bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research and development of the tritium recovery system for the blanket of the fusion reactor in JAEA
Authors: Kawamura Y. , Isobe K. , Iwai Y. , Kobayashi K. , Nakamura H. , Hayashi T. , Yamanishi T.
Published: April 2009

A water-cooling solid breeder blanket is a prime candidate for the blanket of the fusion reactor in Japan. In this case, the blanket tritium recovery system will be composed of three processes: tritium recovery from helium sweep gas as hydrogen, that as water vapour and tritium recovery from coolant water. The authors have proposed a set of advanced systems. For tritium recovery as hydrogen, an electrochemical hydrogen pump with a ceramic proton conductor has been proposed. The correlation between the proton concentration in the ceramic and the hydrogen gas pressure has been investigated to describe the pumping performance specifically. A ceramic electrolysis cell has been proposed to process the tritiated water vapour. The authors have developed a new electrode containing cerium oxide, and it has shown fairly good electrolysis efficiency. For tritium recovery from coolant water, reduction in the processing water by tritium concentration is necessary. The authors have proposed to apply the fixed-bed adsorption process of synthetic zeolite, and have developed new zeolite. It showed unique characteristics for water adsorption and desorption. The authors have determined the potential of these systems for the blanket of the fusion DEMO reactor.
Active particle control experiments and critical particle flux discriminating between the wall pumping and fuelling in the compact plasma wall interaction device CPD spherical tokamak
Authors: Zushi H. , Hirooka Y. , Bhattacharyay R. , Sakamoto M. , Nakashima Y. , Yoshinaga T. , Higashizono Y. , Hanada K. , Nishino N. , Yoshida N. , Tokunaga K. , Kado S. , Shikama T. , Kawasaki S. , Okamoto K. , Miyazaki T. , Honma H. , Sato K. N. , Nakamura K. , Idei H. , Hasegawa M. , Nakashima H. , Higashijima A.
Published: April 2009

Two approaches associated with wall recycling have been performed in a small spherical tokamak device CPD (compact plasma wall interaction experimental device), that is, (1) demonstration of active particle recycling control, namely, ‘active wall pumping’ using a rotating poloidal limiter whose surface is continuously gettered by lithium and (2) a basic study of the key parameters which discriminates between ‘wall pumping and fuelling’. For the former, active control of ‘wall pumping’ has been demonstrated during 50 kW RF current drive discharges whose pulse length is typically ∼300 ms. Although the rotating limiter is located at the outer board, as soon as the rotating drum is gettered with lithium, hydrogen recycling measured with Hα spectroscopy decreases by about a factor of 3 not only near the limiter but also in the centre stack region. Also, the oxygen impurity level measured with O II spectroscopy is reduced by about a factor of 3. As a consequence of the reduced recycling and impurity level, RF driven current has nearly doubled at the same vertical magnetic field. For the latter, global plasma wall interaction with plasma facing components in the vessel is studied in a simple torus produced by electron cyclotron waves with I
p < 1 kA. A static gas balance (pressure measurement) without external pumping systems has been performed to investigate the role of particle flux on a transition of ‘wall fuelling’ to ‘wall pumping’. It is found that a critical particle flux exists to discriminate between them. Beyond the critical value, a large fraction (∼80%) of pressure drop (‘wall pumping’) is found, suggesting that almost all injected particles are retained in the wall. Below it, a significant pressure rise (‘wall fuelling’) is found, which indicates that particles are fuelled from the wall during/just after the discharge. Shot history effects (integrated particle recycling behaviour from the plasma facing surfaces) are seen on that the critical particle flux is reducing from 0.8 × 10−4 to ∼0.1 × 10−4 Torr during the experimental campaign (∼3000 shots). In the wall pumping pressure range the wall pumping fraction is reduced with increasing surface temperature up to 150 °C.
Confinement improvement with magnetic levitation of a superconducting dipole
Authors: Garnier D.T. , Boxer A.C. , Ellsworth J.L. , Kesner J. , Mauel M.E.
Published: April 2009

We report the first production of high beta plasma confined in a fully levitated laboratory dipole using neutral gas fuelling and electron cyclotron resonance heating. As compared with previous studies in which the internal coil was supported, levitation results in improved confinement that allows higher-density, higher-beta discharges to be maintained at significantly reduced gas fuelling. Contrary to previous supported dipole plasma results which had the stored energy consisting in a hot electron population, a significant plasma stored energy is shown to reside in the bulk plasma. By eliminating supports used in previous studies, cross-field transport becomes the main loss channel for both the hot and the background species. This leads to a significant improvement in bulk plasma confinement and a dramatic peaking of the density profile. Improved particle confinement assures stability of the hot electron component at reduced neutral pressure.
The optimization of resonant magnetic perturbation spectra for the COMPASS tokamak
Authors: Cahyna P. , Pánek R. , Fuchs V. , Krlín L. , Bécoulet M. , Huysmans G. , Nardon E.
Published: April 2009

The COMPASS tokamak, recently transferred from UKAEA Culham to IPP Prague, is equipped with a set of saddle coils for producing controlled resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs). In the future experimental programme of COMPASS we plan to focus on studies of RMPs, especially in view of their application as an ELM control mechanism and their considered use in ITER. In the present contribution we describe the preparatory calculations for the planned experiments. We computed the spectra of perturbations for several different equilibria predicted by MHD simulations and determined the positions and sizes of the resulting islands. It is shown how the saddle coils of COMPASS can be adapted to our equilibria to obtain good island overlap at the edge, which is believed to be a key component in the ELM mitigation effect. The techniques used for adapting the coils to achieve this result are described. Those are fairly general and could be used in the design of RMP coils on other machines.
Extended MHD simulation of resonant magnetic perturbations
Authors: Strauss H.R. , Sugiyama L. , Park G.Y. , Chang C.S. , Ku S. , Joseph I.
Published: April 2009

Resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) have been found effective in suppressing edge localized modes (ELMs) in the DIII-D experiment (Evans et al 2006 Phys. Plasmas
13 056121, Moyer et al 2005 Phys. Plasmas
12 056119). Simulations with the M3D initial value code indicate that plasma rotation, due to an MHD toroidal rotation or to two-fluid drifts, has an essential effect on the RMP. When the flow is below a threshold, the RMP field can couple to a resistive mode with a helical structure, different from the usual ELM, that amplifies the non-axisymmetric field. The magnetic field becomes stochastic in the outer part of the plasma, causing density and temperature loss. At higher rotation speed, the resistive mode is stabilized and the applied RMP is screened from the plasma, so that the stochastic magnetic layer is thinner and the temperature remains similar to the initial unperturbed state. The rotational flow effects, along with the remnants of the screened RMP, cause a density loss which extends into the plasma core. The two-fluid model contains intrinsic drift motion and axisymmetric toroidal rotation may not be needed to screen the RMP nor stabilize the resistive mode.
Utilizing gene pair orientations for HMM-based analysis of promoter array ChIP-chip data
Authors: Seifert Michael , Keilwagen Jens , Strickert Marc , Grosse Ivo
Published: April 2009

Motivation: Array-based analysis of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP-chip) data is a powerful technique for identifying DNA target regions of individual transcription factors. The identification of these target regions from comprehensive promoter array ChIP-chip data is challenging. Here, three approaches for the identification of transcription factor target genes from promoter array ChIP-chip data are presented. We compare (i) a standard log-fold-change analysis (LFC); (ii) a basic method based on a Hidden Markov Model (HMM); and (iii) a new extension of the HMM approach to an HMM with scaled transition matrices (SHMM) that incorporates information about the relative orientation of adjacent gene pairs on DNA.

Results: All three methods are applied to different promoter array ChIP-chip datasets of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the important model plant Arabidopsis thaliana to compare the prediction of transcription factor target genes. In the context of the yeast cell cycle, common target genes bound by the transcription factors ACE2 and SWI5, and ACE2 and FKH2 are identified and evaluated using the Saccharomyces Genome Database. Regarding A.thaliana, target genes of the seed-specific transcription factor ABI3 are predicted and evaluate based on publicly available gene expression profiles and transient assays performed in the wet laboratory experiments. The application of the novel SHMM to these two different promoter array ChIP-chip datasets leads to an improved identification of transcription factor target genes in comparison to the two standard approaches LFC and HMM.

Availability: The software of LFC, HMM and SHMM, the ABI3 ChIP–chip dataset, and Supplementary Material can be downloaded from http://dig.ipk-gatersleben.de/SHMMs/ChIPchip/ChIPchip.html.

Contact:  seifert@ipk-gatersleben.de
baobabLUNA
: the solution space of sorting by reversals
Authors: Braga Marília D. V.
Published: April 2009

Summary: Computing the reversal distance and searching for an optimal sequence of reversals to transform a unichromosomal genome into another are useful algorithmic tools to analyse real evolutionary scenarios. Currently, these problems can be solved by at least two available softwares, the prominent of which are GRAPPA and GRIMM. However, the number of different optimal sequences is usually huge and taking only the distance and/or one example is often insufficient to do a proper analysis. Here, we offer an alternative and present baobabLUNA, a framework that contains an algorithm to give a compact representation of the whole space of solutions for the sorting by reversals problem.

Availability and Implementation: Compiled code implemented in Java is freely available for download at http://pbil.univ-lyon1.fr/software/luna/. Documentation with methodological background, technical aspects, download and setup instructions, interface description and tutorial are available at http://pbil.univ-lyon1.fr/software/luna/doc/luna-doc.pdf.

Contact:  mdvbraga@gmail.com

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Types of Articles
Authors: Glass Richard M.
Published: April 2009

Effective written communication requires the author to consider the intended message and audience and use a form appropriate to both. Medical journal articles usually fit into one of the following 7 main types. Published reports of original research are the backbone of medical and scientific communications. Critical evaluation and replication of the findings of such reports are key aspects of quality control and progress in science and medicine; the clinical applications of original research are a major source of benefits for patients. Journals often categorize reports of original data as Original Articles, Original Communications, or Original Reports, section headings that emphasize the new findings such articles intend to communicate. Short articles reporting original data may be called Brief Reports. Studies that address basic issues of physiology or pathology may be called Research Reports or Clinical Investigations. In JAMA, articles that report preliminary findings are called Preliminary Communications...
Editorial Assessment and Processing
Authors: Glass Richard M.
Published: April 2009

The principal goals of editing biomedical publications are to select, improve, and disseminate information that will advance the art and science of the discipline covered by the publication. For example, biomedical publications are a major source of information for the improvement of medical care. In addition to initial transmission to readers at the time of publication, information from journal articles is often carried by the public media. Published articles influence educators and opinion leaders, who transmit the information to many persons who do not read the original publications. Medical journal articles can also be subsequently accessed by clinicians and researchers seeking information about particular topics. Such searches are facilitated by online search engines (see 25.0, Resources) and provide the information essential to practicing evidence-based medicine,1 in which patient-care decisions are informed by acquiring and assessing the relevant medical literature. These myriad uses of biomedical literature indicate the importance of the procedures to improve quality involved in editorial assessment and processing...
Grammar
Authors: Christiansen Stacy
Published: April 2009

A clear understanding of grammar is basic to good writing. Many excellent grammar books provide a detailed discussion of specific principles (see 25.3, Resources, General Style and Usage). In this section, the focus is on how to avoid common grammatical and writing errors. The content of this chapter is organized from the smallest parts of speech (eg, nouns and pronouns) to larger structures (eg, sentences and paragraphs)...
Plurals
Authors: Gregoline Brenda
Published: April 2009

The plurals of most nouns are formed by adding -s or -es. However, English is irregular enough that it pays to consult a dictionary for most forms.

Collective nouns may take either singular or plural verbs, depending on whether the word refers to the group as a unit or to its members as individuals. In American English, most nouns naming a group regarded as a unit are treated as singular. (See also 7.8.5, Grammar, Subject-Verb Agreement, Collective Nouns.)...
Capitalization
Authors: Gregoline Brenda
Published: April 2009

The first word of every complete sentence should be capitalized. The following should also be capitalized...
Nomenclature
Authors: Winker Margaret A. , Glass Richard M. , Meyer Harriet S.
Published: April 2009

This chapter is devoted to nomenclature: systematically formulated names for specific entities. Biological nomenclature dates back at least to the 18th century. Since the mid-20th century, many biomedical disciplines have established committees to develop and promulgate official systems of nomenclature. Accelerating knowledge, particularly from molecular biology, necessitated the official biomedical nomenclature systems, sometimes with dramatic results. For instance, a single coagulation factor had been referred to by 14 different names...
Eponyms
Authors: Glass Richard M.
Published: April 2009

Eponyms are names or phrases derived from or including the name of a person or place. These terms are used in a descriptive or adjectival sense1 in medical and scientific writing to describe entities such as diseases, syndromes, signs, tests, methods, and procedures. These eponymous terms should be distinguished from true possessives (eg, Homer’s Iliad). Medical eponyms are numerous (a website devoted to medical eponyms lists more than 7000), are frequently used in medical publications, and are treated in dictionaries of eponyms covering general medicine3 and some specialties, eg, neurology. Eponyms historically have indicated the name of the describer or presumptive discoverer of the disease (eg, Alzheimer disease) or sign (eg, Murphy sign), the name of a person or kindred found to have the disease described (eg, Christmas disease), or, when based on the name of a place (technically, toponyms), the geographic location in which the disease was found to occur (eg, Lyme disease)...
Greek Letters
Authors: Gregoline Brenda
Published: April 2009

Greek letters are frequently used in statistical formulas and notations, in mathematical composition, in certain chemical names for drugs, and in clinical and technical terms (see 14.11, Abbreviations, Clinical, Technical, and Other Common Terms; 14.12, Abbreviations, Units of Measure; 15.0, Nomenclature; 20.0, Study Design and Statistics; and 21.0, Mathematical Composition). The editors of JAMA and the Archives Journals prefer the use of Greek letters rather than spelled-out words, unless usage dictates otherwise. Consult Dorland's and Stedman's medical dictionaries for general terms. These sources may differ in the representation of terms, ie, α-fetoprotein (symbol) (Stedman's) and alpha fetoprotein (Dorland's). If the Greek letter, rather than the word, is found in either of these sources for the item in question, use the letter in preference to the word.
Numbers and Percentages
Authors: Lurie Stephen J. , Winker Margaret A.
Published: April 2009

Any policy on the use of numbers in text must take into account the reader’s impression that numbers written as numerals (symbols) appear to emphasize quantity more strongly than numbers spelled out as words. Because numerals convey quantity more efficiently than spelled-out numbers, they are generally preferable in technical writing. In literary writing, by contrast, spelled-out numbers may be more compatible with style. Despite these general principles, usage may appear inconsistent when a publication chooses to use numerals in some instances and words in others. The guidelines outlined in this section attempt to reduce these inconsistencies and avoid use of numerals that may be jarring to the reader. In situations that are not governed by these guidelines, common sense and editorial judgment should prevail.
Manuscript Editing and Proofreading
Authors: Christiansen Stacy
Published: April 2009

Corrections often need to be marked on printed manuscripts and typeset copy. The following marks are common in publishing and used by manuscript editors, proofreaders, and others involved in marking copy to be corrected. Instructions, queries, and clarifications not to be typeset should be circled.
Resources
Authors: Reiling Jennifer
Published: April 2009

The resources listed in this chapter are provided for information only and do not imply an endorsement by the AMA Manual of Style.
Measurements of the wall shear stress distribution in the outflow tract of an embryonic chicken heart
Authors: Poelma C. , Van der Heiden K. , Hierck B. P. , Poelmann R. E. , Westerweel J.
Published: April 2009

In order to study the role of blood–tissue interaction in the developing chicken embryo heart, detailed information about the haemodynamic forces is needed. In this study, we present the first
in vivo
measurements of the three-dimensional distribution of wall shear stress (WSS) in the outflow tract (OFT) of an embryonic chicken heart. The data are obtained in a two-step process: first, the three-dimensional flow fields are measured during the cardiac cycle using scanning microscopic particle image velocimetry; second, the location of the wall and the WSS are determined by post-processing flow velocity data (finding velocity gradients at locations where the flow approaches zero). The results are a three-dimensional reconstruction of the geometry, with a spatial resolution of 15–20 µm, and provides detailed information about the WSS in the OFT. The most significant error is the location of the wall, which results in an estimate of the uncertainty in the WSS values of 20 per cent.
A simplified formulation of adhesion problems with elastic plates
Authors: Majidi Carmel , Adams George G.
Published: April 2009

The solution of adhesion problems with elastic plates generally involves solving a boundary-value problem with an assumed contact area. The contact region is then found by minimizing the total potential energy with respect to the contact area (i.e. the contact radius for the axisymmetric case). Such a procedure can be extremely long and tedious. Here, we show that the inclusion of adhesion is equivalent to specifying a discontinuous internal bending moment at the contact region boundary. The magnitude of this moment discontinuity is related to the work of adhesion and flexural rigidity of the plate. Such a formulation can greatly reduce the algebraic complexity of solving these problems. It is noted that the related plate contact problems without adhesion can also be solved by minimizing the total potential energy. However, it has long been recognized that it is mathematically more efficient to find the contact area by specifying a continuous internal bending moment at the boundary of the contact region. Thus, our
moment discontinuity method
can be considered to be a generalization of that procedure which is applicable for problems with adhesion.
Adhesive contact of elastic spheres revisited: numerical models and scaling
Authors: Radhakrishnan Harish , Mesarovic Sinisa Dj.
Published: April 2009

For the purpose of determining the relevant scaling, the fundamental and widely applicable problem of adhesive contact between elastic solids is revisited. A comprehensive and accurate finite-element modelling is undertaken. A local contact law, consistent with the current level of modelling, is used. The analysis of the results yields the following conclusions. For a broad range of physically reasonable contact laws, and for low values of the Tabor parameter, a simple modification of adhesive range entering in the Tabor parameter allows for one-parameter scaling of the problem. For high values of the modified Tabor parameter, the problem requires description in terms of two non-dimensional parameters, one of which represents the magnitude of the contact surface stretch. The contact surface stretch correction is significant for a wide range of problems with spheres smaller than the threshold size, which, for a broad range of materials, is 300 nm to 100 μm, depending on the adhesive energy and elastic compressibility.
Functional diversity for REST (NRSF) is defined by in vivo binding affinity hierarchies at the DNA sequence level
Authors: Bruce Alexander W. , López-Contreras Andrés J. , Flicek Paul , Down Thomas A. , Dhami Pawandeep , Dillon Shane C. , Koch Christoph M. , Langford Cordelia F. , Dunham Ian , Andrews Robert M. , Vetrie David
Published: April 2009

The molecular events that contribute to, and result from, the in vivo binding of transcription factors to their cognate DNA sequence motifs in mammalian genomes are poorly understood. We demonstrate that variations within the DNA sequence motifs that bind the transcriptional repressor REST (NRSF) encode in vivo DNA binding affinity hierarchies that contribute to regulatory function during lineage-specific and developmental programs in fundamental ways. First, canonical sequence motifs for REST facilitate strong REST binding and control functional classes of REST targets that are common to all cell types, whilst atypical motifs participate in weak interactions and control those targets, which are cell- or tissue-specific. Second, variations in REST binding relate directly to variations in expression and chromatin configurations of REST's target genes. Third, REST clearance from its binding sites is also associated with variations in the RE1 motif. Finally, and most surprisingly, weak REST binding sites reside in DNA sequences that show the highest levels of constraint through evolution, thus facilitating their roles in maintaining tissue-specific functions. These relationships have never been reported in mammalian systems for any transcription factor.
Quality of life for Korean patients with vitiligo: Skindex‐29 and its correlation with clinical profiles
Authors: KIM Do Young , LEE Jae Won , WHANG Se Hee , PARK Yoon Kee , HANN Seung‐Kyung , SHIN Yee Jin
Published: April 2009

Vitiligo considerably influences the psychological well‐being of patients. Disease‐induced disfigurement can cause patients to experience a high level of stigmatization, which can lead to psychosocial stresses and negative impacts on quality of life (QOL). This study aims to ascertain the QOL of vitiligo patients compared to patients with other mild skin disorders. We also attempt to study which clinical features of vitiligo are closely related to the patient's QOL. One hundred and thirty‐three vitiligo patients and 112 patients with mild skin disorders were analyzed. All participants were asked to fill out questionnaires covering comprehensive clinical profiles and the Korean version of Skindex‐29. Statistical correlation between Skindex‐29 and each clinical profile were analyzed. The symptom scale of Skindex‐29 was significantly lower in vitiligo patients than in controls, but the function scale and the emotion scale were significantly higher in the vitiligo group than in controls. However, the difference in function scales between groups was significant in female patients, but not in male patients. Several clinical profiles, such as duration of disease, severity scores and previous history of treatments, showed close correlations with the function scale. Family history of vitiligo, Köebner phenomenon, patients’ perspectives on disease prognosis, and discordance of the severity scores between physicians and patients also influenced the Skindex‐29 subscales differently. In conclusion, the present study suggests that patients with vitiligo were highly affected in the functional and emotional aspects of QOL, with some sex differences. Various clinical features may play an important role in the QOL of vitiligo patients.
Risk factors for psoriasis: A case–control study
Authors: JANKOVIC Slavenka , RAZNATOVIC Milena , MARINKOVIC Jelena , JANKOVIC Janko , MAKSIMOVIC Natasa
Published: April 2009

A case–control study of 110 consecutive psoriatic outpatients and 200 unmatched controls was carried out in order to analyze the association of psoriasis with smoking habits, alcohol consumption, family history of psoriasis and stressful life events. Stressful life events were assessed with Paykel's Interview for Recent Life Events, a semi‐structured interview covering 63 life events. According to our results, the risk of psoriasis is higher in urban dwellers (odds ratio [OR] = 3.61; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.99–13.18), patients who were divorced (OR = 5.69; 95% CI = 2.26–14.34) and those exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at home (OR = 2.29; 95% CI = 1.12–4.67). Alcohol consumption (OR = 2.55; 95% CI = 1.26–5.17), family history of psoriasis (OR = 33.96; 95% CI = 14.14–81.57) and change in work conditions (OR = 8.34; 95% CI = 1.86–37.43) are also risk factors for psoriasis. Separate analyses for men and women showed that the risk of developing psoriasis was stronger in men with a family history of psoriasis (OR = 30.39; 95% CI = 6.72–137.42) than in women (OR = 16.99; 95% CI = 7.21–40.07). The effect of environmental tobacco smoke at home was found only in women (OR = 2.44; 95% CI = 1.26–4.73). Future well‐designed epidemiological studies need to be performed in order to determine whether lifestyle factors and stress could be risk factors triggering or aggravating psoriasis.
Does smoking cue‐induced craving tell us anything important about nicotine dependence?
Authors: Perkins Kenneth A.
Published: April 2009

Cue‐reactivity, or self‐reported craving response to drug‐associated stimuli, is an active area of research on factors that maintain drug use, particularly cigarette smoking. A common rationale for this research is the expectation that treatments that extinguish cue‐induced craving will be effective as smoking cessation interventions. Therefore, the importance of research on the variables that moderate and control cue‐induced craving would seem to hinge upon the relevance of cue‐induced craving to nicotine dependence, particularly its association with relapse risk. However, the limited relevant clinical research has not demonstrated clearly a link between smoking relapse risk and self‐reported craving in response to smoking cues. Links between relapse and other responses to cues, such as heart rate or electrodermal activity, are inconsistent or not significant. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)‐approved smoking cessation medications have not been shown to alleviate cue‐induced craving, although they do alleviate abstinence‐induced craving, which has been associated with relapse risk. Nevertheless, other acute measures assessed in the laboratory have been shown to predict subsequent relapse risk in quitting smokers, demonstrating the feasibility of this type of study. Future research may benefit from using more reliable and valid multi‐item craving measures, focusing upon more specific conditions under which cue‐induced craving may predict relapse and, most importantly, considering dependent measures other than self‐reported craving in response to cues, particularly actual smoking behavior. Without stronger evidence in support of the relevance of cue‐induced craving response to the persistence of smoking behavior or other measures of dependence, it will be incumbent upon researchers in this area to justify why studies of cue‐induced craving contribute to our understanding of dependence.
Maintenance therapy and 3‐year outcome of opioid‐dependent prisoners: a prospective study in France (2003–06)
Authors: Marzo Jean‐Noël , Rotily Michel , Meroueh Fadi , Varastet Marina , Hunault Catherine , Obradovic Ivana , Zin Adeline
Published: April 2009

Aims  To describe the profile of imprisoned opioid‐dependent patients, prescriptions of maintenance therapy at imprisonment and 3‐year outcome in terms of re‐incarceration and mortality.

Design  Prospective, observational study (France, 2003–06).

Setting  Health units of 47 remand prisons.

Participants  A total of 507 opioid‐dependent patients included within the first week of imprisonment between June 2003 and September 2004, inclusive.

Measurements  Physicians collected socio‐demographic data, penal history, history of addiction, maintenance therapy and psychoactive agent use, general health status and comorbidities. Prescriptions at imprisonment were recorded by the prison pharmacist. Re‐incarceration data were retrieved from the National Register of Inmates, survival data and causes of death from the National Registers of vital status and death causes.

Findings  Prison maintenance therapy was delivered at imprisonment to 394/507 (77.7%) patients. These patients had poorer health status, heavier opioid use and prison history and were less socially integrated than the remaining 113 patients. Over 3 years, 238/478 patients were re‐incarcerated [51.3 re‐incarcerations per 100 patient‐years, 95% confidence interval (CI) 46.4–56.2]. Factors associated independently with re‐incarceration were prior imprisonment and benzodiazepine use. After adjustment for confounders, maintenance therapy was not associated with a reduced rate of re‐incarceration (adjusted relative risk 1.28, 95% CI 0.89–1.85). The all‐cause mortality rate was eight per 1000 patient‐years (n = 10, 95% CI 4–13).

Conclusions  Prescription of maintenance therapy has increased sharply in French prisons since its introduction in the mid‐1990s. However, the risk of re‐imprisonment or death remains high among opioid‐dependent prisoners. Substantial efforts are needed to implement more effective preventive policies.
Are differences in guidelines for the treatment of nicotine dependence and non‐nicotine dependence justified?
Authors: Hughes John R. , Weiss Roger D.
Published: April 2009

Despite the many similarities between nicotine dependence and other drug dependences, national guidelines for their treatment differ in several respects. The recent national guideline for the treatment of nicotine dependence has (i) less emphasis on detailed assessment; (ii) less emphasis on treatment of psychiatric comorbidity; (iii) less acceptance of reduction of use as an initial treatment goal; (iv) greater emphasis on pharmacological interventions; and (v) less emphasis on psychosocial treatment than national guidelines for non‐nicotine dependences. These treatment differences may occur because (i) nicotine does not cause behavioral intoxication; (ii) psychiatric comorbidity is less problematic with nicotine dependence; (iii) psychosocial problems are less severe with nicotine dependence; and (iv) available pharmacotherapies for nicotine dependence are safer, more numerous and more easily available. However, it is unclear whether these treatment differences are, in fact, justifiable because of the scarcity of empirical tests. We suggest several possible empirical tests.
A genetic linkage map of the sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka), based on AFLP and microsatellite markers
Authors: Li Q. , Chen L. , Kong L.
Published: April 2009

We present the first genetic maps of the sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus), constructed with an F1 pseudo‐testcross strategy. The 37 amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) primer combinations chosen identified 484 polymorphic markers. Of the 21 microsatellite primer pairs tested, 16 identified heterozygous loci in one or other parent, and six were fully informative, as they segregated in both parents. The female map comprised 163 loci, spread over 20 linkage groups (which equals the haploid chromosome number), and spanned 1522.0 cM, with a mean marker density of 9.3 cM. The equivalent figures for the male map were 162 loci, 21 linkage groups, 1276.9 and 7.9 cM. About 2.5% of the AFLP markers displayed segregation distortion and were not used for map construction. The estimated coverage of the genome was 84.8% for the female map and 83.4% for the male map. The maps generated will serve as a basis for the construction of a high‐resolution genetic map and mapping of the functional genes and quantitative trait loci, which will then open the way for the application of a marker‐assisted selection breeding strategy in this species.
Relationships among calpastatin single nucleotide polymorphisms, calpastatin expression and tenderness in pork longissimus1
Authors: Lindholm‐Perry A. K. , Rohrer G. A. , Holl J. W. , Shackelford S. D. , Wheeler T. L. , Koohmaraie M. , Nonneman D.
Published: April 2009

Genome scans in the pig have identified a region on chromosome 2 (SSC2) associated with tenderness. Calpastatin is a likely positional candidate gene in this region because of its inhibitory role in the calpain system that is involved in postmortem tenderization. Novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in calpastatin were identified and used to genotype a population (n = 1042) of Duroc–Landrace–Yorkshire swine for association with longissimus lumborum slice shear force (SSF) measured at days 7 and 14 postmortem. Three genetic markers residing in the calpastatin gene were significantly associated with SSF (P < 0.0005). Haplotypes constructed from markers in the calpastatin gene were significantly associated with SSF (F‐ratio = 3.93; P‐value = 0.002). The levels of normalized mRNA expression of calpastatin in the longissimus lumborum of 162 animals also were evaluated by real‐time RT‐PCR and were associated with the genotype of the most significant marker for SSF (P < 0.02). This evidence suggests that the causative variation alters expression of calpastatin, thus affecting tenderness. In summary, these data provide evidence of several significant, publicly available SNP markers associated with SSF that may be useful to the swine industry for marker assisted selection of animals that have more tender meat.
Early‐life co‐administration of cockroach allergen and endotoxin augments pulmonary and systemic responses
Authors: Kulhankova K. , George C. L. S. , Kline J. N. , Snyder J. M. , Darling M. , Field E. H. , Thorne P. S.
Published: April 2009

Background
Environmental exposures to cockroach allergen and endotoxin are recognized epidemiological risk factors for the early development of allergies and asthma in children. Because of this, it is important to examine the role of early‐life concurrent inhalation exposures to cockroach allergen and endotoxin in the pathogenesis of allergic airways disease.

Objective
We examined the effects of repeated concomitant endotoxin and cockroach allergen inhalation on the pulmonary and systemic immune responses of newborn and juvenile mice.

Methods
C3H/HeBFeJ mice were exposed to inhaled endotoxin and cockroach allergen via intranasal instillation from day 2 to 21 after birth, and systemic and pulmonary responses were examined in serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and lung tissue.

Results
Cockroach allergen exposures induced pulmonary eosinophilic inflammation, total and allergen‐specific IgE, IgG1, and IgG2a production, and alveolar remodelling. Co‐exposures with endotoxin and cockroach allergen significantly increased serum IgE and IgG1, lung inflammation, and alveolar wall thickness, and decreased airspace volume density. Importantly, compared with exposures with individual substances, the responses to co‐exposures were more than additive.

Conclusions
Repeated inhalation exposures of neonatal and juvenile mice to endotoxin and cockroach allergen increased the pulmonary inflammatory and systemic immune responses in a synergistic manner and enhanced alveolar remodelling in the developing lung. These data underscore the importance of evaluating the effect of multiple, concurrent environmental exposures, and of using an experimental model that incorporates clinically relevant timing and route of exposures.
Concentration of 14,15‐leukotriene C4 (eoxin C4) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid
Authors: Ono E. , Mita H. , Taniguchi M. , Higashi N. , Hasegawa M. , Miyazaki E. , Kumamoto T. , Akiyama K.
Published: April 2009

Background
There has been no information about the concentration of 14,15‐leukotriene C4, which is generated by 15‐ and 12‐lipoxygenase and has been recently named eoxin C4, in biological fluids.

Objective
To determine the clinical concentrations of eoxin C4 in various respiratory inflammatory diseases, we quantified eoxin C4 in relation to the concentrations of cysteinyl‐leukotrienes (CysLTs) and 15‐hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15‐HETE) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF).

Methods
BALF fluid was obtained from patients with a number of inflammatory lung diseases. Eoxin C4 and CysLTs were quantified by enzyme immunoassay in combination with high‐performance liquid chromatography. Eoxin C4 immunoassay does not detect eoxin D4 or eoxin E4. 15‐HETE was quantified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry using 18O‐labeled compounds as an internal standard.

Results
The concentration of eoxin C4 (median 1.4, range <1.12–6.7 pg/mL) was significantly lower than that of eoxin C4 or CysLTs (P<0.0001). The concentration of 15‐HETE significantly correlated with those of LTC4 and CysLTs or the number and the percentage of eosinophils in BALF. On the other hand, eoxin C4 concentration did not correlate with eosinophil number or CysLTs concentration in BALF.

Conclusions
This is the first study demonstrating the presence of eoxin C4 in human biological fluids. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the pathophysiological role of eoxin C4 in some respiratory inflammatory diseases.
Altered innate immune response of plasmacytoid dendritic cells in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Bayas A , Stasiolek M , Kruse N , Toyka K V , Selmaj K , Gold R
Published: April 2009

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are of crucial importance in immune regulation and response to microbial factors. In multiple sclerosis (MS), pDCs from peripheral blood showed an immature phenotype, but its role in susceptibility to MS is not determined. Because infectious diseases are established triggers of exacerbations in MS, in this study we have characterized the expression of Toll-like receptors (TLR) and the maturation and functional properties of peripheral blood pDCs from clinically stable, untreated MS patients in response to signals of innate immunity. After stimulation of TLR-9, interferon (IFN)-α production by pDCs was significantly lower in MS (n = 12) compared to healthy controls (n = 9). In an allogenic two-step co-culture assay we found an impaired effect of TLR-9 stimulation on IFN-γ expression of autologous naive T cells in MS patients (n = 4). In peripheral blood mononuclear cells, TLR-9 stimulation with type A CpG ODN resulted in a higher expression of TLR-1, -2, -4, -5 and -8 in MS patients (n = 7) compared with healthy controls (n = 11). These findings suggest an altered innate immune response to microbial stimuli in MS patients and may help understanding of why common infectious agents trigger MS attacks.
T helper type 17-related cytokine expression is increased in the bronchial mucosa of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients
Authors: Di Stefano A , Caramori G , Gnemmi I , Contoli M , Vicari C , Capelli A , Magno F , D'Anna S E , Zanini A , Brun P , Casolari P , Chung K F , Barnes P J , Papi A , Adcock I , Balbi B
Published: April 2009

There are increased numbers of activated T lymphocytes in the bronchial mucosa of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. T helper type 17 (Th17) cells release interleukin (IL)-17 as their effector cytokine under the control of IL-22 and IL-23. Furthermore, Th17 numbers are increased in some chronic inflammatory conditions. To investigate the expression of interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-17F, IL-21, IL-22 and IL-23 and of retinoic orphan receptor RORC2, a marker of Th17 cells, in bronchial biopsies from patients with stable COPD of different severity compared with age-matched control subjects. The expression of IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-21, IL-22, IL-23 and RORC2 was measured in the bronchial mucosa using immunohistochemistry and/or quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The number of IL-22+ and IL-23+ immunoreactive cells is increased in the bronchial epithelium of stable COPD compared with control groups. In addition, the number of IL-17A+ and IL-22+ immunoreactive cells is increased in the bronchial submucosa of stable COPD compared with control non-smokers. In all smokers, with and without disease, and in patients with COPD alone, the number of IL-22+ cells correlated significantly with the number of both CD4+ and CD8+ cells in the bronchial mucosa. RORC2 mRNA expression in the bronchial mucosa was not significantly different between smokers with normal lung function and COPD. Further, we report that endothelial cells express high levels of IL-17A and IL-22. Increased expression of the Th17-related cytokines IL-17A, IL-22 and IL-23 in COPD patients may reflect their involvement, and that of specific IL-17-producing cells, in driving the chronic inflammation seen in COPD.
Is optimal foraging a realistic expectation in orb‐web spiders?
Authors: EDWARDS WILL , WHYTLAW POPPY A. , CONGDON BRADLEY C. , GASKETT CHRIS
Published: April 2009

Abstract 1. Explanations for web relocation invoking optimal foraging require reliable differentiation between individual sites and overall habitat quality. We characterised natural conditions of resource variability over 20 days in artificial webs of the orb‐web spider Gasteracantha fornicata to examine this requirement.

2. Variability in catch success was high. Day‐to‐day catch success in 90% (18/20) catch sites fitted negative binomial distributions, whereas 10% fitted Poisson distributions. Considered across trap sites (overall habitat), variance in catch success increased proportionally faster than the mean (i.e. Taylor’s Power Law, variance = 0.54mean1.764).

3. We compared the confidence intervals for the expected cumulative catch in randomly drawn sequential samples from a frequency distribution representing the overall habitat (based on the parameters for Taylor’s power law) and the frequency distribution of expected cumulative catch within each individual catch site [via randomisation based on the mean and negative binomial exponent (k)].

4. In all cases and across all sample sizes, median values for the power to differentiate habitat and catch sites never exceeded 0.2, suggesting that principles involved in optimal foraging, if operating, must be accompanied by a very high degree of uncertainty.

5. Under conditions of high resource variability, many days must be spent in a single catch site if movement decisions are based on an ability to differentiate current catch site from overall habitat. Empirical evidence suggests this is never met. This may explain why proximal mechanisms that illicit quickly resolved behavioural responses have been more successful in describing web relocation patterns than those associated with optimal foraging.
Too hot to handle? Phenological and life‐history responses to simulated climate change of the southern green stink bug Nezara viridula (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)
Authors: MUSOLIN DMITRY L. , TOUGOU DAISUKE , FUJISAKI KENJI
Published: April 2009

The effect of simulated climate change on Nezara viridula was studied close to the species' northern range limit in Japan. Insects from the same egg masses were reared for 15 months in 10 consecutive series under quasi‐natural (i.e. outdoor) conditions and in a transparent incubator, in which climate warming was simulated by adding 2.5 °C to the outdoor temperature. The warming strongly affected all life‐history and phenological parameters. In the spring, the simulated warming advanced the timing of postdiapause body colour changes and reproduction. In the early summer, it increased egg production and accelerated nymphal development. In the late summer (the hottest season), the effect of the simulated warming was strongly deleterious: nymphs developed slowly, suffered higher mortality and had difficulties during final moulting; the emerged females were smaller, some exhibited abnormal cuticle, produced fewer eggs and had a decreased life span. In the autumn, the warming accelerated nymphal development, resulted in larger female size, affected the timing of the diapause‐associated adult body colour change from green to russet and enhanced preparation for overwintering. Larger females had higher winter survival rate than smaller females. The warming strongly increased survival rate in both size classes and allowed smaller females to reach the same winter survival rate as larger females had under the quasi‐natural conditions. The winter survival also differed between the green and dark‐coloured females under the quasi‐natural, but not under the warming conditions. However, under the warming conditions, green females survived the winter even better than dark‐coloured females did under the quasi‐natural conditions. The warming also shortened the life span of females from the summer generations and prolonged it in those from the autumn generation. It is concluded that even a moderate temperature increase (+2.5 °C) in the future is likely to have a complex influence upon insects, strongly affecting many of their life‐history and phenological parameters.