bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of the Aqueous Extracts from ThreeFlemingiaSpecies
Authors: Ko Yu-Jen , Lu Tsung-Chun , Kitanaka Susumu , Liu Chia Yu , Wu Jin-Bin , Kuo Chao-Lin , Cheng Hao-Yuan , Lin Ying-Chih , Peng Wen-Huang
Published: May 2010

I-Tiao-Gung has long been used in the Kinmen area of Taiwan as an anti-inflammatory agent for the treatment of rheumatic illness. The roots of Flemingia lineata (FL), Flemingia macrophylla (FM) and Flemingia prostrata (FP) are also used as I-Tiao-Gung in the Taiwan markets. In the present study, we investigated the analgesic effect of aqueous extracts of Flemingia lineata (FL), Flemingia macrophylla (FM), and Flemingia prostrata (FP) by acetic acid-induced writhing response, formalin test, and the anti-inflammatory effect of FM, FL and FP by λ-carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice. We also detected the changes in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GRx) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) of liver in the λ-carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice to investigate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of FL and FM.

The results showed that FL and FM significantly inhibited the acetic acid-induced writhing response and formalin-induced licking time during the late phase (p < 0.001). FL and FM also significantly decreased the λ-carrageenan-induced paw edema (p < 0.001). FL and FM significantly increased the GRx and GPx activities in the liver and decreased the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) in the edema paw (p < 0.001).

These results indicated that FL and FM possessed analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. The anti-inflammatory mechanism of FL and FM might be related to the decrease in the level of MDA in the edema paw via increasing the activities of GPx and GRx in the liver and decreasing the NO level in the edema paw.
AVERAGE OPTIONS FOR JUMP DIFFUSION MODELS
Authors: KUNITA HIROSHI , YAMADA TAKUYA
Published: May 2010

In this paper, we study the problem of pricing average strike options in the case where the price processes are jump diffusion processes. As to the striking value we take the geometric average of the price process. Two cases are studied in details: One is the case where the jumping law of the price process is subject to a Gaussian distribution called Merton model, and the other is the case where the jumping law is subject to a double exponential distribution called Kou model. In both cases the price of the average strike option is represented as a time average of a suitable European put option.
THE VALUATION OF RUSSIAN OPTIONS FOR DOUBLE EXPONENTIAL JUMP DIFFUSION PROCESSES
Authors: SUZUKI ATSUO , SAWAKI KATSUSHIGE
Published: May 2010

In this paper, we derive closed form solution for Russian option with jumps. First, we discuss the pricing of Russian options when the stock pays dividends continuously. Secondly, we derive the value function of Russian options by solving the ordinary differential equation with some conditions (the value function is continuous and differentiable at the optimal boundary for the buyer). And we investigate properties of optimal boundaries of the buyer. Finally, some numerical results are presented to demonstrate analytical properties of the value function.
PRICING AND CALIBRATION OF A CHOOSER FLEXIBLE CAP
Authors: ITO DAISUKE , OHNISHI MASAMITSU , TAMBA YASUHIRO
Published: May 2010

In this paper, we deal with no-arbitrage pricing problems of a chooser flexible cap written on an underlying LIBOR. The chooser flexible cap allows a right for a buyer to exercise a limited and pre-determined number of the interim period caplets in a multiple-period cap agreement. Assuming a common diffusion short rate dynamics, e.g., Hull–White model, we propose a dynamic programming approach for their risk neutral evaluation. This framework is suited to a calibration from an observed initial yield curve and market price data of discount bonds, caplets, and floorlets.
IRREVERSIBLE INVESTMENT, OPERATING FLEXIBILITY, AND TIME LAGS
Authors: TAKASHIMA RYUTA , GOTO MAKOTO , TSUJIMURA MOTOH
Published: May 2010

We consider an optimal investment problem when a firm such as an electric power company has the operational flexibility to expand and contract capacity with fixed cost. This problem is formulated as an impulse control problem combined with optimal stopping. Consequently, we obtain optimal investment timing, optimal capacity expansion and contraction timing, and the investment value. We also show investment, capacity expansion and contraction rule are influenced by the price volatility and the initial capacity is also influenced by the ratio between base-load plant and peak-load plant. In addition, we investigate how time lag between investment and operation influences the investment rule.
A COSMOLOGICAL MODEL WITH FERMIONIC FIELD
Authors: RAKHI R. , VIJAYAGOVINDAN G. V. , INDULEKHA K.
Published: May 2010

In this work, a cosmological model inspired by string/M-theory with fermionic field is taken into consideration. Here it is investigated whether the introduction of a non-Dirac fermionic field — characterized by an interaction term — affects the cosmological evolution. The self-interaction potential is considered as a combination of the scalar and pseudoscalar invariants. It is observed that the fermionic field under consideration behaves like an inflation field for the early universe and later on, as a dark energy field. The late time acceleration becomes more prominent by the addition of the interaction term. There is a slight decrease for the inflation peak as well as for the energy density. We see that the addition of higher-order terms to the fermionic part of Lagrangian does not significantly change either the inflation or the late time acceleration behavior.
THE B – L/ELECTROWEAK HIERARCHY IN SMOOTH HETEROTIC COMPACTIFICATIONS
Authors: AMBROSO MICHAEL , OVRUT BURT A.
Published: May 2010

E8 × E8 heterotic string and M-theory, when appropriately compactified, can give rise to realistic, N = 1 supersymmetric particle physics. In particular, the exact matter spectrum of the MSSM, including three right-handed neutrino supermultiplets, one per family, and one pair of Higgs–Higgs conjugate superfields is obtained by compactifying on Calabi–Yau manifolds admitting specific SU(4) vector bundles. These "heterotic standard models" have the SU (3)C × SU (2)L × U (1)Y gauge group of the standard model augmented by an additional gauged U (1)B – L. Their minimal content requires that the B – L gauge symmetry be spontaneously broken by a vacuum expectation value of at least one right-handed sneutrino. In a previous paper, we presented the results of a renormalization group analysis showing that B – L gauge symmetry is indeed radiatively broken with a B – L/electroweak hierarchy of [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we present the details of that analysis, extending the results to include higher order terms in tan β-1 and the explicit spectrum of all squarks and sleptons.
FEYNMAN GRAPH POLYNOMIALS
Authors: BOGNER CHRISTIAN , WEINZIERL STEFAN
Published: May 2010

The integrand of any multiloop integral is characterized after Feynman parametrization by two polynomials. In this review we summarize the properties of these polynomials. Topics covered in this paper include among others: spanning trees and spanning forests, the all-minors matrix-tree theorem, recursion relations due to contraction and deletion of edges, Dodgson's identity and matroids.
A HYBRID SUPPORT VECTOR REGRESSION APPROACH FOR RAINFALL FORECASTING USING PARTICLE SWARM OPTIMIZATION AND PROJECTION PURSUIT TECHNOLOGY
Authors: WU JIANSHENG , LIU MINGZHE , JIN LONG
Published: May 2010

In this paper, a hybrid rainfall-forecasting approach is proposed which is based on support vector regression, particle swarm optimization and projection pursuit technology. The projection pursuit technology is used to reduce dimensions of parameter spaces in rainfall forecasting. The particle swarm optimization algorithm is for searching the parameters for support vector regression model and to construct the support vector regression model. The observed data of daily rainfall values in Guangxi (China) is used as a case study for the proposed model. The computing results show that the present model yields better forecasting performance in this case study, compared to other rainfall-forecasting models. Our model may provide a promising alternative for forecasting rainfall application.
S100b Counteracts Neurodegeneration of Rat Cholinergic Neurons in Brain Slices after Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation
Authors: Serbinek Daniela , Ullrich Celine , Pirchl Michael , Hochstrasser Tanja , Schmidt-Kastner Rainald , Humpel Christian
Published: May 2010

Alzheimer's disease is a severe chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by beta-amyloid plaques, tau pathology, cerebrovascular damage, inflammation, reactive gliosis, and cell death of cholinergic neurons. The aim of the present study is to test whether the glia-derived molecule S100b can counteract neurodegeneration of cholinergic neurons after oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) in organotypic brain slices of basal nucleus of Meynert. Our data showed that 3 days of OGD induced a marked decrease of cholinergic neurons (60% of control), which could be counteracted by 50 μg/mL recombinant S100b. The effect was dose and time dependent. Application of nerve growth factor or fibroblast growth factor-2 was less protective. C-fos-like immunoreactivity was enhanced 3 hours after OGD indicating metabolic stress. We conclude that S100b is a potent neuroprotective factor for cholinergic neurons during ischemic events.
Influence of Positioning on Plain Levobupivacaine Spinal Anesthesia in Cesarean Section
Authors: Gori Fabio , Corradetti Francesco , Cerotto Vittorio , Peduto Vito Aldo
Published: May 2010

Background. The behaviour of isobaric levobupivacaine in relation to gravity when used in obstetric spinal anesthesia is unclear.Methods. 46 women with ASA physical status 1 undergoing cesarean section were randomly allocated to 2 groups. Spinal anesthesia with 12.5 mg levobupivacaine was performed in the sitting position in all women. Those in the first group were placed in the supine position immediately after the injection, while those in the second group were asked to remain seated for 2 minutes before assuming the supine position. The sensory block level, the onset of sensory and motor blocks, the regression of the sensory block for 2 dermatomes of the sensory block, the first request for analgesics, and the regression of motor block were recorded.Results. No differences in onset times, sensory level, or Bromage score were observed between the two groups. The time of first analgesic request was earlier in the seated group (supine131±42 min, seated106±29 min,P=.02).Conclusion. Isobaric levobupivacaine in women at term produces a subarachnoid block the dermatomal level of which does not depend on gravitational forces.
Biomimetic Synthesis of Zinc Oxide 3D Architectures with Gelatin as Matrix
Authors: Gan Yong , Gu Fubo , Han Dongmei , Wang Zhihua , Guo Guangsheng
Published: May 2010

Peanut‐like and
flower‐like zinc oxide 3D architectures were
synthesized via a facile biomimetic process
using gelatin as matrix. Techniques of XRD, SEM,
HRTEM, FT‐IR, and UV‐vis absorption spectra were
used to characterize the structure and property
of the zinc oxide architectures. The
experimental results show that the peanut‐like
ZnO and flower‐like ZnO architectures can be
obtained through changing the Zn2+ concentration or the aging time. FT‐IR spectra indicate that the Zn2+ is coupled with the C=O bond of the gelatin molecules
through the electrostatic interaction. Based on the experimental
process, the possible growth mechanism of the ZnO 3D architectures
is proposed. UV‐vis absorption spectrum of the peanut‐like
ZnO has a broad absorption band in the UV region, and the
blue‐shifting of the band is observed.
ESCA and TOF‐SIMS Study on Oxidised and Reduced Polypyrrole‐Poly(Vinylsulfonic Acid, Sodium Salt) Films Synthesized on Ti Electrodes
Authors: Teo Lay-Lian , Sin Sau-Leng , Chan Chee-Yan
Published: May 2010

We had previously reported on a surface analysis investigation of electrochemically synthesized, both oxidized and reduced, polypyrrole‐poly‐4‐styrenesulfonate free‐standing films (Sin et al., 2000). We apply the same techniques that we used earlier (Sin et al., 2000) to study polypyrrole‐poly(vinylsulfonic acid, sodium salt) (PPy‐PVS) free‐standing films. Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) and Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS) were used in the surface morphology study of oxidized and reduced PPy‐PVS composite films. ESCA spectra seem to indicate that the CO and C–OH structures reduced to C–C bonds during the reduction process and also seem to reveal interesting charge transfer behavior, namely. NH+ and N–H bonds to imine group (N=C) at reduced PPy‐PVS free standing films. Furthermore, TOF‐SIMS ion mapping also provided some interesting surface distribution of elements on PPy‐PVS composite films. A comparison of surface conductivities between the two sides of both types of films was made,with conductivity measurements being carried out using the four‐point probe technique.
An Active Form of Sphingosine Kinase-1 Is Released in the Extracellular Medium as Component of Membrane Vesicles Shed by Two Human Tumor Cell Lines
Authors: Rigogliuso Salvatrice , Donati Chiara , Cassarà Donata , Taverna Simona , Salamone Monica , Bruni Paola , Vittorelli Maria Letizia
Published: May 2010

Expression of sphingosine kinase-1 (SphK-1) correlates with a poor survival rate of tumor patients. This effect is probably due to the ability of SphK-1 to be released into the extracellular medium where it catalyzes the biosynthesis of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a signaling molecule endowed with profound proangiogenic effects. SphK-1 is a leaderless protein which is secreted by an unconventional mechanism. In this paper, we will show that in human hepatocarcinoma Sk-Hep1 cells, extracellular signaling is followed by targeting the enzyme to the cell surface and parallels targeting of FGF-2 to the budding vesicles. We will also show that SphK-1 is present in a catalitycally active form in vesicles shed by SK-Hep1 and human breast carcinoma 8701-BC cells. The enzyme substrate sphingosine is present in shed vesicles where it is produced by neutral ceramidase. Shed vesicles are therefore a site for S1P production in the extracellular medium and conceivably also within host cell following vesicle endocytosis.
Virtual Enterprise Risk Management Using Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Chen Hanning , Zhu Yunlong , Hu Kunyuan , Li Xuhui
Published: May 2010

Virtual enterprise (VE) has to manage its risk effectively in order to guarantee the profit. However, restricting the risk in a VE to the acceptable level is considered difficult due to the agility and diversity of its distributed characteristics. First, in this paper, an optimization model for VE risk management based on distributed decision making model is introduced. This optimization model has two levels, namely, the top model and the base model, which describe the decision processes of the owner and the partners of the VE, respectively. In order to solve the proposed model effectively, this work then applies two powerful artificial intelligence optimization techniques known as evolutionary algorithms (EA) and swarm intelligence (SI). Experiments present comparative studies on the VE risk management problem for one EA and three state‐of‐the‐art SI algorithms. All of the algorithms are evaluated against a test scenario, in which the VE is constructed by one owner and different partners. The simulation results show that the PS2O algorithm, which is a recently developed SI paradigm simulating symbiotic coevolution behavior in nature, obtains the superior solution for VE risk management problem than the other algorithms in terms of optimization accuracy and computation robustness.
Synthesis and Characterization of Bovine Serum Albumin‐Conjugated Copper Sulfide Nanocomposites
Authors: Huang Peng , Li Zhiming , Hu Hengyao , Cui Daxiang
Published: May 2010

A simple biomolecule‐assisted solution route was developed to synthesize Bovine Serum Albumin‐conjugated copper sulfide (CuS/BSA) nanocomposites, directly using copper salts and thioacetamide (TAA) as the starting materials with a zwitterionic surfactant Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) as foaming and stabilizing agent. The CuS/BSA nanocomposites have been characterized by UV, TEM, Zeta, DLS, XRD, and FTIR. The results indicate that the as‐prepared CuS/BSA nanocomposites are approximate sphere with a size distribution from 10 to 35 nm in diameter and good dispersibility, depending highly on concentration of BSA concentration. These protein‐assisted synthesized nanocomposites have a great potential application in biomedical engineering and microelectronics.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-Related Pathways in Hemato-Lymphoid Malignancies
Authors: Medinger Michael , Fischer Natalie , Tzankov Alexandar
Published: May 2010

Angiogenesis is essential for malignant tumor growth. This has been documented for solid tumors, and there is an emerging evidence suggesting that tumor progression of hematolymphoid malignancies also depends on the induction of new blood vessel formation. The most important proangiogenic agent is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), activating VEGF receptors 1 and 2. The available data on angiogenesis in hemato-lymphoid malignancies, such as acute leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative neoplasms, multiple myeloma, and lymphomas, point towards the significance of autocrine and paracrine VEGF-mediated effects for proliferation and survival of leukemia/lymphoma cells in addition to tumor vascularization. Antiangiogenic strategies have become an important therapeutic modality for solid tumors. Several antiangiogenic agents targeting VEGF-related pathways are also being utilized in clinical trials for the treatment of hemato-lymphoid malignancies, and in some instances these pathways have emerged as promising therapeutic targets. This review summarizes recent advances in the basic understanding of the role of angiogenesis in hemato-lymphoid malignancies and the translation of such basic findings into clinical studies.
Controlling Influenza by Cytotoxic T-Cells: Calling for Help from Destroyers
Authors: Schotsaert Michael , Ibañez Lorena Itatí , Fiers Walter , Saelens Xavier
Published: May 2010

Influenza is a vaccine preventable disease that causes severe illness and excess mortality in humans. Licensed influenza vaccines induce humoral immunity and protect against strains that antigenically match the major antigenic components of the vaccine, but much less against antigenically diverse influenza strains. A vaccine that protects against different influenza viruses belonging to the same subtype or even against viruses belonging to more than one subtype would be a major advance in our battle against influenza. Heterosubtypic immunity could be obtained by cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) responses against conserved influenza virus epitopes. The molecular mechanisms involved in inducing protective CTL responses are discussed here. We also focus on CTL vaccine design and point to the importance of immune-related databases and immunoinformatics tools in the quest for new vaccine candidates. Some techniques for analysis of T-cell responses are also highlighted, as they allow estimation of cellular immune responses induced by vaccine preparations and can provide correlates of protection.
A Temporarily Resurrected Dog and Other Wonders: Thomas of Margā and Early Christian/Muslim Encounters
Authors: Penn Michael Philip
Published: May 2010

In the mid-ninth century, the east Syrian bishop Thomas of Margā composed a lenghy monatic history now known as The Book Of Governors. Amidst Thomas’s numerous anecdotes concerning the exploits of Christian holy men, appear over a dozen stories involving Muslim characters. A critical examination of these tales focusing on issues of word choice, characterization, and narrative assumptions provides important data for the development of Christian depictions of Muslims, as well as for the early history of Christian/Muslim relations. Despite their value, modern scholarship has almost completely neglected Syriac monastic histories such as The Book Of Governors. A recognition of how useful these texts can be for medieval history forces us to rethink modern genre distinctions and argues against a sharp delineation between the often used categories of history and hagiography.
China–Russia–India Trilateral Relations
Authors: Gancheng Zhao
Published: May 2010

This article seeks to raise some fundamental conceptual issues underlying the trilateral project. Theoretically, big country relationships—especially neighbouring ones—have to be built on common interests, mutual trust and greater interdependence in mutual interests so that it cannot be set aside unilaterally by any one of the parties. This article questions whether trilateral cooperation was sustainable since China, India and Russia were neither strategic allies nor enemies; none of them shared common friends or enemies and it were only potential common interests that underpinned their interaction. The author envisages the basis of their cooperation in terms of a reaction to the post-Cold War, US-dominated world but argues that such a structure was not a pre-determined imperialist scheme which had to be changed through opposition and conflict. This reflected the traditional view of international politics and needed to be modified in a scenario where the US was also promoting a market economy-based system, endorsed by the others. Trilateral cooperation, the author contends, should be seen as a new model of cooperation, seeking common economic benefits but also operating on the basis of a broad consensus about seeking improvement in the imbalanced world order, without challenging the stability of the existing order. A potentially strong bond was their shared critique of the neo-liberal trend in international relations and while it could be seen as a minimum consensus, its significance should not be underestimated. Equally important was that the economic standing of all three in the global economy was fairly high and they were seen as the big emerging markets, even as the West generally remained dominant in the world economy.
The Global Financial Crisis
Authors: Portyakov Vladimir
Published: May 2010

Basing itself on a recent International Monetary Fund survey, this comment concludes that the Brazil, Russia, India and China countries are likely to become the locomotive for economic growth in the world. Were the global financial crisis to last out for the next 1.5 year, though reduced, annual growth rates in China, India and Russia would continue to be 8.5, 6.3 and 3.5 per cent, respectively. Together, the three countries would still manage to contribute 2.2 per cent to the world growth. The author does not appear to be very optimistic about the Russia, India and China to formulate countermeasures but China had in addition to forex reserves, considerable foreign direct investment and its measures to boost domestic demand focused on infrastructure building. Russia as well needed to boost domestic demand to curb inflationary pressures. The worrying aspect was the prospect of social instability and all three countries had already faced this in the 1980s. Experts were divided as to whether unemployment was worse than inflation, but some kind of protectionist measures would have to be adopted despite the understanding that trade had to be promoted at any cost. However, the need to insulate the domestic market was critical at this time. Russia in addition had to contend with the decline in the prices of oil and gas and in devising strategies to deal with the crisis; the objective was to protect not the American interests but the Russian interests. The problems stemming from the sub-prime lending in the US was only a simplistic way of analysing the crisis.
Impact of Global Economic Crisis on the Indian Economy
Authors: Bhanumurthy N.R.
Published: May 2010

The sub-prime crisis that started in 2007 and limited to the US economy has created systemic problem throughout the global financial system following the collapse of a big investment bank. The real economic impact of this financial turmoil is expected to be very large. It has been officially stated that developed economies such as the US and the European Union are entering a recessionary phase. Even the world economic growth has been predicted to decline. The impact of this financial crisis on India is also going to be significant, as India is not decoupled with the global macroeconomic behaviour. The service sector, of which two sectors namely ‘trade, hotels group’ and the ‘financing, insurance group’, growth is strongly linked with the global economy. Hence, any decline in the global economic activity is expected to have adverse impact on the domestic services growth. On inflation front, this crisis indeed brought down the inflationary expectations as it led to decline in the world oil prices to around US$ 70 per barrel after reaching a peak of US$ 142 in July. This would have positive impact on the domestic economy through reduction in overall interest rate structure, which could stimulate domestic demand. On the external sector front, we might see a fall in the foreign exchange reserves due to outflow of short-term capital in the short term. Together with this, predicted fall in exports would result in weak rupee. But, given the strong domestic fundamentals, we do expect that this adverse impact is limited only to the short term and there would be resilience in the economy in the medium term once the demand and investments pick-up. On the reforms side, the significant adverse impact would be the possible shelving of much-awaited financial sector reforms that is expected to enhance financial inclusion.
Winner-Take-All Politics: Public Policy, Political Organization, and the Precipitous Rise of Top Incomes in the United States
Authors: Hacker Jacob S. , Pierson Paul
Published: May 2010

The dramatic rise in inequality in the United States over the past generation has occasioned considerable attention from economists, but strikingly little from students of American politics. This has started to change: in recent years, a small but growing body of political science research on rising inequality has challenged standard economic accounts that emphasize apolitical processes of economic change. For all the sophistication of this new scholarship, however, it too fails to provide a compelling account of the political sources and effects of rising inequality. In particular, these studies share with dominant economic accounts three weaknesses: (1) they downplay the distinctive feature of American inequality —namely, the extreme concentration of income gains at the top of the economic ladder; (2) they miss the profound role of government policy in creating this “winner-take-all” pattern; and (3) they give little attention or weight to the dramatic long-term transformation of the organizational landscape of American politics that lies behind these changes in policy. These weaknesses are interrelated, stemming ultimately from a conception of politics that emphasizes the sway (or lack thereof) of the “median voter” in electoral politics, rather than the influence of organized interests in the process of policy making. A perspective centered on organizational and policy change —one that identifies the major policy shifts that have bolstered the economic standing of those at the top and then links those shifts to concrete organizational efforts by resourceful private interests —fares much better at explaining why the American political economy has become distinctively winner-take-all.
Work and Family Characteristics as Predictors of Early Retirement in Married Men and Women
Authors: Kubicek Bettina , Korunka Christian , Hoonakker Peter , Raymo James M.
Published: May 2010

This study presents an integrative model of early retirement using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. The model extends prior work by incorporating work—family conflict to capture the interaction between the work and family domains and by assuming proximal and distal predictors of early retirement. More precisely, the model suggests that family and job demands and resources predict family-to-work and work-to-family conflict, respectively. All of these factors are presumed to have only indirect effects on retirement timing via the intervening effect of quality-of-life measures, that is, marital satisfaction, job satisfaction, and health. The authors assume that these three factors constitute predictors of early retirement in addition to socioeconomic status and the availability of a pension plan and health insurance. The model was tested with structural equation modeling techniques, and the results were supportive. Therefore, the proposed model offers a general framework for the integration of previous research findings.
Mapping the Future of Reminiscence: A Conceptual Guide for Research and Practice
Authors: Webster Jeffrey Dean , Bohlmeijer Ernst T. , Westerhof Gerben J.
Published: May 2010

Nearly 50 years after Butler’s seminal 1963 contribution, the field of reminiscence and life review is entering a more mature stage. Isolated examples of increasingly sophisticated studies have recently emerged that can serve as a sound, cumulative data base. However, the field lacks an overarching conceptual model describing emerging trends, neglected domains, and key linkages among component parts. In the present article, the authors selectively, yet critically, review prior limitations and promising developments and then describe a comprehensive, multifaceted conceptual model that can guide future research and practice. The authors initially situate their model within a particular theoretical orientation (i.e., life-span psychology). They then describe a heuristic model that identifies and discusses triggers, modes, contexts, moderators, functions, and outcomes. Finally, the authors illustrate how these interactive factors influence both theoretical and applied areas.
Indifferent Globality
Authors: Hird Myra J.
Published: May 2010

Nigel Clark’s ‘ex-orbitant globality’ concerns the incalculability of other-than-human forces we typically fail to acknowledge, yet which haunt all considerations of environmental change. This article considers Gaia theory as a useful heuristic to register the ubiquity of bacteria to environmental activity and regulation. Bacteria are Gaia theory’s fundamental actants, and through symbiosis and symbiogenesis, connect life and matter in biophysical and biosocial entanglements. Emphasizing symbiosis might invoke the expectation of a re-inscription of the human insofar as the ubiquitous inter-connectivity of life ultimately connects everything to the human. I want to argue toward the opposite conclusion: that bacterial liveliness suggests a profound indifference to human life. As such, symbiosis does not efface difference, nor its vigorous refusal to be absorbed within human formulations of world-remaking, including environmental change. Bacterial indifference’s radical asymmetry suggests the need for non-human centred theories of globality.
Volatile Worlds, Vulnerable Bodies
Authors: Clark Nigel
Published: May 2010

The abrupt climate change thesis suggests that climate passes through threshold transitions, after which change is sudden, runaway and unstoppable. This concurs with recent themes in complexity studies. Data from ice cores indicates that major shifts in global climate regimes have occurred in as little as a decade, and that for most of the span of human existence the climate has oscillated much more violently than it has over the last 10,000 years. This evidence presents enormous challenges for international climate change negotiation and regulation, which has thus far focused on gradual change. It is argued that existing social theoretic engagements with physical agency are insufficiently geared towards dissonant or disastrous physical events. Wagering on the past and future importance of abrupt climate change, the article explores a way of engaging with catastrophic climatic change that stresses the inherent volatility and unpredictability of earth process, and the no-less-inherent vulnerability of the human body. Drawing on Bataille and Derrida, it proposes a way of nestling the issue of environmental justice within a broader sense of immeasurable indebtedness to those humans who endured previous episodes of abrupt climate change, and considers the idea of experimentation and generosity without reserve.
Turbulent Worlds
Authors: Cooper Melinda
Published: May 2010

Focusing on the speculative methodologies used to generate models of the financial and meteorological future, this article develops a series of theses on the ‘evental’ and ‘atmospheric’ quality of contemporary power. What is at stake in the circulation of capital today, I argue, is not so much the exchange of equivalents as the universal transmutability of fluctutation. Whether we are dealing with the turbulence of world financial markets or that of complex earth systems, the non-dialectical relation can itself be extracted, recombined and liquefied, as it were, in a dimension of its own. In the same way that financial derivatives price the variable relation between and across national currencies, weather derivatives now make it possible to issue contracts on the unknowable contingencies embedded in complex atmospheric relations. This reconfiguration of value requires a thorough rethinking of classical sociological conceptions of debt, promise and political violence.
Apocalypse Forever?
Authors: Swyngedouw Erik
Published: May 2010

This article interrogates the relationship between two apparently disjointed themes: the consensual presentation and mainstreaming of the global problem of climate change on the one hand and the debate in political theory/philosophy that centers around the emergence and consolidation of a post-political and post-democratic condition on the other. The argument advanced in this article attempts to tease out this apparently paradoxical condition. On the one hand, the climate is seemingly politicized as never before and has been propelled high on the policy agenda. On the other hand, a number of increasingly influential political philosophers insist on how the post-politicization (or de-politicization) of the public sphere (in parallel and intertwined with processes of neoliberalization) have been key markers of the political process over the past few decades. We proceed in four steps. First, we briefly outline the basic contours of the argument and its premises. Second, we explore the ways in which the present climate conundrum is predominantly staged through the mobilization of particular apocalyptic imaginaries. Third, we argue that this specific (re-)presentation of climate change and its associated policies is sustained by decidedly populist gestures. Finally, we discuss how this particular choreographing of climate change is one of the arenas through which a post-political frame and post-democratic political configuration have been mediated.
The Global Macroeconomic Crisis and G20 Macroeconomic Policy Coordination
Authors: Vines David
Published: May 2010

This paper argues that the global macroeconomy has been highly unstable. The combination of undervalued exchange rates in East Asia and the use by the US of monetary policy to ensure a steady growth led to an outcome in which interest rates fell a great deal. In the presence of a highly leveraged financial system, such a large fall in interest rates created a very large rise in the price of financial assets—in particular houses in the US. These high asset prices could not be sustained in the face of rising interest rates, and their collapse led to the present crisis. The paper argues that a global regime will be necessary that constrains excessively high savings in East Asia, and elsewhere, and constrains excessive fiscal deficits in the US, and elsewhere. Such a regime would also constrain global imbalances.
The End of Insurance? Mexico's Seguro Popular, 2001–2007
Authors: Lakin Jason M.
Published: May 2010

Health system reforms that introduce insurance principles into public health systems (such as national health insurance, internal markets, and separation of purchasers and providers) have been popular in the last two decades. Little is known, however, about the political complexities of transforming existing health services into health insurance systems in developing countries. Mexico's Seguro Popular (Popular Health Insurance) program, introduced in 2003, was an attempt to do exactly this: radically alter the country's existing health service and convert it into health insurance. Popular Health Insurance (PHI) has garnered international attention and has been held up as a model for other countries to follow. Yet little has been written about the political process that led to the reform or the difficulties of implementing it. This article fills that lacuna, offering an assessment of the reform context as well as of the process of formulating, adopting, and implementing it. It argues that, while the reform has improved Mexico's public health service, it has thus far failed to transform that health service into a true insurance system. Limited institutional reform has also left PHI severely underfinanced. The Mexican case is a cautionary tale for reformers who want to transform extant health services into health insurance systems.
Cucurbit[7]uril Inclusion Complexes of Platinum(II)-based Anticancer Drugs: Further Insight
Authors: Goldoni Luca , Grugni Mario , De Munari Sergio , Cassin Mara , Bernardini Raffaella
Published: May 2010

The 1H NMR characterization of the encapsulation of bisplatinum complex CT-3610 by cucurbit[7]uril is reported. The formation of the intermediate monoinclusion complex can be easily detected in the 1H NMR spectrum, and the pD dependence of the equilibrium has also been assessed. No significant differences were observed in cytotoxicity experiments between the free and encapsulated form of CT-3610 on A2780 and cisplatin resistant A2780 human ovarian cancer cell lines.
Performance of Nonhumidified Intermediate-temperature Fuel Cells Based on Protic Ionic Liquids Prepared from Oxo and Amide Acids
Authors: Yasuda Tomohiro , Nakamura Shin-ichiro , Lee Seung-Yul , Watanabe Masayoshi
Published: May 2010

A distinct difference between the use of protic ionic liquids (PILs) prepared from oxo and amide acids as an electrolyte of nonhumidified intermediate-temperature fuel cells has been demonstrated in terms of the fuel cell performance by using composite membranes made of a sulfonated polyimide and the PILs.
Photochemical Formation of a Core-crosslinked Micelle using an Anthracene-containing Amphiphilic Copolymer
Authors: Morikawa Hiroshi , Kotaki Yasuharu , Mihara Ryota , Kiraku Yuki , Ichimura Shigetoshi , Motokucho Suguru
Published: May 2010

In order to develop photoresponsive polymeric micellar systems, an amphiphilic block copolymer consisting of anthracene moieties was successfully prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization. In an aqueous solution, the photodimerization of the anthracene moieties occurred in the micellar core upon irradiation (λ > 360 nm), keeping the mean diameter constant. The photodimerization caused the interpolymer reaction to form a core-crosslinked micelle.
Enantioselective ITO Electrode Modified with Chiral Salen Co(II) Complex
Authors: Yang Yuanyuan , Hou Jingya , Li Bingxin , Xu Lan
Published: May 2010

An enantioselective potentiometric sensor was constructed by immobilizing chiral salen Co(II) complex on an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode modified with self-assembled monolayer of (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES). The proposed sensor displayed an excellent Nernstian slope of −58.6 ± 0.6 mV decade−1 in a linear range of 1 × 10−5 to 1 × 10−2 mol L−1 toward d-mandelic acid (d-MA) and its enantioselectivity coefficient for the counter isomer (l-MA) was −2.71, indicating that the sensor possesses excellent chiral discrimination ability.
Breast enlargement in an HIV-infected man on combined antiretroviral therapy: what if it was carcinoma?
Authors: Sahali S , Bichet J-C , Delfraissy J-F , Ghosn J
Published: May 2010

We describe a case of an HIV-infected man on effective combined antiretroviral therapy, presenting with bilateral gynaecomastia revealing breast carcinoma. Gynaecomastia was first considered to be related to efavirenz and/or didanosine. Although breast carcinoma is rare among HIV-infected men, it should be considered as a potential cause of breast enlargement.
Multiplex polymerase chain reaction-based reverse line blot hybridization assay to detect common genital pathogens
Authors: Wang H , Kong F , Wang B , Mckechnie M L , Gilbert G L
Published: May 2010

The objective of the present paper is to develop and apply a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) based reverse line blot (RLB) hybridization assay to facilitate the diagnosis of genital infections by detection of seven recognized or putative genital pathogens ( Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Ureaplasma parvum, Mycoplasma genitalium, Mycoplasma hominis and Trichomonas vaginalis). Species-specific biotin-labelled primer pairs were used in a single mPCR to amplify target regions in each of seven pathogens. The amplified biotin-labelled PCR products were hybridized with membrane-bound-specific oligonucleotide probes and were detected by chemiluminescence. Two hundred and eleven specimens (104 male urethral and 107 female vaginal swabs), collected from patients with suspected genital infections attending the Wuhan First Hospital Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) clinic, were tested by mPCR/RLB and results were confirmed by single PCR using different species-specific targets. The sensitivity of the assay was assessed using dilutions of positive DNA controls with known copy numbers, for each target. The assay correctly identified all reference strains and detected potential pathogens in a high proportion of clinical specimens. There was no cross-reaction between the seven pathogens. The mPCR/RLB can detect ≤ 102 copies of the target gene fragments. Comparison of mPCR/RLB and single PCR assays showed discrepant results in six of 211 (2.8%) clinical specimens, which were positive by mPCR/RLB assay, but negative by the corresponding single PCR. Nested PCR on the six discrepant specimens gave results consistent with those of mPCR/RLB. In conclusion, the mPCR/RLB hybridization assay is sensitive and specific, and able to rapidly detect genital pathogens in clinical specimens.
The utility of voluntary counselling and testing data as a source of information on HIV prevalence: a systematic review
Authors: Horyniak D , Guy R , Prybylski D , Hellard M , Kaldor J
Published: May 2010

We explored the utility of routine HIV testing data from clinical services for estimating HIV prevalence. A systematic review identified 28 eligible publications, covering concentrated epidemics (16 of 28) and generalized epidemics (12). Of the 16 papers from concentrated epidemics, five presented estimates by risk group and four by testing history with a median HIV prevalence of 1.8% in first-time testers compared with 3% in repeat testers. Two reports from generalized epidemics restricted estimates to asymptomatic clients and three included breakdowns by reason-for-test, with the median HIV prevalence higher in symptomatic clients (62%) than others (24%). Two papers from generalized epidemics showed prevalence estimates based on routine HIV testing data were slightly higher than estimates derived from other surveillance methods, but did not restrict estimates to asymptomatic patients. We conclude that routine HIV testing data may be a supplementary data source for HIV surveillance provided careful analyses are conducted.
HIV-related malignancies pre- and post-highly active antiretroviral therapy: experiences in an inner city tertiary referral centre
Authors: Kiely B , O'Flaherty J , Surah S , Kieran J , O'Donnell D , Bergin C , Mulcahy F
Published: May 2010

With highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), AIDS-defining malignancies are becoming less common. The outcomes with standard chemotherapy are improving. In the last 10 years there have been significant changes in our patient demographics due to immigration. The aim of this study was to review the demographics and outcomes of patients with cancer in the post-HAART era and to assess the impact of changing demographics and HAART through comparing them with previously published pre-HAART data from the same centre.

A retrospective chart review of 42 patients diagnosed with malignancy from 2000 to 2007 was performed and compared with pre-HAART (1987–1994) data. The incidence of malignancies has decreased from 5.2% to 2.4%. The incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma and primary cerebral lymphoma has decreased. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma incidence has remained stable, but survival has improved with 44% of patients achieving remission. Non-AIDS-defining malignancies have increased and were associated with longer duration of HIV infection. The change in patient demographics did not have an impact on the type of malignancies diagnosed. Overall the incidence of malignancy has decreased; however, the increase in non-AIDS-defining malignancies highlights the importance of early diagnosis, use of HAART and prospective surveillance.
Review of low libido in women
Authors: Emerson C R
Published: May 2010

Low libido is the most frequently reported sexual dysfunction. This is an important and complex problem with multiple causes. At present the interpretation of data on this topic remains a challenge, as the subject population is diverse and various tools are used in assessment. Coupled with this, several definitions are in use with differing emphasis on distress resulting from this state. Developments in the understanding of psychopharmacology are shedding light on the pathways involved in normal sexual response and these are being utilized in the development of treatments. This article reviews the current definitions, aetiology and treatment options and explores the recent developments in low libido in women.
What is driving the HIV epidemic in French Guiana?
Authors: Nacher M , Vantilcke V , Parriault M C , Van Melle A , Hanf M , Labadie G , Romeo M , Adriouch L , Carles G , Couppié P
Published: May 2010

Thirty years after the first HIV case in French Guiana, the drivers of the epidemic are not clearly known, but the epidemic is usually conceptualized as generalized. Cross-linking results from a study in the general population and a study in the HIV-infected population in Cayenne suggests that in the general population of HIV-positive men, 45% of HIV cases are attributable to having sex with someone they paid. Similarly, for HIV-positive women exchanging sex for presents or money, 10.7% of HIV cases are attributable to transactional sex. A surprising finding was that 16.8% of HIV patients had tried crack cocaine before. On the Maroni river, the female-biased sex ratio suggests the drivers in that remote area may be related to cultural polygyny. These observations have important consequences on communication and prevention strategies.
Roots, development and future directions of laboratory medicine
Authors: Price Christopher P.
Published: May 2010

Laboratory medicine has evolved from basic scientific observation and good experimental practice, with a strong emphasis on establishing the mechanisms of disease processes, linked with biomarker discovery, and development of analytical technologies. That evolution is set to move on apace with the mapping of the human genome. However, laboratory medicine is not solely based on robust basic science, but also on the translation of that knowledge into establishing the clinical utility of a marker, translation into evidence of the impact on health outcomes, as well as transformational change to integrate this new knowledge into the delivery of better care for patients. This translational research and the focus on transformational change are crucial in demonstrating value-for-money in the laboratory medicine service.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:903–9.