bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Myeloma cell morphology and morphometry in correlation with clinical stages and survival
Authors: Seili‐Bekafigo Irena , Valković Toni , Babarović Emina , Duletić‐Načinović Antica , Jonjić Nives
Published: April 2013

Multiple myeloma (MM) shows great variability in clinical course of the disease, and survival varies between a few months and more than 10 years. Myeloma plasma cells (PCs) can appear completely “normal” in morphology, but can also be overtly atypical, polymorphic, immature, as well as in all transitional forms. The aim of this investigation was to analyze the relationship between various morphological and morphometric parameters of myeloma cells, common staging/prognostic systems and survival in patients with MM. Sixty newly diagnosed MM patients were included in the study. Morphologic as well as basic morphometric features of myeloma PCs were analyzed in bone marrow (BM) aspirates, and compared with patient's clinical stage determined by Durie–Salmon and International Staging System, and with survival. We conclude that myeloma cell morphology has a prognostic potential. The most significant morphologic characteristics indicating shorter survival are: finding of >15% atypical PCs in BM aspirate, largest nuclear diameter/largest cytoplasmatic diameter of PCs ratio (maxND/maxCD)≥0.65, and anisocytosis expressed as standard deviation of maxCD ≥4.2 µm. Furthermore, PCs with irregular nuclei and absence of paranuclear clearing of the cytoplasm indicate more advanced stage of disease and worse prognosis. This preliminary results obtained on myeloma cells morphology and morphometry should be confirmed in the larger study which will include cytogenetic data as well as a therapeutic protocols applied. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2013;41:947–954. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The impact of LSIL‐H terminology on patient follow‐up patterns
Authors: Thrall Michael J. , Galfione Sarah K. , Smith Debora A.
Published: April 2013

The Papanicolaou (Pap) test category of “low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, cannot exclude high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion” (LSIL‐H) is not recognized by The Bethesda System but is commonly used. It is essentially an amalgamation of the official LSIL and ASC‐H categories. Since these two categories have similar follow‐up algorithms, the clinical utility of the combined LSIL‐H category is unclear. We have therefore studied follow‐up patterns for these three entities in our laboratory to determine the real‐world impact of each in our patient population. We searched our pathology database over an 18‐month period to find Pap tests (predominantly ThinPrep) interpreted as LSIL‐H (137), LSIL (2,189), and ASC‐H (101). Like other studies, we found that the discovery rate of high grade dysplasia in biopsies after LSIL‐H (31.9%) was similar to ASC‐H (35.3%) and was higher than LSIL (7.6%; P < 0.0001). In women with no previous history of dysplasia, the frequency of biopsy follow‐up after the initial Pap test was significantly higher for LSIL‐H (68.3%) than for LSIL (49.6%; P = 0.0038) and similar to ASC‐H (62.3%). We also found that women with an initial negative biopsy or a biopsy positive for low grade dysplasia were more likely to undergo an additional biopsy if the initial Pap test was LSIL‐H (36.2%) than if it was LSIL (18.2%; P = 0.0023). ASC‐H (26.9%) had an intermediate rate. In our patient population, the use of the terminology LSIL‐H is associated with follow‐up biopsy patterns much more similar to ASC‐H than to LSIL. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2013;41:960–964. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Synthesis of Differently Substituted tacn‐Based Ligands: Towards the Control of Solubility and Electronic and Steric Properties of Uranium Coordination Complexes
Authors: Nizovtsev Alexey V. , Scheurer Andreas , Kosog Boris , Heinemann Frank W. , Meyer Karsten
Published: April 2013

Starting from phenols R1,R2ArOH (5) and the anisole derivative 3,5‐di‐tert‐butyl‐2‐methoxybenzyl bromide (13), a series of new tacn‐based ligands (R1,R2ArOR3)3tacn (2) have been synthesized with substituents of varying bulkiness and electronic nature at the ortho and para positions with respect to the oxygen coordination site. It was observed that these groups not only determine the steric shielding and solubility properties of 2, but also deactivate the reactivity of the phenols in the modified Mannich reaction when electron‐withdrawing groups are introduced at the para position in 5. Treatment of the ligands with UCl4 in thf led to the isolation of four uranium(IV) chloro complexes [{(R1,R2ArO)3tacn}UIVCl] (14), which were characterized by different spectroscopic and physical methods (e.g., 1H NMR, UV/Vis, SQUID), corroborating the +4 oxidation state in 14. Single‐crystal X‐ray structure analyses revealed that 14a·CH2Cl2·CH3CN and 14b·1.25CH2Cl2 crystallize in the chiral, orthorhombic space group P212121 [a = 24.934(3), b = 27.941(3), c = 9.045(1) Å, V = 6302(2) Å3, Z = 4] and the chiral, hexagonal space group P63 [a = 22.097(3), c = 17.941(2) Å, V = 7587(2) Å3, Z = 4], respectively. Interestingly, complexes 14a,b self‐organize in the solid state into homochiral 1D polymeric superstructures as a result of weak intermolecular C–H···Cl contacts.
Self‐Assembly and Characterization of 3D Metallamacrocycles: A Study of Supramolecular Constitutional Isomers
Authors: Schultz Anthony , Li Xiaopeng , Moorefield Charles N. , Wesdemiotis Chrys , Newkome George R.
Published: April 2013

We report the self‐assembly and isolation of two metallamacromolecular constitutional isomeric pairs based on  connectivity. Utilizing a robust  dimer with varying substitution to the core benzene ring resulted not only in the isolation of the expected 60°‐oriented tetramer and 120°‐oriented hexamer but also in the unexpected isolation of a 60°‐oriented hexamer and a 120°‐oriented tetramer. These isomers were characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (ESI‐travelling wave ion mobility), which revealed significant structural differences. Molecular modeling was utilized to aid in characterization.
Regioselective Acetolysis of Highly O‐Benzylated Carbohydrates Promoted by Iodine or an Iodine/Silane Combined Reagent: Use of Isopropenyl Acetate as an Alternative to Acetic Anhydride
Authors: Giordano Maddalena , Iadonisi Alfonso , Pastore Antonello
Published: April 2013

Regioselective acetolytic de‐O‐benzylation of poly‐O‐benzylated sugars can be triggered by the activation of isopropenyl acetate (IPA) with either an iodine/silane combined reagent or iodine alone. Unlike other known acetolysis procedures, the protocols presented here do not suffer from the use of harsh acidic reagents and excess amounts of high‐boiling acetic anhydride. The activation of IPA with iodine and triethylsilane (or the cheaper polymethylhydrosiloxane, PMHS) usually results in shorter reaction times, with the acetolysis occurring preferentially (with some exceptions) at primary benzyloxy groups. With anomerically armed sugars, anomeric iodination can be a concomitant process to give highly reactive intermediates which can be converted in situ into workable and useful building blocks upon suitable quenching conditions. On the other hand, IPA activation with iodine alone allows the reactions to occur under milder conditions, albeit over longer times. In almost all reported examples, IPA can be used in moderate excess (5 equiv.), but its employment as the solvent is crucial with an amino sugar model compound otherwise recalcitrant to any acetolytic modification. An additional advantage of these conditions lies in the unprecedented possibility of incorporating the acetolysis step into one‐pot synthetic sequences leading to multiple functional modifications of saccharidic substrates. As to the regioselectivity, most reactions seem to be controlled by steric factors, as the most accessible primary benzyloxy groups are commonly acetolyzed. However, a couple of disclosed examples display that under suitable structural conditions, strain relief effects might be a ruling factor for the regiocontrol of the processes. Overall, the reported protocols offer complementary options for experimentally easy access to a wide range of useful saccharide building blocks featuring a varied profile of protecting groups.
The surface microporosity of ceramic biomaterials influences the resorption capacity of osteoclasts
Authors: Zimmer Gerald , Rohrhofer Astrid , Lewis Kanthi , Goessl Andreas , Hoffmann Oskar
Published: April 2013

This study investigated the influence of the surface microporosity of beta‐tri‐calcium phosphate (β‐TCP) ceramics on the resorption capacity of osteoclasts. This was achieved by first compacting commercially available β‐TCP powder into disks that were sintered at various temperatures, thereby yielding different surface microporosities. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and subsequent image processing verified different degrees of surface microporosity on the disks. Rabbit osteoclasts in a bone marrow derived cell suspension were then seeded onto these disks and incubated for 48 h. Tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining confirmed the presence of osteoclasts on all disks. Actin ring staining that detected actively resorbing OCs showed an inverse linear correlation between the number of actively resorbing osteoclasts (percentage of total OCs on the surfaces) with surface microporosity. These findings should be taken into consideration for the design and/or production of new β‐TCP bone graft substitutes. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 101A: 3365–3371, 2013.
Synthesis of Biotinylated Aldehyde Polymers for Biomolecule Conjugation
Authors: Alconcel Steevens N. S. , Kim Sung Hye , Tao Lei , Maynard Heather D.
Published: April 2013

Biotinylated polymers with side‐chain aldehydes were prepared for use as multifunctional scaffolds. Two different biotin‐containing chain transfer agents (CTAs) and an aldehyde‐containing monomer, 6‐oxohexyl acrylate (6OHA), are synthesized. Poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (PEGA) and 6OHA are copolymerized by reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization in the presence of the biotinylated CTAs. The resulting polymers are analyzed by GPC and1H NMR spectroscopy. The polymer end groups contained a disulfide bond, which could be readily reduced in solution to remove the biotin. Reactivity of the aldehyde side chains is demonstrated by oxime and hydrazone formation at the polymer side chains, and conjugate formation of fluorescently labeled polymers with streptavidin is investigated by gel electrophoresis.

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Risk assessment of a propane storage sphere: Maintain or decommission?
Authors: Carpenter Andrew R. , Ogle Russell A. , Ramirez Juan Carlos
Published: April 2013

The authors were asked to assist a utility with a risk management decision. Specifically, the utility was considering whether they should maintain or decommission an 800,000 gallon propane storage sphere. The 30‐year old sphere was the fuel storage vessel for a propane standby system. One of their major concerns was the shrinking buffer zone around their facility. Although the facility was originally located in a remote rural area, residential development had begun to encroach upon the facility's buffer zone.

The original analysis was based on a consideration of the offsite consequences for a worst‐case scenario. This was done at the request of the client as it reflected their degree of risk acceptance. The consequences of two hazard scenarios were analyzed: an unconfined vapor cloud explosion and a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE). To support this analysis, the mechanical integrity of the sphere was evaluated deterministically by considering the pressure vessel design documents, the limited nondestructive test and evaluation data available, and published data on typical corrosion rates. Additional factors incorporated into the analysis were the capabilities of the existing fire protection system, the facility security system, and the propane unloading station for tank car deliveries. Finally, the economics of maintaining the sphere versus decommissioning it were explored. Ultimately, the utility decided to decommission the sphere.

In this article, we conduct a retrospective study using a risk‐based approach. We identify a set of hazard scenarios for the propane storage sphere, calculate the leak frequency for each scenario, compute the associated source term, and evaluate the consequences. The results are compared with the original consequence analysis and other published hazard studies. The implications for risk management are discussed. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2013
Frequency domain‐based nonlinearity detection and compensation in Lur'e systems
Authors: Rijlaarsdam D. J. , Setiadi A. C. , Nuij P. W. J. M. , Schoukens J. , Steinbuch M.
Published: April 2013

Nonlinearities often lead to performance degradation in controlled dynamical systems. This paper provides a new, frequency domain‐based method, for detection and optimal compensation of performance degrading nonlinear effects in Lur'e‐type systems. It is shown that for such systems a sinusoidal response to a sinusoidal input is necessary and sufficient to show the existence of an equivalent linear and time invariant dynamical model that fully captures the systems’ dynamics for a well‐defined set of input signals and initial conditions. This allows to quantify nonlinear effects by using a frequency domain performance measure and yields a novel method to design optimized static compensator structures that minimize performance degrading nonlinear effects. Moverover, the methods discussed in this paper allow to quantify the performance of nonlinear systems on the basis of output measurements only while requiring little knowledge about the nonlinearity and other system dynamics, which yields a useful tool to optimize performance in practice without requiring advanced nonlinear modeling or identification techniques. Finally, the theoretical results are accompanied by examples that illustrate their application in practice.Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Strategy Use for Reading English for General and Specific Academic Purposes in Testing and Nontesting Contexts
Authors: Chou Mu‐hsuan
Published: April 2013

Language‐use strategies are considered potentially effective approaches that learners select to accomplish a second‐ or foreign‐language task. In the past three decades, there has been a proliferation of research concerned with learners' strategy use at different levels of language ability and the influence of L1 learner strategies on L2 language learning. The present study, however, looked at an underresearched topic: what strategies EFL learners adopted to read two types of articles (general and subject‐specific) in both testing and nontesting contexts. Ninety‐two Chinese‐major university students taking a Journalistic English course participated in the study. Questionnaires with follow‐up interviews, and retrospective self‐reports were employed. The results showed that the participants used similar strategies but to different degrees while reading general and subject‐specific articles and taking reading comprehension tests. Also, the participants' comprehension of the two types of reading genres in testing and nontesting situations was, in part, determined by their information‐processing stages and accessibility of schemata. When attempts to use cognitive strategies failed, strategies for monitoring, regulating, and managing information were adopted to compensate for the incomprehension of articles. The findings suggest that effective teaching for intermediate university‐level EFL students like the sample group should encompass a combination of subject‐specific language and content reinforcement followed by strategic reading instruction using subject‐specific articles.
Surface morphology and wettability of sandblasted PEEK and its composites
Authors: Ourahmoune R. , Salvia M. , Mathia T.G. , Mesrati N.
Published: April 2013

PolyEtherEtherKetone (PEEK) is an advanced high‐performance thermoplastic polymer, and its composites are used extensively in the aeronautical industry. This paper presents an experimental approach to determine the role of sandblasting treatment on surface morphology modifications of PEEK and its composites, with the aim of developing a topographic characterization in order to propose pertinent parameters that correlate with contact angles from wettability measurement. Sandblasting (fine abrasive particle projection) was selected as the surface treatment, in order to obtain various morphologically quasi‐isotropic surfaces. Two surface metrological approaches to topographical characterization were used to correlate the wettability behavior with the surface roughness parameters, the first based on 2D profile analysis and the second on 3D topography analysis. Two different unreinforced grades of PEEK and four composites: discontinuous carbon fiber or glass fiber‐reinforced, oriented, and unoriented, were studied. The experimental results indicated the sandblasting process duration necessary to reach a morphological steady state. It was stated that one of the pertinent parameters is the mean slope of roughness motif in 2D profile characterization, as confirmed by previous findings for anisotropic morphologies. However, for all cases, a new topographic parameterSr, combining the surface amplitude and the summit density distribution, is proposed as a factor well‐correlated with wettability characteristics. SCANNING 36:64–75, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
20 Jahre technisch‐wissenschaftlicher Erfahrungsaustausch im Praktikergespräch: Ein geschichtlicher Rückblick
Authors: Bucak Ömer , Grotmann Dietmar , Gundel Walter , Heise Franz‐Josef
Published: April 2013

Das so genannte Praktikergespräch wurde vor 20 Jahren gemeinsam von Konstrukteuren und Forschungseinrichtungen als Diskussionsrunde zum Einsatz hochfester Feinkornbaustähle in der technischen Praxis gegründet. Dieser Beitrag zeigt die Erfolgsgeschichte dieser Idee auf.

Looking back on 20 years of exchanging engineering science experiences on a practical level. The first so called Praktikergespräch (meeting of practitioners) was founded jointly by designers and research institutes 20 years ago. The aim was to provide a forum to discuss the use of high‐strength fine‐grain structural steels in engineering practice. This article reveals the success story of that idea.
Efficient posterior exploration of a high‐dimensional groundwater model from two‐stage Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation and polynomial chaos expansion
Authors: Laloy Eric , Rogiers Bart , Vrugt Jasper A. , Mallants Dirk , Jacques Diederik
Published: April 2013

Key Points

Efficient two‐stage MCMC simulation for CPU‐demanding sampling

Real‐world application to the inference of a multi‐layered 3D aquifer model

A 2‐5 times observed speed up in sampling efficiency
Regorafenib in Japanese patients with solid tumors: phase I study of safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics
Authors: Sunakawa Yu , Furuse Junji , Okusaka Takuji , Ikeda Masafumi , Nagashima Fumio , Ueno Hideki , Mitsunaga Shuichi , Hashizume Kensei , Ito Yuichiro , Sasaki Yasutsuna
Published: April 2013

The safety, pharmacokinetics, and antitumor activity of the multikinase inhibitor regorafenib in Japanese patients was assessed in this multicenter, single-arm, phase I trial. Fifteen patients with treatment-refractory advanced solid tumors received regorafenib 160 mg once daily for the first 3 weeks of each 4-week cycle until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or investigator or patient decision to stop. The median duration of treatment was 2.1 months (range, 0.9–20.1 months). At data cutoff, one patient was still receiving regorafenib in cycle 21. Reasons for treatment discontinuation were disease progression (n = 12) and adverse events (liver enzyme elevation n = 1; anemia n = 1). Adverse events necessitated dose reduction in six patients, interruption of daily treatment in seven patients, and cycle delay in four patients. All patients experienced at least one drug-related adverse event, particularly gastrointestinal (87 %), dermatologic (73 %), or hematologic (67 %) events. There was no significant change in time to maximum concentration or terminal half-life of regorafenib and its active metabolites M2 and M5 between single dosing and 21-day continuous dosing. The area under the concentration–time curve was 2.1-fold higher for regorafenib, 5.2-fold higher for M2, and 37.3-fold higher for M5, and the maximum concentration was 2.0-fold, 4.8-fold, and 36.0-fold higher, respectively, after continuous dosing than after single dosing. One patient had a partial response (duration 10.5 months) and seven patients had stable disease. This study indicates that regorafenib 160 mg orally once daily (21 days on/7 days off treatment) can be given to Japanese patients who have solid tumors, without undue toxicity.
Intrinsic ergodicity via obstruction entropies
Authors: CLIMENHAGA VAUGHN , THOMPSON DANIEL J.
Published: April 2013

Bowen showed that a continuous expansive map with specification has a unique measure of maximal entropy. We show that the conclusion remains true under weaker non-uniform versions of these hypotheses. To this end, we introduce the notions of obstructions to expansivity and specification, and show that if the entropy of such obstructions is smaller than the topological entropy of the map, then there is a unique measure of maximal entropy.
Jurisdictional Borderlands: Extraterritoriality and “Legal Chameleons” in Precolonial Alexandria, 1840–1870
Authors: Fahmy Ziad
Published: April 2013

This essay highlights the role of thousands of nineteenth-century Alexandrian residents with multiple extraterritorial legal identities. The manner with which extraterritoriality was practiced in Egypt effectively gave Western consulates legal jurisdiction not only over their citizens but also over all those able, through whatever means, to acquire protégé status. Many Alexandrians acquired legal protection from multiple consulates, shifting their legal identities in order to maximize their immediate social and economic interests. These legal realities present historians with the dilemma of how to account for and “classify” this highly flexible and syncretic society. I strive to answer this question through the use of a borderland lens. Realizing that the heart of Egypt's borderland society was legal has led me to consider the concept of “jurisdictional borderland” as a productive method for examining the complexity of Egypt's nineteenth-century heterogeneous population. I define a jurisdictional borderland as a significant contact zone where there are multiple, often competing legal authorities and where some level of jurisdictional ambiguity exists. Jurisdictional borderlanders have their own unique and independent agenda that often conflicts with many of the competing “national” or imperial positions. Without an allegiance to any single government—be it Egyptian, Ottoman, or Western—and living in a peripheral environment with multiple, separate, and often competing “national” institutions, these borderlanders thrived in the jurisdictional spaces created in between multiple authorities. I conclude by suggesting how a jurisdictional borderland lens is useful for globally investigating other colonial and precolonial cities, many of which had similar extraterritorial legal systems.
Turk and Jew in Berlin: The First Turkish Migration to Germany and the Shoah
Authors: Baer Marc David
Published: April 2013

In this paper I critically examine the conflation of Turk with Muslim, explore the Turkish experience of Nazism, and examine Turkey's relation to the darkest era of German history. Whereas many assume that Turks in Germany cannot share in the Jewish past, and that for them the genocide of the Jews is merely a borrowed memory, I show how intertwined the history of Turkey and Germany, Turkish and German anti-Semitism, and Turks and Jews are. Bringing together the histories of individual Turkish citizens who were Jewish or Dönme (descendants of Jews) in Nazi Berlin with the history of Jews in Turkey, I argue the categories “Turkish” and “Jewish” were converging identities in the Third Reich. Untangling them was a matter of life and death. I compare the fates of three neighbors in Berlin: Isaak Behar, a Turkish Jew stripped of his citizenship by his own government and condemned to Auschwitz; Fazli Taylan, a Turkish citizen and Dönme, whom the Turkish government exerted great efforts to save; and Eric Auerbach, a German Jew granted refuge in Turkey. I ask what is at stake for Germany and Turkey in remembering the narrative of the very few German Jews saved by Turkey, but in forgetting the fates of the far more numerous Turkish Jews in Nazi-era Berlin. I conclude with a discussion of the political effects today of occluding Turkish Jewishness by failing to remember the relationship between the first Turkish migration to Germany and the Shoah.
Illuminating Vestige: Amateur Archaeology and the Emergence of Historical Consciousness in Rural France
Authors: Hodges Matt
Published: April 2013

This article provides a historical ethnography of an abrupt and transient awakening of interest in Roman vestige during the 1970s in rural France, and explores its implications for comparative understanding of historical consciousness in Western Europe. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Languedoc, and particularly thecommuneof Monadières, it details a vogue for collecting pottery shards scattered in a nearby lagoon that developed among local inhabitants. The article frames this as a ritualized “expressive historicity” emergent from political economic restructuring, cultural transformation, and time-space compression. It analyses the catalyzing role of a historian who introduced discursive forms into thecommunefor symbolizing the shards, drawn from regionalist and socialist historiography, which local people adapted to rearticulate the historicity of lived experience as a novel, hybrid genre of “historical consciousness.” These activities are conceptualized as a “reverse historiography.” Elements of historiographical and archaeological discourses—for example, chronological depth, collation and evaluation of material relics—are reinvented to alternate ends, partly as a subversive “response” to contact with such discourses. The practice emerges as a mediation of distinct ways of apprehending the world at a significant historical juncture. Analysis explores the utility of new anthropological theories of “historicity”—an alternative to the established “historical idiom” for analyzing our relations with the past—which place historiography within the analytical frame, and enable consideration of the temporality of historical experience. Findings suggest that the alterity of popular Western cultural practices for invoking the past would reward further study.
Potential of entomopathogenic nematodes for the control of the banded fruit weevil,Phlyctinus callosus(Schönherr) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Authors: Ferreira T. , Malan A.P.
Published: April 2013

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) were evaluated for their potential use as biological control agents againstPhlyctinus callosus, the banded fruit weevil (BFW). The susceptibility of larvae and adults to EPN was evaluated using 400 infective juveniles (IJ) per insect after 4 days in 24-well bioassay trays. The nematode isolates used were all able to infect BFW, although the larvae were found to be more susceptible than were the adults. The percentage mortality for BFW larvae ranged from 41 to 73% and for BFW adults from 13 to 45%. The most effective isolate, SF41 ofHeterorhabditis zealandica, was used to investigate the effect of vertical movement of nematodes in sand and sandy loam soil, at specified concentration and temperature. A higher (82.2 ± 0.084%) percentage mortality rate was obtained with the sandy loam soil, than with the use of sand (67.5 ± 0.12%). The LD50and LD90values after 4 days of incubation were 96 and 278 IJ/50 μl, respectively. Nematodes were inactive below 15°C, with the highest mortality of 74 ± 0.081% for BFW larvae recorded at 25°C.Heterorhabditis zealandicawas able to complete its life cycle successfully in sixth-instar BFW larvae after a period of 22 days. The study showed BFW larvae not to be as susceptible to nematode infection as they need a high concentration (400 IJ/larva) and 4 days to give effective control.
Helminth communities in murid rodents from southern and northern localities in Lao PDR: the role of habitat and season
Authors: Pakdeenarong N. , Siribat P. , Chaisiri K. , Douangboupha B. , Ribas A. , Chaval Y. , Herbreteau V. , Morand S.
Published: April 2013

The helminth communities of wild murid rodents were investigated in Luang Prabang and Champasak province, Lao PDR. Thirteen species of rodents (404 individuals) were infected by 19 species of parasites (2 trematode, 3 cestode, 14 nematode species). Four of the recorded helminth species (Echinostoma malayanum,Raillietinasp.,Hymenolepis diminutaandH. nana)are known to cause potential zoonotic helminthiases of medical importance in the South-East Asian region. Individual helminth infection was significantly higher in the wet season. Habitat significantly influenced individual helminth species richness and individual helminth abudance, with a decrease of individual helminth species richness and individual helminth abundance from forest habitat to agricultural and human settlement habitats. The reduction of helminth diversity and abundance is discussed in relation to the ongoing increase of human influence on habitats in Lao PDR.
Effect of local use of l-carnitine after myringotomy on myringosclerosis development in rats
Authors: Vuralkan E , Tokgöz S Alicura , Simsek G , Koybasioglu F , Han U , Caliskan M , Besalti O , Akin I
Published: April 2013

Objectives:

This study aimed to investigate the effect of local and intraperitoneal administration of l-carnitine on the prevention of experimentally induced myringosclerosis, and to compare treatment efficiency.

Methods:

Twenty-four Albino-Wistar rats (48 ears) were bilaterally myringotomised and divided randomly into four groups: group one received no treatment, group two received intraperitoneal l-carnitine, group three received local l-carnitine, and group four received both intraperitoneal and local l-carnitine. On the 15th day after treatment, tympanic membranes were harvested and evaluated histopathologically for myringosclerotic plaque formation, fibroblastic proliferation, tympanic membrane thickness and new vessel formation.

Results:

The group one tympanic membranes showed extensive thickness, and the incidence of myringosclerosis and fibroblast proliferation were greater than in groups two and four. There were statistically significant differences in tympanic membrane thickness between groups three and four, and in myringosclerosis incidence and fibroblast proliferation, comparing groups two, three and four.

Conclusion:

Myringosclerosis development was significantly reduced in rats receiving myringotomy plus intraperitoneal l-carnitine. Intraperitoneal l-carnitine administration prevented fibroblastic proliferation and tympanic membrane thickening (both of which cause further tympanic membrane destruction), thus reducing myringotomy-associated morbidity. Local l-carnitine administration had limited effectiveness in this experimental setting.
Trophic ecology of abundant reef fish in a remote oceanic island: coupling diet and feeding morphology at the Juan Fernandez Archipelago, Chile
Authors: Ramírez Fabián , Pérez-Matus Alejandro , Eddy Tyler D. , Landaeta Mauricio F.
Published: April 2013

The trophic structure of organisms is an important aspect of the ecosystem as it describes how energy is transferred between different trophic levels. Here, we studied the diet and foraging ecology of 144 individuals belonging to five abundant fish species of subtidal habitats at Isla Robinson Crusoe. Sampling was conducted during the austral spring and summer of 2007 and 2008, respectively. The shallow subtidal habitat is mainly characterized by the abundance of two types of habitat: foliose algae and encrusting invertebrates. Diet and trophic characteristic of fishes were obtained by volumetric contribution and frequency of occurrence of each prey item. Of the five species studied, one is herbivorous (juvenile Scorpis chilensis), four are omnivores (Nemadactylus gayi, Malapterus reticulatus, Pseudocaranx chilensis and Scorpis chilensis adult), and one carnivore (Hypoplectrodes semicinctum). The dietary diversity index was relatively low compared to other temperate reef systems, which could indicate a low availability of prey items for coastal fishes. The morphological parameters indicated that cranial structures and pairs of pectoral fins influence the foraging behaviour. Differences in fin aspect ratio among species provided insight about fish depth distribution and feeding behaviour. These results suggest important adaptive changes in the depth gradient of fishes in the subtidal environments of this island. According to our records, this is the first attempt to characterize the trophic ecology of the subtidal fish assemblages at Juan Fernandez Archipelago, revealing the need for testing hypotheses related to selective traits that may enhance species coexistence in oceanic islands.
New approaches for understanding mechanisms of drug resistance in schistosomes
Authors: GREENBERG ROBERT M.
Published: April 2013

Schistosomes are parasitic flatworms that cause schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease that affects hundreds of millions worldwide. Treatment and control of schistosomiasis relies almost entirely on the single drug praziquantel (PZQ), making the prospect of emerging drug resistance particularly worrisome. This review will survey reports of PZQ (and other drug) resistance in schistosomes and other platyhelminths, and explore mechanisms by which drug resistance might develop. Newer genomic and post-genomic strategies that offer the promise of better understanding of how drug resistance might arise in these organisms will be discussed. These approaches could also lead to insights into the mode of action of these drugs and potentially provide markers for monitoring the emergence of resistance.
Exploration of 2, 4-diaminopyrimidine and 2, 4-diamino-s-triazine derivatives as potential antifilarial agents
Authors: SHARMA R. D. , BAG S. , TAWARI N. R. , DEGANI M. S. , GOSWAMI K. , REDDY M. V. R.
Published: April 2013

In view of the mandate from the World Health Organization (WHO) for developing novel drug candidates against human lymphatic filariasis, dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibitors are explored as potential antifilarial agents. The in vitro biological evaluation of an in-house library of 12 diverse antifolate compounds with 2,4-diaminopyrimidine and 2,4-diamino-s-triazine structural features against Brugia malayi is reported. To confirm the DHFR inhibitory potential of these compounds, reversal studies using folic acid and folinic acid were undertaken. Inhibition of DHFR can induce apoptosis; in this light, preliminary evidence of apoptosis by test compounds was detected using ethidium bromide–acridine orange staining and the poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition assay. Among the evaluated compounds, 3 showed significant activity against both microfilariae and adult worms. The effects of 2 of these compounds were mostly reversed by folic acid, validating DHFR inhibitory activity. Partial reversal of the effect of 2 compounds by folinic acid and non-reversal of the effect of the third compound both by folic and folinic acids are discussed. This study opens new avenues for the discovery of lead molecules by exploiting the folate pathway against one of the major neglected tropical diseases, filariasis.
SYMPOSIUM IN MEMORY OF G. A. COHEN (1941–2009)
Authors: Guala Francesco
Published: April 2013

Gerald Allen (‘Jerry’) Cohen was one of the most influential political philosophers of the latter half of the twentieth century. When he died in 2009 Cohen left behind not only a short book and various unpublished papers but an intellectual legacy that will remain alive for many years. Economics and Philosophy initially planned to organize a review symposium devoted to Cohen's posthumous publications (Cohen 2009, 2011, 2012). However, the reviews became articles and the original project turned into a larger symposium in memory of Cohen. The editors would like to thank Ian Carter, Paula Casal, Serena Olsaretti and Andrew Williams for working with us on that project as it gradually took shape. We all believe that this is a fitting way to honour a remarkable philosophical career inspired by an unrelenting political passion.
RESCUING JUSTICE AND EQUALITY FROM LIBERTARIANISM
Authors: Olsaretti Serena
Published: April 2013

One of the central motifs of G. A. Cohen's work was his opposition to capitalism in the name of justice. This motif was fully in view in Cohen's work on Robert Nozick's libertarianism: Cohen carefully reconstructed and relentlessly criticized Nozick's apologetics of the free market, which, he thought, was internally coherent but unconvincing. This article suggests that Cohen's opposition to libertarianism did not, however, go far enough, and identifies two respects in which Cohen's position could and should have been more critical of that philosophy.

The first concerns Cohen's negative agenda, that is, his critique of Nozick's libertarianism, the second Cohen's more positive agenda, the formulation of his egalitarian view. With regard to the first, this article argues that Cohen did not subject to full critical pressure the idea of self-ownership libertarians endorse, and consequently accorded it greater inequality-engendering power than libertarians may claim for it. With regard to the second point, this article suggests that Cohen implicitly assumed a market-friendly answer to the question of what consequences people who make choices should be held responsible for, which he could and should have questioned.
USABILITY OF DIGITAL MEDIA IN PATIENTS WITH COPD: A PILOT STUDY
Authors: Cheung Amy , Janssen Anton , Amft Oliver , Wouters Emiel F. M. , Spruit Martijn A.
Published: April 2013

Background: Digital media can be integrated in tele-monitoring solutions, serving as the main interface between the patient and the caregiver. Consequently, the selection of the most appropriate digital medium for the specified target group is critical to ensure compliance with the tele-monitoring system.

Objectives: This pilot study aims to gather insights from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on the ease-of-use, efficacy, effectiveness, and satisfaction of different types of digital media.

Methods: Five off-the-shelf digital media devices were tested on nine patients at CIRO+ in Horn, The Netherlands. Usability was evaluated by asking patients to use each device to answer questions related to their symptoms and health status. Subsequently, patients completed a paper-based device usability questionnaire, which assessed prior experience with digital media, device dimensions, device controllability, response speed, screen readability, ease-of-use, and overall satisfaction. After testing all the devices, patients ranked the devices according to their preference.

Results: We identified the netbook as the preferred type of device due to its good controllability, fast response time, and large screen size. The smartphone was the least favorite device as patients found the size of the screen to be too small, which made it difficult to interact with.

Conclusion: The pilot study has provided important insights to guide the selection of the most appropriate type of digital medium for implementation in tele-monitoring solutions for patients with COPD. As the digital medium is an important interface to the patient in tele-monitoring solutions, it is essential that patients feel motivated to interact with the digital medium on a regular basis.
The Carceral State and the Crucible of Black Politics: An Urban History of the Rockefeller Drug Laws
Authors: Fortner Michael Javen
Published: April 2013

While scholars have illuminated the effects of mass incarceration, the origins of the criminal justice policies that produced these outcomes remain unclear. Many explanations obscure as much as they reveal—in great measure because they either ignore or minimize the consequences of crime. Emphasizing the exploitation of white fears, the construction of black criminality, or the political strategies of Republican political elites, prevailing theories ignore black crime victims. In order to excavate the historical roots of the modern carceral state, this study traces the development of New York State's Rockefeller drug laws. Rather than beginning in Albany, this history focuses on Harlem, a community hit hardest by rising crime rates and drug addiction. Drawing upon a variety of primary sources, this study traces how African American activists framed and negotiated the incipient drug problem in their neighborhoods and interrogates the policy prescriptions they attached to indigenously constructed frames. It describes how middle-class African Americans facing the material threats of crime and crime-related problems drew upon the moral content of indigenous class categories to understand these threats and develop policy prescriptions. It reveals how the black middle class shaped the development of this punitive policy and played a crucial role in the development of mass incarceration.
Cultivating Virtue
Authors: Webber Jonathan
Published: April 2013

Ought you to cultivate your own virtue? Various philosophers have argued that there is something suspect about directing one's ethical attention towards oneself in this way. These arguments can be divided between those that deem aiming at virtue for its own sake to be narcissistic and those that consider aiming at virtue for the sake of good behaviour to involve a kind of doublethink. Underlying them all is the assumption that epistemic access to one's own character requires an external point of view that is, in principle, available to anyone. If cultivating virtue is concerned with forming one's dispositions as these appear to the external point of view, then these charges of narcissism and doublethink can be brought. However, there is another kind of access to one's own character. Since character is manifest in the practical structure of experience, reflection on that practical structure itself is reflection on one's character. Neither the charge of narcissism nor the charge of doublethink can be brought against this phenomenological cultivation of the practical structure of experience. Although not sufficient alone to provide all the information required for the task, phenomenological reflection is essential to the ethical cultivation of virtue.
Efficacy and safety of rasagiline as an adjunct to levodopa treatment in Chinese patients with Parkinson's disease: a randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled, multi-centre trial
Authors: Zhang Lina , Zhang Zhiqin , Chen Yangmei , Qin Xinyue , Zhou Huadong , Zhang Chaodong , Sun Hongbin , Tang Ronghua , Zheng Jinou , Yi Lin , Deng Liying , Li Jinfang
Published: April 2013

Rasagiline mesylate is a highly potent, selective and irreversible monoamine oxidase type B (MAOB) inhibitor and is effective as monotherapy or adjunct to levodopa for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, few studies have evaluated the efficacy and safety of rasagiline in the Chinese population. This study was designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of rasagiline as adjunctive therapy to levodopa treatment in Chinese PD patients. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multi-centre trial conducted over a 12-wk period that enrolled 244 PD patients with motor fluctuations. Participants were randomly assigned to oral rasagiline mesylate (1 mg) or placebo, once daily. Altogether, 219 patients completed the trial. Rasagiline showed significantly greater efficacy compared with placebo. During the treatment period, the primary efficacy variable – mean adjusted total daily off time – decreased from baseline by 1.7 h in patients treated with 1.0 mg/d rasagiline compared to placebo (p < 0.05). Scores using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale also improved during rasagiline treatment. Rasagiline was well tolerated. This study demonstrated that rasagiline mesylate is effective and well tolerated as an adjunct to levodopa treatment in Chinese PD patients with fluctuations.
Electrodynamic analysis of nanoantennas at millimeter and optical wavelength ranges
Authors: Lerer Alexander M. , Golovacheva Elena V. , Kleshchenkov Anatoly B. , Shurov Gennady A. , Makhno Pavel V. , Makhno Victoria V.
Published: April 2013

Electrodynamics models and radiophysical properties of carbon nanotube-dipoles (isolated on the substrate lattices), metallic optical antennas and optical antennas, formed from ZnO nanorods coated with metal films were developed and investigated. The models are based on numerically analytical solution of integrodifferential equations describing the diffraction of electromagnetic waves on impedance and dielectric bodies. The use of integral representations of the kernels of integrodifferential equations allowed us to overcome the difficulties of solution, associated with the singularity of kernels and to reduce the computation time by an order of magnitude.
Compact multiband printed-IFA on electromagnetic band-gap structures for wireless applications
Authors: Elsheakh Dalia M. , Abdallah Esmat A.
Published: April 2013

Fourth generation mobiles require multi-standard operating handsets with small physical size as well as increasing demand for higher data rates. Compact multi-band printed inverted-F antennas (IFA) for available wireless communications are proposed in this paper. New design of printed IFA based on uniplanar compact electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structure concept is proposed. A printed-IFA with L-load shaped over an artificial ground plane is designed as the main antenna to cover most wireless applications such as GSM, LTE, UMTS, Bluetooth, Wimax, and WLAN. The multi-band is created by means of an EBG structure that is used as a ground plane. Different shapes of uniplanar EBG such as ring, split ring resonator, and spiral rather than mushroom-like structure are investigated. The proposed antenna is built on the uniplanar EBG ground plane with size of 35 × 45 mm2, which is suitable for most of the mobile devices.
Specific phosphorylation of the PfRh2b invasion ligand of Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Engelberg Klemens , Paul Aditya S. , Prinz Boris , Kono Maya , Ching Wilhelm , Heincke Dorothee , Dobner Thomas , Spielmann Tobias , Duraisingh Manoj T. , Gilberger Tim-Wolf
Published: April 2013

Red blood cell invasion by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum relies on a complex protein network that uses low and high affinity receptor–ligand interactions. Signal transduction through the action of specific kinases is a control mechanism for the orchestration of this process. In the present study we report on the phosphorylation of the CPD (cytoplasmic domain) of P. falciparum Rh2b (reticulocyte homologue protein 2b). First, we identified Ser3233 as the sole phospho-acceptor site in the CPD for in vitro phosphorylation by parasite extract. We provide several lines of evidence that this phosphorylation is mediated by PfCK2 (P. falciparum casein kinase 2): phosphorylation is cAMP independent, utilizes ATP as well as GTP as phosphate donors, is inhibited by heparin and tetrabromocinnamic acid, and is mediated by purified PfCK2. We raised a phospho-specific antibody and showed that Ser3233 phosphorylation occurs in the parasite prior to host cell egress. We analysed the spatiotemporal aspects of this phosphorylation using immunoprecipitated endogenous Rh2b and minigenes expressing the CPD either at the plasma or rhoptry membrane. Phosphorylation of Rh2b is not spatially restricted to either the plasma or rhoptry membrane and most probably occurs before Rh2b is translocated from the rhoptry neck to the plasma membrane.