bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What effect does a cancer diagnosis have on the educational engagement and school life of teenagers? A systematic review
Authors: Pini Simon , Hugh‐Jones Siobhan , Gardner Peter H.
Published: October 2011

Objectives

A diagnosis of cancer during the teenage years arrives at an important stage of development, where issues of normality, identity and independence are crucial. Education provides opportunity for peer contact, achievement and development for teenagers. This systematic review examined the impact of a diagnosis of cancer on the educational engagement and school life of teenagers.

Method

Five electronic databases were searched, returning a total of 3209 articles. Inclusion criteria were broad to allow for the range of literature within this area. Following screening, 22 articles (inclusive of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies) were retained and subjected to independent review and quality assessment.

Results

Key areas involved in the impact of a cancer diagnosis on teenagers' educational engagement include school attendance, reintegration, peer relationships and long‐term effects on education and employment.

Conclusion

School absences are a concern for teenagers, but do not necessarily lead to a reduction in educational and vocational attainment. It is important to involve health care and education professionals, as well as parents and teenagers themselves, in school reintegration if it is to be successful. Peer groups and body image are two areas that could mediate education engagement for teenagers. Further research needs to be undertaken to determine the overall impact of successfully maintaining education engagement specifically for teenagers, the role that peer groups play in this process and how education engagement contributes to the overall coping and well‐being of teenage cancer patients. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Catalyst design for the growth of highly packed nanotube forests
Authors: Esconjauregui Santiago , Fouquet Martin , Bayer Bernhard C. , Ducati Caterina , Robertson John
Published: October 2011

We report a technique for the design of high‐density catalyst nanoparticles (NPs) which allow the growth of highly packed forests of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The technique consists of cycles of deposition and annealing of thin metal films, followed by NP immobilisation. This allows a CNT areal density of at least 1013 cm−2.
Policy‐driven customization of cross‐organizational features in distributed service systems
Authors: Walraven Stefan , Lagaisse Bert , Truyen Eddy , Joosen Wouter
Published: October 2011

In a cross‐organizational context, software services are provided and consumed by different organizations. Ensuring that the non‐functional requirements of all the involved organizations are satisfied is hard to achieve in such a distributed and heterogeneous environment: the implementation of features, for example, security, is scattered across the services of multiple organizations. In this paper, we present a coordination architecture for flexible and policy‐driven composition of cross‐organizational features in distributed service systems. The underlying approach of this architecture is to specify the features and their composition at a higher level that abstracts the internal implementation mechanisms of the organizations involved. By means of feature composition policies, the organizations specify at a fine‐grained level which features are required and when they have to apply. Driven by these policies, our coordination middleware dynamically integrates the appropriate features throughout the cross‐organizational service composition in a consistent and efficient way. We have validated our architecture in a proof of concept showing limited performance overhead. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nonintegrating Knockdown and Customized Scaffold Design Enhances Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Skeletal Repair
Authors: Levi Benjamin , Hyun Jeong S. , Nelson Emily R. , Li Shuli , Montoro Daniel T. , Wan Derrick C. , Jia Fang Jun , Glotzbach Jason C. , James Aaron W. , Lee Min , Huang Mei , Quarto Natalina , Gurtner Geoffrey C. , Wu Joseph C. , Longaker Michael T.
Published: October 2011

An urgent need exists in clinical medicine for suitable alternatives to available techniques for bone tissue repair. Human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) represent a readily available, autogenous cell source with well-documented in vivo osteogenic potential. In this article, we manipulated Noggin expression levels in hASCs using lentiviral and nonintegrating minicircle short hairpin ribonucleic acid (shRNA) methodologies in vitro and in vivo to enhance hASC osteogenesis. Human ASCs with Noggin knockdown showed significantly increased bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling and osteogenic differentiation both in vitro and in vivo, and when placed onto a BMP-releasing scaffold embedded with lentiviral Noggin shRNA particles, hASCs more rapidly healed mouse calvarial defects. This study therefore suggests that genetic targeting of hASCs combined with custom scaffold design can optimize hASCs for skeletal regenerative medicine.
Prevalence and progression of recipient‐twin cardiomyopathy in early‐stage twin–twin transfusion syndrome
Authors: Habli M. , Michelfelder E. , Cnota J. , Wall D. , Polzin W. , Lewis D. , Lim F. Y. , Crombleholme T. M.
Published: October 2011

Objective

The management of twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) in its early stages (Quintero Stages I and II) is controversial. We describe the prevalence, severity, incidence and rate of progression of recipient‐twin cardiomyopathy in Stages I and II TTTS.

Methods

Among 451 cases of TTTS evaluated between 2004 and 2009, 123 (27.3%) cases of Stages I and II were reviewed. Echocardiography was used to ‘upstage’ cases based on the presence or absence of mild (IIIA), moderate (IIIB), or severe (IIIC) recipient cardiomyopathy. Progression was defined by worsening in the degree of recipient‐twin cardiomyopathy from initial presentation or failure to respond to amnioreduction. Outcome data included progression of recipient‐twin cardiomyopathy, treatment and survival to birth. Data were compared by the chi‐square, Fisher's exact test or t‐test as appropriate.

Results

Seventy‐seven of 123 (62.6%) cases were Quintero Stage I and 46/123 (37.4%) Quintero Stage II. Eighty (65.0%) were upstaged to Cincinnati Stage IIIA (n = 25), IIIB (n = 23) or IIIC (n = 32). Management included observation in 11 (8.9%), amnioreduction in 26 (21.1%), amnioreduction followed by selective fetoscopic laser photocoagulation (SFLP) in 43 (35.0%) and primary SFLP in 43 (35.0%). Of 80 cases managed by observation or amnioreduction initially, 43 (53.8%) progressed within a mean duration of 1.4 ± 1.5 weeks. The incidence of progression increased significantly as degree of recipient‐twin cardiomyopathy at presentation worsened: Stage I, 9/27 (33.3%); Stage II, 8/15 (53.3%); Stage IIIA, 8/16 (50.0%); Stage IIIB, 10/10 (100%); and Stage IIIC, 8/12 (66.7%) (χ2 = 14, P < 0.01). Overall fetal survival was 205 out of 244 (84.0%). Fetal survival with observation only was 81.8% (18/22), with amnioreduction only it was 92.3% (48/52), with initial observation or amnioreduction followed by SFLP it was 86.9% (73/84) and with primary SFLP it was 76.7% (66/86).

Conclusion

Echocardiography demonstrates a high incidence of recipient‐twin cardiomyopathy in early‐stage TTTS. The more advanced the recipient‐twin cardiomyopathy is, the more likely is progression to occur during observation or following amnioreduction. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Visualization of intracranial translucency at the 11–13‐week scan is improved after specific training
Authors: Mangione R. , Lelong N. , Fontanges M. , Amat S. , Rosenblatt J. , Khoshnood B. , Jouannic J.‐M.
Published: October 2011

Objective

To evaluate the ability to confidently identify intracranial translucency (IT) in a clinical practice and following specific training of 10 operators.

Methods

Two experienced observers reviewed 11–13‐week nuchal translucency (NT) images for IT visibility in (1) a series of 50 randomly selected images obtained by 10 skilled operators certified by the Collège Français d'Echographie Foetale (CFEF) (retrospective analysis) and (2) a series of 315 images obtained by 10 different operators following specific training for IT visualization (prospective analysis). We calculated proportions of images for which IT was deemed visible and the agreement between the two observers. Data were also stratified by Herman and CFEF quality‐score intervals.

Results

In the retrospective analysis, IT was visualized by both reviewers in 52% of images, with a moderate level of agreement (κ = 0.63). The rate of IT visualization by both reviewers increased very slightly to 56–58% when only considering images with the best NT quality‐control scores. Following specific training of the operators the proportion of images for which both reviewers could identify the fourth ventricle increased to 85%, but the level of agreement remained moderate (κ = 0.66). When considering images with the best NT quality‐control scores, IT visualization by both reviewers increased to 91–92%.

Conclusions

In a clinical practice that focuses on NT measurement IT cannot be visualized in a substantial proportion of the images obtained, which limits the utility of this approach for the early prenatal diagnosis of open spina bifida. However, the ability to identify the fourth ventricle significantly increases following specific training. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Facial‐muscle weakness, speech disorders and dysphagia are common in patients with classic infantile Pompe disease treated with enzyme therapy
Authors: van Gelder C. M. , van Capelle C. I. , Ebbink B. J. , Moor‐van Nugteren I. , den van Hout J. M. P. , Hakkesteegt M. M. , van Doorn P. A. , de Coo I. F. M. , Reuser A. J. J. , de Gier H. H. W. , van der Ploeg A. T.
Published: October 2011

Classic infantile Pompe disease is an inherited generalized glycogen storage disorder caused by deficiency of lysosomal acid α‐glucosidase. If left untreated, patients die before one year of age. Although enzyme‐replacement therapy (ERT) has significantly prolonged lifespan, it has also revealed new aspects of the disease. For up to 11 years, we investigated the frequency and consequences of facial‐muscle weakness, speech disorders and dysphagia in long‐term survivors. Sequential photographs were used to determine the timing and severity of facial‐muscle weakness. Using standardized articulation tests and fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing, we investigated speech and swallowing function in a subset of patients. This study included 11 patients with classic infantile Pompe disease. Median age at the start of ERT was 2.4 months (range 0.1‐8.3 months), and median age at the end of the study was 4.3 years (range 7.7 months −12.2 years). All patients developed facial‐muscle weakness before the age of 15 months. Speech was studied in four patients. Articulation was disordered, with hypernasal resonance and reduced speech intelligibility in all four. Swallowing function was studied in six patients, the most important findings being ineffective swallowing with residues of food (5/6), penetration or aspiration (3/6), and reduced pharyngeal and/or laryngeal sensibility (2/6). We conclude that facial‐muscle weakness, speech disorders and dysphagia are common in long‐term survivors receiving ERT for classic infantile Pompe disease. To improve speech and reduce the risk for aspiration, early treatment by a speech therapist and regular swallowing assessments are recommended.
Patientenschulung und Empowerment in der medizinischen Rehabilitation
Authors: Faller Hermann
Published: October 2011

Einleitung

Der Paradigmenwechsel in der medizinischen Rehabilitation – weg vom traditionellen paternalistischen Verständnis der Arzt-Patient-Beziehung hin zu einem kooperativen, partizipativen Modell – stellt auch an die Rehabilitanden neue Herausforderungen. Um diesen begegnen zu können, braucht es eine entsprechende Befähigung. Empowerment kann die hierfür notwendigen Kompetenzen vermitteln.
HORIZONTAL INEQUALITIES AND COMMUNAL CONFLICTS: THE CASE OF AGULERI AND UMULERI COMMUNITIES OF SOUTH-EASTERN NIGERIA
Authors: Onwuzuruigbo Ifeanyi
Published: October 2011

Intra-state conflicts in Africa have been attributed to various factors such as the end of the Cold War, globalization, sustained population growth, environmental scarcity and violent youth culture. Extracts from these dominant global perspectives, collocated and mixed with the economic crisis thesis at the national level, constitute the mainstream analytical scheme for understanding the proliferation of communal conflicts in Nigeria. However, the relevance of horizontal inequality in accounting for the multitude of communal conflicts in Nigeria has been glossed over by scholars. This article highlights local narratives of inequalities and how they provide impetus for communal conflicts in Aguleri and Umuleri communities of south-eastern Nigeria.
Association between major patterns of dietary intake and weight status in adolescents
Authors: Cutler Gretchen J. , Flood Andrew , Hannan Peter J. , Slavin Joanne L. , Neumark-Sztainer Dianne
Published: October 2011

The relationship between dietary intake and obesity is complex, and dietary pattern analysis may offer new insight. We examined associations between dietary patterns identified in a diverse cohort of adolescents and weight status cross-sectionally and over a 5-year period. Project EAT (Eating Among Teens) (Time 1) collected data on 4746 middle (younger cohort) and high school (older cohort) students in 1998–9. EAT-II (Time 2) resurveyed 2516 of the original cohort in 2003–4. All analyses were run separately by age cohort and sex. The relationship between dietary patterns identified previously (vegetable, fruit, vegetable & fruit, starchy food, sweet & salty snack food, and fast food) and weight status was examined using logistic regression. All analyses were adjusted for socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity and activity level (longitudinal analyses were also adjusted for baseline weight status). In cross-sectional analyses, higher adherence to dietary patterns loading heavily on vegetables was associated with lower risk of overweight/obese weight status in older and younger girls, whereas higher adherence to a ‘sweet & salty snack food’ pattern was associated with lower risk in older and younger boys. These associations were found prospectively in older boys and girls, but were no longer significant in analyses adjusting for baseline weight status. We did not find consistent or intuitive associations between dietary patterns and weight status. Identified patterns may not capture the elements of diet that are truly important in determining adolescent weight, or diet may not be the primary driver in determining weight status at this age. Methodological difficulties in assessing diet must also be taken into consideration.
Some Aspects of Our Puritan Inheritance
Authors: Moore Edward C.
Published: October 2011

An Impressive thing is happening in these days. We are observing the Tercentenary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The common verdict has been for a long time rather against the Puritans. Their civil administration is declared to have been at times tyrannical, their ecclesiastical order prejudiced, even bigoted. Individuals among them appear to us fanatical. Such accusations have become almost traditional. At the present moment however the mind of our country and in some measure of the world has turned again to the contemplation of the Puritan history. We recall their deeds and suffering. It is realized how one-sided is the judgment alluded to. There is a disposition to recognize how great was their service to our country and to modern men. This is the mind of some who by no means share the solemn earnestness, the rigidity, the zealotry of the typical Puritan character. Perhaps no generation of our countrymen has ever been further removed than is our own from Puritan standards. Yet there is this widespread feeling that justice is not always done them. We may owe to them something of the larger liberty and more comfortable existence which, coming generations after them, we now enjoy and which apparently we might not have enjoyed had we lived among them.
Ethnic, caste and genetic miscegenation
Authors: Hulse F. S.
Published: October 2011

It is both a pleasure and an honour for me to participate in one of the stimulating Symposia arranged by the Eugenics Society. But it was with some diffidence that I agreed to speak on the topic of miscegenation: a topic which is so complex, so illunderstood, so charged with emotion. Yet miscegenation is of obvious interest to all who concern themselves, as members of the Eugenics Society do, with human biology, human society and the future of humanity. It is a topic worthy of study, and a topic which needs to be discussed frankly if myths are to be dispelled, confusion to be reduced, and problems resolved. For miscegenation has been a continuous process since the earliest times: it is nothing new. As my own guru, Professor E. A. Hooton, was fond of saying, ‘When peoples meet they sometimes fight, but they always mate.’
The chance of conception during lactation
Authors: van Ginneken Jeroen K.
Published: October 2011

Many mothers in low-income countries, particularly in rural areas, nurse their children for 1–2 years on the average. The main purpose of this practice is, of course, to provide the newborn child with the nutrition necessary for its survival. Prolonged breast-feeding, however, also has a birth-spacing effect and postpones the next pregnancy by inhibiting ovulation and by delaying resumption of the menstrual cycle. Suckling of the infant is important for this suppression of the menstrual cycle because it leads to the release of prolactin, which not only plays an important role in milk production but also inhibits the release of gonadotrophins which initiate resumption of the menstrual cycle. For further details about these endocrinological aspects of lactation see, for example, Rolland et al. (1975); Thomson, Hytten & Black (1975) and Buchanan (1975).
WHO Collaborative studies on breastfeeding
Authors: Carballo M.
Published: October 2011

It is generally acknowledged that the popularity of breast-feeding, expressed in terms of the frequency with which it is taken up, and the length of time it is continued, is declining, and that, especially among populations of the Third World, the implications of this decline for infant health are likely to be serious and far reaching.
Prolactin and the return of ovulation in breast-feeding women
Authors: Gross Barbara A. , Eastman Creswell J.
Published: October 2011

Cross-sectional studies in Australia and the Philippines and a longitudinal prospective study in a selected Australian sample of breast-feeding mothers have shown that basal serum prolactin (PRL) concentrations are elevated during 15–21 months of lactational amenorrhoea.

A predictive model of serum PRL levels and return of cyclic ovarian activity during full breast-feeding, partial breast-feeding and weaning has been developed from the results of breast-feeding behaviour and serum PRL, gonadotrophin and oestradiol measurements in 34 mothers breast-feeding on demand for a mean of 67 weeks.

Breast-feeding patterns influence serum PRL levels. Important factors during full breast-feeding are the age of the baby, the longest interval between feeds at night and total 24-hr suckling time, and following the introduction of supplements, the mean interval between feeds, together with the total 24-hr suckling time and the number of solid supplements per day.

The precise mechanisms whereby breast-feeding regulates cyclic ovarian activity remain unknown. Gonadotrophin secretion appears to be quantitatively normal, but qualitative changes, secondary to altered hypothalamic activity, may be the most important factor. A direct inhibitory effect of PRL on ovarian follicular development and steroidogenesis remains possible.

Ovulation with a normal luteal phase is probable for 30% of breast-feeding mothers before the first menses, but is unlikely before 6 months, provided breast-feeding is frequent day and night.

Measurement of serum PRL is a sensitive index of the return of menstruation and fertility during lactation in the population studied.
Community-based intervention trials
Authors: Kirkwood Betty R. , Morrow Richard H.
Published: October 2011

The randomized controlled trial has become the standard basis for the evaluation of new therapeutic agents and procedures (and for measuring the protective efficacy of new vaccines or for assessing the value of screening procedures). Patients, who have met the criteria for eligibility and have agreed to participate in the trial, are allocated on a random basis to the alternative therapies under consideration. In order to avoid possible bias in the handling or assessment of these groups, a double blind procedure is preferred; the therapy given is not known to those who administer it, to those who assess the course of the disease thereafter, nor to the patients themselves. There is an extensive literature on clinical trials covering their logic and history, modern developments and the many complex, often controversial, issues that such trials have provoked. Not all issues have been fully resolved but by and large the principle, the practice and the ethical concerns of clinical trials are worked out and firmly established.
Contraceptive method switching over women's reproductive careers: evidence from Malaysian life history data, 1940s–70s
Authors: Da Vanzo Julie , Reboussin David , Starbird Ellen , Tan Boon Ann , Hadi S. Abdullah
Published: October 2011

Several new concepts are used to describe contraceptive use histories for nearly 1200 women in Peninsular Malaysia. These histories are summarized by 81 episode histories. Transition matrices provide useful summaries of the changes women make in their contraceptive practice from one pregnancy interval to the next. Data from the mid-1940s to mid-1970s, during which period there was a dramatic increase in contraceptive use, reveal considerable inertia in individual couples' contraceptive practice. Persistence with a method was greater the less effective the method: while 86% of couples using no method in one interval used no method in the next, only 56% of couples using the pill in one interval also used it in the next. Virtually all transitions are of three types: continuation with the same method, a change from no method to some method, or a change from some method to no method. For only 1% of all pregnancies did couples use one contraceptive method before a pregnancy and a different method after the pregnancy. Differences are examined by calendar year and education.
Pronominal objects in English–Italian and Spanish–Italian bilingual children
Authors: SERRATRICE LUDOVICA , SORACE ANTONELLA , FILIACI FRANCESCA , BALDO MICHELA
Published: October 2011

This study investigated the role of typological relatedness, language of the community, and age, in predicting similarities and differences between English–Italian, Spanish–Italian bilingual children and their monolingual child and adult counterparts in the acceptability of pre- and postverbal object pronouns in [±focus] contexts in Italian and in English. Cross-linguistic influence occurred in [−focus] contexts as a function of typological relatedness and language of the community. English–Italian bilinguals in the UK accepted pragmatically inappropriate postverbal pronouns in [−focus] contexts in Italian twice as often as all the other groups. Cross-linguistic influence was unidirectional from English to Italian as shown by the categorical rejection of preverbal pronouns in [−focus] contexts in English. In [+focus] contexts, in English no significant differences existed between the monolinguals and the bilinguals in the low accuracy with which they chose pragmatically appropriate stressed pronouns. Similarly, the choice of appropriate pronouns in [+focus] contexts in Italian was problematic for monolingual and bilingual children irrespective of the language of the community and of the bilinguals’ other language. Age was a factor only for the Italian children who approached adultlike performance in [+focus] contexts only by the age of 10. These findings point to the need for a multifaceted approach to account for similarities and differences between the linguistic behavior of bilingual and monolingual children.
Fast mapping in late-talking toddlers
Authors: ELLIS WEISMER SUSAN , VENKER COURTNEY E. , EVANS JULIA L. , MOYLE MAURA JONES
Published: October 2011

This study investigated fast mapping in late-talking (LT) toddlers and toddlers with normal language (NL) development matched on age, nonverbal cognition, and maternal education. The fast-mapping task included novel object labels and familiar words. The LT group scored significantly lower than the NL group on novel word comprehension and production, as well as familiar word production. For both groups, fast-mapping performance was associated with concurrent language ability and later language outcomes. A post hoc analysis of phonotactic probability (PP) and neighborhood density (ND) suggested that the majority of NL toddlers displayed optimal learning of the nonword with low PP/ND. The LT group did not display the same sensitivity to PP/ND characteristics as the NL group.
Evolution of physiological dormancy multiple times in Melastomataceae from Neotropical montane vegetation
Authors: Silveira Fernando A.O. , Ribeiro Rafaella C. , Oliveira Denise M.T. , Fernandes G. Wilson , Lemos-Filho José P.
Published: October 2011

We investigated seed dormancy among species of Melastomataceae from Neotropical montane vegetation of Brazil. Four out of 50 studied species had dormant seeds:Miconia corallina(Miconieae), Tibouchina cardinalis(Melastomeae), Comolia sertularia(Melastomeae) andChaetostoma armatum(Microlicieae). For these four species, germinability of seeds collected in different years was always < 10% and the percentages of embryoless seeds and non-viable embryos were both insufficient to explain low or null germinability. This is the first unequivocal report of seed dormancy in tropical Melastomataceae. The production of seeds with permeable seed coats and fully developed, differentiated embryos indicates the occurrence of physiological dormancy. The reconstructed phylogenetic tree of the 50 species suggests that physiological dormancy evolved multiple times during the evolutionary history of Melastomataceae in this vegetation. Physiological dormancy evolved in species and populations associated with xeric microhabitats, where seeds are dispersed in unfavourable conditions for establishment. Therefore, drought-induced mortality may have been a strong selective pressure favouring the evolution of physiological dormancy in Melastomataceae. We argue that dormancy may have been independently selected in other lineages of Cerrado plants colonizing xeric microhabitats and dispersing seeds at the end of the rainy season. The contributions of our data to the understanding of seed dormancy in tropical montane vegetation are discussed.
Specifying the Cultural Foundations of Consensual Democratic Institutions
Authors: Lockhart Charles
Published: October 2011

In his influential study of persistently democratic societies Lijphart (1999) argues for the general superiority of “consensus” over “majoritarian” institutions. Consensus institutions disperse power among distinct elements of a broad majority, while majoritarian institutions concentrate power in centralized institutions based on bare electoral majorities or pluralities. Lijphart finds that consensus institutions achieve levels of macroeconomic management and violence control similar to those of their majoritarian counterparts and perform considerably better representing various segments of society. In reflecting on his study, Lijphart offers the thought that highly effective consensus institutions would likely interact symbiotically with a “consensual political culture” (1999, 306). That is, Lijphart proposes that a consensual political culture, coupled with consensus institutions, would produce better government performance than consensus institutions. Yet he leaves the nature of such a culture unclear.
Functional Connectivity Variations in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Associations with Cognitive Function
Authors: Han S. Duke , Arfanakis Konstantinos , Fleischman Debra A. , Leurgans Sue E. , Tuminello Elizabeth R. , Edmonds Emily C. , Bennett David A.
Published: October 2011

Participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have a higher likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared to those without MCI, and functional magnetic resonance neuroimaging (fMRI) used with MCI participants may prove to be an important tool in identifying early biomarkers for AD. We tested the hypothesis that functional connectivity differences exist between older adults with and without MCI using resting-state fMRI. Data were collected on over 200 participants of the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a community-based, clinical-pathological cohort study of aging. From the cohort, 40 participants were identified as having MCI, and were compared to 40 demographically matched participants without cognitive impairment. MCI participants showed lesser functional connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and right and left orbital frontal, right middle frontal, left putamen, right caudate, left superior temporal, and right posterior cingulate regions; and greater connectivity with right inferior frontal, left fusiform, left rectal, and left precentral regions. Furthermore, in an alternate sample of 113, connectivity values in regions of difference correlated with episodic memory and processing speed. Results suggest functional connectivity values in regions of difference are associated with cognitive function and may reflect the presence of AD pathology and increased risk of developing clinical AD. (JINS, 2012, 18, 39–48)
Tabakentwöhnung bei stationären Patienten mit einer Alkohol- abhängigkeit – Motivationsfaktoren und Erfolgsaussichten
Authors: Batra Anil , Niethammer Sabrina , Mänz Constantin , Peukert Peter
Published: October 2011

Einleitung: Die Raucherprävalenz ist bei alkoholkranken Personen überdurchschnittlich hoch. Die gesundheitliche Bedeutung der Tabakabstinenz, aber auch potentielle synergistische Effekte auf die Alkoholabstinenz legen nahe, während einer stationären Alkoholbehandlung auch eine Tabakentwöhnung anzubieten. Ziel: Untersucht wurden die Aufhörbereitschaft und der Abstinenzerfolg nach einer Raucherentwöhnung während einer sechswöchigen stationären Alkoholismustherapie bei alkoholkranken Personen mit zusätzlicher psychiatrischer Komorbidität. Methodik: 90 von 94 Personen eines Behandlungsjahrgangs nahmen an der Untersuchung teil. Sie durchliefen eine Psychoedukation zur Tabakabhängigkeit und hatten nachfolgend die Gelegenheit, eine Raucherentwöhnungsgruppe zu besuchen. Erfasst wurden soziodemographische Daten, Motivation sowie die Abstinenzquoten von Tabak und Alkohol am Ende und drei Monate nach der Therapie. Ergebnisse: Wichtige Motivationsgründe für eine Tabakabstinenz sind die Vorteile des Nichtrauchens. 40 % (n = 28) der rauchenden Patienten (n = 69) ließen sich zu einer Tabakentwöhnung motivieren, 25 % (n = 7) schlossen die Behandlung abstinent ab. Auch wenn keiner der Patienten über drei Monate tabakabstinent blieb, so war doch der Anteil alkoholrückfälliger Patienten in der Raucherentwöhnungsgruppe niedriger (21,4 %; n = 6/28) als bei den übrigen Patienten (29,3 %; n = 12/41)). Diskussion: Die Tabakentwöhnung im Rahmen einer stationären Alkoholismusbehandlung scheint nicht von Nachteil für die Patienten zu sein. Bei der Einführung eines Therapieangebotes sollten motivationale Faktoren, Bewältigungsfertigkeiten für rückfallgefährliche Situationen sowie Begleitsymptome komorbider Störungen stärker im Vordergrund stehen als bei anderen Rauchern.
The Hydrogenase Chip: a tiling oligonucleotide DNA microarray technique for characterizing hydrogen-producing and -consuming microbes in microbial communities
Authors: Marshall Ian P G , Berggren Dusty R V , Azizian Mohammad F , Burow Luke C , Semprini Lewis , Spormann Alfred M
Published: October 2011

We developed a broad-ranging method for identifying key hydrogen-producing and consuming microorganisms through analysis of hydrogenase gene content and expression in complex anaerobic microbial communities. The method is based on a tiling hydrogenase gene oligonucleotide DNA microarray (Hydrogenase Chip), which implements a high number of probes per gene by tiling probe sequences across genes of interest at 1.67 × –2 × coverage. This design favors the avoidance of false positive gene identification in samples of DNA or RNA extracted from complex microbial communities. We applied this technique to interrogate interspecies hydrogen transfer in complex communities in (i) lab-scale reductive dehalogenating microcosms enabling us to delineate key H2-consuming microorganisms, and (ii) hydrogen-generating microbial mats where we found evidence for significant H2 production by cyanobacteria. Independent quantitative PCR analysis on selected hydrogenase genes showed that this Hydrogenase Chip technique is semiquantitative. We also determined that as microbial community complexity increases, specificity must be traded for sensitivity in analyzing data from tiling DNA microarrays.
Differentiation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells into hepatocyte‐like cells by hTERT gene transfection in vitro
Authors: Liang Xu‐Jing , Chen Xiao‐Jia , Yang Dong‐Hua , Huang Si‐Min , Sun Guo‐Dong , Chen You‐Peng
Published: October 2011

The availability of a large quantity of MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells) would greatly advance liver‐directed cell therapies. However, MSCs have a limited lifespan in vitro. Therefore we tested whether hUCMSCs (human umbilical cord MSCs) could be immortalized by transduction with a lentiviral vector carrying the hTERT (human telomerase reverse transcriptase) catalytic subunit gene, and investigated their differentiation potential. Transfected hUCMSCs overexpressed the hTERT gene and up‐regulated their telomerase activity. The transfected hUCMSCs maintained their typical morphology and MSC‐specific markers, and vigorously proliferated, undergoing more than 100 PDs (population doublings) to date. Following incubation with hepatogenic agents, the transfected hUCMSCs differentiated into hepatocyte‐like cells, and expressed hepatic markers, such as albumin, AFP (α‐fetoprotein) and CK‐18 (cytokeratin‐18). Transfected hUCMSCs showed no transformation into tumours in nude mice. In conclusion, telomerization of hUCMSCs by hTERT overexpression extends their replicative lifespan without influencing their hepatogenic differentiation potential. This offers opportunities for obtaining sufficient quantities of cells for liver‐directed therapies.
Electrical properties of thermally oxidized AlInN/AlN/GaN-based metal oxide semiconductor hetero field effect transistors
Authors: Eickelkamp M. , Weingarten M. , Rahimzadeh Khoshroo L. , Ketteniss N. , Behmenburg H. , Heuken M. , Donoval D. , Chvála A. , Kordoš P. , Kalisch H. , Vescan A.
Published: October 2011

In this work, we report on the thermal oxidation of AlInN/AlN/GaN heterostructures. A “nearly native” Al2O3 oxide was formed during this oxidation procedure, which can be used as a gate oxide and thus enables the fabrication of metal insulator semiconductor hetero field effect transistors. A constant barrier height of ΦB ≈ 2.34 eV was obtained for all oxidized samples, independent of the oxidation time and temperature, indicating a stable AlInN-oxide interface. The interface state density was approximated to be as low as Nint = 2.5 × 1012 cm-2. Oxide thicknesses were estimated to be in the range of 0.6 nm and 3.2 nm, resulting in a suppression of reverse leakage currents oflarge area metal insulator semiconductor diodes by up to three orders of magnitude. Two-dimensional electron gas density and, in particular, carrier mobility are strongly affected by the thermal oxidation in the O2 atmosphere. A narrow processing window for successful thermal oxidation was identified, covering temperatures between 700 °C and 800 °C and durations of few minutes. The resulting oxide thickness scales well with the square root of oxidation time, indicating diffusion of oxygen atoms into the barrier.
High quality factor graphene varactors for wireless sensing applications
Authors: Koester Steven J.
Published: October 2011

A graphene wireless sensor concept is described. By utilizing thin gate dielectrics, the capacitance in a metal-insulator-graphene structure varies with charge concentration through the quantum capacitance effect. Simulations using realistic structural and transport parameters predict quality factors, Q, >60 at 1 GHz. When placed in series with an ideal inductor, a resonant frequency tuning ratio of 25% (54%) is predicted for sense charge densities ranging from 0.32 to 1.6 μC/cm2 at an equivalent oxide thickness of 2.0 nm (0.5 nm). The resonant frequency has a temperature sensitivity, df/dT, less than 0.025%/K for sense charge densities >0.32 μC/cm2.
Photonic crystal fiber injected with Fe3O4 nanofluid for magnetic field detection
Authors: Thakur Harneet V. , Nalawade Sandipan M. , Gupta Swati , Kitture Rohini , Kale S. N.
Published: October 2011

We report a magnetic field sensor having advantages of both photonic crystal fiber and optofluidics, combining them on a single platform by infiltrating small amount of Fe3O4 magnetic optofluid/nanofluid in cladding holes of polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber. We demonstrated that magnetic field of few mT can be easily and very well detected with higher sensitivity of 242 pm/mT. The change in the birefringence values has been correlated to the response of nanofluid to applied field.
Dresselhaus field-induced anisotropic spin propagation in ZnSe/BeTe type-II quantum wells
Authors: Mino H. , Yonaiyama S. , Ohto K. , Akimoto R.
Published: October 2011

The dynamics of photo-injected electrons and the propagation of photo-created spins in nondoped ZnSe/BeTe type-II quantum wells were investigated by time-resolved photo-induced circular dichroism microscopy at room temperature. Spin propagation from the pump spot presents a directionally dependent spin precession frequency in a magnetic field in Voigt configuration. This anisotropic spin propagation is ascribed to the Dresselhaus effect (G. Dresselhaus, Phys. Rev. 100, 580, 1955) on the radially diffusing photo-injected electrons, since the anisotropy depends on both the directions of crystallographic axis and magnetic field.
Layers of Looking
Authors: Morris Wendy
Published: October 2011

The films that I make are part documentary, part film essay, part visual poem. They are created out of a series of up to 30 drawings that are animated. The process from research to completion takes about 2 years, and at the end of it there is a film and a number of drawings that can be exhibited. This paper emerges out of the realisation that in the different stages of making a drawing and a film—from planning a drawing and seeking an image as a starting point through to the finished film being projected onto a screen in a gallery—I am looking at the image in different ways. There is a close-up kind of looking when I am drawing and a reflective kind of looking when I step back to take stock. There is a way of looking at darks and lights as they are built up that is different from the way of looking at the lines crossing the edges of the grid being used to transfer an image to the drawing paper. Seeing the drawings on the wall of my studio is different from seeing the same drawings in a museum setting.
Structure and function of multiple Ca
2+
-binding sites in a K
+
channel regulator of K
+
conductance (RCK) domain
Authors: Pau Victor P. T. , Smith Frank J. , Taylor Alexander B. , Parfenova Liubov V. , Samakai Elsie , Callaghan Matthew M. , Abarca-Heidemann Karin , Hart P. John , Rothberg Brad S.
Published: October 2011

Regulator of K
+
conductance (RCK) domains control the activity of a variety of K
+
transporters and channels, including the human large conductance Ca
2+
-activated K
+
channel that is important for blood pressure regulation and control of neuronal firing, and MthK, a prokaryotic Ca
2+
-gated K
+
channel that has yielded structural insight toward mechanisms of RCK domain-controlled channel gating. In MthK, a gating ring of eight RCK domains regulates channel activation by Ca
2+
. Here, using electrophysiology and X-ray crystallography, we show that each RCK domain contributes to three different regulatory Ca
2+
-binding sites, two of which are located at the interfaces between adjacent RCK domains. The additional Ca
2+
-binding sites, resulting in a stoichiometry of 24 Ca
2+
ions per channel, is consistent with the steep relation between [Ca
2+
] and MthK channel activity. Comparison of Ca
2+
-bound and unliganded RCK domains suggests a physical mechanism for Ca
2+
-dependent conformational changes that underlie gating in this class of channels.
Sex-linked transcription factor involved in a shift of sex-pheromone preference in the silkmoth
Bombyx mori
Authors: Fujii Tsuguru , Fujii Takeshi , Namiki Shigehiro , Abe Hiroaki , Sakurai Takeshi , Ohnuma Akio , Kanzaki Ryohei , Katsuma Susumu , Ishikawa Yukio , Shimada Toru
Published: October 2011

In the sex-pheromone communication systems of moths, odorant receptor (Or) specificity as well as higher olfactory information processing in males should be finely tuned to the pheromone of conspecific females. Accordingly, male sex-pheromone preference should have diversified along with the diversification of female sex pheromones; however, the genetic mechanisms that facilitated the diversification of male preference are not well understood. Here, we explored the mechanisms involved in a drastic shift in sex-pheromone preference in the silkmoth
Bombyx mori
using
spli
mutants in which the genomic structure of the gene
Bmacj6
, which encodes a class IV POU domain transcription factor, is disrupted or its expression is repressed.
B. mori
females secrete an ∼11:1 mixture of bombykol and bombykal. Bombykol alone elicits full male courtship behavior, whereas bombykal alone shows no apparent activity. In the
spli
mutants, the behavioral responsiveness of males to bombykol was markedly reduced, whereas bombykal alone evoked full courtship behavior. The reduced response of
spli
males to bombykol was explained by the paucity of bombykol receptors on the male antennae. It was also found that, in the
spli
males, neurons projecting into the toroid, a compartment in the brain where bombykol receptor neurons normally project, responded strongly to bombykal. The present study highlights a POU domain transcription factor,
Bmacj6
, which may have caused a shift of sex-pheromone preference in
B. mori
through
Or
gene choice and/or axon targeting.
Evolution of a divinyl chlorophyll-based photosystem in
Prochlorococcus
Authors: Ito Hisashi , Tanaka Ayumi
Published: October 2011

Acquisition of new photosynthetic pigments has been a crucial process for the evolution of photosynthesis and photosynthetic organisms. In this process, pigment-binding proteins must evolve to fit new pigments.
Prochlorococcus
is a unique photosynthetic organism that uses divinyl chlorophyll (DVChl) instead of monovinyl chlorophyll. However, cyanobacterial mutants that accumulate DVChl immediately die even under medium-light conditions, suggesting that chlorophyll (Chl)-binding proteins had to evolve to fit to DVChl concurrently with
Prochlorococcus
evolution. To elucidate the coevolutionary process of Chl and Chl-binding proteins during the establishment of DVChl-based photosystems, we first compared the amino acid sequences of Chl-binding proteins in
Prochlorococcus
with those in other photosynthetic organisms. Two amino acid residues of the D1 protein, V205 and G282, are conserved in monovinyl chlorophyll-based photosystems; however, in
Prochlorococcus
, they are substituted with M205 and C282, respectively. According to the solved photosystem II structure, these amino acids are not involved in Chl binding. To mimic
Prochlorococcus
, V205 was mutated to M205 in the D1 protein from
Synechocystis
sp. PCC6803 and
Synechocystis dvr
mutant was transformed with this construct. Although these transgenic cells could not grow under high-light conditions, they acquired light tolerance and grew under medium-light conditions, whereas untransformed
dvr
mutants could not survive. Substitution of G282 for C282 contributed additional light tolerance, suggesting that the amino acid substitutions in the D1 protein played an essential role in the development of DVChl-based photosystems. Here, we discuss the coevolution of a photosynthetic pigment and its binding protein.
Effect of instantaneous frequency glides on interaural time difference processing by auditory coincidence detectors
Authors: Fischer Brian J. , Steinberg Louisa J. , Fontaine Bertrand , Brette Romain , Peña Jose L.
Published: October 2011

Detecting interaural time difference (ITD) is crucial for sound localization. The temporal accuracy required to detect ITD, and how ITD is initially encoded, continue to puzzle scientists. A fundamental question is whether the monaural inputs to the binaural ITD detectors differ only in their timing, when temporal and spectral tunings are largely inseparable in the auditory pathway. Here, we investigate the spectrotemporal selectivity of the monaural inputs to ITD detector neurons of the owl. We found that these inputs are selective for instantaneous frequency glides. Modeling shows that ITD tuning depends strongly on whether the monaural inputs are spectrotemporally matched, an effect that may generalize to mammals. We compare the spectrotemporal selectivity of monaural inputs of ITD detector neurons in vivo, demonstrating that their selectivity matches. Finally, we show that this refinement can develop through spike timing-dependent plasticity. Our findings raise the unexplored issue of time-dependent frequency tuning in auditory coincidence detectors and offer a unifying perspective.
Voltage-gated proton channel in a dinoflagellate
Authors: Smith Susan M. E. , Morgan Deri , Musset Boris , Cherny Vladimir V. , Place Allen R. , Hastings J. Woodland , DeCoursey Thomas E.
Published: October 2011

Fogel and Hastings first hypothesized the existence of voltage-gated proton channels in 1972 in bioluminescent dinoflagellates, where they were thought to trigger the flash by activating luciferase. Proton channel genes were subsequently identified in human, mouse, and
Ciona intestinalis
, but their existence in dinoflagellates remained unconfirmed. We identified a candidate proton channel gene from a
Karlodinium veneficum
cDNA library based on homology with known proton channel genes.
K. veneficum
is a predatory, nonbioluminescent dinoflagellate that produces toxins responsible for fish kills worldwide. Patch clamp studies on the heterologously expressed gene confirm that it codes for a genuine voltage-gated proton channel, kH
V
1: it is proton-specific and activated by depolarization, its
g
H
–
V
relationship shifts with changes in external or internal pH, and mutation of the selectivity filter (which we identify as Asp
51
) results in loss of proton-specific conduction. Indirect evidence suggests that kH
V
1 is monomeric, unlike other proton channels. Furthermore, kH
V
1 differs from all known proton channels in activating well negative to the Nernst potential for protons,
E
H
. This unique voltage dependence makes the dinoflagellate proton channel ideally suited to mediate the proton influx postulated to trigger bioluminescence. In contrast to vertebrate proton channels, whose main function is acid extrusion, we propose that proton channels in dinoflagellates have fundamentally different functions of signaling and excitability.