bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
It’s All in the Timing: Simple Active Portfolio Strategies that Outperform Naïve Diversification
Authors: Kirby Chris , Ostdiek Barbara
Published: January 2012

DeMiguel, Garlappi, and Uppal (2009) report that naïve diversification dominates mean-variance optimization in out-of-sample asset allocation tests. Our analysis suggests that this is largely due to their research design, which focuses on portfolios that are subject to high estimation risk and extreme turnover. We find that mean-variance optimization often outperforms naïve diversification, but turnover can erode its advantage in the presence of transaction costs. To address this issue, we develop 2 new methods of mean-variance portfolio selection (volatility timing and reward-to-risk timing) that deliver portfolios characterized by low turnover. These timing strategies outperform naïve diversification even in the presence of high transaction costs.
Vitamin D and adverse pregnancy outcomes: beyond bone health and growth
Authors: Brannon Patsy M.
Published: January 2012

Concerns exist about adequacy of vitamin D in pregnant women relative to both maternal and fetal adverse health outcomes. Further contributing to these concerns is the prevalence of inadequate and deficient vitamin D status in pregnant women, which ranges from 5 to 84% globally. Although maternal vitamin D metabolism changes during pregnancy, the mechanisms underlying these changes and the role of vitamin D during development are not well understood. Observational evidence links low maternal vitamin D status with an increased risk of non-bone health outcome in the mother (pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, obstructed labour and infectious disease), the fetus (gestational duration) and the older offspring (developmental programming of type 1 diabetes, inflammatory and atopic disorders and schizophrenia); but the totality of the evidence is contradictory (except for maternal infectious disease and offspring inflammatory and atopic disorders), lacking causality and, thus, inconclusive. In addition, recent evidence links not only low but also high maternal vitamin D status with increased risk of small-for-gestational age and schizophrenia in the offspring. Rigorous and well-designed randomised clinical trials need to determine whether vitamin D has a causal role in non-bone health outcomes in pregnancy.
Delinquent peer affiliation as an etiological moderator of childhood delinquency
Authors: Burt S. A. , Klump K. L.
Published: January 2012

Background

Prior research has indicated that affiliation with delinquent peers activates genetic influences on delinquency during adolescence. However, because other studies have indicated that the socializing effects of delinquent peers vary dramatically across childhood and adolescence, it is unclear whether delinquent peer affiliation (DPA) also moderates genetic influences on delinquency during childhood.

Method

The current study sought to evaluate whether and how DPA moderated the etiology of delinquency in a sample of 726 child twins from the Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR).

Results

The results robustly supported etiological moderation of childhood delinquency by DPA. However, this effect was observed for shared environmental, rather than genetic, influences. Shared environmental influences on delinquency were found to be several-fold larger in those with higher levels of DPA as compared to those with lower levels. This pattern of results persisted even when controlling for the overlap between delinquency and DPA.

Conclusions

Our findings bolster prior work in suggesting that, during childhood, the association between DPA and delinquency is largely (although not solely) attributable to the effects of socialization as compared to selection. They also suggest that the process of etiological moderation is not specific to genetic influences. Latent environmental influences are also amenable to moderation by measured environmental factors.
Neuronal receptors as targets for the action of amyloid-beta protein (Aβ) in the brain
Authors: Patel Aarti N. , Jhamandas Jack H.
Published: January 2012

Accumulation of neurotoxic soluble amyloid-beta protein (Aβ) oligomers in the brains of patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and their role in AD pathogenesis have emerged as topics of considerable interest in recent years. Soluble Aβ oligomers impair synaptic and neuronal function, leading to neurodegeneration that is clinically manifested by memory and cognitive dysfunction. The precise mechanisms whereby Aβ oligomers cause neurotoxicity remain unknown. Emerging insights into the mechanistic link between neuronal receptors and soluble Aβ oligomers highlight the potential role of these receptors in Aβ-mediated neurotoxicity in AD. The current review focuses on studies describing interactions between soluble Aβ oligomers and neuronal receptors, and their role in AD pathogenesis. Furthermore, these studies provide insight into potential therapies for AD using compounds directed at putative target receptors for the action of Aβ in the central nervous system. We focus on interactions of Aβ with subtypes of acetylcholine and glutamatergic receptors. Additionally, neuronal receptors such as insulin, amylin and receptor for advanced glycation end products could be potential targets for soluble Aβ-oligomer-mediated neurotoxicity. Aβ interactions with other receptors such as the p75 neurotrophin receptors, which are highly expressed on cholinergic basal forebrain neurons lost in AD, are also highlighted.
Models of party democracy: patterns of party regulation in post-war European constitutions
Authors: van Biezen Ingrid , Borz Gabriela
Published: January 2012

This article investigates the ways in which political parties are codified in modern democratic constitutions, providing a unique cross-sectional and longitudinal overview of the patterns of party constitutionalization in post-war Europe. Although the constitutions of western liberal democracies traditionally have paid little attention to the role of parties, evidence suggests that in contemporary democracies, both old and new, they are increasingly accorded a formal constitutional status. Little is known, however, about the substantive content of their constitutional position or about the normative connotations of their constitutional codification. In this article, we demonstrate that there is a clear correlation between the nature and the intensity of party constitutionalization and the newness and historical experience of democracy and that, with time, the constitutional regulation of the extra-parliamentary organization and the parties’ rights and duties has gained in importance at the expense of their parliamentary and electoral roles. The analysis furthermore suggests that three distinct models of party constitutionalization can be identified – Defending Democracy, Parties in Public Office, and Parties as Public Utilities – each of which is related to a particular conception of party democracy.
Impact of vegetation die‐off on spatial flow patterns over a tidal marsh
Authors: Temmerman Stijn , Moonen Pieter , Schoelynck Jonas , Govers Gerard , Bouma Tjeerd J.
Published: January 2012

Large‐scale die‐off of tidal marsh vegetation, caused by global change, is expected to change flow patterns over tidal wetlands, and hence to affect valuable wetland functions such as reduction of shoreline erosion, attenuation of storm surges, and sedimentation in response to sea level rise. This study quantified for the first time the effects of large‐scale (4 ha) artificial vegetation removal, as proxy of die‐off, on the spatial flow patterns through a tidal marsh channel and over the surrounding marsh platform. After vegetation removal, the flow velocities measured on the platform increased by a factor of 2 to 4, while the channel flow velocities decreased by almost a factor of 3. This was associated with a change in flow directions on the platform, from perpendicular to the channel edges when vegetation was present, to a tendency of more parallel flow to the channel edges when vegetation was absent. Comparison with hydrodynamic model simulations explains that the vegetation‐induced friction causes both flow reduction on the vegetated platform and flow acceleration towards the non‐vegetated channels. Our findings imply that large‐scale vegetation die‐off would not only result in decreased platform sedimentation rates, but also in sediment infilling of the channels, which together would lead to further worsening of plant growth conditions and a potentially runaway feedback to permanent vegetation loss.
An improved model of the lightning electromagnetic field interaction with the D‐region ionosphere
Authors: Marshall R. A.
Published: January 2012

We present an improved time‐domain model of the lightning electromagnetic pulse (EMP) interaction with the lower ionosphere. This improved model inherently accounts for the Earth's curvature, includes an arbitrary number of ion species, and uses a convolutional Perfectly Matched Layer (PML) boundary. We apply an improved model of electron heating due to the lightning EMP and electrostatic fields, and we include ionization, attachment, and detachment. In addition to modeling lightning, this model can be used for long‐distance VLF wave propagation in the Earth‐ionosphere waveguide, heating of the lower ionosphere by VLF transmitters, and heating in the F‐region ionosphere by lightning. In this paper we present three initial results of this model. First, we compare results of ionospheric heating and electron density disturbances with and without electron detachment taken into account. We find that detachment is important only for the QE effects on time scales longer than 1 ms. Second, we find a simple explanation for the recently‐reported “elve doublets”, which we find are an effect of the rise and fall times of the lightning waveform. In particular, we find that all elves are doublets, and the rise and fall times of the current pulse control the brightness and separation in time of the two successive halves of the elve. Third, we find a similar simple explanation for “ring” sprites, whole columns appear in a circle symmetric around the discharge axis. We find that ring sprites can be initiated for particular current waveforms, where the QE and EMP fields in the mesosphere produce a maximum reduced field away from the discharge axis.
WITHDRAWN: Parameterization of Rainfall Models with 1 Emphasis on Extremes
Authors: Veneziano Daniele , Lepore Chiara
Published: January 2012

Temporal rainfall is usually represented as a series of storms with different duration D and average intensity ID, separated by dry periods. Inside each storm, rainfall intensity fluctuates, producing different average values Id in different intervals of duration d ≤ D. We consider storm models of this type to predict the distribution of the annual maximum of Id. Of special importance is the dependence of the upper tails of ID and Id on D and (d, D, ID), respectively. From the analysis of 23 hourly rainfall records, we conclude that all marginal and conditional upper tails of ID and Id have lognormal shape. The upper tail of Id is largely independent of D and is the same as the upper tail of ID for D = d. Both tail distributions scale in a multifractal way with duration. These findings greatly simplify the parameterization of the model and the estimation of rainfall extremes. We compare extreme rainfall results from this model with those produced by methods that use only the marginal upper tail of Id and the number of wet d intervals in one year, and with the empirical distributions from the historical annual maxima.
Nicotine and the Neonicotinoids
Authors: Rose Patrick H
Published: January 2012

The toxicology of nicotine and the neonicotinoid insecticides is discussed, with an emphasis on imidacloprid as it is the most studied neonicotinoid among the seven established members of the class. Neonicotinoids are more effective and safer insecticides than nicotine because of their selective toxicity to insects. Nicotine and the neonicotinoids exert their insecticidal action by binding to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) of the postsynaptic membrane of nerve cells in the central nervous system and acting as nAChR agonists. The neonicotinoidsare significantly less toxic to vertebrates because of the combined effects of low affinity for vertebrate nAChRs and relatively poor penetration of the blood-brain barrier compared with nicotine. Nicotine is a potent pharmacologically active drug which has wide-ranging effects mainly involving the nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory and endocrine systems and the gastrointestinal tract. The toxicological characteristics of nicotine and neonicotinoids, while showing some similarities at acute neuropharmacologically active doses, generally display significant differences in overall toxicity. High toxic doses of neonicotinoids lead to reversible neurological signs and behavioural changes but there are rarely any signs of permanent damage to the nervous system in laboratory animal studies. The liver is a common target organ among the neonicotinoids, and hepatic microsomal enzyme induction accompanied by adaptive liver growth is seen with most neonicotinoids. Overall, nicotine and the neonicotinoids do not raise significant concerns with respect to carcinogenicity. Reproductive and developmental effects are seen with both nicotine and the neonicotinoids although they are usually at doses associated with general toxicity.
Green tea polyphenol EGCG induces lipid-raft clustering and apoptotic cell death by activating protein kinase Cδ and acid sphingomyelinase through a 67 kDa laminin receptor in multiple myeloma cells
Authors: Tsukamoto Shuntaro , Hirotsu Keisuke , Kumazoe Motofumi , Goto Yoko , Sugihara Kaori , Suda Takafumi , Tsurudome Yukari , Suzuki Takashi , Yamashita Shuya , Kim Yoonhee , Huang Yuhui , Yamada Koji , Tachibana Hirofumi
Published: January 2012

EGCG [(−)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate], the major polyphenol of green tea, has cancer chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activities. EGCG selectively inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in cancer cells without adversely affecting normal cells; however, the underlying molecular mechanism in vivo is unclear. In the present study, we show that EGCG-induced apoptotic activity is attributed to a lipid-raft clustering mediated through 67LR (67 kDa laminin receptor) that is significantly elevated in MM (multiple myeloma) cells relative to normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and that aSMase (acid sphingomyelinase) is critical for the lipid-raft clustering and the apoptotic cell death induced by EGCG. We also found that EGCG induces aSMase translocation to the plasma membrane and PKCδ (protein kinase Cδ) phosphorylation at Ser664, which was necessary for aSMase/ceramide signalling via 67LR. Additionally, orally administered EGCG activated PKCδ and aSMase in a murine MM xenograft model. These results elucidate a novel cell-death pathway triggered by EGCG for the specific killing of MM cells.
Proteoglycans of uterine fibroids and keloid scars: similarity in their proteoglycan composition
Authors: Carrino David A. , Mesiano Sam , Barker Nichole M. , Hurd William W. , Caplan Arnold I.
Published: January 2012

Fibrosis is the formation of excess and abnormal fibrous connective tissue as a result of either a reparative or reactive process. A defining feature of connective tissue is its extracellular matrix, which provides structural support and also influences cellular activity. Two common human conditions that result from fibrosis are uterine fibroids (leiomyomas) and keloid scars. Because these conditions share a number of similarities and because their growth is due primarily to excessive extracellular matrix deposition, we compared the proteoglycans of uterine fibroids and keloid scars with corresponding normal tissues. Our analysis indicates that uterine fibroids and keloid scars contain higher amounts of glycosaminoglycans relative to normal myometrium and normal adult skin respectively. Proteoglycan composition is also different in the fibrotic tissues. Compared with unaffected tissues, uterine fibroids and keloid scars contain higher relative amounts of versican and lower relative amounts of decorin. There is also evidence for a higher level of versican catabolism in the fibrotic tissues compared with unaffected tissues. These qualitative and quantitative proteoglycan differences may play a role in the expansion of these fibroses and in their excessive matrix deposition and matrix disorganization, due to effects on cell proliferation, TGF (transforming growth factor)-β signalling and/or collagen fibril formation.
The leucocyte β2 (CD18) integrins: the structure, functional regulation and signalling properties
Authors: Tan Suet-Mien
Published: January 2012

Leucocytes are highly motile cells. Their ability to migrate into tissues and organs is dependent on cell adhesion molecules. The integrins are a family of heterodimeric transmembrane cell adhesion molecules that are also signalling receptors. They are involved in many biological processes, including the development of metazoans, immunity, haemostasis, wound healing and cell survival, proliferation and differentiation. The leucocyte-restricted β2 integrins comprise four members, namely αLβ2, αMβ2, αXβ2 and αDβ2, which are required for a functional immune system. In this paper, the structure, functional regulation and signalling properties of these integrins are reviewed.
A new record of the dusky hopping mouse (Notomys fuscus) in New South Wales
Authors: Val J. , Mazzer T. , Shelly D.
Published: January 2012

The dusky hopping mouse, Notomys fuscus, is a desert rodent that occurs in the Simpson Strzelecki Dunefield Bioregion in Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales, where stabilised sand dunes are its preferred habitat. A recent capture from the Broken Hill Complex Bioregion in an atypical habitat (bluebush shrubland) and new locality ~170 km south of the nearest New South Wales record may indicate a significant population eruption and subsequent migration into new areas following the widespread ephemeral and perennial plant production pulse that occurred in 2010.
Toll-like receptor 3 signaling converts tumor-supporting myeloid cells to tumoricidal effectors
Authors: Shime Hiroaki , Matsumoto Misako , Oshiumi Hiroyuki , Tanaka Shinya , Nakane Akio , Iwakura Yoichiro , Tahara Hideaki , Inoue Norimitsu , Seya Tsukasa
Published: January 2012

Smoldering inflammation often increases the risk of progression for malignant tumors and simultaneously matures myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) for cell-mediated immunity. PolyI:C, a dsRNA analog, is reported to induce inflammation and potent antitumor immune responses via the Toll-like receptor 3/Toll–IL-1 receptor domain-containing adaptor molecule 1 (TICAM-1) and melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5/IFN-β promoter stimulator 1 (IPS-1) pathways in mDCs to drive activation of natural killer cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Here, we found that i.p. or s.c. injection of polyI:C to Lewis lung carcinoma tumor-implant mice resulted in tumor regression by converting tumor-supporting macrophages (Mfs) to tumor suppressors. F4/80+/Gr1−Mfs infiltrating the tumor respond to polyI:C to rapidly produce inflammatory cytokines and thereafter accelerate M1 polarization. TNF-α was increased within 1 h in both tumor and serum upon polyI:C injection into tumor-bearing mice, followed by tumor hemorrhagic necrosis and growth suppression. These tumor responses were abolished in TNF-α−/−mice. Furthermore, F4/80+Mfs in tumors extracted from polyI:C-injected mice sustained Lewis lung carcinoma cytotoxic activity, and this activity was partly abrogated by anti–TNF-α Ab. Genes for supporting M1 polarization were subsequently up-regulated in the tumor-infiltrating Mfs. These responses were completely abrogated in TICAM-1−/−mice, and unaffected in myeloid differentiation factor 88−/−and IPS-1−/−mice. Thus, the TICAM-1 pathway is not only important to mature mDCs for cross-priming and natural killer cell activation in the induction of tumor immunity, but also critically engaged in tumor suppression by converting tumor-supporting Mfs to those with tumoricidal properties.
3β-Methoxy-pregnenolone (MAP4343) as an innovative therapeutic approach for depressive disorders
Authors: Bianchi Massimiliano , Baulieu Etienne-Emile
Published: January 2012

Emerging evidence suggests that the pathogenesis of depressive disorders (DDs) is associated with neuronal abnormalities in brain microtubule function, including changes in α-tubulin isoforms. Currently available antidepressant drugs may act by rescuing these alterations, but only after long-term treatment explaining their delayed therapeutic efficacy. The microtubule associated protein type-2 (MAP-2) modulates neuronal microtubule dynamics. Our hypothesis is that MAP-2 represents an innovative target for the treatment of DDs. The synthetic pregnenolone-derivative MAP4343 (3β-methoxy-pregnenolone) binds MAP-2 in vitro and increases its ability to stimulate tubulin assembly. Here, we show that MAP4343 has antidepressant efficacy in rats and advantages compared with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine. A single injection of MAP4343 changes the expression of α-tubulin isoforms indicative of increased microtubule dynamics in the hippocampus of naïve Sprague–Dawley rats, whereas fluoxetine had no effects. MAP4343 has positive efficacy in the rat forced swimming test (FST), the most used assay to screen potential antidepressant drugs by decreasing immobility behavior. In the rat isolation-rearing model of depression, administration of MAP4343 showed more rapid and more persistent efficacy compared with fluoxetine in recovering “depressive-like” behaviors. These effects were accompanied by modifications of α-tubulin isoforms in the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex. Our findings suggest the potential therapeutic use of MAP4343 for the treatment of DDs, based on a unique mechanism of action.
A Multisite Pilot Study of Extended-Release Injectable Naltrexone Treatment for Previously Opioid-Dependent Parolees and Probationers
Authors: Coviello Donna M. , Cornish James W. , Lynch Kevin G. , Boney Tamara Y. , Clark Cynthia A. , Lee Joshua D. , Friedmann Peter D. , Nunes Edward V. , Kinlock Timothy W. , Gordon Michael S. , Schwartz Robert P. , Nuwayser Elie S. , O'Brien Charles P.
Published: January 2012

A feasibility study was conducted to pilot test the ability of 5 sites to recruit, treat, and retain opioid-dependent offenders in a trial of extended-release injectable naltrexone (XR-NTX). The participants, 61 previously opioid-dependent individuals under legal supervision in the community, received up to 6 monthly injections of Depotrex brand naltrexone and completed a 6-month follow-up interview. Six-month outcomes showed that those who completed treatment had significantly fewer opioid-positive urines and were less likely to have been incarcerated than those who had not completed treatment. The findings indicate that XR-NTX holds promise as a feasible, effective treatment option for opioid-dependent offenders.
A Randomized Trial of Methadone Initiation Prior to Release from Incarceration
Authors: McKenzie Michelle , Zaller Nickolas , Dickman Samuel L. , Green Traci C. , Parihk Amisha , Friedmann Peter D. , Rich Josiah D.
Published: January 2012

Individuals who use heroin and illicit opioids are at high risk for infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other blood-borne pathogens, as well as incarceration. The purpose of the randomized trial reported here is to compare outcomes between participants who initiated methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) prior to release from incarceration, with those who were referred to treatment at the time of release. Participants who initiated MMT prior to release were significantly more likely to enter treatment postrelease ( P < .001) and for participants who did enter treatment, those who received MMT prerelease did so within fewer days ( P = .03). They also reported less heroin use ( P = .008), other opiate use ( P = .09), and injection drug use ( P = .06) at 6 months. Initiating MMT in the weeks prior to release from incarceration is a feasible and effective way to improve MMT access postrelease and to decrease relapse to opioid use.
Federal Policy on Criminal Offenders who Have Substance Use Disorders: How Can We Maximize Public Health and Public Safety?
Authors: Humphreys Keith
Published: January 2012

The Obama Administration is striving to promote both public health and public safety by improving the public policy response to criminal offenders who have substance use disorders. This includes supporting drug courts, evidence-based probation and parole programs, addiction treatment and re-entry programs. Scientists and clinicians in the addiction field have a critical role to play in this much-needed effort to break the cycle of addiction, crime and incarceration.
Opioid Agonist Maintenance for Probationers: Patient-Level Predictors of Treatment Retention, Drug Use, and Crime
Authors: Gryczynski Jan , Kinlock Timothy W. , Kelly Sharon M. , O'Grady Kevin E. , Gordon Michael S. , Schwartz Robert P.
Published: January 2012

This study examined outcomes and their predictors among 181 probationers enrolling in opioid agonist maintenance with methadone or levo-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM). Participants were interviewed at treatment entry and 2-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Treatment retention and frequency of heroin use, cocaine use, and income-generating criminal activity were examined using survival and longitudinal analyses. Participants reported marked reductions in drug use and crime relative to treatment entry. A number of patient characteristics associated with various outcomes were identified. The findings support engaging probationers in treatment and highlight patient factors that might influence outcomes.
Assessing Need for Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opiate-Dependent Prison Inmates
Authors: Albizu-García Carmen E. , Caraballo José Noel , Caraballo-Correa Glorimar , Hernández-Viver Adriana , Román-Badenas Luis
Published: January 2012

Individuals with a history of heroin dependence are overrepresented in American correctional facilities and 75% of inmates with a drug use disorder do not receive treatment during incarceration or after release. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with opiate agonists, such as methadone or buprenorphine, constitutes standard of care; to guide planning for an expansion of drug treatment services in correctional facilities, a needs assessment was conducted at the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DCR) of Puerto Rico (PR). The authors report on the research process, the findings that informed their recommendations for the DCR to expand MAT for eligible inmates, and lessons learned.
Buprenorphine-Naloxone Maintenance following Release from Jail
Authors: Lee Joshua D. , Grossman Ellie , Truncali Andrea , Rotrosen John , Rosenblum Andrew , Magura Stephen , Gourevitch Marc N.
Published: January 2012

Primary care is understudied as a reentry drug and alcohol treatment setting. This study compared treatment retention and opioid misuse among opioid-dependent adults seeking buprenorphine/naloxone maintenance in an urban primary care clinic following release from jail versus community referrals. Postrelease patients were either (a) induced to buprenorphine in-jail as part of a clinical trial, or (b) seeking buprenorphine induction post release. From 2007 to 2008, N = 142 patients were new to primary care buprenorphine: n = 32 postrelease; n = 110 induced after community referral and without recent incarceration. Jail-released patients were more likely African American or Hispanic and uninsured. Treatment retention rates for postrelease (37%) versus community (30%) referrals were similar at 48 weeks. Rates of opioid positive urines and self-reported opioid misuse were also similar between groups. Postrelease patients in primary care buprenorphine treatment had equal treatment retention and rates of opioid abstinence versus community-referred patients.
Rate of Community Methadone Treatment Reporting at Jail Reentry following a Methadone Increased Dose Quality Improvement Effort
Authors: Harris Andiea , Selling Daniel , Luther Charles , Hershberger Jason , Brittain Joan , Dickman Samuel , Glick Alvin , Lee Joshua D.
Published: January 2012

The Rikers Island Key Extended Entry Program (KEEP) has offered methadone treatment for opioid dependent inmates incarcerated in New York City's jails since 1986. In response to a trend toward low-dose methadone maintenance prescribing, a quality improvement (QI) protocol trained KEEP counselors, physicians, and pharmacists in the evidence base supporting moderate-to-high methadone maintenance doses in order to maximize therapeutic effects and rates of successful reporting to community methadone treatment programs (MTPs) post release. Discharge dose level and length of incarceration data were analyzed for 2 groups of KEEP patients discharged pre/post-QI. Among patients incarcerated for 21 or more days, the proportion of those on moderate-to-high doses of methadone increased significantly. Patients who reached a moderate-to-high methadone dose demonstrated higher rates of reporting to community MTP versus lower doses, both pre- and post-QI. Overall, a higher proportion of all patients reported to community MTP post-QI.
Growth, Survival, and Body Composition of Sunshine Bass after a Feeding and Fasting Experiment
Authors: Bowzer John , Dabrowski Konrad , Ware Kyle , Ostaszewska Teresa , Kamaszewski Maciej , Botero Monica
Published: January 2012

There is continuous interest in experimental, semipurified diet formulations and in the formulation of practical, inexpensive diets for grow out of sunshine bass (female white bass Morone chrysops × male striped bass M. saxatilis). The effects of four diets on growth, survival, and body composition of sunshine bass after a feeding period (51 d) and a subsequent fasting period (14 d) were examined. To our knowledge, no previous sunshine bass feeding experiments have incorporated a fasting period to simulate the handling and acclimation conditions experienced by farmed fish that are stocked into new environments. Diets consisted of a high-nutrient commercial diet, a wheat-gluten-based practical diet, a semipurified diet (meeting standard nutrient requirements), and a frozen natural diet (chironomids). Fish were hand fed three times per day at 4% of body weight. At the end of the fasting period, samples were collected for histological analysis of the liver and posterior intestine. Survival was significantly lower for fish that were fed the semipurified diet than for fish given the other three diets. The greatest growth was achieved by fish that received the commercial diet. Body composition was significantly affected by diet, and protein was depleted at a greater rate than lipid during the fasting period. Analysis suggests that during this short fasting period, sunshine bass utilized protein and glycogen before using lipid. Liver sections from fish that were given the commercial diet showed that (1) the hepatocytes contained larger lipid deposits than were observed in the frozen chironomid diet group and (2) the nuclei of the hepatocytes were pushed to the cell wall. Sections of the posterior intestine revealed significant differences among dietary treatment groups in the height of folds and number of goblet cells.
Predictors of Walleye Growth and Survival in Michigan Hatchery Ponds
Authors: Knoll Marcy R , Galarowicz Tracy L
Published: January 2012

Walleyes Sander vitreus are extensively cultured across Michigan, with highly variable success resulting in substantial differences in growth and survival. The present study was undertaken in 2005 and 2006 to determine the relationship between abiotic components (temperature, dissolved oxygen, and nutrient levels), prey (zooplankton and benthic macroinvertebrate) availability, and stocking density in ponds in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and the growth and survival of walleyes in these ponds. Besides fertilization of some of the ponds, there was no management of the ponds until harvest. Ponds were grouped by similarity of abiotic and biotic factors. Correlations among walleye length, weight, and stocking density, as well as between walleye percent survival and stocking density, provided contradictory results between years. Walleye growth and survival were correlated with planktonic prey densities and nutrient levels. Although these interactions among abiotic variables, prey availability, and walleye growth and survival exemplify the complexity of walleye culture at multiple geographic locations, nutrient and prey availability determine growth and survival across sites.
Quality Assessment of Wild Atlantic Sturgeon Semen under Conditions of Short-Term Storage
Authors: Dorsey Kathryn M , Guthrie H David , Welch Glenn R , Mohler Jerre , Theisen Daniel D , Siewerdt Frank , Vinyard Bryan T , Woods L Curry
Published: January 2012

Short-term storage trials were conducted with semen of Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus collected from a total of nine wild males during the 2008 and 2009 spawning seasons on the Hudson River. Semen samples were kept refrigerated (4 ± 1°C) and stored in different gaseous atmospheres and storage extenders. The gaseous environments included oxygen, nitrogen, and air, while the extender treatments included modified Tsvetkova (MT), Park and Chapman (PC), and undiluted. Analyses of four response variables—percent viable sperm (viability), percent motile sperm (motility), curvilinear velocity (VCL), and ATP content—were determined on the day of arrival in the laboratory and then every other day for 7 d in 2008 and 21 d in 2009. The experiments were conducted in a split-split-plot design to examine dilution treatment, gas atmosphere, and repeated measures across days, and linear analyses of covariance models were fit to the data after appropriate transformation. Storage of sperm in an oxygen atmosphere was superior to storage in a nitrogen atmosphere for all variables. Storage of semen in 100% or 21% (air) oxygen in PC did not lead to differences among variables except for viability; viability was maintained at more than 95% through 13 d, decreasing to 88% and 94% on day 21 in 100% oxygen and air, respectively. During the last 5 d survival in an air atmosphere was better than that in 100% oxygen. Motility decreased during the 21 d of storage and the decline was greater in undiluted than in PC-extended semen, decreasing from 85% on day 1 to approximately 21% and 47%, respectively, on day 21. We conclude that for Atlantic sturgeon semen storage, PC is the extender of choice and semen viability can be maintained for up to 21 d with some expectation of successful fertilization.
Water Quality in Tilapia Transport: From the Farm to the Retail Store
Authors: Colt John , Momoda Tracey , Chitwood Rob , Fornshell Gary , Schreck Carl
Published: January 2012

Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus are routinely transported 1,200–1,400 km from Idaho to live markets in the greater Vancouver, British Columbia, area. Direct hauling mortality is typically very low, but significant economic losses occur during retail holding owing to a deterioration in physical appearance that results in fish that cannot be sold and their subsequent mortality. To address this problem, information was collected on hauling systems and protocols, holding systems and water management protocols, and water quality in the retail holding systems. During hauling, fish are exposed to high levels of dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, and bacteria. The transfer of fish from hauling systems to retail holding systems can subject them to rapid changes in temperature, dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, and pH. Problem areas in retail holding include low water temperatures, high un-ionized ammonia concentrations, and elevated levels of gas supersaturation. Determination of the causes of high mortality in transportation and retail holding is difficult to clearly identify because of sampling difficulties and commercial restrictions; improvements in hauling protocols may depend on simulated hauling experiments followed by commercial verification.
Rapid Estimation of Gonad-to-Body Ratio in Eastern Oysters by Image Analysis
Authors: Quintana Roberto , Burnside Wesley M , Supan John E , Lynn John W , Tiersch Terrence R
Published: January 2012

The goal of this study was to develop a rapid and reliable method of quantifying the gonadal condition of eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica based on a gonad-to-body ratio (GBR). The objectives were to compare a previously established transect method with three alternative computer-based image analysis (IA) methods based on acquisition time, composite GBR values, and GBR values at different stages of gonadal development. The first IA method calculated the area of the gonad and body while eliminating the dorsal and ventral curvature of the gonad, the second calculated the area of the gonad and body while eliminating the gill area, and the third calculated the total area of the gonad and body. The GBR values from the first and third IA methods were not different from those from the transect method. The second IA method resulted in higher GBR values in 80% of the measurements compared with the other three methods. However, measuring the gonadal area and total body area was five times faster than with the transect method and, excluding the curvature, was nine times faster but susceptible to visual error. Based on the speed and comparability with the transect method, the third IA method was the most useful for quantifying gonadal development.
Hysteresis-free deposition of niobium oxide films by HiPIMS using different pulse management strategies
Authors: Hála M , Čapek J , Zabeida O , Klemberg-Sapieha J E , Martinu L
Published: January 2012

We systematically investigate the reactive behaviour of two types of high-power pulsed magnetron discharges above a Nb target using either square voltage pulses (denoted as HiPIMS) or custom-shaped pulses (denoted as MPPMS), and compare it with that of a dc magnetron sputtering (DCMS) discharge. We demonstrate that the surface metal oxides can be effectively sputter-eroded from the target during both HiPIMS and MPPMS pulses operated in reactive O2/Ar gas mixtures, and that sputtering from a partially oxide-free target is possible even at high oxygen concentrations. This results in a hysteresis-free deposition process which allows one to prepare optically transparent high refractive index Nb2O5 coatings exhibiting an elevated deposition rate without the need for feedback control commonly used in reactive DCMS. The cathode voltage was identified as the principal parameter that affects the reactive discharge behaviour.
Vapour phase deposition of highly crystalline self-poled piezoelectric nylon-11
Authors: Meurisch Kerstin , Gojdka Björn , Strunskus Thomas , Zaporojtchenko Vladimir , Faupel Franz
Published: January 2012

Thin films of highly crystalline short-chain nylon-11 were fabricated by means of vapour phase deposition. Nylon-11 could be thermally evaporated without much structural degradation and for the first time the piezoelectric properties of vapour phase deposited nylon-11 were characterized. It was found that the films crystallize in a polar phase with a crystalline fraction as high as 70% and even form in a self-poled state. The results show that thermal evaporation is a straightforward alternative to the common melt or solution processing as a fabrication procedure for piezoelectric nylon-11 films.
Inhibition of fatty acid oxidation enhances oxidative protein folding and protects hepatocytes from endoplasmic reticulum stress
Authors: Tyra Heather M. , Spitz Douglas R. , Rutkowski D. Thomas
Published: January 2012

The unfolded protein response (UPR) signals protein misfolding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to effect gene expression changes and restore ER homeostasis. Although many UPR-regulated genes encode ER protein processing factors, others, such as those encoding lipid catabolism enzymes, seem unrelated to ER function. It is not known whether UPR-mediated inhibition of fatty acid oxidation influences ER function or, if so, by what mechanism. Here we demonstrate that pharmacological or genetic inhibition of fatty acid oxidation renders liver cells partially resistant to ER stress–induced UPR activation both in vitro and in vivo. Reduced stress sensitivity appeared to be a consequence of increased cellular redox potential as judged by an elevated ratio of oxidized to reduced glutathione and enhanced oxidative folding in the ER. Accordingly, the ER folding benefit of inhibiting fatty acid (FA) oxidation could be phenocopied by manipulating glutathione recycling during ER stress. Conversely, preventing cellular hyperoxidation with N-acetyl cysteine partially negated the stress resistance provided by blocking FA oxidation. Our results suggest that ER stress can be ameliorated through alteration of the oxidizing environment within the ER lumen, and they provide a potential logic for the transient regulation of metabolic pathways by the UPR during stress.
Local Business Voice
Authors: Bennett Robert J.
Published: January 2012

This book is the first scholarly and systematic history of chambers of commerce. It challenges academic commentary on the early chambers by showing they were more numerous, persistent, and active than previously recognized. It demonstrates common origins in protest leading to a reform agenda, with diffusion down the size spectrum of cities, eventually reaching all towns and communities. Chamber voice increasingly linked lobbying with supplying a ‘bundle’ of business services. Using multiple theoretical frameworks, overlapping in time, the book traces for the first time the importance of commercial arbitration, coffee and reading rooms, and information and consultancy services as critical parts of the chambers' unique market position. For later developments it demonstrates the challenges arising from increasing partnerships with government, and competition with rival sector bodies. The book gives a critical overview of the key lobbies against the Corn Laws, over tariff reform and free trade, municipal socialism, and regulatory burden. A systematic analysis of members shows their links with early protest campaigns and religious dissent; in modern chambers it demonstrates the forces that underpin joining and lapsing decisions: exit, voice, and loyalty. The chambers investigated are those in the UK, Ireland, and the early USA and Canada, because this grouping has common origins and retains the unifying characteristics of being formed under common law as independent voluntary bodies. The book seeks to be definitive and exhaustive, covering all local chambers, in order to provide to other researchers, and current chamber managers, a firm foundation of assessment and long-term aligned local data.
Public Services Are an Important Antipoverty Tool
Authors: Kenworthy Lane
Published: January 2012

Countries with larger public social expenditures tend to have less material deprivation. Public services are a key part of the story, but an often-overlooked one. Services improve the capabilities and employment prospects of people from disadvantaged homes and neighborhoods, and they directly boost living standards by expanding the sphere of consumption for which the cost is small or nil.
The Aim Is Not Spending Per Se
Authors: Kenworthy Lane
Published: January 2012

Government social transfers account for a much larger share of GDP in Sweden and Denmark than in the United States. But the U.S. government distributes more benefits in the form of tax breaks rather than transfers than do the two Nordic countries; Denmark and Sweden tax back a larger portion of public transfers than the United States does; private social expenditures, such as those on employment-based health insurance and pensions, are greater in the United States; and America’s per capita GDP is larger. As a result, net public and private social expenditures per person are larger in the United States. Is this good news for the poor in the United States? Unfortunately, no. These adjustments change the story with respect to the aggregate quantity of resources that goes to social protection in the three countries, but they have limited bearing on poverty reduction and on the living standards of the poor.
3 Standards and International Trade Integration: A Historical Review of the German ‘Reinheitsgebot’
Authors: Tongeren Frank van
Published: January 2012

The Bavarian beer law of 1516, that later morphed into the German ‘Reinheitsgebot’ (purity law) is often seen as one of the oldest known food laws and is also an example of a unilateral production standard that has become a non-tariff barrier to trade. The European Court of Justice decided in 1987 that the German standard hampered free trade in the European Community and forced a national repeal of the law. Today, German beer producers are still subject to legal production standards with origins in the original Reinheitsgebot, but imported beers need not adhere to the strict requirements. This chapter provides a brief historical overview of the evolution and adoption of the Reinheitsgebot. It proceeds by presenting a simple analytical framework to analyze its economic effects on consumers, domestic producers, and foreign suppliers. Finally, it discusses the developments on the German beer market after opening to imports, using statistical data.
EU Foreign Investment Law
Authors: Dimopoulos Angelos
Published: January 2012

Regulation of foreign investment presents one of the most topical and controversial subjects in EU law and international investment law. The introduction of EU competence over foreign direct investment (FDI) in Article 207 TFEU after the Lisbon Treaty as well as the recent successful challenge of Member States Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) regarding their compatibility with EU law, indicate the emerging importance of EU foreign investment law. Within this framework, the purpose of this book is to identify whether and to what extent the EU has become an international actor in the field of foreign investment. Exploring the existing legal framework on the scope and exercise of EU competence and its legal effects, it examines the foundations upon which EU investment policy is based and will be based in the future. The book examines EU foreign investment law firstly from an EU law perspective. It addresses questions relating to the definition of foreign investment, the scope of EU competences, the actual exercise of EU powers, the substantive content of existing and future EU International Investment Agreements (EU IIAs), the objectives of EU investment policy and its EU law effects, in particular as regards the compatibility of Member States BITs with EU law. Secondly, the book examines the influence that the EU exerts on international law and regulation of foreign investment. Specific attention is paid to the substantive content and orientation of EU IIAs, taking a comparative approach to the content of BITs, as well as to the ramifications of EU foreign investment regulation for international law, especially with regard to the EU's international responsibility. Taking into account the recent developments in this field, this book addresses the legal, practical and political concerns that the creation of an EU common investment policy creates.
medpie: an information extraction package for medical message board posts
Authors: Benton A. , Holmes J. H. , Hill S. , Chung A. , Ungar L.
Published: January 2012

Summary: We have developed medpie, a software package for preparing medical message board corpora and extracting patient mentions and statistics for drugs, herbs and adverse effects experienced from them. The package is divided into web-crawling, HTML-cleaning, de-identification and information extraction modules. It also includes a sample controlled vocabulary of drugs, herbs and adverse effect terms.

Availability:  http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~ungar/medpie.zip

Dependencies: Python 2.6 or 2.7

Contact:  ungar@cis.upenn.edu; adrianb@mail.med.upenn.edu