bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Non‐immune hydrops fetalis: A prospective study of 53 cases
Authors: Moreno Carolina A. , Kanazawa Thatiane , Barini Ricardo , Nomura Marcelo L. , Andrade Kléber C. , Gomes Cristiane P. , Heinrich Juliana K. , Giugliani Roberto , Burin Maira , Cavalcanti Denise P.
Published: August 2013

Non‐immune hydrops fetalis (NIHF) is a symptom caused by a heterogeneous group of conditions. Diagnostic investigations may constitute a real challenge. This study aimed to evaluate prospectively and systematically a series of NIHF cases using a research protocol expanded for studying inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) during 2 years—2010 and 2011. We also reviewed the frequency of IEM among the NIHF reported in literature. A clinical or etiopathogenic diagnosis was reached in 46 (86.8%) of the 53 studied cases. The main diagnostic groups were chromosomal anomalies (28.3%), syndromic (18.9%), isolated cardiovascular anomaly (7.5%) and congenital infection (7.5%). Metabolic causes were found in 5.7%, all lysosomal storage disorders (LSD). In seven (13.2%), no diagnosis was found in part because of incomplete evaluation. The hydrops was identified prenatally in 90.5% of cases. In 5.7% a spontaneous and complete resolution of the hydrops occurred during pregnancy. Overall mortality was 75.5%. The IEM frequency in the present study (5.7%) was higher than that usually reported. We suggest performing studies directed to IEMs if the more common causes are excluded. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Evidence for replicative mechanism in a CHD7 rearrangement in a patient with CHARGE syndrome
Authors: Vatta Matteo , Niu Zhiyv , Lupski James R. , Putnam Philip , Spoonamore Katherine G. , Fang Ping , Eng Christine M. , Willis Alecia S.
Published: August 2013

Haploinsufficiency of CHD7 (OMIM# 608892) is known to cause CHARGE syndrome (OMIM# 214800). Molecular testing supports a definitive diagnosis in approximately 65–70% of cases. Most CHD7 mutations arise de novo, and no mutations affecting exon‐7 have been reported to date. We report on an 8‐year‐old girl diagnosed with CHARGE syndrome that was referred to our laboratory for comprehensive CHD7 gene screening. Genomic DNA from the subject with a suspected diagnosis of CHARGE was isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes and comprehensive Sanger sequencing, along with deletion/duplication analysis of the CHD7 gene using multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification (MLPA), was performed. MLPA analysis identified a reduced single probe signal for exon‐7 of the CHD7 gene consistent with potential heterozygous deletion. Long‐range PCR breakpoint analysis identified a complex genomic rearrangement (CGR) leading to the deletion of exon‐7 and breakpoints consistent with a replicative mechanism such as fork stalling and template switching (FoSTeS) or microhomology‐mediated break‐induced replication (MMBIR). Taken together this represents the first evidence for a CHD7 intragenic CGR in a patient with CHARGE syndrome leading to what appears to be also the first report of a mutation specifically disrupting exon‐7. Although likely rare, CGR may represent an overlooked mechanism in subjects with CHARGE syndrome that can be missed by current sequencing and dosage assays. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Preserved white matter integrity is a marker of familial longevity
Authors: Altmann‐Schneider Irmhild , de Craen Anton J. M. , Veer Ilya M. , van den Berg‐Huysmans Annette A. , Slagboom P. Eline , Westendorp Rudi G. J. , van Buchem Mark A. , van der Grond Jeroen ,   the Leiden Longevity Study Group
Published: August 2013

Objective

Brain tissue integrity is highly heritable, and its decline is a common phenomenon of ageing. This study aimed to determine whether the phenotype of familial longevity is marked by a relative preservation of brain tissue microstructure.

Methods

Participants were enrolled in the Leiden Longevity Study. In total, 185 middle‐aged to elderly offspring of nonagenarian siblings, who were enriched for familial factors of longevity, were contrasted with 171 environment‐ and age‐matched controls. All subjects underwent 3T whole brain magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging.

Results

Voxel‐wise analysis revealed widespread age‐related decrease of white matter fractional anisotropy and increases of axial, radial, and mean diffusivity (all p < 0.003). Offspring showed higher mean white matter fractional anisotropy (mean [standard error]: offspring, 0.3232 [0.0009]; controls, 0.3212 [0.0009]; p = 0.04) compared to control subjects independent of cardiovascular risk factors. When differences in white matter diffusion parameters between offspring and control subjects were assessed voxel‐wise, offspring showed higher white matter fractional anisotropy and lower white matter radial diffusivity predominantly in the callosal genu and body (both p < 0.003). With the effect of chronological age on white matter microstructure taken into account, offspring can be considered 4.5 years “biologically younger” compared to control subjects with regard to white matter integrity.

Interpretation

Both middle‐aged to elderly offspring of nonagenarian siblings and control subjects show common age‐related decline of white matter integrity, but it is less marked in the callosal genu and body in the offspring. This corresponds to a biological age benefit of 4.5 years of the offspring as compared to the control subjects. Ann Neurol 2013;74:883–892
Coupled Enzymatic Alcohol‐to‐Amine Conversion of Isosorbide using Engineered Transaminases and Dehydrogenases
Authors: Lerchner Alexandra , Achatz Stefan , Rausch Christian , Haas Thomas , Skerra Arne
Published: August 2013

A matching dehydrogenase and transaminase pair was engineered with regard to substrate recognition, catalytic activity, and cofactor specificity with the final goal to convert the bicyclic dialcohol isosorbide into a diamine by a multistep biocatalytic process. Individual catalytic turnover rates as well as coupled conversion to the amine were investigated for the enzymes in analytical assays that used the substrate isosorbide and different intermediates along the multiple pathway reaction cascade, in particular, stereoisomers of hydroxy ketones, amino alcohols, and amino ketones. For parallel screening and evaluation of mutant enzymes with regard to catalytic activities and optimal reaction conditions, a robotic platform was established that comprised all steps from bacterial protein expression to the enzymatic assay. As a result, we present a three‐enzyme system composed of L. aquatica levodione reductase, an engineered P. denitrificans ω‐aminotransferase, and B. subtilis alanine dehydrogenase that catalyzes formation of the isosorbide monoamine with a yield of up to ≈7 % under our analytical assay conditions. After further optimization and adaptation to whole‐cell catalysis, this enzyme system may open a biotechnologically attractive route to a structurally rigid diamine for the production of biosynthetic polymer materials.
Polymer‐ and Ionic Liquid‐Containing Palladium: Recoverable Soluble Cross‐Coupling Catalysts
Authors: Navalón Sergio , Álvaro Mercedes , García Hermenegildo
Published: August 2013

Phosphine, palladacycle, and N‐heterocyclic carbene palladium complexes are highly active homogeneous catalysts that can promote a wide range of CC and CN cross‐coupling reactions. An evolution from homogeneous catalysis has been to anchor these complexes in a platform in such a way that the catalytic reaction still occurs in homogeneous phase, but the palladium complex can be recovered at the end of the reaction and reused to promote consecutive reactions. In the present review we describe those strategies to develop palladium complexes anchored to soluble polymers and ionic liquids showing the advantages and limitations of this approach to develop recyclable palladium catalysts.
Fabrication of ZIF‐8@SiO2 Core–Shell Microspheres as the Stationary Phase for High‐Performance Liquid Chromatography
Authors: Fu Yan‐Yan , Yang Cheng‐Xiong , Yan Xiu‐Ping
Published: August 2013

The unique features of high porosity, shape selectivity, and multiple active sites make metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) promising as novel stationary phases for high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). However, the wide particle size distribution and irregular shape of conventional MOFs lead to lower column efficiency of such MOF‐packed columns. Herein, the fabrication of monodisperse MOF@SiO2 core–shell microspheres as the stationary phase for HPLC to overcome the above‐mentioned problems is reported. Zeolitic imidazolate framework 8 (ZIF‐8) was used as an example of MOFs due to its permanent porosity, uniform pore size, and exceptional chemical stability. Unique carboxyl‐modified silica spheres were used as the support to grow the ZIF‐8 shell. The fabricated monodisperse ZIF‐8@SiO2 packed columns (5 cm long × 4.6 mm i.d.) show high column efficiency (23 000 plates m−1 for bisphenol A) for the HPLC separation of endocrine‐disrupting chemicals (bisphenol A, β‐estradiol, and p‐(tert‐octyl)phenol) and pesticides (thiamethoxam, hexaflumuron, chlorantraniliprole, and pymetrozine) within 7 min with good relative standard deviations for 11 replicate separations of the analytes (0.01–0.39, 0.65–1.7, 0.70–1.3, and 0.17–0.91 % for retention time, peak area, peak height, and half peak width, respectively). The ZIF‐8@SiO2 microspheres combine the advantages of the good column packing properties of the uniform monodisperse silica microspheres and the separation ability of the ZIF‐8 crystals.
PCy3‐Catalyzed Ring Expansion of Aziridinofullerenes with CO2 and Aryl Isocyanates: Evidence for a Two Consecutive Nucleophilic Substitution Pathway on the Fullerene Cage
Authors: Takeda Youhei , Kawai Hajime , Minakata Satoshi
Published: August 2013

A PCy3‐catalyzed ring‐expansion reaction of aziridine‐fused fullerenes (aziridinofullerenes) through the insertion of CO2 and aryl isocyanates is disclosed. The reaction allows for CO2 fixation by aziridinofullerenes, producing oxazolidinone‐fused fullerenes (oxazolidinofullerenes) in high yields, whereas treatment with aryl isocyanates led to a new fullerene family—imidazolidinone‐fused fullerenes (imidazolidinofullerenes)—in good to high yields. Furthermore, a mechanistically related unprecedented fullerenyl phosphonium salt was successfully isolated. Using the isolated salt, mechanistic studies were also investigated.
Degradation kinetics of some phenolic compounds in subcritical water and radical scavenging activity of their degradation products
Authors: Khuwijitjaru Pramote , Plernjit Jiraporn , Suaylam Boonyanuch , Samuhaseneetoo Suched , Pongsawatmanit Rungnaphar , Adachi Shuji
Published: August 2013

The degradation of 10 phenolic compounds including 9 phenolic acids (caffeic, chlorogenic, p‐coumaric, gallic, gentisic, p‐hydroxybenzoic, protocatechuic, syringic and vanillic acids) and one flavanol (catechin) in subcritical water at the initial concentration of 100 mg/L was investigated in a temperature range of 100–250°C for 30–120 min in a batch‐type vessel. The degradation process followed the first‐order kinetics model. After treatment at 250°C for 30 min, all the compounds completely disappeared. We also demonstrated that the subcritical water treatment of some phenolic compounds, especially, caffeic acid, resulted in products that were quite stable at high temperature and exhibited a high DPPH radical scavenging activity, that is retaining about 50% of the DPPH radical scavenging activity compared to the original caffeic acid solution after the treatment at 250°C for 120 min.
Seasonal Dynamics of Rhizosphere Soil Microbial Abundances and Enzyme Activities under Different Vegetation Types in the Coastal Zone, Shandong, China
Authors: Zhang Li‐Hua , Song Lu‐Ping , Xu Gang , Chen Peng , Sun Jun‐Na , Shao Hong‐Bo
Published: August 2013

Microbial community responses to alternative management may be indicative of soil quality change. In this study, soils were collected from research plots over one year. The rhizosphere soils were studied by measuring microbial abundance (bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, and ammonifiers), enzyme activities (invertase, catalase, urease, and phosphatase), and their relationship. Rhizosphere microbial abundance of different plant species varied greatly across seasons. The rhizosphere environment generated by Phragmites australis and Echinochloa crus‐galli is suitable for microbial growth. In addition, the significant differences in rhizosphere enzyme activities of different plant species across seasons were also observed. There was a significant linear correlation between rhizosphere soil enzyme activities and microbial abundances except for between bacteria and catalase and between fungi and urease, but no such significant relationship was found between all rhizosphere soil microbial abundance and phosphatase except between fungi and acid phosphatase. We concluded that different plant species in coastal areas have different rhizosphere soils, due to the impact of the different root exudates and plant residues of the microbial properties.
Measuring Landscape Connectivity in a Urban Area for Biological Conservation
Authors: Yu Deyong , Liu Yupeng , Xun Bin , Shao Hongbo
Published: August 2013

Biodiversity conservation in urbanized area is an increasing challenge worldwide. A quantitative tool is needed to provide a spatially explicit representation of habitat mosaics and thus afford insight into the ecological consequences of landscape changes. We developed a method for identifying core habitats and generating a cost surface that was used to identify both the permeability of the landscape matrix and the quality of core habitats and then we developed a least‐cost model to delimit the links between pairs of core habitats. We defined a graph‐theoretic dispersal flow index to measure the dispersal potential of certain ecological processes, i.e. functional connectivity. A network consisting of core habitats and links was assembled in the rapid urbanized Shenzhen City of China. The results showed that the cell‐based least‐cost distance calculation between the core habitats can avoid the subjectivity of land cover‐based approaches that rely on expert experience. A highly connected network can facilitate DF and reduce the ecological risk of extinction due to habitat fragmentation. For saving construction cost in the urban environment, urban planner can efficiently design ecological corridors along the least‐cost paths to connect isolated core habitats and promote appropriate animal behaviors. The methodology described here will be useful in making better conservation decisions and predictions regarding the consequences of human activity and thereby promote sustainable development.
Establishing Consistent van der Waals Volumes of Polyatomic Ions from Crystal Structures
Authors: Beichel Witali , Eiden Philipp , Krossing Ingo
Published: August 2013

Based on temperature (T) dependent crystal structure data of seven organic salts, a radii‐based scheme for the calculation of the van der Waals volume (Vvdw) is analyzed. The obtained volumes (Vvdw,r, r=radius‐based) are nearly T independent. An ion volume partitioning scheme is proposed by fixing the anion volumes of [Cl]−, [Br]−, [I]−, [BF4]−, [PF6]−, [OTf]− and [NTf2]−. The van der Waals volumes (Vvdw,r+/−) of 48 ions are established, with low standard deviations (0.2–3.6 Å3, 0.1–4.5 % of Vvdw,r+/−). The ion volumes are independent of the counterion and one crystal structure already suffices for their derivation. Correlations of the viscosity with Vvdw,r via a Litovitz ansatz and our recently derived Arrhenius‐type approach prove that these volumes are suitable for the volume‐based description and prediction of IL properties. The corresponding correlation coefficient for the latter is R2=0.86 for 40 ILs (354 data points) in the T range of 253–373 K.
Aging and intellectual disability: Insights from mouse models of down syndrome
Authors: Ruparelia Aarti , Pearn Matthew L. , Mobley William C.
Published: August 2013

Down syndrome (DS) is one of many causes of intellectual disability (ID), others including but not limited to, fetal alcohol syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, Williams syndrome, hypoxia, and infection. Down syndrome is characterized by a number of neurobiological problems resulting in learning and memory deficits and early onset Alzheimer's disease. The cognitive impairment in people with DS is virtually universal but varies considerably with respect to expressivity and severity. Significant advances in medical treatment and social inclusion have increased longevity in people with DS resulting in an increased aging population, thus highlighting the significance of early onset of dementia and the importance of identifying pharmacotherapies to treat DS‐associated health complications in adults. Given its prevalence and established mouse models, this review will focus on ID in the DS population; specifically, the superimposed effect of aging on the complications already manifest in DS adults and the cognitive insights gained from studies on mouse models of DS. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Disabil Res Rev 2013;18:43–50
Atypical aging in down syndrome
Authors: Zigman Warren B.
Published: August 2013

At present, there may be over 210,000 people with Down syndrome (DS) over the age of 55 in the United States (US) who have significant needs for augmented services due to circumstances related to ordinary and/or pathological aging. From 1979 through 2003, the birth prevalence of DS rose from 9.0 to 11.8 (31.1%) per 10,000 live births in 10 representative US regions. This increase, largely due to women conceiving after age 35, portends an ever‐growing population of people with DS who may be subject to pathogenic aging. Whereas Trisomy 21 is one of the most widespread genetic causes of intellectual disability (ID), it still is one of the least understood of all genetic ID syndromes. While longevity in people with DS has improved appreciably in as modest a period as 30 years, age‐specific risk for mortality still is considerably increased compared both with other people with ID or with the typically developing population. The penetrance of the phenotype is widely distributed, even though a consistent genotype is assumed in 95% of the cases. Some, but not all body systems, exhibit signs of premature or accelerated aging. This may be due to both genetic and epigenetic inheritance. We now know that the long‐term outcome for people with DS is not as ominous as once contemplated; a number of people with DS are living into their late 60s and 70s with few if any major signs of pathogenic aging. Alzheimer's disease (AD), a devastating disease that robs a person of their memory, abilities and personality, is particularly common in elder adults with DS, but is not a certainty as originally thought, some 20% to 30% of elder adults with DS might never show any, or at most mild signs of AD. DS has been called a mature well‐understood syndrome, not in need of further research or science funding. We are only beginning to understand how epigenetics affects the phenotype and it may be feasible in the future to alter the phenotype through epigenetic interventions. This chapter is divided into two sections. The first section will review typical and atypical aging patterns in somatic issues in elder adults with DS; the second section will review the multifaceted relationship between AD and DS. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Disabil Res Rev 2013;18:51–67.
A new CAC and packet scheduling scheme for mobile WiMAX networks
Authors: Saddoud Ahlem , Fourati Lamia Chaari , Kamoun Lotfi
Published: August 2013

As the wireless network technology evolves,IEEE802.16 standard, also known WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) appears as a great competitor to GSM, 3G, evenIEEE802.11 networks. The coverage of this technology is expanded up to 50 km. It is claimed to provide a transmission rate up to 70 Mbps while respecting the QoS (Quality of Service) mechanism. However, the call admission control (CAC), scheduling and bandwidth allocation mechanisms were not defined and left as an open issue. In this paper, we introduce a CAC scheme and a scheduling algorithm forIEEE802.16e MobileWIMAX. An efficient token bucket based CAC and uplink packet scheduling scheme is introduced in order to satisfy bandwidth guarantees to all service flow and delay guarantees to real time service flows. The proposed solution is practical and compatible to theIEEE802.16 standard as it provides the QoS of different traffic classes especially best effort traffic by avoiding its starvation as is specified in major previous works. An analytical model and simulation results are developed in order to validate the proposed CAC scheme and the scheduling algorithm. By numerical results, we show that our proposed scheme is compatible to theIEEE802.16 standard as it performs significantly the best effort traffic without violating QoS performance of other service classes.Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Primary lymphoma of the central nervous system—a diagnostic challenge
Authors: Deckert Martina , Brunn Anna , Montesinos‐Rongen Manuel , Terreni Maria Rosa , Ponzoni Maurilio
Published: August 2013

Primary lymphoma of the central nervous system is a distinct diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma confined to the nervous system. Whereas classical cases can be classified easily, differential diagnosis can be a challenge in particular in patients who had received treatment prior to biopsy. In the differential diagnosis, other tumours and inflammatory diseases of autoimmune and infectious aetiology need to be considered. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multiyear measurements of ebullitive methane flux from three subarctic lakes
Authors: Wik Martin , Crill Patrick M. , Varner Ruth K. , Bastviken David
Published: August 2013

Ebullition (bubbling) from small lakes and ponds at high latitudes is an important yet unconstrained source of atmospheric methane (CH4). Small water bodies are most abundant in permanently frozen peatlands, and it is speculated that their emissions will increase as the permafrost thaws. We made 6806 measurements of CH4 ebullition during four consecutive summers using a total of 40 bubble traps that were systematically distributed across the depth zones of three lakes in a sporadic permafrost landscape in northernmost Sweden. We identified significant spatial and temporal variations in ebullition and observed a large spread in the bubbles' CH4 concentration, ranging from 0.04% to 98.6%. Ebullition followed lake temperatures, and releases were significantly larger during periods with decreasing atmospheric pressure. Although shallow zone ebullition dominated the seasonal bubble CH4 flux, we found a shift in the depth dependency towards higher fluxes from intermediate and deep zones in early fall. The average daily flux of 13.4 mg CH4 m−2 was lower than those measured in most other high‐latitude lakes. Locally, however, our study lakes are a substantial CH4 source; we estimate that 350 kg of CH4 is released via ebullition during summer (June–September), which is approximately 40% of total whole year emissions from the nearby peatland. In order to capture the large variability and to accurately scale lake CH4 ebullition temporally and spatially, frequent measurements over long time periods are critical.
Raman spectroscopy can discriminate distinct glioma subtypes as defined by RNA expression profiling
Authors: Jachtenberg Jan‐Willem , Schut Tom Bakker , French Pim , Kros Max , Lamfers Martine , Leenstra Sieger
Published: August 2013

Raman spectroscopy is a molecular spectroscopic technique that can measure the molecular composition of tissue samples within seconds without any extraction processes or dyes. In microbiology, Raman spectroscopy is used to identify bacteriae. In glioblastoma tissue, it was reported that necrosis, normal brain and tumor can be discriminated using Raman spectroscopy. Therefore, we hypothesized that Raman spectroscopy could discriminate glioblastoma tissue from different glioma subtypes defined by RNA expression profiling.

We analyzed 20 glioma samples from two distinct molecular subtypes. Both subtypes consisted of glioblastoma samples showing a variety in glioma grading and typing.

The Raman spectroscopic results could be grouped in two distinct clusters in an unsupervised cluster analysis. Further analysis of these clusters showed that they were fully congruent with the two clusters as defined by RNA expression profiling.

Conclusion: our results demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy can discriminate between different molecular subtypes of glioma and, therefore, may prove to be a valuable tool in in vitro cancer research. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Soil Surface‐Active Fauna in Degraded and Restored Lands of Northeast Brazil
Authors: de Araújo Ademir Sérgio Ferreira , Eisenhauer Nico , Nunes Luís Alfredo Pinheiro Leal , Leite Luiz Fernando Carvalho , Cesarz Simone
Published: August 2013

Land degradation reducing vegetation cover may affect the soil surface‐active fauna because both aboveground and belowground invertebrates depend on complex plant communities. In this study, we evaluated the effect of land degradation and restoration on soil fauna in northeast Brazil. Sites differed in degradation status: native vegetation, moderately degraded land, highly degraded land, and land under restoration for 4 years. Araneae and Coleoptera densities were significantly higher in natural vegetation and restored land (8 ± 4 ind./trap and 41 ± 21 ind./trap, respectively) than in degraded lands (−73% and −81%, respectively). The density of Formicidae was significantly higher in natural vegetation (206 ± 181 ind./trap) than in highly degraded land (32 ± 24 ind./trap), while restored land (51 ± 10 ind./trap) and moderately degraded land (37 ± 14 ind./trap) did not differ significantly from the other degradation levels. The density of Orthoptera did not follow the aforementioned patterns, while invertebrate groups mostly had highest densities in natural land and restored land. Linear regressions showed a strong negative relation between faunal density and soil bulk density, and a positive relation with soil organic matter due to an increase in plant cover. Our results indicate that land degradation simplifies soil surface‐active invertebrate communities with pronounced decreases in the density of Araneae, Coleoptera, and Formicidae, but that land restoration practices may recover the density of soil fauna even after only 4 years. Araneae, Coleoptera, and Formicidae respond sensitively to land degradation and restoration practice and are suggested as indicator groups for restoration success. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Unexamined Relationship Between Neoliberalism and Plurilingualism: A Cautionary Tale
Authors: Flores Nelson
Published: August 2013

In recent years,TESOLscholars have offered both explicit and implicit critiques of language ideologies developed within nationalist frameworks that positioned monolingualism in a standardized national language as the desired outcome for all citizens. These scholars have used insights from both the social and the natural sciences to call into question static conceptualizations of language and have reconceptualized language pedagogy in ways that place the fluid and dynamic language practices of bilingual students at the center of instruction. This dynamic turn inTESOLhas informed the emergence of plurilingualism as a policy ideal among language education scholars in the European Union. This article argues that this shift in the field ofTESOLparallels the characteristics of the ideal neoliberal subject that fits the political and economic context of the current sociohistorical period—in particular, the desire for flexible workers and lifelong learners to perform service‐oriented and technological jobs as part of a post‐Fordist political economy. These parallels indicate a need for a more critical treatment of the concept of plurilingualism to avoid complicity with the promotion of a covert neoliberal agenda. The article ends with a framework forTESOLthat works against the grain of neoliberal governance.
Genome-wide Association Studies in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Review
Authors: Tosto Giuseppe , Reitz Christiane
Published: August 2013

Over the past decade, research aiming to disentangle the genetic underpinnings of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease has mostly focused on the identification of common variants through genome-wide association studies. The identification of several new susceptibility genes through these efforts has reinforced the importance of amyloid precursor protein and tau metabolism in the cause of the disease and has implicated immune response, inflammation, lipid metabolism, endocytosis/intracellular trafficking, and cell migration in the cause of the disease. Ongoing and future large-scale genome-wide association studies, translational studies, and next-generation whole genome or whole exome sequencing efforts, hold the promise to map the specific causative variants in these genes, to identify several additional risk variants, including rare and structural variants, and to identify novel targets for genetic testing, prevention, and treatment.
Loneliness trajectories
Authors: van Dulmen Manfred H.M. , Goossens Luc
Published: August 2013

This special section brings together five studies using group‐based modeling to capture developmental trajectories of loneliness from age 7 through age 20. Together, the findings from these studies provide further evidence that developmental trajectories of loneliness are likely not best understood at a continuum but reflect distinct subpopulations that differ both where they start out and how they change over time in terms of mean levels of loneliness. Furthermore, adolescents who show chronically high loneliness or increasing loneliness over time exhibit poorer psychological and physical health, including greater incidence of depressive symptoms and more frequent suicide attempts. The findings from these studies also suggest that individuals experiencing increases in loneliness with age fare worse as well in terms of both physical and psychological health.
Social Development in Children with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Parkinson Samantha , McLean Sara
Published: August 2013

Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) develop when unborn children are exposed to alcohol prenatally. As a result of this exposure, children with FASD exhibit a range of social, behavioural, cognitive and even physical deficits that can impede their life-long development. These deficits can be influenced by maltreatment and the instability resulting from being placed into out-of-home care, and/or multiple foster-care placement breakdowns. The aim of this article is to increase awareness amongst child welfare professionals of how prenatal alcohol exposure impacts on children's social development. Social deficits include problems with social cognition and social information processing, which result in issues in social problem solving, processing social cues, social judgement, and developing and maintaining relationships. These deficits leave children with a FASD vulnerable to victimisation, exploitation, peer pressure and, as a result, interaction with the criminal justice system. Deficits are life-long and become more pronounced with age, although early detection and intervention appears to improve social skills deficits. Such interventions need to be explored further as they could potentially mitigate some of these deficits by capitalising on the neuroplasticity of a child's developing brain and pave a more positive trajectory for these children's future.
Beneficial effects of β-conglycinin on renal function and nephrin expression in early streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy rats
Authors: Yang Hsin-Yi , Wu Lin-Yi , Yeh Wan-Ju , Chen Jiun-Rong
Published: August 2013

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of β-conglycinin and soya isoflavones on diabetic nephropathy (DN). DN was induced by an intravenous injection of streptozotocin (25 mg/kg) in spontaneously hypertensive rats. DN rats were divided into a non-diabetic group (C, control group) and three DN groups (D, DN with control diet; B, DN+control diet with one-eighth of casein replaced by β-conglycinin as the protein source; and I, DN+control diet with 0·01 % soya isoflavones). After a 4-week experimental period, we found that fasting blood sugar and plasma and kidney advanced glycation end product levels and 24 h urinary protein excretion of the B group were significantly lower than those of the D group and insulin sensitivity and nephrin expression of the B group were significantly higher than those of the D group. In addition, systolic blood pressure, angiotensin-converting enzyme activity, angiotensin II level and plasma TAG level of the B group were significantly lower than those of the D group, whereas only the levels of plasma TAG and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances of the I group were lower than those of the D group. In conclusion, β-conglycinin may be beneficial for retarding DN progression and this effect cannot be completely explained by its isoflavone content.
Divisible Good Auctions with Asymmetric Information: An Experimental Examination
Authors: Morales-Camargo Emmanuel , Sade Orly , Schnitzlein Charles , Zender Jaime F.
Published: August 2013

An experimental approach is used to compare bidding behavior and auction performance in uniform-price and discriminatory auctions when there is incomplete information concerning the common value of the auctioned good. In a symmetric information environment, the different auction formats provide the same average revenue. However, when information is asymmetric the discriminatory auction results in higher average revenue than the uniform-price auction. The volatility of revenue is higher in the uniform-price auctions in all treatments. The results, therefore, provide support for the use of the discriminatory format. Subject characteristics and measures of experience in recent auctions are found to be useful in explaining bidding behavior.
Exploring Japan's Ainu policy in the light of human rights law: a reply to the commentary on my papers from Dr. Naohiro Nakamura
Authors: Maruyama Hiroshi
Published: August 2013

In order to explore further Japan's Ainu policy, this reply firstly outlines the differences in opinions that between Dr. Nakamura and myself, and secondly addresses some of the main points of my paper published in this journal. Dr. Nakamura takes into consideration domestic circumstances instead of international human rights law, while I emphasise that Japan's international obligations lies in its adherence to international human rights law and that domestic law must conform to international obligations for the Ainu. My paper chronologically summarises Japan's post-war Ainu policy and investigates who and what has influenced this policy and the law.
Developing a framework for using E-portfolios as a research and assessment tool
Authors: Shin Sun-young
Published: August 2013

As Tarone (1998) stated, an understanding of interlanguage variation in relation to contextual changes has been a key issue in both second language acquisition (SLA) and language assessment (LA) research. Research on interlanguage variation has shown that systematic variation is often evidenced when different phonological and syntactic forms are examined across contexts. Such systematic variation has raised important questions about the distinction between competence and performance, and generalizability of results beyond the research elicitation tasks or test tasks in SLA and LA research. However, most previous studies that have examined this issue are based on cross-sectional data with a focus on between-group differences rather than within-individual differences across different contexts. Such limited data often make it difficult for researchers to understand individual developmental trends in interlanguage as well as to interpret context effects on the learner's spoken and written language data. Electronic (E)-portfolios may address this limitation by serving as a valuable research and assessment tool for collecting and storing an individual learner's language samples obtained across different tasks over time. The technology may also enhance the situational and interactional authenticity of tasks by including multi-media input and constructed response tasks. However, it is not clear how tasks in E-portfolios can be constructed to represent various linguistic and situational contexts, and how they could be systematically evaluated and scored. In that vein, this article addresses a number of limitations of existing E-portfolios as a research and assessment tool, and offers recommendations and suggestions for future research.
Increase in Psychotropic Drug Deliveries after the Xynthia Storm, France, 2010
Authors: Motreff Yvon , Pirard Philippe , Goria Sarah , Labrador Boris , Gourier-Fréry Claire , Nicolau Javier , Le Tertre Alain , Chan-Chee Christine
Published: August 2013

Introduction

During the night of February 27 and the early morning of February 28, 2010, 15 coastal municipalities situated in two French departments, Vendée and Charente-Maritime, were violently stricken by a severe windstorm named “Xynthia.” This storm caused the death of 12 individuals in Charente-Maritime and 29 people in Vendée. Houses, agricultural fields, and shellfish companies were severely flooded with seawater. Several thousand people temporarily had to leave their homes. The objective of this study was to estimate the short-term mental health impact of Xynthia, in terms of psychotropic drug delivery, on the resident population of the 15 coastal municipalities severely hit by the flooding.

Methods

The French national health insurance database was used to calculate a daily number of new psychotropic treatments from September 1, 2008 through December 24, 2010. New treatments were calculated for each of the following European Pharmaceutical Marketing Research Association (EphMRA) classes: tranquilizers (N05C), hypnotics (N05B), and antidepressants (N06A). A period of three weeks following the storm was defined as the exposure period. A generalized additive model with a Poisson distribution that allows for over-dispersion was used to analyze the correlation between the Xynthia variable and the number of new psychotropic treatments.

Results

With a relative risk (RR) of 1.54 (95% CI, 1.39-1.62) corresponding to an estimate of 409 new deliveries of psychotropic drugs during the three weeks following the storm, this study confirms the importance of the psychological impact of Xynthia. This impact is seen on all three classes of psychotropic drugs studied. The impact is greater for tranquilizers (RR of 1.78; 95% CI, 1.59-1.89) than for hypnotics (RR of 1.53; 95% CI, 1.31-1.67) and antidepressants (RR of 1.26; 95% CI, 1.06-1.40). The RR was higher for females than for males.

Conclusion

This study shows the importance of the psychological impact of the storm as observed clinically by health workers who intervened in the field during the aftermath of Xynthia. It confirms that administrative databases can be used to show a health impact of a disaster even at a local level. This is one more step in the direction of a comprehensive strategy of collecting information to allow the assessment of the health impact of an extreme event, the detection of vulnerable populations, and the orientation of the short-, mid- and long-term public health response.

MotreffY, PirardP, GoriaS, LabradorB, Gourier-FréryC, NicolauJ, Le TertreA, Chan-CheeC. Increase in psychotropic drug deliveries after the Xynthia storm, France, 2010. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(5):1-6.
Effectiveness of a cognitive behavioural group therapy (CBGT) for social anxiety disorder: immediate and long-term benefits
Authors: McCarthy Odhran , Hevey David , Brogan Amy , Kelly Brendan D.
Published: August 2013

This study examines the effectiveness of a group CBT (CBGT) intervention in reducing a variety of symptoms and problem areas associated with social anxiety disorder. A longitudinal cohort design assessed changes in standardized psychological scales assessing general mood and specific aspects of social anxiety. Questionnaires were completed pre-programme (time 1, n = 252), post-programme (time 2, n = 202), and at 12 months follow-up (time 3, n = 93). A consistent significant pattern was found for all variables: pre-intervention scores were significantly higher than both post-intervention scores and 12-month follow-up scores. Large effect sizes were found and rates of clinical significant changes varied, with over half of the participants recording clinically significant changes in general mood. Individual CBT can be translated successfully into a group format for social anxiety. Given the high completion rate, the intervention is acceptable to participants, feasible, and effective in a routine clinical service.
Israeli Attitudes on Synagogue and State
Authors: Blackstone Bethany , Matsubayashi Tetsuya , Oldmixon Elizabeth A.
Published: August 2013

This article investigates the attitudes of Israeli Jews on the proper relationship between religion and the state, using data from the 2009 Israeli National Election Study. Specifically we test whether association with the secular or religious communities structures mass attitudes on this important dimension of Israeli politics. Mass level disagreement in this area dates back to the pre-state period and represents a longstanding cleavage in Zionist thought and Israeli politics. We find that mass attitudes toward religion and public life are associated with religious observance and identification with religious parties and social groups.
Does Viotin Activate Violin More Than Viocin?
Authors: Perea Manuel , Panadero Victoria
Published: August 2013

The vast majority of neural and computational models of visual-word recognition assume that lexical access is achieved via the activation of abstract letter identities. Thus, a word’s overall shape should play no role in this process. In the present lexical decision experiment, we compared word-like pseudowords like viotín (same shape as its base word: violín) vs. viocín (different shape) in mature (college-aged skilled readers), immature (normally reading children), and immature/impaired (young readers with developmental dyslexia) word-recognition systems. Results revealed similar response times (and error rates) to consistent-shape and inconsistent-shape pseudowords for both adult skilled readers and normally reading children – this is consistent with current models of visual-word recognition. In contrast, young readers with developmental dyslexia made significantly more errors to viotín-like pseudowords than to viocín-like pseudowords. Thus, unlike normally reading children, young readers with developmental dyslexia are sensitive to a word’s visual cues, presumably because of poor letter representations.
Fast and efficient parallel‐shift water‐filling algorithm for power allocation in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing‐based underlay cognitive radios
Authors: Ling Xiang , Wu Bin , Wen Hong , Pan Lili , Luo Fengya
Published: August 2013

Water‐Filling (WF) is widely applied in power allocation in multichannel wireless communications. By mathematically linearising the optimal WF expression, the authors observe an intrinsic parallel‐shift property of WF, based on which a fast and efficient WF algorithm is proposed. Compared with the conventional WF algorithms, it greatly simplifies WF execution by removing the Lagrange multiplier (or water‐level) searching process. The authors further apply the proposed parallel‐shift WF to solve the power allocation problem in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)‐based underlay cognitive radios (CRs), with the objective of maximising the secondary user's throughput over all OFDM sub‐channels under the transmit power and the interference constraints. To this end, the existing algorithm adopts an iterative binary searching process to find the solution, where the conventional WF algorithm with Lagrange multiplier searching is invoked in each iteration. In contrast, the authors propose a new power allocation algorithm to remove the iterative binary searching process. It runs the simplified parallel‐shift WF only once, and then directly calculates the final solution using a power adjustment process (with the parallel‐shift property as the underlying enabling mechanism). Numerical results show that both the proposed parallel‐shift WF and the OFDM‐based CR power allocation algorithms can run multiple times faster than the existing counterparts, and the gap on the running time increases with the total number of OFDM sub‐channels in the system.
Distributed stochastic consensus of multi‐agent systems with noisy and delayed measurements
Authors: Liu Jun , Zhang Hongtao , Liu Xinzhi , Xie Wei‐Chau
Published: August 2013

Networked systems are often subject to environmental uncertainties and communication delays, which make timely and accurate information exchange among neighbours difficult or impossible. This study investigates the distributed consensus problem of dynamical networks of multi‐agents in which each agent can only obtain noisy and delayed measurements of the states of its neighbours. The authors consider consensus protocols that take into account both the noisy measurements and the communication time delays, and introduce the notions of almost sure average‐consensus and p th moment average‐consensus. Using a convergence theorem for continuous‐time semimartingales and moment inequality techniques for stochastic delay differential equations, the authors establish sufficient conditions for both almost sure and moment average‐consensus. These results naturally generalise to networks with arbitrary and Markovian switching topologies. The consensus protocol considered here can be applied to networks with arbitrary bounded communication delays, which appears to the first consensus algorithm that is both average preserving and robust to arbitrarily sized delays. Numerical simulations are also provided to demonstrate the theoretical results.
Comparison study on specific absorption rate of three implantable antennas designed for retinal prosthesis systems
Authors: Permana Hans , Fang Qiang , Lee Shuenn‐Yuh
Published: August 2013

The recent development in retinal prostheses brings the hope to restore the vision of blind people. Currently, research efforts have been largely focused on improving the electrode array of the system. However, the electromagnetic exposure to the surrounding area inside a human head caused by the implanted antenna system has been often overlooked. The authors investigate the specific absorption rate distributions inside a multilayer human head model for three implantable rectangle spiral microstrip antennas operating at different frequency bands as well as for one inductive coil antenna, which is popularly used for near‐field data and power telemetry. The simulation results, which were obtained by using computer simulation technology Microwave Studio software, suggest that the Medical Implant Communication Service frequency band is the most suitable frequency choice for the currently proposed implanted retinal prosthesis systems. However, with the increase of stimulation electrode density, a higher frequency band might have to be chosen in the future to accommodate the increased bandwidth requirement.