bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modeling of Ship Roll Dynamics and Its Coupling with Heave and Pitch
Authors: Ibrahim R. A. , Grace I. M.
Published: September 2009

In order to study the dynamic behavior of ships navigating in severe environmental conditions it is imperative to develop their governing equations of motion taking into account the inherent nonlinearity of large‐amplitude ship motion. The purpose of this paper is to present the coupled nonlinear equations of motion in heave, roll, and pitch based on physical grounds. The ingredients of the formulation are comprised of three main components. These are the inertia forces and moments, restoring forces and moments, and damping forces and moments with an emphasis to the roll damping moment. In the formulation of the restoring forces and moments, the influence of large‐amplitude ship motions will be considered together with ocean wave loads. The special cases of coupled roll‐pitch and purely roll equations of motion are obtained from the general formulation. The paper includes an assessment of roll stochastic stability and probabilistic approaches used to estimate the probability of capsizing and parameter identification.
On Estimating Hurricane Return Periods
Authors: Emanuel Kerry , Jagger Thomas
Published: September 2009

Interest in hurricane risk usually focuses on landfalling events of the highest intensity, which cause a disproportionate amount of hurricane-related damage. Yet assessing the long-term risk of the most intense landfalling events is problematic because there are comparatively few of them in the historical record. For this reason, return periods of the most intense storms are usually estimated by first fitting standard probability distribution functions to records of lower-intensity events and then using such fits to estimate the high-intensity tails of the distributions. Here the authors attempt a modest improvement over this technique by making use of the much larger set of open-ocean hurricane records and postulating that hurricanes make landfall during a random stage of their open-ocean lifetime. After testing the validity of this assumption, an expression is derived for the probability density of maximum winds. The probability functions so derived are then used to estimate hurricane return periods for several highly populated regions, and these are compared with return periods calculated both from historical data and from a set of synthetic storms generated using a recently published downscaling technique. The resulting return-period distributions compare well to those estimated from extreme-value theory with parameter fitting using a peaks-over-threshold model, but they are valid over the whole range of hurricane wind speeds.
Oxidative Stress and Platelet Activation: Markers of Myocardial Infarction in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: El-Mesallamy Hala , Hamdy Nadia , Suwailem Salwa , Mostafa Sara
Published: September 2009

We compared lipids, lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA), the acute phase reactant high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), and platelet selectin (P-selectin) between healthy controls, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) participants without myocardial infarction (MI), as well as type 2 DM participants with MI. Malondialdehyde, IL-1β, and P-selectin levels were significantly higher in the diabetic participants with MI than in either healthy controls or diabetic participants without MI. In the diabetic groups, fasting blood glucose (FBG) level, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), MDA, hsCRP, and P-selectin were all significantly positively correlated with each other. This study suggests that increased levels of oxidative stress markers, proinflammatory markers, and adhesion molecules contribute to the atherosclerotic process that eventually leads to coronary artery disease in diabetic patients.
Pragmatic Objectivity and the Standardization of Engineered Tissues
Authors: Hogle Linda F.
Published: September 2009

This paper analyzes attempts to develop consensus standards, reference methods, and classification rubrics in the nascent field of tissue engineering. I examine the collective formal and informal processes that were employed to determine what would count as relevant, objective evidence in the regulation of engineered human tissue products. The paper underscores the way political—industrial assemblages participate in socially negotiated forms of objectivity and are inseparable from the way new technologies take shape. In the story of tissue engineering, one challenge was producing a form of objectivity that could meet the expectations of various audiences (regulators, producers, payers, users). I call this ‘pragmatic objectivity’, generated in the hope of meeting the multiple, sometimes conflicting goals of participants: getting new therapies to patients quickly, understanding the therapeutic effects of novel, hybrid products, establishing databases with which to link cell technology platforms, and downsizing and streamlining governmental oversight in response to pressure from the federal government. Meant to create order, attempts to standardize and classify ambiguous biohybrid products had unintended outcomes, including challenges to fundamental assumptions about bodily interactions with technologies and reconsiderations of the institutional forms through which medical therapies have long been evaluated.
Regulatory Objectivity in Action
Authors: Moreira Tiago , May Carl , Bond John
Published: September 2009

In this paper, we investigate recent changes in the definition and approach to Alzheimer’s disease brought about by growing clinical, therapeutic and regulatory interest in the prodromal or preclinical aspects of this condition. In the last decade, there has been an increased interest in the biomolecular and epidemiological characterization of pre-clinical dementia. It is argued that early diagnosis of dementia, and particularly of Alzheimer‘s disease, will facilitate the prevention of dementing processes and lower the prevalence of the condition in the general population. The search for a diagnostic category or biomarker that would serve this purpose is an ongoing but problematic endeavour for research and clinical communities in this area. In this paper, we explore how clinical and research actors, in collaboration with regulatory institutions and pharmaceutical companies, come to frame these domains as uncertainties and how they re-deploy uncertainty in the ‘collective production’ of new diagnostic conventions and bioclinical standards. While drawing as background on ethnographic, documentary and interview data, the paper proposes an in-depth, contextual analysis of the proceedings of an international meeting organized by the Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drug Advisory Committee of the US Food and Drug Administration to discuss whether or not a particular diagnostic convention — mild cognitive impairment — exists and how best it ought to be studied. Based on this analysis we argue that the deployment of uncertainty is reflexively implicated in bioclinical collectives’ search for rules and conventions, and furthermore that the collective production of uncertainty is central to the ‘knowledge machinery’ of regulatory objectivity.
What’s Behind a Guideline?
Authors: Castel Patrick
Published: September 2009

Taking the French oncology sector as a case study, this paper shows that guidelines are used strategically by individual physicians and groups of physicians. While some studies have made convincing arguments about the rise of guidelines as a manifestation of a new type of objectivity, this case study provides evidence that the proliferation of medical guidelines is also the result of an attempt by some physicians to improve their positions relative to competing groups. Guidelines could indeed be strategic resources used by professional actors at the expense of other professionals in order to (1) maintain a sufficient amount of activity and (2) increase control over therapeutic decisions. The study also points to other kinds of changes that guidelines may influence, beyond medical practices and coordination: the evolution of the structure of power relationships inside the medical profession. A perspective on the sociology of organizations, which places concrete exchange and bargaining relations at the core of its analysis and treats social control as being continually challenged and (re)produced, helps to identify other reasons why standardization does not prevent local specificities and may even enhance them.
Molecular Weight Control of Thermosetting Poly(phenylene ether) Copolymer Produced by Heterogeneous Oxidative Coupling Polymerization
Authors: Nunoshige Jun , Akahoshi Haruo , Ueda Mitsuru
Published: September 2009

An efficient synthetic method to control the molecular weights of poly(phenylene ether) copolymer (Allyl-PPE) with a narrow molecular weight distribution (MWD) by oxidative coupling polymerization of 2,6-dimethylphenol (DMP) and 2-allyl-6-methylphenol (AMP) has been developed. This polymerization was carried out in the presence of the di- μ-hydroxo-bis[( N , N , N ′ , N′ -tetramethylethylenediamine)copper(II)] chloride (Cu/TMEDA) catalyst in a water droplet/toluene heterogeneous system. The polymerization conditions such as the effects of the Cu/TMEDA concentration and the amount of water were investigated, and it was found that the molecular weight of Allyl-PPE could be easily controlled by changing the concentration of Cu/TMEDA aqueous solution.
Mechanistic Aspects of Polynaphthalimide Synthesis from NMR Analysis
Authors: Piroux Fabienne , Mercier Regis , Picq Dominique
Published: September 2009

The mechanism of the polycondensation reaction leading to naphthalimide polymers has been investigated using a model compound. In complement to 19F-NMR analysis, 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopies were used to identify the intermediate compound. It was concluded that there was no evidence for the formation of an isoimide, but the formation of an amide—acid intermediate was clearly demonstrated.
Elevated levels of serum antibodies against Saccharomyces cerevisiae mannan in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Dai H , Li Z , Zhang Y , Lv P , Gao XM
Published: September 2009

This study was undertaken to investigate whether levels of anti- Saccharomyces cerevisiae mannan antibodies (ASCMAs), a serological marker for Crohn’s disease, seronegative spondyloarthritis and Behcet’s disease, also correlate with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in humans. Serum samples from healthy volunteers ( n = 152) and patients with SLE ( n = 40) were compared for ASCMA-IgA, -IgG and -IgM levels using enzyme linked immunosorbent assays. ASCMA-IgG, but not IgM and IgA, prevalence was significantly raised in active SLE patients (57.5%) compared with healthy controls (8.5%). ASCMA-IgG levels in SLE patients during remission were relatively lower, indicating a possible correlation with disease activity. These results differ from a previous study, which did not detect a difference between ASCMA levels in SLE patients and healthy control. It remains to be evaluated whether elevated ASCMA-levels are common to all rheumatic disorders.
Gigantomastia and autoimmunity: a case report
Authors: Le EN , McGirt LY , Abuav R
Published: September 2009

Gigantomastia is a rare breast condition characterised by diffuse, rapid, and excessive breast hypertrophy that can result in symptoms ranging from pain to necrosis and sepsis. It typically occurs in the setting of marked hormonal changes such as puberty and pregnancy. Rarely, gigantomastia has been reported to develop in the setting of an autoimmune illness. We present a case of gigantomastia developing in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus, who was treated with methotrexate and bilateral mammoplasty.
Metabolic syndrome in Argentinean patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Bellomio V , Spindler A , Lucero E , Berman A , Sueldo R , Berman H , Santana M , Molina MJ , Góngora V , Cassano G , Paira S , Saurit V , Retamozo G , Alvarellos A , Caerio F , Alba P , Gotero M , Velozo EJ , Ceballos F , Soriano E , Catoggio L , García MA , Eimon A , Agüero S ,   SLE Study Group of the Argentinean Society of Rheumatology
Published: September 2009

The objective was to determine the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MS) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Argentina, to assess the factors associated to it, and to compare the results with a control group with non-inflammatory disorders. The study included 147 patients with SLE and 119 controls. MS was defined according to criteria by the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI) Scientific Statement. Demographic characteristics, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) and Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/ACR Damage Index (SDI) were assessed as well as administration, maximum dose and cumulative dose of prednisone and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). MS prevalence was 28.6% (CI 95%: 21.4–36.6) in patients with SLE and 16% in controls ( P = 0.0019). Patients with SLE presented higher arterial hypertension frequency compared with controls (43 vs 25%, P = 0.007). When comparing lupus patients with MS ( n = 41) and without MS ( n = 106), no significant differences were observed regarding duration of the disease, SLEDAI or cumulative prednisone dose. Cumulative damage was associated independently with MS (OR 1.98; P = 0.021), whereas HCQ use was found to be protective (OR 0.13; P = 0.015). Patients with lupus presented higher MS prevalence than controls with non-inflammatory disorders, and occurrence of arterial hypertension was also higher. MS was associated with cumulative damage; the use of HCQ showed to be protective against presence of MS.
Renal cell apoptosis in human lupus nephritis: a histological study
Authors: Faurschou M , Penkowa M , Andersen CB , Starklint H , Jacobsen S
Published: September 2009

Nuclear autoantigens from apoptotic cells are believed to drive the immunological response in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Conflicting data exist as to the possible renal origin of apoptotic cells in SLE patients with nephritis. We assessed the level of renal cell apoptosis in kidney biopsies from 35 patients with lupus nephritis by means of terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase (TdT)-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP)-digoxigenin nick end labeling (TUNEL). Five samples of normal kidney tissue served as control specimens. We did not observe apoptotic glomerular cells in any of the control or nephritis biopsies. Scarce apoptotic tubular cells were seen in 13 of 35 (37%) of the nephritis specimens and in two of five (40%) of the control sections. Within the SLE cohort, patients with TUNEL-positive tubular cells in their renal biopsies had significantly higher activity index scores for tubulointerstitial mononuclear cell infiltration than patients without apoptotic tubular cells in their biopsies ( P = 0.01). Furthermore, the level of tubular cell apoptosis displayed a statistically significant, positive correlation with the activity index score for mononuclear cell infiltration (rs = 0.472, P = 0.004) but not with scores for other activity or chronicity index components. These observations indicate that the degree of tubular cell apoptosis correlates with the severity of tubulointerstitial inflammation in SLE-associated nephritis. However, our findings do not suggest that apoptotic renal cells constitute a quantitatively important source of auto-antibody-inducing nuclear auto-antigens in human lupus nephritis.
Drug-induced lupus: an update on its dermatologic aspects
Authors: Marzano AV , Vezzoli P , Crosti C
Published: September 2009

Drug-induced lupus erythematosus (DILE) is defined as an entity characterized by clinical manifestations and immunopathological serum findings similar to those of idiopathic lupus but which is temporally related to continuous drug exposure and resolves after discontinuation of the offending drug. Similar to idiopathic lupus, DILE can be divided into systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) and chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CCLE). Based on the literature review and retrospective analysis of our case series, we focused on the dermatological aspects of DILE. The cutaneous features of drug-induced SLE are protean, including particularly purpura, erythema nodosum and photosensitivity as well as the skin lesions characterizing both urticarial and necrotizing vasculitis. The typical laboratory profile of systemic DILE consists of positive antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and antihistone antibodies, the latter being regarded as the serum marker of this subset. The drugs most frequently implicated in the development of systemic DILE are hydralazine, procainamide, isoniazid and minocycline. Drug-induced SCLE usually presents with annular polycyclic or papulosquamous cutaneous manifestations as in the idiopathic form, but blisters or targetoid lesions mimicking erythema multiforme cannot rarely be associated. The clinical presentation is often generalized, with involvement of the lower legs that are usually spared in idiopathic SCLE. ANA and anti-Ro/SSA antibodies are usually present, whereas antihistone antibodies are uncommonly found. Drugs associated with SCLE include particularly calcium channel blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, thiazide diuretics, terbinafine and the recently reported tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α antagonists. Drug-induced CCLE is very rarely described in the literature and usually refers to fluorouracile agents or TNF-α antagonists. The picture is characterized by the occurrence of classic discoid lesions, but aspects of lupus tumidus can occasionally develop. ANA are demonstrated in around two-thirds of the cases. Management of DILE is based on the withdrawal of the offending drug. Topical and/or systemic corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive agents should be reserved for resistant cases.
Digital vasculitis in systemic lupus erythematosus: a minor manifestation of disease activity?
Authors: Gomes C , Carvalho JF , Borba EF , Borges CTL , Vendramini MB , Bueno C , Costa LP , Bonfá E
Published: September 2009

The objective of this study is to determine if digital vasculitis (DV), a clinical manifestation with a high systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) score, is associated with lupus severity. DV and other clinical manifestations defined according to the SLEDAI were evaluated in 168 consecutive patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Two groups were defined according to presence (DV+, n = 27) or absence of DV (DV−, n = 141) at the time of evaluation. The exclusion criterion was the presence of antiphospholipid syndrome (Sapporo’s criteria). The two groups were comparable with regard to age ( P = 0.09), gender ( P = 1.00), white race ( P = 0.81), and disease duration ( P = 0.78). Compared to the DV− group, the DV+ group had a significantly higher frequency of mucocutaneous manifestations (66.7 vs. 39.0%, P = 0.01), haematological abnormalities (22.2 vs. 6.4%, P = 0.02) and constitutional symptoms (11.1 vs. 0.7%, P = 0.01). Renal and neurological involvements were similar in both groups ( P = 0.57 and P = 1.00, respectively). The evaluation of each SLEDAI parameter confirmed that the DV+ group had higher frequencies of mild manifestations, such as new rash ( P = 0.02), alopecia ( P = 0.02), oral ulcers ( P = 0.045), fever ( P = 0.01) and leucopenia ( P = 0.005). In contrast, both groups had similarly increased anti-dsDNA ( P = 0.78) and decreased complement levels ( P = 0.29). In conclusion, DV in patients with SLE identifies a subgroup of a mild disease. The high ‘weighted’ index attributed to this alteration in the SLEDAI score should therefore be revised.
Gelatinous transformation of the bone marrow in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Yamamoto M , Belmont HM , Utsunomiya M , Hidaka Y , Kishimoto M
Published: September 2009

Gelatinous transformation of the bone marrow is a rare disease characterised by a focal marrow hypoplasia, fat atrophy and accumulation of extracellular mucopolysaccharides abundant in hyaluronic acid, which is often associated with extreme malnutrition and weight loss. There are only two reports describing its association with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). One described underlying diseases in 155 cases of gelatinous transformation of the bone marrow and found one case with clinical diagnosis of SLE, but no clinical details were provided. The other described three SLE patients with gelatinous transformation of the bone marrow; however, two of these were cachectic and one was diagnosed with concomitant tuberculosis. We describe one active SLE patient without other comorbidities whose pancytopaenia was histologically confirmed as gelatinous transformation. The combination of high-dose steroid, intravenous immunoglobulin and mycophenolate mofetil improved the peripheral blood cytopaenia and reversed the bone marrow abnormalities.
Pulmonary involvement of systemic lupus erythematosus: analysis of 90 necropsies
Authors: Quadrelli SA , Alvarez C , Arce SC , Paz L , Sarano J , Sobrino EM , Manni J
Published: September 2009

Pleuropulmonary manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have been reported to be of variable prevalence, depending on the diagnostic methods used. The objective of this study was to determine the anatomopathological prevalence and the nature of lung involvement associated with SLE and to define if there were differences in the grade and type of pulmonary involvement in patients who had died at different time periods, before or after 1996. Complete autopsy studies of 90 patients with SLE diagnosis carried out between 1958 and 2006 and their clinical records were studied. All patients fulfilled the American College of Rheumathology (ACR) diagnostic criteria for SLE. Two groups of patients were analyzed: patients who had died before 1996 and those deceased in 1996–2006. Some pleuropulmonary involvement was detected in 97.8% of the autopsies. The most frequent findings were pleuritis (77.8%), bacterial infections (57.8%), primary and secondary alveolar haemorrhages (25.6%), followed by distal airway alterations (21.1%), opportunistic infections (14.4%) and pulmonary thromboembolism (7.8%), both acute and chronic. No cases of acute or chronic lupus pneumonitis were found. Opportunistic lung infections were invasive aspergillosis, disseminated strongyloidiasis, mucormicosis and Pneumocystis carinii. Only three of 23 patients with alveolar haemorrhage showed capillaritis. The four patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PHT) had plexiform lesions. Deceased patients’ age at death (46.09 ± 11.01 vs 30.3 ± 11.5 years, P < 0.0001) as well as survival time from diagnosis date (11.8 ± 11.2 vs 4.4 ± 4.9 years, P < 0.0001) in the second time period evaluated were significantly higher. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the prevalence of any of the pulmonary manifestations. Sepsis was considered the major cause of death without significant differences in both groups. Our results show that pulmonary manifestations directly caused by systemic lupus erythematosus are very uncommon and that their prevalence has not changed in the past 10 years. Pulmonary infection is still the most frequent affection, and it is an important cause of death in patients with lupus.
Antithyroid antibodies in antiphospholipid syndrome: prevalence and clinical associations
Authors: Mavragani CP , Danielides S , Zintzaras E , Vlachoyiannopoulos PG , Moutsopoulos HM
Published: September 2009

Autoimmune thyroid disease has been associated with several systemic autoimmune disorders. However, limited data are available regarding the prevalence and clinical associations of thyroid autoimmunity in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Seventy-five patients with APS, 75 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 75 healthy controls were tested for the presence of antithyroid antibodies (ATAs) (anti-thyroglobulin and anti-thyroid peroxidase [anti-TPO]) using commercial ELISA. Clinical data were also recorded. Although no significant differences in the prevalence of ATAs were detected among APS, SLE patient groups and healthy controls, a significant increase of anti-TPO antibodies in patients with APS-SLE was found. An increased prevalence of ATAs in APS population with ischemic central nervous system (CNS) clinical manifestations was also detected. We present novel associations between thyroid autoimmunity and ischemic CNS clinical manifestations in the setting of APS.
The Role of Regional Development Agencies in Turkey
Authors: Lagendijk Arnoud , Kayasu Serap , Yasar Suna
Published: September 2009

Turkey’s step-by-step embedding in the institutional and policy environment of the EU is currently compelling the country to establish a fitting structure of regional governance. A key element in this structure is the creation of regions at the NUTS-II level which will be equipped with Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). Yet the present political and economic situation in Turkey throws some doubt on the scope and future for RDA development. To what extent will the central state be able and willing to devolve authority and resources to the local level? And to what extent do regional institutional and business settings hold fertile ground for RDA development? The article will address these questions, first, by focusing on the broader political-institutional context of region and RDA formation; and, second, through a detailed case-study of one regional setting, namely Istanbul. The outcomes indeed point to a fragile basis for RDA development from both political and economic perspectives. However, they also help identify certain areas where RDAs, in a more bottom-up way, could help to fill serious gaps in the fabric of regional economic development, and may find external resources to do so.
Urban—Rural Flows and the Meaning of Borders
Authors: Hidle Knut , Farsund Arild Aurvåg , Lysgård Hans Kjetil
Published: September 2009

This article focuses on political and everyday interplay and integration between city and hinterland, investigating borders and boundaries in such interplay. Five Norwegian city-regions served as the empirical basis for analysing two empirical fields. In the first field — everyday mobility and flow — institutionalized interactions between the cities and their hinterlands were analysed as well as objectives and meaning as motivations in everyday mobility in the city-region between city and hinterland. In the second field — urban-regional economic development policy — the questions addressed related to the degree to which governance networks are developed as a tool in local economic development policy, the geographical span such networks have, and the degree to which actors are motivated by the idea of creating a city-region where the importance of borders is decreasing. The issues were discussed in a theoretical frame related to urban and boundary theory.The results demonstrated the multitude of meanings with regard to borders and boundaries, underscoring how fundamentally different cognitive approaches related to borders and flows are constituent in the two empirical fields as well as how borders and boundaries are used to separate and connect in fulfilling purposeful ends.
On the Sources of Consumer Boycotts Ineffectiveness
Authors: Delacote Philippe
Published: September 2009

This article investigates weaknesses of consumer boycotts. First, usual shortcomings of collective action, such as coordination failure and free riding, reduce considerably the success likelihood. Second, consumers with the highest ability to hurt the targeted firm’s profit also have the highest opportunity cost of boycotting. Thus, they are less likely to participate in the boycott. Conversely, the most involved consumers have high environmental preferences and small amounts of consumption, which prevent them from hurting the firm’s profit enough.
Violence Against Women and the U.S. Supreme Court: Recent Challenges and Opportunities for Advocates and Practitioners
Authors: Rutkow Lainie , Vernick Jon S. , Webster Daniel W. , Lennig Dorothy J.
Published: September 2009

The U.S. Supreme Court has frequently grappled with violence against women, with three major cases decided since 2000. Although the law can be a powerful tool to minimize the risk of violence against women, it can also be an obstacle to interventions. As legislators, prosecutors, and advocates implement legal interventions to respond to violence against women, the Supreme Court has increasingly been called on to interpret these laws and assess their constitutionality. This legal note examines recent Supreme Court jurisprudence that addresses interventions to prevent violence against women and explain how practitioners can tailor interventions to respond to these decisions.
Middle Ear Implantable Hearing Devices: An Overview
Authors: Haynes David S. , Young Jadrien A. , Wanna George B. , Glasscock Michael E.
Published: September 2009

Hearing loss affects approximately 30 million people in the United States. It has been estimated that only approximately 20% of people with hearing loss significant enough to warrant amplification actually seek assistance for amplification. A significant interest in middle ear implants has emerged over the years to facilitate patients who are noncompliant with conventional hearing aides, do not receive significant benefit from conventional aides, or are not candidates for cochlear implants. From the initial studies in the 1930s, the technology has greatly evolved over the years with a wide array of devices and mechanisms employed in the development of implantable middle ear hearing devices. Currently, these devices are generally available in two broad categories: partially or totally implantable using either piezoelectric or electromagnetic systems. The authors present an up-to-date overview of the major implantable middle ear devices. Although the current devices are largely in their infancy, indications for middle ear implants are ever evolving as promising studies show good results. The totally implantable devices provide the user freedom from the social and practical difficulties of using conventional amplification.
Application Analysis and Porting in the PRACE Project
Authors: Michielse Peter
Published: September 2009

This paper reports on the construction of a benchmark suite, to be used both within the current PRACE project and beyond, when actual Tier-0 systems will be purchased. PRACE targets toward a European research infrastructure, ideally consisting of various hardware architectures. This implicitly means that some applications are more suited to certain architectures than others. This needs to be reflected in the final benchmark suite, with the idea that potentially subsets of the overall benchmark suite may be used for benchmarking different architectures. The paper gives insight into the ideas behind the construction of the benchmark suite, including the current status of it.
Embodying Surrogate Motherhood: Pregnancy as a Dyadic Body-project
Authors: Teman Elly
Published: September 2009

This article examines pregnancy as a dyadic body-project within surrogate motherhood arrangements. In gestational surrogacy arrangements, the surrogate mother agrees to have an embryo that has been created using IVF, with the genetic materials of the intended parents or of anonymous donors, surgically implanted in her womb. Based on anthropological fieldwork among Jewish-Israeli surrogates and intended mothers involved in these arrangements, this article focuses upon the interactive identity management practices that the women jointly undertake during the pregnancy. For each side, creating an unambiguous definition of motherhood was central to their individual identity-work. For surrogates, the possible imputations of immorality required redefining pregnant embodiment as separate from maternal identity, while for intended mothers, the surrogate’s embodiment of the pregnancy represented competing claims to their own maternity. Through verbal communication and through practices of disembodiment and vicarious embodiment, the women construct a ‘shifting body’ which they use to designate the social label of pregnancy, identity-building processes associated with pregnant embodiment, and even the lived experience of pregnancy. This example of a dyadic body-project contributes to the existing scholarship on the role of the body in the management of identity. While previous works have examined projects of the body as individualistic pursuits, the shifting body exemplifies that body-projects can be collaborative, dual forms of identity-work and that pregnancy can be the site of these projects.
What are the practical implications for treating diabetes in light of recent evidence? Updated recommendations from the Global Partnership for Effective Diabetes Management
Authors: Bailey Clifford J. , Blonde Lawrence , Del Prato Stefano , Leiter Lawrence A. , Nesto Richard ,   Global Partnership for Effective Diabetes Management
Published: September 2009

The Global Partnership for Effective Diabetes Management was established in 2004 to provide practical guidance to improving glycaemic control for people with type 2 diabetes. Those recommendations have been updated to take account of recent trials assessing the effects of intensive glucose control. We continue to emphasis the importance of early and sustained glycaemic control, aiming for HbA 1c 6.5—7% wherever safe and appropriate. Individualisation of targets and the management process is strongly encouraged to accommodate patient circumstances and to avoid hypoglycaemia. Prompt introduction of combinations of agents is suggested when monotherapy is inadequate.Treatments will preferably address the underlying pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes and integrate within a wider programme of care which also aims to reduce modifiable cardiovascular risk factors and better equip patients in the self-management of their condition.
Impaired serum capacity to induce cholesterol efflux is associated with endothelial dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Zhou Huali , Shiu Sammy WM , Wong Ying , Tan Kathryn CB
Published: September 2009

Objective: Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) plays a protective role against atherosclerosis and cholesterol efflux from cells is an early step in the RCT pathway. We investigated whether the capacity of serum to induce cholesterol efflux was associated with endothelial dysfunction in type 2 diabetes. Methods: Endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation of the brachial artery was measured by high-resolution vascular ultrasound and serum cholesterol efflux capacity was determined by measuring the transfer of [3H]cholesterol from Fu5AH cells to serum in 137 patients with type 2 diabetes and 75 controls. Results: Serum cholesterol efflux capacity was lower in diabetic patients than in the controls (13.6±2.5% vs. 14.6±3.4%, respectively, p=0.02), and both endothelium-dependent vasodilation (4.9±2.2% vs. 8.8±4.1%, respectively, p<0.01) and endothelium-independent vasodilation were impaired (13.4±4.3% vs. 16.3±5.5%. respectively, p<0.01). Endothelium-dependent vasodilation correlated with serum cholesterol efflux capacity (r=0.26, p=0.003) in diabetic patients and controls (r=0.24, p=0.037). On general linear model analysis, the presence of diabetes, brachial artery diameter and serum cholesterol efflux capacity were significant independent determinants of endothelium-dependent vasodilation. Conclusion: Impaired serum cholesterol efflux capacity was associated with endothelial dysfunction independent of other cardiovascular risk factors.
Modeling and Simulation of Explosion Effectiveness as a Function of Blast and Crowd Characteristics
Authors: Usmani Zeeshan-ul-hassan , Kirk Daniel
Published: September 2009

Explosions in civil settings are becoming the daily news. While various explosive simulations and models have been developed for battlefield and industrial settings, much less has been done for civil settings and urban terrains.This paper presents the science of suicide bombing and explains the physics, explosive models, mathematics, and the assumptions we need to create such a simulation.The proposed simulation tool is capable of assessing the impact of crowd formation patterns and their densities on the magnitude of injury and number of casualties during a suicide bombing attack. Results indicate that the worst crowd formation is a street (zigzag) where 30% of the crowd can be dead and 45% can be injured, given the typical explosive carrying capacity of a single suicide bomber. Row-wise crowd formation was found to be the best for reducing the effectiveness of an attack with 18% of the crowd in the lethal zone and 38% in the injury zone. Crowd blockage and densities can reduce the fatalities by 12% and injuries by 7%. Simulation results were compared and validated by real-life incidents and found to be in good agreement. These findings, although preliminary, may have implications for emergency response and counter terrorism.
Mechanisms Linking Depression to Delinquency for Males and Females
Authors: Vaske Jamie , Gehring Krista
Published: September 2009

The current study examines whether the mechanisms underlying the relationship between depression and delinquency vary between male and female adolescents. Four potential mechanisms are considered in the analyses: weakened internal controls, weakened social controls, peer rejection, and substance use. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth—Child and Young Adult data reveal that depression increases the odds of peer rejection for males, which subsequently increases males’ involvement in delinquency. Results suggest that substance abuse mediates the relationship between depression and delinquency for female adolescents.Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Characterization of bovine miRNAs by sequencing and bioinformatics analysis
Authors: Jin Weiwu , Grant Jason R , Stothard Paul , Moore Stephen S , Guan Le Luo
Published: September 2009

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a family of ~22 nucleotide small RNA molecules which regulate gene expression by fully or partially binding to their complementary sequences in mRNAs or promoters. A large number of miRNAs and their expression patterns have been reported in human, mouse and rat. However, miRNAs and their expression patterns in live stock species such as beef cattle are not well studied.

Results

We constructed and sequenced small-RNA libraries to yield a total of 13,541 small-RNA sequences from 11 bovine tissues including brain, subcutaneous fat, muscle, liver, kidney, spleen and thymus. In total, 228 miRNAs including 29 novel miRNA candidates were identified. Of the 199 miRNAs, 101 have been previously reported as bovine miRNAs and the other 98 are bovine orthologs of known miRNAs that have been identified in at least one other mammalian species. Of the 29 novel miRNA candidates, 17 appeared at this point in time to be bovine specific, while the remaining 12 had evidence of evolutionary conservation in other mammalian species. Five miRNAs (miR-23a, -23b, -99a, -125b and -126-5p) were very abundant across the 11 tissues, accounting for 44.3% of all small RNA sequences. The expression analysis of selected miRNAs using qRT-PCR also showed that miR-26a and -99a were highly expressed in all tissues, while miR-122 and miR-133a were predominantly expressed in liver and muscle, respectively.

Conclusion

The miRNA expression patterns among 11 tissues from beef cattle revealed that most miRNAs were ubiquitously expressed in all tissues, while only a few miRNAs were tissue specific. Only 60% miRNAs in this study were found to display strand bias, suggesting that there are some key factors for mature miRNA selection other than internal stability. Most bovine miRNAs are highly conserved in other three mammalian species, indicating that these miRNAs may have a role in different species that are potential molecular markers for evolution.
Postoperative analgesia following caesarean deliveries in a rural health district of South Africa
Authors: Khan M F , Omole O B , Marincowitz G J O
Published: September 2009

The under-treatment of postoperative pain is prevalent worldwide. This cross-sectional study examined general practitioners' (GPs) knowledge and practices regarding postoperative analgesia in Caesarean deliveries. Postoperative analgesia was said to ensure that patients were pain-free (38.7%), achieved early mobilization (19.4%) and enabled early breast feeding (16%). Pethidine was the opioid of choice; normally prescribed eight hourly (69%) and was combined with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) by 48.6% of doctors and used solely by 51.6%. The prescription of analgesics was mainly influenced by drug availability (45.2%) and potency (19.4%). Most doctors (93.5%) had never attended a pain management course or used pain scores. Doctors at level 1 hospitals were less likely to use pethidine in combination with NSAID (odds ratio: 0.11; confidence interval: 0.02–0.59) compared to those in the specialized hospital. The GPs recognized the importance of postoperative analgesia, but their practices made patients vulnerable to pain after caesarean section.
Neurobrucellosis: an evaluation of a rare presentation of brucellosis from a tertiary care centre in Central Anatolia, Turkey
Authors: Demiraslan Hayati , Metan Gokhan , Meşe Emine Alp , Yildiz Orhan , Aygen Bilgehan , Sumerkan Bulent , Doganay Mehmet
Published: September 2009

Nervous system involvement is a rare manifestation of brucellosis. We describe our experience of the diagnosis, treatment and final outcome of patients with neurobrucellosis at the Erciyes University Gevher Nesibe Hospital, a tertiary referral centre in Central Anatolia, Turkey. Thirty-six adult patients were diagnosed with neurobrucellosis from January 1997 to December 2006. Headache and fever were the most common symptoms. Neck stiffness was present in 25 patients. Brucella spp was isolated from the blood of nine patients and from the cerebrospinal fluid of 11. Doxycycline (by mouth) plus rifampin (by mouth) with ceftriaxone (intravenously) were the most common treatment choices. Three patients died as a result of problems other than neurobrucellosis and relapse occurred in one patient. Neurobrucellosis presents with hetoregenous clinical signs.
In Situ Evidence of KRAS Amplification and Association With Increased p21 Levels in Non–Small Cell Lung Carcinoma
Authors: Wagner Patrick L. , Perner Sven , Rickman David S. , LaFargue Christopher J. , Kitabayashi Naoki , Johnstone Stephen F. , Weir Barbara A. , Meyerson Matthew , Altorki Nasser K. , Rubin Mark A.
Published: September 2009

Recent advances in the characterization of the lung cancer genome have suggested that KRAS may frequently be amplified, although little is known regarding the significance of this finding. This is in contrast with activating mutations of KRAS, which occur in approximately 20% of non–small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs).

We used fluorescence in situ hybridization to provide direct evidence of KRAS amplification for the first time in clinical specimens. We detected amplification in 7 of 100 consecutive NSCLCs, with a concurrent activating KRAS mutation in 4 cases. KRAS amplification was associated with greater expression of p21 as assessed by quantitative immunohistochemical analysis (P = .015).

Our data indicate that a sizable subgroup of NSCLCs harbor KRAS amplification, some of which also contain point mutations, and suggest that an increased KRAS copy number may drive p21 overexpression. KRAS amplification may define a unique clinicopathologic subset of NSCLCs with potentially altered responsiveness to targeted therapies.
Diabetic Microangiopathy in the Liver
Authors: Hudacko Rachel M. , Sciancalepore Justin P. , Fyfe Billie S.
Published: September 2009

Diabetic hepatosclerosis (DH) is a recently described form of diabetic microangiopathy with hepatic sinusoidal fibrosis and basement membrane deposition without cirrhosis. The objective was to investigate the frequency of DH and its correlation with other diabetic microangiopathic complications. Complete autopsies from 57 adults with diabetes were reviewed for liver pathology and other diabetic complications. Basement membrane deposition in the liver was highlighted using laminin and type IV collagen immunostains.

Only 1 case of DH was identified. Other diabetic end-organ damage in this case included nodular glomerulosclerosis and hepatic hyaline arteriolosclerosis, which were the most severe in the series. DH is an uncommon pattern of liver disease in patients with diabetes and is associated with severe end-organ damage. This study supports the presumed vascular etiology of DH, confirms the rarity of the lesion, and supports the suggestion that it is usually accompanied by other end-organ damage.
Microphase-separated multicontinuous phase in low-molecular-mass thermotropic liquid crystals
Authors: Saito Kazuya
Published: September 2009

Extensive application of chemical thermodynamics to exotic aggregation formed in thermotropic liquid crystals is briefly described. Through thermodynamic analyses and considerations of experimental results on liquid crystals, the unexpected sharing of common properties by thermo- and lyotropic liquid crystals is demonstrated. In some thermotropic liquid crystals, the terminal alkyl chain attached to the molecular core is highly disordered, as indicated by the magnitude of configurational entropy. The molten chain serves as intramolecular solvent (self-solvent), as evidenced by the close similarity between phase diagrams against chain length and composition in the binary system withn-alkane. These facts lead to the quasi-binary picture of thermotropic liquid crystals. Consideration of the thermodynamic potential expanded in terms of density fluctuation gives a new insight into the multicontinuous phases formed in simple systems consisting of anisotropic, rodlike particles.
Evaluation of therapeutic modalities in the treatment of palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis
Authors: Vincze Károly , Herke László , Ferenczy József , Seffer István , Lelovics Zsuzsanna
Published: September 2009

A szerzők felső testféli (axillaris és palmaris) hyperhidrosis kezelésével kapcsolatos gyakorlatukat foglalják össze. Ismertetik a kóros izzadékonyság klinikai jellemzőit, előfordulási gyakoriságát és patoanatómiai sajátosságait. Bemutatják közel 40 éves gyakorlatukban alkalmazott kezelési módszereiket, azok változását a technikai fejlődés és az újabb ismeretek tükrében. Az első időszakban a nyílt (axillaris) thoracotomiában végzett mellűri deszimpatizációs módszerüket a későbbiekben minimalizált feltárásból (minithoracotomia) történő sympathectomia váltotta fel, amelyet a sympathectomia végzésére osztályukon több mint egy évtizede alkalmazott VATS-módszer követett. A sympathectomiás gyakorlatban kezdettől a Smithwick-féle (T
2
–T
3
ganglionokat és a köteget eltávolító) megoldást alkalmazták. Ismertetik a konzervatív kezelési próbálkozásokat, a lokális excisiós megoldások kritikáját, valamint a plasztikai sebészeti gyakorlatban alkalmazott
Clostridium botulinum
által termelt
Botulinum toxin- (Botox-)
kezeléseket, azok technikai kivitelezését és eredményességét. Az irodalomban olvasható előfordulási gyakoriság (0,1–1,0%) nagyszámú megoldatlan hyperhidrosis-esetre utal, amely hatékonyabb kivizsgálási és betegirányítási feladatokat igényelne. Tapasztalataik alapján a legeredményesebb módszernek a felső testféli hyperhidrosis kezelésében a T
2
–T
3
ganglionokat és az érintett szimpatikus köteget magában foglaló reszekció tartható. Kétoldali érintettség esetén az egy ülésben végzendő bilateralis VATS-műtét ajánlott. A konzervatív lehetőségek közt – egyedi mérlegelés alapján, döntően axillaris érintettség esetén – a Botox-kezelés lehet hatásos. Jelentősebb, az eredményességet befolyásoló szövődményt vagy kompenzatorikus hyperhidrosist nem észleltek.