bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SwarmArt: Interactive Art from Swarm Intelligence
Authors: Jacob Christian J. , Hushlak Gerald , Boyd Jeffrey E. , Nuytten Paul , Sayles Maxwell , Pilat Marcin
Published: May 2007

Swarms of bees, colonies of ants, schools of fish, flocks of birds, and fireflies flashing synchronously are all examples of highly coordinated behaviors that emerge from collective, decentralized intelligence. Local interactions among a multitude of agents or “swarmettes” lead to a variety of dynamic patterns that may seem like choreographed movements of a meta-organism. This paper describes SwarmArt, a collaborative project between several computer scientists and an artist, which resulted in interactive installations that explore and incorporate basic mechanisms of swarm intelligence. The authors describe the scientific context of the artwork, how user interaction is provided through video surveillance technology, and how the swarm-based simulations were implemented at exhibitions and galleries.
Empowerment and Sense of Community: Clarifying Their Relationship in Community Organizations
Authors: Hughey Joseph , Peterson N. Andrew , Lowe John B. , Oprescu Florin
Published: April 2007

The research reported here tested the factor structure of a measure for sense of community in community organizations, and it evaluated sense of community's potential as an empowering organizational characteristic within an organizational empowerment framework. Randomly selected community organization participants ( N = 561) were surveyed as part of a study of a substance abuse prevention initiative located in the northeastern United States. Confirmatory factor analysis verified the putative structure of the sense of community measure tailored to community organizations. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that community organization sense of community significantly predicted intrapersonal empowerment after controlling for demographics, participation, alienation, and other empowering organizational characteristic. Findings imply that organizational sense of community should be considered as an empowering organizational characteristic in community-based health education.
Anti-aquaporin 4 antibody in selected Japanese multiple sclerosis patients with long spinal cord lesions
Authors: Tanaka K. , Tani T. , Tanaka M. , Saida T. , Idezuka J. , Yamazaki M. , Tsujita M. , Nakada T. , Sakimura K. , Nishizawa M.
Published: April 2007

Multiple sclerosis (MS) in Asian populations is often characterized by the selective involvement of the optic nerve (ON) and spinal cord (SP) (OSMS) in contrast to classic MS (CMS), where frequent lesions are observed in the cerebrum, cerebellum or brainstem. In Western countries, inflammatory demyelinating disease preferentially involving the ON and SP is called neuromyelitis optica (NMO). Recently, Lennon et al. discovered that NMO-IgG, shown to bind to aquaporin 4 (AQP4), could be a specific marker of NMO and also of Japanese OSMS whose clinical features were identical to NMO having long spinal cord lesions extending over three vertebral segments (LCL). To examine this antibody in larger populations of Japanese OSMS patients in order to know its epidemiological and clinical spectra, we established an immunohistochemical detection system for the anti-AQP4 antibody (AQP4-Ab) using the AQP4-transfected human embryonic kidney cell line (HEK-293) and confirmed AQP4-Ab positivity together with the immunohistochemical staining pattern of NMO-IgG in approximately 60% of Japanese OSMS patients with LCL. Patients with OSMS without LCL and those with CMS were negative for this antibody. Our results accorded with those of Lennon et al. suggest that Japanese OSMS with LCL may have an underlying pathogenesis in common with NMO. Multiple Sclerosis 2007; 13: 850—855. http://msj.sagepub.com
Mitoxantrone treatment in patients with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
Authors: Cocco E. , Marchi P. , Sardu C. , Russo P. , Paolillo A. , Mascia MG , Solla M. , Frau J. , Lorefice L. , Massole S. , Floris G. , Marrosu MG
Published: April 2007

We investigated the clinical and MRI effects of mitoxantrone (MITOX) administered to 45 patients during the first five years of highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Differences occurring between the end of treatment and follow-up (clinical mean: 3.6 years; brain MR: 1.8 years) with respect to baseline variables (EDSS, annualized relapse rate, active T2 lesions, new T1 lesions and number of Gd-enhancing lesions) were analysed using parametric and non-parametric tests. One patient developed leukemia four months after the end of the treatment; no other serious adverse events occurred during treatment and the follow-up period. A clinically relevant reduction in the annualized relapse rate ( P < 0.0001 at end of treatment and P < 0.0001 at follow-up) and improvement in the EDSS ( P < 0.0001 at end of treatment and P = 0.0005 at follow-up) was found. At the end of treatment, 53% of patients experienced no increase in active T2 lesions, while 73% showed no increase in the number of new T1 lesions. At follow-up, 41 out of 45 (91%) patients showed a stable MRI pattern and were active-scan free. Despite potential serious adverse events, MITOX may be considered an option in selected patients with very active early MS. Multiple Sclerosis 2007; 13: 975—980. http://msj.sagepub.com
Anti-myelin antibodies predict the clinical outcome after a first episode suggestive of MS
Authors: Tomassini V. , De Giglio L. , Reindl M. , Russo P. , Pestalozza I. , Pantano P. , Berger T. , Pozzilli C.
Published: April 2007

The aim of this study was to test the contribution of anti-myelin antibodies in predicting conversion from clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) to multiple sclerosis (MS) when considering either Poser's or McDonald's diagnostic criteria. Fifty-one patients with CIS and abnormal brain MRI were imaged monthly for six months and then at 12, 18, 24, 36 months. At baseline serum samples testing antibodies against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (anti-MOG) and myelin basic protein (anti-MBP) were collected. During the 36-month follow-up, 26 (51%) patients developed a relapse thus becoming clinically definite MS (CDMS) according to Poser's criteria; 46 (90.2%) patients converted to MS according to McDonald's criteria. Out of 51 patients, 28 (54.9%) had either double or single positivity for anti-myelin antibodies. Antibody status significantly predicted MS according to Poser's criteria ( P = 0.004), but did not according to the McDonald's criteria. When compared to antibody negative patients, the risk of developing a relapse was 8.9 (95% CI: 2.7—29.8; P < 0.001) for anti-MBP positive (anti-MBP+) patients and 1.5 (95% CI: 0.4—5.4; P = 0.564) for those anti-MOG positive (anti-MOG+); double positive patients (ie, anti-MBP+/anti-MOG+) had a risk of relapse's occurrence equal to 3.4 (95% CI: 1.1—10.2; P = 0.031). Also, the antibody status predicted the median time span from CIS to CDMS, that was of 36 months in the anti-MOG-/anti-MBP- group, 33 months in the anti-MOG+/anti-MBP- group, 24 months in the anti-MOG+/anti-MBP+ group and 12 months in the anti-MOG-/anti-MBP+ patients ( P = 0.003 by ANOVA). Our data support the prognostic value of anti-myelin antibodies in CIS patients at risk of CDMS, with positive patients showing shorter time interval to relapse occurrence than negative patients. Multiple Sclerosis 2007; 13: 1086—1094. http://msj.sagepub.com
Anglican Women: Empowering Each other to Further God's Kingdom
Authors: Donovan Mary Sudman
Published: May 2007

In February 2006, women from every province of the Anglican Communion gathered in New York for the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Once assembled, they established an organizational structure to perpetuate their gathering and called for an expanded women's presence on all Anglican Communion governing bodies. This article traces the development of the group, showing how a few women used the political structures of the Anglican Communion–the Anglican Observer at the United Nations, the Anglican Consultative Council and the International Anglican Women's Network–to assemble Anglican women. It demonstrates that the experience of meeting together became a source of empowerment for the participants and analyzes the factors contributing to the venture's success so that they might serve as models for the Anglican Communion as it struggles to maintain unity while embracing diversity.
Monastic Wisdom Theology: Insights from William of St Thierry
Authors: Lord Andrew
Published: May 2007

Anglicanism has seen a revived interest in monasticism alongside a desire to develop contemporary forms of theological education. These two concerns have much in common given the educational aspects of monasticism, and yet little has been done to bring them together. This article explores the theological method of William of St Thierry and considers the contribution it makes to an ‘Anglican way’ of theological education for today. In particular, his aim to develop theology that engages the reader with God in such a way as to promote virtue brings together the intellectual, worship and pastoral aspects of theological education. His contribution can help deepen an Anglican way and challenge new monastic communities to engage with theology. It also contributes to the development of ‘wisdom theology’ that concerns a number of contemporary theologians.
Increased natural killer cell expression of CD16, augmented binding and ADCC activity to rituximab among individuals expressing the FcγRIIIa-158 V/V and V/F polymorphism
Authors: Hatjiharissi Evdoxia , Xu Lian , Santos Daniel Ditzel , Hunter Zachary R. , Ciccarelli Bryan T. , Verselis Sigitas , Modica Michael , Cao Yang , Manning Robert J. , Leleu Xavier , Dimmock Elizabeth A. , Kortsaris Alexandros , Mitsiades Constantine , Anderson Kenneth C. , Fox Edward A. , Treon Steven P.
Published: May 2007

The presence of valine (V) at position 158 of FcγRllla (CD16) is known to improve clinical response to rituximab in indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Little is known about the basic mechanisms for this observation. We examined natural killer (NK) cells from healthy donors representing the FcγRIIIa-158 polymorphic subgroups (V/V, V/F, and F/F) for gene transcript and cell surface CD16 expression, rituximab binding, and rituximab-dependent NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity. We observed higher levels of FcγRIIIa transcripts among individuals with the FcγRIIIa-158 V/V versus V/F or F/F genotype (P < .001); increased cell surface CD16 expression by quantitative flow cytometry on NK cells from individuals expressing at least one valine at FcγRIIIa-158 versus F/F (P = .029); as well as augmented rituximab binding and rituximab-mediated, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). These results suggest that individuals expressing at least one valine at FcγRIIIa-158 might, in part, have better clinical outcomes due to increased CD16 expression, rituximab binding, and rituximab-mediated ADCC.
Julius – a template based supplementary electronic health record system
Authors: Chen Rong , Enberg Gösta , Klein Gunnar O
Published: May 2007

Background

EHR systems are widely used in hospitals and primary care centres but it is usually difficult to share information and to collect patient data for clinical research. This is partly due to the different proprietary information models and inconsistent data quality. Our objective was to provide a more flexible solution enabling the clinicians to define which data to be recorded and shared for both routine documentation and clinical studies. The data should be possible to reuse through a common set of variable definitions providing a consistent nomenclature and validation of data. Another objective was that the templates used for the data entry and presentation should be possible to use in combination with the existing EHR systems.

Methods

We have designed and developed a template based system (called Julius) that was integrated with existing EHR systems. The system is driven by the medical domain knowledge defined by clinicians in the form of templates and variable definitions stored in a common data repository. The system architecture consists of three layers. The presentation layer is purely web-based, which facilitates integration with existing EHR products. The domain layer consists of the template design system, a variable/clinical concept definition system, the transformation and validation logic all implemented in Java. The data source layer utilizes an object relational mapping tool and a relational database.

Results

The Julius system has been implemented, tested and deployed to three health care units in Stockholm, Sweden. The initial responses from the pilot users were positive. The template system facilitates patient data collection in many ways. The experience of using the template system suggests that enabling the clinicians to be in control of the system, is a good way to add supplementary functionality to the present EHR systems.

Conclusion

The approach of the template system in combination with various local EHR systems can facilitate the sharing and reuse of validated clinical information from different health care units. However, future system developments for these purposes should consider using the openEHR/CEN models with shareable archetypes.
Different pH requirements are associated with divergent inhibitory effects of chloroquine on human and avian influenza A viruses
Authors: Di Trani Livia , Savarino Andrea , Campitelli Laura , Norelli Sandro , Puzelli Simona , D'Ostilio Daniela , Vignolo Edoardo , Donatelli Isabella , Cassone Antonio
Published: May 2007

Chloroquine is a 4-aminoquinoline previously used in malaria therapy and now becoming an emerging investigational antiviral drug due to its broad spectrum of antiviral activities. To explore whether the low pH-dependency of influenza A viruses might affect the antiviral effects of chloroquine at clinically achievable concentrations, we tested the antiviral effects of this drug on selected human and avian viruses belonging to different subtypes and displaying different pH requirements. Results showed a correlation between the responses to chloroquine and NH4Cl, a lysosomotropic agent known to increase the pH of intracellular vesicles. Time-of-addition experiments showed that the inhibitory effect of chloroquine was maximal when the drug had been added at the time of infection and was lost after 2 h post-infection. This timing approximately corresponds to that of virus/cell fusion. Moreover, there was a clear correlation between the EC50 of chloroquine in vitro and the electrostatic potential of the HA subunit (HA2) mediating the virus/cell fusion process. Overall, the present study highlights the critical importance of a host cell factor such as intravesicular pH in determining the anti-influenza activity of chloroquine and other lysosomotropic agents.
Concurrent pulmonary zygomycosis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection: a case report
Authors: Patel Tejal , Clifton Ian J , Kastelik Jack A , Peckham Daniel G
Published: May 2007

A non-smoking 77-year old gentleman of Indian origin was admitted with a 4-month history of intermittent night sweats, haemoptysis and 6 kg of weight loss. CT scan of thorax demonstrated a 2.5 cm mass in the right middle lobe with multiple small nodules within the right lung and confirmed the presence of mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes.

Fibreoptic bronchoscopy demonstrated a distorted right main bronchus, anterior shift of the right upper lobe and occlusion of the right middle lobe bronchus with a black necrotic ulcer. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was found in the bronchoalveolar lavage and histology demonstrated numerous fungal hyphae with a morphological appearance of zygomycetes within necrotic areas of tissue. Medical management with anti-fungal and anti-mycobacterial treatment was instigated as the patient's pre-existing IHD did not permit surgical intervention. Subsequently CT imaging following completion of therapy demonstrated improvement of the mass and a resolution of the associated nodules. The patient has been followed for 6 months to date and there has been no recurrence of symptoms. Recent bronchoalveolar lavage cultures have been negative for M. tuberculosis and zygomycetes.
Recent trends in breast cancer incidence rates by age and tumor characteristics among U.S. women
Authors: Jemal Ahmedin , Ward Elizabeth , Thun Michael J
Published: May 2007

Introduction

A recent abstract presented in a breast cancer symposium attributed the sharp decrease in female breast cancer incidence rates from 2002 to 2003 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registries of the United States to the reduced use of hormone replacement therapy since July 2002. However, this hypothesis does not explain the decrease that began in 1999 in the age-standardized incidence rate of invasive breast cancer in the nine oldest SEER cancer registry areas, although the trend through 2003 was not statistically significant. In this paper, we examine temporal trends in invasive and in situ female breast cancer by age, stage, tumor size, and estrogen receptor/progestin receptor (ER/PR) status in the nine oldest SEER cancer registry areas and consider the implication of these trends in relation to risk factors and screening.

Methods

We performed a joinpoint regression analysis to fit a series of joined straight lines to the trends in age-adjusted rates and described the resultant trends (slope) by annual percentage change (two-sided, P < 0.05).

Results

A plot of the age-specific rates of invasive breast cancer shows a decrease in all 5-year age groups from 45 years and above between 1999 and 2003 and sharp decreases largely confined to ER+ tumors in age groups from 50 to 69 years between 2002 and 2003. In joinpoint analyses by tumor size and stage, incidence rates decreased for small tumors (less than or equal to 2 cm) by 4.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.2% to 7.8%) per year from 2000 through 2003 and for localized disease by 3.1% (95% CI, 1.2% to 5.0%) per year from 1999 through 2003. No decrease in incidence was observed for larger tumors or advanced-stage disease during the corresponding periods. Rates for in situ disease were stable from 2000 through 2003 after increasing rapidly since 1981.

Conclusion

Two distinct patterns are observed in breast cancer trends. The downturn in incidence rates in all age groups above 45 years suggests a period effect that is consistent with saturation in screening mammography. The sharp decrease in incidence from 2002 to 2003 that occurred in women 50 to 69 years old who predominantly, but not exclusively, had ER+ tumors may reflect the early benefit of the reduced use of hormone replacement therapy.
Poetry and Avant-Garde Film: Three Recent Contributions
Authors: MacDonald Scott
Published: May 2007

This article begins with an overview of the relationship of poetry and independent film. It proceeds to focus on three independent films that use the cinematic apparatus as a means of publishing poetry. Waterworx, a film by Canadian Rick Hancox, recycles Wallace Stevens's “A Clear Day and No Memories” in a manner that confirms the accomplishment of the original poem while embedding it, subtly as well as evocatively, within the filmmaker's personal context. nebel (mist), by German filmmaker Matthias Müller, re-presents a cycle of poems by Ernst Jandl, Gedichte an die kindheit (Poems to Childhood). Müller's film carefully weaves a recitation of the Jandl poems together with a variety of “found” visual images, including shots from The Wizard of Oz and home movies made during the 1960s by the filmmaker's father, in a manner that provides evocative confirmations and counterpoints to Jandl's text. Canadian Clive Holden's Trains of Winnipeg republishes a set of the filmmaker's own poems from a book by the same name; it is the first feature film I am aware of that is entirely devoted to the presentation of poetic texts.
Intratextuality, Extratextuality, Intertextuality: Unreliability in Autobiography versus Fiction
Authors: Shen Dan , Xu Dejin
Published: May 2007

This essay attempts to define unreliability in autobiography and explore its major forms and features in relation to unreliability in fiction. It starts with the construction of a narratological framework for autobiography, especially in terms of the narrative communicative situation. Then it goes on to discuss two contrasting approaches to fictional unreliability, the rhetorical and the cognitivist or constructivist. The rhetorical approach deals, in an idealized way, with the gap between the narrator and the implied author and is only concerned with the “implied” or “authorial” reader (critics who try to enter that position). The constructivist approach, by contrast, is also concerned with how actual readers try to resolve textual problems with different integration mechanisms. The present study defines and explores autobiographical unreliability in relation to both the rhetorical model and the constructivist model in fiction studies. To illustrate autobiographical unreliability, this essay analyzes two autobiographies by Frederick Douglass in terms of intertextual unreliability and a recent Chinese autobiography in terms of extratextual (un)reliability. In both cases, the divergent responses highlight the functioning of different integration mechanisms. The analysis brings to light certain integration mechanisms peculiar to the interpretation of autobiography and, moreover, shows how the same integration mechanism can be used to opposed effects.
Neologizing inFinnegans Wake: Beyond a Typology of the Wakean Portmanteau
Authors: Borg Ruben
Published: May 2007

This essay discusses the portmanteau as a privileged rhetorical figure in Finnegans Wake. It illustrates the manner in which Joyce's use of the portmanteau enables him to establish a nonmathematical and nondialectical relation between the work's minimal structural element and the structure as a whole. The essay draws on Gilles Deleuze's concept of “the virtual” and on Jacques Derrida's notion of “invention” in order to theorize this relation. After reviewing previous discussions of Joyce's technique of word combination, it proceeds to consider the Wakean portmanteau as a textual event, an utterly new object that irrupts within the fabric of language to suspend conventional protocols of interpretation. Within this theoretical framework, the text's minimal structural element is charged with a radically inventive potential. The claim of this essay is that such potential pertains to a movement of thought that unfolds in excess of received hermeneutic paradigms.
Conversion of Functional Synapses into Silent Synapses in the Trigeminal Brainstem after Neonatal Peripheral Nerve Transection
Authors: Lo Fu-Sun , Erzurumlu Reha S.
Published: May 2007

One of the major consequences of neonatal infraorbital nerve damage is irreversible morphological reorganization in the principal sensory nucleus (PrV) of the trigeminal nerve in the brainstem. We used the voltage-clamp technique to study synaptic transmission in the normal and the denervated PrV of neonatal rats in anin vitrobrainstem preparation. Most of the synapses in the PrV are already functional at birth. Three days after peripheral deafferentation, functional synapses become silent, lacking AMPA receptor-mediated currents. Without sensory inputs from the whiskers, silent synapses persist through the second postnatal week, indicating that the maintenance of AMPA receptor function depends on sensory inputs. High-frequency (50 Hz) electrical stimulation of the afferent pathway, which mimics sensory input, restores synaptic function, whereas low-frequency (1 Hz) stimulation has no effect. Application of glycine, which promotes AMPA receptor exocytosis, also restores synaptic function. Therefore, normal synaptic function in the developing PrV requires incoming activity via sensory afferents and/or enhanced AMPA receptor exocytosis. Sensory deprivation most likely results in AMPA receptor endocytosis and/or lateral diffusion to the extrasynaptic membrane.
Reclaiming Sacred Sparks: Linguistic Syncretism and Gendered Language Shift among Hasidic Jews in New York
Authors: Fader Ayala
Published: May 2007

In this article I examine the relationship between linguistic boundaries and community boundaries, shaped by religious beliefs about gender and difference. I focus on gendered language shift and syncretic registers of Yiddish and English among Hasidic Jews in New York. Hasidic Jews, an example of a nonliberal (fundamentalist) urban religious community, claimed essentialized gender and ethno‐religious identities by using syncretic language practices. Syncretism was a resource which allowed believers to participate in secular modernity while rejecting any aspect which threatened their way of life. This has implications for those who study syncretic languages and simultaneities as well as social reproduction and change in nonliberal religious communities.
Language Choice as a Means of Shaping Identity
Authors: Fuller Janet M.
Published: May 2007

In this study of four Mexican‐American fourth grade children in a Spanish—English bilingual classroom, language choice is shown to be a mechanism for constructing social identity. While all four children use both English and Spanish to perform their identities, the diversity of their social identities leads them to use the same linguistic resources in a variety of ways. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses show how specific language choices may be tied to societal norms to index pre‐existing identity categories, most saliently ethnicity and nationality; yet frequently specific language choices are used to construct identities in which gender, friendship ties, and classroom roles are focal aspects.
The Talking Greeks: Speech, Animals, and the Other in Homer, Aeschylus, and Plato
Authors: Nakassis Dimitri
Published: May 2007

The Talking Greeks: Speech, Animals, and the Other in Homer, Aeschylus, and Plato. John Heath. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. vii. 392 pp.
Berber Culture on the World Stage: From Village to Video
Authors: Perrino Sabina
Published: May 2007

Berber Culture on the World Stage: From Village to Video. Jane E. Goodman. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006. xii. 239 pp.
You Know My Steez: An Ethnographic and Sociolinguistic Study of Styleshifting in. Black American Speech Community
Authors: Roth‐Gordon Jennifer
Published: May 2007

You Know My Steez: An Ethnographic and Sociolinguistic Study of Styleshifting in. Black American Speech Community. H. Samy Alim. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2004. xxxii. 309 pp.
Cultures in Conversation
Authors: Salzmann Zdenek
Published: May 2007

Cultures in Conversation. Donal Carbaugh. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2005. xxvii. 149 pp.
Language, Literacy, and Power in Schooling
Authors: Schick Laurie
Published: May 2007

Language, Literacy, and Power in Schooling. Teresa L. McCarty, ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2005. xxvii. 317 pp.
FromCreole Discourse: Exploring Prestige Formation and Change Across Caribbean English‐Lexicon Creoles
Authors: Winer Lise
Published: May 2007

FromCreole Discourse: Exploring Prestige Formation and Change Across Caribbean English‐Lexicon Creoles. Susanne Mühleisen. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2002. 331 pp.
Veterinary aspects and perspectives of nutrigenomics: A critical review
Authors: Fekete S. , Brown D.
Published: May 2007

Nutrigenomics examines nutrient-gene interactions on a genome-wide scale. Increased dietary fat or higher non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) from starvation-induced mobilisation may enhance hepatic oxidation and decrease esterification of fatty acids by reducing the expression of the fatty acid synthase gene. The key factors are the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). Dietary carbohydrates — both independently and through insulin effect — influence the transcription of the fatty acid synthase gene. Oleic acid or n-3 fatty acids down-regulate the expression of leptin, fatty acid synthase and lipoprotein lipase in retroperitoneal adipose tissue. Protein-rich diets entail a shortage of mRNA necessary for expression of the fatty acid synthase gene in the adipocytes. Conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) are activators of PPAR and also induce apoptosis in adipocytes. Altered rumen microflora produces CLAs that are efficient inhibitors of milk fat synthesis in the mammary gland (‘biohydrogenation theory’). Oral zinc or cadmium application enhances transcription rate in the metallothionein gene. Supplemental CLA in pig diets was found to decrease feed intake and body fat by activating PPARγ-responsive genes in the adipose tissue. To prevent obesity and type II diabetes, the direct modulation of gene expression by nutrients is also possible. Nutrigenomics may help in the early diagnosis of genetically determined metabolic disorders and in designing individualised diets for companion animals.
Economic Inequality and Political Power: A Comparative Analysis of Argentina and Brazil
Authors: Galbraith James K. , Spagnolo Laura T. , Pinto Sergio
Published: May 2007

In this paper we analyze the distribution of pay and changing trends of inequality in Argentina and Brazil, illuminating the specific winners and losers, by region and by economic activity (sector). In both countries we find that inequality rose in the neoliberal period, but that it declined following the severe crises of neoliberal policy, in 1993 in Brazil and in late 2001 in Argentina. This period of post-neoliberalism is characterized in both countries by a decline in the economic weight of the financial sector and a recovery of the position of the civil service. In both countries, the rise in inequality leading to the crisis produced an increase in the relative position of the major metropolitan centers; this positional advantage also declined modestly in the post-crisis recovery period.
Performance Improvement and Dynamical Behaviour Analysis of a Cascade of Two CSTRs
Authors: Sidhu Harvinder S , Watt Simon D , Nelson Mark I , Ray Ajay K
Published: May 2007

We revisit the analysis of a reactor network consisting of two coupled continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) arranged in series (Chem. Eng. J. 59 (1995) 169). The main idea proposed in this earlier work is to improve process conversion by generating periodic behaviour in the first reactor (by appropriate choice of design and operational parameters) which then 'forces' the second reactor. The performance of this cascade system was shown to be greatly enhanced using the above strategy. In this paper we show some conceptual errors in the analysis in the original paper. We also show that by employing a systematic bifurcation analysis, including the use of a path following software, greater insights can be gained regarding the system's behaviour. Using these techniques we show that operation and design parameters can be readily identified to ensure that the cascade has a superior performance to a single CSTR.
Direct Comparison of Fluidized and Packed Bed Bioreactors for Bioremediation of an Air Pollutant
Authors: Clarke Kyla , Hill Gordon A , Pugsley Todd S.
Published: May 2007

A gas-solid fluidized bed bioreactor has been successfully used for the bioremediation of ethanol (a model volatile organic compound, VOC) contaminated air. A key objective of this fluidized bioreactor study was to compare the performance of fluid bed operation to packed bed operation. A fluid bed system increased homogeneity and improved upon operating problems such as plugging and channelling normally associated with packed bed bioreactors. The bioreactor bed was comprised of a mixture of moist sawdust particles and glass spheres. Depending on the superficial velocity of the waste gas stream, the bioreactor could be operated in either packed or fluidized mode. During fluid bed operation, the sawdust and glass sphere mixture was maintained in a bubbling/slugging regime. As expected, fluid bed operation demonstrated significantly higher mass transfer rates but the maximum elimination capacity was 75 g m-3sawdust h-1 as compared to 225 g m-3sawdust h-1 for packed bed operation. In packed bed mode, higher ethanol concentrations were used in order to have comparable ethanol loadings and this may have contributed to faster growth rates and thus faster bioremediation rates.
Editorial
Authors: Winer Russell S
Published: May 2007

Prospectus for the Review of Marketing Science
Orthodox Use, or Misuse, of Complementary & Alternative Medicine
Authors: Leach Matthew J
Published: May 2007

In recent years, there has been a push for mainstream health care professionals to develop a greater knowledge and understanding of Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in order to better meet patient needs. However, the perceived notion that mainstream health practitioners are eligible to advise upon, and to practice a range of complementary and alternative therapies based on minimal training or education is not entirely correct. To address this notion of open-practice requires a closer look at the assumptions behind why orthodox practitioners may use or advise on CAM, in order to challenge this taken-for-granted belief.
The Formation of International Treaties
Authors: Fon Vincy , Parisi Francesco
Published: May 2007

This paper develops a stylized model of international treaty formation and analyzes the different modalities with which states can become part of an international treaty according to the procedures set forth by the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. We consider the rules governing accession to international treaties, distinguishing between three situations: (i) Treaties for which acceptance of a new member requires unanimous approval of the signatory states with an amendment of the original treaty agreement (closed treaties); (ii) Treaties where acceptance of a new member is made possible through approval by a majority of the existing member states (semi-open treaties); and (iii) Treaties where the original member states have agreed to leave the treaty open for accession by other states (open treaties).
Tracking Generated Bread Flavor in Bread-making Process by Using an Odor Intensity Indicator (OII) and Fixation of Bread Flavor in Oil
Authors: Yoshino Yomiko , Ootsuka K. , Hayashi M. , Seguchi Masaharu
Published: May 2007

Three groups of bread flavor such as bread flavor I (alcohol odor), bread flavor II (bread odor), and bread flavor III (baked odor) are successively generated from dough in the breadmaking process. We could observe these flavors and intensities by sensory test, and measured the amounts of each flavor by the Odor Intensity Indicator (O I I). When oven-temperature was increased from 190 to 230 °C, the general profiles of appearance of bread flavors were changed to earlier time in the breadmaking process, and the amount of bread flavor II was gradually decreased. When bread dough was increased from 25 to 75g, the amount of total bread flavors and the bread flavor II increased quantitatively. Increase of the amount of yeast from 8.7 to 17.4 g per 515 g dough did not affect the amount of the bread flavor II. When sugar was increased from zero to 14.5 and 29.0 g per 515 g dough, the amount of bread flavor II was unchanged and decreased, respectively. When salt was increased from zero to 2.9 and 5.8 g per 515 g dough, the amounts of bread flavors were successively increased, but the bread flavor II only increased with 2.9 g salt-dough. Bread flavor II could be fixed in liquid oil under these optimum breadmaking conditions.
Who Pays? The Incidence of High Malpractice Premiums
Authors: Pauly Mark , Thompson Christy , Abbott Thomas , Margolis James , Sage William
Published: May 2007

This paper uses data from physician group practice to examine the relationship between malpractice premium levels and physician net incomes for the years 1994, 1998, and 2002, a period in which malpractice premiums rose rapidly. We find, as did work covering earlier periods of premium growth, that physician net incomes were not reduced by high or rising premiums, and that gross practice revenues were higher when premiums were higher. There is evidence that this forward shifting of costs was associated more with higher quantities of services than with higher unit fees.
Endogenous Corruption in a Federation
Authors: Plekhanov Alexander
Published: May 2007

The paper shows that corruption at the federal level may be contagious for regional governments suggesting that federal structure of the government may be one of the reasons for persistence of corruption. The analysis reveals that well-informed voters may rationally forego their chance to elect a benevolent government and vote for rent-seeking politicians instead. Whereas most models of the political rent seeking in a federation make assumptions about exogenous and independent levels of capture of the central and regional governments the present paper endogenizes the incidence of corruption in a federation.
Rule-Based and Case-Based Reasoning in Housing Prices
Authors: Gayer Gabrielle , Gilboa Itzhak , Lieberman Offer
Published: May 2007

People reason about real-estate prices both in terms of general rules and in terms of analogies to similar cases. We propose to examine empirically which mode of reasoning fits the data better. To this end, we develop the statistical techniques required for the estimation of the case-based model. It is hypothesized that case-based reasoning will have relatively more explanatory power in databases of rental apartments, whereas rule-based reasoning will have a relative advantage in sales data. We motivate this hypothesis on theoretical grounds, and find empirical support for it by comparing the two statistical models (rule-based and case-based) on two databases (rentals and sales).
Market Entry Dynamics with a Second-Mover Advantage
Authors: Smirnov Vladimir , Wait Andrew
Published: May 2007

We study a market-entry game with a second-mover advantage. In the symmetric equilibrium, there can be a non-monotonic relationship between the probability with which a player will invest (entry) and the length of time until the deadline. Moreover, the probability of investment can move chaotically as the horizon is extended. In the limit when the period length goes to zero chaotic trajectories arise when the efficiency effect does not hold -- that is, when the one-period monopoly profit is less than the total of the one-period duopoly profits. We also show that the presence of chaotic trajectories is associated with a smaller expected delay in entry.
On Corruption and Institutions in Decentralized Economies
Authors: Andrianova Svetlana
Published: May 2007

This paper presents a model of opportunistic behaviour in decentralized economic exchange and considers the impact of inadequate institutional framework of formal contract enforcement on economic performance. It is shown that (i) when the number of cheating traders is sufficiently large, inadequate institutions result in a loss of decentralized trading contracts, (ii) an adequate institutional framework, while being necessary for the attainment of a Pareto optimal outcome, may not be sufficient if traders perceive it as inadequate; and (iii) sufficiently good formal enforcement provisions help deter contractual breach in environments with corrupt and powerful enforcers.
Distinctive amino acid residue periodicities in terminal sequences of type III and type I secreted proteins from proteobacteria
Authors: Andersone Inara , Zikmanis Peteris
Published: May 2007

The Fourier transform (FT) method was applied to specify the distribution of 14 predefined groups of amino acids (64 residues) at both termini of annotated type III and type I secreted proteins from proteobacteria. Type I proteins displayed a higher occurrence of significant periodicities at both C-and N-termini, indicating potent features to discriminate between secretion types, particularly by the use of variables selected from the full periodicity profiles at 19 orders of FT. The Fishers linear discriminant analysis, together with the stepwise selection of variables throughout equal pairs of combinations for all predefined groups of residues, revealed the C-terminal harmonics of aromatic (HFWY) and aliphatic (VLIA) residues as a set of strong predictor variables to classify both types of secreted proteins with an accuracy of 100% for original grouped cases and 96.4% for cross-validated grouped cases. The prediction accuracy of proposed discriminant function was estimated by repeated k-fold cross-validation procedures where the original data set was randomly divided into k subsets, with one of the k-subsets serving as the test set and the remaining data forming the training set. The average error rate computed across all k-trials and repeats did not exceed that of leave-one-out procedure. The proposed set of predictor variables could be used to assess the compatibility between secretion pathways and secretion substrates of proteobacteria by means of discriminant analysis.
Autoimmune hepatitis after high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone pulse in RR-MS
Authors: Reuß Reinhard , Retzlaff Kerstin , Vogel Sabine , Franke Folker , Oschmann Patrick
Published: May 2007

Three weeks after the administration of intravenous methylprednisolone therapy, a 42-year-old female patient suffering from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS) presented with a profound elevation of liver transaminases (GOT 485 U/l, GPT 1082 U/l, glutamyl transpeptidase 170 U/l). Liver biopsy revealed a profound, still active hepatitis with portal lymphocytic infiltration and fibrosis. Most likely, existing acute hepatitis was of autoimmune origin and emerged from an immune rebound phenomenon after immunosuppressive therapy.
Lamellar cracks, do they appear during radial compression of wood?
Authors: Rergander Anna , Salmén Lennart
Published: May 2007

The development of flexible fibres in the refining of mechanical pulps requires large amounts of energy and it is important to find means of making this process more efficient. One way to obtain flexibility is thought to be by the initiation of cracks parallel to the cell wall. This process was studied during sinusoidal radial compression (10 Hz) of softwood at 20 and 95°C. Sections of compressed specimens were observed in a light microscope, or ESEM (Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope). To create a contrast, i.e. to enhance the damaged areas, Simons' stain was used for light microscopy and swelling in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) for ESEM. However, no parallel cracks were observed in any of the compressed specimens by the methods used, even after up to 10000 compressions. There was, however, a slight tendency towards a weakening in the structure at the cell corner area observed as parallel cracks in specimens dried in their compressed state. This could be an indication of the initiation sites for the permanent deformation of fibres in refining.
Fibre characteristics and paper properties of formic acid / peroxyformic acid birch pulps
Authors: Seisto Anu , Poppius-Levlin Krisriina
Published: May 2007

The fibre and paper properties of nine unbleached formic acid / peroxyformic acid (MILOX) pulps with kappa number 6-20 were studied and compared with a kraft pulp with kappa number 20. The degree of deformation was greater in the MILOX fibres, affecting the paper properties of the MILOX pulps. The large number of curl and kinks in the MILOX fibres were probably caused mechanically. The MILOX fibres showed greater conformability, resulting in higher paper density. The defects in the MILOX fibres were apparently so severe as to cause fibre breakage during PFI beating of the pulps. As a result of both fibre deformation and breakage, the tensile strengths of the MILOX pulps were lower than that of the reference kraft pulp, and tensile strength development during beating was slower. The tear strength of the best MILOX pulp was lower than that of the kraft pulp when compared at the same tensile index. Fibre deformation in both MILOX and the kraft pulp increased during bleaching. The kinks in the fibres were possibly set into position, giving the bleached MILOX pulps poorer bonding ability and lower paper density. A high degree of fibre defo~mation had the same effect on the tensile strength development of the bleached MILOX pulps as it did in the unbleached state. The light scattering properties of the MlLOX pulps were better than those of the kraft pulp, possibly due to the higher fines content of the MILOX pulps. The results indicate that more attention should be given to mechanical treatments during MILOX pulping in order to bring the strength properties closer to those of kraft pulp.
Dynamic simulation of a thermomechanical pulp refiner
Authors: Horch Alexander , lsaksson Alf J. , Allison Bruce J. , Karlström Anders , Nilsson Lennart
Published: May 2007

The aim of this paper is to describe a model for dynamic simulation of a TMP refiner. The temperature profile along the radius of the refiner, outlet consistency and motor load are considered as outputs of the simulation, whereas the chip screw speed and dilution water flow setpoints are the inputs. The dynamic model of the refiner, as such, has been derived from first principles. The motor load and input dynamics, however, are based on black-box identifications. The model has been implemented in MATLABISIMULINK. Simulations are compared to corresponding data from experiments with the refiner.
Identification of carton board qualities using gas chromatography or gas sensitive sensors in combination with multivariate data analysis
Authors: Forsgren Gunnar , Sjöström Joana
Published: May 2007

Headspace gas chromatograms of 40 different food packaging boesd and paper qualities, containing in total B167 detected paeys, were processed with principal component analy­sis. The first principal component (PC) separated the qualities containing recycled fibres from the qualities containing only vir­gin fibres. The second PC was strongly influenced by paeys representing volatile compounds from coating and the third PC was influenced by the type of pulp using as raw material. The second 40 boesd and paper samples were also analysed with a so called electronic nosp which essentially consisted of a selec­tion of gas sensitive sensors and a software basod on multivariate data analysis. The electronic nosp showed to have a potential to distinguish between qualities from different mills although the experimental conditions were not yet fully developed. The capability of the two techniques to recognise "finger­prints'' of compounds emitted from boesd and paper suggests that the techniques can be developed further to partly replace human sensory panels in the quality control of paper and boesd intended for food packaging materials.
Die Weidensammlung von Heinrich Oberli -ein Spezialarboretum für Lehre und Forschung | The Willow Collection of Heinrich Oberli - a Specialized Arboretum for Teaching and Research
Authors: Rudow Andreas , Aas Gregor , Holdenrieder Ottmar
Published: May 2007

The unique Salix arboretum Oberli in Wattwil (Canton of St. Gallen,Switzerland) is described and the research activities associated with this collection are listed. The collection comprises 72 species and 33 hybrids from Europe, North America and Asia. Main emphasis is on species which are indigenous in the Alps. The status of the collection within Europe is discussed.