bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An augmented Lagrangian multi-scale dictionary learning algorithm
Authors: Liu Qiegen , Luo Jianhua , Wang Shanshan , Xiao Moyan , Ye Meng
Published: September 2011

Learning overcomplete dictionaries for sparse signal representation has become a hot topic fascinated by many researchers in the recent years, while most of the existing approaches have a serious problem that they always lead to local minima. In this article, we present a novel augmented Lagrangian multi-scale dictionary learning algorithm (ALM-DL), which is achieved by first recasting the constrained dictionary learning problem into an AL scheme, and then updating the dictionary after each inner iteration of the scheme during which majorization-minimization technique is employed for solving the inner subproblem. Refining the dictionary from low scale to high makes the proposed method less dependent on the initial dictionary hence avoiding local optima. Numerical tests for synthetic data and denoising applications on real images demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed approach.
Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma presenting as recurrent adhesion obstruction in general surgery: a case report
Authors: Naraynsingh Vijay , Ramdass Michael J , Lum Crystal Lee
Published: August 2011

Introduction

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a well-described entity in many reports in the literature in which it has been associated with asbestosis. However, there is no information describing the gross appearance and cardinal features seen during laparotomy, hence it is easy for the unwary surgeon to miss the diagnosis of this rare condition.

Case presentation

A 49-year-old man of African descent presented to our hospital with a three-month history of weight loss, anorexia, abdominal distension, and general signs of cachexia and ascites on second presentation. At first presentation one year prior to this, he had undergone a laparotomy at our institution by a different team for intestinal obstruction secondary to adhesions with no biopsy taken. The patient's condition subsequently progressively deteriorated, and investigations including upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopies and computed tomography of the abdomen were inconclusive, except for some free fluid in the peritoneal cavity and diffuse, mild thickening of the gut wall and mesentery. A second-look exploratory laparotomy revealed widespread nodular thickening of the visceral peritoneum with a striking, uniformly diffuse, erythematous, and velvety appearance. The peritoneal biopsy histology showed that the patient had malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. His condition deteriorated rapidly, and he died eight weeks after surgery.

Conclusion

Our report aims to increase the diagnosing clinician's awareness of the cardinal features of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma and thus reduce diagnostic errors and delays in treatment.
Clinical and Prognostic Implications of Plasma Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Kaseb Ahmed O. , Morris Jeffrey S. , Hassan Manal M. , Siddiqui Adnan M. , Lin E , Xiao Lianchun , Abdalla Eddie K. , Vauthey Jean-Nicolas , Aloia Thomas A. , Krishnan Sunil , Abbruzzese James L.
Published: September 2011

Purpose

Cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) together form a two-disease state that affects survival of patients with HCC and dictates treatment decisions and prognostic stratification of patients in clinical trials. The study objective was to improve prognostic stratification of patients with HCC.

Patients and Methods

We prospectively collected plasma samples and baseline clinicopathologic features from 288 new patients with HCC, and plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were tested. We applied Cox regression and log-rank tests to assess association of IGF-1 and VEGF with overall survival (OS), Kaplan-Meier curves to estimate OS, and recursive partitioning to determine optimal cutoff points for IGF-1 and VEGF. Prognostic ability of conventional and molecular Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer classifications was compared using the c-index.

Results

Lower plasma IGF-1 and higher plasma VEGF levels significantly correlated with advanced clinicopathologic parameters and poor OS, with optimal cut points of 26 ng/mL and 450 pg/mL, respectively. The combination of low IGF-1 and high VEGF predicted median OS of 2.7 months compared with 19 months for patients with high IGF-1 and low VEGF (P < .001), further refining the prognostic ability of conventional HCC staging (P < .001).

Conclusion

Baseline levels of plasma IGF-1 and VEGF correlated significantly with survival in patients with HCC. Integrating IGF-1 and VEGF into HCC staging significantly enhanced prognostic stratification of patients. If validated, these results may prove to be useful in designing strategies to personalize management approaches among these patients.
The Boundaries of Multinational Enterprises and the Theory of International Trade
Authors: Markusen James R
Published: September 2011

This paper begins with a review of empirical evidence on multinational firms. Conceptual underpinnings of a theory are developed, relying in particular on the notion of knowledge capital as a mobile, joint input into geographically separated production facilities. This idea is embedded in a simple two-country general equilibrium model that supports multinational production in equilibrium under conditions consistent with the empirical evidence. The final section examines internalization and shows why certain properties of knowledge capital also imply a preference for transferring technologies internally within the firm, rather than through arm's-length markets.
Anomalies: Ultimatums, Dictators and Manners
Authors: Camerer Colin , Thaler Richard H
Published: September 2011

The recent research on ultimatum and dictator games is reviewed. New experiments reveal that the ultimatum game is quite robust to changes in stakes and the nationality of the players but dictator games are sensitive to many design features. Information in the ultimatum game is important. Responders will reject offers only if they are known to be proportionally stingy and are known to be chosen by the proposer (rather than picked at random). Much of the observed behavior can be successfully modeled using Matthew Rabin's (1993) notion of a fairness equilibrium, which incorporates manners into economics. In many market contexts, politeness pays.
Income Smoothing and Consumption Smoothing
Authors: Morduch Jonathan
Published: September 2011

One way that risk-averse households protect consumption levels is to borrow and use insurance mechanisms. Another way, common in low-income economies, is to diversify economic activities and make conservative production and employment choices. Households thus tend toward limiting exposure only to shocks that can be handled with available credit and insurance. Typically, both types of mechanisms are studied independently but much more can be learned by studying them together. First, we obtain a more complete picture of risks, costs, and insurance possibilities. Second, it opens the way to considering biases in standard tests of credit and insurance.
Nonmarket Institutions for Credit and Risk Sharing in Low-Income Countries
Authors: Besley Timothy
Published: September 2011

The design credit and risk institutions in low-income countries provides one of the most exciting testing grounds for theories of contracting with imperfect information and limited enforcement. This paper reviews some of the recent literature, with a special focus on nonmarket institutions that cope with risk and provide credit. This literature attempts to bring together insights from economic theory, especially information economics, contract theory, and mechanism design theory. However, it is also applied, being motivated by the circumstance of the poor countries that their authors have visited and studied.
Distinguished Lecture on Economics in Government: The Economist vs. Madmen in Authority
Authors: Sawhill Isabel V
Published: September 2011

This lecture, given to the Society of Government Economists in January 1995, examines the influence of research on policy and vice versa using three widely believed propositions. The first is that government spending is wasteful or ineffective and can readily be cut back in order to reduce the deficit; the second is that welfare should be time limited and made conditional on people's behavior; the third is that education and training are (more than ever) the ticket to individual and national prosperity. The paper explores the interplay of facts of economic analysis with political and institutional constraints and public values.
Symposium on Consumption Smoothing in Developing Countries
Authors: Case Anne
Published: September 2011

This symposium explores how households in low-income countries, even without access to formal credit and insurance markets, find ways to smooth consumption in the face of large shocks to their income. This general area of risk sharing and consumption smoothing has received a great deal of attention from development economists in the last five years. The papers highlight the extent to which theoretical work in mechanism design, contract theory, and information economics has informed recent work in development economics. These papers also underscore the ways large, detailed household level data sets have recently been applied in developing country research.
Consumption Insurance: An Evaluation of Risk-Bearing Systems in Low-Income Economies
Authors: Townsend Robert M
Published: September 2011

The hypothesis of full risk sharing can be taken to data from low-income countries and evaluate formal and informal financial systems. In many contexts, idiosyncratic risks are high, so credit/insurance arrangements could be beneficial. Statistical tests reveal that households in southern India take advantage of these possibilities; villages in Cote d'Ivoire and countries in Thailand do not do as well. The paper includes an empirical description of the devices used to smooth consumption and a theoretical discussion of private information and incentives on ideal operating systems. The full information and mechanism design frameworks provide benchmarks for policy analysis.
Tightening Environmental Standards: The Benefit-Cost or the No-Cost Paradigm?
Authors: Palmer Karen , Oates Wallace E , Portney Paul R
Published: September 2011

This paper takes issue with the Porter-van der Linde claim that traditional benefit-cost analysis is a fundamental misrepresentation of the environmental problem. They contend that stringent environmental measures induce innovative efforts leading to improvements in abatement and production technologies that offset the costs of the regulations. Drawing both on basic economic theory and existing data on control costs, the authors argue that such offsets are special cases. The data indicate offsets are minuscule relative to control costs. There is no free lunch here: environmental programs must justify their costs by the benefits that improved environmental quality provides to society.
Toward a New Conception of the Environment-Competitiveness Relationship
Authors: Porter Michael E , Linde Claas van der
Published: September 2011

Accepting a fixed trade-off between environmental regulation and competitiveness unnecessarily raises costs and slows down environmental progress. Studies finding high environmental compliance costs have traditionally focused on static cost impacts, ignoring any offsetting productivity benefits from innovation. They typically overestimated compliance costs, neglected innovation offsets, and disregarded the affected industry's initial competitiveness. Rather than simply adding to cost, properly crafted environmental standards can trigger innovation offsets, allowing companies to improve their resource productivity. Shifting the debate from pollution control to pollution prevention was a step forward. It is now necessary to make the next step and focus on resource productivity.
Design, development and validation of the RedBrick Health Assessment: a questionnaire-based study
Authors: Mills Peter R , Masloski Wendy S , Bashaw Carole M , Butler Jolene Rw , Hillstrom Molly E , Zimmerman Eric M
Published: September 2011

Objectives

Health risk assessment (HRA) questionnaires have become a popular tool to help quantify health issues within populations. Over the last decade HRAs have increasingly been delivered in the online environment. The objective of this study was to create and validate an HRA that is optimized for delivery via the Internet.

Design

After an iterative process of user testing and interface design the RedBrick Health Assessment (RBHA) was validated against known domain specific questionnaires with 464 working Americans, and with medical claims data from over 25,000 employees.

Setting

All consumer testing, data capture and analysis occurred at the offices of RedBrick Health Corporation, Minneapolis, USA and via a secure online portal.

Participants

Individuals in full-time employment in the USA, who were between 18 and 65 years of age at the time inquiry.

Main outcome measures

Correlation of the included RBHA domains with the output from known gold standard health question sets for each assessed health domain.

Results

The iterative development process employed in creating the RBHA produced a tool that had a high degree of user acceptability. The domains demonstrated good correlations with relevant gold standard questionnaire measures, good internal consistency, and acceptable sensitivity and specificity when compared to gold standard risk stratification and high-risk classification (specificity of domains ranged from 76–94%). A test–retest correlation co-efficient of 0.7, or greater, was achieved 8 weeks after initial completion.

Conclusions

The RBHA is a new breed of HRA that has been specifically developed for capturing health status information in an online environment. At its heart is user centricity and this focus has enabled the creation of a tool that is not only highly engaging but also captures accurate and robust health status information.
Oxidative status in the lungs associated with tobacco smoke exposure
Authors: Doruk Sibel , Ozyurt Huseyin , Inonu Handan , Erkorkmaz Unal , Saylan Oguzhan , Seyfikli Zehra
Published: September 2011

Oxidative stress has a critical role in inflammatory responce against tobacco smoke (TS). Testing exhaled breath condensate (EBC) samples is one of the methods used for assessment of airway inflammation caused by TS. We aimed to investigate oxidative stress in the lungs associated with TS and to evaluate the effect of this stress with pulmonary function tests (PFTs).

We included 69 subjects as three groups into the study (Group I; 26 smokers, Group II; 21 passive smokers, Group III; 22 non-smokers without TS exposure). Levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), nitrite/nitrate ;ibindex of nitric oxide (NO) production;ic, vitamin C, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were measured in EBC samples collected using a condenser and PFTs were performed.

The levels of MDA, 8-OHdG, SOD and GSH-Px were higher in smokers. NO levels gradually increased from Group I to Group III. MDA levels were lower in Group III than Group II. The levels of vitamin C were similar in all groups. We determined negative correlation between 8-OHdG levels and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV

TS exposure affected the balance between oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity of lungs. Preventing environmental TS exposure might decrease oxidative damage. Increased levels of 8-OHdG and SOD levels could be assessed as an early sign of airway damage.
Microstructure and stiffness of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L) sapwood degraded by Gloeophyllum trabeum and Trametes versicolor – Part I: Changes in chemical composition, density and equilibrium moisture content
Authors: Bader Thomas K. , Hofstetter Karin , Alfredsen Gry , Bollmus Susanne
Published: September 2011

Fungal degradation alters the microstructure of wood and its physical and chemical properties are also changed. While these changes are well investigated as a function of mass loss, mass density loss and changes in equilibrium moisture content are not well elucidated. The physical and chemical alterations are crucial when linking microstructural characteristics with macroscopic mechanical properties. In the present article, a consistent set of physical, chemical and mechanical characteristics is presented, which were measured on the same sample before and after fungal degradation. In the first part of this two-part contribution, elucidating microstructure/stiffness-relationships of degraded wood, changes in physical and chemical data are presented, which were collected from specimens of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) sapwood degraded by Gloeophyllum trabeum (brown rot) and Trametes versicolor (white rot) for up to 28 weeks degradation time. A comparison of mass loss with corresponding mass density loss demonstrated that mass loss entails two effects: firstly, a decrease in sample size (more pronounced for G. trabeum), and secondly, a decrease of mass density within the sample (more pronounced for T. versicolor). These two concurrent effects are interrelated with sample size and shape. Hemicelluloses and cellulose are degraded by G. trabeum, while T. versicolor was additionally able to degrade lignin. In particular because of the breakdown of hemicelluloses and paracrystalline parts of cellulose, the equilibrium moisture content of degraded samples is lower than that in the initial state.
Do women seek humorousness in men because it signals intelligence? A cross-cultural test
Authors: Weisfeld Glenn E. , Nowak Nicole T. , Lucas Todd , Weisfeld Carol C. , Imamoğlu E. Olcay , Butovskaya Marina , Shen Jiliang , Parkhill Michele R.
Published: September 2011

Miller has suggested that people seek humorousness in a mate because humor connotes intelligence, which would be valuable in a spouse. Since males tend to be the competing sex, men have been more strongly selected to be humorous. To test this notion, we explored the role of humor in marriage cross-culturally, in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Turkey, and Russia. In the first four societies, husbands were perceived to make wives laugh more than the reverse, but wives were funnier in Russia. Spousal humorousness was associated with marital satisfaction in all cultures, especially the wife's satisfaction. Spousal humorousness was less consistently related to spousal intelligence than to some alternative possibilities: spousal kindness, dependability, and understanding. Furthermore, the relationship between these four variables and marital satisfaction was mediated by spousal humorousness. Humor is gratifying in other social contexts as well. Humorists may gain social credit by providing amusement, and may also use humor to gauge another's mood and to engender liking, perhaps especially in courtship and marriage. Spouses may also take humorousness as a sign of motivation to be amusing, kind, understanding, dependable — as a sign of commitment.
On groups with all proper subgroups of finite exponent
Authors: Arıkan Ahmet , Smith Howard
Published: August 2011

We consider minimal non-(finite exponent) groups and give certain characterizations of these groups. We also prove certain results relevant to Fitting p-groups with all proper subgroups solvable.
Field-Scale Evaluation of Lysimeters Versus Actual Earthen Covers
Authors: Mijares Ramil G. , Khire Milind V. , Johnson Terry
Published: September 2011

This paper presents the design, construction, and monitoring of two uncompacted and one compacted clay field-scale test sections that were built and instrumented at a landfill near Detroit (Michigan). This was accomplished to capture the differences in the hydraulic and hydrologic responses of actual caps overlying the municipal solid waste (MSW) versus the corresponding lysimeters. While the lysimeter pans were installed in the middle of each of the three test sections to measure percolation, the instrumented area of the test section was expanded upslope and downslope of the lysimeter to monitor the soil water storages within and beyond the lysimeter footprint. About 35 sensors were installed in each of the three test sections to monitor water contents, water potentials, soil temperatures, water levels, and gas pressures. The soil water storages for the uncompacted test sections that were underlain by the waste were typically greater than those for the corresponding lysimeters. However, for the compacted test section, there was no significant difference between the soil water storage for the actual cap and the lysimeter. The percolation rate for the compacted clay test section was on the order of a few millimeters per year, while that for the uncompacted test sections were in the order of tens of centimeters per year. This difference is attributed to the two order of magnitude lower hydraulic conductivity of the compacted clay. The field data collected in this project validates previously published numerical results regarding hydraulic differences between lysimeters and actual caps.
Toward a Theory of Interaction: The Iowa School
Authors: Miller Dan E.
Published: September 2011

The Iowa School of Symbolic Interaction was founded with the intent to build a science of interaction, self, and mind. Early studies focused on data generated by the Twenty Statements Test and the subsequent development of self theory. In the late 1960s a small‐groups laboratory was constructed. With this lab and the development of video‐recording technology, researchers at Iowa were able to analyze various interaction processes. The video recordings of interaction provided researchable data. With these data, researchers produced precise analytic descriptions of interaction processes and forms. From these descriptions interactional concepts were developed primarily through a grounded theoretical approach. Recently, Iowa School symbolic interaction has moved out of the laboratory and into the field with some theoretical and practical advances.
Association of Late-Preterm Birth With Asthma in Young Children: Practice-Based Study
Authors: Goyal Neera K. , Fiks Alexander G. , Lorch Scott A.
Published: September 2011

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the association of late-preterm birth with asthma severity among young children.

METHODS:

A retrospective cohort study was performed with electronic health record data from 31 practices affiliated with an academic medical center. Participants included children born in 2007 at 34 to 42 weeks of gestation and monitored from birth to 18 months. We used multivariate logistic or Poisson models to assess the impact of late-preterm (34–36 weeks) and low-normal (37–38 weeks) compared with term (39–42 weeks) gestation on diagnoses of asthma and persistent asthma, inhaled corticosteroid use, and numbers of acute respiratory visits.

RESULTS:

Our population included 7925 infants (7% late-preterm and 21% low-normal gestation). Overall, 8.3% had been diagnosed with asthma by 18 months. Compared with term gestation, late-preterm gestation was associated with significant increases in persistent asthma diagnoses (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.68), inhaled corticosteroid use (aOR: 1.66), and numbers of acute respiratory visits (incidence rate ratio: 1.44). Low-normal gestation was associated with increases in asthma diagnoses (aOR: 1.34) and inhaled corticosteroid use (aOR: 1.39).

CONCLUSION:

Birth at late-preterm and low-normal gestational ages might be an important risk factor for the development of asthma and for increased health service use in early childhood.
Further developments in self-fertilising geotextiles for use in pervious pavements
Authors: Newman A. P. , Nnadi E. O. , Duckers L. J. , Cobley A. J.
Published: September 2011

Geotextiles incorporating inorganic nutrients (particularly phosphorous) to enhance the growth of oil degrading microoganisms when geotextiles are used in pervious pavement applications have been shown to be effective in the past. However the cost and manufacturing difficulties have been a barrier to their use. A polypropylene random mat geotextile incorporating an alternative polymer additive as a source of phosphorus has been investigated as a potential self-fertilising geotextile. Experiments are reported which investigate nutrient leach rates, biofilm formation and biodegradation activity.
Laboratory study on factors influencing nitrogen removal in marble chip biofilters incorporating nitritation and anammox
Authors: Tao Wendong , Wen Jianfeng , Norton Christopher
Published: September 2011

It remains challenging to integrate nitritation and anammox in ecologically engineered treatment systems such as passive biofilters that are packed with natural materials and have low energy inputs. This study explored the factors influencing nitritation-anammox through parallel operation of two laboratory-scale biofilters packed with large and small marble chips respectively. Clean marble chips (mainly CaCO3) had an alkalinity dissolution rate of 130 mg CaCO3/kg marble d when water pH approached 6.5. Marble chips effectively increased water pH and provided sufficient alkalinity to support nitritation-anammox in the biofilters. Ammonium and total nitrogen removal decreased by 47 and 26%, respectively, when nutrients were not amended to influent. An influent nitrite concentration above 8.9 mg N/L could inhibit anammox in thin biofilms of biofilters. Nitritation-anammox was enhanced with a hydraulic retention time of 2 d relative to 7 d, likely due to enhanced air entrainment. Size of marble chips rarely made a significant difference in nitrogen removal, possibly due to sufficient surface area available for bacterial attachment and alkalinity dissolution.
Application of the biotic ligand model to predict copper acute toxicity to Medaka fish in typical Chinese rivers
Authors: Wang Chunyan , Chen Hao , Wu Kuen Benjamin , An Lihui , Zheng Binghui
Published: September 2011

LA50, the Lethal Accumulation of Cu on the Medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) gills that results in 50% mortality during a toxicological exposure (96 hours) in synthetic water was assessed by use of the biotic ligand model (BLM). The LA50 was employed to predict the 96 h Cu toxicity (LC50) to this fish in different natural surface waters in China. The LC50 values were predicted with errors of no more than 1.55 for the river water except for two water samples, one of which was from a tidal river and the other of which was from a river that was subject to joint metal pollution and possibly affected by other pollutants.
Self-Concept Differentiation and Self-Concept Clarity across Adulthood: Associations with Age and Psychological Well-Being
Authors: Diehl Manfred , Hay Elizabeth L.
Published: September 2011

This study focused on the identification of conceptually meaningful groups of individuals based on their joint self-concept differentiation (SCD) and self-concept clarity (SCC) scores. Notably, we examined whether membership in different SCD-SCC groups differed by age and also was associated with differences in psychological well-being (PWB). Cluster analysis revealed five distinct SCD-SCC groups: a self-assured, unencumbered, fragmented-only, confused-only, and fragmented and confused group. Individuals in the self-assured group had the highest mean scores for positive PWB and the lowest mean scores for negative PWB, whereas individuals in the fragmented and confused group showed the inverse pattern. Findings showed that it was psychologically advantageous to belong to the self-assured group at all ages. As hypothesized, older adults were more likely than young adults to be in the self-assured cluster, whereas young adults were more likely to be in the fragmented and confused cluster. Thus, consistent with extant theorizing, age was positively associated with psychologically adaptive self-concept profiles.
The Mediating Effects of Lifestyle Factors on the Relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Self-Rated Health among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Korea
Authors: Kim Jinhyun
Published: September 2011

Little is known about how different lifestyle factors mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and health among middle-aged and older adults in Korea. Using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, this study examined the direct effects of SES on self-rated health and how lifestyle factors mediate the relationships between SES and self-rated health. This study further tested whether the effects of SES and lifestyle factors differ as people age. The findings indicate that higher levels of income and education as well as not being in poverty predicted better self-rated health. Meanwhile, engaging in regular exercise and being underweight significantly mediated the relationship between education and self-rated health as well as between poverty and self-rated health. Finally, poverty and regular exercise had a greater impact on self-rated health in old age than in middle age. Implications for enhancing antipoverty policies and exercise programs are discussed.
Members of the CREB/ATF and AP1 family of transcription factors are involved in the regulation of SOX18 gene expression
Authors: Petrovic Isidora , Kovacevic-Grujicic Natasa , Popovic Jelena , Krstic A. , Milivojevic Milena , Stevanovic Milena
Published: August 2011

The SOX18 transcription factor plays an important role in endothelial cell
specification, angiogenesis and atherogenesis. By profiling transcription
factor interactions (TranSignal TM TF Protein Array) we identified several
transcription factors implicated in angiogenesis that have the ability to
bind to the SOX18 optimal promoter region in vitro. In this report we
focused our attention on distinct transcription factors identified by the
array as belonging to AP-1 and CREB/ATF protein families. In particular, we
analyzed the effects of CREB, JunB, c-Jun and ATF3 on SOX18 gene expression.
Functional analysis revealed that CREB acts as a repressor, while JunB,
c-Jun and ATF3 act as activators of SOX18 promoter activity. Our findings
indicate that a transcriptional network that includes CREB, JunB, c-Jun and
ATF3 could be involved in angiogenesis-related transcriptional regulation of
the SOX18 gene.
Large cell lung carcinoma with rhabdoid phenotype: Case report
Authors: Krcedinac Jelena , Panjkovic Milana , Bozanic Snezana , Samardzija Golub , Stojanovic Milos
Published: August 2011

Large cell carcinoma of the lung with a rhabdoid phenotype is very rare. We
report a 62-year-old male patient admitted to our hospital due to chest pains
and hemoptysis. The computed tomography scan of the lungs revealed a massive
consolidation of the parenchyma in the upper right lobe. The right upper
lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node sampling were carried out. The
microscopic appearance suggested a large cell carcinoma with a rhabdoid
phenotype, with no foci of any other carcinomatous components. The tumor
cells had eosinophilic cytoplasmic globules and eccentric nuclei.
Immunohistochemically, vimentin was diffusely positive. The epithelial
membrane antigen and neuron-specific enolase were focally positive. We expect
a good outcome for this patient because the diagnostic procedure and
successful operation were performed in the early stage (IA-T1aN0) of the
disease.
Interaction of α-Melanocortin and Its Pentapeptide Antisense LVKAT: Effects on Hepatoprotection in Male CBA Mice
Authors: Houra Karlo , Turčić Petra , Gabričević Mario , Weitner Tin , Konjevoda Paško , Štambuk Nikola
Published: August 2011

The genetic code defines nucleotide patterns that code for individual amino acids and their complementary, i.e., antisense, pairs. Peptides specified by the complementary mRNAs often bind to each other with a higher specificity and efficacy. Applications of this genetic code property in biomedicine are related to the modulation of peptide and hormone biological function, selective immunomodulation, modeling of discontinuous and linear epitopes, modeling of mimotopes, paratopes and antibody mimetics, peptide vaccine development, peptidomimetic and drug design. We have investigated sense-antisense peptide interactions and related modulation of the peptide function by modulating the effects of a-MSH on hepatoprotection with its antisense peptide LVKAT. First, transcription of complementary mRNA sequence of a-MSH in 3’→5’ direction was used to design antisense peptide to the central motif that serves as a-MSH pharmacophore for melanocortin receptors. Second, tryptophan spectrofluorometric titration was applied to evaluate the binding of a-MSH and its central pharmacophore motif to the antisense peptide, and it was concluded that this procedure represents a simple and efficient method to evaluate sense-antisense peptide interaction in vitro. Third, we showed that antisense peptide LVKAT abolished potent hepatoprotective effects of a-MSH in vivo.
Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Oxymatrine from Sophora flavescens
Authors: Xia En-Qin , Cui Bo , Xu Xiang-Rong , Song Yang , Ai Xu-Xia , Li Hua-Bin
Published: August 2011

In this paper, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of oxymatrine from Sophora flavescens were studied by HPLC-photodiode array detection. Effects of several experimental parameters, such as concentration of extraction solvent, ratio of liquid to material, microwave power, extraction temperature, and extraction time on the extraction efficiencies of oxymatrine were evaluated. The optimal extraction conditions were 60% ethanol, a 20:1 (v/v) ratio of liquid to material and extraction for 10 min at 50 °C under 500 W microwave irradiation. Under the optimum conditions, the yield of oxymatrine was 14.37 mg/g. The crude extract obtained could be used as either a component of some complex traditional medicines or for further isolation and purification of bioactive compounds. The results, which indicated that MAE is a very useful tool for the extraction of important phytochemicals from plant materials, should prove helpful for the full utilization of Sophora flavescens.
Analytical Modeling for the Bending Resonant Frequency of Multilayered Microresonators with Variable Cross-Section
Authors: Herrera-May Agustín L. , Aguilera-Cortés Luz A. , Plascencia-Mora Hector , Rodríguez-Morales Ángel L. , Lu Jian
Published: August 2011

Multilayered microresonators commonly use sensitive coating or piezoelectric layers for detection of mass and gas. Most of these microresonators have a variable cross-section that complicates the prediction of their fundamental resonant frequency (generally of the bending mode) through conventional analytical models. In this paper, we present an analytical model to estimate the first resonant frequency and deflection curve of single-clamped multilayered microresonators with variable cross-section. The analytical model is obtained using the Rayleigh and Macaulay methods, as well as the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. Our model is applied to two multilayered microresonators with piezoelectric excitation reported in the literature. Both microresonators are composed by layers of seven different materials. The results of our analytical model agree very well with those obtained from finite element models (FEMs) and experimental data. Our analytical model can be used to determine the suitable dimensions of the microresonator’s layers in order to obtain a microresonator that operates at a resonant frequency necessary for a particular application.
Picornavirus Subversion of the Autophagy Pathway
Authors: Klein Kathryn A. , Jackson William T.
Published: August 2011

While autophagy has been shown to act as an anti-viral defense, the Picornaviridae avoid and, in many cases, subvert this pathway to promote their own replication. Evidence indicates that some picornaviruses hijack autophagy in order to induce autophagosome-like membrane structures for genomic RNA replication. Expression of picornavirus proteins can specifically induce the machinery of autophagy, although the mechanisms by which the viruses employ autophagy appear to differ. Many picornaviruses up-regulate autophagy in order to promote viral replication while some members of the family also inhibit degradation by autolysosomes. Here we explore the unusual relationship of this medically important family of viruses with a degradative mechanism of innate immunity.
Hétérogénéité, mémoire longue et dynamique du taux de change réel
Authors: Fève Patrick
Published: August 2011

Hétérogénéité, mémoire longue et dynamique du taux de change réel

par Patrick Fève

L'hypothèse de Parité de Pouvoir d'Achat peut être considérée comme l'une des théories du taux de change à l'équilibre les plus influentes en macro-économie ouverte. D'un point de vue empirique, c'est également l'une des plus étudiées mais aussi l'une des plus contestées. Après avoir dégagé les principaux enjeux liés à l'évaluation quantitative de la PPA, nous proposons de tester cette hypothèse à travers l'estimation de processus fractionnaires. Ce type de modélisation permet de traiter partiellement le problème de l'hétérogénéité mais constitue surtout une représentation plus générale de la dynamique du taux de change réel. Les tests de mémoire longue sont appliqués au taux de change réel du franc français contre le deutschemark, le dollar américain, la lire italienne et la livre sterling. La portée des résultats issus d'une telle modélisation reste cependant assez limitée, puisqu'il apparaît difficile de conclure quant à la pertinence empirique de l'hypothèse de PPA à long terme pour le deutschemark et la lire. De plus, hypothèse de racine unitaire ne peut être rejetée pour le dollar et la livre.
Retour à la moyenne dans les cours du change du mécanisme de change européen : 1987-1995
Authors: Pentecôte Jean-Sébastien , Roncalli Thierry
Published: August 2011

Retour à la moyenne dans les cours du change du mécanisme de change européen : 1987-1995

par Jean-Sébastien Pentecôte et Thierry Roncalli

Cet article étudie l'effet de retour à la moyenne des cours quotidiens des monnaies du Mécanisme de Change Européen et du dollar par rapport au mark sur la période 1987-1995. La force de rappel semble varier au cours de cet intervalle. Cependant, elle est rarement significative. Notre étude n'apporte pas un soutien convaincant aux enseignements des modèles théoriques de zone cible. À l'exception du franc belge et du florin, la valeur d'attraction du change estimée diffère de la parité officielle. Concernant le dollar, les Accords Louvre paraissent avoir été remis en cause après le krach boursier d'octobre 1987.
Le partage de la valeur ajoutée dans le cycle
Authors: Hurlin Christophe , Portier Franck
Published: August 2011

Le partage de la valeur ajoutée dans le cycle. Quelques pistes de modélisation en équilibre général

Christophe Hurlin et Franck Portier

Notre objectif dans cet article est de présenter un rapide constat empirique de l'évolution cyclique du partage de la valeur ajoutée dans les pays du G7 de 1960 à 1994, puis de proposer quelques pistes de modélisation des fluctuations conjoncturelles de ce partage dans le cadre des modèles stochastiques dynamiques d'équilibre général à anticipations rationnelles.
La politique sucrière européenne après les accords du Gatt
Authors: Combette Patricia , Giraud-Héraud Eric , Réquillart Vincent
Published: August 2011

The European Sugar Policy Following the GATT Agreements. An Analysis of Some Development Scenarios by Patricia Combette, Éric Giraud-Héraud and Vincent Réquillart

Much criticism has been made of the common organisation of the sugar market based on a quota system. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a study of possible reforms to the common organisation of the sugar market. The presentation of its COM characteristics highlights the role of taxes in production choices and in the transmission of global price variations on the internal sugar market. The article studies the effect on producer surpluses of a reduction in the European quota, the creation of a single quota and the effect of adapting to the constraints imposed by the GATT. A reduction in the overall quota to comply with these constraints brings about an increase in producer surpluses.
Une approche bilatérale des réalignements au sein du Mécanisme de change européen (mars 1979 - décembre 1992)
Authors: Pentecôte Jean-Sébastien , Sénégas Marc-Alexandre
Published: August 2011

Une approche bilatérale des réalignements au sein du Mécanisme de change européen

(mars 1979 - décembre 1992) par Jean-Sébastien Pentecôte et Marc- Alexandre Sénégas

Dans cet article, nous présentons un modèle de réalignement du cours de change dans une zone cible bilatérale. Cette modélisation se situe au confluent de deux courants d'analyse : les zones cibles et les crises de balance des paiements. À partir de ce cadre théorique, nous construisons un modèle Tobit pour étudier des réalignements qui se sont produits dans le Mécanisme de change européen (MCE) entre mars 1979 et décembre 1992. Nous examinons si ces derniers peuvent être envisagés comme résultant d'une règle de décision commune aux membres fondateurs du MCE et s'il peut être dégagé, sur la période étudiée, des tendances lourdes dans leur nature et leur déclenchement. Nous évaluons également le degré d'adéquation des politiques monétaires européennes.
An ontology of fungal subcellular traits
Authors: Kumar T. K. Arun , Crow John A. , Wennblom Trevor J. , Abril Maritza , Letcher Peter M. , Blackwell Meredith , Roberson Robert W. , McLaughlin David J.
Published: August 2011

•Premise of the study: The Fungal Subcellular Ontology used in the Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life project is a taxon‐wide ontology (controlled vocabulary for attributes) designed to clarify and integrate the broad range of subcellular characters and character states used in higher‐level fungal systematics. As in the algae, cellular characters are important phylogenetic markers in kingdom Fungi. The Fungal Subcellular Ontology has been developed primarily to help researchers, especially systematists, in their search for information on subcellular characters across the Fungi, and it complements existing biological ontologies, including the Gene Ontology.

•Methods: The character and character state data set used in the Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life Structural and Biochemical Database (http://aftol.umn.edu) is the source of terms for generating the ontology. After the terms were accessioned and defined, they were combined in OBO‐Edit file format, and the ontology was edited using OBO‐Edit, an open source Java tool supported by the Gene Ontology project.

•Key results: The Fungal Subcellular Ontology covers both model and nonmodel fungi in great detail and is downloadable in OBO‐Edit format at website http://aftol.umn.edu/ontology/fungal_subcellular.obo.

•Conclusions: The ontology provides a controlled vocabulary of fungal subcellular terms and functions as an operating framework for the Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life Structural and Biochemical Database. An ontology‐based design enhances reuse of data deposited in the Structural and Biochemical Database from other independent biological and genetic databases. Data integration approaches that advance access to data from the diversity of biological databases are imperative as interdisciplinary research gains importance. In this sense, the Fungal Subcellular Ontology becomes highly relevant to mycologists as well as nonmycologists because fungi interact actively as symbionts and parasites or passively with many other life forms.
Compound leaf development in the palmChamaedorea elegansis KNOX‐independent
Authors: Nowak Julia S. , Bolduc Nathalie , Dengler Nancy G. , Posluszny Usher
Published: September 2011

•Premise of the study:How a leaf acquires its shape is a major and largely unresolved question in plant biology. This problem is particularly complex in the case of compound leaves, where the leaf blade is subdivided into leaflets. In many eudicots with compound leaves, class IKNOTTED1‐LIKE HOMEOBOX(KNOX) genes are upregulated in the leaf primordium and promote leaflet initiation, whileKNOXgenes are restricted to the shoot apical meristem in simple‐leaved plants. In monocots, however, little is known about the extent ofKNOXcontribution to compound leaf development, and we aimed to address this issue in the palmChamaedorea elegans.

•Methods:We investigated the accumulation pattern of KNOX proteins in shoot apical meristems and leaf primordia of the palmC. elegansusing immunolocalization experiments.

•Key results:KNOX proteins accumulated in vegetative and inflorescence apical meristems and in the subtending stem tissue, but not in the plicated regions of the leaf primordia. These plicated areas form during primary morphogenesis and are the only meristematic tissue in the developing primordium. In addition, KNOX proteins did not accumulate in any region of the developing leaf during secondary morphogenesis, when leaflets separate to create the final pinnately compound leaf.

•Conclusions:The compound leaf character in palms,C. elegansin particular and likely other pinnately compound palms, does not depend on the activities of KNOX proteins.
Room temperature excitation spectroscopy of single quantum dots
Authors: Blum Christian , Schleifenbaum Frank , Stopel Martijn , Peter Sébastien , Sackrow Marcus , Subramaniam Vinod , Meixner Alfred J
Published: August 2011

We report a single molecule detection scheme to investigate excitation spectra of single emitters at room temperature. We demonstrate the potential of single emitter photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy by recording excitation spectra of single CdSe nanocrystals over a wide spectral range of 100 nm. The spectra exhibit emission intermittency, characteristic of single emitters. We observe large variations in the spectra close to the band edge, which represent the individual heterogeneity of the observed quantum dots. We also find specific excitation wavelengths for which the single quantum dots analyzed show an increased propensity for a transition to a long-lived dark state. We expect that the additional capability of recording excitation spectra at room temperature from single emitters will enable insights into the photophysics of emitters that so far have remained inaccessible.
La perception des inégalités en France depuis dix ans
Authors: Forsé Michel , Parodi Maxime
Published: August 2011

Résumé La comparaison des enquêtes ISSP de 1999 et 2009 montre que la crise financière de 2008 n’a pas fortement bouleversé les perceptions qu’ont les Français des inégalités salariales, ni leurs souhaits de correction de celles-ci ou encore leur sentiment de justice concernant leur salaire. Pour l’essentiel, ils continuent de penser que les inégalités en France sont trop fortes, qu’il faut les réduire nettement et qu’ils ne sont pas payés à la hauteur de leur mérite. En même temps, sur la période considérée, le niveau des inégalités apparaît objectivement assez stable au sein de la plus grande partie de la population et seule une petite élite voit ses revenus s’envoler. La stabilité des opinions semble refléter fidèlement cet état de fait d’autant que, dans le détail, les Français semblent aussi assez conscients qu’il se passe quelque chose en haut de la pyramide, en particulier du côté des PDG. Aussi, dans l’ensemble, ils continuent de souhaiter que l’on corrige les inégalités salariales à peu près dans les mêmes proportions qu’il y a dix ans. Et lorsque les excès récents sont perçus, la demande consiste à les corriger d’autant.
Spontaneous Resolution of Macular Fold Following Retinal Reattachment: Morphologic Features on SD-OCT
Authors: Ahn Seong Joon , Woo Se Joon , Ahn Jeeyun , Park Kyu Hyung
Published: August 2011

Macular fold is an infrequent complication after retinal detachment surgery. In this report, long-term changes of macular fold are demonstrated using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Although spontaneous resolution was noted in this study, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography revealed morphologic changes in the photoreceptor layer after resolution of macular fold, hyperreflective photoreceptor outer segment, and distorted Henle’s fiber layer, which might be associated with poor visual outcome even after resolution of the fold.