bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Willed Body Donor Interview project: Medical student and donor expectations
Authors: Bohl Michael , Holman Alexis , Mueller Dean A. , Gruppen Larry D. , Hildebrandt Sabine
Published: October 2012

The Anatomical Donations Program at the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) has begun a multiphase project wherein interviews of donors will be recorded and later shown to medical students who participate in the anatomical dissection course. The first phase of this project included surveys of both current UMMS medical students and donors concerning their perceptions of such a program. A five‐question survey administered via Qualtrics software was electronically mailed to all current medical students at UMMS, and a survey was mailed to registered and potential donors requesting information from the UMMS on anatomical donations. A total of 224 medical student responses (response rate 33%) and 54 donor responses (response rate 27%) were received. Seventy‐four percent of students and 81% of donors reported they would participate in this program if it existed. Students and donors supported the implementation of this program for varying reasons, though many felt strongly they would not want to participate in a donor interview program. These qualitative results support those of previous studies that show a majority of students desire a closer personal relationship with the donor, and these are the first results to be reported on donor perceptions of a donor interview program. Although many students and donors are in favor of instituting this program, others feel strongly that such an experience could be traumatic. The causes of these differing reactions need to be further explored, and the opinions of those who object to this study will be respected by maintaining voluntary participation in future phases of this study. Anat Sci Educ 6: 90–100. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.
Decision making for borderline cases in pass/fail clinical anatomy courses: The practical value of the standard error of measurement and likelihood ratio in a diagnostic test
Authors: Severo Milton , Silva‐Pereira Fernanda , Ferreira Maria Amélia
Published: October 2012

Several studies have shown that the standard error of measurement (SEM) can be used as an additional “safety net” to reduce the frequency of false‐positive or false‐negative student grading classifications. Practical examinations in clinical anatomy are often used as diagnostic tests to admit students to course final examinations. The aim of this study was to explore the diagnostic value of SEM using the likelihood ratio (LR) in establishing decisions about students with practical examination scores at or below the pass/fail cutoff score in a clinical anatomy course. Two hundred sixty‐seven students took three clinical anatomy practical examinations in 2011. The students were asked to identify 40 anatomical structures in images and prosected specimens in the practical examination. Practical examination scores were then divided according to the following cutoff scores: 2, 1 SEM below, and 0, 1, 2 SEM above the pass score. The positive predictive value (+PV) and LR of passing the final examination were estimated for each category to explore the diagnostic value of practical examination scores. The +PV (LR) in the six categories defined by the SEM was 39.1% (0.08), 70.0% (0.30), 88.9% (1.04), 91.7% (1.43), 95.8% (3.00), and 97.8% (5.74), respectively. The LR of categories 2 SEM above/below the pass score generated a moderate/large shift in the pre‐ to post‐test probability of passing. The LR increased the usefulness and practical value of SEM by improving confidence in decisions about the progress of students with borderline scores 2 SEM above/below the pass score in practical examinations in clinical anatomy courses. Anat Sci Educ. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.
Delayed Reversal Learning and Association With Repetitive Behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: South Mikle , Newton Tiffani , Chamberlain Paul D.
Published: October 2012

An important aspect of successful emotion regulation is the ability to adjust emotional responses to changing environmental cues. Difficulties with such adaptation may underlie both marked symptoms of behavioral inflexibility and frequent severe anxiety in the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Thirty children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD and 29 age‐ and intelligence quotient‐matched controls completed a reversal learning paradigm following partial reinforcement Pavlovian fear conditioning, using a surprising air puff as the unconditioned stimulus. After initial reversal of cue contingencies, where a previously safe cue now predicted the air puff threat, the control group but not the ASD group responded more strongly to the new threat cue. The ASD group showed evidence for reversal learning only during later trials. Reversal learning in the ASD group was significantly negatively correlated with everyday symptoms of behavioral inflexibility but not with everyday anxiety. Understanding shared associations between inflexibility, anxiety, and autism, with regard both to clinical symptoms and neurobiological mechanisms, can provide important markers for better characterizing the substantial heterogeneity across the autism spectrum. Autism Res 2012, 5: 398–406. © 2012 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of ketoconazole treatment on the pharmacokinetics of safinamide and its plasma metabolites in healthy adult subjects
Authors: Krösser Sonja , Marquet Anne , Gallemann Dieter , Wolna Peter , Fauchoux Nicolas , Hermann Robert , Johne Andreas
Published: October 2012

The purpose of this mechanistic drug interaction study was to investigate the effects of ketoconazole on the pharmacokinetics of safinamide. Ketoconazole was applied as a potent prototypic inhibitor of cytochrome CYP3A4, to determine the role of CYP3A4 in the metabolic clearance of safinamide. In an open‐label, randomized, two‐period, two‐sequence cross‐over study, 14 healthy adult subjects (7 males/7 females) received two single doses of 100 mg safinamide: alone and on top of multiple doses of ketoconazole (200 mg b.i.d.) given over 6 days. Serial blood samples were collected over 240 h post dose to quantify safinamide parent drug and metabolite concentrations for pharmacokinetic evaluation. Safinamide exposure was essentially unchanged when administered with and without ketoconazole: Cmax and AUC0‐∞ point estimates (90% CIs) for the treatment comparison were 106.6 (101.0; 112.4) and 112.9 (109.8; 116.03), respectively. Similarly, ketoconazole did not influence the formation and clearance of safinamide metabolites to a clinically relevant extent. Overall, the study shows that CYP3A4 plays a minor role in the metabolism of safinamide in vivo. Therefore, safinamide can be administered together with potent CYP3A4 inhibitors without any requirement for dose adjustment. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Wound healing in development
Authors: Lee Yun‐Shain , Wysocki Annette , Warburton David , Tuan Tai‐Lan
Published: October 2012

Wound healing is the inherent ability of an organism to protect itself against injuries. Cumulative evidence indicates that the healing process patterns in part embryonic morphogenesis and may result in either organ regeneration or scarring, phenomena that are developmental stage‐ or age‐dependent. Skin is the largest organ. Its morphogenesis and repair mechanisms have been studied extensively due not only to its anatomical location, which allows easy access and observation, but also to its captivating structure and vital function. Thus, this review will focus on using skin as a model organ to illustrate new insights into the mechanisms of wound healing that are developmentally regulated in mammals, with special emphasis on the role of the Wnt signaling pathway and its crosstalk with TGF‐β signaling. Relevant information from studies of other organs is discussed where it applies, and the clinical impact from such knowledge and emerging concepts on regenerative medicine are discussed in perspective. Birth Defects Research (Part C) 96:213–222, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Scalable Preparation Method for SILP and SCILL Ionic Liquid Thin‐Film Materials
Authors: Werner S. , Szesni N. , Kaiser M. , Haumann M. , Wasserscheid P.
Published: October 2012

Supported ionic liquid phase (SILP) catalysts consist of a homogeneous catalyst that is dissolved in an ionic liquid and dispersed on a porous support material. This immobilization technique yields solid catalysts that can be applied in continuous gas phase processes. Recently, several successful applications have been presented that could possibly lead to a commercialization of this promising class of novel materials. The state‐of‐the‐art preparation method uses an incipient wetness‐type impregnation of the support material by a solution of catalyst, ionic liquid, and a helper solvent, followed by subsequent removal of the helper solvent in vacuo. Typically, this removal is carried out in a rotary evaporator, thus being limited in batch size. Similarly, the so‐called supported catalysts with ionic liquid layer (SCILL) consist of an ionic liquid layer on top of a traditional heterogeneous catalyst, which can be prepared in a similar way. In this work, a novel preparation method for SILP catalysts is presented that is scalable for larger batches, as required for industrial use. Different types of support materials such as powders, spheres, agglomerates, and extrudates were successfully impregnated by the novel fluidized‐bed impregnation method and the distribution of the ionic liquid and catalyst was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy measurements.
Effects of ion exchange and calcinations on the structure and photocatalytic activity of hydrothermally prepared titanate nanotubes
Authors: Kim M. , Hwang S.‐H. , Lim S. K. , Kim S.
Published: October 2012

Titanate nanotubes (TiNTs) were prepared by alkaline hydrothermal processing. The TiNTs are thermodynamically unstable and easily transformed to the titania phase by heat or acid treatment. These phase transformations are affected by the preparation conditions. In this study, we investigated the effects of using the washing process to modify the sodium content of the TiNTs. After an alkaline hydrothermal process was used to prepare the TiNTs, the resulting suspensions were washed with weak acid solution and distilled water until the pH value of the wash solution reached approximately 1 or 7, and the products were identified as H‐TiNTs or Na‐TiNTs, respectively. The characteristics and photocatalytic activities of the H‐TiNTs and Na‐TiNTs were compared for various calcination temperatures. The H‐TiNTs were transformed completely to anatase‐type TiO2 by dehydration during calcination, while the crystallinity of the Na‐TiNTs increased with calcination temperature. However, the photocatalytic H2 production rates on calcined H‐TiNTs were much higher than on Na‐TiNTs, which could be attributed to the crystalline anatase phase.
Template effects on the morphology of ZnO via colloidal crystals with different functional groups
Authors: Fu Ming , Cui Jinfang , Yang Mei , Jiang Rong , He Dawei , Wang Yongsheng
Published: October 2012

ZnO is an important wide bandgap compound semiconducting material and exhibits a wide range of novel structures that can be grown by tuning the growth rates along its fast growth directions. Highly ordered macroporous materials by using colloidal crystal template method are of great interest in many fields including photonic crystals and catalysts. In this study, ZnO with highly ordered porous structure was deposited by different electrochemical method. Nanomeshes, inverse opal structures, and spherical/ellipsoidal particles with pore arrays are fabricated by the colloidal crystals with different functional groups. The template effects on the morphology of the macroporous structures for different surface groups are studied. All the nanomeshes grows along the {111} plane family by colloidal crystals without functional groups. Disordered arrangements of the nanomeshes are induced by colloidal crystals with hydroxyl groups. The inverse opal structures fabricated by template with carboxyl groups are smoother in surface.
Regulation of adiponectin secretion and expression by insulin and β‐agonists in rat
Authors: Li Gang , Cong Li , Chen Xiaoqing , Chen Ke , Li Fanghong , Zhao Allan Z.
Published: October 2012

The adipocytokines, including adiponectin, are important factors in the regulation of insulin sensitivity and carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. It is proved that concentrations of adiponectin are decreased in obesity, an insulin resistant state. The current study is to address potential mechanisms regulating adiponectin secretion and expression in vivo. To observe the regulation of adiponectin by fasting‐refeeding and β‐agonists, male Wistar rats were fasted for 18 h and allowed to refeed with/without a β3‐adrenergic receptor agonist infused into refeeding rats. We also investigated the effects of insulin clamp on adiponectin secretion and expression, including euglycemic–hyperinsulinemic clamp and hyperglycemic–hyperinsulinemic clamp. Plasma adiponectin levels were determined by radioimmunoassay. Using real‐time PCR assays, we analyzed the expression of adiponectin genes in rat primary adipocytes. Refeeding of 18‐h fasted rats increased plasma adiponectin concentration (∼2‐fold) and adipose tissue adiponectin expression (∼3‐fold), and these effects were mimicked by hyperinsulinemia in the absence of refeeding and completely blocked by administration of β‐agonists during refeeding. We conclude that (i) adiponectin secretion and expression are acutely regulated in vivo by nutritional status; (ii) in vivo, insulin and β‐agonists act directly at the adipocyte to regulate adiponectin secretion and expression.
Alternative visualization of SDS‐PAGE separated phosphoproteins by alizarin red S‐aluminum (III)‐appended complex
Authors: Wang Xu , Hwang Sun‐Young , Cong Wei‐Tao , Jin Li‐Tai , Choi Jung‐Kap
Published: October 2012

A novel fluorescence detection system using a chemosensor for phosphoprotein in gel electrophoretic analysis has been developed. The system employed the alizarin red S‐aluminum (III)‐appended complex as a fluorescent staining dye to perform the convenient and selective detection of phosphorylated proteins and total proteins in SDS‐PAGE, respectively. Therefore, a full and selective map of proteins can be achieved in the same process without resorting to other compatible detection methods. As low as 62.5 ng of α‐ (seven or eight phosphates) and β‐casein (five phosphates), 125 ng of ovalbumin (two phosphates), and κ‐casein (one phosphate) can be detected in approximately 135 min, with the linear responses of rigorous quantitation of changes over a 125–4000 ng range. As a result, alizarin red S‐aluminum (III) stain may provide a new choice for selective, economic, and convenient visualization of phosphoproteins.
Two iterative channel estimation algorithms in single‐input multiple‐output (SIMO) LTE systems
Authors: Liu Yang , Sezginer Serdar
Published: October 2012

Accurate channel estimation is a challenging problem in a long term evolution systems especially in highly selective channels. In this paper, two iterative channel estimation algorithms are proposed to efficiently estimate channels over the orthogonal frequency‐division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols containing pilot symbols. The first one is proposed based on a simple interpolation algorithm, named as simple iterative frequency interpolation (SIFI), and improves the system performances with low implementation complexity. The second one is derived from the traditional expectation maximisation (EM) algorithm in OFDM systems. In order to deal with the ‘null’ subcarriers in the guard band and make the algorithm converge, the truncated singular value decomposition method is integrated to truncated singular value decomposition expectation‐maximisation (TSVD‐EM). Both channel estimation algorithms are followed by a simple linear interpolation in time domain to obtain channel estimates over the whole subframe. Complexities of the proposed algorithms are also analysed and compared. Simulation results show that the SIFI algorithm outperforms the traditional interpolation method with a low complexity, and the TSVD‐EM algorithm approaches the best achievable performance with a reduced complexity.Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Discrete filter operators for large‐eddy simulation using high‐order spectral difference methods
Authors: Lodato Guido , Castonguay Patrice , Jameson Antony
Published: October 2012

The combination of a high‐order unstructured spectral difference (SD) spatial discretization scheme with sub‐grid scale (SGS) modeling for large‐eddy simulation is investigated with particular focus on the consistent implementation of a structural mixed model based on the scale similarity hypothesis. The difficult task of deriving a consistent formulation for the discrete filter within the SD element of arbitrary order led to the development of a new class of three‐dimensional constrained discrete filters. The discrete filters satisfy a set of selected criteria and are completely local within the SD element. Their weights can be automatically computed at run time from the number of solution points within each element and the expected filter cutoff length scale. The novel discrete filters can be applied to any SGS model involving explicit filtering and to a broad class of high‐order discontinuous finite element numerical schemes. The code is applied to the computation of turbulent channel flows at three Reynolds numbers, namely Reτ = 180, 395, and 590 (based on the friction velocity uτ and channel half‐width δ). Results from computations with and without the SGS model are compared against results from direct numerical simulation. The numerical experiments suggest that the results are sensitive to the use of the SGS model, even when a high‐order numerical scheme is used, especially when the grid resolution is kept relatively low and mostly in terms of resolved Reynolds stresses. Results obtained using existing filters based on the projection of the solution over lower‐order polynomial bases are also shown and demonstrate that these filters are inadequate for SGS modeling purposes, mostly because of their inability to enforce the selected cutoff length scale with sufficient accuracy. The use of the similarity mixed formulation proved to be particularly accurate in reproducing SGS interactions, confirming that its well‐known potential can be realized in conjunction with state‐of‐the‐art high‐order numerical schemes.Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Carbon–clay composite obtained from the decomposition of cellulose nanocrystals on the surface of expanded vermiculite
Authors: de Mesquita João P. , Reis Leonardo S. , Purceno Aluir D. , Donnici Claudio L. , Lago Rochel M. , Pereira Fabiano V.
Published: October 2012

Background

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are highly crystalline rod‐shaped nanoparticles, which can be obtained from different cellulose sources through acid hydrolysis. The nanometer size, morphology, facile preparation, and relatively low cost make these nanomaterials a new interesting candidate as precursor of biomass‐based carbon nanostructures.

Results

Cellulose nanocrystals were highly dispersed on the surface and in the internal layers of expanded vermiculite clay (EV) and thermally decomposed to form a carbon coating. SEM/EDS, TEM, IR, Raman, TGA and BET techniques showed the presence of nanostructures formed by films, agglomerates and spherical particles composed of amorphous and graphitic carbon throughout the EV surface.

Conclusion

The modified EV with carbon nanostructures produced a strongly hydrophobic porous material that can potentially be used to absorb oil in spilling accidents and emerging contaminants in water.© 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Assessment and profiling of the fatty acids in two ackee fruit (Blighia sapida Köenig) varieties during different ripening stages
Authors: Emanuel Machel A , Gutierrez‐Orozco Fabiola , Yahia Elhadi M , Benkeblia Noureddine
Published: October 2012

BACKGROUND: The ripening of fruits is characterized by physical, chemical and biochemical compositional changes such as color, sugars and phenolic compounds. Ackee fruit is famous in Jamaica and the Caribbean. This study aimed to assess the variation of fatty acids in two varieties (cheese and butter) ackee (Blighia sapida) fruits during five different ripening stages.

RESULTS: The total fatty acid content of ackee fruit was much higher in arils and ranged from 283.4 to 465.1 g kg−1 dry weight (DW), while in husk they ranged from 235.2 to 465.1 g kg−1 DW in both varieties. Total fatty acid content declined in the arils and the husks as the fruit ripened. Five major fatty acids were found: palmitic acid (C16:0) and stearic acid (C18:0), oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2) and linolenic acid (C18:3). In the arils, oleic acid was found at the highest concentration, followed by palmitic, stearic, linoleic and last linolenic acid. The unsaturated:saturated ratio of fatty acids varied from 1.23 to 3.26 in the arils of both varieties, and from 1.03 to 5.05 in the husk. Monounsaturated:polyunsaturated fatty acids ranged from 8.56 to 25.19 in the arils and from 0.62 to 2.33 in the husk.

CONCLUSION: The results show that ackee arils contain much higher levels of fats than the husk and the major fatty acid in the arils was oleic acid (Δ9‐cis‐oleic acid, an omega n‐9), while in the husk unsaturated fatty acids were higher than the saturated ones. Oleic acid was the major fatty acid in both varieties, and aril fatty acid content was 10–20 times higher than in the husk. In both varieties, unsaturated fatty acids were relatively higher than saturated ones; however, total fatty acids showed a decline with ripening for arils and husk tissues. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Changes in the physicochemical and sensory characteristics in raw and grilled ovine meat
Authors: Martínez‐Arellano Isadora , Severiano‐Pérez Patricia , Fernández Francisco José , Ponce‐Alquicira Edith
Published: October 2012

BACKGROUND

The effect of storage time on sensory attributes and physicochemical characteristics (pH, L*, a*, b* color parameters, protein solubility, Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF), texture profile analysis (TPA), proteolytic activity, moisture and peptide changes) were evaluated as indicators of ovine meat quality changes during refrigeration. Meat samples were stored for 14 days at 2 ± 1 °C. The samples were divided into two sections: one was analyzed raw and the other was grilled to 72 ± 2 °C prior to analysis. The data were examined using multivariate data analysis (principal component analysis).

RESULTS

Tenderness showed a positive relationship with pH (0.55), and brightness presented a high correlation with sarcoplasmic protein solubility (−0.83) and L* (0.85) in raw ovine meat. Variations during storage were observed; for instance, textural parameters had a maximum value on the third day of storage for raw and grilled meat and decreased over the following days. Conversely, days 7 and 14 were distinguished by higher L* and b* values and by a greasy and bloody odor in the raw ovine meat. On day 14, grilled meat was characterized by chewiness on TPA, an intense grilled‐meat odor and intense flavor, which had a positive relationship with cytochrome c equivalents (0.89). Likewise, sensory hardness was highly correlated with WBSF in grilled meat (0.89).

CONCLUSION

This information may be useful for describing and predicting ovine meat quality for both consumers and processors. Therefore, vacuum‐packaged ovine meat can be stored for 14 days without disagreeable color to the consumer, and the raw meat texture is tender.© 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Effect of methyl jasmonate on energy metabolism in peach fruit during chilling stress
Authors: Jin Peng , Zhu Hong , Wang Jing , Chen Jingjing , Wang Xiaoli , Zheng Yonghua
Published: October 2012

Background

Energy status is associated with ripening, senescence and physiological disorder of various types of fruit after harvest, including peaches. Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) was effective in enhancing chilling tolerance in cold‐stored peach fruit. The effect of MeJA on energy metabolism in peach fruit was investigated.

Results

MeJA treatment increased the contents of adenosine triphosphate and adenosine diphosphate, but decreased the content of adenosine monophosphate, which resulted in a higher level of energy charge in peach fruit. Enzyme activities including H+‐adenosine triphosphatase, Ca2+‐adenosine triphosphatase, succinic dehydrogenase and cytochrome c oxidase were also higher in MeJA‐treated fruit than those in control fruit. Meanwhile, MeJA treatment markedly inhibited the increase of ion leakage and the accumulation of malondialdehyde, super‐oxidant radical and hydrogen peroxide.

Conclusion

These results indicated that MeJA could enhance chilling tolerance of peach fruit by inducing enzyme activities related to energy metabolism and maintaining high levels of ATP and energy charge.© 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Inflammation, wound repair, and fibrosis: reassessing the spectrum of tissue injury and resolution
Authors: White Eric S , Mantovani Alberto R
Published: October 2012

Estimates from various disease‐specific registries suggest that chronic inflammatory and fibrotic disorders affect a large proportion of the world's population, yet therapies for these conditions are largely ineffective. Recent advances in our collective understanding of mechanisms underlying both physiological and pathological repair of tissue injury are informing new clinical approaches to deal with various human inflammatory and fibrotic diseases. This 2013 Annual Review Issue of The Journal of Pathology offers an up‐to‐date glimpse of ongoing research in the fields of inflammation, wound healing, and tissue fibrosis, and highlights novel pathways and mechanisms that may be exploited to provide newer, more effective treatments to patients worldwide suffering from these conditions.
The role of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) in pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Janssen Wiebke , Pullamsetti Soni Savai , Cooke John , Weissmann Norbert , Guenther Andreas , Schermuly Ralph Theo
Published: October 2012

Pulmonary fibrosis is a devastating and progressive parenchymal lung disease with an extremely poor prognosis. Patients suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) display a compromised lung function alongside pathophysiological features such as highly increased production of extracellular matrix, alveolar epithelial cell dysfunction, and disordered fibroproliferation – features that are due to a dysregulated response to alveolar injury. Under pathophysiological conditions of IPF, abnormally high concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) are found, likely a result of increased activity of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2), giving rise to products that contribute to fibrosis development. It is known that pharmacological inhibition or knockdown of NOS2 reduces pulmonary fibrosis, suggesting a role for NOS inhibitors in the treatment of fibrosis. Recent reports identified a critical enzyme, dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH), which is exceedingly active in patients suffering from IPF and in mice treated with bleomycin. An up‐regulation of DDAH was observed in primary alveolar epithelial type II (ATII) cells from mice and patients with pulmonary fibrosis, where it co‐localizes with NOS2. DDAH is a key enzyme that breaks down an endogenous inhibitor of NOS, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), by metabolizing it to l‐citrulline and dimethylamine. DDAH was shown to modulate key fibrotic signalling cascades, and inhibition of this enzyme attenuated many features of the disease in in vivo experiments, suggesting a possible new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of patients suffering from IPF.
Decreased membrane complement regulators in the retinal pigmented epithelium contributes to age‐related macular degeneration
Authors: Ebrahimi Katayoon B , Fijalkowski Natalia , Cano Marisol , Handa James T
Published: October 2012

Dysregulated complement is thought to play a central role in age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) pathogenesis, but the specific mechanisms have yet to be determined. In maculae of AMD specimens, we found that the complement regulatory protein, CD59, was increased in regions of uninvolved retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) of early AMD, but decreased in the RPE overlying drusen and in geographic atrophy, an advanced form of AMD. While CD46 immunostaining was basolaterally distributed in the RPE of unaffected controls, it was decreased in diseased areas of early AMD samples. Since oxidized low‐density lipoproteins (oxLDL) collect in drusen of AMD and are a known complement trigger, we treated ARPE‐19 cells with oxLDL and found that cellular CD46 and CD59 proteins were decreased by 2.9‐ and nine‐fold (p < 0.01), respectively. OxLDLs increased complement factor B mRNA and Bb protein, but not factor D, I or H. OxLDLs increased C3b, but not C3a, C5 or C5b‐9. C5b‐9 was increased by 27% (p < 0.01) when the medium was supplemented with human serum, which was sufficient to induce poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase cleavage, a marker of apoptosis. The decreased levels of CD46 and CD59 were in part explained by their release in exosomal and apoptotic membranous particles. In addition, CD59 was partially degraded through activation of IRE1α. Collectively, these results suggest that a combination of impaired complement regulators results in inadequately controlled complement by the RPE in AMD that induces RPE damage. Copyright © 2012 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Topological insulator nanostructures
Authors: Cha Judy J. , Koski Kristie J. , Cui Yi
Published: October 2012

magnified image

Topological insulators provide a gateway to investigate fundamental quantum behaviours of exotic quasi‐particles as well as the promise to revolutionize modern technology. This is due to their unique surface states that are robust against time reversal perturbation and exhibit unique spin‐momentum locking property. Enhancing the surface state signal in proportion to the bulk of the material is critical to study the surface states and for future electronics applications. This can be achieved by making topological insulators into nanostructures, which have large surface to volume ratios thus maximizing the topological surface state signal. This article reviews the recent progress made in topological insulator nanostructures including chemical and physical synthesis techniques to make topological insulator nanostructures, notable transport experiments, and current efforts to protect the surface states from degradation. Lastly, future transport studies using topological insulator nanostructures and various chemical methods to tune their materials properties for diverse electronic applications are suggested. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Sheltered Instruction for English Language Learners: Insights and Challenges
Authors: Macías Ana H. , Fontes Ana Arêas Da Luz , Kephart Kerrie , Blume María
Published: October 2012

The authors report on an exploratory pilot project implemented in a large city on the U.S.‐Mexico border. The project focuses on a curricular design in a secondary school where beginning‐level English as a second language students are taught English language arts in Spanish. The researchers sought to determine whether these students made greater gains on the Standard English Language Proficiency (SELP) exam than those students taught the same class primarily in English. Four classrooms participated in the study; the intervention class and three different control classes. A one‐way analysis of variance was conducted with SELP gain scores as the dependent variable and the schools as the between‐subjects factor. Follow‐up t‐tests and a multiple regression analysis suggest that less Spanish used in the classroom accounts for higher SELP gain scores. The authors discuss the challenges that were faced in implementing the project and caution that the study has several limitations.
Contributions of Individual Differences and Contextual Variables to Reading Achievement of English Language Learners: An Empirical Investigation Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling
Authors: Ardasheva Yuliya , Tretter Thomas R.
Published: October 2012

This nonexperimental study explored the relationships among individual differences, contextual variables, and reading achievement of English language learners (ELLs) in one large urban school district in the United States. The sample comprised 840 students in Grades 3–8 and 10 nested within 37 schools. Hierarchical linear modeling results indicate that English proficiency, metacognitive strategies, native language literacy, and school‐quality indicators—four variables potentially under the control of the educational system—positively contributed to student reading achievement. The final model explained 36% of the within‐school and 79% of the between‐school variance in reading achievement. Controlling for other variables, ELLs with disadvantaged educational backgrounds appeared to perform on par with their more educationally advantaged counterparts. These results suggest that schools may play a greater role in supporting ELLs with disadvantaged educational backgrounds.
Large‐scale economic change and youth development: The case of urban China
Authors: Yoshikawa Hirokazu , Way Niobe , Chen Xinyin
Published: October 2012

This chapter considers how large‐scale economic change in urban China affects youth development and outlines developmental mechanisms and labor‐market moderators.
Promoting positive youth development in the face of contextual changes and challenges: The roles of individual strengths and ecological assets
Authors: Lerner Richard M. , Bowers Edmond P. , Geldhof G. John , Gestsdóttir Steinunn , DeSouza Lisette
Published: October 2012

Experiencing positive and healthy youth development may be particularly challenging in the face of abrupt, major, rapid, or nonnormative ecological changes. Aligning individual youth strengths and ecological assets may promote youth thriving in the face of these changes.
Mineral Trapping and Sequestration of Carbon-dioxide in Deccan Basalts: SEM, FTIR and Raman Spectroscopic Studies on Secondary Carbonates
Authors: Prasad P. S. R. , Sarma D. Srinivasa , Charan S. Nirmal
Published: October 2012

Increasing CO2 emissions and global warming are posing problems for carbon management. Results of laboratory experiments, probing the carbon sequestration potential of picrites from Igatpuri Formation, Deccan Flood Basalt Volcanic Province, India are reported here. The picrites which were reacted with water and carbon dioxide in its supercritical condition for about 5 months duration at 100°C temperature and 60 bars of CO2 pressure clearly show the growth of secondary carbonates over the surface as well as in the intergranular spaces. SEM-EDS studies, Infrared spectroscopic analysis and Raman spectrographic studies also confirm the development of secondary carbonates in the reacted picrite samples.
Trends in Late-Life Activity Limitations in the United States: An Update From Five National Surveys
Authors: Freedman Vicki A. , Spillman Brenda C. , Andreski Patti M. , Cornman Jennifer C. , Crimmins Eileen M. , Kramarow Ellen , Lubitz James , Martin Linda G. , Merkin Sharon S. , Schoeni Robert F. , Seeman Teresa E. , Waidmann Timothy A.
Published: October 2012

This article updates trends from five national U.S. surveys to determine whether the prevalence of activity limitations among the older population continued to decline in the first decade of the twenty-first century. Findings across studies suggest that personal care and domestic activity limitations may have continued to decline for those ages 85 and older from 2000 to 2008, but generally were flat since 2000 for those ages 65–84. Modest increases were observed for the 55- to 64-year-old group approaching late life, although prevalence remained low for this age group. Inclusion of the institutional population is important for assessing trends among those ages 85 and older in particular.
Fast Facts for Wound Care Nursing: Practical Wound Management in a Nutshell
Authors: Criscitelli Theresa
Published: October 2012

Fast Facts for Wound Care Nursing: Practical Wound Management in a Nutshell, Zelia Kifer, 2012, Springer Publishing, 286 pages, softcover
Elements of Influence: The Art of Getting Others to Follow Your Lead
Authors: Ferranti Linda
Published: October 2012

Elements of Influence: The Art of Getting Others to Follow Your Lead, Terry R. Bacon, 2011, AMACOM, 287 pages, hardcover
FBXW7‐mediated degradation of CCDC6 is impaired by ATM during DNA damage response in lung cancer cells
Authors: JunGang Zhao , Jun Tang , WanFu Men , KaiMing Ren
Published: October 2012

FBXO4
physically interacts with
CUL1
by anti tag coimmunoprecipitation (View interaction
)
Review of selected databases of longitudinal aging studies
Authors: Erten‐Lyons Deniz , Sherbakov Lena O. , Piccinin Andrea M. , Hofer Scott M. , Dodge Hiroko H. , Quinn Joseph F. , Woltjer Randy L. , Kramer Patricia L. , Kaye Jeffrey A.
Published: October 2012

One of the recommendations of the 2010 Leon Thal Symposium, organized to develop strategies to prevent Alzheimer's disease, was to build a global database of longitudinal aging studies. Although several databases of longitudinal aging studies exist, none of these are comprehensive or complete. In this article, we review selected databases of longitudinal aging studies. We also make recommendations on future steps to create a comprehensive database. Additionally, we discuss issues related to data harmonization.
Greater regional brain atrophy rate in healthy elderly subjects with a history of cigarette smoking
Authors: Durazzo Timothy C. , Insel Philip S. , Weiner Michael W. ,   Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: October 2012

Background

Little is known about the effects of cigarette smoking on longitudinal brain morphological changes in the elderly. This study investigated the effects of a history of cigarette smoking on changes in regional brain volumes over 2 years in healthy, cognitively intact elderly individuals. We predicted that individuals with a history of cigarette smoking, compared with never smokers, demonstrate greater rate of atrophy over 2 years in regions that manifest morphological abnormalities in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD), as well as in the extended brain reward/executive oversight system (BREOS), which is implicated in the development and maintenance of substance use disorders.

Methods

Participants were healthy, cognitively normal elderly control subjects (75.9 ± 4.8 years of age) with any lifetime history of cigarette smoking (n = 68) or no history of smoking (n = 118). Data were obtained through the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative from 2005 to 2010. Participants completed four magnetic resonance scans over 2 years. A standardized protocol using high‐resolution three‐dimensional T1‐weighted sequences at 1.5 T was used for structural imaging and regional brain volumetric analyses.

Results

Smokers demonstrated a significantly greater atrophy rate over 2 years than nonsmokers in multiple brain regions associated with the early stages of AD, as well as in the BREOS system. Groups did not differ on the rate of global cortical atrophy.

Conclusions

A history of cigarette smoking in this healthy elderly cohort was associated with decreased structural integrity of multiple brain regions, which manifested as a greater rate of atrophy over 2 years in regions specifically affected by incipient AD as well as chronic substance abuse.
Comparison of International Working Group criteria and National Institute on Aging–Alzheimer's Association criteria for Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Visser Pieter Jelle , Vos Stephanie , van Rossum Ineke , Scheltens Philip
Published: October 2012

Two sets of research criteria for Alzheimer's disease are now available: those published by an International Working Group in 2007, and the recommendations published by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association (NIA–AA) in 2011. They both provide guidelines for the diagnosis of asymptomatic and symptomatic Alzheimer's disease. The coexistence of two sets of criteria for the same disorder raises the question of which set of criteria should be preferred. A comparison of the criteria revealed differences in approach, terminology, and use of cognitive markers and biomarkers. Most persons who meet the International Working Group criteria will also meet the NIA–AA criteria and vice versa. However, the NIA–AA criteria allow for a subclassification of persons based on biomarker results within each diagnostic category. Further research is needed to validate the criteria. Modifications are likely to be made before the criteria can be used in daily practice.
Debating Scientific Medicine: Homoeopathy and Allopathy in Late Nineteenth-century Medical Print in Bengal1
Authors: Das Shinjini
Published: October 2012

The historiography of medicine in South Asia often assumes the presence of preordained, homogenous, coherent and clearly-bound medical systems. They also tend to take the existence of a medical ‘mainstream’ for granted. This article argues that the idea of an ‘orthodox’, ‘mainstream’ named allopathy and one of its ‘alternatives’ homoeopathy were co-produced in Bengal. It emphasises the role of the supposed ‘fringe’, ie. homoeopathy, in identifying and organising the ‘orthodoxy’ of the time. The shared market for medicine and print provided a crucial platform where such binary identities such as ‘homoeopaths’ and ‘allopaths’ were constituted and reinforced. This article focuses on a range of polemical writings by physicians in the Bengali print market since the 1860s. Published mostly in late nineteenth-century popular medical journals, these concerned the nature, definition and scope of ‘scientific’ medicine. The article highlights these published disputes and critical correspondence among physicians as instrumental in simultaneously shaping the categories ‘allopathy’ and ‘homoeopathy’ in Bengali print. It unravels how contemporary understandings of race, culture and nationalism informed these medical discussions. It further explores the status of these medical contestations, often self-consciously termed ‘debates’, as an essential contemporary trope in discussing ‘science’ in the vernacular.
Mrs Killer and Dr Crook: Birth Attendants and Birth Outcomes in Early Twentieth-century Derbyshire
Authors: Reid Alice
Published: October 2012

After the passing of the 1902 Midwives Act, a growing proportion of women were delivered by trained and supervised midwives. Standards of midwifery should therefore have improved over the first three decades of the twentieth century, yet nationally this was not reflected in the main outcome measures (stillbirths, early neonatal mortality and maternal death). This paper shows that there was a difference in the risks associated with delivery by the different attendants, with qualified midwives having the best outcome, then bona-fide (untrained) midwives and lastly doctors, even when account is taken of the fact that doctors were called in cases of medical need and may have been booked where a problematic delivery was expected. The paper argues that the lack of improvement in outcome measures could be consistent with improving standards of care among both trained and bona-fide midwives, because increased attention to the rules stipulating when midwives called for medical help meant that a doctor was called into an increasing number of deliveries (including less complicated ones), raising the chance of unnecessary and dangerous interventions.
‘Fibre Body’: The Concept of Fibre in Eighteenth-century Medicine, c.1700–401
Authors: Ishizuka Hisao
Published: October 2012

This paper attempts a comprehensive account of ‘fibre medicine’ elaborated by iatromechanists from c. 1700 to c. 1740. Fibre medicine, a medical theory informed by the notion of the fibre, has been neglected by medical historians despite the pivotal role played by the fibre in animal economy. Referring to a wide range of medical fields such as anatomy, physiology, pathology, therapeutics and life sciences, this paper elucidates the ways that the fibre serves as an indispensable concept for iatromechanists to establish their medical theories. This paper also highlights the metaphorical dimension of the fibre as an integral part of fibre medicine. In re-evaluating the concept of the fibre, this paper seeks to redress the neuro-centric view of eighteenth-century medicine, and attempts to locate the fibre body amidst the fundamental shift from humoralism to solidism.
On primordial groups for the Green ring
Authors: Raggi-Cárdenas Alberto G. , Romero Nadia
Published: October 2012

Consider the Mackey functor that assigns to each finite group G the Green ring of finitely generated kG-modules, where k is a field of characteristic p > 0. Thévenaz foresaw in 1988 that the class of primordial groups for this functor is the family of k-Dress groups. In this paper we prove that this is true for the subfunctor defined by the Green ring of finitely generated kG-modules of trivial source.
NORM CONFLICT BETWEEN WTO COVERED AGREEMENTS—REAL, APPARENT OR AVOIDED?
Authors: Chase Claude
Published: October 2012

This article explores the issue of norm conflict in the context of specific multilateral agreements that are administered and enforced by the World Trade Organization (WTO), namely, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (GATT), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Any discussion of norm conflict between treaty provisions must necessarily draw a critical distinction between an apparent conflict, on the one hand, and a real conflict, on the other hand. An apparent conflict is one where the content of two or more norms is at first glance contradictory, yet the conflict can be avoided, most often by interpretative means. A real conflict represents an irreconcilable divergence between norms which cannot be interpreted away and can only be solved by the application of a conflict rule. The notion of intra WTO conflict is largely unexplored and consequently under-theorized. It is explored here not as an abstract notion, but rather against the backdrop of the institutional and normative environment of the WTO. It is submitted that intra WTO norm conflict is hardly likely to arise as a legal issue under WTO law. This is because the normative and institutional environment of the WTO militates against treating overlapping WTO provisions as situations of real norm conflict. This environment allows for, and potentially mandates a judicial approach to intra WTO conflict that accords with the telos of the single undertaking nature of WTO rights and obligations. In the result, intra WTO conflict will possibly never be real; will often be deemed as merely apparent; and will sometimes be avoided.
Futures Cross-Hedging with a Stationary Basis
Authors: Ankirchner Stefan , Dimitroff Georgi , Heyne Gregor , Pigorsch Christian
Published: October 2012

When managing risk, frequently only imperfect hedging instruments are at hand. We show how to optimally cross-hedge risk when the spread between the hedging instrument and the risk is stationary. For linear risk positions we derive explicit formulas for the hedge error, and for nonlinear positions we show how to obtain numerically efficient estimates. Finally, we demonstrate that even in cases with no clear-cut decision concerning the stationarity of the spread, it is better to allow for mean reversion of the spread rather than to neglect it.