bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Roles for PI3K/AKT/PTEN Pathway in Cell Signaling of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Authors: Matsuda Satoru , Kobayashi Mayumi , Kitagishi Yasuko
Published: January 2013

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common form of liver pathologies and is associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome, which represents a range of fatty liver diseases associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Molecular mechanisms underlying how to make transition from simple fatty liver to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are not well understood. However, accumulating evidence indicates that deregulation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway in hepatocytes is a common molecular event associated with metabolic dysfunctions including obesity, metabolic syndrome, and the NAFLD. A tumor suppressor PTEN negatively regulates the PI3K/AKT pathways through its lipid phosphatase activity. Molecular studies in the NAFLD support a key role for PTEN in hepatic insulin sensitivity and the development of steatosis, steatohepatitis, and fibrosis. We review recent studies on the features of the PTEN and the PI3K/AKT pathway and discuss the protein functions in the signaling pathways involved in the NAFLD. The molecular mechanisms contributing to the diseases are the subject of considerable investigation, as a better understanding of the pathogenesis will lead to novel therapies for a condition.
Characterization of Cardiac-Resident Progenitor Cells Expressing High Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Activity
Authors: Roehrich Marc-Estienne , Spicher Albert , Milano Giuseppina , Vassalli Giuseppe
Published: January 2013

High aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity has been associated with stem and progenitor cells in various tissues. Human cord blood and bone marrow ALDH-bright (ALDHbr) cells have displayed angiogenic activity in preclinical studies and have been shown to be safe in clinical trials in patients with ischemic cardiovascular disease. The presence of ALDHbrcells in the heart has not been evaluated so far. We have characterized ALDHbrcells isolated from mouse hearts. One percent of nonmyocytic cells from neonatal and adult hearts were ALDHbr. ALDHvery-brcells were more frequent in neonatal hearts than adult. ALDHbrcells were more frequent in atria than ventricles. Expression of ALDH1A1 isozyme transcripts was highest in ALDHvery-brcells, intermediate in ALDHbrcells, and lowest in ALDHdimcells. ALDH1A2 expression was highest in ALDHvery-brcells, intermediate in ALDHdimcells, and lowest in ALDHbrcells. ALDH1A3 and ALDH2 expression was detectable in ALDHvery-brand ALDHbrcells, unlike ALDHdimcells, albeit at lower levels compared with ALDH1A1 and ALDH1A2. Freshly isolated ALDHbrcells were enriched for cells expressing stem cell antigen-1, CD34, CD90, CD44, and CD106. ALDHbrcells, unlike ALDHdimcells, could be grown in culture for more than 40 passages. They expressed sarcomericα-actinin and could be differentiated along multiple mesenchymal lineages. However, the proportion of ALDHbrcells declined with cell passage. In conclusion, the cardiac-derived ALDHbrpopulation is enriched for progenitor cells that exhibit mesenchymal progenitor-like characteristics and can be expanded in culture. The regenerative potential of cardiac-derived ALDHbrcells remains to be evaluated.
Mapping Properties of Some Classes of Analytic Functions under Certain Integral Operators
Authors: Bulut Serap
Published: January 2013

We consider certain subclasses of analytic functions with bounded radius and bounded boundary rotation and study the mapping properties of these classes under certain integral operators.
Gasification Coupled Chemical Looping Combustion of Coal: A Thermodynamic Process Design Study
Authors: Borkhade Sonali A. , Shriwas Preksha A. , Kale Ganesh R.
Published: January 2013

A thermodynamic investigation of gasification coupled chemical looping combustion (CLC) of carbon (coal) is presented in this paper. Both steam and CO2 are used for gasification within the temperature range of 500–1200°C. Chemical equilibrium model was considered for the gasifier and CLC fuel reactor. The trends in product compositions and energy requirements of the gasifier, fuel reactor, and air reactor were determined. Coal (carbon) gasification using 1.5 mol H2O and 1.5 mol CO2 per mole carbon at 1 bar pressure and 650°C delivered maximum energy (−390.157 kJ) from the process. Such detailed thermodynamic studies can be useful to design chemical looping combustion processes using different fuels.
Diogenes Syndrome: A Case Report
Authors: Biswas Projna , Ganguly Anusree , Bala Sanchaita , Nag Falguni , Choudhary Nidhi , Sen Sumit
Published: January 2013

Cessation of normal skin cleansing seen in geriatric or self-neglected patients can cause accumulation of keratinous crusts on the skin. In the extreme end of this spectrum is a condition known as Diogenes syndrome (DS). These patients may have psychiatric disorders like paranoid disorders, mood affection, or temporofrontal dementia. Subjects are mainly the elderly but few cases in younger age group of patients have also been reported. Lesions of DS are usually found over upper central chest, back, and groin. In the young, lesions are mainly found over scalp, face, or arms. Absence of normal skin cleaning causes keratin and dirty debris to accumulate and with time form a thick shell. These debris can be secondarily infected by bacteria, fungus, and so forth. These skin lesions are not usually seen in individual with proper hygiene. We report a case of Diogenes syndrome in a 34-year-old young male patient who had associated schizophrenia.
Frequent DNA Hypermethylation at the RASSF1A and APC Gene Loci in Prostate Cancer Patients of Pakistani Origin
Authors: Yaqinuddin Ahmed , Qureshi Sohail A. , Pervez Shahid , Bashir Mohammed Umair , Nazir Ressam , Abbas Farhat
Published: January 2013

DNA methylation has emerged as a potentially robust biomarker for prostate cancer (PCa). Since DNA methylomes appear to be disease as well as population specific, we have assessed the DNA methylation status of RASSF1A, APC, and p16 (potential biomarkers of PCa) in Pakistani population. Primary prostate cancer tissues were obtained from 27 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks (FFPE) of cancer patients who underwent radical prostatectomy and transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) during 2003–2008. As controls, twenty-four benign prostatic FFPE tissues were obtained from patients who underwent TURP for benign prostatic hyperplasia during 2008. DNA was extracted, and methylation-specific PCR was used to assess the methylation status for RASSF1A, APC, and p16 gene promoters. Our results revealed that the RASSF1A promoter was hypermethylated in all the tested cancer samples but was also hypermethylated in 3 out of 24 control tissues. The APC promoter was hypermethylated in 15 out of 27 cancer samples and in none of the control samples. Strikingly, none of the samples showed methylation at the p16 promoter. Our findings suggest that RASSF1A and APC gene promoters are frequently hypermethylated in the Pakistani population and therefore have the potential to develop into universally dependable biomarkers for detecting PCa.
General Eulerian Numbers and Eulerian Polynomials
Authors: Xiong Tingyao , Tsao Hung-Ping , Hall Jonathan I.
Published: January 2013

We will generalize the definitions of Eulerian numbers and Eulerian polynomials to general arithmetic progressions. Under the new definitions, we have been successful in extending several well-known properties of traditional Eulerian numbers and polynomials to the general Eulerian polynomials and numbers.
Evaluation of a Navigation Radio Using the Think-Aloud Method
Authors: Green Paul A. , Park Jin-Seop
Published: January 2013

In this experiment, 13 licensed drivers performed 20 tasks with a prototype navigation radio. Subjects completed such tasks as entering a street address, selecting a preset radio station, and tuning to an XM station while “thinking aloud” to identify problems with operating the prototype interface. Overall, subjects identified 64 unique problems with the interface; 17 specific problems were encountered by more than half of the subjects. Problems are related to inconsistent music interfaces, limitations to destination entry methods, icons that were not understood, the lack of functional grouping, and similar looking buttons and displays, among others. An important project focus was getting the findings to the developers quickly. Having a scribe to code interactions in real time helped as well as directed observations of test sessions by representatives of the developers. Other researchers are encouraged to use this method to examine automotive interfaces as a complement to traditional usability testing.
Efficient Procedures of Sensitivity Analysis for Structural Vibration Systems with Repeated Frequencies
Authors: Zhao Shijia , Xu Tao , Guo Guikai , Zhang Wei , Liu Dongkai
Published: January 2013

Derivatives of eigenvectors with respect to structural parameters play an important role in structural design, identification, and optimization. Particularly, calculation of eigenvector sensitivity is considered when the eigenvalues are repeated. A relaxation factor embedded in the combined approximations (CA) method makes it effective to the structural response at various modified designs. The proposed method is feasible after overcoming the defection of irreversibility of the characteristic matrix. Numerical examples show that it is easy to implement the computational procedure, and the method presented in this paper is efficient for the general linear vibration damped systems with repeated frequencies.
Detailed Unsteady Simulation of a Counterrotating Aspirated Compressor with a Focus on the Aspiration Slot and Plenum
Authors: Knapke Robert D. , Turner Mark G.
Published: January 2013

An unsteady analysis of the MIT counterrotating aspirated compressor (CRAC) has been conducted using the Numeca FINE/Turbo 3D viscous turbulent flow solver with the Nonlinear Harmonic (NLH) method. All three blade rows plus the aspiration slot and plenum were included in the computational domain. Both adiabatic and isothermal solid wall boundary conditions were applied and simulations with and without aspiration were completed. The aspirated isothermal boundary condition solutions provide the most accurate representation of the trends produced by the experiment, particularly at the endwalls. These simulations provide significant insight into the flow physics of the aspiration flow path. Time histories and spanwise distributions of flow properties in the aspiration slot and plenum present a flow field with significant temporal and spatial variations. In addition, the results provide an understanding of the aspiration flow path choking mechanism that was previously not well understood and is consistent with experimental results. The slot and plenum had been designed to aspirate 1% of the flow path mass flow, whereas the experiment and simulations show that it chokes at about 0.5% mass flow.
A Colourachal-Cutaneous Fistula: A Report of an Unusual Case
Authors: Gargouri Mohamed Mourad , Boulma Rami , Sallemi Ahmed , Chlif Mohamed , Fitouri Zouhaier , Kallel Yosri , Nouira Yassine
Published: January 2013

Urachal anomalies are rare affections due to incomplete closure of urachus during foetal period. Colo-urachal-cutaneous fistula is an uncommon complication of urachal anomalies. Only three cases have been reported so far in the literature. Herein, we report a new case in a 51-year-old patient presenting with umbilical feculent discharge lasting for 4 weeks. Diagnosis was made by computed tomography. After en bloc total surgical excision followup was uneventful.
Public Project Portfolio Optimization under a Participatory Paradigm
Authors: Fernandez Eduardo , Olmedo Rafael
Published: January 2013

A new democracy paradigm is emerging through participatory budgeting exercises, which can be defined as a public space in which the government and the society agree on how to adapt the priorities of the citizenship to the public policy agenda. Although these priorities have been identified and they are likely to be reflected in a ranking of public policy actions, there is still a challenge of solving a portfolio problem of public projects that should implement the agreed agenda. This work proposes two procedures for optimizing the portfolio of public actions with the information stemming from the citizen participatory exercise. The selection of the method depends on the information about preferences collected from the participatory group. When the information is sufficient, the method behaves as an instrument of legitimate democracy. The proposal performs very well in solving two real-size examples.
Γ-Semihypergroups and Regular Relations
Authors: Mirvakili S. , Anvariyeh S. M. , Davvaz B.
Published: January 2013

In this paper we discuss the structure ofΓ-semihypergroups. We prove some basic results and present several examples ofΓ-semihypergroups. Also, we obtain some properties of regular and strongly regular relations on aΓ-semihypergroup and construct aΓ-semigroup from aΓ-semihypergroup by using the notion of fundamental relation.
On the Classification of Almost Kenmotsu Manifolds of Dimension 3
Authors: Wang Yaning , Liu Ximin
Published: January 2013

This paper deals with the classification of a 3-dimensional almost Kenmotsu manifold satisfying certain geometric conditions. Moreover, by applying our main classification theorem, we obtain some suffcient conditions for an almost Kenmotsu manifold of dimension 3 to be an Einstein-Weyl manifold.
Elevated Blood Pressure in the Acute Phase of Stroke and the Role of Angiotensin Receptor Blockers
Authors: Lattanzi Simona , Silvestrini Mauro , Provinciali Leandro
Published: January 2013

Raised blood pressure (BP) is common after stroke but its causes, effects, and management still remain uncertain. We performed a systematic review of randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of the angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) administered in the acute phase (≤72 hours) of stroke on death and dependency. Trials were identified from searching three electronic databases (Medline, Cochrane Library and Web of Science Database). Three trials involving 3728 patients were included. Significant difference in BP values between treatment and placebo was found in two studies. No effect of the treatment was seen on dependency, death and vascular events at one, three or six months; the cumulative mortality and the number of vascular events at 12 months differed significantly in favour of treatment in one small trial which stopped prematurely. Evidence raises doubts over the hypothesis of a specific effect of ARBs on short- and medium-term outcomes of stroke. It is not possible to rule out that different drugs might have different effects. Further trials are desirable to clarify whether current findings are generalizable or there are subgroups of patients or different approaches to BP management for which a treatment benefit can be obtained.
Mixed Problem with an Integral Two-Space-Variables Condition for a Class of Hyperbolic Equations
Authors: Oussaeif Taki-Eddine , Bouziani Abdelfatah
Published: January 2013

This paper is devoted to the proof of the existence and uniqueness of the classical solution of mixed problems which combine Neumann condition and integral two-space-variables condition for a class of hyperbolic equations. The proof is based on a priori estimate “energy inequality” and the density of the range of the operator generated by the problem considered.
Certain New Classes of Analytic Functions with Varying Arguments
Authors: El-Ashwah R. M. , Aouf M. K. , Hassan A. A. M. , Hassan A. H.
Published: January 2013

We introduce certain new classesκ−VST(α,β)andκ−VUCV(α,β), which represent theκuniformly starlike functions of orderαand typeβwith varying arguments and theκuniformly convex functions of orderαand typeβwith varying arguments, respectively. Moreover, we give coefficients estimates, distortion theorems, and extreme points of these classes.
Serum Antibodies to Blood Group A Predict Survival on PROSTVAC-VF
Authors: Campbell Christopher T. , Gulley James L. , Oyelaran Oyindasola , Hodge James W. , Schlom Jeffrey , Gildersleeve Jeffrey C.
Published: January 2013

Purpose: There is evidence that therapeutic cancer vaccines can lengthen survival for some patients with cancer, but responses vary widely from one person to another. Methods to predict clinical outcomes will advance the field and provide new insights into critical determinants of in vivo efficacy.

Experimental Design: This retrospective study included 141 subjects from phase II trials of PROSTVAC-VF, a poxvirus-based cancer vaccine currently in phase III clinical trials for advanced prostate cancer. A glycan microarray was used to profile prevaccination antiglycan antibody populations in sera as potential biomarkers for PROSTVAC-VF. The screen for predictive biomarkers identified antiglycan antibodies that consistently stratified subjects into groups with different Kaplan–Meier survival estimates. Because of the potential for overfitting, a permutation test was used to estimate the false discovery rate.

Results: Prevaccination antibody levels to blood group A trisaccharide (BG-Atri) were found to have a statistically significant correlation with survival. Long-term survival was approximately doubled in subjects with abundant anti-BG-Atri immunoglobulin M (IgM) relative to subjects with little or no preexisting IgM for BG-Atri. This survival correlation was specific to vaccine treatment, as no correlation was observed in control patients immunized with wild-type poxviruses lacking the key tumor antigen, prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Moreover, anti-BG-Atri IgM levels were not correlated with general measures of disease severity, such as PSA levels, Gleason score, or Halabi predicted survival.

Conclusion: In addition to reporting a new potentially predictive biomarker for PROSTVAC-VF, this study highlights the use of glycan microarray technology for improving our understanding of vaccine immunology. Clin Cancer Res; 19(5); 1290–9. ©2012 AACR.
Relief of Feedback Inhibition of HER3 Transcription by RAF and MEK Inhibitors Attenuates Their Antitumor Effects in BRAF-Mutant Thyroid Carcinomas
Authors: Montero-Conde Cristina , Ruiz-Llorente Sergio , Dominguez Jose M. , Knauf Jeffrey A. , Viale Agnes , Sherman Eric J. , Ryder Mabel , Ghossein Ronald A. , Rosen Neal , Fagin James A.
Published: January 2013

The RAF inhibitor vemurafenib (PLX4032) increases survival in patients with BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma, but has limited efficacy in patients with colorectal cancers. Thyroid cancer cells are also comparatively refractory to RAF inhibitors. In contrast to melanomas, inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling by PLX4032 is transient in thyroid and colorectal cancer cells. The rebound in extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in thyroid cells is accompanied by increased HER3 signaling caused by induction of ERBB3 (HER3) transcription through decreased promoter occupancy by the transcriptional repressors C-terminal binding protein 1 and 2 and by autocrine secretion of neuregulin-1 (NRG1). The HER kinase inhibitor lapatinib prevents MAPK rebound and sensitizes BRAF-mutant thyroid cancer cells to RAF or MAP-ERK kinase inhibitors. This provides a rationale for combining ERK pathway antagonists with inhibitors of feedback-reactivated HER signaling in this disease. The determinants of primary resistance to MAPK inhibitors vary between cancer types, due to preferential upregulation of specific receptor tyrosine kinases, and the abundance of their respective ligands.

Significance: Thyroid cancer cell lines with mutant BRAF are resistant to PLX4032. RAF inhibitors transiently inhibit the ERK pathway and de-repress HER3 transcription. In the context of constitutive NRG1 secretion, this results in an ERK and AKT rebound that diminishes the antitumor effects of RAF inhibitors, which is overcome by combination with lapatinib. Cancer Discov; 3(5); 520–33. ©2013 AACR.

See related commentary by Girotti and Marais, p. 487

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 471
Cardiovascular risk among patients on clopidogrel anti-platelet therapy after placement of drug-eluting stents is modified by genetic variants in both the CYP2C19 and ABCB1 genes
Authors: Knight Stacey , Horne Benjamin D. , Huntinghouse John A. , Rollo Jeffrey S. , Muhlestein J. Brent , May Heidi , Anderson Jeffrey L. , Carlquist John F.
Published: January 2013

Long-term (at least one year) dual anti-platelet therapy incorporating aspirin and clopidogrel is currently recommended following percutaneous coronary intervention with placement of a drug-eluting stent (DES). Genetic variants in both the ABCB1 and CYP2C19 genes have been associated with cardiovascular events among patients on clopidogrel. We examined the concurrent contribution of the CYP2C19 *2 and *17 alleles and the ABCB1 3435 alleles to one-year clinical risk among patients (n=1,034 on clopidogrel therapy following the placement of a DES. For CYP2C19*2, event rates were 8.4%, 10.9% and 44.4% for patients with 0, 1 and 2 *2 alleles, respectively (p=0.016). ABCB1 3435 was not associated with events in univariate analysis. However, 72% of patients with a *2 variant also possessed the ABCB1 3435 C allele; among these patients (*2/C genotype) the event rate for myocardial infarction (MI) was 14.2% vs. 6.9% for those lacking both *2 and C alleles (p=0.027) and for MI/death, 16.9% vs. 9.6% (p=0.046). Overall for all genotypes, the presence of the gain-of-function (protective) *17 allele significantly reduced the one-year rate of MI from 11.1% to 7.0% (p=0.045) and trended to reduce the combined rate of MI/death from 13.8% to 10.5% (p=0.182). In conclusion, the ABCB1 3435 locus and the *2 allele combine to impart a significant trend toward increased risk. This trend was largely reversed by the simultaneous carriage of one or two *17 alleles. These findings suggest that assessment of a combined genotype may improve risk assessment.
The role of innate immune cells in obese adipose tissue inflammation and development of insulin resistance
Authors: Chavakis Triantafyllos , Chmelar Jindrich , Chung Kyoung-Jin
Published: January 2013

Obesity is characterised by a chronic state of low-grade inflammation in different tissues including the vasculature. There is a causal link between adipose tissue (AT) inflammation and obesity-related metabolic complications, such as the development of insulin resistance and subsequently of type 2 diabetes. Intense efforts in the recent years have aimed at dissecting the pathophysiology of AT inflammation. The role of both innate and adaptive immune cells, such as macrophages or cytotoxic T cells in AT inflammation has been demonstrated. Besides these cells, more leukocyte subpopulations have been recently implicated in obesity, including neutrophils and eosinophils, mast cells, natural killer cells or dendritic cells. The involvement of multiple leukocyte subpopulations underlines the complexity of obesity-associated AT inflammation. In this review, we discuss the role of innate immune cells in AT inflammation, obesity and related metabolic disorders.
Prophylactic Radiofrequency Ablation in Asymptomatic Patients With Wolff–Parkinson–White Is Not Yet a Good Strategy
Authors: Chevalier Philippe , Cadi France , Scridon Alina , Girerd Nicolas , Bejan-Angoulvan Theodora , Morel Elodie , Hot Isabelle Jaisson , Di Filippo Sylvie , Ganne Christell , Colin Cyrille
Published: January 2013

Background—

Therapeutic management of asymptomatic patients with a Wolff–Parkinson–White (WPW) pattern is controversial. We compared the risk:benefit ratios between prophylactic radiofrequency ablation and no treatment in asymptomatic patients with WPW.

Methods and Results—

Decision analysis software was used to construct a risk–benefit decision tree. The target population consisted of 20- to 40-year-old asymptomatic patients with WPW without structural fatal heart disease or a family history of sudden cardiac death. Baseline estimates of sudden death and radiofrequency ablation complication rates were obtained from the literature, an empirical data survey, and expert opinion. The outcome measure was death within 10 years. Sensitivity analyses determined the variables that significantly impacted the decision to ablate or not. Threshold analyses evaluated the effects of key variables and the optimum policy. At baseline, the decision to ablate resulted in a reduction of mortality risk of 8.8 patients for 1000 patients compared with abstention. It is necessary to treat 112 asymptomatic patients with WPW to save one life over 10 years. Sensitivity analysis showed that 3 variables significantly impacted the decision to ablate: (1) complication of radiofrequency ablation, (2) success of radiofrequency ablation, and (3) sudden death in asymptomatic patients with WPW.

Conclusions—

This study provides a decision aid for treating asymptomatic patients with the WPW ECG pattern. Using the model and the population we tested, prophylactic catheter ablation is not yet ready for widespread clinical use.
Dopaminergic Gene Polymorphisms Affect Long-term Forgetting in Old Age: Further Support for the Magnification Hypothesis
Authors: Papenberg Goran , Bäckman Lars , Nagel Irene E. , Nietfeld Wilfried , Schröder Julia , Bertram Lars , Heekeren Hauke R. , Lindenberger Ulman , Li Shu-Chen
Published: January 2013

Emerging evidence from animal studies suggests that suboptimal dopamine (DA) modulation may be associated with increased forgetting of episodic information. Extending these observations, we investigated the influence of DA-relevant genes on forgetting in samples of younger (n = 433, 20–31 years) and older (n = 690, 59–71 years) adults. The effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms of the DA D2 (DRD2) and D3 (DRD3) receptor genes as well as the DA transporter gene (DAT1; SLC6A3) were examined. Over the course of one week, older adults carrying two or three genotypes associated with higher DA signaling (i.e., higher availability of DA and DA receptors) forgot less pictorial information than older individuals carrying only one or no beneficial genotype. No such genetic effects were found in younger adults. The results are consistent with the view that genetic effects on cognition are magnified in old age. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to relate genotypes associated with suboptimal DA modulation to more long-term forgetting in humans. Independent replication studies in other populations are needed to confirm the observed association.
A quantitative analysis of the state of knowledge of turtles of the United States and Canada
Authors: Lovich Jeffrey E. , Ennen Joshua R.
Published: January 2013

The “information age” ushered in an explosion of knowledge and access to knowledge that continues to revolutionize society. Knowledge about turtles, as measured by number of published papers, has been growing at an exponential rate since the early 1970s, a phenomenon mirrored in all scientific disciplines. Although knowledge about turtles, as measured by number of citations for papers in scientific journals, has been growing rapidly, this taxonomic group remains highly imperiled suggesting that knowledge is not always successfully translated into effective conservation of turtles. We reviewed the body of literature on turtles of the United States and Canada and found that: 1) the number of citations is biased toward large-bodied species, 2) the number of citations is biased toward wide-ranging species, and 3) conservation status has little effect on the accumulation of knowledge for a species, especially after removing the effects of body size or range size. The dispersion of knowledge, measured by Shannon Weiner diversity and evenness indices across species, was identical from 1994 to 2009 suggesting that poorly studied species remained poorly-studied species while well-studied species remained well studied. Several species listed as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (e.g., Pseudemys alabamensis, Sternotherus depressus, and Graptemys oculifera) remain poorly studied with the estimated number of citations for each ranging from only 13-24. The low number of citations for these species could best be explained by their restricted distribution and/or their smaller size. Despite the exponential increase in knowledge of turtles in the United States and Canada, no species of turtle listed under the Endangered Species Act has ever been delisted for reason of recovery. Therefore, increased knowledge does not necessarily contribute appreciably to recovery of threatened turtles.
Toward a Wesleyan Sacramental Ecclesiology
Authors: Martin Robert K.
Published: January 2013

John and Charles Wesley had a developed understanding of and reverence for sacramental practice and theology that suggests a dynamic sacramental ecclesiology and lends itself to a robust concept of sacramentality. Taking seriously Wesley’s imperative of ‘constant communion’, this paper looks to the Eucharist for an underlying, fundamental pattern of participation in the divine life whereby we embody and enact it by the power of the Spirit. The proposed Eucharistic pattern emphasizes a dynamic movement of ever greater participation in God by gathering together, offering all that we have and are, sharing our lives fully in trinitarian communion, and extending the communion we have become to little altars everywhere, especially to the ‘least of these’. To reframe Wesleyan ecclesiology in terms of a dynamic, relational sacramentality, patterned after the Eucharist, overcomes conventional oppositions of communion and mission by integrating them fully in the effort to follow Jesus Christ.
Systematic study of the genera Phryno Robineau-Desvoidy and Botria Rondani in the Palearctic Region, with discussions of their phylogenetic positions (Diptera, Tachinidae)
Authors: TACHI TAKUJI
Published: January 2013

Six species of Phryno Robineau-Desvoidy and three species of Botria Rondani are revised, including four new species: P. brevicornis sp. nov., P. koreana sp. nov., P. nepalensis sp. nov. and P. tenuiforceps sp. nov. A key to the species of these genera is provided. A phylogenetic analysis was performed using morphological characters to investigate the placement of genera in the Zenillia group (sensu Tschorsnig 1985). The inferred trees indicate that Phryno is closely related to Botria, but monophyly of Phryno is unclear. Based on the results of the analysis, the Zenillia group is redefined to include Allo-phorocera Hendel, Botria, Ceromasia Rondani, Calozenillia Townsend (new placement), Cyzenis Robineau-Desvoidy, Erycilla Mesnil, Phryno, Rhacodinella Mesnil, Sericozenillia Mesnil (new placement) and Zenillia Robineau-Desvoidy.
Erratum: M. Trizzino, L. Carnevali, S. De Felici & Paolo Audisio (2013) A revision of Hydraena species of the "Haenydra" lineage (Coleoptera, Hydraenidae). Zootaxa, 3607 (1), 001–173.
Authors: TRIZZINO MARCO , CARNEVALI LUCILLA , FELICI STEFANO DE , AUDISIO PAOLO
Published: January 2013

(Erratum)
A structural modelling framework for prediction of damage development and failure of composite laminates
Authors: Forghani Alireza , Zobeiry Navid , Poursartip Anoush , Vaziri Reza
Published: January 2013

This article presents the latest developments of a constitutive modelling framework, CODAM (COmposite DAmage Model), for predicting the non-linear in-plane response of composite laminates using continuum damage mechanics. The methodology is best suited for non-linear structural analysis of large-scale laminated composites whose boundaries do not interfere/interact with the damage zone that develops and grows within the structure. The new development presented here, CODAM2, addresses the deficiencies in both the numerical and material objectivity of the original version of CODAM. While the previous CODAM formulation was essentially a local smeared crack model that was augmented with crack band scaling to overcome one aspect of the numerical objectivity, namely the mesh-sensitivity, CODAM2 introduces a non-local regularisation scheme to alleviate both the spurious mesh dependency and mesh orientation problems that plague all local strain-softening models. Two of the 13 test cases, provided in the third-world wide failure exercise, which were related to the in-plane tensile and compressive loading of open hole specimens, were used in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of CODAM2 in predicting the damage development and the corresponding overall response in such structural loading configurations.
Learning to select and generalize striking movements in robot table tennis
Authors: Mülling Katharina , Kober Jens , Kroemer Oliver , Peters Jan
Published: January 2013

Learning new motor tasks from physical interactions is an important goal for both robotics and machine learning. However, when moving beyond basic skills, most monolithic machine learning approaches fail to scale. For more complex skills, methods that are tailored for the domain of skill learning are needed. In this paper, we take the task of learning table tennis as an example and present a new framework that allows a robot to learn cooperative table tennis from physical interaction with a human. The robot first learns a set of elementary table tennis hitting movements from a human table tennis teacher by kinesthetic teach-in, which is compiled into a set of motor primitives represented by dynamical systems. The robot subsequently generalizes these movements to a wider range of situations using our mixture of motor primitives approach. The resulting policy enables the robot to select appropriate motor primitives as well as to generalize between them. Finally, the robot plays with a human table tennis partner and learns online to improve its behavior. We show that the resulting setup is capable of playing table tennis using an anthropomorphic robot arm.
The Effects of Vitamin D Deficiency in Athletes
Authors: Angeline Michael E. , Gee Albert O. , Shindle Michael , Warren Russell F. , Rodeo Scott A.
Published: January 2013

Vitamin D acts to maintain calcium and phosphate homeostasis within the body. It is now estimated that 1 billion people worldwide are vitamin D deficient. This problem is particularly important to athletes of all ages, as vitamin D plays a significant role in bone health, immune function, and physical performance. In the deficient state, the athlete may be at an increased risk for potential problems such as stress fractures, respiratory infections, and muscle injuries. The purpose of this article is to examine vitamin D deficiency and review its relationship to the athlete.
Peace journalism case study: US media coverage of the Iraq War
Authors: Perez de Fransius Marianne
Published: January 2013

This article examines Johan Galtung’s concept of peace journalism. First it examines the fields out of which peace journalism was born – peace studies and conflict analysis – and the current viability of this framework. These theories are then applied to a case study of the American coverage of the war in Iraq, itemizing and explaining each of the peace journalism tenets and contrasting them with the dominant style of war reporting.
Performing the salat [Islamic prayers] at work: Secular and pious Muslims negotiating the contours of the public in Belgium
Authors: Fadil Nadia
Published: January 2013

This article analyses the way in which the question of performing şalat (Islamic prayer) at the workplace is addressed by second-generation Maghrebi-Muslims in Belgium. Over recent years, western Europe has witnessed a number of societal debates on the increasing visibility of Islam in the public sphere. A key argument often used in these discussions concerns the necessity to defend the ‘neutral’ or ‘secular’ character of the public sphere towards Muslim claims. In so doing, the idea of religious pluralism becomes opposed to the idea of a secular public sphere. This paper seeks to complicate this perspective by questioning the idea that praying in public (i.e. at the workplace) figures as a religious claim that is defended unequivocally by Muslims. The narratives explored here show that Muslims – irrespective of the degree of their religious commitment – do not hold similar positions towards this question. Contrasting perspectives about the idea of the public, that of a ‘correct’ religious practice and the position of Islam in the Belgian public sphere rather informed these positions. Consequently, the analysis of the different accounts shows that what often passes as a single principle (that of privatization of religion) in fact consists of an assemblage of heterogeneous discursive repertoires, which address the question of religion in the public in a diverse set of ways. Such a perspective invites us to consider how secularism is reproduced and maintained throughout heterogeneous normative orders, including religious ones.
The development of an apparatus to understand the traction developed at the shoe–surface interface in tennis
Authors: Clarke James , Carré Matt J , Damm Loic , Dixon Sharon
Published: January 2013

The traction developed at the shoe–surface interface can have a significant influence on a player’s injury risk and performance in tennis. The purpose of this study was to investigate shoe–surface traction on a dry acrylic hard court and two artificial clay court tennis surfaces in dry and wet conditions. A laboratory-based mechanical test rig was developed to measure the traction force developed at the shoe–surface interface. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between normal force and three measures of traction: initial stiffness, peak traction force and average dynamic traction force. The normal force did not significantly influence the initial stiffness for the shoe–surface system on the acrylic hard court but did on the artificial clay surfaces. The infill particle size and the addition of moisture influenced the traction developed on the artificial clay surfaces. Small, dry particles developed greater traction and with a sufficiently high applied normal force will provide traction comparable to that on an acrylic hard court. However, increased particle size and/or the presence of moisture generally reduced traction. Strong and significant positive linear relationships were found between peak traction force and average dynamic traction force for all surface types and conditions. This study improves the understanding of the influence surface characteristics have on shoe–surface traction mechanisms. Once traction mechanisms are understood, surface properties and/or footwear can be effectively changed to maximise performance and/or minimise injury risk.
An introduction to package evolution and criticality research studies relevant to the UK disposal programme
Authors: Padovani C. , Williams S. J. , Wood P.
Published: January 2013

In the UK, radioactive wastes currently planned for disposal in a geological disposal facility (GDF) include intermediate level waste, some low level waste and high level waste. Disposal of other materials, including spent fuel, uranium and plutonium is also being evaluated to inform the safety case for a GDF, if such materials were to be classified as wastes in the future. This paper describes the generic safety functions through which waste packages can contribute to the safety case of a GDF in the UK. It describes the engineering approach used or envisaged, in the UK and internationally, to ensure that waste packages retain their safety functions for the required periods of time and summarizes the scientific basis underpinning the current understanding of relevant evolution processes. Where gaps in the knowledge exist, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Radioactive Waste Management Directorate has identified specific research activities needed to close out such gaps to a level of maturity sufficient for this stage of the disposal programme (generic). This paper describes the latest results from their R&D programme and presents a summary of the research activities planned to meet the current needs of the disposal programme with specific reference to the topics of package evolution and criticality safety.
Three-dimensional imaging of inhomogeneous lithologies using X-ray computed tomography: characterization of drill core from the Borrowdale Volcanic Group
Authors: Engelberg D. L. , Pattrick R. A. D. , Wilson C. , McCrae R. , Withers P. J.
Published: January 2013

X-ray computed tomography augmented by elemental microanalysis has been used to characterize two drill cores from the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, west Cumbria, UK. Information about the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of mineral phases was obtained non-destructively, and regions of interest were extracted for thin sectioning and elemental analysis. This revealed the presence of pyrite and other iron- and iron-titanium-bearing minerals. X-ray computed tomography is a very useful tool for 3D visualization, but the limitations of the tomography system used made it difficult to distinguish between regions with similar compositions, such as the different layers within the calcite veins. Methods by which these limitations might be overcome are briefly discussed.
Initial studies on the effects of radiation, thermal ageing and aqueous environments on the stability and structure of candidate polymeric encapsulant materials
Authors: Dawson J. , Smith V. , Clifford J. , Williams S. J.
Published: January 2013

The current route in the UK for the conditioning and immobilization of most intermediate level waste for interim storage and geological disposal is to encapsulate in a cementitious matrix. However, certain waste materials, such as those containing reactive metals (e.g. uranium and aluminium), can corrode in the presence of the highly alkaline water in a cementitious environment. In their initial, undegraded form, polymeric materials can provide the appropriate, unreactive environment needed for the encapsulation of chemically active metals.

This study examines the effects of gamma radiation on the stability of six candidate polymeric encapsulants, including a vinyl ester styrene resin (VES) and five epoxy resin formulations. The polymeric encapsulants were exposed to radiation doses up to 10 MGy using AMEC's cobalt-60 gamma irradiation facility and their radiation and chemical stability characterized by the use of a number of analytical techniques. These included flexural and compressive testing, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gel fraction, leach testing and gas evolution. The results show that the most stable resin in terms of radiation resistance and chemical stability was VES. Most of the epoxy resin materials also showed good generic stability, but the FTIR analysis showed the potential for dose-rate effects in one formulation.
Coupled hydro-mechanical–chemical process modelling in argillaceous formations for DECOVALEX-2011
Authors: Bond A. E. , Benbow S. , Wilson J. , McDermott C. , English M.
Published: January 2013

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Radioactive Waste Management Directorate have been participating in the current DECOVALEX-2011 project (development of coupled models and their validation against experiments) one task of which has been examining the Mont Terri Ventilation Experiment (VE). This long-term (>9 years), field-scale experiment in the Opalinus Clay near the Swiss–French border, was designed to examine the coupled hydraulic–mechanical–chemical changes caused in the tunnel and in the surrounding geology, by the controlled ventilation of a 1.65 m diameter micro-tunnel.

In contrast to many conventional benchmarking and validation exercises, a key aspect of the VE as examined in DECOVALEX was that some data were held back and participants were required to make predictions of key metrics for the future evolution of the system. This paper presents an overview of the work conducted by the Quintessa and University of Edinburgh team including selected results. The coupled models developed include multiphase flow, elastic deformation and chemical processes in both detailed and upscaled geometries.

The models have been able to replicate the observed desaturation around the tunnel, tunnel deformation and localized failure, vapour migration in the tunnel, and the transition in redox conditions into the host rock.
Representation of the biosphere in post-closure assessments for the UK geological disposal programme
Authors: Kowe R. , Norris S.
Published: January 2013

This paper gives an overview of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Radioactive Waste Management Directorate approach to representing the biosphere in post-closure safety assessment studies. The assessments consider potential releases of radionuclides and chemically toxic substances from a geological disposal facility that may reach the biosphere by transport in groundwater and gas. It gives an outline of the key processes and understanding underpinning the representation of the biosphere and how the biosphere may evolve over the long timescales of relevance to post-closure safety. The current biosphere assessment approach and associated models are supported by research studies and collaboration that ensure they are consistent with international recommendations. Research studies are also commissioned to reduce uncertainty surrounding key contaminants and potential exposure pathways and to help ensure that the approach and models are adaptable and flexible enough to incorporate future developments, as the geological disposal programme moves towards site selection.
Comparison of microbiological influences on the transport properties of intact mudstone and sandstone and its relevance to the geological disposal of radioactive waste
Authors: Wragg J. , Harrison H. , West J. M. , Yoshikawa H.
Published: January 2013

The role of the microbial activity on the transport properties of host rocks for geological repositories, particularly in the far-field, is an area of active research. This paper compares results from experiments investigating changes in transport properties caused by microbial activity in sedimentary rocks in Japan (mudstones) and sandstone (UK).

These experiments show that both Pseudomonas denitrificans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa appear to survive and thrive in pressurized flow-through column experiments which utilized host rock materials of relevance to radioactive waste disposal. Indeed, despite there being a difference in the numbers of organisms introduced into both biotic experiments, numbers appear to stabilize at ∼105 ml−1 at their completion. Post experimental imaging has highlighted the distinct differences in biofilm morphology, for the chosen rock types and bacteria, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa derived biofilms completely covering the surface of the sandstone host and Pseudomonas denitrificans forming biofilament structures. Regardless of substrate host or choice of microbe, microbial activity results in measurable changes in permeability. Such activity appears to influence changes in fluid flow and suggests that the transport of radionuclides through the far-field will be complicated by the presence of microbes.