bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MESD is essential for apical localization of megalin/LRP2 in the visceral endoderm
Authors: Lighthouse Janet K. , Zhang Liqun , Hsieh Jen‐Chih , Rosenquist Thomas , Holdener Bernadette C.
Published: November 2010

Deletion of the Mesd gene region blocks gastrulation and mesoderm differentiation in mice. MESD is a chaperone for the Wnt co‐receptors: low‐density lipoprotein receptor‐related protein (LRP) 5 and 6 (LRP5/6). We hypothesized that loss of Wnt signaling is responsible for the polarity defects observed in Mesd‐deficient embryos. However, because the Mesd‐deficient embryo is considerably smaller than Lrp5/6 or Wnt3 mutants, we predicted that MESD function extends more broadly to the LRP family of receptors. Consistent with this prediction, we demonstrated that MESD function in vitro was essential for maturation of the β‐propeller/EGF domain common to LRPs. To begin to understand the role of MESD in LRP maturation in vivo, we generated a targeted Mesd knockout and verified that loss of Mesd blocks WNT signaling in vivo. Mesd mutants continue to express the pluripotency markers Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2, suggesting that Wnt signaling is essential for differentiation of the epiblast. Moreover, we demonstrated that MESD was essential for the apical localization of the related LRP2 (Megalin/MEG) in the visceral endoderm, resulting in impaired endocytic function. Combined, our results provide evidence that MESD functions as a general LRP chaperone and suggest that the Mesd phenotype results from both signaling and endocytic defects resulting from misfolding of multiple LRP receptors. Developmental Dynamics 240:577–588, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Nitrogen loadings to two small estuaries, Prince Edward Island, Canada: a 2‐year investigation of precipitation, surface water and groundwater contributions
Authors: Danielescu Serban , MacQuarrie Kerry T. B.
Published: November 2010

In this research the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) loadings from direct precipitation, stream flow and groundwater discharge to two small estuaries located in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada, were quantified over a 2‐year period. The two estuaries, like many around the world, exhibit deteriorating conditions that are believed to be related to excessive nitrogen transport from adjacent catchments. The significance of the groundwater transport pathway and the temporal variability of the loadings have not been previously investigated. The wet fraction of the atmospheric loading was quantified using available precipitation and DIN concentration records. Stream water entering the estuaries and the discharge from numerous shoreline springs, the predominate form of groundwater discharge, were monitored periodically during the study. The annual DIN loads delivered to both estuaries were dominated by streams, although groundwater discharge provided significant contributions of approximately 15–18%. Temporal variability of DIN loading was large, with monthly loads varying by a factor of 5; this variability was found to be primarily related to the variability of freshwater discharge. Concentrations of nitrate in stream water discharging to the estuaries and shoreline groundwater springs were similar in each catchment, suggesting that there was minimal differential attenuation during transport via these two pathways. The McIntyre Creek estuary had one of the highest normalized loads reported in the literature (1700 kg NO3‐N/ha estuary/year), more than four‐fold that of the Trout River estuary, and this result appears to be related to the larger percentage of land area used for potato production in the catchment. This study demonstrates that direct groundwater discharge to estuaries in PEI should not be ignored and that seasonal variations in loading may be important for managing DIN delivery to such estuaries. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gemcitabine depletes regulatory T‐cells in human and mice and enhances triggering of vaccine‐specific cytotoxic T‐cells
Authors: Rettig Lorna , Seidenberg Samuel , Parvanova Iana , Samaras Panagiotis , Knuth Alexander , Pascolo Steve
Published: November 2010

Particle‐mediated epidermal delivery (PMED) is a potent genetic vaccination method. However, a recent report found PMED only poorly and infrequently triggered antigen‐specific cytotoxic T‐cells in cancer patients. Here, we show that injection of the chemotherapeutic drug Gemcitabine in mice results in improvement of the efficacy of subsequent PMED vaccination against NY‐ESO‐1. We found in mice and in cancer patients that administration of Gemcitabine induces a transient reduction in the percentage of regulatory T‐cells among CD4‐positive cells. The higher relative sensitivity of regulatory T‐cells compared to other CD4‐positive T‐cells toward cytostatic drugs can be linked to the higher frequency of proliferating cells in the regulatory compartment compared to the nonregulatory CD4‐compartment in healthy people and cancer patients. Thus, by affecting regulatory T‐cells more than other lymphocyte subsets, chemotherapeutic agents can create a transient hyperimmunoreactive window. Such a window would provide an ideal timepoint to administer a vaccine expected to induce a therapeutically relevant anticancer cytotoxic T‐cell response.
Interleukin (IL)‐18, a biomarker of human ovarian carcinoma, is predominantly released as biologically inactive precursor
Authors: Orengo Anna Maria , Fabbi Marina , Miglietta Loredana , Andreani Cristian , Bruzzone Milena , Puppo Andrea , Cristoforoni Paolo , Centurioni Maria Grazia , Gualco Marina , Salvi Sandra , Boccardo Simona , Truini Mauro , Piazza Tiziana , Canevari Silvana , Mezzanzanica Delia , Ferrini Silvano
Published: November 2010

Interleukin (IL)‐18 is a proinflammatory and immune‐enhancing cytokine, which exerts antitumor effects in vivo, mediated by the induction of interferon (IFN)γ. We previously reported that IL‐18 processing is defective in epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) cells, which secrete an inactive precursor (pro‐IL‐18) in vitro. In addition, IL‐18 was reported as a potential biomarker of EOC. Here, we further investigated its role as a serological marker in human EOC and addressed its possible biological activity in vivo. Our data indicate that immunoreactive IL‐18 is increased in EOC patients' sera at diagnosis as compared with age‐matched healthy women. IL‐18 levels were higher in the ascitic fluids than in sera, suggesting a local production in the peritoneal cavity. Indeed, immunohistochemical analysis of tumors showed IL‐18 expression in cytokeratine‐positive neoplastic cells, although also scattered histiocytes and some lymphoid cells stained for IL‐18. The detection of human IL‐18 in sera and ascitic fluids of immunodeficient mice, orthotopically implanted with human EOC cells, further suggested that circulating IL‐18 is tumor‐derived. However, IL‐18 is not an EOC specific biomarker, as increased serum levels were found also in some endometrial cancer patients. By means of a new monoclonal antibody, we characterized IL‐18 present in the ascitic fluid as pro‐IL‐18, which is biologically inactive. Accordingly, IFNγ was not increased in EOC patients' sera and ascitic fluids and showed no correlation with IL‐18 levels. Altogether these data indicate that IL‐18 in EOC fluids is predominantly tumor‐derived and that its lack of biological activity may represent a mechanism of tumor‐escape.
An efficient growth of silver and copper nanoparticles on multiwalled carbon nanotube with enhanced antimicrobial activity
Authors: Mohan Raja , Shanmugharaj A. M. , Sung Hun Ryu
Published: November 2010

Transition metal nanoparticles (NPs) such as silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) have been grafted onto carbon nanotube surface through wet chemical approach leading to the development of densely packed NP decorated carbon nanotubes. Chemically active surface and high‐temperature stability are the basic attributes to use carbon nanotubes as the template for the growth of NPs. Ag NP‐grafted carbon nanotubes (Ag‐MWCNT) are prepared by complexing Ag ion with acid functionalized carbon nanotubes followed by the reduction method. Alternatively, Cu‐grafted carbon nanotubes (Cu‐MWCNT) are prepared by simple chemical reduction method. X‐ray diffraction results reveal that the Ag or Cu NPs formed on the surface of carbon nanotubes are determined to be face centered cubic crystals. The morphology and chemical structure of NP‐grafted carbon nanotubes are investigated using transmission electron spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The antimicrobial properties of acid‐treated MWCNT (MWCNT‐COOH), Ag‐MWCNT, and Cu‐MWCNT are investigated against gram negative Escherichia coli bacteria. Ag‐MWCNT and Cu‐MWCNT (97% kill vs. 75% kill), whereas MWCNT‐COOH only killed 20% of this bacteria. Possible mechanisms are proposed to explain the higher antimicrobial activity by NP‐coated MWCNT. These findings suggest that Ag‐MWCNT and Cu‐MWCNT may be used as effective antimicrobial materials that find applications in biomedical devices and antibacterial controlling system. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2011.
Effects of alternating and direct current in electrocoagulation process on the removal of fluoride from water
Authors: Vasudevan Subramanyan , Kannan Balasingam Suresh , Lakshmi Jothinathan , Mohanraj Subramanian , Sozhan Ganapathy
Published: November 2010

BACKGROUND: When direct current (DC) is used in electrocoagulation processes, an impermeable oxide layer may form on the cathode and corrosion of the anode may occur due to oxidation. This prevents effective current transfer between the anode and cathode, so the efficiency of the electrocoagulation process declines. These disadvantages of DC have been reduced by adopting alternating current (AC). The main objective of this study is to investigate the effects of AC and DC on the removal of fluoride from water using an aluminum alloy as anode and cathode.

RESULTS: Results showed that removal efficiencies of 93 and 91.5% with energy consumption of 1.883 and 2.541 kWh kL−1 was achieved at a current density of 1.0 A dm−2 and pH 7.0 using an aluminum alloy as electrodes using AC and DC, respectively. For both AC and DC, the adsorption of fluoride fitted the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The adsorption process follows second‐order kinetics and temperature studies showed that adsorption was exothermic and spontaneous in nature.

CONCLUSIONS: The aluminum hydroxide generated in the cell removed the fluoride present in the water and reduced it to a permissible level thus making it drinkable. It is concluded that an alternating current prevents passivation of the aluminum anode during electrocoagulation and avoids the additional energy wasted due to the resistance of the aluminum oxide film formed on the anode surface. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Functionalization of microcapsules for the removal of heavy metal ions
Authors: Sánchez‐Silva Luz , Alcázar Ángela , de Lucas Antonio , Carmona Manuel , Rodríguez Juan F.
Published: November 2010

BACKGROUND: Solvent extraction and ion exchange technologies have been widely used for the recovery or removal of heavy metals from aqueous phases. However, different problems have been encountered on applying these techniques. Although the extractants are highly selective, this technique requires a high level of mechanical agitation to improve the kinetics of the process, a requirement that promotes leakage of the extractant from the aqueous/organic interface to the aqueous phase during separation of the two phases. On the other hand, ion exchangers can easily be regenerated but gel form resins have low selectivity and those with high selectivity (chelating resins) have low diffusion coefficients, a characteristic that leads to low mass transfer rates. An interesting alternative to overcome these limitations is the microencapsulation of extractants within a functionalized polymeric shell. This new type of material would be expected to combine the advantages of the aforementioned methods and improve selective removal of heavy metals from an aqueous phase.

RESULTS: Sulfonation of microcapsules indicated that the use of an ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) copolymer enhances the chemical and mechanical properties of the microcapsules. It was found that the recipe used to produce microencapsulated phase change materials (PCM) was also useful to prepare microcapsules with di(2‐ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (DEHPA) as a core material. The synthesized material had a spherical and smooth shape and a DEHPA content of 28.15 wt%. Finally, the ion exchange capacity of the sulfonated material containing DEHPA (3.02 meq g−1) was higher than that obtained without this additive (2.54 meq g−1). High selectivity for copper uptake was also achieved.

CONCLUSIONS: Microcapsules containing extractants can be manufactured by the same approach used to produce microcapsules containing PCMs. In addition, particles with improved chemical and mechanical resistance to sulfonation can be synthesized using EGDMA as a crosslinker. Ion exchange studies showed that the presence of DEHPA enhances the ion exchange capacity and selectivity of the microcapsules. Thus this material is a promising alternative for the separation of heavy metal ions. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Performance and microbial population variation in a plug‐flow A2O process treating domestic wastewater with low C/N ratio
Authors: Wu Chang‐Yong , Peng Yong‐Zhen , Wan Chun‐Li , Wang Shu‐Ying
Published: November 2010

BACKGROUND: In this study, a plug‐flow A2O (anaerobic/anoxic/oxic) reactor, with a working volume of 52.5 L, was employed to investigate the performance of biological nutrients removal and microbial population variations when treating low C/N ratio domestic wastewater.

RESULTS: Results showed that TN removal was significantly affected by the shortage of carbon source while phosphorus removal was only slightly affected. The effluent soluble orthophosphate‐phosphorus (SOP) concentration was lower than 0.50 mg L−1 but the TN concentration was over 20 mg L−1 when the C/N ratio was 4.43. There was denitrifying phosphorus removal in the anoxic reactor and this was enhanced by increasing the volume ratio of anoxic reactor and maintaining appropriate mixed liquor recycle rate. More than 60% of the SOP were removed in anoxic reactors by denitrifying phosphorus removal when the volume ratio of anaerobic/anoxic/oxic was 1/1.4/1.6 and the mixed liquor recycle rate was 250%. The TN concentration of effluent decreased to 11.34 mg L−1 and SOP concentration was still lower than 0.5 mg L−1 in this condition. The main microorganisms found in the process by polymerase chain reaction‐denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR‐DGGE) and the functional biodiversity are discussed.

CONCLUSION: Traditional design and operating parameters of A2O are not appropriate for treating low C/N wastewater. Enhancing the denitrifying phosphorus removal ratio in an A2O process is an effective way to increase the removal rate of N and P from low C/N wastewater. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Morphology and ultrastructure of antler velvet hair and body hair from red deer (Cervus elaphus)
Authors: Woods J.L. , Harland D.P. , Vernon J.A. , Krsinic G.L. , Walls R.J.
Published: November 2010

We provide a detailed description of the ultrastructure of deer hair fibers. Guard hairs and underhairs from the winter coat of red deer (Cervus elaphus), and antler velvet hairs from the same species were examined. All fibers displayed the typical keratin fiber morphology of overlapping cuticle cells surrounding a core of cortex cells, and often a centrally‐located medulla, but there were considerable differences in the diameter, cuticle thickness, and scale pattern, and in the relative amounts of cortex and medulla along individual fibers, and between the different types of fiber. In addition, closer examination of cortex cells using transmission electron microscopy revealed considerable differences in the arrangement of intermediate filaments in the different fiber types. Fine underhairs appeared similar to fine wool fibers from sheep because intermediate filament arrangements were very similar to those found in wool orthocortex cells and paracortex cells. In addition, a similar bilateral distribution of these cell types was evident. However, in the antler velvet hairs and the guard hairs, intermediate filament arrangements were more variable and complex, and showed similarities to those in heterotype cortex cells described for human hair. J. Morphol., 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Curcumin suppresses human papillomavirus oncoproteins, restores p53, rb, and ptpn13 proteins and inhibits benzo[a]pyrene‐induced upregulation of HPV E7
Authors: Maher Diane M. , Bell Maria C. , O'Donnell Emmylu A. , Gupta Brij K. , Jaggi Meena , Chauhan Subhash C.
Published: November 2010

Curcumin has great potential as a chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent; however, its effects on human papillomavirus (HPV)‐associated molecular events are inadequately explored. This study examined the effects of curcumin on HPV‐associated pathways involved in developing cervical cancer. We demonstrate for the first time that curcumin treatment suppresses cervical cancer cell growth in a three‐dimensional raft culture system. Curcumin also inhibits tumorigenic characteristics as shown by decreases in both clonogenic potential and cell motility. Additionally, our findings show that curcumin treatment inhibits the transcription of HPV16 E6/E7 as early as 6 h posttreatment and restores the expression of tumor suppressor proteins p53, retinoblastoma protein, and PTPN13. While smoking is a recognized risk factor for cervical cancer, the molecular effects of smoke carcinogens on the expression of HPV E6/E7 oncogenes are not well known. We show for the first time that exposure to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a tobacco carcinogen, increases the expression of HPV E7 oncoprotein suggesting a molecular link between smoking and cervical cancer. Importantly, curcumin decreases the BaP induced increase in the expression of HPV E7 oncoprotein. The results of this study clearly demonstrate that curcumin alters HPV‐associated molecular pathways in cervical cancer cells. These novel findings imply that curcumin may be an effective chemopreventive and therapeutic agent for cervical cancer prevention and treatment. Mol. Carcinog. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
PRKN, DJ‐1, and PINK1 screening identifies novel splice site mutation in PRKN and two novel DJ‐1 mutations
Authors: Ghazavi Farzaneh , Fazlali Zeinab , Banihosseini Setareh Sadat , Hosseini Sayed‐Rzgar , Kazemi Mohammad Hossein , Shojaee Seyedmehdi , Parsa Khosro , Sadeghi Homa , Sina Farzad , Rohani Mohammad , Shahidi Gholam‐Ali , Ghaemi Nasser , Ronaghi Mostafa , Elahi Elahe
Published: November 2010

We present results of mutation screening of PRKN gene in 93 Iranian Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with average age at onset (AAO) of 42.2 years. The gene was screened by direct sequencing and by a semi‐quantitative PCR protocol for detection of sequence rearrangements. Heterozygous rearrangements were tested by reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). Nine different PRKN mutations were found. One of these, IVS9+1G>A, affects splicing and is novel. Two mutated PRKN alleles were observed in each of 6 patients whose average AAO was 25.7 years. Only 1 patient carried a single mutated allele and his AAO was 41 years. Among patients with AAO of <30 years, 31.3% had two mutated alleles, while only 2.6% with AAO of >30 years carried a PRKN mutation. Analysis of PRKN by RT‐PCR led to identification of a novel exon expressed in leukocytes of control and PD individuals. The alternatively spliced transcript if translated would code a protein without a RING Finger 2 domain. Its functional relevance remains to be shown. DJ‐I and PINK1 were also screened. Two novel DJ‐1 mutations, c.91−2A>G affecting splicing and c.319G>C causing Ala107Pro, were observed among patients with AAO of <31 years, suggesting that PD in a high fraction (>12%) of this group of Iranian patients may be due to mutations in DJ‐1. Mutations in PINK1 were not observed. Our results complement previous findings on LRRK2 mutations among Iranian PD patients. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society.
Combining electronic healthcare databases in Europe to allow for large‐scale drug safety monitoring: the EU‐ADR Project
Authors: Coloma Preciosa M. , Schuemie Martijn J. , Trifirò Gianluca , Gini Rosa , Herings Ron , Hippisley‐Cox Julia , Mazzaglia Giampiero , Giaquinto Carlo , Corrao Giovanni , Pedersen Lars , van der Lei Johan , Sturkenboom Miriam ,   on behalf of the EU‐ADR consortium
Published: November 2010

Purpose

In this proof‐of‐concept paper we describe the framework, process, and preliminary results of combining data from European electronic healthcare record (EHR) databases for large‐scale monitoring of drug safety.

Methods

Aggregated demographic, clinical, and prescription data from eight databases in four countries (Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, the UK) were pooled using a distributed network approach by generation of common input data followed by local aggregation through custom‐built software, Jerboa©. Comparison of incidence rates of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) and nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) utilization patterns were used to evaluate data harmonization and quality across databases. The known association of NSAIDs and UGIB was employed to demonstrate sensitivity of the system by comparing incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of UGIB during NSAID use to UGIB during all other person‐time.

Results

The study population for this analysis comprised 19 647 445 individuals corresponding to 59 929 690 person‐years of follow‐up. 39 967 incident cases of UGIB were identified during the study period. Crude incidence rates varied between 38.8 and 109.5/100 000 person‐years, depending on country and type of database, while age‐standardized rates ranged from 25.1 to 65.4/100 000 person‐years. NSAID use patterns were similar for databases within the same country but heterogeneous among different countries. A statistically significant age‐ and gender‐adjusted association between use of any NSAID and increased risk for UGIB was confirmed in all databases, IRR from 2.0 (95%CI:1.7–2.2) to 4.3 (95%CI: 4.1–4.5).

Conclusions

Combining data from EHR databases of different countries to identify drug‐adverse event associations is feasible and can set the stage for changing and enlarging the scale for drug safety monitoring. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tunable microstructures and mechanical deformation in transparent poly(urethane urea)s
Authors: Rinaldi R. G. , Hsieh A. J. , Boyce M. C.
Published: November 2010

Transparent poly(urethane urea) (TPUU) materials offer an avenue to enable material designs with potential to achieve simultaneous enhancements in both physical and mechanical properties. To optimize the performance required for each application, the molecular features that influence the microstructure, the glass transition temperature (Tg), the deformation mechanisms, and the mechanical deformation behavior must be understood and exploited. In this work, a comprehensive materials characterization of select model PUUs with tunable microstructures is addressed. Increasing the hard segment (HS) content increases the stiffness and flow stress levels, whereas altering the soft segment (SS) molecular weight from 2000 to 1000 g/mol leads to an enhanced phase mixing with a SS Tg shifted ∼17 °K toward higher temperatures as well as broadening of the SS relaxation closer to room temperature. As a result, the 1K TPUU materials display greater rate‐dependent stiffening and strain hardening on mechanical deformation over the broad range of strain rates covered in this work (10−3 to 104 s−1). In such case of similar urea‐based HS content, the molar content of the urethane linkages, per stoichiometric requirements, is much higher in the 1K TPUUs than the 2K TPUUs. These additional urethane moieties lead to an increase in the extent of intermolecular interactions, via hydrogen bonding between the HS and the SS, providing not only further phase mixing and stronger rate sensitivity but also provide 1K TPUUs with drastically improved barrier properties. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011
Genomics‐based approaches to screening carboxylesterase‐like genes potentially involved in malathion resistance in oriental migratory locust (Locusta migratoria manilensis)
Authors: Zhang Jianzhen , Zhang Jianqin , Yang Meiling , Jia Qidong , Guo Yaping , Ma Enbo , Zhu Kun Yan
Published: November 2010

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have indicated that increased caboxylesterase (CarE) activity is a major mechanism of malathion resistance in field populations of the oriental migratory locust, Locusta migratoria manilensis (Meyen), in China. The aim of the present study was to screen CarE‐like genes from a large locust expressed sequence tag (EST) database and to assess their potential roles in malathion resistance.

RESULTS: Twenty‐five ESTs derived from different CarE‐like genes in the locust EST database were identified, and 12 candidate genes with significantly increased expressions, ranging from 2.6‐ to 11.6‐fold in a field‐derived resistant (FR) colony of the locust, were found. These candidate genes were constitutively expressed in all nymph and adult stages, and most of them were predominantly expressed in the gastric caeca and the midgut. Among the 12 genes, two representative genes (LmCarE9 and LmCarE25) were chosen for RNAi followed by malathion bioassay. The nymph mortalities increased from 34.3 to 65.2 and 54.2% respectively after LmCarE9 and LmcarE25 were silenced. These results indicated significant roles of these CarE‐like genes in conferring malathion resistance in the locust.

CONCLUSION: Multiple CarE‐like genes were involved in malathion resistance in the locust. As validated by RNAi followed by malathion bioassay, LmCarE9 and LmcarE25 played a significant role in conferring malathion resistance. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Negative differential resistance characteristics of nanoscale in‐plane gate devices
Authors: Komatsuzaki Yuji , Higashi Kazuhiro , Kyougoku Tomoteru , Onomitsu Koji , Horikoshi Yoshiji
Published: November 2010

Nanoscale in‐plane gate devices are fabricated by electron beam lithography followed by electron cyclotron resonance reactive ion etching. We investigate the negative differential resistance (NDR) of the InGaAs/InAlAs in‐plane gate devices. In our nanoscale devices, the NDR phenomenon is most likely caused by a real space transfer of electrons from the high mobility channel to the low mobility layer. The NDR characteristics are related to the effective channel width of in‐plane gate devices and get more pronounced when the channel conductance is enhanced by applying the gate voltages. In addition, the NDR effect depends on the channel geometry. The NDR onset voltage shifts toward lower drain‐source voltages when the channel length or width is decreased. Furthermore, high drain‐source voltage characteristics are found to be affected considerably by the channel shape. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Performance of the verification for binary memoryless channels
Authors: Balakirsky Vladimir B. , Vinck A. J. Han
Published: November 2010

We consider the verification problem when the verifier receives a pair of binary vectors (a, b) and makes the acceptance or the rejection decision. The acceptance decision has to be made if the vector b is the result of transmission of the vector a over a known memoryless channel. An attacker substitutes a vector b generated by a stationary Bernoulli source. We design the verification algorithm with the metric depending on the weight of the vector a. The attacker knows the weight of the vector a and the verification algorithm, but we can restrict his possibilities in such a way that the best strategy becomes the flipping of a fair coin. The performance of the algorithm is essentially better than the performance of the scheme, which is based on the maximum likelihood decision for the known channel. We also show that the algorithm is a special case of a general verification scheme for an arbitrary memoryless channel. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preparation and Evaluation of Particleboard with a Soy Flour‐Polyethylenimine‐Maleic Anhydride Adhesive
Authors: Gu Kai , Li Kaichang
Published: November 2010

A soy‐based formaldehyde‐free adhesive consisting of soy flour (SF), polyethylenimine (PEI), maleic anhydride (MA) and NaOH was investigated for making three‐layer particleboard. The weight ratio of SF/PEI/MA/NaOH was 7/1.0/0.32/0.1. Hot‐press temperature, hot‐press time, particleboard density and adhesive usage were optimized in terms of enhancing the modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE) and internal bond strength (IB) of the resulting particleboard. The MOR, MOE and IB met the minimum industrial requirements of M‐2 particleboard under the following variables: hot‐press temperature of 170 °C, hot‐press time of 270 s, the adhesive usage of surface particles at 10 wt%, the adhesive usage of the core particles at 8 wt%, and the targeted particleboard density of 0.80 g/cm3.
Pneumoperitoneum diagnosed as an incidental finding using focus assessed transthoracic echocardiography: a case report
Authors: Laursen Christian Borbjerg , Sloth Erik
Published: November 2010

Introduction

In this case report we describe how pneumoperitoneum was diagnosed in a patient admitted with acute chest pain, as an incidental finding using focus assessed transthoracic echocardiography (FATE).

Case report

A 79-year-old male smoker with arterial hypertension was admitted to a coronary unit with a sudden onset of constant left sided thoracic pain. At position 1 (subcostal) of the FATE protocol, the heart and liver could not be visualised. Instead the peritoneum could be seen as a hyperechoic stripe, corresponding horizontal reverberation artefacts was visible under the peritoneal line. Based on these findings, a conventional X-ray image of the abdomen was taken with the patient in the left lateral decubitus position, confirming the diagnosis of pneumoperitoneum.

Conclusion

This demonstrates how systematic use of FATE combined with knowledge of sonographic patterns in extracardial diseases can directly ensure the patients a quicker diagnosis and treatment.
Transgenic expression of sorghum DREB2 in rice improves tolerance and yield under water limitation
Authors: BIHANI P. , CHAR B. , BHARGAVA S.
Published: November 2010

Plant-specific transcription factors belonging to the dehydration response element binding (DREB)/C-repeat binding factor (CBF) subfamily of the AP2/EREBP family specifically interact with dehydration-responsive elements (DRE)/C-repeat (CRT) and control the expression of many stress-inducible genes in plants. Two major subgroups of DREB proteins are represented by DREB1 and DREB2, which are induced specifically under cold and drought/salt stress, respectively. A DREB2 transcription factor gene from sorghum, SbDREB2 was identified and cloned in binary vectors, such that it was driven either by a constitutive CaMV35S promoter or a stress-inducible rd29A promoter. These gene constructs were transferred into rice through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Expression patterns of the native DREB gene (OsDREB2) and the transgene (SbDREB2) were similar. Both genes showed induction at 1 h exposure to drought, after which expression gradually dropped to basal levels by 24 h. Constitutive expression of SbDREB2 led to pleiotropic effects in rice and these transgenics did not set seed. The rd29A: SbDREB2 rice plants set seed and the grains collected from primary transformants were sown to raise T1 plants. The drought-stressed rd29A: SbDREB2 transgenics showed a significantly higher number of panicles as compared to the wild-type rice plants. Other phenological and agronomic traits were not affected in wild-type and rd29A: SbDREB2 transgenic rice.
Observing the superposition of a single particle with the vacuum
Authors: GUTIERREZ LUIS MANUEL RICO , PALGE VEIKO , DUNNINGHAM JACOB
Published: November 2010

A defining feature of quantum mechanics is that it allows systems to exist in a superposition of different eigenstates of certain observables such as position or spin. However, superpositions of other quantities such as mass or charge are not seen in nature. It is thought that this disparity is partly due to the fact that it is much easier to carry out interference experiments for certain observables than others. Here we present an interferometry scheme that should allow us to observe interference between the vacuum and a single photon or atom. We begin by presenting a scheme for a Hadamard gate that operates in the Fock state basis and then show how, by creating an interferometer from two such gates, interference between a single particle and the vacuum could indeed be observed. This would provide evidence of a superposition of different particle numbers.
On the von Neumann entropy of certain quantum walks subject to decoherence
Authors: LIU CHAOBIN , PETULANTE NELSON
Published: November 2010

In this paper, we consider a discrete-time quantum walk on theN-cycle governed by the condition that at every time step of the walk, the option persists, with probabilityp, of exercising a projective measurement on the coin degree of freedom. For a bipartite quantum system of this kind, we prove that the von Neumann entropy of the total density operator converges to its maximum value. Thus, when influenced by decoherence, the mutual information between the two subsystems corresponding to the space of the coin and the space of the walker must eventually diminish to zero. Put plainly, any level of decoherence greater than zero forces the system to become completely ‘disentangled’ eventually.
Blaming Martin Irons: Leadership and Popular Protest in the 1886 Southwest Strike
Authors: Case Theresa A.
Published: November 2010

The story of the Great Southwest strike, a textbook example of the upheavals of 1886, has long been told as an epic battle between railway millionaire Jay Gould, national Knights of Labor head Terence Powderly, and Martin Irons, with many historians and contemporaries casting strike leader Irons as the epitome of impatient, romantic, and even deluded labor activism. District Assembly 101's call to walk out on Gould's southwestern system of roads was, arguably, strategically ill-advised. It vastly overestimated the Knights' power in the wake of two victories against Gould in 1885 and certainly ignored the district's lack of funds, lax support among skilled trainmen, and the terms of an historic agreement between the national Knights and Gould. A closer look at Irons's life and leadership, however, reveals a more complicated explanation of the strike and takes into fuller account the experiences and perceptions of striking railroaders. This essay holds that events on the ground, combined with the heady context of the Great Upheaval, influenced Irons and his supporters' decisions to strike, to expand the effort, and to defend it with violence. The ensuing attacks on Irons stemmed partly from his unstable personal history but largely from the broader social anxieties that the conflict had exposed.
Food Prices, Politics, and Policy in the Progressive Era
Authors: Macleod David I.
Published: November 2010

U.S.food prices surged abruptly higher in 1910–1913, alarming urban consumers, who equated them with the high cost of living, but delighting farmers. Progressive reformers tackled detailed aspects of the food-price problem but had no overarching solution and no effective programs t o please both consumers and farmers. A volatile pattern of economic voting resulted, but unlike conventional models, it had countervailing tendencies, setting consumers against food producers. Food prices cost the Republicans heavily in the 1910 election and helped disrupt the party by 1912, ending the Republican “system of 1896.” In power, Democrats pursued primarily a southern-tinged agrarian agenda and narrowly preserved power through 1914 and 1916 but fell victim to interest-group conflicts in 1918 and economic disasters in 1920.
Vagabond Abroad: Mark Twain's 1895 Visit to New Zealand
Authors: Weir Rob
Published: November 2010

In 1895, an elderly, tired, and creatively challenged Samuel Clemens embarked upon a worldwide lecture tour whose primary purpose was to retire the debt which had driven him into bankruptcy. His personal woes were largely ignored by enthusiastic New Zealand audiences, which packed the halls and reveled in Clemens as Mark Twain. Some of Twain's novels preceded him, but his success in New Zealand owed more to his stage presence than to his literary prowess. This essay shows how Clemens performed Mark Twain to bridge cultural gaps halfway around the globe. In doing so, it highlights reading differences in English-speaking lands and between social classes. It also casts light on Twain's underappreciated skill in live performance, shows him as a flexible figure responding to particular audiences, and underscores the ways in which aspects of his stage show anticipate the shift to a celebrity-based culture.
“The Child Is Born a Naturalist”: Nature Study, Woodcraft Indians, and the Theory of Recapitulation
Authors: Armitage Kevin C.
Published: November 2010

Beginning in the 1890s, the nature study movement advocated direct contact with the natural world to develop in children an appreciation for natural history, the beginnings of scientific inquiry, aesthetic and spiritual interests as well as the motivation to conserve nature. Defense of nature study pedagogy came from the theory of recapitulation. Recapitulation held that as humans developed they repeated the evolutionary history of the human race. Children were thus thought to be like Indians: primitive people with an innate closeness to nature. The most popular proponent of these ideas was Ernest Thompson Seton, widely read author, illustrator, and founder of the nature study boys club, the Woodcraft Indians. Nature study advocates hoped that the theory of recapitulation would allow them to bridge the modern and romantic, antimodern tendencies in their movement. Despite an intense focus on premodern virtues, nature study and the Woodcraft Indians mostly served to ease the tensions and incongruities of modern life.
The Origin of Indiana's Dry Leader: The Reverend Edward S. Shumaker and Midwestern Dry Culture
Authors: Lantzer Jason S.
Published: November 2010

This article examines the dry crusade that brought Prohibition to the nation by tracing the early life and career of one of its chief state-level leaders. Born in Ohio and raised in Illinois, Edward S. Shumaker made a career for himself in Indiana, where he led the Indiana branch of the Anti Saloon League from the early 1900s until his death in 1929. His story demonstrates how religious and cultural influences merged in the American heartland into a moral reform movement that combined elements of traditional religion and politics with the Social Gospel and progressivism. As Shumaker saw it, the prohibition movement rested upon a fundamental argument about what it meant to be an American during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A powerful force in Shumaker's life as in the nation overall, the dry reform transformed Shumaker from a young man seemingly destined to hold a conventional Methodist pastorate into a political activist who helped make the nation dry.
Workers' Movements in the United States Confront Imperialism: The Progressive Era Experience
Authors: Montgomery David
Published: November 2010

In 1898, the American Federation of Labor feared that colonial expansion would militarize the republic and undermine the living standards of American workers. Subsequent expansion of industrial production and of trade union membership soon replaced the fear of imperial expansion with an eagerness to enlarge the domain of American unions internationally alongside that of American business. In both Puerto Rico and Canada important groups of workers joined AFL unions on their own initiative. In Mexico, where major U.S. investments shaped the economy, anarcho-syndicalists enjoyed strong support on both sides of the border, and the path to union growth was opened by revolution. Consequently the AFL forged links there with a labor movement very different from itself. Unions in Mexico became tightly linked to their new government, while World War I drove the AFL's leaders into close collaboration with their own. The Pan-American Federation of Labor was more a product of diplomatic maneuvering than of class solidarity.
Basepaths to Empire: Race and the Spalding World Baseball Tour
Authors: Zeiler Thomas W.
Published: November 2010

During the Gilded Age, transnational American agents carried national values abroad, including defense of the “civilizing mission” of the white race toward people of color. This article explores race within the context of the Spalding world baseball tour of 1888-89, a transnational enterprise that marketed the national pastime abroad and, in so doing, indicated the latent, private power behind the official policies of the United States. A rather unusual segment of society to be considered for such scholarly treatment, professional baseball elites nonetheless helped generate a racist imperial ideology and thus added to the voices that set racial parameters for the American empire when it was attained in 1898. By tracing the racial attitudes of the baseball tourists, this article contributes to recent scholarly enterprises that examine foreign relations from a cultural perspective and integrate overlooked actors into the study of diplomatic history.
“The Dictograph Hears All”: An Example of Surveillance Technology in the Progressive Era
Authors: Kemp Kathryn W.
Published: November 2010

During the first decade of the twentieth century, Kelley M. Turner of New York invented a telephone apparatus of very high sound sensitivity, which he called the “Dictograph.” (It should not be confused with the Dictaphone, a device used to record dictation.) Although his original idea was for a communications system with a great variety of applications, the Dictograph ultimately became one of the earliest electric eavesdropping devices, used by both police and private investigators. As such, the Dictograph played a part in some notable criminal prosecutions and was used in antiunion activity. It continued to be used in this way until it was rendered obsolescent by other technologies. The emergence of the preferred applications of the Dictograph illuminates aspects of the sociology of technology, such as the concept of “acoustic space.” It also raised issues related to the ethics and law of clandestine listening.
Antiquity Bound: The Loeb Classical Library as Middlebrow Culture in the Early Twentieth Century
Authors: Sheets Kevin B.
Published: November 2010

Armed with volumes of Greek and Latin classics, James Loeb waged a gentleman's war. He took aim at what the modern world prized and with the ammunition of antiquity he sought to defeat it. Specifically, in 1912, he inaugurated the publication of his eponymous classical library of ancient texts and facing-page English translations. The Loeb Classical Library, numbering in the hundreds of volumes, collected into one series all the important works and many obscure texts from antiquity. With the same popularizing instinct that guided other purveyors of middlebrow culture, Loeb aimed to connect a general audience with its classical heritage. With his set of compact green and red volumes whose publication he funded, Loeb saw himself as a warrior in the centuries-long battle between the ancients and the moderns.
Polite Gaiety: Cultural Hierarchy and Musical Comedy, 1893-1904
Authors: Newbury Michael
Published: November 2010

In 1903, Alan Dale, the theater critic for theNew York American and Journal, when contemplating the state of the American stage, came to the conclusion that “the only national theatre I can find, after severe cogitation, is that beautiful, flip, and classic commodity known as musical comedy.” Dale pointed out that musical comedy's exorbitant popularity was a recent development, emerging only in the previous five or ten years, and that his anointing of the form as the national theater would not sit well with more serious-minded devotees of drama. “Well read gentlemen with heavy minds,” wrote Dale, would prefer different sorts of productions, plays that “mere commercial managers don't want to stage and mere amusement seekers don't want to see.” Seeking an improbable bridge over this cultural divide, Dale suggested that “[Henrik] Ibsen might air his neat little views on heredity in happy verse set to music…[His] favorite subject of maggots on the brain” could feature a “chorus of pretty girls disguised as maggots.”
Woodrow Wilson, Alliances, and the League of Nations
Authors: Ambrosius Lloyd E.
Published: November 2010

People in the United States and other countries, if they know anything about Woodrow Wilson, identify this American president with the League of Nations. They regard his role in its creation as his major contribution to world history. Beyond this general consensus, however, there is considerable disagreement.
Working-Class Muscle: Homestead and Bodily Disorder in the Gilded Age
Authors: Slavishak Edward
Published: November 2010

“They are having a very searious [sic] riot at Homestead. There is a great many killed and wounded on both sides and it will continue until the state troops put it down.” In his diary entry from the evening of July 6, 1892, Robert Cornell recorded the news of violence that had occurred earlier that day in Homestead, a mill town six miles upriver from Pittsburgh and home to the Carnegie Steel Company's massive works. Even without the avalanche of details that would emerge throughout 1892 and 1893 in the regional and national press, Pittsburghers like Cornell placed immediate emphasis on the events at Homestead. The former coal worker offered two ways to capture the day's meaning—as a breakdown of civic order and as a tally of the damage done to bodies. By describing the clash between steelworkers and employees of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency as a riot that would cease only when National Guard troops enforced order, Cornell assumed that workers had broken free of the constraints that normally held them in check. Industrial discipline, craft pride, and regular wages no longer channeled the power of Homestead's 3,800 workers into the production of steel. Instead, workers now exhibited that power on the streets through acts of violent unity. Furthermore, in noting the physical toll of the day's fighting, Cornell situated July 6, 1892 as a day of battling bodies that could be understood in terms of injury and death. Combined, Cornell's pair of explanations represented a striking interpretation of the meaning of Homestead, one that was echoed throughout the nation in the establishment press.
Rapid Transit to Salvation: American Protestants and the Bicycle in the Era of the Cycling Craze
Authors: Taylor Michael
Published: November 2010

In the late nineteenth century, cycling posed numerous problems for Protestant churches and other religious organizations that sought to reform the behavior of athletes and the tone of sporting events. A wide range of improper behavior, including desecration of the Sabbath, was attributed to the “cycling craze” of the 1890s, the danger of which was heightened by the privacy and anonymity that the bicycle offered as well as it popularity among women. While censuring it on the one hand, moral crusaders also adopted the bicycle for their own evangelistic purposes, recognizing its potential as a means of transport as well as its appeal to young audiences. Some argued that it would restore the health of church congregations. Others saw it as an agent of temperance reform. Missionary organizations, including the Salvation Army, used bicycles to distribute religious and social reform literature in rural areas. A symbol of the Good Roads movement, the bicycle also promised to create a mutually beneficial moral bond between town and country.