bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Facial Nerve Palsy Complicating Kawasaki Disease
Authors: Wright Helen , Waddington Claire , Geddes Janet , Newburger Jane W. , Burgner David
Published: August 2008

The diagnosis of Kawasaki disease, the most common cause of pediatric acquired heart disease, is difficult and often delayed for children whose age falls outside the typical range of 6 months to 5 years, especially in those with incomplete Kawasaki disease and atypical features. Delayed diagnosis is associated with an increased incidence of coronary artery pathology. Here we describe 2 cases of lower motor neuron facial nerve palsy complicating Kawasaki disease. In both cases the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease was not made acutely, and both patients developed extensive coronary artery lesions. These cases highlight the importance of considering Kawasaki disease in children with unexplained prolonged fever at any age, particularly those without full diagnostic criteria and with unusual features.
Hydro-hegemony and international water law: laying claims to water rights
Authors: Daoudy Marwa
Published: August 2008

This paper addresses hydro-hegemony from the perspective of International Water Law, by examining the role of law in upstream/downstream negotiations. It is built on the understanding that International Water Law constitutes an element of power relations, asserting that it is a source of structural and bargaining power. The first section of the paper discusses main principles that have emerged, and their establishment as terms of reference for water cooperation. In the second part, competing claims are analysed to see how co-riparians in the Euphrates and Tigris basins have provided deliberately conflicting interpretations over “International rivers”, “equitable and reasonable utilization”, “no harm”, “prior notification” and “consultation” to derive negotiating positions and influence from International Water Law. Conclusions point to the understanding of water law as a structural variable, impacting on the actors’ constraints and options and enhancing the structural power of the non-hegemonic riparians. International Water Law appears to operate as well as process-related variable which influences the process and outcome of water negotiations. As a source of bargaining power, legal principles increase the legitimacy of downstream riparians and enhances their bargaining position in the negotiation process.
DBP formation in drinking water: kinetics and linear modelling
Authors: Greca G. Della , Fabbricino M.
Published: August 2008

An original approach for modelling disinfection by-products formation in chlorinated water is proposed. Assuming a multi-step formation mechanism, and introducing partition coefficients to differentiate the various compounds formed as a consequence of halogen incorporation and oxidation reactions, a system of linear differential equations is obtained and solved in explicit terms. Two sets of solutions are derived: the first one assuming that the reaction rate is the same for all species included in the model, as a consequence of steady state approximation; the second one assuming that the reaction rate is different from one species to another. Experimental data, obtained varying reaction time and chlorine dose, are used to calibrate the two models. Statistic tests are also performed to compare the two sets of solutions and validate the assumed hypotheses.
Efficacy and Safety of Technosphere Inhaled Insulin Compared With Technosphere Powder Placebo in Insulin-Naive Type 2 Diabetes Suboptimally Controlled With Oral Agents
Authors: Rosenstock Julio , Bergenstal Richard , DeFronzo Ralph A. , Hirsch Irl B. , Klonoff David , Boss Anders H. , Kramer David , Petrucci Richard , Yu Wen , Levy Brian ,   for the 0008 Study Group
Published: August 2008

OBJECTIVE—This double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multicenter, parallel-group study compared the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of Technosphere insulin with Technosphere powder as placebo in insulin-naive type 2 diabetic patients whose diabetes was suboptimally controlled with oral antidiabetic agents.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Patients (n = 126) were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of therapy with Technosphere insulin or Technosphere powder after lifestyle education on nutrition, exercise, and instructions on inhaler use. The primary efficacy outcome was change in A1C from baseline to study end, and the secondary efficacy outcome was area under the curve for postprandial glucose levels during a meal test at treatment weeks 4, 8, and 12.

RESULTS—A1C reduction from a mean baseline of 7.9% was greater with Technosphere insulin than with Technosphere powder (−0.72 vs. −0.30%; P = 0.003). Postprandial glucose excursions were reduced by 56% with Technosphere insulin compared with baseline, and maximal postprandial glucose levels were reduced by 43% compared with Technosphere powder. Incidences of hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, cough, and other adverse events were low in both groups. Body weight was unchanged in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS—Technosphere insulin was well tolerated and demonstrated significant improvement in glycemic control with clinically meaningful reductions in A1C levels and postprandial glucose concentrations after 12 weeks of treatment.
Service-oriented Subscription Management of Medical Decision Data in the Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Decruyenaere J. , Danneels C. , Taveirne K. , Colpaert K. , Hoste E. , Dhoedt B. , De Turck F. , Van Hoecke S.
Published: August 2008

Objectives:
This paper addresses the design of a platform for the management of medical decision data in the ICU. Whenever new medical data from laboratories or monitors is available or at fixed times, the appropriate medical support services are activated and generate a medical alert or suggestion to the bedside terminal, the physician’s PDA, smart phone or mailbox. Since future ICU systems will rely ever more on medical decision support, a generic and flexible subscription platform is of high importance.

Methods:
Our platform is designed based on the principles of service-oriented architectures, and is fundamental for service deployment since the medical support services only need to implement their algorithm and can rely on the platform for general functionalities. A secure communication and execution environment are also provided.

Results:
A prototype, where medical support services can be easily plugged in, has been implemented using Web service technology and is currently being evaluated by the Department of Intensive Care of the Ghent University Hospital. To illustrate the platform operation and performance, two prototype medical support services are used, showing that the extra response time introduced by the platform is less than 150 ms.

Conclusions:
The platform allows for easy integration with hospital information systems. The platform is generic and offers user-friendly patient/service subscription, transparent data and service resource management and priority-based filtering of messages. The performance has been evaluated and it was shown that the response time of platform components is negligible compared to the execution time of the medical support services.
FLEXIBLE WORKING IN SCOTTISH LOCAL AUTHORITY PROPERTY: DEVELOPING A COMBINED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Authors: Khamkanya Thadsin , Sloan Brian
Published: August 2008

As indicated in Government reports and previous research, the traditional office environment of both central and local governments has been occupied with high occupancy cost. Flexible working supported by information and communication technology, human resource, and workspace management has emerged as a modern concept for managing office resources. Workspace management models covering both activity‐based working area and portfolio flexibility are developed to assist an organisation to allocate staff and working area more flexibly and efficiently. However, public organisations like Scottish Local Authorities (SLAs) are unlikely to fully adopt commercial workspace management models. Therefore, the concept of a combined resource management strategy has been introduced to assist the Authorities in considering adoption in financial/economic terms before taking‐up of flexible working in practice.

Santrauka

Kaip rodo Vyriausybės ataskaitos ir ankstesnis tyrimas, ir centrinės, ir vietos valdžios tradiciniuose biuruose daug dėmesio skirta didelėms turto valdymo sąnaudoms. Lankstus grafi kas, pagrįstas informacinių ir komunikacinių technologijų, žmogiškųjų išteklių ir darbo vietos vadyba, atsirado kaip modernus biuro išteklių valdymo būdas. Jau yra darbo vietos valdymo modelių, kurie apima ir su veikla susijusią darbo vietą, ir portfelio lankstumą, leidžia organizacijai lanksčiau ir efektyviau paskirstyti darbuotojus bei biurų plotą. Tačiau mažai tikėtina, kad valstybinės organizacijos, pavyzdžiui, Škotijos vietos valdžia, perims nepakeistus komercinius darbo vietos valdymo modelius. Todėl pristatyta kombinuotos išteklių vadybos strategijos idėja, kuri padėtų valdžiai apsvarstyti modelių taikymą fi nansine ir ekonomine prasme prieš realiai imantis lankstaus darbo.
URBAN REGENERATION ECONOMICS: THE CASE OF LISBON'S OLD DOWNTOWN
Authors: Ribeiro Francisco Loforte
Published: August 2008

Buildings are one of the biggest assets of Lisbon's central downtown accumulated over a period of several centuries. The efficient use and optimization of the value of these assets are a challenge for both the owners of individual buildings and for society as a whole. Recently, a new regeneration initiative was announced for old urban Lisbon's downtown, covering three fields of intervention: the economic, social and physical fields. This paper presents a case study of the regeneration program for the Lisbon's old downtown including an analysis of the framework used to assess the costs and benefits. Santrauka Pastatai – tai vienas pagrindinių Lisabonos centrinio komercinio rajono turtų, sukauptų per keletą amžių. Efektyvus šio turto naudojimas ir vertės optimizavimas – tai iššūkis ir atskirų pastatų savininkams, ir visai visuomenei. Neseniai paskelbta nauja senojo Lisabonos komercinio rajono atgaivinimo iniciatyva, apimanti tris intervencijos sritis: ekonominę, socialinę ir fi zinę. Šiame darbe pristatomas senojo Lisabonos komercinio rajono atgaivinimo programos atvejo tyrimas, pateikiama sąnaudų bei naudingumo įvertinimo sistemos analizė.
Improving low‐density polyethylene/poly(ethylene terephthalate) blends with graft copolymers
Authors: El‐Nashar D. E. , Maziad N. A. , Sadek E. M.
Published: August 2008

Blends of low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) were prepared with different weight compositions with a plasticorder at 240°C at a rotor speed of 64 rpm for 10 min. The physicomechanical properties of the prepared blends were investigated with special reference to the effects of the blend ratio. Graft copolymers, that is, LDPE‐grafted acrylic acid and LDPE‐grafted acrylonitrile, were prepared with γ‐irradiation. The copolymers were melt‐mixed in various contents (i.e., 3, 5, 7, and 9 phr) with a LDPE/PET blend with a weight ratio of 75/25 and used as compatibilizers. The effect of the compatibilizer contents on the physicomechanical properties and equilibrium swelling of the binary blend was investigated. With an increase in the compatibilizer content up to 7 phr, the blend showed an improvement in the physicomechanical properties and reduced equilibrium swelling in comparison with the uncompatibilized one. The addition of a compatibilizer beyond 7 phr did not improve the blend properties any further. The efficiency of the compatibilizers (7 phr) was also evaluated by studies of the phase morphology (scanning electron microscopy) and thermal properties (differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis). © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Differential diagnostic features of small cell carcinoma in the uterine cervix
Authors: Kim Min Jung , Kim Na Rae , Cho Hyun Yee , Lee Soon Pyo , Ha Seung Yeon
Published: August 2008

Small cell carcinoma (SMCC) of the uterine cervix is rare and known to be an aggressive tumor, but there are only few reports on the cytologic features of cervical SMCC. This rare small cell lesion should be distinguished from malignant lymphoma (ML), squamous cell carcinoma in situ (SCIS), and chronic lymphocytic cervicitis (CLC). By clarifying cytologic features and reevaluating the significance of cervical cytologic smears to reveal these cervical lesions, we can improve the diagnostic specificity and patient's outcome. The clinical record and available cervical smears from 13 cases of SMCC, four cases of malignant lymphoma, 20 cases of SCIS, and five cases of CLC were analyzed. The cytologic differential diagnostic points of SMCC were nuclear molding and smearing (100%), salt and pepper chromatin (100%), exudative and necrotic background (91.7%), various architectures including individual cells (83.3%), tight clusters (75%) and feathering and strip (50%), and inconspicuous nucleoli (75%). Early diagnosis of the cervical SMCC by cytology and treatment is important for better outcome of patients. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2008;36:618–623. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
High‐grade neuroendocrine carcinoma presenting as an abscess: Diagnosis by fine needle aspiration and review of the literature
Authors: Herbst Jonathon B. , Walts Ann E.
Published: August 2008

Neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC) comprise about 2% of all carcinomas. Review of the literature indicates only a few cases of NEC presenting as an abscess, all having been diagnosed by tissue biopsy. Here, we report the FNA diagnosis of a high‐grade neuroendocrine carcinoma presenting as an abscess of the axilla/chest wall in a 68‐year‐old man and review the pertinent literature. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2008;36:670–673. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Time‐lapse video observation of erosion processes on the Black Marls badlands in the Southern Alps, France
Authors: Yamakoshi Takao , Mathys Nicolle , Klotz Sébastien
Published: August 2008

In order to clarify the erosion processes on a marly bare slope in the Southern Alps, the erosion processes in a steep and erodible slope composed of the Black Marls Formation were observed by a time‐lapse video camera. The observations revealed that miniature debris flows (MDFs) occurred at the time of the rainfall‐runoff event in which the most severe erosion took place in the whole observation period of 3 months. Analysis of the camera images showed some characteristics of the MDFs, and these are discussed in the context of real rainfall‐runoff phenomena observed at the outlet of a small experimental basin including the visually observed slope. The following results were obtained. (1) A rough estimation of the total amount of sediment discharge by the MDFs showed that it was not negligible quantitatively. (2) The MDFs occurred only during the rising limb of the hydrograph during 6 minutes. (3) Based on this observation and a review of the literature, in a very steep and highly erodible slope, MDFs or similar phenomena might play an important role in the erosion and transport processes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.
Seismic loading impacts on excess pore‐water pressure maintain landslide triggered flowslides
Authors: Wang Gonghui , Sassa Kyoji
Published: August 2008

During the 2003 Sanriku‐Minami earthquake, Japan, a flowslide was triggered on a slope of about 13.5º. The displaced landslide mass developed into a flowslide and deposited on a horizontal rice paddy after traveling approximately 130 m. To study the trigger and movement mechanisms of this landslide, field investigation and laboratory ring‐shear tests were performed. Field investigation revealed that the landslide originated from a fill slope, where a gully was buried for cultivation some decades ago, and shallow ground water was present. Undrained monotonic and cyclic ring‐shear tests on a sample (pyroclastic deposits) taken from the source area revealed that the soil is highly liquefiable, and its steady‐state shear strength can be little affected by overconsolidation. Using the seismic records of the earthquake, probable seismic loadings on the sliding surface were synthesized and applied to the samples in ring‐shear tests, which were performed under undrained or partially drained conditions. The undrained and partially drained tests revealed that shear failure can be triggered by the introduction of seismic loading and formation of excess pore‐water pressure. The generation of excess pore‐water pressure along with increase of shear displacement and the inhibited dissipation of excess pore‐water pressure due to the thickness of the saturated soil layer above the sliding surface probably enabled the continued post‐failure landsliding. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Generalised reliability‐based syndrome decoding of LDPC codes
Authors: Li Guangwen , Feng Guangzeng
Published: August 2008

Aimed at bridging the gap between the maximum likelihood and the suboptimal decoding schemes for short or medium LDPC codes, a generalised ordered statistic decoding (OSD), in the form of syndrome decoding, is presented in the paper. The OSD is invoked once when a nonzero decoding syndrome is returned for the preceded belief propagation (BP) or min‐sum (MS) variants. With respect to the OSD with an accumulative reliability metric for the BP in the logarithmic likelihood ratio (LLR) domain, we extend the metric to the BP in the probability domain. Furthermore, the OSD with the metric specific for the MS variants, shows an appealing trade‐off between performance and complexity. Meanwhile, when determining the optimal error pattern estimation, an alternative designed to reduce the number of the required real additions proves to be effective. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A composite scaffold of PLGA microspheres/fibrin gel for cartilage tissue engineering: Fabrication, physical properties, and cell responsiveness
Authors: Zhao Haiguang , Ma Lie , Gao Changyou , Shen Jiacong
Published: August 2008

A composite scaffold of poly(L‐lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres and fibrin gel was fabricated by blending fibrinogen‐immobilized PLGA microspheres with fibrinogen and thrombin solution. The PLGA microspheres with a size of 70 ∼ 100 μm were aminolyzed in a hexanediamine/n‐propanol solution to introduce free amino groups on their surface. The fibrinogen immobilization was achieved by glutaraldehyde coupling. When the NH2 content on the microsphere surface was increased from ∼2 × 10−8 mol/mg to ∼4 × 10−8 mol/mg, the fibrinogen amount was correspondingly increased from ∼35 μg/mg to ∼70 μg/mg. Measured by UV‐VIS spectroscopy, the clotting time of the composite was less influenced by the microsphere amount, but mainly controlled by the thrombin concentration. When the thrombin concentration was higher than 15 U/mL, the gelation could be finished within 1 min and yielded a composite with evenly suspended and distributed PLGA microspheres. Blending with the microspheres could significantly improve the elastic modulus of the hydrogel as well, whereas less influence on the chondrocyte proliferation and extracellular matrix production. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2009
The curve integration method is comparable to manual segmentation for the analysis of bone/scaffold composites using micro‐CT
Authors: Hilldore Amanda J. , Morgan Abby W. , Woodard Joseph R. , Wagoner Johnson Amy J.
Published: August 2008

Microcomputed tomography (micro‐CT) is becoming a more common imaging technique in tissue engineering and has been used to characterize scaffold pore size, pore fraction, and bone ingrowth, among other characteristics. Despite the increasingly widespread use, no standards exist for segmenting images. Manual segmentation, a common segmentation method, is subjective, time consuming, and has been shown to be inaccurate and unreliable. The curve integration method was previously introduced as a method to accurately calculate the volume fraction of constituents in bone scaffolds from micro‐CT data. In this article, the curve integration method is compared to manual image segmentation in order to validate the former method. Three cases are presented from two in vivo bone regeneration studies that include cross‐sections from a rabbit calvarial defect used to study drug delivery, and cross‐sections and small volumes of hydroxyapatite scaffold‐bone composites from a porcine intramuscular study. The analysis shows that the curve integration method models the data accurately and can be used to calculate volume fractions of the materials in the sample. Furthermore, the curve integration method is faster and less labor intensive than manual image segmentation. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2009
PLDLA mesh and 60/40 biphasic calcium phosphate in iliac crest regeneration in the goat
Authors: Krijnen Matthijs R. , Smit Theo H. , Everts Vincent , Wuisman Paul I. J. M.
Published: August 2008

Although morbidity of the iliac crest after grafting has been reported to occur frequently, it is the most widely used donor site. A proper regeneration of the defect could decrease morbidity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two types of reconstruction of standardized critical size defects of the iliac crest after 3, 6, and 12 months. Standardized critical defects in iliac crests were bilaterally reconstructed in 28 goats randomly with (1) no reconstruction (group A); (2) a bioresorbable polylactide mesh (group B); or (3) 60/40 biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) granules placed within a bioresorbable mesh (group C). At follow up, the iliac crests were harvested for histologic, histomorphometric, and radiologic analyses. The defects treated with “mesh‐BCP” (group C) showed a significantly (p = 0.03) larger area with diffuse bone formation, while only a small area of high density trabecular bone ingrowth was observed in the “no reconstruction” (group A) and “mesh group” (group B). However, no difference in the total volume of bone was observed; in group C, the bone was more diffusely spread over the defect. Substitution of the BCP granules by trabecular bone did not start before 6 months. At the 12 months time point, extensive resorption of BCP was found because of phagocytic activity of numerous multinucleated giant cells. We confirm the positive influence of BCP on bone formation but due to a slow rate of resorption of BCP, regeneration takes a relatively long period of time. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2009
Selective oxidation of styrene on an oxygen‐adsorbed Au(111): A density functional theory study
Authors: Xue Li‐Qin , Pang Xian‐Yong , Wang Gui‐Chang
Published: August 2008

The reaction mechanism for the styrene selective oxidation on the oxygen preadsorbed Au(111) surface has been studied by the density functional theory calculation with the periodic slab model. The calculated results showed that the process of reaction includes two steps: forming the oxametallacycle intermediate (OMME) and then producing the products. It was found that the second step, from OMME to product is the rate‐controlling step, which is similar to ethylene selective oxidation on Ag. Importantly, the present density‐functional‐theory calculation results suggested that the mechanism via the OMME (2) (i.e. the preadsorbed atomic oxygen bound to the CH2 group involved in C6H5CHCH2) to produce styrene epoxide is kinetically favored than that of OMME (1). © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2009
Morphology, development, and evolution of fetal membranes and placentation in squamate reptiles
Authors: Blackburn Daniel G. , Flemming Alexander F.
Published: August 2008

Current studies on fetal membranes of reptiles are providing insight into three major historical transformations: evolution of the amniote egg, evolution of viviparity, and evolution of placentotrophy. Squamates (lizards and snakes) are ideal for such studies because their fetal membranes sustain embryos in oviparous species and contribute to placentas in viviparous species. Ultrastructure of the fetal membranes in oviparous corn snakes (Pituophis guttatus) shows that the chorioallantois is specialized for gas exchange and the omphalopleure, for water absorption. Transmission and scanning electron microscopic studies of viviparous thamnophine snakes (Thamnophis, Storeria) have revealed morphological specializations for gas exchange and absorption in the intra‐uterine environment that represent modifications of features found in oviparous species. Thus, fetal membranes in oviparous species show morphological differentiation for distinct functions that have been recruited and enhanced under viviparous conditions. The ultimate in specialization of fetal membranes is found in viviparous skinks of South America (Mabuya) and Africa (Trachylepis, Eumecia), in which placentotrophy accounts for nearly all of the nutrients for development. Ongoing research on these lizards has revealed morphological specializations of the chorioallantoic placenta through which nutrient transfer is accomplished. In addition, African Trachylepis show an invasive form of implantation, in which uterine epithelium is replaced by invading chorionic cells. Ongoing analysis of these lizards shows how integration of multiple lines of evidence can provide insight into the evolution of developmental and reproductive specializations once thought to be confined to eutherian mammals. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Ecol.) 312B:579–589, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
α‐Phenyl‐n‐tert‐butyl‐nitrone attenuates lipopolysaccharide‐induced brain injury and improves neurological reflexes and early sensorimotor behavioral performance in juvenile rats
Authors: Fan Lir‐Wan , Chen Ruei‐Feng , Mitchell Helen J. , Lin Rick C. S. , Simpson Kimberly L. , Rhodes Philip G. , Cai Zhengwei
Published: August 2008

Our previous study showed that treatment with α‐phenyl‐n‐tert‐butyl‐nitrone (PBN) after exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) reduced LPS‐induced white matter injury in the neonatal rat brain. The object of the current study was to further examine whether PBN has long‐lasting protective effects and ameliorates LPS‐induced neurological dysfunction. Intracerebral (i.c.) injection of LPS (1 mg/kg) was performed in postnatal day (P) 5 Sprague Dawley rat pups and PBN (100 mg/kg) or saline was administered intraperitoneally 5 min after LPS injection. The control rats were injected (i.c.) with sterile saline. Neurobehavioral tests were carried out from P3 to P21, and brain injury was examined after these tests. LPS exposure resulted in severe brain damage, including enlargement of ventricles bilaterally, loss of mature oligodendrocytes, impaired myelination as indicated by the decrease in myelin basic protein immunostaining, and alterations in dendritic processes in the cortical gray matter of the parietal cortex. Electron microscopic examination showed that LPS exposure caused impaired myelination as indicated by the disintegrated myelin sheaths in the juvenile rat brain. LPS administration also significantly affected neurobehavioral functions such as performance in righting reflex, wire hanging maneuver, cliff avoidance, negative geotaxis, vibrissa‐elicited forelimb‐placing test, beam walking, and gait test. Treatment with PBN, a free radical scavenger and antioxidant, provided protection against LPS‐induced brain injury and associated neurological dysfunction in juvenile rats, suggesting that antioxidation might be an effective approach for therapeutic treatment of neonatal brain injury induced by infection/inflammation. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Vasoactive intestinal peptide inhibits toll‐like receptor 3‐induced nitric oxide production in Schwann cells and subsequent sensory neuronal cell death in vitro
Authors: Lee Hyunkyoung , Park Kyungpyo , Kim Joong Soo , Lee Sung Joong
Published: August 2008

We have previously reported that polyinosinic‐polycytidylic acids [poly(I:C)], a synthetic toll‐like receptor 3 (TLR3) agonist, induce Schwann cell activation, which exerts neurotoxic effects on sensory neurons. In this study, we investigated the effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a neuropeptide implicated in nerve regeneration, on TLR3‐induced Schwann cell activation. VIP receptors VPAC1 and VPAC2 were constitutively expressed in rat Schwann cells. VIP pretreatment inhibited TLR3‐induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression and NO production in Schwann cells. Studies on the intracellular signal transduction pathways indicate that the VIP effect is mediated by protein kinase A activation. VIP also inhibited the poly(I:C)‐induced p38 activation that is responsible for the iNOS gene expression in Schwann cells. Finally, VIP inhibited dorsal rooyt ganglion neuronal cell death caused by NO produced in activated Schwann cells. Taken together, our data suggest that VIP exerts a neuroprotective effect by inhibiting neurotoxic Schwann cell activation. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Inverse relationship between the length of the EGFR CA repeat polymorphism in lung carcinoma and protein expression of EGFR in the carcinoma
Authors: Suzuki Masaya , Kageyama Shinji , Shinmura Kazuya , Okudela Koji , Bunai Tomoyasu , Nagura Kiyoko , Igarashi Hisaki , Kiyose Shinichiro , Mori Hiroki , Tao Hong , Goto Masanori , Takamochi Kazuya , Mochizuki Takahiro , Suzuki Kazuya , Ohashi Riuko , Ogawa Hiroshi , Yamada Takeshi , Niwa Hiroshi , Tsuneyoshi Toshihiro , Sugimura Haruhiko
Published: August 2008

Background and Objectives

There is a CA dinucleotide repeat polymorphism in the first intron of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene. Our aim was to examine the relationship between the CA repeat length in lung carcinoma and EGFR mutation, EGFR gene copy number, and EGFR protein expression level in the carcinoma.

Methods

We examined 168 lung carcinomas for the length of the CA repeat polymorphism by PCR–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis, for EGFR mutations by sequencing analysis, for EGFR gene copy number by fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis, and for EGFR protein expression by immunohistochemical analysis.

Results

When the carcinomas were divided into two groups according to the length of their CA repeat polymorphism, the EGFR protein expression level was found to be significantly higher in the shorter allele group than in the longer allele group (P = 0.0116), but its length was not associated with EGFR somatic mutations, high EGFR gene copy numbers, or clinicopathological factors, such as histological type or stage.

Conclusions

The results suggested that the length of the EGFR CA repeat polymorphism in lung carcinoma is inversely related with level of EGFR protein expression in the carcinoma. J. Surg. Oncol. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Orientation‐Selective Incorporation of Transmembrane F0F1 ATP Synthase Complex from Micrococcus luteus in Polymer‐Supported Membranes
Authors: Tutus Murat , Rossetti Fernanda F. , Schneck Emanuel , Fragneto Giovanna , Förster Friedrich , Richter Ralf , Nawroth Thomas , Tanaka Motomu
Published: August 2008

We report the vectorial incorporation of a highly asymmetric F0F1 ATP synthase complex from Micrococcus luteus into polymer‐supported membranes. Dynamic light scattering and cryo electron microscopy confirm that the use of weak surfactants (bile acid) allows for the non‐disruptive protein incorporation into lipid vesicles. Spreading of vesicles with ATP synthase onto a cellulose support results in a homogeneous distribution of proteins, in contrast to a patchy image observed on bare glass slides. The orientation of ATP synthase can be identified using an antibody to the ATP binding site as well as from topographic profiles of the surface. The method to “align” transmembrane proteins in supported membranes would open a possibility to quantify protein functions in biomimetic model systems.

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Electrochemical hydrogenation and corrosion behaviour of LaCo4.8M0.2 alloys
Authors: Giza K. , Bala H. , Pavlyuk V. V.
Published: August 2008

Hydrogen absorption properties and the corrosion characteristics of three LaCo4.8M0.2 alloys (where M ≡ antimony, magnesium or bismuth) have been investigated using electrochemical techniques. Absorption of hydrogen and corrosion behaviour of LaCo4.8M0.2 alloys have been compared with LaCo5 intermetallic compound. Typical potentiokinetic polarisation curves in 6 M potassium hydroxide solution showed that modification of LaCo5 by partial substitution of antimony, magnesium or bismuth for cobalt resulted in lower anodic currents in the passive range. The substitution does not significantly affect the shape of potentiokinetic polarisation curves in 0.5 M sulphate solutions for pH 2 and 7. Partial substitution of cobalt with bismuth in LaCo5 alloy increases the effectiveness of absorption of cathodically evolved hydrogen in strong alkaline solutions.
Two‐Dimensional Chromatography of Complex Polymers, 7 – Detailed Study of Polystyrene‐block‐Polyisoprene Diblock Copolymers Prepared by Sequential Anionic Polymerization and Coupling Chemistry
Authors: Mass Valentina , Bellas Vasilios , Pasch Harald
Published: August 2008

Two‐dimensional chromatographic methods were developed using LC‐CC in the first and SEC in the second dimension. These methods were applied for the investigation of PS‐b‐PI diblock copolymers synthesized by different approaches: sequential living anionic polymerization and coupling of living precursor blocks. The first dimension separates according to the individual block length of PS or PI blocks, whereas the second dimension separates with respect to the total molar masses of components. 2D‐LC analysis provides information on the purity of the reaction products, the presence of by‐products, the chemical compositions and the molar masses of all product components. The accuracy and selectivity of 2D‐LC is discussed.

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Control of massive bleeding in dengue hemorrhagic fever with severe thrombocytopenia by use of intravenous anti‐D globulin
Authors: Yadav Satya P. , Sachdeva Anupam , Gupta Dhiren , Sharma Sunil D. , Kharya Gaurav
Published: August 2008

Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is a potentially lethal complication of mosquito borne viral disease, Dengue Fever. Thrombocytopenia is a constant finding in DHF/Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS). We report two cases that fulfilled the WHO criteria of DSS: high fever, positive tourniquet test, severe thrombocytopenia (<10,000/mm3), hemo‐concentration (Hematocrit increase >20%), hypotension and bleeding refractory to routine therapeutic measures, who showed dramatic improvement after receiving Intravenous Anti‐D globulin (IV anti‐D). Pediatr Blood Cancer 2008;51:812–813. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Client ahead‐of‐time compiler for embedded Java platforms
Authors: Hong Sunghyun , Kim Jin‐Chul , Moon Soo‐Mook , Shin Jin Woo , Lee Jaemok , Oh Hyeong‐Seok , Choi Hyung‐Kyu
Published: August 2008

Many embedded Java platforms execute two types of Java classes: those installed statically on the client device and those downloaded dynamically from service providers at run time. For achieving higher performance, the static Java classes can be compiled into machine code by ahead‐of‐time compiler (AOTC) in the server, and the translated machine code can be installed on the client device. Unfortunately, AOTC cannot be applicable to the dynamically downloaded classes. This paper proposes client‐AOTC (c‐AOTC), which performs AOTC on the client device using the just‐in‐time compiler (JITC) module installed on the device, obviating the JITC overhead and complementing the server‐AOTC. The machine code of a method translated by JITC is cached on a persistent memory of the device, and when the method is invoked again in a later run of the program, the machine code is loaded and executed directly without any translation overhead. A major issue in c‐AOTC is relocation because some of the address constants embedded in the cached machine code are not correct when the machine code is loaded and used in a different run; those addresses should be corrected before they are used. Constant pool resolution and inlining complicate the relocation problem, and we propose our solutions. The persistent memory overhead for saving the relocation information is also an issue, and we propose a technique to encode the relocation information and compress the machine code efficiently. We developed a c‐AOTC on Sun's CDC VM reference implementation, and our evaluation results indicate that c‐AOTC can improve the performance significantly, as much as an average of 12% for EEMBC and 4% for SpecJVM98, with a persistent memory overhead of 1% on average. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Glutaric aciduria type I: outcome following detection by newborn screening
Authors: Bijarnia S. , Wiley V. , Carpenter K. , Christodoulou J. , Ellaway C. J. , Wilcken B.
Published: August 2008

Glutaric aciduria type I (GA I), a cerebral organic acidaemia with the potential for severe neurological consequences, can now be detected by tandem mass spectrometry newborn screening. Early detection with implementation of careful management strategies appears to lessen the likelihood of neurological damage. We assessed the outcome in all 10 GA I patients detected in New South Wales during the last decade. Three patients were detected clinically and 7 by newborn screening. Diagnosis was confirmed by detection of significantly elevated urinary 3‐hydroxybutyrate and glutarate in urine, isolated elevation of glutarylcarnitine in plasma, typical clinical and MRI findings in several, and mutation analysis or enzyme analysis on cultured skin fibroblasts in 4 cases. The birth frequency was 1:90 000. Following diagnosis, treatment was initiated in all children with oral carnitine (100 mg/kg per day) and a low‐protein diet supplemented with a lysine‐free, low‐tryptophan amino acid formula. Disability was assessed in fields of motor, cognitive and speech development and scored according to Kyllerman. Clinically diagnosed patients were all symptomatic, with severity scores (out of 9) of 3, 5 and 9. Six of seven patients detected by newborn screening are asymptomatic, 4 being aged 2–6 years. One patient had a severe decompensation at 7 months, despite full management advice and treatment, and later died. Our data support previous findings that early diagnosis reduces neurological complications, but show that even with early diagnosis and careful management severe complications may ensue in some.
The Ballet Called ‘Siegfried’: the Enigmatic Prince of Swan Lake
Authors: Sporton Gregory
Published: August 2008

Swan Lake has a central place in the ballet repertoire. Generally seen as the ballerina's ballet, one of the greatest difficulties in presenting Swan Lake as a credible drama has been the historically marginal role played by Siegfried, the Prince. As choreographer-producers have struggled in the challenge to make the ballet work dramatically, his character has been transformed from onlooker to major influence in a series of reinterpretations of this classic work. In this article Gregory Sporton raises questions about what motivates Siegfried and why that is important for our understanding of the ballet, offering an alternative view of Siegfried's character. Gregory Sporton is Director of the Visualisation Research Unit in the Department of Art at Birmingham Institute of Art and Design. His interest in Swan Lake emerges from his background as a dancer and long periods of research in the former Soviet Union during 2004–2006, when he was able to see at first hand most of the Russian productions referenced in this article. His other published work includes ethnographic accounts of dance and its place in the flow of culture.
The transfer of CBT education from classroom to work setting: getting it right or wasting the opportunities?
Authors: Grant Alec , Townend Michael , Sloan Graham
Published: August 2008

Recent policy, service and financial drivers that are aimed at improving access to psychological services with a particular focus on cognitive behavioural approaches have resulted in a number local and national service planning initiatives. The extent to which these developments ought to be informed by theory and research regarding the transfer of classroom-based learning to the work setting is made clear. The existing evidence base has implications for how education providers develop collaborative curricula with NHS employers in order to prepare students for the practice setting, and for how service providers support the students' knowledge, skills development, skills transfer and consolidation of these within the practice setting. The dangers of assuming that the dissemination of the clinical evidence base is straightforward within complex organizations and the structure of the NHS are also critically discussed.
Estimation of submarine groundwater discharge from bulk ground electrical conductivity measurements
Authors: Stieglitz Thomas , Rapaglia John , Bokuniewicz Henry
Published: August 2008

The utility of bulk ground conductivity (BGC) measurements in the estimation of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) was investigated at four sites covering a range of hydrogeological settings, namely Cockburn Sound (Australia); Shelter Island (USA); Ubatuba Bay (Brazil) and Flic‐en‐Flac Bay (Mauritius). At each of the sites, BGC was surveyed in the intertidal zone, and seepage meters were used for direct measurements of SGD flow rates. In the presence of detectable salinity gradients in the sediment, a negative correlation between SGD and BGC was recorded. The correlation is site‐specific and is dependent on both the type of sediment and the mixing processes. For example, at Shelter Island the maximum mean flow rates were 65 cm d−1 at a BGC of ∼0 mS cm−1 while at Mauritius maximum mean flow rates were 364 cm d−1 at a BGC of ∼0 mS cm−1. BGC measurements are used to estimate SGD over a large scale, and to separate its fresh and saline components. Extrapolating BGC measurements throughout the study sites yields a total discharge of 2.91, 1.59, 7.16, and 25.4 103 m3 d−1 km−1 of shoreline with a freshwater fraction of 41, 24, 29, and 63% at Cockburn Sound, Shelter Island, Ubatuba Bay, and Flic‐en‐Flac Bay respectively. The results demonstrate that ground conductivity is a useful tracer to survey and separate freshwater and recirculated seawater component of SGD. The presented investigation is a subset within a series of experiments designed to compare different methods to investigate SGD co‐organized and carried out by SCOR, LOICZ, IOC and IAEA.
Longitudinal association between magnetotail reconnection and auroral breakup based on Geotail and Polar observations
Authors: Ieda A. , Fairfield D. H. , Slavin J. A. , Liou K. , Meng C.‐I. , Machida S. , Miyashita Y. , Mukai T. , Saito Y. , Nosé M. , Shue J.‐H. , Parks G. K. , Fillingim M. O.
Published: August 2008

The dawn–dusk locations of reconnection in the near‐earth magnetotail at the time of isolated auroral breakup are studied to clarify whether breakup is always accompanied by reconnection. The near‐earth reconnection is identified by tailward plasma flows faster than 200 km/s with southward magnetic field. We first identified 66 breakups in the Polar ultraviolet imager observations of the nightside polar ionosphere. We then studied tailward flows during breakups using Geotail in situ observations of the plasma sheet between 25 and 31 RE down the tail. It was found that the dawn–dusk (Y) locations of relatively fast (≥400 km/s) tailward flows were associated with breakup magnetic local time (MLT) by a regression line of YAGSM = −5.7 × (MLT + 0.6) RE with a correlation coefficient of 0.8. Most tailward flows were observed within 5 RE of the modeled Y locations, where tailward flows occurred in 88% of the 26 cases of breakups between 22 and 0 MLT. It is thus inferred that in most cases, breakup is accompanied by tailward flow near the breakup MLT with its dawn–dusk dimension ∼10 RE. There were only two events without tailward flows in the region where flows have been expected. These two events were an earthward flow event and a traveling compression region event, which are not inconsistent with the initiation of the near‐earth reconnection. Auroral breakup is thus likely to always be accompanied by near‐earth reconnection near breakup MLT. It is also inferred that reconnection and breakup occur simultaneously within a few minutes, assuming a time delay between reconnection onset and the arrival of tailward flows at satellite locations.
Instability analysis of double-walled carbon nanotubes subjected to axial compression
Authors: Wang Q.
Published: August 2008

The buckling of short double-walled carbon nanotubes subjected to compression is investigated through molecular dynamics in the paper. The inner wall is discovered to have helically aligned buckling mode while the outer wall is reported to have shell buckling mode with kinks. Such buckling modes are attributed to the interaction of the two walls via the van der Waals effect. In addition, a buckling strain higher than the buckling strains of two constituent inner and outer walls is found in the double-walled tube within a certain size range. The causes for such a phenomenon are analyzed and discussed.
Low temperature improvement on silicon oxide grown by electron-gun evaporation for resistance memory applications
Authors: Tsai Chih-Tsung , Chang Ting-Chang , Liu Po-Tsun , Cheng Yi-Li , Huang Fon-Shan
Published: August 2008

In this work, the supercritical CO2 fluid mixed with cosolvents is introduced to terminate the traps in electron-gun (e-gun) evaporation deposited silicon oxide (SiOx) film at 150°C. After the proposed treatment, the SiOx film exhibits a lower leakage current and a resistive switching behavior that is controllable by applying proper voltage bias. The change in resistance is over 102 times and the retention time attains to 2×103s. It is also discovered that the resistive switching behavior seemingly relates to the amount of traps.
Absence of substrate roughness effects on an all-printed organic transistor operating at one volt
Authors: Kaihovirta Nikolai J. , Tobjörk Daniel , Mäkelä Tapio , Österbacka Ronald
Published: August 2008

A hygroscopic insulator transistor (HIFET) operating at 1V was manufactured using roll-to-roll techniques on a rough, low-cost plastic substrate. The effects of the substrate roughness on the active channel were studied by using two different plastic substrates and comparing HIFETs and organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). We found that the HIFET, as opposed to OFETs, is rather insensitive to changes in the roughness of plastic substrates. Hence, a robust feature of ion modulated transistors is shown.
Design and miniaturization of split ring structures based on an analytic solution of their resonance
Authors: Chui S. T. , Zhang Y. , Zhou L.
Published: August 2008

We derived simple polynomial equations to determine the entire resonance spectra of split ring structures. For double stacking split rings made with flat wires, we showed that the resonance frequency depends linearly on the ring-ring separation. In particular, we found that the wavelength of the lowest resonance mode can be made 105 times the geometrical size of the ring for realistic experimental conditions. For current systems, this ratio is of the order of 10. Finite-difference-time-domain simulations on realistic structures verified the analytic predictions.
A multiferroic ceramic with perovskite structure: (La0.5Bi0.5)(Mn0.5Fe0.5)O3.09
Authors: Kundu Asish K. , Ranjith R. , Kundys B. , Nguyen N. , Caignaert V , Pralong V , Prellier W. , Raveau B.
Published: August 2008

An ABO3 perovskite multiferroic, where the B-site cation is responsible for the magnetic properties and the A-site cation with lone pair electron is responsible for the ferroelectric properties, was synthesized with the composition (La0.5Bi0.5)(Mn0.5Fe0.5)O3.09 at normal conditions. This oxide exhibits a ferromagnetic transition around 240 K with a well defined hysteresis loop, and a significant reversible remnant polarization below 67 K similar to ferroelectric behavior. The magnetic interaction is interpreted by the ferromagnetic Fe3+–O–Mn3+ and antiferromagnetic Fe3+(Mn3+)–O–Fe3+(Mn3+) interactions competed with each other, whereas the ferroelectricity is predominantly due to the polar nature introduced by the 6 s2 lone pair of Bi3+ cations.