle gene expression by precluding Suv39h1-mediated H3-K9 methylation on the promoters of myogenic differentiation genes. Together, our experiments define a biological function for Set7 in muscle differentiation and provide a molecular mechanism by which Set7 modulates myogenic transcription factors during muscle differentiation.
Ran-dependent docking of importin-β to RanBP2/Nup358 filaments is essential for protein import and cell viability
Authors: Hamada Masakazu , Haeger Anna , Jeganathan Karthik B. , van Ree Janine H. , Malureanu Liviu , Wälde Sarah , Joseph Jomon , Kehlenbach Ralph H. , van Deursen Jan M.
Published: August 2011

RanBP2/Nup358, the major component of the cytoplasmic filaments of the nuclear pore complex (NPC), is essential for mouse embryogenesis and is implicated in both macromolecular transport and mitosis, but its specific molecular functions are unknown. Using RanBP2 conditional knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts and a series of mutant constructs, we show that transport, rather than mitotic, functions of RanBP2 are required for cell viability. Cre-mediated RanBP2 inactivation caused cell death with defects in M9- and classical nuclear localization signal (cNLS)–mediated protein import, nuclear export signal–mediated protein export, and messenger ribonucleic acid export but no apparent mitotic failure. A short N-terminal RanBP2 fragment harboring the NPC-binding domain, three phenylalanine-glycine motifs, and one Ran-binding domain (RBD) corrected all transport defects and restored viability. Mutation of the RBD within this fragment caused lethality and perturbed binding to Ran guanosine triphosphate (GTP)–importin-β, accumulation of importin-β at nuclear pores, and cNLS-mediated protein import. These data suggest that a critical function of RanBP2 is to capture recycling RanGTP–importin-β complexes at cytoplasmic fibrils to allow for adequate cNLS-mediated cargo import.
Direct formation of L10 FePt in as-cast FePt-based magnetic nanocomposite ribbons without post-synthesis annealing
Authors: Crisan A D , Crisan O
Published: August 2011

A novel nanocomposite FePt-based exchange-coupled magnet has been synthesized and structurally and magnetically characterized. We report for the first time the direct formation of the L10 FePt phase without the need for post-synthesis annealing procedures in Fe-Pt-based melt-spun ribbons, obtained by a conventional melt spinning method. The structure and magnetic properties are investigated and the occurrence of the L10 ordered phase in the as-cast state of Fe–Pt–Ag–B melt-spun ribbons is confirmed by XRD and magnetic measurements. A microstructure consisting of fine, uniformly dispersed, 22–24 nm FePt grains dispersed within a soft magnetic matrix is observed by scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging. Coercive fields as high as 727 kA m−1, saturation magnetization of about 1.2 T and energy product around 87 kJ m−3 are determined from 270 K hysteresis loops of the as-cast ribbons, making one of the best FePt-based nanocomposite magnet ribbons even without further annealing treatments.
Effect of temperature on the stability of dielectric elastomers
Authors: Sheng Junjie , Chen Hualing , Li Bo
Published: August 2011

Dielectric elastomer (DE) is a kind of electroactive polymer material, capable of large deformation up to 380%. However, under conservative operating conditions, DE is susceptible to instability with a small deformation due to various modes of failure, including electrical breakdown, electromechanical instability (EMI), loss of tension and rupture by stretch. This paper proposes a free energy model in the thermodynamic system of DE involving thermoelastic strain energy, electric energy and purely thermal contribution energy to obtain the stability conditions of all failure modes. The numerical results indicate that the increase in temperature can markedly contribute to improving the entropy production, the actuation stress and the critical nominal electric field of the DE. The increase in temperature could modify the failure modes of loss of tension and the EMI, which consequently enhances the stability of DE. Simultaneously, estimations on the maximal energy to be converted can be made from the theoretical formulation of the stability states. These conclusions may guide the exploration for high-performance DE materials under thermo, mechanical and electrical loads.
Simple vector bundles on plane degenerations of an elliptic curve
Authors: Bodnarchuk Lesya , Drozd Yuriy , Greuel Gert-Martin
Published: August 2011

In 1957 Atiyah classified simple and indecomposable vector bundles on an elliptic curve. In this article we generalize his classification by describing the simple vector bundles on all reduced plane cubic curves. Our main result states that a simple vector bundle on such a curve is completely determined by its rank, multidegree and determinant. Our approach, based on the representation theory of boxes, also yields an explicit description of the corresponding universal families of simple vector bundles.
Mitochondrial Ccs1 contains a structural disulfide bond crucial for the import of this unconventional substrate by the disulfide relay system
Authors: Groß Dominik P. , Burgard Caroline A. , Reddehase Silvia , Leitch Jeffry M. , Culotta Valeria C. , Hell Kai
Published: August 2011

The copper chaperone for superoxide dismutase 1 (Ccs1) provides an important cellular function against oxidative stress. Ccs1 is present in the cytosol and in the intermembrane space (IMS) of mitochondria. Its import into the IMS depends on the Mia40/Erv1 disulfide relay system, although Ccs1 is, in contrast to typical substrates, a multidomain protein and lacks twin CxnC motifs. We report on the molecular mechanism of the mitochondrial import of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ccs1 as the first member of a novel class of unconventional substrates of the disulfide relay system. We show that the mitochondrial form of Ccs1 contains a stable disulfide bond between cysteine residues C27 and C64. In the absence of these cysteines, the levels of Ccs1 and Sod1 in mitochondria are strongly reduced. Furthermore, C64 of Ccs1 is required for formation of a Ccs1 disulfide intermediate with Mia40. We conclude that the Mia40/Erv1 disulfide relay system introduces a structural disulfide bond in Ccs1 between the cysteine residues C27 and C64, thereby promoting mitochondrial import of this unconventional substrate. Thus the disulfide relay system is able to form, in addition to double disulfide bonds in twin CxnC motifs, single structural disulfide bonds in complex protein domains.
Serum- and glucocorticoid-induced kinase 3 in recycling endosomes mediates acute activation of Na+/H+exchanger NHE3 by glucocorticoids
Authors: He Peijian , Lee Sei-Jung , Lin Songbai , Seidler Ursula , Lang Florian , Fejes-Toth Geza , Naray-Fejes-Toth Aniko , Yun C. Chris
Published: August 2011

Na+/H+exchanger 3 (NHE3) is the major Na+transporter in the intestine. Serum- and glucocorticoid-induced kinase (SGK) 1 interacts with NHE regulatory factor 2 (NHERF2) and mediates activation of NHE3 by dexamethasone (Dex) in cultured epithelial cells. In this study, we compared short-term regulation of NHE3 by Dex in SGK1-null and NHERF2-null mice. In comparison to wild-type mice, loss of SGK1 or NHERF2 significantly attenuated regulation of NHE3 by Dex but did not completely obliterate the effect. We show that transfection of SGK2 or SGK3 in PS120 cells resulted in robust activation of NHE3 by Dex. However, unlike SGK1 or SGK2, SGK3 rapidly activated NHE3 within 15 min of Dex treatment in both PS120 and Caco-2bbe cells. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that SGK3 colocalized with NHE3 in recycling endosomes, whereas SGK1 and SGK2 were diffusely distributed. Mutation of Arg-90 of SGK3 disrupted the endosomal localization of SGK3 and delayed NHE3 activation. Activation of SGK3 and NHE3 by Dex was dependent on phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1), and Dex induced translocation of PDK1 to endosomes. Our study identifies SGK3 as a novel endosomal kinase that acutely regulates NHE3 in a PI3K-dependent mechanism.
The requirement for fibroblasts in angiogenesis: fibroblast-derived matrix proteins are essential for endothelial cell lumen formation
Authors: Newman Andrew C. , Nakatsu Martin N. , Chou Wayne , Gershon Paul D. , Hughes Christopher C. W.
Published: August 2011

A role for fibroblasts in physiological and pathological angiogenesis is now well recognized; however, the precise mechanisms underlying their action have not been determined. Using an in vitro angiogenesis model in combination with a candidate gene approach, column chromatography, and mass spectrometry, we identify two classes of fibroblast-derived factors—one that supports vessel sprouting but not lumen formation, and one that promotes lumen formation. In the absence of fibroblasts a combination of angiopoietin-1, angiogenin, hepatocyte growth factor, transforming growth factor-α, and tumor necrosis factor drives robust endothelial cell (EC) sprouting; however, lumens fail to form. Subsequent addition of fibroblast-conditioned medium restores lumenogenesis. Using small interfering RNA–mediated knockdown, we show that five genes expressed in fibroblasts—collagen I, procollagen C endopeptidase enhancer 1, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine, transforming growth factor-β–induced protein ig-h3, and insulin growth factor–binding protein 7—are necessary for lumen formation. Moreover, lumen formation can be rescued by addition of purified protein to knockdown cultures. Finally, using rheology, we demonstrate that the presence of these matricellular proteins results in significantly stiffer gels, which correlates with enhanced lumen formation. These findings highlight the critical role that fibroblast-derived extracellular matrix components play in EC lumen formation and provide potential insight into the role of fibroblasts in the tumor microenvironment.
Causal Inference without Balance Checking: Coarsened Exact Matching
Authors: Iacus Stefano M. , King Gary , Porro Giuseppe
Published: August 2011

We discuss a method for improving causal inferences called “Coarsened Exact Matching” (CEM), and the new “Monotonic Imbalance Bounding” (MIB) class of matching methods from which CEM is derived. We summarize what is known about CEM and MIB, derive and illustrate several new desirable statistical properties of CEM, and then propose a variety of useful extensions. We show that CEM possesses a wide range of statistical properties not available in most other matching methods but is at the same time exceptionally easy to comprehend and use. We focus on the connection between theoretical properties and practical applications. We also make available easy-to-use open source software forR, Stata, andSPSSthat implement all our suggestions.
Controlling spins with light
Authors: Kirilyuk Andrei , Kimel Alexey V. , Rasing Theo
Published: August 2011

The interaction of sub-picosecond laser pulses with magnetically ordered materials has developed into an extremely exciting research topic in modern magnetism. From the discovery of sub-picosecond demagnetization over a decade ago to the recent demonstration of magnetization reversal by a single 40 fs laser pulse, the manipulation of spins by ultrashort laser pulses has become a fundamentally challenging topic with a potentially high impact for future spintronics, data storage and manipulation, and quantum computation. We have recently demonstrated that one can generate ultrashort and very strong (teslas) magnetic field pulses via the so-called inverse Faraday effect. Such optically induced magnetic field pulses provide unprecedented means for the generation, manipulation and coherent control of spins on very short time scales. The basic ideas behind these so-called opto-magnetic effects will be discussed and illustrated with recent results, demonstrating the various possibilities of this new field of femto-magnetism.
Spintronics in antiferromagnets
Authors: Soh Yeong-Ah , Kummamuru Ravi K.
Published: August 2011

Magnetic domains and the walls between are the subject of great interest because of the role they play in determining the electrical properties of ferromagnetic materials and as a means of manipulating electron spin in spintronic devices. However, much less attention has been paid to these effects in antiferromagnets, primarily because there is less awareness of their existence in antiferromagnets, and in addition they are hard to probe since they exhibit no net magnetic moment. In this paper, we discuss the electrical properties of chromium, which is the only elemental antiferromagnet and how they depend on the subtle arrangement of the antiferromagnetically ordered spins. X-ray measurement of the modulation wavevector
Q
of the incommensurate antiferromagnetic spin-density wave shows thermal hysteresis, with the corresponding wavelength being larger during cooling than during warming. The thermal hysteresis in the
Q
vector is accompanied with a thermal hysteresis in both the longitudinal and Hall resistivity. During cooling, we measure a larger longitudinal and Hall resistivity compared with when warming, which indicates that a larger wavelength at a given temperature corresponds to a smaller carrier density or equivalently a larger antiferromagnetic ordering parameter compared to a smaller wavelength. This shows that the arrangement of the antiferromagnetic spins directly influences the transport properties. In thin films, the sign of the thermal hysteresis for
Q
is the same as in thick films, but a distinct aspect is that
Q
is quantized.
Characterization of self-assembled virus-like particles of rat hepatitis E virus generated by recombinant baculoviruses
Authors: Li Tian-Cheng , Yoshimatsu Kumiko , Yasuda Shumpei P. , Arikawa Jiro , Koma Takaaki , Kataoka Michiyo , Ami Yasushi , Suzaki Yuriko , Mai Le Thi Quynh , Hoa Nguyen Thuy , Yamashiro Tetsu , Hasebe Futoshi , Takeda Naokazu , Wakita Takaji
Published: August 2011

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a causative agent of hepatitis E. Recently, a novel hepatitis E-like virus was isolated from Norway rats in Germany. However, the antigenicity, pathogenicity and epidemiology of this virus are unclear because of the lack of a cell-culture system in which to grow it. In this study, an N-terminally truncated ORF2 protein was expressed in insect Tn5 cells using a recombinant baculovirus expression system and a large amount of 53 kDa protein was expressed and efficiently released into the supernatant. Electron microscopic analyses of the purified 53 kDa protein revealed that the protein self-assembled into two types of empty HEV-like particles (rat HEVLPs). The smaller rat HEVLPs were estimated to be 24 nm in diameter, which is similar to the size of genotype G1, G3 and G4 HEVLPs. The larger rat HEVLPs were estimated to measure 35 nm in diameter, which is similar to the size of native rat HEV particles. An ELISA to detect antibodies was established using rat HEVLPs as the antigens, which demonstrated that rat HEVLPs were cross-reactive with G1, G3 and G4 HEVs. Detection of IgG and IgM antibodies was performed by examination of 139 serum samples from wild rats trapped in Vietnam, and it was found that 20.9 % (29/139) and 3.6 % (5/139) of the samples were positive for IgG and IgM, respectively. In addition, rat HEV RNA was detected in one rat serum sample that was positive for IgM. These results indicated that rat HEV is widespread and is transmitted among wild rats.
Recent advances in the molecular and cellular biology of bunyaviruses
Authors: Walter Cheryl T. , Barr John N.
Published: August 2011

The familyBunyaviridaeof segmented, negative-stranded RNA viruses includes over 350 members that infect a bewildering variety of animals and plants. Many of these bunyaviruses are the causative agents of serious disease in their respective hosts, and are classified as emerging viruses because of their increased incidence in new populations and geographical locations throughout the world. Emerging bunyaviruses, such as Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, tomato spotted wilt virus and Rift Valley fever virus, are currently attracting great interest due to migration of their arthropod vectors, a situation possibly linked to climate change. These and other examples of continued emergence suggest that bunyaviruses will probably continue to pose a sustained global threat to agricultural productivity, animal welfare and human health. The threat of emergence is particularly acute in light of the lack of effective preventative or therapeutic treatments for any of these viruses, making their study an important priority. This review presents recent advances in the understanding of the bunyavirus life cycle, including aspects of their molecular, cellular and structural biology. Whilst special emphasis is placed upon the emerging bunyaviruses, we also describe the extensive body of work involving model bunyaviruses, which have been the subject of major contributions to our overall understanding of this important group of viruses.
Delineation of key regulatory elements identifies points of vulnerability in the mitogen-activated signaling network
Authors: Jailkhani Noor , Ravichandran Srikanth , Hegde Shubhada R. , Siddiqui Zaved , Mande Shekhar C. , Rao Kanury V.S.
Published: August 2011

Drug development efforts against cancer are often hampered by the complex properties of signaling networks. Here we combined the results of an RNAi screen targeting the cellular signaling machinery, with graph theoretical analysis to extract the core modules that process both mitogenic and oncogenic signals to drive cell cycle progression. These modules encapsulated mechanisms for coordinating seamless transition of cells through the individual cell cycle stages and, importantly, were functionally conserved across different cancer cell types. Further analysis also enabled extraction of the core signaling axes that progressively guide commitment of cells to the division cycle. Importantly, pharmacological targeting of the least redundant nodes in these axes yielded a synergistic disruption of the cell cycle in a tissue-type-independent manner. Thus, the core elements that regulate temporally distinct stages of the cell cycle provide attractive targets for the development of multi-module-based chemotherapeutic strategies.
Antisense Suppression of the Small Chloroplast Protein CP12 in Tobacco Alters Carbon Partitioning and Severely Restricts Growth
Authors: Howard Thomas P. , Fryer Michael J. , Singh Prashant , Metodiev Metodi , Lytovchenko Anna , Obata Toshihiro , Fernie Alisdair R. , Kruger Nicholas J. , Quick W. Paul , Lloyd Julie C. , Raines Christine A.
Published: August 2011

The thioredoxin-regulated chloroplast protein CP12 forms a multienzyme complex with the Calvin-Benson cycle enzymes phosphoribulokinase (PRK) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). PRK and GAPDH are inactivated when present in this complex, a process shown in vitro to be dependent upon oxidized CP12. The importance of CP12 in vivo in higher plants, however, has not been investigated. Here, antisense suppression of CP12 in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) was observed to impact on NAD-induced PRK and GAPDH complex formation but had little effect on enzyme activity. Additionally, only minor changes in photosynthetic carbon fixation were observed. Despite this, antisense plants displayed changes in growth rates and morphology, including dwarfism and reduced apical dominance. The hypothesis that CP12 is essential to separate oxidative pentose phosphate pathway activity from Calvin-Benson cycle activity, as proposed in cyanobacteria, was tested. No evidence was found to support this role in tobacco. Evidence was seen, however, for a restriction to malate valve capacity, with decreases in NADP-malate dehydrogenase activity (but not protein levels) and pyridine nucleotide content. Antisense repression of CP12 also led to significant changes in carbon partitioning, with increased carbon allocation to the cell wall and the organic acids malate and fumarate and decreased allocation to starch and soluble carbohydrates. Severe decreases were also seen in 2-oxoglutarate content, a key indicator of cellular carbon sufficiency. The data presented here indicate that in tobacco, CP12 has a role in redox-mediated regulation of carbon partitioning from the chloroplast and provides strong in vivo evidence that CP12 is required for normal growth and development in plants.
Children's pain perspectives
Authors: Esteve R. , Marquina‐Aponte V.
Published: August 2011

Background  Previous studies on children's pain perspectives remain limited to English‐speaking populations.

Methods  An exploratory cross‐sectional descriptive design was used to investigate the developmental progression of children's pain perspectives, including their pain experience, its definition and attributes, causality and coping. The Children's Pain Perspectives Inventory was applied to 180 healthy Spanish children. A coding system was developed following the content analysis method. Three age groups were compared: 4–6 years, corresponding to the Piagetian pre‐operational stage of cognitive development; 7–11 years, corresponding to stage of concrete operations; and 12–14 years, corresponding to the period of early formal operations.

Results  In children between 4 and 6, the predominant narratives related to physical injuries, the notion of causality and the definition of pain. In children between 7 and 11, the predominant narratives were those in which pain was described as a sensation in one part of the body. The view of pain as having an emotional basis significantly increased with age and was more frequent in adolescents. In contrast, children between 4–6 and 7–11 indicated that pain occurs spontaneously. The denial of any positive aspects of pain significantly decreased with age; some children between 7 and 11 referred to the ‘possibility of relief’, while the view that pain is a ‘learning experience’ was significantly more frequent among adolescents aged between 12 and 14 years. The use of cognitive strategies to control pain significantly increased with age. Between 12 and 14 years of age, adolescents communicate pain by non‐verbal behaviour and reported that they do not express demands for relief.

Conclusions  There was a progression from concrete to more complex notions of pain as age increased. These results may be of use to health professionals and parents to understand how children at various developmental stages express and cope with pain and to develop tools that effectively assess and manage pain in children.
Retrograde arterial flush of the liver graft in living donor liver transplantation may ameliorate post‐transplantational cholestasis – a prospective randomized study
Authors: Liu Chinsu , Loong Che‐Chuan , Hsia Cheng‐Yuan , Wang Shen‐Chih , Yeh Yi‐Chen , Lin Niang‐Cheng , Tsai Hsin‐Lin , Tsou Mei‐Yung
Published: August 2011

Liu C, Loong C‐C, Hsia C‐Y, Wang S‐C, Yeh Y‐C, Lin N‐C, Tsai H‐L, Tsou M‐Y. Retrograde arterial flush of the liver graft in living donor liver transplantation may ameliorate post‐transplantational cholestasis – a prospective randomized study.  Clin Transplant 2011 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399‐0012.2011.01493.x.  © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Abstract:  Retrograde arterial flush (RGAF) of liver grafts, which prevents arterial intima injuries in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), seemed to reduce post‐transplantational cholestasis by our preliminary study. The aim of this study was to further confirm this effect of RGAF of grafts in LDLT by a prospective randomized study. The enrolled cases were randomly divided into two groups, RGAF (portal flush plus RGAF) and non‐RGAF (portal flush only). The outcome measures included intra‐operative hemodynamic changes, one‐month post‐transplantational liver function tests and acute cellular rejection, vascular and biliary complications, the length of postoperative hospital stay, and graft and patient survivals. The significant findings of results were lower postoperative serum bilirubin in the RGAF group until three wk after transplantation (days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 serum total bilirubin, mg/dL: 5.82 ± 5.46, 3.95 ± 4.28, 4.87 ± 5.01, 3.62 ± 5.32, and 3.63 ± 6.91 vs. 8.41 ± 5.49, 7.47 ± 5.61, 10.0 ± 10.1, 9.06 ± 11.6, and 6.02 ± 9.84, respectively, in RGAF and non‐RGAF, p = 0.017, 0.002, 0.014, 0.011, 0.109) and shorter postoperative hospital stay in the RGAF group (31.1 ± 17.6 vs. 44.8 ± 32.3 d, respectively, in RGAF and non‐RGAF, p = 0.035). In conclusion, the RGAF of liver grafts on a back table may ameliorate postoperative functional cholestasis in LDLT, which possibly reduces postoperative hospital stay.
A novel HLA‐B*40 allele, HLA‐B*40:74, detected in a Chinese individual
Authors: Li J.‐P. , Li X.‐F. , Zhang K.‐L. , Zhang X. , Liu X.‐Z.
Published: August 2011

The HLA‐B*40:74 allele has two nucleotide changes at positions 103 and 106 of exon 2 from the closest matching allele HLA‐B*40:01:01.
A pilot study: are dental hygienists in Texas ready for the elderly population explosion?
Authors: Dickinson C , Beatty CF , Marshall D
Published: August 2011

To cite this article:
 
Int J Dent Hygiene 10, 2012; 128–137  DOI: 10.1111/j.1601‐5037.2010.00526.x

Dickinson C, Beatty CF, Marshall D. A pilot study: are dental hygienists in Texas ready for the elderly population explosion?

Purpose:  At the beginning of the 20th century, people 65 and older comprised 4.1% of the population. By the year 2030, it is estimated that people 65 and older, the ‘Baby Boomer’ generation, will comprise more than 20% of the population. This will have a profound effect on the practice of dentistry and on society as a whole. The purpose of this study was to determine whether dental hygienists in Texas felt prepared and willing to treat the elderly in alternative practice settings such as nursing homes.

Methods:  After institutional review board approval, a questionnaire was mailed to 500 hygienists. A 5% systematic sample of dental hygiene graduates was taken from four dental hygiene schools in Texas, United States of America (USA). Of these, 175 were returned for a 35% response rate. Questions asked were degree held, how prepared the participants felt to treat the special needs of the elderly, if participants were willing to work in alternative practice settings such as a nursing home and if they felt additional education was needed. Frequency distributions, correlations and chi square were used to analyse the data.

Results:  Results revealed 86.5% of the respondents felt prepared to somewhat prepared to treat the special needs of the elderly based on education; equally, 86.5% felt more education was needed to better prepare them to treat the elderly. Over half of the respondents would not be willing to work in alternative practice settings such as nursing homes.

Conclusion:  The average respondents do not feel fully prepared to treat the elderly with special needs, and they think more education is needed to better prepare them to treat this important target population.
Computations with classical and p-adic modular forms
Authors: Lauder Alan G. B.
Published: August 2011

We present p-adic algorithms for computing Hecke polynomials and Hecke eigenforms associated to spaces of classical modular forms, using the theory of overconvergent modular forms. The algorithms have a running time which grows linearly with the logarithm of the weight and are well suited to investigating the dimension variation of certain p-adically defined spaces of classical modular forms.
Considering Secular and Demographic Trends in Designing Long Lifetime Products for Target User Populations
Authors: de Vries Charlott , Garneau Christopher J. , Nadadur Gopal , Parkinson Matthew B.
Published: August 2011

The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of design decisions on the accommodation afforded by long lifetime products over extended periods of time, and to then make recommendations to improve accommodation. Phenomena such as rising obesity rates, aging, and changes in user demography can affect the spatial and the physical requirements of the user population. As a result, products with long lifetimes must be robust to these secular and demographic trends. For example, heavy (e.g., Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Class B) trucks are often used for decades. Changes in the size and the shape of truck drivers and in the percentage of female truck drivers have placed unanticipated demands on older trucks and forced designers to predict future needs. This work concludes that for changes related to secular trends (e.g., increasing obesity and stature), products that work well for current populations are the most likely to be robust to the needs of future ones. However, changes in user demographics (i.e., different proportions of race, ethnicity, and gender) are more likely to be problematic.
Full scale model investigation on the acoustical protection of a balcony-like façade device (L)
Authors: Tong Y. G. , Tang S. K. , Yeung M. K. L.
Published: August 2011

The acoustical insertion losses produced by a balcony-like structure in front of a window are examined experimentally. The results suggest that the balcony ceiling is the most appropriate location for the installation of artificial sound absorption for the purpose of improving the broadband insertion loss, while the side walls are found to be the second best. Results also indicate that the acoustic modes of the balcony opening and the balcony cavity resonance in a direction normal to the window could have a great impact on the one-third octave band insertion losses. The maximum broadband road traffic noise insertion loss achieved is about 7 dB.
Ipsilateral masking between acoustic and electric stimulations
Authors: Lin Payton , Turner Christopher W. , Gantz Bruce J. , Djalilian Hamid R. , Zeng Fan-Gang
Published: August 2011

Residual acoustic hearing can be preserved in the same ear following cochlear implantation with minimally traumatic surgical techniques and short-electrode arrays. The combined electric-acoustic stimulation significantly improves cochlear implant performance, particularly speech recognition in noise. The present study measures simultaneous masking by electric pulses on acoustic pure tones, or vice versa, to investigate electric-acoustic interactions and their underlying psychophysical mechanisms. Six subjects, with acoustic hearing preserved at low frequencies in their implanted ear, participated in the study. One subject had a fully inserted 24 mm Nucleus Freedom array and five subjects had Iowa/Nucleus hybrid implants that were only 10 mm in length. Electric masking data of the long-electrode subject showed that stimulation from the most apical electrodes produced threshold elevations over 10 dB for 500, 625, and 750 Hz probe tones, but no elevation for 125 and 250 Hz tones. On the contrary, electric stimulation did not produce any electric masking in the short-electrode subjects. In the acoustic masking experiment, 125–750 Hz pure tones were used to acoustically mask electric stimulation. The acoustic masking results showed that, independent of pure tone frequency, both long- and short-electrode subjects showed threshold elevations at apical and basal electrodes. The present results can be interpreted in terms of underlying physiological mechanisms related to either place-dependent peripheral masking or place-independent central masking.