bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and Application of Peptide-Based Radiopharmaceuticals
Authors: Dijkgraaf Ingrid , Boerman Otto C. , Oyen Wim J.G. , Corstens Frans H.M. , Gotthardt Martin
Published: November 2012

During the past decade, radiolabeled receptor-binding peptides have emerged as an important class of radiopharmaceuticals for tumor diagnosis and therapy. The specific receptor binding property of the ligand can be exploited by labeling the ligand with a radionuclide and using the radiolabeled ligand as a vehicle to guide the radioactivity to the tissues expressing a particular receptor. The concept of using radiolabeled receptor binding peptides to target receptor-expressing tissues in vivo has stimulated a large body of research in nuclear medicine. Receptor binding peptides labeled with gamma emitters (123I, 111In, 99mTc) can visualize receptor-expressing tissues, a technique referred to as peptide-receptor radionuclide imaging (PRRI). In addition, labeled with beta emitters (131I, 90Y, 188Re, 177Lu) these peptides have the potential to irradiate receptor-expressing tissues, an approach referred to as peptide-receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). The first and most succesful imaging agent to date is the somatostatin analog octreotide. It is used for somatostatin receptor scintigraphy and PRRT of neuroendocrine tumors. Other peptides such as Minigastrin, GLP-1, CCK, bombesin, substance P, neurotensin, and RGD peptides are currently under development or undergoing clinical trials. In this review, an overview of the criteria of peptide ligand development, the selection of radioisotopes, labeling methods, and chemical aspects of radiopeptide synthesis is given. In addition, the current state of clinical use of radiopeptides for diagnosis and therapy of tumors is discussed.
Pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine as a Scaffold for the Design and Synthesis of Anti- Tumour Drugs
Authors: Cipolla Laura , Araujo Ana C. , Airoldi Cristina , Bini Davide
Published: November 2012

Compounds that bind in the minor groove of DNA have found use in the experimental treatment of cancer and certain infectious diseases. Furthermore, agents which target and can recognize discrete sequences of DNA have the potential to offer selective therapies by modulating the activity of specific transcription factors or genes. For this reason, a number of sequence-selective DNA binding agents have been evaluated with a range of affinities and recognition fidelities. In this respect, the pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepines (PBDs) are of interest as they bind to guanine residues in the minor groove with a preference for Pu-G-Pu sequences. A dramatic increase in cytotoxicity and sequence selectivity has been achieved by linking two PBD units to form PBD dimers as cross-linking agents on opposite DNA strands (e.g., interstrand cross-links). SJG-136 is currently undergoing Phase I evaluation in both the United States (through the NCI) and United Kingdom (through Cancer Research United Kingdom). This review will focus on design, synthesis and structure activity relationship studies of pyrrolobenzodiazepines as anticancer therapeutics reported since 2003.
Copper Complexes as Anticancer Agents
Authors: Marzano Cristina , Pellei Maura , Tisato Francesco , Santini Carlo
Published: November 2012

Metal-based antitumor drugs play a relevant role in antiblastic chemotherapy. Cisplatin is regarded as one of the most effective drugs, even if severe toxicities and drug resistance phenomena limit its clinical use. Therefore, in recent years there has been a rapid expansion in research and development of novel metal-based anticancer drugs to improve clinical effectiveness, to reduce general toxicity and to broaden the spectrum of activity. The variety of metal ion functions in biology has stimulated the development of new metallodrugs other than Pt drugs with the aim to obtain compounds acting via alternative mechanisms of action. Among non-Pt compounds, copper complexes are potentially attractive as anticancer agents. Actually, since many years a lot of researches have actively investigated copper compounds based on the assumption proposal that endogenous metals may be less toxic. It has been established that the properties of copper-coordinated compounds are largely determined by the nature of ligands and donor atoms bound to the metal ion. In this review, the most remarkable achievements in the design and development of copper(I, II) complexes as antitumor agents are discussed. Special emphasis has been focused on the identification of structure-activity relationships for the different classes of copper(I,II) complexes. This work was motivated by the observation that no comprehensive surveys of copper complexes as anticancer agents were available in the literature. Moreover, up to now, despite the enormous efforts in synthesizing different classes of copper complexes, very few data concerning the molecular basis of the mechanisms underlying their antitumor activity are available. This overview, collecting the most significant strategies adopted in the last ten years to design promising anticancer copper( I,II) compounds, would be a help to the researchers working in this field.
Quercetin and Its Derivatives: Synthesis, Pharmacological Uses with Special Emphasis on Anti-Tumor Properties and Prodrug with Enhanced Bio-Availability
Authors: Hirpara Ketan V. , Aggarwal Pawan , Mukherjee Amrita J. , Joshi Narendra , Burman Anand C.
Published: November 2012

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. American Cancer Society reported 12 million new cases of malignancy diagnosed worldwide in 2007, with 7.6 million people dying from the disease. Plant-derived molecules have played an important role in cancer chemotherapy. Many cytotoxic plant-derived molecules such as vinblastine, vincristine, navelbine, etoposide, teniposide, taxol, taxotere, topotecan and irinotecan have been approved as anticancer drugs. Flavonoids, a plant-derived molecule has shown to regulate proliferation and cell death pathways leading to cancer. Some Flavonoids have already entered in clinical trials, among them Quercetin is emerging as prospective anticancer drug candidates and its prodrug QC12 has entered in phase-I clinical studies. In this review authors have tried to cover in brief but comprehensive way, the chemistry related to synthesis and uses of “Quercetin & its derivatives” with special emphasis on the anticancer properties.
Role of Oxygen in Cancer: Looking Beyond Hypoxia
Authors: Lopez-Lazaro Miguel
Published: November 2012

Although cancer is considered to be a disease caused by DNA alterations, the high genetic variability of tumor cells makes it difficult to exploit these alterations for the treatment of cancer. The influence of non-genetic factors on cancer is increasingly being acknowledged and a growing line of research suggests that hypoxia (a decrease in normal oxygen levels) may play a fundamental role in the development of this disease. This line of research is supported by the fact that tumors often have hypoxic areas, that hypoxia activates the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) and that HIF-1 activation plays a key role in cancer development. Evidence suggests, however, that the idea of hypoxia playing a central role in cancer development has some drawbacks. For instance, hypoxia has not been found in many tumors, HIF-1 activation has been observed in non-hypoxic tumor areas, and hypoxic tumor cells commonly have a reduced nutrient supply that restricts cell proliferation and tumor growth. This article reviews the literature that does not support the idea of hypoxia playing a central role in cancer development and discusses a broader view in which the role of oxygen in cancer is not limited to a reduction in its normal levels. According to this novel view, a deviation of the oxygen metabolism from the pathway that generates energy to the pathway that produces reactive oxygen species is crucial for cancer development. Interestingly, this switch in oxygen metabolism occurs under both hypoxic and normoxic conditions and may be exploited therapeutically.
Potential of Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators as Treatments and Preventives of Breast Cancer
Authors: Peng Jing , Sengupta Surojeet , Jordan V. Craig
Published: November 2012

Estrogen plays vital roles in human health and diseases. Estrogen mediates its actions almost entirely by binding to estrogen receptors (ER), alpha and beta which further function as transcription factors. Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) are synthetic molecules which bind to ER and can modulate its transcriptional capabilities in different ways in diverse estrogen target tissues. Tamoxifen, the prototypical SERM, is extensively used for targeted therapy of ER positive breast cancers and is also approved as the first chemo-preventive agent for lowering breast cancer incidence in high risk women. The therapeutic and preventive efficacy of tamoxifen was initially proven by series of experiments in the laboratory which laid the foundation of its clinical use. Unfortunately, use of tamoxifen is associated with de-novo and acquired resistance and some undesirable side effects. The molecular study of the resistance provides an opportunity to precisely understand the mechanism of SERM action which may further help in designing new and improved SERMs. Recent clinical studies reveal that another SERM, raloxifene, which is primarily used to treat post-menopausal osteoporosis, is as efficient as tamoxifen in preventing breast cancers with fewer side effects. Overall, these findings open a new horizon for SERMs as a class of drug which not only can be used for therapeutic and preventive purposes of breast cancers but also for various other diseases and disorders. Major efforts are therefore directed to make new SERMs with a better therapeutic profile and fewer side effects.
Archaeological Prospection of the Hatfield Site, a Monongahela Tradition Village in Washingon County, Pennsylvania
Authors: Espino Jason , Dam Seth Van , Brown Ashley
Published: November 2012

An archaeological prospection survey was undertaken at the Hatfield site in November 2011. In total, 28 subsurface anomalies were identified through magnetic susceptibility, magnetic gradient, and ground-penetrating radar methods. Several of the anomalies resulted from modern activities at the site, including agricultural plowing and previous archaeological excavations. However, a number possibly represent prehistoric cultural remains pertaining to a Monongahela tradition component at the Hatfield site, including two pit features, six dwellings, and a house ring zone. The size and arrangement of dwellings as well as the spatial layout of the house ring is consistent with most known Monongahela tradition villages. If the anomalies indeed represent a section of a village, it would encompass an estimated area of 0.69 to 0.92 ha. In addition, a composite anomaly to the south of the Hatfield site may represent a second village covering an area of 0.1 ha.
No Correlation between Plasma NMDA-Related Glutamatergic Amino Acid Levels and Cognitive Function in Medicated Patients with Schizophrenia
Authors: Ohnuma Tohru , Sakai Yoshie , Maeshima Hitoshi , Higa Motoyuki , Hanzawa Ryo , Kitazawa Maiko , Hotta Yuri , Katsuta Narimasa , Takebayashi Yuto , Shibata Nobuto , Arai Heii
Published: November 2012

Objective:

Disrupted glutamatergic neurotransmission and cognitive functions are key components in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Changes in levels of serum/plasma glutamatergic amino acids, such as glutamate, glycine, and L- and D-serine may be possible clinical markers. Following our recent findings that peripheral blood levels of endogenous glycine, alanine, and especially D-serine may reflect the degree/change in symptoms in schizophrenia, here we investigated whether these plasma amino acid levels may also reflect the status of cognitive functions in schizophrenia.

Methods:

One hundred eight Japanese patients with schizophrenia were evaluated with cognitive assessment batteries at the time that plasma glutamatergic amino acid levels were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. For analyzing cognitive functions, batteries for reflection prefrontal cortex cognitive functions, verbal fluency tests, the Stroop test, and the digit span forward and backward tests were administered.

Results:

Results failed to show a relationship between any plasma glutamatergic amino acid level and cognitive batteries.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that plasma glutamatergic amino acid levels may be significant biological markers that reflect the condition or a dramatic change at the time of testing, especially in severely affected patients, but they do not reflect cognitive function.
Spirituality and Religion in Outpatients with Schizophrenia: A Multi-Site Comparative Study of Switzerland, Canada, and the United States
Authors: Mohr Sylvia , Borras Laurence , Nolan Jennifer , Gillieron Christiane , Brandt Pierre-Yves , Eytan Ariel , Leclerc Claude , Perroud Nader , Whetten Kathryn , Pieper Carl , Koenig Harold G. , Huguelet Philippe
Published: November 2012

Objective:

To assess the importance of spirituality and religious coping among outpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder living in three countries.

Method:

A total of 276 outpatients (92 from Geneva, Switzerland, 121 from Trois-Rivières, Canada, and 63 from Durham, North Carolina), aged 18–65, were administered a semi-structured interview on the role of spirituality and religiousness in their lives and to cope with their illness.

Results:

Religion is important for outpatients in each of the three country sites, and religious involvement is higher than in the general population. Religion was helpful (i.e., provided a positive sense of self and positive coping with the illness) among 87% of the participants and harmful (a source of despair and suffering) among 13%. Helpful religion was associated with better social, clinical and psychological status. The opposite was observed for the harmful aspects of religion. In addition, religion sometimes conflicted with psychiatric treatment.

Conclusions:

These results indicate that outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder often use spirituality and religion to cope with their illness, basically positively, yet sometimes negatively. These results underscore the importance of clinicians taking into account the spiritual and religious lives of patients with schizophrenia.
Temporal Relationships of Emotional Avoidance in a Patient with Anorexia Nervosa—A Time Series Analysis
Authors: Stroe-Kunold Esther , Wesche Daniela , Friederich Hans-Christoph , Herzog Wolfgang , Zastrow Arne , Wild Beate
Published: November 2012

Objective:

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious eating disorder marked by self-induced underweight. In patients with AN, the avoidance of emotions appears to be a central feature that is reinforced during the acute state of the disorder. This single case study investigated the role of emotional avoidance of a 25-year-old patient with AN during her inpatient treatment.

Method:

Throughout the course of 96 days, the patient answered questions daily about her emotional avoidance, pro-anorectic beliefs, perfectionism, and further variables on an electronic diary. The patient's daily self-assessment of emotional avoidance was described in terms of mean value, range, and variability for the various treatment phases. Temporal relationships between emotional avoidance and further variables were determined using a time series approach (vector autoregressive (VAR) modelling).

Results:

Diary data reflect that the patient's ability to tolerate unpleasant emotions appeared to undergo a process of change during inpatient treatment. Results of the time series analysis indicate that the more the patient was able to deal with negative emotions on any one day ( t—1), the less she would be socially avoidant, cognitively confined to food and eating, as well as feeling less secure with her AN, and less depressive on the following day (t).

Conclusions:

The findings show that for this patient emotional avoidance plays a central role in the interacting system of various psychosocial variables. Replication of these results in other patients with AN would support the recommendation to focus more on emotional regulation in the treatment of AN.
Psychiatric Morbidity as a Risk Factor for Hospital Readmission for Acute Myocardial Infarction: An 8-Year Follow-up Study in Spain
Authors: Andrés Eva , García-Campayo Javier , Magán Purificación , Barredo Elena , Cordero Alberto , León Montserrat , Botaya Rosa Magallón , García-Ortiz Luis , Gómez Manuel , Alegría Eduardo , Casasnovas José A.
Published: November 2012

Background and Objective:

Most previous studies assess the effect of depression and other psychiatric variables as risk factors for acute myocardial infarction; however, studies that assess the effect of psychiatric disorders as a whole are scarce, compared with other non-psychiatric factors. The aim of this study is to assess the importance of psychiatric morbidity, compared with other risk factors, in hospital readmission for acute myocardial infarction.

Methods:

This is a 8-year follow-up study in which the Hospital Discharge Administrative Database was used.

Results:

From the total sample (11,062 patients), 590 patients (4.88%) were diagnosed with some mental disorder. Psychiatric disorders were more common in women than in men with myocardial infarction (4.76 % and 6.20%, respectively, p-value = 0.002). For those who have had recurrence of stroke, mental disease influences in the consecutive readmission for AMI with the same severity as did tobacco, diabetes, or obesity.

Conclusions:

The main finding of this study is the enormous impact of psychiatric disorders on readmissions for AMI, comparable to diabetes, obesity, cerebral vascular disease, and hypertension. Interestingly, the efforts made to treat and prevent psychiatric disorders in AMI patients are clearly lower than those health authorities make with respect to classic risk factors.
Narcissists as Consumers: The Effects of Perceived Scarcity on Processing of Product Information
Authors: Lee Seung Yun , Seidle Russell
Published: November 2012

We examined how narcissists engage in information processing in a scarcity-related purchase situation. We proposed that narcissists would engage in purchase-related information processing in a way consistent with their conception of themselves as unique and distinctive and would tend
to have a strong preference for scarce products that impart unique value. We also predicted that narcissists would tend to purchase scarce products without undertaking deliberate information processing regarding utilitarian product characteristics. We found that narcissists have a stronger
preference for scarce products when compared to their non-narcissistic counterparts and that narcissists tend to purchase scarce products without engaging in deliberate information processing regarding utilitarian product characteristics.
Interaction Effects of the Three Commitment Components on Customer Loyalty Behaviors
Authors: Hur Won-Moo , Kang Seongho
Published: November 2012

In this study we examined the relationships among affective, normative, and continuance customer commitment and customer loyalty behaviors of service retention, word of mouth, and willingness to pay. The sample consisted of 427 university students and employees in the manufacturing
or retail sectors in South Korea who were mobile service users. Our findings confirmed that each of the 3 customer commitment components had an influence on loyalty behaviors, but for each of the components the influence differed. In addition, significant 2-way and 3-way interactions were
found for loyalty behaviors. We discuss the implications of these findings for commitment management strategy as it relates to types of loyalty behaviors.
Perceptions of Nonheterosexuality Among Future Muslim Counseling Psychologists
Authors: Bekirogullari Zafer
Published: November 2012

In this study, I investigated perceptions of nonheterosexuality among Muslim counseling psychology students. Data were collected using semistructured interviews that included 8 open- and closed-ended questions. The sample of 76 female and 65 male students (N = 141) were in their
final year of study in counseling psychology departments in Northern Cyprus. It was found that Muslim counseling psychology students' knowledge of the sexual orientation, lifestyle, and psychological needs of nonheterosexual individuals tended to be biased and incorrect. The attitudes of Muslim
participants who were highly or very highly religious differed from those who were nonreligious or marginally religious.
Frankenstein and the Mute Figure of Melodrama
Authors: Raub Emma
Published: November 2012

ABSTRACT:

In 1823, Richard Brinsley Peake, a forgotten “hack” playwright, adapted Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for the melodramatic stage and produced the image of the monster that has dominated since. Presumption; or, The Fate of Frankenstein and its lead actor, T.P. Cooke, introduced the convention of playing Shelley’s creature as an inarticulate beast. The few scholarly works on Presumption accuse Peake of merely silencing and thereby dehumanizing Shelley’s expressive creation. Yet the production radically reinterpreted the monster by way of the most sympathetic and articulate role of the melodramatic stage: the voiceless but virtuous mute. “Frankenstein and the Mute Figure of Melodrama” traces the way Presumption appropriates and adapts the conventions of melodramatic muteness. It shows how Peake physically constructed Shelley’s monster as both victim and villain, juxtaposing the creature’s innocence, expressed in mute gesture, with the inhumanity conveyed by Cooke’s makeup and costume, thus compelling nineteenth-century theatregoers to locate both within a single character. Such a conclusion suggests not only a radical re-evaluation of Peake’s engagement with Shelley: it implies as well a revised and much richer history, even at this early date, of the valence and operations of melodramatic muteness as well as the ostensible moral legibility of melodramatic drama.
Victorian Railway Accident and the Melodramatic Imagination
Authors: Smith Matthew Wilson
Published: November 2012

ABSTRACT:

A central crisis of representation in the Victorian period was this: how might one represent an ill that is not villainous but systemic? This article traces the ways in which several Victorians struggled to address that quandary during a brief period of paradigm shift: the middle years of the 1860s. The article’s first half explores ways in which the railway accident interrupted central conventions of melodrama. This section surveys editorial cartoonists, writers for Dickens’s journals Household Words and All the Year Round, volume one of Karl Marx’s Capital (1867), and Augustin Daly’s sensation drama Under the Gaslight (1867). The second half focuses on Dickens’s ghost story “No. 1 Branch Line. The Signal-Man.” Written a year after the Staplehurst disaster, the story gropes toward a new language for a traumatic condition, a language haunted by melodrama even as it moves beyond it.
Travel Demand and Charging Capacity for Electric Vehicles in Rural States
Authors: Aultman-Hall Lisa , Sears Justine , Dowds Jonathan , Hines Paul
Published: November 2012

As the number of electric vehicles (EVs) increases, planners must consider not only how this fuel switch may affect the electrical power infrastructure but also mobility. The suitability and charging requirements of these vehicles may differ in rural areas, where the electrical grid may be less robust and the number of miles driven higher. Although other studies have examined issues of regional power requirements of EVs, none has done so in conjunction with the spatial considerations of travel demand. For the forecast of both the future spatial distribution of EVs and the ability of these vehicles to meet current daily travel demand, this work used three data sets: the National Household Travel Survey, geocoded Vermont vehicle fleet data, and a geocoded data set of every building in the state. The authors considered spatial patterns in daily travel and home-based tours to identify optimal EV-charging locations and any area types that are unsuited for widespread electric vehicle adoption. Hybrid vehicles were found to be more likely to be adjacent to other hybrids than were conventional vehicles. This apparent clustering of current hybrid vehicles, in both urban and rural areas, suggests that the distribution of future EVs may also cluster. The analysis estimated that between 69% and 84% of the state's vehicles could be replaced by EVs with a 40-mi range, but that estimate was dependent on the availability of workplace charging. Problematic areas for EV adoption may be suburban areas, where both residential density (and potential clustering of hybrids) and miles driven are high. The results suggest that EVs are viable for rural mobility demand but require special consideration for power supply and vehicle-charging infrastructure.
How Public Education on Ecodriving Can Reduce Both Fuel Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Authors: Martin Elliot W. , Chan Nelson D. , Shaheen Susan A.
Published: November 2012

Ecodriving, the concept of changing driving behavior and vehicle maintenance to affect fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in existing vehicles, has recently gained prominence in North America. One ecodriving strategy involves public education with information disseminated on the Internet. This paper presents the results of a study conducted from June to December 2010 that assessed the effectiveness of static, web-based information on ecodriving with controlled stated responses from approximately 100 faculty, staff, and students at the University of California, Berkeley. A comparison of the experimental and control groups revealed that exposure to ecodriving information influenced people's driving behavior and maintenance practices. The experimental group's distributional shift in behavior was statistically significant, particularly for key practices, including lower highway cruising speed, adjustment of driving behavior, and proper tire inflation. Within the experimental group (N = 51), only 16% of respondents significantly changed their maintenance practices whereas 71% altered some driving practices; these data suggest that intentional alteration of driving behavior is easier than is planning better maintenance practices. A comparison of before-and-after surveys revealed that 57% of the experimental group improved their ecodriving behavior and that 43% made no change or worsened. Key characteristics of the drivers who improved included being female, living in smaller households, and owning a newer car with higher fuel economy. Although it was evident that not everyone modified behavior as a result of reviewing the website, even small shifts in behavior attributable to inexpensive dissemination of information could be deemed cost-effective in reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
Some thing, some one, some ghost (about the fires of writing)
Authors: Wood Sarah
Published: November 2012

This essay addresses the relation between ghosts and the fires of writing. It allows itself to dream of purely burning, of consuming and leaving behind all objects, topics and occasions in an absolutely concrete, singular, sensational experience of reading. It is written to and for ghosts – the only ones who can survive in the blazing building that writing can become. The ghosts live in burning house scenes, in poems about dream rooms and erotic hauntings, and in the intellectual tension of literary and non-literary texts. They have something to do with the fires of sexuality, and the intensities of sublimation. It is all about love and death.
The Art of Everyday Haunting
Authors: Coughlan David
Published: November 2012

The question of where ghosts live can hardly be addressed without speaking of a haunted house. This essay reads Don DeLillo's novel The Body Artist, in which there is a ghost called Mr. Tuttle who haunts the house of Lauren Hartke, the body artist, as a text grafted onto Jacques Derrida's Dissemination. The essay takes as its starting point the first words spoken in DeLillo's text, ‘I want to say something but what’, a quasi-question directed to Lauren by her husband Rey, in order to ask if it can ever be said what lies on the other side of ‘what’, or if it remains forever unknowable, or unheard, at an ‘infinite remove’, even if it is one's self.

It is Rey's suicide, and Lauren's subsequent work of mourning, which locates DeLillo's phrase within the context of Derrida's efforts, again and again, to give words to those whose voices are absent: the lost friend, the other self, the dead. To Lauren's question, ‘What am I supposed to say?’ Derrida replies, ‘Speaking is impossible, but so too would be silence or absence’. Through the ghostly form of Mr. Tuttle, DeLillo's work tells of the various mimetisms by which the silent speaker is heard and remembered.
Finite Element Quadrature of Regularized Discontinuous and Singular Level Set Functions in 3D Problems
Authors: Benvenuti Elena , Ventura Giulio , Ponara Nicola
Published: November 2012

Regularized Heaviside and Dirac delta function are used in several fields of computational physics and mechanics. Hence the issue of the quadrature of integrals of discontinuous and singular functions arises. In order to avoid ad-hoc quadrature procedures, regularization of the discontinuous and the singular fields is often carried out. In particular, weight functions of the signed distance with respect to the discontinuity interface are exploited. Tornberg and Engquist (Journal of Scientific Computing, 2003, 19: 527–552) proved that the use of compact support weight function is not suitable because it leads to errors that do not vanish for decreasing mesh size. They proposed the adoption of non-compact support weight functions. In the present contribution, the relationship between the Fourier transform of the weight functions and the accuracy of the regularization procedure is exploited. The proposed regularized approach was implemented in the eXtended Finite Element Method. As a three-dimensional example, we study a slender solid characterized by an inclined interface across which the displacement is discontinuous. The accuracy is evaluated for varying position of the discontinuity interfaces with respect to the underlying mesh. A procedure for the choice of the regularization parameters is proposed.
Strain Measurements within Fibreboard. Part III: Analyzing the Process Zone at the Crack Tip of Medium Density Fiberboards (MDF) Double Cantilever I-Beam Specimens
Authors: Rathke Jörn , Müller Ulrich , Konnerth Johannes , Sinn Gerhard
Published: November 2012

This paper is the third part of a study dealing with the mechanical and fracture mechanical characterization of Medium Density Fiberboards (MDF). In the first part, an analysis of internal bond strength testing was performed and in the second part MDF was analyzed by means of the wedge splitting experiment; this part deals with the double cantilever I beam test, which is designed for measuring the fracture energy as well as stress intensity factor in Mode I. For a comparison of isotropic and orthotropic material behavior, finite element modeling was performed. In addition to the calculation of fracture energy the stress intensity factor was analyzed by means of finite elements simulation and calculation. In order to analyze strain deformations and the process zone, electronic speckle pattern interferometry measurements were performed. The results revealed an elongated process zone and lower results for KIC if compared to the wedge splitting experiment. The Gf numbers are higher compared to the wedge splitting results and can be explained by the thicker process zone formed during the crack propagation. The process zone width on its part is influenced by the stiff reinforcements and yields a similar crack surface as with the internal bond test.
Challenges in the Development of Functional Assays of Membrane Proteins
Authors: Tiefenauer Louis , Demarche Sophie
Published: November 2012

Lipid bilayers are natural barriers of biological cells and cellular compartments. Membrane proteins integrated in biological membranes enable vital cell functions such as signal transduction and the transport of ions or small molecules. In order to determine the activity of a protein of interest at defined conditions, the membrane protein has to be integrated into artificial lipid bilayers immobilized on a surface. For the fabrication of such biosensors expertise is required in material science, surface and analytical chemistry, molecular biology and biotechnology. Specifically, techniques are needed for structuring surfaces in the micro- and nanometer scale, chemical modification and analysis, lipid bilayer formation, protein expression, purification and solubilization, and most importantly, protein integration into engineered lipid bilayers. Electrochemical and optical methods are suitable to detect membrane activity-related signals. The importance of structural knowledge to understand membrane protein function is obvious. Presently only a few structures of membrane proteins are solved at atomic resolution. Functional assays together with known structures of individual membrane proteins will contribute to a better understanding of vital biological processes occurring at biological membranes. Such assays will be utilized in the discovery of drugs, since membrane proteins are major drug targets.
Radioiodination of Aryl-Alkyl Cyclic Sulfates
Authors: Mushti Chandra , Papisov Mikhail I.
Published: November 2012

Among the currently available positron emitters suitable for Positron Emission Tomography (PET), 124I has the longest physical half-life (4.2 days). The long half-life and well-investigated behavior of iodine in vivo makes 124I very attractive for pharmacological studies. In this communication, we describe a simple yet effective method for the synthesis of novel 124I labeled compounds intended for PET imaging of arylsulfatase activity in vivo. Arylsulfatases have important biological functions, and genetic deficiencies of such functions require pharmacological replacement, the efficacy of which must be properly and non-invasively evaluated. These enzymes, even though their natural substrates are mostly of aliphatic nature, hydrolyze phenolic sulfates to phenol and sulfuric acid. The availability of [124I]iodinated substrates is expected to provide a PET-based method for measuring their activity in vivo. The currently available methods of synthesis of iodinated arylsulfates usually require either introducing of a protected sulfate ester early in the synthesis or introduction of sulfate group at the end of synthesis in a separate step. The described method gives the desired product in one step from an aryl-alkyl cyclic sulfate. When treated with iodide, the source cyclic sulfate opens with substitution of iodide at the alkyl center and gives the desired arylsulfate monoester.
Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) in Preclinical Studies of Antivascular Treatments
Authors: Nielsen Thomas , Wittenborn Thomas , Horsman Michael
Published: November 2012

Antivascular treatments can either be antiangiogenic or targeting established tumour vasculature. These treatments affect the tumour microvasculature and microenvironment but may not change clinical measures like tumour volume and growth. In research on antivascular treatments, information on the tumour vasculature is therefore essential. Preclinical research is often used for optimization of antivascular drugs alone or in combined treatments. Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) is an in vivo imaging method providing vascular information, which has become an important tool in both preclinical and clinical research. This review discusses common DCE-MRI imaging protocols and analysis methods and provides an overview of preclinical research on antivascular treatments utilizing DCE-MRI.
A Large Scale Code Resolution Service Network in the Internet of Things
Authors: Yu Haining , Zhang Hongli , Fang Binxing , Yu Xiangzhan
Published: November 2012

In the Internet of Things a code resolution service provides a discovery mechanism for a requester to obtain the information resources associated with a particular product code immediately. In large scale application scenarios a code resolution service faces some serious issues involving heterogeneity, big data and data ownership. A code resolution service network is required to address these issues. Firstly, a list of requirements for the network architecture and code resolution services is proposed. Secondly, in order to eliminate code resolution conflicts and code resolution overloads, a code structure is presented to create a uniform namespace for code resolution records. Thirdly, we propose a loosely coupled distributed network consisting of heterogeneous, independent; collaborating code resolution services and a SkipNet based code resolution service named SkipNet-OCRS, which not only inherits DHT’s advantages, but also supports administrative control and autonomy. For the external behaviors of SkipNet-OCRS, a novel external behavior mode named QRRA mode is proposed to enhance security and reduce requester complexity. For the internal behaviors of SkipNet-OCRS, an improved query algorithm is proposed to increase query efficiency. It is analyzed that integrating SkipNet-OCRS into our resolution service network can meet our proposed requirements. Finally, simulation experiments verify the excellent performance of SkipNet-OCRS.
Emerging Opportunities for Serotypes of Botulinum Neurotoxins
Authors: Peng Chen Zhongxing , Morris J. Glenn , Rodriguez Ramon L. , Shukla Aparna Wagle , Tapia-Núñez John , Okun Michael S.
Published: November 2012

Background: Two decades ago, botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) type A was introduced to the commercial market. Subsequently, the toxin was approved by the FDA to address several neurological syndromes, involving muscle, nerve, and gland hyperactivity. These syndromes have typically been associated with abnormalities in cholinergic transmission. Despite the multiplicity of botulinal serotypes (designated as types A through G), therapeutic preparations are currently only available for BoNT types A and B. However, other BoNT serotypes are under study for possible clinical use and new clinical indications; Objective: To review the current research on botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A-G, and to analyze potential applications within basic science and clinical settings; Conclusions: The increasing understanding of botulinal neurotoxin pathophysiology, including the neurotoxin’s effects on specific neuronal populations, will help us in tailoring treatments for specific diagnoses, symptoms and patients. Scientists and clinicians should be aware of the full range of available data involving neurotoxin subtypes A-G.
Sharka: The Past, The Present and The Future
Authors: Sochor Jiri , Babula Petr , Adam Vojtech , Krska Boris , Kizek Rene
Published: November 2012

Members the Potyviridae family belong to a group of plant viruses that are causing devastating plant diseases with a significant impact on agronomy and economics. Plum pox virus (PPV), as a causative agent of sharka disease, is widely discussed. The understanding of the molecular biology of potyviruses including PPV and the function of individual proteins as products of genome expression are quite necessary for the proposal the new antiviral strategies. This review brings to view the members of Potyviridae family with respect to plum pox virus. The genome of potyviruses is discussed with respect to protein products of its expression and their function. Plum pox virus distribution, genome organization, transmission and biochemical changes in infected plants are introduced. In addition, techniques used in PPV detection are accentuated and discussed, especially with respect to new modern techniques of nucleic acids isolation, based on the nanotechnological approach. Finally, perspectives on the future of possibilities for nanotechnology application in PPV determination/identification are outlined.
The leaf‐area shrinkage effect can bias paleoclimate and ecology research
Authors: Blonder Benjamin , Buzzard Vanessa , Simova Irena , Sloat Lindsey , Boyle Brad , Lipson Rebecca , Aguilar‐Beaucage Brianna , Andrade Angelina , Barber Benjamin , Barnes Chris , Bushey Dharma , Cartagena Paulina , Chaney Max , Contreras Karina , Cox Mandarava , Cueto Maya , Curtis Cannon , Fisher Mariah , Furst Lindsey , Gallegos Jessica , Hall Ruby , Hauschild Amelia , Jerez Alex , Jones Nadja , Klucas Aaron , Kono Anita , Lamb Mary , Matthai Jacob David Ruiz , McIntyre Colten , McKenna Joshua , Mosier Nicholas , Navabi Maya , Ochoa Alex , Pace Liam , Plassmann Ryland , Richter Rachel , Russakoff Ben , Aubyn Holden St. , Stagg Ryan , Sterner Marley , Stewart Emily , Thompson Ting Ting , Thornton Jake , Trujillo Parker J. , Volpe Trevor J. , Enquist Brian J.
Published: November 2012

• Premise of the Study: Leaf area is a key trait that links plant form, function, and environment. Measures of leaf area can be biased because leaf area is often estimated from dried or fossilized specimens that have shrunk by an unknown amount. We tested the common assumption that this shrinkage is negligible.

• Methods: We measured shrinkage by comparing dry and fresh leaf area in 3401 leaves of 380 temperate and tropical species and used phylogenetic and trait‐based approaches to determine predictors of this shrinkage. We also tested the effects of rehydration and simulated fossilization on shrinkage in four species.

• Key Results: We found that dried leaves shrink in area by an average of 22% and a maximum of 82%. Shrinkage in dried leaves can be predicted by multiple morphological traits with a standard deviation of 7.8%. We also found that mud burial, a proxy for compression fossilization, caused negligible shrinkage, and that rehydration, a potential treatment of dried herbarium specimens, eliminated shrinkage.

• Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the amount of shrinkage is driven by variation in leaf area, leaf thickness, evergreenness, and woodiness and can be reversed by rehydration. The amount of shrinkage may also be a useful trait related to ecologically and physiological differences in drought tolerance and plant life history.
Alkenes from β-lithiooxyphosphonium ylides generated by trapping α-lithiated terminal epoxides with triphenylphosphine
Authors: Hodgson David M , Persaud Rosanne S D
Published: November 2012

Terminal epoxides undergo lithium 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidide-induced α-lithiation and subsequent interception with Ph3P to provide a new and direct entry to β-lithiooxyphosphonium ylides. The intermediacy of such an ylide is demonstrated by representative alkene-forming reactions with chloromethyl pivalate, benzaldehyde and CD3OD, giving a Z-allylic pivalate, a conjugated E-allylic alcohol and a partially deuterated terminal alkene, respectively, in modest yields.
The MyHealthCheckup Study: Training Graduate Students to Implement Cardiovascular Risk Screening Programs in Community Pharmacies
Authors: Banack Hailey R. , Grover Samuel , Kaouche Mohammed , Marchand Sylvie , Lowensteyn Ilka
Published: November 2012

Background:

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Despite this fact and the development of efective antihypertensive drug therapy, hypertension is often poorly controlled. Community pharmacies are an ideal site for the management of hypertension and other modifiable cardiovascular risk factors. The purpose of the current study was to develop and assess a pharmacy-based cardiovascular risk screening program implemented by graduate students.

Methods:

Four graduate students trained as health coaches screened a convenience sample of adults who were interested in cardiovascular risk assessment in 21 Montreal area pharmacies. On the screening day, we assessed cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure, used the Cardiovascular Life Expectancy Model, which includes cardiovascular age, to inform patients of their personalized risk profile, delivered an individualized health coaching intervention and conducted a participant satisfaction survey. This was followed by an individualized health coaching intervention. The intervention program was implemented by trained graduate students and supported by pharmacists.

Results:

Among the 238 patients who participated (57% female, mean age 60.6 years), 67% had a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg/m2, 52% had abdominal obesity, 58% reported insufficient physical activity and 14% were smokers. A total of 120 patients (51%) were taking antihypertensive medication, yet 63 (53%) had blood pressure readings above currently accepted targets. Higher BMI and physical inactivity were associated with increased rates of poorly controlled hypertension.

Conclusion:

The screening program identified individuals with modifiable cardiovascular risk factors and poorly controlled hypertension. The intervention program was well received by participants and the majority provided contact information for future cardiovascular screening clinics. These findings support the feasibility of screening programs run by graduate students in the pharmacy setting.
De la perte du pare-excitation de l'enveloppe psychique au renfort par l'enveloppe domicile : histoire clinique dans un dispositif d'had
Authors: Pager Romain
Published: November 2012

Résumé Nous proposons ici de considérer le domicile en tant qu’il constitue une enveloppe. Une analogie peut être faite entre les fonctions de l’enveloppe constituée par le domicile et les fonctions de l’enveloppe psychique. À travers le cas clinique de Madeleine, nous montrerons qu’un sujet psychotique peut, notamment au cours d’un épisode de décompensation marquée par une perte de l’efficacité de la fonction de pare-excitation de son enveloppe psychique, se mettre à agir, penser et ressentir comme si son domicile était réellement un élément de son enveloppe psychique. Dans tous les cas, il peut être utile, lors de la conduite d’entretiens à domicile, de prendre en compte l’usage que le patient fait de son enveloppe domicile dans sa relation au clinicien.
Deuil de la maladie, une identité qui vacille
Authors: Cascales Thomas , Baruteau Julien
Published: November 2012

Résumé Dans le cadre d’une consultation conjointe dans un hôpital pour enfants, un psychologue et un pédiatre rencontrent une famille au sein de laquelle une adolescente se voit invalider, au cours de sa prise en charge pédiatrique, un diagnostic de maladie génétique orpheline établi à sa naissance. À partir de cette expérience clinique, les auteurs proposent un point de vue en miroir qui souligne la similitude traumatique de l’annonce du diagnostic d’une maladie et de l’annonce de l’invalidation d’une maladie.
Perdre et se perdre : le travail analytique de groupe avec des patients psychotiques au long cours
Authors: Papathanasiou Evgenia , Toliou Anastasia
Published: November 2012

Résumé Cet article aborde la question de la perte sous l’angle de la prise en charge d’un groupe de patients psychotiques au long cours en institution psychiatrique. Nous observons que ces patients entretiennent un lien de dépendance extrême avec le cadre institutionnel. Comment soutenir le processus d’autonomisation ? Nous présenterons notre travail avec un groupe de psychothérapie analytique et nous décrirons une séance clinique pour illustrer nos réflexions sur la mobilisation psychique dans le fonctionnement psychotique en rapport avec l’expérience de la perte.