bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and development of flexible fabric antenna for body‐worn applications and its performance study under flat and bent positions
Authors: Subramaniam Sankaralingam , Gupta Bhaskar
Published: June 2011

Modern communication systems are driven by the concept of being connected anywhere and at any time.Fuelled by the idea of a body‐centric approach to modern communication technology, many research projects have been initiated to integrate antennas and radio frequency (RF) systems into clothes with regard to size reduction and cost‐effectiveness; so that the wearer may not notice the existence of these subsystems. For instance, the development of wearable computer systems has been very rapid and soon one will see a wide range of unobtrusive wearable and ubiquitous computing equipment into his/her everyday wear. Rapid progress in wireless communication promises to replace all wired‐communication networks in the near future, in which antennas play a vital role. This paper describes design and development of a circular patch antenna for on‐body wireless communications. This antenna makes use of polyester‐combined cotton [65:35] fabric as its dielectric material and the conducting parts of the antenna are made up of copper. The impedance and radiation characteristics are determined experimentally when the antenna is kept in flat position. The performance characteristics of the antenna are analyzed under bent conditions too, to check compatibility with wearable applications. Results demonstrate the suitability of this kind of patch antenna for on‐body wireless communications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.26188
High‐gain ultrathin resonant cavity antenna
Authors: Liu Yahong , Zhao Xiaopeng
Published: June 2011

High‐gain and ultrathin cavity antennas consisting of conventional rectangular patch antenna and partially reflective surface (PRS) are investigated in the article.PRS is made of periodic distinct metallic patterns on the both sides of the single dielectric slab. The geometry is simpler and has not been used in the pervious references. The proposed cavity antenna has the advantages of ultrathin cavity (λ/70), high gain and high directivity. Compared with the conventional patch antenna, the results show the gain of the proposed antenna is higher by 4.5 dB. In addition, it is interesting that the antenna with the sectoral form radiation pattern can be realized when the defects are introduced in the periodic PRS structure. This special sectoral form radiation pattern has the characteristics of the narrow half‐power bandwidth (HPBW) of 30° in the E plane and the broad HPBW of 90° in the H plane, which is needed urgently by the station antennas of the mobile communication. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.26213
Rapamycin does not control hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in LCMV‐infected perforin‐deficient mice
Authors: Rothman Jennifer A. , Das Rupali , Teachey David T. , Paessler Michele E. , Nichols Kim E.
Published: June 2011

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is an immunodysregulatory disorder for which more effective treatments are needed. The macrolide rapamycin has immunosuppressive properties, making it an attractive candidate for controlling the aberrant T cell activation that occurs in HLH. To investigate its therapeutic potential, we used rapamycin to treat Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus (LCMV)‐infected perforin‐deficient (Prf1−/−) mice according to a well‐established model of HLH. At the regimens tested, rapamycin did not improve weight loss, splenomegaly, hemophagocytosis, cytopenias, or proinflammatory cytokine production in LCMV‐infected Prf1−/− animals. Thus, single agent rapamycin appears ineffective in treating the clinical and laboratory manifestations of LCMV‐induced HLH. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2011; 57: 1239–1243. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Quantitative proteomics of microbes: Principles and applications to virulence
Authors: Malmström Lars , Malmström Johan , Aebersold Ruedi
Published: June 2011

The rapidly increasing ability to sequence complete genomes of different microbial species and strains provides us with information regarding their genetic variability. Genetic variability is a mechanism for human pathogens to adapt to and avoid the immune system and to also develop resistance to antibiotics. However, the assessment of the contributions of individual genetic differences to resistance or other phenotypes is not a priori apparent from the genomic variability. Quantitative proteomics can provide accurate molecular phenotypes of microbes that are difficult to determine using alternative technologies. Over the recent few years we and others have developed a range of proteomic technologies for the quantitative analysis of microbial proteomes. Here, we describe the most commonly used techniques and discuss their strengths and weaknesses and illustrate their respective performance for the identification of virulence factors in Streptococcus pyogenes.
Role of computerised continuous performance task tests in ADHD
Authors: Ogundele Michael O , Ayyash Hani F , Banerjee Somnath
Published: June 2011

Diagnosis of attention deficit‐hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is traditionally based on subjective assessments of behaviour by clinicians and carers in different settings, but this approach is prone to biases. Recent advances in computerised continuous performance task (CPT) tests have greatly improved their clinical utility in ADHD. In this article, the authors review the history of computerised CPT tests and their potential role in the diagnosis and management of children and adolescents with ADHD. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Interface Ltd
Refinement of protein termini in template‐based modeling using conformational space annealing
Authors: Park Hahnbeom , Ko Junsu , Joo Keehyoung , Lee Julian , Seok Chaok , Lee Jooyoung
Published: June 2011

The rapid increase in the number of experimentally determined protein structures in recent years enables us to obtain more reliable protein tertiary structure models than ever by template‐based modeling. However, refinement of template‐based models beyond the limit available from the best templates is still needed for understanding protein function in atomic detail. In this work, we develop a new method for protein terminus modeling that can be applied to refinement of models with unreliable terminus structures. The energy function for terminus modeling consists of both physics‐based and knowledge‐based potential terms with carefully optimized relative weights. Effective sampling of both the framework and terminus is performed using the conformational space annealing technique. This method has been tested on a set of termini derived from a nonredundant structure database and two sets of termini from the CASP8 targets. The performance of the terminus modeling method is significantly improved over our previous method that does not employ terminus refinement. It is also comparable or superior to the best server methods tested in CASP8. The success of the current approach suggests that similar strategy may be applied to other types of refinement problems such as loop modeling or secondary structure rearrangement. Proteins 2011; © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of particle shape on the random packing density of amorphous solids
Authors: Kyrylyuk Andriy V. , Philipse Albert P.
Published: June 2011

The packing density of a particulate solid strongly depends on the shape of the particles that are jammed at random close packing (RCP). To investigate the effect of particle shape on the RCP density of an amorphous solid, we studied jammed packings of binary mixtures of a‐thermal or granular spherocylinders by means of mechanical contraction computer simulations. We showed that the packing density of a jammed solid can be optimized by using slightly elongated particles. Starting from the Bernal random sphere packing, the RCP density first raises to a maximum for nearly spherical rod‐like particles and only beyond this maximum it monotonically decreases with the particle aspect ratio. We demonstrated that the density maximum appears not only for monodisperse systems but it is a universal feature of mixtures of randomly packed non‐spherical particles. The position of the density maximum is also universal – the optimal packing is found when one of the components in the binary mixture has the unique particle aspect ratio 0.5, irrespectively of the mixture composition. In the limit of large particle size disparity in a bidisperse jammed system, we revealed a universal scaling for the total packing density as a function of the aspect ratio of one component, regardless of the shape of the second component.

magnified image

An amorphous solid composed of a binary mixture of spherical and non‐spherical, slightly elongated particles.
The properties of sol–gel processed indium‐doped zinc oxide semiconductor film and its application in organic solar cells
Authors: Kyaw A. K. K. , Wang Y. , Zhao D. W. , Huang Z. H. , Zeng X. T. , Sun X. W.
Published: June 2011

Indium‐doped ZnO (IZO) films with various indium contents were deposited by sol–gel process for application in organic solar cells (OSCs). X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectrum verified that indium is incorporated in the ZnO films. All films showed polycrystalline nature with a hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO. The resistivity of the films initially decreases yet increases again with higher doping. The lowest resistivity of 5.54 × 10−1 Ω‐cm was obtained at 1 at.% indium‐doped film. The optical transmittance of all films is above 80% in visible range and blue shift in absorption edge was observed upon indium doping. The humidity level influences surface morphology, electrical, and optical properties of the doped films due to the strong moisture absorption nature of indium doping precursor. The performance of inverted OSC employing 1 at.% IZO as a buffer layer is higher than that of cell using un‐doped ZnO, which can be attributed to the higher optical transmittance and lower resistivity of doped film.
An Extract of Withania somnifera Attenuates Endothelin‐1‐stimulated Pigmentation in Human Epidermal Equivalents through the Interruption of PKC Activity Within Melanocytes
Authors: Nakajima Hiroaki , Wakabayashi Yuki , Wakamatsu Kazumasa , Imokawa Genji
Published: June 2011

Redox imbalances have been shown to be closely linked to a variety of altered cellular responses and profoundly affect intracellular signaling pathways, especially the PKC/MAPK pathway which is a major pathway involved in regulating melanogenesis within human melanocytes. To elucidate the effects of redox balance regulation on epidermal hyperpigmentary disorders, an antioxidant‐rich herb extract of Withania somnifera was used to assess its effect on endothelin‐1 (EDN1)‐stimulated pigmentation in human epidermis equivalents and its biological mechanisms analysed. Addition of the Withania somnifera extract (10 µg/mL) elicited a marked depigmenting effect on EDN1 (10 nm)‐stimulated pigmentation which was accompanied by a significant decrease in eumelanin content. Real‐time RT‐PCR and western blotting revealed that the stimulated expression of melanocyte‐specific mRNAs and proteins, including microphthalmia associated transcription factor (MITF), was significantly suppressed at days 7–10 of culture by the Withania somnifera extract (10 µg/mL), suggesting an impairment in intracellular signaling upstream of gene expression. Signaling analysis revealed that in Withania somnifera extract (10 µg/mL)‐treated human melanoma cells in culture, there was a marked deficiency in EDN1 (10 nm)‐stimulated phosphorylation of Raf‐1, MEK, ERK, MITF and Cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) at 15 min after EDN1 treatment. Consistently, treatment with withaferin A, a major component of the Withania somnifera extract, at concentrations of 10–50 µm also significantly down‐regulated the EDN1 stimulated phosphorylation of Raf‐1, MEK, ERK, MITF and CREB at 15 min after EDN1 treatment. Since Raf‐1 is phosphorylated by protein kinase C (PKC) activity, these findings indicate that the Withania somnifera extract attenuates EDN1‐stimulated pigmentation by preferentially inhibiting EDN1‐triggered PKC activity. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The In Vitro Inhibition of Human CYP1A2, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 by Tetrahydropalmatine, Neferine and Berberine
Authors: Zhao Yong , Hellum Bent Håvard , Liang Aihua , Nilsen Odd Georg
Published: June 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vitro inhibition potential of the three purified herbal constituents tetrahydropalmatine (Tet), neferine (Nef) and berberine (Ber) towards recombinant human CYP1A2, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 metabolic activities. In vitro incubations were performed with phenacetin, dextromethorphan and testosterone, respectively, as CYP substrates and their metabolites were determined by validated HPLC methods. Positive control inhibitors were run for each CYP in all incubation series. Inhibition was expressed by IC50 values. All herbal constituents demonstrated some, but variable, inhibition potencies towards the investigated CYP enzymes. CYP2D6 was the most sensitive for inhibition and then mainly by Tet and Ber with IC50 values of 3.04 ± 0.26 µm and 7.40 ± 0.36 µm, respectively. CYP3A4 and especially CYP1A2 were inhibited to a much smaller extent by all constituents. Neferine showed the lowest overall interaction potential towards the CYP enzymes investigated. The CYP inhibition potential for the purified constituents could be related to their chemical structures. No clinical significant metabolic interaction seems likely to occur between the CYP enzymes and herbal constituents tested, with a possible exception for the CYP2D6 inhibition by Tet and Ber. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CC Chemokine Ligand 2 and Leukemia Inhibitory Factor Cooperatively Promote Pluripotency in Mouse Induced Pluripotent Cells
Authors: Hasegawa Yuki , Takahashi Naoko , Forrest Alistair R. R. , Shin Jay W. , Kinoshita Yohei , Suzuki Harukazu , Hayashizaki Yoshihide
Published: June 2011

The pluripotency of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be maintained by feeder cells, which secrete leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). We found that feeder cells provide a relatively low concentration (25 unit/ml) of LIF, which is insufficient to maintain the ESCs/iPSCs pluripotency in feeder free conditions. To identify additional factors involved in the maintenance of pluripotency, we carried out a global transcript expression profiling of mouse iPSCs cultured on feeder cells and in feeder-free (LIF-treated) conditions. This identified 17 significantly differentially expressed genes (adjusted p value <0.05) including seven chemokines overexpressed in iPSCs grown on feeder cells. Ectopic expression of these chemokines in iPSCs revealed that CC chemokine ligand 2 (Ccl2) induced the key transcription factor genes for pluripotency, Klf4, Nanog, Sox2, and Tbx3. Furthermore, addition of recombinant Ccl2 protein drastically increased the number of Nanog–green fluorescent protein–positive iPSCs grown in low-LIF feeder free conditions. We further revealed that pluripotency promotion by Ccl2 is mediated by activating the Stat3-pathway followed by Klf4 upregulation. We demonstrated that Ccl2-mediated increased pluripotency is independent of phosphoinositide 3-kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways and that Tbx3 may be upregulated by Klf4. Overall, Ccl2 cooperatively activates the Stat3-pathway with LIF in feeder-free conditions to maintain pluripotency for ESCs/iPSCs.
Endoscopic bilateral metallic stenting for malignant hilar obstruction using newly designed stents
Authors: Kogure Hirofumi , Isayama Hiroyuki , Kawakubo Kazumichi , Sasaki Takashi , Yamamoto Natsuyo , Hirano Kenji , Sasahira Naoki , Tsujino Takeshi , Tada Minoru , Koike Kazuhiko
Published: June 2011

Background/Purpose

Whether unilateral or bilateral drainage should be performed for malignant hilar biliary obstruction is controversial. Moreover, endoscopic placement of bilateral metallic stents is difficult and complicated.

Methods

New metallic stents, such as the Niti‐S Y‐type stent (Y‐stent), BONASTENT M‐Hilar, and Niti‐S large cell D‐type stent (LCD), have recently been developed for bilateral stent‐in‐stent procedures to facilitate contralateral stent deployment through the interstices of the first metallic stent. We review the features and efficacy of these metallic stents designed for bilateral drainage in patients with hilar biliary obstruction.

Results

The newly designed stents examined exhibited high technical success rates, low stent‐related complications, and good stent patency. Endoscopic reinterventions for occluded stents could be performed easily, particularly in patients with bilateral LCD placement.

Conclusion

Endoscopic bilateral stenting using newly designed metallic stents is feasible, safe, and effective in patients with unresectable malignant hilar biliary obstruction.
Isolation and characterization of an arsenate-reducing bacterium and its application for arsenic extraction from contaminated soil
Authors: Chang Young C , Nawata Akinori , Jung Kweon , Kikuchi Shintaro
Published: June 2011

A Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium, Citrobacter sp. NC-1, was isolated from soil contaminated with arsenic at levels as high as 5,000 mg As kg−1. Strain NC-1 completely reduced 20 mM arsenate within 24 h and exhibited arsenate-reducing activity at concentrations as high as 60 mM. These results indicate that strain NC-1 is superior to other dissimilatory arsenate-reducing bacteria with respect to arsenate reduction, particularly at high concentrations. Strain NC-1 was also able to effectively extract arsenic from contaminated soils via the reduction of solid-phase arsenate to arsenite, which is much less adsorptive than arsenate. To characterize the reductase systems in strain NC-1, arsenate and nitrate reduction activities were investigated using washed-cell suspensions and crude cell extracts from cells grown on arsenate or nitrate. These reductase activities were induced individually by the two electron acceptors. This may be advantageous during bioremediation processes in which both contaminants are present.
Interactions of Polyacrylamide with Cationic Surfactants: Thermodynamic and Surface Parameters
Authors: Niranjan P. S. , Shukla Ratna , Upadhyay Santosh K.
Published: June 2011

The aggregation behaviour of two cationic surfactants, viz. cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and N‐cetyl pyridinium chloride (CPC), in different concentrations of water‐soluble polyacrylamide has been studied in alkaline medium by electrical conductivity and surface tension measurements. A decrease in the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the surfactant with an increase in polymer content in the mixture was observed. The thermodynamic and surface parameters have been determined and discussed. The results indicate that micellisation becomes more favourable at higher polymer content.
An Experimental Study of Mesh Type Flat Heat Pipes
Authors: Chien L.-H. , Shih Y.-C.
Published: June 2011

Flat heat pipes having mesh capillaries were investigated experimentally in this study. An apparatus was designed to test thermal performance of plate type copper water heat pipe having one or two layers of #50 or #80 mesh capillary structures with 5 to 50 W heat input. The working fluid, water, is charged in volumes equivalent to 25%, 33%, or 50% of the internal space. In addition to horizontal orientation, heat pipes were tested with the evaporator section elevated up to 40 degree inclination angle. Temperature distribution of the heat pipe was measured, and the evaporator, adiabatic and condensation resistances were calculated separately. The effects of mesh size, charge volume fraction, and inclination angle on thermal resistance were discussed. In general, the #80 mesh yielded lower thermal resistance than the #50 mesh. Inclination angle has a more significant effect on condenser than evaporator. Analysis of evaporation and condensation in flat heat pipes was conducted and semi-empirical correlations were derived. The present evaporation correlation predicts evaporation resistance between −20% and +30%, and the condensation correlation predicts most condensation resistance data within ±30% for 25% and 33% charge volume fraction.
Hydrodynamic Performance of Two-Dimensional Undulating Foils in Triangular Formation
Authors: Chung M.-H.
Published: June 2011

As inspired by studies of fish schooling in literature, this work investigates hydrodynamic performance of a two-dimensional undulating-foil triad in viscous flows via numerical simulation. The chord of foil oscillates in the form of a streamwise traveling wave. The triad is in triangular formation,i.e., two foils followed by one. A series of triad configuration are computed assuming the same wave speed, amplitude, and frequency of chord traveling wave for each foil. The results show that, to achieve highest thrust efficiency, the two leading foils should separate from each other by 0.4 chord length, perform antiphase undulating motion, and the leading edge of the trailing foil stay 0.2 chord length in front of the trailing edges of the leading foils. An underlining mechanism, vortex pair shedding from the leading foil interacting with boundary-layer vorticity field of the trailing foil, has been identified to explain the efficiency enhancement. This optimal triad configuration is different from that obtained in a previous potential flow analysiss.
Study of Theory about Large Unified Symmetries for Hamilton Systems
Authors: Luo Y.-P.
Published: June 2011

In this paper, the new concept of theory about Large Unified Symmetries for Hamilton systems are presented. The Large Unified Symmetries and conserved quantities for Hamilton systems are studied by the relation between the three kinds of symmetries and the three kinds of conserved quantities. We worked on the Large Unified Symmetries and conserved quantities by Noether symmetry, Lie symmetry and Mei symmetry, including the definition and criterion of the Large Unified Symmetries and the conserved quantities deduced from them. The Large Unified Symmetries are a intersection set among the Noether symmetries, the Lie symmetries and the Mei symmetries. The theory about Large Unified Symmetries will play an important role in the fields of modern theoretical physics.
Temperature and Frequency Modified Fatigue Initiation Life of Solder Alloys Predicted by Endochronic Cyclic Damage-Coupled Viscoplasticity
Authors: Lee C. F. , Jeng S. I. , Liu M. T.
Published: June 2011

In this paper, an evolution equation of cyclically internal damage in the intrinsic damage time scale after the threshold cycles N0 was extended by employing its damage parameters proposed to be dependent of frequency (v) and temperature (T) under cyclic fatigue loading. The resulting damage-coupled endochronic viscoplasticity can drive v and T modified power form equations of cyclic damage and its fatigue initiation life = N1 + N0. Under fatigue tests with T effect and N0 = 0, the power form equation of N1(T)/(Th), named as T-LCM (T modified Lee Coffin-Manson) equation for fatigue initiation life can bederived. The T modified factor (Th) depends on the T dependent material elastic modulus, the cyclicstress-strain response and the damage parameters. Theoretical predictions in the life data ofSn/3.8Ag/0.7Cu solder alloy under cyclic strain test with Tϵ [298,393] K were very well.

Also under fatigue tests with v effect only, the power form equation of /v-LCM (v modified Lee-Coffin-Manson) equation for fatigue initiation life can be derived. The v modified parameter depends on the v dependent cyclic stress-strain response and the damage parameters. Theoreticalpredictions in the life data of 96.5Sn/3.5Ag solder alloy with surface cracking effect i.e. N0 ≠ 0 during cyclicstrain tests with v ϵ [0.001,1] Hz were quite well.

Obviously, the values of power exponents C in the T-LCM and the v-LCM equations can not be determinedsimply by the least square method as in the Coffin-Manson empirical formulae. Also, they must bejustified by constrains imposed in the material parameters defining in the cyclic stress-strain response andthe accumulation behavior of cyclic damage.

The resultant equations derived here and the Δ-LCM equation derived under Δ angle proportional cyclicstrain tests can be combined together to form a T-v-ΔLCM equation for fatigue life studies in the solderalloys using bulk specimens or BGA solider joint specimens.
A NOTE ON NIELSEN EQUIVALENCE IN FINITELY GENERATED ABELIAN GROUPS
Authors: OANCEA DANIEL
Published: June 2011

Nielsen transformations determine the automorphisms of a free group of rank n, and also of a free abelian group of rank n, and furthermore the generating n-tuples of such groups form a single Nielsen equivalence class. For an arbitrary rank n group, the generating n-tuples may fall into several Nielsen classes. Diaconis and Graham [‘The graph of generating sets of an abelian group’, Colloq. Math.80 (1999), 31–38] determined the Nielsen classes for finite abelian groups. We extend their result to the case of infinite abelian groups.
VI Images
Authors: Sparkes Brian A.
Published: June 2011

As we have seen in previous chapters, throughout the Greek world, in cities, cemeteries, and sanctuaries, images, usually of figures in human form, were omnipresent, shaped at full and small size in wood, stone, and bronze, painted on panels and walls, and chosen as decoration for metal and clay vessels, for textiles, for jewellery and gems, for bone and ivory objects, and so on. Such images were constantly before the eyes of the men and women as they went about their daily lives. They acted as a visual language that was parallel to the oral versions in talk, recitation, songs, and plays. It is unlikely that the general public gave much thought to the men who made the images and gradually changed the look of the statues seen in the street, the reliefs that adorned the temples in the sanctuaries, the funerary monuments in the cemeteries, or the painted objects handled at home and elsewhere. They would have scanned the images for their content – figures created in their imagination or stories conjured up from the past that they had heard in public performance or private conversation, as well as scenes that related to the social life of their own day.
CAN MOTHERS JUDGE THE SIZE OF THEIR NEWBORN? ASSESSING THE DETERMINANTS OF A MOTHER'S PERCEPTION OF A BABY'S SIZE AT BIRTH
Authors: CHANNON ANDREW A. R.
Published: June 2011

Birth weight is known to be closely related to child health, although as many infants in developing countries are not weighed at birth and thus will not have a recorded birth weight it is difficult to use birth weight when analysing the determinants of child illness. It is common to use a proxy for birth weight instead, namely the mother's perception of the baby's size at birth. Using DHS surveys in Cambodia, Kazakhstan and Malawi the responses to this question were assessed to indicate the relationship between birth weight and mother's perception. The determinants of perception were investigated using multilevel ordinal regression to gauge if they are different for infants with and without a recorded birth weight, and to consider if there are societal or community influences on perception of size. The results indicate that mother's perception is closely linked to birth weight, although there are other influences on the classification of infants into size groups. On average, a girl of the same birth weight as a boy will be classified into a smaller size category. Likewise, infants who died by the time of the survey will be classified as smaller than similarly heavy infants who are still alive. There are significant variations in size perception between sampling districts and clusters, indicating that mothers mainly judge their child for size against a national norm. However, there is also evidence that the size of infants in the community around the newborn also has an effect on the final size perception classification. Overall the results indicate that mother's perception of size is a good proxy for birth weight in large nationally representative surveys, although care should be taken to control for societal influences on perception.
CONTRACEPTION USE AND ASSOCIATIONS WITH INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AMONG WOMEN IN BANGLADESH
Authors: DALAL KOUSTUV , ANDREWS JOHANNA , DAWAD SURAYA
Published: June 2011

This study examines the association between contraception use and intimate partner violence (IPV) among women of reproductive age in Bangladesh. The observational study of 10,996 women used the chi-squared test and logistic regressions to assess the associations. Almost 80% of all respondents had used contraceptives at some point in their lives. About half of the respondents (48%) were victims of physical violence, while 11% experienced sexual abuse from their husbands. Urban residents, higher educated women and women aged 20–44 were more likely to use contraceptives than their peers in rural areas, those with lower education and those in their late forties (45–49 years). Women exposed to physical violence were almost two times (OR 1.93, CI 1.55–2.41) more likely to use contraceptives compared with their non-abused peers. Sexual abuse had no significant association with contraceptive use. Physical violence is a predictor for higher levels of contraceptive use among women in Bangladesh. The findings emphasize the importance of screening for IPV at health care centres. The differences in urban and rural contraceptive use and IPV exposure identified by the study have policy implications for service delivery and planning.
CrATP interferes in the promastigote-macrophage interaction inLeishmania amazonensisinfection
Authors: ENNES-VIDAL V. , CASTRO R. O. S. , BRITTO C. , BARRABIN H. , D'AVILA-LEVY C. M. , MOREIRA O. C.
Published: June 2011

Recent have shown the relationship between Ecto-Nucleoside-Triphosphate-Diphosphohydrolases (Ecto-NTPDases or ecto-nucleotidases) and virulence and infectivity in trypanosomatids. In this work, the inhibition of the ecto-ATPase activities and promastigote growth ofLeishmania amazonensisby CrATP was characterized. Furthermore, this compound was used to investigate the role of ecto-nucleotidase in the interaction ofL. amazonensiswith resident peritoneal macrophages obtained from BALB/c mice. CrATP partially inhibits the ecto-ATPase activity, presenting Ki values of 575·7±199·1 and 383·5±79·0μm, in the presence or absence of 5 mmMgCl2, respectively. The apparent Kms for ATP (2·9±0·5 mmto Mg2+-dependent ecto-ATPase and 0·4±0·2 mmto Mg2+-independent ecto-ATPase activities) are not significantly altered by CrATP, suggesting a reversible non-competitive inhibition of both enzymes. When CrATP was added to the cultivation medium at 500μm, it drastically inhibited the cellular growth. The interaction of promastigote forms ofL. amazonensiswith BALB/c peritoneal macrophages is strongly affected by CrATP. When the parasites were treated with 500μmCrATP before interacting with macrophages, the adhesion and endocytic indices were strongly reduced to 53·0±14·8% and 39·8±1·1%, respectively. These results indicate that ecto-nucleotidase plays an important role in the infection process caused byLeishmania amazonensis.
The reporting of mental disorders research in British media
Authors: Lewison G. , Roe P. , Wentworth A. , Szmukler G.
Published: June 2011

Background

While the media may significantly influence public attitudes and government policies affecting the research agenda, how mental health research is reported in the media has been virtually unstudied. The aim of this study was to examine stories concerning mental health research published on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) website between 1999 and 2008 and in New Scientist between 2008 and 2010.

Method

Stories were retrieved from on-line archives. Story content was coded and assessed against: ‘disease burden’ of mental disorders; the general corpus of research papers in mental health and the countries from which they originated; the journals in which cited papers were published; and funding sources.

Results

A total of 1015 BBC stories reporting mental health research and 133 New Scientist stories were found. The distribution of stories did not reflect ‘disease burden’; research on dementia was over-represented, while depression and alcohol were under-represented. There was an emphasis on biological research while stories on psychological interventions were rare. UK research was over-represented. Research funded by government and private non-profit sources was over-represented. Commentators from Alzheimer's Disease charities were prominent.

Conclusions

Consideration of reported stories may suggest approaches to working with the media to improve the public understanding of, and support for, mental health research. The role of commentators may be especially important.
Progress in learning French vocabulary in a one-year advanced course at school
Authors: GRAHAM SUZANNE , RICHARDS BRIAN , MALVERN DAVID
Published: June 2011

This article reports on vocabulary learning in French during Year 12 by 150 pupils in 15 English comprehensive schools. Vocabulary progress over two school terms was investigated in the context of learner strategy training that targeted listening and writing. This intervention was carried out in eleven schools and results compared with a comparison group of four schools. Recognition vocabulary and writing vocabulary measures taken during the students' course are compared with listening and writing scores, and examination results. Results suggest that interventions which target listening and writing skills do not lead to significant gains in vocabulary through incidental learning and the deployment of vocabulary in writing tasks. However, it also appears that extra time and effort devoted to developing listening and writing is not at the expense of vocabulary learning.
Cochrane schizophrenia reviews influence on policy and practice: an earthquake zone
Authors: Adams C. E.
Published: June 2011

Policymaking and the care of people with schizophrenia are still recovering from the shock of the arrival of a more objective way of appraising the best available evidence. It is still early days. There are several directions that practice and policy could go and there are indications that the rebuilding is not the same as what has gone before. After the earthquake we should be able to build more wisely.
Numerical methods for nonlinear hillslope transport laws
Authors: Perron J. Taylor
Published: June 2011

The numerical methods used to solve nonlinear sediment transport equations often set very restrictive limits on the stability and accuracy of landscape evolution models. This is especially true for hillslope transport laws in which sediment flux increases nonlinearly as the surface slope approaches a limiting value. Explicit‐time finite difference methods applied to such laws are subject to fundamental limits on numerical stability that require time steps much shorter than the timescales over which landscapes evolve, creating a heavy computational burden. I present an implicit method for nonlinear hillslope transport that builds on a previously proposed approach to modeling alluvial sediment transport and improves stability and accuracy by avoiding the direct calculation of sediment flux. This method can be adapted to any transport law in which the expression for sediment flux is differentiable. Comparisons of numerical solutions with analytic solutions in one and two dimensions show that the implicit method retains the accuracy of a standard explicit method while permitting time steps several orders of magnitude longer than the maximum stable time step for the explicit method. The ability to take long time steps affords a substantial savings in overall computation time, despite the implicit method's higher per‐iteration computational cost. Implicit models for hillslope evolution also offer a distinct advantage when modeling the response of hillslopes to incising channels.
A generalized grid connectivity–based parameterization for subsurface flow model calibration
Authors: Bhark Eric W. , Jafarpour Behnam , Datta‐Gupta Akhil
Published: June 2011

We develop a novel method of parameterization for spatial hydraulic property characterization to mitigate the challenges associated with the nonlinear inverse problem of subsurface flow model calibration. The parameterization is performed by the projection of the estimable hydraulic property field onto an orthonormal basis derived from the grid connectivity structure. The basis functions represent the modal shapes or harmonics of the grid, are defined by a modal frequency, and converge to special cases of the discrete Fourier series under certain grid geometries and boundary assumptions; therefore, hydraulic property updates are performed in the spectral domain and merge with Fourier analysis in ideal cases. Dependence on the grid alone implies that the basis may characterize any grid geometry, including corner point and unstructured, is model independent, and is constructed off‐line and only once prior to flow data assimilation. We apply the parameterization in an adaptive multiscale model calibration workflow for three subsurface flow models. Several different grid geometries are considered. In each case the prior hydraulic property model is updated using a parameterized multiplier field that is superimposed onto the grid and assigned an initial value of unity at each cell. The special case corresponding to a constant multiplier is always applied through the constant basis function. Higher modes are adaptively employed during minimization of data misfit to resolve multiscale heterogeneity in the geomodel. The parameterization demonstrates selective updating of heterogeneity at locations and spatial scales sensitive to the available data, otherwise leaving the prior model unchanged as desired.
The brain, the science and the media
Authors: O'Connell Garret , De Wilde Janet , Haley Jane , Shuler Kirsten , Schafer Burkhard , Sandercock Peter , Wardlaw Joanna M
Published: June 2011

Neuroimaging is a powerful research and diagnostic tool and is increasingly used outside clinical or scientific settings. However, many of these non‐scientific uses, which often are uncritically covered by the media, are not supported by scientific evidence.
Prediction of amyloid aggregation in vivo
Authors: Belli Mattia , Ramazzotti Matteo , Chiti Fabrizio
Published: June 2011

Many human diseases owe their pathology, to some degree, to the erroneous conversion of proteins from their soluble state into fibrillar, β‐structured aggregates, often referred to as amyloid fibrils. Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer and spongiform encephalopathies, as well as type 2 diabetes and both localized and systemic amyloidosis, are among the conditions that are associated with the formation of amyloid fibrils. Several mathematical tools can rationalize and even predict important parameters of amyloid fibril formation. It is not clear, however, whether such algorithms have predictive powers for in vivo systems, in which protein aggregation is affected by the presence of other biological factors. In this review, we briefly describe the existing algorithms and use them to predict the effects of mutations on the aggregation of specific proteins, for which in vivo experimental data are available. The comparison between the theoretical predictions and the experimental data obtained in vivo is shown for each algorithm and experimental data set, and statistically significant correlations are found in most cases.
A new postal code for dendritic mRNA transport in neurons
Authors: Drepper Carsten , Sendtner Michael
Published: June 2011

Recent work by the Moine group, published in May in EMBO reports, shows that guanine‐quadruplex structures in the 3′UTR of neuronal mRNAs function as a dendritic mRNA targeting signal in mouse cortical neurons.
Bright up-conversion green photoluminescence in Ho3+-Yb3+ co-doped Bi4Ti3O12 ferroelectric thin films
Authors: Ding Gangjin , Gao Feng , Wu Guangheng , Bao Dinghua
Published: June 2011

Ho3+-Yb3+ co-doped bismuth titanate ferroelectric thin films were prepared by a chemical solution deposition method on fused silica substrates and their up-conversion luminescence characteristics excited by a 980 nm diode laser were investigated. The two emission bands centered at 546 and 656 nm in the emission spectra can be assigned to 5F4 + 5S2 → 5I8 and 5F5 → 5I8 transitions of Ho3+ ions, respectively. A bright green emission was observed even when the laser pumping power was relatively low. The dependence of the emission intensity on the pumping power indicated that the up-conversion emission in the thin films was a two-photon process. The up-conversion emission mechanism is discussed in detail. This study suggests that Ho3+ and Yb3+ co-doped Bi4Ti3O12 thin films can be applied to the fabrication of new multifunctional photoluminescence ferroelectric thin-film devices.
Slow EIT waves as gravity modes
Authors: Vranjes J.
Published: June 2011

The EIT waves [named after the extreme-ultraviolet imaging telescope (EIT) onboard the solar and heliospheric observatory (SOHO)] are in the literature usually described as fast magneto-acoustic (FMA) modes. However, observations show that a large percentage of these events propagate with very slow speeds that may be as low as 20 km/s. This is far below the FMA wave speed which cannot be below the sound speed, the latter being typically larger than 102 km/s in the corona. In the present study, it is shown that, to account for such low propagation speed, a different wave model should be used, based on the theory of gravity waves, both internal (IG) and surface (SG) ones. The gravity modes are physically completely different from the FMA mode, as they are essentially dispersive and in addition the IG wave is a transverse mode. Both the IG and the SG mode separately can provide proper propagation velocities in the whole low speed range.
A simple dynamic optical manipulation technique for label-free detection of biological cells
Authors: Zhang Yuquan , Wang Xin , Wang Yijia , Zhu Siwei , Gao Bruce Z. , Yuan X.-C.
Published: June 2011

A dynamic optical tweezers system is employed for generation of an optical trap in continuous rotation for manipulating a biological cell in an aqueous solution. When the rotating speed is increased, the trapped cell experiences an augmented viscous drag force, and eventually it escapes from the trap at the critical rotating speed: when the drag force is greater than the trapping force. With experimental verifications, the method can easily be employed to differentiate cells in terms of trapping forces due to different refractive indices. The proposed method is a simple, robust, accurate and noninvasive label-free technique for cell detection.
Polarizable Poisson–Boltzmann equation: The study of polarizability effects on the structure of a double layer
Authors: Frydel Derek
Published: June 2011

We incorporate ion polarizabilities into the Poisson–Boltzmann equation by modifying the effective dielectric constant and the Boltzmann distribution of ions. The extent of the polarizability effects is controlled by two parameters, γ1 and γ2; γ1 determines the polarization effects in a dilute system and γ2 regulates the dependence of the polarizability effects on the concentration of ions. For a polarizable ion in an aqueous solution γ1 ≈ 0.01 and the polarizability effects are negligible. The conditions where γ1 and/or γ2 are large and the polarizability is relevant involve the low dielectric constant media, high surface charge, and/or large ionic concentrations.
Electron correlation and relativistic effects in atomic structure calculations of the thorium atom
Authors: Roy S. K. , Prasad Rajendra , Chandra P.
Published: June 2011

Relativistic two-component ab initio calculations have been performed for the Th atom. The spin free low lying states have been calculated at state-averaged complete active space self-consistent field (SA-CASSCF) and multi-state complete active space second-order perturbation (MS-CASPT2) level of theories using different sets of active orbitals. The spin-orbit states have been computed using Douglas–Kroll type of atomic mean-field integral approach. The effects of dynamic electron correlation have been studied at the MS-CASPT2 level. The energy levels of spin-orbit states below 30 000 cm−1 obtained by the inclusion of dynamic electron correlation are in very good agreement with the experimental values. The radiative properties such as weighted transition probabilities (gA) and oscillator strengths (gf) among several spin-orbit states have been calculated at the SA-CASSCF and MS-CASPT2 levels and are expected to be very helpful for future experiments.
Complete experimental rovibrational eigenenergies of HCN up to 6880 cm−1 above the ground state
Authors: Mellau Georg Ch.
Published: June 2011

The [H,C,N] molecular system is a very important model system to many fields of chemical physics and the experimental characterization of highly excited vibrational states of this molecular system is of special interest. This paper reports the experimental characterization of all 3822 eigenenergies up to 6880 cm−1 relative to the ground state in the HCN part of the potential surface using high temperature hot gas emission spectroscopy. The spectroscopic constants for the first 71 vibrational states including highly excited bending vibrations up to v2 = 10 are reported. The perturbed eigenenergies for all 20 rotational perturbations in the reported eigenenergy range have been determined. The 11 070 eigenenergies up to J = 90 for the first 123 vibrational substates are included as supplement to this paper. We show that a complete ab initio rovibrational analysis for a polyatomic molecule is possible. Using such an analysis we can understand the molecular physics behind the Schrödinger equation for problems for which perturbation theoretical calculations are no more valid. We show that the vibrational structure of the linear HCN molecule persists approximately up to the isomerization barrier and only above the barrier the accommodation of the vibrational states to the double well structure of the potential takes place.
Magnetic susceptibility of alkali-tetracyanoquinodimethane salts and extended Hubbard models with bond order and charge density wave phases
Authors: Kumar Manoranjan , Topham Benjamin J. , Yu RuiHui , Ha Quoc Binh Dang , Soos Zoltán G.
Published: June 2011

The molar spin susceptibilities χ(T) of Na-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), K-TCNQ, and Rb-TCNQ(II) are fit quantitatively to 450 K in terms of half-filled bands of three one-dimensional Hubbard models with extended interactions using exact results for finite systems. All three models have bond order wave (BOW) and charge density wave (CDW) phases with boundary V = Vc(U) for nearest-neighbor interaction V and on-site repulsion U. At high T, all three salts have regular stacks of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\rm TCNQ^-$\end{document} TCNQ − anion radicals. The χ(T) fits place Na and K in the CDW phase and Rb(II) in the BOW phase with V ≈ Vc. The Na and K salts have dimerized stacks at T < Td while Rb(II) has regular stacks at 100 K. The χ(T) analysis extends to dimerized stacks and to dimerization fluctuations in Rb(II). The three models yield consistent values of U, V, and transfer integrals t for closely related \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\rm TCNQ^-$\end{document} TCNQ − stacks. Model parameters based on χ(T) are smaller than those from optical data that in turn are considerably reduced by electronic polarization from quantum chemical calculation of U, V, and t of adjacent \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\rm TCNQ^-$\end{document} TCNQ − ions. The χ(T) analysis shows that fully relaxed states have reduced model parameters compared to optical or vibration spectra of dimerized or regular \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\rm TCNQ^-$\end{document} TCNQ − stacks.