bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alteration of Volume-Regulated Chloride Movement in Rat Cerebrovascular Smooth Muscle Cells During Hypertension
Authors: Shi Xiao-Lian , Wang Guan-Lei , Zhang Zheng , Liu Yu-Jie , Chen Jing-Hui , Zhou Jia-Guo , Qiu Qin-Ying , Guan Yong-Yuan
Published: April 2007

The cerebrovascular remodeling is a prominent feature of hypertension and considered a major risk factor for stroke. Cerebrovascular smooth muscle cells meet volume challenge during this pathophysiological process. Our previous studies suggest that volume regulated chloride channels may be critical to the cell cycle of vascular smooth muscle cells. However, it is unknown whether the volume-regulated chloride movement is altered in hypertension. Therefore, we directly measured the concentration of intracellular chloride ([Cl
−
]
i
) in rat basilar arterial smooth muscle cells isolated from control rats and rats that were made hypertensive for 1 to 12 weeks after partial renal artery constriction (2-kidney, 2-clip method) using a 6-methoxy-
N
-ethylquinolinium iodide fluorescence probe. The [Cl
−
]
i
in isotonic solution showed no difference in all of the groups. After hypotonic perfusion, the reduction in [Cl
−
]
i
was more prominent in hypertensive cerebrovascular smooth muscle cells than in sham control cells. Genistein, a protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor, inhibited hypotonic-induced reduction in [Cl
−
]
i
, whereas sodium orthovanadate, a protein–tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, enhanced hypotonic-induced reduction in [Cl
−
]
i
in both groups. The percentage inhibition of reduction in [Cl
−
]
i
by genistein on volume-regulated chloride movement has a positive correlation with blood pressure levels in the 2-kidney, 2-clip hypertensive group, as is the case for the percentage increase of reduction in [Cl
−
]
i
by sodium orthovanadate. Antihypertensive therapy with the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril completely reversed abnormal volume-regulated chloride movement in hypertensive rats. We conclude that volume-regulated chloride movement is augmented in rat cerebrovascular smooth muscle cells in proportion to the severity of hypertension.
Outcome for Children with Autism who Began Intensive Behavioral Treatment Between Ages 4 and 7
Authors: Eikeseth Svein , Smith Tristram , Jahr Erik , Eldevik Sigmund
Published: April 2007

This study extends findings on the effects of intensive applied behavior analytic treatment for children with autism who began treatment at a mean age of 5.5 years. The behavioral treatment group ( n = 13, 8 boys) was compared to an eclectic treatment group ( n = 12, 11 boys). Assignment to groups was made independently based on the availability of qualified supervisors. Both behavioral and eclectic treatment took place in public kindergartens and elementary schools for typically developing children. At a mean age of 8 years, 2 months, the behavioral treatment group showed larger increases in IQ and adaptive functioning than did the eclectic group. The behavioral treatment group also displayed fewer aberrant behaviors and social problems at follow-up. Results suggest that behavioral treatment was effective for children with autism in the study.
Ethnographies of the Far Right
Authors: Blee Kathleen M.
Published: April 2007

Despite the gains of far-right and racist movements in many parts of the world, they have been the subject of relatively little ethnographic research. This volume assembles work by prominent scholars on right-wing extremist movements in various places across the globe. Despite significant differences in the agendas and contexts of these groups, close-up examination of their dynamics and the motivations of their activists suggests that emotionality, culture, suspicion of outsiders, and the choices of members are key to understanding how the far right recruits members and garners support from the general population.
Performance, Emotion, and Ideology
Authors: Virchow Fabian
Published: April 2007

In recent years demonstration marches have become an important way for the contemporary German far right to appear in public and disseminate their political messages. These actions not only bring together otherwise loosely organized small groups in an emotional collective but also serve to organize, educate, and indoctrinate the followers of the far right. Ethnographic research shows how emotion, ideology, and performance are intertwined dimensions of this process.
São Paulo peri-urban dynamics: some social causes and environmental consequences
Authors: Torres Haroldo , Alves Humberto , Aparecida De Oliveira Maria
Published: April 2007

This paper shows that the demographic growth of São Paulo's Metropolitan Area is very uneven. While the centre of the city is losing population, its farthest suburbs are growing quite fast. Furthermore, those fast growth areas are the poorest of the metropolitan area, with less infrastructure than other areas within the region and high levels of deforestation and informal land use. The objective of this paper is two-fold: first, it explains the reasons for these intra-urban dynamics by showing that the city is losing population in exactly the places where real estate investments are growing most significantly; second, it seeks to explore the environmental consequences of this pattern of urban sprawl — such as the occupation of environmentally protected areas — by presenting data on forest cover reduction. The approach is original in that it contrasts socioeconomic, demographic and environmental trends within the city of São Paulo according to the rate of population growth of each of the city's areas, instead of employing the more conventional comparison of municipalities.
The Urban Resource Centre, Karachi
Authors: Hasan Arif
Published: April 2007

The Urban Resource Centre is a Karachi-based NGO founded by teachers, professionals, students, activists and community organizations from low-income settlements. It was set up in response to the recognition that the planning process for Karachi did not serve the interests of low- and lower-middle-income groups, small businesses and informal sector operators and was also creating adverse environmental and socioeconomic impacts. The Urban Resource Centre has sought to change this through creating an information base about Karachi's development on which everyone can draw; also through research and analysis of government plans (and their implications for Karachi's citizens), advocacy, mobilization of communities, and drawing key government staff into discussions. This has created a network of professionals and activists from civil society and government agencies who understand planning issues from the perspective of these communities and other less powerful interest groups. This network has successfully challenged many government plans that are ineffective, over-expensive and anti-poor and has promoted alternatives. It shows how the questioning of government plans in an informed manner by a large number of interest groups, community organizations, NGOs, academics, political parties and the media can force the government to listen and to make modifications to its plans, projects and investments. Comparable urban resource centres have also been set up in other cities in Pakistan and also in other nations.
Bridging the gaps: stakeholder-based strategies for risk reduction and financing for the urban poor
Authors: Wamsler Christine
Published: April 2007

This paper explores the options that can be used by aid organizations working in human settlement development to more effectively address disaster risk management. Qualitative research was carried out in El Salvador at both the household and institutional levels — to analyze the needs, capacities and perspectives of slum dwellers and aid organizations. A clearer understanding of the gaps between what households need and undertake to deal with disasters and risk, and how organizations support them, yields important insights for the restructuring of development aid. At the household level, the research reveals a huge variety of crucial but somewhat weak coping strategies. At the institutional level, organizational structures and mechanisms for social housing provision and financing offer a potentially powerful platform for tackling disaster risk. However, current project measures are insufficient. Support for and scaling up of selected household coping strategies, combined with the expansion of social housing funding mechanisms for risk reduction and financing, are some of the options proposed for targeting aid.
The vulnerability to climate change of Cotonou (Benin)
Authors: Dossou Krystel M R , Gléhouenou-Dossou Bernadette
Published: April 2007

In Benin, like most other coastal nations, a high proportion of the population and the largest city are on the coast. In Benin's case, half the nation's population (over 3 million inhabitants) is on the coast and in the city of Cotonou, in the Gulf of Guinea. The coastal location is important to Cotonou's economy but the coastal region is vulnerable to sea-level rise, with potentially catastrophic impacts on the economy, the population and natural systems. The continued advance of the sea, coastal erosion and the rise in sea level, exacerbated by human activity on the coast, have medium- and long-term consequences that are already threatening vulnerable communities and disrupting the least-protected sensitive ecosystems. This paper focuses on the erosion of Benin's coastal region, and analyzes biophysical and socioeconomic vulnerability to the rising sea levels and coastal erosion affecting the city of Cotonou and its coastal plain; it also discusses the ways in which vulnerability could be reduced.
Neuro-fuzzy Active Control of Rotor Suspended on Active Magnetic Bearing
Authors: Couzon P.-Y. , Der Hagopian J.
Published: April 2007

This study deals with the active control of structures by using the capacities of artificial intelligence, and draws from the considerable potential of combining neural networks with fuzzy logic. In particular it focuses on the neuro-fuzzy controller design method and is part of a wider study aimed at emphasizing its feasibility for controlling the flexible modes of rotating machines at rest and in operation. The study covers the design, adjustment and application of this type of nonlinear controller that can be adjusted automatically. Here, the neuro-fuzzy control is used to control the operating position of a flexible rotor suspended on active magnetic bearings. The results of the simulation, confirmed by those of experiments, highlight both efficiency and performance of this type of controller and particular emphasis is given to the simplicity of its design.
Viscoelastic Behavior Analysis and Application of the Fractional Derivative Maxwell Model
Authors: Jia Jiu-Hong , Shen Xiao-Yao , Hua Hong-Xing
Published: April 2007

A mathematical model of the viscoelastic phenomenon, employing the fractional derivative Maxwell Model (FDMM) is analyzed in order to determine its consistency with thermodynamic principles. In particular, the development of constraints on the parameters of the model guarantees that the FDMM will predict a nonnegative rate of energy dissipation and a nonnegative internal work. The creep compliance and relaxation modulus of the FDMM are obtained in an easier way. It is found that the monotonic non-decreasing creep compliance and monotonic non-increasing relaxation moduli prove a well-behaved viscoelastic phenomenon of the FDMM. The analysis of relaxation modulus indicates that the FDMM represents viscoelastic fluid behavior, with arbitrary fractional derivatives of stress and strain, only if the thermodynamic constraints are satisfied. The steady state sinusoidal response expressions derived in this article are verified using comparisons with experimental force-displacement loops.
Assessing Developmental Outcomes in Children from Kilifi, Kenya, Following Prophylaxis for Seizures in Cerebral Malaria
Authors: Abubakar Amina , Van De Vijver Fons J.R. , Mithwani Sadik , Obiero Elizabeth , Lewa Naomi , Kenga Simon , Katana Khamis , Holding Penny
Published: April 2007

The purpose of the study was to develop a culture-informed measure of developmental outcome and to apply it to detect differences in developmental level between children with cerebral malaria enrolled in a clinical trial to control seizures during the acute phase of the illness. The instrument was administered to a sample of 180 children, three and 12 months after discharge from hospital. The measure demonstrated high internal consistency, good inter-observer reliability, age sensitivity and strong relations with parental report of child functioning. No association was found between performance, or change in performance, with the prophylactic regime administered. The results suggested that the use of Phenobarbital in controlling provoked seizures has no observable effect on cognitive function.
Mental Health Policy Development and Implementation in Four African Countries
Authors: Flisher Alan J . , Lund Crick , Funk Michelle , Banda Mwanza , Bhana Arvin , Doku Victor , Drew Natalie , Kigozi Fred N. , Knapp Martin , Omar Mayeh , Petersen Inge , Green Andrew
Published: April 2007

The purpose of the research programme introduced in this article is to provide new knowledge regarding comprehensive multisectoral approaches to breaking the negative cycle of poverty and mental ill-health. The programme undertakes an analysis of existing mental health policies in four African countries (Ghana, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia), and will carry out and evaluate interventions to assist in the development and implementation of mental health policies in those countries, over a five-year period. The four countries in which the programme is being conducted represent a variety of scenarios in mental health policy development and implementation.
The Politics of Behavioural Change for Environmental Health Promotion in Developing Countries
Authors: Barnes Brendon R.
Published: April 2007

Behavioural change remains a popular intervention strategy for environmental health promotion in developing countries. This article explores the question of why behavioural change interventions continue to be widely used as an intervention strategy in developing countries and highlights the political implications of this approach. It suggests that framing interventions within a mainstream environmental health science paradigm serves to perpetuate a behavioural intervention approach while foreclosing other options. It also serves to perpetuate sexist representations of poor African women; absolves decision makers from addressing broader socio-political concerns (such as poverty and inequality) that are key to addressing environmental health concerns in developing countries; and sets up an expert model for environmental health and behavioural health scientists to thrive.
Structural features of the guide:target RNA duplex required for archaeal box C/D sRNA-guided nucleotide 2′-O-methylation
Authors: Appel C. Denise , Maxwell E. Stuart
Published: April 2007

Archaeal box C/D sRNAs guide the 2′-O-methylation of target nucleotides using both terminal box C/D and internal C′/D′ RNP complexes. In vitro assembly of a catalytically active Methanocaldococcus jannaschii sR8 box C/D RNP provides a model complex to determine those structural features of the guide:target RNA duplex important for sRNA-guided nucleotide methylation. Watson–Crick pairing of guide and target nucleotides was found to be essential for methylation, and mismatched bases within the guide:target RNA duplex also disrupted nucleotide modification. However, dependence upon Watson–Crick base-paired guide:target nucleotides for methylation was compromised in elevated Mg2+ concentrations where mismatched target nucleotides were modified. Nucleotide methylation required that the guide:target duplex consist of an RNA:RNA duplex as a target ribonucleotide within a guide RNA:target DNA duplex that was not methylated. Interestingly, D and D′ target RNAs exhibited different levels of methylation when deoxynucleotides were inserted into the target RNA or when target methylation was carried out in elevated Mg2+ concentrations. These observations suggested that unique structural features of the box C/D and C′/D′ RNPs differentially affect their respective methylation capabilities. The ability of the sR8 box C/D sRNP to methylate target nucleotides positioned within highly structured RNA hairpins suggested that the sRNP can facilitate unwinding of double-stranded target RNAs. Finally, increasing target RNA length to extend beyond those nucleotides that base pair with the sRNA guide sequence significantly increased sRNP turnover and thus nucleotide methylation. This suggests that target RNA interaction with the sRNP core proteins is also important for box C/D sRNP-guided nucleotide methylation.
Competition and Diversification Effects in Supply Chains with Supplier Default Risk
Authors: Babich Volodymyr , Burnetas Apostolos N. , Ritchken Peter H.
Published: April 2007

We study the effects of disruption risk in a supply chain where one retailer deals with competing risky suppliers who may default during their production lead times. The suppliers, who compete for business with the retailer by setting wholesale prices, are leaders in a Stackelberg game with the retailer. The retailer, facing uncertain future demand, chooses order quantities while weighing the benefits of procuring from the cheapest supplier against the advantages of order diversification. For the model with two suppliers, we show that low supplier default correlations dampen competition among the suppliers, increasing the equilibrium wholesale prices. Therefore the retailer prefers suppliers with highly correlated default events, despite the loss of diversification benefits. In contrast, the suppliers and the channel prefer defaults that are negatively correlated. However, as the number of suppliers increases, our model predicts that the retailer may be able to take advantage of both competition and diversification.
Workforce Agility in Repair and Maintenance Environments
Authors: Iravani Seyed M. R. , Krishnamurthy Vijayalakshmi
Published: April 2007

In this paper we consider workforce management in repair/maintenance environments in which repairmen are cross-trained to attend more than one type of machine. In this context, we study the machine-repairman problem with heterogeneous machines but with partially cross-trained repairmen. We introduce simple repairman-assignment rules as well as machine-priority rules that are effective in minimizing the machine downtime costs, or balancing the percentage of working machines of different types. We show that static machine priority rules are effective in minimizing systems downtime costs, while a generalized version of the longest queue policy is effective in balancing the percentage of working machines. We also introduce the concept of hidden symmetry in repair environments, and show that the well-known chain repairman skill set structure performs very well in repair environments with hidden symmetry. Finally, we provide insights into the design and control issues of repair/maintenance systems with cross-trained repairmen.
Inspection and Replenishment Policies for Systems with Inventory Record Inaccuracy
Authors: Kök A. Gürhan , Shang Kevin H.
Published: April 2007

For many companies, inventory record inaccuracy is a major obstacle to achieving operational excellence. In this paper, we consider an inventory system in which inventory records are inaccurate. The manager makes inventory inspection and replenishment decisions at the beginning of each period. There is a cost associated with each inspection. If an inspection is performed, inventory records are aligned with physical inventory. The objective is to develop a joint inspection and replenishment policy that minimizes total costs in a finite horizon. We prove that an inspection adjusted base-stock (IABS) policy is optimal for the single-period problem. In the finite-horizon problem, we show that the IABS policy is near optimal in a numerical study. Under this policy, the manager performs an inspection if the inventory recorded is less than a threshold level, and orders up to a base-stock level that depends on the number of periods since the last inspection. The prevalent approach to deal with inventory inaccuracy in practice is to implement cycle-count programs. Based on the structure of the IABS policy, we propose a new cycle-count policy with state-dependent base-stock levels (CCABS). We show that CCABS is almost as effective as the IABS policy. In addition, we provide guidelines for practitioners to design effective cycle-count programs by conducting sensitivity analyses on the IABS policy. Finally, by comparing the costs associated with these policies and several benchmark systems, we quantify the true value of accurate inventory information, which may be provided by radio-frequency identification (RFID) systems.
Production and Transportation Integration for a Make-to-Order Manufacturing Company with a Commit-to-Delivery Business Mode
Authors: Stecke Kathryn E. , Zhao Xuying
Published: April 2007

When a make-to-order manufacturing company adopts a commit-to-delivery business mode, it commits a delivery due date for an order and is responsible for the shipping cost. Without loss of generality, we consider that transportation is done by a third-party logistics company, such as FedEx or UPS, which provides multiple shipping modes such as overnight, one-day, two-day delivery, and more. When the transportation time has to be short, clearly, shipping cost is more expensive than it could have been. How should a company schedule production for accepted orders so that the company can leave enough transportation time for orders to take slow shipping modes to reduce the shipping cost? We study this problem of integrating the production and transportation functions for a manufacturing company producing a variety of customized products in a make-to-order environment with a commit-to-delivery mode of business.

Various realistic scenarios are investigated in increasing order of complexity. When partial delivery is allowed by customers, we provide both a mixed-integer programming (MIP) model and a minimum cost flow model. We show that nonpreemptive earliest due date (NEDD) production schedules are optimal when partial delivery is allowed and shipping cost is a decreasing convex function with transportation time. When partial delivery is not allowed, we develop an MIP model and prove that the problem is NP-hard. An efficient heuristic algorithm with polynomial computation time is provided for the NP-hard problem. It gives near-optimal production schedules, as shown via thousands of numerical experiments. We also provide models and analysis for other scenarios where shipping cost accounts for customer locations and quantity discounts.
Endogenous factors involved in the regulation of movement and "memory" in plants
Authors: Ueda Minoru , Nakamura Yoko , Okada Masahiro
Published: April 2007

The bioorganic basis of plant movement in two plant systems is described in this article: the circadian rhythmic leaf movement known as nyctinasty and trap movement in the Venus flytrap. The bioactive substances responsible for plant movement, the chemical mechanism of the rhythm, and studies on the key protein controlling nyctinasty are presented.

The nyctinastic leaf movement is induced by a pair of leaf-movement factors, and one of each pair is a glucoside. There are two key proteins that are involved in the control of nyctinasty. One is β-glucosidase: a biological clock regulates the activity of β-glucosidase, which deactivates the glucoside-type leaf-movement factor, controlling the balance in the concentrations of the leaf-closing and -opening factors. The other is the specific receptor for each leaf-movement factor: the genuine target cell for each leaf-movement factor is confirmed to be a motor cell from leaflet pulvini, and the specific receptors that regulate the turgor of motor cells are localized in the membrane fraction.

The article also discusses the isolation of the "memory" substance from the Venus flytrap and presents a mechanism for this action.
Chemistry and evolution of the Piperaceae
Authors: Kato Massuo J. , Furlan Maysa
Published: April 2007

The chemistry of members of the family Piperaceae is of great interest owing to the variety of biological properties displayed. A survey of structural diversity and bioactivity reveals that groups of species specialize in the production of amides, phenylpropanoids, lignans and neolignans, benzoic acids and chromenes, alkaloids, polyketides, and a plethora of compounds of mixed biosynthetic origin. Bioassays against Cladosporium cladosporioides and C. sphaerospermun have resulted in the characterization of various amides, prenylated phenolic compounds, and polyketides as potential classes of antifungal agents. Studies on the developmental process in seedlings of Piper solmsianum have shown that phenylpropanoid are produced instead of the tetrahydrofuran lignans found in adult plants. In suspension cultures of P. cernuum and P. crassinervium, phenylethylamines and alkamides predominate, whereas in the adult plants prenylpropanoids and prenylated benzoic acids are the respective major compound classes. Knowledge of the chemistry, bioactivity, and ecology of Piperaceae species provides preliminary clues for an overall interpretation of the possible role and occurrence of major classes of compounds.
Recent advances in the chemistry and biological activities of the Pimpinella species of Turkey
Authors: Baser K. Hüsnü Can , Tabanca Nurhayat , Kirimer Nese , Bedir Erdal , Khan Ikhlas A. , Wedge David E.
Published: April 2007

Two new natural products incorporating a phenylpropyl subunit ("phenylpropanoids"), [4-(prop-2-enyl)phenyl angelate and 4-(3-methyloxiranyl)phenyl 2-methylbutyrate], one new bisabolene-type sesquiterpenoid [1-methyl-4-(6-methylhepta-1,5-dien-2-yl)-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane ("aureane")], and one new trinorsesquiterpene [4-(6-methylbicyclo[4.1.0]hept-2-en-7yl)butan-2-one ("traginone")] have been isolated from the essential oils of Pimpinella species occurring in Turkey, together with nine known phenylpropanoids and other natural products. Six of the known compounds are newly reported for Umbelliferae, whilst one is newly reported for Pimpinella species. Compound structures were determined by 1D and 2D NMR analysis. Isolated compounds were evaluated for antimalarial, antimicrobial, estrogenic, and aphidicidal activities. Pure compounds were also tested for antifungal activity against strawberry anthracnose-causing fungal plant pathogens Colletotrichum acutatum, C. fragariae, and C. gloeosporioides using direct bioautography and microdilution broth assays.
Discovery, chemistry, and chemical biology of microbial products
Authors: Ōmura Satoshi , Shiomi Kazuro
Published: April 2007

Our long-standing and continual screening of microorganisms, especially for antiparasitic agents, has produced a wide variety of compounds of global importance, such as the avermectins. Recent discoveries include nafuredin, atpenins, argifin, and argadin. Nafuredin is a helminth-specific inhibitor of electron-transport enzyme, complex I, which exhibits anthelmintic activity against Haemonchus contortus in sheep. The atpenins are the most potent complex II inhibitors ever reported. Co-crystallization study of atpenin A5 and E. coli complex II indicated the binding mechanism of ubiquinone to complex II. Argifin and argadin are the first cyclic peptides to inhibit chitinase at low concentration. Though structurally similar, their chitinase inhibition mechanisms are quite different.
Synthesis of an analog of mycothiazole and total synthesis of pseudotrienic acid B
Authors: Amans Dominique , Le Flohic Alexandre , Bellosta Véronique , Meyer Christophe , Cossy Janine
Published: April 2007

An analog of mycothiazole and pseudotrienic acid B were synthesized efficiently by using ring-closing metathesis or cross-metathesis as key reactions.
Total synthesis of the marine natural product (+)-discodermolide in multigram quantities
Authors: Mickel Stuart J.
Published: April 2007

The novel polyketide (+)-discodermolide was isolated in very small quantities from sponge extracts. This compound is one of several microtubule stabilizers showing promise as novel chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer. The clinical evaluation of this and similar compounds is hampered by lack of material, and at present, the only way to obtain the necessary quantities is total chemical synthesis.
Diversity in isoprene unit biosynthesis: The methylerythritol phosphate pathway in bacteria and plastids
Authors: Rohmer Michel
Published: April 2007

The long-overlooked methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway represents an alternative to the mevalonate route for the formation of isoprene units. It is found in most bacteria as well as in the plastids of all phototrophic organisms. A selection of significant steps of its discovery and elucidation are presented in this contribution, as well as a complete hypothetical biogenetic scheme for the last reduction step.
Reference intervals for follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and prolactin in children and young adults on the bioMérieux Mini-Vidas system
Authors: Koskas Thu , Souaré Karamo , Ouahabi Tarik , Porquet Dominique , Chevenne Didier
Published: April 2007

We measured serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and prolactin concentrations on a bioMérieux Mini Vidas system in a pediatric population ranging in age from 1 to 19 years. Reference intervals were established separately for females and males, with stratification by age group and by Tanner's pubertal stage. FSH values were higher in females than in males, and were lowest in both sexes of age class 2 (4–8 years), increasing thereafter to the upper limit for stage PIV (females) and stage PV (males). LH values showed a similar pattern of change: concentrations were lowest for class 1 (1–3 years) and class 2 (4–8 years), and highest for stage PII (females) and stage PV (males). No significant difference was observed according to gender. Prolactin values did not differ markedly according to gender or pubertal status.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:541–5.
Percutaneous coronary intervention-induced variations in systemic parameters of inflammation: relationship with the mode of stenting
Authors: Brasselet Camille , Garnotel Roselyne , Pérotin Sophie , Vitry Fabien , Elaerts Jacques , Lafont Antoine , Metz Damien , Gillery Philippe
Published: April 2007

Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:526–30.
The genetic polymorphisms of β3-adrenergic receptor (AR) Trp64Arg and β2-AR Gln27Glu are associated with obesity in Chinese male hypertensive patients
Authors: Mo Wei , Zhang Guang-Gan , Yang Tian-Lun , Dai Xing-Ping , Li Hui-Hua , Zeng Hui , Liu Jie , Tan Yuan-Ming , Zhou Hong-Hao , Liu Zhao-Qian
Published: April 2007

Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:493–8.
Associations of common polymorphisms in the thymidylate synthase, reduced folate carrier and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide transformylase/inosine monophosphate cyclohydrolase genes with folate and homocysteine levels and venous thrombosis risk
Authors: Gellekink Henkjan , Blom Henk J. , den Heijer Martin
Published: April 2007

Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:471–6.
A724A polymorphism of sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2 (SERCA2) in hypertensive patients
Authors: Kiec-Wilk Beata , Dembinska-Kiec Aldona , Olszanecka Agnieszka , Bodzioch Marek , Schmitz Gerd , Kawecka-Jaszcz Kalina
Published: April 2007

Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:467–70.
Diagnostic accuracy of the FIDIS multiplex fluorescent microsphere immunodetection system for anti-extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) antibodies in connective tissue diseases
Authors: Vercammen Martine , Meirlaen Patricia , Sennesael Jacques , Velkeniers Brigitte , T'Kint Sara , Verbruggen Leon , Haentjens Patrick , Broodtaerts Linda , Demanet Christian , De Waele Marc
Published: April 2007

Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:505–12.
Multicentre physiological reference values for the concentration of creatininium in plasma and diagnostic specificity of glomerular filtration rate estimated with the MDRD equation
Authors: Fuentes-Arderiu Xavier , Álvarez-Funes Virtudes , Coca-Fábregas Lluís , Cruz-Placer Marta , Díaz-Fernández Julián , Herrero-Bernal Pilar , García-Caballero Francisca , del Mar Larrea-Ortiz-Quintán María , La-Torre-Marcellán Pedro , Mar-Medina Carmen , Victoria Rodríguez-Hernández María , Juvé-Cuxart Santiago
Published: April 2007

Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:531–4.
Free serum cortisol: quantification applying equilibrium dialysis or ultrafiltration and an automated immunoassay system
Authors: Vogeser Michael , Möhnle Patrick , Briegel Josef
Published: April 2007

Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:521–5.
Electrophoretic separations of cerebrospinal fluid proteins in clinical investigations
Authors: D'Aguanno Simona , Del Boccio Piero , Bernardini Sergio , Ballone Enzo , Di Ilio Carmine , Federici Giorgio , Urbani Andrea
Published: April 2007

The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a key sample in the research for novel molecular biomarkers of neurodegenerative disorders. CSF represents a repertoire of neuro-secreted, biosynthesised and metabolised molecular products of the central nervous system (CNS). Diffusion of macromolecules from the peripheral circulatory system to the CSF is highly regulated by the blood-brain barrier, which prevents uncontrolled distribution of proteins in the CNS. The development of reproducible high resolution separations of proteins in 2-D electrophoresis methods by the advent of immobilised pH gradient has opened the route to multivariate holistic protein pattern investigation of CSF into neurodegenerative disorders. Moreover, the introduction of pre-fractionation techniques such as free flow electrophoresis is currently increasing the dynamic depth of proteome analysis. Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other forms of dementia, demyelinating diseases, Parkinson's disease (PD), and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) have been evaluated for biomarker discovery by CSF investigation in multiple studies. However, the statistical design of these clinical cross-sectional investigations remains a limited factor given the strong statistical power required for complex multivariate analysis. These initial evidences are of particular interest in dissecting specific molecular mechanisms. The development of fast and economic profiling of CSF by linear matrix assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) is providing a new ancillary technology to assess sample quality and pre-analytical requirements. In the following we take into account all these issues in the CSF proteomics investigation, especially highlighting the possible application in the development of clinical molecular biomarkers.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:437–49.
Toward standardization of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) measurements: I. Analyte definition and proposal of a candidate reference method
Authors: Jeppsson International Federation of Clinica , Arndt Torsten , Schellenberg François , Wielders Jos P.M. , Anton Raymond F. , Whitfield John B. , Helander Anders
Published: April 2007

An alcohol-associated change in the serum transferrin glycoform pattern, carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), is used as a biomarker of chronic moderate to heavy alcohol consumption. A current limitation in CDT analysis is the lack of standardization, which hampers clinical and analytical comparison between studies. This situation prompted initiation of a Working Group (WG) on CDT Standardization under the auspices of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC). The standardization work aims to define and validate the analyte, select a reference method, work out procedures for the production of reference materials, and make suggestions for the clinical usage of CDT. The first recommendation of the WG is that disialotransferrin should be the primary target molecule for CDT measurement and the single analyte on which CDT standardization is based. It is further recommended that HPLC should be the analytical principle considered as the basis of an interim reference method until a suitable mass spectrometric reference method is established. In clinical use, CDT should be expressed in a relative amount (% CDT), to compensate for variations in the total transferrin concentration.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:558–62.
Fluorimetric quantitation of citalopram and escitalopram in plasma: developing an express method to monitor compliance in clinical trials
Authors: Serebruany Victor , Malinin Alex , Dragan Vadim , Atar Dan , van Zyl Louis , Dragan Anatoly
Published: April 2007

Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:513–20.
The United States and Asia in 2006: Crisis Management, Holding Patterns, and Secondary Initiatives
Authors: Sutter Robert
Published: April 2007

North Korea's nuclear weapons test prompted U.S. international activism to curb Pyongyang's proliferation and press it to negotiate. Preoccupied with higher priorities at home and abroad, the Bush administration generally continued along established paths in Asia. Initiatives came in U.S. relations with India, Kazakhstan, and Southeast Asia.
Malaysia in 2006: An Old Tiger Roars
Authors: Derichs Claudia
Published: April 2007

Prime Minister Badawi's policies in 2006 were accompanied by an uninvited yet hardly ignorable critique, voiced by none other than his predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad. Apart from this controversy, the provisions of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, inter-ethnic relations, and price hikes for fuel occupied minds and media.
Laos in 2006: Changing of the Guard
Authors: Gunn Geoffrey C.
Published: April 2007

Two key events on the political calendar in Laos in 2006 were the Eighth Party Congress and elections to the Legislative Assembly, leading to the appointment of a new president, prime minister, and cabinet. Neither event would detract from the epithet “secretive” often applied to affairs of state in what is one of the world's five remaining communist nations.
Papua New Guinea in 2006: Somare's U-Turn and Legacy
Authors: Chin James
Published: April 2007

Michael Somare reshuffled his cabinet twice and dumped Bart Philemon, the finance minister widely credited as the architect of Papua New Guinea's economic recovery. Record prices for oil and commodities gave the government economic growth and a record surplus. The country's relations with Australia reached a new low over the arrest of Julian Moti, the Solomon Islands' attorney general, in Port Moresby.
North Korea in 2006: The Year of Living Dangerously
Authors: Cho Ilsoo David , Woo Meredith Jung-En
Published: April 2007

In 2006 North Korea raised its well-honed skill at brinkmanship to a new height. In July it tested seven missiles and, three months later, a modest-sized plutonium-fueled bomb. The response of the United Nations Security Council was swift, imposing on North Korea stringent sanctions.
Nepal and Bhutan in 2006: A Year of Revolution
Authors: Gellner David N.
Published: April 2007

2006 saw the final collapse of King Gyanendra's attempt to re-establish monarchical rule. The beneficiaries were the Seven-Party Alliance and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). There followed the re-establishment of Parliament, removal of sovereignty from the king, fluctuating negotiations with the Maoists, a cessation of civil war punctuated by considerable lawlessness, and a final peace agreement.
Afghanistan in 2006: The Complications of Post-Conflict Transition
Authors: Ghufran Nasreen
Published: April 2007

The year 2006 in Afghanistan began with the functioning of a democratically elected parliament—a bold and positive step forward in institution-building. Development and reconstruction have continued at a slow pace. Security has sharply deteriorated, and the Taliban insurgency has become more violent in spite of the enlarged International Security Assistance Force. Opium production has increased to record levels, leading to a boom in the drug trade.
Debussy's String Quartet in the Brussels Salon of "La Libre Esthetique"
Authors: Code David
Published: April 2007

The second performance of Debussy's String Quartet, given by the Ysaye Quartet on an all-Debussy program during the 1894 salon of "La Libre EsthŽtique" in Brussels, offers an ideal context for a critical reexamination of his musical and aesthetic affinities at this pivotal moment. In the first place, a view to the salon's other three concerts, which honored Beethoven alongside recent works by Societe Nationale composers, encourages reconsideration of Debussy's own response to the "great tradition" in the work he ironically designated "Opus 10." But at the same time, due regard to his other contemporaneous compositional obsessions, as exemplified in the works programmed alongside the Quartet, raises the question as to how such self-conscious dialogue with Classical models related to more pressing, post-Wagnerian musical negotiations. Pursuit of this question through analysis of the first movement's reconfigured sonata form ultimately suggests ways to distinguish, from amid the myriad post-Impressionist artists on view in the "Free Aesthetic" salon itself, those painters whose visual explorations most tellingly paralleled Debussy's own "games" with musical syntax and expression in the early 1890s.
Parisian Cake Walks
Authors: Caddy Davinia
Published: April 2007

The popularity of the cake walk among Parisians in the early 1900s is usually attributed to the dance's assumed racial signification. Scholars have argued that the cake walk, owing to its African American origins, was welcomed by Parisians as iconic of a racial "other," a signifier of the primitive, uncultured, and grotesque. This article proposes an alternative reading, setting the standard scholarly line against other, more subtle impressions of the cake walk's cultural import. A consideration of popular response to the dance--on stage, on film, and in the circus arena--reveals Parisian tastes not only for distinct styles of gesture but for American chic, athleticism, and popular participation, as well as the world of the "other." These connotations invite us to consider afresh what is perhaps the most celebrated cake walk of the period, Debussy's "Golliwogg's cake walk" (1908), known particularly for its quotation of Wagner's Tristan. Debussy's piece, I argue, has a more complex significance than that of a mere canvas on which to poke fun at Wagner or a straightforward reference to a minstrel doll. By means of various cultural and aesthetic nuances, it suggests a persona shaped by buffoonery, slapstick, despondency, and irony: in short, a persona identified with that fetish of modernist art, the clown.
Book Reviews
Authors: Brown Michael F.
Published: April 2007

Transactions and Creations: Property Debates and the Stimulus of Melanesia By Eric Hirsch and Marilyn Strathern. eds. New York. Berghahn Books. 2005.
The pathophysiology, clinical signs and therapy of urate nephropathy
Authors: Méhes Leonóra , Udvardy Miklós , Szász Róbert , Rejtő László
Published: April 2007

A tumorlízis-szindróma súlyos metabolikus eltérésekkel jellemezhető onkológiai krízisállapot. Leggyakrabban lymphoproliferatív kórképekben szenvedő betegekben fordul elő kemoterápiát követően. Ritkán spontán módon is kialakulhat. Patofiziológiai szempontból a daganatsejtek sejtszétesését követően jelentős mennyiségben felszabaduló kálium, foszfát és húgysav a legfontosabb. A húgysav és kálcium-foszfát kristályoknak a vesetubulusokban való lerakódása heveny veseelégtelenséghez vezethet. A kezelés hidrálásból, az acidosis és a hyperkaliaemia korrigálásából, az urát-nephropathia megelőzésére irányuló allopurinol vagy rekombináns urát oxidáz (rasburicase) alkalmazásából (és szükség esetén hemodialízisből) tevődik össze. A szerzők beszámolnak egy akut myeloid leukémiás betegük esetéről is, akinél a kemoterápiát követően súlyos tumorlízis-szindrómát észleltek.
Birmingham Canal, England—a future unlocked by Telford
Authors: Bligh David , Brown David , Crowe Nigel
Published: April 2007

Thomas Telford's best known canal work is probably Pontcysyllte Aqueduct on the Llangollen (Ellesmere) Canal, possibly followed by the construction of the Shropshire Union and Caledonian Canals. However, the greatest concentration of engineering works exhibiting Telford's genius is probably a 6 km length of the Birmingham Canal, where he dramatically upgraded the waterway while maintaining existing traffic and preserving revenues for the canal company. This paper describes the project, which included removing a congested summit of six locks with a vast cutting up to 22 m deep. The canal and its structures remain in full use today.
Distribution and accumulation of mercury in tissues of captive-reared common loon (Gavia immer) chicks
Authors: Kenow Kevin P. , Meyer Michael W. , Hines Randy K. , Karasov William H.
Published: April 2007

We determined the distribution and accumulation of Hg in tissues of common loon (Gavia immer) chicks maintained for up to 15 weeks on either a control diet with no added methylmercury chloride (MeHgCl) or one containing either 0.4 or 1.2 μg Hg (as MeHgCl)/g wet-weight food. Total Hg and MeHg tissue concentrations were strongly positively correlated (r2 > 0.95) with the amount of Hg delivered to individual chicks throughout the course of the experiment. The pattern of differential Hg concentration in internal tissues was consistent within each treatment: Liver > kidney > muscle > carcass > brain. Feather Hg concentrations were consistently higher than those of internal tissues and represented an important route of Hg elimination. Feather mass accounted for 4.3% ± 0.1% (average ± standard error) of body mass, yet 27.3% ± 2.6% of total Hg intake was excreted into feathers. Our calculations indicate that 26.7% ± 4.9% of ingested Hg was not accounted for and, thus, either was never absorbed or was absorbed and subsequently eliminated in feces. With the additional excretion into feathers, 54% of ingested Hg was excreted. Demethylation was evident in the liver at all treatment levels and in the kidneys of chicks dosed at 1.2 μg Hg/g. Mercury concentrations were strongly positively correlated (r2 ≥ 0.95) among internal tissues and with blood Hg concentration. Mercury concentrations of secondary feathers were moderately correlated (r2 = 0.82–0.93) with internal tissues. We supply regression models that may be used to provide perspective and a useful means of interpreting the variety of measures of Hg exposure reported in the literature.
Aerobic degradation and photolysis of tylosin in water and soil
Authors: Hu Dingfei , Coats Joel R.
Published: April 2007

Veterinary antibiotics enter the environment through the application of organic fertilizers to cropland. In this study, the aerobic degradation of tylosin, a widely used antibiotic in the production of livestock and poultry, was conducted in water and in soil in an effort to further investigate its environmental fate. Tylosin is a macrolide antibiotic, which consists of four factors (A, B, C, D). Water and soil were sampled at selected times and analyzed for tylosin and its degradation products by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with product identification confirmed by HPLC-mass spectrometry. Tylosin A is degraded with a half-life of 200 d in the light in water, and the total loss of tylosin A in the dark is 6% of the initial spiked amount during the experimental period. Tylosin C and D are relatively stable except in ultrapure water in the light. Slight increases of tylosin B after two months and formation of two photoreaction isomers of tylosin A were observed under exposure to light. However, tylosin probably would degrade faster if the experimental containers did not prevent ultraviolet transmission. In soil, tylosin A has a dissipation half-life of 7 d, and tylosin D is slightly more stable, with a dissipation half-life of 8 d in unsterilized and sterilized soil. Sorption and abiotic degradation are the major factors influencing the loss of tylosin in the environment, and no biotic degradation was observed at the test concentration either in pond water or in an agronomic soil, as determined by comparing dissipation profiles in sterilized and unsterilized conditions.