bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The origin of multiplacophorans – convergent evolution in Aculiferan molluscs
Authors: VINTHER JAKOB , JELL PETER , KAMPOURIS GEORGE , CARNEY RYAN , RACICOT RACHEL A. , BRIGGS DEREK E. G.
Published: September 2012

Abstract:  Multiplacophorans are Palaeozoic (Silurian to Permian) stem group polyplacophorans with 17 shell plates in a particular arrangement of single terminal plates separated by three columns of plates forming five transverse rows. Their distinctive morphology has prompted disparate interpretations of their relationship to polyplacophorans. Some features are strikingly similar to crown group polyplacophorans and even to some living families. Here we describe two Devonian forms, Protobalanus spinicoronatus sp. nov., a hercolepadid from northeast Ohio, USA, and Hannestheronia australis gen. et sp. nov., a strobilepid from South Africa. Using the results from a Bayesian relaxed molecular clock to test competing scenarios of the relationship of multiplacophorans to crown group polyplacophorans, we demonstrate that multiplacophorans are stem group polyplacophorans in which certain characters of the crown group evolved convergently.
Evaluation of ifosfamide salvage therapy for metastatic canine osteosarcoma
Authors: Batschinski K. , Dervisis N. G. , Kitchell B. E.
Published: September 2012

A retrospective study was performed to assess toxicity and response rate of ifosfamide salvage treatment for dogs diagnosed with metastatic osteosarcoma (OSA). Dogs diagnosed withOSAand previously treated with standard chemotherapy were included in the study. Nineteen dogs met the inclusion criteria, and 17 dogs were evaluable for response. Ifosfamide doses ranged from 375 to 425 mg m−2(median dose 375 mg m−2), with a median of two doses administered per dog (range 1–7 doses). The overall response to ifosfamide was 11.8% [complete response (CR) = 1/17, partial response (PR) = 1/17,stable disease (SD) = 2/17, progressive disease (PD) = 13/17]. Two dogs were hospitalized due to ifosfamide toxicosis. The median survival duration from the first dose of ifosfamide to death was 95 days. Ifosfamide was well tolerated, but minor anti‐tumour activity was observed.
What Was an Early Modern Public, and How Was It Made?
Authors: McKeon Michael
Published: September 2012

One argument of The Secret History of Domesticity is that there were two early modern publics, one traditional and one innovative; that the new concept of the public began to emerge when the authority of the old public, until then a matter of tacit belief, was subjected to explicit and rational analysis; and that the rationality of the new public depended on the simultaneous rise of an entirely new concept, the private. This argument responds at length to the central question raised by the Making Publics Project –“What was an early modern public, and how was it made?”– in ways that are pertinent to the work of MaPs, as can be seen in the stimulating essays gathered for this collection. The contributors have focused on a broad range of issues entailed in the hypothesis of a modern public, from political and religious history, social theory, historiography, and periodization to the history of civic architecture, gender and domesticity, drama, and the aesthetic, principally in England but also in fourteenth‐century Italy and the seventeenth‐century Dutch Republic. This comparative dimension enhances and deepens the developing coherence, within English culture, of the category of the modern.
Publishing the Private in Dutch Comic Culture
Authors: Vanhaelen Angela
Published: September 2012

This essay takes up one of Michael McKeon’s key analytical concepts – explicitation – and assesses how this historical process operated in Dutch cultural history. The paper traces alterations to the form and functions of a stock theme from carnival and festive life: the battle between a hen‐pecked husband and his domineering wife about who will wear the pants in their household. Over the course of several centuries, the battle for the pants underwent significant changes as it migrated from the carnival to the civic theatre and then became a bestselling printed picture story. These shifts in medium make public, or explicit, complex debates about the interconnected redefinition of sexuality, domesticity and public life. Especially important to an understanding of how this popular comic trope functioned within larger historical processes is McKeon’s insight that social order increasingly was determined by the moral behaviour of private individuals, rather than by a higher, a priori cosmic order. While McKeon takes English culture as a representative sample to analyse the disembedding of the private from the public sphere, my tracking of the furious struggle for the pants over the longue durée explores the explicitation of domesticity as a battle fought out in the combat zone of Dutch comic culture.
Publicity and Privacy in Early Modern Europe: Reflections on Michael Mckeon’s The Secret History of Domesticity
Authors: Cowan Brian , Yetter Leigh
Published: September 2012

The eleven essays in this special collection on “Publicity and Privacy in Early Modern Europe” engage with the arguments of Michael McKeon’s The Secret History of Domesticity: Public, Private and the Division of Knowledge (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 2005) from the perspective of the making of early modern publics. The essays emerged out of the work of an interdisciplinary collaborative research project entitled ‘Making Publics: Media, Markets and Association in Early Modern Europe, 1500–1700’ (MaPs). They demonstrate that the history of publicity and the history of privacy must be considered together, and as part of the continuing relationship of lived experience and the imagination.
Lamotrigine ameliorates seizures and psychiatric comorbidity in a rat model of spontaneous absence epilepsy
Authors: Huang Hsin‐Yi , Lee Hsiao‐Wei , Chen Shang‐Der , Shaw Fu‐Zen
Published: September 2012

Purpose:  Lamotrigine (LTG) is an effective clinical treatment for epilepsy associated with absence seizures. However, the impact of LTG administration in studies employing various animal models of epilepsy remains controversial. This study aimed to clarify the outcomes of LTG treatment on absence seizures and comorbid anxiety and depression disorders in Long‐Evans rats with spontaneous spike‐wave discharges (SWDs).

Methods:  LTG (10 mg/kg) or water vehicle was chronically administered perorally to Long‐Evans rats (twice daily for 35 days). Cortical activities were recorded to assess the presence of SWDs. Five behavioral tests, including the open field (OF), elevated plus maze (EPM), sucrose consumption (SC), sucrose preference, and forced swimming (FS) tests, were performed after LTG/vehicle treatment. The behavioral indexes of these tests were designed to assess anxiety (OF and EPM tests), depression (SC and FS tests), and preference for hedonistic stimuli (sugar preference test).

Key Findings:  Total SWD duration, SWD number, and mean SWD duration were significantly decreased in rats that received 35‐day LTG treatment compared with rats that received vehicle treatment. Rats with spontaneous SWDs versus rats with no SWDs showed significant levels of anxiety and depression in the OF, EPM, and SC tests. Rats with SWDs also showed longer immobility in the FS test. However, the LTG‐treated group compared with the vehicle group presented with significantly lower manifestations of anxiety and depression in the OF, EPM, SC, and sucrose preference tests and shorter immobility in the FS test.

Significance:  The results of this study suggest that chronic LTG treatment can benefit patients with epilepsy via suppression of absence seizures and amelioration of comorbid anxiety and depression.
“Things Chinese” in Italian Museum Displays: Exploring Visibility
Authors: Carbone Iside
Published: September 2012

This article examines how displays of artifacts work as materialized representations of cultural identities. In particular, I consider how the treatment of Chinese and Chinese‐inspired artifacts in Italian museums is linked to the history and features of the museums themselves. The main factors that affect how these objects are perceived and displayed can be summarized as the degree of harmonization of the artifacts with the rest of the display; the bond between the museum and its geographical and sociocultural settings; the role and status of the museum; curatorial policy and agenda; and the availability of space, staff, and funds. In all cases, the engagement of the exhibits with these elements determines the approach toward ideas of China embodying the sense of history, memory, and identity that each venue aims at conveying. [China, Italy, museums, identity, perception, representation]
Destruction of star clusters due to the radial migration in spiral galaxies
Authors: Fujii M. S. , Baba J.
Published: September 2012

Most stars in galactic discs are believed to be born as a member of star clusters or associations. Star clusters formed in discs are disrupted due to the tidal stripping and the evolution of star clusters themselves, and as a result new stars are supplied to the galactic discs. We performed N-body simulations of star clusters in galactic discs, in which both star clusters and galactic discs are modelled as N-body (‘live’) systems, and as a consequence the discs form transient and recurrent spiral arms. In such non- steady spiral arms, star clusters migrate radially due to the interaction with spiral arms. We found that the migration time-scale is a few hundred Myr and that the angular momentum changes of star clusters are at most ∼50 per cent in 1 Gyr. Radial migration of star clusters to the inner region of galaxies results in a fast disruption of the star clusters because of a stronger tidal field in the inner region of the galaxy. This effect is not negligible for the disruption time-scale of star clusters in galactic discs. Stars stripped from clusters form tidal tails which spread over 1–2 kpc. While the spatial distribution of tidal tails changes in a complicated way due to the non-steady spiral arms, the velocity distribution conserves well even if the tidal tails are located at a few kpc from their parent clusters. Tidal tails of clusters in galactic discs might be detected using velocity plots.
Welfare Reform and Elderly Immigrants’ Naturalization: Access to Public Benefits as an Incentive for Naturalization in the United States
Authors: Nam Yunju , Kim Wooksoo
Published: September 2012

Welfare reform in the United States restricted non-citizens’ eligibility for public assistance programs and strengthened economic benefits from naturalization. We examine the impact of these policy changes on elderly immigrants’ naturalization, considering their level of need for public benefits. Using individual data from the Current Population Survey as well as state-level data, we employ a differences-in-differences approach to consider variations in time, state policy, and probability of Medicaid participation. Results show that naturalization significantly increased among elderly immigrants who were likely to participate in Medicaid, suggesting that elderly immigrants in need of Medicaid became naturalized to maintain their eligibility for public benefits after welfare reform.
Effects of Light‐emitting Diode Radiations on Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells In Vitro
Authors: Chamorro Eva , Bonnin‐Arias Cristina , Pérez‐Carrasco María Jesús , de Luna Javier Muñoz , Vázquez Daniel , Sánchez‐Ramos Celia
Published: September 2012

Human visual system is exposed to high levels of natural and artificial lights of different spectra and intensities along lifetime. Light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) are the basic lighting components in screens of PCs, phones and TV sets; hence it is so important to know the implications of LED radiations on the human visual system. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of LEDs radiations on human retinal pigment epithelial cells (HRPEpiC). They were exposed to three light–darkness (12 h/12 h) cycles, using blue‐468 nm, green‐525 nm, red‐616 nm and white light. Cellular viability of HRPEpiC was evaluated by labeling all nuclei with DAPI; Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was determined by H2DCFDA staining; mitochondrial membrane potential was quantified by TMRM staining; DNA damage was determined by H2AX histone activation, and apoptosis was evaluated by caspases‐3,‐7 activation. It is shown that LED radiations decrease 75–99% cellular viability, and increase 66–89% cellular apoptosis. They also increase ROS production and DNA damage. Fluorescence intensity of apoptosis was 3.7% in nonirradiated cells and 88.8%, 86.1%, 83.9% and 65.5% in cells exposed to white, blue, green or red light, respectively. This study indicates three light–darkness (12 h/12 h) cycles of exposure to LED lighting affect in vitro HRPEpiC.
Effects of PAR and UV‐B Radiation on Herbal Yield, Bioactive Compounds and Their Antioxidant Capacity of Some Medicinal Plants Under Controlled Environmental Conditions
Authors: Manukyan Artur
Published: September 2012

Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and Ultraviolet B (UV‐B) radiation are among the main environmental factors acting on herbal yield and biosynthesis of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of biologically effective UV‐B light (280–315 nm) and PAR (400–700 nm) on herbal yield, content and composition, as well as antioxidant capacity of essential oils and polyphenols of lemon catmint (Nepeta cataria L. f. citriodora), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) and sage (Salvia officinalis L.) under controlled greenhouse cultivation. Intensive UV‐B radiation (2.5 kJ m−2 d−1) influenced positively the herbal yield. The essential oil content and composition of studied herbs were mainly affected by PAR and UV‐B radiation. In general, additional low‐dose UV‐B radiation (1 kJ m−2d−1) was most effective for biosynthesis of polyphenols in herbs. Analysis of major polyphenolic compounds provided differences in sensitivity of main polyphenols to PAR and UV‐B radiation. Essential oils and polyphenol‐rich extracts of radiated herbs showed essential differences in antioxidant capacity by the ABTS system. Information from this study can be useful for herbal biomass and secondary metabolite production with superior quality under controlled environment conditions.
The molecular and enzymatic basis of bitter/non‐bitter flavor of citrus fruit: evolution of branch‐forming rhamnosyltransferases under domestication
Authors: Frydman Ahuva , Liberman Raya , Huhman David V. , Carmeli‐Weissberg Mira , Sapir‐Mir Maya , Ophir Ron , W. Sumner Lloyd , Eyal Yoram
Published: September 2012

Domestication and breeding of citrus species/varieties for flavor and other characteristics, based on the ancestral species pummelo, mandarin and citron, has been an ongoing process for thousands of years. Bitterness, a desirable flavor characteristic in the fruit of some citrus species (pummelo and grapefruit) and undesirable in others (oranges and mandarins), has been under positive or negative selection during the breeding process of new species/varieties. Bitterness in citrus fruit is determined by the composition of branched‐chain flavanone glycosides, the predominant flavonoids in citrus. The flavor‐determining biosynthetic step is catalyzed by two branch‐forming rhamnosyltransferases that utilize flavanone‐7‐O‐glucose as substrate. The 1,2‐rhamnosytransferase (encoded by Cm1,2RhaT) leads to the bitter flavanone‐7‐O‐neohesperidosides whereas the 1,6‐rhamnosytransferase leads to the tastelessflavanone‐7‐O‐rutinosides. Here, we describe the functional characterization of Cs1,6RhaT, a 1,6‐rhamnosyltransferase‐encoding gene directing biosynthesis of the tasteless flavanone rutinosides common to the non‐bitter citrus species. Cs1,6RhaT was found to be a substrate‐promiscuous enzyme catalyzing branched‐chain rhamnosylation of flavonoids glucosylated at positions 3 or 7. In vivo substrates include flavanones, flavones, flavonols and anthocyanins. Cs1,6RhaT enzyme levels were shown to peak in young fruit and leaves, and gradually subside during development. Phylogenetic analysis of Cm1,2RhaT and Cs1,6RhaT demonstrated that they both belong to the branch‐forming glycosyltransferase cluster, but are distantly related and probably originated separately before speciation of the citrus genome. Genomic data from citrus, supported by a study of Cs1,6RhaT protein levels in various citrus species, suggest that inheritance, expression levels and mutations of branch‐forming rhamnosyltransferases underlie the development of bitter or non‐bitter species/varieties under domestication.
Inefficient functional sympatholysis is an overlooked cause of malperfusion in contracting skeletal muscle
Authors: Saltin Bengt , Mortensen Stefan P.
Published: September 2012

Abstract  Contracting skeletal muscle can overcome sympathetic vasoconstrictor activity (functional sympatholysis), which allows for a blood supply that matches the metabolic demand. This ability is thought to be mediated by locally released substances that modulate the effect of noradrenaline (NA) on the α‐receptor. Tyramine induces local NA release and can be used in humans to investigate the underlying mechanisms and physiological importance of functional sympatholysis in the muscles of healthy and diseased individuals as well as the impact of the active muscles’ training status. In sedentary elderly men, functional sympatholysis and muscle blood flow are impaired compared to young men, but regular physical activity can prevent these age related impairments. In young subjects, two weeks of leg immobilization causes a reduced ability for functional sympatholysis, whereas the trained leg maintained this function. Patients with essential hypertension have impaired functional sympatholysis in the forearm, and reduced exercise hyperaemia in the leg, but this can be normalized by aerobic exercise training. The effect of physical activity on the local mechanisms that modulate sympathetic vasoconstriction is clear, but it remains uncertain which locally released substance(s) block the effect of NA and how this is accomplished. NO and ATP have been proposed as important inhibitors of NA mediated vasoconstriction and presently an inhibitory effect of ATP on NA signalling via P2 receptors appears most likely.
Band alignment of zinc oxide as a channel layer in a gate stack structure grown by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition
Authors: Zhu Chiyu , Smith David J. , Nemanich Robert J.
Published: September 2012

A gate stack structure with a thin ZnO layer between an oxidized Si(100) surface and an alloyed hafnium and lanthanum oxide (HfO2-La2O3) layer was prepared by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition at ∼175 °C. High resolution electron microscopy indicated an amorphous structure of the deposited layers. The electronic properties were characterized with x-ray and ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy. A significant amount of excess oxygen was observed in the as-deposited ZnO and (HfO2-La2O3) layers. A helium plasma postdeposition treatment can partially remove the excess oxygen in both layers. The band alignment of this structure was established for an n-type Si substrate. A valence band offset of 1.5 ± 0.1 eV was measured between a thin ZnO layer and a SiO2 layer. The valence band offset between HfO2-La2O3 (11% HfO2 and 89% La2O3) and ZnO was almost negligible. The band relationship developed from these results demonstrates confinement of electrons in the ZnO film as a channel layer for thin film transistors.
An enhanced reconstruction algorithm to extend CT scan field‐of‐view with z‐axis consistency constraint
Authors: Li Baojun , Deng Junjun , Lonn Albert H. , Hsieh Jiang
Published: September 2012

Purpose:

To further improve the image quality, in particularly, to suppress the boundary artifacts, in the extended scan field‐of‐view (SFOV) reconstruction.

Methods:

To combat projection truncation artifacts and to restore truncated objects outside the SFOV, an algorithm has previously been proposed based on fitting a partial water cylinder at the site of the truncation. Previous studies have shown this algorithm can simultaneously eliminate the truncation artifacts inside the SFOV and preserve the total amount of attenuation, owing to its emphasis on consistency conditions of the total attenuation in the parallel sampling geometry. Unfortunately, the water cylinder fitting parameters of this 2D algorithm are inclined to high noise fluctuation in the projection samples from image to image, causing anatomy boundaries artifacts, especially during helical scans with higher pitch (≥1.0). To suppress the boundary artifacts and further improve the image quality, the authors propose to use a roughness penalty function, based on the Huber regularization function, to reinforce the z‐dimensional boundary consistency. Extensive phantom and clinical tests have been conducted to test the accuracy and robustness of the enhanced algorithm.

Results:

Significant reduction in the boundary artifacts is observed in both phantom and clinical cases with the enhanced algorithm. The proposed algorithm also reduces the percent difference error between the horizontal and vertical diameters to well below 1%. It is also noticeable that the algorithm has improved CT number uniformity outside the SFOV compared to the original algorithm.

Conclusions:

The proposed algorithm is capable of suppressing boundary artifacts and improving the CT number uniformity outside the SFOV.
Pseudogenes: Newly Discovered Players in Human Cancer
Authors: Poliseno Laura
Published: September 2012

Pseudogenes can have multiple, diverse functions, affecting not only their parental genes but also unrelated genes.
YANG–BAXTER EQUATIONS IN QUANTUM INFORMATION
Authors: GE MO-LIN , XUE KANG
Published: September 2012

The connection between Yang–Baxter system and quantum information has been discussed. Based on the topological basis for both Temperley–Lieb (TL) algebra and Birman–Wenzl (BW) algebra the representations of N by N braiding matrices associated with the corresponding N2 by N2 ones are obtained. Some of physical consequences of the braiding matrices connecting with quantum information are shown.
FINITE PROJECTIVE SPACES, GEOMETRIC SPREADS OF LINES AND MULTI-QUBITS
Authors: SANIGA METOD
Published: September 2012

Given a (2N-1)-dimensional projective space over GF(2), PG (2N-1, 2), and its geometric spread of lines, there exists a remarkable mapping of this space onto PG (N-1, 4) where the lines of the spread correspond to the points and subspaces spanned by pairs of lines to the lines of PG (N-1, 4). Under such mapping, a nondegenerate quadric surface of the former space has for its image a nonsingular Hermitian variety in the latter space, this quadric being hyperbolic or elliptic in dependence on N being even or odd, respectively. We employ this property to show that generalized Pauli groups of N-qubits also form two distinct families according to the parity of N and to put the role of symmetric Pauli operators into a new perspective. The N = 4 case is taken to illustrate the issue, due to its link with the so-called black-hole/qubit correspondence.
HIGH-ORDER MULTIPLE-MODE AND TRANSADMITTANCE-MODE OTA-C UNIVERSAL FILTERS
Authors: LEE CHEN-NONG
Published: September 2012

This paper presents two new high-order OTA-C universal filters. The first proposed filter structure employs n + 3 operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) and n grounded capacitors, which can realize nth-order multiple-mode (including voltage, current, transadmittance, and transimpedance modes) universal filtering responses (lowpass, highpass, bandpass, bandreject, and allpass) from the same topology. Since the OTA has high input and output impedances, it is very suitable for transadmittance-mode circuit applications. Therefore, a new high-order transadmittance-mode OTA-C universal filter structure using the minimum components is introduced. The second proposed filter structure uses only n + 1 OTAs and n grounded capacitors, which are the minimum components necessary for realizing nth-order transadmittance-mode universal filtering responses (lowpass, highpass, bandpass, bandreject, and allpass) from the same topology. This represents the attractive feature from chip area and power consumption point of view. Moreover, the two new OTA-C universal filters still enjoy many important advantages: no need of extra inverting or double-type amplifiers for special input signals, using only n grounded capacitors, no need of any resistors, cascadably connecting the former voltage-mode stage and the latter current-mode stage, and low sensitivity performance. H-Spice simulations with TSMC 0.35 μm process and ±1.65 V supply voltages are included and confirm the theoretical predictions.
On Physical Properties of Tetraether Lipid Membranes: Effects of Cyclopentane Rings
Authors: Chong Parkson Lee-Gau , Ayesa Umme , Prakash Daswani Varsha , Hur Ellah Chay
Published: September 2012

This paper reviews the recent findings related to the physical properties of tetraether lipid membranes, with special attention to the effects of the number, position, and configuration of cyclopentane rings on membrane properties. We discuss the findings obtained from liposomes and monolayers, composed of naturally occurring archaeal tetraether lipids and synthetic tetraethers as well as the results from computer simulations. It appears that the number, position, and stereochemistry of cyclopentane rings in the dibiphytanyl chains of tetraether lipids have significant influence on packing tightness, lipid conformation, membrane thickness and organization, and headgroup hydration/orientation.
Radar Cross-Section Formulation of a Shell-Shaped Projectile Using Modified PO Analysis
Authors: Zaman Mohammad Asif , Matin Md. Abdul
Published: September 2012

A physical optics based method is presented for calculation of monostatic Radar Cross-Section (RCS) of a shell-shaped projectile. The projectile is modeled using differential geometry. The paper presents a detailed analysis procedure for RCS formulation using physical optics (PO) method. The shortcomings of the PO method in predicting accurate surface current density near the shadow boundaries are highlighted. A Fourier transform-based filtering method is proposed to remove the discontinuities in the approximated surface current density. The modified current density is used to formulate the scattered field and RCS. Numerical results are presented comparing the proposed method with conventional PO method. The results are also compared with published results of similar objects and found to be in good agreement.
Nonlinearity of the Relationship between Human Capital and Exportation in Brazil
Authors: Fraga Gilberto Joaquim , Bacha Carlos José Caetano
Published: September 2012

For Brazil to realize the economic benefits of competitive advantage, it is critically important that the country's policy makers have an awareness of the determinants of Brazilian exports. Our study aims to evaluate the role of human capital measured by the average years of workforce formal education, in the value of exports from each Brazilian state from 1995 through 2006, highlighting differences among the states and/or regions. Based on the Dixit and Woodland (1982) model, our empirical analysis is implemented by running a regression of data organized into a panel that takes into account the fixed effects (i.e., the amenities) found in each of the 27 Brazilian states (including the Federal District). Our findings are consistent with the selected theoretical model and indicate that human capital in Brazil has a nonlinear effect on exportation with an inflection point of 6.7 years of formal education.
A Key Event Path Analysis Approach for Integrated Systems
Authors: Liao Jingjing
Published: September 2012

By studying the key event paths of probabilistic event structure graphs (PESGs), a key event path analysis approach for integrated system models is proposed. According to translation rules concluded from integrated system architecture descriptions, the corresponding PESGs are constructed from the colored Petri Net (CPN) models. Then the definitions of cycle event paths, sequence event paths, and key event paths are given. Whereafter based on the statistic results after the simulation of CPN models, key event paths are found out by the sensitive analysis approach. This approach focuses on the logic structures of CPN models, which is reliable and could be the basis of structured analysis for discrete event systems. An example of radar model is given to characterize the application of this approach, and the results are worthy of trust.
The Complex Dynamics of a Stochastic Predator‐Prey Model
Authors: Wang Xixi , Huang Huilin , Cai Yongli , Wang Weiming
Published: September 2012

A modified stochastic ratio‐dependent Leslie‐Gower predator‐prey model is
formulated and analyzed. For the deterministic model, we focus on the existence of equilibria,
local, and global stability; for the stochastic model, by applying Itô formula and constructing
Lyapunov functions, some qualitative properties are given, such as the existence of global positive
solutions, stochastic boundedness, and the global asymptotic stability. Based on these
results, we perform a series of numerical simulations and make a comparative analysis of the
stability of the model system within deterministic and stochastic environments.
Neural Correlates of Changes in a Visual Search Task due to Cognitive Training in Seniors
Authors: Wild-Wall Nele , Falkenstein Michael , Gajewski Patrick D.
Published: September 2012

This study aimed to elucidate the underlying neural sources of near transfer after a multidomain cognitive training in older participants in a visual search task. Participants were randomly assigned to a social control, a no-contact control and a training group, receiving a 4-month paper-pencil and PC-based trainer guided cognitive intervention. All participants were tested in a before and after session with a conjunction visual search task. Performance and event-related potentials (ERPs) suggest that the cognitive training improved feature processing of the stimuli which was expressed in an increased rate of target detection compared to the control groups. This was paralleled by enhanced amplitudes of the frontal P2 in the ERP and by higher activation in lingual and parahippocampal brain areas which are discussed to support visual feature processing. Enhanced N1 and N2 potentials in the ERP for nontarget stimuli after cognitive training additionally suggest improved attention and subsequent processing of arrays which were not immediately recognized as targets. Possible test repetition effects were confined to processes of stimulus categorisation as suggested by the P3b potential. The results show neurocognitive plasticity in aging after a broad cognitive training and allow pinpointing the functional loci of effects induced by cognitive training.
Laser Spectroscopic Investigations of Praseodymium I Transitions: New Energy Levels
Authors: Uddin Zaheer , El Bakkali Driss , Gamper B. , Khan Shamim , Siddiqui Imran , Guthöhrlein G. H. , Windholz L.
Published: September 2012

We report the discovery of about 140 new energy levels of the neutral praseodymium atom, found by means of laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. Their energy has been determined with an uncertainty of 0.010 cm−1 using a wave number calibrated Fourier-transform spectrum.
Everyday Prospective Memory and Executive Function Deficits Associated with Exposure to Second-Hand Smoke
Authors: Heffernan Thomas M. , O'Neill Terence S.
Published: September 2012

This study explored whether exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) has a detrimental impact upon everyday memory in two groups of non-smokers; one which reported regular exposure to SHS and one that reported never having been exposed to SHS. Thirty-four non-smokers who reported having been regularly exposed to SHS (SHS group) and 34 non-smokers who reported never having been exposed to SHS (non-SHS group) were compared on self-reports of prospective memory (PM: remembering future intentions and/or activities) and executive function (EF: those processes involved in attention, multitasking and decision-making). The Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) assessed everyday PM lapses; the Executive Function Questionnaire (EFQ) assessed self-reported problems in EF; a drug-use questionnaire and a mood questionnaire were also administered. Two univariate ANCOVAs were applied to the PM and EF data, controlling for between-group differences in age, weekly alcohol use, anxiety and depression scores, and self-reported retrospective memory scores. The SHS group reported significantly more lapses on the PRMQ and more deficits on the EFQ than the non-SHS group. These findings provide new insights into PM and EF deficits associated with prolonged exposure to SHS in a group of non-smokers. Possible explanations and suggestions for future research are also considered.
Hedgehog Signaling Blockade Delays Hepatocarcinogenesis Induced by Hepatitis B Virus X Protein
Authors: Arzumanyan Alla , Sambandam Vaishnavi , Clayton Marcia M. , Choi Steve S. , Xie Guanhua , Diehl Anna Mae , Yu Dae-Yeul , Feitelson Mark A.
Published: September 2012

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) encoded X protein (HBx) contributes centrally to the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Aberrant activation of the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway has been linked to many tumor types including HCC. Thus, experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that HBx promotes HCC via activation of Hh signaling. HBx expression correlated with an upregulation of Hh markers in human liver cancer cell lines, in liver samples from HBV infected patients with HCC, and in the livers of HBx transgenic mice (HBxTg) that develop hepatitis, steatosis, and dysplasia, culminating in the appearance of HCC. The findings in human samples provide clinical validation for the in vitro results and those in the HBxTg. Blockade of Hh signaling inhibited HBx stimulation of cell migration, anchorage-independent growth, tumor development in HBxTg, and xenograft growth in nude mice. Results suggest that the ability of HBx to promote cancer is at least partially dependent upon the activation of the Hh pathway. This study provides biologic evidence for the role of Hh signaling in the pathogenesis of HBV-mediated HCC and suggests cause and effect for the first time. The observation that inhibition of Hh signaling partially blocked the ability of HBx to promote growth and migration in vitro and tumorigenesis in two animal models implies that Hh signaling may represent an “oncogene addiction” pathway for HBV-associated HCC. This work could be central to designing specific treatments that target early development and progression of HBx-mediated HCC. Cancer Res; 72(22); 5912–20. ©2012 AACR.
Galectin-3 Contributes to Melanoma Growth and Metastasis via Regulation of NFAT1 and Autotaxin
Authors: Braeuer Russell R. , Zigler Maya , Kamiya Takafumi , Dobroff Andrey S. , Huang Li , Choi Woonyoung , McConkey David J. , Shoshan Einav , Mobley Aaron K. , Song Renduo , Raz Avraham , Bar-Eli Menashe
Published: September 2012

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer in which patients with metastatic disease have a 5-year survival rate of less than 10%. Recently, the overexpression of a β-galactoside binding protein, galectin-3 (LGALS3), has been correlated with metastatic melanoma in patients. We have previously shown that silencing galectin-3 in metastatic melanoma cells reduces tumor growth and metastasis. Gene expression profiling identified the protumorigenic gene autotaxin (ENPP2) to be downregulated after silencing galectin-3. Here we report that galectin-3 regulates autotaxin expression at the transcriptional level by modulating the expression of the transcription factor NFAT1 (NFATC2). Silencing galectin-3 reduced NFAT1 protein expression, which resulted in decreased autotaxin expression and activity. Reexpression of autotaxin in galectin-3 silenced melanoma cells rescues angiogenesis, tumor growth, and metastasis in vivo. Silencing NFAT1 expression in metastatic melanoma cells inhibited tumor growth and metastatic capabilities in vivo. Our data elucidate a previously unidentified mechanism by which galectin-3 regulates autotaxin and assign a novel role for NFAT1 during melanoma progression. Cancer Res; 72(22); 5757–66. ©2012 AACR.
Pediatric Phase I Trial and Pharmacokinetic Study of MLN8237, an Investigational Oral Selective Small-Molecule Inhibitor of Aurora Kinase A: A Children's Oncology Group Phase I Consortium Study
Authors: Mossé Yael P. , Lipsitz Emily , Fox Elizabeth , Teachey David T. , Maris John M. , Weigel Brenda , Adamson Peter C. , Ingle Mark A. , Ahern Charlotte H. , Blaney Susan M.
Published: September 2012

Purpose: MLN8237, a selective small-molecule inhibitor of Aurora kinase A, has activity in a broad range of preclinical pediatric cancer models. We conducted a phase I trial in children with refractory/recurrent solid tumors to define the maximum-tolerated dose, toxicities, and pharmacokinetic properties of MLN8237.

Experimental Design: MLN8237 was administered orally either once daily or divided twice daily for seven days, every 21 days. Using a rolling-six design, four dose levels (45, 60, 80, and 100 mg/m2/day) were evaluated on the once-daily schedule, and two dose levels (60 and 80 mg/m2/d) on the twice-daily schedule. Pharmacokinetic studies were conducted with the initial dose and trough drug concentrations also measured at the steady state.

Results: Thirty-seven patients were enrolled. On the once-daily dosing schedule, myelosuppression was dose limiting in three of four patients at 100 mg/m2, and one of six patients had dose-limiting mood alteration at 80 mg/m2. At 45 mg/m2, one of six patients experienced dose-limiting mucositis. Mucositis and myelosuppression were dose limiting at 80 mg/m2 on the twice-daily schedule, and one of five patients at 60 mg/m2 on the twice-daily schedule experienced a dose-limiting alkaline phosphatase. Five of 11 patients experienced hand–foot–skin syndrome with twice-daily dosing versus one of 21 after once-daily dosing. There was one partial response and six with prolonged stable disease among 33 evaluable subjects.

Conclusion: The twice-daily dose regimen is well tolerated in adults; however, children experienced a greater frequency of myelosuppression and hand–foot–skin syndrome on this schedule. Children tolerated a higher dose and the recommended pediatric phase II dose is 80 mg/m2/d once daily for seven days. Clin Cancer Res; 18(21); 6058–64. ©2012 AACR.
Validity of Laparoscopic Staging to Avoid Adjuvant Chemoradiation following Radical Surgery in Patients with Early Cervical Cancer
Authors: Marnitz Simone , Köhler Christhardt , Affonso Renato Jose , Schneider Achim , Chiantera Vito , Tsounoda Audrey , Vercellino Filiberto
Published: September 2012

Purpose: To determine the rate of unavoidable adjuvant chemoradiation (RCTX) due to histologic results after radical surgery in patients with early cervical cancer. Patients and Methods: Between May 2004 and July 2011, 448 consecutive patients diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer stage IA1 L1 to IIA underwent laparoscopic staging at the Department of Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology at Charité Berlin. Only in patients without lymph node metastases (n = 394) on frozen section, radical operation was continued either by laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (n = 228) or by radical vaginal trachelectomy (n = 166). The decision for adjuvant RCTX was reached among the members of an interdisciplinary tumor board according to the presence of risk factors. The mean age of patients was 39 years. Squamous cell cancer was found in 62.5%, adenocarcinoma in 32.7%, adenosquamous cancer in 3.8% and others in 1% of patients. Adjuvant treatment was indicated if at least one category 1 risk factor (pN1, R1 or RX, parametrial involvement) and/or any combination of category 2 risk factors (lymphovascular space involvement (LVSI), hemovascular space involvement, grading 3, young age, deep stromal invasion, large tumor size) were present. Results: In 39 of 394 patients (9.9%), adjuvant RCTX was recommended due to category 1 risk factors (n = 25/6.4%) and category 2 risk factors (n = 14/3.5%). Tumor-involved (R0) or unclear resection margins (RX) were present in 4 (1%) and 1 (0.3%), parametrial involvement in 12 (3%) and positive lymph nodes in 11 (2.8%) patients, respectively. Hemovascular involvement was found in 14 (3.5%), LVSI in 113 (28.7%) and grading 3 in 122 (31%) patients, respectively. Conclusion: Laparoscopic staging is a reliable tool to keep the rate of tri-modal (surgery + chemotherapy + radiotherapy) treatments in patients with cervical cancer stage I and IIA after radical surgery at 10%. This percentage should be used as benchmark for the quality of interdisciplinary treatment of patients diagnosed with cervical cancer.
Thrombocytopenia in Relation to Tumor Size in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Carr Brian I. , Guerra Vito , Pancoska Petr
Published: September 2012

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) size at diagnosis is important in management. Without screening programs, tumor size at diagnosis is heterogeneous. Aims: To examine the clinical parameters related to tumor size. Methods: Using prospectively collected data from a 1,100-patient biopsy-proven HCC cohort presenting in the absence of screening, tumor sizes were ordered and trichotomized and the resulting terciles were compared for tumor and blood parameters. Results: The terciles were significantly different with respect to portal hypertension and thrombocytopenia, which were present in a higher percent of tercile I patients with smaller tumors. Tercile III patients with larger HCCs had the highest serum α-fetoprotein (AFP), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP), and alkaline phosphatase (ALKP) levels and the most portal vein (PV) thrombosis. Subclassification of tercile I patients by AFP showed that patients with high serum AFP had increased numbers of tumor nodules, more PV thrombosis, higher bilirubin, ALKP, and GGTP levels, and shorter survival. Conclusions: Smaller-tumor tercile I patients had more advanced portal hypertension with thrombocytopenia than did larger-tumor patients. Tercile I patients with higher AFP levels had more frequent PV thrombosis and worse survival than those with lower AFP levels. Elevated serum GGTP and ALKP levels appear to be associated with a more aggressive HCC phenotype. These differing patterns suggest more than one HCC pathway.
Circulation: Heart Failure
Editors’ Picks
Authors: Kociol Robb D.
Published: September 2012

The following are highlights from
Circulation: Heart Failure
Topic Review. This series summarizes the most important articles, as selected by the editors, that have been published in the
Circulation
portfolio. The objective of this series is to provide our readership with a timely comprehensive selection of important articles that are relevant to the heart failure audience. The studies included in this article represent the most noteworthy research in the area of interventions and devices for advanced heart failure.
Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging
Editors’ Picks
Authors:   The Editors
Published: September 2012

The following articles are being highlighted as part of
Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging
Topic Review. This series summarizes the most important articles, as selected by the editors, that have been published in the
Circulation
portfolio. The studies included in this article represent the most significant research in advances in the use of imaging biomarkers for risk prediction.
Salt-Sensitive Hypertension and Cardiac Hypertrophy in Transgenic Mice Expressing a Corin Variant Identified in Blacks
Authors: Wang Wei , Cui Yujie , Shen Jianzhong , Jiang Jingjing , Chen Shenghan , Peng Jianhao , Wu Qingyu
Published: September 2012

Blacks represent a high-risk population for salt-sensitive hypertension and heart disease, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Corin is a cardiac protease that regulates blood pressure by activating natriuretic peptides. A corin gene variant (T555I/Q568P) was identified in blacks with hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the corin variant contributes to the hypertensive and cardiac hypertrophic phenotype in vivo. Transgenic mice were generated to express wild-type (WT) or T555I/Q568P variant corin in the heart under the control of α-myosin heavy chain promoter. The mice were crossed into a corin knockout (KO) background to create KO/TgWT and KO/TgV mice that expressed WT or variant corin, respectively, in the heart. Functional studies showed that KO/TgV mice had significantly higher levels of proatrial natriuretic peptide in the heart compared with that in control KO/TgWT mice, indicating that the corin variant was defective in processing natriuretic peptides in vivo. By radiotelemetry, corin KO/TgV mice were found to have hypertension that was sensitive to dietary salt loading. The mice also developed cardiac hypertrophy at 12 to 14 months of age when fed a normal salt diet or at a younger age when fed a high-salt diet. The phenotype of salt-sensitive hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy in KO/TgV mice closely resembles the pathological findings in blacks who carry the corin variant. The results indicate that corin defects may represent an important mechanism in salt-sensitive hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy in blacks.
The Influence of Soil Moisture on the Planetary Boundary Layer and on Cumulus Convection over an Isolated Mountain. Part I: Observations
Authors: Zhou Xin , Geerts Bart
Published: September 2012

Data collected around the Santa Catalina Mountains in Arizona as part of the Cumulus Photogrammetric, In Situ and Doppler Observations (CuPIDO) experiment during the 2006 summer monsoon season are used to investigate the effect of soil moisture on the surface energy balance, boundary layer (BL) characteristics, thermally forced orographic circulations, and orographic cumulus convection. An unusual wet spell allows separation of the two-month campaign in a wet and a dry soil period. Days in the wet soil period tend to have a higher surface latent heat flux, lower soil and air temperatures, a more stable and shallower BL, and weaker solenoidal forcing resulting in weaker anabatic flow, in comparison with days in the dry soil period. The wet soil period is also characterized by higher humidity and moist static energy in the BL, implying a lower cumulus cloud base and higher convective available potential energy. Therefore, this period witnesses rather early growth of orographic cumulus convection, growing rapidly to the cumulonimbus stage, often before noon, and producing precipitation rather efficiently, with relatively little lightning. Data alone do not allow discrimination between soil moisture and advected airmass characteristics in explaining these differences. Hence, the need for a numerical sensitivity experiment, in Part II of this study.