bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Participation and conflict in the decision‐making process for endoscopic resection or surgical gastrectomy for early gastric cancer
Authors: Lee Hyuk , Lee Yong Chan , Shin Suji , Park Jun Chul , Shin Sung Kwan , Lee Sang Kil , Noh Sung Hoon
Published: January 2012

Background

This study was to evaluate the participation role and conflict of patients during the decision‐making process for endoscopic or surgical treatment for early gastric cancer (EGC).

Methods

In this prospective observational study, the sequential survey for patients under consideration for treatment of differentiated EGC was performed at the tertiary referral center.

Results

Among the 82 responders, 63.4% preferred endoscopic resection. The total decisional conflict scores were high and significantly different between groups that preferred endoscopic resection or surgical treatment (44.8 vs. 51.6, P = 0.016). Values assigned to the two treatment attributes “preservation of stomach (OR = 0.51)” and “bother in case of incomplete resection (OR = 2.13)” clearly discriminated between patients reaching a final decision of surgical gastrectomy or endoscopic resection. Regarding the participation role, a shared role was more frequent in the group with preference for endoscopic treatment before consultation (42.3% vs. 24.0%, P = 0.045). However, at the time of therapeutic decision, the passive role was most remarkable, both for the endoscopic (53.2%) and surgical (71.4%) groups.

Conclusion

Despite the high overall decisional conflict, patients with preference for endoscopic treatment tended to be more autonomous. After consultation, all patients exhibited a passive participation role in the decision‐making process. J. Surg. Oncol. 2012; 106:101–106. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Novel micro‐extraction by packed sorbent procedure for the liquid chromatographic analysis of antiepileptic drugs in human plasma and urine
Authors: Rani Susheela , Malik Ashok K. , Singh Baldev
Published: January 2012

A method for the simultaneous determination of the antiepileptic drugs, phenobarbital (PHB), phenytoin (PTN), carbamazepine (CBZ), primidone (PRM) and oxcarbazepine (OXC) in human plasma and urine samples by using micro‐extraction in a packed syringe as the sample preparation method connected with LC/UV (MEPS/LC/UV) is described. Micro‐extraction in a packed syringe (MEPS) is a new miniaturized, solid‐phase extraction technique that can be connected online to gas or liquid chromatography without any modifications. In MEPS approximately 1 mg of the solid packing material is inserted into a syringe (100–250 μL) as a plug. Sample preparation takes place on the packed bed. The bed can be coated to provide selective and suitable sampling conditions. The new method is very promising, easy to use, fully automated, inexpensive and quick. The standard curves were obtained within the concentration range 1–500 ng/mL in both plasma and urine samples. The results showed high correlation coefficients (R2>0.988) for all of the analytes within the calibration range. The extraction recovery was found to be between 88.56 and 99.38%. The limit of quantification was found to be between 0.132 and 1.956 ng/mL. The precision (RSD) values of quality control samples (QC) had a maximum deviation of 4.9%. A comparison of the detection limits with similar methods indicates high sensitivity of the present method. The method is applied for the analysis of these drugs in real urine and plasma samples of epileptic patients.
Survival and population persistence in the critically endangered Tuamotu kingfisher
Authors: Kesler Dylan C. , Laws Rebecca J. , Cox Allison S. , Gouni Anne , Stafford Joshua D.
Published: January 2012

A wide range of threats affect populations of Pacific island birds and conservationists have been challenged to identify factors upon which to focus management. The Tuamotu kingfisher (Todiramphus gambieri) is one of the most endangered vertebrate species in the world, yet little has been published about basic biology or causes of the population decline. We used 4 years of mark‐resight and territory resource information to model survival in juvenile and adult Tuamotu kingfishers. Annual survival of adult males (ϕ = 0.77) was similar to congeneric species, whereas survival of adult females (ϕ = 0.40) and juveniles (ϕ = 0.12) was much lower. The best‐supported survival model indicated adult female survival was positively related to territory size, whereas adult male survival was negatively related to atoll forest within territories. We used parameter estimates from survival models in a life‐stage simulation analysis to evaluate the relative influence of vital rates and territory habitats on population processes. Results indicated that adult female and juvenile survival had the greatest impact on Tuamotu kingfisher populations, accounting for 58% and 32% of variation in the finite rate of population increase, respectively. Nocturnal predation by rats (Rattus spp.) on incubating kingfishers may explain the lower survival of females than males, whereas juvenile birds may be especially vulnerable to predation by cats (Felis catus). Thus, conservation management for Tuamotu kingfishers should include use of metal guards on cavity trees to protect nests and incubating females, and control predator access during fledging periods. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.
Contemporary Review: Impact of primary neopharyngoplasty on acoustic characteristics of alaryngeal tracheoesophageal voice
Authors: Albirmawy Osama A. , Elsheikh Mohamed N. , Silver Carl E. , Rinaldo Alessandra , Ferlito Alfio
Published: January 2012

The physiology of the vibratory mechanism in alaryngeal tracheoesophageal speech depends on several factors. The structure and resulting function of the neoglottis (or neopharynx) varies from patient to patient depending on the individual details of the surgical procedure performed, as well as the patient's anatomy. In general, the vibratory segment is a blending of the pharyngeal constrictor muscles, cricopharyngeus, and upper circular fibers of the esophagus. Limited ability to visualize dynamically these three‐dimensional structures during rapid events of voice and speech production impedes complete understanding of the vibratory function of the neopharynx. Acoustic studies have elucidated some general characteristics of the pharyngoesophagus and neoglottic vibratory mechanism in the laryngectomized population. A critical degree of tonicity is necessary for apposition of mucosal surfaces in the production of tracheoesophageal voice. Deficiencies in the vibratory segment can usually be managed with various surgical procedures (neopharyngoplasty), resulting in reduced intraesophageal pressure and corresponding increase in fluent, intelligible, effortless speech. The acoustic measures, when correlated with neopharyngoplasty variables, produce many significant associations. Some of them are paramount and deserve further attention.
Sheaves of slice regular functions
Authors: Colombo Fabrizio , Sabadini Irene , Struppa Daniele C.
Published: January 2012

Slice regular functions have been introduced in 20 as solutions of a special partial differential operator with variable coefficients. As such they do not naturally form a sheaf. In this paper we use a modified definition of slice regularity, see 21, to introduce the sheaf of slice regular functions with values in in the algebra of quaternions and, more in general, in a Clifford algebra and we study its cohomological properties. We show that the first cohomology group with coefficients in the sheaf of slice regular functions vanishes for any open set in the space of quaternions (resp. the space of paravectors in \documentclass{article}\usepackage{amssymb}\begin{document}\pagestyle{empty}$\mathbb {R}^{n+1}$\end{document}). However, we prove that not all the open sets are domains of slice regularity but only those special sets which are axially symmetric, i.e., invariant with respect to rotations that fix the real axis.
Microwave‐Assisted Hydrogel Synthesis: A New Method for Crosslinking Polymers in Aqueous Solutions
Authors: Cook Joseph P. , Goodall Glenn W. , Khutoryanskaya Olga V. , Khutoryanskiy Vitaliy V.
Published: January 2012

It has been found that hydrogels may be formed by microwave irradiation of aqueous solutions containing appropriate combinations of polymers. This new method of hydrogel synthesis yields sterile hydrogels without the use of monomers, eliminating the need for the removal of unreacted species from the final product. Results for two particularly successful combinations, poly(vinyl alcohol) with either poly(acrylic acid) or poly(methylvinylether‐alt‐maleic anhydride), are presented. Irradiation using temperatures of 100–150 °C was found to yield hydrogels with large equilibrium swelling degrees of 500–1000 g g−1. Material leached from both types of hydrogel shows little cytotoxicity towards HT29 cells.
Creep, phase transformations and transformation‐induced plasticity of 100Cr6 steel during heating
Authors: Bökenheide S. , Wolff M. , Dalgiç M. , Lammers D. , Linke T.
Published: January 2012

This work focuses on phenomena arising during the heating process at the beginning of steel heat treatment. It has been prepared within the Collaborative Research Centre SFB 570 ‘Distortion Engineering’ at the University of Bremen. In order to predict the distortion of steel components during heat treatment, a detailed knowledge of the arising phenomena is crucial. There can arise creep due to the underlying high temperatures as well as transformation‐induced plasticity (TRIP) during the austenitisation. This contribution focuses on the modelling of creep, phase transformations and TRIP of 100Cr6 (SAE 52100) steel during heating and austenitisation. The proposed model approaches are verified on the basis of experimental data stemming from uniaxial experiments. We provide material laws of the considered phenomena as well as the evaluation of experimental data. The simultaneous occurrence of creep and TRIP represents a special challenge in the analysis of experimental data as well as in the verification of model approaches.
Least‐squares solutions and least‐rank solutions of the matrix equation AXA* = B and their relations
Authors: Tian Yongge
Published: January 2012

A Hermitian matrix X is called a least‐squares solution of the inconsistent matrix equation AXA* = B, where B is Hermitian. A* denotes the conjugate transpose of A if it minimizes the F‐norm of B − AXA*; it is called a least‐rank solution of AXA* = B if it minimizes the rank of B − AXA*. In this paper, we study these two types of solutions by using generalized inverses of matrices and some matrix decompositions. In particular, we derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the two types of solutions to coincide. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Loss of membrane‐bound serine protease inhibitor HAI‐1 induces oral squamous cell carcinoma cells' invasiveness
Authors: Baba Takashi , Kawaguchi Makiko , Fukushima Tsuyoshi , Sato Yuko , Orikawa Hiroshi , Yorita Kenji , Tanaka Hiroyuki , Lin Chen‐Yong , Sakoda Sumio , Kataoka Hiroaki
Published: January 2012

A loss of balance between cell membrane‐associated proteases and their inhibitors may underlie cancer invasion and metastasis. We analysed the roles of a membrane‐ associated serine protease inhibitor, HAI‐1, in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). While membranous HAI‐1 was widely observed in cancer cells of human OSCC tissues, this was significantly reduced at the infiltrative invasion front. In vitro, HAI‐1 was detected in all eight OSCC cell lines examined, in which its cognate membrane protease, matriptase was also expressed. HAI‐1 expression knock‐down (KD) in OSCC lines, SAS and HSC‐3, reduced the growth of both lines in vitro but significantly enhanced SAS tumourigenicity in vivo, which was accompanied by histological changes suggestive of the epithelial‐mesenchymal transition. Both HAI‐1‐KD lines also exhibited significantly enhanced migratory capability, and membrane‐associated but not truncated HAI‐1 was required to rescue this phenotype. Other OSCC lines (HSC‐2, Sa3, Ca9‐22) also showed enhanced migration in response to HAI‐1 KD. The enhanced migration is partly attributed to dysregulation of matriptase, as simultaneous matriptase KD alleviated the migration of HAI‐1‐KD cells. HAI‐1 deficiency also altered the expression of CD24, S100A4, CCND2 and DUSP6, all of which are involved in tumour progression. While matriptase was involved in the increased CD24 expression associated with HAI‐1 deficiency, the protease appeared to be not responsible for the altered expression of other genes. Therefore, a matriptase‐independent mechanism for the invasiveness associated with HAI‐1 KD is also present. Together, these observations suggest that HAI‐1 has a crucial suppressive role in OSCC cell invasiveness. Copyright © 2012 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
When should case‐only designs be used for safety monitoring of medical products?
Authors: Maclure Malcolm , Fireman Bruce , Nelson Jennifer C. , Hua Wei , Shoaibi Azadeh , Paredes Antonio , Madigan David
Published: January 2012

Purpose

To assess case‐only designs for surveillance with administrative databases.

Methods

We reviewed literature on two designs that are observational analogs to crossover experiments: the self‐controlled case series (SCCS) and the case‐crossover (CCO) design.

Results

SCCS views the ‘experiment’ prospectively, comparing outcome risks in windows with different exposures. CCO retrospectively compares exposure frequencies in case and control windows. The main strength of case‐only designs is they entail self‐controlled analyses that eliminate confounding and selection bias by time‐invariant characteristics not recorded in healthcare databases. They also protect privacy and are computationally efficient, as they require fewer subjects and variables. They are better than cohort designs for investigating transient effects of accurately recorded preventive agents, for example, vaccines. They are problematic if timing of self‐administration is sporadic and dissociated from dispensing times, for example, analgesics. They tend to have less exposure misclassification bias and time‐varying confounding if exposures are brief. Standard SCCS designs are bidirectional (using time both before and after the first exposure event), so they are more susceptible than CCOs to reverse‐causality bias, including immortal‐time bias. This is true also for sequence symmetry analysis, a simplified SCCS. Unidirectional CCOs use only time before the outcome, so they are less affected by reverse causality but susceptible to exposure‐trend bias. Modifications of SCCS and CCO partially deal with these biases. The head‐to‐head comparison of multiple products helps to control residual biases.

Conclusion

The case‐only analyses of intermittent users complement the cohort analyses of prolonged users because their different biases compensate for one another. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A systematic review of validated methods for identifying infection related to blood products, tissue grafts, or organ transplants using administrative data
Authors: Carnahan Ryan M. , Moores Kevin G. , Perencevich Eli N.
Published: January 2012

Purpose

To systematically review algorithms to identify infections related to blood products, tissue grafts, or organ transplants in administrative and claims data, focusing on studies that have examined the validity of the algorithms.

Methods

A literature search was conducted using PubMed and the database of the Iowa Drug Information Service. Reviews were conducted by two investigators to identify studies using data sources from the USA or Canada because these data sources were most likely to reflect the coding practices of Mini‐Sentinel data sources.

Results

Searches identified one study that examined the validity of an algorithm to identify aspergillosis in transplant recipients and 16 studies that used nonvalidated algorithms to identify infections in recipients of blood products, tissue grafts, or organ transplants. Transfusion was studied as a risk factor for infection, but no studies attempted to identify infection transmitted by any of the exposures under review. Two studies reported sensitivity ranging from 21% to 83% and specificity of 100% of codes to identify allogeneic blood transfusion. No validation studies of algorithms to identify tissue grafts or organ transplant were identified.

Conclusions

There is little evidence to support the validity of algorithms to identify infections related to blood products, tissue grafts, or organ transplants in administrative data or algorithms to identify the exposures. Although it may be possible to validate algorithms to identify the exposures and infectious outcomes, the use of administrative data to identify infections transmitted by these exposures may be challenging. Codes indicating infections acquired through medical care may be useful. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Saponins show high entomotoxicity by cell membrane permeation in Lepidoptera
Authors: De Geyter Ellen , Swevers Luc , Caccia Silvia , Geelen Danny , Smagghe Guy
Published: January 2012

BACKGROUND: In this study, the effects of three saponins and one sapogenin with a triterpenoid or steroid structure in two lepidopteran insect cell lines, ovarian Bm5 and midgut CF‐203 cells, were analysed with regard to cell viability, cell membrane permeation, EcR responsiveness and DNA fragmentation. In addition, the entomotoxic action of Q. saponaria saponin with primary midgut cell cultures and larval stages of the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis was tested.

RESULTS: Both lepidopteran cell lines show a high sensitivity to all four sapo(ge)nins, with a concentration‐dependent viability loss and EC50 values of 25–100 µM in MTT bioassays. A trypan blue assay with Q. saponaria saponin confirmed rapid cell membrane permeation to be a cause of cytotoxicity. Saponins caused no EcR activation in Bm5 cells, but a loss of ecdysteroid signalling was observed with IC50 values of 5–10 µM. Lower saponin concentrations induced DNA fragmentation, confirming their potential to induce apoptosis. Finally, Q. saponaria saponin caused cytotoxicity in primary midgut cell cultures of S. littoralis (EC50 = 4.7 µM) and killed 70–84% of S. littoralis larvae at pupation at 30‐70 mg g−1, while lower concentrations retarded larval weight gain and development.

CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained provide evidence that saponins exert a strong activity on lepidopteran cells, presumably based on a cytotoxic action due to permeation of the cell membrane. Primary midgut cell cultures and larvae of S. littoralis showed high sensitivity to Q. saponaria saponin, indicating the insect midgut as a primary target for entomotoxicity and the potential use of saponins in the control of pest Lepidoptera. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Piezoelectric properties of zinc blende quantum dots
Authors: Schulz S. , Caro M. A. , O'Reilly E. P. , Marquardt O.
Published: January 2012

Piezoelectric coefficients of zinc blende (ZB) InN, GaN, and AlN have been estimated from the piezoelectric coefficients of the wurtzite (WZ) system. This procedure is based on a rotation of the first‐order piezoelectric tensor of a (001)‐oriented ZB structure to a (111)‐oriented ZB structure, which is similar to a WZ structure. The derived expressions for the piezoelectric coefficients in a (111)‐oriented ZB system are benchmarked against literature coefficients of different WZ materials, showing a very good agreement. To perform the desired opposite operation, a least square fitting procedure was used to find the ZB piezoelectric coefficient e14 that provides the closest reverse transformation to the known WZ constants. Using e14, the piezoelectric potential in a GaN/AlN QD is calculated and compared to a InAs/GaAs QD, revealing a much larger potential in the nitride system, even though the lattice mismatch is much smaller in this system. The result is related to the large piezoelectric coefficient e14 in ZB nitride materials.
Lateral charge carrier diffusion in InGaN quantum wells
Authors: Danhof J. , Solowan H.‐M. , Schwarz U. T. , Kaneta A. , Kawakami Y. , Schiavon D. , Meyer T. , Peter M.
Published: January 2012

We investigated lateral charge carrier transport in indium gallium nitride InGaN/GaN multi‐quantum wells for two different samples, one sample emitting green light at about 510 nm and the other emitting cyan light at about 470 nm. For the cyan light emitting sample we found a diffusion constant of 1.2 cm2/s and for the green light emitting sample 0.25 cm2/s. The large difference in diffusion constant is due to a higher point defect density in the green light emitting quantum wells (QWs) as high indium incorporation tends to reduce material quality.
Molecular and electronic structures of endohedral fullerenes, Sc2C2@C3v–C82 and Sc2@C3v–C82: Benchmark for SCC‐DFTB and proposal of new inner cluster structures
Authors: Nishimoto Yoshio , Wang Zhi , Morokuma Keiji , Irle Stephan
Published: January 2012

The molecular and electronic structures of Sc2C2@C3v–C82 and Sc2@C3v–C82 were investigated by means of conventional density functional theory (DFT) and the self‐consistent‐charge density‐functional tight‐binding (SCC‐DFTB, short: “DFTB”) method. In the DFT calculations, three functionals were adopted: BP86, B3LYP, and PBE. We find that it is necessary to employ tight geometry convergence criteria, which will lead to a reduction of the number of unique isomers. Generally, the DFTB method shows good agreement on relative energies, inner cluster binding energies (BE), and geometries with those predicted by the DFT calculations. In optimized structures, we found that some fullerene cages contain a more linear Sc–CC–Sc inner cluster that are more stable than those containing the butterfly‐shaped cluster that was reported before. We found that DFTB overestimates Sc–Sc binding in the case of Sc2@C82 isomers, which became also evident in a comparison of molecular orbital (MO) correlation diagrams between PBE and DFTB methods. It is concluded that DFTB with the present parameters can be reliably employed for fullerene systems consisting of C and Sc atoms without direct Sc–Sc bonding.

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PAL signature of physical ageing in chalcogenide glasses
Authors: Ingram Adam , Kozdras Andrzej , Shpotyuk Oleh , Golovchak Roman
Published: January 2012

Kinetics of physical ageing (PhA) far below the glass transition temperature (Tg) is studied by positron annihilation lifetime and differential scanning calorimetry techniques for vitreous As20Se80 as typical representative of network glasses. The increased density fluctuations are shown to be responsible for the initial stage of PhA in this glass at below‐Tg temperatures. These fluctuations are correlated with changes in thermodynamic parameters of structural relaxation through the glass‐to‐supercooled liquid transition interval. General shrinkage, occurred during the next stage of PhA, is shown to be determined by the ability of system to release these redundant open volumes from the glass bulk through densification process of glass network.
Turbulence in the nocturnal boundary layer with light and variable winds
Authors: Mahrt L. , Richardson Scott , Seaman Nelson , Stauffer David
Published: January 2012

Turbulence quantities are analyzed from nine months of data collected on the floor of a valley where nocturnal cold pools are frequent. Often the speed of the vector‐averaged wind over the night is less than 0.5 m s−1 (near‐calm winds) with no preference for wind direction. The quantity of such near‐calm data is sufficiently large to allow new types of analyses as well as the opportunity to examine statistics of the previously ignored near‐neutral subclass of near‐calm winds.

For near‐calm weak winds and strong stratification, the turbulence can be difficult to isolate from wave‐like motions and more complex small‐scale structures. The smallest scale perturbations on time‐scales less than 5 s behave most like turbulence. Larger‐scale perturbations are characterized by very weak vertical velocity fluctuations and large temperature fluctuations, but lead to systematic downward heat flux after extensive averaging.

For near‐calm nocturnal conditions, significant turbulence is mainly generated by short‐term (minutes) accelerations of unknown origin. The turbulence between such infrequent mixing events is extremely weak, but not zero. While the turbulence in the events approximately follows similarity theory, the extremely weak turbulence scales neither with stratification nor bulk shear, and its inferred vertical length‐scale is small compared to the distance from the ground, even at the 2 m level. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
Self‐supervised terrain classification for planetary surface exploration rovers
Authors: Brooks Christopher A. , Iagnemma Karl
Published: January 2012

In future planetary exploration missions, improvements in autonomous rover mobility have the potential to increase scientific data return by providing safe access to geologically interesting sites that lie in rugged terrain, far from landing areas. To improve rover‐based terrain sensing, this paper proposes a self‐supervised learning framework that will enable a robotic system to learn to predict mechanical properties of distant terrain, based on measurements of mechanical properties of similar terrain that has been traversed previously. In this framework, a proprioceptive terrain classifier is used to distinguish terrain classes based on features derived from rover–terrain interaction, and labels from this classifier are used to train an exteroceptive (i.e., vision‐based) terrain classifier. Once trained, the vision‐based classifier is able to recognize similar terrain classes in stereo imagery. This paper presents two distinct proprioceptive classifiers—a novel approach based on optimization of a traction force model and a previously described approach based on wheel vibration—as well as a vision‐based terrain classification approach suitable for environments with unexpected appearances. The high accuracy of the self‐supervised learning framework and its supporting algorithms is demonstrated using experimental data from a four‐wheeled robot in an outdoor Mars‐analogue environment. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Few‐layer epitaxial graphene with large domains on C‐terminated 6H‐SiC
Authors: Hu Hailong , Ruammaitree Akkawat , Nakahara Hitoshi , Asaka Koji , Saito Yahachi
Published: January 2012

Few‐layer graphene with average thickness of 3 monolayers has been prepared on 6H‐SiC(000) via annealing in argon ambience. The surface structure and morphology are characterized by reflection high‐energy electron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Raman mapping measurement reveals that the graphene layer has high uniformity in doping concentration and strains. The SiC surface after graphitization shows steps with height < 9 nm, and graphene grows continuously across these steps to form large domains. AFM phase images indicate that the SiC surface is completely covered by graphene. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Atomic structure analysis of carbonaceous material by laser‐assisted 3DAP
Authors: Morita M. , Hanaoka Y. , Mayama N. , Suzuki K. , Owari M.
Published: January 2012

Carbonaceous materials such as carbon nanotubes (CNT) and graphene attract attention as new large scale integration materials from various characteristics. The analysis of atomic scale structure requires high spatial resolution and high detection efficiency when it is integrated as a real device. Therefore, we analyzed these materials by laser‐assisted three‐dimensional atom probe. However, in the case of analyzing organic materials, there are some problems: carbon cluster ions are generated at field evaporation, the focused ion beam process of needle‐shape sample is difficult, and so on. Moreover, the field evaporation of CNT occurs toward unfavorable direction. In this study, we propose the improvement of the focused ion beam processing. We evaluated the measurement condition to reduce carbon cluster ions. And the field evaporation of CNT is simulated for obtaining appropriate measurement condition. In the results section, the ideal needle‐shape sample was prepared, and the wavelength dependence of the field evaporation was confirmed. Moreover, it revealed that it was important to change the distance between the specimen apex and the local electrode in the three‐dimensional atom probe analysis of CNT. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigations of molecular depth profiling with dual beam sputtering
Authors: Lu C. , Wucher A. , Winograd N.
Published: January 2012

In this study, the feasibility of molecular depth profiling using dual beam sputtering of biological materials is examined. The model system is a 402‐nm Langmuir Blodgett multilayer film consisting of 149 monolayers of barium arachidate (AA). The thin film was initially subjected to pre‐bombardment with a 15‐keV Au+ beam. Subsequently, an imaging depth profile experiment was performed on the pre‐irradiated sample using a 40‐keV C60+ beam. An extremely low erosion rate under Au+ bombardment is found on this model system. In the subsequent C60+ depth profiles, surprisingly large molecular ion signals are detected at the gold pre‐irradiated surface. These signals then rapidly decay to nearly zero, indicating a damaged sub‐surface layer being generated by the Au+ pre‐bombardment. The thickness of the damaged layer is found to increase with increasing gold ion fluence and saturate at about 100 nm at 6 × 1014 Au+/cm2. This altered layer thickness is significantly larger than the value of ~50 nm obtained on a trehalose film pre‐bombarded with a Ga+ source. The results also show that the damage caused by the Au+ beam can be removed by C60+ sputtering and that the molecular information is restored after damage removal. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Compatibility between TOF‐SIMS lipid imaging and histological staining on a rat brain section
Authors: Bich C. , Vianello S. , Guérineau V. , Touboul D. , De La Porte S. , Brunelle A.
Published: January 2012

While ToF‐SIMS is typically used to localize elemental ions in inorganic materials, it is also successfully utilized since several years to get images of a large variety of organic compounds, such as lipids (up to m/z 1500) at the surface of biological tissue sections. This technique can be associated with histology for medical diagnosis in order to correlate structural features with ion images. The possibility to use the same tissue section for both histology and mass spectrometry imaging would be a major advantage in terms of sample preparation and precision on the histological structure localization. In this study, on the one hand, rat brain sections were stained with Hematoxylin‐Eosin (HE) after a ToF‐SIMS surface analysis, and on the other hand, the lipid mapping with ToF‐SIMS was performed after the HE staining procedure. In the first case, we evidenced that the high vacuum conditions applied in ToF‐SIMS imaging did not disturb the staining neither the recognition of the brain structures. In the second case, a cholesterol fragment ion, chosen for imaging, was still detected in the brain structure after HE staining. However, it has not been possible to totally overlay the optical image before the staining with the ionic images after the staining, likely because of a distention of the tissue. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Light NMSSM Higgs bosons in SUSY cascade decays at the LHC
Authors: Stål Oscar , Weiglein Georg
Published: January 2012

Abstract

An interesting feature of the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model (NMSSM) is that one or more Higgs bosons may be comparably light (
${M_{{{H_i}}}} < {M_Z}$
) without being in conflict with current experimental bounds. Due to a large singlet component, their direct production in standard channels at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is suppressed. We demonstrate that there are good prospects for observing such a light Higgs boson in decays of heavy neutralinos and charginos. We consider an example scenario with
$20\,GeV < {M_H}_{{_1}} < {M_Z}$
and show that a large fraction of the cascade decays of gluinos and squarks involves the production of at least one Higgs boson. Performing a Monte Carlo analysis at the level of fast detector simulation, it is demonstrated how the Higgs signal can be separated from the main backgrounds, giving access to the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs to bottom quarks. Analyzing the resulting
$b\overline b$
mass spectrum could provide an opportunity for light Higgs boson discovery already with 5 fb−1 of LHC data at 7 TeV.
Pediatric Non‐Wilms’ Renal Tumors: A Third World Experience
Authors: Saula Peter W. , Hadley G. P.
Published: January 2012

Background

Pediatric non‐Wilms’ renal tumors (NWRT) are poorly understood owing to their heterogeneity and relative rarity. This study aimed at auditing the outcome of the management of NWRT in a tertiary hospital in the Third World.

Methods

Records of all patients (n = 68) treated for NWRT over a 32‐year period (1978–2010) were reviewed retrospectively.

Results

The major histological groups included clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK) (33.8%), mesoblastic nephroma (17.6%), cystic partially differentiated nephroblastoma (CPDN) (17.6%), intrarenal neuroblastoma (8.8%), malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRT) (7.4%), and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) (5.9%). Sixteen (69.7%) patients with CCSK and 11 (91.7%) with CPDN were aged 1–4 years. Ten (83.3%) patients with mesoblastic nephroma were aged <1 year and three (60.0%) with RCC were aged 10–14 years. Ten (43.5%) patients with CCSK and four (80.0%) with RCC had metastases at diagnosis. The sensitivity of a pretreatment Tru‐Cut biopsy was 100% for MRT. All the patients with CCSK, mesoblastic nephroma, CPDN, and RCC had radical nephrectomy. Only eight (34.8%) patients with CCSK received radiotherapy. The overall 1–10‐year survival rates were 52.2%, 91.7%, 75.0%, 40.0% and 0.0% for CCSK, mesoblastic nephroma, CPDN, RCC, and MRT, respectively. The overall 1–10‐year survival for the entire cohort was 51.5%.

Conclusions

The demography and clinical presentation of pediatric NWRT, which comprises 13.6% of pediatric renal tumors in the Third World, were similar to those in the Developed World. The overall 1–10‐year survival for pediatric NWRT was low.
Kinetics of sugars consumption and ethanol inhibition in carob pulp fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae in batch and fed-batch cultures
Authors: Lima-Costa Maria Emília , Tavares Catarina , Raposo Sara , Rodrigues Brígida , Peinado José M
Published: January 2012

The waste materials from the carob processing industry are a potential resource for second-generation bioethanol production. These by-products are small carob kibbles with a high content of soluble sugars (45–50%). Batch and fed-batch Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentations of high density sugar from carob pods were analyzed in terms of the kinetics of sugars consumption and ethanol inhibition. In all the batch runs, 90–95% of the total sugar was consumed and transformed into ethanol with a yield close to the theoretical maximum (0.47–0.50 g/g), and a final ethanol concentration of 100–110 g/l. In fed-batch runs, fresh carob extract was added when glucose had been consumed. This addition and the subsequent decrease of ethanol concentrations by dilution increased the final ethanol production up to 130 g/l. It seems that invertase activity and yeast tolerance to ethanol are the main factors to be controlled in carob fermentations. The efficiency of highly concentrated carob fermentation makes it a very promising process for use in a second-generation ethanol biorefinery.
Patterns of species diversity and soil nutrients along a chronosequence of vegetation recovery in Hainan Island, South China
Authors: Long Wenxing , Yang Xiaobo , Li Donghai
Published: January 2012

Understanding the pattern of species diversity and soil factors can enhance our knowledge of the mechanism of vegetation recovery, however, there is still a gap in the knowledge of succession rate and trend for species diversity in relation to soil nutrients during the vegetation recovery process. Patterns of species diversity and soil nutrients during the tropical vegetation recovery as well as the correlation between species diversity and soil nutrients were explored in Hainan Island, located in southern China. Plots assigned as grassland stage (GS), shrub stage (SS), secondary forest stage (SFS), and primary forest stage (PFS) were established using a chronosequence approach. Results showed that species richness and evenness increased from GS to PFS. Species dominance/diversity curves were fitted using the lognormal distribution model (r2= 0.891–0.972). Species richness for the herb layer was maximal at SFS, whereas species richness for both the shrub layer and tree layer reached their maximum at PFS. Species turnover and soil total phosphorus decreased, whereas organic matter and total nitrogen increased from GS to PFS. Organic matter and total nitrogen were both positively correlated with species richness and total coverage, and total phosphorus was positively correlated with species turnover. The results clearly demonstrate that diversity asymptotically increases and positively correlates with increasing soil fertility, and the total phosphorus value is predicted to be an important soil factor that affects successional rate during tropical vegetation recovery processes.
Corticosteroid Injection for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A 5-Year Survivorship Analysis
Authors: Jenkins Paul J. , Duckworth Andrew D. , Watts Adam C. , McEachan Jane E.
Published: January 2012

Background

The purpose of our study was to determine the rate of carpal tunnel decompression (CTD) following local corticosteroid injection for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), as well as identifying predictors of requiring further intervention and eventual decompression.

Methods

All patients diagnosed with CTS in our unit over a 6-year period were prospectively assessed. Patients were diagnosed using a combination of clinical presentation and nerve conduction studies. Patients were managed with open carpal tunnel decompression or corticosteroid injection. There were 1,564 consecutive patients diagnosed with CTS over the study period, of whom 824 (53%) underwent a corticosteroid injection as their primary treatment. We performed a survivorship analysis of these patients and used Kaplan–Meier survivorship methodology to determine the 5-year rate of re-intervention. Risk factors for re-intervention were also determined.

Results

The overall 5-year Kaplan–Meier rate of secondary CTD was 15% at 1 year and 33% at 5 years. The need for secondary CTD was independently associated with female gender, diabetes mellitus and positive nerve conduction studies at diagnosis.

Conclusions

Steroid injection is an appropriate treatment in carefully selected patients. Those who are female, diabetic and have neurophysiological confirmation of diagnosis have the highest risk of relapse. These results may be used to guide initial treatment and counsel patients about the risk relapse.
Severity of fatty liver on ultrasound correlates with metabolic and cardiovascular risk
Authors: Wang Chia‐Chi , Tseng Tai‐Chung , Hsieh Tsung‐Cheng , Hsu Ching‐Sheng , Wang Pin‐Chao , Lin Hans Hsienhong , Kao Jia‐Horng
Published: January 2012

Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with an increased risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Whether the severity of fatty liver on ultrasound correlates with metabolic or cardiovascular risk remains unclear. A total of 1000 people receiving health examinations were enrolled, and 126 were excluded due to the presence of HBsAg, anti‐HCV, known hepatic disorders or alcohol use (>140 g/wk). Significant fatty liver consisted of moderate and severe fatty liver on ultrasound. The definition of central obesity was modified to a waist circumference of >90 cm in men and >80 cm in women. Framingham risk score was used to estimate the risk of cardiovascular disease. A total of 874 subjects (485 women and 388 men with a mean age of 52.07 ± 11.68 years) were included in the final analysis. By using logistic regression analyses stratified by gender, the odds ratio for the prevalence of diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome and risk of cardiovascular disease increased with increasing fatty liver status in both genders (p ≤ 0.001). The difference was not only present between individuals with fatty liver vs. non‐fatty liver but also between the mild fatty liver and significant fatty liver groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the severity of fatty liver on ultrasound could be useful for the risk stratification of metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease in clinical practice.
THE JANUS FACE OF INSURANCE IN SOUTH AFRICA: FROM COSTS TO RISK, FROM NETWORKS TO BUREAUCRACIES
Authors: Bähre Erik
Published: January 2012

This study examines the consequences of the rapid and unprecedented expansion of insurances for the poor in South Africa. Over the last ten years, South African insurance companies established a myriad of policies in order to incorporate the previously excluded, mostly African, poor and lower middle classes. While poverty, violence and AIDS put state institutions and social relations under pressure, insurances enable people to manage risks in hitherto unthinkable ways. The article examines the development of this new regime of risk as a Janus head, after the Roman god of opening and closing. At the heart of access to insurance were the incongruencies that were caused by the ‘translation’ of risk into the seemingly neutral concept of costs and the inability of brokers and intermediary organizations to navigate these translations successfully. Access to insurance – here not defined as having an insurance policy but as making a successful claim when confronted with the insured risk – was fraught with the contradictions of complex high-tech bureaucracies and the poor's social networks.
The Last Tudor Great Councils
Authors: Holmes P. J.
Published: January 2012

Henry VII called a number of Great Councils, as his predecessors had for at least two centuries before. Evidence has survived for five such Councils, held in 1487, 1488, 1491, 1496 and 1502. They advised the king on important matters of foreign policy and internal security, with the result that diplomatic and military action was taken and taxes were levied. They each lasted for perhaps two or three weeks, and were attended by lords spiritual and temporal, royal officials, and – on two occasions – by the elected representatives of boroughs. In three cases they coincided with meetings of the clergy in Convocation. Henry VII also held major sessions of his ‘ordinary’ council, lasting for several days at a time, sometimes for over two weeks, and attended by between twenty and sixty people; such large assemblies had been named ‘Great Councils’ in previous reigns, although under Henry VII this does not seem to have been the case. By the end of the Tudor period, by 1603, there is little question that both types of political assembly had disappeared; both the quasi-parliamentary Great Councils and the conciliar ‘Great Councils’. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to determine when this disappearance occurred and to offer some tentative suggestions as to how it happened and with what political consequences.
Ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy and magnetic resonance imaging in the accurate diagnosis of intramuscular haemangiomas of the head and neck
Authors: Salzman R , Buchanan M A , Berman L , Jani P
Published: January 2012

Introduction:

Intramuscular haemangiomas of the digastric muscle are often misdiagnosed due to their low incidence and non-specific manifestation. Only two out of six previously reported cases were diagnosed correctly before excision. Ultrasound may not reveal their vascularity, and fine-needle aspiration biopsy is unhelpful as it reveals only blood.

Methods:

A case of intramuscular haemangioma of the posterior belly of the digastric muscle is described. Previously reported cases are reviewed. Investigations used to diagnose the lesions and reasons for their common failure are discussed.

Results:

Core-needle biopsy led to the correct histological diagnosis, and magnetic resonance imaging precisely located the lesion within the digastric muscle.

Conclusion:

Core-needle biopsy was safely used in the diagnosis of an intramuscular haemangioma. The combination of core-needle biopsy and meticulous review of magnetic resonance imaging enables accurate diagnosis pre-operatively.
Order-Invariant Measures on Fixed Causal Sets
Authors: BRIGHTWELL GRAHAM , LUCZAK MALWINA
Published: January 2012

A causal set is a countably infinite poset in which every element is above finitely many others; causal sets are exactly the posets that have a linear extension with the order-type of the natural numbers; we call such a linear extension anatural extension. We study probability measures on the set of natural extensions of a causal set, especially those measures having the property oforder-invariance: if we condition on the set of the bottomkelements of the natural extension, each feasible ordering among thesekelements is equally likely. We give sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of an order-invariant measure on the set of natural extensions of a causal set.
Structural Remodeling and Mechanical Function in Heart Failure
Authors: Leonard Bridget Louise , Smaill Bruce Henry , LeGrice Ian John
Published: January 2012

The cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) is the three-dimensional scaffold that defines the geometry and muscular architecture of the cardiac chambers and transmits forces produced during the cardiac cycle throughout the heart wall. The cardiac ECM is an active system that responds to the stresses to which it is exposed and in the normal heart is adapted to facilitate efficient mechanical function. There are marked differences in the short- and medium-term changes in ventricular geometry and cardiac ECM that occur as a result of volume overload, hypertension, and ischemic cardiomyopathy. Despite this, there is a widespread view that a common remodeling “phenotype” governs the final progression to end-stage heart failure in different forms of heart disease. In this review article, we make the case that this interpretation is not consistent with the clinical and experimental data on the topic. We argue that there is a need for new theoretical and experimental models that will enable stresses acting on the ECM and resultant deformations to be estimated more accurately and provide better spatial resolution of local signaling mechanisms that are activated as a result. These developments are necessary to link the effects of structural remodeling with altered cardiac mechanical function.
Schreibstrategieinstruktion bei Viertklässlern mit und ohne Problemverhalten: Effekte von Selbstüberwachung und operanter Verstärkung auf Schreibleistung und Arbeitsverhalten
Authors: Glaser Cornelia , Palm Debora , Brunstein Joachim C.
Published: January 2012

Zusammenfassung: In einer Studie zur unterrichtsintegrierten Förderung des Aufsatzschreibens untersuchten wir bei 117 Viertklässlern die Effekte von Prozeduren der Selbstüberwachung des Strategieeinsatzes und der operanten Belohnung des Arbeitsverhaltens auf die Leistung beim Schreiben von Erzählungen. Sechs Klassen wurden per Zufall einer von drei Bedingungen zugewiesen: Strategieinstruktion plus Selbstüberwachung und operante Verstärkung; Strategieinstruktion plus Selbstüberwachung; und Strategieinstruktion allein. In fünf 90-minütigen Sitzungen wurde allen Schülern ein Set genre-spezifischer Strategien zum Schreiben guter Geschichten vermittelt. Sowohl Prozeduren der Selbstüberwachung als auch der Zusatz von operanten Belohnungen verstärkten die Wirkung des Strategietrainings. Schüler mit Problemverhalten profitierten am meisten von dem vollständigen Interventionsprogramm (Strategieinstruktion plus Selbstüberwachung und operante Verstärkung). Diese Leistungseffekte wurden durch das beobachtete Arbeitsverhalten während der Intervention statistisch vermittelt.