bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aortic root dissection with left valsalva sinus perforation detected by transesophageal 3D echocardiography in a patient with Behçet's disease
Authors: Zhao Hang , He Ben , Shen Xuedong , Qiao Zhiqing , Xu Tingyan , Lian Feng , Xue Song
Published: January 2013

Behçet's disease (BD) is a multi‐system inflammatory disorder. We report the case of a BD patient with severe aortic root vasculitis. Two‐dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (2DE) images suggested left Valsalva sinus aneurysm ruptured into the left ventricular outflow tract. However, preoperative transesophageal real‐time 3‐dimensional echocardiography (3DE) revealed that the aneurysm‐like structure involved most of the left ventricular outflow tract wall, leading to the diagnosis of aortic root dissection associated with perforation of the left Valsalva sinus and prolapse of the exfoliated endocardium into the left ventricular outflow tract. These findings were confirmed by open heart surgery. 3DE was helpful differentiating aortic root dissection from Valsalva sinus aneurysm rupture, especially by demonstrating the extent of aneurysm‐like structure in the left ventricular outflow tract. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 42:59–62, 2014
Factors influencing reproductive success and litter size in captive island foxes
Authors: Calkins Elizabeth S. , Fuller Todd K. , Asa Cheryl S. , Sievert Paul R. , Coonan Timothy J.
Published: January 2013

A severe decline of island foxes (Urocyon littoralis) on the northern Channel Islands in the 1990s prompted the National Park Service to begin a captive breeding program to increase their numbers. Using detailed records of all the fox pairs (N = 267) that were part of the program on San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz Islands from its inception in 2000 through 2007, we identified factors influencing the breeding success of pairs in captivity in the interest of formulating strategies that could increase captive productivity. We compiled a database of variables including litter size, reproductive success, distance to nearest occupied pen during the breeding season, subspecies, exposure, female age, male age, age difference, female and male origin (wild vs. captive born), same versus different origin, years paired, previous reproductive success by the pair, previous reproductive success by the female, mate aggression‐related injuries, male previous involvement in a pair with mate aggression, and female previous involvement in a pair with mate aggression. We used multiple linear regression to identify factors predictive of litter size, and logistic regression to predict the probability of reproductive success. A larger inter‐pen distance, older male age, less exposure, and a smaller intra‐pair age difference positively affected litter size. The probabilities of reproductive success increased with fewer years paired and less exposure. Comparatively, pairs with wild born females (vs. captive born females), and previously successful pairs (vs. previously unsuccessful and new pairs) were most likely to be successful. These results indicate that the optimal situation was to pair wild‐caught females with older males in sheltered pens that were as far from other pens as possible, to maintain successful pairs and repair unsuccessful ones. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
A decade of plant proteomics and mass spectrometry: Translation of technical advancements to food security and safety issues
Authors: Agrawal Ganesh Kumar , Sarkar Abhijit , Righetti Pier Giorgio , Pedreschi Romina , Carpentier Sebastien , Wang Tai , Barkla Bronwyn J. , Kohli Ajay , Ndimba Bongani Kaiser , Bykova Natalia V. , Rampitsch Christof , Zolla Lello , Rafudeen Mohamed Suhail , Cramer Rainer , Bindschedler Laurence Veronique , Tsakirpaloglou Nikolaos , Ndimba Roya Janeen , Farrant Jill M. , Renaut Jenny , Job Dominique , Kikuchi Shoshi , Rakwal Randeep
Published: January 2013

Tremendous progress in plant proteomics driven by mass spectrometry (MS) techniques has been made since 2000 when few proteomics reports were published and plant proteomics was in its infancy. These achievements include the refinement of existing techniques and the search for new techniques to address food security, safety, and health issues. It is projected that in 2050, the world's population will reach 9–12 billion people demanding a food production increase of 34–70% (FAO, 2009) from today's food production. Provision of food in a sustainable and environmentally committed manner for such a demand without threatening natural resources, requires that agricultural production increases significantly and that postharvest handling and food manufacturing systems become more efficient requiring lower energy expenditure, a decrease in postharvest losses, less waste generation and food with longer shelf life. There is also a need to look for alternative protein sources to animal based (i.e., plant based) to be able to fulfill the increase in protein demands by 2050. Thus, plant biology has a critical role to play as a science capable of addressing such challenges. In this review, we discuss proteomics especially MS, as a platform, being utilized in plant biology research for the past 10 years having the potential to expedite the process of understanding plant biology for human benefits. The increasing application of proteomics technologies in food security, analysis, and safety is emphasized in this review. But, we are aware that no unique approach/technology is capable to address the global food issues. Proteomics‐generated information/resources must be integrated and correlated with other omics‐based approaches, information, and conventional programs to ensure sufficient food and resources for human development now and in the future. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 32: 335–365, 2013.
Protein lysine‐Nζ alkylation and O‐phosphorylation mediated by DTT‐generated reactive oxygen species
Authors: Kumar Nigam , Ippel Hans , Weber Christian , Hackeng Tilman , Mayo Kevin H.
Published: January 2013

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play crucial roles in physiology and pathology. In this report, we use NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS) to demonstrate that proteins (galectin‐1, ubiquitin, RNase, cytochrome c, myoglobin, and lysozyme) under reducing conditions with dithiothreitol (DTT) become alkylated at lysine‐Nζ groups and O‐phosphorylated at serine and threonine residues. These adduction reactions only occur in the presence of monophosphate, potassium, trace metals Fe/Cu, and oxygen, and are promoted by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated via DTT oxidation. Superoxide mediates the chemistry, because superoxide dismutase inhibits the reaction, and hydroxyl and phosphoryl radicals are also likely involved. While lysine alkylation accounts for most of the adduction, low levels of phosphorylation are also observed at some serine and threonine residues, as determined by western blotting and MS fingerprinting. The adducted alkyl group is found to be a fragment of DTT that forms a Schiff base at lysine Nζ groups. Although its exact chemical structure remains unknown, the DTT fragment includes a SH group and a CHOHCH2 group. Chemical adduction appears to be promoted in the context of a well‐folded protein, because some adducted sites in the proteins studied are considerably more reactive than others and the reaction occurs to a lesser extent with shorter, unfolded peptides and not at all with small organic molecules. A structural signature involving clusters of positively charged and other polar groups appears to facilitate the reaction. Overall, our findings demonstrate a novel reaction for DTT‐mediated ROS chemistry with proteins.
DFT, CBS‐Q, W1BD and G4MP2 calculation of the proton and electron affinities, gas phase basicities and ionization energies of saturated and unsaturated carboxylic acids (C1–C4)
Authors: Valadbeigi Younes , Farrokhpour Hossein
Published: January 2013

The proton affinities, gas phase basicities and ionization energies of formic acid, acetic acid, propanoic acid, 2‐propenoic acid, propiolic acid, butanoic acid, 2‐butenoic acid, 3‐botenoic acid, 2‐methyl‐propanoic acid and 2‐methyl‐2‐propenoic acid were calculated using the computational methods including B3LYP/6‐311++G(2df,p), CBS‐Q and G4MP2. Also, the considered properties were calculated using W1BD method only for formic and acetic acids. In addition, the electron affinities of the acids were calculated using B3LYP, CBS‐Q, G4MP2 and G2MP2 methods, separately. The calculations showed that the PA and gas phase basicity increase with the increase in the number of carbon atoms. The calculated Ionization energies of the unsaturated carboxylic acids are less than the corresponding saturated acids, which are in good agreement with the experimental results. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Individual Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Human Bone Marrow of Patients with Aplastic Anemia or Myelodysplastic Syndrome Stably Give Rise to Limited Cell Lineages
Authors: Katagiri Takamasa , Kawamoto Hiroshi , Nakakuki Takashi , Ishiyama Ken , Okada-Hatakeyama Mariko , Ohtake Shigeki , Seiki Yu , Hosokawa Kohei , Nakao Shinji
Published: January 2013

Mutation of the phosphatidylinositol N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase subunit A (PIG-A) gene in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) results in the loss of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) on HSCs, but minimally affects their development, and thus can be used as a clonal maker of HSCs. We analyzed GPI-APs expression on six major lineage cells in a total of 574 patients with bone marrow (BM) failure in which microenvironment itself is thought to be unaffected, including aplastic anemia (AA) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). GPI-APs-deficient (GPI-APs−) cells were detected in 250 patients. Whereas the GPI-APs− cells were seen in all six lineages in a majority of patients who had higher proportion ([dbmtequ]3%) of GPI-APs− cells, they were detected in only limited lineages in 92.9% of cases in the lower proportion (<3%) group. In all 250 cases, the same lineages of GPI-APs− cells were detected even after 6–18-month intervals, indicating that the GPI-APs− cells reflect hematopoiesis maintained by a self-renewing HSC in most of cases. The frequency of clones with limited lineages seen in mild cases of AA was similar to that in severe cases, and clones with limited lineages were seen even in two health volunteer cases. These results strongly suggest most individual HSCs produce only restricted lineages even in a steady state. While this restriction could reflect heterogeneity in the developmental potential of HSCs, we propose an alternative model in which the BM microenvironment is mosaic in supporting commitment of progenitors toward distinct lineages. Our computer simulation based on this model successfully recapitulated the observed clinical data.
Decrease in Abundance of Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease Causes Failure of Base Excision Repair in Culture-Adapted Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Authors: Krutá Miriama , Bálek Lukáš , Hejnová Renata , Dobšáková Zuzana , Eiselleová Livia , Matulka Kamil , Bárta Tomáš , Fojtík Petr , Fajkus Jiří , Hampl Aleš , Dvořák Petr , Rotrekl Vladimír
Published: January 2013

The inevitable accumulation of chromosomal abnormalities in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) during in vitro expansion represents a considerable obstacle for cell replacement therapies. To determine the source of chromosomal abnormalities, we examined hESCs maintained in culture for over 55 months for defects in telomere maintenance and DNA repair. Although prolonged culture affected neither telomerase activity nor nonhomologous end joining, the efficiency of base excision repair (BER) was significantly decreased and correlated with reduced expression of apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1), the major nuclease required for BER. Interestingly, the expression of other BER enzymes was unchanged. Addition of human recombinant APE1 protein to nuclear extracts from late passage hESCs increased BER efficiency to the level typical of early passage hESCs. The link between BER and double-strand breaks (DSB) was demonstrated by decreased DSB release after downregulation of APE1 in early passage hESCs via siRNA. Correspondingly lower APE1 level in late passage hESC resulted in slower and less intensive but long lasting DSB release upon ionizing radiation (IR). Downregulation of APE1 in early passage hESCs also led to approximately 30% decrease in γ-H2AX signaling following IR, similar to that in late passage hESCs. We suggest that downregulation of APE1 significantly contributes to the failure of BER during long-term culture of hESCs, and further that BER failure is one of the factors affecting the genomic instability of hESCs by altering BER-dependent DSB release and cell cycle/checkpoint signaling.
Crude extract of Rheum palmatum L induced cell death in LS1034 human colon cancer cells acts through the caspase‐dependent and ‐independent pathways
Authors: Ma Yi‐Shih , Hsu Shu‐Chun , Weng Shu‐Wen , Yu Chien‐Chih , Yang Jai‐Sing , Lai Kuang‐Chi , Lin Jing‐Pin , Lin Jaung‐Geng , Chung Jing‐Gung
Published: January 2013

Crude extract of Rheum palmatum L (CERP) has been used to treat different diseases in the Chinese population for decades. In this study, we investigated the effects of CERP on LS1034 human colorectal cancer cells in vitro and also examined possible mechanisms of cell death. Flow cytometric assays were used to measure the percentage of viable cells, cell cycle distribution including the sub‐G1 phase (apoptosis), the activities of caspase‐8, ‐9, and ‐3, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca2+ levels, and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). DNA damage, nuclei condensation, protein expression, and translocation were examined by Comet assay, 4′‐6‐diamidino‐2‐phenylindole (DAPI) staining, Western blotting, and confocal laser system microscope, respectively. CERP induced apoptosis as seen by DNA fragmentation and DAPI staining in a concentration‐ and time‐dependent manner in cancer cells. CERP was associated with an increase in the Bax/Bcl‐2 protein ratio and CERP promoted the activities of caspase‐8, ‐9, and ‐3. Both ROS and Ca2+ levels were increased by CERP but the compound decreased levels of ΔΨm in LS1034 cells. Laser confocal microscope also confirmed that CERP promoted the expressions of AIF, Endo G, cytochrome c, and GADD153 to induce apoptosis through mitochondrial‐dependent pathway. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 29: 969–980, 2014.
Classification of symmetric toroidal orbifolds
Authors: Fischer Maximilian , Ratz Michael , Torrado Jesús , Vaudrevange Patrick K.S.
Published: January 2013

Abstract

We provide a complete classification of six-dimensional symmetric toroidal orbifolds which yield
$ \mathcal{N}\geq 1 $
supersymmetry in 4D for the heterotic string. Our strategy is based on a classification of crystallographic space groups in six dimensions. We find in total 520 inequivalent toroidal orbifolds, 162 of them with Abelian point groups such as
$ {{\mathbb{Z}}_3},{{\mathbb{Z}}_4},{{\mathbb{Z}}_6}\hbox{-}\mathrm{I} $
etc. and 358 with non-Abelian point groups such as S
3, D
4, A
4 etc. We also briefly explore the properties of some orbifolds with Abelian point groups and
$ \mathcal{N}=1 $
, i.e. specify the Hodge numbers and comment on the possible mechanisms (local or non-local) of gauge symmetry breaking.
Inhibition Performance of Novel Dissymmetric Bisquaternary Ammonium Salt with an Imidazoline Ring and an Ester Group
Authors: Zhang Jing , Shi Dali , Gong Xuliang , Zhu Fengmin , Du Min
Published: January 2013

In this paper, the inhibition performance of a novel dissymmetric bis‐quaternary ammonium salt with an imidazoline ring and an ester group (DBAS) for Q235 steel in 2 % NaCl solution saturated with CO2 was investigated using weight loss, the polarization curve, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy methods and the quantum chemistry calculation. The results show that DBAS, which is good for the environment and have many activated centers and low ELUMO, has a high inhibition performance for Q235 steel in 2 % NaCl solution saturated with CO2. The inhibition efficiency of the studied corrosion inhibitor increased with increasing inhibitor concentrations. The inhibitor is a mixed‐type inhibitor which inhibits both anodic and cathodic reactions.
Pathogenesis and biomechanics of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS)
Authors: Hefti Fritz
Published: January 2013

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is defined as a scoliosis that starts after the age of ten and has no clear underlying disease as a reason for its development. There is, however, a disparity between the growth of the vertebral bodies anteriorly and that of the posterior elements. The vertebral bodies grow faster than the posterior elements, resulting primarily in a lordosis. The diminished dorsal growth impedes the ventrally located vertebral bodies from increasing in height, forcing them to become distorted, i.e., rotate, in order to create space for themselves. This produces a rotational lordosis. The idea of looking at it in this way dates back to Somerville in 1952. Many recent studies have confirmed this idea and have shown that the spinal canal is shorter than the anterior ligament of the vertebral bodies. In a mathematical model of the spine it was demonstrated that—although the vertebral column in humans is still predominantly loaded in an axial direction—certain segments of the human spine (especially the backward inclined segments) are subject to dorsally directed shear loads as well. In addition to the antero-posterior difference in growth, there is also a deformation of the vertebral bodies itself in 3-D. This is probably secondary and not primary effects, but this question is still under discussion. For the treatment of scoliosis, the biomechanical principles of axial and transverse forces are used. The combination of axial and transverse loads is most beneficial for all curves. The axial forces provide most of the corrective bending moment when deformity is severe, while the transverse loads take over the correcting function when deformity is mild. The deformity angle of 53° is the break-even point for the axial and transverse loads. In more severe curves transverse forces become less and less efficient, while axial forces rapidly gain more and more effect.
On decay of periodic entropy solutions to a scalar conservation law
Authors: Panov E.Yu.
Published: January 2013

We establish a necessary and sufficient condition for decay of periodic entropy solutions to a multidimensional conservation law with merely continuous flux vector.

Nous considérons les lois de conservation [hyperboliques] en plusieurs dimensions dʼespace avec la fonction de flux seulement continue. Nous établissons une condition nécessaire et suffisante pour la décroissance des solutions entropiques périodiques de ce problème.
Structure and function of a bacterial Fasciclin I Domain Protein elucidates function of related cell adhesion proteins such as TGFBIp and periostin
Authors: Moody Robert G. , Williamson Mike P.
Published: January 2013

Fasciclin I (FAS1) domains have important roles in cell adhesion, which are not understood despite many structural and functional studies. Examples of FAS1 domain proteins include TGFBIp (βig‐h3) and periostin, which function in angiogenesis and development of cornea and bone, and are also highly expressed in cancer tissues. Here we report the structure of a single‐domain bacterial fasciclin I protein, Fdp, in the free‐living photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides, and show that it confers cell adhesion properties in vivo. A binding site is identified which includes the most highly conserved region and is adjacent to the N‐terminus. By mapping this onto eukaryotic homologues, which all contain tandem FAS1 domains, it is concluded that the interaction site is normally buried in the dimer interface. This explains why corneal dystrophy mutations are concentrated in the C‐terminal domain of TGFBIp and suggests new therapeutic approaches.
Low‐intensity physical training recovers object recognition memory impairment in rats after early‐life induced Status epilepticus
Authors: Córdova Sandro Daniel , Loss Cássio Morais , de Oliveira Diogo Losch
Published: January 2013

When it occurs early in life, Status epilepticus (SE) can cause behavioural and cognitive impairments in adulthood. Here, we evaluated the putative benefits of low‐intensity treadmill training on long‐standing cognitive impairment in rats submitted to SE early in life. Wistar rats were submitted to LiCl‐pilocarpine‐induced SE at P16. Animals from the trained group underwent a low‐intensity treadmill protocol for 5 days per week for 4 weeks. At adulthood, rats subjected to early‐life SE displayed impairment in long‐term memory in an object recognition task, while the training protocol completely reversed this deficit. This result was associated with neither locomotor alterations nor changes in emotional behaviour; there were no differences between groups in the distance travelled, grooming or rearing in the open field test; there were also no differences between groups in the number of risk assessment, time spent in open arms in an elevated plus maze and number of entries into the open arms. These data suggest that physical exercise can ameliorate the long‐standing recognition memory deficit induced by early‐life SE, suggesting that it may be useful as a putative intervention for patients who suffered SE during infancy.
Errors in the treatment of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and their impact on maternal mortality
Authors: Zuleta‐Tobón John J. , Pandales‐Pérez Heleodora , Sánchez Sandra , Vélez‐Álvarez Gladis A. , Velásquez‐Penagos Jesús A.
Published: January 2013

Objective

To describe the patients' characteristics and the factors that contributed to the maternal deaths associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy that occurred in the department of Antioquia, Colombia, from 2004 through 2011.

Methods

A committee of experts conducted a retrospective descriptive study to analyze the information obtained from both mandatory reports of health facilities to the Public Health Surveillance System and interviews with family members.

Results

From 2004 through 2011, there were 720 170 births and 389 maternal deaths in the Department of Antioquia, and 70 of the deaths were due to hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. The factors that most contributed to the deaths were a lack of emergency administration of antihypertensive drugs (64.6%); the inadequate administration of antihypertensive drugs (58.8%); retaining the patient at a health facility ill equipped to treat her appropriately for her clinical state (54.7%); untimely referral or inadequate conditions for transfer (50.8%); and an error in classifying the severity of the disorder, which prevented appropriate management (49.1%).

Conclusion

A substandard quality of care was the determining factor in the deaths of women who presented with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
An experimental model of Stanford type B aortic dissection with intravenous epinephrine injection
Authors: Wang Li‐Xin , Wang Yu‐Qi , Guo Da‐Qiao , Jiang Jun‐Hao , Zhang Jing , Cui Jia‐Sen , Fu Wei‐Guo
Published: January 2013

The aim of this study was to create an experimental model of aortic dissection (AD) with a long‐term patent false lumen to develop new treatments for Stanford type B aortic dissection. Sixteen adult beagle dogs (weight 14–18 kg) were used. After exposure and partially clamping, the descending aorta was cut through the adventitia to one‐third of the depth of the tunica media. The aortic wall was divided into two layers by raspatory. Then half the circumference of the inner layer was cut transversely. All of the proximal layers and the distal outer layers were anastomosed together. Epinephrine was immediately used to expand the false lumen, and the effect was terminated using nitroglycerin when necessary. All dogs underwent both digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and computed tomography angiography (CTA) immediately after and 1 week and 1 month after surgery. The dogs were followed up at 1 day, 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years. The surgery was successful in 12 dogs. Dissection formation was observed immediately after epinephrine administration and confirmed by DSA and CTA. Our results showed typical characteristics of AD, such as a tear, septum, and true and false lumens. This is an easy and feasible way of developing a Stanford type B AD model by intravenous injection of epinephrine. In this canine model of AD, the false lumen has excellent long‐term patency and the dissection plane is histologically similar to that in human AD. This model may contribute to the development of new treatments for Stanford type B AD.
Outcome assessment in acute pancreatitis patients
Authors: Lee Wei‐Sin , Huang Jee‐Fu , Chuang Wan‐Long
Published: January 2013

Early diagnosis and severity evaluation in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) are very important due to its potential morbidity and mortality. Several clinical, laboratory, and radiologic factors, and many scoring systems have been proposed for outcome prediction. Although the Ranson and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scoring systems have been widely used for decades, the cumbersome components partly limit their predictability. Recently, the Bedside Index for Severity in AP scoring system and series blood urea nitrogen changes, which are simple and convenient to evaluate within 24 hours after admission, have been validated for accuracy by several large‐cohort studies. The presence of organ failure and systemic inflammatory response syndrome are also helpful to evaluate the severity of AP. Herein we review recent advances of the predictive methods for AP to provide an up‐to‐date perspective on outcome assessment of AP.
Comparisons of noninvasive indices based on daily practice parameters for predicting liver cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C patients in hospital and community populations
Authors: Tseng Po‐Lin , Wang Jing‐Houng , Hung Chao‐Hung , Tung Hung‐Da , Chen Tsung‐Ming , Huang Wu‐Shiung , Liu Shiann‐Long , Hu Tsung‐Hui , Lee Chuan‐Mo , Lu Sheng‐Nan
Published: January 2013

Several noninvasive indices have been proposed for predicting liver cirrhosis (LC), particularly in chronic hepatitis C (CHC). In this study, noninvasive indices for predicting LC and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were compared. A total of 119 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and 240 CHC patients were evaluated in a hospital‐based setting using various predictors for pathologic LC such as aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio (AAR), AAR‐to‐platelet ratio index (AARPRI), AST‐to‐platelet ratio index (APRI), age‐platelet (AP) index, and platelet counts. In addition, these indices were used to predict LC [based on ultrasound (US)] in a community‐based population of 201 patients with endemic hepatitis C virus (HCV). These indices were evaluated for their ability to predict HCC in CHB and CHC patients (n = 200). In CHB patients, the diagnostic performance of all indices was inadequate for predicting LC (areas under receiver operating characteristic curves < 0.7). Thrombocytopenia consistently demonstrated comparable accuracy to AARPRI ≥ 0.7 in CHB and AP index ≥ 7.0 in CHC patients. The best cut‐off values for APRI, AARPRI, and AP index in predicting LC in CHC were 1.3, 0.8, and 7.0, respectively. The best cut‐off values for APRI, AARPRI, and AP index in predicting LC (based on US) were 1.0, 1.2, and 8.0, respectively, in a HCV endemic community. An AAR > 1.4 might be a useful tool to identify candidates at high risk for HCC. In conclusion, platelet count was both consistent and accurate in predicting LC. An AAR > 1.4 is proposed as a possible surrogate marker for identifying patients at high risk for developing HCC.
Profiling pathway‐specific novel therapeutics in preclinical assessment for central nervous system atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (CNS ATRT): Favorable activity of targeting EGFR‐ ErbB2 signaling with lapatinib
Authors: Singh Anjali , Lun Xueqing , Jayanthan Aarthi , Obaid Halah , Ruan Yibing , Strother Douglas , Chi Susan N. , Smith Amy , Forsyth Peter , Narendran Aru
Published: January 2013

Despite intensifying multimodal treatments, children with central nervous system atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (CNS ATRT) continue to endure unacceptably high mortality rates. At present, concerted efforts are focusing on understanding the characteristic INI1 mutation and its implications for the growth and survival of these tumors. Additionally, pharmaceutical pipeline libraries constitute a significant source of potential agents that can be taken to clinical trials in a timely manner. However, this process requires efficient target validation and relevant preclinical studies. As an initial screening approach, a panel of 129 small molecule inhibitors from multiple pharmaceutical pipeline libraries was tested against three ATRT cell lines by in vitro cytotoxicity assays. Based on these data, agents that have strong activity and corresponding susceptible cellular pathways were identified. Target modulation, antibody array analysis, drug combination and in vivo xenograft studies were performed on one of the pathway inhibitors found in this screening. Approximately 20% of agents in the library showed activity with IC50 values of 1 μM or less and many showed IC50 values less than 0.05 μM. Intra cell line variability was also noted among some of the drugs. However, it was determined that agents capable of affecting pathways constituting ErbB2, mTOR, proteasomes, Hsp90, Polo like kinases and Aurora kinases were universally effective against the three ATRT cell lines. The first target selected for further analysis, the inhibition of ErbB2‐EGFR pathway by the small molecule inhibitor lapatinib, indicated inhibition of cell migration properties and the initiation of apoptosis. Synergy between lapatinib and IGF‐IR inhibition was also demonstrated by combination index (CI) values. Xenograft studies showed effective antitumor activity of lapatinib in vivo. We present an experimental approach to identifying agents and drug combinations for future clinical trials and provide evidence for the potential of lapatinib as an effective agent in the context of the biology and heterogeneity of its targets in ATRT.
Real Analysis through Modern Infinitesimals
Authors: Vakil Nader
Published: January 2013

Real Analysis Through Modern Infinitesimals provides a course on mathematical analysis based on Internal Set Theory (IST) introduced by Edward Nelson in 1977. After motivating IST through an ultrapower construction, the book provides a careful development of this theory representing each external class as a proper class. This foundational discussion, which is presented in the first two chapters, includes an account of the basic internal and external properties of the real number system as an entity within IST. In its remaining fourteen chapters, the book explores the consequences of the perspective offered by IST as a wide range of real analysis topics are surveyed. The topics thus developed begin with those usually discussed in an advanced undergraduate analysis course and gradually move to topics that are suitable for more advanced readers. This book may be used for reference, self-study, and as a source for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses.
From Nurturing the Nation to Purifying the Volk
Authors: Mouton Michelle
Published: January 2013

Fearing that the future of the nation was at stake following the First World War, German policymakers vastly expanded social welfare programs to shore up women and families. Just over a decade later, the Nazis seized control of the state and created a radically different, racially driven gender and family policy. This book explores Weimar and Nazi policy to highlight the fundamental, far-reaching change wrought by the Nazis and the disparity between national family policy design and its implementation at the local level. Relying on a broad range of sources - including court records, sterilization files, church accounts, and women's oral histories - it demonstrates how local officials balanced the benefits of marriage, divorce, and adoption against budgetary concerns, church influence, and their own personal beliefs. Throughout both eras individual Germans collaborated with, rebelled against, and evaded state mandates, in the process fundamentally altering the impact of national policy.
Between State and Synagogue
Authors: Ben-Porat Guy
Published: January 2013

A thriving, yet small, liberal component in Israeli society has frequently taken issue with the constraints imposed by religious orthodoxy, largely with limited success. However, Guy Ben-Porat suggests, in recent years, in part because of demographic changes and in part because of the influence of an increasingly consumer-oriented society, dramatic changes have occurred in secularization of significant parts of public and private lives. Even though these fissures often have more to do with lifestyle choices and economics than with political or religious ideology, the demands and choices of a secular public and a burgeoning religious presence in the government are becoming ever more difficult to reconcile. The evidence, which the author has accrued from numerous interviews and a detailed survey, is nowhere more telling than in areas that demand religious sanction such as marriage, burial, the sale of pork, and the operation of businesses on the Sabbath.
Handbook of Human Oocyte Cryopreservation
Authors: Porcu Eleonora , Ciotti Patrizia , Venturoli Stefano
Published: January 2013

Human oocyte cryopreservation has undergone rapid growth, with technical improvement and increasing clinical application over the last ten years. Storing eggs is ethical and gives many young women their most realistic chance of conception. Cryopreservation, however, is still considered by many as an experimental technique and conflicting reports are published as to its efficacy. For these reasons, it is necessary to give reproductive researchers and practitioners comprehensive and systematic information about the field. This book describes and analyses the history of human oocyte freezing, the main steps of technical evolution, and the pros and cons of different techniques. In addition, the clinical applications, long-term outcome, efficiency and safety of oocyte cryopreservation are detailed. The Handbook of Human Oocyte Cryopreservation gives a complete picture of the field today and is a valuable text for embryologists, cryobiologists, reproductive medicine practitioners and anyone involved in researching and implementing the technique.
The Electron Glass
Authors: Pollak M. , Ortuño M. , Frydman A.
Published: January 2013

Presenting an up-to-date report on electronic glasses, this book examines experiments and theories for a variety of disordered materials where electrons exhibit glassy properties. Some interesting mathematical models of idealized systems are also discussed. The authors examine problems in this field, highlighting which issues are currently understood and which require further research. Where appropriate, the authors focus on physical arguments over elaborate derivations. The book provides introductory background material on glassy systems, properties of disordered systems and transport properties so it can be understood by researchers in condensed matter physics who are new to this field.
The Power and the People
Authors: Tripp Charles
Published: January 2013

This book is about power. The power wielded over others – by absolute monarchs, tyrannical totalitarian regimes and military occupiers – and the power of the people who resist and deny their rulers' claims to that authority by whatever means. The extraordinary events in the Middle East in 2011 offered a vivid example of how non-violent demonstration can topple seemingly invincible rulers. This book considers the ways in which the people have united to unseat their oppressors and fight against the status quo and probes the relationship between power and forms of resistance. It also examines how common experiences of violence and repression create new collective identities. This brilliant, yet unsettling book affords a panoramic view of the twentieth and twenty-first century Middle East through occupation, oppression and political resistance.
Turn Left at Orion
Authors: Consolmagno Guy , Davis Dan M.
Published: January 2013

With over 100,000 copies sold since first publication, this is one of the most popular astronomy books of all time. It is a unique guidebook to the night sky, providing all the information you need to observe a whole host of celestial objects. With a new spiral binding, this edition is even easier to use outdoors at the telescope and is the ideal beginner's book. Keeping its distinct one-object-per-spread format, this edition is also designed for Dobsonian telescopes, as well as for smaller reflectors and refractors, and covers Southern hemisphere objects in more detail. Large-format eyepiece views, positioned side-by-side, show objects exactly as they are seen through a telescope, and with improved directions, updated tables of astronomical information and an expanded night-by-night Moon section, it has never been easier to explore the night sky on your own. Many additional resources are available on the accompanying website, www.cambridge.org/turnleft.
Econometric Modelling with Time Series
Authors: Martin Vance , Hurn Stan , Harris David
Published: January 2013

This book provides a general framework for specifying, estimating and testing time series econometric models. Special emphasis is given to estimation by maximum likelihood, but other methods are also discussed, including quasi-maximum likelihood estimation, generalised method of moments estimation, nonparametric estimation and estimation by simulation. An important advantage of adopting the principle of maximum likelihood as the unifying framework for the book is that many of the estimators and test statistics proposed in econometrics can be derived within a likelihood framework, thereby providing a coherent vehicle for understanding their properties and interrelationships. In contrast to many existing econometric textbooks, which deal mainly with the theoretical properties of estimators and test statistics through a theorem-proof presentation, this book squarely addresses implementation to provide direct conduits between the theory and applied work.
Disequilibrium Foundations of Equilibrium Economics
Authors: Fisher Franklin M.
Published: January 2013

The most common mode of analysis in economic theory is to assume equilibrium. Yet, without a proper theory of how economies behave in disequilibrium, there is no foundation for such a practice. The necessary step in proposing a foundation is the formulation of a theory of stability, and in this 1984 book, Professor Fisher is primarily concerned with this subject, although disequilibrium behavior itself is analyzed. The author first undertakes a review of the existing literature on the stability of general equilibrium. He then proposes a more satisfactory general model in which agents realize their state of disequilibrium and act on arbitrage opportunities. The interrelated topics of the role of money, the nature of quantity constraints, and the optimal behaviour of arbitraging agents are extensively treated.
Money and Security
Authors: Zimmermann Hubert
Published: January 2013

This study links two fundamental political structures of the Cold War era, the transatlantic security system and the international monetary system. Central to this issue is a problem which soured relations between the Federal Republic and its allies from the 1950s to the 1970s: who was to bear the enormous cost of British and American troops in Germany? Both Washington and London identified this cost as a major reason for the decline of their currencies, whereas Germany reluctantly paid and traded 'Money for Security'; a fundamental pattern of its postwar foreign policy. The interweaving of money and security leads toward a more complete understanding of transatlantic history during the Cold War, one which provides an incisive comment on the pattern of simultaneous conflict and cooperation in the interaction of modern states, demonstrates the influence of domestic politics on foreign policies, and comments on the relative nature of American hegemony.
Soldiers of Labor
Authors: Patel Kiran Klaus
Published: January 2013

Originally published in 2005, Soldiers of Labor is a systematic comparison between the labor policies of the Nazi dictatorship and New Deal America. The main subject of the book is the Nazi Labor Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst), a public work scheme that provided work and education for young men. Here, the organizational setup, the educational dimension, and its practical work are extensively examined. Originally, the institution was an instrument in the fight against unemployment at the end of the Weimar Republic. After 1933, it became a Nazi propaganda tool that ultimately became involved in the Nazi's war of extermination. This study examines the similarities and differences, the mutual perceptions, and transfers between the Nazi Labor Service and its New Deal equivalent, the Civilian Conservation Corps. Patel uncovers stunning similarities between the two organizations, as well as President Roosevelt's irritating personal interest in the Nazi equivalent of his pet agency, the CCC.
Spying for the People
Authors: Schoenhals Michael
Published: January 2013

Since the end of the Cold War, the operations of secret police informers have come under the media spotlight and it is now common knowledge that vast internal networks of spies in the Soviet Union and East Germany were directed by the Communist Party. By contrast, very little historical information has been available on the covert operations of the security services in Mao Zedong's China. However, as Michael Schoenhals reveals in this intriguing and sometimes sinister account, public security was a top priority for the founders of the People's Republic and agents were recruited from all levels of society to ferret out 'counter-revolutionaries'. On the basis of hitherto classified archival records, the book tells the story of a vast surveillance and control apparatus through a detailed examination of the cultivation and recruitment of agents, their training and their operational activities across a twenty-year period from 1949 to 1967.
The Shakespearean Stage Space
Authors: Ichikawa Mariko
Published: January 2013

How did Renaissance theatre create its powerful effects with so few resources? In The Shakespearean Stage Space, Mariko Ichikawa explores the original staging of plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries to build a new picture of the artistry of the Renaissance stage. Dealing with problematic scenes and stage directions, Ichikawa closely examines the playing conditions in early modern playhouses to reveal the ways in which the structure of the stage was used to ensure the audibility of offstage sounds, to control the visibility of characters, to convey fictional locales, to create specific moods and atmospheres and to maintain a frequently shifting balance between fictional and theatrical realities. She argues that basic theatrical terms were used in a much broader and more flexible way than we usually assume and demonstrates that, rather than imposing limitations, the bare stage of the Shakespearean theatre offered dramatists and actors a variety of imaginative possibilities.
The Politics of Nation-Building
Authors: Mylonas Harris
Published: January 2013

What drives a state's choice to assimilate, accommodate or exclude ethnic groups within its territory? In this innovative work on the international politics of nation-building, Harris Mylonas argues that a state's nation-building policies toward non-core groups - individuals perceived as an ethnic group by the ruling elite of a state - are influenced by both its foreign policy goals and its relations with the external patrons of these groups. Through a detailed study of the Balkans, Mylonas shows that how a state treats a non-core group within its own borders is determined largely by whether the state's foreign policy is revisionist or cleaves to the international status quo, and whether it is allied or in rivalry with that group's external patrons. Mylonas injects international politics into the study of nation-building, building a bridge between international relations and the comparative politics of ethnicity and nationalism.
Transitional Justice in Post-Communist Romania
Authors: Stan Lavinia
Published: January 2013

A close examination of an understudied European Union member state such as Romania reveals that, since 1989, post-Communist state and non-state actors have adopted a wide range of methods, processes and practices of working through the Communist past. Both the timing and the sequencing of these transitional justice methods prove to be significant in determining the efficacy of addressing and redressing the crimes of 1945 to 1989. In addition, there is evidence that some of these methods have directly facilitated the democratization process, while the absence of other methods has undermined the rule of law. This is the first volume to overview the complex Romanian transitional justice effort by accessing secret archives and investigating court trials of former Communist perpetrators, lustration, compensation and rehabilitation, property restitution, the truth commission, the rewriting of history books, and unofficial truth projects.
Myth, Ritual, and the Warrior in Roman and Indo-European Antiquity
Authors: Woodard Roger D.
Published: January 2013

This book examines the figure of the returning warrior as depicted in the myths of several ancient and medieval Indo-European cultures. In these cultures, the returning warrior was often portrayed as a figure rendered dysfunctionally destructive or isolationist by the horrors of combat. This mythic portrayal of the returned warrior is consistent with modern studies of similar behavior among soldiers returning from war. Roger Woodard's research identifies a common origin of these myths in the ancestral proto-Indo-European culture, in which rites were enacted to enable warriors to reintegrate themselves as functional members of society. He also compares the Italic, Indo-Iranian and Celtic mythic traditions surrounding the warrior, paying particular attention to Roman myth and ritual, notably to the etiologies and rites of the July festivals of the Poplifugia and Nonae Caprotinae and to the October rites of the Sororium Tigillum.
The Gothic Screen
Authors: Jung Jacqueline E.
Published: January 2013

At the heart of Gothic cathedrals, the threshold between nave and sanctuary was marked by the choir screen, a partitioning structure of special complexity, grandeur and beauty. At once a canopy for altars, a stage for performance, a pedestal for crucifixes and reliquaries and a ground for spectacular arrays of narrative and iconic sculptures, the choir screen profoundly shaped the spaces of liturgy and social interaction for the diverse communities, both clerical and lay, who shared the church interior. For the first time, this book draws together the most important examples - some fully extant, others known through fragments and graphic sources - from thirteenth- and fourteenth-century France and Germany. Through analyses of both their architectural and sculptural components, Jacqueline E. Jung reveals how these furnishings, far from being barricades or hindrances, were vital vehicles of communication and shapers of a community centred on Christian rituals and stories.