bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Size distribution of particles and zooplankton across the shelf-basin system in Southeast Beaufort Sea: combined results from an Underwater Vision Profiler and vertical net tows
Authors: Forest A. , Stemmann L. , Picheral M. , Burdorf L. , Robert D. , Fortier L. , Babin M.
Published: November 2011

Abstract. The size distribution and mean spatial trends of large particles (>100 μm, in equivalent spherical diameter, ESD) and mesozooplankton were investigated across the Mackenzie Shelf (Southeast Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean) in July–August 2009. Our main objective was to combine results from an Underwater Vision Profiler 5 (UVP5) and traditional net tows (200 μm mesh size) to characterize the structural diversity and functioning of the Arctic shelf-basin ecosystem and to assess the large-scale correspondence between the two methodological approaches. The core dataset comprised 154 UVP5 profiles and 29 net tows conducted in the shelf (<100 m isobath), slope (100–1000 m) and basin (>1000 m) regions of the study area. The mean abundance of total particles and zooplankton in the upper water column (<75 m depth) declined exponentially with increasing distance from shore. Vertical and latitudinal patterns in total particle concentration followed those of chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration, with maximum values between 30 and 70 m depth. Based on the size-spectra derived from the UVP5 dataset, living organisms (0.1–10 mm ESD) accounted for an increasingly large proportion of total particle abundance (from 0.1% to > 50 %) when progressing offshore and as the ESD of particles was increasing. Both the UVP5 and net tows determined that copepods dominated the zooplankton community (~78–94 % by numbers) and that appendicularians were generally the second most abundant group (~1–11 %). The vertical distribution patterns of copepods and appendicularians indicated a close association between primary production and the main grazers. Manual taxonomic counts and ZooScan image analyses shed further light on the size-structure and composition of the copepod community – which was dominated at ~95 % by a guild of 10 typical taxa. The size distributions of copepods, as evaluated with the 3 methods (manual counts, ZooScan and UVP5), showed consistent patterns co-varying in the same order of magnitude over the upper size range (>1 mm ESD). Copepods < 1 mm were not well quantified by the UVP5, which estimated that only ~13–25 % of the assemblage was composed of copepods < 1 mm ESD compared with ~77–89 % from the net tow estimates. However, the biovolume of copepods was overwhelmingly dominated (~93–97 %) by copepods >1 mm ESD. Our results illustrate that the combination of traditional sampling methods and automated imaging techniques is a powerful approach that enabled us to conclude on the prevalence of a relatively high productivity regime and dominant herbivorous food web over the shelf when compared with the low-productive recycling system detected offshore.
Sensitivity of a distributed temperature-radiation index melt model based on a four melt season AWS record from Hurd Peninsula glaciers, Livingston Island, Antarctica
Authors: Jonsell U. Y. , Navarro F. J. , Bañón M. , Lapazaran J. J. , Otero J.
Published: November 2011

Abstract. We use an automatic weather station and mass balance dataset spanning four melt seasons collected on Hurd Peninsula Glaciers, South Shetland Islands, to investigate the point surface energy balance, to determine the absolute and relative contribution of the various energy fluxes acting on the glacier surface and to estimate the sensitivity of melt to ambient temperature changes. Long-wave incoming radiation is the main energy source for melt, while short-wave radiation is the most important flux controlling the variation of both seasonal and daily mean surface energy balance. Short-wave and long-wave radiation fluxes do in general balance each other, resulting in a high correspondence between daily mean net radiation flux and available melt energy flux. We calibrate a distributed melt model driven by air temperature and an expression for the incoming short-wave radiation. The model is calibrated with the data from one of the melt seasons and validated with the data of the three remaining seasons. The model results deviate at most 0.14 m w.e. from the corresponding observations using the glaciological method. The model is very sensitive to changes in ambient temperature: a 0.5 °C increase results in 56 % higher melt rates.
Neo-Urethroclitoroplasty According to Petrovic
Authors: Trombetta Carlo , Liguori Giovanni , Benvenuto Sara , Petrovic Milos , Napoli Renata , Umari Paolo , Rizzo Michele , Zordani Alessio
Published: November 2011

Introduction

We present a refinement to our original technique in MtF gender reassignment surgery. Our goal was to construct a neoclitoris, which is wet and covered with urethral neoprepuce. Since 1995 more than 300 transgender MtF patients have been operated at our institution. Our refinement has been applied to 12 cases and showed both excellent functional and cosmetic results during midterm follow-up.

Patients and Methods

During 2010 several sex reassignment surgeries have been performed using our new technique that includes: bilateral orchiectomy, removal of corpora cavernosa of the penis, formation of the neourethra with neomeatus, neovaginoplasty by inversion of penoscrotal skin flaps, construction of the neoclitoris with preservation of the neurovascular bundle and exterior vulva formation. The refinement consists in creating a neoclitoris embedded in urethral mucosa using urethral flaps. These flaps are in continuity with the previously spatulated urethra. The urethral plate is further incised distally in a Y fashion. The urethral flaps are sutured around the neoclitoris to form a neourethroclitoris covered by urethral neoprepuce, which resembles a real female clitoris. The neoclitoris is positioned in the anatomical position of the male suspensory ligament of the penis that is also the natural anatomical position of the female clitoris.

Results

With this method we are able to construct a clitoris with a normal sensitivity embedded in urethral mucosa that remains wet and hairless. It can be easily stimulated during sexual intercourse, as most of the patients reported great satisfaction and ability to reach orgasm.

Discussion

We want to emphasize how both the cosmetic results and functionality of the neovagina and neoclitoris are important in this type of surgery for the quality of life of our patients. We are still far from a perfect surgical solution, but we are further improving our technique and follow our aims step by step.
Investigating Potential Associations between Cervical Procedures and HIV Acquisition
Authors: Diouf Khady , Sawaya George F. , Shiboski Stephen , Magure Tsitsi , Makunike-Mutasa Rudo , Darragh Teresa M. , Tuveson Jennifer , Chipato Tsungai , Palefsky Joel M. , Moscicki Anna-Barbara , Chirenje Michael , Smith-McCune Karen
Published: November 2011

Objective. Cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has been associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition in populations with a high prevalence of both infections. Procedures performed in the management of cervical dysplasia may facilitate HIV entry via mechanical injury. We sought to investigate the association between cervical procedures and incident HIV. Methods. Data on cervical cancer screening and procedures were collected in a cohort study evaluating the diaphragm for HIV prevention in 2040 women. In this secondary analysis, we investigated the association between cervical procedures and HIV acquisition. Results. Out of 2027 HIV-negative women at baseline, 199 underwent cervical procedures. Cumulative risk of HIV was 4.3% over 21 months of median followup (). Compared with women without cervical procedures, we observed no difference in HIV incidence after a cervical biopsy (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.39–2.16), endocervical curettage (RR 0.29, 95% CI 0.07–1.22), or loop electrosurgical excision procedure (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.30–3.30). Conclusions. In this cohort, cervical procedures were not associated with HIV incidence. This lack of association could be due to the small number of events.
A novel, structure‐tracking monte carlo algorithm for spray fluidized bed agglomeration
Authors: Dernedde Mathias , Peglow Mirko , Tsotsas Evangelos
Published: November 2011

A stochastic modeling approach to fluidized bed agglomeration is presented. First, the fundamentals of a general Monte Carlo algorithm are discussed, namely the correlation of real with simulation time and the size of the simulation box. Two different approaches regarding the morphological description of particle structure development are then compared for different theoretical test cases. The first approach (concept of positions) is a fast and effective geometrical discretization to follow properties such as primary particle number per agglomerate throughout the simulation. The second approach is a new three‐dimensional (3‐D) structure algorithm, which allows a complete, unrestricted description of the spatial evolution of particles related to physical microprocesses. The 3‐D algorithm enables to apply distributed particle and droplet sizes, which is not possible in the concept of positions. In the perspective, the structural growth of particles can be connected to process conditions, opening new possibilities for process and product design. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 3016–3029, 2012
Child size and household characteristics in rural Timor‐Leste
Authors: Reghupathy Nadine , Judge Debra S. , Sanders Katherine A. , Amaral Pedro Canisio , Schmitt Lincoln H.
Published: November 2011

Objectives:

The main objective was to determine those characteristics of the family and household that affects child health (as measured by child size for age) in the rural Ossu area of Timor‐Leste.

Methods:

Interviews of parents in 102 households assessed reproductive histories, the amount and type of resources available and family composition (number, sex, and age of members). Height, weight, and mid‐upper arm circumference were measured for all children in the household. To standardize for age and sex, raw measures were transformed into WHO Z scores and compared across households.

Results:

Children were low in both height and weight relative to international standards and older children compared with international standards more poorly than under‐fives. There was no evidence of sex difference in relative growth. The number of children in a household was negatively associated with height but not weight and positively with BMI. Children living in the villages more distant from Ossu town center had significantly lower Z scores for height than children in town. No crop or livestock indices were related to growth. Fostered children did not show growth different from biological children, but biological children in households with fostered children were slightly larger for age.

Conclusions:

Short stature inflates BMI and harvest season measures may have captured short‐term increases in children's energy balance. Social networks may increase child well‐being by moving children toward resource richer households. Social and cultural factors influence resource allocations among children and their health in rural Timor‐Leste. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Household food insecurity and caregiver distress: Equal threats to child nutritional status?
Authors: Hadley Craig , Tessema Fasil , Muluneh Ayalew T.
Published: November 2011

Objectives:

There is considerable interest in the link between household food insecurity and child wellbeing, and the extent to which caregiver wellbeing mediates the relationship between food insecurity and child wellbeing. The aim of this was to assess these relationships among a rural population in Ethiopia.

Methods:

We used existing survey data from a maximum of 1,006 children under 5 years of age with matched data on household‐level data on food insecurity, caregiver distress, and asset ownership, along with other sociodemographic information. All respondents lived in a predominately rural, primarily subsistence‐based area in southwest Ethiopia. Multivariable regression models were used to test hypothesized associations.

Results:

Household food insecurity, distress, and socioeconomic status predicted children's weight for age and undernutrition, defined as weight for age Z (WAZ) less than −2SD from the reference median. A small portion of the household food insecurity effect was mediated by caregiver distress but these were largely independent effects. Maternal distress was associated with greater odds of a child having any illness, and any illness was associated with lower WAZ and higher odds of being undernourished. The effect of maternal distress on undernutrition was mediated by diarrhea.

Conclusions:

This study suggests that household food insecurity, maternal distress, and household SES are independent contributors to children's undernutrition. Our results are consistent with others but are not generally consistent with the hypothesis that maternal distress is a primary pathway through which food insecurity impacts on child nutritional wellbeing. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Scale‐up and integration of alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and ethanolic fermentation
Authors: Banerjee Goutami , Car Suzana , Liu Tongjun , Williams Daniel L. , Meza Sarynna López , Walton Jonathan D. , Hodge David B.
Published: November 2011

Alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) has several attractive features as a pretreatment in the lignocellulosic biomass‐to‐ethanol pipeline. Here, the feasibility of scaling‐up the AHP process and integrating it with enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation was studied. Corn stover (1 kg) was subjected to AHP pretreatment, hydrolyzed enzymatically, and the resulting sugars fermented to ethanol. The AHP pretreatment was performed at 0.125 g H2O2/g biomass, 22°C, and atmospheric pressure for 48 h with periodic pH readjustment. The enzymatic hydrolysis was performed in the same reactor following pH neutralization of the biomass slurry and without washing. After 48 h, glucose and xylose yields were 75% and 71% of the theoretical maximum. Sterility was maintained during pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis without the use of antibiotics. During fermentation using a glucose‐ and xylose‐utilizing strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, all of the Glc and 67% of the Xyl were consumed in 120 h. The final ethanol titer was 13.7 g/L. Treatment of the enzymatic hydrolysate with activated carbon prior to fermentation had little effect on Glc fermentation but markedly improved utilization of Xyl, presumably due to the removal of soluble aromatic inhibitors. The results indicate that AHP is readily scalable and can be integrated with enzyme hydrolysis and fermentation. Compared to other leading pretreatments for lignocellulosic biomass, AHP has potential advantages with regard to capital costs, process simplicity, feedstock handling, and compatibility with enzymatic deconstruction and fermentation. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:922–931. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation Is Not Associated With an Increase Risk of Stroke or the Type and Number of Grafts: A Single‐Center Retrospective Analysis
Authors: Lotfi Amir , Wartak Siddharth , Sethi Pradheep , Garb Jane , Giugliano Gregory R.
Published: November 2011

Background:

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter are the 2 most common types of dysrhythmia in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We sought to explore the association between the type and quantity of bypass grafts and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with postoperative AF (POAF).

Hypothesis:

The type and quantity of bypass grafts is associated with POAF.

Methods:

We queried the Society of Thoracic Surgery National Database for CABG operations, both with and without valve procedures, performed at Baystate Medical Center between January 2002 and July 2007. We used multivariable logistic regression modeling to identify predictors of POAF and to explore the impact of AF on major adverse cardiac outcomes in this post‐CABG population.

Results:

A total of 3068 patients received CABG surgery, 187 (6.1%) of whom received concurrent valve replacement or repair. The incidence of POAF was 38.3%. POAF was significantly associated with readmission within 30 days (P < 0.009), increased length of stay (P << 0.0001), and a strong trend toward increased 30 day mortality (P = 0.058). There was no association between POAF and postoperative stroke (P = 0.92), graft type (P = nonsignificant) or number of grafts (P = nonsignificant).

Conclusions:

Patients with POAF experienced increased morbidity and mortality as demonstrated by previous studies. Neither the number of grafts nor type of grafts was associated with POAF. Furthermore, the rate of stroke was not associated with POAF. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The authors have no funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose.
Population‐based human papillomavirus 16, 18, 6 and 11 DNA positivity and seropositivity in Chinese women
Authors: Smith Jennifer S. , Lewkowitz Adam K. , Qiao You‐Lin , Ji Jia , Hu Shangying , Chen Wen , Zhang Rong , Liaw Kai Li , Esser Mark , Taddeo Frank J. , Pretorius Robert G. , Belinson Jerome L.
Published: November 2011

To optimize HPV vaccination implementation at the population‐level in China, data are needed on age‐specific HPV 16, 18, 6 and 11 prevalence. This cross‐sectional, population‐based study evaluated the age‐ and type‐specific HPV 16, 18, 6 and 11 prevalence of DNA and serum antibodies among women in China. From July 2006 to April 2007, 17–54 year old women from three rural provinces (Xinjiang, Shanxi and Henan) and two cities (Beijing and Shanghai) provided cervical exfoliated cells for HPV DNA and liquid‐based cervical cytology (SurePath). High‐ and low‐risk HPV types were detected with HC‐II (Qiagen), with genotyping of HPV‐positive samples using Linear Array (Roche). HPV 16, 18, 6 and 11 serum antibodies were detected using a Luminex‐based, competitive immunoassay (Merck). A total of 4,206 women with DNA and serum antibody results were included. HPV 16 DNA prevalence peaked in women aged 30–34 (4.2%) and 45–49 yr (3.8%), while HPV 18 DNA prevalence peaked at ages 40–44 yr (1.3%). Most women were dually DNA and serum antibody negative: HPV 16 (92.2%), 18 (97.2%), HPV 16 and 18 (90.2%), 6 (92.0%), 11 (96.6%), 6 and 11(89.9%) and HPV 16, 18, 6 and 11 (82.5%). Future national HPV vaccination programs in China should target younger women due to increased exposure to HPV types 16, 18, 6 and 11 with increasing age. Cumulative exposure of HPV may be underreported in this population, as cross‐sectional data do not accurately reflect exposure to HPV infections over time.
Finding a good job: Academic network centrality and early occupational outcomes in management academia
Authors: Hadani Michael , Coombes Susan , Das Diya , Jalajas David
Published: November 2011

The impact of universalistic versus particularistic criteria on academic hiring has been receiving growing attention in recent years. Yet, most studies conducted on hiring norms in academy and management academy have ignored the impact of social capital, particularly structural social capital, a particularistic attribute, on occupational outcomes. This could lead to a partial if not misleading view of the sociology of hiring in management academy. We utilize a novel approach, focusing on academic departments' structural social capital in the form of network centrality (based on cumulative PhD exchange networks), and explore how this type of centrality impacts job seekers' occupational prestige for new academic jobs in management departments and early career quality publications. We find that although merit‐based criteria such as publications matter somewhat, academic network centrality explains significant variance in obtaining prestigious jobs. Paradoxically, we find that academic network centrality does not explain early career publications. We discuss the implications of our findings for management science. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Application of bare gold nanoparticles in open‐tubular CEC separations of polyaromatic hydrocarbons and peptides
Authors: Řezanka Pavel , Ehala Sille , Koktan Jakub , Sýkora David , Žvátora Pavel , Vosmanská Magda , Král Vladimír , Mikšík Ivan , Čeřovský Václav , Kašička Václav
Published: November 2011

In this study, bare gold nanoparticles (GNPs) immobilized in the sol–gel‐pretreated fused‐silica (FS) capillary as a stationary phase for open‐tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT‐CEC) are for the first time shown to be able to separate both hydrophobic polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as well as hydrophilic cationic antimicrobial peptides. Model mixture of four PAHs, naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, and anthracene, was resolved by OT‐CEC in the GNP‐modified FS capillaries using the hydro‐organic background electrolyte (BGE) composed of 20 mmol/L sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7, modified with ACN at 8:2 v/v ratio. On the other hand, three synthetic analogues of an antimicrobial peptide mastoparan PDD‐B, basic tetradecapeptides INWKKLGKKILGAL‐NH2, INSLKLGKKILGAL‐NH2 and NWLRLGRRILGAL‐NH2, were separated in aqueous acidic BGEs, pH 2.1–3.1, composed of weak acids (formic and acetic) or amphoteric amino or imino acids (aspartic or iminodiacetic), utilizing the advantage of a slow reversed (anodic) EOF and slightly positive charge of the GNP‐modified FS capillary suppressing the adsorption of cationic peptides on the inner capillary wall and improving their resolution.
Graphene oxide bonded fused‐silica fiber for solid‐phase microextraction‐gas chromatography of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water
Authors: Xu Lili , Feng Juanjuan , Li Jubai , Liu Xia , Jiang Shengxiang
Published: November 2011

A novel chemically bonded graphene oxide/fused‐silica fiber was prepared and applied in solid‐phase microextraction of six polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from water samples coupled with gas chromatography. It exhibited high extraction efficiency and excellent stability. Effects of extraction time, extraction temperature, ionic strength, stirring rate and desorption conditions were investigated and optimized in our work. Detection limits to the six polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were less than 0.08 μg/L, and their calibration curves were all linear (R2≥0.9954) in the range from 0.05 to 200 μg/L. Single fiber repeatability and fiber‐to‐fiber reproducibility were less than 6.13 and 15.87%, respectively. This novel fiber was then utilized to analyze two real water samples from the Yellow River and local waterworks, and the recoveries of samples spiked at 1 and 10 μg/L ranged from 84.48 to 118.24%. Compared with other coating materials, this graphene oxide‐coated fiber showed many advantages: wide linear range, low detection limit, and good stability in acid, alkali, organic solutions and at high temperature.
Synthesis and properties of comb polymers with semirigid mesogen‐jacketed polymers as side chains
Authors: Ma Ziyue , Zheng Cui , Shen Zhihao , Liang Dehai , Fan Xinghe
Published: November 2011

A series of novel comb polymers, poly{2,5‐bis[(4‐methoxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl]styrene}‐g‐polystyrene (PMPCS‐g‐PS), with mesogen‐jacketed rigid side chains were synthesized by the “grafting onto” method from α‐yne‐terminated PMPCS (side chain) and poly(vinylbenzyl azide) (backbone) by Cu(I)‐catalyzed 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition click reaction. The α‐yne‐terminated PMPCS was synthesized by Cu(I)‐catalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization initiated by a yne‐functional initiator. Poly(vinylbenzyl azide) was prepared by polymerizing vinylbenzyl chloride using nitroxide mediated radical polymerization to obtain poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) as the precursor which was then converted to the azide derivative. The chemical structure and architectures of PMPCS comb polymers were confirmed by 1H NMR, gel permeation chromatography, and multiangle laser light scattering. Both surface morphologies and solution behaviors were investigated. Surface morphologies of PMPCS combs on different surfaces were investigated by scanning probe microscopy. PMPCS combs showed different aggregation morphologies when depositing on silicon wafers with/without chemical modification. The PMPCS comb polymers transferred to polymer‐modified silicon wafers using the Langmuir‐Blodgett technique showed a worm‐like chain conformation. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012
Acute diarrhoea: causes and recommended management
Authors: Clark Andrew , Ede Roland
Published: November 2011

Acute diarrhoea is a common presentation and usually self‐limiting; severe cases, however, may prompt hospital referral and further investigation. In our Drug review, the authors discuss the causes and management options, followed by a review of the prescription data and sources of further information. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Interface Ltd
Optimum design of steel frames using Cuckoo Search algorithm with Lévy flights
Authors: Kaveh A. , Bakhshpoori T.
Published: November 2011

In the last two decades, many researchers have implemented various kinds of meta‐heuristic algorithms in order to overcome the complex nature of the optimum design of structures. In this paper, the optimum design of two‐dimensional steel frames for discrete variables based on the Cuckoo Search (CS) algorithm is developed. The CS is one of the recently developed population‐based algorithms inspired by the behavior of some cuckoo species in combination with the Lévy flight behavior of some birds and insects. The design algorithm is supposed to obtain minimum weight frame through suitable selection of sections from a standard set of steel sections such as the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) wide‐flange (W) shapes. Strength constraints of AISC load and resistance factor design specification and displacement constraints are imposed on frames. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the CS, low‐weight design and performance comparisons are made between the CS and other algorithms for some benchmark frames. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Composite dispatching rule design for dynamic scheduling with customer‐oriented production priority control
Authors: Chen Xili , Wen Lin Hao , Murata Tomohiro
Published: November 2011

In practice, the criteria considered for production scheduling objectives are generally derived from some desired production performance factors of a manufacturing system. On the other hand, customer‐oriented production priority management focuses on the analysis of operational production management policies that cannot be readily measured in a quantitative manner. This paper presents an approach for multiobjective composite dispatching rule design, which simultaneously considers scheduling criteria and the customer‐oriented production priority management policies. The correctness of elementary dispatching rule selection is a critical aspect of composite dispatching rule design. Data envelopment analysis is adopted to select a set of corresponding elementary rules that appropriately convey the scheduling criteria. The selected elementary rules are composed with weighted aggregation to optimize the scheduling criteria of interest. Analytic hierarchy process is used for overall job prioritization by combining the different schedules derived from the composite dispatching rule and the customer‐oriented production priority rules. The implementation of the presented approach on single‐machine, multiobjective, dynamic scheduling is demonstrated by a case study. The production performance of composite dispatching rules that would be subsequently achieved by the presented approach is compared with some conventional dispatching rules, and the results are found to be satisfactory. © 2011 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
From genes to function: theC.elegansgenetic toolbox
Authors: Boulin Thomas , Hobert Oliver
Published: November 2011

This review aims to provide an overview of the technologies which make the nematodeCaenorhabditis elegansan attractive genetic model system. We describe transgenesis techniques and forward and reverse genetic approaches to isolate mutants and clone genes. In addition, we discuss the new possibilities offered by genome engineering strategies and next‐generation genome analysis tools.WIREsDev Biol2012, 1:114–137. doi: 10.1002/wdev.1

This article is categorized under:

Technologies > Perturbing Genes and Generating Modified Animals
ISO AND CODEX STANDARDS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW: WHAT GETS SAID IS NOT WHAT'S HEARD
Authors: Fontanelli Filippo
Published: November 2011

This article challenges the rhetoric of hardening, according to which international standards become binding through WTO endorsement. The analysis of the system of presumptions set up in the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement and Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary Agreement reveals that international standards are actually used as a ‘ceiling’ rather than a ‘floor’ benchmark of protection, contrary to their original spirit. They represent a codified and agreed yardstick for least trade-restrictive measures, a minimum compromise between the regulatory regime and the trade litigation machinery. It follows that their nature—at least within the WTO system—is irreversibly distorted; they are treated as facts rather than as safety or quality devices.
The Shu'ûbîyah Controversy and the Social History of Early Islamic Iran
Authors: Mottahedeh Roy P.
Published: November 2011

“In a state of rude nature”, wrote Edmund Burke, “there is no such thing as a people… The idea of a people is the idea of a corporation. It is wholly artificial; and made, like all other legal fictions, by common agreement. What the particular nature of that agreement was, is collected from the form into which the particular society has been cast”. Whether the Iranians in the early Islamic period — that is, the period from the seventh to the twelfth century — were in Burke's sense a “people” is a question that the cautious scholar would be eager to disregard and loath to handle. After all, those specialists on early Islamic Iran who have, directly or indirectly, expressed opinions on this subject have all too often projected events from the life of their own nation and times back to these earlier centuries. In no case is this projection more obvious than in the many essays written in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries which see this question only as a question of “national liberation”: did the Iranians hate the Arabs, and did they hope to regain their empire by destroying, or profoundly reshaping, the empire of the Muslim caliphs?
Semiotics and Avant-garde Theatre
Authors: Veltruský Jiří
Published: November 2011

This article deals with a very short period in the long history of the semiotic conception of theatre. It concentrates on the relationship between the theatrical avantgarde and the theories developed during some twenty years in Czechoslovakia, by Otakar Zich on the one hand and the members of the Prague Linguistic Circle on the other. Broadly speaking, this is the Prague School theory of theatre. A Polish scholar has called it “semiotics of theatre in statu nascendi.” This designation is no doubt pertinent as far as the recent development of the discipline is concerned; its more remote past still remains largely unexplored. But another commentator went much further, claiming that until 1931, the year when Zich's treatise on the theatre and Mukařovský's article on Chaplin's City Lights appeared, “dramatic poetics—the descriptive science of the drama and theatrical performance—had made little progress since its Aristotelian origins.” In fact, semiotics is a very old discipline and the semiotic interpretation of the theatre was not invented in Czechoslovakia between the two World Wars.
Developmental Memory Capacity Resources of Typical Children Retrieving Picture Communication Symbols Using Direct Selection and Visual Linear Scanning With Fixed Communication Displays
Authors: Wagner Barry T. , Jackson Heather M.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

This study examined the cognitive demands of 2 selection techniques in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), direct selection, and visual linear scanning, by determining the memory retrieval abilities of typically developing children when presented with fixed communication displays.

Method

One hundred twenty typical children from kindergarten, 1st, and 3rd grades were randomly assigned to either a direct selection or visual linear scanning group. Memory retrieval was assessed through word span using Picture Communication Symbols (PCSs
1
). Participants were presented various numbers and arrays of PCSs and asked to retrieve them by placing identical graphic symbols on fixed communication displays with grid layouts.

Results

The results revealed that participants were able to retrieve more PCSs during direct selection than scanning. Additionally, 3rd-grade children retrieved more PCSs than kindergarten and 1st-grade children. An analysis on the type of errors during retrieval indicated that children were more successful at retrieving the correct PCSs than the designated location of those symbols on fixed communication displays.

Conclusions

AAC practitioners should consider using direct selection over scanning whenever possible and account for anticipatory monitoring and pulses when scanning is used in the service delivery of children with little or no functional speech. Also, researchers should continue to investigate AAC selection techniques in relationship to working memory resources.
Quality 101: What Every Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathologist Should Know But Is Afraid to Ask
Authors: Bradham Tamala S.
Published: November 2011

The United States has the highest per capita health care costs of any industrialized nation in the world. Increasing costs are reducing access to care and constitute an increasingly heavy burden on employers and consumers. Yet as much as 20 to 30 percent of these costs may be unnecessary, or even counterproductive, to improved health (Wennberg, Brownless, Fisher, Skinner, & Weinstein, 2008). Addressing these unwanted costs is essential in the survival of providing quality health care. This article reviews 11 dimensions that should be considered when starting a quality improvement program as well as one quality improvement tool, the Juran model, that is commonly used in the healthcare and business settings. Implementing a quality management program is essential for survival in today’s market place and is no longer an option. While it takes time to implement a quality management program, the costs are too high not to.
Reforming Handel: John Brown and The Cure of Saul (1763)
Authors: Chrissochoidis Ilias
Published: November 2011

This article explores the first attempt to reform Handelian oratorio, by the Revd John Brown, in 1763. Concerned about the waning popularity and literary flaws of Handel's works, Brown launched a reform campaign through his own oratorio The Cure of Saul, performed at Covent Garden Theatre, and the publication of A Dissertation on […] Poetry and Music. He also produced the first monograph of oratorio criticism, An Examination of the Oratorios which have been performed this Season, at Covent-Garden Theatre (1763). Published within weeks of one another, the three works shaped an intellectual offensive with aesthetic and moral goals mounted on an educational platform. Although a failure, Brown's attempt reflected Britain's national anxiety in the wake of the Seven Years War.
Henri Drayton, English Opera and Anglo-American Relations, 1850–72
Authors: Thompson Brian C.
Published: November 2011

This article explores aspects of transatlantic culture through the career and works of the baritone, librettist and impresario Henri Drayton (1822–72). Using the published operas as well as reviews from period newspapers, the author retraces the events of the Philadelphia-born Drayton's professional life. Concentrating on the creative works, the author shows how Drayton went from playing stock roles at London's Drury Lane Theatre to collaborating with composers such as Joseph Duggan and Edward James Loder. With his wife, the soprano Susanna Lowe, Drayton performed in what he termed ‘drawing-room’ operas. Their popularity attracted the attention of visiting US impresario P. T. Barnum, who brought Drayton to New York in 1859. When his success in the USA was cut short by the outbreak of the Civil War, Drayton returned to London and created a one-man ‘entertainment’, Federals and Confederates. Spending what would be his final years as a member of the Richings English Opera Company, Drayton returned to New York in 1869.
Identification of host cell factors required for intoxication through use of modified cholera toxin
Authors: Guimaraes Carla P. , Carette Jan E. , Varadarajan Malini , Antos John , Popp Maximilian W. , Spooner Eric , Brummelkamp Thijn R. , Ploegh Hidde L.
Published: November 2011

We describe a novel labeling strategy to site-specifically attach fluorophores, biotin, and proteins to the C terminus of the A1 subunit (CTA1) of cholera toxin (CTx) in an otherwise correctly assembled and active CTx complex. Using a biotinylated N-linked glycosylation reporter peptide attached to CTA1, we provide direct evidence that ∼12% of the internalized CTA1 pool reaches the ER. We also explored the sortase labeling method to attach the catalytic subunit of diphtheria toxin as a toxic warhead to CTA1, thus converting CTx into a cytolethal toxin. This new toxin conjugate enabled us to conduct a genetic screen in human cells, which identified ST3GAL5, SLC35A2, B3GALT4, UGCG, and ELF4 as genes essential for CTx intoxication. The first four encode proteins involved in the synthesis of gangliosides, which are known receptors for CTx. Identification and isolation of the ST3GAL5 and SLC35A2 mutant clonal cells uncover a previously unappreciated differential contribution of gangliosides to intoxication by CTx.
Underwater sensor networks: applications, advances and challenges
Authors: Heidemann John , Stojanovic Milica , Zorzi Michele
Published: November 2011

This paper examines the main approaches and challenges in the design and implementation of underwater wireless sensor networks. We summarize key applications and the main phenomena related to acoustic propagation, and discuss how they affect the design and operation of communication systems and networking protocols at various layers. We also provide an overview of communications hardware, testbeds and simulation tools available to the research community.
Signal compression in wireless sensor networks
Authors: Duarte Marco F. , Shen Godwin , Ortega Antonio , Baraniuk Richard G.
Published: November 2011

Signal compression is an important tool for reducing communication costs and increasing the lifetime of wireless sensor network deployments. In this paper, we overview and classify an array of proposed compression methods, with an emphasis on illustrating the differences between the various approaches.
Setting the trap: cleaning behaviour of Camponotus schmitzi ants increases long‐term capture efficiency of their pitcher plant host, Nepenthes bicalcarata
Authors: Thornham Daniel G. , Smith Joanna M. , Ulmar Grafe T. , Federle Walter
Published: November 2011

1. Beneficial ‘services’ in mutualistic interactions have often not evolved de novo, but from ancestral traits that had a function before the emergence of the association. These traits can then acquire novel functions in a mutualism. Even in many close insect–plant relationships, the services provided by each partner are still unclear.

2. In the well‐known association between the carnivorous pitcher plant, Nepenthes bicalcarata, and Camponotus schmitzi ants in Borneo, the ants benefit by receiving food and nesting space in swollen, hollow pitcher tendrils, but the benefits to the plant are less clear. Previous studies have suggested that the ants protect against herbivory, prevent putrefaction of pitchers by removing prey items from them or increase the pitcher’s prey retention rate by attacking pitcher visitors.

3. Field observations showed that C. schmitzi ants regularly clean the pitcher rim (peristome), which is the main surface responsible for prey capture. We found that this behaviour increases the carnivorous plant’s prey capture efficiency and helps to maintain it over the pitcher’s life span. Running tests with Oecophylla smaragdina ants on colonised and ant‐free older pitchers demonstrated 45·8% higher capture efficiency in pitchers inhabited by C. schmitzi. Head counts of trapped ants showed that C. schmitzi‐colonised pitchers indeed captured significantly (45·2%) more prey than uncolonised pitchers of the same age.

4. The peristomes of ant‐free older pitchers were strongly contaminated by fungal hyphae and other particles. Experimental contamination of clean pitcher peristomes with starch also strongly reduced capture efficiency. While the peristome was cleaned rapidly in ant‐colonised pitchers and capture efficiency returned to the previous level within approximately 1 week, no cleaning and recovery were observed in ant‐free pitchers.

5. Within the genus Nepenthes, N. bicalcarata has exceptionally long‐lived pitchers. We propose that C. schmitzi ants benefit N. bicalcarata by keeping the pitchers effective over long periods of time, likely allowing the plant to acquire more nutrients per pitcher and thereby minimise pitcher construction costs.

6. Our findings demonstrate that the cleaning behaviour typical of many plant–ants has acquired a novel function in this ant–plant association, giving rise to a new type of myrmecotrophic mutualism.
Boundary work and the introduction of acute care nurse practitioners in healthcare teams
Authors: Kilpatrick Kelley , Lavoie‐Tremblay Mélanie , Ritchie Judith A. , Lamothe Lise , Doran Diane
Published: November 2011

kilpatrick k., lavoie‐tremblay m., ritchie j.a., lamothe l. & doran d. (2012) Boundary work and the introduction of acute care nurse practitioners in healthcare teams. Journal of Advanced Nursing68(7), 1504–1515.

Aim.  This article is a report of a study of boundary work following the introduction of an acute care nurse practitioner role in healthcare teams.

Background.  Acute care nurse practitioners enacting their roles in healthcare teams have faced a number of challenges including a mix of positive and negative views of the acute care nurse practitioner role from healthcare team members and acute care nurse practitioner roles crossing the boundaries between the medical and nursing professions. Understanding the process by which the boundaries between professions changed following the introduction of an acute care nurse practitioner role was important since this could affect scope of practice and the team’s ability to give patient care.

Methods.  The study was conducted in two university‐affiliated teaching hospitals in Canada. A descriptive multiple case study design was used. Data were collected from March to May 2009.

Results.  Participants (N = 59) described boundary work as a process that included: (1) creating space; (2) loss of a valued function; (3) trust; (4) interpersonal dynamics; and (5) time. The development of trust among team members was essential. The co‐location of team members working on common projects, and medical and nursing leadership facilitated boundary work.

Conclusion.  The micro‐level processes of boundary work in healthcare teams have important implications for the development of full scope of practice for acute care nurse practitioners, effective inter‐professional teamwork and the integration of new roles in healthcare systems. Future research needs to be undertaken in different contexts, and with patients and families.
Marine incursions, cryptic species and ecological diversification in Amazonia: the biogeographic history of the croaker genusPlagioscion(Sciaenidae)
Authors: Cooke Georgina M. , Chao Ning L. , Beheregaray Luciano B.
Published: November 2011

Aim We propose a phylogenetic hypothesis for the marine‐derived sciaenid genusPlagioscionin the context of geomorphology and adaptation to freshwaters of South America, and assess the extent to which contemporary freshwater hydrochemical gradients influence diversification within a widely distributedPlagioscionspecies,Plagioscion squamosissimus.

Location Amazon Basin and South America.

Methods Using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data, phylogenetic analyses were conducted on the five nominalPlagioscionspecies, together with representatives fromPachyurusandPachypops, using character and model‐based methods. Genealogical relationships and population genetic structure of 152P. squamosissimusspecimens sampled from the five major rivers and three hydrochemical settings/‘colours’ (i.e. white, black and clear water) of the Amazon Basin were assessed.

Results Phylogenetic analyses support the monophyly ofPlagioscionin South America and identify two putative cryptic species ofPlagioscion. Divergence estimates suggest that thePlagioscionancestor invaded South America via a northern route during the late Oligocene to early Miocene. WithinP. squamosissimusa strong association of haplotype and water colour was observed, together with significant population structure detected between water colours.

Main conclusions Our analyses ofPlagioscionare consistent with a biogeographic scenario of early Miocene marine incursions into South America. Based on our phylogenetic results, the fossil record, geomorphological history and distributional data of extantPlagioscionspecies, we propose that marine incursions into western Venezuela between the late Oligocene and early Miocene were responsible for the adaptation to freshwaters inPlagioscionspecies. Following the termination of the marine incursions during the late Miocene and the establishment of the modern Amazon River,Plagioscionexperienced a rapid diversification.Plagioscion squamosissimusarose during that time. The formation of the Amazon River probably facilitated population and range expansions for this species. Further, the large‐scale hydrochemical gradients within the Amazon Basin appear to be acting as ecological barriers maintaining population discontinuities inP. squamosissimuseven in the face of gene flow. Our results highlight the importance of divergent natural selection through time in the generation and maintenance of sciaenid diversity in Amazonia.