bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Low-voltage organic transistors with titanium oxide/polystyrene bilayer dielectrics
Authors: Lu Yingxi , Lee Wi Hyoung , Lee Hwa Sung , Jang Yunseok , Cho Kilwon
Published: March 2009

Pentacene-based low-voltage organic transistors were realized with titanium oxide/polystyrene (TiO2/PS) bilayer dielectrics. Significantly, the TiO2 bottom layer was fabricated by a layer-by-layer deposition procedure and had an ultrathin thickness (<5 nm). The nonpolar PS top layer not only shields out the high polarity TiO2 layer, but also reduces the roughness of the dielectric, which results in low gate leakage of dielectric and the more ordered growth of pentacene film. This organic transistor with a TiO2/PS bilayer dielectric was found to exhibit high performance with a low operating voltage (≤3 V), and a high on/off ratio (>107).
Investigation of stability of the effective work function on LaAlO3 and La2Hf2O7
Authors: Suzuki Masamichi , Kinoshita Atsuhiro , Schimizu Tatsuo , Koyama Masato
Published: March 2009

The stability of the effective work function (ϕeff) on La-based high-k materials was studied in detail by changing the annealing ambient and the gate dielectric stack. ϕeff for a LaAlO3/SiO2/Si stack with Pt gate electrode was not affected by the annealing ambient, whereas that for a Pt gate electrode on an La2Hf2O7/SiO2/Si stack increased sharply when O2 annealing was performed after forming gas annealing (FGA). Comparison with the results for a stack without SiO2 indicates that this anomalous phenomenon in the La2Hf2O7/SiO2/Si stack is caused by oxygen-vacancy-related dipoles at La2Hf2O7/SiO2 interface produced by FGA.
Semiconductor point defect concentration profiles measured using coherent acoustic phonon waves
Authors: Steigerwald A. , Xu Y. , Qi J. , Gregory J. , Liu X. , Furdyna J. K. , Varga K. , Hmelo A. B. , Lüpke G. , Feldman L. C. , Tolk N.
Published: March 2009

Coherent acoustic phonon interferometry is used to quantitatively measure depth-dependent point defect concentrations in semiconductor systems with a depth range of the order of tens of microns. Using time-resolved pump-probe techniques, the optical response of ion-beam irradiated GaAs crystals is analyzed as a function of defect concentration ranging over four orders of magnitude. Varying the ion dose quantitatively relates changes in the optical response to local defect concentrations. Thermal annealing is shown to reduce the effect on the optical response, indicating recovery of the crystal lattice through self-interstitial-vacancy recombination.
Self-organized two-dimensional onions
Authors: Ren Shenqiang , Briber Robert M. , Wuttig Manfred
Published: March 2009

Spontaneously self-assembled onion-type nanostructures based on block copolymers as templating materials are reported. Polystyrene-poly(ethylene oxide) diblock copolymer containing CoFe2O4 and Pb1.1(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 precursors segregated to the two microdomains forms well-ordered templated lamellar structures. Onion-type nanostructures have been induced by room temperature solvent annealing for 64 h in a magnetic field of 0.8 T oriented perpendicularly to the plane of film. The recorded images suggest that the Lorentz force acting on charges in the paraelectric precursor induces a circular component of the diffusion flux that leads to the onion formation. This templating process opens a route for nanometer-scale patterning of magnetic toroids.
Quantitative evaluation of local domain patterns in [110] poled Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.35PbTiO3 single crystal using a polarized Raman microprobe
Authors: Ge Wanyin , Zhu Wenliang , Tang Yanxue , Pezzotti Giuseppe
Published: March 2009

An experimental/computational procedure was presented to quantitatively analyze by polarized Raman spectroscopy (PRS) unknown domain textures in [110] poled Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.35PbTiO3 single crystal. The three-dimensional domain orientation was described in terms of three Euler angles in space, and an Euler matrix was employed to transform the axial coordinates detected at the molecular scale into the laboratory coordinate frame. Raman spectral intensity of selected bands belonging to the Ag and Eg vibrational modes varied as a function of polarization geometry and rotation angle about the [110] direction. Periodic functions, which precisely fit experimental data, could be located to describe such dependences, according to theoretical considerations. The reliability and the efficiency of PRS characterization were demonstrated and the angles of domain orientation were observed and mapped at the microscopic scale.
Addition of a cholesterol group to an HIV-1 peptide fusion inhibitor dramatically increases its antiviral potency
Authors: Ingallinella Paolo , Bianchi Elisabetta , Ladwa Neal A. , Wang Ying-Jie , Hrin Renee , Veneziano Maria , Bonelli Fabio , Ketas Thomas J. , Moore John P. , Miller Michael D. , Pessi Antonello
Published: March 2009

Peptides derived from the heptad repeat 2 (HR2) region of the HIV fusogenic protein gp41 are potent inhibitors of viral infection, and one of them, enfuvirtide, is used for the treatment of therapy-experienced AIDS patients. The mechanism of action of these peptides is binding to a critical intermediate along the virus–cell fusion pathway, and accordingly, increasing the affinity for the intermediate yields more potent inhibitors. We took a different approach, namely to increase the potency of the HR2 peptide inhibitor C34 by targeting it to the cell compartment where fusion occurs, and we show here that a simple, yet powerful way to accomplish this is attachment of a cholesterol group. C34 derivatized with cholesterol (C34-Chol) shows dramatically increased antiviral potency on a panel of primary isolates, with IC
90
values 15- to 300-fold lower than enfuvirtide and the second-generation inhibitor T1249, making C34-Chol the most potent HIV fusion inhibitor to date. Consistent with its anticipated mechanism of action, the antiviral activity of C34-Chol is unusually persistent: washing target cells after incubation with C34-Chol, but before triggering fusion, increases IC
50
only 7-fold, relative to a 400-fold increase observed for C34. Moreover, derivatization with cholesterol extends the half-life of the peptide in vivo. In the mouse, s.c. administration of 3.5 mg/kg C34-Chol yields a plasma concentration 24 h after injection >300-fold higher than the measured IC
90
values. Because the fusion machinery targeted by C34-Chol is similar in several other enveloped viruses, we believe that these findings may be of general utility.
Millets in Nation-States: The Case of Greek and Bulgarian Muslims, 1912–1923
Authors: Katsikas Stefanos
Published: March 2009

It is estimated that, in 1913, less than 500,000 Muslims lived in the regions ruled by Greece and around 800,000 Muslims in those areas which were under the authority of the Bulgarian state. In the aftermath of the 1923 obligatory Greco-Turkish population exchange the number of Muslims in Greece reduced to approximately 200,000, of which around 180,000 lived in the region of Western Thrace and 20–25,000 Albanian-speaking Muslims, known as Çams, in Epirus and Greek South-West Macedonia. In the same period, the number of Muslims in Bulgaria was between 800,000 and one million people. Meanwhile, during the two Balkan and the First World Wars a hardly definable number of Muslims lost their lives due to starvation, disease, massacres and physical destruction caused by the military and paramilitary troops of the two Balkan states, as well as due to voluntary and forced migration to areas controlled by the Ottoman Empire.
2 Getting and Giving
Authors: Rotman Andy
Published: March 2009

Chapter 2 explores the contrast between śraddhā and bhakti. While bhakti is portrayed in the Divyāvadāna as a false confidence in divine forces, śraddhā is represented as a mental state that arises with regard to trustworthy individuals and with regard to certain “indirect objects” whose truth is professed by those trustworthy individuals. The practice of śraddhā begins with a visual confirmation of the truth of certain objects and phenomena, and it culminates in the making of offerings. This connection between seeing and giving, with śraddhā as the mediator, results in an epistemological and ethical formulation that engages the problem of karmic materialism. The chapter then discusses the idea of a gold standard of the karmic system, a method of conversion between merit and money, and what it means for the Buddhist believer.
4 Participation and Exclusion
Authors: Rotman Andy
Published: March 2009

Chapter 4 considers prasāda as praxis, and how beggars, gods, kings and monks engage with it, try to engage with it, or ignore it. A close reading of the four parts of the Nagarāvalambikā-avadāna, is offered in an attempt to explain who it is that can and cannot make offerings within the prasāda paradigm and why that is the case. The issue of the agency of prasāda is then discusses as well as its significance for Buddhist ethics. An individual’s karma is represented as a closed system in the Divyāvadāna, and only an outside agent can generate a karmic intrusion that will allow one to escape from one’s karmic destiny and the inevitable suffering of saṃsāra. Prasāda is just such a force, and it allows one to escape one’s fate and embark on the Buddhist path toward liberation.
8 Images and Imagination
Authors: Rotman Andy
Published: March 2009

Chapter 8 reflects further on the role of images in Buddhist worship, and what the sculptures and paintings on Buddhist monuments in South Asia may be able to tell us about the ways of seeing of premodern Buddhist practitioners. Seeing Buddhist art, it seems, involved quite a bit of listening. The chapter considers more broadly the world of the visual in the Divyāvadāna and offers some suggestions with regard to the social and political transformations that may account for its construction.
Abnormal LFTs
Authors: Pritchett Sarah
Published: March 2009

A busy GP will encounter patients with liver function tests (LFTs) outside the normal range very frequently. Some LFTs may be raised physiologically, for example in pregnancy, or for reasons not associated with liver disease. However, suboptimal investigation of LFT abnormalities may lead to important treatable causes of liver disease being missed. This article should help to provide a rational approach for interpretation of LFTs, further investigation and management of various abnormalities.
Atopy, Anamnesis and Allergy Testing
Authors: Morris Adrian
Published: March 2009

There has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of allergic disorders, which have trebled over the last 20 years. This is highlighted in the International Study on Allergic Diseases in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase I and III data collected on 13-to 14-year-old children from the UK which now shows high prevalence of asthma (32%), hay fever and allergic rhinitis (40%) and eczema (9%) ( Asher et al., 2006 ).
Otitis Media
Authors: Nash Emma
Published: March 2009

Otitis media, the inflammation of the middle ear, is a common primary care problem, and encompasses several subclasses of clinical conditions. The most frequently seen is acute otitis media, which most often affects children. However, otitis media exists in both acute and chronic forms, and also in the presence and absence of infection. Knowledge of how to identify the different types is essential for the formulation of an appropriate management plan.
Geographically extensive hybridization between the forest trees American butternut and Japanese walnut
Authors: Hoban Sean M. , McCleary Tim S. , Schlarbaum Scott E. , Romero-Severson Jeanne
Published: March 2009

We investigate the question of naturally occurring interspecific hybrids between two forest trees: the native North American butternut (Juglans cinereaL.) and the introduced Japanese walnut (Juglans ailantifoliaCarrière). Using nuclear and chloroplast DNA markers, we provide evidence for 29 F1and 22 advanced generation hybrids in seven locations across the eastern and southern range of the native species. Two locations show extensive admixture (95%J. ailantifoliaand hybrids) while other locations show limited admixture. Hybridization appears to be asymmetrical with 90.9 per cent of hybrids havingJ. ailantifoliaas the maternal parent. This is, to our knowledge, the first genetic data supporting natural hybridization between these species. The long-term outcome of introgression could include loss of native diversity, but could also include transfer of useful traits from the introduced species.
Consanguinity and susceptibility to infectious diseases in humans
Authors: Lyons Emily J. , Frodsham Angela J. , Zhang Lyna , Hill Adrian V.S. , Amos William
Published: March 2009

Studies of animal populations suggest that low genetic heterozygosity is an important risk factor for infection by a diverse range of pathogens, but relatively little research has looked to see whether similar patterns exist in humans. We have used microsatellite genome screen data for tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis and leprosy to test the hypothesis that inbreeding depression increases risk of infection. Our results indicate that inbred individuals are more common among our infected cases for TB and hepatitis, but only in populations where consanguineous marriages are common. No effect was found either for leprosy, which is thought to be oligogenic, or for hepatitis in Italy where consanguineous marriages are rare. Our results suggest that consanguinity is an important risk factor in susceptibility to infectious diseases in humans.
Measurement of salivary cortisol with liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry in patients undergoing dynamic endocrine testing
Authors: Perogamvros Ilias , Owen Laura J. , Keevil Brian G. , Brabant Georg , Trainer Peter J.
Published: March 2009

Objective  Liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) eliminates cross‐reactivity, which is a major limitation of immunoassays used for the measurement of salivary cortisol (SalC). We aimed to evaluate the potential of SalC measured by LC‐MS/MS in patients undergoing assessment of the HPA axis.

Design and patients  Cross‐sectional study of 78 patients admitted for routine testing in a specialized endocrine unit.

Measurements  Matched serum and saliva samples were collected from 68 patients who had a short synacthen test (SST, 250 mcg im) and 10 patients who had an insulin tolerance test (ITT, insulin 0·15 U/kg iv). Serum cortisol (SerC) was measured with an automated immunoassay and SalC with LC‐MS/MS. Adequate SerC responses were >500 nmol/l.

Results  In all patients with adequate responses, the relative increase in SalC was significantly higher than that in SerC [6·4(0·3–26·1) vs. 1·0(0·3–4·9), P < 0·0001)]. The SerC–SalC relationship was better explained by an exponential rather than a linear model (R2 = 0·83 vs. R2 = 0·65, both P < 0·0001). Based on 59 patients with adequate SerC responses to an SST, an adequate SalC response was defined as 8·3 nmol/l. Seven patients following an SST and three patients following an ITT showed inadequate responses in both SerC and SalC, but two patients with CBG deficiency showed a low SerC with normal SalC.

Conclusions  We have shown an excellent diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of LC‐MS/MS SalC in the assessment of the HPA axis and superiority over SerC when CBG levels are altered. The exponential relationship between SerC and SalC supports the concept of CBG binding capacity saturation.
Effects of hypocaloric very‐low‐carbohydrate diet vs. Mediterranean diet on endothelial function in obese women*
Authors: Buscemi S. , Verga S. , Tranchina M. R. , Cottone S. , Cerasola G.
Published: March 2009

Background  Obesity is a cardiovascular risk factor associated with endothelial dysfunction, but the effect of different weight loss strategies on endothelial function is not known. The effect of diet on endothelial function in two hypocaloric diets, a very‐low‐carbohydrate diet (A) and a Mediterranean diet (M), was measured by brachial artery flow‐mediated dilation (FMD).

Design  Using a longitudinal, randomized, open study design, subjects were engaged in a 2‐month weight loss diet. FMD, inflammatory cytokines [interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and tumour necrosis factor‐α] and a marker of oxidative stress [8‐iso‐prostaglandin F2α (8‐iso‐PGF2α)] were measured in subjects on three occasions: before initiating the diet (T0), after 5–7 days of dieting (T5) and after 2 months of dieting (T60). The very short‐ and medium‐term time points were established to discriminate respectively the effect of the diet itself (T5) from that of weight loss (T60). Twenty overweight/obese but otherwise healthy women (BMI: 27–34·9 kg m−2; age 30–50 years) completed the study.

Results  Group A lost more weight (mean ± SEM; −7·6 ± 0·8 kg) than group M (−4·9 ± 0·6 kg, P = 0·014) at T60. The FMD was not significantly different between the two groups at T0 (group A: 12·2 ± 2·9% vs. group B: 10·3 ± 2·3%, P = ns). In group A, FMD was significantly reduced at T5 and returned to baseline at T60; in group M, FMD increased at T5 and returned to baseline at T60 (P = 0·007 for diet × time interaction). Serum concentrations of IL‐6 and 8‐iso‐PGF2α were not significantly different between the two groups at T0 and increased significantly at T5 only in group A (P < 0·001 and P < 0·005 respectively).

Conclusion  As endothelial dysfunction is known to be associated with acute cardiovascular events, this study suggests that the cardiovascular risk might be increased in the first days of a very‐low‐carbohydrate diet.
Model‐based cost‐effectiveness analysis of interventions aimed at preventing medication error at hospital admission (medicines reconciliation)
Authors: Karnon Jonathan , Campbell Fiona , Czoski‐Murray Carolyn
Published: March 2009

Rationale  Medication errors can lead to preventable adverse drug events (pADEs) that have significant cost and health implications. Errors often occur at care interfaces, and various interventions have been devised to reduce medication errors at the point of admission to hospital. The aim of this study is to assess the incremental costs and effects [measured as quality adjusted life years (QALYs)] of a range of such interventions for which evidence of effectiveness exists.

Methods  A previously published medication errors model was adapted to describe the pathway of errors occurring at admission through to the occurrence of pADEs. The baseline model was populated using literature‐based values, and then calibrated to observed outputs. Evidence of effects was derived from a systematic review of interventions aimed at preventing medication error at hospital admission.

Results  All five interventions, for which evidence of effectiveness was identified, are estimated to be extremely cost‐effective when compared with the baseline scenario. Pharmacist‐led reconciliation intervention has the highest expected net benefits, and a probability of being cost‐effective of over 60% by a QALY value of £10 000.

Conclusions  The medication errors model provides reasonably strong evidence that some form of intervention to improve medicines reconciliation is a cost‐effective use of NHS resources. The variation in the reported effectiveness of the few identified studies of medication error interventions illustrates the need for extreme attention to detail in the development of interventions, but also in their evaluation and may justify the primary evaluation of more than one specification of included interventions.
A randomized controlled trial of an at‐home preparation programme for Japanese preschool children: effects on children's and caregivers' anxiety associated with surgery
Authors: Wakimizu Rie , Kamagata Shoichiro , Kuwabara Teruyo , Kamibeppu Kiyoko
Published: March 2009

Objectives  To determine whether the implementation of at‐home psychological preparation programme for children and family prior to surgery can reduce anxiety for Japanese preschool children undergoing herniorrhaphy and their caregivers assessed as an appropriate outpatient care.

Methods  Patients were randomly assigned to either of two groups: the usual care group or the at‐home preparation group. Both two groups viewed a patient‐educational video for herniorrhaphy once as outpatients with other patients prior to hospitalization. The control group later underwent surgery without any further preparation. The experimental group watched the same educational video at home again with an auxiliary booklet prior to hospitalization. Children's anxiety was measured by the Wong–Baker FACES Rating Scale (FACES Rating Scale), while caregivers' anxiety was measured by the Spielberger's State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Both outcomes were measured repeatedly from pre‐intervention to 1 month after surgery.

Results  Of the eligible 161 patients participating, 158 (98.1%) were randomly assigned to the control group (n = 81) and the experimental group (n = 77), and 144 (89.4%) completed the study. The experimental group gained more information and knowledge about surgery from parents and showed significantly lower scores than the controls for FACES and STAI.

Conclusion  A specially designed at‐home preparation programme as an outpatient care is effective to encourage parent–child verbal interaction concerning surgery and reduce both children and caregivers' anxiety associated with surgery.
High‐resolution X‐ray tomography of the human inner ear: synchrotron radiation‐based study of nerve fibre bundles, membranes and ganglion cells
Authors: LAREIDA A. , BECKMANN F. , SCHROTT‐FISCHER A. , GLUECKERT R. , FREYSINGER W. , MÜLLER B.
Published: March 2009

The combination of osmium tetroxide staining and high‐resolution tomographic imaging using monochromatic X rays allows visualizing cellular structures of the human inner ear, that is, the organ of Corti, the stria vascularis and further soft tissues of the membranous labyrinth, in three‐dimensional space with isotropic micrometre resolution. This approach permits to follow the course of nerve fibre bundles in a major part of the specimen and reveals the detailed three‐dimensional arrangement of individual ganglion cells with distinct nuclei by means of X‐ray tomography for the first time. The non‐destructive neuron cell counting in a selected volume of 125 μm × 800 μm × 600 μm = 0.06 mm3 gives rise to the estimate that 2000 ganglion cells are present along 1 mm organ of Corti.
An appraisal of ultramicrotomy, FIBSEM and cryogenic FIBSEM techniques for the sectioning of biological cells on titanium substrates for TEM investigation
Authors: EDWARDS H.K. , FAY M.W. , ANDERSON S.I. , SCOTCHFORD C.A. , GRANT D.M. , BROWN P.D.
Published: March 2009

Ultramicrotomy, focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIBSEM) and cryogenic FIBSEM (cryo‐FIBSEM) techniques, as developed for the controlled cross‐sectioning of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and human osteoblasts (HObs) on titanium (Ti) substrates for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation, are compared. Conventional ultramicrotomy has been used to section cells on Ti‐foil substrates embedded in resin, but significant problems with cell detachment using this technique restricted its general applicability. Conventional FIBSEM ‘lift‐out’ procedures were found to be effective for the preparation of uniform sections of fixed and dehydrated cell/Ti specimens, but the control of cell staining remains an issue. Cryo‐FIBSEM procedures used with an ‘H‐bar’ sample geometry enabled the sectioning of fixed and hydrated cell/Ti specimens, but issues remain over ion beam‐induced artefacts and control of frost on the sample foils.
Perspectives and challenges in landscape genetics
Authors: MANEL STÉPHANIE , SEGELBACHER GERNOT
Published: March 2009

A recent workshop held at the University of Grenoble gathered the leading experts in the field of landscape genetics and spatial statistics. Landscape genetics was only recently defined as an independent research field. It aims to understand the processes of gene flow and local adaptation by studying the interactions between genetic and spatial or environmental variation. This workshop discussed the perspectives and challenges of combining emerging molecular, spatial and statistical tools to unravel how landscape and environmental variables affect genetic variation.
In situ activities of hexokinase and fructokinase in relation to phosphorylation status of root meristem cells of Vicia faba during reactivation from sugar starvation
Authors: Polit Justyna T. , Ciereszko Iwona
Published: March 2009

The plant cell cycle is equipped with two principal control points: PCP1 in G1 and PCP2 in G2 phase. These checkpoints can arrest the cell cycle in response to carbohydrate starvation, while sugar presence can revive the replication and mitotic activity. The process of cell cycle revival is strongly repressed by okadaic acid (OA) or 6‐dimethylaminopurine (6‐DMAP), inhibitors of specific protein phosphatases 1 or 2A or kinases (cyclin‐dependent kinases), respectively. In the present study, it was investigated whether inhibition of cell cycle revival is performed through interference of the above‐mentioned inhibitors with the metabolic pathway of sucrose applied to the cells. Changes of hexokinase (HK) and fructokinase (FK) activities, key enzymes of hexose metabolism, were analyzed in Vicia faba root meristem cells arrested in G1 and G2 phase by carbohydrate starvation as well as in those recovered with glucose or sucrose in the presence of OA or 6‐DMAP. It was shown that in the sugar‐starved cells, the activity of both enzymes decreased significantly. During cell regeneration with carbohydrates, the activity of HK was induced more by sucrose than by glucose, while FK remained inactive after glucose addition. Moreover, in situ investigation of the activities of HK and FK showed that OA‐induced and 6‐DMAP‐induced repression of the cell cycle revival is connected with the interference of these drugs in the metabolic pathway of sucrose. It was also indicated that stronger OA‐induced and 6‐DMAP‐induced inhibition of the replication and mitosis revival, at the early stages of sucrose regeneration, was correlated with the stronger influence of these inhibitors on HK and FK activities.
A pure nongestational ovarian choriocarcinoma in a 10‐year‐old girl: Case report and literature review
Authors: Kong Bao , Tian Yong‐Jie , Zhu Wei‐Wei , Qin Ye‐Jun
Published: March 2009

Nongestational ovarian choriocarcinoma (NGCO) is a rare form of malignancy, which is difficult to diagnose. We present a case of a 10‐year‐old girl diagnosed with pure nongestational ovarian choriocarcinoma. This patient responded well to conservative surgery and cisplatin‐based regimen chemotherapy. Approximately 38 authenticated cases of NGCO have been reported in the English published work to date in the world. We report here the clinical features, differential diagnosis, appropriate management and outcome of our case, together with analysis of the reported cases in the published work.
Metagenomic signatures of 86 microbial and viral metagenomes
Authors: Willner Dana , Thurber Rebecca Vega , Rohwer Forest
Published: March 2009

Previous studies have shown that dinucleotide abundances capture the majority of variation in genome signatures and are useful for quantifying lateral gene transfer and building molecular phylogenies. Metagenomes contain a mixture of individual genomes, and might be expected to lack compositional signatures. In many metagenomic data sets the majority of sequences have no significant similarities to known sequences and are effectively excluded from subsequent analyses. To circumvent this limitation, di‐, tri‐ and tetranucleotide abundances of 86 microbial and viral metagenomes consisting of short pyrosequencing reads were analysed to provide a method which includes all sequences that can be used in combination with other analysis to increase our knowledge about microbial and viral communities. Both principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering showed definitive groupings of metagenomes drawn from similar environments. Together these analyses showed that dinucleotide composition, as opposed to tri‐ and tetranucleotides, defines a metagenomic signature which can explain up to 80% of the variance between biomes, which is comparable to that obtained by functional genomics. Metagenomes with anomalous content were also identified using dinucleotide abundances. Subsequent analyses determined that these metagenomes were contaminated with exogenous DNA, suggesting that this approach is a useful metric for quality control. The predictive strength of the dinucleotide composition also opens the possibility of assigning ecological classifications to unknown fragments. Environmental selection may be responsible for this dinucleotide signature through direct selection of specific compositional signals; however, simulations suggest that the environment may select indirectly by promoting the increased abundance of a few dominant taxa.
The burden of lower urinary tract symptoms: evaluating the effect of LUTS on health‐related quality of life, anxiety and depression: EpiLUTS
Authors: Coyne Karin S. , Wein Alan J. , Tubaro Andrea , Sexton Chris C. , Thompson Christine L. , Kopp Zoe S. , Aiyer Lalitha P.
Published: March 2009

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) on urinary‐specific health‐related quality of life (HRQL), generic health indices, depression and anxiety in a population‐representative sample of men and women, as research has linked LUTS with reduced HRQL and depression, but little is known about the effects of individual LUTS on HRQL, depression and anxiety.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A cross‐sectional population‐representative survey was conducted via the Internet in the USA, the UK and Sweden. Participants rated the frequency and symptom‐specific bother of individual LUTS and condition‐specific HRQL, generic health status, anxiety and depression. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate outcome differences by International Continence Society LUTS subgroups; logistic regressions were used to determine associations of LUTS and perception of bladder problems, anxiety and depression.

RESULTS

The overall survey response rate was 59.2%; 30 000 subjects (14 139 men and 15 861 women) participated. Men and women with LUTS in the all LUTS subgroup (storage, voiding and postmicturition) reported the lowest levels of HRQL and highest levels of anxiety and depression, with 35.9% of men and 53.3% of women meeting self‐reported screening criteria for clinical anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS, Anxiety ≥8), and 29.8% of men and 37.6% of women meeting self‐reported criteria for clinical depression (HADS Depression ≥8). In both men and women, storage symptoms were significantly associated with greater perceived bladder impact, whereas voiding symptoms were not. Significant predictors of anxiety included nocturia, urgency, stress urinary incontinence, leaking during sexual activity, weak stream and split stream in women; and nocturia, urgency, incomplete emptying and bladder pain in men. For depression, weak stream, urgency and stress urinary incontinence were significant for women, and perceived frequency and incomplete emptying were significant for men.

CONCLUSION

The negative effect of LUTS is apparent across several domains of HRQL and on overall perception of bladder problems, general health status and mental health. The high level of psychiatric morbidity in patients with multiple LUTS has important implications for treatment and highlights the need for further research to pinpoint specific mechanisms underlying this association.
Comparing infants’ preference for correlated audiovisual speech with signal‐level computational models
Authors: Hollich George , Prince Christopher G.
Published: March 2009

How much of infant behaviour can be accounted for by signal‐level analyses of stimuli? The current paper directly compares the moment‐by‐moment behaviour of 8‐month‐old infants in an audiovisual preferential looking task with that of several computational models that use the same video stimuli as presented to the infants. One type of model utilizes only signal‐level properties of visual motion whereas the other adds audiovisual integration (either through correlation or instantaneous addition of audio and visual signals). Together these models account for a significant portion of the variance in infant looking.
Isomorphic cutaneous graft‐versus‐host disease reaction after ultraviolet exposure: clinical, histological and direct immunofluorescence studies of four allo‐transplanted patients
Authors: Vassallo C , Brazzelli V , Zecca M , Locatelli F , Alessandrino PE , Borroni G
Published: March 2009

Background  Acute and chronic graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) continues to be a major limitation to successful haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. If experimental studies and clinical observations could partially elucidate the pathophysiology of acute GVHD, the biology of chronic GVHD is still much less well understood.

Objectives  The aim of this study is to describe a peculiar photoinduced rash which triggered acute and then chronic lesions of GVHD in four allogenic haematopoietic‐transplated patients and discuss the possible aetiology and treatment.

Patients/methods  Four patients, two children and two adults affected by either mild or severe chronic GVHD, developed an erythematous rash on sun‐ or narrow‐band ultraviolet B‐exposed area, which triggered the onset of acute lesions of GVHD. Any of the patients presented neither a history of photosensitivity nor circulating autoantibodies nor urinary/fecal porphyrine.

Results  The histopathologic findings were characterized by an interface dermatitis with sparse perivascular infiltrate of lymphocytes and scattered necrotic keratinocytes, especially in the upper part of epidermis. Direct immunofluorescence studies excluded lupus‐like pattern, revealing nests of fluorescent bodies at the dermal–epidermal junction and in papillary dermis.

Conclusions  This peculiar isomorphic reaction of cutaneous GVHD after sun or narrow‐band ultraviolet B exposures is described, and the possible mechanism involved is discussed. It may represent an interesting model of progression of chronic GVHD, starting with an acute stage and ending up with chronic clinical and histological findings, especially considering that there is no animal model that fully replicates all of the features of chronic GVHD in humans.

Conflicts of interest

None declared.
Evaluating Uncertainty in Residual Stress Measured Using the Deep‐Hole Drilling Technique
Authors: Goudar D. M. , Truman C. E. , Smith D. J.
Published: March 2009

Abstract:  The deep hole drilling (DHD) method measures the through‐thickness distribution of residual stress in a component. Sources of uncertainty in the application of the method are identified and three different methods for determining the magnitudes of uncertainty are presented. The analyses are applied to experimental measurements of stress in two calibration studies for ferritic steel and an aluminium alloy. Finally, the residual stresses measured in a repair welded steel pipe are examined to assess the level of uncertainty.
Alcohol Consumption, Social Support, and Risk of Stroke and Coronary Heart Disease Among Japanese Men: The JPHC Study
Authors: Ikehara Satoyo , Iso Hiroyasu , Yamagishi Kazumasa , Yamamoto Seiichiro , Inoue Manami , Tsugane Shoichiro ,   the JPHC Study Group
Published: March 2009

Background:  It is unclear whether the association between alcohol consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease is affected by social support.

Methods:  The prospective data for 19,356 men aged 40 to 69 years who participated in the Japan Public Health Center‐Based Prospective Study. Alcohol consumption was classified into 7 categories: never, past, occasional, 1 to 149, 150 to 299, 300 to 449, or ≥450 g ethanol/wk. Associations between alcohol consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease were stratified by the median level of social support score, which was measured in emotional support score of this cohort study.

Results:  During an average follow‐up of 9.9 years, 629 total strokes and 207 coronary heart diseases were documented. Light‐to‐moderate alcohol consumption was associated with reduced risks of coronary heart disease and total cardiovascular disease, while heavy alcohol consumption was associated with increased risk of total stroke, in particular hemorrhagic stroke. When stratified by social support score, the multivariable hazard ratios of total cardiovascular disease associated with light‐to‐moderate alcohol consumption (1 to 299 g/wk) were 0.99 (0.72 to 1.37) in the low social support group and 0.56 (0.44 to 0.70) in the high social support group (p for interaction = 0.002), while the multivariable hazard ratios of hemorrhagic stroke associated with heavy alcohol consumption (≥300 g/wk) were 2.09 (1.03 to 4.27) in the low social support group and 1.25 (0.72 to 2.15) in the high social support group (p for interaction = 0.44). There was no interaction between alcohol consumption and social support in relation to risk of coronary heart disease.

Conclusions:  Social support may enhance the beneficial effect of light‐to‐moderate alcohol consumption on risk of cardiovascular disease.
NOISE IMMUNITY OF ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS
Authors:   BROWN BOVERI REVIEW
Published: March 2009

When electronic building‐block systems are employed in industrial control and data‐processing installations particular attention has to be paid to the immunity to noise, either from inherent or extraneous sources. On the one hand it is possible for powerful noise sources to be present in close proximity to the electronic equipment and, on the other, any falsification of information may lead to a serious disturbance in the controlled process. The present article examines the main features of noise immunity of electronic systems, paying particular attention to integrated circuits. The new IC range of the Brown Boveri electronic system is seen to be superior to the high‐speed range of conventional elements. The experience gained by Brown Boveri with prototype systems employed in industrial installations has confirmed this and proves that the problem of sensitivity to noise has been mastered.
RESURRECTION OF THE SURVEYING SHIP USNS KELLAR (T‐AGS 25)
Authors: NELSON STEWART B.
Published: March 2009

On Friday, 10 September 1965, the Commandant‐of the Eighth Naval District dispatched the follow‐ing priority message to the Chief of Naval Opera‐tions:

“New Orleans now catching rear of Hurricane after calm of the eye. Still, very bad but worst should be over. KELLAR (AGS 25) recently delivered by contractor unfinished and unmanned, hit by one of many drifting merchantmen and torn loose from moorings. Unable to relocate as yet.” Since the KELLAR had already become synonymous with trouble, the offhanded response to this message was to be expeccted.

The KELLAR's physical being started in a small shipyard in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and her history reads like a catalog of disasters; floods, freezes, shipyard strikes, labor‐management disputes, a flu epedemic, extended construction delays, and finally the necessity to terminate the contract.
STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS IN PENETRATED SPHERES UNDER PRESSURE
Authors: VASTA JOHN , POHLER CARL , BECKER HERBERT , WINTER ROBERT
Published: March 2009

Through the use of three‐dimensional photoelasticity, studies have been conducted on the stresses in hatches, windows, and adjacent regions in penetrated spheres under external pressure for use in deep submergence structures.

It was found, for tapered plug hatches and stiff “windows” with a low chamfer angle of 15° or less (measured from a local sphere radius at the penetration edge), that the stresses appear to be essentially the same as those in an un‐penetrated shell if the moduli of the shell and the closure are equal.

For these low chamfer angles, the peak shell stress was increased when the window modulus was reduced below that of the shell. The highest shell stress was found around a conical frustum window with a large (40°) chamfer angle, which permitted the shell to deform almost freely.

Results obtained from study of conical frustum windows having d/h (small face diameter/thickness) in the range of 0.5 to 2.5 indicated that a potentially dangerous stress concentration of a very high order exists on the conical surface near the small face. Small mismatches between window cone angle and seat cone angle appear to have relatively little effect on interior stress distributions, but can be important in reducing the stress concentrations. It was further observed that a window with a d/h < 1 behaves essentially as a conical sector of a hollow sphere, except in the immediate region of the flat small face.

Finally, stress distributions from conical hatches and windows are compared with available results obtained from testing of models and prototype bathyspheres, and conclusions are developed relating to the strength and design of hatches and windows. Included are results just obtained from pressurizing small conical windows under constant long‐term loading, as a preliminary index of the tendency of plexiglas windows to creep in service.
SHIPBOARD HF DIRECTION FINDER CALIBMTION
Authors: SHERRILL W. M.
Published: March 2009

Shipboard radio direction finder calibration studies were begun before World War II using the simple loop DF antenna. A number of procedures and formats for shipboard calibration are reviewed, and automatic calibrator equipments are described which reduce the effort required for a DF installation.

Fundamental data on the contribution of ship superstructure elements to calibration curves have been obtained wing a full‐scale destroyer superstructure mock‐up. Comparison of the simulated ship to actual shipboard calibration curves shows excellent ship DF performance simulation. Recent single‐valued calibration curve analysis has shown that corrected bearings can be obtained with in +5° precision. Significant improvements in DF operational performance can be provided with the use of automatic computer correction techniques.
PROFILE OF A U. S. NAVAL PLANT TECH REP
Authors: FORD CLIFFORD J.
Published: March 2009

Much has been said both pro and con of the necessity of imposing rigid inspection requirements on industry contractors holding Government contracts. The inspectors themselves who are either itinerant or permanant residents at a Contractor's plant are often characterized as hardnosed, stupid, spec‐happy, interlopers and worse by members of industry. “PROFILE OF A U. S. NAVAL PLANT TECH REP” attempts to delineate the correct posture of such a servant of the Government and its people. An honest appraisal of his duties, the inherent difficulties of his task, and his faithfulness to the ethic, “that the Government must be enriched from all of its contracts with industry,” might shed some light on what makes him “tick”.

The procurement agencies are entrusted with the funds they disburse in behalf of the United States Government. Our Congress continues to pass laws regarding Government contract practices. Finally, all of us are taxpayers; both Government employees and members of industry are intimately concerned that our tax dollars are used most effectively. This concern for quality and performance is valid whether the delivered item is a multi‐billion dollar space system, a complicated Weapons System or a pair of GI boots for our service men in Viet Nam.

On the other hand, the rights of the contractor must be preserved. We owe our national prosperity and tremendous military strength to the ingenuity and production genius of industry.

At times the “Tech Rep” must waive a marginal requirement in order to expedite the shipment of critical spare parts to the combat forces and in another situation “tighten up” one that was generated in ambigious terminology. Each of these actions, although apparently opposed, can be construed as “acting in the best interest of the Government”.

Your writer is employed as a logistics specialist in the office of the Naval Plant Technical Representative and as such, shares this heavy burden of discretion.
AUTOMATION IN PRE‐CONTRACT DEFINITION SHIP DESIGN
Authors: JOHNSON ROBERT S.
Published: March 2009

During the early stages of pre‐Contract Definition ship design, the use of computer models now allows the design to be manipulated on a total system basis. That is, a change to any component of the design is immediately and totally reflected in the physical characteristics of the overall ship design. The models that make this possible and the efforts to extend this capability into Concept Development are described. The implications of this for the subsystem designer, in particular the electronics designer, are explored.
A CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ACTIVE FIN ROLL STABILIZATION
Authors: TINN S. J. O.
Published: March 2009

A detailed investigation of the control problems involved in an active fin roll stabilization system has been undertaken which has resulted in an improved and greatly simplified system.

Transfer functions were derived to describe the dynamic performance of a ship in roll, the active fin servo system and the control signal generation process. Analogue computer simulations have examined existing systems and alternative methods of control signal generation.

An optimum system has now been derived taking as its sole input, a roll angle signal from the ships central weapons stabilization system (Mk. 19 compass). This signal is processed electronically to derive a control transfer function in terms of roll angle, roll velocity and roll acceleration. Other features e.g. forced roll, stabilize with list, speed compensation of loop gain, helm compensation and fin limiting as a function of ship's speed, are incorporated as are testing and fault finding facilities, and static and dynamic calibrating signals.

The system has been proved by breadboard models driving a computer, and at sea; a prototype has also been tested at sea. New system cost is about 50% of that presently in service and predicted reliability is much higher due mainly to the elimination of inbuilt gyros and electro/mechanical computing methods.
2001: THE AGE OF SHIP CONTROL
Authors: MURPHY RICHARD J.
Published: March 2009

A variety of probable world political environments are postulated. From these environments, possible concepts for future warships, merchant ships, salvage ships, and research vehicles, both on the surface and undersea, are discussed. A forecast is made of the ship control systems requirements for these future ship concepts of the 21st century; and the needs for action today are highlighted.

Because we can project the future best when we fully understand the past, such a history is included where suitable. Trends in ship control systems are traced up to the present time when navigation is assisted by spacecraft orbiting the earth, and these trends are projected into a future of high speed, unmanned and automated seapower.
NUCLEAR REACTOR COMPUTER STUDY FOR A TWO GROUP, TWO REGION MODEL
Authors: ECKLEY WAYNE F. , WIGGINS PETER F.
Published: March 2009

The computation of critical size for a reflected nuclear reactor is a complex problem. To obtain a rough approximation of the critical size and mass of the system, one group (energy level) of the neutrons could be used. However, because neutrons are released from the fission process in an energy spectrum with some neutron energies up to almost 10 MeV, it is necessary to introduce more energy groups. The use of a time sharing digital computer system at the U.S. Naval Academy has enabled Midshipmen to study the effect of the critical size and the flux distribution in a spherical reflected reactor using two energy groups, Fast (2 MeV) and Thermal (0.025 eV), given an operating temperature and fuel (percent enrichment of uranium‐235).