bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A case of alpha‐fetoprotein‐producing esophageal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Chen Yi‐Yu , Hsu Wen‐Hung , Hu Huang‐Ming , Wu Deng‐Chyang , Lin Wen‐Yi
Published: October 2012

Alpha‐fetoprotein is a well‐known tumor marker in the screening and follow‐up of hepatocellular carcinoma. In Taiwanese society, a high prevalence of hepatitis and hepatoma and elevation of alpha‐fetoprotein associated with liver function impairment usually suggested clinics undertake further examination for liver or genital tumor. We report the case of 45‐year‐old man who was found to have an alpha‐fetoprotein‐producing esophageal adenocarcinoma with an initial presentation of liver function impairment and rapid elevation of alpha‐fetoprotein. Esophageal cancer was diagnosed via endoscope and a biopsy proved the presence of adenocarcinoma. A small endoscopic biopsy specimen failed to identify the alpha‐fetoprotein positive tumor cell. Esophagectomy was performed and histopathological study of surgical specimen revealed grade II adenocarcinoma with regional metastatic lymphadenopathy. Immunohistochemical study was focal positive for alpha‐fetoprotein. Serum alpha‐fetoprotein declined transiently after esophagectomy and fluctuation of alpha‐fetoprotein level was noted during the treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy. Finally, 19 months after the operation, the patient died due to multiple organ metastases with multiple organ failure. Thus, a small specimen for upper endoscopy may not be sufficient in the presence of alpha‐fetoprotein‐producing adenocarcinoma. Monitoring of serum alpha‐fetoprotein may be useful in the evaluation and follow‐up of esophageal alpha‐fetoprotein‐producing adenocarcinoma.
Chromatin remodeling in Cancer: A Gateway to regulate gene Transcription
Authors: Nair Sujit S. , Kumar Rakesh
Published: October 2012

Cancer cells are remarkably adaptive to diverse survival strategies, probably due to its ability to interpret signaling cues differently than the normal cells. It appears as if cancer cells are constantly sampling, selecting and adapting signaling pathways to favor its proliferation. This process of successful adaptive evolution eventually renders a retractile nature to therapeutic regimens, fueling to the process of cancer progression. Based on plethora of available information, it is now evident that multiple signaling pathways eventually converge, perhaps, in a tempo‐spatial manner, onto DNA template‐dependent dynamic processes. Considering the complexity and packaging of eukaryotic genome, this process involves energy‐dependent sub‐events mediated by chromatin remodelers. Chromatin remodeler proteins function as gatekeepers and constitute a major determinant of accessibility of accessory factors to nucleosome DNA, allowing a wide repertoire of biological functions. And thus, aberrant expression or epigenetic modulation of remodeler proteins confers a unique ability to cancer cells to reprogram its genome for the maintenance of oncogenic phenotypes. Cancer cells can uniquely select a multi‐subunit remodeler proteome for oncogenic advantage. This review summarizes our current understanding and importance of remodeler and chromatin proteins in cancer biology and also highlights the paradoxical role of proteins with or without dual‐regulator functions. It is our hope that an in‐depth understanding of these events is likely to provide a next set of opportunities for novel strategies for targeted cancer therapeutics.
Improvement of survival of the house fly (Musca domestica L.) larvae under mass-rearing conditions
Authors: Čičková H. , Kozánek M. , Takáč P.
Published: October 2012

Two new approaches were examined, aimed at increasing survival of the house fly (Musca domestica L.) larvae under mass-rearing conditions of a biodegradation facility: modification of the larval substrate and dispersal of the eggs during inoculation. The two types of pig manure used in this study (manure with sawdust and manure without sawdust) differed in terms of larval survival and nutritional value for the house fly larvae. Larval survival in manure without sawdust in the control treatment was low (46.8 ± 2.1%) and its nutritional value for the larvae were high. Addition of 5.7% of previously biodegraded manure did not significantly affect larval survival (52.3 ± 1.9%), but larval development was faster and the pupae were significantly smaller (14.28 ± 0.4 mg) compared to the control (16.29 ± 0.5 mg). Using alternative substrate for incubation of eggs and first-instar larvae significantly increased larval survival (63.3 ± 3.3%) and decreased the mean weight of produced pupae (14.39 ± 0.71 mg). Overall, the weight of recovered biomass in the alternative substrate treatment increased by 14.3 kg ton−1 of manure compared to the control. Larval survival in manure with sawdust was generally higher than 70%, but its nutritional value for the larvae was lower than in manure without sawdust. Dispersal of eggs over the surface of manure with sawdust significantly affected larval survival and mean weight of pupae. Larval survival was significantly lower (59.2 ± 4.0%) and pupae were significantly heavier (18.45 ± 0.8 mg) when eggs were applied to a small area on the manure surface (spot treatment), as compared to diagonal, Z-line and multiple zig-zag dispersal (72.5 ± 2.4 to 74.6 ± 3.0% and 14.76 ± 0.6 to 15.97 ± 0.6 mg, respectively). No significant differences were observed in larval survival or mean weight of pupae when comparing the diagonal, Z-line and multiple zig-zag dispersal patterns. Implementation of the techniques which improve larval survival and increase the weight of produced fly biomass may decrease demand for production of house fly eggs and, therefore, reduce the maintenance costs of adult colony, as well as increase the revenue earned by selling the products.
The Almacık mafic-ultramafic complex: exhumed Sakarya subcrustal mantle adjacent to the İstanbul Zone, NW Turkey
Authors: BOZKURT ERDİN , WINCHESTER JOHN A. , SATıR MUHARREM , CROWLEY QUENTIN G. , OTTLEY CHRISTIAN J.
Published: October 2012

The Almacık Mountains in northwestern Turkey expose an upper-amphibolite-facies complex consisting of alternating ultramafic (harzburgitic and websteritic) and mafic (metagabbroic) rock types. In the eastern part of this complex are island arc meta-tholeiites and transitional to calc-alkaline metabasites that are chemically quite similar to those of the Permo-Triassic Çele mafic complex north of Bolu, and this suggests an equivalence. However, much of the section exposes structurally deeper and chemically different mafic and ultramafic rocks, which have no equivalent in the Çele mafic complex, and isotopic dating has suggested that these rocks also formed during the Permian period and underwent Triassic and Jurassic metamorphism. Furthermore, sparse inherited ages, unlike those from İstanbul Zone granitoids, suggest a link with North African-derived Armorican-type basement (and hence the Sakarya Zone), rather than Amazonia-derived Avalonian basement. Alternating mafic and ultramafic rocks suggest structural repetition, supported by the exposure of discrete high-strain zones or poorly exposed shattered rock west of each outcrop of ultramafic rocks. The high grade of metamorphism, and the absence of either extrusive lavas or sheeted dyke rocks, suggests that the Almacık complex was not an ophiolite, but formed instead as subcontinental lower crust and subjacent mantle. Dominantly calc-alkaline geochemistry suggests that it formed the basement to an active continental margin bounding the north side of the Sakarya Continent, with S-dipping subduction of Palaeotethys. The Almacık complex was uplifted as a late result of compression against the southern margin of the İstanbul Zone in the Jurassic period. Lack of coeval high-grade metamorphism in the İstanbul Zone indicates that the latter was overthrust southwards over the Sakarya margin, and that there was therefore a change of subduction polarity in the Triassic period. The evidence further casts doubt on the existence of a Mesozoic Intra-Pontide Ocean in northwestern Turkey and suggests that the latest Permian magmatism, with subsequent Triassic and Jurassic metamorphism, was instead related to the closure of the Palaeotethyan Ocean.
Variation in oxygen consumption among ‘living fossils’ (Mollusca: Polyplacophora)
Authors: Carey Nicholas , Galkin Alexander , Henriksson Patrik , Richards Jeffrey G. , Sigwart Julia D.
Published: October 2012

Polyplacophoran molluscs (chitons) are phylogenetically ancient and morphologically constrained, yet multiple living species are often found co-occurring within widely overlapping ecological niches. This study used two sets of experiments to compare interspecific variation among co-occurring species in the North Atlantic (Ireland) and separately in the North Pacific (British Columbia, Canada) chiton faunas. A complementary review of historical literature on polyplacophoran physiology provides an overview of the high level of metabolic variability in this group of ‘living fossils’. Species examined in de novo experiments showed significant variation in oxygen consumption both under air-saturated water conditions (normoxia), and in response to decreasing oxygen availability (hypoxia). Some species demonstrate an ability to maintain constant oxygen uptake rates despite hypoxia (oxyregulators), while others oxyconform, with uptake rate dependent on ambient oxygen tension. These organisms are often amalgamated in studies of benthic communities, yet show obvious physiological difference that may impact their response or tolerance to environmental change.
Upwelling affects food availability, impacting the morphological and molecular conditions of the herviborous limpet Fissurella crassa (Mollusca: Archeogastropoda)
Authors: Pulgar José , Aldana Marcela , Alvarez Marco , Garcia-Huidobro Roberto , Molina Pilar , Morales Juan Pablo , Pulgar Víctor Manuel
Published: October 2012

Oceanographical processes, such as upwelling, induce variations in nutrient availability in marine ecosystems, and evidence indicates that nutrient input can strongly influence the physiological activities, structure, and dynamics of marine communities. Intertidal organisms have long been considered ideal study units in which to quantify the relationship of physical variations and differential energy allocations in specimens that undergo environmental variations, such as observed with nutrient availability. In habitats with differential nutrient input (upwelling versus non-upwelling), both food availability (algae abundance) and seasonal gonadal and foot weight variations were determined in the keyhole limpet Fissurella crassa. Gonadal weight is used as a measure of reproduction allocation whereas foot weight is an indirect indicator of energy allocation towards survival. RNA:DNA ratio in limpets was used as an indicator of biosynthetic capability. Our results indicate that, in general, algae abundance, muscular foot weight, and gonadal weight were higher in upwelling sites during all seasons studied. The same result was found for RNA:DNA ratios. Energetic allocation in animals that inhabit intertidal upwelling habitats supported a constant allocation towards reproduction and soft tissues. In contrast, animals that inhabit non-upwelling habitats showed important energetic restrictions associated with higher water temperature and lower food availability. Our results clearly show that in the keyhole limpet F. crassa food availability is a more important determinant of an individual's condition than a physical variation such as environment temperature.
A reading-time study of the main verb versus reduced relative clause ambiguity resolution by English learners in Taiwan
Authors: YANG PI-LAN , SHIH SU-CHIN
Published: October 2012

Using a self-paced reading task, the study aimed to investigate (a) whether English learners in Taiwan immediately resolve main verb versus reduced relative clause ambiguities in a similar way as native English speakers and (b) whether the learners at various English proficiency levels show diverse profiles. With analyses and syntheses of reading times for critical segments, results showed that different proficiency groups of Taiwanese English learners resolved such ambiguities in a way similar to native speakers to varying extents. The findings suggest that the sentence-processing mechanism of human language is subject to sufficient facility with syntactic access and/or with a network of lexical, semantic, and pragmatic information of individual speakers.
Separating the effects of acoustic and phonetic factors in linguistic processing with impoverished signals by adults and children
Authors: NITTROUER SUSAN , LOWENSTEIN JOANNA H.
Published: October 2012

Cochlear implants allow many individuals with profound hearing loss to understand spoken language, even though the impoverished signals provided by these devices poorly preserve acoustic attributes long believed to support recovery of phonetic structure. Consequently, questions may be raised regarding whether traditional psycholinguistic theories rely too heavily on phonetic segments to explain linguistic processing while ignoring potential roles of other forms of acoustic structure. This study tested that possibility. Adults and children (8 years old) performed two tasks: one involving explicit segmentation, phonemic awareness, and one involving a linguistic task thought to operate more efficiently with well-defined phonetic segments, short-term memory. Stimuli were unprocessed (UP) signals, amplitude envelopes (AE) analogous to implant signals, and unprocessed signals in noise (NOI) that provided a degraded signal for comparison. Adults’ results for short-term recall were similar for UP and NOI, but worse for AE stimuli. The phonemic awareness task revealed the opposite pattern across AE and NOI. Children's results for short-term recall showed similar decrements in performance for AE and NOI compared to UP, even though only NOI stimuli showed diminished results for segmentation. Conclusions were that perhaps traditional accounts are too focused on phonetic segments, something implant designers and clinicians need to consider.
A Preliminary Investigation into the Influence of Therapist Experience on the Outcome of Individual Anger Interventions for People with Intellectual Disabilities
Authors: Rose John
Published: October 2012

Background: There is a developing literature into Anger Management interventions for people with intellectual disability. While initial reports suggest that these interventions are effective there are few evaluations examining what aspects of the therapeutic process contribute to effectiveness. Method: Individuals with an intellectual disability and anger control difficulties who were referred to community psychology services were allocated to either experienced clinical psychologists or a less experienced assistant psychologist who followed the same intervention framework. Results: Significant reductions in self-reported anger intensity were reported; however, the group who were treated by more experienced therapists reported more change and more individuals reported clinically significant change. Conclusions: While effective change was reported by both groups, these results suggest that clinical experience and training may be an important variable in determining the magnitude of change. This has implications for the design of intellectual disability mental health services.
The morphology of -lyand the categorial status of ‘adverbs’ in English
Authors: GIEGERICH HEINZ J.
Published: October 2012

I argue in this article that adverb-forming -ly, unlike its adjective-forming counterpart, is an inflectional suffix, that therefore adverbs containing -lyare inflected adjectives and that, consequently, adverbs not containing -lyare uninflected adjectives. I demonstrate that in English, the traditional category Adverb is morphologically non-distinct from the category Adjective in that it has no morphology of its own but instead shares all relevant aspects of the morphology of adjectives. I demonstrate moreover that such an analysis explains various aspects of morphological and phonological behaviour on the part of adverbial -lywhich differ from the behaviour of adjectival -lyand/or from the behaviour of derivational suffixes. And I argue that contrary to a recent claim, the syntactic behaviour of adverbs presents no obstacle to the single-category analysis of adjectives and adverbs warranted by the morphology.
Branching direction in recursive structures
Authors: BERG THOMAS
Published: October 2012

English makes regular use of a number of recursive structures spanning the syntax–lexicon continuum. While NPs with recursive relative clauses occupy the syntactic end, nominal compounds are located at the lexical end. In between these extremes we find NPs with recursive periphrastic genitives (towards the syntactic end) and NPs with recursive Saxon genitives (towards the lexical end). This study presents a comparative analysis of the branching direction preferences in these recursive structures. The empirical focus is on doubleof-genitives, which exhibit an overwhelming predilection for right-branching. This contrasts sharply with the double Saxon genitives, which gravitate towards left-branching. The branching direction decision is argued to be under the sway of several distinct factors: a syntactic factor controlling the alternative between leftward and rightward expansion; a lexical factor regulating the idiomatization of a given pair of elements; and a processing factor geared towards preventing garden path effects. Furthermore, branching direction is determined by listeners’ desire to minimize constituent recognition domains. Taken together, these factors are held accountable for the varying branching direction biases found in the different types of NP.
A computational account of bilingual aphasia rehabilitation
Authors: KIRAN SWATHI , GRASEMANN ULI , SANDBERG CHALEECE , MIIKKULAINEN RISTO
Published: October 2012

Current research on bilingual aphasia highlights the paucity in recommendations for optimal rehabilitation for bilingual aphasic patients (Edmonds & Kiran, 2006; Roberts & Kiran, 2007). In this paper, we have developed a computational model to simulate an English–Spanish bilingual language system in which language representations can vary by age of acquisition (AoA) and relative proficiency in the two languages to model individual participants. This model is subsequently lesioned by varying connection strengths between the semantic and phonological networks and retrained based on individual patient demographic information to evaluate whether or not the model's prediction of rehabilitation matches the actual treatment outcome. In most cases the model comes close to the target performance subsequent to language therapy in the language trained, indicating the validity of this model in simulating rehabilitation of naming impairment in bilingual aphasia. Additionally, the amount of cross-language transfer is limited both in the patient performance and in the model's predictions and is dependent on that specific patient's AoA, language exposure and language impairment. It also suggests how well alternative treatment scenarios would have fared, including some cases where the alternative would have done better. Overall, the study suggests how computational modeling could be used in the future to design customized treatment recipes that result in better recovery than is currently possible.
Reframing family-centred obesity prevention using the Family Ecological Model
Authors: Davison Kirsten K , Jurkowski Janine M , Lawson Hal A
Published: October 2012

Objective

According to the Family Ecological Model (FEM), parenting behaviours are shaped by the contexts in which families are embedded. In the present study, we utilize the FEM to guide a mixed-methods community assessment and summarize the results. Additionally, we discuss the utility of the FEM and outline possible improvements.

Design

Using a cross-sectional design, qualitative and quantitative methods were used to examine the ecologies of parents' cognitions and behaviours specific to children's diet, physical activity and screen-based behaviours. Results were mapped onto constructs outlined in the FEM.

Setting

The study took place in five Head Start centres in a small north-eastern city. The community assessment was part of a larger study to develop and evaluate a family-centred obesity prevention programme for low-income families.

Subjects

Participants included eighty-nine low-income parents/caregivers of children enrolled in Head Start.

Results

Parents reported a broad range of factors affecting their parenting cognitions and behaviours. Intrafamilial factors included educational and cultural backgrounds, family size and a lack of social support from partners. Organizational factors included staff stability at key organizations, a lack of service integration and differing school routines. Community factors included social connectedness to neighbours/friends, shared norms around parenting and the availability of safe public housing and play spaces. Policy- and media-related factors included requirements of public assistance programmes, back-to-work policies and children's exposure to food advertisements.

Conclusions

Based on these findings, the FEM was refined to create an evidence-based, temporally structured logic model to support and guide family-centred research in childhood obesity prevention.
Determinants of middle-school students asking parents for fruits and vegetables: a theory-based salient belief elicitation
Authors: Middlestadt Susan E , Lederer Alyssa M , Smith Nicole K , Doss Darleesa , Hung Chia-Ling , Stevenson Laurel D , Fly Alyce D
Published: October 2012

Objective

Despite the benefits of fruit and vegetable intake, many young Americans do not consume them at adequate levels. The present study sought to determine the beliefs that children have about asking their parents to have fruits and vegetables available at home in order to better understand the role children may play in influencing their own fruit and vegetable consumption.

Design

An instrument utilizing the Reasoned Action Approach, with closed-ended questions on demographic and behavioural variables and open-ended questions eliciting the belief structure underlying asking parents to make fruits and vegetables available, was distributed. Thematic and frequency analyses were performed for open-ended questions. Statistical analyses were conducted to assess differences between children who had v. had not asked for fruits and vegetables.

Setting

Three middle schools in rural Indiana, USA.

Subjects

A sub-sample of sixty students aged 12–15 years from a larger study of 344 students.

Results

Qualitative analysis identified benefits (i.e. make me healthier; make parents happy), disadvantages (i.e. will upset my parents) and strategies (i.e. asking when you are at the store) that could be used to improve fruit and vegetable intake. Findings also revealed that students who asked their parents for fruits and vegetables were significantly more likely to perform several healthy eating and physical activity behaviours.

Conclusions

Data suggest that young people's view of parental reactions is critical. While additional research is necessary, the findings support a role for children in shaping their own environment and suggest multilevel interventions that simultaneously address parents and children.
Associations between parenting styles and nutrition knowledge and 2–5-year-old children's fruit, vegetable and non-core food consumption
Authors: Peters Jacqueline , Dollman James , Petkov John , Parletta Natalie
Published: October 2012

Objective

During the early years, parents have a major influence on children's diets and developing food choices. We investigated parenting styles as predictors of 2–5-year-old children's diets and whether general nutrition knowledge (GNK) mediated these influences.

Design

Cross-sectional research. Questionnaires measured demographic and lifestyle variables, family environment, parenting styles and feeding practices, child diet and GNK. Regression models tested GNK as a mediator of relationships between parenting variables and child diet (fruit/vegetable and non-core food consumption), controlling for confounders and family environment.

Setting

Questionnaires were completed by main caregivers at home.

Subjects

Parents of children aged 2–5 years (n269).

Results

Higher child fruit/vegetable consumption was associated with lower over-reactive parenting and restriction, higher authoritative parenting and dining together as a family; with lax parenting approaching statistical significance (P= 0·083) and 19 % of variance explained by the model. GNK was not a significant predictor. Conversely, non-core food consumption was associated with higher over-reactive and lax parenting as well as child age, increased takeaway food consumption and higher television viewing; GNK had a small effect (P= 0·043) and 28 % of variance was explained by the model. GNK was a significant mediator only for authoritative parenting on non-core food (effect = −0·005).

Conclusions

These findings highlight that young children's diets may be improved by interventions targeting a range of positive and supportive parenting practices in conjunction with nutrition knowledge education for parents of young children. Further insights will come from closer attention to the nature and role of restrictive feeding practicesv. laxness and longitudinal research.
Fair Cuts? The Impact of British Public Service Pension Reform on Workers in the Main Occupations
Authors: Bridgen Paul , Meyer Traute
Published: October 2012

Public service pensions have been a fundamental component of the British pension system in the post-war period and recent reform initiatives have caused political controversy. This article assesses the impact of the Conservative/Liberal government's public sector pension reform plans of 2011 for different public sector workers. It simulates their projected pension outcomes, assuming people contribute to the new system throughout their working lives. In particular, we examine the government's claim that the move away from final to average salary schemes will make pensions fairer for women and lower paid workers. The article shows that the reforms are indeed fair, if measured by the government's standards: retirement is delayed for all, but the lowest skilled and women lose least and some even gain higher pensions without paying proportionately more. Despite austerity, recent British pension reforms reflect a greater awareness of social inequality than many would expect and they have been built on more cross-party agreement than apparent at first sight.
Property, possession and natural resource management: towards a conceptual clarification
Authors: HOFFMANN SABINE
Published: October 2012

There are few concepts that are more central to natural resource management than those of property and property rights. Given their importance, it might be expected that there would be some consensus in the economic literature about what property and property rightsare. However, no such consensus seems to exist. In fact, different authors use the same terms to denote quite disparate concepts and ideas, impeding rather than advancing progress in understanding natural resource management. As but one example, there is hardly a concept that has been as fundamentally misunderstood as that of the commons. That misunderstanding notwithstanding, there is another, less familiar, more common and even more fundamental one: the persistent confusion of possession with property. This article argues that the distinction between possession and property is of particular importance for comprehending the meaning of institutional shifts from one resource management regime to another. It therefore reviews concepts central to natural resource management, by distinguishing between state, private, common property and possession on the one hand and open access on the other.
Citizen, interrupted: the 2011 English riots from a psychosocial perspective
Authors: Aiello G. , Pariante C. M.
Published: October 2012

Aims.

This is a contribution to the debate over the 2011 English riots from a psychosocial perspective.

Methods.

We compare the impulsive and ‘mindless’ behaviour of rioters with the impulsive, violent and contradictory behaviour of people affected by severe personality disorders.

Results.

We propose that the lack of a sense of social identity and of mentalization skills is a common feature of the two conditions – the lack of social identity, leading to frustration and anger, coupled with a lack of mentalization, leading to the impulsive and violent expression. Furthermore, we highlight the confusing impact that the social marginalization and consumerism can have on young generations from lower classes in cities from the Western world.

Conclusions.

By building a parallel with the therapeutic intervention offered to severe personality disorders, we speculate on how the community, by modifying its communication's style and actively intervene in deprived socio-economic contexts, could inspire more confidence, trust and sense of belonging in its marginalized members.
Coverage of mental health and substance misuse topics in the Cochrane review system
Authors: Green-Hennessy S.
Published: October 2012

Aims.

To assess the breadth of mental and substance coverage in the Cochrane review system.

Methods.

All mental health and substance entries were identified from the 2005 to April 2012 Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Results.

A total of 1019 entries focused on mental health or substance misuse, with 698 (68.5%) being completed reviews. One out of every five entries focused on serious mental illness/psychosis. Systematic reviews addressing unipolar depression, dementia and certain substance disorders also appeared well-represented. In contrast, a number of impairing disorders frequently seen in practice received less attention, with bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and autism spectrum disorders each accounting for less than 2% of the entries. The majority of interventions reviewed involved medication (57.1%), although this was not the case for a number of childhood-onset disorders. Some diagnostic areas (sleep, anxiety, mood and substance) were addressed by multiple Cochrane review groups (CRGs).

Conclusions.

The Cochrane Collaboration is well poised to be a strong guiding influence to those seeking to employ evidence-based mental health care. Broadening its diagnostic coverage and diversifying types of intervention reviewed would probably further maximize its impact. A more centralized and directed approach of prioritizing topics could help ensure more comprehensive coverage.
An Update on the Italian Twin Register: Advances in Cohort Recruitment, Project Building and Network Development
Authors: Brescianini Sonia , Fagnani Corrado , Toccaceli Virgilia , Medda Emanuela , Nisticò Lorenza , D'Ippolito Cristina , Alviti Sabrina , Arnofi Antonio , Caffari Bruno , Delfino Davide , Ferri Maurizio , Penna Luana , Salemi Miriam , Sereni Silvia , Serino Laura , Cotichini Rodolfo , Stazi Maria A.
Published: October 2012

The Italian Twin Register has been in place for more than 10 years. Since its establishment, it has been focusing, on the one hand, on a continuous update of the existing information, and on the other hand, on new phenotypes and sample collection. Demographic data on about 140,000 twins have been updated using the municipality registries. The Italian Twin Register has been carrying out several new studies during the last few years. A birth cohort of twins, Multiple Births Cohort Study, has been started and the enrolment is ongoing. For this cohort, data on pregnancy and birth are collected, and periodical follow-ups are made. DNA is being collected for the twins and their parents. In the area of behavioral genetics, most efforts have been directed to psychological well being assessed with self-reported tools. Research on age-related traits continues with studies on arteriosclerosis development, early biomarkers in mild cognitive impairment, and the relation between lifestyle habits and mutagen sensitivity. The Italian Twin Register biobanking has grown in its size and in its know-how in terms of both technical issues and ethical procedures implementation. Furthermore, attitudes toward biobank-based research, together with willingness and motivation for donation, are being investigated. A valuable key resource for the Italian Twin Register is the possibility of linking twin data with disease registries. This approach has been yielding several important results, such as the recent study on the heritability of type 1 diabetes.
River turbidity and sediment loads during dam removal
Authors: Warrick Jonathan A. , Duda Jeffrey J. , Magirl Christopher S. , Curran Chris A.
Published: October 2012

Dam decommissioning has become an important means for removing unsafe or obsolete dams and for restoring natural fluvial processes, including discharge regimes, sediment transport, and ecosystem connectivity [Doyle et al., 2003]. The largest dam‐removal project in history began in September 2011 on the Elwha River of Washington State (Figure 1a). The project, which aims to restore the river ecosystem and increase imperiled salmon populations that once thrived there, provides a unique opportunity to better understand the implications of large‐scale river restoration.
Collaborative efforts to solve problems in permafrost science and engineering
Authors: Hinzman Larry D. , Hinkel Kenneth M. , Romanovsky Vladimir E.
Published: October 2012

Tenth International Conference on Permafrost; Salekhard, Russia, 25–29 June 2012 To recognize permafrost's growing significance in the Earth climate system, to stimulate interaction among the scientific communities, and to share results of the increasing numbers of permafrost investigations and discoveries currently taking place, the Tenth International Conference on Permafrost (TICOP) was held in late June in Salekhard, a town in the Yamal‐Nenets autonomous district of Russia that is situated precisely on the Arctic Circle and underlain by discontinuous permafrost. TICOP marked the tenth iteration of the long‐running conference series, which started in 1963, and is the conference's first return to Russia since the Second International Conference on Permafrost in 1973.
Improving coordination and integration of observations of Arctic change
Authors: Perovich Donald , Payne John , Eicken Hajo
Published: October 2012

U.S. Arctic Observing Coordination Workshop;Anchorage, Alaska, 20–22 March 2012 The Arctic is undergoing tremendous changes. Permafrost is thawing, ice sheets are melting, and sea ice is thinning and retreating. These changes are impacting ecosystems and human activities. Observing, understanding, and responding to these changes are the central themes of the U.S. Interagency Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH, http://www.arcus.org/search/index.php). SEARCH brings together academic and government agency scientists and stakeholders to prioritize, plan, conduct, and synthesize research focused on Arctic environmental change. The U.S. Arctic Observing Coordination Workshop (http://www.arcus.org/search/meetings/2012/coordination‐workshop/) focused on two key themes for cross‐disciplinary and cross‐agency collaboration: (1) understanding and predicting sea ice changes and their consequences for ecosystems, human activities, and climate and (2) determining consequences of loss and warming of shallow permafrost on Arctic and global systems.
Legal education for scientists at Fall Meeting
Authors: Uhlenbrock Kristan
Published: October 2012

In today's increasingly polarized political climate, science is becoming more politicized, which in turn leads to scientists facing an increased involvement in legal discussion about their work, their correspondence, and their public statements. At times these attacks on scientists and their academic freedom are unwarranted and can leave many confused and wondering how to handle the situation. To help out, AGU and the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) have partnered to prepare the scientific community for these challenges through a Legal Education Series, a series of webinars along with events at AGU's 2012 Fall Meeting. This series provides scientists with information to help guide and update them on legal issues and situations currently making their way through the courts.
FameLab provides competition and coaching on science communication
Authors: Scalice Daniella , Weiss Peter
Published: October 2012

In today's media‐intensive environment, the ability to convey science can reshape the face of scientific exploration and discovery. Many early‐career scientists could benefit from training on how to communicate their work effectively to all stakeholders along their career paths, from deans and political representatives to neighbors and students, and perhaps even to public audiences through the lens of a camera or the voice of a blog.
Midlatitude synoptic meteorology: Dynamics, analysis, and forecasting
Authors: Nielsen‐Gammon John W.
Published: October 2012

The art and science of weather forecasting have changed considerably over the past few decades. The most obvious change is the advent of accurate numerical weather prediction. Given a comprehensive three‐dimensional analysis, an operational forecast model will consistently outperform a human at lead times ranging from 10 hours to 7 days. The role of the human forecaster is to add value to the forecast, to ensure (for the sake of his or her own professional longevity) that the combined forecast information from the computer and the human is clearly more useful than the information from the computer alone.
Technique improves ability to detect subsurface carbon dioxide leaks
Authors: Schultz Colin
Published: October 2012

One method to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations is geologiccarbon sequestration, often referred toas carbon capture and storage (CCS). In CCS, carbon dioxide is stored within stable geologic formations deep underground. Part of implementing CCS involves monitoring for unusual carbon dioxide emissions that could indicate a leak. Currently, monitoring requires a long‐term assessment so that researchers can identify the range of variability for natural carbon dioxide emissions, in which shifts are driven by seasonal changes. Traditional monitoring methods falter when tasked with identifying a leak for a storage site without a background record or with finding a small leak, which could be swamped by the naturally varying emissions.
For first time, meandering river created in laboratory
Authors: Schultz Colin
Published: October 2012

Natural rivers are not straight, and they are rarely idle. Instead, they bend and curve and sometimes appear to wriggle across the Earth's surface over time. That rivers can meander is obvious but how and why they do so is less well known. These questions are complicated by the fact that researchers have for the most part been unable to realistically create a meandering river in a laboratory. Scientists have previously created simulated streams that bend and branch, but they were not able to limit the river to only a single main flow path or maintain such dynamic motion past the initial bend formation. Working with a 6‐by 11‐meter river simulator, the Eurotank, van Dijk et al. created a dynamically meandering river. In so doing, the authors identified two conditions necessary to induce meandering: the availability of mixed sediment and a continuously varying upstream water source.
Assessing skill of operational forest fire emissions model
Authors: Schultz Colin
Published: October 2012

Across the continental United States, the BlueSky Smoke Modeling Framework provides hourly forest fire emissions forecasts and calculates the concentrations of hazardous compounds 72 hours in advance. Though a traditional computational model itself, the BlueSky Framework pulls together the results from a number of different independent models for fire and fuel information, combustion of fuel, and speciated emissions calculations to produce its operational forecasts of fire‐related emissions and smoke dispersals. One aspect of forest fire emissions that is of particular concern is small particulate matter, particularly microscopic particles with diameters less than 2.5 micrometers. These particles, known as PM2.5, are small enough to penetrate lung tissue and cause serious health problems in high concentrations. To assess the skill of the BlueSky Gateway, a system that uses the BlueSky Framework and the Community MultiScale Air Quality (CMAQ) model to forecast PM2.5 surface concentrations, Strand et al. compared the modeled estimates for two Californian forest wildfire events against observations.
Incorporating the subgrid‐scale variability of clouds in the autoconversion parameterization using a PDF‐scheme
Authors: Weber T. , Quaas J.
Published: October 2012

An investigation of the impact of the subgrid‐scale variability of cloud liquid water on the autoconversion process as parameterized in a general circulation model is presented in this paper. For this purpose, a prognostic statistical probability density distribution (PDF) of the subgrid scale variability of cloud water is incorporated in a continuous autoconversion parameterization. Thus, the revised autoconversion rate is calculated by an integral of the autoconversion equation over the PDF of total water mixing ratio from the saturation vapor mixing ratio to the maximum of total water mixing ratio. An evaluation of the new autoconversion parameterization is carried out by means of one year simulations with the ECHAM5 climate model. The results indicate that the new autoconversion scheme causes an increase of the frequency of occurrence of high autoconversion rates and a decrease of low ones compared to the original scheme. This expected result is due to the emphasis on areas of high cloud liquid water in the new approach, and the non‐linearity of the autoconversion with respect to liquid water mixing ratio. A similar trend as in the autoconversion is observed in the accretion process resulting from the coupling of both processes. As a consequence of the altered autoconversion, large‐scale surface precipitation also shows a shift of occurrence from lower to higher rates. The vertically integrated cloud liquid water estimated by the model shows slight improvements compared to satellite data. Most importantly, the artificial tuning factor for autoconversion in the continuous parameterization could be reduced by almost an order of magnitude using the revised parameterization.
Integrated gravity and topography analysis in analog models: Intraplate deformation in Iberia
Authors: Fernández‐Lozano Javier , Sokoutis Dimitrios , Willingshofer Ernst , Dombrádi Endre , Martín Alfonso M. , De Vicente Gerardo , Cloetingh Sierd
Published: October 2012

Trends in the topography of the Iberian Peninsula show a pronounced contrast. In the western part of the Iberian microplate the main topographic highs trend E‐W to NE‐SW and are periodically spaced with wavelengths of 250 km. Conversely, in the northeastern part, the region of the Iberian Chain, topography is more irregular and strike directions vary from NW‐SE to E‐W and NE‐SW. We relate this phenomenon to shortening of a continental lithosphere, which contains two different, well‐defined domains of lithospheric strength. Our hypothesis is supported by physical analog models. A new processing method has been developed to assist the interpretation of the model results. It utilizes spectral analysis of gravity and topography data derived from the experiments. Folding of the crust and mantle lithosphere yields periodic gravity fluctuations, while thickening processes lead to localized gravity lows. In this way gravity data can be used to distinguish between the two forms of lithosphere deformation and to correlate areas that underwent the same type of deformation. Gravity modeling has been performed under full in‐depth control of the experimental lithosphere structure. As such, gravity signals from the models may be compared to field gravity data for better understanding the underlying deformation mechanism.
An unexpected formation of the novel 7-oxa-2-azabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene skeleton during the reaction of furfurylamine with maleimides and their bioprospection using a zebrafish embryo model
Authors: Puerto Galvis Carlos E. , Kouznetsov Vladimir V.
Published: October 2012

An unexpected intramolecular cyclization during the reaction of furfurylamine with maleimides is reported as a novel strategy for the efficient green synthesis of the 7-oxa-2-azabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene skeleton.
AS160 deficiency causes whole-body insulin resistance via composite effects in multiple tissues
Authors: Wang Hong Yu , Ducommun Serge , Quan Chao , Xie Bingxian , Li Min , Wasserman David H. , Sakamoto Kei , Mackintosh Carol , Chen Shuai
Published: October 2012

AS160 (Akt substrate of 160 kDa) is a Rab GTPase-activating protein implicated in insulin control of GLUT4 (glucose transporter 4) trafficking. In humans, a truncation mutation (R363X) in one allele of AS160 decreased the expression of the protein and caused severe postprandial hyperinsulinaemia during puberty. To complement the limited studies possible in humans, we generated an AS160-knockout mouse. In wild-type mice, AS160 expression is relatively high in adipose tissue and soleus muscle, low in EDL (extensor digitorum longus) muscle and detectable in liver only after enrichment. Despite having lower blood glucose levels under both fasted and random-fed conditions, the AS160-knockout mice exhibited insulin resistance in both muscle and liver in a euglycaemic clamp study. Consistent with this paradoxical phenotype, basal glucose uptake was higher in AS160-knockout primary adipocytes and normal in isolated soleus muscle, but their insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and overall GLUT4 levels were markedly decreased. In contrast, insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and GLUT4 levels were normal in EDL muscle. The liver also contributes to the AS160-knockout phenotype via hepatic insulin resistance, elevated hepatic expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase isoforms and pyruvate intolerance, which are indicative of increased gluconeogenesis. Overall, as well as its catalytic function, AS160 influences expression of other proteins, and its loss deregulates basal and insulin-regulated glucose homoeostasis, not only in tissues that normally express AS160, but also by influencing liver function.
An Analysis of Malar Fat Volume in Two Age Groups: Implications for Craniofacial Surgery
Authors: Corey Christina L. , Popelka Gerald R. , Barrera Jose E. , Most Sam P.
Published: October 2012

Objective

To evaluate how malar fat pad (MFP) volumes vary with age, after controlling for gender and body mass index (BMI).

Study Design

A prospective case–control study evaluating volume of the MFP in women of two age groups.

Methods

Soft tissue dimensions were measured in eight subjects using magnetic resonance imaging. A multiplanar localizing sequence, followed in sagittal and coronal orientations using a turbo spin echo sequence, was performed to define the MFP. Volumetric calculations were then performed using a 3D image analysis application (Dextroscope, Volume Interactions, Republic of Singapore) to circumscribe areas, orient dimensions, and calculate volumes of the MFP.

Results

These data reveal no significant difference in the mean (standard deviation) right MFP ( p = 0.50), left MFP ( p = 0.41), or total MFP ( p = 0.45) volumes when comparing the two age groups. In addition, these data indicate that there was no correlation between age and total MFP volume (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.27). Moreover, there was no correlation between age and the ratio of total volume/BMI (Pearson correlation coefficient −0.18).

Conclusions

Although the sample size of this study was small, these data indicate that ptosis of midfacial fat is more important than volume loss in midfacial aging. These data would suggest repositioning as the primary modality for craniofacial reconstruction.