bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hypertension management in diabetic patients: prescribing trends from 1999 to 2005 in three Japanese university hospitals
Authors: Kamijima Yukari , Ooba Nobuhiro , Yagame Mitsunori , Samizo Kazuo , Shimodozono Yoshihiro , Kageyama Shigeru , Horiguchi Shingo , Nagai Ryozo , Kusunoki Tadashi , Kubota Kiyoshi
Published: May 2008

Purpose

In hypertensive patients with diabetes, antihypertensive therapy is important in reducing the risk of macro‐ and microvascular complications. In contrast to the guidelines issued by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in and after 2002, the guidelines issued by the Japanese Society of Hypertension (JSH) in 2000 and 2004 maintained the traditional view that β‐blockers and thiazides should be rated as second‐line drugs. However, both sets of guidelines recommended angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) as first‐line agents for such patients.

Methods

We examined the use of antihypertensives in hypertensive patients with and without diabetes using the prescription data for 1999, 2002 and 2005 from three Japanese university hospitals.

Results

When compared with 1999, the proportion of patients with and without diabetes using ARBs was dramatically increased in 2005 from 1.5 to 55% and from 1.5 to 40%, while that of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors decreased from 52 to 32% and 35 to 23%, respectively. A relatively stable proportion of patients (around 10% with and without diabetes) used β‐blockers and around 60% of patients with and without diabetes used calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and very few (<5%) used thiazides.

Conclusions

The rapid increase in use of ARBs and under‐use of thiazides may be explained by the fee schedule in the Japanese health insurance system. The paucity of large‐scale clinical trials may also hinder evaluation of the traditional view of the role of β‐blockers and thiazides in treatment of Japanese patients with diabetes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Neuroticism predicts reactions to cues of social inclusion
Authors: Denissen Jaap J. A. , Penke Lars
Published: May 2008

In the current paper, we hypothesized that people who are high in neuroticism (N) share a motivational predisposition to react vigilantly to threatening cues, most of which tend to be social in humans. In three studies, support for this prediction was found: based on cross‐sectional and diary data, it was found that the self‐esteem (SE) of individuals high in N decreases more in response to perceptions of relationship conflict and low relationship quality than that of emotionally stable ones. In a study of people's reactions to imagined threats, neurotic individuals showed a heightened sensitivity to both nonsocial and social cues, though reactions to social cues were somewhat more pronounced. Results are consistent with principles from evolutionary and process‐oriented personality psychology. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development and rheological investigation of novel alginate/N‐succinylchitosan hydrogels
Authors: Nobile M. R. , Pirozzi V. , Somma E. , Gomez D'Ayala G. , Laurienzo P.
Published: May 2008

In the present article alginate hydrogels and novel hydrogels based on blends of alginate/N‐succinylchitosan have been realized in water solution at neutral conditions. The gels have been obtained by crosslinking via the internal setting method using calcium carbonate (CaCO3) as calcium ions source. A rheological investigation of both the plain alginate and the alginate/N‐succinylchitosan blend hydrogels has been performed by means of oscillatory dynamic measurements. The effect of the inclusion of different amounts of CaCO3 on the critical deformation (γc) characterizing the limit of the linear viscoelastic regime has been studied for the plain alginate gels. The frequency response in small amplitude oscillatory experiments of the plain alginate gels has been investigated in terms of the storage (G′) and loss (G″) modulus behavior. The dynamic data have been interpreted in terms of the Friedrich and Heymann model. The inclusion of the N‐succinylchitosan, in the range 10–50% w/w, had no effect on the γc values. On the contrary, when the 10% w/w of the N‐succinylchitosan is added to the plain alginate gels, a significant increase in the storage modulus values is recorded for all the systems analyzed. The gelation kinetics has been investigated and the results indicate that the kinetics process can be accelerated increasing the percentage of Ca+2 ions and/or including the N‐succinylchitosan in the plain alginate systems. Finally, the morphological analysis of scaffolds obtained from the hydrogels through freeze‐drying revealed an interconnected porous structure. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 1167–1182, 2008
Study of the crystallization behaviors of isotactic polypropylene with sodium benzoate as a specific versatile nucleating agent
Authors: Dong Mu , Guo Zhaoxia , Su Zhiqiang , Yu Jian
Published: May 2008

Sodium benzoate (SB), a conventional nucleating agent of α‐phase isotactic polypropylene (iPP) was discovered to induce the creation of β‐phase iPP under certain crystalline conditions. Polarized optical microscopy (POM) and wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) were carried out to verify the versatile nucleating activity of SB and investigate the influences of SB's content, isothermal crystallization temperature, and crystallization time on the formation of β‐phase iPP. The current experimental results indicated that, under isothermal crystallization conditions, SB showed peculiar nucleating characteristics on inducing iPP crystallization which were different from those of the commercial β form nucleating agent (TMB‐5). The content of β crystal form of iPP nucleated with SB (PP/SB) increased initially with the increase of crystallization temperature, nucleating agent (SB) percentage or crystallization time, reached a maximum value, and then decreased as the crystallization temperature, nucleating agent percentage or crystallization time further increased. While the content of β crystal form of iPP nucleated with TMB‐5 (PP/TMB‐5) showed a completely different changing pattern with the crystallization conditions. The obvious difference of the two kinds of nucleating agents on inducing iPP crystallization can be explained by the versatile nucleating ability of SB. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 1183–1192, 2008
Large tensile deformation behavior of oriented high‐density polyethylene: A correlation between cavitation and lamellar fragmentation
Authors: Lv Ruihua , Xu Wenfei , Na Bing , Zhang Qin , Fu Qiang
Published: May 2008

Oriented high‐density polyethylene (HDPE), prepared by melt extrusion drawing, has been employed to address the correlation between cavitation and lamellar fragmentation at large strain. This has been done by investigating the volume strain, elastic recovery properties, and microscopic morphology. The results indicate that the reversible volume strain becomes saturation at a true strain of about 0.3, which is essentially consistent with the critical one related to lamellar fragmentation (point C). Morphological observations on the deformed samples provide structural insights into above deformation behaviors. Enlarged voids are hard to recover due to dominant plastic deformation of crystals once lamellar fragmentation sets in and thus a transition of reversible volume strain with strain is presented. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 1202–1206, 2008
Analysis of urinary proteomic patterns for diabetic nephropathy by ProteinChip
Authors: Gu Wei , Zou Li‐Xia , Shan Peng‐Fei , Chen Yi‐Ding
Published: May 2008

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the main cause of mortality for diabetic patients. The objective of this work was to develop a proteomic approach to detect proteins or peptides in urine for identifying individuals in the early stage of DN. We obtained urine samples from 106 diabetic patients and 50 healthy subjects. Early stage of DN was defined as urine albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio between 30 to 299 mg/g. Mass spectra were generated using surface‐enhanced laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Peaks were detected by Ciphergen SELDI software version 3.1. Over 1000 proteins or peptides were obtained using ProteinChip. About 200 of them, the m/z values were in the range from 1008.5 to 79 942.3 Da. These values were significantly differentiated between diabetic patients and contro1 subjects. A mathematical analysis revealed that a cluster of 8 up‐regulated proteins and 16 down‐regulated proteins was in the diabetic patients, with m/z values from 2197.3 to 79 613 Da. Four top‐ranked proteins, with m/z values of 4139.0, 4453.5, 5281.1, and 5898.5 Da, were selected as the potential fingerprints for detection of early stage DN with a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 80%. ProteinChip technology may be a novel non‐invasive method for detecting early stage DN.
Proteomics as a research tool in clinical and experimental ophthalmology
Authors: Cryan Lorna M. , O'Brien Colm
Published: May 2008

It is estimated that 37 million people worldwide suffer from blindness and 124 million people have impaired vision. While the relatively recently developed therapies, antivascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors for the treatment of age‐related macular degeneration, and prostaglandin analogues for the treatment of glaucoma are beneficial for some patients, there are many individuals with sight‐threatening diseases for whom no effective pharmacological therapy is available. For many of these diseases, the molecular mechanisms remain to be comprehensively elucidated, thus precluding the design of successful therapies against specific pathological targets. The current review summarises recent attempts to elucidate molecular mechanisms of ocular diseases, including diabetic retinal disease, age‐related macular degeneration and inherited blindness using proteomic methodologies. A novel hypothesis can be generated from global protein expression analysis of disease tissue, which can then be addressed with cellular and in vivo functional studies. For example, the identification of extracellular carbonic anhydrase from the vitreous of diabetic retinopathy patients using MS based proteomics led to the elucidation of a new pathway involved in intraretinal edema, which could be inhibited by a number of agents targeting different proteins in this pathway in relevant animal models. The potential of protein biomarkers for diagnosis and the identification of novel disease mechanisms are also discussed.
Identification of apolipoprotein C‐III as a potential plasmatic biomarker associated with the resolution of hepatitis C virus infection
Authors: Molina Sonia , Missé Dorothée , Roche Stéphane , Badiou Stéphanie , Cristol Jean‐Paul , Bonfils Claude , Dierick Jean‐François , Veas Francisco , Levayer Thierry , Bonnefont‐Rousselot Dominique , Maurel Patrick , Coste Joliette , Fournier‐Wirth Chantal
Published: May 2008

Understanding the virus‐host interactions that lead to approximately 20% of patients with acute Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection to viral clearance is probably a key towards the development of more effective treatment and prevention strategies. Acute hepatitis C infection is usually asymptomatic and therefore rarely diagnosed. Nevertheless, HCV nucleic acid testing carried out on all blood donations detects donors who have resolved their HCV infection after seroconversion. Here we have used SELDI‐TOF‐MS technology to compare, at a proteomic level, plasma samples respectively from donors with HCV clearance, from donors with chronic HCV infection and from unexposed healthy donors (n = 15 per group). A candidate marker of about 9.4 kDa was detected as differentially expressed in the three groups. After purification we identified by nanoLC‐Q‐TOF‐MS/MS this candidate marker as Apolipoprotein C‐III (ApoC‐III). The identification was confirmed by western blot analysis. Levels of ApoC‐III were then determined in the 45 plasma samples by immunoturbidimetric assay. ApoC‐III was found to be higher in donors who had resolved their HCV infection than in donors with chronic infection, results which were consistent with SELDI‐TOF‐MS data. ApoC‐III is the first reported candidate biomarker in plasma associated with the spontaneous resolution of HCV infection.
Brane tilings and their applications
Authors: Yamazaki M.
Published: May 2008

We review recent developments in the theory of brane tilings and four‐dimensional 𝒩 = 1 supersymmetric quiver gauge theories. This review consists of two parts. In part I, we describe foundations of brane tilings, emphasizing the physical interpretation of brane tilings as fivebrane systems. In part II, we discuss application of brane tilings to AdS/CFT correspondence and homological mirror symmetry. More topics, such as orientifold of brane tilings, phenomenological model building, similarities with BPS solitons in supersymmetric gauge theories, are also briefly discussed. This paper is a revised version of the author's master's thesis submitted to Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, the University of Tokyo on January 2008, and is based on his several papers and some works in progress [1–7].
A Novel Approach for the Identification of Selective Anticonvulsants Based on Differential Molecular Properties for TBPS Displacement and Anticonvulsant Activity: An Integrated QSAR Modelling
Authors: Bhutoria Savita , Ghoshal Nanda
Published: May 2008

In order to gain insight into the structural and molecular requirements influencing the anticonvulsant activity against Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)‐induced seizures and [35S]tert‐Butyl‐bicyclophosphorothionate (TBPS) displacement property (a measure of binding to GABAAreceptor), Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationship (QSAR) studies have been performed on a series of congeneric anticonvulsant agents proposed to act by binding to the lactone site of the GABAAreceptor. The aim of this work was to identify and analyse the various functionalities, which determine the TBPS displacement property and anticonvulsant activity by correlating with various molecular descriptors. Statistical techniques like Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Partial Least Squares (PLS), Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Genetic Function Approximation (GFA) were applied to identify the structural and physicochemical requirements for TBPS displacement property and anticonvulsant activity. The generated equations were statistically validated using leave‐one‐out cross‐validation technique and randomization. The best models were also validated by prediction of activity of compounds, not used for the development of QSAR models. The results from reasonably good QSAR models (statistically validated) clearly indicated that TBPS displacement property and the anticonvulsant activity are defined by different molecular parameters. Based on this finding, a novel approach is proposed, using integrated QSAR modelling, for the identification of potential and selective anticonvulsant agents.
Mathematical Correlations for Gas‐to‐Olive Oil, Gas‐to‐Saline Solution, and Saline Solution‐to‐Olive Oil Partition Coefficients Based on the Goss Modified Abraham Model
Authors: Sprunger Laura M. , Acree William E. , Abraham Michael H.
Published: May 2008

Mathematical expressions have been developed for correlating experimental gas‐to‐olive oil, gas‐to‐saline solution, and saline solution‐to‐olive oil partition coefficients at 310 K with the Goss modified version of the Abraham model. The derived correlations were found to back‐calculate the three sets of partition coefficients to better than 0.18 log units. Training set and test set analyses were used to validate each derived correlation.
A geometric approach for the design of MIMO sliding controllers. Application to a wind‐driven doubly fed induction generator
Authors: Valenciaga F. , Puleston P. F. , Spurgeon S. K.
Published: May 2008

This paper presents a systematic methodology to design controllers for a general class of nonlinear MIMO systems affine in the control in the presence of bounded uncertainties and disturbances. The design method is developed using a theoretical framework based on the combination of a geometric approach and sliding mode techniques. The resulting robust control law guarantees finite time convergence, whereas chattering reduction is achieved by utilizing the minimum discontinuous action required to ensure disturbance rejection. The proposed methodology is applied to the control of a grid‐connected wind energy generation system based on a doubly fed induction generator. The control objectives considered in this paper are maximization of the wind energy conversion and reactive power regulation to minimize machine losses. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The persistent‐access‐caching algorithm
Authors: Jelenković Predrag R. , Radovanović Ana
Published: May 2008

Caching is widely recognized as an effective mechanism for improving the performance of the World Wide Web. One of the key components in engineering the Web caching systems is designing document placement/replacement algorithms for updating the collection of cached documents. The main design objectives of such a policy are the high cache hit ratio, ease of implementation, low complexity and adaptability to the fluctuations in access patterns. These objectives are essentially satisfied by the widely used heuristic called the least‐recently‐used (LRU) cache replacement rule. However, in the context of the independent reference model, the LRU policy can significantly underperform the optimal least‐frequently‐used (LFU) algorithm that, on the other hand, has higher implementation complexity and lower adaptability to changes in access frequencies. To alleviate this problem, we introduce a new LRU‐based rule, termed the persistent‐access‐caching (PAC), which essentially preserves all of the desirable attributes of the LRU scheme. For this new heuristic, under the independent reference model and generalized Zipf's law request probabilities, we prove that, for large cache sizes, its performance is arbitrarily close to the optimal LFU algorithm. Furthermore, this near‐optimality of the PAC algorithm is achieved at the expense of a negligible additional complexity for large cache sizes when compared to the ordinary LRU policy, since the PAC algorithm makes the replacement decisions based on the references collected during the preceding interval of fixed length. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2008
Girls and science: A review of four themes in the science education literature
Authors: Brotman Jennie S. , Moore Felicia M.
Published: May 2008

Despite valuable syntheses of the field of gender and science education, there has not been a systematic, comprehensive review of the literature on gender and science education in recent years. We examine the literature pertaining to girls' engagement in science and develop four themes (equity and access, curriculum and pedagogy, the nature and culture of science, and identity) that we believe provide a coherent picture of the different kinds of approaches happening currently, while at the same time allowing for discussion of how ideas in the field have progressed and changed over time. We present new questions and approaches for further research that arise when applying insights from these themes to ongoing work in gender and science education. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 971–1002, 2008
Measuring knowledge of natural selection: A comparison of the CINS, an open‐response instrument, and an oral interview
Authors: Nehm Ross H. , Schonfeld Irvin Sam
Published: May 2008

Growing recognition of the central importance of fostering an in‐depth understanding of natural selection has, surprisingly, failed to stimulate work on the development and rigorous evaluation of instruments that measure knowledge of it. We used three different methodological tools, the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS), a modified version of Bishop and Anderson's (Bishop and Anderson [1990] Journal of Research in Science Teaching 27: 415–427) open‐response test that we call the Open Response Instrument (ORI), and an oral interview derived from both instruments, to measure biology majors' understanding of and alternative conceptions about natural selection. We explored how these instruments differentially inform science educators about the knowledge and alternative conceptions their students harbor. Overall, both the CINS and ORI provided excellent replacements for the time‐consuming process of oral interviews and produced comparable measures of key concept diversity and, to a lesser extent, key concept frequency. In contrast, the ORI and CINS produced significantly different measures of both alternative conception diversity and frequency, with the ORI results completely concordant with oral interview results. Our study indicated that revisions of both the CINS and ORI are necessary because of numerous instrument items characterized by low discriminability, high and/or overlapping difficulty, and mismatches with the sample. While our results revealed that both instruments are valid and generally reliable measures of knowledge and alternative conceptions about natural selection, a test combining particular components of both instruments—a modified version of the CINS to test for key concepts, and a modified version of the ORI to assess student alternative conceptions—should be used until a more approprite instrument is developed and rigorously evaluated. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 1131–1160, 2008
Seeking effectiveness and equity in a large college chemistry course: an HLM investigation of Peer‐Led Guided Inquiry
Authors: Lewis Scott E. , Lewis Jennifer E.
Published: May 2008

This study employed hierarchical linear models (HLM) to investigate Peer‐Led Guided Inquiry (PLGI), a teaching practice combining cooperative learning and inquiry and tailored for a large class. Ultimately, the study provided an example of the effective introduction of a reform pedagogical approach in a large class setting. In the narrative, the strengths of HLM as a statistical technique are discussed in the context of pedagogical reforms, and the case is made for the use of HLM in rigorous determinations of both effectiveness and equity associated with reform practices. The implementation of PLGI in a college‐level general chemistry course is also described. For the study, two general HLM models suited to investigating reform were developed and utilized to examine the effectiveness and equity of PLGI as implemented in this setting. The models showed that the reform was associated with statistically significant improvement over traditional pedagogy in terms of academic performance on multiple measures, but achieving equity remained elusive: the consequences of pre‐existing achievement gaps did not lessen as a result of reform implementation. The analysis led to several implications for educational research, particularly in terms of evaluating pedagogical reforms, as well as for teaching. Choosing effective and equitable pedagogies for classroom implementation remains a critical goal for classes of any size. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 794–811, 2008
Determination of the angle of attack on rotor blades
Authors: Shen Wen Zhong , Hansen Martin O. L. , Sørensen Jens Nørkær
Published: May 2008

Two simple methods for determining the angle of attack (AOA) on a section of a rotor blade are proposed. Both techniques consist of employing the Biot–Savart integral to determine the influence of the bound vorticity on the velocity field. In the first technique, the force distribution along the blade and the velocity at a monitor point in the vicinity of the blade are assumed to be known from experiments or CFD computations. The AOA is determined by subtracting the velocity induced by the bound circulation, determined from the loading, from the velocity at the monitor point. In the second method, the full pressure distribution on the blade is assumed to be known and used to determine the local distribution of circulation along the surface contour of the blade. Using the local distribution of circulation to determine the influence of the bound vorticity enables the velocity monitor points to be located closer to the blade, and thus to determine the AOA with higher accuracy. Data from CFD computations for flows past the Tellus 95 kW wind turbine at different wind speeds are used to test both techniques. Comparisons show that the proposed methods are in good agreement with existing techniques. The advantage of the proposed techniques, as compared with existing techniques, is that they can be used to determine the AOA on rotor blades under general flow conditions (e.g. operations in yaw or with dynamic inflow). Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clinical Features of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Developing Extrahepatic Recurrences After Curative Resection
Authors: Tanaka Kuniya , Shimada Hiroshi , Matsuo Kenichi , Takeda Kazuhisa , Nagano Yasuhiko , Togo Shinji
Published: May 2008

Background

Few details of the clinical features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) developing extrahepatic recurrence after a curative resection have been published. The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinicopathologic findings of patients with HCC who experienced extrahepatic metastases.

Methods

Clinicopathologic data were available for 119 patients who underwent an R0 resection for HCC. Twenty‐three patients who developed extrahepatic metastases during the follow‐up period were compared with the patients who remained free from recurrence for at least 5 years after resection (n = 21) or with only intrahepatic recurrences (n = 75).

Results

Patients with extrahepatic recurrences were more likely to have their tumor macro‐ or microscopically invading the tumor capsule (P < 0.001) and hepatic vein (P = 0.003), a high AFP concentration (P = 0.014), and advanced TNM stage (P = 0.006) than the other patients. As for treatment‐related variables, inflow vessel occlusion during hepatectomy was less frequently associated with extrahepatic recurrences than if it were not performed (P < 0.001). By multivariate analysis, absence of tumor invasion to the capsule (relative risk [RR] = 0.080; P = 0.023) or to the hepatic vein (RR = 0.108; P = 0.014) and a hepatectomy in which inflow vessel occlusions were performed (RR = 0.161; P = 0.004) were selected as independent factors for reducing extrahepatic recurrences after a hepatectomy.

Conclusion

In HCC patients, the control of intrahepatic recurrences and extrahepatic recurrences after a hepatectomy is important to improve the prognosis. Inflow occlusion during the hepatectomy may reduce HCC metastases to extrahepatic sites.
The Use of Polydimethylsiloxane for Injection Laryngoplasty
Authors: Hagemann Matthias , Seifert Eberhard
Published: May 2008

Background

Injuries of the recurrent laryngeal nerve with consecutive vocal cord paralysis is a typical complication in chest, esophageal, thyroideal, and neck surgery. Glottic insufficiency secondary to such a lesion can be treated by endolaryngeal vocal cord augmentation (injection laryngoplasty). Many different substances have been used, often showing complications or disadvantages. This study reports on the use of injectable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), with special regard to the long‐term results.

Methods

In this prospective study, 21 patients with unilateral vocal cord paralysis underwent injection laryngoplasty using PDMS at a volume of 0.5–1.0 ml. Preoperatively, 6 weeks and 12 months after the injection the following parameters concerning patients’ voice were evaluated: Glottic closure by videolaryngostroboscopy, maximum phonation time, voice range, voice dynamic, jitter, shimmer, noise‐to‐harmonic‐ratio, and roughness, breathiness, and hoarseness (RBH). In addition, patients were asked to give their own evaluation of how satisfied they felt with their voice and of the handicaps it caused them.

Results

Postoperatively an improvement was evident in all the parameters that were investigated, and this significant improvement was still in evidence for most of the parameters more than one year after the injection. In our study no complications were observed more than one year after injection.

Conclusion

PDMS is a safe substance for injection laryngoplasty in unilateral vocal cord paresis. Objective and subjective parameters confirm its effectiveness. It is suitable for obtaining satisfying results in the reestablishment of the patient’s voice and communication ability.
A chronosequence approach for detecting revegetation patterns afterSphagnum‐peat mining, northern Japan
Authors: Nishimura Aiko , Tsuyuzaki Shiro , Haraguchi Akira
Published: May 2008

The aim of this study is to detect how vegetation development proceeds afterSphagnum‐peat mining and how physical and chemical factors in groundwater are related to the revegetation patterns in Sarobetsu mire, Hokkaido, Japan. A total of 189 plots on peat‐mining sites were set in a chronosequence and 18 plots were set on unmined control sites. A vegetation survey was conducted, and seasonal changes in groundwater levels and chemistry (pH, electrical conductance, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, anions, and cations) were monitored. Species richness and plot cover tended to increase with increasing age, but were significantly lower in mined sites than in unmined sites dominated bySphagnumspp. The trends in vegetation change were (1) bare ground, (2) grasslands dominated by grasses and sedges, e.g.,Rhyncohospora alba,Phragmites communis, andMoliniopsis japonicaand (3)Sphagnum‐dominated vegetation. The characteristics of groundwater level during the plant‐growth period mostly determined vegetation recovery, i.e.,Sphagnumestablishment was promoted when groundwater declined greatly in early summer. The patterns of temporal vegetation changes affected by groundwater characteristics were detected by chronological sequence, and hydrological factors in groundwater were more important for revegetation than chemical factors. The original vegetation has not returned after three decades.
Rare Isolated Trapezoid Fracture: A Case Report
Authors: Sadowski Rita M. , Montilla Richard D.
Published: May 2008

Isolated fractures of the trapezoid are rare. Of all of the fractures of the carpus, the most common is the scaphoid, which represents 68.2% of all carpal fractures (Papp, Orthop Clin N Am 38:251–60, 2007). In contrast, trapezoid fractures represent 0.4% of all carpal injuries. Because it is an infrequently fractured carpal bone, there is a wide variety of treatment plans, including rest, immobilization, and surgery (Green and Pederson, Green's Operative Hand Surgery, Elsevier, Philadelphia, 759 pp, 2005). In this report, we describe a patient who presented with an isolated fracture of the trapezoid that was successfully treated with cast immobilization and had a full functional recovery.
Tattoo Pigment Interpreted as Lymph Node Metastasis in a Case of Subungual Melanoma
Authors: Peterson Steven L. , Ozer Kagan , Lee Lela A. , Fitzpatrick James E.
Published: May 2008

We present a patient with subungual melanoma of the thumb who, during radioisotope-guided selective sentinel lymphadenectomy, was found to have black, hard lymph nodes at multiple axillary node levels. This finding was interpreted intraoperatively as clinical evidence of metastasis and a formal axillary dissection was carried out. Pathological examination of excised nodes failed to demonstrate metastasis but instead showed collections of tattoo pigment.
Characterization of a novel aphid prenyltransferase displaying dual geranyl/farnesyl diphosphate synthase activity
Authors: Vandermoten Sophie , Charloteaux Benoit , Santini Sébastien , Sen Stephanie E. , Béliveau Catherine , Vandenbol Micheline , Francis Frédéric , Brasseur Robert , Cusson Michel , Haubruge Éric
Published: May 2008

We report on the cDNA cloning and characterization of a novel short‐chain isoprenyl diphosphate synthase from the aphid Myzus persicae. Of the three IPPS cDNAs we cloned, two yielded prenyltransferase activity following expression in Escherichia coli; these cDNAs encode identical proteins except for the presence, in one of them, of an N‐terminal mitochondrial targeting peptide. Although the aphid enzyme was predicted to be a farnesyl diphosphate synthase by BLASTP analysis, rMpIPPS, when isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate are supplied as substrates, typically generated geranyl diphosphate (C10) as its main product, along with significant quantities of farnesyl diphosphate (C15). Analysis of an MpIPPS homology model pointed to substitutions that could confer GPP/FPP synthase activity to the aphid enzyme.
Domain organization of photosystem II in membranes of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC6803 investigated by electron microscopy
Authors: Folea I. Mihaela , Zhang Pengpeng , Aro Eva-Mari , Boekema Egbert J.
Published: May 2008

The supramolecular organization of photosystem II (PSII) complexes in the photosynthetic membrane of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6803 was studied by electron microscopy. After mild detergent solubilization, crystalline PSII arrays were extracted in which dimeric PSII particles associate in multiple rows. Image processing of the arrays shows that the PSII dimers are tightly packed at distances of 12.2 and 16.7 nm. The domains are considered to be an important type of association for preventing either spill‐over energy from PSII towards photosystem I (PSI) or direct energy flow from phycobilisomes to PSI, because the latter can only be at periphery of the arrays.
Appraisal psychology, neurobiology, and language
Authors: Schumann John H.
Published: May 2008

This volume of The Annual Review of Applied Linguistics explores the connections between psychology and language. In the following chapter, I will show how a field that increasingly informs psychology can also inform the psychological issues that concern applied linguists. Neurobiology and psychology have become more closely integrated in recent years as evidenced by the emergence and development of such disciplinary interfaces as biopsychology and cognitive neuroscience. The recognition that psychological phenomena are subserved by the brain is widely accepted; via developments in neuroimaging technology, the brain is becoming amenable to direct psychological investigation. In this chapter, I examine brain mechanisms that are involved in second language acquisition motivation, in cognitive/motor exploratory activity in learning, and in decision-making aspects of pragmatics in language use.
Language attrition: the fate of the start
Authors: Hansen Lynne
Published: May 2008

This chapter reviews the literature on psycholinguistic aspects of language attrition over the past half decade. Descriptive data-based studies have continued to dominate during this time, providing needed groundwork for the emerging discipline. A few studies have continued theoretical threads from previous work, however, by examining attrition data from the perspectives of the regression hypothesis and markedness theory. We have also seen the beginnings of promising new lines of research which draw theoretical underpinnings from neighboring disciplines, most notably from the savings paradigm in cognitive psychology and from theories of codeswitching in bilingualism studies. Evidence on the effects in attrition of non-linguistic variables such as age, proficiency level, and literacy has continued to accumulate. Hesitation phenomena in attriter speech have begun to receive serious attention. Relearning, one of the main areas to potentially benefit from language attrition studies, is also gaining new research impetus at the turn of the century.
Language anxiety and achievement
Authors: Horwitz Elaine
Published: May 2008

This chapter considers the literature on language learning anxiety in an effort to clarify the relationship between anxiety and second language learning. It will first argue that language anxiety is a specific anxiety — rather than a trait anxiety — and discuss how this conceptualization has helped clarify the research literature. After Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986) proposed that a specific anxiety construct which they called Foreign Language Anxiety was responsible for students' uncomfortable experiences in language classes and offered an instrument, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), to measure this anxiety, findings concerning anxiety and language achievement have been relatively uniform, indicating a consistent moderate negative relationship between anxiety and achievement. However, some researchers (Sparks and Ganschow and their colleagues) have suggested that poor language learning is a cause rather than a result of language anxiety. This review concludes that anxiety is indeed a cause of poor language learning in some individuals and discusses possible sources of this anxiety, including difficulty in authentic self-presentation and various language teaching practices. In addition, it reports on new trends in language anxiety research that attempt to identify aspects of language learning (e.g., reading anxiety or writing anxiety) which provoke anxiety for some individuals.
Bilingual first language acquisition: exploring the limits of the language faculty
Authors: Genesee Fred
Published: May 2008

Most general theories of language acquisition are based on studies of children who acquire one language. A general theory of language acquisition must ultimately accommodate the facts about children who acquire two languages simultaneously during infancy. This chapter reviews current research in three domains of bilingual acquisition: pragmatic features of bilingual code-mixing, grammatical constraints on child bilingual code-mixing, and bilingual syntactic development. It examines the implications of findings from these domains for our understanding of the limits of the mental faculty to acquire language. Findings indicate that infants possess the requisite neuro-cognitive capacity to differentially represent and use two languages simultaneously from the one-word stage onward, and probably earlier. Detailed analyses of the syntactic organization of bilingual child language indicates, moreover, that it conforms to the target systems and, thus, resembles that of children acquiring the same languages monolingually, for the most part. At the same time, bilingual children acquire the distinctive capacity to coordinate their two languages in grammatically constrained ways and in conformity with the target grammars during online production. In short, current evidence attests to the bilingual capacity of the human mind and refutes earlier conceptualizations which viewed bilingualism and bilingual acquisition as burdensome and potentially disruptive to development.
The development of basic reading skills in children: a cross-language perspective
Authors: Geva Esther , Wang Min
Published: May 2008

This chapter reviews recent empirical evidence for universal and orthography- or language-specific processes in the development of basic reading skills in school age children, suggesting that universal and orthography- or language-specific processes should be considered in tandem. The review focuses on three different aspects of reading, phonological processing, rapid naming, and morphosyntactic complexity, targeted in recent research on development of word recognition skills. Studies on L1 school children and studies of children who learn to read concurrently in their L1 and/or in a second language (L2) are examined within the context of variations in orthographic transparency. When children learn to read, characteristics of the spoken language interact with characteristics of the orthography. The chapter concludes that (a) individual differences in phonological processing skills, verbal memory, and rapid naming predict the development of reading in L1 and L2 children in various alphabetic and nonalphabetic languages; and (b) individual differences on such prerequisite skills can indicate smooth or problematic acquisition of L2 reading skills in children, regardless of oral language proficiency. However, task demands associated with learning to read in different orthographies vary and yield steeper or more moderate learning slopes. Regardless of the language and orthography combinations under study, children can develop reading strategies that help them read.
Psycholinguistically oriented second language research
Authors: Juffs Alan
Published: May 2008

This chapter reviews recent research that investigates second language performance from the perspective of sentence processing (on-line comprehension studies) and word recognition. It concentrates on describing methods that employ reaction time measures as correlates of processing difficulty or knowledge representation. This research suggests that second language learners employ much the same on-line processing strategies as native speakers, but that the L1 can also influence L2 processing. Reaction times in lexical decision experiments have been useful in exploring the relationship between the first and second language lexicons and automatic processes in lexical access. Finally, the chapter mentions some of the problems in this line of research, in particular the issue of individual differences in working memory and technological challenges.
THE COMPOUNDING PARAMETER IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Authors: Slabakova Roumyana
Published: May 2008

This article presents an experimental study investigating the compounding parameter in the L2 Spanish interlanguage of English and French NSs in light of the Subset Principle and its predictions for the process of L2 development. The compounding parameter (Snyder, 1995, 2001) argues that languages permit complex predicate constructions like verb particles, resultatives, and double objects if and only if they can productively form N-N compounds. English exhibits the plus value of the parameter, allowing N-N compounds and the related constructions, whereas in Spanish and French these compounds and constructions are ungrammatical. Because English also allows periphrastic constructions of the same meaning, which are the only option in French and Spanish, English represents the superset parameter value to the Spanish and French subset value. At issue is whether L2 learners are able to acquire the subset value of the compounding parameter based on the naturalistic input they receive. In this case, the learning task involves realizing that some L1 constructions are unavailable in the L2. Results indicate that the learners initially transfer the L1 (superset) value and do not start with the subset value of the parameter. Findings also inform the debate on whether negative evidence can engage UG-related acquisition. Ten of the 26 advanced subjects were able to successfully reset the whole parameter based on negative data for only two of the four constructions in the cluster. This fact suggests that it is not impossible for negative evidence to be utilized in grammar reorganization.
OUTPUT, INPUT ENHANCEMENT, AND THE NOTICING HYPOTHESIS
Authors: Izumi Shinichi
Published: May 2008

This study investigates the potentially facilitative effects of internal and external attention-drawing devices—output and visual input enhancement—on the acquisition of English relativization by adult English as a second language (ESL) learners. Specifically, the study addresses: (a) whether the act of producing output promotes noticing of formal elements in the target language (TL) input and affects subsequent learning of the form; and (b) whether such output- induced noticing and learning, if any, would be the same as that effected by visual input enhancement designed to draw learners' attention to problematic form features in the input. These questions were examined in a controlled experimental study in which the requirements of output and exposure to enhanced input were systematically varied. A computer-assisted reconstruction and reading task was used as the vehicle of presentation of the target input materials. The major findings are: (a) Those engaged in output-input activities outperformed those exposed to the same input for the sole purpose of comprehension in learning gains; (b) those who received visual input enhancement failed to show measurable gains in learning, despite the documented positive impact of enhancement on the noticing of the target form items in the input; and (c) in view of the above, no support was found for the hypothesis that the effect of input enhancement was comparable to that of output. The subsequent discussion centers on reexamining the construct of noticing and argues for the need to consider levels and types of processing in order to account for how sensory detection can lead to learning.
FORM–MEANING MAPPING IN VOCABULARY ACQUISITION IN A SECOND LANGUAGE
Authors: Jiang Nan
Published: May 2008

The mapping of lexical form to meaning is an important part of vocabulary acquisition in a second language (L2). This study examines the proposition that L2 lexical forms are often mapped to the existing semantic content of their first language (L1) translations rather than to new semantic specifications of their own. Native and nonnative English speakers were asked to perform two semantic judgment tasks in which they had to determine the degree of semantic relatedness of English word pairs (experiment 1) or to decide whether two English words were related in meaning (experiment 2). The nonnative speakers, but not the native speakers, were found to provide higher rating scores on or responded faster to L2 word pairs sharing the same L1 translations than to L2 word pairs that do not. The finding is interpreted as strong evidence in support of the presence of L1 semantic content in L2 lexical entries.
SOCIOLINGUISTIC VARIATION IN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE.Ceil Lucas, Robert Bayley, and Clayton Valli. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press, 2001. Pp. xviii + 238. $55.00 cloth.
Authors: Reagan Timothy
Published: May 2008

This is the seventh volume in the highly acclaimed “Sociolinguistics in Deaf Communities” series published by Gallaudet University Press. This volume is the first major attempt to document and analyze linguistic variation in American Sign Language (ASL). Based on seven years of research spread across the United States, including data collected from seven sites (Staunton, VA; Frederick, MD; Boston, MA; New Orleans, LA; Fremont, CA; Olathe, KS, and Kansas City, MO, together; and Bellingham, WA), Sociolinguistic variation in American Sign Language is a major contribution to the growing literature on the linguistics and sociolinguistics of ASL. It seeks to “provide a comprehensive description of the variables and constraints at work in sign language variation” (p. xv), building on the existing linguistic literature dealing with ASL. It succeeds admirably, if not in providing the final word on these complex issues, then by offering not only fascinating insights into sign language variation but also an empirical database that is unmatched in its depth and breadth in the field.
MOTIVATION AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION (TECH. REP. NO. 23).Zoltán Dörnyei and Richard Schmidt (Eds.). Manoa: University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, 2001. Pp. x + 499. $30.00 paper.
Authors: Oxford Rebecca L.
Published: May 2008

In its 20 chapters, this edited book opens new paths for theory and research in the area of foreign and second language (L2) motivation. It will be particularly useful to researchers, graduate students, and others who want to see an array of approaches to the topic. Both qualitative and quantitative investigations are included along with a number of themes that have not yet received much research attention: learning strategies and motivation, teacher motivation and its effect on learner motivation, personal identity, extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and beyond, unsuccessful learners' motivation, demotivation, and learning as “foraging.”