bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pharmacological analysis of the CCKB/gastrin receptors mediating pentagastrin‐stimulated gastric acid secretion in the isolated stomach of the immature rat
Authors: Hills David M. , Gerskowitch V. Paul , Roberts Sonia P. , Welsh Nicola J. , Shankley Nigel P. , Black James W.
Published: July 2012

The CCKB/gastrin receptors mediating pentagastrin stimulation of gastric acid secretion by histamine release and by direct stimulation of oxyntic cells have been characterized in the immature rat isolated stomach assay. This was achieved by estimating antagonist affinity values for competitive antagonists from three distinct chemical classes (L‐365,260, PD 134,308 and JB93190) in the absence and presence of a high concentration of the histamine H2‐receptor antagonist, famotidine (30 μm).

Pentagastrin produced concentration‐dependent stimulation of gastric acid secretion in the absence and presence of famotidine. Famotidine depressed the maximum secretory response to pentagastrin although the degree of depression varied between experimental replicates (25–60%). This variation was attributed to the histamine‐release mediated component of acid secretion, as judged by the consistency of the maximum responses obtained in the presence, but not absence, of famotidine.

All three CCKB/gastrin receptor antagonists behaved as surmountable antagonists in the absence and presence of famotidine. JB93190 (pK∼B∼9.1, ∼8.9, in the absence and presence of famotidine, respectively) was approximately 30 fold more potent than either L‐365,260 (pKB∼7.4, ∼7.1) or PD 134,308 (pKB∼7.6, ∼7.4).

It was assumed that the famotidine treatment converted pentagastrin‐stimulated acid secretion from a combination of an indirect action due to the release of histamine and a direct action on the oxyntic cell to solely a direct action on the oxyntic cell. A simple mathematical model of this two‐receptor system was developed. The direct and indirect components were assumed to sum to produce the total response to pentagastrin obtained in the absence of famotidine. It was found that this model could account quantitatively for the behaviour of the three antagonists without invoking a difference in antagonist affinity for the CCKB/gastrin receptors mediating the direct and indirect actions of pentagastrin. However, a conclusion of receptor homogeneity has to be qualified because the model was also used to generate simulations which indicated that the analysis could only detect antagonist affinity differences of greater than one log‐unit between enterochromaffin‐like (ECL) and oxyntic cell CCKB/gastrin receptor populations.
Antagonism of the effects of (+)‐PD 128907 on midbrain dopamine neurones in rat brain slices by a selective D2 receptor antagonist L‐741,626
Authors: Bowery B.J. , Razzaque Z. , Emms F. , Patel S. , Freedman S. , Bristow L. , Kulagowski J. , Seabrook G.R.
Published: July 2012

The ability of PD 128907 to activate dopamine receptors in the ventral tegmental area, substantia nigra pars compacta, and striatum was investigated by use of in vitro electrophysiological recording and fast cyclic voltammetry. The affinity of a novel D2 selective antagonist L‐741,626 for receptors activated by this agonist was measured to determine if its effects were mediated by D2 or D3 receptors.

The active (+) enantiomer of PD 128907 bound with high affinity and selectivity to rat D3 dopamine receptors. The Ki values for (+)‐PD 128907 were 620 nM at D2, 1 nM at D3 and 720 nM at D4 receptors.

(+)‐PD 128907 inhibited cell firing in both the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra pars compacta with EC50 values of 33 nM (pEC50 = 7.48 ± 0.10, n= 10) and 38 nM (pEC50 = 7.42 ± 0.15, n = 5), respectively. No effects of (+)‐PD 128907 (100 nM) were observed on glutamate or GABA‐mediated synaptic potentials elicited by focal bipolar stimulation.

L‐741,626 antagonized these effects of (+)‐PD 128907 in a concentration‐dependent and surmountable manner with an affinity, determined from Schild analysis, of 20 nM (pKB = 7.71 ± 0.14) in the ventral tegmental area and 11 nM (pKB = 7.95 ± 0.18) in the substantia nigra pars compacta.

(+)‐PD 128907 also inhibited dopamine release in the caudate‐putamen with an EC50 of 66 nM (n = 5). The affinity of L‐741,626 for these nerve terminal autoreceptors (pKB = 7.71 ± 0.06; =20 nM) was identical to that observed on midbrain dopamine neurones.

These data demonstrate that the D3 receptor ligand (+)‐PD 128907 is a potent agonist on rat midbrain dopamine neurones. However, its lack of regional selectivity, and the high affinity of the selective D2 receptor antagonist L‐741,626 for receptors activated by (+)‐PD 128907, was more consistent with an action on D2 autoreceptors rather than upon a D3 dopamine receptor subtype.
A millennial‐scale Late Pleistocene–Holocene palaeoclimatic record from the western Chihuahua Desert, Mexico
Authors: Roy Priyadarsi D. , Jonathan Muthuswamy P. , Pérez‐Cruz Ligia L. , Sánchez‐Córdova María M. , Quiroz‐Jiménez Jesús D. , Romero Francisco M.
Published: July 2012

We present elemental concentrations and magnetic susceptibility data from a new 270‐cm‐long sediment core collected from the western part of palaeolake Babicora and infer millennial‐scale hydrological variations over the last 27 cal. ka in the western Chihuahua Desert. Variations in the available water content at the sediment–air interface of the watershed, lake salinity and lake productivity are inferred from values of the chemical index of alteration (CIA), CaCO
3 and Corg, respectively. An abrupt increase in runoff at c. 24 cal. ka BP appears correlative with the Heinrich 2 (H2) event. Except for this event, diminished runoff between c. 27 and 19 cal. ka BP indicates lower annual precipitation (weak summer rainfall) during the Last Glacial Maximum. The deposition of chemically altered sediments between c. 25 and 22 cal. ka BP results from the higher sediment–water interaction in the watershed owing to lower evaporation, cooler conditions and higher precipitation during the H2 event. Since 19 cal. ka BP the runoff has been characterized by high‐amplitude fluctuations with intervals of reduced precipitation identified at c. 19, 18, 17.5, 13–14, 11.5, 10, 7.5 and 3 cal. ka BP.
Micromorphological analysis of poly‐phase deformation associated with the transport and emplacement of glaciotectonic rafts at West Runton, north Norfolk, UK
Authors: Vaughan‐Hirsch David P. , Phillips Emrys , Lee Jonathan R. , Hart Jane K.
Published: July 2012

The ability of glaciers to detach and transport bedrock as glaciotectonic rafts is widely observed throughout Quaternary sections. However, the glaciological, hydrological and geological parameters controlling rafting are currently poorly constrained. There is a lack of structural and sedimentary evidence concerning rafting, and therefore the processes driving raft detachment, transport and emplacement are poorly understood. This paper contributes to our understanding by presenting a macro‐ and microstructural study of deformation associated with a chalk raft at West Runton, north Norfolk. Detailed thin‐section analysis reveals several discrete micro‐fabric orientations, representing poly‐phase deformation occurring during raft transport and emplacement. A four‐stage conceptual model for raft transport and emplacement is proposed, with deformation being partitioned into the relatively weaker Happisburgh Till member, the latter forming the host to the raft. Stage 1 is the main transport phase of the chalk raft, and was dominated by easterly (down‐ice) directed ductile shearing. During Stage 2 a narrow ductile shear zone within the Happisburgh Till member propagated upwards through the base of the raft, leading to the detachment of an elongate block of chalk. Attenuated lenses of diamicton in this shear zone possess kinematics recording an easterly directed sense of shear. As deformation progressed, during Stage 3, the detached block impinged on the ‘high‐strain’ zone wrapping the base of the raft, influencing the style of deformation partitioning and leading to localized, up‐ice‐directed kinematics. Stage 4 represents the final stages of raft emplacement, when the detachment zone at the base of the raft began to ‘lock‐up’. These results demonstrate the relative importance of the hydrological controls associated with raft transport and emplacement underneath an actively advancing glacier. Furthermore, the model represents an example of how micromorphological analysis can reveal detailed poly‐phase deformation histories in deformed glacial sediments.
Diagnosis of Common Dermopathies in Dialysis Patients: A Review and Update
Authors: Markova Alina , Lester Jenna , Wang Joanne , Robinson‐Bostom Leslie
Published: July 2012

Cutaneous abnormalities in patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) receiving hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis may demonstrate signs of their underlying condition or reveal associated disease entities. While a thorough examination of the scalp, skin, mucosa, and nails is integral to establishing a diagnosis, certain conditions will resolve only with dialysis or improvement of their renal disease and others may not require or respond to treatment. Half and half nails, pruritus, xerosis, and cutaneous hyperpigmentation are common manifestations in ESRD. With hemodialysis, uremic frost is no longer prevalent in ESRD patients and ecchymoses have decreased in incidence. Acquired perforating dermatoses are seen in over one‐tenth of hemodialysis patients. Metastatic calcinosis cutis and calciphylaxis are both rarely reported, although the latter is seen almost exclusively in the setting of hemodialysis. Diagnosis of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis has historically been challenging; as such, new diagnostic criteria have been proposed. Blood porphyrin profiles are needed to differentiate between porphyria cutanea tarda and pseudoporphyria. We will review and provide an update on the aforementioned common cutaneous manifestations of ESRD in patients receiving dialysis.
Behind the Curve: Clarifying the Best Approach to Calculating Predicted Probabilities and Marginal Effects from Limited Dependent Variable Models
Authors: Hanmer Michael J. , Ozan Kalkan Kerem
Published: July 2012

Models designed for limited dependent variables are increasingly common in political science. Researchers estimating such models often give little attention to the coefficient estimates and instead focus on marginal effects, predicted probabilities, predicted counts, etc. Since the models are nonlinear, the estimated effects are sensitive to how one generates the predictions. The most common approach involves estimating the effect for the “average case.” But this approach creates a weaker connection between the results and the larger goals of the research enterprise and is thus less preferable than the observed‐value approach. That is, rather than seeking to understand the effect for the average case, the goal is to obtain an estimate of the average effect in the population. In addition to the theoretical argument in favor of the observed‐value approach, we illustrate via an empirical example and Monte Carlo simulations that the two approaches can produce substantively different results.
Looking Back to Move Forward: Quantifying Policy Predictions in Political Decision Making
Authors: Black Ryan C. , Owens Ryan J.
Published: July 2012

Policy makers constantly face uncertainty, which makes achieving their goals problematic. To overcome this uncertainty, they employ tools to drive down uncertainty and make probabilistic decisions. We provide a method for scholars to assess empirically how actors make probabilistic predictions. We focus on the interactions between the executive and judicial branches, analyzing the conditions under which justices force the United States to provide them with information. Our approach generates substantive knowledge about interbranch behavior as well as a methodological innovation available to scholars who study political decision making under conditions of limited information.
Sidelined or Mainstreamed? Political Participation and Attitudes of People with Disabilities in the United States
Authors: Schur Lisa , Adya Meera
Published: July 2012

Objective

We examine whether people with disabilities are part of the political mainstream, or remain outsiders in important respects, by studying political participation and the underexplored topic of how disability relates to attitudes toward politics.

Method

We analyze new disability measures on the 2008 and 2010 Current Population Surveys voting supplements, and two other nationally representative surveys for 2006 and 2007.

Results

Citizens with disabilities remain less likely than nondisabled citizens to vote. While there are few differences in political preferences and party affiliations, people with disabilities tend to favor a greater government role in employment and healthcare, and give lower ratings on government responsiveness and trustworthiness.

Conclusion

People with disabilities continue to be sidelined in important ways. Fully closing the disability gap would have led to 3.0 million more voters in 2008 and 3.2 million more voters in 2010, potentially affecting many races and subsequent public policies.
The Impact of Foreclosures on Neighborhood Disorder Before and During the Housing Crisis: Testing the Spiral of Decay
Authors: Wallace Danielle , Hedberg E. C. , Katz Charles M.
Published: July 2012

Objectives

The objectives of this study were to examine whether an increasing number of foreclosures in a neighborhood subsequently increase disorder and whether the temporal relationship between foreclosures and disorder is different before and during the housing crisis.

Methods

We employ longitudinal data to examine the impact of foreclosure on crime in Glendale, Arizona, a city at the epicenter of the nation's foreclosure problem. We rely on three data sources: (1) foreclosure data, (2) Computer‐Aided Dispatch/Police Records Management System data, and (3) U.S. Census and census estimate data.

Results

Our findings suggest that foreclosures do have a short‐term, four‐month effect on overall disorder and social disorder; however, that relationship only holds during the months preceding the housing crisis. During the housing crisis, there is no effect of foreclosures on disorder.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that instead of the long‐standing negative impact that foreclosures have on disorder in communities, their negative effect is short lived and limited. Thus, foreclosures during the housing crisis do not signal disorder and decay as expected. A number of communities across the country have enacted prevention, enforcement, and reuse policies and programs aimed at foreclosure for the purpose of reducing disorder and subsequent crime; our results suggest that some of these policies and programs require substantial resources and might not have their desired impact.
The athlete's body and the global condition: Tongan rugby players in Japan
Authors: Besnier Niko
Published: July 2012

The mobility of rugby professionals from Tonga to Japan and points beyond poses new questions about the role of the body as a mediator between the subjective and the objective, which anthropologists and other social scientists have generally examined within the confines of specific societies. Increasingly, mobility across different regimes of valuation offers highly skilled bodies both new possibilities for agency and new constraints on agency. The articulation of athletes’ mobility with economic, social, and ideological dynamics provides a window onto the underexplored aspects of the global condition from the ground up.
Documentary disorders: Managing medical multiplicity in Maputo, Mozambique
Authors: McKay Ramah
Published: July 2012

What do attempts at documentary standardization in a clinic in Maputo, Mozambique, reveal about transnational medical governance? By following medical and bureaucratic practices in an NGO‐supported public clinic, I illustrate how documentary practices enact and complicate medical authority in Mozambique. In efforts toward standardization, medical documents are made multiple, simultaneously articulating a range of ethical, bureaucratic, and knowledge‐producing activities. Concurrently, medical authority itself is multiplied, as a plurality of agencies and institutions come to intervene in and on practices of documentation, measurement, knowledge production, and care in the clinic. Anthropologists have shown how pluralities of medical care present both predicaments and opportunities for patients and healers; I extend these insights to the material life of postcolonial and transnational medical governance, suggesting that governmental and medical multiplication through the document form presents opportunities as well as challenges for the patients, local health workers, and staff of international organizations who navigate this varied documentary terrain.
The psychic life of biopolitics: Survival, cooperation, and Inuit community
Authors: Stevenson Lisa
Published: July 2012

What does it mean for Inuit to cooperate with the (disavowed) desires that emerge in a colonial bureaucracy dedicated to improving Inuit lives? In this article, I consider the psychic life of biopolitics in the context of welfare colonialism in the Canadian Arctic. I suggest that the colonial desire that Inuit cooperate in their own survival is haunted by other desires the colonist can never name and that such unspeakable desires are also at work in the response to the contemporary suicide epidemic among Inuit youth. Attention to Inuit naming practices provides an alternate way of linking death, desire, and community in a postcolonial world.
Strain‐Induced High Polarization of a KNbO3 Thin Film on a Single Crystalline Rh Substrate
Authors: Lee Geunhee , Shin Young‐Han , Son Jong Yeog
Published: July 2012

High‐quality epitaxial KNbO3 (KNO) thin films grown on single crystalline (001) Rh substrates exhibited a tetragonally strained structure with a c/a ratio of 1.04. The strained KNO thin film showed a high remanent polarization of 42 μC/cm2 with a coercive electric field of 170 kV/cm. Based on the density functional theory calculations, the increase in polarization and piezoelectricity in the tetragonally and compressively strained KNO thin film is primarily attributed to the faster increase of the displacement of Nb ions than the decrease in the Born effective charge.
Solution‐Derived, Chloride‐Containing Minerals as a Waste Form for Alkali Chlorides
Authors: Riley Brian J. , Crum Jarrod V. , Matyáš Josef , McCloy John S. , Lepry William C.
Published: July 2012

Sodalite (Na8(AlSiO4)6Cl2) and cancrinite ((Na,K)6Ca2(AlSiO4)6Cl4) are environmentally stable, chloride‐containing minerals that are a logical waste form option for the mixed alkali chloride salt waste stream that is generated from a proposed electrochemical separations process during nuclear fuel reprocessing. Here, we discuss a low‐temperature, solution‐based process to make these phases where sodalite particles are produced in the form of a fine powder with particle sizes on the order of 1–10 μm. Due to the small particle size, these powders require additional treatment to form a monolith. In this study, the powders were pressed into pellets and fired to achieve >90% of the theoretical density of sodalite (2.27 × 10−3 kg/m3). The cancrinite structure, identified as the best candidate mineral form in terms of waste loading capacity, was only produced on a limited basis but was converted to sodalite upon firing. Here, we discuss the specifics of the solution‐based approach, the chemical durability of select waste forms as well as the steps taken to maximize the chloride‐containing phases, decrease chloride loss during pellet firing, and to increase pellet densities.
Growth of milk production in German dairy farms: an empirical study based on event history analysis
Authors: Francksen Tammo , Hagemann Martin , Latacz‐Lohmann Uwe
Published: July 2012

This article investigates determinants of growth of milk production in German dairy farms with the use of event history analysis. This methodology enables the analysts to consider time as a proxy for not measurable effects on growth. The likelihood of a farm's moving from a nongrowth episode into a growth episode is estimated and the impact of various covariates on that likelihood is assessed. The analysis is based upon a balanced panel of annual farm accounts from 616 specialized dairy farms in Germany, covering the financial years 1995/1996–2008/2009. The results from event history analyses are presented for low and high growth rates. For both groups, it was found that the probability of entering a growth episode, defined as the event to be analyzed, increases over time, e.g., as a consequence of an increasing need to improve competitiveness. Moreover, several covariates, such as the share of subsidies in returns, farmer's age, and milk price, had a significant impact on growth in a farm's milk production. The analysis revealed, however, that the effect‐direction of some explanatory variables differed between the two groups.
Biphasic alloplastic graft used to preserve the dimension of the edentulous ridge: an experimental study in the dog
Authors: Lindhe J. , Araújo M. G. , Bufler M. , Liljenberg B.
Published: July 2012

Background

Loss of teeth results in marked qualitative and quantitative alterations of the alveolar process at the edentulous site. It was observed that a graft comprised of bovine bone mineral placed in the fresh extraction socket delayed tissue modeling, but preserved the dimension of the ridge at edentulous sites.

Objective

To analyze the influence of a biphasic synthetic graft on tissue modeling and remodeling during healing of extraction wounds.

Material and methods

Five beagle dogs were used. Two premolars in the maxilla and two in the mandible were included. Full thickness flaps were elevated and the distal roots were removed. An alloplastic graft (BPCAP; α‐TCP core coated with nanocrystalline biomimetic hydroxyapatite) embedded in porcine collagen was placed to fill the fresh extraction socket of the premolar sites. Flaps were replaced to cover the entrance of the extraction sockets during early healing. The extraction and grafting procedures were scheduled to allow for the study of 1, 2, and 3 months socket healing. The biopsies from the maxillary sites were decalcified, embedded in paraffin, and stained to allow the study of various aspects of hard tissue formation. The biopsies from the mandibular sites were processed for ground sectioning and used to evaluate alterations of ridge dimensions after 3 months of socket healing.

Results and conclusion

It was documented that the biphasic alloplastic graft did not undergo marked resorption during tissue modeling and remodeling, but allowed large amounts of bone to form within the post‐extraction site. Grafting the experimental sites with this biomaterial furthermore counteracted ridge resorption that otherwise occurs following tooth extraction.
Seasonal, inter‐annual and long term variation in top–down versus bottom–up regulation of primary production
Authors: Kerimoglu Onur , Straile Dietmar , Peeters Frank
Published: July 2012

Environmental change strongly affects primary productivity of ecosystems via modifying bottom–up and top–down regulation of primary producers. Here we present a novel approach to quantify the relative importance of regulating factors in natural systems over various time scales: we calculated daily effect sizes of major factors affecting phytoplankton growth during the spring bloom period during almost three decades of lake oligotrophication using numerical experiments with a data based simulation model. We show that with oligotrophication the regulation of spring phytoplankton shifts from primarily top–down to bottom–up, and that the changes in regulation are non‐linearly related to the nutrient (phosphorus) concentrations. Our findings indicate that long‐term changes in top–down regulation cannot be understood without considering multiple herbivore taxa, here, microzooplankton (ciliates) and mesozooplankton (daphnids). We further demonstrate that bottom–up and top–down regulation are not independent from each other and that their interaction is time‐scale dependent.
FALLIBILIST PLURALISM AND EDUCATION FOR SHARED CITIZENSHIP
Authors: Holma Katariina
Published: July 2012

Fallibilist pluralism is a moral and epistemological position that preserves both broadly conceived ethical pluralisms and the possibility of searching for a shared moral vision. In this essay Katariina Holma defends fallibilist pluralism as an important epistemological contribution to today's theories on citizenship education and analyzes the educational difficulties of adopting fallibilist pluralism as a conceptual framework in which citizens would encounter different others. Holma argues that to be successful, theories on citizenship education require—in addition to a justified philosophical foundation—a more profound psychological understanding of the role emotions play in human morality and moral development. Holma also analyzes two philosophical biases that tend to obscure our understanding of the central role played by emotional dispositions on encountering difference.
Efficacy of Fresh and Dried Egg White on Inhibition of Oil Absorption during Deep Fat Frying
Authors: Myers Andrew S. , Brannan Robert G.
Published: July 2012

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that less than 35% of daily calories be contributed from fat. In fried foods, up to 75% of calories can be from fat. This study was undertaken to determine if oil absorption during frying could be inhibited in breaded chicken patties that were coated with egg white solutions before frying. In two different bread crumb systems, two different types of egg dips (fresh and dried egg white) were utilized. Color, texture, processing factors, lipid and moisture measurements were taken. Samples coated with Japanese bread crumbs treated with dried egg white dips adjusted to pH 3, 5, and 7 reduced lipid content by 27%, 15%, and 20%, respectively, compared with the untreated control. The reduction in lipid content was accompanied by an increase in moisture retention. These results suggest that fried food dipped in dried egg white before frying could exhibit reduced oil content.

Practical Applications

Reducing the fat content of fried meat patties could provide lower fat alternatives to normal deep fried foods that still retain the desirable characteristics that full fat foods provide. This could help to battle the growing trend of obesity in the U.S.
Pulsed UV‐C Disinfection of Escherichia coli With Light‐Emitting Diodes, Emitted at Various Repetition Rates and Duty Cycles
Authors: Wengraitis Stephen , McCubbin Patrick , Wade Mary Margaret , Biggs Tracey D. , Hall Shane , Williams Leslie I. , Zulich Alan W.
Published: July 2012

A 2010 study exposed Staphylococcus aureus to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and thermal heating from pulsed xenon flash lamps. The results suggested that disinfection could be caused not only by photochemical changes from UV radiation, but also by photophysical stress damage caused by the disturbance from incoming pulses. The study called for more research in this area. The recent advances in light‐emitting diode (LED) technology include the development of LEDs that emit in narrow bands in the ultraviolet‐C (UV‐C) range (100–280 nm), which is highly effective for UV disinfection of organisms. Further, LEDs would use less power, and allow more flexibility than other sources of UV energy in that the user may select various pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs), pulse irradiances, pulse widths, duty cycles and types of waveform output (e.g. square waves, sine waves, triangular waves, etc.). Our study exposed Escherichia coli samples to square pulses of 272 nm radiation at various PRFs and duty cycles. A statistically significant correlation was found between E. coli’s disinfection sensitivity and these parameters. Although our sample size was small, these results show promise and are worthy of further investigation. Comparisons are also made with pulsed disinfection by LEDs emitting at 365 nm, and pulsed disinfection by xenon flash lamps.
Computational modelling of coastal flooding caused by combined surge overflow and wave overtopping on embankments
Authors: Jones D. K. , Zou Q. , Reeve D. E.
Published: July 2012

In this paper, we investigate the process of embankment wave overtopping combined with overflow because of extreme surge levels that are above the embankment crest. A Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes volume of fluid (RANS‐VOF) model is employed to simulate the hydrodynamics. To investigate the success of the model at reproducing the hydrodynamic processes, the model is compared with experimental laboratory measurements. Comparisons are performed for quantities including discharge, depth and velocity. The overtopping discharge predicted by the model is compared against empirical design methods. Specific conditions under which discrepancies occur between the model, laboratory measurements and design formulae are identified and explained and design guidance is provided. This study has demonstrated that the RANS model can adequately represent the complex hydrodynamics encountered in extreme storms where combined overflow and wave overtopping occurs. A tendency was found for the model to somewhat over‐predict the overtopping volume as wave heights increase and has been hypothesised as being due to shortcomings of the representation of turbulence within the model.
Management of cases suffering from atypical myopathy: Interpretations of descriptive, epidemiological and pathophysiological findings. Part 2: Muscular, urinary, respiratory and hepatic care, and inflammatory/infectious status
Authors: van Galen G. , Votion D.‐M.
Published: July 2012

Atypical myopathy is highly fatal, but about a quarter of affected horses survive. This highlights the need for provision of supportive treatment for these patients. This review is a practical guideline for equine practitioners and includes suggestions for close monitoring of involved organ systems and discusses options of supportive treatment based on current knowledge of the condition. Part 2 covers the muscular, urinary, respiratory and hepatic systems, and the general inflammatory/infectious status of the case.
Free-Form Flank Correction in Helical Gear Grinding Using a Five-Axis Computer Numerical Control Gear Profile Grinding Machine
Authors: Shih Yi-Pei , Chen Shi-Duang
Published: July 2012

To reduce form grinding errors, this paper proposes a free-form flank topographic correction method based on a five-axis computer numerical control (CNC) gear profile grinding machine. This correction method is applied not only to the five-axis machine settings (during grinding) but also to the wheel profile (during wheel truing). To achieve free-form modification of the wheel profile, the wheel is formulated as B-spline curves using a curve fitting technique and then normal correction functions made up of four-degree polynomials are added into its working curves. Additionally, each axis of the grinding machine is formulated as a six-degree polynomial. Based on a sensitivity analysis of the polynomial coefficients (normal correction functions and CNC machine settings) on the ground tooth flank and the topographic flank errors, the corrections are solved using the least squares method. The ground tooth flank errors can then be efficiently reduced by slightly adjusting the wheel profile and five-axis movement according to the solved corrections. The validity of this flank correction method for helical gears is numerically demonstrated using the five-axis CNC gear profile grinding machine.
Modeling and Simulation of Mold and Die Grinding
Authors: Guo Changsheng
Published: July 2012

Complex molds and dies often need grinding to achieve the required surface finishes and tolerances. Due to complex part geometry and multiple-axis motion, the wheel–workpiece engagement conditions may vary drastically during grinding, which imposes challenges to choose the appropriate workspeeds. This paper presents a modeling approach to optimize mold and die grinding to reduce cycle time while maintaining process parameters such as grinding force and specific removal rate below critical limits. The wheel–workpiece engagement conditions are calculated for each grinding step by processing the NC program, part and wheel geometries. Grinding forces, power, and temperature are calculated and used as decision variables to optimize workspeed to reduce cycle time. Results for grinding a half bottle shaped mold show that the grinding process parameters vary significantly along the wheel axis at any instant and along the grinding path. The grinding process is far from optimum if a constant workspeed is used. Model-based optimization has been shown to reduce cycle time by 50% while achieving much lower grinding forces and power.
Nozzle Wetting and Instabilities During Droplet Formation of Molten Nylon Materials in an Inkjet Printhead
Authors: Fathi Saeed , Dickens Phill
Published: July 2012

Inkjet technology can offer exciting benefits in new additive manufacturing processes, including deposition of multiple materials. This in turn requires high reliability in terms of droplet formation consistency and placement accuracy. This paper presents research into such requirements during a research where drop-on-drop deposition of two reactive molten mixtures of caprolactam is used to print nylon 6. Using an inkjet system based on a graphics industry printhead, reliable jetting of the nylon materials through an array of nozzles has been established and as the subject of this paper, droplet formation instabilities (abnormalities in consistent formation of droplets train) initiated by the process conditions were investigated using high speed imaging. With image analysis, nozzle wetting around the actuating nozzle and the droplets train trajectory error were studied. High speed imaging revealed that the nozzle wetting decreased with increasing jetting frequency. Asymmetric development of the wetting area was observed in two situations: (1) when contamination existed near to the actuating nozzle and (2) when air motion changed the trajectory of low kinetic energy droplets formed by low jetting voltages. In both, separation of the droplet tail was observed to occur toward the asymmetric side of the wetting area. The droplet instability behavior initiated by asymmetric nozzle wetting and air motion were understood. For a reliable droplet placement, use of a uniformly wet nozzle plate and higher jetting voltages were recommended to avoid trajectory errors and jet failures as seen in this paper.
An Approach to Determine Pressure Profile Generated by Compression Bandage Using Quasi-Linear Viscoelastic Model
Authors: Kumar Bipin , Das Apurba , Alagirusamy R.
Published: July 2012

Understanding the stress relaxation behavior of the compression bandage could be very useful in determining the behavior of the interface pressure exerted by the bandage on a limb during the course of the compression treatment. There has been no comprehensive study in the literature to investigate the pressure profile (interface pressure with time) generated by a compression bandage when applied at different levels of strain. The present study attempts to describe the pressure profile, with the use of a quasi-linear viscoelastic model, generated by a compression bandage during compression therapy. The quasi-linear viscoelastic (QLV) theory proposed by Fung (Fung, 1972, “Stress Strain History Relations of Soft Tissues in Simple Elongation,” Biomechanics: Its Foundations and Objectives, Y. C. Fung, N. Perrone, and M. Anliker, eds., Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, pp. 181–207). was used to model the nonlinear time- and history-dependent relaxation behavior of the bandage using the ramp strain approach. The regression analysis was done to find the correlation between the pressure profile and the relaxation behavior of the bandage. The parameters of the QLV model, describing the relaxation behavior of the bandage, were used to determine the pressure profile generated by the bandage at different levels of strain. The relaxation behaviors of the bandage at different levels of strain were well described by the QLV model parameters. A high correlation coefficient (nearly 0.98) shows a good correlation of the pressure profile with the stress relaxation behavior of the bandage.The prediction of the pressure profile using the QLV model parameters were in agreement with the experimental data. The pressure profile generated by a compression bandage could be predicted using the QLV model describing the nonlinear relaxation behavior of the bandage. This new application of the QLV theory helps in evaluating the bandage performance during compression therapy as scientific wound care management.
An Augmented Lagrangian Method for Sliding Contact of Soft Tissue
Authors: Guo Hongqiang , Nickel Jeffrey C. , Iwasaki Laura R. , Spilker Robert L.
Published: July 2012

Despite the importance of sliding contact in diarthrodial joints, only a limited number of studies have addressed this type of problem, with the result that the mechanical behavior of articular cartilage in daily life remains poorly understood. In this paper, a finite element formulation is developed for the sliding contact of biphasic soft tissues. The augmented Lagrangian method is used to enforce the continuity of contact traction and fluid pressure across the contact interface. The resulting method is implemented in the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics. The accuracy of the new implementation is verified using an example problem of sliding contact between a rigid, impermeable indenter and a cartilage layer for which analytical solutions have been obtained. The new implementation’s capability to handle a complex loading regime is verified by modeling plowing tests of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc.
Verification and dosimetric impact of Acuros XB algorithm on intensity modulated stereotactic radiotherapy for locally persistent nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Kan Monica W. K. , Leung Lucullus H. T. , Yu Peter K. N.
Published: July 2012

Purpose:

The main aim of the current study was to assess the dosimetric impact on intensity modulated stereotactic radiotherapy (IMSRT) for locally persistent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) due to the recalculation from the Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) to the recently released Acuros XB (AXB) algorithm. The dosimetric accuracy of using AXB in predicting air/tissue interface doses from an open single small field in a simple geometric phantom and intensity modulated small fields in an anthropomorphic phantom was also investigated.

Methods:

The central axis percentage depth doses (PDD) of a rectangular phantom containing an air cavity were calculated by both AAA and AXB from 6 MV beam with small field sizes (2 × 2 to 5 × 5 cm2). These data were compared to PDD measured by thin thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) and Monte Carlo simulations. The doses predicted by AAA and AXB near air/tissue interfaces from five different IMSRT plans were compared to the TLD measured doses in an anthropomorphic phantom. The PTV coverage, conformity and doses to organs at risk (OARs) calculated by AAA and AXB were compared for 12 patients, using identical beam setup, leaves movement and monitor units.

Results:

Testing using the simple rectangular phantom demonstrated that AAA and AXB overestimated the PDD at the air/tissue interfaces by up to 41% and 6%, respectively, from a 2 × 2 cm2 field. The secondary build‐up curves predicted by AXB caught up well with the measured data at around 2 mm beyond the air cavity. Testing using the anthropomorphic phantom showed that AAA overestimated the doses by up to 10%, while the measured doses matched those of the AXB to within 3%. Using AAA, the planning target coverage represented by 100% of the reference dose was estimated to be 4% higher than using AXB. The averaged minimum dose to the PTV predicted by AAA was about 4% higher and OARs doses 3% to 6% higher compared to AXB.

Conclusions:

AXB should be used whenever possible as the standard reference for IMSRT boost of NPC cases. The more accurate AXB indicating lower target coverage and lower minimum target dose compared to AAA should be noted.
3D imaging using magnetic resonance tomosynthesis (MRT) technique
Authors: Kim Min‐Oh , Zho Sang‐Young , Kim Dong‐Hyun
Published: July 2012

Purpose:

To introduce an alternative approach to three‐dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging using a method that is similar to x‐ray tomosynthesis.

Methods:

Variable angle tilted‐projection images are acquired using a multiple‐oblique view (MOV) pulse sequence. Reconstruction is performed using three methods similar to that of x‐ray tomosynthesis, which generate a set of tomographic images with multiple 2D projection images. The reconstruction algorithm is further modified to reformat to the practical imaging situations of MR. The procedure is therefore termed magnetic resonance tomosynthesis (MRT). To analyze the characteristics of MRT, simulations are performed. Phantom andin vivo experiments were done to suggest potential applications.

Results:

Simulation results show anisotropic features that are structurally dependent in terms of resolution. Partial blurrings along slice direction were observed. In phantom andin vivo experiments, the reconstruction performance is particularly noticeable in the low SNR case where improved images with lower noise are obtained. Reformatted reconstruction using thinner slice thickness and/or extended field‐of‐view can increase spatial resolution partially and alleviate slice profile imperfection.

Conclusions:

Results demonstrate that MRT can generate adequate 3D images using the MOV images. Various reconstruction methods in tomosynthesis were readily adapted, while allowing other tomosynthesis reconstruction algorithms to be incorporated. A reformatted reconstruction process was incorporated for applications relevant to MR imaging.
Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery
Authors: Hubbell Jeffrey A. , Chilkoti Ashutosh
Published: July 2012

Nanometer-scale polymeric materials are increasingly used to surmount the barriers faced by drugs and vaccines on their way to their site of action.
LAAT-1 Is the Lysosomal Lysine/Arginine Transporter That Maintains Amino Acid Homeostasis
Authors: Liu Bin , Du Hongwei , Rutkowski Rachael , Gartner Anton , Wang Xiaochen
Published: July 2012

Lysosomal Amino Acid Transporter

Cystinosis is characterized by intralysosomal accumulation of free cystine, which results in age-dependent problems in the kidney, muscle, retina, and central nervous system. The disease-causing gene encodes a lysosomal cystine transporter. The most effective therapeutic agent for cystinosis, cysteamine, depletes lysosomal free cystine by converting it to cysteine and the mixed disulfide cysteine-cysteamine, which can then be exported from lysosomes as a lysine analog through a putative lysine/cationic amino acid transporter. Using an unbiased genetic screen for
Caenorhabditis elegans
mutants with increased accumulation of apoptotic cells or autophagosomes,

Liu
et al.

(p.
351
) now reveal the molecular identity of a lysosomal lysine/arginine transporter that plays a role in maintaining lysosome function and amino acid homeostasis and that can explain how cysteamine alleviates a lysosomal storage disease.
U.S. Appeals Court Hears Gene Patent Arguments
Authors: Marshall Eliot
Published: July 2012

James Watson, co-discoverer of DNA's double helix, has signed up as the most celebrated champion of a lawsuit that aims to block patents on human genes.
The Metatron: Experimental Ecology Gets Connected
Authors: Stokstad Erik
Published: July 2012

An unusual new ecological laboratory, composed of dozens of large, interconnected white tents laid out across a 4-hectare field, is set to provide insights into how animals disperse across landscapes.
NSF Program Offers Start-Up 101 to Its Grantees
Authors: Mervis Jeffrey
Published: July 2012

The U.S. National Science Foundation is expanding a program to teach budding scientific entrepreneurs how best to tailor ideas from their NSF-funded research to attract investors and, eventually, customers.
Cancer Genetics With an Edge
Authors: Kaiser Jocelyn
Published: July 2012

Their lab helped reveal how faulty genes cause cancer, but Bert Vogelstein and Kenneth Kinzler sometimes irk colleagues with their “reality check” comments on genomic medicine.
Probing Diversity's Complexity
Authors: Friedman-Rudovsky Jean
Published: July 2012

By identifying all trees growing along an elevation gradient from above 6000 meters in the mountains to 180 meters above sea level, researchers hope to model the true complexity of our planet's biodiversity.
Persians Made the Afghan Desert Bloom
Authors: Lawler Andrew
Published: July 2012

A French team surveying a region of north-central Afghanistan has recently discovered large settlements organized around an impressive water system dating back 2500 years.
Continuous Intravesical Lidocaine Treatment for Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome: Safety and Efficacy of a New Drug Delivery Device
Authors: Nickel J. Curtis , Jain Pankaj , Shore Neal , Anderson Jessica , Giesing Dennis , Lee Heejin , Kim Grace , Daniel Karen , White Suellen , Larrivee-Elkins Cheryl , Lekstrom-Himes Julie , Cima Michael
Published: July 2012

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome patients tolerate and experience symptomatic relief from a bladder-borne device that provides continuous lidocaine delivery.
Device for Carrying Blood Samples at 37°C for Cryoglobulin Test
Authors: Nahm Moon H. , Chatham W. Winn , Benjamin William H.
Published: July 2012

To reliably transport blood samples for cryoglobulin analysis, we have created a sample transport device containing a mixture of two waxes that solidifies at 38°C and maintains sample temperature at 38°C. Samples arriving at the laboratory at 37 to 38°C increased to 95% from 34% with the use of the device.
Genome Sequence of a Novel Human Pathogen, Aeromonas aquariorum
Authors: Wu Chi-Jung , Wang Hsuan-Chen , Chen Chang-Shi , Shu Hung-Yu , Kao Ai-Wen , Chen Po-Lin , Ko Wen-Chien
Published: July 2012

Aeromonas aquariorum
, a recently described species, is associated with a variety of human diseases. We present here the first genome sequence of
A. aquariorum
strain AAk1, which was isolated as the sole pathogen from the blood of a patient with septicemia and necrotizing fasciitis.
Draft Genome Sequence of High-Siderophore-Yielding Pseudomonas sp. Strain HYS
Authors: Gao Jingwei , Yu Xinyan , Xie Zhixiong
Published: July 2012

We sequenced the genome of the high-siderophore-yielding strain
Pseudomonas
sp. HYS and then analyzed its iron acquisition systems. The 5.6-Mb draft genome sequence has a special pattern of pyoverdine synthesis clusters and contains an
hmuRSTUV
heme uptake cluster, which has a homolog only in some strains of the order
Enterobacteriales
.
Whole-Genome Sequence of Staphylococcus aureus Strain LCT-SA112
Authors: Wang Junfeng , Liu Yanhong , Wan Daiwei , Fang Xiangqun , Li Tianzhi , Guo Yinghua , Chang De , Su Longxiang , Wang Yajuan , Zhao Jiao , Liu Changting
Published: July 2012

Staphylococcus aureus
is a facultative anaerobic Gram-positive coccal bacterium.
S. aureus
is the most common species of
Staphylococcus
to cause staphylococcal infections, which are very common in clinical medicine. Here we report the genome sequence of
S. aureus
strain LCT-SA112, which was isolated from
S. aureus
subsp.
aureus
CGMCC 1.230.
Complete Genome Sequences of Methylophaga sp. Strain JAM1 and Methylophaga sp. Strain JAM7
Authors: Villeneuve Céline , Martineau Christine , Mauffrey Florian , Villemur Richard
Published: July 2012

Methylophagasp. strains JAM1 and JAM7 have been isolated from a denitrification system. Strain JAM1 was the firstMethylophagastrain reported to be able to grow under denitrifying conditions. Here, we report the complete genome sequences of the two strains, which allowed prediction of gene clusters involved in denitrification in strain JAM1.