bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamics Model Abstraction Scheme Using Radial Basis Functions
Authors: Tolu Silvia , Vanegas Mauricio , Agís Rodrigo , Carrillo Richard , Cañas Antonio
Published: April 2012

This paper presents a control model for object manipulation. Properties of objects and environmental conditions influence the motor control and learning. System dynamics depend on an unobserved external context, for example, work load of a robot manipulator. The dynamics of a robot arm change as it manipulates objects with different physical properties, for example, the mass, shape, or mass distribution. We address active sensing strategies to acquire object dynamical models with a radial basis function neural network (RBF). Experiments are done using a real robot’s arm, and trajectory data are gathered during various trials manipulating different objects. Biped robots do not have high force joint servos and the control system hardly compensates all the inertia variation of the adjacent joints and disturbance torque on dynamic gait control. In order to achieve smoother control and lead to more reliable sensorimotor complexes, we evaluate and compare a sparse velocity-driven versus a dense position-driven control scheme.
Preparation and Characterization of Chitosan/Agar Blended Films: Part 1. Chemical Structure and Morphology
Authors: El-hefian Esam A. , Nasef Mohamed Mahmoud , Yahaya Abdul Hamid
Published: April 2012

Chitosan/agar (CS/AG) films were prepared by blending different proportions of chitosan and agar (considering chitosan as the main component) in solution forms. The chemical structure and the morphology of the obtained blended films were investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). It was revealed that chitosan and agar form a highly compatible blend and their films displayed homogenous and smooth surface properties compared to the individual pure components.
Effect of Different Calcination Duration on Physicochemical Properties of Vanadium Phosphate Catalysts
Authors: Taufiq-Yap Yun Hin , Lee Hwei Voon , Wong Yin Chang , Theam Kok Leong , Tang Wen Jiunn
Published: April 2012

Vanadium phosphate catalysts have been prepared by calcining VOHPO44·0.5H2O which were prepared via two methods i.e. organic (VPO method) and dihydrate (VPD method) routes for different duration under anaerobic atmosphere. Increasing the calcinations duration led to a decrease in total surface area. It is also promote the formation of V5+ phase in the catalysts. Scanning electron microscopy clearly revealed that the morphologies of all catalysts composed of plate‐like crystallites that were arranged into the characteristic of rosette cluster. However, by increasing the pretreatment duration in an inert environment, the rosette‐shape of the clusters which normally obtained in reaction condition was collapsed. Prolong the duration of N2 calcination also resulted in an increment in the amount of oxygen desorbed (from O2‐TPD) and removed (obtained from H2‐TPR).
Design, Synthesis, Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity of Novel 2‐[(E)‐2‐aryl‐1‐ethenyl]‐3‐(2‐sulfanyl‐1H‐benzo[d]imidazole‐5‐yl)‐3,4‐ dihydro‐4‐quinolinones
Authors: Nath Anisetti Ravinder , Reddy Malladi Srinivas
Published: April 2012

The novel 2‐[(E)‐2‐aryl‐1‐ethenyl]‐3‐(2‐sulfanyl‐1H‐benzo[d]imidazole‐5‐yl)‐3,4‐ dihydro‐4‐quinolinones (4a‐j) analogs were synthesized by Knoevenagel condensation of a solution of 2‐methyl‐3‐(2‐sulfanyl‐1H‐benzo[d]imidazole‐5‐yl)‐3,4‐dihydro‐4‐quinazolinone (3) with aromatic aldehyde in presence of catalytic amount of piperidine. Compounds (4a‐j) showed significant biological activity against all the standard strains. All the synthesized compounds were characterized on the basis of their IR, 1H NMR, MASS spectroscopic data and elemental analyses. All the compounds have been tested for antimicrobial and antifungal activity by the cup‐plate method.
Mutual Coupling Effects Analysis in a Cross-Rhombic Antenna Array
Authors: Sosa-Pedroza Jorge , Carrión-Rivera Luis , Peña-Ruiz Sergio , Martínez-Zuñiga Fabiola
Published: April 2012

We present an analysis of mutual coupling effects on radiation pattern and individual coupling in a conformal array of cross rhombic antennas. Analysis is made using both full-wave simulation and numerical approaches implemented in Matlab. The array consists of a truncated hexagonal pyramid, with a cross rhombic antenna in each pyramidal face, including the one on the top, having a 7-antennas-array. Results of radiation pattern and S11 parameters are presented, showing mutual coupling effects among the elements.
Phamacognostical Evaluation and Determination of Total Phenols of Paeonia sinjiangensis K. Y. Pan
Authors: Gong H. Y. , Ma X. M. , Tian S. G.
Published: April 2012

Paeonia sinjiangensis K. Y. Pan is a perennial herb belonging to the family Ranunculaceae which is one of the most important crude drugs in traditional Chinese medicine, used as an anti‐inflammatory, analgesic and sedative agent. This paper deals with the detailed pharmacognostical evaluation of the crude drug P. sinjiangensis K. Y. Pan. The microscopic, physico‐chemical, preliminary physicochemical parameters, total phenols contents presented in this paper may be proposed as parameters to establish the authenticity of P. sinjiangensis K. Y. Pan and can possibly help to differentiate the drug from its other species.
Whole Exome Sequencing to Identify a Novel Gene (Caveolin-1) Associated With Human Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Austin Eric D. , Ma Lijiang , LeDuc Charles , Berman Rosenzweig Erika , Borczuk Alain , Phillips John A. , Palomero Teresa , Sumazin Pavel , Kim Hyunjae R. , Talati Megha H. , West James , Loyd James E. , Chung Wendy K.
Published: April 2012

Background—

Heritable and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) are phenotypically identical and associated with mutations in several genes related to transforming growth factor (TGF) beta signaling, including bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 2, activin receptor-like kinase 1, endoglin, and mothers against decapentaplegic 9. Approximately 25% of heritable cases lack identifiable mutations in any of these genes.

Methods and Results—

We used whole exome sequencing to study a 3-generation family with multiple affected family members with PAH, but no identifiable TGF beta mutation. We identified a frameshift mutation in caveolin-1 (
CAV1
), which encodes a membrane protein of caveolae abundant in the endothelium and other cells of the lung. An independent de novo frameshift mutation was identified in a child with idiopathic PAH. Western blot analysis demonstrated a reduction in caveolin-1 protein, while lung tissue immunostaining studies demonstrated a reduction in normal caveolin-1 density within the endothelial cell layer of small arteries.

Conclusions—

Our study represents successful elucidation of a dominant Mendelian disorder using whole exome sequencing. Mutations in
CAV1
are associated in rare cases with PAH. This may have important implications for pulmonary vascular biology, as well as PAH-directed therapeutic development.
Impact of Changes in Resuscitation Practice on Survival and Neurological Outcome After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Resulting From Nonshockable Arrhythmias
Authors: Kudenchuk Peter J. , Redshaw Jeffrey D. , Stubbs Benjamin A. , Fahrenbruch Carol E. , Dumas Florence , Phelps Randi , Blackwood Jennifer , Rea Thomas D. , Eisenberg Mickey S.
Published: April 2012

Background—

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) claims millions of lives worldwide each year. OHCA survival from shockable arrhythmias (ventricular fibrillation/ tachycardia) improved in several communities after implementation of American Heart Association resuscitation guidelines that eliminated “stacked” shocks and emphasized chest compressions. “Nonshockable” rhythms are now the predominant presentation of OHCA; the benefit of such treatments on nonshockable rhythms is uncertain.

Methods and Results—

We studied 3960 patients with nontraumatic OHCA from nonshockable initial rhythms treated by prehospital providers in King County, Washington, over a 10-year period. Outcomes during a 5-year intervention period after adoption of new resuscitation guidelines were compared with the previous 5-year historical control period. The primary outcome was 1-year survival. Patient demographics and resuscitation characteristics were similar between the control (n=1774) and intervention (n=2186) groups, among whom 471 of 1774 patients (27%) versus 742 of 2186 patients (34%), respectively, achieved return of spontaneous circulation; 82 (4.6%) versus 149 (6.8%) were discharged from hospital, 60 (3.4%) versus 112 (5.1%) with favorable neurological outcome; 73 (4.1%) versus 135 (6.2%) survived 1 month; and 48 (2.7%) versus 106 patients (4.9%) survived 1 year (all
P
≤0.005). After adjustment for potential confounders, the intervention period was associated with an improved odds of 1.50 (95% confidence interval, 1.29–1.74) for return of spontaneous circulation, 1.53 (95% confidence interval, 1.14–2.05) for hospital survival, 1.56 (95% confidence interval, 1.11–2.18) for favorable neurological status, 1.54 (95% confidence interval, 1.14–2.10) for 1-month survival, and 1.85 (95% confidence interval, 1.29–2.66) for 1-year survival.

Conclusion—

Outcomes from OHCA resulting from nonshockable rhythms, although poor by comparison with shockable rhythm presentations, improved significantly after implementation of resuscitation guideline changes, suggesting their potential to benefit all presentations of OHCA.
Chronic Sympathetic Attenuation and Energy Metabolism in Autonomic Failure
Authors: Shibao Cyndya , Buchowski Maciej S. , Chen Kong Y. , Yu Chang , Biaggioni Italo
Published: April 2012

The sympathetic nervous system regulates thermogenesis and energy homeostasis in humans. When activated it increases energy expenditure, particularly resting energy expenditure. Most human studies used acute infusion of β-blockers as a model to eliminate sympathetic stimulation and to examine the contribution of the sympathetic nervous system to energy metabolism and balance. Clinically, however, it is also important to assess the effect of chronic sympathetic attenuation on energy metabolism. In this context, we hypothesized that resting energy expenditure is decreased in patients with autonomic failure who, by definition, have low sympathetic tone. We measured 24-hour energy expenditure using whole-room indirect calorimeter in 10 adults with chronic autonomic failure (6 women; age, 64.9±9.1 years; body mass index, 25.2±4.4 kg/m
2
) and 15 sedentary healthy controls of similar age and body composition (8 women; age, 63.1±4.0 years; body mass index, 24.4±3.9 kg/m
2
). In 4 patients, we eliminated residual sympathetic activity with the ganglionic blocker trimethaphan. We found that, after adjusting for body composition, resting energy expenditure did not differ between patients with autonomic failure and healthy controls. However, resting energy expenditure significantly decreased when residual sympathetic activity was eliminated. Our findings suggest that sympathetic tonic support of resting energy expenditure is preserved, at least in part, in pathophysiological models of chronic sympathetic attenuation.
Dietary habits prone to lifestyle-related disease
Authors: Nagai M , Uyama O , Kaji H
Published: April 2012

Objective:

To evaluate relations among dietary habits, bone mineral density (BMD), visceral fat area (VFA), and arterial stiffness and recommend better dietary habits.

Methods:

One hundred and six men and 381 women (aged 18–84) received a health checkup and answered questionnaires, with subsequent measurements of BMD (speed of sound), VFA (bioelectrical impedance), and arterial stiffness (acceleration plethysmography).

Results:

Snacking, intake of meat, fried foods, sweet foods, and instant foods were associated with higher BMD; regular lunch hours, skipping meals, calorie restriction, and eating moderate amounts were associated with lower BMD as indicated using analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis. Only skipping meals was an independent factor of high BMD. Age was an independent factor of low BMD, large VFA, and high arterial stiffness. Female sex was an independent factor of low BMD and VFA as indicated using multiple regression analysis.

Conclusions and implications:

BMD was associated with eating behaviours and food contents, among which only skipping meals was an independent contributor.
Nanostructure cobalt oxide reinforced conductive and magnetic polyaniline nanocomposites
Authors: Nandapure Bharati , Kondawar Subhash , Salunkhe Mahesh , Nandapure Arti
Published: April 2012

Nanocrystalline cobalt oxide (Co3O4) was synthesized by sol–gel method using cobalt chloride as precursor. Conducting polyaniline-cobalt oxide (PANI/Co3O4) nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ polymerization of aniline (monomer) in the presence of as-synthesized nanocrystalline Co3O4. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, FTIR, UV-VIS and TEM analysis. TEM images show that PANI has been coated on nanocrystalline Co3O4, which confirms the formation of nanocomposites. XRD pattern show that nanocrystalline Co3O4 embedded into polycrystalline PANI to form crystalline nanocomposites. Fourier transform infrared and ultraviolet visible spectroscopy show that cobalt oxide nanoparticles get electrostatically bound to the specific sites of polyaniline. PANI/Co3O4 nanocomposites show semiconducting behavior as that of conducting polyaniline. In this article, the influence of filler concentration on the transport parameters and magnetic properties of polyaniline nanocomposites has been investigated.
Fluent Persuasive Writing With Counterarguments for Students With Emotional Disturbance
Authors: Mastropieri Margo A. , Scruggs Thomas E. , Cerar Nancy Irby , Allen-Bronaugh Dannette , Thompson Catherine , Guckert Mary , Leins Pat , Hauth Clara , Cuenca-Sanchez Yojanna
Published: April 2012

Twelve seventh- and eighth-grade students with emotional disturbance participated in a multiple probe, multiple baseline design two-phase intervention study to improve persuasive writing skills. The first phase after baseline taught students to plan and write persuasive essays including counterarguments. In the second phase, students were taught to plan and write fluently in 10 min. Students were assessed on their essay writing, the Woodcock–Johnson Fluency subtest, writing probes, and were interviewed post instruction. Findings revealed that all students mastered the components of effective persuasive essay writing, included counterarguments, and improved from baseline to postinstruction and postfluency phases in length and essay quality. Although students’ performance decreased slightly on surprise maintenance and generalization measures, results remained substantially higher than baseline. Strategy reports revealed all students enjoyed using and seeing the benefits of instruction. Findings are discussed for future research and practice for students with emotional disturbance.
Rethinking Local Activism: ‘Cultivating the Capacities’ of Neighbourhood Organising
Authors: Jupp Eleanor
Published: April 2012

This article seeks to reposition understandings of local neighbourhood organising in the UK, which has often been approached through the lens of neighbourhood policy initiatives and overlooked within accounts of ‘urban activism’. This article draws on fieldwork among small community groups in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Stoke-on-Trent, UK. An argument is made for paying attention to the often gendered capacities used by members of informal residents’ organisations, that enable them to connect with other residents as well as negotiate with officials and policy frameworks. Despite being grounded in everyday practices and being entangled with policy programmes, it is argued that these practices do constitute powerful forms of activism and that those concerned with supporting such activity should begin with an understanding of these capacities.
The Sensory Experiencing of Urban Design: The Role of Walking and Perceptual Memory
Authors: Degen Monica Montserrat , Rose Gillian
Published: April 2012

Experience is conceptualised in both academic and policy circles as a more-or-less direct effect of the design of the built environment. Drawing on findings from a research project that investigated people’s everyday experiences of designed urban environments in two UK towns, this paper suggests at least two reasons why sensory encounters between individuals and built environments cannot in fact be understood entirely as a consequence of the design features of those environments. Drawing from empirical analysis based on surveys, ethnographic ‘walk-alongs’ and photo-elicitation interviews, we argue that distinct senses of place do depend on the sensory experiencing of built environments. However, that experiencing is significantly mediated in two ways. First, it is mediated by bodily mobility: in particular, the walking practices specific to a particular built environment. Secondly, sensory experiences are intimately intertwined with perceptual memories that mediate the present moment of experience in various ways: by multiplying, judging and dulling the sensory encounter. In conclusion, it is argued that work on sensory urban experiencing needs to address more fully the diversity and paradoxes produced by different forms of mobility through, and perceptual memories of, built environments.
Management of left ventricular distension during peripheral extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for cardiogenic shock
Authors: Soleimani B , Pae WE
Published: April 2012

The application of peripheral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the management of inotrope-refractory cardiogenic shock has proven controversial because of concerns about sub-optimal drainage of the left heart, resulting in left ventricular distension and pulmonary oedema. In this article, we will discuss the pathophysiological basis and clinical implications of left ventricular distension following institution of peripheral extracorporeal life support. We will also review the clinical strategies used to circumvent left ventricular distension and pulmonary oedema in these patients.
Prolactin, hyperprolactinaemia and antipsychotic treatment: a review and lessons for treatment of early psychosis
Authors: Cookson John , Hodgson Richard , Wildgust Hiram J
Published: April 2012

Hyperprolactinaemia is a common side effect of antipsychotics; markedly raised levels are less common. Higher levels of prolactin result from longer exposure to higher doses, especially with older antipsychotics or with risperidone, sulpiride or amisulpride. Galactorrhoea, gynaecomastia, menstrual abnormalities and sexual dysfunction including hypogonadism and fertility problems are consequences of raised prolactin, and in the longer-term bone demineralisation. Younger patients may be more susceptible to hyperprolactinaemia. Trial reports often fail to state the frequency of raised levels.
A case of acute suicidality following excessive caffeine intake
Authors: Szpak Aleksandra , Allen Danny
Published: April 2012

Energy and stimulant drinks which contain caffeine provide enlivening effects, reduce fatigue and improve concentration and endurance. However, consumers may also experience physical and psychological side effects as a result of excessive consumption of caffeine within these drinks. Caffeine is known to exacerbate or induce some psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, panic attacks, psychosis and mania. Here we discuss a case of acute suicidality following sleep deprivation after the excessive consumption of a popular energy drink. We are concerned that such widely available stimulant drinks should contain health warnings or advice regarding moderating consumption.
Nature as infrastructure: Making and managing the Panama Canal watershed
Authors: Carse Ashley
Published: April 2012

The Panama Canal requires an enormous volume of fresh water to function. A staggering 52 million gallons are released into the Atlantic and Pacific oceans with each of the 35–45 ships that transit the canal daily. The water that facilitates interoceanic transportation and global connection falls as rain across the watershed surrounding the canal and is managed by an extensive system of locks, dams, and hydrographic stations. These technologies – which correspond with the popular understanding of infrastructure as hardware – were largely constructed during the early 20th century. Since the late 1970s, however, administrators and other concerned actors have responded to actual and potential water scarcity within the canal system by developing a managerial approach that integrates engineered technologies and new techniques of land-use planning and environmental regulation across the watershed. Through this process, techno-politics and environmental politics have become increasingly inextricable in the transit zone. Whereas canal administrators previously emphasized the control of water in its liquid state, watershed management emerged as an attempt to manipulate water flows through the legal protection of forests and restriction of agriculture. As forested landscapes have been assigned new infrastructural functions (water storage and regulation), campesino farmers have been charged with a new responsibility (forest conservation) often at odds with their established agricultural practices. Consequently, I bring together scholarship on infrastructure in science and technology studies and political ecology in anthropology and geography to examine why, how, and to what effect landscapes around the canal have been transformed from agricultural frontier to managed watershed. I suggest that the concept of infrastructure is a useful theoretical tool and empirical topic for analyzing the politics of environmental service provision. By paying attention to the contingent history of engineering decisions and the politics embedded in the changing socio-technical system that delivers water to the canal, we can better understand the distributional politics of environmental service provision in Panama today.
Processual Comparative Sociology
Authors: Demetriou Chares
Published: April 2012

Charles Tilly’s work on process analysis offers a methodological approach to comparative-historical sociology that can be considered paradigmatic. Yet the approach has been widely criticized for lack of rigor. This paper maintains that the problem lies in insufficient clarification of the approach’s central concept: mechanism. Once scrutinized, the concept reveals a tension between its connotation and its denotation. This can be addressed in two ways: either by maintaining what the concept connotes according to Tilly but limiting what it denotes (thus limiting the paradigm’s scope conditions) or by limiting what it connotes and maintaining what it was intended by Tilly to denote (thus maintaining wide scope conditions). Elucidating the possibilities of processual comparison is particularly important for comparative-historical sociology because the subfield rests upon processual presuppositions.
Analyzing repeated measures semi-continuous data, with application to an alcohol dependence study
Authors: Liu Lei , Strawderman Robert L , Johnson Bankole A , O'Quigley John M
Published: April 2012

Summary

Two-part random effects models (Olsen and Schafer, 1 Tooze et al. 2 ) have been applied to repeated measures of semi-continuous data, characterized by a mixture of a substantial proportion of zero values and a skewed distribution of positive values. In the original formulation of this model, the natural logarithm of the positive values is assumed to follow a normal distribution with a constant variance parameter. In this article, we review and consider three extensions of this model, allowing the positive values to follow (a) a generalized gamma distribution, (b) a log-skew-normal distribution, and (c) a normal distribution after the Box-Cox transformation. We allow for the possibility of heteroscedasticity. Maximum likelihood estimation is shown to be conveniently implemented in SAS Proc NLMIXED. The performance of the methods is compared through applications to daily drinking records in a secondary data analysis from a randomized controlled trial of topiramate for alcohol dependence treatment. We find that all three models provide a significantly better fit than the log-normal model, and there exists strong evidence for heteroscedasticity. We also compare the three models by the likelihood ratio tests for non-nested hypotheses (Vuong 3 ). The results suggest that the generalized gamma distribution provides the best fit, though no statistically significant differences are found in pairwise model comparisons.
Perceptions of the News Media’s Societal Roles
Authors: Hanna Mark , Sanders Karen
Published: April 2012

A longitudinal study of U.K. journalism undergraduates records how their attitudes on societal roles of the news media changed during university education. Students became more likely to endorse an adversarial approach toward public officials and businesses as extremely important. Yet students did not support these roles as strongly as an older generation of U.K. journalists did. Students also became less likely to support the role of giving “ordinary people” a chance to express views. This may indicate a “generation gap” in attitudes that journalism educators need to understand. The authors also are concerned that the U.K. journalism workforce—now including many students from such programs—has become more socially elite.
The subtle nature of Facebook politics: Swedish social network site users and political participation
Authors: Gustafsson Nils
Published: April 2012

Sweden, with a high level of political participation and an avant-garde position regarding internet access, broadband and social media penetration in the population, is a critical case for studying social media in relation to political participation. Three types of users – members of political parties, members of interest organizations, and non-members – are interviewed in focus groups about their attitudes to political content in the social network site Facebook. The discussions show that although practices and attitudes vary, using social network sites alone does not drive previously inactive respondents to political participation. Respondents who are members of interest organizations view social network sites as valuable tools for participation, whereas respondents who are not refrain from sharing political views with their friends. They are exposed to political content and requests for participation, but prefer generally to remain passive.
Single-Incision Laparoscopic Hepatectomy for Benign and Malignant Hepatopathy
Authors: Pan Mingxin , Jiang Zesheng , Cheng Yuan , Xu Xiaoping , Zhang Zhi , Zhou Chenjie , He Guolin , Xu Tingcheng , Liu Hanyan , Gao Yi
Published: April 2012

Background. The single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) technique has been used in many surgical procedures, but there are few reports regarding liver surgeries. The purpose of this study was to perform single-incision laparoscopic hepatectomy (SILH) using standard laparoscopic instrumentation in 8 Chinese patients. The advantages and prospective future applications of SILH are also described. Methods. Selected patients were hospitalized between December 2009 and November 2011. The procedure was accomplished through a 2.5-cm transabdominal wall incision using a laparoscope and 2 other instruments without the assistance of any articulating instruments or single multiport trocar. Results. All procedures were successfully performed without the need for supplemental trocars. Postoperative pathological examinations were supportive of the preoperative diagnoses. No complications such as perioperative hemorrhage or infections occurred. Conclusion. SILH appears to be a safe approach and the results are cosmetically favorable. The accumulation of SILH experience and the development of instrumentation are needed for extensive use of this technique in hepatectomies.
Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell function in relation to age: A pupillometric study in humans with special reference to the age-related optic properties of the lens
Authors: Herbst Kristina , Sander Birgit , Lund-Andersen Henrik , Broendsted Adam Elias , Kessel Line , Hansen Michael Stormly , Kawasaki Aki
Published: April 2012

Background

The activity of melanopsin containing intrinsically photosensitive ganglion retinal cells (ipRGC) can be assessed by a means of pupil responses to bright blue (appr.480 nm) light. Due to age related factors in the eye, particularly, structural changes of the lens, less light reaches retina. The aim of this study was to examine how age and in vivo measured lens transmission of blue light might affect pupil light responses, in particular, mediated by the ipRGC.

Methods

Consensual pupil responses were explored in 44 healthy subjects aged between 26 and 68 years. A pupil response was recorded to a continuous 20 s light stimulus of 660 nm (red) or 470 nm (blue) both at 300 cd/m2 intensity (14.9 and 14.8 log photons/cm2/s, respectively). Additional recordings were performed using four 470 nm stimulus intensities of 3, 30, 100 and 300 cd/m2. The baseline pupil size was measured in darkness and results were adjusted for the baseline pupil and gender. The main outcome parameters were maximal and sustained pupil contraction amplitudes and the postillumination response assessed as area under the curve (AUC) over two time-windows: early (0–10 s after light termination) and late (10–30 s after light termination). Lens transmission was measured with an ocular fluorometer.

Results

The sustained pupil contraction and the early poststimulus AUC correlated positively with age (p = 0.02, p = 0.0014, respectively) for the blue light stimulus condition only.

The maximal pupil contraction amplitude did not correlate to age either for bright blue or red light stimulus conditions.

Lens transmission decreased linearly with age (p < 0.0001). The pupil response was stable or increased with decreasing transmission, though only significantly for the early poststimulus AUC to 300 cd/m2 light (p = 0.02).

Conclusions

Age did not reduce, but rather enhance pupil responses mediated by ipRGC. The age related decrease of blue light transmission led to similar results, however, the effect of age was greater on these pupil responses than that of the lens transmission. Thus there must be other age related factors such as lens scatter and/or adaptive processes influencing the ipRGC mediated pupil response enhancement observed with advancing age.
Citrus aurantium flavonoids inhibit adipogenesis through the Akt signaling pathway in 3T3-L1 cells
Authors: Kim Gon-Sup , Park Hyoung Joon , Woo Jong-Hwa , Kim Mi-Kyeong , Koh Phil-Ok , Min Wongi , Ko Yeoung-Gyu , Kim Chung-Hei , Won Chung-Kil , Cho Jae-Hyeon
Published: April 2012

Background

Obesity is a health hazard that is associated with a number of diseases and metabolic abnormalities, such as type-2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and coronary heart disease. In the current study, we investigated the effects of Citrus aurantium flavonoids (CAF) on the inhibition of adipogenesis and adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells.

Methods

During adipocyte differentiation, 3T3-L1 cells were treated with 0, 10, and 50 μg/ml CAF, and then the mRNA and protein expression of adipogenesis-related genes was assayed. We examined the effect of CAF on level of phosphorylated Akt in 3T3-L1 cells treated with CAF at various concentrations during adipocyte differentiation.

Results

The insulin-induced expression of C/EBPβ and PPARγ mRNA and protein were significantly down-regulated in a dose-dependent manner following CAF treatment. CAF also dramatically decreased the expression of C/EBPα, which is essential for the acquisition of insulin sensitivity by adipocytes. Moreover, the expression of the aP2 and FAS genes, which are involved in lipid metabolism, decreased dramatically upon treatment with CAF. Interestingly, CAF diminished the insulin-stimulated serine phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473) and GSK3β (Ser9), which may reduce glucose uptake in response to insulin and lipid accumulation. Furthermore, CAF not only inhibited triglyceride accumulation during adipogenesis but also contributed to the lipolysis of adipocytes.

Conclusions

In the present study, we demonstrate that CAF suppressed adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Our results indicated that CAF down-regulates the expression of C/EBPβ and subsequently inhibits the activation of PPARγ and C/EBPα. The anti-adipogenic activity of CAF was mediated by the inhibition of Akt activation and GSK3β phosphorylation, which induced the down-regulation of lipid accumulation and lipid metabolizing genes, ultimately inhibiting adipocyte differentiation.
Understanding Optimal Colonic Cancer Surgery: Comparison of Japanese D3 Resection and European Complete Mesocolic Excision With Central Vascular Ligation
Authors: West Nicholas P. , Kobayashi Hirotoshi , Takahashi Keiichi , Perrakis Aristoteles , Weber Klaus , Hohenberger Werner , Sugihara Kenichi , Quirke Philip
Published: April 2012

Purpose

Over recent years, patient outcomes after colon cancer resection have not improved to the same degree as for rectal cancer. Japanese D3 resection and European complete mesocolic excision (CME) with central vascular ligation (CVL) are both based on sound oncologic principles. Expert surgeons using both techniques report impressive outcomes as compared with standard surgery. We aimed to independently compare the physical appearances and quality of specimens resected using both techniques in major institutions in Japan and Germany.

Methods

A series of resections for primary colon cancer from one European and two Japanese centers were independently assessed in terms of the plane of surgery, physical characteristics, and lymph node yields.

Results

Mesocolic plane resection rates from both series were high; however, Japanese D3 specimens were significantly shorter (162 v 324 mm, P < .001), resulting in a smaller amount of mesentery (8,309 v 17,957 mm2, P < .001) and nodal yield (median, 18 v 32, P < .001). The distance from the high vascular tie to the bowel wall (100 v 99 mm, P = .605) was equivalent.

Conclusion

Both techniques showed high mesocolic plane resection rates and long distances between the high tie and the bowel wall. The extended longitudinal resection after CME with CVL increased the nodal yield but did not increase the number of tumor involved nodes. Both series were oncologically superior to recently reported series from other countries and confirm the wide variation in colonic cancer surgery and the need for further standardization and optimization following the approach undertaken in improving rectal cancer outcomes.
Appropriate Chemotherapy Dosing for Obese Adult Patients With Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline
Authors: Griggs Jennifer J. , Mangu Pamela B. , Anderson Holly , Balaban Edward P. , Dignam James J. , Hryniuk William M. , Morrison Vicki A. , Pini T. May , Runowicz Carolyn D. , Rosner Gary L. , Shayne Michelle , Sparreboom Alex , Sucheston Lara E. , Lyman Gary H.
Published: April 2012

Purpose

To provide recommendations for appropriate cytotoxic chemotherapy dosing for obese adult patients with cancer.

Methods

The American Society of Clinical Oncology convened a Panel of experts in medical and gynecologic oncology, clinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenetics, and biostatistics and a patient representative. MEDLINE searches identified studies published in English between 1996 and 2010, and a systematic review of the literature was conducted. A majority of studies involved breast, ovarian, colon, and lung cancers. This guideline does not address dosing for novel targeted agents.

Results

Practice pattern studies demonstrate that up to 40% of obese patients receive limited chemotherapy doses that are not based on actual body weight. Concerns about toxicity or overdosing in obese patients with cancer, based on the use of actual body weight, are unfounded.

Recommendations

The Panel recommends that full weight–based cytotoxic chemotherapy doses be used to treat obese patients with cancer, particularly when the goal of treatment is cure. There is no evidence that short- or long-term toxicity is increased among obese patients receiving full weight–based doses. Most data indicate that myelosuppression is the same or less pronounced among the obese than the non-obese who are administered full weight–based doses. Clinicians should respond to all treatment-related toxicities in obese patients in the same ways they do for non-obese patients. The use of fixed-dose chemotherapy is rarely justified, but the Panel does recommend fixed dosing for a few select agents. The Panel recommends further research into the role of pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenetics to guide appropriate dosing of obese patients with cancer.
FGF21 Is Increased by Inflammatory Stimuli and Protects Leptin-Deficient ob/ob Mice from the Toxicity of Sepsis
Authors: Feingold Kenneth R. , Grunfeld Carl , Heuer Josef G. , Gupta Akanksha , Cramer Martin , Zhang Tonghai , Shigenaga Judy K. , Patzek Sophie M. , Chan Zoe W. , Moser Arthur , Bina Holly , Kharitonenkov Alexei
Published: April 2012

The acute phase response (APR) produces marked alterations in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism including decreasing plasma ketone levels. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a recently discovered hormone that regulates lipid and glucose metabolism and stimulates ketogenesis. Here we demonstrate that lipopolysaccharide (LPS), zymosan, and turpentine, which induce the APR, increase serum FGF21 levels 2-fold. Although LPS, zymosan, and turpentine decrease the hepatic expression of FGF21, they increase FGF21 expression in adipose tissue and muscle, suggesting that extrahepatic tissues account for the increase in serum FGF21. After LPS administration, the characteristic decrease in plasma ketone levels is accentuated in FGF21−/− mice, but this is not due to differences in expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1α or hydroxymethyglutaryl-CoA synthase 2 in liver, because LPS induces similar decreases in the expression of these genes in FGF21−/− and control mice. However, in FGF21−/− mice, the ability of LPS to increase plasma free fatty acid levels is blunted. This failure to increase plasma free fatty acid could contribute to the accentuated decrease in plasma ketone levels because the transport of fatty acids from adipose tissue to liver provides the substrate for ketogenesis. Treatment with exogenous FGF21 reduced the number of animals that die and the rapidity of death after LPS administration in leptin-deficient ob/ob mice and to a lesser extent in control mice. FGF21 also protected from the toxic effects of cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis. Thus, FGF21 is a positive APR protein that protects animals from the toxic effects of LPS and sepsis.
Rhetorical Sovereignty and Rhetorical Alliance in the Writing Classroom
Authors: King Lisa
Published: April 2012

This article discusses how teaching students to recognize the contemporary American Indian theoretical concepts of “rhetorical sovereignty” and “rhetorical alliance” in Native texts can help deepen understanding of American Indian voices and histories in an appropriate context, while also developing students' understandings of multiple and cross-cultural rhetorical frameworks.
Poster Presentations in an Introductory Linguistics Course: Designing Meaningful Assignments for Pre-Service Teachers
Authors: Samuelson Beth Lewis , Hicks-Kennard Cathy
Published: April 2012

Poster sessions aren't just for professional conferences. They are popular in a variety of academic disciplines, where they have been shown to boost motivation, foster alternative assessment, and promote peer interaction. They are gaining popularity as a classroom teaching strategy, because they promote the development of student research skills and foster positive attitudes toward research. They encourage collaboration and peer interaction. Visual presentation strategies provide opportunities for students to display their ideas and knowledge in several multimedia formats. Poster sessions also promote alternative assessment strategies such as peer and self-assessment. We report here on the ways that we have used this assignment format in our basic linguistics class, titled “The Nature of Language.” We conclude with tips on incorporating poster assignments into teacher education classes regardless of the content matter.
Computer Surveillance in the Classroom; Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Panopticon
Authors: Fee Tara Robbins
Published: April 2012

This article describes my experiment with surveillance technology as a composition teaching tool in a computer classroom. The technology, a software program called Remote Desktop, displayed live on my lectern screen all of my students' activities on their computers. While I first intended mainly to use Remote Desktop to monitor students' focus on assigned tasks, I quickly became interested in the pedagogical possibilities it presented. Because I could read students' work as they were composing it, I could intervene quickly when they were struggling and offer near-instant feedback; I could also guide class discussions by identifying patterns of weakness to address, strong examples to share, or the single answer a given student had gotten right to praise. I could anticipate how debates might unfold among students with differing opinions, or how similarly minded students might offer support to one another. While these strategies might have been possible without the technology, they were significantly facilitated by it — especially because this group of students was particularly underprepared and found discussion difficult. Class time became more productive and built their confidence in their own abilities as readers, writers, and editors.
SOX7 regulates the expression of VE-cadherin in the haemogenic endothelium at the onset of haematopoietic development
Authors: Costa Guilherme , Mazan Andrzej , Gandillet Arnaud , Pearson Stella , Lacaud Georges , Kouskoff Valerie
Published: April 2012

At early stages of vertebrate ontogeny, blood and endothelial cells develop from a common mesodermal progenitor, the haemangioblast. Upon haematopoietic commitment, the haemangioblast generates blood precursors through populations of endothelial cells with haemogenic properties. Although several transcription factors have been implicated in haemangioblast differentiation, the precise mechanisms governing cell fate decisions towards the generation of haemogenic endothelium precursors remain largely unknown. Under defined conditions, embryonic stem (ES) cells can be differentiated into haemangioblast-like progenitors that faithfully recapitulate early embryonic haematopoiesis. Here, we made use of mouse ES cells as a model system to understand the role of SOX7, a member of a large family of transcription factors involved in a wide range of developmental processes. During haemangioblast differentiation, SOX7 is expressed in haemogenic endothelium cells and is downregulated in nascent blood precursors. Gain-of-function assays revealed that the enforced expression of Sox7 in haemangioblast-derived blast colonies blocks further differentiation and sustains the expression of endothelial markers. Thus, to explore the transcriptional activity of SOX7, we focused on the endothelial-specific adhesion molecule VE-cadherin. Similar to SOX7, VE-cadherin is expressed in haemogenic endothelium and is downregulated during blood cell formation. We show that SOX7 binds and activates the promoter of VE-cadherin, demonstrating that this gene is a novel downstream transcriptional target of SOX7. Altogether, our findings suggest that SOX7 is involved in the transcriptional regulation of genes expressed in the haemogenic endothelium and provide new clues to decipher the molecular pathways that drive early embryonic haematopoiesis.
Turning gene function ON and OFF using sense and antisense photo-morpholinos in zebrafish
Authors: Tallafuss Alexandra , Gibson Dan , Morcos Paul , Li Yongfu , Seredick Steve , Eisen Judith , Washbourne Philip
Published: April 2012

To understand the molecular mechanisms of development it is essential to be able to turn genes on and off at will and in a spatially restricted fashion. Morpholino oligonucleotides (MOs) are very common tools used in several model organisms with which it is possible to block gene expression. Recently developed photo-activated MOs allow control over the onset of MO activity. However, deactivation of photo-cleavable MO activity has remained elusive. Here, we describe photo-cleavable MOs with which it is possible to activate or de-activate MO function by UV exposure in a temporal and spatial manner. We show, using several different genes as examples, that it is possible to turn gene expression on or off both in the entire zebrafish embryo and in single cells. We use these tools to demonstrate the sufficiency of no tail expression as late as tailbud stage to drive medial precursor cells towards the notochord cell fate. As a broader approach for the use of photo-cleavable MOs, we show temporal control over gal4 function, which has many potential applications in multiple transgenic lines. We demonstrate temporal manipulation of Gal4 transgene expression in only primary motoneurons and not secondary motoneurons, heretofore impossible with conventional transgenic approaches. In another example, we follow and analyze neural crest cells that regained sox10 function after deactivation of a photo-cleavable sox10-MO at different time points. Our results suggest that sox10 function might not be critical during neural crest formation.
Not just inductive: a crucial mechanical role for the endoderm during heart tube assembly
Authors: Varner Victor D. , Taber Larry A.
Published: April 2012

The heart is the first functioning organ to form during development. During gastrulation, the cardiac progenitors reside in the lateral plate mesoderm but maintain close contact with the underlying endoderm. In amniotes, these bilateral heart fields are initially organized as a pair of flat epithelia that move towards the embryonic midline and fuse above the anterior intestinal portal (AIP) to form the heart tube. This medial motion is typically attributed to active mesodermal migration over the underlying endoderm. In this model, the role of the endoderm is twofold: to serve as a mechanically passive substrate for the crawling mesoderm and to secrete various growth factors necessary for cardiac specification and differentiation. Here, using computational modeling and experiments on chick embryos, we present evidence supporting an active mechanical role for the endoderm during heart tube assembly. Label-tracking experiments suggest that active endodermal shortening around the AIP accounts for most of the heart field motion towards the midline. Results indicate that this shortening is driven by cytoskeletal contraction, as exposure to the myosin-II inhibitor blebbistatin arrested any shortening and also decreased both tissue stiffness (measured by microindentation) and mechanical tension (measured by cutting experiments). In addition, blebbistatin treatment often resulted in cardia bifida and abnormal foregut morphogenesis. Moreover, finite element simulations of our cutting experiments suggest that the endoderm (not the mesoderm) is the primary contractile tissue layer during this process. Taken together, these results indicate that contraction of the endoderm actively pulls the heart fields towards the embryonic midline, where they fuse to form the heart tube.