bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Against Schmitt: Law, Aesthetics, and Absolutism in Shakespeare's Winter's Tale
Authors: Pye Christopher
Published: December 2008

Focusing on Shakespeare's Winter's Tale, the essay counters Carl Schmitt's claim that Absolutism represents an ideal conjunction of the monarch's creative and legislative acts. It argues that early modern theater conveys the problematic character of the relation between law and sovereign act—indeed, that it locates the problem of the political precisely in the aporetic character of that relation. Further, the piece suggests that the aesthetic emerges as a self-conscious and autonomous form, not, as Schmitt would have it, as a depoliticizing feature of liberalism, but specifically in response to the problem of sovereign agency in the early modern era. Such relations among sovereignty, law, and the aesthetic are a function of the equivocal transition between an organic concept of the body politic and the emergence of a bourgeois domestic sphere, the ambiguous historical moment of Absolutism. With that historical transformation—the interval of “domestic sovereignty”—the possibility of sovereign agency comes to depend on an unstable articulation between law and the aesthetic, Shakespeare's play suggests.
Examining the Case for War: Allegations of Iranian Interference in Iraq
Authors: Giraldi Philip
Published: December 2008

Iran poses two fundamental challenges to the United States. First is its alleged program to develop a nuclear weapon, which is currently being negotiated and which might be managed and contained through concerted international action. Second, and more threatening in the long term, are its roles as a regional hegemon and as a participant in the political development of neighboring Iraq. Iran's policies in Iraq sometimes appear to be directly in conflict with US initiatives. In spite of considerable angry rhetoric, however, any actual evidence for Iranian hostile interaction in Iraq is highly speculative, and the White House has yet to make a case that Tehran's involvement is inappropriate or could serve as a casus belli.
International Law and Minority Protection: The Fate of the Greeks of Imbros and Tenedos
Authors: Coufoudakis Van
Published: December 2008

In this essay a largely forgotten human rights issue involving the fate of the Greek-in-origin population that inhabited the Turkish islands of Imbros and Tenedos is examined. Exempted from the Greek-Turkish population-exchange agreements concluded following the end of World War I, the Greek population of the two islands was granted specific civic, cultural, and religious rights by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. The treaty remains valid to this day. Turkey deliberately violated the rights of this population because of its ethnicity, religion, and language. The author analyzes the methods used by Turkey to ethnically cleanse the two islands and the options available to the former residents of these islands as well as to the governments of Greece and Turkey to resolve the documented violations of the Treaty of Lausanne and of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Disarming Hezbollah
Authors: Talbot Brent J. , Harriman Heidi
Published: December 2008

Hezbollah has become a powerful yet destabilizing force in Lebanon, affecting internal stability, allowing Syria and Iran dangerous influence, delaying peace with Israel, and complicating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Moreover, it forces the United States to struggle between traditional support for Israel and newfound support for Lebanese democracy. The international community should capitalize on Hezbollah's damaged public image following its 2006 war with Israel and pursue a multiparty disarmament effort, to include incentives for the major regional players. The effort should address Hezbollah's continued presence in the Lebanese Parliament, international support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, return of the Golan to Syria in exchange for its cutting military support to Hezbollah, and a nonaggression agreement between Israel and Lebanon.
The Regional and International Implications of Kosovo Independence
Authors: Bardos Gordon N.
Published: December 2008

The support of the United States and some European Union countries for Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence has in many ways contributed to a deterioration of the security situation in southeastern Europe. The fundamental strategic assumption of promoters of Kosovo's independence—that Kosovo was the last open question left over from the breakup of Yugoslavia—is likely to prove wrong. Thus, given the breakdown in the international and regional consensus on the contours of a legitimate Balkan political and security order, the instability of Kosovo and other states in the region is in reality likely to increase in the post-Kosovo independence period.
Greek-Bulgarian Relations in the Post–cold War Era: Contributing to Stability and Development in Southeastern Europe
Authors: Voskopoulos George
Published: December 2008

The Balkan Peninsula has been an unstable regional security subsystem because of a number of defining and qualitative parameters, namely, overt or covert challenges to the territorial status, interethnic conflicts, the “great idea” syndrome, out-of-system interference, and minority expansionism. In the post–Cold War era, European Union enlargement in the area assisted the establishment of a core of systemic stabilizers that could, under certain conditions, absorb inherent instability. Greece and Bulgaria constitute an axis providing eufunctional input to the regional stability and security equation. Their partnership has been an example of inter-Balkan cooperation and an effort to establish an equilibrium mechanism to enhance the cohesion of the region.
China's Ventures in Africa: Patterns, Prospects, and Implications for Africa's Development
Authors: Anyu J. Ndumbe , Ifedi J.-P. Afam
Published: December 2008

Africa has a long and disturbing history with outside powers exploiting the continent for its natural and human resources in furtherance of their own economic and developmental objectives. In this essay, China's main objectives and the prospects and implications these have on Africa's development are examined. The authors argue that there are two very important perspectives—exploitation and opportunity—on China's role in Africa's development. The authors also argue that African countries must implement meaningful structural and policy changes that could enable them to leverage China's involvement to enhance their development. Whether Chinese interest and involvement brings the danger of renewed exploitation without accompanying sustainable development depends on the extent to which African countries are able to take advantage of the opportunities of this growing interest and transform themselves by circumventing the many economic, political, and social contradictions that are afflicting them.
Journalism, Social Value, and a Philosophy of the Everyday in 1920s China
Authors: Karl Rebecca E.
Published: December 2008

This essay takes a 1920s scandalous case—the Ma-Wang Incident—as a study of the relationship established in Chinese journalism between events and everyday life. It argues that journalism, as a commodity form, and the emergence of everyday life as a problem of sociality were intrinsically linked, not merely through tabloid exposure but through the exploration of the philosophical import of the everyday as a problem of social value.
Politics of the Unbound: “Students” And the Everyday of Beijing University
Authors: Lanza Fabio
Published: December 2008

This essay questions how we can interrogate the emergence of politics, specifically student politics, without reducing it to the manifestation of an established social category (in this case “students”). By examining the case of Beijing University during the May Fourth movement (the first instance of student activism in modern China), I show how, before 1919, “students” and “university” did not come into being as stable and circumscribed positions to be occupied but were instead both produced because of and through the practices and the struggles of those years.

A series of contingencies but also of precise intellectual choices had made the physical boundaries of the university porous and the ritual identity of its community open to contention. In the May Fourth years, the students explored and expanded the fragmentation of the communitarian bond by stating and living a radical refusal not only of disciplinary rules but also of basic rites of courtesy and belonging. In this sense, the analysis of everyday life of students at Beijing University shows not only that sociological categories or communitarian identities are no guarantee of politics, but also that politics among students can exist only by challenging the bond signified by the very category of students.

This analysis also provides an insight into how we should reconceptualize our understanding of politics beyond what are usually recognized as political moments (demonstrations, parades, elections). In the case of May Fourth Beida, politics can best be seen as deployed in daily life, fragmented in the gestures and movements of individuals and their interaction and production of organizations. It was precisely by challenging the distinctions between the cultural and the political, the intellectual and the quotidian, that student activists struggled over what a “student” and a “university” could be.
Writing Colonial Relations of Everyday Life in Senryu
Authors: Lee Helen J. S.
Published: December 2008

This article uses the comic poetic genre senryu as a source through which to explore the dynamics of lived experience of working-class Japanese immigrants to Korea. Challenging the dominant paradigm by which we view colonial reality, as a neatly divided portrait of colonial society between the empowered colonizer and powerless colonized, this study complicates our understanding of Japanese settler culture by considering the poetic representations of the nonelite Japanese. As a humorous and often vulgar cultural medium widely embraced by the general public, senryu approaches and depicts colonial life in the mode of satire and parody. Particularly characteristic of this poetic genre employed by the Japanese settlement community is its heteroglossic nature that opens up the possibility of multiple subject positions and the language that readily implements rhetorical strategies and vocabularies specific to a hybrid colonial culture. It is the more contoured and ambivalent dynamics of colonial race relations that the senryu poetry brings forth, which, in turn, questions the existing narratives of Japanese colonialism.
Transnational Cultural Production and the Politics of Moribund Masculinity
Authors: Murphree Hyon Joo Yoo
Published: December 2008

In this essay, I formulate newly revised notions of subjectivity and the body, especially in what I define as “moribund masculinity.” The term refers to masculine subjectivity that refuses to fulfill the economic and ideological demand made on the male body by global capitalism and the nation-state and remains outside the symbolic order that constructs the masculine national body. Moribund masculinity counters what I call expenditure with reserve, as a symbolic structure in which masculine death always yields social and cultural meaning. I consider death that leaves the symbolic reserve in the case of a Korean patriarch, Chŏng Chu-yŏng, whose death generates the myth of national genius. The preservation of the symbolic value that becomes possible through death as a meaning-making event is translated into the economy of the virtual that sustains the capitalist material relation through recourse to the virtual male body that avoids symbolic and material exhaustion. I find a point of resistance to this political economy of virtual masculinity in the history of Korean cinema. Specifically, I read the historical project of contemporary Korean cinema in light of the aesthetic and ideological engagement in the noneconomy of masculinity as expenditure without reserve, or a death without myth, and find its most compelling manifestation in a han-lyu star, Chang Tong-gôn.
The Postcolonial Alien in Us All: Identity in the Global Division of Intellectual Labor
Authors: Chun Allen
Published: December 2008

Identity politics has accented the primacy of subjectivity of all kinds. I deflate the importance of identity in the short term here, as a preamble for arguing that our identities have always been fictions that are shaped by underlying institutional forces; that is, contrary to what we think, these identities can change and are stratified less by the ethnocentrism in our concepts than our institutional situatedness.
Novel Photoisomerization of N-(2-Nitrobenzylidene)-3-amino-5-methylpyrazole Triggered by Intramolecular Proton Transfer from Azomethine Group to Nitro Group in the Crystal State
Authors: Amimoto Kiichi , Kawato Toshio
Published: December 2008

Excited-state intramolecular proton transfer from the azomethine group to the nitro group of N-(2-nitrobenzylidene)-3-amino-5-methylpyrazole induced the formation of 2-nitrosobenzamide attended by vivid color change from yellow to reddish brown in the crystal state.
Cobalt-catalyzed Oxidative Kinetic Resolution of Secondary Benzylic Alcohols with Molecular Oxygen
Authors: Yamada Tohru , Higano Sho , Yano Takanori , Yamashita Yoshihiro
Published: December 2008

The oxidative kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols using molecular oxygen and olefins was catalyzed by the optically active ketoiminatocobalt(II) complexes. The various secondary benzylic alcohols were subjected to the aerobic oxidative reaction to afford optically active alcohols of high ee along with the corresponding ketones in high yield. The oxidation of the deuterated alcohols revealed that the accompanying olefin mediated the oxidation for conversion to the corresponding α-deuterated ketones.
Simple and Efficient Metal-free Hydroarylation and Hydroalkylation Using Strongly Acidic Ion-exchange Resin
Authors: Das Biswanath , Krishnaiah Martha , Laxminarayana Keetha , Damodar Kongara , Kumar D Nandan
Published: December 2008

Higly efficient hydroarylation and hydroalkylation of styrenes with various arenes and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds respectively have been developed using Amberlyst-15 as a heterogeneous catalyst. The excellent yields, short reaction times, and high selectivity are the advantages of this method. The C–H functionalization has been achieved here under metal-free conditions.
Ring-opening Bis(alkoxycarbonylation) Reaction of Methylenecyclopropanes Catalyzed by Palladium in the Presence of Copper(I) Salt
Authors: Aratani Takahiro , Ukaji Yutaka , Inomata Katsuhiko
Published: December 2008

A palladium-catalyzed ring-opening bis(alkoxycarbonylation) reaction of methylenecyclopropanes in the presence of copper(I) salt was achieved under normal pressure of carbon monoxide and oxygen to give the corresponding α-methyleneglutarates.
Preparation of New Polymer Nanocomposites with High Aspect Ratio Nanolayers by Use of Nonexpandable Fluoromica
Authors: Yokoyama Shingo , Tamura Kenji , Yamada Hirohisa
Published: December 2008

Dodecylammonium ions (DDA+) were successfully intercalated in a synthetic nonexpandable potassium fluoromica (SNEFM) by replacing K+ ions slowly in an aqueous solution of high DDA+ concentrations at 70 °C. The resulting intercalated compound showed exfoliation in the polyamide 6 (PA6) matrix to form polymer nanocomposites. The materials had silicate nanolayers with aspect ratio as high as several dozen to hundreds times greater than that of conventional exfoliated clay–polymer nanocomposites.
Time-resolved Surface-enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering Spectra of Thiacyanine Molecules in Water
Authors: Kitahama Yasutaka , Tanaka Yuhei , Itoh Tamitake , Ozaki Yukihiro
Published: December 2008

We observed change of surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) spectra of thiacyanine molecules adsorbed on a single Ag nano-aggregate. In water, the SERRS spectrum with background emission changes to temporally-fluctuated spectra without background emission. It seems that the change coincides with dissolution of thiacyanine J-aggregate into the monomers or the dimers.
New Ytterbium Complex-catalyzed Multicomponent Reactions for Synthesis of Dihydropyrimidines: [4+2] Cycloaddition vs. Biginelli Type Reaction
Authors: Zhu Jie , Zhang Mingjie , Liu Bo , Li Xiaojuan
Published: December 2008

A new schiff base ytterbium complex was synthesized and used as catalyst for a three-component, one-pot reaction involving 1,3-keto ester with urea or thiourea and aldehyde. The reactions resulted in the formation of two different dihydropyrimidines, the Biginelli type 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-ones and non-Biginelli type. A new mechanism based on [4+2] cycloaddition was proposed which serves as a reasonable explanation for the two different products.
Ion-selective Imaging by Atomic Force Microscopy with a Crown-ether-modified Tip
Authors: Kado Shinpei , Yano Hitoshi , Nakahara Yoshio , Kimura Keiichi
Published: December 2008

Ion-selective surface imaging was successfully attained by atomic force microscopy with a probe tip functionalized with a 15-crown-5 derivative. The frictional force images for nanopatterned substrates revealed enhanced contrasts attributable to the cation-binding interaction between the 15-crown-5 on the tip and potassium ions on the substrate.
Phenotypic Integration Among Trabecular and Cortical Bone Traits Establishes Mechanical Functionality of Inbred Mouse Vertebrae
Authors: Tommasini Steven M , Hu Bin , Nadeau Joseph H , Jepsen Karl J
Published: December 2008

Conventional approaches to identifying quantitative trait loci (QTLs) regulating bone mass and fragility are limited because they examine cortical and trabecular traits independently. Prior work examining long bones from young adult mice and humans indicated that skeletal traits are functionally related and that compensatory interactions among morphological and compositional traits are critical for establishing mechanical function. However, it is not known whether trait covariation (i.e., phenotypic integration) also is important for establishing mechanical function in more complex, corticocancellous structures. Covariation among trabecular, cortical, and compositional bone traits was examined in the context of mechanical functionality for L4 vertebral bodies across a panel of 16-wk-old female AXB/BXA recombinant inbred (RI) mouse strains. The unique pattern of randomization of the A/J and C57BL/6J (B6) genome among the RI panel provides a powerful tool that can be used to measure the tendency for different traits to covary and to study the biology of complex traits. We tested the hypothesis that genetic variants affecting vertebral size and mass are buffered by changes in the relative amounts of cortical and trabecular bone and overall mineralization. Despite inheriting random sets of A/J and B6 genomes, the RI strains inherited nonrandom sets of cortical and trabecular bone traits. Path analysis, which is a multivariate analysis that shows how multiple traits covary simultaneously when confounding variables like body size are taken into consideration, showed that RI strains that tended to have smaller vertebrae relative to body size achieved mechanical functionality by increasing mineralization and the relative amounts of cortical and trabecular bone. The interdependence among corticocancellous traits in the vertebral body indicated that variation in trabecular bone traits among inbred mouse strains, which is often thought to arise from genetic factors, is also determined in part by the adaptive response to variation in traits describing the cortical shell. The covariation among corticocancellous traits has important implications for genetic analyses and for interpreting the response of bone to genetic and environmental perturbations.
Interstate Variation in the Burden of Fragility Fractures
Authors: King Alison B , Tosteson Anna NA , Wong John B , Solomon Daniel H , Burge Russel T , Dawson-Hughes Bess
Published: December 2008

Demographic differences may produce interstate variation in the burden of osteoporosis. We estimated the burden of fragility fractures by race/ethnicity, age, sex, and service site across five diverse and populous states. State inpatient databases for 2000 were used to describe hospital fracture admissions, and a Markov decision model was used to estimate annual fracture incidence and cost for populations ≥50 yr of age for 2005–2025 in Arizona (AZ), California (CA), Florida (FL), Massachusetts (MA), and New York (NY). In 2000, mean hospital charges for incident fractures varied 1.7-fold across states. For hip fracture, mean charges ranged from $16,700 (MA) to $29,500 (CA), length of stay from 5.3 (AZ) to 8.9 days (NY), and discharge rate to long-term care from 43% (NY) to 71% (CA). In 2005, projected fracture incidence rates ranged from 199 (CA) to 266 (MA) per 10,000. Total cost ranged from $270 million (AZ) to $1,434 million (CA). Men accounted for 26–30% of costs. Across states, hip fractures constituted on average 77% of costs; “other” fractures (e.g., leg, arm), 10%; pelvic, 6%; vertebral, 5%; and wrist, 2%. By 2025, Hispanics are projected to represent 20% of fractures in AZ and CA and Asian/Other populations to represent 27% of fractures in NY. In conclusion, state initiatives to prevent fractures should include nonwhite populations and men, as well as white women, and should address fractures at all skeletal sites. Interstate variation in service utilization merits further evaluation to determine efficient and effective disease management strategies.
Selective Modification of Bone Quality by PTH, Pamidronate, or Raloxifene
Authors: Brennan Tara C , Rizzoli René , Ammann Patrick
Published: December 2008

Bone strength, a determinant of resistance to fracture, depends on BMD, geometry, microarchitecture, bone turnover rates, and properties of the bone at the material level. Despite comparable antifracture efficacy, anti-catabolics and bone anabolic agents are likely to modify the various determinants of bone strength in very different ways. Eight weeks after ovariectomy (OVX), 8-mo-old osteoporotic rats received pamidronate (APD; 0.6 mg/kg, 5 days/mo, SC), raloxifene (3 mg/kg, 5/7 days, tube feeding), PTH(1–34) (10 μg/kg, 5/7 days, SC), or vehicle for 16 wk, and we measured vertebral BMD, maximal load, stiffness and energy, microarchitecture, and material properties by nanoindentation, which allows the calculation of the elastic modulus, tissue hardness, and working energy. Markers of bone turnover, plasma osteocalcin, and urinary deoxypyridinoline (Dpd) were also determined. PTH induced greater maximal load than APD or raloxifene, as well as greater absorbed energy, BMD, and increased bone turnover markers. PTH markedly increased trabecular bone volume and connectivity to values higher than sham. Animals treated with APD had BV/TV values significantly higher than OVX but lower than sham, whereas raloxifene had no effect. Tissue hardness was identical in PTH-treated and OVX untreated controls. In contrast, APD reversed the decline in strength to levels not significantly different to sham, reduced bone turnover, and increased hardness. Raloxifene markedly increased material level cortical hardness and elastic modulus. These results show the different mechanisms by which anti-catabolics and bone anabolics reduce fracture risk. PTH influences microarchitecture, whereas bisphosphonates alter material-level bone properties, with probable opposite effects on remodeling space. Raloxifene primarily improved the material stiffness at the cortical level.
PTH and PTH Antagonist Induce Different Conformational Changes in the PTHR1 Receptor
Authors: Thomas Beena E , Sharma Sandhya , Mierke Dale F , Rosenblatt Michael
Published: December 2008

Interaction of ligands with their specific receptors is accompanied by conformational shifts culminating in receptor activation and expression of hormonal activity. Using an engineered disulfide bond formation strategy, we characterized the relative conformational changes taking place within the PTH type 1 receptor (PTHR1) at the interface of transmembrane (TM)5 and TM6 on binding the PTH agonist, PTH(1–34), compared with the antagonist PTH(7-34). Cysteines were singly incorporated into a portion of the extracellular-facing region of TM5 (365–370), while simultaneously a second cysteine was introduced at position 420, 423, or 425 at the extracellular end of TM6, leading to a total of 18 double cysteine-containing PTHR1 mutants. All mutants, except P366C/V423C and P366C/M425C, were expressed in the cell membrane preparations. In the presence of agonist, H420C and M425C in TM6 formed disulfide bonds with all and with most, respectively, of the substituted cysteines incorporated in TM5. In contrast to the conformational shift induced (or stabilized) by agonist in activating the receptor, antagonist binding produced no detectable change from the basal (inactive) conformation of PTHR1. Our studies provide physicochemical evidence that the extracellular-facing ligand binding regions of receptor, TM5 and TM6, are dynamic and move relative to each other on ligand binding. The distinct differences in receptor conformation induced (or stabilized) by agonist PTH(1–34) compared with antagonist PTH(7-34) begin to provide insight into the early events in and mechanism of PTHR1 activation.
Mathematical Modeling of Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of a Single Bone Multicellular Unit
Authors: Ryser Marc D , Nigam Nilima , Komarova Svetlana V
Published: December 2008

During bone remodeling, bone-resorbing osteoclasts and bone-forming osteoblasts are organized in bone multicellular units (BMUs), which travel at a rate of 20–40 μm/d for 6–12 mo, maintaining a cylindrical structure. However, the interplay of local BMU geometry with biochemical regulation is poorly understood. We developed a mathematical model of BMU describing changes in time and space of the concentrations of proresorptive cytokine RANKL and its inhibitor osteoprotegerin (OPG), in osteoclast and osteoblast numbers, and in bone mass. We assumed that osteocytes surrounding a microfracture produce RANKL, which attracted osteoclasts. OPG and RANKL were produced by osteoblasts and diffused through bone, RANKL was eliminated by binding to OPG and RANK. Osteoblasts were coupled to osteoclasts through paracrine factors. The evolution of the BMU arising from this model was studied using numerical simulations. Our model recapitulated the spatio-temporal dynamics observed in vivo in a cross-section of bone. In response to a RANKL field, osteoclasts moved as a well-confined cutting cone. The coupling of osteoclasts to osteoblasts allowed for sufficient recruitment of osteoblasts to the resorbed surfaces. The RANKL field was the highest at the microfracture in front of the BMU, whereas the OPG field peaked at the back of the BMU, resulting in the formation of a RANKL/OPG gradient, which strongly affected the rate of BMU progression and its size. Thus, the spatial organization of a BMU provides important constraints on the roles of RANKL and OPG as well as possibly other regulators in determining the outcome of remodeling in the BMU.
miR-196a Regulates Proliferation and Osteogenic Differentiation in Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived From Human Adipose Tissue
Authors: Kim Yeon Jeong , Bae Sang Woo , Yu Sung Sook , Bae Yong Chan , Jung Jin Sup
Published: December 2008

The elucidation of the molecular mechanisms that govern the differentiation and proliferation of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hASCs) could improve hASC-based cell therapy. In this study, we examined the roles of microRNA (miRNA)-196a on hASC proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. Lentiviral overexpression of miR-196a decreased hASC proliferation and enhanced osteogenic differentiation, without affecting adipogenic differentiation. Overexpression of miR-196a decreased the protein and mRNA levels of HOXC8, a predicted target of miR-196a. HOXC8 expression was decreased during osteogenic differentiation of hASCs, and this decrease in HOXC8 expression was concomitant with an increase in the level of miR-196a. In contrast, inhibition of miR-196a with 2′-O-methyl-antisense RNA increased the protein levels of HOXC8 in treated hASCs and was accompanied by increased proliferation and decreased osteogenic differentiation. The activity of a luciferase construct containing the miR-196a target site from the HOXC8 3′UTR was lower in LV-miR196a-infected hASCs than in LV-miLacZ-infected cells. RNA interference-mediated downregulation of HOXC8 in hASCs increased their proliferation and decreased their differentiation into osteogenic cells, without affecting their adipogenic differentiation. Our data indicate that miR-196a plays a role in hASC osteogenic differentiation and proliferation, which may be mediated through its predicted target, HOXC8. This study provides us with a better knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that govern hASC differentiation and proliferation.
μCT-Based Measurement of Cortical Bone Graft-to-Host Union
Authors: Reynolds David G , Shaikh Saad , Papuga Mark Owen , Lerner Amy L , O'Keefe Regis J , Schwarz Edward M , Awad Hani A
Published: December 2008

Evaluation of structural bone grafts risk of failure requires noninvasive quantitative predictors of functional strength. We hypothesized that a quantitative graft-to-host union biometric would correlate significantly with biomechanical properties as a surrogate for the risk of fracture. To test this, we developed a novel algorithm to compute the union between host callus and graft, which was termed the union ratio. We compared the union ratio of live autografts to devitalized allografts implanted into the mid-diaphysis of mouse femurs for 6 and 9 wk. Surprisingly, the autograft union ratio decreased from 0.228 ± 0.029 at 6 wk to 0.15 ± 0.011 at 9 wk (p < 0.05) and did not correlate with the torsional properties of the autografts. The allograft union ratio was 0.105 ± 0.023 at 6 wk but increased to 0.224 ± 0.029 at 9 wk (p < 0.05). As a single variable, the union ratio correlated significantly with ultimate torque (R2 = 0.58) and torsional rigidity (R2 = 0.51) of the allografts. Multivariable regression analyses of allografts that included the union ratio, the graft bone volume, the maximum and minimum polar moment of inertia, and their first-order interaction terms with the union ratio as independent variables resulted in significant correlations with the ultimate torque and torsional rigidity (adjusted R2 = 0.80 and 0.89, respectively). These results suggest that, unlike live autografts, the union between the devitalized allograft and host contributes significantly to the strength of grafted bone. The union ratio has important clinical implications as a novel biometric for noninvasive assessment of functional strength and failure risk.
Clinical Vignette: PTH(1–34) Replacement Therapy in a Child With Hypoparathyroidism Caused by a Sporadic Calcium Receptor Mutation
Authors: Theman Todd A , Collins Michael T , Dempster David W , Zhou Hua , Reynolds James C , Brahim Jaime S , Roschger Paul , Klaushofer Klaus , Winer Karen K
Published: December 2008

Autosomal dominant hypocalcemia (ADH) is an inherited form of hypoparathyroidism caused by activating mutations in the calcium-sensing receptor (CaR). Treatment with PTH(1–34) may be superior to conventional therapy but is contraindicated in children, and long-term effects on the skeleton are unknown. The patient is a 20-yr-old female with ADH treated with PTH continuously since 6 yr and 2 mo of age. A bone biopsy was obtained for histomorphometry and quantitative backscattered electron imaging (qBEI). Her data were compared with one age-, sex-, and length of hypoparathyroidism-matched control not on PTH and two sex-matched ADH controls before and after 1 yr of PTH. The patient's growth was normal. Hypercalciuria and hypermagnesuria persisted despite normal or subnormal serum calcium and magnesium levels. Nephrocalcinosis, without evidence of impaired renal function, developed by 19 yr of age. Cancellous bone volume was dramatically elevated in the patient and in ADH controls after 1 yr of PTH. BMD distribution (BMDD) by qBEI of the patient and ADH controls was strikingly shifted toward lower mineralization compared with the non-ADH control. Moreover, the ADH controls exhibited a further reduction in mineralization after 1 yr of PTH. These findings imply a role for CaR in bone matrix mineralization. There were no fractures or osteosarcoma. In conclusion, long-term PTH replacement in a child with ADH was not unsafe, increased bone mass without negatively impacting mineralization, and improved serum mineral control but did not prevent nephrocalcinosis. Additionally, this may be the first evidence of a role for CaR in human bone.
Plasma Osteocalcin Is Inversely Related to Fat Mass and Plasma Glucose in Elderly Swedish Men
Authors: Kindblom Jenny M , Ohlsson Claes , Ljunggren Östen , Karlsson Magnus K , Tivesten Åsa , Smith Ulf , Mellström Dan
Published: December 2008

The osteoblast-derived protein osteocalcin has recently been shown to affect adiposity and glucose homeostasis in mice, suggesting that the skeleton influences energy metabolism through an endocrine mechanism. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between plasma osteocalcin and parameters reflecting fat mass and glucose homeostasis in humans. Fasting levels of plasma osteocalcin, plasma glucose, serum insulin, and lipids were analyzed in elderly men (75.3 ± 3.2 yr of age) in the Gothenburg part (all subjects, n = 1010; nondiabetic, n = 857; diabetic, n = 153) of the MrOS Sweden study. Fat mass and lean mass were analyzed using DXA. Diabetic subjects had lower plasma osteocalcin (−21.7%, p < 0.001) than nondiabetic subjects. For both all subjects and nondiabetic subjects, plasma osteocalcin was clearly inversely related to body mass index (BMI), fat mass, and plasma glucose (p < 0.001), whereas it was not associated with height or lean mass. Plasma osteocalcin explained a substantial part (6.3%) of the variance in plasma glucose, whereas it associated moderately with serum insulin. Multiple linear regression models adjusting for serum insulin and fat mass showed that plasma osteocalcin was an independent negative predictor of plasma glucose (p < 0.001). We herein, for the first time in humans, show that plasma osteocalcin is inversely related to fat mass and plasma glucose. Although one should be cautious with mechanistic interpretations of cross-sectional association studies, our human data support recently published experimental studies, showing endocrine functions of osteoblast-derived osteocalcin on glucose and fat homeostasis.
A Proposed Basis for Characterizing and Comparing the Permeation Resistance of Chemical Protective Clothing Materials
Authors: Spence MW
Published: December 2008

A common problem among users of chemical protective clothing is the lack of a practical, consistent basis for comparing and characterizing the permeation barrier effectiveness of different protective clothing materials. This becomes a particular problem for generic materials (for example, neoprene) for which differences in raw materials, additives, and manufacturing techniques can result in differences in permeation resistance for the same material made by different manufacturers.

An approach to resolving this problem is described which uses permeation testing with a solubility-parameter-based set of test chemicals as a basis for comparing clothing materials. A proposed test battery is presented, and the rationale behind it, as well as its potential usefulness, is discussed.
Experiences from Developing a Data Base on the Protective Effects Against Chemicals of Gloves Made from Rubber and Plastic Materials
Authors: Mellström G
Published: December 2008

A data base has been developed containing test data on protective effects of safety gloves against chemicals. Permeation data and clinical data as well as experimental data are collected and, after dermatological assessment, are put into different files in the data base. The main purpose of this data base is to give up-to-date and relevant information to those who have to choose and recommend suitable gloves to workers handling or working with hazardous chemicals. The information from the data base is presented to the users in the form of printed documents which can be updated regularly.

Today test results are not always comparable because so many different investigation methods are used. To make it possible to compare test results, still more work must be done to establish internationally accepted standards or reference methods (in vitro and in vivo) and internationally accepted rules for presenting test data. This would make it easier to evaluate the protective effect against chemicals of protective glove materials.
California Pesticide Applicators' Attitudes and Practices Regarding the Use and Care of Protective Clothing
Authors: Rucker MH , McGee KM , Chordas T
Published: December 2008

The objectives of this study were to (1) obtain data on attitudes and practices of California pesticide applicators and household members responsible for the care of pesticide-soiled clothing, (2) identify relationships between attitudes and practices, and (3) determine if any group might be especially at risk. A survey of growers and commercial applicators suggested that the growers were the higher-risk group; not only did they use more hazardous chemicals, but they also were less likely to agree with the need for certain precautions. In general, users of more toxic chemicals indicated they recognized that fact but appeared to downplay the potential danger. With respect to storage and cleaning of pesticide-soiled clothing, the data indicate that a sizable proportion of the sample stored and washed such clothing with other household garments. This finding is cause for some concern since health problems can develop from secondary exposure to pesticides.
Efficiency of Protective Clothing for Pesticide Spraying
Authors: Lloyd GA
Published: December 2008

Measurements in the United Kingdom of the exposure of operators to pesticide sprays were used to indicate the performance required of protective clothing. Laboratory tests, designed to simulate maximum levels of contamination, as far as practicable, were then applied to protective clothing materials and finished items to facilitate the development of national and international standards of performance. Studies of the relative efficiencies of protective garments in field spraying operations were also undertaken to assess the value of laboratory test data for the selection of effective spray suits.

High protection factors, based on the ratio of the amounts of spray chemical found on and inside the clothing, were usually recorded in the field studies. The correlation of performance data with laboratory test data was only fair. The laboratory tests of permeation and penetration posed high levels of contamination, however, and tended to err therefore on the side of safety in assessments of the potential efficiency of protective clothing.
Effect of Functional Finish Barriers on Pesticide Penetration
Authors: Leonas KK , DeJonge JO
Published: December 2008

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how functional finishes and different levels of laundering affect a fabric's ability to prevent or inhibit pesticide penetration. In this study, three fabrics (cotton, cotton/polyester, and polyester) treated with selected functional finishes (durable press, soil release, and water repellent) and laundered at predetermined levels (0, 10, 30, and 50 times) were exposed to methyl parathion spray. The amount of pesticide that moved through the fabric was then measured. The amount measured was compared for different finishes and between launderings to determine the effect of these variables. The application of the pesticide was completed using an enclosed spray chamber that simulated actual field conditions encountered during air blast spraying. Water-repellent and soil-release finishes were found to increase the amount of protection provided by fabrics. Fabrics treated with the durable-press finish permitted more pesticide penetration than untreated fabrics, resulting in decreased protection. Methyl parathion penetration increased with the number of launderings of the water-repellent-treated polyester fabrics; however, laundering did not significantly affect the cotton and cotton/polyester fabrics' protective characteristics.
Distribution of Malathion and Methyl Parathion on Cotton/Polyester Unfinished and Durable-Press Fabrics Before and After Laundering as Determined by Electron Microscopy
Authors: Obendorf SK , Solbrig CM
Published: December 2008

The distributions of the organophosphorus pesticides malathion and methyl parathion on 50% cotton/50% polyester fabric with and without a durable-press finish were studied by electron microscopy. Osmium tetroxide was used to tag the pesticides for the study of their distribution on the yarns and fibers by backscattered electron imaging and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis. Distributions of malathion and methyl parathion on the unlaundered specimens were similar, with high concentrations present on the surfaces of both polyester and cotton fibers and in the cotton lumen. No pesticide was observed inside the polyester fibers. Laundering removed 60 to 70% of each pesticide by cleaning the surfaces of the fibers but had little effect on the concentration of pesticide in the cotton lumen. Laundering removed more malathion than methyl parathion from the surfaces of the polyester fibers. The durable-press finish had no effect on the total amount retained or on the distribution of malathion after laundering, while slightly more methyl parathion was observed on the unfinished fabric.
Managing the Selection and Use of Chemical Protective Clothing
Authors: Coletta GC , Spence MW
Published: December 2008

Five key elements important to the success of a chemical protective clothing management program are discussed and illustrated with a case study. These elements are (1) determining the likelihood of skin exposure, (2) identifying the consequences of direct skin contact, (3) establishing the levels of protection provided by available protective clothing, (4) making an appropriate selection and documenting the basis for the selection, and (5) training employees in the proper use of the selected items. These elements form the basis of an ongoing risk/benefit analysis intended to ensure maximum employee protection within constraints imposed by operating and business considerations.
Chemical Protective Clothing Field Evaluation Methods
Authors: Berardinelli SP , Roder M
Published: December 2008

This is a concept paper. The reasons for conducting field evaluations as well as chemical resistance field test methods are discussed. The field tests methods include chemical resistance of protective clothing to degradation, penetration, or permeation by a liquid chemical.
Testing Fully Encapsulated Chemical Suits in a Simulated Work Environment
Authors: Garland CE , Goldstein LE , Cary C
Published: December 2008

The ultimate performance objective of chemical protective clothing is protection of the wearer in his workplace environment. The chemical barrier properties of the materials used in the clothing are of prime importance; however, in fully encapsulated suits, it is mandatory that the total ensemble afford effective protection to the wearer as he performs his normal work routine. A quantitative fit-test booth for respirators was used to determine the protection factors (PF) of total ensembles. The PFs are measured for three exercises simulating typical work activities. A number of suit designs and concepts including limited-use disposable clothing have been tested, and modifications in design have been incorporated to improve performance. Based on the test results, we have been able to proceed to actual on-the-job testing to confirm acceptability with minimum risk to the wearers.
Protection Offered by Lightweight Clothing Materials to the Heat of a Fire
Authors: Schoppee MM , Welsford JM , Abbott NJ
Published: December 2008

Factors affecting the thermal performance of protective clothing are discussed in a general way, and a laboratory method of achieving heat absorption rates typical of those occurring during exposure to a large fire is described. Using this method, the strength retention of fabrics during short-term exposure at high heat flux levels has been found to depend on the temperature achieved at a given instant during exposure and to be independent of the mechanism of heat absorption. A comparison of the duration of exposure to high heat flux levels that causes various polymeric fabrics to lose most of their original strength or to autoignite predicts that such high-temperature materials as polybenzimidazole (PBI) and Nomex/Kevlar can provide a few extra seconds of protection against the extreme heat of a large fire.

Some difficulties associated with the use of an instrumented skin-simulant device for determining the rate of conductive heat transfer through fabrics of various kinds during standard gas flame impingement tests are also discussed. There is, at present, no accurate way to translate temperatures measured at a depth of 500 μm in a fabric-covered skin simulant to temperatures appropriate for a depth of 80 μm, the skin depth to which clinical data regarding tissue damage are related. Until the conductive heat flow equation can be revised, ranking of fabrics by the maximum temperature achieved in the skin simulant remains the only reliable method of using data from this device.
Predicting the Thermal Protective Performance of Heat-Protective Fabrics from Basic Properties
Authors: Shalev I , Barker RL
Published: December 2008

Novel experimental techniques were developed to measure changes in the weight, thickness, density, heat capacity, heat conductivity, and infrared (IR) transmission of protective fabrics occurring during a thermal protective performance (TPP) test. Comparisons are made between polybenzimidazole (PBI), aramid, a PBI/aramid blend fabric, and flame-retardant (FR) cotton fabrics in the 250 g/m2 (7.5-oz/yd2) weight range. This research analyzes changes in fabric heat transfer properties produced through mechanisms of pyrolysis, char formation, and shrinkage. Fiber character is shown to play a decisive role in determining the direction and extent of change in thermophysical properties. Retention of air volume is found to be critical to prolonged thermal protection performance. Experimental data indicate that air and fiber conduction dominate in intense exposures to a mixture of radiant and convective thermal energy; direct radiant transmission is not an important contributor to the total heat transferred in these exposures. The ability of fabrics to maintain surface fibers is thought to have significant impact in blocking convective heat transmission. The degradation behaviors of different materials are compared and related to their thermal protective performance.
Protective Performance of Polybenzimidazole-Blend Fabrics
Authors: Bouchillon RE
Published: December 2008

The paper describes the physical, thermal, and fire-protective characteristics of fabrics prepared from Celanese polybenzimidazole (PBI) fiber blended with other fibers (for example, flame-retardant rayon, aramids). Fabric engineering design criteria, production techniques, testing, and correlations with applications requirements are presented. Computer statistical analyses were used to define optimum performance regimens and are discussed in relation to laboratory data and end-use performance evaluations. Data from various standard tests are interpreted in light of PBI fiber performance contribution.