bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Government Debt on Growth
Authors: Checherita-Westphal Cristina , Rother Philipp
Published: December 2011

Résumé Nous étudions l’impact de la dette publique sur la croissance du pib par tête depuis 1970 et sur une période d’environ quarante années. L’impact de la dette sur la croissance est décrit par une relation non linéaire avec un seuil de l’ordre de 90-100% du pib au-delà duquel le ratio de la dette a un effet négatif sur le pib . Les intervalles de confiance montrent que des effets négatifs peuvent se manifester dès que le ratio de la dette devient égal à 70-80%, ce qui implique que la politique d’endettement doit devenir même plus prudente. Notre résultat est un argument supplémentaire en faveur des politiques de réduction de la dette comme une politique de soutien de la croissance à long terme. JEL Code : H63, O40, E62
Debt Consolidation and Financial Stability
Authors: Angeloni Ignazio , Faia Ester , Winkler Roland
Published: December 2011

Résumé Nous comparons trois politiques d’après crise de consolidation de la dette publique (réduction des dépenses, augmentation des impôts liés à la consommation ou au travail). Nous étudions les effets de ces politiques sur les variables macroéconomiques et la stabilité du système bancaire. Les politiques basées sur une taxation du travail permettent un ajustement rapide de la dette et réduisent les coûts intertemporels de la dette, mais elles accroissent les fluctuations des leviers bancaires ainsi que le risque. Les stratégies de taxation de la consommation ainsi que celles basées sur les dépenses donnent de meilleurs résultats, à peu près similaires pour chacune de ces deux options. JEL Code : E44, E47, E62.
Hearing Loss in Osteogenesis Imperfecta: Characteristics and Treatment Considerations
Authors: Pillion Joseph P. , Vernick David , Shapiro Jay
Published: December 2011

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is the most common heritable disorder of connective tissue. It is associated with fractures following relatively minor injury, blue sclerae, dentinogenesis imperfecta, increased joint mobility, short stature, and hearing loss. Structures in the otic capsule and inner ear share in the histologic features common to other skeletal tissues. OI is due to mutations involving several genes, the most commonly involved are the COL1A1 or COL1A2 genes which are responsible for the synthesis of the proalpha-1 and proalpha-2 polypeptide chains that form the type I collagen triple helix. A genotype/phenotype relationship to hearing loss has not been established in OI. Hearing loss is commonly found in OI with prevalence rates ranging from 50 to 92% in some studies. Hearing loss in OI may be conductive, mixed, or sensorineural and is more common by the second or third decade. Treatment options such as hearing aids, stapes surgery, and cochlear implants are discussed.
Enriques diagrams, arbitrarily near points, and Hilbert schemes
Authors: Kleiman Steven , Piene Ragni , Tyomkin Ilya
Published: December 2011

Given a smooth family

F/Y

of geometrically irreducible surfaces, we study sequences of
arbitrarily near

T

-points of

F/Y

; they generalize the traditional sequences of infinitely near points of a single smooth surface. We distinguish a special sort of these new sequences, the
strict
sequences. To each strict sequence, we associate an ordered unweighted Enriques diagram. We prove that the various sequences with a fixed diagram form a functor, and we represent it by a smooth

Y

-scheme.We equip this

Y

-scheme with a free action of the automorphism group of the diagram. We equip the diagram with weights, take the subgroup of those automorphisms preserving the weights, and form the corresponding quotient scheme. Our main theorem constructs a canonical universally injective map from this quotient scheme to the Hilbert scheme of

F/Y

; further, this map is an embedding in characteristic 0. However, in every positive characteristic, we give an example, in Appendix B, where the map is purely inseparable.
Arrangements of rational sections over curves and the varieties they define
Authors: Urzúa Giancarlo
Published: December 2011

We introduce arrangements of rational sections over curves. They generalize line arrangements on

\mathbb P^2

. Each arrangement of

d

sections defines a single curve in

\mathbb P^{d-2}

through the Kapranov's construction of

\overline{M}_{0,d+1}

. We show a one-to-one correspondence between arrangements of

d

sections and irreducible curves in

M_{0,d+1}

, giving also correspondences for two distinguished subclasses: transversal and simple crossing. Then, we associate to each arrangement

\mathcal A

(and so to each irreducible curve in

M_{0,d+1}

) several families of nonsingular projective surfaces

X

of general type with Chern numbers asymptotically proportional to various log Chern numbers defined by

\mathcal A

. For example, for the main families and over

\mathbb C

, any such

X

is of positive index and

\pi_1(X) \simeq \pi_1(\overline{A})

, where

\overline{A}

is the normalization of

A

. In this way, any rational curve in

M_{0,d+1}

produces simply connected surfaces with Chern numbers ratio bigger than

2

. Inequalities like these come from log Chern inequalities, which are in general connected to geometric height inequalities (see Appendix). Along the way, we show examples of étale simply connected surfaces of general type in any characteristic violating any sort of Miyaoka-Yau inequality.
Automorphisms of rational manifolds of positive entropy with Siegel disks
Authors: Oguiso Keiji , Perroni Fabio
Published: December 2011

Using McMullen’s rational surface automorphisms, we construct projective rational manifolds of higher dimension admitting automorphisms of positive entropy with arbitrarily high number of Siegel disks and those with exactly one Siegel disk.
On a result by Boccardo-Ferone-Fusco-Orsina
Authors: Squassina Marco
Published: December 2011

Via a symmetric version of Ekeland’s principle recently obtained by the author we improve, in a ball or an annulus, a result of Boccardo-Ferone-Fusco-Orsina on the properties of minimizing sequences of functionals of calculus of variations in the non-convex setting.
Multimodality imaging of exuberant mitral annular calcification in a patient presenting with transient ischaemic attack
Authors: Vijayan S , Fielding P , Kahan B , Ionescu A
Published: December 2011

We report an unusual case of calcification of mitral valve annulus imaged with multiple non-invasive modalities in a patient who suffered a transient ischaemic attack, probably from thrombus overlying the mitral annular calcification. Both this mode of presentation and the imaging features of the annular calcification were relatively unusual, and the images obtained are remarkably clear and diagnostic.
Changes in carbon fluxes and pools induced by cropland expansion in South and Southeast Asia in the 20th century
Authors: Tao B. , Tian H. , Chen G. , Ren W. , Lu C. , Alley K. D. , Xu X. , Liu M. , Pan S. , Virji H.
Published: December 2011

Abstract. A process-based ecosystem model, the Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model (DLEM), was applied to evaluate the effects of cropland expansion on terrestrial carbon fluxes and pools in South and Southeast Asia in the 20th century. The results indicated that cropland expansion in both regions has resulted in a release of 18.26 Pg C into the atmosphere in the study period. Of this amount, approximately 23 % (4.19 Pg C) was released from South Asia and 77 % (14.07 Pg C) from Southeast Asia. More land area was converted to cropland but less carbon was emitted in South Asia than in Southeast Asia, where forest biomass and soil carbon are significantly higher. Carbon losses in vegetation, soil organic matter, and litter carbon pools accounted for 15.09, 2.01, and 1.60 Pg C, respectively. Significant decreases in vegetation carbon occurred across most regions of Southeast Asia due to continuous cropland expansion and depletion of natural forests. Our study also indicated that it is important to take into account the land use legacy effect when evaluating the contemporary carbon balance in terrestrial ecosystems.
Multiscale characterization of pore spaces using multifractals analysis of scanning electronic microscopy images of carbonates
Authors: Jouini M. S. , Vega S. , Mokhtar E. A.
Published: December 2011

Abstract. Pore spaces heterogeneity in carbonates rocks has long been identified as an important factor impacting reservoir productivity. In this paper, we study the heterogeneity of carbonate rocks pore spaces based on the image analysis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) data acquired at various magnifications. Sixty images of twelve carbonate samples from a reservoir in the Middle East were analyzed. First, pore spaces were extracted from SEM images using a segmentation technique based on watershed algorithm. Pores geometries revealed a multifractal behavior at various magnifications from 800x to 12 000x. In addition, the singularity spectrum provided quantitative values that describe the degree of heterogeneity in the carbonates samples. Moreover, for the majority of the analyzed samples, we found low variations (around 5%) in the multifractal dimensions for magnifications between 1700x and 12 000x. Finally, these results demonstrate that multifractal analysis could be an appropriate tool for characterizing quantitatively the heterogeneity of carbonate pore spaces geometries. However, our findings show that magnification has an impact on multifractal dimensions, revealing the limit of applicability of multifractal descriptions for these natural structures.
Bacteria Staphylococcus spp. izolated from mastitis of sheep and their enterotoxigenic properties
Authors: Zigo František , Vasiľ Milan , Kadáši Marián , Elečko Juraj , Farkašová Zuzana
Published: December 2011

In our study was followed occurrence of staphylococcal mastitis in herd of 350 sheep during one lactation season. We found, the bacteria S. schleiferi was identified in 88 from all 204 isolates. In high number were identified also S. caprae (33), S. chromogenes (21), S. aureus (19), S. epidermidis (17), respectively. Important was occurrence S. intermedius, S. simulans, S. xylosus a S. warneri, too. The Staphylococcuss spp. caused latent and subclinical forms of mastitis predominantly, showed into subacute mastitis (26.5%). Acute mastitis was determined in 7.8 %. Eight bacteria S. aureus, two S. chromogenes, and two S. epidermidis produced staphylococcal enterotoxins.
“Abscopal” Effect of Radiation Therapy Combined with Immune-Therapy Using IFN-γ Gene Transfected Syngeneic Tumor Cells, in Rats with Bilateral Implanted N29 Tumors
Authors: Persson Bertil R. R. , Bauréus Koch Catrin , Grafström Gustav , Ceberg Crister , Munck af Rosenschöld Per , Nittby Henrietta , Widegren Bengt , Salford Leif G.
Published: December 2011

The tumor growth rate response was studied on N29 rat glioma tumor cells subcutaneously implanted on both hind legs of Fischer-344 rats. At around 30 days after inoculation, RT was given with 60Co gamma radiation with 4 daily fractions of 5 Gy only to the right-lateral tumors. At days 26, 42, and 54 after inoculation, immunization was performed with irradiated syngeneic IFNγ-gene transfected cells. Tumor growth rate (TGR % per day) of the right-lateral irradiated tumor was significantly decreased (P<0.01) after RT alone and with the combination of RT and immunization. But immunization alone gave no significant decrease of the TGR but significantly increased time of survival. The TGR of the unirradiated left-lateral tumors was significantly decreased (P<0.02) only in the group of rats treated with RT alone. It is apparent that tumor cells killed by the radiation mediate suppression of tumor cells outside the target area. This effect is called the abscopal effect.
A Gallery to Play to
Authors: Bowen Phil
Published: December 2011

A Gallery to Play to is an intimate account of the lives and careers of the poets Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten. With unparalleled access to the three writers, Phil Bowen has written an indispensable book for anyone interested in poetry, popular culture and society over the last forty years.
Deconstruction and the Postcolonial
Authors: Syrotinski Michael
Published: December 2011

As postcolonial studies shifts to a more comparative approach one of the most intriguing developments has been within the Francophone world. A number of genealogical lines of influence are now being drawn connecting the work of the three figures most associated with the emergence of postcolonial theory  Homi Bhabha, Edward Said, and Gayatri Spivak  to an earlier generation of French (predominantly poststructuralist) theorists. Within this emerging narrative of intellectual influences, the importance of the thought of Jacques Derrida, and the status of deconstruction generally, has been acknowledged, but has not until now been adequately accounted for. In Deconstruction and the Postcolonial, Michael Syrotinski teases out the underlying conceptual tensions and theoretical stakes of what he terms a deconstructive postcolonialism, and argues that postcolonial studies stands to gain ground in terms of its political forcefulness and philosophical rigour by turning back to, and not away from, deconstruction.
Photoluminescence properties of new poly(N‐vinylcarbazole)‐3‐methylthiophene (PVK‐3MeT) graft copolymer
Authors: Chemek M. , Massuyeau F. , Wéry J. , Hlel A. , Ayachi S. , Faulques E. , Lefrant S. , Alimi K.
Published: December 2011

Steady‐state and time‐resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurements are used in order to investigate the emission properties of new graft copolymer involving poly(N‐vinylcarbazole) (PVK) and poly(3‐methylthiophene) (PMeT) named PVK‐3MeT. The photo‐generated species in PVK‐3MeT are identified as singlet intrachain excitons. Furthermore, radiative and nonradiative lifetimes have been calculated. The observed changes in the photo‐physical properties of the different condensed phases could be directly related to the nanostructure of the material. The use of PVK in the chemical synthesis allows the obtaining of a new organic material with better emission and slowly radiative recombination compared to those of polythiophenes indicating that the radiative channel is more enhanced. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Time‐varying magnetic fields of 60 Hz at 7 mT induce DNA double‐strand breaks and activate DNA damage checkpoints without apoptosis
Authors: Kim Jiyeon , Yoon Yeojun , Yun Seungho , Park Gwan Soo , Lee Hae June , Song Kiwon
Published: December 2011

The potential genotoxic effect of a time‐varying magnetic field (MF) on human cells was investigated. Upon continuous exposure of human primary fibroblast and cervical cancer cells to a 60 Hz MF at 7 mT for 10–60 min, no significant change in cell viability was observed. However, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) double‐strand breaks (DSBs) were detected, and the DNA damage checkpoint pathway was activated in these cells without programmed cell death (called apoptosis). The exposure of human cells to a 60 Hz MF did not induce intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, suggesting that the observed DNA DSBs are not directly caused by ROS. We also compared the position and time dependency of DNA DSBs with numerical simulation of MFs. The Lorentz force and eddy currents in these experiments were numerically calculated to investigate the influence of each factor on DNA DSBs. The DNA DSBs mainly occurred at the central region, where the MF was strongest, after a 30‐min exposure. After 90 min, however, the amount of DNA DSBs increased rapidly in the outer regions, where the eddy current and Lorentz force were strong. Bioelectromagnetics 33:383–393, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Changes in blood metabolic parameters during the development of Walker‐256 tumour‐induced cachexia in rats are not caused by decreased food intake
Authors: Cassolla Priscila , Moreira Carolina Campos Lima , Liboni Thaís Fernanda , Zaia Cássia Thaïs Bussamra Vieira , Borba‐Murad Glaucia Regina , Bazotte Roberto Barbosa , de Souza Helenir Medri
Published: December 2011

Blood metabolic parameters of Walker‐256 tumour‐bearing rats, on days 5, 8, 11 and 14 after implantation of tumour, were compared with those of rats without tumour fed ad libitum (free‐fed control) or with reduced feeding (pair‐fed control), similar to the anorexic tumour‐bearing rats. Cachexia parameters and tumour mass also were investigated. In general, especially on day 14 after implantation of tumour, there was reduction of body mass, gastrocnemius muscle mass, food intake and glycemia and increase of blood triacylglycerol, free fatty acids, lactate and urea, compared with free‐fed controls rats. These changes did not occur in pair‐fed control, except a slight reduction of glycemia. Pair‐fed control showed no significant changes in blood cholesterol and glycerol in comparison with free‐fed control, although there was reduction of cholesterol and increase of blood glycerol on day 14 after tumour implantation compared with pair‐fed control. The results demonstrate that, besides the characteristic signs of the cachexia syndrome such as anorexia, weight loss and muscle catabolism, Walker‐256 tumour‐bearing rats show several blood metabolic alterations, some of which begin as early as day 5 after implantation of tumour, and are accentuated during the development of cachexia. Evidence that the alterations of blood metabolic parameters of tumour‐bearing rats were not found in pair‐fed control indicate that they were not caused by decreased food intake. These changes were probably mediated by factors produced by tumour or host tissue in response to the presence of tumour. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Solution Structure and Conformational Dynamics of Deoxyxylonucleic Acids (dXNA): An Orthogonal Nucleic Acid Candidate
Authors: Maiti Mohitosh , Siegmund Vanessa , Abramov Mikhail , Lescrinier Eveline , Rosemeyer Helmut , Froeyen Mathy , Ramaswamy Amutha , Ceulemans Arnout , Marx Andreas , Herdewijn Piet
Published: December 2011

Orthogonal nucleic acids are chemically modified nucleic acid polymers that are unable to transfer information with natural nucleic acids and thus can be used in synthetic biology to store and transfer genetic information independently. Recently, it was proposed that xylose‐DNA (dXNA) can be considered to be a potential candidate for an orthogonal system. Herein, we present the structure in solution and conformational analysis of two self‐complementary, fully modified dXNA oligonucleotides, as determined by CD and NMR spectroscopy. These studies are the initial experimental proof of the structural orthogonality of dXNAs. In aqueous solution, dXNA duplexes predominantly form a linear ladderlike (type‐1) structure. This is the first example of a furanose nucleic acid that adopts a ladderlike structure. In the presence of salt, an equilibrium exists between two types of duplex form. The corresponding nucleoside triphosphates (dXNTPs) were synthesized and evaluated for their ability to be incorporated into a growing DNA chain by using several natural and mutant DNA polymerases. Despite the structural orthogonality of dXNA, DNA polymerase β mutant is able to incorporate the dXNTPs, showing DNA‐dependent dXNA polymerase activity.
Randomized trial of therapeutic group by teleconference
Authors: Heiney Sue P. , Underwood Sandra Millon , Tavakoli Abbas , Adams Swann Arp , Wells Linda M. , Bryant Lisa H.
Published: December 2011

BACKGROUND:

The effects of a therapeutic group by teleconference for African American women with breast cancer have not been documented, although the benefits of therapeutic groups for European women are well established. African American women with breast cancer may experience social disconnection, a sense of being cut off from partners, family, and friends because of side effects of treatment and fatalistic beliefs about cancer. A therapeutic group by teleconference may counteract these problems and improve social connection.

METHODS:

A randomized trial design stratified by treatment type was used. Data were collected at baseline, at the end of the intervention, and 16 weeks from baseline. Repeated‐measures, fixed‐factor analyses of covariance were used for each outcome. The between‐subject factors were group and replicate set, and the within‐subject factor was time. Physical well being and educational level differed significantly between the 2 groups at baseline and were used as covariates.

RESULTS:

The mixed‐model analysis of the outcome variables revealed significant changes over time for knowledge (P ≤ .001), with higher scores on knowledge observed for the control group. Group‐by‐time interactions were observed for fatalism (P = .0276), fear (P = .0163), and social connection (P = .0174) as measured by the Social Well Being subscale from the Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment‐Breast Cancer Version. No group‐by‐time interaction was observed for social connection as measured by the Social Support Questionnaire. Social connection measured with the Social Well Being subscale improved significantly in the intervention group, whereas fatalism and fear significantly decreased.

CONCLUSIONS:

In this study, the authors documented the benefits of a therapeutic group by teleconference, a novel way to provide support for African American women with breast cancer. Further research should include a behavioral outcome, such as treatment adherence. Cancer 2012. © 2011 American Cancer Society.
Achievement of personalized pain goal in cancer patients referred to a supportive care clinic at a comprehensive cancer center
Authors: Dalal Shalini , Hui David , Nguyen Linh , Chacko Ray , Scott Cheryl , Roberts Lynn , Bruera Eduardo
Published: December 2011

BACKGROUND:

Cancer pain initiatives recommend using the personalized pain goal to tailor pain management. This study was conducted to examine the feasibility and stability of personalized pain goal, and how it compares to the clinical pain response criteria.

METHODS:

Records of 465 consecutive cancer patients seen in consultation at the Supportive Care Clinic were reviewed. Pain relief was assessed as clinical response (≥30% or ≥2 point pain reduction) and personalized pain goal response (pain ≤ personalized pain goal).

RESULTS:

One hundred fifty‐two (34%), 95 (21%), and 163 (37%) patients presented with mild (1‐4), moderate (5‐6), and severe (7‐10) pain, respectively. Median age (59 years), males (52%), and advanced cancer status (84%) did not differ by pain category. Median personalized pain goal at initial clinic consult was 3 (interquartile range, 2‐3), was similar across pain groups, and remained unchanged (P = .57) at follow‐up (median, 14 days). Clinical response was higher among patients with severe pain (60%) as compared with moderate (40%) and mild pain (33%, P < .001). Personalized pain goal response was higher among patients with mild pain (63%) as compared with moderate (44%) and severe pain (27%, P < .001). By using personalized pain goal response as the gold standard for pain relief, the sensitivity of clinical response was highest (98%) among patients with severe pain, but it had low specificity (54%). In patients with mild pain, clinical response was most specific for pain relief (98%), but had low sensitivity (52%).

CONCLUSIONS:

Personalized pain goal is a simple patient‐reported outcome for pain goals. The majority of patients were capable of stating their desired level for pain relief. The median personalized pain goal was 3, and it was highly stable at follow‐up assessment. Cancer 2012. © 2011 American Cancer Society.
Pemetrexed in the treatment of relapsed/refractory primary central nervous system lymphoma
Authors: Raizer Jeffrey J. , Rademaker Alfred , Evens Andrew M. , Rice Laurie , Schwartz Margaret , Chandler James P. , Getch Christopher C. , Tellez Claudia , Grimm Sean A.
Published: December 2011

BACKGROUND:

Despite initial treatment with high‐dose methotrexate‐based regimens, many patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) relapse and die from their disease. No standard of care exists at progression or relapse, but chemotherapy and in some cases radiation are usually used. Pemetrexed is a multitargeted antifolate, similar to methotrexate, but with a broader spectrum of activity. Because methotrexate is an integral part of PCSNL treatment, the authors assessed the antitumor activity and safety of pemetrexed in recurrent PCNSL.

METHODS:

Patients with relapsed/refractory PCNSL were enrolled in this trial. Treatment consisted of pemetrexed 900 mg/m2 given every 3 weeks with low‐dose dexamethasone, folate, and B12 supplementation. Each cycle was 6 weeks, and follow‐up imaging was done before each new cycle. Treatment was continued until complete remission, progression, or toxicity.

RESULTS:

Eleven patients were treated, with a median age of 69.8 years and Karnofsky performance status of 70%; 10 of 11 patients had failed prior high‐dose methotrexate. The median number of pemetrexed cycles given was 5, with an associated overall response rate of 55% and disease control rate of 91%. The 6‐month progression‐free survival (PFS) was 45%, median PFS was 5.7 months, and median overall survival was 10.1 months. Toxicities were primarily hematologic and infectious.

CONCLUSIONS:

Pemetrexed has single‐agent activity in relapsed/refractory PCNSL. Toxicities were seen likely because of the higher than standard dose used. Further investigation of this agent or other multitargeted antifolates in PCNSL is warranted to determine optimal dose and efficacy in a more homogeneous population. Cancer 2012. © 2011 American Cancer Society.
Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1‐positive cells in axillary lymph node metastases after chemotherapy as a prognostic factor in patients with lymph node‐positive breast cancer
Authors: Sakakibara Masahiro , Fujimori Toshihiko , Miyoshi Tetsutaro , Nagashima Takeshi , Fujimoto Hiroshi , Suzuki Hiroshi Tiberu , Ohki Yohsuke , Fushimi Koya , Yokomizo Jissei , Nakatani Yukio , Miyazaki Masaru
Published: December 2011

BACKGROUND:

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1)‐positive cells exhibit stem‐like or progenitor ability and have been considered a clinically important diagnostic and therapeutic target in patients with breast cancer. In this study, the authors evaluated responsiveness to chemotherapy of ALDH1‐positive cells in primary and metastatic lesions and its relation to prognosis for patients with lymph node‐positive breast cancer.

METHODS:

In total, 115 patients who had breast cancer with cytologically confirmed lymph node metastases and who underwent surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) were evaluated. By using ALDH1 immunohistochemistry in core‐needle biopsy specimens of the primary tumor, cytology samples of axillary lymph nodes before NAC, and pathologic samples of each after NAC, the clinical significance of ALDH1‐positive cell status was evaluated in primary and metastatic lesions before and after NAC.

RESULTS:

The presence of ALDH1‐positive cancer cells, but not ALDH1‐negative cancer cells, in primary and metastatic lesions after NAC was associated with a worse prognosis. In multivariate analysis, only ALDH1‐positive cells in metastatic lesions after NAC correlated with overall survival. The responsiveness of ALDH1‐positive cells to chemotherapy differed between primary and metastatic lesions, and the findings indicated that ALDH1‐positive cells in metastatic lesions after NAC may clinically precede those in the primary lesion.

CONCLUSIONS:

The responsiveness of ALDH1‐positive cells to chemotherapy in primary and metastatic lesions and its prognostic significance were clarified in patients with breast cancer. The authors concluded that ALDH1‐positive status may represent a surrogate marker as a new concept in patients with lymph node‐positive breast cancer. Cancer 2012. © 2011 American Cancer Society.
Post‐treatment (not interim) positron emission tomography‐computed tomography scan status is highly predictive of outcome in mantle cell lymphoma patients treated with R‐HyperCVAD
Authors: Mato Anthony R. , Svoboda Jakub , Feldman Tatyana , Zielonka Tania , Agress Harry , Panush David , Miller Mitchell , Toth Patrick , Lizotte Paul M. , Nasta Sunita , Goldberg Stuart , Chong Emeline , Schuster Steven , Pecora Andrew L. , Goy Andre
Published: December 2011

BACKGROUND:

Although convincing data exist regarding the prognostic utility of positron emission tomographic (PET)‐computed tomographic (CT) imaging in Hodgkin lymphoma and diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma, its prognostic utility both during treatment and immediately after treatment have not been systematically evaluated in a large mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patient cohort to support its use in clinical practice.

METHODS:

The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine the prognostic utility of PET‐CT imaging in a uniform MCL patient cohort undergoing dose‐intensive chemotherapy (R‐HyCVAD) in the frontline setting. The primary study endpoints were progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). PET‐CT images were centrally reviewed for the purposes of this study using standardized response criteria.

RESULTS:

Fifty‐three patients with advanced stage MCL with PET‐CT data were identified. With median follow‐up of 32 months, 3‐year PFS and OS estimates were 76% (95% confidence interval [CI], 64%‐84%) and 84% (95% CI, 72%‐90%), respectively. Interim PET‐CT status was not associated with PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.9; 95% CI, 0.3‐2.7; P = .8) or OS (HR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.1‐2.9; P = .5). Post‐treatment PET‐CT status was statistically significantly associated with PFS (HR, 5.2; 95% CI, 2.0‐13.6; P = .001) and trended toward significant for OS (HR, 2.8; 95% CI, 0.8‐9.6; P = .07).

CONCLUSIONS:

These data do not support the prognostic utility of PET‐CT in pretreatment and interim treatment settings. A positive PET‐CT after the completion of therapy identifies a patient subset with an inferior PFS and a trend toward inferior OS. Cancer 2012;3565–3570. © 2011 American Cancer Society.
Population genomics of resource exploitation: insights from gene expression profiles of two Daphnia ecotypes fed alternate resources
Authors: Dudycha Jeffry L. , Brandon Christopher S. , Deitz Kevin C.
Published: December 2011

Consumer–resource interactions are a central issue in evolutionary and community ecology because they play important roles in selection and population regulation. Most consumers encounter resource variation at multiple scales, and respond through phenotypic plasticity in the short term or evolutionary divergence in the long term. The key traits for these responses may influence resource acquisition, assimilation, and/or allocation. To identify relevant candidate genes, we experimentally assayed genome‐wide gene expression in pond and lake Daphnia ecotypes exposed to alternate resource environments. One was a simple, high‐quality laboratory diet, Ankistrodesmus falcatus. The other was the complex natural seston from a large lake. In temporary ponds, Daphnia generally experience high‐quality, abundant resources, whereas lakes provide low‐quality, seasonally shifting resources that are chronically limiting. For both ecotypes, we used replicate clones drawn from a number of separate populations. Fourteen genes were differentially regulated with respect to resources, including genes involved in gut processes, resource allocation, and activities with no obvious connection to resource exploitation. Three genes were differentially regulated in both ecotypes; the others may play a role in ecological divergence. Genes clearly linked to gut processes include two peritrophic matrix proteins, a Niemann–Pick type C2 gene, and a chymotrypsin. A pancreatic lipase, an epoxide hydrolase, a neuroparsin, and an UDP‐dependent glucuronyltransferase are potentially involved in resource allocation through effects on energy processing and storage or hormone pathways. We performed quantitative rt‐PCR for eight genes in independent samples of three clones of each of the two ecotypes. Though these largely confirmed observed differential regulation, some genes’ expression was highly variable among clones. Our results demonstrate the value of matching the level of biological replication in genome‐wide assays to the question, as it gave us insight into ecotype‐level responses at ecological and evolutionary scales despite substantial variation within ecotypes.
Nonenzymatic Acylative Kinetic Resolution of Racemic Amines and Related Compounds
Authors: Krasnov Victor P. , Gruzdev Dmitry A. , Levit Galina L.
Published: December 2011

Acylative kinetic resolution of racemic amines occupies a highly important place among the methods for preparation of enantio enriched or pure amines. Nonenzymatic acylative kinetic resolution is usually carried out in the presence of chiral acyl‐transfer catalysts or under the action of chiral enantio‐ or diastereoselective resolving agents. Recently, this line of investigations has been rapidly developed and very interesting results of design and synthetic application of both new catalysts and chiral acylating agents have been obtained. This microreview summarizes the recent advances in this area.
Site‐specific characterisation of densely O‐glycosylated mucin‐type peptides using electron transfer dissociation ESI‐MS/MS
Authors: Thaysen‐Andersen Morten , Wilkinson Brendan L. , Payne Richard J. , Packer Nicolle H.
Published: December 2011

Site‐specific characterisation of mucin‐type O‐linked glycosylation is an analytical challenge due to glycan heterogeneity, lack of glycosylation site consensus sequence and high density of occupied glycosylation sites. Here, we report the use of electron transfer dissociation (ETD) for the site‐specific characterisation of densely glycosylated mucin‐type O‐linked glycopeptides using ESI‐IT‐MS/MS. Synthetic glycopeptides from the human mucin‐1 (MUC‐1) tandem repeat region containing a range of O‐linked, tumour‐associated carbohydrate antigens, namely Tn, T and sialyl T, with different glycosylation site occupancies and an increasing number of tandem repeats were studied. In addition, a glycopeptide from the anti‐freeze glycoprotein of Antarctic and Arctic notothenoids, bearing four O‐linked, per‐acetylated T antigens was characterised. ETD MS/MS of infused or capillary LC‐separated glycopeptides provided broad peptide sequence coverage (c/z·‐type fragment ions) with intact glycans still attached to the Ser/Thr residues. Thus, the glycosylation sites were unambiguously determined, while simultaneously obtaining information about the attached glycan mass and peptide identity. Highly sialylated O‐glycopeptides showed less efficient peptide fragmentation, but some sequence and glycosylation site information was still obtained. This study demonstrates the capabilities of ETD MS/MS for site‐specific characterisation of mucin‐type glycopeptides containing high‐density O‐linked glycan clusters, using accessible and relative low‐resolution/low‐mass accuracy IT MS instrumentation.
Plasma proteomics for biomarker discovery: A study in blue
Authors: Di Girolamo Francesco , Righetti Pier Giorgio
Published: December 2011

The performance of Cibacron Blue dye (HiTrapBlue or Affigel Blue) in depleting albumin from plasma, as a pre‐treatment for biomarker searching in the low‐abundance proteome, is here assessed. It is shown that (i) co‐depletion of non‐albumin species is an ever‐present hazard; (ii) the only proper eluant able to release quantitatively the proteins bound to the dye is boiling 4% SDS‐25 mM DTT, an ion shock (2 M NaCl) being quite ineffective in releasing the low‐abundance species tightly bound to the dye moiety; (iii) the mechanism of dye–protein interaction, after an initial ion–ion docking, is a robust hydrophobic interaction, which progressively augments at lower and lower pH values; (iv) at pH 2.2 in the presence of 0.1% TFA, the blue resin behaves, for all practical purposes, just as a reverse‐phase chromatography column, since all residual proteins present in plasma are completely harvested. However Cibacron Blue technology should not necessarily be discarded: As long as also the plasma fraction adsorbed is properly released and analyzed, together with the flow through, one should be able to perform a viable analysis of the low‐abundance proteome.
Alternate fuels: Calculating the value of rooftop solar
Authors: Powers Bill
Published: December 2011

In California, the price paid for renewable energy resources has historically been linked to the cost of energy from new natural gas—fired baseload plants, ostensibly to protect utility ratepayers from paying too much for renewable energy resources. Numerous new natural gas—fired plants have been authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in recent years.
Outlook—natural gas prices: FERC anticipates continued low natural gas prices
Authors:   Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Published: December 2011

Market conditions going into the winter are generally positive. Despite a 2.6 percent increase in natural gas demand this year, prices remain among the lowest in the past decade, due to continued production growth and new pipelines transporting gas from the producing areas to consumers. Gas‐fired electric generation is benefiting from the lower gas prices, raising expectations for continued demand growth from this sector in the upcoming winter. As has been the case in past years, we can expect localized pipeline constraints in the Northeast during extreme cold weather periods, as growing gas power generation adds to peak gas demand for space heating.
NERC matters: Should NERC impose winter preparedness requirements on generators?
Authors: Carpentier Deborah
Published: December 2011

During February 2011, the southwestern United States experienced unusually severe cold and windy weather, with many cities experiencing a 50‐degree drop in temperature over an 18‐hour period, with sustained winds of 30 to 40 miles an hour. During this period, generating units in the Southwest experienced an outage, a derate, or a failure to start, leading to controlled load shedding of about 5,300 megawatts.
Electric regulation: Future of the electric vehicle
Authors: Bowden Nicholas S.
Published: December 2011

A 1997 article in Business and Economic History written by David Kirsch of UCLA suggests that alternatives to the internal combustion engine existed “but only for a brief period of time before 1902.”1 He asserts that growth in the scale and scope of the gasoline‐based automobile industry over time resulted in a decreased probability that electric vehicles would reenter the marketplace.
Single‐arm phase II study of multiagent concurrent chemoradiotherapy and gefitinib in locoregionally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck
Authors: Rodriguez Cristina P. , Adelstein David J. , Rybicki Lisa A. , Saxton Jerrold P. , Lorenz Robert R. , Wood Benjamin G. , Scharpf Joseph , Ives Denise I.
Published: December 2011

Background

This phase II study tested the addition of the oral epidermal growth factor receptor gefitinib to multiagent concurrent chemoradiotherapy regimen in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC).

Methods

Patients with stage III–IV HNSCC received hyperfractionated radiation (72–74.4 Gy at 120 cGy twice daily), with concurrent 96‐hour infusions of cisplatin 20 mg/m2/day and fluorouracil 1000 mg/m2/day given during weeks 1 and 4. Daily gefitinib 250 mg was started on day 1 of radiation and continued for 2 years. Results were retrospectively compared with our previous study using identical chemoradiotherapy without gefitinib.

Results

Sixty patients were enrolled in the study; 80% had stage IV disease and 68% had oropharyngeal primary tumors. The full course of gefitinib was not tolerated by 42%; there were 5 treatment‐related deaths (8%). With a median follow‐up of 54 months, 2‐ and 3‐year overall survival estimates were 80% and 71%, respectively. Projected distant metastatic control at 2 and 3 years was 88%. When compared with our historical cohort, acute toxicities including renal dysfunction and unplanned rehospitalization were worse in the study patients. Projected outcome estimates did not differ between the 2 cohorts.

Conclusions

Addition of gefitinib to concurrent chemoradiotherapy was difficult to complete, did not improve outcomes, and increased toxicity. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2011
Thyroid gland involvement in advanced laryngeal cancer: Association with clinical and pathologic characteristics
Authors: Hilly Ohad , Raz Raanan , Vaisbuch Yona , Strenov Yulia , Segal Karl , Koren Rumelia , Shvero Jacob
Published: December 2011

Background

Indications for thyroidectomy during laryngectomy are controversial. We examined whether clinicopathologic features can predict thyroid gland involvement, and the prognostic effect of thyroid gland involvement in patients undergoing total laryngectomy.

Methods

The study set out to review preoperative assessment, operation findings, pathologic findings, and follow‐up data.

Results

Thyroid gland involvement was found in 11 of 53 patients (21%) undergoing total laryngectomy and thyroidectomy. Preoperative work‐up failed to predict thyroid gland involvement. Thyroid gland involvement was associated with salvage procedures (p = .025), paratracheal metastases (p = .003), and poor overall survival (hazard ratio = 2.74, p = .008).

Conclusions

Thyroid gland involvement in patients undergoing total laryngectomy is frequent and is associated with poor prognosis. Preoperative assessment failed to predict thyroid gland involvement. We believe that thyroidectomy should be considered in cases with paratracheal lymphatic spread irrespective of tumor location within the larynx. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2011
Prospective randomized trial of high versus low negative pressure suction in management of chyle fistula after neck dissection for metastatic thyroid carcinoma
Authors: Wu Gaosong , Chang Xiaofei , Xia Yun , Huang Wei , Koch Wayne M.
Published: December 2011

Background

Negative pressure drainage has been shown to be an effective treatment of chyle fistula. However, the optimal level of negative pressure has not been determined. We therefore conducted a prospective randomized trial to address this issue.

Methods

In all, 21 patients with chyle fistula were randomly assigned to a high negative pressure suction (HNPS) group (−600 mmHg, n = 10) or low negative pressure suction (LNPS) group (−125 mmHg, n = 11). The duration of drain leakage and hospital stay, and the incidence of complications were compared between the 2 groups.

Results

All patients were successfully treated with conservative management without surgical intervention. The median durations of chyle leakage and hospital stay were significantly shorter in the HNPS group compared with the LNPS group: 4 versus 7 days (p = .0048) and 5 versus 11 days (p = .0107), respectively.

Conclusions

Negative suction was demonstrated to be highly effective in the management of chyle fistula, and HNPS appeared to be more efficient than LNPS. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2011
Integrating multiple microarray datasets on oral squamous cell carcinoma to reveal dysregulated networks
Authors: Liu Zhongyu , Niu Yulong , Li Chao , Yang Yi , Gao Chunfang
Published: December 2011

Background

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the sixth most common type of carcinoma worldwide. The pathogenic pathways involved in this cancer are mostly unknown; therefore, a better characterization of the OSCC gene expression profile would represent a considerable advance. The public availability of gene expression datasets was meant to obtain new insights on biological processes.

Methods

We integrated 4 public microarray datasets on OSCC to evaluate the degree of consistency among the biological results obtained in these different studies and to identify common regulatory pathways that could be responsible for tumor growth.

Results

Twelve altered cellular pathways implicated in OSCC and 4 genes altered in the extracellular matrix (ECM) receptor pathway were validated by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR).

Conclusion

Using 4 expression array datasets, we have developed a robust method for analyzing pathways altered in OSCC. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2011
The bergman cyclizations of the enediyne and its N‐substituted analogs using multiconfigurational second‐order perturbation theory
Authors: Dong Hua , Chen Bo‐Zhen , Huang Ming‐Bao , Lindh Roland
Published: December 2011

The Bergman cyclizations of the enediyne and its four N‐substituted analogs [(Z)‐pent‐2‐en‐4‐ynenitrile, 3‐azahex‐3‐en‐1,5‐diyne, malenotrile, and 3,4‐azahex‐3‐en‐1,5‐diyne] have been studied using the complete active space self‐consistent field and multiconfigurational second‐order perturbation theory methods in conjunction with the atomic natural orbital basis sets. The geometries and energies of the reactants, transition states, and products along both the S0 (the ground state) and T1 (the lowest‐lying triplet state) potential energy surfaces (PESs) were calculated. The calculated geometries are in good agreement with the available experimental data. The distance between two terminal carbons in enediyne, which was considered as an important parameter governing the Bergman cyclization, was predicted to be 4.319 Å, in agreement with the experimental value of 4.321 Å. Our calculations indicate that the replacements of the terminal C atom(s) or the middle C atom(s) in the CC bond by the N atom(s) increase or decrease the energy barrier values, respectively. There exist stable ring biradical products on the T1 PESs for the five reactions. However, on the S0 PESs the ring biradical products exist only for the reactions of enediyne, (Z)‐pent‐2‐en‐4‐ynenitrile, and 3‐azahex‐3‐en‐1,5‐diyne. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2011
Latin squares with restricted transversals
Authors: Egan Judith , Wanless Ian M.
Published: December 2011

We prove that for all odd m≥3 there exists a latin square of order 3 m that contains an (m−1) × m latin subrectangle consisting of entries not in any transversal. We prove that for all even n≥10 there exists a latin square of order n in which there is at least one transversal, but all transversals coincide on a single entry. A corollary is a new proof of the existence of a latin square without an orthogonal mate, for all odd orders n≥11. Finally, we report on an extensive computational study of transversal‐free entries and sets of disjoint transversals in the latin squares of order n⩽9. In particular, we count the number of species of each order that possess an orthogonal mate. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 20:124‐141, 2012