bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Irigaray and Lyotard: Birth, Infancy, and Metaphysics
Authors: Jones Rachel
Published: October 2011

This paper examines the ways in which Luce Irigaray and Jean‐François Lyotard critique western metaphysics by drawing on notions of birth and infancy. It shows how both thinkers position birth as an event of beginning that can be reaffirmed in every act of initiation and recommencement. Irigaray's reading of Diotima's speech from Plato's Symposium is positioned as a key text for this project alongside a number of essays by Lyotard in which he explores the potency of infancy as the condition of philosophy itself. Despite this potency, however, Lyotard suggests that metaphysics is haunted by a melancholia that is inseparable from the limits of thought. I argue that Irigaray is able both to explain why western metaphysics is constitutively melancholic and to offer a shift in perspective that means we are not inevitably condemned to melancholia. The paper concludes that while Lyotard's account of infancy challenges the terms of western metaphysics from within, Irigaray's reassessment of our beginnings in birth offers the possibility of an alternative metaphysical horizon.
Full‐length recombinant choline transporter–like protein 2 containing arginine 154 reconstitutes the epitope recognized by HNA‐3a antibodies
Authors: Kanack Adam J. , Peterson Julie A. , Sullivan Mia J. , Bougie Daniel W. , Curtis Brian R. , Aster Richard H.
Published: October 2011

BACKGROUND: Recent reports have shown that the HNA‐3a leukocyte antigen, a target for antibodies that cause severe transfusion‐related acute lung injury, correlates with an arginine 154 (rather than glutamine) polymorphism in choline transporter–like protein 2 (CTL2) but did not show directly that R154 determines HNA‐3a. CTL2 peptides containing R154 are recognized by only half of HNA‐3a antibodies studied to date. Constructs that react with all HNA‐3a antibodies are needed to fully define the HNA‐3a epitope.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: HEK293 cells were transfected with cDNA encoding full‐length CTL2 linked to green fluorescent protein (GFP). Transfectants were selected for GFP expression and tested with antibodies specific for HNA‐3a and ‐3b.

RESULTS: Each of 20 HNA‐3a antibodies reacted preferentially with HEK293 cells expressing the R154 CTL2 construct. An HNA‐3b antibody reacted only with CTL2 (Q154).

CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide direct evidence that R154 in the context of full‐length CTL2 is both necessary and sufficient to create the HNA‐3a epitope but suggest that posttranslational modifications of the protein, for example, S‐S bonds or addition of glycans, are necessary for recognition of HNA‐3a by many antibodies. This could complicate development of an assay for large‐scale screening of blood donors to detect anti‐HNA‐3a.
Efficiency and Equity Aspects of Optimum Location
Authors: Morrill Richard L. , Symons John
Published: October 2011

Despite problems of defining efficiency and equity, it is useful to assess the equity and efficiency implications of various optimal location strategies. Most location criteria have been efficiency oriented, and if there is area variability in density or income, or very strong returns to scale, equity may be well sacrificed.
Dynamic Central Place Theory: Results of a Simulation Approach
Authors: White Roger W.
Published: October 2011

A dynamic central place theory is formulated as a simulation model in which retail activities, described by cost equations, and consumers, described by spatial interaction equations, interact to generate a central place system. The behavior of the model is then examined. Simulation results show that the basic character of the system—whether it is agglomerated or dispersed—depends primarily on a single parameter in the interaction equation, and only secondarily on the specification of the cost function. The results are highly robust in that they are largely independent of the initial sizes and locations of centers, and even independent of the type of interaction equation used. The patterns generated appear plausible.
A Theoretical Model of Net Accessibility in Public Facility Location
Authors: Orloff Clifford S.
Published: October 2011

This paper presents a model for the location of public facilities that have noxious, undesirable characteristics as well as the beneficial characteristic of providing a needed service. Everyone wants a fire station relatively near his home, but nobody wants to live next door to one. The model suggests an economic and political structure that governs these siting decisions, and is descriptive in the sense that it reproduces empirically observable siting patterns. The numerical results analyzed provide some insight into the location process. Uses are outlined for the model in the operatipnal and planning context, as well as in the area of policy analysis.
Impact of Adenosine‐Provoked Acute Dormant Pulmonary Vein Conduction on Recurrence of Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: MIYAZAKI SHINSUKE , KUWAHARA TAISHI , KOBORI ATSUSHI , TAKAHASHI YOSHIHIDE , TAKEI ASUMI , SATO AKIRA , ISOBE MITSUAKI , TAKAHASHI ATSUSHI
Published: October 2011

Impact of ATP Reconduction on AF Recurrence. Introduction: Adenosine can be associated with acute recovery of conduction to the pulmonary veins (PVs) immediately after isolation. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the response to adenosine predicts atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after a single ablation procedure in patients with paroxysmal AF.

Methods and Results:
A total of 109 consecutive patients (61 ± 10 years; 91 males) with drug‐refractory paroxysmal AF who underwent AF ablation were analyzed. After PV antrum isolation (PVAI), dormant PV conduction was evaluated by an administration of adenosine in all patients. No acute reconnections were provoked by the adenosine in 70 (64.2%) patients (Group‐1), but they were provoked in at least one side of the ipsilateral PVs in 39 (35.8%) patients (Group‐2). All adenosine‐provoked dormant conductions were successfully eliminated by additional ablation applications. By 12 months after the initial procedure, 72 (66.1%) patients were free of AF recurrences without any antiarrhythmic drugs. A Cox regression multivariate analysis of the variables including the adenosine‐provoked reconductions, age, gender, duration of AF, presence of hypertension or structural heart disease, left atrial size, left ventricular ejection fraction, and body mass index demonstrated that adenosine‐provoked reconductions were an independent predictor of AF recurrence after a single ablation procedure (hazard ratio: 1.387; 95% confidence interval: 1.018–1.889, P = 0.038). At the repeat session for recurrent AF, conduction recovery was observed similarly in both groups (P = 0.27).

Conclusion:
Even after the elimination of any adenosine‐provoked dormant PV conduction, the appearance of acute adenosine‐provoked reconduction after the PVAI was an independent predictor of AF recurrence after a single AF ablation procedure.
(J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23 p. 256‐260, March 2012.)
Spontaneous Atrial Fibrillation Initiated by Tyramine in Canine Atria with Increased Sympathetic Nerve Sprouting
Authors: NUMATA AYAKA , MIYAUCHI YASUSHI , ONO NORIHIKO , FISHBEIN MICHAEL C. , MANDEL WILLIAM J. , LIN SHIEN‐FONG , WEISS JAMES N. , CHEN PENG‐SHENG , KARAGUEUZIAN HRAYR S.
Published: October 2011

Sympathetic Activation and Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Chronic left ventricular myocardial infarction (LVMI) promotes atrial and pulmonary veins (PV) sympathetic nerve sprouting.

Objectives: To test the hypothesis that sympathetic stimulation with tyramine initiates atrial fibrillation (AF) by early afterdepolarization (EAD)‐mediated triggered activity at the left atrial PV (LAPV) junction.

Methods: LVMI was created in 6 dogs and 6 dogs served as controls. Six to 8 weeks later the activation pattern of the isolated LAPV was optically mapped using dual voltage and intracellular Ca+2 (Cai2+)‐sensitive epifluorescent dyes before and after tyramine (5 μM) perfusion.

Results: Tyramine initiated spontaneous AF in 5 of 6 atria but none in the control group (P < 0.01). The AF was initiated by late phase 3 EAD‐mediated triggered activity that arose from the LAPV junction causing functional conduction block in LA, reentry, and AF. The AF was subsequently maintained by mixed reentrant and focal mechanisms. The EADs arose during the late phase 3, when the Cai2+ level was 64 ± 12% of the peak systolic Cai2+ transient amplitude, a property caused by tyramine's simultaneous shortening of the action potential duration and lengthening of the Cai2+ transient duration in the LVMI group but not in the control. Tyrosine hydroxylase and growth associated protein 43 positive nerve sprouts were significantly increased in the sinus node, LAA, and the LSPV in the LVMI group compared to control (P < 0.01).

Conclusions: Increased atrial sympathetic nerve sprouts after LVMI makes the LAPV junction susceptible to late phase 3 EAD‐mediated triggered and AF during sympathetic stimulation with tyramine.
Association of education level with dialysis outcome
Authors: Khattak Muhammad , Sandhu Gurprataap S. , Desilva Ranil , Goldfarb‐Rumyantzev Alexander S.
Published: October 2011

The impact of education on health care outcome has been studied in the past, but its role in the dialysis population is unclear. In this report, we evaluated this association. We used the United States Renal Data System data of end‐stage renal disease patients aged ≥18 years. Education level at the time of end‐stage renal disease onset was the primary variable of interest. The outcome of the study was patient mortality. We used four categories of education level: 0 = less than 12 years of education; 1 = high school graduate; 2 = some college; 3 = college graduate. Subgroups based on age, race, sex, donor type, and diabetic status were also analyzed. After adjustments for covariates in the Cox model, using individuals with less than 12 years of education as a reference, patients with college education showed decreased mortality with hazard ratio of 0.81 (95% confidence interval 0.69–0.95), P = 0.010. In conclusion, we showed that higher education level is associated with improved survival of patients on dialysis.
Effect of prey density on behaviour and development of the predatory mosquito, Toxorhynchites towadensis
Authors: Yasuda H.
Published: October 2011

The effect of prey density on feeding behaviour, killing behaviour, and development of the predatory mosquito, Toxorhynchites towadensis, was investigated in the laboratory. The number of prey consumed per larva increased toward an upper asymptote as prey density increased. Prey consumption curves during fourth instar were concave at low prey densities but convex at high prey densities. This phenomenon was not observed during other instars. Killing without consuming any part of prey occurred at prey densities of 20 per container and over. The number of prey killed but not consumed increased linearly with the number of unconsumed prey in the container. Prey acquisition behaviour was not affected by prey densities during the prepupal period. Developmental time from first instar to adult emergence decreased with increasing prey densities, but remained constant at densities of 10 per container and over. Adult size increased with increasing prey densities but there was no effect at prey densities of 20 and over.
A national survey of UK final year students’ opinion of undergraduate oral surgery teaching
Authors: Macluskey M. , Durham J. , Bell A. , Cowpe J. , Crean St J. , Dargue A. , Dawson L. , Freeman C. , Jones J. , McDouagh A. , McHanwell S. , Marley J. , Myrddin L. , Millsopp L. , Oliver R. , Renton T. , Taylor K. , Thomson P.
Published: October 2011

Background:  A national survey was undertaken to establish a baseline of our final year students’ perception of how their undergraduate oral surgery education has equipped them for key areas of general dental practice.

Materials and Methods:  Questionnaires were distributed to the 13 UK schools with final year students, towards the end of the academic year in 2009. The questionnaires were completed anonymously and were optically scanned.

Results:  In total, 632 questionnaires were returned, which represents 66% of the students of the graduating year. The majority (83%) of the respondents perceived that the teaching in oral surgery had given them sufficient knowledge to undertake independent practise. Most respondents (99%) felt confident to perform forceps exodontia, but confidence in the various aspects of surgical exodontia was lower. A majority (83%) had experience of an outreach scheme performing forceps exodontia (75%) and surgical exodontia (16%) in this environment. Twenty per cent indicated a desire to undertake a career in oral surgery, 6% in oral and maxillofacial surgery and 35% in another speciality.

Conclusion:  This survey suggests that the majority of the students perceive that the oral surgery education has prepared them well for key areas of general practice. It also suggests that there is, however, a need to provide further improvement in the delivery of surgical skills and knowledge.
Effects of plane of nutrition on slaughtering traits and meat characteristics in Murrah graded male buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) calves in Nepal
Authors: KUMAGAI Hajime , BARAL Bodh R. , SHIINO Tatsu , DEVKOTA Naba R. , OISHI Kazato , HIROOKA Hiroyuki
Published: October 2011

An experiment was conducted using 17 male buffalo calves to assess the effects of plane of nutrition on slaughtering traits and meat characteristics. To attain 250 kg body weight (BW), the calves were allocated into three groups: high (H), low‐high (L‐H) and low (L) corresponding to concentrate levels receiving the concentrate at 1.50% of BW, 0.75% of BW until 190 kg BW and 1.50% thereafter, and 0.75% of BW, respectively. The animals had ad libitum access to urea‐treated rice straw. No significant differences of hot carcass weight, dressing percentage and lean fat–bone yields were observed among the treatment groups. The L group had heavier brisket weight and lower percentage of round weight in the hot carcass than the H and L‐H groups (P < 0.05). The H group had heavier hearts than the L group, and the H and L‐H groups had heavier livers and kidneys than the L group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference of rib eye area, pH and the contents of moisture, crude protein and fat in loin meat among the groups. The findings indicated that the effects of plane of nutrition affected the weight or percentages of some cut yields in the hot carcasses and internal organs.
When Do Generics Challenge Drug Patents?
Authors: Hemphill C. Scott , Sampat Bhaven N.
Published: October 2011

The Hatch‐Waxman Act regulates competition between brand‐name and generic drugs in the United States. We examine a feature of the Act that has attracted great controversy but little systematic attention. “Paragraph IV” challenges are a mechanism for generic drug makers to challenge the patents of brand‐name drug makers as a means to secure early market entry. We first present descriptive results that chart the rise of brand‐name patent portfolios and Paragraph IV challenges. Over time, patenting has increased, measured by the number of patents per drug and the length of the nominal patent term. Meanwhile, the fraction of drugs subjected to patent challenges has increased. Drugs are also challenged sooner, relative to brand‐name approval. Our econometric analyses of challenges over the past decade show that brand‐name sales have a positive effect on the likelihood of generic challenge. The likelihood of challenge also varies with the nature of the patent portfolio. A drug with weaker patents faces a significantly higher likelihood of challenge, conditional on sales and other drug characteristics. That is not because the drug's patent protection is weaker overall; additional patents, even weak ones, generally strengthen a brand‐name firm's ability to exclude. Rather, a weak patent, particularly if it expires later than the basic patents, disproportionately attracts a challenge to the pertinent drug. Overall, our results suggest these challenges serve a useful purpose by promoting scrutiny of weaker and late‐expiring patents.
The Price of Pay to Play in Securities Class Actions
Authors: Choi Stephen J. , Johnson‐Skinner Drew T. , Pritchard A. C.
Published: October 2011

We study the effect of campaign contributions to lead plaintiffs—“pay to play”—on the level of attorney fees in securities class actions. We find that state pension funds generally pay lower attorney fees when they serve as lead plaintiffs in securities class actions than do individual investors serving in that capacity, and larger funds negotiate for lower fees. This differential disappears, however, when we control for campaign contributions made to officials with influence over state pension funds. This effect is most pronounced when we focus on state pension funds that receive the largest campaign contributions and that associate repeatedly as lead plaintiff with a single plaintiff's attorney firm. Thus, pay to play appears to increase agency costs borne by shareholders in securities class actions, undermining one of Congress's principal goals in adopting the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act.
Lay Judgments of Judicial Decision Making
Authors: Simon Dan , Scurich Nicholas
Published: October 2011

This study examined laypeople's evaluations of judicial decision making, specifically of the judicial decision‐making process and the judiciary's legitimacy. Seven‐hundred participants were presented with three judicial decisions, which were portrayed as following on the heels of solid and appropriate legal procedure. Each decision was accompanied by one of four types of reasoning. Participants were asked to evaluate the acceptability of the decisions, focusing on the manner in which they were made and to evaluate the legitimacy of the decisionmaker, all regardless of their outcomes. The study yielded four findings. First, laypeople's judgments were highly contingent on the outcome of the judges' decisions. Consistent with the theory of motivated reasoning, participants found the decisions highly acceptable when they agreed with the judges' decision, but deemed them relatively unacceptable when they disagreed with them. Second, participants were indifferent to the modes of reasoning offered by the judges when they agreed with the outcomes of the decisions, but were differentially sensitive to the modes of reasoning when the judges' decisions frustrated their preferred outcomes. Third, when participants were sensitive to the modes of reasoning, they gave higher ratings of acceptability to decisions that openly admitted to good reasons on both sides of the case as compared with decisions accompanied by reasons that supported one side of the case exclusively. Giving no reasons at all was found to be more acceptable than giving a single, curt reason. Fourth, the findings replicated the coherence effect. Implications for the legitimacy of the judiciary are discussed.
Mechanisms for Eliciting Cooperation in Counterterrorism Policing: Evidence from the United Kingdom
Authors: Huq Aziz Z. , Tyler Tom R. , Schulhofer Stephen J.
Published: October 2011

This study examines the effects of counterterrorism policing tactics on public cooperation among Muslim communities in London, U.K. The study reports results of a random‐sample survey of 300 closed and fixed response telephone interviews conducted in Greater London's Muslim community in February and March 2010. It tests predictors of cooperation with police acting against terrorism. Specifically, the study provides a quantitative analysis of how perceptions of police efficacy, greater terrorism threat, and the perceived fairness of policing tactics (“procedural justice”) predict the willingness to cooperate voluntarily in law enforcement efforts against terrorism. Cooperation is defined to have two elements: a willingness to work with the police in anti‐terror efforts, and the willingness to alert police upon becoming aware of a terror‐related risk in a community. We find that among British Muslims, both measures of cooperation are better predicted by procedural justice concerns than by perceptions of police efficacy or judgments about the severity of the terrorism threat. Unlike previous studies of policing in the United States, however, we find no correlation between cooperation and judgments about the legitimacy of police; rather, procedural justice judgments influence cooperation directly.
Judicial Behavior on the Chilean Constitutional Tribunal
Authors: Carroll Royce , Tiede Lydia
Published: October 2011

Research on judicial independence suggests that high courts can be designed to serve as external checks on political actors. However, independence from political influence does not necessarily imply incentives to use these powers. Chile's Constitutional Tribunal, while possessing significant powers, has been characterized as generally deferential to political actors. Using rulings from the Tribunal from 1990–2010, we examine whether reforms that increased the number of judges appointed by politicians and expanded the Tribunal's jurisdiction have contributed to a more assertive use of judicial review power. We find that the reforms have not produced an increased tendency to rule laws unconstitutional under abstract review. However, the new appointment structure has nevertheless increased the types of judges relatively more likely to assert this power. Specifically, after the reforms, judges appointed by elected actors were individually more likely to find laws unconstitutional than those appointed by the Supreme Court, especially on cases of concrete review of enacted laws. We also find that cases of abstract review brought by legislators have been especially associated with both unconstitutional rulings and individual judicial votes for unconstitutionality.
The value of time in longitudinal studies of ageing. Lessons from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health
Authors: Byles Julie E , Dobson Annette ,   on behalf of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health
Published: October 2011

The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) involves three cohorts of women born in 1921–1926, 1946–1951 and 1973–1978, who have been surveyed every 3 years since 1996. We describe how the 1921–1926 cohort have changed over time. We also describe trends in health risks among the younger cohorts, providing an indication of future health threats. By Survey 5, 28.4% of the 1921–1926 cohort had died. Among those who survived and remained in the study, 61% maintained high physical function scores over time. Chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and stroke were associated with lower physical function scores and decline in scores over time. ALSWH will continue to provide information on changes in health and health service use as we follow the oldest cohort through their 90s, and as younger cohorts accumulate increasing burden of disease and disability as they age.
Changes in kynurenine pathway metabolism in the brain, liver and kidney of aged female Wistar rats
Authors: Braidy Nady , Guillemin Gilles J. , Mansour Hussein , Chan‐Ling Tailoi , Grant Ross
Published: October 2011

The kynurenine pathway of tryptophan catabolism plays an important role in several biological systems affected by aging. We quantified tryptophan and its metabolites kynurenine (KYN), kynurenine acid (KYNA), picolinic acid (PIC) and quinolinic acid (QUIN), and activity of the kynurenine pathway enzymes indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase (IDO), tryptophan 2,3‐dioxygenase (TDO) and quinolinic acid phosphoribosyltransferase (QPRTase), in the brain, liver and kidney of young, middle‐aged and old female Wistar rats. Tryptophan levels and TDO activity decreased in all tissues with age. In contrast, brain IDO activity increased with age, while liver and kidney IDO activity decreased with age. The levels of KYN, KYNA, QUIN and PIC in brain all increased with age, while the levels of KYN in the liver and kidney showed a tendency to decrease. The levels of KYNA in the liver did not change, but the levels of KYNA in the kidney increased. The levels of PIC and QUIN increased significantly in the liver but showed a tendency to decrease in the kidney. QPRTase activity in both brain and liver decreased with age but was elevated in the kidney in middle‐aged (12‐month‐old) rats. These age‐associated changes in tryptophan metabolism have the potential to impact upon major biological processes, including lymphocyte function, pyridine (NAD(P)(H)) synthesis and N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA)‐mediated synaptic transmission, and may therefore contribute to several degenerative changes of the elderly.
The gastric precancerous cascade
Authors: CORREA Pelayo , PIAZUELO M Blanca
Published: October 2011

Invasive gastric carcinoma is preceded by a cascade of precancerous lesions. The first recognized histologic change is active chronic inflammation, which may persist as such: non‐atrophic chronic gastritis (no gland loss), or advance to multifocal atrophic gastritis (MAG), the first real step in the precancerous cascade. The following steps are: intestinal metaplasia (first “complete” and then “incomplete”); dysplasia, first low grade and then high grade (equivalent to “carcinoma in situ”). The following step is invasive carcinoma, which is thought to be associated with degradation of the intercellular matrix.
New guidelines for lupus anticoagulant: sensitivity and specificity of cut‐off values calculated with plasmas from healthy controls in mixing and confirmatory tests
Authors: MARTINUZZO M. E. , CERRATO G. S. , VARELA M. L. I. , ADAMCZUK Y. P. , FORASTIERO R. R.
Published: October 2011

Introduction:  The updated guidelines for lupus anticoagulant (LA) diagnosis indicate locally calculate the cut‐off values of the index of circulating anticoagulant (ICA) and the clotting time in seconds (s) for mixing studies and % of correction (%C) for confirmatory tests. We assess sensitivity (SEN) and specificity (SPC) of the cut‐off values obtained as the 99th percentile from 60 plasmas of healthy individuals.

Methods:  We analysed 647 plasmas from patients studied in the last 3 years, and results were revaluated according to the new criteria and cut‐off values. Four hundred and three had LA, and 75 of them were under oral anticoagulants (OA). We performed three screening tests: activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), diluted Russell viper venom time (dRVVT) and dilute prothrombin time (dPT), and previous diagnosis was carried out using our home‐made cut‐off calculated by receiver operating characteristics curves. We reanalysed the mixing and confirmatory data of APTT/dRVVT, the tests selected in the new guidelines. To evaluate SPC, 244 plasmas (160 OA and 84 congenital deficient patients) were studied.

Results:  Considering mixing studies, the cut‐off values demonstrate that SEN of ICA‐APTT was 94% and of clotting time in second (s) 83%, with an SPC of 77% and 84%, respectively. For ICA‐dRVVT, SEN was 72% and for clotting time in second (s) 77%, with SPC of 98% and 84%, respectively. The cut‐off values for %C for confirmatory APTT show good SEN 82% and high SPC 96%; for confirmatory dRVVT lower SEN 77%, but a SPC of 100%.

Conclusion:  The combination of mixing and confirmatory tests interpreted according to the new guidelines can clearly differentiate LA from other coagulopathies.
Muskingum optimisation used for evaluation of regionalised stormwater detention
Authors: McEnery J.A. , Morris C.D.
Published: October 2011

Strategies for flood mitigation are compared within an urbanising watershed. An approach for modelling and evaluating placement of detention in a developing watershed is presented. Effect of regionalised detention upon required detention volume is compared with localised detention. The study compares the effect of detention basins placed within the completely urbanised watershed by generating models of both the overall watershed and detailed sub‐basins. For planning within a developing watershed, this requires modelling the ultimate developed condition, with and without detention. From a watershed having 114 sub‐basins, detailed models of five selected sub‐basins are generated, representing the ultimate urbanised condition with and without local detention. Hydrologic Engineering Center – Hydrologic Modeling System optimisation is used to estimate parameters of Muskingum routing reaches resembling the effects of localised detention. Next, using Muskingum routing to replicate those effects in other sub‐basins, detained hydrographs are generated for the other sub‐basins throughout the watershed. Thus, a model of the entire watershed with localised detention is generated. The original watershed model is modified yet again, with detention applied only at selected regional sites. Regional basins are designed to reduce peak flow to values comparable with that achieved by localised detention. Regional versus localised detentions are evaluated by comparison of total required detention volume.
Groundwater flooding within an urbanised flood plain
Authors: Macdonald D. , Dixon A. , Newell A. , Hallaways A.
Published: October 2011

In Europe in recent years, there has been recognition of the need to better understand the risk from groundwater flooding. This recognition has been due both to the occurrence of major flooding events clearly attributable to groundwater and the inclusion of groundwater flooding in European and national legislation. The case study of the city of Oxford on the River Thames flood plain in UK is used to examine the mechanisms for groundwater flooding in urbanised flood plain settings. Reference is made to an extensive data set gathered during a major flood event in 2007. Groundwater flooding of a significant number of properties is shown to occur in areas isolated from fluvial flooding because of high ground created historically to protect property and the transport network from flood inundation. The options for mitigating this form of flooding are discussed; measures to increase the rate of conveyance of flood waters through Oxford, designed to reduce fluvial flood risk, have also been recognised as a means for reducing groundwater flood risk within the city.
Comparison of glistenings in intraocular lenses with three different materials: 12‐year follow‐up
Authors: Rønbeck Margrethe , Behndig Anders , Taube Mikaela , Koivula Annemari , Kugelberg Maria
Published: October 2011

Purpose:  To compare the degree of lens glistenings associated with three intraocular lenses (IOLs) of different materials and examine the relationship between the dioptric power of the optics and lens glistenings in a long‐term study.

Setting:  St. Erik Eye Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Methods:  Forty‐six eyes of 46 patients underwent standard phacoemulsification and implantation with a heparin‐surface‐modified (HSM) polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) IOL, a silicone IOL or a hydrophobic acrylic IOL. Evaluations of the patients and the glistenings were conducted 11.3–13.4 years postoperatively. The glistenings were examined using Scheimpflug imaging and subsequently analysed using an image analysis program.

Results:  The median follow‐up time was 12.2 years (range, 11.3–13.4). The hydrophobic acrylic IOL had significantly more lens glistenings than the silicone (p = 0.003) and the PMMA (p = 0.000) IOLs. The silicone IOL had significantly more lens glistenings than the PMMA lens (p = 0.048). The IOL power did not affect the degree of lens glistenings in the hydrophobic acrylic IOL group (p = 0.64). The other groups had too little lens glistenings to evaluate the relationship.

Conclusion:  In this long‐term follow‐up study, the hydrophobic acrylic IOL had a significantly higher degree of lens glistenings compared to the silicone and PMMA IOLs. The PMMA IOL had almost no lens glistenings. The IOL dioptric power was not significantly correlated with the degree of lens glistenings associated with the hydrophobic acrylic IOL.
Opinions of community pharmacists on the value of a cardiovascular polypill as a means of improving medication compliance
Authors: Burns Khari , Turnbull Fion , Patel Anushk , Peiris Davi
Published: October 2011

Objective

Cardiovascular disease is a major public health problem despite established treatment guidelines and significant healthcare expenditure worldwide. Poor medication compliance accounts in part for some of the observed evidence/practice gaps. Trials of fixed-dose combination pills are currently underway, but the attitudes of relevant health professionals to the routine use of a cardiovascular polypill are generally unknown. Pharmacists are a group of providers who play an important role in patient compliance with long-term medications. The objective was to identify the main perceived barriers to compliance and to investigate pharmacists' opinions regarding the routine use of a cardiovascular polypill.

Methods

The setting was community pharmacies in the metropolitan and greater areas of New South Wales, Australia. Structured questionnaires were administered to a random sample of community pharmacists and peer-to-peer, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sub-sample. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS V16.0 and interviews were analysed thematically.

Key findings

Questionnaires were completed by 72 of the 250 pharmacists invited to participate. The major barrier to cardiovascular medication compliance identified by respondents was polypharmacy. Other barriers included patient disinterest, time constraints and costs. Most pharmacists agreed that a cardiovascular polypill could be one potential solution to poor compliance by simplifying the treatment regimen (73.6% agreed) and reducing patient costs (79.2% agreed). Inability to tailor treatment and to ascribe side effects was among some of the identified concerns.

Conclusion

The use of a cardiovascular polypill as a means of increasing patient compliance with long-term cardiovascular preventive therapies is seen as potentially valuable by community pharmacists.
Fluorescence diffuse optical tomography using the split Bregman method
Authors: Abascal J. F. P.‐J. , Chamorro‐Servent J. , Aguirre J , Arridge S. , Correia T. , Ripoll J. , Vaquero J. J. , Desco M.
Published: October 2011

Purpose:

Standard image reconstruction methods for fluorescence Diffuse Optical Tomography (fDOT) generally make use of L2‐regularization. A better choice is to replace the L2 by a total variation functional that effectively removes noise while preserving edges. Among the wide range of approaches available, the recently appeared Split Bregman method has been shown to be optimal and efficient. Furthermore, additional constraints can be easily included. We propose the use of the Split Bregman method to solve the image reconstruction problem for fDOT with a nonnegativity constraint that imposes the reconstructed concentration of fluorophore to be positive.

Methods:

The proposed method is tested with simulated and experimental data, and results are compared with those yielded by an equivalent unconstrained optimization approach based on Gauss–Newton (GN) method, in which the negative part of the solution is projected to zero after each iteration. In addition, the method dependence on the parameters that weigh data fidelity and nonnegativity constraints is analyzed.

Results:

Split Bregman yielded a reduction of the solution error norm and a better full width at tenth maximum for simulated data, and higher signal‐to‐noise ratio for experimental data. It is also shown that it led to an optimum solution independently of the data fidelity parameter, as long as the number of iterations is properly selected, and that there is a linear relation between the number of iterations and the inverse of the data fidelity parameter.

Conclusions:

Split Bregman allows the addition of a nonnegativity constraint leading to improve image quality.
Pretreatment Mitochondrial Priming Correlates with Clinical Response to Cytotoxic Chemotherapy
Authors: Chonghaile Triona Ni , Sarosiek Kristopher A. , Vo Thanh-Trang , Ryan Jeremy A. , Tammareddi Anupama , Moore Victoria Del Gaizo , Deng Jing , Anderson Kenneth C. , Richardson Paul , Tai Yu-Tzu , Mitsiades Constantine S. , Matulonis Ursula A. , Drapkin Ronny , Stone Richard , DeAngelo Daniel J. , McConkey David J. , Sallan Stephen E. , Silverman Lewis , Hirsch Michelle S. , Carrasco Daniel Ruben , Letai Anthony
Published: October 2011

The mitochondrial state of a tumor cell prior to chemotherapy may help determine how well it responds to drug treatment.
A Perovskite Oxide Optimized for Oxygen Evolution Catalysis from Molecular Orbital Principles
Authors: Suntivich Jin , May Kevin J. , Gasteiger Hubert A. , Goodenough John B. , Shao-Horn Yang
Published: October 2011

An electronic property of metal oxides was used to guide development of a catalyst for prospective use in energy applications.
Whole-Genome Sequence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis PAT10 Strain Isolated from Sheep in Patagonia, Argentina
Authors: Cerdeira Louise Teixeira , Pinto Anne Cybelle , Schneider Maria Paula Cruz , de Almeida Sintia Silva , dos Santos Anderson Rodrigues , Barbosa Eudes Guilherme Vieira , Ali Amjad , Barbosa Maria Silvanira , Carneiro Adriana Ribeiro , Ramos Rommel Thiago Jucá , de Oliveira Rodrigo Santos , Barh Debmalya , Barve Neha , Zambare Vasudeo , Belchior Silvia Estevão , Guimarães Luis Carlos , de Castro Soares Siomar , Dorella Fernanda Alves , Rocha Flavia Souza , de Abreu Vinicius Augusto Carvalho , Tauch Andreas , Trost Eva , Miyoshi Anderson , Azevedo Vasco , Silva Artur
Published: October 2011

In this work, we report the complete genome sequence of a
Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis
PAT10 isolate, collected from a lung abscess in an Argentine sheep in Patagonia, whose pathogen also required an investigation of its pathogenesis. Thus, the analysis of the genome sequence offers a means to better understanding of the molecular and genetic basis of virulence of this bacterium.
Genome Sequence of Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCGM1179
Authors: Tada Tatsuya , Kitao Tomoe , Miyoshi-Akiyama Tohru , Kirikae Teruo
Published: October 2011

We report the annotated genome sequence of multidrug-resistant
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
strain NCGM1179, which is highly resistant to carbapenems, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones and is emerging at medical facilities in Japan.
Genome Sequence of Bacillus pumilus S-1, an Efficient Isoeugenol-Utilizing Producer for Natural Vanillin
Authors: Su Fei , Hua Dongliang , Zhang Zhaobin , Wang Xiaoyu , Tang Hongzhi , Tao Fei , Tai Cui , Wu Qiulin , Wu Geng , Xu Ping
Published: October 2011

Bacillus pumilus
S-1 is an efficient isoeugenol-utilizing producer of natural vanillin. The genome of
B. pumilus
S-1 contains the epoxide hydrolase and six candidate monooxygenases that make it possible to explore the mechanism involved in conversion of isoenguenol to vanillin in the
B. pumilus
strain.
Revised Genome Sequence of Brucella suis 1330
Authors: Tae Hongseok , Shallom Shamira , Settlage Robert , Preston Dale , Adams L. Garry , Garner Harold R.
Published: October 2011

Brucella suis
is a causative agent of porcine brucellosis. We report the resequencing of the original sample upon which the published sequence of
Brucella suis
1330 is based and describe the differences between the published assembly and our assembly at 12 loci.
Genome Sequence of Brachybacterium squillarum M-6-3
T
, Isolated from Salt-Fermented Seafood
Authors: Park Seong-Kyu , Roh Seong Woon , Whon Tae Woong , Bae Jin-Woo
Published: October 2011

Brachybacterium squillarum
M-6-3
T
was isolated from salt-fermented seafood in Korea and belongs to the
Dermabacteraceae
, a rather isolated family within the actinobacterial suborder
Micrococcineae
. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of the type strain
Brachybacterium squillarum
M-6-3
T
(3,191,479 bp), a Gram-positive bacterium with high (72.8%) G+C content.
Postoperative atrial fibrillation predicts long-term survival after aortic-valve surgery but not after mitral-valve surgery: a retrospective study
Authors: Girerd Nicolas , Magne Julien , Pibarot Philippe , Voisine Pierre , Dagenais François , Mathieu Patrick
Published: October 2011

Background

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) has been reported to be associated with reduced long-term survival after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of POAF on long-term survival after valvular surgery.

Methods

The authors retrospectively analysed the preoperative and operative data of 2986 consecutive patients with no preoperative history of atrial fibrillation undergoing first valvular surgery (aortic-valve replacement (AVR), mitral valve replacement or mitral valve repair (MVR/MVRp) with or without coronary artery bypass grafting surgery) in their institution between 1995 and 2008 (median follow-up 5.31 years, range 0.1–15.0). The authors investigated the impact of POAF on survival using multivariable Cox regression.

Results

Patients with POAF were older, and were more likely to have hypertension or renal failure when compared with patients without POAF. The 12-year survival in patients with POAF was 45.7±2.8% versus 61.4±2.1% in patients without POAF (p<0.001). On a multivariable analysis, when adjusting for age and other potential confounding factors, POAF tended to be associated with lower long-term survival (HR for all-cause death (HR)=1.17, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.38, p=0.051). The authors also analysed this association separately in patients with AVR and those with MVR/MVRp. In the multivariable analysis, POAF was a significant predictor of higher long-term mortality in patients with AVR (HR=1.22, CI 1.02 to 1.45, p=0.03) but not in patients with MVR/MVRp (HR=0.87, CI 0.58 to 1.29, p=0.48).

Conclusions

POAF is significantly associated with long-term mortality following AVR but not after MVR/MVRp. The underlying factors involved in the pathogenesis of POAF after MVR/MVRp may partially account for the lack of association between POAF and survival in these patients.
A drunk and disorderly country: a nationwide cross-sectional survey of alcohol use and misuse in Great Britain
Authors: Craig D G , Dakkak M , Gilmore I T , Hawkey C J , Rhodes J M , Sheron N ,   the British Society of Gastroenterology
Published: October 2011

Objectives

To explore current alcohol drinking patterns, behaviours and attitudes in Great Britain.

Design and setting

Independent online cross-sectional survey.

Patients and interventions

Survey of 2221 individuals from a representative panel.

Main outcome measures and results

Excessive alcohol consumption is a widespread problem across Great Britain. Binge-drinking is common among 18–24 year olds, with 19% reporting drinking 10+ drinks on the same drinking day. ‘Pre-loading’ with alcohol at home before going out was reported by 30% of 18–24-year-old drinkers, of whom 36% get drunk twice or more a month, with 27% having injured themselves while drunk. Among older drinkers, 25% regularly drink to excess, 8% drink seven or more drinks on a typical drinking day and 9% self-reported drink-driving. Male gender was an independent risk factor for heavy (>40 units/week) alcohol abuse (odds ratio 3.05 (95% CI 1.82 to 5.10)). Men (19%) were more likely than women (8%, p<0.001) to report binge-drinking, drink-driving (11% vs 3%, p<0.001), or to have missed work owing to alcohol consumption (12% vs 7%, p<0.001). Young drinkers said they were heavily influenced by overall alcohol price and drink promotions. Increasing average weekly alcohol consumption, age <55 years, male gender, never having been married and being in full-time employment were all independently associated with a history of alcohol-related self-harm. Alcohol abuse was not related to socioeconomic status.

Conclusions

Alcohol abuse remains common across all socioeconomic strata and geographical areas of Great Britain. Minimum pricing strategies and interventions that target cheap on-trade alcohol products seem likely to bring major public health benefits.
Benzodiazepine use and risk of dementia: evidence from the Caerphilly Prospective Study (CaPS)
Authors: Gallacher John , Elwood Peter , Pickering Janet , Bayer Antony , Fish Mark , Ben-Shlomo Yoav
Published: October 2011

Background

Benzodiazepine use is widespread in older people, although its benefit is uncertain.

Aim

To investigate the long-term effect of benzodiazepine use upon dementia risk.

Methods

A prospective cohort of men seen on five occasions over 22 years with full medication histories, repeat measures of cognitive function and a clinical diagnosis of dementia.

Results

Of 1134 men with complete data, 103 (9.1%) had been taking benzodiazepines regularly at one or more phases. These men showed a marked increased incidence of dementia (OR=3.50, 95% CI 1.57 to 7.79, p=0.002), which persisted despite adjustment for psychological distress and other covariates. Men exposed in earlier phases showed a greater association than more recent exposure, counter to what one would expect if this was due to reverse causation, though we failed to demonstrate a dose–response effect with drug duration.

Conclusion

The taking of benzodiazepines is associated with an increased risk of dementia.
Low Temperature Sintering and Properties of (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 Piezoelectric Ceramics
Authors: Pang Xuming , Qiu Jinhao , Zhu Kongjun , Meng Qinghua
Published: October 2011

Low temperature sintering of (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 was investigated using Bi2O3 and Li2CO3 as sintering aids. The microstructure of the sintered materials, together with the dielectric and piezoelectric properties were investigated. The optimal piezoelectric properties are obtained for the ceramics sintered at 900 °C for 5 h. The dielectric constant (ε), piezoelectric coefficient (d
33), and electromechanical coupling coefficient (k
p) show peak values of 877, 92 pC/N, and 0.27, respectively. These values are comparable to the values obtained for (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 ceramics sintered above 1100 °C. Besides, the underlying mechanism for abrupt change of the dielectric coefficient was explained in this work.
Implementation of Spatio-Time-Resolved Cathodoluminescence Spectroscopy for Studying Local Carrier Dynamics in a Low Dislocation Density m-Plane In0.05Ga0.95N Epilayer Grown on a Freestanding GaN Substrate
Authors: Kagaya Munehito , Corfdir Pierre , Ganière Jean-Daniel , Deveaud-Plédran Benoît , Grandjean Nicolas , Chichibu Shigefusa F.
Published: October 2011

Spatio-time-resolved cathodoluminescence (STRCL) spectroscopy is implemented to assess the local carrier dynamics in a 70-nm-thick, very low threading dislocation (TD) density, pseudomorphic m-plane In0.05Ga0.95N epilayer grown on a freestanding GaN substrate by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. Although TDs or stacking faults are absent, sub-micrometer-wide zonary patterns parallel to the c-axis and 2-µm-long-axis figure-of-8 patterns parallel to the a-axis are clearly visualized in the monochromatic cathodoluminescence intensity images. Because the STRCL measurement reveals very little spatial variation of low-temperature radiative lifetime, the considerable peak energy variation is interpreted to originate from nonidentical In-incorporation efficiency for the growing surfaces exhibiting various miscut angles. The figure-of-8 patterns are ascribed to originate from the anisotropic, severe m-plane tilt mosaic along the a-axis of the GaN substrate, and the zonary patterns may originate from the m-plane tilt mosaic along the c-axis.