bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Establishment of a catchment monitoring network through a participatory approach in a rural community in South Africa
Authors: Kongo V. M. , Kosgei J. R. , Jewitt G. P. W. , Lorentz S. A.
Published: December 2010

Abstract. The establishment of a catchment monitoring network is a process, from the inception of the idea to its implementation, the latter being the construction of relevant gauging structures and installation of the various instruments. It is useful that the local communities and other stakeholders are involved and participate in such a process, as was highlighted during the establishment of the hydrological monitoring network in the Potshini catchment in Bergville District in the KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The paper highlights the participatory establishment of a hydrological monitoring network in a small rural inhabited catchment, in line with the overall objective of the Smallholder System Innovations (SSI) research programme, to monitor hydrological processes at both field and catchment scale for water resources management research purposes. The engagement and participation of the Potshini community precipitated a learning opportunity for both the researchers and the local community on (i) the understanding of hydrological processes inherent in the catchment (ii) appreciating the inherent dynamics in establishing a catchment monitoring network in the midst of a community (iii) paradigm shift on how to engage different stakeholders at different levels of participation. The participatory engagement in the monitoring process led to appreciation and uptake of some of the research results by the Potshini community and ensured continued support from all stakeholders. This paper is of the view that the participation of the local community and other stakeholders in catchment monitoring and instilling a sense of ownership and management of natural resources to the local communities needs to be encouraged at all times. Success stories in water resources management by local communities can be realized if such a process is integrated with other development plans in the catchment at all forums, with due recognition of the social dynamics of the communities living in the catchment.
Mapping snow depth return levels: smooth spatial modeling versus station interpolation
Authors: Blanchet J. , Lehning M.
Published: December 2010

Abstract. For adequate risk management in mountainous countries, hazard maps for extreme snow events are needed. This requires the computation of spatial estimates of return levels. In this article we use recent developments in extreme value theory and compare two main approaches for mapping snow depth return levels from in situ measurements. The first one is based on the spatial interpolation of pointwise extremal distributions (the so-called Generalized Extreme Value distribution, GEV henceforth) computed at station locations. The second one is new and based on the direct estimation of a spatially smooth GEV distribution with the joint use of all stations. We compare and validate the different approaches for modeling annual maximum snow depth measured at 100 sites in Switzerland during winters 1965–1966 to 2007–2008. The results show a better performance of the smooth GEV distribution fitting, in particular where the station network is sparser. Smooth return level maps can be computed from the fitted model without any further interpolation. Their regional variability can be revealed by removing the altitudinal dependent covariates in the model. We show how return levels and their regional variability are linked to the main climatological patterns of Switzerland.
The Intersubjective Ethic of Julieta Paredes’ Poetic
Authors: Daly Tara
Published: December 2010

This paper explores the ways in which the feminist activist group Mujeres Creando’s contemporary urban street performances and Julieta Paredes‘ poetry catalyze discussions around intersubjective ethics in the Andes. First, I discuss subjectivity as suspended in the inextricable space between embodiment and textuality, between the physical attributes of breathing bodies and the subsequent categorization of them in language and texts. Second, I argue that Mujeres Creando's and Paredes’ emphasis on the body as a site of active resistance to social norms contributes to the creation of what Emmanuel Levinas calls a “living poetic.“ This living, embodied poetic is less about producing a frozen "said," fixed in language than about creating  a breathing, moving "saying", as is perpetuated through spoken dialogue. The necessity for an ethical poetic emerges out of colonial conditions that have created definitions of the human and the “less than” or “other than,” often based on superficial physical categorizations. Ultimately, through their ongoing work, Mujeres Creando and Julieta Paredes expand the potential for a more inclusive community based upon mutual responsibility and respect for the self and other, regardless of race, gender, or sexuality.
Migration, Informalization and Public Space in Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Authors: Kirshner Joshua
Published: December 2010

In this paper, I ask how migrant insertion into the local economy, in particular in the informal economy, has led to contestation over public space in Santa Cruz.  Related to this issue, the paper asks what sorts of collective actions are used to defend rights to the use of urban public space, and what are the key points of contention.  In my analysis, I look at theoretical connections between the informal economy and urban space, recent changes in the Santa Cruz local economy ‒including accelerated migration and the burgeoning informal economy‒ and conflicts over uses of public urban space.
Warisata in Art, Literature and Bolivian Politics. Observations about the Impact of the Escuela-Ayllu on Bolivian Artistic Production and the New Educational Legislation of the Government of Evo Morales
Authors: Bosshard Marco Thomas
Published: December 2010

This paper applies literary criticism to a cultural phenomenon of the 1930s and re-projects such criticism to the extra-literary present in order to provide alternative routes for the understanding of a possible “nuova Bolivian culture.” Against the sociological, historical, ethnological, and/or pedagogical analysis that until now have framed the study of Warisata’s Escuela- Ayllu, this work is, first of all, an invitation to discuss Bolivian politics from the specific angle of a discipline different from that of the social sciences. This is nothing more than a first outline of possible discursive bonds between some artistic works of Warisata and Evo Morales’ education reform program.
The Need to Compromise Existence. Nation and Decolonization in the Bolivian Cinema of the Neoliberal Era
Authors: Mattos Vazualdo Diego
Published: December 2010

The aim of this essay is twofold: to analyze post-dictatorial Bolivian filmic discourse on the thematic of the nation vis-à-vis processes of decolonization, and to observe the effect that this relation had in the formation of subjectivities during the so called  “neoliberal” era . Toward this end, I examine three films that reflect on the colonial condition of the nation through cinematographic language: Mi socio (Paolo Agazzi, 1982), La nación clandestina (Jorge Sanjinés, 1989), and American Visa (Juan Carlos Valdivia, 2005).
Josep M. Barnadas. Bibliotheca Boliviana Antiqva: colonial prints (1534-1825)
Authors: García Pabón Leonardo
Published: December 2010

2 vol. 855+917. Sucre, Bolivia: Fundación Cultural del Banco Central de Bolivia, Archivo y Biblioteca Nacionales de Bolivia, y Centro de Estudios Bolivianos Avanzados, 2008
Juan Pablo Piñeiro. Cuando Sara Chura despierte
Authors: Rodríguez-Márquez Rosario
Published: December 2010

La Paz: OFFAVIM, diciembre 2003 (216 páginas, formato pequeño. En la contratapa, comentario de Jesús Urzagasti)
Pachakuti in Bolivia (2008-2010). A Personal Diary
Authors: Dunkerley James
Published: December 2010

The writing of this personal Diary approaches crucial public “moments” in Bolivian history and connects them with present debates around the exercise of democracy in the context of the New Political Constitution of the State (2006) and of the recently founded Plurinational State (2010). In an effort to embrace a Pachakuti logic, the writing avoids a strict chronological order of the facts, rather unfolding a concern with the ‘historicity’ of where Bolivia now stands and where she might be ‘going.’ The Diary begins on February 7, 2009 (inauguration of the new Political Constitution of the State) and concludes on February 13, 2010 (with a report of the British newspaper The Guardian commenting that the government of Evo Morales has created a Space Agency and plans to launch, in 2013, a satellite that will be called Tupac Katari).
Preliminary Pages
Authors: . .
Published: December 2010

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Mapping a New Geography of Space and Power
Authors: Fabricant Nicole
Published: December 2010

In this paper, I analyze the ways in which MST-Bolivia (Movimiento Sin Tierra) forged a national-level movement through one counter-hegemonic event: the Fifth Indigenous March for Land and Territory, which originated in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in October 2006.  This march enacted a powerful performance of pan-indigenous solidarity and nationalistic sentiment which led to a public declaration by president Evo Morales to approve the New Agrarian Reform Law. I focus in particular on the organizational and spatial structure of the march, and on the significance of seizing public space in protest.
To the Reader / Al Lector
Authors: Mantilla Martha E. , Monasterios Elizabeth
Published: December 2010

To the Reader / Al Lector
Mujeres Creando Comunidad: Feminizating Communty
Authors: Alfaro Raquel
Published: December 2010

This work is a critical examination of the very foundations that gave rise to the thought-provoking alternative community proposed by Mujeres Creando Comunidad. I show that the special feature of this project is the fact that it arises from within a feminist social movement that is predominatly indigenous.  This allows the movement to take the Andean ethical principle of human coexistance (the “being-as-one-with-the-Other”) to its limits, to successfully transcend patriarchal paradigms underlying both indigenous and Western societies, and to postulate a possible space of coexistance where relations between men and women are symmetrical.  I emphasize the fact that it is the connection of this project to ancestral anti-patriarchal wars that prevents it (as distinct from other feminist currents), from becoming a futile inversion of energies in its efforts to create of a balance between the male and the female poles. This is because at no time does Mujeres Creando Comunidad lose sight that gender asymmetries respond to a structural and systemic problem.
This is Us, We are Government. Experience of Social Movements in Bolivia
Authors: Quiroga María Virginia
Published: December 2010

The emergence of social movements in the public arena had to do with neoliberalism´s negative consequences. Different actors with different interests worked together against the system, which became their “common antagonist”.  On the one hand, after years of autonomous organization, these social movements won social recognition and increased their power. On the other, political parties and trade unions lost legitimacy.  In December 2005, a faction of the Bolivian social movements won the general elections, and Evo Morales (the cocalero movement´s leader) became the first Aymara president in Bolivian history. How to manage this government it is one of the majors challenges the social movements confront in today’s Bolivia.
Surgical Treatment of Ocular Toxocariasis: Anatomic and Functional Results in 45 Patients
Authors: Giuliari Gian Paolo , Ramirez Gema , Cortez Rafael T.
Published: December 2010

Purpose

TO evaluate the anatomic and functional outcome after surgery in patients with complicated ocular toxocariasis.

Methods

A retrospective review of the medical records of pediatric patients who underwent a surgical procedure for ocular toxocariasis from July 1990 to January 2005. Patients with postoperative follow-up shorter than 6 months were excluded from the study. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was arbitrarily divided into 5 groups: 1) no light perception (NLP); 2) light perception (LP) and hand motion (HM); 3) finger counting (FC) to 20/400; 4) 20/300 to 20/60; and 5) 20/50 to 20/20.

Results

Forty-five patients with a mean age of 8.1 years (range 6–10) were included in the study. The ocular toxocariasis presentation most commonly encountered was peripheral granuloma (38%). Twenty-one eyes presented with BCVA in the LP/HM group, 18 (40%) eyes in the FC to 20/400 group, 5 (12%) eyes in the 20/300 to 20/60 group, and 1 (5%) eye in the 20/50 to 20/20 group. The most common surgical procedure was pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in 58% of the eyes. Four eyes (9%) presented with postoperative BCVA of NLP, 2 eyes (4%) in the LP/HM group, 12 eyes (27%) in the FC to 20/400 group, 19 eyes (42%) in the 20/300 to 20/60 group, and 8 eyes (18%) in the 20/50 to 20/20 group.

Conclusions

Surgical treatment of severe ocular complications secondary to toxocara infections results in satisfactory anatomic results and may improve the overall visual outcome of these patients.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (Vegf) +936 C/T Gene Polymorphisms and Gastric Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis Involving 4,138 Subjects
Authors: Zhou Yong , Hu Wen , Zhuang Wen , Liu Guan-Jian , Wu Tai-Xiang , Yao Xun , Du Liang , Wei Mao-Ling , Wu Xiao-Ting
Published: December 2010

The association between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) +936 C/T gene polymorphisms and gastric cancer risk is still controversial and ambiguous. The objective of our study was to investigate this association. The Medline and Embase databases were searched by two investigators. Crude odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to test the association between VEGF +936 C/T polymorphisms and gastric cancer risk. Our meta-analysis comprised seven case-control studies, which included 1,893 gastric cancer cases and 2,245 controls. The combined results showed that there was no relationship between VEGF +936 C/T gene polymorphisms and gastric cancer risk (cc: OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.85, 1.11; CT: OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.88, 1.16; TT: OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.79, 1.55). Subgroup analysis by ethnicity and stage, location, and Lauren classification of gastric cancer did not change the results. This meta-analysis suggests that there is no association between VEGF +936 C/T polymorphisms and gastric cancer risk. Further studies should pay attention to other potentially functional SNPs.
Increased Levels of Free Circulating Dna in Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Authors: Casoni Gian Luca , Ulivi Paola , Mercatali Laura , Chilosi Marco , Tomassetti Sara , Romagnoli Micaela , Ravaglia Claudia , Gurioli Carlo , Gurioli Christian , Zoli Wainer , Silvestrini Rosella , Poletti Venerino
Published: December 2010

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is difficult to diagnose because of numerous interstitial lung diseases with similar symptoms. As serum DNA has proven useful for early lung cancer detection, we aimed to define the relevance of this marker in discriminating IPF from other fibrotic and nonfibrotic/nonmalignant lung diseases. DNA was quantified in 191 subjects: 64 healthy individuals, 58 patients with IPF, 17 patients with nonspecific pulmonary fibrosis (13 idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, 4 chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis), and 52 patients with other diffuse/nonmalignant lung diseases. The median value of free DNA in IPF patients was 61.1 ng/mL (range 7.1–405), which was significantly higher than that of healthy donors (median 6.8, range 2.2–184) (p<0.001) and that of patients with other diffuse/nonmalignant lung diseases (median 28.0, range 4.2–281) (p=0.004). The area under the ROC curve was 0.926 (95% CI 0.879–0.973) when IPF patients were compared with healthy donors, and 0.702 (95% CI 0.609–0.796) when a comparison was made with non-IPF pulmonary diseases. In conclusion, we observed significantly higher levels of free circulating DNA in patients with IPF than in those with other fibrotic or diffuse/nonmalignant lung diseases.
Osteopontin Plasma Level Does Not Detect Prostate Cancer in Patients Referred for Diagnostic Prostate Biopsy
Authors: Puzone Roberto , Paleari Laura , Montefiore Franco , Ruggiero Luca , Puntoni Matteo , Maffezzini Massimo , Bobbio Barbara , Marroni Paola , Libener Roberta , Betta Pier Giacomo
Published: December 2010

Background

Prostate cancer is the second most frequent cause of tumor-related deaths in men in Western countries. The selection and evaluation of new markers might help to overcome the limits of the most widely used diagnostic tool, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, often combined with digital rectal examination (DRE). Osteopontin (OPN) is an integrin-binding glycoprotein that has recently been shown to be related to tumor development, progression and metastasis in both experimental and clinical studies. The present study compares plasma OPN levels and tumor presence and grade in a group of PSA/DRE-positive patients referred for diagnostic prostate biopsy.

Methods

Plasma OPN levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in blood samples of 194 PSA/DRE-positive patients referred for diagnostic prostate biopsy. OPN measurements were compared with PSA levels and tumor presence and grade as established by needle biopsy.

Results

Plasma OPN levels were not increased in patients with prostate cancer, and in patients with high-grade prostate cancer the plasma OPN levels were not different from those in patients with low-grade or no prostate cancer.

Conclusions

In PSA/DRE-positive patients referred for diagnostic prostate biopsy, OPN does not appear to be a plasma marker able to detect prostate cancer or high-grade prostate cancer.
Distribution of a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 in Colorectal Cancer Patients and Its Association with Mucinous Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Lin Jen-Kou , Shen Ming-Yin , Lin Tzu-Chen , Lan Yuan-Tzu , Wang Huann-Sheng , Yang Shung-Haur , Li Anna Fen-Yau , Chang Shih-Ching
Published: December 2010

Purpose

To analyze the difference in the distribution of an insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) polymorphism (-2995 C/A) between young and old colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.

Methods

Information from 950 CRC patients undergoing surgery at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital between 2000 and 2005 was collected. The IGF-1 polymorphism was analyzed in patients in extreme age ranges at the time of CRC onset (i.e., under the 20th and above the 80th percentiles, respectively). Associations between clinicopathological variables and the IGF-1 polymorphism were analyzed.

Results

Young CRC patients had a higher frequency of advanced disease (58.7%) and mucinous adenocarcinoma (20%) than old CRC patients. Among old CRC patients, the frequency of the AA genotype of IGF-1 was 12.7% (24/189), which was significantly higher than in young patients (4.2%). Other clinicopathological factors including tumor location, differentiation, lymphovascular invasion, and TNM stage were not associated with the AA genotype of IGF-1. Mucinous differentiation (but not the other clinicopathological factors) was significantly associated with the CA/AA genotype of IGF-1 (39/195).

Conclusions

Older patients had a higher frequency of the AA genotype of IGF-1(-2995 C/A), while younger patients more often had advanced disease and mucinous adenocarcinoma.
Effectiveness of Sutureless Percutaneous Placement of Cuffed Tunneled Hemodialysis Catheters Applying Statlock Attachment Devices
Authors: Teichgräber Ulf Karl-Martin , De Bucourt Maximilian , Gebauer Bernhard , Streitparth Florian , Hamm Bernd , Enzweiler Christian
Published: December 2010

Purpose

A prospective, randomized-controlled trail was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of securing tunneled hemodialysis (HD) catheters with sutureless StatLock attachment devices (Bard Access Systems) compared to traditional suture fixation.

Methods

At a university teaching hospital 11 patients with chronic renal failure received cuffed tunneled HD catheters. In the study group (n=36) the HD catheters were secured with a sutureless StatLock attachment device, whereas the control group HD catheters were fixated with sutures only. The intended intermediate use of the tunneled HD catheters was 42 ± 7 days until the arteriovenous fistula was sufficient. All catheters were placed by an interventional radiologist using ultrasound for the puncture of the internal jugular vein. We evaluated the success and complication rate of tunneled catheter implantation.

Results

The primary success rate for implantation of HD catheters was 100%. There was an overall complication rate of 8.3% in the study group (one hematoma in the subcutaneous catheter tract and two central venous thromboses). In the control group the overall complication rate was 13.9% (two hematomas, one central venous thrombosis and two catheter displacements). The two catheter displacements required a HD catheter exchange. In addition, four local irritations at the HD catheter entry site were seen only in the control group and were rated as minor complications.

Conclusions

The sutureless placement technique is safe and effective with a low complication rate, and is superior to the traditional suture fixation of tunneled catheters.
Hemodynamic Effects of Spiral ePTFE Prosthesis Compared with Standard Arteriovenous Graft in a Carotid to Jugular Vein Porcine Model
Authors: Kh. Jahrome Ommid , Hoefer Imo , Houston Graeme J. , Stonebridge Peter A. , Blankestijn Peter J. , Moll Frans L. , De Borst Gert J.
Published: December 2010

Introduction

The primary patency rate of arteriovenous (AV) grafts is limited by distal venous anastomosis stenosis or occlusion due to intimal hyperplasia associated with distal graft turbulence. The normal blood flow in native arteries is spiral laminar flow. Standard vascular grafts do not produce spiral laminar flow at the distal anastomosis. Vascular grafts which induce a spiral laminar flow distally result in lower turbulence, particularly near the vessel wall. This initial study compares the hemodynamic effects of a spiral flow–-inducing graft and a standard graft in a new AV carotid to jugular vein crossover graft porcine model.

Methods

Four spiral flow grafts and 4 control grafts were implanted from the carotid artery to the contralateral jugular vein in 4 pigs. Two animals were terminated after 48 hours and 2 at 14 days. Graft patency was assessed by selective catheter digital angiography, and the flow pattern was assessed by intraoperative flow probe and color Doppler ultrasound (CDU) measurements. The spiral grafts were also assessed at enhanced flow rates using an external roller pump to simulate increased flow rates that may occur during dialysis using a standard dialysis needle cannulation. The method increased the flow rate through the graft by 660 ml/min. The graft distal anastomotic appearances were evaluated by explant histopathology.

Results

All grafts were patent at explantation with no complications. All anastomoses were found to be wide open and showed no significant angiographic stenosis at the distal anastomosis in both spiral and control grafts. CDU examinations showed a spiral flow pattern in the spiral graft and double helix pattern in the control graft. No gross histopathological effects were seen in either spiral or control grafts.

Conclusion

This porcine model is robust and allows hemodynamic flow assessment up to 14 days postimplantation. The spiral flow–-inducing grafts produced and maintained spiral flow at baseline and enhanced flow rates during dialysis needle cannulation, whereas control grafts did not produce spiral flow through the distal anastomosis. There was no deleterious effect of the spiral flow–-inducing graft on macroscopic and histological examination. The reducing effect of spiral flow on intima hyperplasia formation will be the subject of further study using the same AV graft model at a longer period of implantation.
Protein Blotting: Immunoblotting
Authors: Gallagher Sean R.
Published: December 2010

Immunoblotting (also referred to as western blotting) uses antibodies to probe for a specific protein in a sample bound to a membrane. Typically, a protein sample is first size separated via electrophoresis (e.g., SDS PAGE). However, antibodies used for specific protein detection are restricted by the polyacrylamide gel and, to make the separated proteins accessible, the proteins need to be moved out of the gel and bound to a rectangular sheet of PVDF or nitrocellulose membrane. Specialized blotting equipment electrophoretically transfers the negatively charged proteins from the gel onto the membrane. The nitrocellulose or PVDF membrane binds the proteins as they move out of the gel, producing an exact replica, on the membrane surface, of the original protein gel separation. The membrane is then blocked to prevent any nonspecific protein binding and visualized by specific antibodies to detect the presence or absence of a particular protein. Applications of immunoblotting are many, and include antibody characterization, diagnostics, gene expression, and post‐translational modification analysis. Curr. Protoc. Essential Lab. Tech. 4:8.3.1‐8.3.36. © 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
In Situ Hybridization: Fruit Fly Embryos and Tissues
Authors: Wilk Ronit , Murthy Sreenivasa U.M. , Yan Haixu , Krause Henry M.
Published: December 2010

It is well known that transcript localization controls important biological processes, including cell fate determination, cell polarity, cell migration, morphogenesis, neuronal function, and embryonic axis specification. Thus, the sub‐cellular visualization of transcripts in ‘their original place’ (in situ) is an important tool to infer and understand their trafficking, stability, translation, and biological functions. This has been made possible through the use of labeled ‘anti‐sense’ probes that can be readily detected after hybridization to their ‘sense’ counterparts. The following is a series of protocols for conducting in situ hybridization in Drosophila embryos or tissues. These methods include standard alkaline phosphatase methods, as well as higher resolution and throughput variations using fluorescence‐based probe detection. New modifications that enhance probe penetration and detection in various tissues are also provided. Curr. Protoc. Essential Lab. Tech. 4:9.3.1‐9.3.24. © 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Self‐Assembled Conjugated Thiophene‐Based Rotaxane Architectures: Structural, Computational, and Spectroscopic Insights into Molecular Aggregation
Authors: Zalewski Leszek , Brovelli Sergio , Bonini Massimo , Mativetsky Jeffrey M. , Wykes Michael , Orgiu Emanuele , Breiner Thomas , Kastler Marcel , Dötz Florian , Meinardi Francesco , Anderson Harry L. , Beljonne David , Cacialli Franco , Samorì Paolo
Published: December 2010

A comparative study of the self‐assembly at a variety of surfaces of a dithiophene rotaxane 1⊂β‐CD and its corresponding dumbbell, 1, by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) imaging on the micrometer and nanometer scale, respectively. The dumbbell is found to have a greater propensity to form ordered supramolecular assemblies, as a result of π–π interactions between dithiophenes belonging to adjacent molecules, which are hindered in the rotaxane. The fine molecular structure determined by STM was compared to that obtained by molecular modelling. The optical properties of both rotaxane and dumbbell in the solid state were investigated by steady‐state and time‐resolved photoluminescence (PL) experiments on spin‐cast films and diluted solutions. The comparison between the optical features of the threaded and unthreaded systems reveals an effective role of encapsulation in reducing aggregation and exciton migration for the rotaxanes with respect to the dumbbells, thus leading to higher PL quantum efficiency and preserved single‐molecule photophysics for longer times after excitation in the threaded oligomers.
Tin Dioxide Sensing Layer Grown on Tubular Nanostructures by a Non‐Aqueous Atomic Layer Deposition Process
Authors: Marichy Catherine , Donato Nicola , Willinger Marc‐Georg , Latino Mariangela , Karpinsky Dmitry , Yu Seung‐Ho , Neri Giovanni , Pinna Nicola
Published: December 2010

A new atomic layer deposition (ALD) process for nanocrystalline tin dioxide films is developed and applied for the coating of nanostructured materials. This approach, which is adapted from non‐hydrolytic sol‐gel chemistry, permits the deposition of SnO2 at temperatures as low as 75 °C. It allows the coating of the inner and outer surface of multiwalled carbon nanotubes with a highly conformal film of controllable thickness. The ALD‐coated tubes are investigated as active components in gas‐sensor devices. Due to the formation of a p‐n heterojunction between the highly conductive support and the SnO2 thin film an enhancement of the gas sensing response is observed.
Multiluminescent Hybrid Organic/Inorganic Nanotubular Structures: One‐Pot Fabrication of Tricolor (Blue–Red–Purple) Luminescent Parallepipedic Organic Superstructure Grafted with Europium Complexes
Authors: Basak Supratim , Chandrasekar Rajadurai
Published: December 2010

This article focuses on an innovative one‐pot fabrication of organic/inorganic hybrid parallepipedic tubes with rectangular cavities displaying multicolor luminescence. Firstly, using a novel back‐to‐back coupled 2,6‐di‐pyrazol‐1‐ylpyridine ligand, blue‐emitting several‐micrometer‐long (ca. 50 μm) parallepipedic organic nanotubes with rectangular cavities were fabricated in THF/water via supramolecular (H‐bonding and π–π stacking) and solvent‐assisted self‐assembly. Secondly, in the same pot, the ligand molecules available on the surface of the ligand nanotubes were reacted with Eu(tta)3 molecules at the solid/liquid interface to form a layer of red‐emitting Eu(III) complex coating on the inner and outer surface of the tubes. The resultant organic/inorganic hybrid parallepipedic nanotubes fabricated using this novel bottom‐up one‐pot technique display tricolor (blue–red–purple) luminescence, i.e., blue and red dual emission from the organic ligand and the Eu(III) complex, respectively, and a purple color due to the mixing of the two colors. This simple technique signifies an innovative and important method in the development of bottom‐up nanotechnology of multiluminescent organic/inorganic hybrid nanotubes.
MESFET Electronics: Recent Progress on ZnO‐Based Metal‐Semiconductor Field‐Effect Transistors and Their Application in Transparent Integrated Circuits (Adv. Mater. 47/2010)
Authors: Frenzel Heiko , Lajn Alexander , von Wenckstern Holger , Lorenz Michael , Schein Friedrich , Zhang Zhipeng , Grundmann Marius
Published: December 2010

Metal‐semiconductor field‐effect transistors (MESFETs) are widely known from opaque high‐speed GaAs or high‐power SiC and GaN technology. For the emerging field of transparent electronics, only metal‐insulator‐semiconductor field‐effect transistors (MISFETs) were considered so far. This article reviews the progress of high‐performance MESFETs in oxide electronics and reflects the recent advances of this technique towards transparent MESFET circuitry. We discuss design prospects as well as limitations regarding device performance, reliability and stability. The presented ZnO‐based MESFETs and inverters have superior properties compared to MISFETs, i.e., high channel mobilities and on/off‐ratios, high gain, and low uncertainty level at comparatively low operating voltages. This makes them a promising approach for future low‐cost transparent electronics.
Design of gas‐phase synthesis of core‐shell particles by computational fluid–aerosol dynamics
Authors: Buesser B. , Pratsinis S. E.
Published: December 2010

Core‐shell particles preserve the bulk properties (e.g., magnetic and optical) of the core while its surface is modified by a shell material. Continuous aerosol coating of core TiO2 nanoparticles with nanothin silicon dioxide shells by jet injection of hexamethyldisiloxane precursor vapor downstream of titania particle formation is elucidated by combining computational fluid and aerosol dynamics. The effect of inlet coating vapor concentration and mixing intensity on product shell thickness distribution is presented. Rapid mixing of the core aerosol with the shell precursor vapor facilitates efficient synthesis of hermetically coated core‐shell nanoparticles. The predicted extent of hermetic coating shells is compared with the measured photocatalytic oxidation of isopropanol by such particles as hermetic SiO2 shells prevent the photocatalytic activity of titania. Finally, the performance of a simpler, plug‐flow coating model is assessed by comparisons with the present detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model in terms of coating efficiency and silica average shell thickness and texture. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011
Adsorption of CO2, CH4, CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 in novel activated carbon beads: Preparation, measurements and simulation
Authors: Shao Xiaohong , Feng Zhenhe , Xue Ruisheng , Ma Congcong , Wang Wenchuan , Peng Xuan , Cao Dapeng
Published: December 2010

A series of high performance carbonaceous mesoporous materials: activated carbon beads (ACBs), have been prepared in this work. Among the samples, ACB‐5 possesses the BET specific surface area of 3537 m2 g−1 and ACB‐2 has the pore volume of 3.18 cm3 g−1. Experimental measurements were carried out on the intelligent gravimetric analyzer (IGA‐003, Hiden). Carbon dioxide adsorption capacity of 909 mg g−1 has been achieved in ACB‐5 at 298 K and 18 bar, which is superior to the existing carbonaceous porous materials and comparable to metal‐organic framework (MOF)‐177 (1232 mg g−1, at 298 K and 20 bar) and covalent‐organic framework (COF)‐102 (1050 mg g−1 at 298 K and 20 bar) reported in the literature. Moreover, methane uptake reaches 15.23 wt % in ACB‐5 at 298 K and 18 bar, which is better than MOF‐5. To predict the performances of the samples ACB‐2 and ACB‐5 at high pressures, modeling of the samples and grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation have been conducted, as is presented in our previous work. The adsorption isotherms of CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 in our samples ACB‐2 and 5 have been measured at 298 and 348 K and different compositions, corresponding to the pre‐ and postcombustion conditions for CO2 capture. The Dual‐Site Langmuir‐Freundlich (DSLF) model‐based ideal‐adsorbed solution theory (IAST) was also used to solve the selectivity of CO2 over N2 and CH4. The selectivities of ACBs for CO2/CH4 are in the range of 2–2.5, while they remain in the range of 6.0–8.0 for CO2/N2 at T = 298 K. In summary, this work presents a new type of adsorbent‐ACBs, which are not only good candidates for CO2 and CH4 storage but also for the capture of carbon dioxide in pre‐ and postcombustion processes. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011
A fundamental model of wax deposition in subsea oil pipelines
Authors: Huang Zhenyu , Lee Hyun Su , Senra Michael , Scott Fogler H.
Published: December 2010

Wax deposition in subsea pipelines is a significant economic issue in the petroleum industry. A mathematical model has been developed to predict the increase in both the deposit thickness and the wax fraction of the deposit using a fundamental analysis of the heat and mass transfer for laminar and turbulent flow conditions. It was found that the precipitation of wax in the oil is a competing phenomenon with deposition. Two existing approaches consider either no precipitation (the independent heat and mass transfer model) or instantaneous precipitation (the solubility model) and result in either an overprediction or an underprediction of deposit thickness. By accounting for the kinetics of wax precipitation of wax in the oil (the kinetic model), accurate predictions for wax deposition for both lab‐scale and pilot‐scale flow‐loop experiments with three different oils were achieved. Furthermore, this kinetic model for wax precipitation in the oil was used to compare field‐scale deposition predictions for different oils. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011
Evaluation of empiric versus nomogram‐based direct thrombin inhibitor management in patients with suspected heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia
Authors: Kiser Tyree H. , Mann Allison M. , Trujillo Toby C. , Hassell Kathryn L.
Published: December 2010

The aim of this study was to evaluate a direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI) titration protocol in patients with suspected HIT. This observational study compared patients treated with argatroban or bivalirudin according to the University of Colorado Hospital DTI titration protocol versus a control group treated prior to protocol implementation. Protocol patients had DTI initial doses based on organ function and fixed dosage adjustments of 10, 25, or 50%. Initial doses and titrations in the control group were made per physician discretion. A total of 130 patients were enrolled: 47 in the protocol group and 83 in the control group (median age 54 years, 63% male, 78% critically ill, and 54% received argatroban). Goal aPTT was achieved with initial DTI dose in 64% of protocol patients and 46% of control patients (P = 0.07). Median (IQR) time to goal aPTT was reduced in the protocol group compared to the control group [5 hr (2–10 hr) vs. 13 hr (6–29 hr); P < 0.0001]. Median time to dose stabilization was 10 hr (6–27 hr) and 22 hr (13–40 hr) in the protocol and control groups, respectively; P < 0.0001. Median number of titrations to goal was 0 (0–1) versus 1 (0–4), respectively; P = 0.02. Median percentage of aPTT values in goal was 67% (41–100%) versus 53% (33–76%), respectively; P = 0.027. The DTI titration protocol shortened time to achieve goal aPTT, reduced time to dose stabilization, decreased the number of titrations required to achieve aPTT goal, and improved the percentage of aPTT values in goal range. Am. J. Hematol. 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Collaterals dramatically alter stroke risk in intracranial atherosclerosis
Authors: Liebeskind David S. , Cotsonis George A. , Saver Jeffrey L. , Lynn Michael J. , Turan Tanya N. , Cloft Harry J. , Chimowitz Marc I. ,   for the Warfarin–Aspirin Symptomatic Intracranial Disease (WASID) Investigators
Published: December 2010

Objective:

Stroke risk due to intracranial atherosclerosis increases with degree of arterial stenosis. We evaluated the previously unexplored role of collaterals in modifying stroke risk in intracranial atherosclerosis and impact on subsequent stroke characteristics.

Methods:

Collateral flow was graded in blind fashion on 287 of 569 baseline angiograms (stenoses of 50–99% and adequate collateral views) in the Warfarin–Aspirin Symptomatic Intracranial Disease (WASID) trial. Statistical models predicted stroke in the symptomatic arterial territory based on collateral flow grade, percentage of stenosis, and previously demonstrated independent covariates.

Results:

Across all stenoses, extent of collaterals was a predictor for subsequent stroke in the symptomatic arterial territory (hazard ratio [HR] none vs good, 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39–3.30; poor vs good, 4.36; 95% CI, 1.46–13.07; p < 0.0001). For 70 to 99% stenoses, more extensive collaterals diminished risk of subsequent territorial stroke (HR none vs good, 4.60; 95% CI, 1.03–20.56; poor vs good, 5.90; 95% CI, 1.25–27.81; p = 0.0427). At milder degrees of stenoses (50–69%), presence of collaterals was associated with greater likelihood of subsequent stroke (HR none vs good, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.04–0.82; poor vs good, 1.78; 95% CI, 0.37–8.57; p < 0.0001). In multivariate analyses, extent of collaterals was an independent predictor for subsequent stroke in the symptomatic arterial territory (HR none vs good, 1.62; 95% CI, 0.52–5.11; poor vs good, 4.78; 95% CI, 1.55–14.7; p = 0.0019).

Interpretation:

Collateral circulation is a potent determinant of stroke risk in intracranial atherosclerosis, demonstrating a protective role with severe stenoses and identifying more unstable milder stenoses. ANN NEUROL 2010;
Point‐of‐care laboratory halves door‐to‐therapy‐decision time in acute stroke
Authors: Walter Silke , Kostopoulos Panagiotis , Haass Anton , Lesmeister Martin , Grasu Mihaela , Grunwald Iris , Keller Isabel , Helwig Stephan , Becker Carmen , Geisel Juergen , Bertsch Thomas , Kaffiné Sarah , Leingärtner Annika , Papanagiotou Panagiotis , Roth Christian , Liu Yang , Reith Wolfgang , Fassbender Klaus
Published: December 2010

Currently, stroke laboratory examinations are usually performed in the centralized hospital laboratory, but often planned thrombolysis is given before all results are available, to minimize delay. In this study, we examined the feasibility of gaining valuable time by transferring the complete stroke laboratory workup required by stroke guidelines to a point‐of‐care laboratory system, that is, placed at a stroke treatment room contiguous to the computed tomography, where the patients are admitted and where they obtain neurological, laboratory, and imaging examinations and treatment by the same dedicated team. Our results showed that reconfiguration of the entire stroke laboratory analysis to a point‐of‐care system was feasible for 200 consecutively admitted patients. This strategy reduced the door‐to‐therapy‐decision times from 84 ± 26 to 40 ± 24 min (p < 0.001). Results of most laboratory tests (except activated partial thromboplastin time and international normalized ratio) revealed close agreement with results from a standard centralized hospital laboratory. These findings may offer a new solution for the integration of laboratory workup into routine hyperacute stroke management. Ann Neurol 2011;
Emotion, Decision, and Risk: Betting on Gambles versus Betting on People
Authors: Kugler Tamar , Connolly Terry , Ordóñez Lisa D.
Published: December 2010

We examined the effects of two emotions, fear and anger, on risk‐taking behavior in two types of tasks: Those in which uncertainty is generated by a randomizing device (“lottery risk”) and those in which it is generated by the uncertain behavior of another person (“person‐based risk”). Participants first completed a writing task to induce fear or anger. They then made choices either between lotteries (Experiment 1) or between actions in risky two‐person decisions (Experiments 2 and 3). The experiments involved substantial real‐money payoffs. Replicating earlier studies (which used hypothetical rewards), Experiment 1 showed that fearful participants were more risk‐averse than angry participants in lottery‐risk tasks. However—the key result of this study—fearful participants were substantiallylessrisk‐averse than angry participants in a two‐person task involving person‐based risk (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 offered options and payoffs identical to those of Experiment 2 but with lottery‐type risk. Risk‐taking returned to the pattern of Experiment 1. The impact of incidental emotions on risk‐taking appears to be contingent on the class of uncertainty involved. For lottery risk, fear increased the frequency of risk‐averse choices and anger reduced it. The reverse pattern was found when uncertainty in the decision was person‐based. Further, the effect was specifically on differences in willingness to take risks rather than on differences in judgments of how much risk was present. The impact of different emotions on risk‐taking or risk‐avoiding behavior is thus contingent on the type, as well as the degree, of uncertainty the decision maker faces. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Basic ideas and concepts for multiple comparison procedures
Authors: Takeuchi Kei
Published: December 2010

Around 1970, the author proposed a general theoretical approach to multiple decision problems (MDPs) of which multiple comparison problems (MCPs) are special cases. Suppose that a sample space ${\cal X}$ is given together with a set of probability distributions $P = \{ P_{\rm {\theta}}, {\rm {\theta}} \in {\Omega}\}$ defined over ${\cal X}$. Let a finite partition of the parameter space $\Omega = \cup {\rm {\omega}} _a, \;a \in A$ be given. Based on the observation $X \in {\cal X}$, an MDP is to decide, which ωa the true parameter θ belongs to. An MD confidence procedure is a mapping ψ from ${\cal X}$ to the class of subsets of A, such that the probability that $\cup {\rm {\omega}} _a, {\rm {\omega}} _a \subset {\rm {\psi}} (X)$ includes the true parameter θ is not smaller than 1−αθ. Here, 1−αθ is called the level of the confidence procedures and may vary depending on θ∈ωa. The MP confidence procedures are derived from the following proposition. When the ωa's are mutually disjoint, there is a one‐to‐one correspondence between an MD confidence procedure ψ and a collection of (non‐randomized) tests for the hypotheses Ha : θ∈ωa with level αa by rejecting the hypothesis Ha if ${\rm {\omega}} _a \;\notin\;{\rm {\psi}} (X)$. In this paper we discuss in detail the problems of determining the signs or the orderings of normal means. The resulting confidence procedures from the LR tests are seen to be too complicated and difficult to understand. We therefore propose simplified, less powerful methods. We define an overlapping partition of Ω into simple sets, such that the original ωa's can be expressed as an intersection of such simple sets. For each such set we define rejection regions corresponding to the levels α, α/2,...,α/k. Then we obtain the acceptance regions for Ha : θ∈ωa given as the intersection of all acceptance regions for the simple sets containing ωa at the level α/k, if there are k such simple sets. This method can be extended to obtain sequential confidence procedures.
Mechanoluminescence properties of gamma‐ray‐irradiated BaSO4:Eu phosphors
Authors: Upadhyay A. K. , Dhoble S. J. , Kher R S
Published: December 2010

BaSO4 activated with various concentrations of Eu were prepared by solid‐state reaction technique. Thermoluminescence (TL) and mecanoluminescence (ML) of γ‐ray‐irradiated BaSO4:Eu2O3 phosphors were recorded. In the TL glow curve of the phosphor a single peak at 170°C was observed. The TL of the phosphors were also recorded after deforming the phosphors by dropping a piston of mass 0.4 kg onto them with different impact velocities. TL intensity (after deformation) decreased with increasing the impact velocity. In the ML intensity vs time curve two peaks were observed. ML intensity increased with increasing impact velocity of the piston and the time corresponding to peak ML intensity shifted to a shorter time value. ML intensity decreased drastically when it was recorded after annealing the sample at 170°C. The BaSO4 phosphors activated with 0.1 mol% of Eu2O3 showed optimum TL and ML. The photoluminescence emission spectrum of the sample showed that Eu enters as Eu2+ ion in host lattice. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chemical and photophysical mechanism of fluorescence enhancement of 3‐quinolineboronic acid upon change of pH and binding with carbohydrates
Authors: Shen Qian Jin , Jin Wei Jun
Published: December 2010

The free 3‐quinolineboronic acid (3‐QBA) with the lowest (n–π*) excited singlet is non‐ or weakly fluorescent while protonated 3‐QBA has the lowest (π–π*) excited singlet state and is highly fluorescent. The hybridization of boronic atom or charge transfer from aromatic ring to boronic acid group plays a secondary role in affecting fluorescence intensity. Binding with carbohydrate at a proper acidity, the hybridization of boron atom changes from sp2 to sp3 and the nitrogen atom in the quinoline ring is partially protonated, resulting in large enhancement of fluorescence. Meanwhile, the fluorescent lifetime of 3‐QBA produces obvious change by binding with carbohydrates. Quinoline boronic acid is an important water‐soluble fluorescence sensor for carbohydrate recognition. Both the remarkable changes in intensity and lifetime of 3‐QBA can act as working parameters in recognition of carbohydrates at physiological pH. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.