bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and Economics of Herbicide Programs Compared to Methyl Bromide for Weed Control in Polyethylene-Mulched Tomato
Authors: Devkota Pratap , Norsworthy Jason K. , Rainey Ronald
Published: August 2013

Methyl bromide (MeBr), a widely used soil fumigant in tomato production, has been banned for ordinary agricultural uses. In the absence of MeBr, a viable alternative is imperative for weed control and prevention of economic loss in tomato production. A field study was conducted in the summers of 2010 and 2011 at Fayetteville, AR, to compare the efficacy and economics of herbicide programs consisting of pre-transplant followed by (fb) post-transplant herbicides in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) mulched tomato. Pre-transplant imazosulfuron at 0.112, 0.224, and 0.336 kg ai ha−1andS-metolachlor at 1.6 kg ai ha−1were fb a post-transplant mixture of trifloxysulfuron plus halosulfuron at 0.008 and 0.027 kg ai ha−1at 4 wk after transplant (WATP). The standard MeBr treatment (2:1 mixture of MeBr plus chloropicrin at 390 kg ai ha−1), weed-free (hand weeding) control, and nontreated weedy check were used for comparison. Pre-transplantS-metolachlor fb post-transplant herbicides controlled Palmer amaranth ≥ 89%, large crabgrass ≥ 88%, and yellow nutsedge ≥ 90%, which was comparable to the control with MeBr. Tomato recovered the injury (≤ 19% at 6 WATP) from post-transplant herbicides in the later weeks.S-metolachlor–containing herbicide programs yielded marketable tomato fruit comparable to the yield with MeBr. Economic evaluation of the herbicide programs demonstrated a net return of $3,758.50 ha−1from theS-metolachlor–containing herbicide program in LDPE-mulched tomato. Likewise, this herbicide program showed minimum loss of ≤ $671.61 ha−1in net return relative to MeBr. In conclusion, a herbicide program consisting of pre-transplantS-metolachlor fb post-transplant trifloxysulfuron plus halosulfuron is a viable alternative to MeBr for weed control and marketable yield in LDPE-mulched tomato production.
Modeling the Evolution of Glyphosate Resistance in Barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) in Cotton-Based Production Systems of the Midsouthern United States
Authors: Bagavathiannan Muthukumar V. , Norsworthy Jason K. , Smith Kenneth L. , Neve Paul
Published: August 2013

Glyphosate-resistant (GR) weeds have been a prime challenge to the sustainability of GR cotton-based production systems of the midsouthern United States. Barnyardgrass is known to be a high-risk species for evolving herbicide resistance, and a simulation model was developed for understanding the likelihood of glyphosate resistance evolution in this species in cotton-based systems. Under a worst-case scenario of five glyphosate applications in monoculture GR cotton, the model predicts resistance evolution in about 9 yr of continuous glyphosate use, with about 47% risk by year 15. A unique insight from this model is that management in response to GR Palmer amaranth in this system (a reactive response) provided a proactive means to greatly reduce the risks of glyphosate resistance evolution in barnyardgrass. Subsequent model analysis revealed that the risk of resistance is high in fields characterized by high barnyardgrass seedbank levels, seedling emergence, and seed production per square meter, whereas the risk is low in fields with high levels of postdispersal seed loss and annual seedbank loss. The initial frequency of resistance alleles was a high determinant of resistance evolution (e.g., 47% risk at year 15 at an initial frequency of 5e−8vs. 4% risk at 5e−10). Monte Carlo simulations were performed to understand the influence of various glyphosate use patterns and production practices in reducing the rate and risk of glyphosate resistance evolution in barnyardgrass. Early planting and interrow cultivation are useful tools. Crop rotation is effective, but the diversity of weed management options practiced in the rotational crop is more important. Diversifying weed management options is the key, yet application timing and the choice of management option is critical. Model analyses illustrate the relative effectiveness of a number of diversified glyphosate use strategies in preventing resistance evolution and preserving the long-term utility of glyphosate in midsouthern U.S. cotton-based production systems.
How We Got Here
Authors: Bérubé Michael
Published: August 2013

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your president this year. I was appointed to my first MLA committee thirteen years ago; I was elected to the Executive Council ten years ago; I have been an officer of the association for the past three years. And it is a most curious thing—the MLA is one of the few organizations I've known whose internal workings appear more impressive the closer you look. My thanks to Rosemary Feal and all the other members of the senior staff, who have been so wonderful to work with, and my thanks to all of you for being here tonight, postponing dinner for a while and joining me for my first and last Presidential Address.
The Law of Torts and the Logic of Lynching in Charles Chesnutt'sThe Marrow of Tradition
Authors: Mariano Trinyan
Published: August 2013

Tort law, which governs civil wrongs, coalesced during the late nineteenth century as courts became increasingly willing to compensate injured people. Its history, however, has been told without reference to issues of race or compensation for slavery and its aftermath. In the novelThe Marrow of Tradition(1901), Charles Chesnutt stretches tort discourse by using its principle of corrective justice to theorize liability for racial injustice and so discovers what law suppresses—the problem of collateral consequences when responsibility is made a function of race. Not only does corrective justice reach an operational limit when the enormity of the wrong exceeds the ability to pay, but using race to assess liability aligns corrective justice with the logic behind the southern practice of lynching. Recovering Chesnutt's use of tort challenges the dominance of contract law as the framework for readingMarrowand revises our historical understanding of the significance of reparations.
“This Doesn't Mean What You'll Think”:Native Speaker, Allegory, Race
Authors: Tsou Elda E.
Published: August 2013

This article contributes to the new formalism by considering the relation between literary form and race. It argues that Chang-rae Lee's novelNative Speakeris primarily concerned with its own figurative activity and that only when the analytic framework is shifted away from Asian America and toward allegory does the novel's far-ranging critique of whiteness, referential language, and native speaking become apparent. This figurative activity consists of strategies of concealment that disguise their artfulness by posing as self-evident or referential. Race, espionage, and allegory are examples of this representational mode, defined by hiding in plain sight. As part of a larger argument for formal analysis in Asian American literature, the article explores how the novel's central tropes figure the figuration of Asian American experience, and it seeks to demonstrate how reading for form can sharpen the politics of race.
What Does the Comparative Do for Literary History?
Authors: Kadir Djelal
Published: August 2013

The comparative provides literary history with a margin of redemptive self-betrayal. by the comparative, we should understand certain practices of reading and inquiry that reveal actions and texts to be more than they appear and that expose narrative claims as other than they strictly claim to be. Historiography is likewise susceptible to this exposure. Narrative acts of literary history no less subject to such self-salvaging through comparative discernment, alert us to historiography's uncertain adequacy to the histories it narrates. The redeeming quotient of the comparative signaled here resides in its preemption of tautology. The comparative, that is, can forestall, if not preclude outright, the possibility of any phenomenon's becoming definitively self-identical. In affirming the comparability of its objects, textual or otherwise, the comparative uncovers and ratifies the difference within and among phenomena and the contingencies of their existence, a sanctioning of difference that could mitigate solipsism and self-delusion. For literary history, this means foreclosing, or at least hedging against, literary history's morphing into world history as tautologically plotted by certain master narratives of historiography that claim total explicatory power over the fortuities of history and historical life. These include narratives of imperial successions, providential history, world monarchies, epochal histories that plot human existence on the self-universalized grid of their own periodicity, and the history of Spirit commonly referred to as “Prussian universalisms.” In this regard, Hegelian Geistgeschichte, with its dialectical-materialist derivative known as Marxism and its liberal-democratic free-market remnants called capitalism, both plied under the flag of modernization theory, is exemplary (Pomper, Elphick, and Vann). These are among historiography's most salient master narratives, perennially dominant in historical discourse and in the hegemony of states that have ideologically abetted and politically deployed them (Fasolt 219-32; Guha 24-47). The comparative persistently troubles the structural coherence of these historiographical master plots and their self-validating systematicity.
Merely Comparative
Authors: Melas Natalie
Published: August 2013

When one has so general and comprehensive an intention one can at first do nothing.

—Erich Auerbach

Comparison was once supremely a matter of method. ernest renan in hispensées de 1848called comparison “the great instrument of criticism” (296). Echoing the sentiment some two decades later, Hutcheson Macaulay Posnett asserted that “we may callconsciouslycomparative thinking the great glory of our nineteenth century” (76). Comparison had been extensively deployed as an analytic tool before the nineteenth century—to produce, for instance, the massive taxonomies that lay the foundations for natural history and in the gathering of the concordances and chronologies of universal histories. What sharply distinguished the comparative method, what made it in effect a specific method, for nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century scholars, by their own account, was the principle of development. This underlying temporal unity allowed for the most disparate entities to be set into meaningful relation. In words from an 1871 lecture by an early and enthusiastic proponent of comparative literature:

[T]he method in which this study can be best pursued is that which is pursued in anatomy, in language, in mythology…, namely, the comparative. The literary productions of all ages and peoples can be classed, can be brought into comparison and contrast, can be taken out of their isolation as belonging to one nation, or one separate era, and be brought under divisions as the embodiment of the same aesthetic principles, the universal laws of mental, social and moral development (Shackford 42)
What Does the Comparative Do for Theory?
Authors: Xie Ming
Published: August 2013

Two arguments about theory and comparative literature have been influential in recent years. on the one hand, there has been much talk of the “death of theory,” or the “end of theory,” or “post-theory” in the humanities. On the other hand, there is a “crisis” of comparative literature, perhaps a perennial condition, if it hasn't culminated in the “death of a discipline.” Under these circumstances, the question “What does the comparative do for theory?” assumes a poignant significance, which depends on what is meant by “comparative” and “theory.” To answer this question, I explore an epistemological category I call “comparativity”—that is, metacomparison or the theoretical potential of comparison—in contrast to the usual term “comparison.” If there is a crisis of comparative literature, it may be because we have moved too far from thinking comparativity as a way of knowing and engaging the world. Epistemology does not precede ontology, or ethics, or politics, but it is deeply involved in all of them. In this paper, I will argue for comparativity as at once an epistemological and metaepistemological mode of inquiry. Comparativity cannot be displaced or replaced by another disciplinary way of thinking, for comparativity is a trans- and metadisciplinary thought process, which by virtue of its self-critical reflexivity applies to all humanistic studies. My focus is therefore on the theoretical implications of comparativity.
An Early Florida Poem: “Elegía a la muerte de Juan Ponce de León”
Authors: De Castellanos Juan , Hallock Thomas
Published: August 2013

In spring 1513 Juan Ponce de León sailed north from Puerto Rico, cruised the Bahamas, and touched land somewhere on the southeastern corner of what is now the mainland United States. The season being Easter, and because of the “beautiful view of the many cool woodlands,” Ponce de León called the peninsula, which he believed an island, la Pascua Florida (T. Davis 17, 57). The rest of the story is decidedly less poetic. A squabble with Christopher Columbus's family, involving broader matters of legal jurisdiction, had driven the conquistador to new territories. His time in la Florida was brief but violent. After claiming ownership, Ponce de León provisioned his ships, skirmished with the natives, took hostages, then rounded the Martires (or Keys), where he met unfriendly Calusa on the gulf side (T. Davis 17-22). In February 1521 he returned, this time as adelantado, or governor, and again met the Calusa—who dealt him a mortal wound to the thigh. Ponce died in La Habana (Fernandina) the following July, and he now lies in the cathedral of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Stress–strain response and cross-sectional capacity of steel sections in fire
Authors: Knobloch Markus , Pauli Jacqueline , Somaini Diego , Fontana Mario
Published: August 2013

This paper analyses the basic influence of the non-linear stress–strain relationship on the cross-sectional capacity of steel sections in fire. A distinct non-linear material behaviour governed by strain hardening is observed for temperatures between 300 and 600°C. For higher temperatures, the stress–strain relationships are almost bi-linear, with short elastic branches followed by nearly horizontal plastic ranges. Design models for cross-sectional capacities with uniform temperature-dependent effective yield strengths are suitable for fire design at high temperatures and with almost bi-linear material behaviour. For distinct non-linear material behaviour, however, these design approaches are not able to accurately describe the cross-sectional behaviour at elevated temperatures.
Numerical analysis of semi-elliptical hollow section columns
Authors: Silvestre Nuno , Pires Tiago , Duarte António P. C.
Published: August 2013

The buckling behaviour, ultimate strength and failure of columns with semi-elliptical hollow section are examined in this paper, using finite-strip analyses and shell finite-element analyses. Semi-elliptical hollow sections are a unique case of section shape, since they possess a flat part (plate behaviour) and a semi-elliptical part (shell behaviour). Assessing the contribution of each part to the buckling and ultimate behaviour of semi-elliptical hollow section columns is the main objective of this paper. The buckling behaviour is first analysed using finite-strip software and the ultimate behaviour is then studied using shell finite-element software. From the finite-strip results it is shown that local buckling of semi-elliptical hollow section columns is solely governed by the instability of the flat part. From shell finite-element results it is shown that the ultimate behaviour is mostly governed by the pre-buckling stiffness of the semi-elliptical part. Some columns have ultimate loads well above the critical load (associated with local plate buckling) due to the stiffness of the semi-elliptical part, for which the buckling stress is much higher than that of flat part. Finally, some preliminary design guidance is proposed. An expression to predict the ultimate strength is presented and shown to provide accurate results.
Investigation of steel fibres as minimum shear reinforcement
Authors: Jain Kranti , Singh Bhupinder
Published: August 2013

This paper presents the results of an experimental appraisal of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) building code provisions allowing the use of deformed steel fibres as minimum shear reinforcement in reinforced concrete beams. Two types of hooked-end steel fibres of length 35 mm and 60 mm were used in the fibrous concrete mixtures at volume fractions in the range of 0·75–1·5% and 0·5–1·0%, respectively. The performance of the fibrous concrete beams was compared to that of beams detailed with the minimum web reinforcement specified in the ACI code. The results indicate that the use of hooked-end steel fibres even at a volume fraction (0·5%) lower than the ACI-specified minimum of 0·75% led to multiple diagonal cracking with crack widths smaller than permissible values. The measured shear strengths across all fibre aspect ratios and volume fractions were higher than lower bound values for steel fibrous concrete recommended in the literature and predicted values of the beams detailed with the ACI code-specified conventional minimum web reinforcement. Predictions of the measured shear strengths with varying degrees of conservatism were obtained from seven shear strength models selected from the literature and the most accurate predictions were obtained from a modified version of the model proposed by Dinh et al. The results of this investigation support the use of the deformed steel fibres used in the experiments as minimum shear reinforcement in RC beams with depths equal to those of the tested beams.
The continuous strength method for steel and composite design
Authors: Gardner Leroy , Macorini Lorenzo , Kucukler Merih
Published: August 2013

Steel and steel–concrete composite construction is employed in a substantial proportion of low-rise and multi-storey buildings. Design codes for these forms of structure have evolved over many years, but are currently essentially founded upon the assumption of elastic-plastic or rigid-plastic material behaviour and largely disregard the beneficial influence of strain hardening. This simplificaton can result in overly conservative predictions of capacity, particularly in the case of stocky, bare steel cross-sections and composite beams under sagging bending moment. The continuous strength method is an alternative deformation-based design approach that allows for strain hardening, provides more accurate predictions of member capacities and, thus, enables more efficient structural solutions to be achieved. In this paper, the development and application of the continuous strength method to steel structures is explained and extension of the method to steel–concrete composite design is outlined.
Adaptive responses reveal contemporary and future ecotypes in a desert shrub
Authors: Richardson Bryce A. , Kitchen Stanley G. , Pendleton Rosemary L. , Pendleton Burton K. , Germino Matthew J. , Rehfeldt Gerald E. , Meyer Susan E.
Published: August 2013

Interacting threats to ecosystem function, including climate change, wildfire, and invasive species necessitate native plant restoration in desert ecosystems. However, native plant restoration efforts often remain unguided by ecological genetic information. Given that many ecosystems are in flux from climate change, restoration plans need to account for both contemporary and future climates when choosing seed sources. In this study we analyze vegetative responses, including mortality, growth, and carbon isotope ratios in two blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) common gardens that included 26 populations from a range‐wide collection. This shrub occupies ecotones between the warm and cold deserts of Mojave and Colorado Plateau ecoregions in western North America. The variation observed in the vegetative responses of blackbrush populations was principally explained by grouping populations by ecoregions and by regression with site‐specific climate variables. Aridity weighted by winter minimum temperatures best explained vegetative responses; Colorado Plateau sites were usually colder and drier than Mojave sites. The relationship between climate and vegetative response was mapped within the boundaries of the species–climate space projected for the contemporary climate and for the decade surrounding 2060. The mapped ecological genetic pattern showed that genetic variation could be classified into cool‐adapted and warm‐adapted ecotypes, with populations often separated by steep clines. These transitions are predicted to occur in both the Mojave Desert and Colorado Plateau ecoregions. While under contemporary conditions the warm‐adapted ecotype occupies the majority of climate space, climate projections predict that the cool‐adapted ecotype could prevail as the dominant ecotype as the climate space of blackbrush expands into higher elevations and latitudes. This study provides the framework for delineating climate change‐responsive seed transfer guidelines, which are needed to inform restoration and management planning. We propose four transfer zones in blackbrush that correspond to areas currently dominated by cool‐adapted and warm‐adapted ecotypes in each of the two ecoregions.
Whey Protein, but Not Soy Protein, Supplementation Alleviates Exerciseinduced Lipid Peroxidation in Female Endurance Athletes
Authors: Tara Myra K. , Park Jean Soon , Mathison Bridget D. , Kimble Lindsey L. , Chew Boon P.
Published: August 2013

Purpose:

The objective of this study was to assess the protective effects of whey and soy protein supplementation
on inflammatory response, oxidative damage and body composition in active female endurance athletes.

Methods:

Healthy female endurance athletes (18-25 y; n = 18) running at least one hour per day, five days per week were
randomly assigned to consume 40 g whey or soy protein daily, in a 6-wk double-blind study. Blood samples were obtained
following completion of a one hour run at baseline and wk 6, and analyzed for inflammatory and oxidative biomarkers.
DXA scans were completed to determine body composition.

Results:

Whey protein intervention decreased (P> 0.05) plasma TBARS concentrations, indicating suppressed lipid peroxidation.
Supplementation with soy protein had no effect on markers of oxidative damage and inflammation, but decreased
(P> 0.05) reduced glutathione indicating a reduction in antioxidant activity. Protein supplementation had no significant
effect on body composition.

Conclusions:

Supplementation with whey protein decreased lipid peroxidation in in female endurance athletes suggesting
a potential antioxidative action, while soy protein did not improve biomarkers of oxidative damage and inflammation.
Smile esthetics from odontology students' perspectives
Authors: España Pilar , Tarazona Beatriz , Paredes Vanessa
Published: August 2013

Objectives:

To analyze the perception of smile esthetics and its alterations in dental degree students; to determine whether there are differences in that perception among students in different study years on those courses and between genders; and to determine if the circumstance of having received prior orthodontic treatment could influence that perception.

Material and Methods:

Students (n = 192) in different study years of the dental degree course at the University of Valencia, Spain, analyzed two photographs of a patient in which, by means of computer software, midline diastema, upper and lower midlines, crown length of the maxillary right central incisor, occlusal cant, and “gummy” smile were altered. Students assessed the photographs on a scale from 1 to 10. Statistical analyses for assessing each group's level of perception were carried out.

Results:

After checking the validity of the study, it was observed that the students' ability to detect alterations in smile esthetics did not improve over their degree courses, given that the differences do not present a linear development. There were no differences between genders and between those who had or had not undergone an orthodontic treatment.

Conclusions:

There are no statistically significant differences between the results of students in different study years or between genders. The circumstance of having undergone prior orthodontic treatment is not a determining factor in the ability to perceive such anomalies.
Influence of cone-beam computed tomography image artifacts on the determination of dental arch measurements
Authors: Gamba Thiago O. , Oliveira Matheus L. , Flores Isadora L. , Cruz Adriana D. , Almeida Solange M. , Haiter-Neto Francisco , Lopes Sérgio L.P.C.
Published: August 2013

Objective:

To compare dental plaster model (DPM) and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in the measurement of the dental arches, and investigate whether CBCT image artifacts compromise the reliability of such measurements.

Materials and Methods:

Twenty patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of metallic restorations in the posterior teeth. Both dental arches of the patients were scanned with the CBCT unit i-CAT, and DPMs were obtained. Two examiners obtained eight arch measurements on the CBCT images and DPMs and repeated this procedure 15 days later. The arch measurements of each patient group were compared separately by the Wilcoxon rank sum (Mann-Whitney U) test, with a significance level of 5% (α  =  .05). Intraclass correlation measured the level of intraobserver agreement.

Results:

Patients with healthy teeth showed no significant difference between all DPM and CBCT arch measurements (P > .05). Patients with metallic restoration showed significant difference between DPM and CBCT for the majority of the arch measurements (P > .05). The two examiners showed excellent intraobserver agreement for both measuring methods with intraclass correlation coefficient higher than 0.95.

Conclusion:

CBCT provided the same accuracy as DPM in the measurement of the dental arches, and was negatively influenced by the presence of image artifacts.
Oxidative Stress and Response in Relation to Coronary Artery Disease in Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Costacou Tina , Evans Rhobert W. , Schafer Gerald L. , Orchard Trevor J.
Published: August 2013

OBJECTIVE

Although oxidative stress (OxS) is thought to contribute to atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease (CAD), little is known about the variability in an individual’s ability to respond to OxS. Therefore, we assessed potential indices of response to OxS and evaluated whether they modify the association between OxS and CAD.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We evaluated plasma α- and γ-tocopherol per unit cholesterol (potential response markers); urinary 15-isoprostane F2t per milligram creatinine (isoprostane [IsoP], a potential stress marker); and the α-tocopherol-to-IsoP ratio (as a measure of response to stress), measured three times during 20 years of follow-up, in relation to CAD incidence in a cohort with childhood-onset type 1 diabetes (n = 658; mean age at baseline, 28 years; duration of diabetes, 19 years). Participants with three samples (blood and either 24-h or overnight urine) available before the onset of CAD or the end of follow-up (n = 356) were selected for study.

RESULTS

In multivariable mixed models, α-tocopherol over time was inversely associated with CAD (β = −0.27; P = 0.02), whereas a direct association was observed for IsoP (β = 0.0008; P = 0.06). Moreover, the α-tocopherol-to-IsoP ratio was strongly and inversely related to CAD incidence (β = −0.72; P = 0.003), whereas in a separate model including α-tocopherol and IsoP, both biomarkers maintained statistical significance. No association was observed for γ-tocopherol (β = −0.22; P = 0.54).

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that a greater potential capability (α-tocopherol) to respond to OxS (urinary IsoP) relates to CAD incidence.
Alterations to Bone Mineral Composition as an Early Indication of Osteomyelitis in the Diabetic Foot
Authors: Esmonde-White Karen A. , Esmonde-White Francis W.L. , Holmes Crystal M. , Morris Michael D. , Roessler Blake J.
Published: August 2013

OBJECTIVE

Osteomyelitis in the diabetic foot is a major risk factor for amputation, but there is a limited understanding of early-stage infection, impeding limb-preserving diagnoses. We hypothesized that bone composition measurements provide insight into the early pathophysiology of diabetic osteomyelitis.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Compositional analysis by Raman spectroscopy was performed on bone specimens from patients with a clinical diagnosis of osteomyelitis in the foot requiring surgical intervention as either a biopsy (n = 6) or an amputation (n = 11).

RESULTS

An unexpected result was the discovery of pathological calcium phosphate minerals in addition to normal bone mineral. Dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, also called brushite, and uncarbonated apatite were found to be exclusively associated with infected bone.

CONCLUSIONS

Compositional measurements provided a unique insight into the pathophysiology of osteomyelitis in diabetic foot ulcers. At-patient identification of pathological minerals by Raman spectroscopy may serve as an early-stage diagnostic approach.
Standalone Balloon Dilation versus Sinus Surgery for Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial
Authors: Cutler Jeffrey , Bikhazi Nadim , Light Joshua , Truitt Theodore , Schwartz Michael ,   the REMODEL Study Investigators, Armstrong Michael , Bikhazi Nadim , Chandler Stephen , Cutler Jeffrey , Ferouz-Colborn Aliya , Gould James , Light Joshua , Marvel Jeffrey , Schwartz Michael , Truitt Theodore
Published: August 2013

Background

A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted on patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) to test the hypotheses that symptom improvement after balloon dilation was noninferior to functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) and balloon dilation was superior to FESS for postoperative debridements.

Methods

Adults with uncomplicated CRS of the maxillary sinuses with or without anterior ethmoid disease who met criteria for medically necessary FESS were randomized 1:1 to office balloon dilation or FESS and followed for 6 months. A minimum of 36 patients per arm were required to test the hypotheses with 90% power. Symptom improvement using the validated 20-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-20) survey, debridements, recovery outcomes, complications, and revision surgeries were compared between groups.

Results

Ninety-two patients (50 balloon dilation; 42 FESS) were treated. Mean SNOT-20 improvement was 1.67 ± 1.10 and 1.60 ± 0.96 in the balloon and FESS arms, respectively. Both groups showed clinically meaningful and statistically significant (p < 0.0001) improvement and the balloon arm was noninferior (p < 0.001) to FESS. The mean number of postprocedure debridements per patient was 0.1 ± 0.6 in the balloon arm versus 1.2 ± 1.0 in the FESS arm, with the balloon group showing superiority (p < 0.0001). Occurrence of postoperative nasal bleeding (p = 0.011), duration of prescription pain medication use (p < 0.001), recovery time (p = 0.002), and short-term symptom improvement (p = 0.014) were all significantly better for balloon dilation versus FESS. No complications occurred in either group and one revision surgery was reported in each arm.

Conclusion

Balloon dilation is noninferior to FESS for symptom improvement and superior to FESS for postoperative debridements in patients with maxillary and anterior ethmoid disease. Balloon dilation is an effective treatment in patients with uncomplicated CRS who meet the criteria for medically necessary FESS.
The Neural Correlates of Abstract and Concrete Words: Evidence from Brain-Damaged Patients
Authors: Papagno Costanza , Martello Giorgia , Mattavelli Giulia
Published: August 2013

Neuropsychological and activation studies on the neural correlates of abstract and concrete words have produced contrasting results. The present study explores the anatomical substrates of abstract/concrete words in 22 brain-damaged patients with a single vascular lesion either in the right or left hemisphere. One hundred and twenty (60 concrete and 60 abstract) noun triplets were used for a semantic similarity judgment task. We found a significant interaction in word type × group since left temporal brain-damaged patients performed significantly better with concrete than abstract words. Lesion mapping of patients with predominant temporal damage showed that the left superior and middle temporal gyri and the insula were the areas of major overlapping, while the anterior portion of the left temporal lobe was generally spared. Errors on abstract words mainly concerned (although at a non-significant level) semantically associate targets, while in the case of concrete words, coordinate targets were significantly more impaired than associate ones. Our results suggest that the left superior and middle temporal gyri and the insula are crucial regions in processing abstract words. They also confirm the hypothesis of a semantic similarity vs. associative organization of concrete and abstract concepts.
Discrete Displacement Hydraulic Power Take-Off System for the Wavestar Wave Energy Converter
Authors: Hansen Rico , Kramer Morten , Vidal Enrique
Published: August 2013

The Wavestar Wave Energy Converter (WEC) is a multiple absorber concept, consisting of 20 hemisphere shaped floats attached to a single platform. The heart of the Wavestar WEC is the Power Take-Off (PTO) system, converting the wave induced motion of the floats into a steady power output to the grid. In the present work, a PTO based on a novel discrete displacement fluid power technology is explored for the Wavestar WEC. Absorption of power from the floats is performed by hydraulic cylinders, supplying power to a common fixed pressure system with accumulators for energy smoothing. The stored pressure energy is converted into electricity at a steady pace by hydraulic motors and generators. The storage, thereby, decouples the complicated process of wave power absorption from power generation. The core for enabling this PTO technology is implementing a near loss-free force control of the energy absorbing cylinders. This is achieved by using special multi-chambered cylinders, where the different chambers may be connected to the available system pressures using fast on/off valves. Resultantly, a Discrete Displacement Cylinder (DDC) is created, allowing near loss free discrete force control. This paper presents a complete PTO system for a 20 float Wavestar based on the DDC. The WEC and PTO is rigorously modeled from incident waves to the electric output to the grid. The resulting model of +600 states is simulated in different irregular seas, showing that power conversion efficiencies above 70% from input power to electrical power is achievable for all relevant sea conditions.
Principles of miRNA-Target Regulation in Metazoan Models
Authors: Doxakis Epaminondas
Published: August 2013

MicroRNAs (miRs) are key post-transcriptional regulators that silence gene expression by direct base pairing to target sites of RNAs. They have a wide variety of tissue expression patterns and are differentially expressed during development and disease. Their activity and abundance is subject to various levels of control ranging from transcription and biogenesis to miR response elements on RNAs, target cellular levels and miR turnover. This review summarizes and discusses current knowledge on the regulation of miR activity and concludes with novel non-canonical functions that have recently emerged.
Domain Structures in Nematic Liquid Crystals on a Polycarbonate Surface
Authors: Parshin Alexander , Gunyakov Vladimir , Zyryanov Victor , Shabanov Vasily
Published: August 2013

Alignment of nematic liquid crystals on polycarbonate films obtained with the use of solvents with different solvations is studied. Domain structures occurring during the growth on the polymer surface against the background of the initial thread-like or schlieren texture are demonstrated. It is established by optical methods that the domains are stable formations visualizing the polymer surface structures. In nematic droplets, the temperature-induced transition from the domain structure with two extinction bands to the structure with four bands is observed. This transition is shown to be caused by reorientation of the nematic director in the liquid crystal volume from the planar alignment to the homeotropic state with the pronounced radial configuration of nematic molecules on the surface. The observed textures are compared with different combinations of the volume LC orientations and the radial distribution of the director field and the disclination lines at the polycarbonate surface.
The Efficacy of the Quorum Sensing Inhibitor FS8 and Tigecycline in Preventing Prosthesis Biofilm in an Animal Model of Staphylococcal Infection
Authors: Simonetti Oriana , Cirioni Oscar , Mocchegiani Federico , Cacciatore Ivana , Silvestri Carmela , Baldassarre Leonardo , Orlando Fiorenza , Castelli Pamela , Provinciali Mauro , Vivarelli Marco , Fornasari Erika , Giacometti Andrea , Offidani Annamaria
Published: August 2013

We investigated the efficacy of tigecycline and FS8, alone or combined, in preventing prosthesis biofilm in a rat model of staphylococcal vascular graft infection. Graft infections were established in the back subcutaneous tissue of adult male Wistar rats by implantation of Dacron prostheses followed by topical inoculation with 2 x 107 colony-forming units of Staphylococcus aureus, strain Smith diffuse. The study included a control group, a contaminated group that did not receive any antibiotic prophylaxis, and three contaminated groups that received: (i) intraperitoneal tigecycline, (ii) FS8-soaked graft, and (iii) tigecycline plus FS8-soaked graft, respectively. Each group included 15 animals. The infection burden was evaluated by using sonication and quantitative agar culture. Moreover, an in vitro binding-study was performed to quantify the how much FS8 was coated to the surface of the prosthesis. Tigecycline, combined with FS8, against the adherent bacteria showed MICs (2.00 mg/L) and MBCs (4.00 mg/L) four-fold lower with respect to tigecycline alone in in vitro studies. The rat groups treated with tigecycline showed the lowest bacterial numbers (4.4 x 104 ± 1.2 x 104 CFU/mL). The FS8-treated group showed a good activity and significant differences compared to control group with bacterial numbers of 6.8 x 104 ± 2.0 x 104 CFU/mL. A stronger inhibition of bacterial growth was observed in rats treated with a combined FS8 and tigecycline therapy than in those that were singly treated with bacterial numbers of 101 CFU/mL graft. In conclusion, the ability to affect biofilm formation as well, its property to be an antibiotic enhancer suggests FS8 as alternative or additional agent to use in conjunction with conventional antimicrobial for prevention of staphylococcal biofilm related infection.
The Effects of Biopolymer Encapsulation on Total Lipids and Cholesterol in Egg Yolk during in Vitro Human Digestion
Authors: Hur Sun-Jin , Kim Young-Chan , Choi Inwook , Lee Si-Kyung
Published: August 2013

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of biopolymer encapsulation on the digestion of total lipids and cholesterol in egg yolk using an in vitro human digestion model. Egg yolks were encapsulated with 1% cellulose, pectin, or chitosan. The samples were then passed through an in vitro human digestion model that simulated the composition of mouth saliva, stomach acid, and the intestinal juice of the small intestine by using a dialysis tubing system. The change in digestion of total lipids was monitored by confocal fluorescence microscopy. The digestion rate of total lipids and cholesterol in all egg yolk samples dramatically increased after in vitro human digestion. The digestion rate of total lipids and cholesterol in egg yolks encapsulated with chitosan or pectin was reduced compared to the digestion rate of total lipids and cholesterol in other egg yolk samples. Egg yolks encapsulated with pectin or chitosan had lower free fatty acid content, and lipid oxidation values than samples without biopolymer encapsulation. Moreover, the lipase activity decreased, after in vitro digestion, in egg yolks encapsulated with biopolymers. These results improve our understanding of the effects of digestion on total lipids and cholesterol in egg yolk within the gastrointestinal tract.
The Role of Mitochondrial DNA Damage and Repair in the Resistance of BCR/ABL-Expressing Cells to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors
Authors: Glowacki Sylwester , Synowiec Ewelina , Blasiak Janusz
Published: August 2013

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematological malignancy that arises from the transformation of stem hematopoietic cells by the fusion oncogene BCR/ABL and subsequent clonal expansion of BCR/ABL-positive progenitor leukemic cells. The BCR/ABL protein displays a constitutively increased tyrosine kinase activity that alters many regulatory pathways, leading to uncontrolled growth, impaired differentiation and increased resistance to apoptosis featured by leukemic cells. Current CML therapy is based on tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), primarily imatinib, which induce apoptosis in leukemic cells. However, some patients show primary resistance to TKIs while others develop it in the course of therapy. In both cases, resistance may be underlined by perturbations in apoptotic signaling in leukemic cells. As mitochondria may play an important role in such signaling, alteration in mitochondrial metabolism may change resistance to pro-apoptotic action of TKIs in BCR/ABL-positive cells. Because BCR/ABL may induce reactive oxygen species and unfaithful DNA repair, it may affect the stability of mitochondrial DNA, influencing mitochondrial apoptotic signaling and in this way change the sensitivity of CML cells to TKIs. Moreover, cancer cells, including BCR/ABL-positive cells, show an increased level of glucose metabolism, resulting from the shift from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis to supply ATP for extensive proliferation. Enhanced level of glycolysis may be associated with TKI resistance and requires change in the expression of several genes regulated mostly by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, HIF-1α. Such regulation may be associated with the impaired mitochondrial respiratory system in CML cells. In summary, mitochondria and mitochondria-associated molecules and pathways may be attractive targets to overcome TKI resistance in CML.
Quorum Sensing in the Squid-Vibrio Symbiosis
Authors: Verma Subhash , Miyashiro Tim
Published: August 2013

Quorum sensing is an intercellular form of communication that bacteria use to coordinate group behaviors such as biofilm formation and the production of antibiotics and virulence factors. The term quorum sensing was originally coined to describe the mechanism underlying the onset of luminescence production in cultures of the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri. Luminescence and, more generally, quorum sensing are important for V. fischeri to form a mutualistic symbiosis with the Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes. The symbiosis is established when V. fischeri cells migrate via flagella-based motility from the surrounding seawater into a specialized structure injuvenile squid called the light organ. The cells grow to high cell densities within the light organ where the infection persists over the lifetime of the animal. A hallmark of a successful symbiosis is the luminescence produced by V. fischeri that camouflages the squid at night by eliminating its shadow within the water column. While the regulatory networks governing quorum sensing are critical for properly regulating V. fischeri luminescence within the squid light organ, they also regulate luminescence-independent processes during symbiosis. In this review, we discuss the quorum-sensing network of V. fischeri and highlight its impact at various stages during host colonization.
Effect of Annealing Temperature on the Water Contact Angle of PVD Hard Coatings
Authors: Yang Yu-Sen , Cho Ting-Pin
Published: August 2013

Various PVD (physical vapor deposition) hard coatings including nitrides and metal-doped diamond-like carbons (Me-DLC) were applied in plastic injection and die-casting molds to improve wear resistance and reduce sticking. In this study, nitrides hcp-AlN (hexagonal close-packed AlN), Cr2N, (CrAl)2N) and Me-DLC (Si-DLC and Cr-DLC) coatings were prepared using a closed field unbalanced magnetron reactive sputtering system. The coatings were annealed in air for 2 h at various temperatures, after which the anti-sticking properties were assessed using water contact angle (WCA) measurements. The as-deposited hcp-AlN, Cr2N and (CrAl)2N coatings exhibit hydrophobic behavior and exhibit respective WCAs of 119°, 106° and 101°. The as-deposited Si-DLC and Cr-DLC coatings exhibit hydrophilic behavior and exhibit respective WCAs of 74° and 88°. The annealed Cr2N and (CrAl)2N coatings exhibit hydrophobic behavior with higher WCAs, while the annealed hcp-AlN, Si-DLC and Cr-DLC coatings are hydrophilic. The increased WCA of the annealed Cr2N and (CrAl)2N coatings is related to their crystal structure and increased roughness. The decreased WCA of the annealed hcp-AlN, Si-DLC and Cr-DLC coatings is related to their crystal structures and has little correlation with roughness.
Global Metabolomics Reveals Urinary Biomarkers of Breast Cancer in a MCF-7 Xenograft Mouse Model
Authors: Johnson Caroline , Manna Soumen , Krausz Kristopher , Bonzo Jessica , Divelbiss Raymond , Hollingshead Melinda , Gonzalez Frank
Published: August 2013

Global metabolomics analysis has the potential to uncover novel metabolic pathways that are differentially regulated during carcinogenesis, aiding in biomarker discovery for early diagnosis and remission monitoring. Metabolomics studies with human samples can be problematic due to high inter-individual variation; however xenografts of human cancers in mice offer a well-controlled model system. Urine was collected from a xenograft mouse model of MCF-7 breast cancer and analyzed by mass spectrometry-based metabolomics to identify metabolites associated with cancer progression. Over 10 weeks, 24 h urine was collected weekly from control mice, mice dosed with estradiol cypionate (1 mg/mL), mice inoculated with MCF-7 cells (1 × 107) and estradiol cypionate (1 mg/mL), and mice dosed with MCF-7 cells (1 × 107) only (n = 10/group). Mice that received both estradiol cypionate and MCF-7 cells developed tumors from four weeks after inoculation. Five urinary metabolites were identified that were associated with breast cancer; enterolactone glucuronide, coumaric acid sulfate, capric acid glucuronide, an unknown metabolite, and a novel mammalian metabolite, “taurosebacic acid”. These metabolites revealed a correlation between tumor growth, fatty acid synthesis, and potential anti-proliferative effects of gut microbiota-metabolized food derivatives. These biomarkers may be of value for early diagnosis of cancer, monitoring of cancer therapeutics, and may also lead to future mechanistic studies.