bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interaction effects of globalization and institutional forces on international HRM practice: Illuminating the convergence‐divergence debate
Authors: Paik Yongsun , Chow Irene Hau‐Siu , Vance Charles M.
Published: August 2011

In the face of globalization, scholars continue to debate about whether a convergence in human resources practices will prevail, or a trend of divergence perspective will persist. Building on institution theory, this article helps to explicate this debate by examining how globalization may interact with different dimensions of local institutional forces to lead to convergence, divergence, or crossvergence in international HRM practices for enhanced performance. We also present useful propositions for guiding future empirical research and theory development on the interaction between globalization and different forms of local institutional forces, which in turn influence the formation of successful international HRM practices. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Socio‐economic burden of patients with a diagnosis related to chronic pain – Register data of 840,000Swedish patients
Authors: Gustavsson A. , Bjorkman J. , Ljungcrantz C. , Rhodin A. , Rivano‐Fischer M. , Sjolund K.‐F. , Mannheimer C.
Published: August 2011

Background

Chronic pain constitutes a substantial socio‐economic challenge but little is known about its actual cost.

Aim

To estimate the direct and indirect costs of patients with a diagnosis related to chronic pain (DRCP), to determine variation in these costs across different diagnosis groups, and to identify what resources constitute the most important components of costs.

Methods

Patient level data from three administrative registries in Västra Götalandsregionen in Sweden including inpatient and outpatient care, prescriptions, long‐term sick‐leaves, and early retirement were extracted. Patients with aDRCPbetween January 2004 and November 2009 were selected.

Results

In total, 840,000 patients with aDRCPwere identified. The mean total costs per patient and year were estimated at 6400EURbut were higher for patients with cancer (10,400EUR). Patients on analgesic drugs had more than twice as high costs as patients without analgesic drugs, on average. Indirect costs (sick‐leaves and early retirement) constituted the largest cost component (59%) followed by outpatient (21%) and inpatient care (14%), whereas analgesic drug prescriptions constituted less than 1 percent of the total.

Conclusions

The socio‐economic burden of patients with a diagnosis related to chronic pain amounts to 32 billionEURper year, when findings from Västra Götalandsregionen are extrapolated to the whole ofSweden. This compares to a fifth of the total Swedish tax burden in 2007 or about a tenth of SwedishGDP. This study does not provide evidence on what costs are caused by chronic pain per se. However, the higher costs of patients on analgesic drugs might indicate that the consequences of pain are of major importance.
Intrathecal administration of NTS1 agonists reverses nociceptive behaviors in a rat model of neuropathic pain
Authors: Guillemette A. , Dansereau M.A. , Beaudet N. , Richelson E. , Sarret P.
Published: August 2011

Chronic neuropathic pain arising from peripheral nerve damage is a severe clinical issue where there is a major unmet medical need. We previously demonstrated that both neurotensin (NT) receptor subtypes 1 (NTS1) and 2 (NTS2) are involved in mediating the naloxone‐insensitive antinociceptive effects of neurotensin in different analgesic tests including hotplate, tail‐flick, and tonic pain. However, the role of these receptors in neuropathic pain management has been poorly investigated. In the present study, we therefore examined whether intrathecal delivery of NTS1 agonists was effective in reducing neuropathic pain symptoms in rats. Neuropathy was induced by sciatic nerve constriction (CCI model), and the development of mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia on the ipsi‐ and contralateral hind paws was examined 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days post‐surgery. CCI‐operated rats exhibited significant increases in thermal and mechanical hypersensitivities over a 28‐day testing period. Spinal injection of NT to CCI rats alleviated the behavioral responses to radiant heat and mechanical stimuli, with a maximal reversal of 91% of allodynia at 6 μg/kg. Intrathecal administration of the NTS1‐selective agonist, PD149163 (30–90 μg/kg) also produced potent anti‐allodynic and anti‐hyperalgesic effects in nerve‐injured rats. Likewise, heat hyperalgesia and tactile allodynia produced by CCI of the sciatic nerve were fully reversed by the NTS1 agonist, NT69L (5–25 μg/kg). Altogether, these results support the idea that the NTS1 receptor subtype is involved in pain modulation, and the potential use of NTS1 agonists for the treatment of painful neuropathies.
The effect of validating and invalidating communication on satisfaction, pain and affect in nurses suffering from low back pain during a semi‐structured interview
Authors: Vangronsveld K.L. , Linton S.J.
Published: August 2011

When physicians interview patients with ambiguous or nonspecific symptoms, they often try to reassure them with the purpose of explaining that no dangerous illness or disease is causing the symptoms. Unfortunately the evidence suggests that patients with benign (back) pain instead feel misunderstood, frustrated and unsatisfied with the consultation. Validation is a communication method that focuses on understanding and empathy as a platform for problem solving and it may be applicable for interviews in medical settings. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of validation on patient satisfaction, pain and affect.

To this end 28 nurses with (re)current back pain were recruited and randomly assigned to be interviewed in a validating or invalidating condition. Patient satisfaction, affect, pain, disability, pain catastrophizing, and fear of movement were assessed immediately after the interview.

The results show that the participants in the validated group were more satisfied with the interview than participants in the invalidating condition. Moreover, they showed a significant decrease on all measures of negative affect as well as for pain. For example, there was a significant between group difference in frustration where frustration decreased in the validation group, while it increased in the invalidation condition.

A validating communication style seems to be beneficial for enhancing patient satisfaction, as well as diminishing negative affect and pain intensity ratings. Our results suggest that validation might be a viable technique to use in clinical examinations of patients suffering pain.
Effects of perceived and exerted pain control on neural activity during pain relief in experimental heat hyperalgesia: A fMRI study
Authors: Mohr C. , Leyendecker S. , Petersen D. , Helmchen C.
Published: August 2011

Perceived control over pain can attenuate pain perception by mechanisms of endogenous pain control and emotional reappraisal irrespective of whether this control is exerted or only perceived. Self‐initiated termination of pain elicits different expectations of subsequent pain relief as compared to perceived pain control. It is unknown whether and how this perceived vs. exerted control on pain differs and affects subsequent pain relief. Using fMRI, we studied two factors of pain control on pain relief: the (i) sense of control (perceived control but no execution) and (ii) the execution of control (exerted control). To account for the impact of factual execution of pain control on pain relief we applied bearable short and hardly bearable long contact‐heat stimuli which were applied either controllable or not. Using controllability as factor, there was dissociable neural activity during pain relief: following the perceived control condition neural activity was found in the orbitofrontal and mediofrontal cortex and, following the exerted control condition, in the anterolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex.

We conclude that (i) pain controllability has an impact on pain relief and (ii) the prefrontal cortex shows dissociable neural activity during pain relief following exerted vs. perceived pain control. This might reflect the higher grade of uncertainty during pain relief following perceived pain control mediated by the orbitofrontal and medial prefrontal cortex and processes of working memory and updating expectations during pain relief following exerted control mediated by the lateral prefrontal cortex.
Numerical simulation of shear-induced instabilities in internal solitary waves
Authors: Carr Magda , King Stuart E. , Dritschel David G.
Published: August 2011

A numerical method that employs a combination of contour advection and pseudo-spectral techniques is used to simulate shear-induced instabilities in an internal solitary wave (ISW). A three-layer configuration for the background stratification, in which a linearly stratified intermediate layer is sandwiched between two homogeneous ones, is considered throughout. The flow is assumed to satisfy the inviscid, incompressible, Oberbeck–Boussinesq equations in two dimensions. Simulations are initialized by fully nonlinear, steady-state, ISWs. The results of the simulations show that the instability takes place in the pycnocline and manifests itself as Kelvin–Helmholtz billows. The billows form near the trough of the wave, subsequently grow and disturb the tail. Both the critical Richardson number (${\mathit{Ri}}_{c} $) and the critical amplitude required for instability are found to be functions of the ratio of the undisturbed layer thicknesses. It is shown, therefore, that the constant, critical bound for instability in ISWs given in Barad & Fringer (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 644, 2010, pp. 61–95), namely${\mathit{Ri}}_{c} = 0. 1\pm 0. 01$, is not a sufficient condition for instability. It is also shown that the critical value of${L}_{x} / \lambda $required for instability, where${L}_{x} $is the length of the region in a wave in which$\mathit{Ri}\lt 1/ 4$and$\lambda $is the half-width of the wave, is sensitive to the ratio of the layer thicknesses. Similarly, a linear stability analysis reveals that${\bar {\sigma } }_{i} {T}_{w} $(where${\bar {\sigma } }_{i} $is the growth rate of the instability averaged over${T}_{w} $, the period in which parcels of fluid are subjected to$\mathit{Ri}\lt 1/ 4$) is very sensitive to the transition between the undisturbed pycnocline and the homogeneous layers, and the amplitude of the wave. Therefore, the alternative tests for instability presented in Fructuset al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 620, 2009, pp. 1–29) and Barad & Fringer (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 644, 2010, pp. 61–95), respectively, namely${L}_{x} / \lambda \geq 0. 86$and${\bar {\sigma } }_{i} {T}_{w} \gt 5$, are shown to be valid only for a limited parameter range.
Lower temperature thresholds for oviposition and egg hatching of the Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in a Mediterranean climate
Authors: Dembilio Ó. , Tapia G.V. , Téllez M.M. , Jacas J.A.
Published: August 2011

The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an economically important pest of palms worldwide. To better understand the phenology of R. ferrugineus populations in the Mediterranean basin, the objective of the present work has been to estimate the effect of temperatures within the range 10–25°C on the reproductive parameters of R. ferrugineus and to determine its lower temperature thresholds for oviposition and egg hatching. Our results confirm that oviposition in R. ferrugineus is strongly affected by temperature. Lower thresholds for oviposition and egg hatching (15.45° and 13.95°C, respectively) are below the mean monthly temperatures registered in winter in most of the northern shore of the Mediterranean basin. Under these circumstances, new palm infestations would be difficult during most of the winter. These results should be taken into account when planning some palm management practices, such as pruning or pesticide treatments, in areas under a Mediterranean climate.
Vascular rings and slings: interesting vascular anomalies
Authors: Phelan E , Ryan S , Rowley H
Published: August 2011

Introduction:

A vascular ring refers to encirclement of the trachea and oesophagus by an abnormal combination of derivatives of the aortic arch system. These malformations can cause variable degrees of compression of the oesophagus, trachea or both. Symptoms can range from no effect to severe stridor, dyspnoea and/or dysphagia.

Method and results:

This study presents a case series of six patients treated over a six-year period (2003–2009), illustrating the features of four different types of vascular ring; these types are discussed in detail. The clinical presentation, radiology, and microlaryngoscopy and bronchoscopy findings are also discussed.

Conclusion:

The management of children with vascular rings requires a high index of clinical suspicion to ensure prompt diagnosis. As many of these children present with airway symptoms, the paediatric otolaryngologist plays a key role in identifying and assessing their anatomical anomalies.
Mastoiditis secondary to metastatic lung carcinoma: case report and literature review
Authors: Clamp P J , Jardine A H
Published: August 2011

Objective:

We present a case report and systematic review of acute mastoiditis caused by metastatic lung cancer.

Case report:

A 62-year-old woman developed acute mastoiditis as a complication of otitis media. Cortical mastoidectomy revealed deposits of metastatic non-small cell lung carcinoma around the sigmoid sinus. The patient had previously received treatment for lung cancer, but was thought to be in remission.

Discussion:

A literature review confirmed that this is the first reported case of mastoiditis caused by metastatic lung cancer. Only four similar case reports were identified: two caused by breast carcinoma, one by renal cell carcinoma and one by cholangiocarcinoma. Post-mortem histopathological studies suggest that temporal bone metastasis occurs in 22 per cent of oncology cases.

Conclusion:

This is the first reported case of mastoiditis caused by metastatic lung cancer. Metastasis to the temporal bone is not uncommon, but rarely causes mastoiditis.
Aural metastasis from a nasal malignant melanoma: case report with literature review
Authors: Khan I , Mohamad S , Shakeel M , Jaramillo M J
Published: August 2011

Objective:

To raise awareness of nasal malignant melanoma, a rare tumour, and to highlight the difficulty associated with its optimum management.

Method:

Case report and literature review.

Case report:

A 71-year-old, Caucasian man was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in the right nasal cavity, after presenting with right-sided epistaxis. He underwent endoscopic medial maxillectomy; histological analysis confirmed that the resection margins were clear. However, within six months he re-presented with a metastatic deposit of malignant melanoma in his right external auditory canal, for which he underwent right temporal bone resection. There was no evidence of distant metastasis on radiological studies. Unfortunately, within a month the tumour recurred in the right nasopharynx. A multidisciplinary team decision was made to offer the patient palliative chemoradiotherapy.

Conclusion:

Mucosal malignant melanoma of the nose is very rare, and aural metastasis from this primary site has not previously been reported. Optimum management must involve a multidisciplinary team.
Pathogenic obesity and nutraceuticals
Authors: Conroy K. P. , Davidson I. M. , Warnock M.
Published: August 2011

Over a decade of intense research in the field of obesity has led to the knowledge that chronic, excessive adipose tissue expansion leads to an increase in the risk for CVD, type 2 diabetes mellitus and cancer. This is primarily thought to stem from the low-grade, systemic inflammatory response syndrome that characterises adipose tissue in obesity, and this itself is thought to arise from the complex interplay of factors including metabolic endotoxaemia, increased plasma NEFA, hypertrophic adipocytes and localised hypoxia. Plasma concentrations of vitamins and antioxidants are lower in obese individuals than in the non-obese, which is hypothesised to negatively affect the development of inflammation and disease in obesity. This paper provides a review of the current literature investigating the potential of nutraceuticals to ameliorate the development of oxidative stress and inflammation in obesity, thereby limiting the onset of obesity complications. Research has found nutraceuticals able to positively modulate the activity of adipocyte cell lines and further positive effects have been found in other aspects of pathogenic obesity. While their ability to affect weight loss is still controversial, it is clear that they have a great potential to reverse the development of overweight and obesity-related comorbidities; this, however, still requires much research especially that utilising well-structured randomised controlled trials.
Role of dog behaviour and environmental fecal contamination in transmission ofEchinococcus multilocularisin Tibetan communities
Authors: VANISCOTTE A. , RAOUL F. , POULLE M. L. , ROMIG T. , DINKEL A. , TAKAHASHI K. , GUISLAIN M. H. , MOSS J. , TIAOYING L. , WANG Q. , QIU J. , CRAIG P. S. , GIRAUDOUX P.
Published: August 2011

On the Eastern Tibetan Plateau region (Sichuan province, China) dogs are regarded as important definitive hosts ofEchinococcus multilocularis. We studied dog spatial behaviour in 4 Tibetan villages in order to determine the role of dogs in environmental contamination and their potential interactions with small mammal intermediate hosts. We identified definitive host species andEchinococcusspp. infection status of feces collected in the field by PCR methods and analysed the spatial distribution of canid feces. Nocturnal space utilization of GPS collared dogs in and around villages was also undertaken.E. multilocularisDNA was amplified in 23% of dog feces (n=142) and in 15% of fox feces (n=13) but this difference was not significant. However, dog feces were more frequently observed (78% of collected feces) than fox feces and are therefore assumed to largely contribute to human environment contamination. Feces were mainly distributed around houses of dog owners (0–200 m) where collared dogs spent the majority of their time. Inside villages, the contamination was aggregated in some micro-foci where groups of dogs defecated preferentially. Finally, small mammal densities increased from the dog core areas to grasslands at the periphery of villages occasionally used by dogs; male dogs moving significantly farther than females. This study constitutes a first attempt to quantify in a spatially explicit way the role of dogs inE. multilocularisperi-domestic cycles and to identify behavioural parameters required to modelE. multilocularistransmission in this region.
Risk maps for the presence and absence ofPhlebotomus perniciosusin an endemic area of leishmaniasis in southern Spain: implications for the control of the disease
Authors: BARÓN S. D. , MORILLAS-MÁRQUEZ F. , MORALES-YUSTE M. , DÍAZ-SÁEZ V. , IRIGARAY C. , MARTÍN-SÁNCHEZ J.
Published: August 2011

The aim of this study was to construct risk maps for the presence of the dominantLeishmania infantumvector,P. perniciosus,and check its usefulness (a) to predict the risk of canine leishmaniasis and (b) to define effective leishmaniasis control measures. We obtained data for the presence/absence ofP. perniciosusat 167 sampling sites in southern Spain, from which we also took a series of ecological and climate-related data. The probability ofP. perniciosuspresence was estimated as a function of these environmental variables and generated spatial risk maps. Altitude, land use and drainage hole features (with or without PVC piping) were retained as the only predictors for the distribution of this vector species. Drainage hole features in retaining walls, with or without PVC piping, produce significant variations in the probability ofP. perniciosuspresence, varying from 2·3 to 91·8% if PVC piping is absent and from 0·4 to 66·5% if all holes have PVC piping. It was concluded that the use of PVC piping in drainage holes could help to reduce leishmaniasis transmission.
The effects of puberty on genetic risk for disordered eating: evidence for a sex difference
Authors: Klump K. L. , Culbert K. M. , Slane J. D. , Burt S. A. , Sisk C. L. , Nigg J. T.
Published: August 2011

Background

Differences in genetic influences on disordered eating are present across puberty in girls. Heritability is 0% before puberty, but over 50% during and after puberty. Emerging data suggest that these developmental differences may be due to pubertal increases in ovarian hormones. However, a critical piece of evidence is lacking, namely, knowledge of genetic influences on disordered eating across puberty in boys. Boys do not experience increases in ovarian hormones during puberty. Thus, if pubertal increases in genetic effects are present in boys, then factors in addition to ovarian hormones may drive increases in heritability in girls. The current study was the first to examine this possibility in a sample of 1006 male and female twins from the Michigan State University Twin Registry.

Method

Disordered eating was assessed with the Minnesota Eating Behavior Survey. Pubertal development was assessed with the Pubertal Development Scale.

Results

No significant differences in genetic influences on disordered eating were observed in males across any developmental stage. Heritability was 51% in boys during pre-puberty, puberty and young adulthood. By contrast, in girls, genetic factors accounted for 0% of the variance in pre-puberty, but 51% of the variance during puberty and beyond. Sex differences in genetic effects were only significant during pre-puberty, as the best-fitting models constrained heritability to be equal across all males, pubertal females and young adult females.

Conclusions

The results highlight sex-specific effects of puberty on genetic risk for disordered eating and provide indirect evidence of a role for ovarian hormones and/or other female-specific factors.
Residential segregation of Jews in Amsterdam on the eve of the Shoah
Authors: TAMMES PETER
Published: August 2011

While previous studies showed a drop in residential segregation over time, calculated dissimilarity and isolation indices for 1941 show a halt in the decreasing segregation among Jews in Amsterdam. Furthermore, persons of Jewish origin who had left Judaism appear to have lived mainly in different districts from those who belonged to Jewish congregations, indicating that district of residence can serve as a reflection of the assimilation process. Moreover, analyses of life histories of about 700 Jewish persons show that being born outside the Jewish neighbourhood increased the likelihood that an individual would leave Judaism, while living outside the Jewish neighbourhood during adolescence increased the likelihood of marrying a Gentile; these results refine our understanding of the impact of residential segregation.
Famine, exchange networks and the village community. A comparative analysis of the subsistence crises of the 1740s and the 1840s in Flanders
Authors: VANHAUTE ERIC , LAMBRECHT THIJS
Published: August 2011

This article focuses on local agency in two near-famines in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Flanders. Our comparative analysis of the food crises of 1740 and 1845–1847 in Flanders exposes the local mechanisms of coping and protection, both in an informal and a formal way. The main thesis is that the impact of hunger crises in peasant societies is directly related to the level of stress absorption within the local village community. Our findings contradict the traditional vision of a more-or-less straightforward shift in famine crisis management from rural, local and informal to urban, supra-local and formal. The success of surmounting a food crisis has always had local roots.
Dagger extension theorem
Authors: ÉSIK Z. , HAJGATÓ T.
Published: August 2011

Partial iterative theories are algebraic theories such that for certain morphisms f the equation ξ = f ⋅ 〈ξ, 1p〉 has a unique solution. Iteration theories are algebraic theories satisfying a certain set of identities. We investigate some similarities between partial iterative theories and iteration theories.

In our main result, we give a sufficient condition ensuring that the partially defined dagger operation of a partial iterative theory can be extended to a totally defined operation so that the resulting theory becomes an iteration theory. We show that this general extension theorem can be instantiated to prove that every Elgot iterative theory with at least one constant morphism 1 → 0 can be extended to an iteration theory. We also apply our main result to theories equipped with an additive structure.
The media accountability of independent regulatory agencies
Authors: Maggetti Martino
Published: August 2011

Independent regulatory agencies (IRAs) are increasingly attracting academic and societal attention, as they represent the institutional cornerstone of the regulatory state and play a key role in policy-making. Besides the expected benefits in terms of credibility and efficiency, these regulators are said to bring about a ‘democratic deficit’, following their statutory separation from democratic institutions. Consequently, a ‘multi-pronged system of control’ is required. This article focuses on a specific component of this system, that is, the media. The goal is to determine whether media coverage of IRAs meets the necessary prerequisites to be considered a potential ‘accountability forum’ for regulators. The results of a comparison of two contrasted cases – the British and Swiss competition commissions – mostly support the expectations, because they show that media coverage of IRAs corresponds to that of the most relevant policy issues and follows the regulatory cycle. Furthermore, a systematic bias in media coverage can be excluded.
Decreased urine albumin:creatinine ratios in infants of diabetic mothers: does exposure to diabetic pregnancies alter fetal renal development?
Authors: Dyck R. F. , Bingham W. T. , Lim H. , Jiang Y. , Osgood N. D.
Published: August 2011

Offspring of diabetic mothers experience an increased risk for type 2 diabetes but it is not known whether diabetic pregnancies also confer a higher inter-generational risk for diabetic complications. Because microalbuminuria is a sensitive indicator of glomerular damage, we compared the urine albumin:creatinine ratios (ACRs) between 65 infants of diabetic mothers (InfDM+) and 59 infants of non-diabetic mothers (InfDM−), and repeated the comparisons in 21 InfDM+ and 19 InfDM− when children were 5–19 months old. ACRs were higher among neonates compared with normal reference values for adults, but declined with increasing age. The only independent predictor of higher ACRs in a logistic regression model (⩾13 mg/mmol v. <13 mg/mmol) was the presence of delivery complications (odds ratio 2.95; P = 0.015). Neither high nor low birth weight was associated with higher neonatal ACRs. The most unique finding of the study was that InfDM+ had significantly lower ACRs than InfDM− [mean = 12.9 (median = 6.0) v. mean = 16.6 (median = 11.5), respectively at P = 0.05] even after adjusting for other variables using logistic regression (odds ratio 0.25; P = 0.001). In contrast, by 5–19 months, there was a trend toward higher ACRs among InfDM+ compared with InfDM− [mean = 6.3 mg/mmol (median = 1.9) v. mean = 3.0 mg/mmol (median = 2.5), respectively at P = 0.25]. Lower ACRs in InfDM+ may be due to developmental changes in fetal kidneys induced by hyperinsulinemia. Although the implications of this observation are unclear, it is possible that exposure to a diabetic intrauterine environment might influence the later risk for renal disease.
State estimation and modeling error approach for 2‐D shallow water equations and Lagrangian measurements
Authors: Tossavainen Olli‐Pekka , Percelay Julie , Stacey Mark , Kaipio Jari P. , Bayen Alexandre
Published: August 2011

A state estimation method for two‐dimensional shallow water equations (SWE) in rivers using Lagrangian drifter positions as measurements is proposed. Lagrangian drifters are sensors moving with the flow and reporting their location. The aim of this method is to compensate for the lack of accurate information about boundary conditions. The drifters move with the local flow and report their positions. Thus, they provide additional information about the state of the river compared to a case in which, for example, only a computational model is used to describe the river flow. In this work, the measurement information is incorporated into shallow water equations using ensemble Kalman filtering. Special attention is paid to the handling of modeling errors that arise from the use of simple and computationally lightweight models as evolution models for the flow. The proposed approach is tested with simulated and experimental data collected for this study in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta in California. It is shown that when modeling errors are taken into account, better estimates for the state of the river are obtained.
Structure, paleogeographic inheritance, and deformation history of the southern Atlas foreland fold and thrust belt of Tunisia
Authors: Saïd Aymen , Baby Patrice , Chardon Dominique , Ouali Jamel
Published: August 2011

Structural analysis of the southern Tunisian Atlas was carried out using field observation, seismic interpretation, and cross section balancing. It shows a mix of thick‐skinned and thin‐skinned tectonics with lateral variations in regional structural geometry and amounts of shortening controlled by NW‐SE oblique ramps and tear faults. It confirms the role of the Late Triassic–Early Jurassic rifting inheritance in the structuring of the active foreland fold and thrust belt of the southern Tunisian Atlas, in particular in the development of NW‐SE oblique structures such as the Gafsa fault. The Late Triassic–Early Jurassic structural pattern is characterized by a family of first‐order NW‐SE trending normal faults dipping to the east and by second‐order E‐W trending normal faults limiting a complex system of grabens and horsts. These faults have been inverted during two contractional tectonic events. The first event occurred between the middle Turonian and the late Maastrichtian and can be correlated with the onset of the convergence between Africa and Eurasia. The second event corresponding to the principal shortening tectonic event in the southern Atlas started in the Serravalian‐Tortonian and is still active. During the Neogene, the southern Atlas foreland fold and thrust belt propagated on the evaporitic décollement level infilling the Late Triassic–Early Jurassic rift. The major Eocene “Atlas event,” described in hinterland domains and in eastern Tunisia, did not deform significantly the southern Tunisian Atlas, which corresponded in this period to a backbulge broad depozone.
Evaluation of medium to low resolution satellite imagery for regional lake water quality assessments
Authors: Olmanson Leif G. , Brezonik Patrick L. , Bauer Marvin E.
Published: August 2011

This study evaluates currently available imagery from Landsat, MERIS, MODIS, and AWiFS sensors for their usefulness in regional‐scale measurements of lake water clarity and chlorophyll for comprehensive lake management and scientific studies (e.g., modeling). Images from these systems were collected nearly concurrently and processed using methods similar to those developed previously for regional assessments of lake water clarity using Landsat imagery. We tested both atmospherically corrected and uncorrected imagery products; the uncorrected products performed as well as or better than the atmospherically corrected products in empirical relationships to estimate water clarity and chlorophyll. MODIS and MERIS systems, which have large swath widths and high temporal coverage are well suited for regional assessments of large lakes, but their low spatial resolution limits the number of lakes that can be assessed. Landsat imagery allows all lakes ≥4 ha (more than 12,000 in Minnesota) to be assessed, but its low spectral resolution limits assessments to water clarity. The MERIS system, with spectral and spatial resolution suitable for large (>150 ha) lakes, was the only system with a spectral band set that measured key absorption and scattering characteristics of phytoplankton that could be used reliably for regional chlorophyll assessments. Although none of the currently available systems is ideal, the study yielded a better definition of the spectral, spatial, and temporal characteristics of the ideal system for regional‐scale water quality remote sensing that may be realized in upcoming satellite systems.
Seeing Minds in Behavior: Descriptive Mentalism
Authors: Charles Eric P.
Published: August 2011

One of the core debates in the history of psychology is about the relationship between mind and behavior, or at least between particular mental phenomenon and associated behavioral phenomenon. Descriptive mentalism is the belief that this relationship is primarily descriptive; mental terms describe something about the behavior of the organism in question. This approach offers the potential to clarify many persistent problems in psychological theory and empirical investigation. The logic of descriptive mentalism is here displayed, starting with E. B. Holt's elaboration of William James's work, and continuing through to the comparatively recent contributions of Nicholas S. Thompson. Understanding descriptive mentalism offers a key to reintegrating insights from behaviorist psychology with mainstream psychology and neuroscience.
Participational Agency
Authors: Yanchar Stephen C.
Published: August 2011

Participational agency is presented as a conceptual account of human action, volition, and possibility. Rooted in hermeneutic and narrative traditions, this view differs from other theorizing about agency (and most psychological theorizing in general) in that it makes no effort to explain human action by virtue of reified constructs. As an alternative to traditional theorizing in this area, participational agency is defined as meaningful engagement in the world and treats the experienced meaningfulness of practical human activity as its central feature. The concept of meaningful engagement is clarified through the presentation of four related themes—situated participation, existential concern, dispositional action, and narrative orientation. Finally, the author offers several implications of this view of agency for theory and research.
Gulf War Syndrome: A role for organophosphate induced plasticity of locus coeruleus neurons
Authors: Cao Jun-li , Varnell Andrew , Cooper Donald
Published: August 2011

Gulf War syndrome is a chronic multi-symptom illness that has affected about a quarter of the deployed veterans of the 1991 Gulf War. Exposure to prolonged low-level organophosphate insecticides and other toxic chemicals is now thought to be responsible. Chlorpyrifos was one commonly used insecticide. The metabolite of chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos oxon, is a potent irreversible inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase, much like the nerve agent Sarin. To date, the target brain region(s) most susceptible to the neuroactive effects of chlorpyrifos oxon have yet to be identified. To address this we tested ability of chlorpyrifos oxon to influence neuronal excitability and induce lasting changes in the locus coeruleus, a brain region implicated in anxiety, substance use, attention and emotional response to stress. Here we used an ex vivo rodent model to identify a dramatic effect of chlorpyrifos oxon on locus coeruleus noradrenergic neuronal activity. Prolonged exposure to chlorpyrifos oxon caused acute inhibition and a lasting rebound excitatory state expressed after days of exposure and subsequent withdrawal. Our findings indicate that the locus coeruleus is a brain region vulnerable to chlorpyrifos oxon-induced neuroplastic changes possibly leading to the neurological symptoms affecting veterans of the Gulf War.
Salmonella entericaserotype Typhimurium usurps the scaffold protein IQGAP1 to manipulate Rac1 and MAPK signalling
Authors: Kim Hugh , White Colin D. , Li Zhigang , Sacks David B.
Published: August 2011

Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium invades eukaryotic cells by re-arranging the host-cell cytoskeleton. However, the precise mechanisms by which Salmonella induces cytoskeletal changes remain undefined. IQGAP1 (IQ motif-containing GTPase-activating protein 1) is a scaffold protein that binds multiple proteins including actin, the Rho GTPases Rac1 and Cdc42 (cell division cycle 42), and components of the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathway. We have shown previously that optimal invasion of Salmonella into HeLa cells requires IQGAP1. In the present paper, we use IQGAP1-null MEFs (mouse embryonic fibroblasts) and selected well-characterized IQGAP1 mutant constructs to dissect the molecular determinants of Salmonella invasion. Knockout of IQGAP1 expression reduced Salmonella invasion into MEFs by 75%. Reconstituting IQGAP1-null MEFs with wild-type IQGAP1 completely rescued invasion. By contrast, reconstituting IQGAP1-null cells with mutant IQGAP1 constructs that specifically lack binding to either Cdc42 and Rac1 (termed IQGAP1ΔMK24), actin, MEK [MAPK/ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) kinase] or ERK only partially restored Salmonella entry. Cell-permeant inhibitors of Rac1 activation or MAPK signalling reduced Salmonella invasion into control cells by 50%, but had no effect on bacterial entry into IQGAP1-null MEFs. Importantly, the ability of IQGAP1ΔMK24 to promote Salmonella invasion into IQGAP1-null cells was abrogated by chemical inhibition of MAPK signalling. Collectively, these results imply that the scaffolding function of IQGAP1, which integrates Rac1 and MAPK signalling, is usurped by Salmonella to invade fibroblasts and suggest that IQGAP1 may be a potential therapeutic target for Salmonella pathogenesis.
Selection of non-competitive leptin antagonists using a random nanobody-based approach
Authors: Zabeau Lennart , Verhee Annick , Catteeuw Dominiek , Faes Liesbeth , Seeuws Sylvie , Decruy Tine , Elewaut Dirk , Peelman Frank , Tavernier Jan
Published: August 2011

The adipocyte-derived cytokine leptin acts as a metabolic switch, connecting the body's metabolism to high-energy consuming processes such as reproduction and immune responses. Accumulating evidence suggests that leptin plays a role in human pathologies, such as autoimmune diseases and cancer, thus providing a rationale for the development of leptin antagonists. In the present study, we generated and evaluated a panel of neutralizing nanobodies targeting the LR (leptin receptor). A nanobody comprises the variable domain of the naturally occurring single-chain antibodies found in members of the Camelidae family. We identified three classes of neutralizing nanobodies targeting different LR subdomains: i.e. the CRH2 (cytokine receptor homology 2), Ig-like and FNIII (fibronectin type III) domains. Only nanobodies directed against the CRH2 domain inhibited leptin binding. We could show that a nanobody that targets the Ig-like domain potently interfered with leptin-dependent regulation of hypothalamic NPY (neuropeptide Y) expression. As a consequence, daily intraperitoneal injection increased body weight, body fat content, food intake, liver size and serum insulin levels. All of these characteristics resemble the phenotype of leptin and LR-deficient animals. The results of the present study support proposed models of the activated LR complex, and demonstrate that it is possible to block LR signalling without affecting ligand binding. These nanobodies form new tools to study the mechanisms of BBB (blood–brain barrier) leptin transport and the effect of LR inhibition in disease models.
Retinaldehyde is a substrate for human aldo–keto reductases of the 1C subfamily
Authors: Ruiz F. Xavier , Porté Sergio , Gallego Oriol , Moro Armando , Ardèvol Albert , Del Río-Espínola Alberto , Rovira Carme , Farrés Jaume , Parés Xavier
Published: August 2011

Human AKR (aldo–keto reductase) 1C proteins (AKR1C1–AKR1C4) exhibit relevant activity with steroids, regulating hormone signalling at the pre-receptor level. In the present study, investigate the activity of the four human AKR1C enzymes with retinol and retinaldehyde. All of the enzymes except AKR1C2 showed retinaldehyde reductase activity with low Km values (~1 μM). The kcat values were also low (0.18–0.6 min−1), except for AKR1C3 reduction of 9-cis-retinaldehyde whose kcat was remarkably higher (13 min−1). Structural modelling of the AKR1C complexes with 9-cis-retinaldehyde indicated a distinct conformation of Trp227, caused by changes in residue 226 that may contribute to the activity differences observed. This was partially supported by the kinetics of the AKR1C3 R226P mutant. Retinol/retinaldehyde conversion, combined with the use of the inhibitor flufenamic acid, indicated a relevant role for endogenous AKR1Cs in retinaldehyde reduction in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Overexpression of AKR1C proteins depleted RA (retinoic acid) transactivation in HeLa cells treated with retinol. Thus AKR1Cs may decrease RA levels in vivo. Finally, by using lithocholic acid as an AKR1C3 inhibitor and UVI2024 as an RA receptor antagonist, we provide evidence that the pro-proliferative action of AKR1C3 in HL-60 cells involves the RA signalling pathway and that this is in part due to the retinaldehyde reductase activity of AKR1C3.
5′-AMP-activated protein kinase is inactivated by adrenergic signalling in adult cardiac myocytes
Authors: Tsuchiya Yugo , Denison Fiona C. , Heath Richard B. , Carling David , Saggerson David
Published: August 2011

In adult rat cardiac myocytes adrenaline decreased AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) activity with a half-time of approximately 4 min, decreased phosphorylation of AMPK (α-Thr172) and decreased phosphorylation of ACC (acetyl-CoA carboxylase). Inactivation of AMPK by adrenaline was through both α1- and β-ARs (adrenergic receptors), but did not involve cAMP or calcium signalling, was not blocked by the PKC (protein kinase C) inhibitor BIM I (bisindoylmaleimide I), by the ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) cascade inhibitor U0126 or by PTX (pertussis toxin). Adrenaline caused no measurable change in LKB1 activity. Adrenaline decreased AMPK activity through a process that was distinct from AMPK inactivation in response to insulin or PMA. Neither adrenaline nor PMA altered the myocyte AMP:ATP ratio although the adrenaline effect was attenuated by oligomycin and by AICAR (5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside), agents that mimic ‘metabolic stress’. Inactivation of AMPK by adrenaline was abolished by 1 μM okadaic acid suggesting that activation of PP2A (phosphoprotein phosphatase 2A) might mediate the adrenaline effect. However, no change in PP2A activity was detected in myocyte extracts. Adrenaline increased phosphorylation of the AMPK β-subunit in vitro but there was no detectable change in vivo in phosphorylation of previously identified AMPK sites (β-Ser24, β-Ser108 or β-Ser182) suggesting that another site(s) is targeted.
A high-order numerical method to study hypersonic boundary-layer instability including high-temperature gas effects
Authors: Marxen Olaf , Magin Thierry , Iaccarino Gianluca , Shaqfeh Eric S. G.
Published: August 2011

Prediction of laminar-turbulent transition is a key factor in the design of the heat shield of vehicles (re-)entering a planetary atmosphere. To investigate the transition by means of numerical simulation, accurate and efficient computational methods are necessary. Here, the compressible Navier–Stokes equations are solved for a gas where properties such as specific heat, thermal conductivity, viscosity, and specific gas constant depend on one or two thermodynamic variables. Our approach models a mixture of perfect gases in local thermodynamic equilibrium. The gas properties are provided either by means of direct calls to a library based on statistical mechanics and kinetic theory or indirectly in the form of look-up tables. In the first part of the paper, our method of handling a high-temperature gas in thermochemical equilibrium is described and verified. In the second part, the method is applied to the investigation of linear and non-linear boundary-layer instability. We carry out numerical simulations for a laminar flat-plate boundary layer at Mach 10 with a small, convectively amplified perturbation for both Earth and Martian atmospheres. Amplification of the perturbations shows favorable agreement with results obtained from linear theory. The secondary instability of the boundary layer in the presence of a large-amplitude two-dimensional wave is investigated. We observe that the non-linear mechanism of fundamental resonance becomes active and leads to a strong increase in amplification of three-dimensional disturbance waves.
Phonon boundary scattering effect on thermal conductivity of thin films
Authors: Tang G. H. , Zhao Y. , Zhai G. X. , Bi C.
Published: August 2011

In the study, we introduced the local mean free path of phonons with boundary effects. The local thermal conductivity distribution from boundary to film bulk region was obtained, and the boundary scattering effect was examined by introducing a phonon Knudsen layer thickness. We calculated the ratio of effective thermal conductivity to the bulk one and the results are in agreement with available data.
Efficient capture of circulating tumor cells with a novel immunocytochemical microfluidic device
Authors: Nora Dickson Mary , Tsinberg Pavel , Tang Zhongliang , Bischoff Farideh Z. , Wilson Timothy , Leonard Edward F.
Published: August 2011

Ability to perform cytogenetic interrogations on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from the blood of cancer patients is vital for progressing toward targeted, individualized treatments. CTCs are rare compared to normal (bystander) blood cells, found in ratios as low as 1:109. The most successful isolation techniques have been immunocytochemical technologies that label CTCs for separation based on unique surface antigens that distinguish them from normal bystander cells. The method discussed here utilizes biotin-tagged antibodies that bind selectively to CTCs. The antibodies are introduced into a suspension of blood cells intending that only CTCs will display surface biotin molecules. Next, the cell suspension is passed through a microfluidic channel that contains about 9000 transverse, streptavidin coated posts. A CTC making contact with a post has the opportunity to engage in a biotin-streptavidin reaction that immobilizes the cell. Bystander blood cells remain in suspension and pass through the channel. The goal of the present study is to establish the technical performance of these channels as a function of antigen density and operating conditions, especially flow rate. At 18 μL/min, over 70% of cells are captured at antigen densities greater than 30 000 sites/cell while 50% of cells are captured at antigen densities greater than 10 000. It is found that lower flow rates lead to decreasing cell capture probabilities, indicating that some streamlines develop which are never close enough to a post to allow cell-post contact. Future modeling and streamline studies using computational fluid dynamics software could aid in optimization of channel performance for capture of rare cells.
High coercive FePt and FePt-SiNx(001) films with small grain size and narrow opening-up of in-plane hysteresis loop by TiN intermediate layer
Authors: Li H. H. , Dong K. F. , Peng Y. G. , Ju G. , Chow G. M. , Chen J. S.
Published: August 2011

The effects of a TiN intermediate layer on the epitaxial growth and magnetic properties of FePt films were investigated. It was found that 5 nm TiN can effectively block the diffusion of a CrRu underlayer into a FePt magnetic layer and the magnetic dead layer on the TiN layer was negligible. Compared with an FePt film grown on a MgO intermediate layer, FePt film grown on a TiN interlayer exhibited very high out-of-plane coercivity and very narrow opening-up of in-plane hysteresis loop. With doping 40 vol. % SiNx in FePt film the grain size was reduced to 5.5 nm and the magnetic properties, such as high out-of-plane coercivity and line-like in-plane hysteresis loop, were retained.