bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Testicular Morphology and Function in Varicocele Patients: Pre‐operative and Post‐operative Histopathology
Authors: ABDELRAHIM F. , MOSTAFA A. , HAMDY A. , MABROUK M. , EL‐KHOLY M. , HASSAN O.
Published: November 2008

Summary The organic effects of varicocele on testicular histology were studied in bilateral testicular biopsies obtained from 30 infertile men during varicocele repair and 3 to 6 months postoperatively, using light microscopy.

Before surgery and at follow‐up, semen analyses were performed. The results showed a substantial improvement in semen quality in 22 cases post‐operatively.

Pre‐operative biopsies showed depressed spermatogenesis with a predominant picture of maturation arrest, sloughing of spermatogenic epithelium, an increase in Leydig cells, thickening of tubular basement membranes and interstitial blood vessel walls with narrowing of their lumina, and increased deposition of interstitial fibrous tissue.

Post‐operatively, spermatogenesis improved in 22 cases, with increased mean tubular scores together with diminution in epithelial cell sloughing. The increased prominence of Leydig cells reverted to normal in 18 cases. The changes in tubular basement membranes, interstitium and interstitial blood vessels were unaffected.
Frequency‐volume Chart Pattern in a Healthy Female Population
Authors: KASSIS A. , SCHICK E.
Published: November 2008

Summary Very few data are available on what should be considered a normal frequency‐volume chart. To establish baseline figures we studied the voiding diaries of 33 normal women. A computer program was developed using 12 parameters. A normal pattern was established for young and middle‐aged women. These data may be used as a reference when analysing the charts of patients with voiding dysfunction.
Response of Isolated Human Neurogenic Detrusor Smooth Muscle to Intramural Nerve Stimulation
Authors: SAITO M. , KONDO A. , KATO T. , LEVIN R. M.
Published: November 2008

SummaryThe effect of intramural nerve stimulation of isolated strips of human detrusor was investigated and compared with the response of isolated detrusor strips of control bladders. All patients with neurogenic bladder underwent ileocystoplasty in order to resolve intractable incontinence and/or vesicoureteric reflux due to low compliance or severe detrusor uninhibited contractions. The response of isolated strips of neurogenic bladder to field stimulation was significantly greater than the response of isolated strips of control bladders. Tetrodotoxin virtually eliminated the response to field stimulation for both groups. Atropine (10‐6M) almost completely inhibited the response of control bladder strips to field stimulation (4% of the response remaining), whereas the responses of the strips from neurogenic bladders were inhibited by approximately 70%.

Low dose KCI (5 and 10 mM) significantly enhanced the detrusor contractility of control bladders, whereas the response of neurogenic bladders was unchanged. The responses of both groups were significantly inhibited in the presence of 20 mM KCI. The dose response curves and the ED50values for KCI were similar for both neurogenic and control bladders. The rate of reduction of the response to field stimulation in the presence of zero calcium medium was significantly smaller for the isolated strips of neurogenic bladders than for the control bladders.
Comparative Study of Selective α1‐Adrenoceptor Blockade versus Surgery in the Treatment of Prostatic Obstruction
Authors: CHAPPLE C. R. , NOBLE J. G. , MILROY E. J. G.
Published: November 2008

Summary Alternative treatments for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are the source of much discussion at present. Pharmacotherapy has been demonstrated to have an increasing role in the management of BPH. This study contrasts the efficacy of the selective alpha, antagonist prazosin as compared with placebo and the subsequent improvements seen following surgical treatment. Whilst selective alpha, blockade has undoubted therapeutic efficacy the improvement in symptom scores and the objective urodynamic measure of the flow rate are not as marked as those seen following surgery.
Three‐year Follow‐up of Bladder Tumours found on Screening
Authors: WHELAN P. , BRITTON J. P. , DOWELL A. C.
Published: November 2008

Summary The clinical course, over a period of 3 years, of 17 bladder tumours found on screening a male population (2356 individuals) aged over 60, is reported. Even with this relatively small population, the importance of distinguishing pathologically between a pTa and a pT1 tumour is emphasised. The progression rate to date of pT1 tumours (1 of 9: 11%) is significantly less than that reported in larger studies on symptomatic patients. The simplicity of this screening process, together with the ease of out‐patient investigation (combining ultrasound, flexible cystoscopy and urine cytology) indicate the need for a comprehensive prospective randomised trial to test the efficacy of screening for bladder tumours in populations who are known to be at risk.
Improved Mathieu Repair for Coronal and Distal Shaft Hypospadias with Moderate Chordee
Authors: DE JONG T. P. V. M. , BOEMERS T. M.
Published: November 2008

Summary A modified Mathieu “flip‐flap” technique is described for coronal and distal shaft hypospadias with moderate chordee. The first improvement is the creation of a well vascularised skin flap by leaving the dartos tunica attached to the mobilised skin, thus making it possible to bridge urethral defects up to 2.5 cm. The second improvement is the correction of congenital curvature by partial chordectomy and dorsal plication of the tunica albuginea without the need for circumcision. Preputial reconstruction is possible if required. Twenty patients underwent the procedure with a follow‐up of at least 2.5 years; 96 patients had a shorter follow‐up. Complications in the group of 20 patients consisted of 1 fistula, 2 meatal stenoses and 1 glanular dehiscence due to severe wound infection. There were no late complications.
Continent urinary diversion using the Mitrofanoff principle
Authors: HASAN S.T. , MARSHALL C. , NEAL D.E.
Published: November 2008

Objective To review the clinical and symptomatic outcome of patients undergoing cystectomy and continent urinary diversion using the Mitrofanoff principle.

Patients and methods There were seven men and five women (median age 62 + 21 years: range 21–79). The underlying diagnoses were: bladder carcinoma (8), neuropathic bladder disease (1), bladder exstrophy (1), tuberculosis (1) and interstitial cystitis (1). An ileo‐caecal segment was used for construction of the reservoir. The appendix was used as a catheterizable conduit in 11 patients and a narrowed ileal tube in one patient. Symptomatic outcome was assessed by using a modified Visick grading. The median follow‐up period was 15 + 10 months (range 6–39).

Results The median hospital stay was 22 days. There were no post‐operative deaths, but major postoperative complications developed in three patients and included intra‐abdominal lymphocele (1), intraabdominal abscess formation (1) and prolonged ileus (1). In the late post‐operative period (> 30 days), four patients developed stenosis of the mucocutaneous junction and required dilatation. The overall symptomatic outcome was satisfactory in 11 patients. There were no deaths in the peri‐operative period and none of the patients has since required revision. Urinary continence was achieved in all 12 patients during the day. One patient reported minimal, occasional leakage at nights. The median catheterization interval was 4 + 1 hours during the day (range 3–5) and 7+1 hours at night (range 6–9).

Conclusion Our experience with the Mitrofanoff procedure has been limited to a small number of patients. Despite this, the clinical outcome of the procedure was satisfactory. The procedure potentially offers an effective continence mechanism with acceptable postoperative morbidity.
Intermuscular bupivacaine infusion for control of pain after renal surgery: a preliminary report
Authors: CHEN T.F. , CLARKE N. , BOWMAN R. , HARPER N.J.N. , PAYNE S.R.
Published: November 2008

Objective To assess the value of continuous bupivacaine wound infusion for post‐operative pain relief after renal surgery.

Patients and methods The analgesic efficacy of continuous intermuscular wound infusion with 0.2 5% bupivacake was studied in 10 patients (four men, six women), with a mean age of 47.5 years (range 25–71) and a mean weight of 71.2 kg (range 44–99), after renal surgery in a single‐blind randomized trial. The results were compared with those of an age‐ and weight‐matched control group of 10 patients (five men. five women) with a mean age of 47.7 years (range 27–73) and a mean weight of 67.3 kg (range 5 1–8 5). Post‐operative pain was studied objectively by assessing individual patient's morphine requirements administered via a patient controlled analgesia system, and subjectively with pain scores. Patient mobility was assessed by ward nursing staff using mobility score charts.

Results There was a lower demand for post‐operative analgesia in the bupivacaine group compared with the control. Although there was no significant difference in the pain scores between the two groups, the bupivacaine group was significantly more mobile than the control group after surgery. There was no significant difference in the mean post‐operative hospital stay between the two groups.

Conclusion Continuous intermuscular bupivacaine wound infusion is a simple and safe procedure which lowers the patients' post‐operative analgesic requirements, allows for earlier mobility and may promote more rapid discharge from hospital.
Androgenic status in patients with lepromatous leprosy
Authors: SAPORTA L. , YUKSEL A.
Published: November 2008

Objective To assess the incidence of testicular atrophy by evaluation of hormonal status, testicular histology and sperm production in chronic lepromatous patients.

Patients and methods Forty‐one male patients with a mean age of 39.5 years (range 16–57) were studied at the Leprosy Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey, and were compared with 15 age‐matched controls with proven fertility.

Results Reduced testicular size was observed in 51% and gynaecomastia in 27%. Of the 31 patients who were married, 15 were primarily or secondarily infertile. Twelve of 16 patients had oligospermia or azoospermia. The mean basal luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and oestradiol levels were significantly elevated and the level of testosterone significantly reduced when compared with the control group.

Conclusion Whenever leprosy is diagnosed patients should be informed of the need for treatment of an acute attack and the need for routine assessment of FSH, LH, testosterone and oestradiol levels to detect hypogonadism and potential infertility.
Message Design Strategies to Raise Public Awareness of Social Determinants of Health and Population Health Disparities
Authors: NIEDERDEPPE JEFF , BU Q. LISA , BORAH PORISMITA , KINDIG DAVID A. , ROBERT STEPHANIE A.
Published: November 2008

Context:Raising public awareness of the importance of social determinants of health (SDH) and health disparities presents formidable communication challenges.

Methods:This article reviews three message strategies that could be used to raise awareness of SDH and health disparities: message framing, narratives, and visual imagery.

Findings:Although few studies have directly tested message strategies for raising awareness of SDH and health disparities, the accumulated evidence from other domains suggests that population health advocates should frame messages to acknowledge a role for individual decisions about behavior but emphasize SDH. These messages might use narratives to provide examples of individuals facing structural barriers (unsafe working conditions, neighborhood safety concerns, lack of civic opportunities) in efforts to avoid poverty, unemployment, racial discrimination, and other social determinants. Evocative visual images that invite generalizations, suggest causal interpretations, highlight contrasts, and create analogies could accompany these narratives. These narratives and images should not distract attention from SDH and population health disparities, activate negative stereotypes, or provoke counterproductive emotional responses directed at the source of the message.

Conclusions:The field of communication science offers valuable insights into ways that population health advocates and researchers might develop better messages to shape public opinion and debate about the social conditions that shape the health and well‐being of populations. The time has arrived to begin thinking systematically about issues in communicating about SDH and health disparities. This article offers a broad framework for these efforts and concludes with an agenda for future research to refine message strategies to raise awareness of SDH and health disparities.
Waste in the U.S. Health Care System: A Conceptual Framework
Authors: BENTLEY TANYA G.K. , EFFROS RACHEL M. , PALAR KARTIKA , KEELER EMMETT B.
Published: November 2008

Context: Health care costs in the United States are much higher than those in industrial countries with similar or better health system performance. Wasteful spending has many undesirable consequences that could be alleviated through waste reduction. This article proposes a conceptual framework to guide researchers and policymakers in evaluating waste, implementing waste‐reduction strategies, and reducing the burden of unnecessary health care spending.

Methods: This article divides health care waste into administrative, operational, and clinical waste and provides an overview of each. It explains how researchers have used both high‐level and sector‐ or procedure‐specific comparisons to quantify such waste, and it discusses examples and challenges in both waste measurement and waste reduction.

Findings: Waste is caused by factors such as health insurance and medical uncertainties that encourage the production of inefficient and low‐value services. Various efforts to reduce such waste have encountered challenges, such as the high costs of initial investment, unintended administrative complexities, and trade‐offs among patients', payers', and providers' interests. While categorizing waste may help identify and measure general types and sources of waste, successful reduction strategies must integrate the administrative, operational, and clinical components of care, and proceed by identifying goals, changing systemic incentives, and making specific process improvements.

Conclusions: Classifying, identifying, and measuring waste elucidate its causes, clarify systemic goals, and specify potential health care reforms that—by improving the market for health insurance and health care—will generate incentives for better efficiency and thus ultimately decrease waste in the U.S. health care system.
Loudness of non‐steady‐state sounds
Authors: NAMBA SEIICHIRO , KUWANO SONOKO , FASTL HUGO
Published: November 2008

Abstract: Basic research in psychoacoustics and its applications are discussed. Psychophysical laws should be robust in order to be used for practical purposes. The importance of the development and use of appropriate psychophysical methods in relation to the present study is introduced. When laboratory findings are applied to real‐life situations, there are various problems that have to be considered. It is necessary to control for complicated variables, to cover a wide area of stimuli, from static stimuli to dynamic stimuli, and to take into consideration the effects of cognitive factors and ecological validity. Using the loudness of non‐steady‐state sounds as an example, the process from basic psychoacoustic research to its practical applications is introduced.
Functional approach to the integration of kinematic and dynamic variables in causal perception: Is there a link between phenomenology and behavioral responses?1
Authors: DE SÁ TEIXEIRA NUNO ALEXANDRE , DE OLIVEIRA ARMANDO MÓNICA , VIEGAS RICARDO
Published: November 2008

Abstract:  The study of perceptual causality has seen a resurgence of interest ever since continuous behavioral measures, and not just perceptual reports, were proposed. As one such measure, representational momentum (RM) was recently applied by Hubbard (Hubbard, Blessum, & Ruppel, 2001; Hubbard & Ruppel, 2002) to Michotte's launching paradigm (Michotte, 1954). Among the several open issues regarding this use of RM stand the following three: (a) how the joint actions of dynamic and kinematic variables are integrated in RM; (b) the effect of specific response modalities; and (c) how RM relates to causal phenomenology. In the present experiment, launcher‐target velocities and launcher's size (implied mass) were fully crossed in three integration tasks, requiring target localization responses with a mouse cursor or a pointer (Mouse and Pointer Tasks) and numerical estimates of how far the target would travel as a result of the collision (Numerical Ratings Task). An additive integration rule for size and velocity was found across all experiments and derived functional scales of size (but not of velocity) exhibited a linear relation between phenomenological ratings and both sorts of localization responses.
Geological background of the Kairei and Edmond hydrothermal fields along the Central Indian Ridge: Implications of their vent fluids’ distinct chemistry
Authors: KUMAGAI H. , NAKAMURA K. , TOKI T. , MORISHITA T. , OKINO K. , ISHIBASHI J.‐i. , TSUNOGAI U. , KAWAGUCCI S. , GAMO T. , SHIBUYA T. , SAWAGUCHI T. , NEO N. , JOSHIMA M. , SATO T. , TAKAI K.
Published: November 2008

Hydrogen‐rich hydrothermal areas, such as those in the Indian Ocean, may have had an influence on early evolution of life on Earth and thus have attracted interest because they may be a proxy for ancient ecosystems. The Kairei and Edmond hydrothermal fields in the Indian Ocean are separated by 160 km, but exhibit distinct fluid chemistry: Kairei fluids are hydrogen‐rich; Edmond fluids are hydrogen‐poor. At this region, the Central Indian Ridge shows an intermediate spreading rate, 48 mm year−1 as full rate, where the hydrothemal fields occur. Kairei field vent fluids show persistently high concentrations of H2. The Kairei field seems to be unique among hydrogen‐enriched hydrothermal regions: most similar hydrogen‐rich hydrothermal activity occurs along slowly spreading ridge, <40 mm year−1. The geological and tectonic aspects of the Kairei and Edmond hydrothermal fields were studied to try to elucidate geological constraints on hydrogen production. Visual observations of the seafloor near Kairei from a submersible revealed olivine‐rich plutonic rocks with olivine gabbro‐troctolite‐dunite assemblages exposed within 15 km of the vent field, with serpentinized ultramafic mantle rocks on the Oceanic Core Complex (OCC). The OCC area might be a recharge zone of Kairei hydrothermal activity producing H2‐rich vent fluids. The chaotic seafloor within 30 km of the Kairei field reflects a magma‐starved condition persisting there for 1 Myr. Asymmetric geomagnetic and gravity anomalies near the Kairei field can be used to infer that patchy olivine‐rich intrusions are scattered within mantle ultramafics, where infiltrated seawater reacts with magma and ultramafic rocks or olivine‐rich rocks. The heterogeneous uppermost lithosphere containing shallow olivine‐rich rock facies surrounding the Kairei field provides abundant H2 into the vent fluid through serpentinization. The hydrogen‐rich Kairei field is hosted by basalt, with mafic‐ultramafic olivine‐rich lithology; the ordinary, hydrogen‐poor Edmond field is hosted by a normal basaltic lithology. The contrasting geochemical signatures of the two fields reported here can also be found in ancient rocks from a juvenile Earth. This suggests that lithology‐controlled generation of hydrogen may have operated for a long time and be relevant to the origin of life on Earth.
Characterizing organic matter in marine sediments associated with gas hydrate and oil seepage from the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: SONG Z. , WANG L. , LIU J. , WANG C. , CHEN D.
Published: November 2008

Six marine sediments from the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico were studied in terms of the abundance, composition and distribution of organic matter as well as biomarker chemistry. The results show that there are great spatial variations in terms of organic matter abundance and hydrocarbon composition among these samples. The S‐7 and S‐9 samples show the characteristics of modern organic matter that has been modified by biodegradation, while the S‐8, S‐10 and S‐11 samples are clearly contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons from oil seepage beneath the seafloor. The lack of n‐alkanes in samples S‐8 and S‐11 is indicative of severe biodegradation. Only sample S‐1 contains methanogenic archaea‐sourced lipid biomarkers, in particular 2,6,10,15,19‐pentamethylicosenes containing 1–5 unsaturated double bonds. These compounds are distributed between n‐C22 and n‐C24 in the aliphatic fraction and have very depleted 13C values ranging from −86.7‰ to −115.5‰, compared to the δ13C values of adjacent n‐alkanes ranging from −28.4‰ to −34.6‰. The occurrence and carbon isotopic compositions of these compounds suggest that the S‐1 sample site is likely to be associated with a gas venting system or a gas hydrate setting.
New evidence for a mixed inorganic and organic origin of the Olympic Chimaera fire (Turkey): a large onshore seepage of abiogenic gas
Authors: HOSGORMEZ H. , ETIOPE G. , YALÇIN M. N.
Published: November 2008

The Chimaera gas seep, near Antalya (SW Turkey), has been continuously active for thousands of years and it is known to be the source of the first Olympic fire in the Hellenistic period. New and thorough molecular and isotopic analyses including methane (approximately 87% v/v; δ13C1 from −7.9‰ to −12.3‰; δ13D1 from −119‰ to −124‰), light alkanes (C2 + C3 + C4 + C5 = 0.5%; C6+: 0.07%; δ13C2 from −24.2‰ to −26.5‰; δ13C3 from −25.5‰ to −27‰), hydrogen (7.5–11%), carbon dioxide (0.01–0.07%; δ13CCO2: −15‰), helium (approximately 80 ppmv; R/Ra: 0.41) and nitrogen (2–4.9%; δ15N from −2‰ to −2.8‰) converge to indicate that the seep releases a mixture of organic thermogenic gas, related to mature type III kerogen occurring in Palaeozoic and Mesozoic organic‐rich sedimentary rocks, and abiogenic gas produced by low‐temperature serpentinization in the Tekirova ophiolitic unit. Methane is not related to mantle or magma degassing. The abiogenic fraction accounts for about half of the total gas released, which is estimated to be well beyond 50 ton year−1. Ophiolites and limestones are in contact along a tectonic dislocation leading to gas mixing and migration to the Earth’s surface. Chimaera represents the biggest emission of abiogenic methane on land discovered so far. Deep and pressurized gas accumulations are necessary to sustain the Chimaera gas flow for thousands of years and are likely to have been charged by an active inorganic source.
Integrating Soil Ecological Knowledge into Restoration Management
Authors: Heneghan Liam , Miller Susan P. , Baer Sara , Callaham Mac A. , Montgomery James , Pavao‐Zuckerman Mitchell , Rhoades Charles C. , Richardson Sarah
Published: November 2008

The variability in the type of ecosystem degradation and the specificity of restoration goals can challenge restorationists’ ability to generalize about approaches that lead to restoration success. The discipline of soil ecology, which emphasizes both soil organisms and ecosystem processes, has generated a body of knowledge that can be generally useful in improving the outcomes of restoration despite this variability. Here, we propose that the usefulness of this soil ecological knowledge (SEK) for restoration is best considered in the context of the severity of the original perturbation, the goals of the project, and the resilience of the ecosystem to disturbance. A straightforward manipulation of single physical, chemical, or biological components of the soil system can be useful in the restoration of a site, especially when the restoration goal is loosely defined in terms of the species and processes that management seeks to achieve. These single‐factor manipulations may in fact produce cascading effects on several ecosystem attributes and can result in unintended recovery trajectories. When complex outcomes are desired, intentional and holistic integration of all aspects of the soil knowledge is necessary. We provide a short roster of examples to illustrate that SEK benefits management and restoration of ecosystems and suggest areas for future research.
Seedling Growth and Heavy Metal Accumulation of Candidate Woody Species for Revegetating Korean Mine Spoils
Authors: Seo Kyung Won , Son Yowhan , Rhoades Charles C. , Noh Nam Jin , Koo Jin Woo , Kim Jeong‐Gyu
Published: November 2008

Selecting plant species that can overcome harsh soil and microclimatic conditions and speed the recovery of degraded minelands remains a worldwide restoration challenge. This study evaluated the potential of three woody species and various organic and inorganic fertilization treatments for revegetating abandoned metalliferous mines in Korea. We compared survival, growth, and heavy metal uptake of species common to Korean minelands in two spoil types and a reference forest soil. Substrate type and fertilization both influenced seedling growth and metal concentrations substantially, but they had little effect on seedling survival. Fertilization increased the growth of all three species when grown in mine spoils but influenced the growth of seedlings grown in forest soil only marginally. Initial seedling survival and growth indicate that the study species can tolerate the heavy metal concentrations and other soil constraints of metalliferous spoil types. We estimate that plants can stabilize 2–22% of various heavy metals contained in spoil materials into plant biomass during 20 years of plantation growth. Combined with the erosion control and site amelioration benefits of mineland reforestation, stabilization of heavy metals in forest biomass justifies this treatment on abandoned Korean metalliferous mines.
Management of equine skull fractures using fixation with polydioxanone sutures
Authors: Schaaf KL , Kannegieter NJ , Lovell DK
Published: November 2008

Ten horses presented with severe distortion of the facial contour, crepitus on palpation and mild to moderate epistaxis. Individual horses also showed ocular damage, ptosis, severe dyspnoea and movement of the facial bones concurrent with respiration. The fracture fragments were exposed using a large curvilinear incision and elevated using a retractor, periosteal elevator, chisel or Steinmann pin. The fracture fragments were unstable following reduction and fixation was necessary. Stabilisation was achieved with polydioxanone sutures placed through holes drilled in opposing sides of the fracture lines. Polydioxanone sutures provided good stability and had better handling properties than wire. There was good apposition of fracture edges and minimal complications. Use of polydioxanone sutures can also avoid the expense and complexity of plate fixation in selected cases, and should be considered as an alternative to fixation with stainless steel wire in any facial fracture that adjoins stable bone.
Multicentric occurrence and spread of hepatocellular carcinoma in whole explanted end‐stage liver
Authors: Hidaka Masaaki , Eguchi Susumu , Okudaira Sadayuki , Takatsuki Mitsuhisa , Tokai Hirotaka , Soyama Akihiko , Nagayoshi Shigeki , Mochizuki Satoshi , Hamasaki Koji , Tajima Yoshitsugu , Kanematsu Takashi
Published: November 2008

Aim:  Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) arising from the end stages of liver cirrhosis is a fair indication for liver transplantation (LT). To pathologically investigate the multicentric occurrence of relatively early staged HCC in cirrhosis, we studied whole explanted livers.

Methods:  Fourteen explanted livers from patients undergoing living donor LT (LDLT) were examined. The stage of the HCCs was judged to be within the Milan criteria (M‐C; a single HCC less than 5 cm or three HCCs less than 3 cm). Histological examination was performed using serially sectioned specimens 5–7 mm in width. Characterization of preoperatively detectable and undetectable lesions was also performed.

Results:  In nine patients (64.3%), a total of 34 nodules were found after whole liver histological examination (WLHE). In five patients (31%), the results exceeded the M‐C. The characteristics of undetectable HCCs included a minute (median size 6 mm), well‐differentiated appearance (80%), with indistinct margins (85.3%) and without vascular invasion (94%). There was no recurrence in any patients at the time of follow up (median follow‐up period, 30.1 months).

Conclusion:  A multicentric occurrence of HCCs was demonstrated in cirrhotic livers with HCCs within the M‐C. Undetectable HCCs in cirrhotic livers may have no impact on recurrence after LT.
Everyday Violence and the Persistence of Grief: Wandering and Loss Among Honduran Youths
Authors: Wolseth Jon
Published: November 2008

Este artículo examina el proceso en cual los jóvenes hondureños de la clase popular manejan la pena individual y colectiva. Las muertes comunes de sus pares debido a la violencia con armas y de las maras se suman al sentimiento de descontento de los jóvenes por sus posibilidades económicas y sociales. Como los jóvenes luchan contra la violencia que los rodea, también ellos reconocen que sus propias oportunidades se ven disminuidas, agravadas por las muertes de sus amigos y por la incapacidad de tener un futuro productivo en Honduras. Para ellos, la migración es la única opción para escapar tanto, de la muerte física como de la muerte social. Por la apropiación y consumo del tiempo y del espacio, los jóvenes ofrecen su pena no resuelta como una demanda moral a los fracasos de la nación.

This paper examines how young working class men in a Honduran colonia manage collective and individual grief. The commonplace deaths of their peers due to gun and gang violence parallels young men's own deep‐rooted dissatisfaction with economic and social possibilities. As young men struggle with the randomness of the violence around them, they are also acutely aware of their own diminished opportunities, linking together the murders of their friends with the inability to have a productive future in Honduras. For them, migration is the only viable option to escape both physical and social death. Through the appropriation and consumption of time and space, young men offer their unresolved grief as a moral claim to the failures of the nation.
Withered Milpas: Governmental Disaster and the Mexican Countryside
Authors: Richard Analiese
Published: November 2008

Los teoristas de la globalización han demonstrado como los proyectos destinados a profundizar la integración trasnacional económica y política, pueden producir nuevas formas de riesgo y vulnerabilidad. Los desastres ‐ naturales o no ‐ sirven como encrucijadas, por medio de las que se revelan varios enlaces: entre las estructuras de poder locales y globales, entre la cultura ideológica y material, entre las sociedades humanas y los ambientes naturales. Este artículo investiga como los efectos sinergisticos de la integración económica norteamericana, la privatización y corporatización de la agricultura mexicana, los mercados internacionales del maíz inestables, y el cambio climático global, se experimentan como un “desastre gubernamental” en las vidas de los campesinos del estado de Hidalgo, México. El presente estudio analiza como una consciencia particular acerca de la catástrofe es producida y comunicada por medio de un disurso de la desecación, el cual se basa en ideas tradicionales sobre la explotación y la vulnerabilidad. Vivir el desastre como una exclusión permanente de las formas politicas colectivas, sirve para reforzar y respaldar a los proyectos de neoliberalización que funcionan para individualizar las practíces de ciudadanía en el campo mexicano.

Globalization theorists have demonstrated how projects aimed at deepening transnational economic and political integration produce new forms of risk and vulnerability. Disasters—natural and otherwise—serve as critical nodes through which a variety of links are revealed: between local and global power structures, ideological and material culture, and human societies, and natural environments. This article examines how the synergistic effects of North American economic integration, the privatization and corporatization of Mexican agriculture, volatile international maize markets, and global climate change are experienced as a “governmental disaster” by campesinos [small farmers] in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. It analyzes how a particular consciousness of catastrophe is produced and articulated via a discourse of desiccation, which indexes traditional notions concerning exploitation and vulnerability. The experience of disaster as a foreclosure of collective forms of political agency serves to reinforce neoliberalizing projects that work to individuate practices of citizenship in the Mexican countryside.
Blade Tip Clearance Flow and Compressor Nonsynchronous Vibrations: The Jet Core Feedback Theory as the Coupling Mechanism
Authors: Thomassin Jean , Vo Huu Duc , Mureithi Njuki W.
Published: November 2008

This paper investigates the role of tip clearance flow in the occurrence of nonsynchronous vibrations (NSVs) observed in the first axial rotor of a high-speed high-pressure compressor in an aeroengine. NSV is an aeroelastic phenomenon where the rotor blades vibrate at nonintegral multiples of the shaft rotational frequencies in operating regimes where classical flutter is not known to occur. A physical mechanism to explain the NSV phenomenon is proposed based on the blade tip trailing edge impinging jetlike flow, and a novel theory based on the acoustic feedback in the jet potential core. The theory suggests that the critical jet velocity, which brings a jet impinging on a rigid structure to resonance, is reduced to the velocities observed in the blade tip secondary flow when the jet impinges on a flexible structure. The feedback mechanism is then an acoustic wave traveling backward in the jet potential core, and this is experimentally demonstrated. A model is proposed to predict the critical tip speed at which NSV can occur. The model also addresses several unexplained phenomena, or missing links, which are essential to connect tip clearance flow unsteadiness to NSV. These are the pressure level, the pitch-based reduced frequency, and the observed step changes in blade vibration and mode shape. The model is verified using two different rotors that exhibited NSV.
Impact of the Temperature Profile on Thermal Stress in a Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cell
Authors: Fischer Katharina , Seume Joerg R.
Published: November 2008

The knowledge of the stress distribution in the ceramic components of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a prerequisite for assessing the risk of failure due to crack formation as well as for predicting its durability. Due to the high temperature span associated with thermal cycles, high thermal gradients, and the mismatch of thermal and mechanical properties of the ceramic components, thermomechanical stress is of particular importance in SOFC. A finite-element mechanical model of a tubular SOFC is developed and combined with a 2D thermo-electrochemical model in order to provide realistic temperature profiles to the finite-element analysis of the ceramic SOFC membrane-electrode assembly (MEA). The resulting simulation tool is employed for three different analyses: In the first analysis, temperature profiles provided by the thermo-electrochemical model are used to show the impact of direct versus indirect internal reformation of methane on thermomechanical stress in the MEA. In order to clarify the contribution of temperature level and thermal gradients to the emergence of stress, the second analysis systematically investigates the stress distribution with assumed temperature profiles. In the third analysis, particular attention is given to the influence of thermal model accuracy on the results. For this purpose, three modeling cases are provided: (i) Heat sources resulting from the anodic and cathodic half-reactions are considered separately in thermal modeling. (ii) According to a frequently used simplification in SOFC modeling, all heat released by the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen is assigned to the anode/electrolyte interface. (iii) The temperature profile is averaged in the radial direction. The results reveal a strong dependence of thermomechanical stress on the methane reforming strategy, which confirms the importance of a careful control of operating conditions. The effect of temperature level on maximum tensile thermomechanical stress is found to dominate by one order of magnitude over that of typical thermal gradients occurring in the SOFC during operation. In contrast to the high relevance commonly ascribed to thermal gradients, the results show that in the tubular SOFC thermal gradients play only a minor role for the emergence of stress. Concerning model accuracy, the separate consideration of half-reactions at the electrodes is found to be not necessary, while the results clearly emphasize the importance of radially discretized thermal modeling for the model-based prediction of thermal stress.
Modeling and Experimental Analyses of a Two-Cell Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Stack Emphasizing Individual Cell Characteristics
Authors: Park Sang-Kyun , Choe Song-Yul
Published: November 2008

Performance of individual cells in an operating polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack is different from each other because of inherent manufacturing tolerances of the cell components and unequal operating conditions for the individual cells. In this paper, first, effects of different operating conditions on performance of the individual cells in a two-cell PEM fuel cell stack have been experimentally investigated. The results of the experiments showed the presence of a voltage difference between the two cells that cannot be manipulated by operating conditions. The temperature of the supplying air among others predominantly influences the individual cell voltages. In addition, those effects are explored by using a dynamic model of a stack that has been developed. The model uses electrochemical voltage equations, dynamic water balance in the membrane, energy balance, and diffusion in the gas diffusion layer, reflecting a two-phase phenomenon of water. Major design parameters and an operating condition by conveying simulations have been changed to analyze sensitivity of the parameters on the performance, which is then compared with experimental results. It turns out that proton conductivity of the membrane in cells among others is the most influential parameter on the performance, which is fairly in line with the reading from the experimental results.
A Novel Method to Measure Mitral Valve Chordal Tension
Authors: He Zhaoming , Jowers Christopher
Published: November 2008

Proper leaflet coaptation of the mitral valve is vital for a healthy functioning heart. Chordal tension directly affects leaflet coaptation. The C-shaped transducer used previously to measure chordal tension was too big for tension measurement of multiple chordae and their branches. A new method is needed to measure chordal tension with minimum interference with chord and leaflet motion. The method was to extrapolate longitudinal chordal tension from transverse chordal fibril force measured by inserting a small elliptical AIFP4 sensor from MicroStrain Inc. (Williston, VT) through a chord. Sensitivity of the method has been tested with the sensor implanted in chordae, and error of the method has been estimated at various sensor deviation angles. Intact porcine and ovine hearts were used to measure mitral valve strut and marginal chordal tensions at static transmitral pressures of 120mmHg and 160mmHg under an in vitro condition. The results obtained from the AIFP4 sensor were similar to the results obtained previously by C-shaped transducers in the porcine mitral valves. The sensor output errors increased with the increase in sensor deviation angle in the chord at a peak systolic tension. Strut chordal tensions of four ovine mitral valves of Edwards ring size M 28 were 0.29±0.06N at the transmitral pressure of 120mmHg. The tension of 18 porcine strut chordae of porcine mitral valves of Edwards ring size M 32 was 1.00±0.42N at the transmitral pressures of 120mmHg. The tension of 22 anterior leaflet marginal chordae from porcine mitral valves of Edwards ring size M 32 was 0.10±0.04N at the transmitral pressure of 120mmHg. A new method using an AIFP4 miniature force sensor to measure mitral valve chordal tension indirectly is successfully developed. This force sensor works well in measuring mitral valve chordal tension at an in vitro hydrostatic transmitral pressure. The size and simple fixation of the sensor make it favorable for chordal tension measurement of multiple chordae and their branches under in vitro or in vivo conditions with minimal interference with chordal geometry and dynamics.
Long-Term Monensin Supplementation Does Not Significantly Affect the Quantity or Diversity of Methanogens in the Rumen of the Lactating Dairy Cow
Authors: Hook S. E. , Northwood K. S. , Wright A.-D. G. , McBride B. W.
Published: November 2008

A long-term monensin supplementation trial involving lactating dairy cattle was conducted to determine the effect of monensin on the quantity and diversity of rumen methanogens in vivo. Fourteen cows were paired on the basis of days in milk and parity and allocated to one of two treatment groups, receiving (i) a control total mixed ration (TMR) or (ii) a TMR with 24 mg of monensin premix/kg of diet dry matter. Rumen fluid was obtained using an ororuminal probe on day −15 (baseline) and days 20, 90, and 180 following treatment. Throughout the 6-month experiment, the quantity of rumen methanogens was not significantly affected by monensin supplementation, as measured by quantitative real-time PCR. The diversity of the rumen methanogen population was investigated using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and 16S rRNA clone gene libraries. DGGE analysis at each sampling point indicated that the molecular diversity of rumen methanogens from monensin-treated cattle was not significantly different from that of rumen methanogens from control cattle. 16S rRNA gene libraries were constructed from samples obtained from the rumen fluids of five cows, with a total of 166 clones examined. Eleven unique 16S rRNA sequences or phylotypes were identified, five of which have not been recognized previously. The majority of clones (98.2%) belonged to the genus
Methanobrevibacter
, with all libraries containing
Methanobrevibacter
strains M6 and SM9 and a novel phylotype, UG3322.2. Overall, long-term monensin supplementation was not found to significantly alter the quantity or diversity of methanogens in the rumens of lactating dairy cattle in the present study.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profiles and Strain Type Diversity of
Campylobacter jejuni
Isolates from Turkeys in Eastern North Carolina
Authors: Gu Weimin , Siletzky Robin M. , Wright Sandra , Islam Mohammed , Kathariou Sophia
Published: November 2008

Campylobacter jejuni
is one of the most common bacterial causes of human gastroenteritis, and recent findings suggest that turkeys are an important reservoir for this organism. In this study, 80
C. jejuni
isolates from eastern North Carolina were characterized for resistance to nine antimicrobials, and strain types were determined by
fla
typing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) with SmaI and KpnI, and (for 41 isolates) multilocus sequence typing (MLST). PFGE analysis suggested that many of the isolates (37/40 [ca. 93%]) in a major genomic cluster had DNA that was partially methylated at SmaI sites. Furthermore, 12/40 (30%) of the isolates in this cluster were completely resistant to digestion by KpnI, suggesting methylation at KpnI sites. MLST of 41 isolates identified 10 sequence types (STs), of which 4 were new. Three STs (ST-1839, ST-2132 and the new ST-2934) were predominant and were detected among isolates from different farms. The majority of the isolates (74%) were resistant to three or more antimicrobials, and resistance to ciprofloxacin was common (64%), whereas resistance to the other drug of choice for treatment of human campylobacteriosis, erythromycin, was never encountered. Most (33/34) of the kanamycin-resistant isolates were also resistant to tetracycline; however, only ca. 50% of the tetracycline-resistant isolates were also kanamycin resistant. Isolates with certain antimicrobial resistance profiles had identical or closely related strain types. Overall, the findings suggest dissemination of certain clonal groups of
C. jejuni
isolates in the turkey production industry of this region.
Endocytosis Is Crucial for Cell Polarity and Apical Membrane Recycling in the Filamentous Fungus
Aspergillus oryzae
Authors: Higuchi Yujiro , Shoji Jun-ya , Arioka Manabu , Kitamoto Katsuhiko
Published: November 2008

Establishing the occurrence of endocytosis in filamentous fungi was elusive in the past mainly due to the lack of reliable indicators of endocytosis. Recently, however, it was shown that the fluorescent dye
N
-(3-triethylammoniumpropyl)-4-(
p
-diethyl-aminophenyl-hexatrienyl)pyridinium dibromide (FM4-64) and the plasma membrane protein AoUapC (
Aspergillus oryzae
UapC) fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) were internalized from the plasma membrane by endocytosis. Although the occurrence of endocytosis was clearly demonstrated, its physiological importance in filamentous fungi still remains largely unaddressed. We generated a strain in which
A. oryzae end4
(Ao
end4
), the
A. oryzae
homolog of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae END4
/
SLA2
, was expressed from the Ao
end4
locus under the control of a regulatable
thiA
promoter. The growth of this strain was severely impaired, and its hyphal morphology was altered in the Ao
end4
-repressed condition. Moreover, in the Ao
end4
-repressed condition, neither FM4-64 nor AoUapC-EGFP was internalized, indicating defective endocytosis. Furthermore, the localization of a secretory soluble
N
-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) was abnormal in the Ao
end4
-repressed condition. Aberrant accumulation of cell wall components was also observed by calcofluor white staining and transmission electron microscopy analysis, and several genes that encode cell wall-building enzymes were upregulated, indicating that the regulation of cell wall synthesis is abnormal in the Ao
end4
-repressed condition, whereas Ao
pil1
disruptants do not display the phenotype exhibited in the Ao
end4
-repressed condition. Our results strongly suggest that endocytosis is crucial for the hyphal tip growth in filamentous fungi.