bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Epirubicin, Oxaliplatin, and Capecitabine With or Without Panitumumab for Advanced Esophagogastric Cancer: Dose-Finding Study for the Prospective Multicenter, Randomized, Phase II/III REAL-3 Trial
Authors: Okines Alicia F.C. , Ashley Sue E. , Cunningham David , Oates Jacqueline , Turner Andrea , Webb Janine , Saffery Claire , Jo Chua Yu , Chau Ian
Published: August 2010

Purpose

Epirubicin, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine (EOC) is a standard treatment in advanced esophagogastric cancer. Panitumumab (P) is a fully human, immunoglobulin G2 monoclonal antibody targeting epidermal growth factor receptor. Randomized Trial of EOC ± Panitumumab for Advanced and Locally Advanced Esophagogastric Cancer (REAL-3) will evaluate whether the addition of P to EOC improves survival in patients with advanced esophagogastric adenocarcinoma and undifferentiated carcinoma.

Patients and Methods

The original design of REAL-3 added P 9 mg/kg to the standard dose of EOC (dose level [DL] + 1). Due to toxicity, a dose de-escalation was made to EOC + P DL − 1 (epirubicin 50 mg/m2, oxaliplatin130 mg/m2, capecitabine 1,000 mg/m2/d + P 9 mg/kg every 3 weeks). After additional toxicity was observed, the study was amended to include two additional EOC + P dose levels. Using a 3 + 3 design, dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were assessed weekly during cycle 1. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to EOC ± P.

Results

Between July 2008 and October 2009, 29 patients were randomly selected for standard-dose EOC (n = 13) or EOC + P (n = 16). Five patients were treated at DL + 1, with grade 3 diarrhea in four of five patients by cycle 4. At DL − 1, one patient had grade 3 diarrhea and grade 5 infection. Three patients were treated at DL − 3, and then six were treated at DL − 2, without DLTs.

Conclusion

The recommended dose for EOC + P is epirubicin 50 mg/m2, oxaliplatin 100 mg/m2, capecitabine 1,000 mg/m2/d, and P 9 mg/kg every 3 weeks. This dose has been selected for the ongoing phase II/III REAL-3 study.
Mechanisms of angiotensin II-induced ERK1/2 activation in fetal cardiomyocytes
Authors: Yin Xing , Hu Lian , Feng Hao , Krsmanovic Lazar Z. , Catt Kevin J.
Published: August 2010

Fetal cardiomyocytes have been utilized in studies on myocardial repair in the damaged hearts of rodents and other species. Changes in angiotensin II (Ang II) receptor expression, especially decline of its type II receptor (AT2), are known to occur during the growth of cardiomyocytes from fetus to adult. However, the extent to which changes in the signaling pathways of Ang II type I (AT1) and AT2 receptors via p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK1/2) activation affect the physiological and pathophysiological functions in cardiomyocytes has not been defined. The roles of these receptors were analyzed by confocal fluorescence microscopy, immunoblot analysis, reverse transcription PCR, measurement of intracellular 3′,5′-cyclic AMP levels and siRNA technology in cultured rat fetal cardiomyocytes. These studies revealed that Gq is required for Ang II-induced ERK1/2 activation via the synergy of AT1 and AT2 receptors. It has also been shown that phospholipase Cβ1, protein kinase Cα and protein kinase A mediate the feedback inhibition of ERK1/2 activation via c-Raf and/or other intermediate signaling molecules. The observed mechanism of Ang II-induced ERK1/2 activation in fetal cardiomyocytes could be relevant to the understanding of cardiomyocyte development and turnover, as well as clinical approaches using protein- and cell-based therapy for diseases such as heart failure.
Kinetic and Mechanistic Aspects of Osmium(VIII) Catalyzed Oxidation of DL-ornithine by Copper(III) Periodate Complex in Aqueous Alkaline Medium
Authors: Abbar Jyothi C. , Malode Shweta J. , Nandibewoor Sharanappa T.
Published: August 2010

The oxidation of DL-ornithine monohydrochloride (OMH) by diperiodatocuprate(III) (DPC) has been investigated in the presence of osmium(VIII) catalyst in aqueous alkaline medium at a constant ionic strength of 0.20 mol dm−3spectrophotometrically. The reaction exhibits 1:4 stoichiometry i.e., [OMH]: [DPC]. The order of the reaction with respect to [DPC] was unity while the order with respect to [OMH] was less than unity over the concentration range studied. The rate increased with an increase in [OH–] and decreased with an increase in [IO4−]. The order with respect to [Os(VIII)] was unity. The reaction rates revealed that Os(VIII) catalyzed reaction was about nine-fold faster than the uncatalyzed reaction. The oxidation products were identified by spectral analysis. Suitable mechanism has been proposed. The reaction constants involved in the different steps of the reaction mechanism were calculated. The catalytic constant (KC) was also calculated at different temperatures. The activation parameters with respect to slow step of the mechanism and also the thermodynamic quantities were determined. Kinetic experiments suggest that [OsO4(OH)2]2−is the reactive Os(VIII) species and [Cu(H2IO6)(H2O)2] is the reactive copper(III) species.
Ostwald´s Rule and the Principle of the Shortest Way
Authors: Zimmermann Herbert W.
Published: August 2010

We consider a substance X with two monotropic modifications 1 and 2 of different thermodynamic stability ΔH1< ΔH2. Ostwald´s rule states that first of all the instable modification 1 crystallizes on cooling down liquid X, which subsequently turns into the stable modification 2. Numerous examples verify this rule, however what is its reason? Ostwald´s rule can be traced back to the principle of the shortest way. We start with Hamilton´s principle and the Euler-Lagrange equation of classical mechanics and adapt it to thermodynamics. Now the relevant variables are the entropy S, the entropy production P = dS/dt, and the time t. Application of the Lagrangian F(S, P, t) leads us to the geodesic line S(t). The system moves along the geodesic line on the shortest way I from its initial non-equilibrium state i of entropy Sito the final equilibrium state f of entropy Sf. The two modifications 1 and 2 take different ways I1and I2. According to the principle of the shortest way, I1< I2is realized in the first step of crystallization only. Now we consider a supercooled sample of liquid X at a temperature T just below the melting point of 1 and 2. Then the change of entropy ΔS1= Sf 1- Si 1on crystallizing 1 can be related to the corresponding chang of enthalpy by ΔS1= ΔH1/T. Now it can be shown that the shortest way of crystallization I1corresponds under special, well-defined conditions to the smallest change of entropy ΔS1< ΔS2and thus enthalpy ΔH1< ΔH2. In other words, the shortest way of crystallization I1really leads us to the instable modification 1. This is Ostwald´s rule.
Sources and Cycling of Tropospheric Hydroxyl Radicals – An Overview
Authors: Elshorbany Yasin , Barnes Ian , Becker Karl H. , Kleffmann Jörg , Wiesen Peter
Published: August 2010

The hydroxyl radical is the principal oxidizing agent in the troposphere. It controls and determines the oxidizing power of the atmosphere and thus governs the atmospheric lifetime of many species, and their potential to contribute to climate change, air pollution and ozone formation. Owing to the development of new measurement techniques and the discovery of new reaction mechanisms, the understanding of the OH chemistry has witnessed significant advances during the last decades. This article presents a comprehensive review of the current understanding of OH radical chemistry with an outlook to future work in this active research area of atmospheric chemistry.Among the different OH radical initiation sources, e.g. O3 photolysis, HCHO photolysis, ozonolysis of alkenes and the photolysis of nitrous acid (HONO), the latter has been shown in recent field and model studies to make a major contribution to tropospheric OH levels. New photochemical sources of HONO have been discovered in the laboratory which can explain unexpectedly high concentrations of HONO observed in the atmosphere during daytime. A detailed analysis of HONO sources in the atmosphere is presented. OH radicals react with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a complex cycle regenerating OH radicals in the propagation cycle. Recent field and model studies show that the OH radical propagation cycle is balanced for high NOx conditions. Thus, radical losses by reactions with VOCs are balanced by OH formation through the reaction HO2+NO. However, studies at low NO and high VOC levels imply that unknown radical sources of OH exist in rural and forested areas. Possible sources of OH radicals under these conditions are discussed.
An Experimental and Theoretical Study of the Reaction Between NH(X3Σ−) + SO(X3Σ−)
Authors: Blitz Mark A. , Shannon Robin J. , Marshall Paul , Pilling Michael J.
Published: August 2010

The kinetics of the reaction between NH(X3Σ–) + SO(X3Σ–) have been studied over the range 295–703 K using pulsed laser photolysis / laser induced fluorescence in 100 Torr He. The rate coefficient is (5.0±2.0)×10−11 cm3 molecule−1 s−1, and is independent of temperature within experimental scatter. Electronic structure calculations show that reaction proceeds via bound intermediates to form NS + OH and NO + SH as the major bimolecular products. An RRKM / master equation analysis shows that stabilization of the intermediates is negligible at the pressures investigated (<104 Torr), so that the overall rate coefficient is independent of pressure. The calculations show that the main product channel under combustion conditions is NS + OH. Attempts to observe NS under the experimental conditions were unsuccessful. The experimental decay data are consistent with the occurrence of the reaction NH2 + Cl → NH + HCl at temperatures above 500 K; approximate Arrhenius parameters are provided.
The Gas-phase Ozonolysis of 1-Penten-3-ol, (Z)-2-Penten-1-ol and 1-Penten-3-one: Kinetics, Products and Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation
Authors: O Dwyer M. A. , Carey T. J. , Healy R. M. , Wenger J. C. , Picquet-Varrault B. , Doussin J. F.
Published: August 2010

The gas-phase ozonolysis of the biogenic unsaturated compounds 1-penten-3-ol, (Z)-2-penten-1-ol and 1-penten-3-one has been investigated in two atmospheric simulation chambers. The following rate coefficients (in units of 10−17 cm3 molecule−1 s−1) were determined at atmospheric pressure and 293±2 K using an absolute rate method: 1-penten-3-ol, (1.64±0.15); (Z)-2-penten-1-ol, (11.5±0.66); 1-penten-3-one, (1.17±0.15). Reaction products were identified by in situ FTIR spectroscopy and gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The major products and their average molar yields in the presence of a radical scavenger at relative humidity < 1% were: formaldehyde (0.49±0.02), 2-hydroxybutanal (0.46±0.03) and propanal (0.15±0.02) from 1-penten-3-ol; propanal (0.39±0.03) and glycolaldehyde (0.43±0.04) from (Z)-2-penten-1-ol; formaldehyde (0.37±0.02) and 2-oxobutanal (0.49±0.03) from 1-penten-3-one. The formation of secondary organic aerosol was also observed with yields ranging from 0.13–0.17 for the unsaturated alcohols. Significantly lower yields of around 0.03 were measured for 1-penten-3-one. The results of this work are used to determine atmospheric lifetimes and reaction mechanisms for the gas-phase ozonolysis of 1-penten-3-ol, (Z)-2-penten-1-ol and 1-penten-3-one. The broader atmospheric implications of this work are also discussed.
Promoter Strength Influences the S Phase Requirement for Establishment of Silencing at theSaccharomyces cerevisiaeSilent Mating Type Loci
Authors: Ren Jie , Wang Chia-Lin , Sternglanz Rolf
Published: August 2010

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the two cryptic mating type loci, HML and HMR, are transcriptionally silent. Previous studies on the establishment of silencing at HMR identified a requirement for passage through S phase. However, the underlying mechanism for this requirement is still unknown. In contrast to HMR, we found that substantial silencing of HML could be established without passage through S phase. To understand this difference, we analyzed several chimeric HM loci and found that promoter strength determined the S phase requirement. To silence a locus with a strong promoter such as the a1/a2 promoter required passage through S phase while HM loci with weaker promoters such as the α1/α2 or TRP1 promoter did not show this requirement. Thus, transcriptional activity counteracts the establishment of silencing but can be overcome by passage through S phase.
A Two-Pathway Analysis of Meiotic Crossing Over and Gene Conversion inSaccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Stahl Franklin W , Foss Henriette M
Published: August 2010

Several apparently paradoxical observations regarding meiotic crossing over and gene conversion are readily resolved in a framework that recognizes the existence of two recombination pathways that differ in mismatch repair, structures of intermediates, crossover interference, and the generation of noncrossovers. One manifestation of these differences is that simultaneous gene conversion on both sides of a recombination-initiating DNA double-strand break (“two-sidedness”) characterizes only one of the two pathways and is promoted by mismatch repair. Data from previous work are analyzed quantitatively within this framework, and a molecular model for meiotic double-strand break repair based on the concept of sliding D-loops is offered as an efficient scheme for visualizing the salient results from studies of crossing over and gene conversion, the molecular structures of recombination intermediates, and the biochemical competencies of the proteins involved.
Early Medical and Behavioral Characteristics of NICU Infants Later Classified With ASD
Authors: Karmel Bernard Z. , Gardner Judith M. , Meade Lauren Swensen , Cohen Ira L. , London Eric , Flory Michael J. , Lennon Elizabeth M. , Miroshnichenko Inna , Rabinowitz Simon , Parab Santosh , Barone Anthony , Harin Anantham
Published: August 2010

OBJECTIVES:

Recent evidence suggests higher prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in NICU graduates. This aim of this study was to identify retrospectively early behaviors found more frequently in NICU infants who went on to develop ASD.

METHODS:

Twenty-eight NICU graduates who later received a diagnosis of ASD were compared with 2169 other NICU graduates recruited from 1994 to 2005. They differed in gender, gestational age, and birth cohort. These characteristics were used to draw a matched control sample (n = 112) to determine which, if any, early behaviors discriminated subsequent ASD diagnosis. Behavioral testing at targeted ages (adjusted for gestation) included the Rapid Neonatal Neurobehavioral Assessment (hospital discharge, 1 month), Arousal-Modulated Attention (hospital discharge, 1 and 4 months), and Bayley Scales of Infant Development (multiple times, 4–25 months).

RESULTS:

At 1 month, children with ASD but not control children had persistent neurobehavioral abnormalities and higher incidences of asymmetric visual tracking and arm tone deficits. At 4 months, children with ASD had continued visual preference for higher amounts of stimulation than did control children, behaving more like newborns. Unlike control children, children with ASD had declining mental and motor performance by 7 to 10 months, resembling infants with severe central nervous system involvement.

CONCLUSIONS:

Differences in specific behavior domains between NICU graduates who later receive a diagnosis of ASD and matched NICU control children may be identified in early infancy. Studies with this cohort may provide insights to help understand and detect early disabilities, including ASD.
Deodorant Spray: A Newly Identified Cause of Cold Burn
Authors: May Ulrich , Stirner Karl-Heinz , Lauener Roger , Ring Johannes , Möhrenschlager Matthias
Published: August 2010

Two patients encountered a first-degree cold burn after use of a deodorant spray. The spray-nozzle to skin-surface distance was ∼5 cm, and the spraying lasted ∼15 seconds. Under laboratory conditions, the deodorant in use was able to induce a decline in temperature of >60°C. These 2 cases highlight a little-known potential for skin damage by deodorant sprays if used improperly.
Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Practices: A Survey of US Physicians 18 Months After Licensure
Authors: Daley Matthew F. , Crane Lori A. , Markowitz Lauri E. , Black Sandra R. , Beaty Brenda L. , Barrow Jennifer , Babbel Christine , Gottlieb Sami L. , Liddon Nicole , Stokley Shannon , Dickinson L. Miriam , Kempe Allison
Published: August 2010

OBJECTIVES:

The objectives of this study were to assess, in a nationally representative network of pediatricians and family physicians, (1) human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination practices, (2) perceived barriers to vaccination, and (3) factors associated with whether physicians strongly recommended HPV vaccine to 11- to 12-year-old female patients.

METHODS:

In January through March 2008, a survey was administered to 429 pediatricians and 419 family physicians.

RESULTS:

Response rates were 81% for pediatricians and 79% for family physicians. Ninety-eight percent of pediatricians and 88% of family physicians were administering HPV vaccine in their offices (P < .001). Among those physicians, fewer strongly recommended HPV vaccination for 11- to 12-year-old female patients than for older female patients (pediatricians: 57% for 11- to 12-year-old patients and 90% for 13- to 15-year-old patients; P < .001; family physicians: 50% and 86%, respectively; P < .001). The most-frequently reported barriers to HPV vaccination were financial, including vaccine costs and insurance coverage. Factors associated with not strongly recommending HPV vaccine to 11- to 12-year-old female patients included considering it necessary to discuss sexuality before recommending HPV vaccine (risk ratio: 1.27 [95% confidence interval: 1.07–1.51]) and reporting more vaccine refusals among parents of younger versus older adolescents (risk ratio: 2.09 [95% confidence interval: 1.66–2.81]).

CONCLUSIONS:

Eighteen months after licensure, the vast majority of pediatricians and family physicians reported offering HPV vaccine. Fewer physicians strongly recommended the vaccine for younger adolescents than for older adolescents, and physicians reported financial obstacles to vaccination.
Knowledge on Pulse Oximetry Among Pediatric Health Care Professionals: A Multicenter Survey
Authors: Fouzas Sotirios , Politis Pantelis , Skylogianni Eleni , Syriopoulou Theodora , Priftis Kostas N. , Chatzimichael Athanassios , Anthracopoulos Michael B.
Published: August 2010

OBJECTIVES:

The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge on pulse oximetry among health care professionals involved in pediatric care.

METHODS:

A multiple-choice questionnaire was distributed to 505 pediatric health care professionals from 19 hospitals and health centers throughout Greece. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to identify underlying factors that could explain most of the variance of the responses. The mean test and factor scores were calculated and compared between clinical settings.

RESULTS:

The mean test score was 61.9 ± 18.1%. After factor analysis, 2 distinct groups of deficits in knowledge regarding pulse oximetry were identified: 1 was interpreted as relating to practical knowledge and the other to theoretical knowledge. The mean score of the items that assessed practical knowledge was 82.7 ± 12.5% and of those that assessed theoretical knowledge was 44.2 ± 21.7%. Pediatricians and family practitioners, participants from level 3 institutions, and health care professionals working in ICUs scored better, particularly on the items that assessed theoretical knowledge. Logistic regression analysis revealed that only participants from level 3 institutions and those from ICUs had a greater likelihood of achieving a higher score (total score odds ratio: level 3, 2.89, ICU, 8.13; theoretical knowledge odds ratio: level 3, 3.40, ICU, 10.95).

CONCLUSIONS:

Pediatric health care professionals have marked deficiencies in their knowledge on pulse oximetry, particularly in regard to the principles underlying the method and its limitations. Strategies that are directed at improving knowledge on pulse oximetry are urgently needed at all levels of experience in pediatric care.
DELAYED REINFORCEMENT OF OPERANT BEHAVIOR
Authors: Lattal Kennon A.
Published: August 2010

The experimental analysis of delay of reinforcement is considered from the perspective of three questions that seem basic not only to understanding delay of reinforcement, but, also, by implication, the contributions of temporal relations between events to operant behavior. The first question is whether effects of the temporal relation between responses and reinforcers can be isolated from other features of the environment that often accompany delays, such as stimuli or changes in the temporal distribution or rate of reinforcement. The second question is that of the effects of delays on operant behavior. Beyond the common denominator of a temporal separation between reinforcers and the responses that produce them, delay of reinforcement procedures differ from one another along several dimensions, making delay effects circumstance dependent. The final question is one of interpreting delay of reinforcement effects. It centers on the role of the response—reinforcer temporal relation in the context of other, concurrently operating behavioral processes.
HUMAN RESPONDING ON RANDOM‐INTERVAL SCHEDULES OF RESPONSE‐COST PUNISHMENT: THE ROLE OF REDUCED REINFORCEMENT DENSITY
Authors: Pietras Cynthia J. , Brandt Andrew E. , Searcy Gabriel D.
Published: August 2010

An experiment with adult humans investigated the effects of response‐contingent money loss (response‐cost punishment) on monetary‐reinforced responding. A yoked‐control procedure was used to separate the effects on responding of the response‐cost contingency from the effects of reduced reinforcement density. Eight adults pressed buttons for money on a three‐component multiple reinforcement schedule. During baseline, responding in all components produced money gains according to a random‐interval 20‐s schedule. During punishment conditions, responding during the punishment component conjointly produced money losses according to a random‐interval schedule. The value of the response‐cost schedule was manipulated across conditions to systematically evaluate the effects on responding of response‐cost frequency. Participants were assigned to one of two yoked‐control conditions. For participants in the Yoked Punishment group, during punishment conditions money losses were delivered in the yoked component response independently at the same intervals that money losses were produced in the punishment component. For participants in the Yoked Reinforcement group, responding in the yoked component produced the same net earnings as produced in the punishment component. In 6 of 8 participants, contingent response cost selectively decreased response rates in the punishment component and the magnitude of the decrease was directly related to the punishment schedule value. Under punishment conditions, for participants in the Yoked Punishment group response rates in the yoked component also decreased, but the decrease was less than that observed in the punishment component, whereas for participants in the Yoked Reinforcement group response rates in the yoked component remained similar to rates in the no‐punishment component. These results provide further evidence that contingent response cost functions similarly to noxious punishers in that it appears to suppress responding apart from its effects on reinforcement density.
Ridge Augmentation Using Recombinant Bone Morphogenetic Protein‐2 Techniques: An Experimental Study in the Canine
Authors: Thoma Daniel S. , Jones Archie , Yamashita Motofumi , Edmunds Ryan , Nevins Myron , Cochran David L.
Published: August 2010

Background:The use of recombinant bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (rhBMP‐2) with a collagen carrier material has severe limitations in regards to space maintenance. The aim of this study was to test whether rhBMP‐2 combinations with allografts or a mesh enhance the regeneration of missing bone and the subsequent placement of dental implants.

Methods:In five dogs, surgically created ridge defects were augmented using one of the following treatment modalities: 1) rhBMP‐2/absorbable collagen sponge (ACS) under a titanium mesh (Mesh); 2) rhBMP‐2/ACS plus canine freeze‐dried bone allograft; 3) rhBMP‐2/ACS plus canine demineralized freeze‐dried bone allograft (DFDBA); or 4) rhBMP‐2/ACS wrapped around a canine cancellous allograft block (Block Allograft). Eight weeks later, dental implants were placed in the augmented areas. The dogs were sacrificed 16 weeks after bone augmentation and specimens obtained for histologic and histomorphometric analyses.

Results:All sites augmented with DFDBA, and one site with Block Allograft did not allow placement of dental implants. In all other sites, dental implants were placed. The area of regenerated bone ranged between 23.40 mm2(freeze‐dried bone allograft) and 35.16 mm2(Block Allograft). The greatest amount of bone was regenerated in the Block Allograft group ranging from 4.54 mm (at 1.5 mm), to 4.95 mm (at 3 mm), to 5.14 mm (at 4.5 mm). The least amount of bone was regenerated by the DFDBA group with values of 2.24 mm (at 1.5 mm), 2.84 mm (at 3 mm), and 3.34 mm (at 4.5 mm). Statistically significant differences were observed between DFDBA and block allograft at all three levels (P<0.001).

Conclusion:The combination of rhBMP‐2 and a block allograft provides the greatest ridge width of the four treatment options used in this canine ridge augmentation model.
Bone Regeneration Around Implants in Periodontally Compromised Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial of the Effect of Immediate Implant With Immediate Loading
Authors: Shibly Othman , Patel Nishith , Albandar Jasim M. , Kutkut Ahmad
Published: August 2010

Background: This 2‐year randomized clinical trial compared bone regeneration and esthetic outcome between immediate and conventional loading of dental implants placed immediately after extraction in patients with a history of periodontal disease.

Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to receive immediate implants with either immediate loading or conventional loading after 3 months. Both groups received a periodontal flap, tooth extraction, implant placement, allograft bone, and membrane placement. The immediate loading group received a temporary crown. In the conventional loading group primary closure was achieved. All patients were followed up at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Evaluation included radiographic bone changes, papillary esthetic outcome, and implant survival rate.

Results: Seventy‐two patients were recruited into the study. However, 60 patients received immediate implant placement after extraction: 30 with conventional loading and 30 with immediate loading. In the immediate loading group the implant survival rate at 2 years was 96.7%, and the mean bone gain was 1.19 mm. The corresponding figures in the conventional loading group were 93.3% and 1 mm. The gain in bone level occurred mainly from baseline to 1 year postoperatively in both groups (P <0.001). The papilla index decreased from baseline to 1 year in both groups (P <0.001) and changed only slightly thereafter. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the amount of bone gain or papilla index change during 2 years.

Conclusions: Immediate loading of a single implant placed in a fresh extraction site in periodontally compromised patients resulted in similar bone gain and soft tissue esthetic outcomes compared to delayed loading. Primary closure and delayed loading to ensure bone regeneration around implants were not critical in this study.
Influence of bacterial biofilms on Bacillus globigii spore viability in model chlorinated water distribution systems
Authors: Arnett C. M. , Beckman A. M. , Ginsberg M. D. , Hock V. F.
Published: August 2010

Viability of Bacillus globigii spores in chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe loop systems were examined under oligotrophic conditions. Three 2.5 cm × 10 m pipe loops having poised free chlorine concentrations of 0.0, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/L were seeded with 3.0 × 108B. globigii spores each and viability was assessed over a 21 day period in both the recirculating waters and within the biofilms associated with pipe wall surfaces. After 10 min of exposure, viable spores were found to be associated within the pipe biofilms. In the untreated pipe loop spore counts remained statistically consistent in both the bulk water and biofilm until 1.0 mg/L free chlorine was introduced, then spores were completely inactivated in less than seven days. Spores within the pipe loop poised at 0.5 mg/L free chlorine showed a 7.6-log10 inactivation in the bulk water phase, but only a 2.7-log10 inactivation was observed within the biofilm after 14 days of treatment. Complete inactivation was observed in the 1.0 mg/L free chlorine system in both the biofilm and the bulk water phase in less than 10 min. These data demonstrated that B. globigii spores were readily incorporated into PVC pipe biofilms, which decreased spore inactivation nearly five orders of magnitude under moderate free chlorine concentrations.
Groundwater exploitation for public and private uses in the towns of the Roman province: the emblematic example of Formia (Latium adiectum: central Italy)
Authors: Ciccone S. , Di Leo A. , Tallini M.
Published: August 2010

Formia was a Roman municipality (central Italy) and one of the Roman notables' favourite holiday destinations from the 2nd century B.C. to the 1st century A.C. The town was also a strategic hub for sea and land trade and drew its strength from its geographic position, climate and abundance of spring waters near the sea. This wealth of freshwater, managed by special magistrates (curator aquarum), had multiple public and private uses: (i) intake structures (draining tunnels, cistern and an octagonal hall/musaeum/nymphaeum which may have been used as a model for the most famous octagonal hall of Nero's Domus Aurea in Rome); (ii) supply structures (above all aqueducts); (iii) storage structures (above all cisterns); and, finally, (iv) utilisation structures for public use (thermal baths, probably a pond/piscina dulcis and at least two fountains located along the Appian Way, the regina viarum of the Roman period) and private use (balnea and nymphaea/oeci described by the famous architect Vitruvius who was born in Formia). Hence, as a municipality located in the hinterland of the caput mundi, Formia may be regarded as a typical example of management and public and private use of water resources in the Roman period.
Analysis of the hydraulics of the irrigation canals of Otrar, Kazakhstan
Authors: Clarke D. , Andrews P. , Messeth E. , Sala R. , Deom J. M.
Published: August 2010

Surveys of relic canals at the Oasis of Otrar in Kazakhstan have been used to re-construct patterns of agricultural water use for irrigation between AD700 and AD1500. Hydraulic simulation software was used to calculate the water carrying capacity of historical irrigation canal networks. An analysis of modern day irrigation systems has enabled the calibration of crop water use models and an estimate of the effectiveness of the ancient irrigation canals was made. The hydraulic models show that significant organisation of the management of the canals was necessary to ensure correct delivery of water to the farms.
Segmentation of Fluorescence Microscopy Cell Images Using Unsupervised Mining
Authors: Du Xian , Dua Sumeet
Published: August 2010

The accurate measurement of cell and nuclei contours are critical for the sensitive and specific detection of changes in normal cells in several medical informatics disciplines. Within microscopy, this task is facilitated using fluorescence cell stains, and segmentation is often the first step in such approaches. Due to the complex nature of cell issues and problems inherent to microscopy, unsupervised mining approaches of clustering can be incorporated in the segmentation of cells. In this study, we have developed and evaluated the performance of multiple unsupervised data mining techniques in cell image segmentation. We adapt four distinctive, yet complementary, methods for unsupervised learning, including those based on k-means clustering, EM, Otsu’s threshold, and GMAC. Validation measures are defined, and the performance of the techniques is evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively using synthetic and recently published real data. Experimental results demonstrate that k-means, Otsu’s threshold, and GMAC perform similarly, and have more precise segmentation results than EM. We report that EM has higher recall values and lower precision results from under-segmentation due to its Gaussian model assumption. We also demonstrate that these methods need spatial information to segment complex real cell images with a high degree of efficacy, as expected in many medical informatics applications.
Diasporic Philosophy, Homelessness, and Counter-Education in Context: The Israeli-Palestinian Example
Authors: Gur-Ze'Ev Ilan
Published: August 2010

Under current historical conditions, as Israelis, Jews are structurally almost prevented from facing the possibility of living in light of the Messianic impetus, as the world's universal moral, intellectual, and creative vanguard. This special Jewish mission was made possible by the Jews' unique homelessness – a Diasporic existence as a realized ideal of a community that is not a collective. Diasporic life is ultimately a kind of life in which the yahid (individual, not found in liberal terminology) is afforded, as an ecstatic way of moral life, an existence that allows a universalistic moral responsibility and intellectual commitment to overcome any dogma and content with the world of ‘facts' and to reject the promises of mere power, glory, and pleasure. All this has changed in face of the successes of Zionist education and its political realizations. Unreserved siding against injustice inevitably endangers the very existence of Israel, not solely its current policies. As a genuine dialectical realization of Diasporic philosophy, counter-education in Israel cannot become instrumentalized, cannot become a collective self-imposed mass immigration. It is not solely a moral-political concrete dilemma facing us nowadays; it is fundamentally a philosophical and existential antinomy. Ultimately, it begins and ends in and by the individual, who is willing to overcome his or her self and to open the gates to the nomadic existence of a brave lover of Life and creativity. The new exodus is from Israel and the Zionist nation-building project as a present-day ‘Egypt’ as a home. It is an exodus from a distorted concept of Diasporic life, from the concept of ‘Egypt’ in the form of all versions of ‘homecoming’ and a monotheistic way, to rebuild or go back to the Garden of Eden. In the face of the new anti-Semitism as the meta-narrative of the new progressive thinking there is a special role to the present challenge of the unification of an ongoing moral struggle for the realization of the essence of Judaism, and transcending it into a universal alternative human existence.
Diaspora, Philosophy and Counter-Education in the Face of Post-Colonial Reality
Authors: Gur-Ze'Ev Ilan
Published: August 2010

Human life begins in the middle, in the midst, and sometimes in the darkness. Or even in the woods. In the woods – you're in the middle and if you are always in the middle there is no home, or refuge or cave – a sure space that you have access to. It means then that the best we can do is to somehow try to strengthen our armor on the Socratic level – which is we must have courage to engage in critical reflection on being in the middle, knowing that there is always a remainder for Adorno the stuff that theories can't catch. It is the blind spots, the wasted material. Blind spots and wasted material that the dialectics cannot catch, which is the saying that there is a humility in being in the middle and to think you gain access to pure spaces of intellectual arrogance, which is blinding all the time and misleading. So, if you have a humility, which is not so much to come to skepticism, it is simply to say you would resist, you would transgress, you would continually try to transcend, you will fail, you will fall on your face, you would be inadequate, you won't have the conceptual clarity and transparency associated with pure spaces – you are a bluesman. There is no way out.
Education in the World of Diasporas
Authors: Bauman Zygmunt
Published: August 2010

Today's culture consists of offerings, not norms. Liquid-modern culture, unlike the culture of the nation-building era, has no ‘people’ to ‘cultivate’. The solid-modern policy of dealing with difference, the policy of assimilation to the dominant culture and stripping the strangers of their strangehood, is no longer feasible. For the young, the main attraction of the virtual world derives from the absence of contradictions and cross-purposes that haunt the off-line life. Unlike its off-line alternative, the online world renders the infinite multiplication of contacts conceivable – both plausible and feasible. It does it through the weakening of bonds – in a stark opposition to its off-line counterpart, known to find its bearings in the continuous effort to strengthen the bonds by severely limiting the number of contacts while deepening each one of them. It is the quantity of connections rather than their quality that makes the difference between chances of success or failure. A crisis, however, may linger just after the next corner. So it is too early to decide how the ingrained world-views and attitudes of the present-day young will eventually fit the world to come.
Homelessness, Restlessness and Diasporic Poetry
Authors: Kizel Arie
Published: August 2010

Can poetry be Diasporic? Can poetry free itself from the shackles of conformism? Can it be independent and divergent, and not seek a home? Is it capable of mustering its inner strengths and living without being enlisted by a collective that accords it power? This article argues that poetry is essentially dialectic. It has little vitality without the presence of the Other, without interaction with him. However, it also contains independent, personal elements and reaches its peak through the individual's anti-conformist activity and expression. Poetry, like language, enables us to view ourselves from outside, thereby fulfilling an important role, similar to language itself, and it is created by the individual's alienation even from himself. Poetry may provide one of the most creative potential tools of Diasporic philosophy, love and creativity being its cornerstones, but it can also be a destructive factor seeking to imprison the creative soul within a home with the solid walls of a rigid community.
Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) Study: Common Genetic Variants in GCK and TCF7L2 Are Associated With Fasting and Postchallenge Glucose Levels in Pregnancy and With the New Consensus Definition of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus From the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups
Authors: Freathy Rachel M. , Hayes M. Geoffrey , Urbanek Margrit , Lowe Lynn P. , Lee Hoon , Ackerman Christine , Frayling Timothy M. , Cox Nancy J. , Dunger David B. , Dyer Alan R. , Hattersley Andrew T. , Metzger Boyd E. , Lowe William L. ,   for the HAPO Study Cooperative Research Group
Published: August 2010

OBJECTIVE

Common genetic variants in GCK and TCF7L2 are associated with higher fasting glucose and type 2 diabetes in nonpregnant populations. However, their associations with glucose levels from oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) in pregnancy have not been assessed in a large sample. We hypothesized that these variants are associated with quantitative measures of glycemia in pregnancy.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We analyzed the associations between variants rs1799884 (GCK) and rs7903146 (TCF7L2) and OGTT outcomes at 24–32 weeks' gestation in 3,811 mothers of European (U.K. and Australia) and 1,706 mothers of Asian (Thailand) ancestry from the HAPO cohort. We also tested associations with offspring birth anthropometrics.

RESULTS

The maternal GCK variant was associated with higher fasting glucose in Europeans (P = 0.001) and Thais (P < 0.0001), 1-h glucose in Europeans (P = 0.001), and 2-h glucose in Thais (P = 0.005). It was also associated with higher European offspring birth weight, fat mass, and skinfold thicknesses (P < 0.05). The TCF7L2 variant was associated with all three maternal glucose outcomes (P = 0.03, P < 0.0001, and P < 0.0001 for fasting and 1-h and 2-h glucose, respectively) in the Europeans but not in the Thais (P > 0.05). In both populations, both variants were associated with higher odds of gestational diabetes mellitus according to the new International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups recommendations (P = 0.001–0.08).

CONCLUSIONS

Maternal GCK and TCF7L2 variants are associated with glucose levels known to carry an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcome in women without overt diabetes. Further studies will be important to determine the variance in maternal glucose explained by all known genetic variants.
Incidence of liver cirrhosis in HIV-infected patients with chronic hepatitis B or C in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Tuma Paula , Medrano Jose , Resino Salvador , Vispo Eugenia , Madejón Antonio , Sánchez-Piedra Carlos , Rivas Pablo , Labarga Pablo , Martín-Carbonero Luz , Barreiro Pablo , Soriano Vincent
Published: August 2010

Background

Longitudinal assessment of liver fibrosis with transient elastometry (TE) in patients with chronic viral hepatitis is becoming routine clinical practice in many clinics, as this procedure is non-invasive, easy to perform and relatively inexpensive, allowing early detection of cirrhosis. Herein, we examine the incidence of cirrhosis, using TE assessment, in HIV-infected individuals with chronic hepatitis B or C receiving highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART).

Methods

A longitudinal study was performed on a cohort of HIV-infected patients with chronic hepatitis B or C who were followed since 2004 at Hospital Carlos III (Madrid, Spain) with periodic TE assessments. The primary outcome was the development of cirrhosis, defined as liver stiffness >12.5 KPa.

Results

A total of 508 HIV-infected patients were examined, of whom 54 developed liver cirrhosis during a mean ±sd follow-up of 2.6 ±1.0 years (overall incidence was 41.13 cases per 1,000 person-years). The risk of developing cirrhosis was significantly higher in 297 HCV-RNA-positive patients (either untreated or non- responders to hepatitis C therapy) compared with 55 patients who had cleared HCV with therapy (odds ratio 3.73, 95% confidence interval 1.06–13.17; P=0.04). By contrast, the risk of developing cirrhosis was low and similar in 24 HIV–HBV-coinfected patients under long-term suppressive HBV therapy (mainly tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), 132 HIV-infected patients without chronic liver disease and those who had cleared HCV with therapy.

Conclusions

Development of liver cirrhosis in HIV- infected individuals in the HAART era is mainly associated with active HCV coinfection. The risk of developing cirrhosis is negligible in patients who cleared HCV with therapy, as well as in HIV–HBV-coinfected patients on long-term suppressive tenofovir disoproxil fumarate therapy.
Efficacy of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies in Fibromyalgia Syndrome — A Systematic Review and Metaanalysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: BERNARDY KATHRIN , FÜBER NICOLE , KÖLLNER VOLKER , HÄUSER WINFRIED
Published: August 2010

Objective.

We performed the first systematic review with metaanalysis of the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) in fibromyalgia syndrome (FM).

Methods.

We screened Cochrane Library, Medline, PsychINFO, and Scopus (through June 2009) and the reference sections of original studies and systematic reviews for CBT in FM. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing CBT to controls were analyzed. Primary outcomes were pain, sleep, fatigue, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Secondary outcomes were depressed mood, self-efficacy pain, and healthcare-seeking behavior. Effects were summarized using standardized mean differences (SMD).

Results.

A total of 14 out of 27 RCT with 910 subjects with a median treatment time of 27 hours (range 6–75) over a median of 9 weeks (range 5–15) were included. CBT reduced depressed mood (SMD −0.24, 95% CI −0.40, −0.08; p = 0.004) at posttreatment. Sensitivity analyses showed that the positive effect on depressed mood could not be distinguished from some risks of bias. There was no significant effect on pain, fatigue, sleep, and HRQOL at posttreatment and at followup. There was a significant effect on self-efficacy pain posttreatment (SMD 0.85, 95% CI 0.25, 1.46; p = 0.006) and at followup (SMD 0.90, 95% CI 0.14, 1.66; p = 0.02). Operant behavioral therapy significantly reduced the number of physician visits at followup (SMD −1.57, 95% CI −2.00, −1.14; p < 0.001).

Conclusion.

CBT can be considered to improve coping with pain and to reduce depressed mood and healthcare-seeking behavior in FM.
Barriers to Knowledge Sharing
Authors: Lindsey Keith L.
Published: August 2010

Barriers to knowledge sharing continue to thwart organizational efforts to identify knowledge, manage its flow, and effectively integrate its use in organizational decision making. These critical organizational tasks transcend departmental boundaries and, taken in whole, could be considered to comprise the fundamental reason for the existence of the organization. Improving the efficiency of knowledge sharing is a highly desirable goal because it offers a promise of compounded returns as the organization works harder and smarter. Knowledge workers have developed a variety of mechanisms and routines to share knowledge, but these are all subject to one or more barriers to knowledge sharing. As knowledge researchers continue to work toward a better understanding of the knowledge sharing process, the fundamental characteristics of the knowledge sharing transaction remains consistent, but the barriers may be transient. This article provides a comprehensive review of the barriers to knowledge sharing that have been identified in the literature and examines the ways that personal barriers have changed since the first edition of The Encyclopedia of Knowledge Management was published. If the barriers to knowledge sharing are indeed found to be transient, then managers may be empowered to develop a set of tools that could be used to lessen the effect of multiple barriers, which could lead to much more efficient organizational routines. In this article, the process of knowledge sharing is examined by framing the knowledge sharing transaction as a form of communication in order to identify and isolate the barriers to that type of communication. Once the barriers are isolated, they can be overcome.