bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Versions of violence: Zimbabwe's domestic violence law and symbolic politics of protection
Authors: Christiansen Lene
                      Bull
Published: December 2010

This article argues that political uses of violence and discursive representations of violence are part of a political discourse of legitimacy in Zimbabwean politics, and that this discourse relies on a gendered power matrix in which acts of violence are depicted either as legitimate protection or as illegitimate aggression or terror. The analysis is based on public debates about domestic violence legislation and media representations of political uses of violence in 2006 and 2007. However, this is viewed as part of a longer history of political violence, entailing a symbolic politics of protection and political legitimacy, in which the protection of the nation's women figures as metonymy for ‘the people’ in need of protection.
The Application of Parallel Robotics to Investigate the Effect of Lumbar Bracing on Trunk Muscle Activity
Authors: Kawchuk Gregory N. , Prasad Narasimha G. , Glass Jonathan , Knight Carolyn , Third Serena , Timmermans Daniel
Published: December 2010

Lumbar bracing is prescribed frequently for disability caused by low back pain; however, investigations into this practice demonstrate a range of patient outcomes. This inconsistency may arise from the practice of employing voluntary, single‐axis trunk movements when investigating braces. Alternatively, this study employed a parallel robot to create a standardised, multi‐axis testing environment. Surface electromyographic (sEMG) data were collected from the trunk of 24 asymptomatic participants, who were seated on the robot, tilted to 15°, then circumducted while attempting to maintain an upright posture. Multiple trials were performed for three randomised conditions: non‐braced, soft‐material brace and stiff‐material brace. As expected, the sEMG activity was significantly reduced in the majority of muscle responses (201/240). Unexpectedly, a paradoxical increase in the sEMG activity was observed in 39/240 responses. While lumbar bracing reduces the sEMG activity on average, these data suggest the existence of an infrequent paradoxical response that may provide a possible explanation for the discordant results observed in previous bracing investigations.
Modelling, Simulation and Testing of a Reconfigurable Cable‐Based Parallel Manipulator as Motion Aiding System
Authors: Castelli Gianni , Ottaviano Erika
Published: December 2010

This paper presents results on the modelling, simulation and experimental tests of a cable‐based parallel manipulator to be used as an aiding or guiding system for people with motion disabilities. There is a high level of motivation for people with a motion disability or the elderly to perform basic daily‐living activities independently. Therefore, it is of great interest to design and implement safe and reliable motion assisting and guiding devices that are able to help end‐users. In general, a robot for a medical application should be able to interact with a patient in safety conditions, i.e. it must not damage people or surroundings; it must be designed to guarantee high accuracy and low acceleration during the operation. Furthermore, it should not be too bulky and it should exert limited wrenches after close interaction with people. It can be advisable to have a portable system which can be easily brought into and assembled in a hospital or a domestic environment. Cable‐based robotic structures can fulfil those requirements because of their main characteristics that make them light and intrinsically safe. In this paper, a reconfigurable four‐cable‐based parallel manipulator has been proposed as a motion assisting and guiding device to help people to accomplish a number of tasks, such as an aiding or guiding system to move the upper and lower limbs or the whole body. Modelling and simulation are presented in the ADAMS environment. Moreover, experimental tests are reported as based on an available laboratory prototype.
Alignment-free estimation of nucleotide diversity
Authors: Haubold Bernhard , Reed Floyd A. , Pfaffelhuber Peter
Published: December 2010

Motivation: Sequencing capacity is currently growing more rapidly than CPU speed, leading to an analysis bottleneck in many genome projects. Alignment-free sequence analysis methods tend to be more efficient than their alignment-based counterparts. They may, therefore, be important in the long run for keeping sequence analysis abreast with sequencing.

Results: We derive and implement an alignment-free estimator of the number of pairwise mismatches, . Our implementation of , pim, is based on an enhanced suffix array and inherits the superior time and memory efficiency of this data structure. Simulations demonstrate that is accurate if mutations are distributed randomly along the chromosome. While real data often deviates from this ideal, remains useful for identifying regions of low genetic diversity using a sliding window approach. We demonstrate this by applying it to the complete genomes of 37 strains of Drosophila melanogaster, and to the genomes of two closely related Drosophila species, D.simulans and D.sechellia. In both cases, we detect the diversity minimum and discuss its biological implications.

Availability:  pim is written in standard C and its sources can be downloaded from http://guanine.evolbio.mpg.de/pim/.

Contact:  haubold@evolbio.mpg.de

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Molecular insights into plant cell proliferation disturbance by Agrobacterium protein 6b
Authors: Wang Meimei , Soyano Takashi , Machida Satoru , Yang Jun-Yi , Jung Choonkyun , Chua Nam-Hai , Yuan Y. Adam
Published: December 2010

The Agrobacterium Ti plasmid (T-DNA) 6b proteins interact with many different host proteins implicated in plant cell proliferation. Here, we show that Arabidopsis plants overexpressing 6b display microRNA (miRNA) deficiency by directly targeting SERRATE and AGO1 via a specific loop fragment (residues 40–55). In addition, we report the crystal structures of Agrobacterium tumefaciens AK6b at 2.1 Å, Agrobacterium vitis AB6b at 1.65 Å, and Arabidopsis ADP ribosylation factor (ARF) at 1.8 Å. The 6b structure adopts an ADP-ribosylating toxin fold closely related to cholera toxin. In vitro ADP ribosylation analysis demonstrates that 6b represents a new toxin family, with Tyr 66, Thr 93, and Tyr 153 as the ADP ribosylation catalytic residues in the presence of Arabidopsis ARF and GTP. Our work provides molecular insights, suggesting that 6b regulates plant cell growth by the disturbance of the miRNA pathway through its ADP ribosylation activity.
Drosophila miR-14 regulates insulin production and metabolism through its target, sugarbabe
Authors: Varghese Jishy , Lim Sing Fee , Cohen Stephen M.
Published: December 2010

Energy homeostasis depends on insulin signaling in metazoans. Insulin levels reflect the nutritional status of the animal to control levels of circulating sugar and regulate storage of resources in the form of glycogen and fat. Over the past several years, evidence has begun to accumulate that insulin production and secretion, as well as cellular responsiveness to insulin, are subject to regulation by microRNAs. Here we present evidence that miR-14 acts in the insulin-producing neurosecretory cells in the adult Drosophila brain to control metabolism. miR-14 acts in these cells through its direct target, sugarbabe. sugarbabe encodes a predicted zinc finger protein that regulates insulin gene expression in the neurosecretory cells. Regulation of sugarbabe levels by nutrients and by miR-14 combines to allow the fly to manage resource mobilization in a nutritionally variable environment.
Evaluation of chimerism by quantitative PCR analysis of DNA polymorphism after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a pediatric population with malignancies
Authors: Bautista F. , Moreno L. , Fernández‐Navarro J. M. , Senent L. , Andrés M. M. , Castel V. , Verdeguer A.
Published: December 2010

Bautista F, Moreno L, Fernández‐Navarro JM, Senent L, Andrés MM, Castel V, Verdeguer A. Evaluation of chimerism by quantitative PCR analysis of DNA polymorphism after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a pediatric population with malignancies. Pediatr Transplantation 2011: 15:81–87. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Abstract:  Relapse remains the major pitfall to success for Allo‐HSCT in children with malignancies. Ninety‐one patients undergoing Allo‐HSCT were retrospectively reviewed. Chimerism status was evaluated at days +30, +60, and +100 in PB. VNTR‐PCR and STR‐PCR were used for this purpose. Thirty‐one patients recurred (34%) and none survived. Thirty‐two remain alive in CR (35%). Patients who achieved a CC at those days had a significant higher RFS and OS than patients who did not. Twelve patients showing PMC had an increased risk of recurrence (p = 0.02. OR 7.7). In the univariate analysis, the probability of death was higher in patients who were not in first CR before transplant (p = 0.008.OR 2.09) and in those receiving cells not from PB (p = 0.002.OR 2.03). In the multivariate analysis, the absence of CC at day +100 was associated with a higher probability of relapse (p = 0.004. OR 10.8) and death (p = 0.016. OR 9.3). Serial chimerism PCR‐based analyses of polymorphic DNA markers can predict relapse. Patients with PMC are at the highest risk of recurrence. Patients receiving an Allo‐HSCT in first CR from PB who achieve a CC at day +100 have a better outcome.
Fire, landscape change and models of small mammal habitat suitability at multiple spatial scales
Authors: DI STEFANO JULIAN , OWEN LAURA , MORRIS ROBERT , DUFF TOM , YORK ALAN
Published: December 2010

Fire is an important process in many ecosystems, but inappropriate fire regimes can adversely affect biodiversity. We identified a naturally flammable heathy woodland ecosystem where the use of planned fire had increased the extent of older vegetation, and quantified the abundance of two small native mammals in this landscape (silky mouse Pseudomys apodemoides and heath rat P. shortridgei). We defined four time‐since‐fire (TSF) categories representing a 2‐ to 55‐year post‐fire sequence and, on the basis of a habitat accommodation model, predicted that both species would select younger age‐classes over older ones. We also predicted that (i) much of the variance in vegetation structure would remain unexplained by TSF and (ii) statistical models of mammal abundance and occupancy including structural variables as predictors would be better than models including TSF. Pseudomys apodemoides selected 17‐ to 23‐year‐old sites, while there was no evidence that P. shortridgei selected a particular TSF category, findings that were inconsistent with our predictions. In line with our predictions, relatively large portions of the variance in vegetation structure remained unexplained by TSF (adjustedr2 for four structural variables: 0.24, 0.29, 0.35 and 0.57), and in three of four cases there was strong evidence that statistical models of mammal abundance and occupancy including structural variables were better than those including TSF. At the site scale (hectares), P. shortridgei abundance was positively related to the cover of dead material at the base of Xanthorrhoea plants and at the trap scale (metres), the trapability of both species was significantly related to vegetation volume at 0–20 cm. Our findings suggest that TSF may not be a good proxy for either vegetation structure or species abundance/occupancy.
Clinical significance of atypical glandular cells on Pap smears: Experience from a region with a high incidence of cervical cancer
Authors: Sawangsang Pitkanya , Sae‐Teng Charuwan , Suprasert Prapaporn , Srisomboon Jatupol , Khunamornpong Surapan , Kietpeerakool Chumnan
Published: December 2010

Aim:  To evaluate the histopathology of women who had atypical glandular cells (AGC) on Pap smears in a region with high incidence of cervical cancer.

Material and Methods:  This study was conducted at Chiang Mai University Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand. All women with AGC who underwent colposcopic and histopathologic evaluation between January 2002 and December 2008 were reviewed. Women with simultaneous diagnosis of squamous cell abnormality or prior history of cancer of any type were excluded.

Results:  Sixty‐three women with AGC Pap test had histologic follow‐up during the study period. Mean age was 44.9 years (range, 31–72 years). Six (9.5%) women were nulliparous. Sixteen (25.4%) women were postmenopausal. The histopathologic results of these 63 women were as follows: cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2‐3, 5 (7.9%); adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), 3 (4.8%); endometrial cancer, 3 (4.8%); cervical cancer, 2 (3.2%); endometrial hyperplasia (EH), 1 (1.6%); and no lesions, 49 (77.8%). The prevalence of significant lesions (CIN 2‐3, AIS, EH, and cancer) in women with atypical glandular cells, favor neoplasia (AGC‐FN) was significantly higher than that in the atypical glandular cells, not other specified (AGC‐NOS) group (41.2% and 15.2%, P = 0.02).

Conclusion:  Reporting AGC in our population is clinically significant due to the high prevalence of underlying preinvasive and invasive diseases (22.2%). This subtype of the AGC category is a significant predictor of such lesions.
Risk factors for recurrence and re‐recurrence of ovarian endometriomas after laparoscopic excision
Authors: Hayasaka Shinichi , Ugajin Tomohisa , Fujii Osamu , Nabeshima Hiroshi , Utsunomiya Hiroki , Yokomizo Rei , Yuki Hiromithu , Terada Yukihiro , Murakami Takashi , Yaegashi Nobuo
Published: December 2010

Aim:  Since ovarian endometrioma is frequently diagnosed in women of reproductive age, laparoscopic excision of the endometrioma is performed for most cases. However, endometriomas frequently recurs even after repeated surgical procedures. The aim of our study is to identify risk factors for recurrence and re‐recurrence of endometriomas after the first and second laparoscopic excision.

Material & Methods:  We retrospectively evaluated 173 patients who had a minimum of one year postoperative follow‐up after the laparoscopic excision of endometriomas. Ten and eight factors were evaluated to assess their effect on the risk of recurrence and re‐recurrence, respectively. Factors were analyzed using univariate and the Cox regression test.

Results:  The overall rate of recurrence and re‐recurrence were 45.1% and 45.5%, respectively. A high revised American Society for Reproductive Medicine score (1997) was associated with an increased risk of recurrence. Only postoperative pregnancy was associated with a decreased risk of recurrence. Short periods of normal menstruation without pregnancy or gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone analogues from first surgery to recurrence were associated with higher rate of re‐recurrence.

Conclusions:  A high revised American Society for Reproductive Medicine score was a risk factor, and postoperative pregnancy was protective against recurrence. The patient with short periods of normal menstruation without pregnancy or gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone analogues from first surgery to recurrence had a high risk of re‐recurrence.
ZM447439, the Aurora kinase B inhibitor, suppresses the growth of cervical cancer SiHa cells and enhances the chemosensitivity to cisplatin
Authors: Zhang Liya , Zhang Shulan
Published: December 2010

Aim:  To investigate the effects of an Aurora kinase B inhibitor (ZM447439) on the cervical cancer cell line SiHa and chemotherapy of cisplatin (cDDP).

Materials & Methods:  Detected Aurora‐B protein in different tissues of the cervix by immunohistochemistry and then analyzed the relationship between Aurora B protein and clinical parameters of cervical cancer. The effect and synergistic effect of ZM447439 and cDDP on proliferation of SiHa cells was tested by MTT. The changes of cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. Aurora‐B, histone H3 phosphorylation (H3‐P) protein, human papillomavirus16 E6 (HPV16E6) and BCL‐2, P53, VEGF protein were detected by Western blot.

Results:  The positive rate of Aurora‐B expression was the highest in cervical cancer and had no significant correlation with clinical stage, lymph node metastasis and age. ZM447439 can reduce the number of SiHa cells, increase the volume of cells and lead to apoptosis. The growth of SiHa cells treated with ZM447439, cDDP and the combination of both was inhibited in dose‐ and time‐dependent manners. The inhibition rate of the combined treatment is significantly higher than that of two other single drug groups (P < 0.05). The synergistic effect is observed in the combined therapy. S‐phase arrest and early apoptosis has become more evident in the combined treatment. ZM447439 significantly inhibited the expression of Aurora‐B and H3‐P protein (P < 0.05). ZM447439, cDDP and the combination of both reduced the expression of HPV16E6 and BCL‐2 protein, raised P53 protein expression (P < 0.05), whose effects were more obvious in the combined therapy. cDDP could also reduce VEGF protein expression, but ZM447439 could not.

Conclusion:  Our results suggest that Aurora‐B may represent a valid target in cervical squamous carcinoma and has a synergistic effect with cDDP.
The difficult pediatric airway – a review of new devices for indirect laryngoscopy in children younger than two years of age
Authors: Holm‐Knudsen Rolf
Published: December 2010

During the last decade, several new look‐around‐corner or video airway devices have proven useful in clinical adult practice. Only four of them are currently available in sizes that may be used in children younger than 2 years of age: the AIRTRAQ® Disposable Optical Laryngoscope (Prodol Meditec, Vizcaya, Spain), the GlideScope® Video Laryngoscope (Verathon, Bothell, WA, USA), the Storz DCI® Video Laryngoscope (Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany), and the Truview PCD™ Infant (Truphatek, Netanya, Israel). Here, we review the literature and describe the clinical use of each device in this age‐group. The four new laryngoscopes are generally effective and may solve many of the problems with difficult intubations in children younger than 2 years of age. The size of the device and the mouth opening it requires determines its usefulness in the smallest infants. Training will be necessary in implementing and deciding when to use the new airway devices, although one of the big challenges of the future will be to maintain the teaching and training of fiber‐optic‐guided intubations, which remain the gold standard in difficult endotracheal intubations.
Processes and Practices of Strategizing and Organizing: Review, Development, and the Role of Bridging and Umbrella Constructs
Authors: Floyd Steven W. , Cornelissen Joep P. , Wright Mike , Delios Andrew
Published: December 2010

abstract

The scope and purpose of this special issue is to draw interconnections between domains of strategy and strategic management research. Specifically, we initially conceptualized this special issue with two goals in mind: (1) to highlight and bridge intersections between strategy theories and bodies of scholarship; and (2) to advance and mainstream ways in which an explicit organizational dimension can be fostered in strategy and strategic management research. The papers selected for the issue capture this set of aspirations in various ways, and, as such, they collectively offer a foundation for extending strategy and strategic management research in exciting new directions. We start our introduction by providing a brief overview of the contributions provided by each paper in the context of three broad strategy themes: strategy and process; resources and organizational growth; and environment and institutional context. We subsequently discuss the potential for integration of research across these themes, and highlight the importance of what we define as bridging and umbrella constructs that are able to connect various strategy and organizational phenomena in coherent and meaningful ways. We elaborate the important distinction between these two constructs and their respective roles within theory development, and use that to drive and articulate directions for further research.
Epistemic Privilege and the Success of Science
Authors: Wray K. Brad
Published: December 2010

Realists and anti‐realists disagree about whether contemporary scientists are epistemically privileged. Because the issue of epistemic privilege figures in arguments in support of and against theoretical knowledge in science, it is worth examining whether or not there is any basis for assuming such privilege. I show that arguments that try to explain the success of science by appeal to some sort of epistemic privilege have, so far, failed. They have failed to give us reason to believe (i) that scientists are prone to develop theories that are true, (ii) that our current theories are not apt to be replaced in the future, and (iii) that science is nearing its completion.
Power, Institutions and the CSDP: The Promise of Institutionalist Theory
Authors: MENON ANAND
Published: December 2010

The common security and defence policy (CSDP) represents an institutionalized attempt on the part of European Union Member States to respond to the security challenges they confront. As such, it is perhaps self‐evident that theoretical approaches that focus on the role of institutions in shaping social life should have something to say about its nature, role and impact. This article argues that not only can institutionalist approaches enhance our understanding of CSDP, but using it as a case study can illustrate some of the strengths and weaknesses of institutionalism. In particular, it can indicate the importance of combining insights into the importance of institutional structures in shaping politics and policy with the crucial role power plays in mitigating some institutional effects. This argument is pursued via consideration of the evolution and workings of CSDP.
Governance and State Power: A Network Analysis of European Security
Authors: MÉRAND FRÉDÉRIC , HOFMANN STÉPHANIE C. , IRONDELLE BASTIEN
Published: December 2010

A growing number of scholars argue that the development of the common security and defence policy (CSDP) should be analysed as the institutionalization of a system of security governance. Although governance approaches carry the promise of a sophisticated, empirically grounded picture of CSDP, they have been criticized for their lack of attention to power. This is because governance approaches focus on institutional rules and ideas rather than the social structure that underpins them. To refine the notion of security governance, this article analyses co‐operation patterns through social network analysis. Confirming the governance image, it maps out a complex constellation of CSDP actors that features cross‐border and cross‐level ties between different national and EU policy actors. It is also found, however, that CSDP is dominated by a handful of traditional state actors – in particular, Brussels‐based national ambassadors – who retain strategic positions vis‐à‐vis weaker supranational and non‐state actors. These actors are not giving up on state power, but reconstituting it at the supranational level.
From Governance to Governmentality in CSDP: Towards a Foucauldian Research Agenda
Authors: MERLINGEN MICHAEL
Published: December 2010

Governmentality theory is a tool to study networked governance beyond the state. Its research profile is characterized by a focus on power and micro‐practices from a critical perspective. This article identifies the theory's comparative strengths and its distinct analytical style. It lays out the conceptual tools of governmentality theory before applying them to internal CSDP governance and the external governance by the CSDP of post‐conflict societies. These short case studies serve the didactic purpose of demonstrating the kinds of research questions, analytical concerns, arguments, empirical evidence and methods that governmentality research calls for and the sorts of findings that it can generate. The article concludes by pinpointing shortcomings of the theory that will be of concern to some CSDP researchers.
Prevention of neonatal herpes
Authors: Gardella C , Brown Z
Published: December 2010

Please cite this paper as: Gardella C, Brown Z. Prevention of neonatal herpes. BJOG 2011;118:187–192.

Neonatal herpes can occur when the neonate is exposed to herpes simplex virus in the maternal genital tract during labour. Attack rates are highest when the mother has a newly acquired infection and, therefore, does not have antibodies to protect the neonate. Even with early therapy, there is significant morbidity and mortality associated with neonatal herpes, suggesting that preventing neonatal herpes simplex virus exposure or early recognition of exposure is important. The incidence of neonatal herpes has not declined despite national guidelines for prevention. This suggests that the prevention guidelines need to be re‐addressed.
Diffusion of coloured silica nanoparticles into human hair
Authors: Sampaio Sandra , Maia Frederico , Gomes Jaime R
Published: December 2010

A novel method for dyeing human hair fibres using coloured silica nanoparticles of 206 nm has been developed. Diffusion of coloured silica nanoparticles into hair fibres has been investigated; silica nanoparticles do not penetrate at all, or do so only sparingly, into the structure of Caucasian virgin hair. However, coloured silica nanoparticles diffused readily into bleached hair fibres. Scanning electron microscopy showed that coloured silica nanoparticles were present mainly in the outer regions of the hair structure (the inner layers of the cuticle and the outer region of the cortex). It was found that the silica nanoparticles were physically entrapped in the hair fibres and results showed a good shampoo fastness to washing.
Social Stressors Associated With Antepartum Depressive Symptoms in Low‐Income African American Women
Authors: Dailey Dawn E. , Humphreys Janice C.
Published: December 2010

ABSTRACT
Objectives: To describe depressive symptomatology and examine the relationship between social stressors and depressive symptoms in pregnant African American women.

Design and Sample: Cross‐sectional study of 119 women receiving care at 2 prenatal clinics in Northern California.

Measures: Depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES‐D). Social stress variables included discrimination, trauma exposure, social conflict, and economic stress.

Results: In this sample, mean CES‐D score was 15.88. Forty‐two percent of the women had CES‐D scores ≥16 (possible risk), and 23% had CES‐D scores ≥23 (probable risk). There were significantly positive relationships between the social stress variables (discrimination, trauma exposure, social conflict, economic stress) and CES‐D scores. Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that together discrimination and social conflict accounted for 36% of the variance in antepartum depressive symptoms.

Conclusions: Discrimination and social conflict are considerable sources of stress that contribute to levels of antepartum depressive symptoms in African American women. While the results reinforce the importance of universal prenatal screening, comprehensive strategies are also needed to help ameliorate the impact that social stressors such as discrimination and social conflict have on the mental health of pregnant African American women.
Resource partitioning along multiple niche dimensions in differently sized African savanna grazers
Authors: Kleynhans Elizabeth J. , Jolles Anna E. , Bos Marjan R. E. , Olff Han
Published: December 2010

Resource partitioning among mammalian savanna herbivores is thought to be predominantly driven by differences in body size. In general, large herbivore species utilize abundant low quality forage while small herbivores focus on scarcer high quality food items. However, in a natural system other factors such as digestive strategy, season and the presence of megaherbivores (body size > 1000 kg) are likely to complicate allometric predictions. Non‐ruminants are probably better able to cope with abundant low quality food than ruminants of the same size causing a non‐ruminant to act ‘larger’ than allometrically predicted. Also, the effect of alternating seasons with high and low food availability on diet choice and hence the competitive interactions between co‐occurring herbivores is still poorly understood. Lastly, how megaherbivores deviate from allometric predictions (based on smaller species) is still not well quantified.

In this study we examine resource partitioning among three ruminant and three non‐ruminant grazers: impala, wildebeest, buffalo, warthog, zebra and white rhinoceros (megaherbivore) in the savanna of Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park, South Africa. We analysed habitat and diet overlap, specifically grass species (something not commonly investigated) and grass height eaten, in both the wet and the dry seasons. We found that habitat utilization differences among the species were generally small and did not vary between seasons. Diets within feeding patches overlapped during the wet season but highly diverged during the dry season. Body mass differences among species explained their dry season resource partitioning for all species except for comparisons with the megaherbivore (white rhino), while differences in digestive strategy were not related to niche overlap in either season. We conclude that savanna herbivores in this system coexist mostly through body size‐driven resource partitioning in the dry‐season, with the exception of the white rhino (megaherbivore).
Candida glabrata and Candida albicans co‐infection of an in vitro oral epithelium
Authors: Silva Sónia , Henriques Mariana , Hayes Anthony , Oliveira Rosário , Azeredo Joana , Williams David W.
Published: December 2010

J Oral Pathol Med (2010) 40: 421–427

Background:  Candida albicans is regarded as the leading of candidosis. However, Candida glabrata has emerged as an important pathogen of oral mucosa, occurring both singly or in mixed species infections, often with C. albicans. Compared with C. albicans, little is known about the role of C. glabrata in oral infection. The aim of this study was to examine single and mixed species infection of oral epithelium involving C. glabrata and establish its ability to invade and damage tissue.

Methods:  A reconstituted human oral epithelium (RHOE) was infected only with C. glabrata, or simultaneously with C. glabrata and C. albicans. The ability of both species to invade the tissue was examined using species specific peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe hybridization and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Epithelial damage was assessed by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity.

Results:  Candida glabrata strains were able to colonize the RHOE, in a strain dependent manner. Candida glabrata single infection after 12 h, generally revealed no invasion of the RHOE, which contrasted with extensive tissue invasion demonstrated by C. albicans. Mixed infection showed that C. albicans enhanced the invasiveness of C. glabrata, and led to increased LDH release by the RHOE, which paralleled the observed histological damage.

Conclusions:  The results obtained demonstrating enhanced invasion and increased tissue damage caused by mixed C. glabrata and C. albicans infections have important clinical significance and highlight the need to identify Candida species involved in oral candidosis.
Yeast Homologues of Three BLOC‐1 Subunits Highlight KxDL Proteins As Conserved Interactors of BLOC‐1
Authors: Hayes Matthew J. , Bryon Kimberley , Satkurunathan Janani , Levine Timothy P.
Published: December 2010

Biogenesis of lysosome‐related organelle complex‐1 (BLOC‐1) is one of the four multi‐subunit complexes implicated in sorting cargo to lysosome‐related organelles, as loss of function of any of these complexes causes Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome. Eight subunits of BLOC‐1 interact with each other and with many other proteins. Identifying new interactors of BLOC‐1 will increase understanding of its mechanism of action, and studies in model organisms are useful for finding such interactors. PSI‐BLAST searches identify homologues in diverse model organisms, but there are significant gaps for BLOC‐1, with none of its eight subunits found in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here we use more sensitive searches to identify distant homologues for three BLOC‐1 subunits in S. cerevisiae: Blos1, snapin and cappuccino (cno). Published data on protein interactions show that in yeast these are likely to form a complex with three other proteins. One of these is the yeast homologue of the previously uncharacterized KxDL protein, which also interacts with Blos1 and cno in higher eukaryotes, suggesting that KxDL proteins are key interactors with BLOC‐1.
The Relative Effects of Shocks in Early‐ and Later‐Life Conditions on Mortality
Authors: Myrskylä Mikko
Published: December 2010

The relative importance of cohorts' early‐life conditions, compared to later period conditions, on adult and old‐age mortality is not known. This article studies how cohort‐level mortality depends on shocks in cohorts' early‐ and later‐life (period) conditions. I use cohorts' own mortality as a proxy for the early‐life conditions, and define shocks as deviations from trend. Using historical data for five European Countries i find that shocks in early‐life conditions are only weakly associated with cohorts' later mortality. This may be because individual‐level health is robust to early‐life conditions, or because at the cohort level scarring, selection, and immunity cancel each other. Shocks in period conditions, measured as deviations from trend in period child mortality, are strongly and positively correlated with mortality at all older ages. The results suggest that at the cohort level changing period conditions drive mortality variation and change.
Constructing bootstrap confidence intervals for principal component loadings in the presence of missing data: A multiple‐imputation approach
Authors: van Ginkel Joost R. , Kiers Henk A. L.
Published: December 2010

Earlier research has shown that bootstrap confidence intervals from principal component loadings give a good coverage of the population loadings. However, this only applies to complete data. When data are incomplete, missing data have to be handled before analysing the data. Multiple imputation may be used for this purpose. The question is how bootstrap confidence intervals for principal component loadings should be corrected for multiply imputed data. In this paper, several solutions are proposed. Simulations show that the proposed corrections for multiply imputed data give a good coverage of the population loadings in various situations.
Microstructure and Tribological Properties of ZrB2-Containing Composite Coating Produced on Pure Ti Substrate by Laser Surface Alloying
Authors: Guo Chun , Zhou Jiansong , Zhao Jierong , Chen Jianmin
Published: December 2010

ZrB 2 -containing composite coating was fabricated on pure Ti substrate by laser surface alloying. The microstructure of the composite coating was investigated by means of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The friction and wear properties of ZrB2-containing composite coating sliding against a GCr15 steel ball at different normal loads and sliding speeds were evaluated. The morphologies of the worn surfaces were analyzed by means of SEM and three dimensional noncontact surface mapping. It is shown that the microhardness and wear resistance of the pure Ti substrate are greatly increased after laser surface alloying, due to the formation of hard ZrB2 phase in the composite coating. Pure Ti substrate sliding against the GCr15 counterpart ball at room temperature is dominated by adhesion wear, abrasive wear, and severe plastic deformation, while ZrB2-containing composite coating involves only mild abrasive and fatigue wear when sliding against the GCr15 counterpart.
Dynamic Modeling of Rolling Element Bearings With Surface Contact Defects Using Bond Graphs
Authors: Nakhaeinejad Mohsen , Bryant Michael D.
Published: December 2010

Multibody dynamics of healthy and faulty rolling element bearings were modeled using vector bond graphs. A 33 degree of freedom (DOF) model was constructed for a bearing with nine balls and two rings (11 elements). The developed model can be extended to a rolling element bearing with n elements and (3×n) DOF in planar and (6×n) DOF in three dimensional motions. The model incorporates the gyroscopic and centrifugal effects, contact elastic deflections and forces, contact slip, contact separations, and localized faults. Dents and pits on inner race and outer race and balls were modeled through surface profile changes. Bearing load zones under various radial loads and clearances were simulated. The effects of type, size, and shape of faults on the vibration response in rolling element bearings and dynamics of contacts in the presence of localized faults were studied. Experiments with healthy and faulty bearings were conducted to validate the model. The proposed model clearly mimics healthy and faulty rolling element bearings.
Macromolecular depletion modulates the binding of red blood cells to activated endothelial cells
Authors: Yang Yang , Koo Stephanie , Lin Cheryl Shuyi , Neu Björn
Published: December 2010

Adhesion of red blood cells (RBCs) to endothelial cells (ECs) is usually insignificant but an enhanced adhesion has been observed in various diseases associated with vascular complications. This abnormal adhesion under pathological conditions such as sickle cell disease has been correlated with increased levels of various plasma proteins but the detailed underlying mechanism(s) remains unclear. Usually it is assumed that the proadhesive effects of plasma proteins originate from ligand interactions cross-linking receptors on adjacent cells, but explicit results detailing binding sites or receptors for some proteins (e.g., fibrinogen) on either RBC or EC surfaces that would support this model are missing. In this study, the authors tested whether there is an alternative mechanism. Their results demonstrate that dextran 2 MDa promotes the adhesion of normal RBCs to thrombin-activated ECs and that this effect becomes more pronounced with increasing thrombin concentration or with prolonged thrombin incubation time. It is concluded that depletion interaction originating from nonadsorbing macromolecules (i.e., dextran) can modulate the adhesion of red blood cells to thrombin-activated EC. This study thereby suggests macromolecular depletion as an alternative mechanism for the adhesion-promoting effects of nonadsorbing plasma proteins. These findings should not only aid in getting a better understanding of diseases associated with vascular complications but should also have many potential applications in biomedical or biotechnological areas that require the control of cell-cell or cell surface interactions.
cBSA-147 for the preparation of bacterial biofilms in a microchannel reactor
Authors: Ng Jeck Fei , Jaenicke Stephan , Eisele Klaus , Dorn Jan , Weil Tanja
Published: December 2010

Whole cells are attractive biocatalysts, particularly if the reaction requires cofactors or involves multiple transformations. Immobilization of the catalyst is often a prerequisite for continuous processes. The highly cationic chemically modified plasma protein bovine serum albumin (cBSA-147) has been applied for the electrostatically mediated immobilization of the planktonic bacterium E. coli BL21 star (DE3), and the resulting biofilms were superior to those formed on poly-L-lysine coated surfaces. The biocatalyst was immobilized in a capillary column (inside diameter of 530 μm and L=30 m) and evaluated in the enantioselective reduction of ethyl acetoacetate to R-(−)ethyl hydroxybutyrate. In continuous operation in the microreactor format, the productivity of the cells was about 30% higher than that determined in a bench-scale fermentation system. This increase is attributed to the improved mass transfer over short geometrical dimensions. The similarity in the results indicates that studies on a biofilm-coated microreactor can be used for the accelerated collection of data for process optimization.
Effect of contact angle hysteresis on the removal of the sporelings of the green alga Ulva from the fouling-release coatings synthesized from polyolefin polymers
Authors: Ucar Ikrime O. , Cansoy C. Elif , Erbil H. Yildirim , Pettitt Michala E. , Callow Maureen E. , Callow James A.
Published: December 2010

Wettability is one of the surface characteristics that is controlled by the chemical composition and roughness of a surface. A number of investigations have explored the relationship between water contact angle and surface free energy of polymeric coatings with the settlement (attachment) and adhesion strength of various marine organisms. However, the relationship between the contact angle hysteresis and fouling-release property is generally overlooked. In the present work, coatings were prepared by using commercial hydrophobic homopolymer and copolymer polyolefins, which have nearly the same surface free energy. The effects of contact angle hysteresis, wetting hysteresis, and surface free energy on the fouling-release properties for sporelings of the green alga Ulva from substrates were then examined quantitatively under a defined shear stress in a water channel. The ease of removal of sporelings under shear stress from the polymer surfaces was in the order of PP>HDPE>PPPE>EVA-12 and strongly and positively correlated with contact angle and wetting hysteresis; i.e., the higher the hysteresis, the greater the removal.
Development of molecular simulation methods to accurately represent protein-surface interactions: The effect of pressure and its determination for a system with constrained atoms
Authors: Yancey Jeremy A. , Vellore Nadeem A. , Collier Galen , Stuart Steven J. , Latour Robert A.
Published: December 2010

When performing molecular dynamics simulations for a system with constrained (fixed) atoms, traditional isobaric algorithms (e.g., NPT simulation) often cannot be used. In addition, the calculation of the internal pressure of a system with fixed atoms may be highly inaccurate due to the nonphysical nature of the atomic constraints and difficulties in accurately defining the volume occupied by the unconstrained atoms in the system. The inability to properly set and control pressure can result in substantial problems for the accurate simulation of condensed-phase systems if the behavior of the system (e.g., peptide/protein adsorption) is sensitive to pressure. To address this issue, the authors have developed an approach to accurately determine the internal pressure for a system with constrained atoms. As the first step in this method, a periodically extendable portion of the mobile phase of the constrained system (e.g., the solvent atoms) is used to create a separate unconstrained system for which the pressure can be accurately calculated. This model system is then used to create a pressure calibration plot for an intensive local effective virial parameter for a small volume cross section or “slab” of the system. Using this calibration plot, the pressure of the constrained system can then be determined by calculating the virial parameter for a similarly sized slab of mobile atoms. In this article, the authors present the development of this method and demonstrate its application using the CHARMM molecular simulation program to characterize the adsorption behavior of a peptide in explicit water on a hydrophobic surface whose lattice spacing is maintained with atomic constraints. The free energy of adsorption for this system is shown to be dramatically influenced by pressure, thus emphasizing the importance of properly maintaining the pressure of the system for the accurate simulation of protein-surface interactions.
Promoting Islet Cell Growth Gives New Hope for Diabetics
Authors: Ng Kenneth W.
Published: December 2010

Pancreatic islet cells can be cultured on a scaffold, which might help relieve shortages of donor cells for transplantation.
RegB Kinase Activity Is Controlled in Part by Monitoring the Ratio of Oxidized to Reduced Ubiquinones in the Ubiquinone Pool
Authors: Wu Jiang , Bauer Carl E.
Published: December 2010

RegB is a membrane-spanning sensor kinase responsible for redox regulation of a wide variety of metabolic processes in numerous proteobacterial species. Here we show that full-length RegB purified fromEscherichia colimembranes contains bound ubiquinone. Four conserved residues in the membrane-spanning domain of RegB are shown to have important roles in ubiquinone bindingin vitroand redox sensingin vivo. Isothermal titration calorimetry measurements, coupled with kinase assays under oxidizing and reducing conditions, indicate that RegB weakly binds both oxidized ubiquinone and reduced ubiquinone (ubiquinol) with nearly equal affinity and that oxidized ubiquinone inhibits kinase activity without promoting a redox reaction. We propose a model in which ubiquinone/ubiquinol bound to RegB readily equilibrates with ubiquinones/ubiquinols in the membrane, allowing the kinase activity to be tuned by the redox state of the ubiquinone pool. This noncatalytic role of ubiquinone in controlling RegB activity is distinct from that of other known ubiquinone-binding proteins, which use ubiquinone as an electron donor or acceptor.

IMPORTANCETwo-component signaling systems are comprised of a sensor kinase and a cognate response regulator that together control many cellular processes in response to a change in environmental conditions. Many sensor kinases are components of the cell membrane, with a domain that senses a specific environmental stimulus to control the activity of a cytosolic kinase domain. The broadly disseminated RegB/RegA two-component system regulates many energy-related processes in response to changes in the cellular redox state. In this study, the membrane-spanning sensor kinase RegB is shown to regulate its activity by interacting with the ubiquinone pool in a manner that involves novel noncatalytic equilibrium binding of ubiquinone.
HOW SUPERCRITICAL STRING COSMOLOGY AFFECTS LHC
Authors: NANOPOULOS D. V.
Published: December 2010

In supercritical string cosmology (SSC), a time-dependent dilaton leads to a smoothly evolving dark energy and modifies the regions of the mSUGRA parameter space where the observed value of the dark matter relic density may be obtained. In particular, the dilaton dilutes the supersymmetric dark matter density (of neutralinos) by a factor [Formula: see text] and consequently relaxes the allowed parameter mSUGRA parameter space. The final states expected at the LHC in this scenario, consist of Z bosons, Higgs bosons, and/or high energy taus. From this, it is possible to characterize these final states and determine the model parameters. Using these parameters, we determine the dark matter content and the neutralino–proton cross section. All these techniques can also be applied to determine model parameters in SSC models with different SUSY breaking scenarios.
Invention of the Free Electron Laser
Authors: Madey John M. J.
Published: December 2010

The 150 years since Maxwell's formulation of the field equations, Lorentz's formulation of his force law, and Einstein's formulation of special relativity have seen electrodynamics emerge as one of the most fundamental elements of scientific and technical progress in the 20th and 21st centuries. Beginning with the analysis and demonstration of Hertzian waves, these fundamental contributions have launched a series of recurring cycles of discovery and application, in which each new discovery has been exploited to support new applications, which in turn have facilitated additional new discoveries and so on, revolutionizing in the process major elements of our economy with yet more to come through the research now in progress. It is the purpose of this article to relate my recollections of the invention and development of the free electron laser (FEL) within the context of the pervasive influence of the science and technology of electrodynamics in the 20th century.