bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Les carnets d’écriture inédits de Marie-Claire Blais
Authors: Leblanc Julie
Published: April 2012

Les carnets d’écriture inédits de Marie-Claire Blais nous donnent accès a sa personnalité créatrice, à ses dessins artistiques et à sa posture intellectuelle vis-à-vis de l’oeuvre en gestation. Ils ont une valeur génétique indéniable, car ils représentent une couche de manuscrits, voire un ensemble d’autographes préparatoires au sein desquels se trouve étalée l’histoire de la genèse de nombreux romans en voie de production. Les Carnets privilégiés dans cette étude, à savoir ceux qui sont contemporains à la rédaction d’Une saison dans la vie d’Emmanuel, de Testament de Jean Le Maigre à ses frères et de David Sterne servent à enregistrer des notes d’idées et de projets et à donner consistance à la fiction qu’il faut écrire. Espace de toutes les libertés, les Carnets de Blais sont également saturés de schémas, de plans illustrés et de portraits peints et dessinés de la main de l’auteure. Ces manuscrits nous permettent de retracer sur les plans textuels (de l’étape prérédactionnelle à l’étape rédactionnelle) et visuels (des schémas aux portraits, en passant par les croquis) la lente et progressive élaboration de ces trois romans. C’est en cernant les tâtonnements de l’écriture, les pulsions soudaines du tracé (croquis et portraits), que la vie de cette production littéraire et iconographique en mouvement a pu être restituée.
Le corps accidenté chez Hélène Monette et Élise Turcotte
Authors: Parent Marie
Published: April 2012

Cet article propose d’interroger une fois de plus le concept d’américanité, cette fois-ci à partir de deux textes d’écrivaines québécoises contemporaines, Unless d’Hélène Monette et Pourquoi faire une maison avec ses morts d’Élise Turcotte. À travers la figure du corps « accidenté » sera mise en évidence la relation de réciprocité établie dans ces textes entre corps et territoire : la représentation du corps blessé, souffrant est indissociable de l’expérience d’une Amérique torturée, hantée par le sentiment de sa fin imminente. Corps et continent, pris l’un pour l’autre, trahissent ici le même malaise, et fondent d’une manière particulière la difficulté à habiter le monde.
Radical Sympathy: Periodical Circulation and the Peterloo Massacre
Authors: Fairclough Mary
Published: April 2012

This essay analyses representations of sympathy in radical periodicals in the immediate aftermath of the Peterloo Massacre of August 1819. Recent accounts of the Regency radical press have noted that cheap journals employ a studied language of rational enlightenment in order to counter charges that they provoke unrest. I argue that these periodicals also employ a language of feeling. Through references to the suffering body, radical journals display moral outrage at the atrocity of Peterloo, but they also put the language of feeling to instrumental political use. Using sympathy as a figure for the transmission of riotous emotion within a crowd, these texts signal the physical power of the masses, but significantly, sympathy is also made a model for the processes of distribution through which these texts are diffused throughout the nation. Radical writers exploit the function of sympathy as a physiological process, through which disruption in one part of a body causes instant disruption in another. In a brief moment after Peterloo, the press becomes the circulatory medium through which both national emotional distress and political response can be co-ordinated. My analysis focuses on the often short-lived radical journals produced in the immediate aftermath of Peterloo, The Cap of Liberty, The London Alfred, The White Hat and The Democratic Recorder. I discuss these titles alongside the longer-running Hone’s Reformist Register, The Black Dwarf, The Gorgon, and The Medusa. In signalling the ephemeral and embattled nature of their existence, these journals mark the uncertain distinction between textual diffusion, emotional exchange and physical unrest at this moment of crisis.
RASL‐seq for Massively Parallel and Quantitative Analysis of Gene Expression
Authors: Li Hairi , Qiu Jinsong , Fu Xiang‐Dong
Published: April 2012

Large‐scale, quantitative analysis of gene expression can be accomplished by microarray or RNA‐seq analysis. While these methods are applicable to genome‐wide analysis, it is often desirable to quantify expression of a more limited set of genes in hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of biological samples. For example, some studies may require monitoring a sizable panel of key genes under many different experimental conditions, during development, or following treatment with a large library of small molecules, for which current genome‐wide methods are either inefficient or cost‐prohibitive. This unit presents a method that permits quantitative profiling of several hundred selected genes in a large number of samples by coupling RNA‐mediated oligonucleotide Annealing, Selection, and Ligation with Next‐Gen sequencing (RASL‐seq). The method even allows direct analysis of RNA levels in cell lysates and is also adaptable to full automation, making it ideal for large‐scale analysis of multiple biological pathways or regulatory gene networks in the context of systematic genetic or chemical genetic perturbations. Curr. Protoc. Mol. Biol. 98:4.13.1‐4.13.9. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
High‐Throughput Multiplex Sequencing of miRNA
Authors: Vigneault Francois , Ter‐Ovanesyan Dmitry , Alon Shahar , Eminaga Seda , C. Christodoulou Danos , Seidman J. G. , Eisenberg Eli , M. Church George
Published: April 2012

Next‐generation sequencing offers many advantages over other methods of microRNA (miRNA) expression profiling, such as sample throughput and the capability to discover novel miRNAs. As the sequencing depth of current sequencing platforms exceeds what is necessary to quantify miRNAs, multiplexing several samples in one sequencing run offers a significant cost advantage. Although previous studies have achieved this goal by adding bar codes to miRNA libraries at the ligation step, this was recently shown to introduce significant bias into the miRNA expression data. This bias can be avoided, however, by bar coding the miRNA libraries at the PCR step instead. Here, we describe a user‐friendly PCR bar‐coding method of preparing multiplexed microRNA libraries for Illumina‐based sequencing. The method also prevents the production of adapter dimers and can be completed in one day. Curr. Protoc. Hum. Genet. 73:11.12.1‐11.12.10 © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
No evidence that major mtDNA European haplogroups confer risk to schizophrenia
Authors: Mosquera‐Miguel Ana , Torrell Helena , Abasolo Nerea , Arrojo Manuel , Paz Eduardo , Ramos‐Ríos Ramón , Agra Santiago , Páramo Mario , Brenlla Julio , Martínez Silvia , Vilella Elisabet , Valero Joaquín , Gutiérrez‐Zotes Alfonso , Martorell Lourdes , Costas Javier , Salas Antonio
Published: April 2012

Previous studies suggest that genetic factors could be involved in mitochondrial dysfunction observed in schizophrenia (SZ), some of them claiming a role of mtDNA common variants (mtSNPs) and/or haplogroups (hgs) in developing this disorder. These studies, however, have mainly been undertaken on relatively small cohorts of patients and control individuals and most have not yet been replicated. To further analyze the role of mtSNPs in SZ risk, we have carried out the largest genotyping effort to date using two Spanish case–control samples comprising a total of 942 schizophrenic patients and 1,231 unrelated controls: 454 patients and 616 controls from Santiago de Compostela (Galicia) and 488 patients and 615 controls from Reus (Catalonia). A set of 25 mtSNPs representing main branches of the European mtDNA phylogeny were genotyped in the Galician cohort and a subset of 16 out of these 25 mtSNPs was genotyped in the Catalan cohort. These 16 common variants characterize the most common European branches of the mtDNA phylogeny. We did not observe any positive association of mtSNPs and hgs with SZ. We discuss several deficiencies of previous studies that might explain the false positive nature of previous findings, including the confounding effect of population sub‐structure and deficient statistical methodologies. It is unlikely that mtSNPs defining the most common European mtDNA haplogroups are related to SZ. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Automated methods for accurate determination of the critical velocity of packed bed chromatography
Authors: Chang Yu‐Chih , Gerontas Spyridon , Titchener‐Hooker Nigel J.
Published: April 2012

Knowing the critical velocity (ucrit) of a chromatography column is an important part of process development as it allows the optimization of chromatographic flow conditions. The conventional flow step method for determining ucrit is prone to error as it depends heavily on human judgment. In this study, two automated methods for determining ucrit have been developed: the automatic flow step (AFS) method and the automatic pressure step (APS) method. In the AFS method, the column pressure drop is monitored upon application of automated incremental increases in flow velocity, whereas in the APS method the flow velocity is monitored upon application of automated incremental increases in pressure drop. The APS method emerged as the one with the higher levels of accuracy, efficiency and ease of application having the greater potential to assist defining the best operational parameters of a chromatography column. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012
Flow cytometry assessment of residual melanoma cells in tumor‐infiltrating lymphocyte cultures
Authors: Richards John O. , Treisman Jonathan , Garlie Nina , Hanson John P. , Oaks Martin K.
Published: April 2012

Adoptive transfer of tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) is in development for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. In phase II clinical trials, patients with metastatic melanoma that received TIL after preconditioning had a 50–70% clinical response rate. The current approach to generate TIL is to culture melanoma enzyme digests in the presence of IL‐2 for a 10‐ to 20‐day period followed by 2 weeks of rapid expansion (REP). Prior to administration, cell therapies are characterized and tested for purity. TIL are characterized by CD3 surface marker expression, and purity is assessed by the amount of tumor remaining in culture. Evaluating TIL purity has traditionally been done by immunohistochemistry, which is often considered semiquantitative. To generate a quantitative assay, we used multiparameter flow cytometry to evaluate the presence of viable tumor cells by staining TIL populations with a viability dye and an antibody cocktail that detects intracellular tumor‐antigens gp100, Mart‐1, tyrosinase, S100, and surface tumor‐antigen melanoma chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (MCSP), and CD3 on T cells. Tumors were identified by gating on the viable CD3− population. Antigens in tumors were initially optimized with individual antibodies using both immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. When eight different tumor cell lines were spiked into an activated T cell culture, flow cytometry was able to distinguish lymphocytes from tumors in all samples tested. Most importantly, the assay was able to detect melanoma cells in all enzyme digests (9/9) from patient samples. After IL‐2‐induced TIL expansion, there was a significant decrease in tumor cells; tumor cells were detected in only 2 of 12 samples. In eight IL‐2‐induced TIL samples that were further expanded in REP, no tumor cells were detected. We have demonstrated that flow cytometry is an alternative to immunohistochemistry for defining the purity of a TIL population. © 2012 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
The relationship between environmental management systems and organizational innovations
Authors: Llach Josep , Castro Rodolfo de , Bikfalvi Andrea , Marimon Frederic
Published: April 2012

This study provides empirical evidence of the nature of the relationship between environmental management systems and organizational innovations. Using a sample of Spanish manufacturing firms, the study reports on the implementation of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14000 environmental quality standards and the relationship of such implementation with organizational innovations in the firm. The study presents several implications of interest for practitioners, academics, and policy makers. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mechanism of oxide layer growth during annealing of NiTi
Authors: Undisz Andreas , Schrempel Frank , Wesch Werner , Rettenmayr Markus
Published: April 2012

After annealing at 540°C, NiTi is covered by a characteristic oxide layer with an Ni‐containing outer and an Ni‐free inner titanium oxide region. To elucidate details of the yet unclear formation process, samples were annealed in an atmosphere containing different oxygen isotopes at a time and analyzed by nondestructive ion beam techniques at different stages of the oxidation. During the heating stage, an oxygen permeable “low Ni” titanium oxide forms, and the oxide layer grows inward. Subsequently, when the annealing temperature of 540°C is reached, Ni‐free stoichiometric titanium oxide forms and inhibits the transport of oxygen toward the bulk. Thus, the oxide layer growth changes to outward, and the final location of the reaction front between O and Ti is inside the oxide layer at the transition of “low Ni” oxide to “Ni‐free” oxide. Consequently, the annealing conditions during inward oxide layer growth govern the surface properties, whereas the conditions during outward oxide layer growth are uncritical with respect to the surface properties. The findings are directly applicable to set the amount of surface Ni of NiTi devices, provide basis for detailed interpretation of experimental results involving annealing of NiTi, and can further respective modeling. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2012.
A prominent eustachian valve dividing the right atrium imaged by three‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography
Authors: Iida Ryoji , Vonder Muhll Isabelle
Published: April 2012

A 63‐year‐old man underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to rule out left atrial thrombi prior to cardioversion. Initial two‐dimensional TEE with color flow Doppler imaging was suggestive of an atrial septal defect. However, three‐dimensional TEE imaging revealed that the unusually large elongated Eustachian valve extended toward the superior vena cava and mimicked the interatrial septum, while the true septum was located more posteriorly than the Eustachian valve. Three‐dimensional TEE imaging was crucial to understanding the anatomical relationship between the Eustachian valve and the interatrial septum and hence proved helpful in characterizing this unusual anatomical variant. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound, 41:514–516, 2013;
Neural Stem Cells Directly Differentiated from Partially Reprogrammed Fibroblasts Rapidly Acquire Gliogenic Competency
Authors: Matsui Takeshi , Takano Morito , Yoshida Kenji , Ono Soichiro , Fujisaki Chikako , Matsuzaki Yumi , Toyama Yoshiaki , Nakamura Masaya , Okano Hideyuki , Akamatsu Wado
Published: April 2012

Neural stem cells (NSCs) were directly induced from mouse fibroblasts using four reprogramming factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and cMyc) without the clonal isolation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These NSCs gave rise to both neurons and glial cells even at early passages, while early NSCs derived from clonal embryonic stem cells (ESCs)/iPSCs differentiated mainly into neurons. Epidermal growth factor-dependent neurosphere cultivation efficiently propagated these gliogenic NSCs and eliminated residual pluripotent cells that could form teratomas in vivo. We concluded that these directly induced NSCs were derived from partially reprogrammed cells, because dissociated ESCs/iPSCs did not form neurospheres in this culture condition. These NSCs differentiated into both neurons and glial cells in vivo after being transplanted intracranially into mouse striatum. NSCs could also be directly induced from adult human fibroblasts. The direct differentiation of partially reprogrammed cells may be useful for rapidly preparing NSCs with a strongly reduced propensity for tumorigenesis.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Two 2D Metal‐organic Networks Based on a Rigid Imidazolate/Sulfonate Functionalized Ligand – Effect of the Coordination Modes of the Ligand on Crystal Structures
Authors: Wang Xiu‐Ying , Xu Long , Liu Rui‐Bin , Liu Shu‐Qin , Yang Wen‐Bo , Zhang Jian‐Jun
Published: April 2012

A rigid imidazolate/sulfonate functionalized ligand, 6‐(4‐sulfonatopheny)imidazo[4, 5‐f]isoindole‐5, 7‐dione (SPID) was designed and used for assembling reactions with Mn2+ and Cu2+ ions. Two 2D frameworks compounds, [Mn(H‐1SPID)2(DMAC)2] (1) and [Cu(H‐2SPID)(H2O)2]·0.7DMAC·0.3H2O (2) (DMAC = N,N‐dimethylacetamide) were obtained. Single crystal X‐ray analyses show that 1 has a 2D (4, 4)‐net based on 4‐connected Mn2+ nodes and μ2‐coordinated H‐1SPID spacers, whereas compound 2 has a 2D (6, 3)‐net built of 3‐connected Cu2+ nodes and μ3‐coordinated H‐2SPID spacers. Additionally, the thermal behavior of 1 and 2 is presented.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Structures of Palladium(II) and Platinum(II) Complexes Containing N,N‐Bis(diphenylphos­phanyl)Naphthylamine
Authors: Al‐Masri Harbi Tomah
Published: April 2012

The reaction of 1‐naphthylamine with two equivalents of chlorodiphenylphosphine in the presence of triethylamine gave the ligand C10H7‐1‐N(PPh2)2 (1). Reaction of 1 with PdCl2(CH3CN)2 or PtCl2(cod) (1:1 molar ratio) afforded the complexes cis‐[PdCl2{C10H7‐1‐N(PPh2)2}] (2) and cis‐[PtCl2{C10H7‐1‐N(PPh2)2}] (3), respectively. Compounds 1–3 were identified and characterized by multinuclear NMR (1H, 13C, 31P NMR) and IR spectroscopy. Crystal structure determinations of complexes 2 and 3 were carried out.
Exogenous Arachidonate Restores the Dimethoate‐Induced Inhibition of Steroidogenesis in Rat Interstitial Cells
Authors: Astiz Mariana , Hurtado de Catalfo Graciela , J. T. de Alaniz María , Marra Carlos Alberto
Published: April 2012

The present work studies the potential restorative effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, 5 μM/24 h) on the dimethoate (DMT)‐induced inhibition of testosterone biosynthesis in Leydig cells isolated from rat testes. Various fatty acids (FA) from the n‐6 (18:2, 20:3, 20:4, 22:4 and 22:5) and n‐3 (18.3, 20:5, 22:5, 22:6) series were assayed in Leydig cells, alone (as delipidated BSA complexes) and in combination with DMT (1 ppm). The n‐6 FA stimulated lipid peroxidation (LPO) and inhibited the activities of steroidogenic enzymes (3β‐ and 17β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases). The n‐3 FA exerted an anti‐oxidant effect, decreasing the production of thiobarbituric‐acid reactive substances (TBARS) and inhibiting phospholipase A2 activity. The biosynthesis of testosterone in DMT‐treated cultures was completely normalized by ARA (20:4n‐6) and partially restored by the addition of 20:3n‐6, increasing ARA content inside the mitochondria. The other FA assayed failed to restore androgenesis. COX‐2 protein and prostaglandin F2α and E2 production were stimulated by 20:3n‐6, ARA, 18:3n‐3 and 20:5 n‐3. COX‐2 protein decreased upon addition of 22:5n‐3 and 22:6n‐3. StAR protein was increased by ARA and partially increased by 20:3n‐6, likely due to its metabolic conversion into ARA. Both FA increased the mitochondrial cholesterol pool available for testosterone biosynthesis. The rate of androgenesis is likely the result of various regulatory factors acting concomitantly on the physiology of Leydig cells.
Analyzing the scalability of coordination requirements of a distributed software project
Authors: de Souza Cleidson R. B. , Costa Jean M. R. , Cataldo Marcelo
Published: April 2012

Collaborative tools have been proposed to support different domains, including software development. Despite important previous work on the design of collaborative tools, none directly addresses the required scalability of these collaborative tools. As such, the design of these tools is hindered because it does not take into account real-world requirements for handling and presenting information to support collaborative activities. In this paper, we use an approach to compute the coordination requirements of an actor, and by so doing, we are able to identify the required scalability of the collaborative tools to support these actors. The coordination requirements are the likely set of actors that a particular individual might need to coordinate/communicate with. We computed the coordination requirements of software developers involved in a large-scale distributed software development project. Software developers’ coordination requirements were computed in four different time intervals: 1, 7, 15, and 30 days so that we could assess the scalability of collaborative tools in both short and long term software development activities. Our results suggest that, in some cases, the number of coordination requirements of a given actor might be very large, and that current collaborative software development tools do not provide proper support for such values. Furthermore, we observed that coordination requirements often involved members of different teams and from different locations, which increases the importance of having collaborative tools properly designed, given the difficulty of collaborating across organizational and geographical boundaries.
Third-order theory for multi-directional irregular waves
Authors: Madsen Per A. , Fuhrman David R.
Published: April 2012

A new third-order solution for multi-directional irregular water waves in finite water depth is presented. The solution includes explicit expressions for the surface elevation, the amplitude dispersion and the vertical variation of the velocity potential. Expressions for the velocity potential at the free surface are also provided, and the formulation incorporates the effect of an ambient current with the option of specifying zero net volume flux. Harmonic resonance may occur at third order for certain combinations of frequencies and wavenumber vectors, and in this situation the perturbation theory breaks down due to singularities in the transfer functions. We analyse harmonic resonance for the case of a monochromatic short-crested wave interacting with a plane wave having a different frequency, and make long-term simulations with a high-order Boussinesq formulation in order to study the evolution of wave trains exposed to harmonic resonance.
Organ-specific exposure and response to sulforaphane, a key chemopreventive ingredient in broccoli: implications for cancer prevention
Authors: Veeranki Omkara L. , Bhattacharya Arup , Marshall James R. , Zhang Yuesheng
Published: April 2012

Naturally occurring sulforaphane (SF) has been extensively studied for cancer prevention. However, little is known as to which organs may be most affected by this agent, which impedes its further development. In the present study, SF was administered to rats orally either in a single dose or once daily for 7 d. Tissue distribution of SF was measured by a HPLC-based method. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), two well-known cytoprotective phase 2 enzymes, were measured using biochemical assays to assess tissue response to SF. SF was delivered to different organs in vastly different concentrations. Tissue uptake of SF was the greatest in the stomach, declining rapidly in the descending gastro-intestinal tract. SF was rapidly eliminated through urinary excretion, and urinary concentrations of SF equivalents were 2–4 orders of magnitude higher than those of plasma. Indeed, tissue uptake level of SF in the bladder was second only to that in the stomach. Tissue levels of SF in the colon, prostate and several other organs were very low, compared to those in the bladder and stomach. Moreover, induction levels of GST and NQO1 varied by 3- to 6-fold among the organs of SF-treated rats, though not strictly correlated with tissue exposure to SF. Thus, there is profound organ specificity in tissue exposure and response to dietary SF, suggesting that the potential chemopreventive benefit of dietary SF may differ significantly among organs. These findings may provide a basis for prioritising organs for further chemopreventive study of SF.
The Smaller the Market, the Better the Rent Capturing: Electrification in North Portugal during the Interwar Period
Authors: Rodríguez Isabel Bartolomé
Published: April 2012

This article analyses the origin of the persistently high level of electricity prices that hampered the expansion of electricity consumption during the interwar period in Porto. Initially, the rent-seeking behaviour of both the supply firm and the City Hall at the local level affected the expansion of the local electricity market. During the 1930s, this collusion at municipal level coincided with unpredictable energy policies at state level. This circumstance impeded the indispensable increase of scale and the building of a regional market of electricity in north Portugal. The literature on regulation and institutional analysis has proved very useful. Finally, though equally important, primary sources from company archives and institutional bodies were also employed.
Adverse selection and moral hazard in the provision of clinical trial ancillary care
Authors: Richards Michael R. , Helmchen Lorens A.
Published: April 2012

As more and more clinical trials are conducted in developing countries, concerns arise about non-trial medical care available to study participants. Recent work argues for ancillary care – medical care not part of the clinical trial per se – to be formally incorporated into these studies. Although the provision of ancillary care is often justified on ethical grounds, a number of crucial implementation issues remain unresolved, including its scope, duration and financing. Drawing on lessons from health insurance benefit design, we highlight two overlooked challenges for ancillary care adoption – adverse selection and moral hazard – and offer recommendations that could attenuate their consequences. Specifically, adverse selection and moral hazard could be reduced by offering a choice between ancillary medical care and monetary compensation or rewarding low ancillary care utilization. Alternatively, researchers’ financial risk due to ancillary care could be shifted to a third-party insurer. Recognizing participants’ behavioral responses to prospective offers of ancillary medical care would allow funders and research teams to forecast the demand for ancillary care more accurately and to prepare for its provision more adequately.
Ineffective morphine treatment regimen for the control of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in buprenorphine- and methadone-exposed infants
Authors: Gordon A. L. , Lopatko O. V. , Haslam R. R. , Stacey H. , Pearson V. , Woods A. , Fisk A. , White J. M.
Published: April 2012

This study aimed to determine if morphine is effective in ameliorating Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) symptoms to non-opioid-exposed control levels in methadone- and buprenorphine-exposed infants. A prospective, non-randomized comparison study with flexible dosing was undertaken in a large teaching maternity hospital in Australia. Twenty-five infants in the groups of buprenorphine-, methadone- and control non-opioid-exposed infants were compared (totaln= 75 infants). Oral morphine sulphate (1 mg/ml) was administered every 4 h to opioid agonist-exposed infants. Modified Finnegan Withdrawal Scale (MFWS) scores determined dosing: score of 8–10: 0.5 mg/kg/day, 11–13: 0.7 mg/kg/day and 14+: 0.9 mg/kg/day. Withdrawal score, amount of morphine administered and length of hospital stay, were used to assess NAS over a 4-week follow-up period. No controls achieved a score higher than 7 on the MFWS. There was no significant difference in the percentage of infants requiring treatment between methadone (60%) and buprenorphine (48%) infants. For treated infants, significantly (P< 0.01) more morphine was administered to methadone (40.07 ± 3.95 mg) compared with buprenorphine infants (22.77 ± 4.29 mg) to attempt to control NAS. Following treatment initiation, significantly more (P< 0.01) methadone (87%) compared with buprenorphine infants (42%) continued to exceed scoring thresholds for morphine treatment requirement, and non-opioid-exposed control infant scores. For treated infants, there was no significant difference in length of hospital stay between methadone and buprenorphine infants. Morphine treatment was not entirely effective in ameliorating NAS to non-opioid-exposed control symptom levels in methadone or buprenorphine infants. The regimen may be less effective in methadone compared with buprenorphine infants.
Monitoring glacier surface seismicity in time and space using Rayleigh waves
Authors: Mikesell T. D. , van Wijk K. , Haney M. M. , Bradford J. H. , Marshall H. P. , Harper J. T.
Published: April 2012

Sliding glaciers and brittle ice failure generate seismic body and surface wave energy characteristic to the source mechanism. Here we analyze continuous seismic recordings from an array of nine short‐period passive seismometers located on Bench Glacier, Alaska (USA) (61.033°N, 145.687°W). We focus on the arrival‐time and amplitude information of the dominant Rayleigh wave phase. Over a 46‐hour period we detect thousands of events using a cross‐correlation based event identification method. Travel‐time inversion of a subset of events (7% of the total) defines an active crevasse, propagating more than 200 meters in three hours. From the Rayleigh wave amplitudes, we estimate the amount of volumetric opening along the crevasse as well as an average bulk attenuation (
= 42) for the ice in this part of the glacier. With the remaining icequake signals we establish a diurnal periodicity in seismicity, indicating that surface run‐off and subglacial water pressure changes likely control the triggering of these surface events. Furthermore, we find that these events are too weak (i.e., too noisy) to locate individually. However, stacking individual events increases the signal‐to‐noise ratio of the waveforms, implying that these periodic sources are effectively stationary during the recording period.
A general analytical solution for groundwater fluctuations due to dual tide in long but narrow islands
Authors: Huang Ching‐Sheng , Yeh Hund‐Der , Chang Chia‐Hao
Published: April 2012

This paper develops a general mathematical model for describing head fluctuations in an aquifer of long but narrow islands subject to a dual tide effect. The upper boundary condition of the aquifer is represented by an equation combining the simplified free surface equation with a leakage term. Such an equation is considered as a general expression representing the upper boundary condition of a confined, unconfined, or leaky confined aquifer. The closed‐form solution of the model represented by two series terms is developed by the direct Fourier method and finite Fourier sine transform. One of the series can reduce to a closed‐form expression by means of contour integral and residue theorem. If the width of the island is very large, this solution gives the predicted head almost the same as that of the solution for an aquifer subject to a single tide effect. It is found that the presence of an upper aquitard produces significant vertical flow in the lower leaky confined aquifer even if the aquitard permeability is low. Neglecting such vertical flow may result in an overestimate of hydraulic head in the leaky confined aquifer. The attenuation factor and phase lag predicted from the present solution subject to the dual tide effect agree well with those estimated from 57 day head fluctuation data observed at Garden Island, Australia.
Observations of electromagnetic whistler precursors at supercritical interplanetary shocks
Authors: Wilson L. B. , Koval A. , Szabo A. , Breneman A. , Cattell C. A. , Goetz K. , Kellogg P. J. , Kersten K. , Kasper J. C. , Maruca B. A. , Pulupa M.
Published: April 2012

We present observations of electromagnetic precursor waves, identified as whistler mode waves, at supercritical interplanetary shocks using the Wind search coil magnetometer. The precursors propagate obliquely with respect to the local magnetic field, shock normal vector, solar wind velocity, and they are not phase standing structures. All are right‐hand polarized with respect to the magnetic field (spacecraft frame), and all but one are right‐hand polarized with respect to the shock normal vector in the normal incidence frame. They have rest frame frequencies fci < f ≪ fce and wave numbers 0.02 ≲ kρce ≲ 5.0. Particle distributions show signatures of specularly reflected gyrating ions, which may be a source of free energy for the observed modes. In one event, we simultaneously observe perpendicular ion heating and parallel electron acceleration, consistent with wave heating/acceleration due to these waves. Although the precursors can have δB/Bo as large as 2, fluxgate magnetometer measurements show relatively laminar shock transitions in three of the four events.
Magnetic conjugacy of northern and southern auroral beads
Authors: Motoba Tetsuo , Hosokawa Keisuke , Kadokura Akira , Sato Natsuo
Published: April 2012

Auroral beads, i.e., azimuthally arrayed bright spots resembling a pearl necklace, have recently drawn attention as a possible precursor of auroral substorms. We used simultaneous, ground‐based, all‐sky camera observations from a geomagnetically conjugate Iceland‐Syowa Station pair to demonstrate that the auroral beads, whose wavelength is ∼30–50 km, evolve synchronously in the northern and southern hemispheres and have remarkable interhemispheric similarities. In both hemispheres: 1) they appeared almost at the same time; 2) their longitudinal wave number was similar ∼300–400, corresponding bead separation being ∼1° in longitude; 3) they started developing into a larger scale spiral form at the same time; 4) their propagation speeds and their temporal evolution were almost identical. These interhemispheric similarities provide strong evidence that there is a common driver in the magnetotail equatorial region that controls the major temporal evolution of the auroral beads; thus, the magnetosphere plays a primary role in structuring the initial brightening arc in this scale size.
Life Tables of Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae): with a Mathematical Invalidation for Applying the Jackknife Technique to the Net Reproductive Rate
Authors: Chi Hsin , Huang Yu-Bing
Published: April 2012

Life table data for the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), reared on cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) were collected under laboratory and simulated field conditions. Means and standard errors of life table parameters were estimated for two replicates using the jackknife technique. At 25ºC, the intrinsic rates of increase (r) found for the two replicates were 0.1354 and 0.1002 day-1, and the net reproductive rates (R~0~) were 206.3 and 66.0 offspring, respectively. When the cucumbers kept under simulated field conditions were covered with leaves, the r and R~0~ for the two replicates were 0.0935 and 0.0909 day-1, 17.5 and 11.4 offspring, respectively. However, when similar cucumbers were left uncovered, the r and R~0~ for the two replicates were 0.1043 and 0.0904 day-1, and 27.7 and 10.1 offspring, respectively. Our results revealed that considerable variability between replicates in both laboratory and field conditions is possible; this variability should be taken into consideration in data collection and application of life tables. Mathematical analysis has demonstrated that applying the jackknife technique results in unrealistic pseudo-R~0~ and overestimation of its variance. We suggest that the jackknife technique should not be used for the estimation of variability of R~0~.
A Systems Biology Approach towards Deciphering the Unfolded Protein Response in Huntington's Disease
Authors: Ayasolla Kameshwar , Kalathur Ravi , Futschik Matthias
Published: April 2012

Although the disease causing gene huntingtin has been known for some time, the exact cause of neuronal cell death during Huntington's disease (HD) remains unknown. One potential mechanism contributing to the massive loss of neurons in HD brains might be the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) which is activated by accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). As an adaptive response, UPR upregulates transcription of chaperones, temporarily attenuating new translation and activates protein degradation via the proteasome. However, at high levels of ER stress, UPR signalling can contribute to neuronal apoptosis.Our primary aims include (a) construction of the UPR signalling network, (b) curation and bioinformatical identification of UPR target genes and finally (c) examination of HD gene expression data sets for UPR transcriptional signatures and differential regulation of UPR pathways.The UPR signalling pathway is reconstructed based on literature review and using the "Unified Interactome database":http://www.unihi.org. Lists of UPR target genes detected by previous experiments or as predicted by computational analysis are compiled. This allows us to perform enrichment analysis for differential HD gene expression and to assess whether UPR expression signatures are prominent during HD pathogenesis.

Results:

The canonical UPR pathway is complemented with additional protein interaction data allowing us to assess its embedding into the cellular context and to identify potential modifiers as well as novel drug targets.

Conclusions:

The in depth systems biology analysis can give us valuable insights about the involvement of the UPR in HD.
Structure based de novo design of IspD inhibitors as anti-tubercular agents
Authors: Varikoti Rohith Anand , Gangwal Rahul , Dhoke Gaurao , Ramaswamy Venkata Krishnan , Sangamwar Abhay
Published: April 2012

Tuberculosis is one of the leading contagious diseases, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Despite improvements in anti-tubercular agents, it remains one of the most prevalent infectious diseases worldwide, responsible for a total of 1.6 million deaths annually. The emergence of multidrug resistant strains highlighted the need of discovering novel drug targets for the development of anti-tubercular agents. 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate cytidyltransferase (IspD) is an enzyme involved in MEP pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis, which is considered an attractive target for the discovery of novel antibiotics for its essentiality in bacteria and absence in mammals. In the present study, we have employed structure based drug design approach to develop novel and potent inhibitors for IspD receptor. To explore binding affinity and hydrogen bond interaction between the ligand and active site of IspD receptor, docking studies were performed. ADMET and synthetic accessibility filters were used to screen designed molecules. Finally, ten compounds were selected and subsequently submitted for the synthesis and in vitro studies as IspD inhibitors.
Analysis of Relationship between Paraspinal Muscle Fatty Degeneration and Cervical Spine Motion Using Kinetic Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Inoue Hirokazu , Montgomery Scott , Aghdasi Bayan , Tan Yanlin , Tian Haijun , Jian Xiong , Terrell Rodney , Singh Vijay , Wang Jeffrey C.
Published: April 2012

The alignment and mobility of the cervical spine is influenced by factors related to the vertebral bodies, intervertebral discs, ligaments, facet joints, and muscles. Few reports have described the role played by the paraspinal muscles in cervical spine mobility. In this study, we investigate the relationship between fatty degeneration of the paraspinal muscles and cervical motion as assessed with kinetic magnetic resonance imaging (kMRI). One hundred eighty-eight symptomatic patients underwent cervical kMRI in neutral, flexion, and extension positions. We quantified cervical paraspinal muscle fatty infiltration and measured angular variation and translational motion at each cervical level, and the global Cobb angle. Cervical paraspinal muscle fatty degeneration demonstrated a pattern in which C3 and C7 had significantly more fatty infiltration than C4, C5, and C6. Additionally, when the normal group was compared with the fatty degeneration group with respect to angular variation, translational motion, and Cobb angle, no significant differences were found except in angular variation at the C3–C4 level. In conclusion, we found a significantly larger quantity of fatty degeneration in the paraspinal muscles at C3 and C7 than the middle cervical levels. Also, we demonstrate that fatty degeneration does not significantly affect cervical lordotic alignment or mobility characteristics.
A Nonenhancing World Health Organization Grade II Intramedullary Spinal Ependymoma in the Conus: Case Illustration and Review of Imaging Characteristics
Authors: Fanous Andrew A. , Jost Gregory F. , Schmidt Meic H.
Published: April 2012

Spinal ependymomas comprise ~60% of all intramedullary tumors in adults. Ependymomas demonstrate distinct imaging features, such as central location within the spinal cord, symmetrical expansion, intra- and extratumoral cysts, hemosiderin caps, and strong enhancement on contrast-injected, T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. In adults, most ependymomas are myxopapillary, and in children, most are nonmyxopapillary. In general, nonmyxopapillary or classic ependymomas are hyperintense on T2- and hypointense on T1-weighted MR imaging, but whereas the signal intensity on T1 and T2 is variable, homogeneous contrast enhancement is usually a characteristic finding. Here, the authors provide an overview on spinal ependymomas with an emphasis on imaging characteristics and morphological background and present the case of a World Health Organization grade II ependymoma in the conus that did not enhance. Interestingly, the tumor contained a large hemorrhagic cyst. Just as hemorrhagic metastatic tumors may not enhance, a hemorrhagic ependymoma may likewise not enhance after administration of contrast agent. Thus, the differential diagnosis of a nonenhancing intramedullary lesion in the conus should include ependymoma, particularly if there is concomitant hemorrhage.
Lateral Mass Fixation in Subaxial Cervical Spine: Anatomic Review
Authors: Mohamed Elrahmany , Ihab Zidan , Moaz Anwar , Ayman Nabawi , Haitham Abo-elw
Published: April 2012

Introduction

The cervical spine is a highly mobile segment of the spinal column, liable to a variety of diseases and susceptible to trauma. It is a complex region where many vital structures lie in close proximity. Lateral mass screw fixation has become the method of choice in stabilizing subaxial cervical spine among other posterior cervical fixation techniques whenever the posterior elements are absent or compromised.

Objective

This study examined cervical specimens of cadavers and cervical computed tomography (CT) scans to minimize as much as possible complications of cervical lateral mass screw placement such as vertebral artery or nerve root injuries, facet joint violations, or inadequate placement.

Methods

Forty normal cervical CT scans, obtained from the emergency unit as part of the trauma workup, were included in this study plus 10 cervical cadaveric specimens obtained from the Alexandria Neuro-anatomy laboratory. There were three fixed parameters for screw insertion in this study. First, the point of screw insertion was the midpoint of the lateral mass; it was the crossing point between the sagittal and axial planes of the posterior cortex of the lateral mass. Second, the direction of the screw in the craniocaudal plane was 30 degrees cranially to avoid facet joint penetration. Third, the exit point of the screw was located on the ventral cortex of the lateral mass just lateral to the root of the transverse process in the midaxial cut of each lateral mass, to make a sound bicortical fixation without injuring the vertebral artery or the nerve root. The selected screw trajectory in this study was the line drawn between the inlet and exit points. The depth and width of the lateral mass of the cervical vertebrae from C3 to C7 were measured as well as the angle of screw trajectory from the sagittal plane. All these measures were applied on the cadaveric specimens to make sure that no injury to the vertebral artery, nerve root, or facet joint occurred.

Results

As regards the collected measurements of the lateral mass of all subaxial cervical vertebrae, the study revealed that the average depth of the lateral mass was 12.83 ± 1.28 mm. The average width of the lateral mass was 11.92 ± 0.96 mm. The average divergent angle of bicortical screw insertion without injury to the vertebral artery or the nerve root was 19.51 ± 1.83 degrees. As regard the cadaveric specimens, based on all the collected measurements taken from the CT scans, there was no reported injury to the vertebral arteries or nerve roots or penetration to the facet joints.

Conclusion

Lateral mass fixation can be applied easily and safely for all levels of subaxial cervical spine from C3 to C6 with the following parameters: (1) the point of entry is the midpoint of the lateral mass; (2) the screw trajectory is directed 30 degrees cranially and 20 degrees laterally; (3) the screw length is 13 to 15 mm.
Spin-adapted density matrix renormalization group algorithms for quantum chemistry
Authors: Sharma Sandeep , Chan Garnet Kin-Lic
Published: April 2012

We extend the spin-adapted density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) algorithm of McCulloch and Gulacsi [Europhys. Lett. 57, 852 (2002)]10.1209/epl/i2002-00393-0 to quantum chemical Hamiltonians. This involves using a quasi-density matrix, to ensure that the renormalized DMRG states are eigenfunctions of $\hat{S}^2$Ŝ2, and the Wigner-Eckart theorem, to reduce overall storage and computational costs. We argue that the spin-adapted DMRG algorithm is most advantageous for low spin states. Consequently, we also implement a singlet-embedding strategy due to Tatsuaki [Phys. Rev. E 61, 3199 (2000)]10.1103/PhysRevE.61.3199 where we target high spin states as a component of a larger fictitious singlet system. Finally, we present an efficient algorithm to calculate one- and two-body reduced density matrices from the spin-adapted wavefunctions. We evaluate our developments with benchmark calculations on transition metal system active space models. These include the Fe2S2, [Fe2S2(SCH3)4]2−, and Cr2 systems. In the case of Fe2S2, the spin-ladder spacing is on the microHartree scale, and here we show that we can target such very closely spaced states. In [Fe2S2(SCH3)4]2−, we calculate particle and spin correlation functions, to examine the role of sulfur bridging orbitals in the electronic structure. In Cr2 we demonstrate that spin-adaptation with the Wigner-Eckart theorem and using singlet embedding can yield up to an order of magnitude increase in computational efficiency. Overall, these calculations demonstrate the potential of using spin-adaptation to extend the range of DMRG calculations in complex transition metal problems.
Semiconducting-like filament formation in TiN/HfO2/TiN resistive switching random access memories
Authors: De Stefano F. , Houssa M. , Kittl J. A. , Jurczak M. , Afanas’ev V. V. , Stesmans A.
Published: April 2012

The conduction mechanisms and nature of the filament formed in the low resistive state of TiN/HfO2/TiN resistive random access memories are studied from the temperature-dependence of their current-voltage characteristics. These characteristics are analyzed using the percolation theory of conductor networks, allowing us to extract the temperature-dependence of their effective resistivity. The results suggest a semiconducting-like nature of the filament in these devices. By considering the formation of a large density (about 10 at. %) of oxygen vacancies in HfO2, the electronic properties of such O-deficient HfOx filaments are computed using first-principles calculations. These calculations confirm the likely semiconducting nature of the filament formed in these devices.