bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Density functional study of α–β phase transition of polyvinylidene difluoride
Authors: Heo Won Joon , Kim Won‐June , Shin Young‐Han , Lee Eok Kyun
Published: March 2012

We perform density functional calculations to investigate structural and dynamical properties of crystalline polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) associated with the transition from α to β phase. We examine the change of the conformational energy and the corresponding structure of each phase depending on the lattice parameters of the orthorhombic crystalline structure. From this information, we construct the path that connects the point where the α phase is most stable to the point where the β phase is most stable, and identify the sub‐ region in the lattice parameter space where α and β phases have the same energy. In this sub‐region, we locate the point which gives the lowest conformation energy for both α and β phases, and examine the behaviour of the lowest energy profile and corresponding change of intermediate structures as the conformation of the PVDF chain transforms from α phase to β phase. Finally we perform ab‐initio molecular dynamics simulations and analyse the characteristic dynamics associated with transition from α to β phase. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009 virus in pregnancy
Authors: Liu She‐Lan , Wang Jing , Yang Xu‐Hui , Chen Jin , Huang Ren‐Jie , Ruan Bing , He Hong‐Xuan , Wang Cheng‐Min , Zhang Hong‐Mei , Sun Zhou , Xie Li , Zhuang Hui
Published: March 2012

Two hundred fourteen abstracts and 87 full texts regarding pregnant women infected with pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009 virus were systematically reviewed by using a PubMed search and assessing pandemic, clinical, laboratory test, vaccine, and control experiences. Both policy and health education were excluded. This review counted the total number of pregnant cases from different countries and analyzed their epidemic features, including trimester distribution, morbidity, hospitalization, intensive care unit admissions, maternal mortality, underlying diseases, complications, high‐risk factors for death, pregnancy outcome, and clinical symptoms compared with the previous pandemic seasonal influenza A/H1N1 as compared with the general population. Early identification and treatment were the most important factors in different countries and areas examined. The vaccine and antiviral drugs that have been the most efficient means to control the novel virus appear to be safe but require more extensive study. In the future, the focus should be placed on understanding vertical transmission and the severe mechanisms. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A new permutation‐based method for assessing agreement between two observers making replicated quantitative readings
Authors: Pan Yi , Haber Michael , Gao Jingjing , Barnhart Huiman X.
Published: March 2012

The coefficient of individual equivalence is a permutation‐based measure of agreement between two observers making replicated readings on each subject. It compares the observed disagreement between the observers to the expected disagreement under individual equivalence. Individual equivalence of observers requires that for every study subject, the conditional distributions of the readings of the observers given the subject's characteristics are identical. Therefore, under individual equivalence it does not matter which observer is making a particular reading on a given subject. We introduce both nonparametric and parametric methods to estimate the coefficient as well as its standard error. We compare the new coefficient with the coefficient of individual agreement and with the concordance correlation coefficient. We also evaluate the performance of the estimates of the new coefficient via simulations and illustrate this new approach using data from a study comparing two noninvasive techniques for measuring carotid stenosis to an invasive gold standard. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Bayesian–frequentist two‐stage single‐arm phase II clinical trial design
Authors: Dong Gaohong , Shih Weichung Joe , Moore Dirk , Quan Hui , Marcella Stephen
Published: March 2012

It is well‐known that both frequentist and Bayesian clinical trial designs have their own advantages and disadvantages. To have better properties inherited from these two types of designs, we developed a Bayesian–frequentist two‐stage single‐arm phase II clinical trial design. This design allows both early acceptance and rejection of the null hypothesis ( H0). The measures (for example probability of trial early termination, expected sample size, etc.) of the design properties under both frequentist and Bayesian settings are derived. Moreover, under the Bayesian setting, the upper and lower boundaries are determined with predictive probability of trial success outcome. Given a beta prior and a sample size for stage I, based on the marginal distribution of the responses at stage I, we derived Bayesian Type I and Type II error rates. By controlling both frequentist and Bayesian error rates, the Bayesian‐frequentist two‐stage design has special features compared with other two‐stage designs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Bayesian analysis of the 2009 decline in tuberculosis morbidity in the United States
Authors: Chen Michael P. , Shang Nong , Winston Carla A. , Becerra Jose E.
Published: March 2012

Although annual data are commonly used to model linear trends and changes in trends of disease incidence, monthly data could provide additional resolution for statistical inferences. Because monthly data may exhibit seasonal patterns, we need to consider seasonally adjusted models, which can be theoretically complex and computationally intensive. We propose a combination of methods to reduce the complexity of modeling seasonal data and to provide estimates for a change in trend when the timing and magnitude of the change are unknown. To assess potential changes in trend, we first used autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models to analyze the residuals and forecast errors, followed by multiple ARIMA intervention models to estimate the timing and magnitude of the change. Because the variable corresponding to time of change is not a statistical parameter, its confidence bounds cannot be estimated by intervention models. To model timing of change and its credible interval, we developed a Bayesian technique. We avoided the need for computationally intensive simulations by deriving a closed form for the posterior distribution of the time of change. Using a combination of ARIMA and Bayesian methods, we estimated the timing and magnitude of change in trend for tuberculosis cases in the United States. Published 2012. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Maskless Projection Lithography for the Fast and Flexible Generation of Grayscale Protein Patterns
Authors: Waldbaur Ansgar , Waterkotte Björn , Schmitz Katja , Rapp Bastian E.
Published: March 2012

Protein patterns of different shapes and densities are useful tools for studies of cell behavior and to create biomaterials that induce specific cellular responses. Up to now the dominant techniques for creating protein patterns are mostly based on serial writing processes or require templates such as photomasks or elastomer stamps. Only a few of these techniques permit the creation of grayscale patterns. Herein, the development of a lithography system using a digital mirror device which allows fast patterning of proteins by immobilizing fluorescently labeled molecules via photobleaching is reported. Grayscale patterns of biotin with pixel sizes in the range of 2.5 μm are generated within 10 s of exposure on an area of about 5 mm2. This maskless projection lithography method permits the rapid and inexpensive generation of protein patterns definable by any user‐defined grayscale digital image on substrate areas in the mm2 to cm2 range.
Efficient Delivery of Antitumor Drug to the Nuclei of Tumor Cells by Amphiphilic Biodegradable Poly(L‐Aspartic Acid‐co‐Lactic Acid)/DPPE Co‐Polymer Nanoparticles
Authors: Han Siyuan , Liu Yuexian , Nie Xin , Xu Qing , Jiao Fang , Li Wei , Zhao Yuliang , Wu Yan , Chen Chunying
Published: March 2012

The use of biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) for controlled drug delivery has shown significant therapeutic potential. Polyaspartic acid and polylactic acid are the most intensively studied biodegradable polymers. In the present study, novel amphiphilic biodegradable co‐polymer NPs, poly(L‐aspartic acid‐co‐lactic acid) with 1,2‐dipalmitoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphoethanolamine (DPPE) (poly(AA‐co‐LA)/DPPE) is synthesized and subsequently used to encapsulate an antitumor drug doxorubicin (DOX). The formulation parameters of the NPs are optimized to improve encapsulation efficiency. The resulting drug‐loaded NPs possess better size homogeneity (polydispersity) and exhibit pH‐responsive drug release profiles. Cellular viability assays indicate that the poly(AA‐co‐LA)/DPPE NPs did not induce cell death, whereas doxorubicin encapsulated NPs were cytotoxic to various types of tumor cells. In addition, the free NPs could not enter the cell nuclei after internalized in tumor cells. The DOX‐loaded NPs exhibit efficient intracellular delivery in tumor cells with co‐localization in lysosome and delay entering into the nucleus, which suggests a time‐ and pH‐dependent drug release profile within cells. When applied to deliver chemotherapeutics to a mouse xenograft model of human lung adenocarcinoma, DOX‐loaded NPs have a comparable antitumor activity with free DOX, and greatly reduce systemic toxicity and mortality. The delivery of cytotoxic drugs directly to the nucleus specifically within tumor cells is of great interest. These results demonstrate the feasibility of the application of the amphiphilic polyaspartic acid derivative, poly(AA‐co‐LA)/DPPE, as a nanocarrier for cell nuclear delivery of potent antitumor drugs.
In vivo Imaging and Biodistribution of Multimodal Polymeric Nanoparticles Delivered to the Optic Nerve
Authors: Harrison James , Bartlett Carole A. , Cowin Gary , Nicholls Philip K. , Evans Cameron W. , Clemons Tristan D. , Zdyrko Bogdan , Luzinov Igor A. , Harvey Alan R. , Iyer K. Swaminathan , Dunlop Sarah A. , Fitzgerald Melinda
Published: March 2012

The use of nanoparticles for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to sites of injury or disease in the central nervous system (CNS) holds great promise. However, the biodistribution of nanoparticles following in vivo administration is often unknown, and concerns have been raised regarding potential toxicity. Using poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) nanoparticles coated with polyethylenimine (PEI) and containing superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent and rhodamine B as a fluorophore, whole animal MRI and fluorescence analyses are used to demonstrate that these nanoparticles (NP) remain close to the site of injection into a partial injury of the optic nerve, a CNS white matter tract. In addition, some of these NP enter axons and are transported to parent neuronal somata. NP also remain in the eye following intravitreal injection, a non‐injury model. Considerable infiltration of activated microglia/macrophages occurs in both models. Using magnetic concentration and fluorescence visualization of tissue homogenates, no dissemination of the NP into peripheral tissues is observed. Histopathological analysis reveals no toxicity in organs other than at the injection sites. Multifunctional nanoparticles may be a useful mechanism to deliver therapeutic agents to the injury site and somata of injured CNS neurons and thus may be of therapeutic value following brain or spinal cord trauma.
An open framework for translating portable applications into operating system‐specific wireless sensor networks applications
Authors: Escolar Soledad , Carretero Jesús
Published: March 2012

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are distributed systems integrated by tiny devices, called sensor nodes, with capabilities to monitor the environment and forward their measurements to a special node, the sink, where the results can be collected and further processed. The trend in WSN is moving towards heterogeneous networks that will contain different sensor nodes running different instances of custom operating systems. Given the growing demand of new hardware platforms and operating systems specifically designed for sensor nodes, the applications programming for sensor nodes is becoming a challenging process that needs to be alleviated. Currently, application programming for sensor nodes is a complex, ad hoc, and error‐prone process where the portability among different platforms has been sacrificed. In this paper, we propose an open framework aimed to achieve application portability in heterogeneous sensor networks. Our approach provides the programming abstractions needed to support the application development process for sensor nodes. We have implemented an open framework that provides a set of tools on top of the most popular WSN operating systems to translate portable applications to the native operating system in an automatic, simple, and transparent way for developers. We have also evaluated the applications thus generated in terms of productivity and overhead, by comparing their footprint to those originally developed in each specific operating system. The results show that the overhead is minimal—4% in the worst case—and in some cases, it was even possible to reduce the footprint by using code optimizations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Neurotrophic Bone Marrow Cellular Nests Prevent Spinal Motoneuron Degeneration in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients: A Pilot Safety Study
Authors: Blanquer Miguel , Moraleda Jose M. , Iniesta Francisca , Gómez-Espuch Joaquín , Meca-Lallana José , Villaverde Ramón , Pérez-Espejo Miguel Ángel , Ruíz-López Francisco José , García Santos José María , Bleda Patricia , Izura Virginia , Sáez María , De Mingo Pedro , Vivancos Laura , Carles Rafael , Jiménez Judith , Hernández Joaquín , Guardiola Julia , Del Rio Silvia Torres , Antúnez Carmen , De La Rosa Pedro , Majado Maria Juliana , Sánchez-Salinas Andrés , López Javier , Martínez-Lage Juan Francisco , Martínez Salvador
Published: March 2012

The objective of this article is to assess the safety of intraspinal infusion of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMNCs) and, ultimately, to look for histopathological signs of cellular neurotrophism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. We conducted an open single arm phase I trial. After 6 months observation, autologous BMNCs were infused into the posterior spinal cord funiculus. Safety was the primary endpoint and was defined as the absence of serious transplant-related adverse events. In addition, forced vital capacity (FVC), ALS-functional rating scale (ALS-FRS), Medical Research Council scale for assessment of muscle power (MRC), and Norris scales were assessed 6 and 3 months prior to the transplant and quarterly afterward for 1 year. Pathological studies were performed in case of death. Eleven patients were included. We did not observe any severe transplant-related adverse event, but there were 43 nonsevere events. Twenty-two (51%) resolved in ≤2 weeks and only four were still present at the end of follow-up. All were common terminology criteria for adverse events grade ≤2. No acceleration in the rate of decline of FVC, ALS-FRS, Norris, or MRC scales was observed. Four patients died on days 359, 378, 808, and 1,058 post-transplant for reasons unrelated to the procedure. Spinal cord pathological analysis showed a greater number of motoneurons in the treated segments compared with the untreated segments (4.2 ± 0.8 motoneurons per section [mns per sect] and 0.9 ± 0.3 mns per sect, respectively). In the treated segments, motoneurons were surrounded by CD90+ cells and did not show degenerative ubiquitin deposits. This clinical trial confirms not only the safety of intraspinal infusion of autologous BMNC in ALS patients but also provides evidence strongly suggesting their neurotrophic activity.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Functionally Convergent White Adipogenic Progenitors of Different Lineages Participate in a Diffused System Supporting Tissue Regeneration
Authors: Lemos Dario R. , Paylor Benjamin , Chang Chihkai , Sampaio Arthur , Underhill T. Michael , Rossi Fabio M. V.
Published: March 2012

Pathologies characterized by lipomatous infiltration of craniofacial structures as well as certain forms of lipodystrophies suggest the existence of a distinct adipogenic program in the cephalic region of mammals. Using lineage tracing, we studied the origin of craniofacial adipocytes that accumulate both in cranial fat depots and during ectopic lipomatous infiltration of craniofacial muscles. We found that unlike their counterparts in limb muscle, a significant percentage of cranial adipocytes is derived from the neural crest (NC). In addition, we identified a population of NC-derived Lin−/α7−/CD34+/Sca-1+ fibro/adipogenic progenitors (NC-FAPs) that resides exclusively in the mesenchyme of cephalic fat and muscle. Comparative analysis of the adipogenic potential, impact on metabolism, and contribution to the regenerative response of NC-FAPs and mesoderm-derived FAPs (M-FAPs) suggests that these cells are functionally indistinguishable. While both NC- and M-FAPs express mesenchymal markers and promyogenic cytokines upon damage-induced activation, NC-FAPs additionally express components of the NC developmental program. Furthermore, we show that craniofacial FAP composition changes with age, with young mice containing FAPs that are almost exclusively of NC origin, while NC-FAPs are progressively replaced by M-FAPs as mice age. Based on these results, we propose that in the adult, ontogenetically distinct FAPs form a diffused system reminiscent of the endothelium, which can originate from multiple developmental intermediates to seed all anatomical locations.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Derivation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Cultured on Synthetic Substrates
Authors: Villa-Diaz L.G. , Brown S.E. , Liu Y. , Ross A.M. , Lahann J. , Parent J.M. , Krebsbach P.H.
Published: March 2012

Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) may represent an ideal cell source for research and applications in regenerative medicine. However, standard culture conditions that depend on the use of undefined substrates and xenogeneic medium components represent a significant obstacle to clinical translation. Recently, we reported a defined culture system for human embryonic stem cells using a synthetic polymer coating, poly[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium hydroxide] (PMEDSAH), in conjunction with xenogeneic-free culture medium. Here, we tested the hypothesis that iPSCs could be maintained in an undifferentiated state in this xeno-free culture system and subsequently be differentiated into mesenchymal stem cells (iPS-MSCs). hiPSCs were cultured on PMEDSAH and differentiated into functional MSCs, as confirmed by expression of characteristic MSC markers (CD166+, CD105+, CD90+,CD73+, CD31−, CD34−, and CD45−) and their ability to differentiate in vitro into adipogenic, chondrogenic, and osteoblastic lineages. To demonstrate the potential of iPS-MSCs to regenerate bone in vivo, the newly derived cells were induced to osteoblast differentiation for 4 days and transplanted into calvaria defects in immunocompromised mice for 8 weeks. MicroCT and histologic analyses demonstrated de novo bone formation in the calvaria defects for animals treated with iPS-MSCs but not for the control group. Moreover, positive staining for human nuclear antigen and human mitochondria monoclonal antibodies confirmed the participation of the transplanted hiPS-MSCs in the regenerated bone. These results demonstrate that hiPSCs cultured in a xeno-free system have the capability to differentiate into functional MSCs with the ability to form bone in vivo.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
New classes of spectral densities for lattice processes and random fields built from simple univariate margins
Authors: Porcu Emilio , Mateu Jorge , Gregori Pablo , Ostoja-Starzewski Martin
Published: March 2012

Quasi arithmetic and Archimedean functionals are used to build new classes of spectral densities for processes defined on anyd-dimensional lattice$${\mathbb{Z}^d}$$and random fields defined on thed-dimensional Euclidean space$${\mathbb{R}^d}$$, given simple margins. We discuss the mathematical features of the proposed constructions, and show rigorously as well as through examples, that these new classes of spectra generalize celebrated classes introduced in the literature. Additionally, we obtain permissible spectral densities as linear combinations of quasi arithmetic or Archimedean functionals, whose associated correlation functions may attain negative values or oscillate between positive and negative ones. We finally show that these new classes of spectral densities can be used for nonseparable processes that are not necessarily diagonally symmetric.
Metallic stents are more efficacious than plastic stents in unresectable malignant hilar biliary strictures: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Mukai Tsuyoshi , Yasuda Ichiro , Nakashima Masanori , Doi Shinpei , Iwashita Takuji , Iwata Keisuke , Kato Tomohiro , Tomita Eiichi , Moriwaki Hisataka
Published: March 2012

Background

Endoscopic biliary stenting is a well‐established palliative treatment for unresectable malignant biliary strictures, for which plastic tube stents (PSs) and self‐expandable metallic stents (SEMSs) are most commonly used. The efficacy of these stents has been extensively described in distal biliary strictures, but not in hilar biliary strictures. The present study aimed to compare the efficacy of PSs and SEMSs for unresectable malignant hilar biliary strictures.

Methods

From June 2004 to November 2008, 60 patients were enrolled and prospectively randomized into the PS or SEMS group.

Results

The 6‐month patency rate was significantly higher in the SEMS group than in the PS group (81 vs. 20%;p = 0.0012). Kaplan—Meier analysis showed significantly longer patency in the SEMS group than in the PS group (p = 0.0002); the 50% patency period was 359 days in the SEMS group and 112 days in the PS group. There was no significant difference in the overall survival period between the PS and SEMS groups (p = 0.2834). The mean number of reinterventions for stent failures was significantly lower in the SEMS group (0.63 times/patient) than in the PS group (1.80 times/patient) (p = 0.0008). The overall total cost for the treatment was significantly lower in the SEMS group than in the PS group (p = 0.0222).

Conclusions

SEMSs were associated with a longer patency than PSs in patients with unresectable hilar biliary stricture. SEMSs were also more advantageous in reducing the number of reintervention sessions and the overall treatment cost.
Clinical development of insulin-like growth factor receptor—1 (IGF-1R) inhibitors: At the crossroad?
Authors: Gombos Andrea , Metzger-Filho Otto , Dal Lago Lissandra , Awada-Hussein Ahmad
Published: March 2012

Insulin like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) targeting became one of the most investigated areas in anticancer drug development during the last decade. Strategies aiming to block IGF-1R activity include monoclonal antibodies, tyrosine kinase inhibitors and anti-ligands antibodies. Initial enthusiasm quickly encountered challenges. Unfortunately the validation of the efficacy of IGF-1R targeted agents in large clinical trials failed, however anecdotal single agent activity was seen in early studies. Consequently, questions regarding the selection of right target population and the appropriate trial design are arising. Despite the plethora of clinical trials conducted no predictive biomarker has been validated so far and resistance mechanisms to IGF-1R inhibitors remain unclear. The other issue to be addressed is how to best combine IGF-1R inhibitors with other therapeutic approaches. This review highlights the most relevant clinical data emphasizing the main tumor types where IGF-1R inhibition showed potential interest. We also tried to extract based on clinical and translational data some candidate biomarkers that could help better to select patient population who potentially could benefit most from this therapeutic approach.
Optimal pagination and content mapping for customized magazines
Authors: Piccoli Ricardo , Oliveira João , Manssour Isabel
Published: March 2012

Traditional media such as magazines and newspapers are undergoing deep transformations as they cope with the high volume and dynamicity of currently available information. In addition, with the emergence of decentralized publishing models, there is an increasing need for automated tools for authoring high-quality documents. Moreover, much of the dynamic information on the Web could also profit from such mechanisms for automatic presentation and summarization.

This paper describes a solution to the problem of automatically producing a camera-ready magazine from a set of page templates and a sequence of variable content to be placed on those templates. The algorithm is able to find the optimal number of pages to hold the content, selecting the best templates to be used in the magazine in such a way that all pages are optimally used.

The algorithm was integrated to Adobe’s InDesign® software, extending it to perform text fitting and rendering of magazine pages. The complete workflow is described in this paper, as well as an empirical evaluation and a discussion of future research directions.
The obesity paradox in chronic disease: facts and numbers
Authors: Lainscak Mitja , von Haehling Stephan , Doehner Wolfram , Anker Stefan D.
Published: March 2012

Body size, particularly large, is a matter of concern among the lay public. Whether this is justified depends upon the state of health and should be judged individually. For patients with established chronic disease, there is sufficient evidence to support the benefits of large body size, i.e., the obesity paradox. This uniform finding is shared over a variety of cardiovascular, pulmonary, and renal diseases and is counterintuitive to the current concepts on ideal body weight. The scientific community has to increase the awareness about differences for optimal body size in health and disease. Simultaneously, clinicians have to be aware about body weight dynamics implications and should interpret the changes in the context of an underlying disease in order to implement the best available management.
FACETS OF SPEAKING PROFICIENCY
Authors: de Jong Nivja H. , Steinel Margarita P. , Florijn Arjen F. , Schoonen Rob , Hulstijn Jan H.
Published: March 2012

This study examined the componential structure of second-language (L2) speaking proficiency. Participants—181 L2 and 54 native speakers of Dutch—performed eight speaking tasks and six tasks tapping nine linguistic skills. Performance in the speaking tasks was rated on functional adequacy by a panel of judges and formed the dependent variable in subsequent analyses (structural equation modeling). The following independent variables were assessed separately: linguistic knowledge in two tests (vocabulary and grammar); linguistic processing skills (four reaction time measures obtained in three tasks: picture naming, delayed picture naming, and sentence building); and pronunciation skills (speech sounds, word stress, and intonation). All linguistic skills, with the exception of two articulation measures in the delayed picture naming task, were significantly and substantially related to functional adequacy of speaking, explaining 76% of the variance. This provides substantial evidence for a componential view of L2 speaking proficiency that consists of language-knowledge and language-processing components. The componential structure of speaking proficiency was almost identical for the 40% of participants at the lower and the 40% of participants at the higher end of the functional adequacy distribution (n = 73 each), which does not support Higgs and Clifford’s (1982) relative contribution model, predicting that, although L2 learners become more proficient over time, the relative weight of component skills may change.
L2 AND DEAF LEARNERS’ KNOWLEDGE OF NUMERICALLY QUANTIFIED ENGLISH SENTENCES
Authors: Berent Gerald P. , Kelly Ronald R. , Schueler-Choukairi Tanya
Published: March 2012

This study assessed knowledge of numerically quantified English sentences in two learner populations—second language (L2) learners and deaf learners—whose acquisition of English occurs under conditions of restricted access to the target language input. Under the experimental test conditions, interlanguage parallels were predicted to arise from acquisitional pressures imposed by derivational economy on universal grammar (UG)–guided semantic interpretation. The results of a task in which participants matched sentences to multiple discourse depictions confirmed the predicted parallels. However, in matching underinformative sentences to depicted contexts, the L2 and deaf learner groups overactivated discourse-pragmatic knowledge. The restriction of indefinite noun phrases to singleton indefinites and the cancellation of scalar implicatures rendered sentences more informative in underinformative contexts, producing incorrect—although principled—interpretations. These results inform English acquisition at the interface of semantics and discourse pragmatics and provide further support that economy pressures yield L2 learner and deaf learner interlanguage parallels as observed, for instance, in learners’ interpretative knowledge of universally quantified English sentences.
The experiences with oral health and dental prevention of children with congenital heart disease
Authors: Balmer Richard , Bu'Lock Frances A.
Published: March 2012

Objective:To examine the degree to which children, considered to be at risk from infective endocarditis, had received professional education and preventive procedures in regard to dental health, and to evaluate the knowledge of their parents of the link between oral health and infective endocarditis.Materials and methods:Questionnaires were distributed to the families of 38 children under the care of paediatric cardiology. A short dental examination was carried out. Parents were asked if they knew why oral health was of particular importance in their child.Results:Of the children, 58% demonstrated evidence of previous or current dental disease, with 24% having had at least one filling, 13% with one or more teeth showing deficiency of enamel, and 39% with untreated dental caries. Only 79% of the children were registered with a dentist. According to Chi squared test, there was no difference in the dental health of registered and non registered children. Of the study group, 29% had received instruction in oral hygiene, 42% had received dietary advice, 13% had received advice regarding fluoride supplementation or had had fluoride professionally applied, and 8% had had fissure sealants. These percentages remained relatively low even if only registered children, or only registered children with previous or current dental disease, were considered. Only 64% of parents were aware of the link between the oral health of their children and infective endocarditis. Parents of children who were registered were more likely to be aware of this link than parents of children who were not registered.Conclusions:In spite of being registered with general dental practitioners, few children with congenital heart disease had received basic education in dental hygiene. Even children known to have had dental disease and, therefore, considered to be more vulnerable, were overlooked.
Governance and Risk Management in United Kingdom Insurance Companies
Authors: Deighton S. P. , Dix R. C. , Graham J. R. , Skinner J. M. E.
Published: March 2012

For some while there has been a growing awareness from both internal and external stakeholders that the governance and risk management in United Kingdom (U.K.) insurance companies needed to be enhanced. The proposed European Union Solvency II Directive makes this very explicit and the current economic turmoil has put a much stronger emphasis on the whole process: it is being seen as the right thing to do, rather than simply a regulatory requirement. In this paper, we set out the background to and recent history of governance for U.K. insurance companies, and consider how enterprise risk management can bring together the various control frameworks needed to support that governance. Whilst no two companies are the same, and hence the solutions to these issues will vary, there are several common themes linked to successful implementation. Similarly, various barriers to success are identified, together with solutions to resolve them.
FORUM: KUHN'S STRUCTURE AT FIFTY INTRODUCTION
Authors: GORDON PETER E.
Published: March 2012

Anyone who works at the interstices of intellectual history and philosophy and the history and philosophy of science will be quick to rank Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions amongst the most influential works of the last half-century. But its influence extends well beyond these disciplines as well. First published in 1962 as a contribution to the International Encyclopedia of Unified Science, over the last fifty years it has enjoyed a rich afterlife, leaving in its wake an immense if contested inventory of ideas whose significance has transcended the well-policed boundaries that often separate the natural sciences from the social sciences and the humanities. Even more surprising for a book of its academic character, it has enjoyed a reception in popular discourse that exceeds its disciplinary bailiwick. Its trademark terms—not only the celebrated ideas of a paradigm and a paradigm shift but also more technical themes such as normal science, incommensurability, and anomaly—have been naturalized into mundane English with a degree of success that puts to shame just about any other work of recent scholarship. Paraphrasing one of its characteristic claims, one may be temped to observe that, since the publication of Kuhn's Structure, we all live in a different world.
KUHN AND PHILOSOPHY
Authors: FRIEDMAN MICHAEL
Published: March 2012

Initially trained as a physicist, Kuhn became a leading and extraordinarily influential figure in the history of science. He saw his work in the history of science as contributing to a novel philosophical conception of the nature of science. At the outset of Structure, for example, Kuhn announces his intention to replace the “development-by-accumulation” model he associates with the philosophical tradition before him—including, in particular, what he calls “early logical positivism”—with a new model of radical conceptual discontinuity or incommensurability. Structure was written during Kuhn's tenure teaching philosophy and history of science at Berkeley, and, shortly after its publication, he took up a new post as professor of philosophy and history of science at Princeton. From 1983 until his death in 1996 Kuhn was professor of philosophy at MIT, where he attempted further to articulate his conception of incommensurability, taking account of developments in linguistics and philosophy of language.
KUHN'S EDUCATION: WITTGENSTEIN, PEDAGOGY, AND THE ROAD TOSTRUCTURE
Authors: ISAAC JOEL
Published: March 2012

Among the topics discussed in Thomas Kuhn'sThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions, those of education, training, and pedagogy are apt to seem the least compelling. Certainly, the earliest debates aboutStructurefocused on other, more controversial, matters: incommensurability, meaning change, the rationality of theory choice, normal science—the list goes on. Over the past two decades, however, a growing concern among historians and sociologists of science with the nature of scientific apprenticeship has stimulated greater appreciation of the importance of questions of teaching and learning to the philosophical position sketched inStructure. This paper seeks to develop further our understanding of these issues as they bear on Kuhn's theory of science.
FROM THE HISTORY OF IDEAS TO IDEAS IN HISTORY
Authors: BUTLER LESLIE
Published: March 2012

The story of American intellectual history's decline, fall, and phoenix-like rebirth in recent decades has become trite with the retelling: knocked from its position of prominence by the new social history and plunged into the chastened soul-searching of the famed Wingspread Conference of 1977, only to find itself rescued in part by the linguistic and cultural “turns” that swept the entire discipline of American history in the 1980s and 1990s. Like many a narrative, this one undoubtedly imposes too clear a pattern of meaning on a messier reality, but also like many a narrative, it has powerfully shaped the professional identities of American intellectual historians by giving them a sense of where they have been and how they arrived at their current place. That current place is a hospitable one, in many ways, for in the last couple of decades American historians seem to have grown increasingly receptive to the notion that ideas have mattered in history.
WHAT IS OUR “CANON”? HOW AMERICAN INTELLECTUAL HISTORIANS DEBATE THE CORE OF THEIR FIELD
Authors: HOLLINGER DAVID A.
Published: March 2012

These selected excerpts from a conversation now running nearly a quarter-century about The American Intellectual Tradition: A Sourcebook exemplify the efforts made by specialists in American intellectual history to decide just what constitutes the core of their field. An anthology designed for undergraduates has practical limitations, to be sure, that prevent its table of contents from ever serving as a complete map of a field. Specific research questions, not arguments over canons, properly remain the deepest center of gravity of any cohort of scholars. But assignments to students are one important indicator of what scholar–teachers take to be important, and these assignments are not unrelated to choices these same individuals make about the topics of their monographic contributions. Hence the lively correspondence that my coeditor, Charles Capper, and I have carried on with dozens of colleagues concerning the six editions of the only collection of sources for this field currently in print offers a window on how American intellectual history has changed in the last generation and what are its current directions.
Genetic variation among laboratory accessions of Chinese Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Authors: Mott I. W. , Wang R. R.-C.
Published: March 2012

Chinese Spring (CS) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is commonly used in genetic research including cytogenetic analysis, molecular mapping and germplasm development. Aneuploid lines of alien chromosomes in the CS background have been used in studies with diverse objectives. Thousands of genomic and complementary DNA sequences from expressed sequence tag (EST) libraries of biotic- and abiotic-stressed tissues are publicly available from CS. Gene expression analysis of salt-tolerant wheat lines, W4909 and W4910, compared with the CS common wheat background led to the discovery of several expressed sequences that were absent in the CS accession held in our laboratory. A survey of 20 CS accessions from 13 laboratories using the polymerase chain reaction with gene-specific primers for eight salt-responsive genes resulted in amplification success ranging from 15 to 100%. Amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis showed that 99% of the genetic variation was among the accessions while the remaining 1% was within the accessions. A neighbour-joining phylogram showed that four of the five CS accessions from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) grouped with the salt-tolerant wheat cultivar Yecora Rojo while the remaining 16 CS accessions had limited genetic differences. Thus, variation exists among these highly self-pollinating CS sources, suggesting that appropriate consideration should be taken when using CS accessions to conduct molecular and genetic analyses.
Decision Speed Induces Context Effects in Choice
Authors: Hawkins Guy , Brown Scott D. , Steyvers Mark , Wagenmakers Eric-Jan
Published: March 2012

The context in which a decision occurs can influence the decision-making process in many ways. In the laboratory, this is often evident in the effects of recent decisions. For instance, many experiments combine easy and difficult decisions, such as when word frequency is manipulated in lexical decision. The “blocking effect” describes how such decisions differ depending on whether the conditions are presented in pure blocks (comprised purely of easy or hard stimuli) or mixed blocks (also known as a “mixing cost”). We present a novel extension to these context effects, demonstrating in two experiments that they can be induced using conditions with identical difficulty, but different timing properties. This suggests that explanations of context effects based on task difficulty or error monitoring alone might be insufficient, and suggest a role for decision time. In prior work, we suggested such a hypothesis under the assumption that observers minimize their decision time, subject to an accuracy constraint. Consistent with this explanation, we find that decisions in slower conditions were based on less evidence when they were experienced in mixed compared to pure blocks.
Variability of the solar wind suprathermal electron strahl
Authors: Anderson B. R. , Skoug R. M. , Steinberg J. T. , McComas D. J.
Published: March 2012

At suprathermal energies, interplanetary electrons commonly exhibit a magnetic field‐aligned beam referred to as the strahl. The finite strahl width is a consequence of competition between magnetic focusing as the interplanetary field weakens with distance from the Sun, and particle scattering acting to broaden the strahl along its propagation path. We present a statistical survey of the strahl using ACE Solar Wind Electron, Proton, and Alpha Monitor (SWEPAM) measurements from 1998 to 2002. A systematic fitting algorithm was applied to pitch angle distributions to identify unidirectional or counterstreaming strahl features and to quantify beam widths and intensities. The analysis indicated that a strahl is present ≥75% of the time, while counterstreaming strahls were observed about 10% of the time. The strahl width ranges from 5° to 90°; importantly, the strahl cannot be characterized by any typical width. Within counterstreaming intervals the strahl peak intensity anticorrelates with beam width while the integrated fluxes of the two simultaneously observed strahls are similar, within a factor of 2 for 75% of counterstreaming periods. Observations are consistent with a model in which integrated strahl flux leaving the corona varies over a limited range, but the degree of beam scattering along the propagation path to 1 AU varies widely. The difference between two concurrent counterstreaming strahls is likely due to different scattering profiles along the different legs of a closed field line loop, both rooted in similar coronal regions. Narrow strahls (<20°) are strongly associated with counterstreaming intervals, as well as high‐speed streams. Strahl width can either increase or decrease with energy.
Relaxation from upwelling: The effect on dissolved oxygen on the continental shelf
Authors: Send Uwe , Nam SungHyun
Published: March 2012

Continental shelves in upwelling regimes are subject to sequences of upwelling and relaxation events, each on timescales of order 1 week typically. These episodes have pronounced impacts on the temperature and density structure on the shelves and also on the along‐shore and cross‐shore flow regimes. It had previously been demonstrated that relaxation phases advect warm water along shore (poleward) from regions of less intense upwelling, thus adding to the heat balance in upwelling locations and providing a rectification of oscillating heat fluxes. In the current paper it is shown that relaxations also modify the dissolved oxygen (DO) budget of the lower layers. On a narrow shelf, this provides enhanced DO values due to near‐surface exposure, while on a wide shelf decreased DO concentrations are created due to oxygen consumption on the inner shelf. The resulting variations along the coast can lead to along‐shore advection of high or low DO during a relaxation event. Observations are presented from moorings off San Diego and Del Mar, which show large departures from density‐correlated DO values during relaxations and which support the proposed mechanisms.
Measured current and close electric field changes associated with the initiation of upward lightning from a tall tower
Authors: Zhou Helin , Diendorfer Gerhard , Thottappillil Rajeev , Pichler Hannes , Mair Martin
Published: March 2012

We examine in detail the simultaneous lightning current waveforms, close electric field changes, and lightning location system data for upward lightning discharges initiated from the Gaisberg Tower (GBT) from 2005 to 2009. Out of 205 upward flashes, most of them (87% or 179/205) were initiated from the tower top without any nearby preceding lightning activity (called “self‐initiated”), whereas 26 upward flashes (13%) were initiated from the tower top with immediately preceding nearby lightning activity (called “nearby‐lightning‐triggered”), including 15 positive ground flashes, one negative ground flashes, and 10 cloud discharges. The possible reasons for self‐initiated upward flashes dominating at the GBT could be the field enhancement due to the Gaisberg Mountain above the surrounding terrain and low altitude of charge region during non‐convective season (September to March), since we note that self‐initiated lightning at the GBT occurred predominantly (79% or 142/179) during non‐convective season. On the other hand the majority (85% or 22/26) of nearby‐lightning‐triggered upward flashes at the GBT occurring during convective season (April to August) and 80 nearby‐lightning‐triggered upward flashes out of 81 upward flashes observed at the ten tall towers in Rapid City in South Dakota of USA occurring during summer seasons, could be due to the result of high altitude of charge region. The triggering flashes were detected to be within 1 and 18 km distance and the time intervals between them and upward lightning initiation are in the range of 0.3 to 90.7 ms.
Aphelion water‐ice cloud mapping and property retrieval using the OMEGA imaging spectrometer onboard Mars Express
Authors: Madeleine J.‐B. , Forget F. , Spiga A. , Wolff M. J. , Montmessin F. , Vincendon M. , Jouglet D. , Gondet B. , Bibring J.‐P. , Langevin Y. , Schmitt B.
Published: March 2012

Mapping of the aphelion clouds over the Tharsis plateau and retrieval of their particle size and visible opacity are made possible by the OMEGA imaging spectrometer aboard Mars Express. Observations cover the period from MY26 Ls = 330° to MY29 Ls = 180° and are acquired at various local times, ranging from 8 AM to 6 PM. Cloud maps of the Tharsis region constructed using the 3.1 μm ice absorption band reveal the seasonal and diurnal evolution of aphelion clouds. Four distinct types of clouds are identified: morning hazes, topographically controlled hazes, cumulus clouds and thick hazes. The location and time of occurrence of these clouds are analyzed and their respective formation process is discussed. An inverse method for retrieving cloud particle size and opacity is then developed and can only be applied to thick hazes. The relative error of these measurements is less than 30% for cloud particle size and 20% for opacity. Two groups of particles can be distinguished. The first group is found over flat plains and is composed of relatively small particles, ranging in size from 2 to 3.5 μm. The second group is characterized by particle sizes of ∼5 μm which appear to be quite constant over Ls and local time. It is found west of Ascraeus and Pavonis Mons, and near Lunae Planum. These regions are preferentially exposed to anabatic winds, which may control the formation of these particles and explain their distinct properties. The water ice column is equal to 2.9 pr.μm on average, and can reach 5.2 pr.μm in the thickest clouds of Tharsis.