bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Application of Ultrasound for Oil Separation and Recovery of Palm Oil
Authors: Juliano P. , Swiergon P. , Mawson R. , Knoerzer K. , Augustin M. A.
Published: December 2012

This work investigated whether ultrasound treatment could improve the oil recovery from the extract obtained from pressed oil palm mesocarp. Oil recoverable after subjecting two process streams from palm oil milling operations to ultrasound were compared to that obtained from corresponding samples without ultrasound treatment. The process streams examined were (i) the ex‐screw press feed into the vertical clarification tank and (ii) the underflow sludge from the clarification tank. Oil recoverable was taken as the sum of decantable oil obtained after a gravity settling process at 85 °C for 1 h (skimmed oil) and oil released from the remaining colloidal dispersion after centrifugation at 1,000 g (centrifuged oil). Oil recoverable was dependent on the ultrasound treatment applied, type of transducer used and the feed stream. Increased recoverable oil was obtained by applying low frequency ultrasound (20 kHz) to the ex‐screw press feed using a long rod radial sonotrode system but recoverable oil was decreased when a short single step cascade focused sonotrode system was used. High frequency ultrasound (400 + 1,600 kHz) increased recoverable oil from both process streams. Applying sequential low and high frequency ultrasound increased recoverable oil from the ex‐screw press feed but decreased that from the underflow sludge. The use of high frequency ultrasound for improving oil recovery is a significant advance for palm oil milling operations.
Pregnancy outcomes and relative risk factors among Chinese women with congenital heart disease
Authors: Liu Hua , Huang Taotao , Zhao Weixiu , Shen Yao , Lin Jianhua
Published: December 2012

Objective

To summarize pregnancy outcomes among a cohort of Chinese women with congenital heart disease (CHD) and to identify predictive risk factors for maternal, fetal, and neonatal complications.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 529 women with CHD who gave birth at the Shanghai Obstetrical Cardiology Intensive Care Center, Shanghai, China, between January 1, 1993, and September 30, 2010. Maternal, fetal, and neonatal complications were evaluated for these women.

Results

Maternal cardiac complications were reported in 33 (6.2%) of the women, whereas fetal and neonatal complications were reported in 145 (27.4%). The factors found to be significantly predictive for maternal cardiac complications were cardiac events before pregnancy (odds ratio [OR] 36.811), New York Heart Association functional class greater than II (OR 27.702), oxygen saturation below 90% (OR 7.506), and left ventricular obstruction (aorta stenosis) (OR 2.408). Factors significantly predictive for fetal and neonatal complications were New York Heart Association functional class greater than II (OR 20.12), oxygen saturation below 90% (OR 3.78), and pulmonary arterial hypertension (systolic pressure ≥ 50 mm Hg) (OR 3.42).

Conclusion

Identification of maternal, fetal, and neonatal complications among women with CHD may guide medical intervention and therefore reduce pregnancy‐associated risk for these patients.
Plumbagin, a medicinal plant (lumbago zeylanica)‐derived 1,4‐naphthoquinone, inhibits growth and metastasis of human prostate cancer PC‐3M‐luciferase cells in an orthotopic xenograft mouse model
Authors: Hafeez Bilal Bin , Zhong Weixiong , Fischer Joseph W. , Mustafa Ala , Shi Xudong , Meske Louise , Hong Hao , Cai Weibo , Havighurst Thomas , Kim KyungMann , Verma Ajit K.
Published: December 2012

We present here first time that Plumbagin (PL), a medicinal plant‐derived 1,4‐naphthoquinone, inhibits the growth and metastasis of human prostate cancer (PCa) cells in an orthotopic xenograft mouse model. In this study, human PCa PC‐3M‐luciferase cells (2 × 106) were injected into the prostate of athymic nude mice. Three days post cell implantation, mice were treated with PL (2 mg/kg body wt. i.p. five days in a week) for 8 weeks. Growth and metastasis of PC‐3M‐luciferase cells was examined weekly by bioluminescence imaging of live mice. PL‐treatment significantly (p = 0.0008) inhibited the growth of orthotopic xenograft tumors. Results demonstrated a significant inhibition of metastasis into liver (p = 0.037), but inhibition of metastasis into the lungs (p = 0.60) and lymph nodes (p = 0.27) was not observed to be significant. These results were further confirmed by histopathology of these organs. Results of histopathology demonstrated a significant inhibition of metastasis into lymph nodes (p = 0.034) and lungs (p = 0.028), and a trend to significance in liver (p = 0.075). None of the mice in the PL‐treatment group showed PCa metastasis into the liver, but these mice had small metastasis foci into the lymph nodes and lungs. However, control mice had large metastatic foci into the lymph nodes, lungs, and liver. PL‐caused inhibition of the growth and metastasis of PC‐3M cells accompanies inhibition of the expression of: 1) PKCϵ, pStat3Tyr705, and pStat3Ser727, 2) Stat3 downstream target genes (survivin and BclxL), 3) proliferative markers Ki‐67 and PCNA, 4) metastatic marker MMP9, MMP2, and uPA, and 5) angiogenesis markers CD31 and VEGF. Taken together, these results suggest that PL inhibits tumor growth and metastasis of human PCa PC3‐M‐luciferase cells, which could be used as a therapeutic agent for the prevention and treatment of human PCa.
Simple and Effective Field Extraction of Human Botfly, Dermatobia Hominis, Using a Venom Extractor
Authors: West Jonathan K.
Published: December 2012

After a trip to Belize, a 25-year-old man noticed an erythematous papule on his upper right chest that enlarged over a 6-week period and formed a central aperture. The patient reported feeling movement and intermittent lancinating pains under the skin. The history and examination were consistent with cutaneous myiasis, likely secondary to the human botfly, Dermatobia hominis. The objective of reporting this case is to present a simple method of extraction of a botfly larva using a commercial venom extractor. The patient's upper chest was prepared, and an occlusive dressing was placed over the lesion for 30 minutes. The Extractor Pump (Sawyer Products, Safety Harbor, FL) was applied and activated, and the larva was rapidly extracted completely intact with no significant discomfort to the patient. The wound fully healed without complication. D hominis is a common etiology of cutaneous myiasis endemic to Belize. The larva burrows under the skin of mammals where it develops for a period of weeks before erupting and falling to the soil to pupate. The diagnosis and treatment of botfly infestation is pertinent to doctors in the United States as Central and South America are common travel destinations for North Americans. In this case, a commercially available venom extractor was demonstrated to be a safe, noninvasive, and painless method for botfly extraction in the field without use of hospital resources.
REGULARITY REFORMULATED
Authors: Tang Weng Hong
Published: December 2012

This paper focuses on the view that rationality requires that our credences be regular. I go through different formulations of the requirement, and show that they face several problems. I then formulate a version of the requirement that solves most of, if not all, these problems. I conclude by showing that an argument thought to support the requirement as traditionally formulated actually does not; if anything, the argument, slightly modified, supports my version of the requirement.
EVIDENCE OF EVIDENCE AND TESTIMONIAL REDUCTIONISM
Authors: Rowley William D.
Published: December 2012

An objection to reductionism in the epistemology of testimony that is often repeated but rarely defended in detail is that there is not enough positive evidence to provide the non-testimonial, positive reasons reductionism requires. Thus, on pain of testimonial skepticism, reductionism must be rejected. Call this argument the ‘Not Enough Evidence Objection’ (or ‘NEEO’). I will defend reductionism about testimonial evidence against the NEEO by arguing that we typically have non-testimonial positive reasons in the form of evidence about our testifier's evidence. With a higher-level evidence principle borrowed from recent work on the epistemology of disagreement, I argue that, granting some plausible assumptions about conversational norms, the NEEO is unsound.
Recent Advances in Intervention for Early Childhood Anxiety
Authors: Anticich Sarah A.J. , Barrett Paula M. , Gillies Robyn , Silverman Wendy
Published: December 2012

Anxiety disorders in older children and adolescents have long been acknowledged as impairing, persistent and predictive of future anxiety and mood-related disorders. Until recently, however, anxiety in preschoolers and younger children has been regarded as relatively uncommon and within normal developmental parameters. Increasing evidence is suggestive that symptoms of anxiety in preschoolers parallel those in older children (Hirshfeld-Becker, Micco, Mazirsky, Bruett, & Henin, 2011) with this under-investigated area attracting increasing interest from researchers and clinicians alike. The present review summarises the empirical literature on early intervention and prevention programs for anxiety in young children (aged 3–7 years) with a specific focus on the application of such programs in the school context and implications for guidance counsellors, an improved understanding of which is critical for informing effective intervention. The studies reviewed demonstrate promising outcomes for anxiety; however, there is still a significant amount of work to be done in terms of our understanding of developmentally appropriate, family-focused and child-led models of anxiety and early intervention and prevention protocols.
The Invisibility of Covert Bullying Among Students: Challenges for School Intervention
Authors: Barnes Amy , Cross Donna , Lester Leanne , Hearn Lydia , Epstein Melanie , Monks Helen
Published: December 2012

Covert bullying behaviours are at least as distressing for young people as overt forms of bullying, but often remain unnoticed or unacknowledged by adults. Thisinvisibilityis increased in schools by inattention to covert bullying in policy and practice, and limited staff understanding and skill to address covert behaviours. These factors can lead to a school culture that appears to tolerate and thus inadvertently encourages covert bullying. This study explores these dynamics in Australian primary and secondary schools, including the attitudes of over 400 staff towards covert bullying, their understanding of covert bullying behaviours, and their perceived capacity to address these behaviours both individually and at a whole-school level. While most respondents felt a responsibility to intervene in bullying situations, nearly 70% strongly agreed with statements that staff need more training to address covert bullying. Only 10% of respondents described their current whole-school strategies as very effective in reducing covert bullying, and fewer than 40% reported their school had a bullying policy that explicitly referred to covert bullying. These results suggest an urgent need for sustainable professional development to enhance school staff understanding, skills and self-efficacy to address covert bullying through school policy and practice, and the need to identify and consolidate effective strategies to better address these behaviours.
Applied Practices: Perspectives from the Field Section within the Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling
Authors: Colmar Susan
Published: December 2012

I am delighted to announce a new section in our journal, The Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, which will encourage and welcome applied practice contributions from colleagues.
Do Politicians Shape Public Opinion?
Authors: Matsubayashi Tetsuya
Published: December 2012

Most research on political representation focuses on how citizens’ ideology and partisanship influence their support for political candidates – leaving the question of whether (and how) elected officials influence citizens’ positions on political issues open to debate. The hypothesis tested here – using a unique, quasi-experimental design with American National Election Study data between 1956 and 2004 – is that Democratic representatives shift the opinions of constituents in the pro-Democratic and liberal direction, while Republican representatives shift constituents’ opinions in the pro-Republican and conservative direction. The findings show that incumbent representatives indeed move their constituents’ opinions in a particular direction, and that representatives have a stronger impact on constituents who are more frequently exposed to their messages.
The Colonial Origins of the Divergence in the Americas: A Labor Market Approach
Authors: Allen Robert C. , Murphy Tommy E. , Schneider Eric B.
Published: December 2012

This article introduces the Americas in the Great Divergence debate by measuring real wages in various North and South American cities between colonization and independence, and comparing them to Europe and Asia. We find that for much of the period, North America was the most prosperous region of the world, while Latin America was much poorer. We then discuss a series of hypotheses that can explain these results, including migration, the demography of the American Indian populations, and the various labor systems implemented in the continent.
The Preventive Check in Medieval and Preindustrial England
Authors: Kelly Morgan , Ó Gráda Cormac
Published: December 2012

England's post-Reformation demographic regime has been characterized as “low pressure.” Yet the evidence hitherto for the presence of a preventive check, defined as the short-run response of marriage and births to variations in living standards, is rather weak. New evidence in this article strengthens the case for the preventive check in both medieval and early modern England. We invoke manorial data to argue the case for a preventive check on marriages in the Middle Ages. Our analysis of the post-1540 period, based on parish-level rather than aggregate data, finds evidence for a preventive check on marriages and births.
Fatwas and their controversy: The case of the Council of Indonesian Ulama (MUI)
Authors: Sirry Mun'im
Published: December 2012

This article discusses a different side of two controversial fatwas — one against Muslims participating in Christmas celebrations and the other against pluralism, liberalism and secularism — issued by the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI, Council of Indonesian Ulama). Most studies on MUI have emphasised the role that the Council's fatwas have played in inciting sectarian violence in Indonesia. Without denying the connections between violence and the MUI fatwas, this article argues that these controversial fatwas have also opened up room for more fruitful and constructive discussions among different religious groups in Indonesia. This article asks: What were the roots of the controversy over these intolerant fatwas? How did the state respond to them? And what does the controversy over these fatwas tell us about the nature of public debate on Islam in Indonesia? By answering these questions this article will shed light on aspects of contemporary Indonesian public debates about Islam that have been overlooked in current scholarship.
Simon Peter Meets Simon the Tanner: The Ritual Insignificance of Tanning in Ancient Judaism
Authors: Oliver Isaac W.
Published: December 2012

Many New Testament exegetes have taken the reference in Acts 9.43 to Peter's stay at Simon the Tanner's house as proof that purity laws are no longer relevant for the author of Acts, since tanning conveys ritual impurity. These interpreters have relied primarily on rabbinic passages to make their argument. This article shows that none of the solicited rabbinic passages refers to tanning as ritually defiling. Rather, the rabbinic sources reveal a disdain for tanners because of their stench and filth. At times, the rabbinic sages also criticize tanners for their supposed lack of moral scruples. Peter's visit to Simon the Tanner's house, therefore, cannot be taken as evidence that the author of Acts dismisses the relevance of the Jewish purity system, let alone kashrut. At best, the reference in Acts to Simon the Tanner informs us about the social-economic status of some of the members of the Jesus movement.
The Two Angels in John 20.12: An Egyptian Icon of Resurrection
Authors: de Hulster Izaak J.
Published: December 2012

The scene with two angels that Mary Magdalene sees in John 20.12 could have been visualized as an icon of resurrection by the first readers of the Fourth Gospel, especially by those familiar with the iconography of the Isis cult which was spread over the Roman Empire. Using traditional exegetical, hermeneutical, historical, and iconographic methods, this article stresses the importance of the resurrection in John 20, as corroborated by the motif of Isis and Nephthys flanking Osiris while mourning his death and assisting him in his resurrection.
‘Debtors to the Spirit’ in Romans 8.12? Reasons for the Silence
Authors: Gieniusz Andrzej
Published: December 2012

This article discusses the Pauline anacoluthon in Romans 8.12. The usual interpretations consider it a communicative accident on the part of Paul or as a case of laudable laconicism. Against such an understanding the present author proposes to consider the anacoluthon as a figure of speech, deliberately chosen by the Apostle both to emphasize the total character of the filial relationship of Christians to God, as opposed to their past dependences, and to help them discover this particularity of their new status on their own.
Refinements to the study of electrostatic deflections: theory and experiment
Authors: BRUBAKER N. D. , SIDDIQUE J. I. , SABO E. , DEATON R. , PELESKO J. A.
Published: December 2012

To study electrostatic actuation, researchers commonly use a setup proposed by G. I. Taylor in [Proc. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. A, 306 (1968), pp. 423–434]. It consists of soap film held at a distancehabove a rigid plate so that when a voltage difference is applied between the two components, the top film deflects towards the bottom plate. The most striking feature of this system is when the voltage difference exceeds a critical valueV*, the electrostatic forces dominate the surface forces and the soap film gets ‘pulled-into’ or collapses onto the bottom plate. This so-called ‘pull-in’ instability is a ubiquitous feature of electrostatic actuation and as a result, has been the subject of many studies. Recently, Siddiqueet al. [J. Electrostatics, 69 (2011), pp. 1–6] measured the value ofV* as a function of the separation distance and found that the standard prediction breaks down ashincreases. Here, we continue the work done in [N. D. Brubaker and J. A. Pelesko, European J. Appl. Math., 22 (2011), pp. 455–470] by investigating the cause of this discrepancy. Specifically, we model the effect of gravity on the generalized version of Taylor's model and study whether it provides the proper correction to the predicted value ofV*. In doing so, we derive two nonlinear eigenvalue value problems and investigate their solutions sets.
Variable Phase Bright-Field Contrast—An Alternative Illumination Technique for Improved Imaging in Transparent Specimens
Authors: Piper Timm , Piper Jörg
Published: December 2012

In variable phase bright-field contrast, a bright-field image based on axial or concentric-peripheral light is optically superimposed with a phase-contrast image, so that typical details that are imminent in one or the other technique contribute to the resulting composite image. In particular, complex structured specimens consisting of high-density light absorbing details and additional low-density phase shifting components can be observed with improved clarity. As both partial images interfere with each other, fine details within thin specimens can be highlighted further by additional contrast effects based on interference. Haloing and shade-off are significantly reduced when compared with phase contrast carried out stand-alone. Our method is characterized by several technical means that are relevant for the high image quality that can be achieved: both illuminating light components associated with bright field and phase contrast are filtered at different colors and separated from each other so that they meet the specimen at different angles of incidence. The intensities of the phase-contrast- and bright-field-producing light can be selectively regulated so that the final image can be dominated by phase contrast or bright field, or be equalized. The condenser aperture diaphragm can be used for modulations of the image's appearance.
Ionoluminescence in the Helium Ion Microscope
Authors: Boden Stuart A. , Franklin Thomas M.W. , Scipioni Larry , Bagnall Darren M. , Rutt Harvey N.
Published: December 2012

Ionoluminescence (IL) is the emission of light from a material due to excitation by an ion beam. In this work, a helium ion microscope (HIM) has been used in conjunction with a luminescence detection system to characterize IL from materials in an analogous way to how cathodoluminescence (CL) is characterized in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). A survey of the helium ion beam induced IL characteristics, including images and spectra, of a variety of materials known to exhibit CL in an SEM is presented. Direct band-gap semiconductors that luminesce strongly in the SEM are found not do so in the HIM, possibly due to defect-related nonradiative pathways created by the ion beam. Other materials do, however, exhibit IL, including a cerium-doped garnet sample, quantum dots, and rare-earth doped LaPO4 nanocrystals. These emissions are a result of transitions between f electron states or transitions across size dependent band gaps. In all these samples, IL is found to decay with exposure to the beam, fitting well to double exponential functions. In an exploration of the potential of this technique for biological tagging applications, imaging with the IL emitted by rare-earth doped LaPO4 nanocrystals, simultaneously with secondary electron imaging, is demonstrated at a range of magnifications.
The Zona Pellucida Porosity: Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Four Types of Mouse Oocyte Zona Pellucida Using a Dual Beam Microscope
Authors: Novo Sergi , Barrios Leonardo , Ibáñez Elena , Nogués Carme
Published: December 2012

In the last decade, the applicability of focus ion beam–field emission scanning electron microscopy (FIB-FESEM) in the biological field has begun to get relevance. Among the possibilities offered by FIB-FESEM, high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of biological structures is one of the most interesting. Using this tool, the 3D porosity of four different types of mouse oocyte zona pellucida (ZP) was analyzed. A surface analysis of the mouse oocyte ZP was first performed by SEM. Next, one oocyte per ZP type was selected, and an area of its ZP was completely milled, using the cut and view mode, in the FIB-FESEM. Through a 3D reconstruction of the milled area, a map of the distribution of the pores across the ZP was established and the number and volume of pores were quantified, thus enabling for the first time the study of the inner porosity of the mouse ZP. Differences in ZP porosity observed among the four types analyzed allowed us to outline a model to explain the changes that the ZP undergoes through immature, mature, predegenerative, and degenerative stages.
The obesity risk gene FTO influences body mass in chronic schizophrenia but not initial antipsychotic drug-induced weight gain in first-episode patients
Authors: Reynolds Gavin P. , Yevtushenko Olga O. , Gordon Sarah , Arranz Belen , San Luis , Cooper Stephen J.
Published: December 2012

Genetic factors contribute to the individual variability in weight gain caused by several antipsychotic drugs. The FTO gene is associated with obesity in the general population; we have investigated whether a common risk polymorphism (rs9939609) in this gene is associated with antipsychotic drug-induced weight gain and obesity. Two samples were studied: (1) 93 first-episode patients receiving antipsychotic drugs for the first time and having body weight monitored for up to 12 months; (2) 187 chronic patients with schizophrenia assessed for measures of obesity and metabolic dysfunction. No association of FTO genotype with weight gain was found in initially drug-naive patients. The chronically treated patients had a significant association of genotype with body mass index (BMI), reflected in associations with waist circumference, waist:hip ratio and the frequency of central obesity. These findings indicate that FTO genotype has a major effect on body weight determined by BMI in chronically treated patients with schizophrenia.
John Philippe Rushton, 1943–2012
Authors: Hur Yoon-Mi , Lynn Richard
Published: December 2012

John Philippe (Phil) Rushton, Professor of Psychology at the University of Western Ontario, died of cancer. He was 68 (born December 3, 1943; died October 2, 2012).
Generic dependence of the frequency‐size distribution of earthquakes on depth and its relation to the strength profile of the crust
Authors: Spada M. , Tormann T. , Wiemer S. , Enescu B.
Published: December 2012

We explore the idea that the relative size distribution of earthquakes, quantified using the so‐called b‐value, is negatively correlated with differential stress. Because the maximum possible differential stress increases linearly in the brittle upper crust, we expect to find a decrease of b with depth. We test this expectation for seven continental areas around the world, each of which is described by a regional earthquake catalog. We find a monotonic decrease in b‐value between 5 and 15 km depth. The decrease stops near the brittle‐ductile transition. We specifically focus on the high‐quality catalogs of earthquakes in California to perform a sensitivity test with respect to depth uncertainty; we also estimate the probability‐depth gradient for the occurrence of a target magnitude event and study the behavior of b with depth in near‐ and off‐fault zones. We also translate the observed b‐depth gradients into b‐differential stress gradients. Our findings suggest that b‐values are negatively correlated with differential stress and hus have the potential to act as stress meters in the Earth's crust.
Can teleseismic mb be affected by rock damage around explosions?
Authors: Taylor Steven R. , Patton Howard J.
Published: December 2012

Effects of rock damage on teleseismic mb are investigated with P wave synthetic seismograms using a moment dipole Mzz as the equivalent elastic model for damage around buried explosions. Two manifestations of late‐time damage, cavity rebound and bulking from block rotations, are represented by model decompositions into compensated linear vector dipole and monopole sources, respectively. For high‐velocity media, P waves from damage destructively interfere with those from the explosion. This interference reduces the rate at which mb yield scales for a pure monopole source and provides a physical basis for observed scaling in hard rock, mb ~ 0.75 log[yield]. For over‐buried explosions, such as the North Korean tests, P waves from damage are weaker, and higher scaling rates are expected than explosions conducted under standard containment conditions. Our results highlight a cautionary note of transporting the same mb‐log[yield] relation between test sites to estimate yield when source phenomenology is likely to be very different.
Atlantic meridional heat transports in two ocean reanalyses evaluated against the RAPID array
Authors: Haines Keith , Stepanov Vladimir N. , Valdivieso Maria , Zuo Hao
Published: December 2012

The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation in two versions of the NEMO ° global ocean model has been compared with the RAPID transport array at 26°N. Both model versions reproduce the mean MOC strength well although the Florida Straits flows differ because the pathway of the Gulf Stream is not strongly constrained at this resolution. Both models however have a mean meridional heat transport of 1.07PW, much lower than the 1.35PW from RAPID observations in April 2004–October 2007. Much of the heat transport discrepancy is due to lower transports in summer across the MidOcean (Bahamas‐Africa) section, due to stronger southward geostrophic flows in the top 100 m where the water is warmest. Seasonal thermocline changes increase temperature differences across the basin driving stronger geostrophic shear, but this effect is much weaker in the top 100 m of the RAPID velocity data. The effect accounts for a reduction of 1.1Sv in MOC and 0.1PW in heat transports. The rest of the discrepancy comes from lower Ekman transports from using ERAInterim winds instead of QuikSCAT, a smaller zonally varying “Eddy” heat transport component, estimated from repeat XBT sections in the observations, and the southward throughflow in the model. Other differences in depth structure of the model MOC and RAPID observations are described but have much less impact on heat transports.
Tidal calibration of plate boundary observatory borehole strainmeters
Authors: Hodgkinson Kathleen , Langbein John , Henderson Brent , Mencin Dave , Borsa Adrian
Published: December 2012

The Plate Boundary Observatory, the geodetic component of the EarthScope program, includes 74 borehole strainmeters installed in the western United States and on Vancouver Island, Canada. In this study, we calibrate 45 of the instruments by comparing the observed M2 and O1 Earth tides with those predicted using Earth tide models. For each strainmeter, we invert for a coupling matrix that relates the gauge measurements to the regional strain field assuming only that the measured strains are linear combinations of the regional areal and shear strains. We compare these matrices to those found when constraints are imposed which require the coupling coefficients to lie within expected ranges for this strainmeter design. Similar unconstrained and constrained coupling matrices suggest the instrument is functioning as expected as no other coupling matrix can be found that better reduces the misfit between observed and predicted tides when the inversion is unconstrained. Differences imply a coupling matrix with coefficients outside typical ranges gives a better fit between the observed and predicted tides. We find that 22 of the strainmeters examined have coupling matrices for which there is little difference between the constrained and unconstrained inversions. If we allow a greater divergence in the shear coupling coefficients and consider the possibility that one gauge may not function as expected, the discrepancies between the unconstrained and constrained coupling matrices are resolved for a subset of the remaining strainmeters. Our results also indicate that most of the strainmeters are less sensitive to areal strain than expected from theory.
Workload Status of School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists in Texas
Authors: Armstrong Erika , White Ginger , Moorer-Cook Laura , Gill Cindy
Published: December 2012

In 1993, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) recommended caseloads of 40 for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) practicing in the public schools, a recommendation that was not feasible for most school districts. In addition, new laws and policies substantially increased the paperwork, responsibilities, and time expenditures required of the school-based SLP. ASHA subsequently instigated extensive reviews of the problem and, in 2002, suggested that schools instead use a “workload analysis approach,” considering all of the required activities from prereferral to dismissal, in order to determine the number of children an SLP could appropriately serve. In our study, we attempted to catalog the status of Texas' efforts in using workload considerations. More than 400 school-based respondents indicated the percentages of time they spent fulfilling each professional responsibility at their school. Responses suggest that variation in caseload numbers corresponds to clinician role (SLP vs. supervising SLP vs. SLP Assistant). Most clinicians indicated that they were fairly satisfied with their job; however, many were employed 5 or fewer years in the schools and the average workweek was 48–49 hours. Although it appears that Texas is using workload considerations to some extent, efforts should continue to optimize the quality of treatment for Texas schoolchildren and retention of SLPs in the schools.
‘Talk, talk, cry, laugh’: learning, healing and building an Aboriginal workforce to address family violence
Authors: Lauw Marlene L. , Spangaro Jo , Herring Sigrid , McNamara Lorna D.
Published: December 2012

Sexual abuse and family violence are widespread and under-reported phenomena for which Aboriginal victims face even greater barriers to asking for and receiving assistance than do others in the community. There is a need for strategies to address abuse without disempowering and alienating Aboriginal people. A program developed by the New South Wales Health Education Centre Against Violence is addressing this issue at the same time as contributing towards a strengthened Aboriginal health workforce. The training program which is a 1-year qualification course has grown from a 52% rate of graduation in its first 6 years to 92%. Three practices in the classroom have contributed to this success. These are: (i) recognition of the emotional impact of the training and its links to participants own histories; (ii) providing space to address participants negative prior educational experiences; and (iii) further developing content on the recent sociopolitical history of Aboriginal people. These practices have strengthened this successful course, which is building a skilled workforce to provide accessible, culturally sensitive services for Aboriginal people experiencing abuse.
The hidden cost of medical student education: an exploratory study
Authors: Oates R. Kim , Goulston Kerry J.
Published: December 2012

Objective.
To examine the hidden cost of medical education at the Sydney Medical School, for which the University of Sydney does not pay.

Methods.
All face-to-face teaching provided for students in the Sydney University Postgraduate Medical Program was listed under two headings: teaching by university employed staff; and teaching by other health providers not paid by the university. All teaching hours in 2010 were extracted from detailed timetables and categorised under these headings. Time spent in lecture preparation and exam marking was included. Students were sampled to obtain information about additional teaching that was not timetabled.

Results.
Teaching by university paid staff accounted for 59 and 61% of face-to-face teaching costs in years 1 and 2 of the 4-year Graduate Program, but only 8% in the final 2 years. The cost of medical education provided by the university, including infrastructure costs was $56 250 per student per year in 2010. An additional $34 326 worth of teaching per student per year was provided by teachers not paid by the university.

Conclusion.
The true cost of medical education is the cost of education met by the university plus the value of teaching currently provided by government funded health providers and honorary teachers. In 2010, 38% of the medical education cost at Sydney University was provided at no cost to the University. As government health departments seek to trim rising health expenditure, there is no guarantee that they will continue to contribute to medical education without passing this cost on to universities.

What is known about this topic?
Some medical student teaching is provided by teachers who may be employed by a government health provider or who are honorary teachers. There is no cost to the university for this teaching.

What does this paper add?
An estimate of the total value of teaching provided to students at Sydney Medical School, for which the university does not pay, is approximately $34 000 per student per year, compared with the total cost of approximately $56 000 per student per year incurred by the university.

What are the implications?
Medical education is a partnership between the university, the government health sector and honorary teachers. Without contributions by non-university paid staff, the cost of medical education would be unsustainable.
Finding a living kidney donor: experiences of New Zealand renal patients
Authors: Martin Paula
Published: December 2012

A living donor kidney transplant (LDKT) is the preferred treatment for many people with end stage renal failure but there is a significant and growing gap between the number of people who might benefit from a transplant and those who receive one in New Zealand. International research suggests a range of barriers for patients in the journey to LDKT. One hundred and ninety-three patients on the New Zealand waiting list for a kidney transplant responded to a postal survey about live transplantation. While many patients are willing to discuss LDKT with family and friends, most are reluctant to go on to ask others directly to consider live donation. Patients who have not discussed LDKT with others are significantly less likely to have received even one offer from a potential donor. Pākehā and Māori are more likely to have received an offer to donate and to have had someone go on to be tested for compatibility than either Pacific or Other ethnic groups. Information gaps, ineffective donor recruitment strategies, donor incompatibility and donor medical unsuitability appear to be major barriers to LDKT. Many barriers are amenable to intervention and the implications for policy and practice are discussed.

What is known about the topic?
International studies suggest donor recruitment is difficult for patients and is a major barrier to LDKT. Incompatibility and medical unsuitability are barriers for many willing potential donors. There is no previous patient-centred NZ research on the barriers to living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT).

What does this paper add?
The paper provides evidence about patterns of donor recruitment activity amongst NZ patients, and suggests a strong relationship between discussing LDKT with family and friends, and receiving offers from potential donors. Asking potential donors directly to consider donation, as opposed to just discussing LDKT in general, does not seem to be associated with receiving more offers. Differences among ethnic groups can be seen.

What are the implications for practitioners?
Many of the barriers to LDKT are amenable to intervention, and possible options, such as support for donor recruitment and boosting NZ’s paired exchange scheme, are identified.
Outcomes of using the internet for sexual purposes: fulfilment of sexual desires
Authors: Daneback Kristian , Sevcikova Anna , Månsson Sven-Axel , Ross Michael W.
Published: December 2012

Background
The purpose of the current study was to examine the characteristics of those who report fulfilment of sexual desires as a result of internet use for sexual purposes and which sexually related online activities contribute to the fulfilment of sexual desires. Methods: Data were collected through a questionnaire posted on Swedish-language websites in 2009. The sample comprised 1614 respondents who reported using the internet for sexual purposes, 62% women and 38% men. Results: The results showed that the majority of the respondents had their sexual desires fulfilled as a result of their sexually related activities on the internet; 21% to a great extent and 59% to a small extent, but 20% did not have their sexual desires fulfilled. Using a multinomial logistic regression analysis, respondents who had their sexual desires fulfilled to a small or great extent were each compared with those who did not have their sexual desires fulfilled at all. At the level of individual characteristics and sexual behaviours, those with no fulfilment of their sexual desires did not differ from those who had their sexual desires fulfilled, with the exceptions of age and masturbation. In comparison to fulfilment to a small extent, fulfilment of sexual desires to a great extent was predicted by a larger number of sexually related online activities that were based on interaction.Conclusion: The findings suggest that the internet may contribute to fulfilment of sexual desires among a large internet population, irrespective of sex or sexual identity.
Catalytic mechanism of a mammalian Rab·RabGAP complex in atomic detail
Authors: Gavriljuk Konstantin , Gazdag Emerich-Mihai , Itzen Aymelt , Kötting Carsten , Goody Roger S. , Gerwert Klaus
Published: December 2012

Rab GTPases, key regulators of vesicular transport, hydrolyze GTP very slowly unless assisted by Rab GTPase-activating proteins (RabGAPs). Dysfunction of RabGAPs is involved in many diseases. By combining X-ray structure analysis and time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy we reveal here the detailed molecular reaction mechanism of a complex between human Rab and RabGAP at the highest possible spatiotemporal resolution and in atomic detail. A glutamine residue of Rab proteins (
cis
-glutamine) that is essential for intrinsic activity is less important in the GAP-activated reaction. During generation of the RabGAP·Rab:GTP complex, there is a rapid conformational change in which the
cis
-glutamine is replaced by a glutamine from RabGAP (
trans
-glutamine); this differs from the RasGAP mechanism, where the
cis
-glutamine is also important for GAP catalysis. However, as in the case of Ras, a
trans
-arginine is also recruited to complete the active center during this conformational change. In contrast to the RasGAP mechanism, an accumulation of a state in which phosphate is bound is not observed, and bond breakage is the rate-limiting step. The movement of
trans
-glutamine and
trans
-arginine into the catalytic site and bond breakage during hydrolysis are monitored in real time. The combination of X-ray structure analysis and time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy provides detailed insight in the catalysis of human Rab GTPases.
Intestinal barrier dysfunction links metabolic and inflammatory markers of aging to death in
Drosophila
Authors: Rera Michael , Clark Rebecca I. , Walker David W.
Published: December 2012

Aging is characterized by a growing risk of disease and death, yet the underlying pathophysiology is poorly understood. Indeed, little is known about how the functional decline of individual organ systems relates to the integrative physiology of aging and probability of death of the organism. Here we show that intestinal barrier dysfunction is correlated with lifespan across a range of
Drosophila
genotypes and environmental conditions, including mitochondrial dysfunction and dietary restriction. Regardless of chronological age, intestinal barrier dysfunction predicts impending death in individual flies. Activation of inflammatory pathways has been linked to aging and age-related diseases in humans, and an age-related increase in immunity-related gene expression has been reported in
Drosophila.
We show that the age-related increase in expression of antimicrobial peptides is tightly linked to intestinal barrier dysfunction. Indeed, increased antimicrobial peptide expression during aging can be used to identify individual flies exhibiting intestinal barrier dysfunction. Similarly, intestinal barrier dysfunction is more accurate than chronological age in identifying individual flies with systemic metabolic defects previously linked to aging, including impaired insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling, as evidenced by a reduction in Akt activation and up-regulation of dFOXO target genes. Thus, the age-dependent loss of intestinal integrity is associated with altered metabolic and immune signaling and, critically, is a harbinger of death. Our findings suggest that intestinal barrier dysfunction may be an important factor in the pathophysiology of aging in other species as well, including humans.
Ordered changes in histone modifications at the core of the Arabidopsis circadian clock
Authors: Malapeira Jordi , Khaitova Lucie Crhak , Mas Paloma
Published: December 2012

Circadian clock function in
Arabidopsis thaliana
relies on a complex network of reciprocal regulations among oscillator components. Here, we demonstrate that chromatin remodeling is a prevalent regulatory mechanism at the core of the clock. The peak-to-trough circadian oscillation is paralleled by the sequential accumulation of H3 acetylation (H3K56ac, K9ac), H3K4 trimethylation (H3K4me3), and H3K4me2. Inhibition of acetylation and H3K4me3 abolishes oscillator gene expression, indicating that both marks are essential for gene activation. Mechanistically, blocking H3K4me3 leads to increased clock-repressor binding, suggesting that H3K4me3 functions as a transition mark modulating the progression from activation to repression. The histone methyltransferase SET DOMAIN GROUP 2/ARABIDOPSIS TRITHORAX RELATED 3 (SDG2/ATXR3) might contribute directly or indirectly to this regulation because oscillator gene expression, H3K4me3 accumulation, and repressor binding are altered in plants misexpressing SDG2/ATXR3. Despite divergences in oscillator components, a chromatin-dependent mechanism of clock gene activation appears to be common to both plant and mammal circadian systems.
Diverse specificity and effector function among human antibodies to HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein epitopes exposed by CD4 binding
Authors: Guan Yongjun , Pazgier Marzena , Sajadi Mohammad M. , Kamin-Lewis Roberta , Al-Darmarki Salma , Flinko Robin , Lovo Elena , Wu Xueji , Robinson James E. , Seaman Michael S. , Fouts Timothy R. , Gallo Robert C. , DeVico Anthony L. , Lewis George K.
Published: December 2012

The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) undergoes conformational transitions consequent to CD4 binding and coreceptor engagement during viral entry. The physical steps in this process are becoming defined, but less is known about their significance as targets of antibodies potentially protective against HIV-1 infection. Here we probe the functional significance of transitional epitope exposure by characterizing 41 human mAbs specific for epitopes exposed on trimeric Env after CD4 engagement. These mAbs recognize three epitope clusters: cluster A, the gp120 face occluded by gp41 in trimeric Env; cluster B, a region proximal to the coreceptor-binding site (CoRBS) and involving the V1/V2 domain; and cluster C, the coreceptor-binding site. The mAbs were evaluated functionally by antibody-dependent, cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and for neutralization of Tiers 1 and 2 pseudoviruses. All three clusters included mAbs mediating ADCC. However, there was a strong potency bias for cluster A, which harbors at least three potent ADCC epitopes whose cognate mAbs have electropositive paratopes. Cluster A epitopes are functional ADCC targets during viral entry in an assay format using virion-sensitized target cells. In contrast, only cluster C contained epitopes that were recognized by neutralizing mAbs. There was significant diversity in breadth and potency that correlated with epitope fine specificity. In contrast, ADCC potency had no relationship with neutralization potency or breadth for any epitope cluster. Thus, Fc-mediated effector function and neutralization coselect with specificity in anti-Env antibody responses, but the nature of selection is distinct for these two antiviral activities.