bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Yoga on Cardiovascular Autonomic Reactivity in Essential Hypertensive Patients
Authors: Khadka R , Paudel BH , Sharma VP , Kumar S , Bhattacharya N
Published: March 2011

Background and objective: We aimed to investigate the effect of yoga on cardiovascular autonomic reactivity in essential hypertensive patients. Methods: The study was conducted on 14 essential hypertensive patients, who were on salt-reduction and similar antihypertensive drugs. They were randomized into two groups; control (n=7; age 42.2±11.9 years) and yoga (n=7; age 44.9±10.8 years). The yoga group practiced yoga for ½ h/d, 6 d/ week for 6 weeks. The control group did not practice any type of yogic exercises or relaxation techniques. Autonomic function tests consisting of deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver, handgrip (HGT), and head-up tilt (HUT) tests of all patients were assessed at 0 week and every two weeks for 6 weeks. The data were analyzed using Friedman test followed by multiple comparisons. Results: In yoga group significant reduction in resting heart rate, SBP, and DBP were found after 4 weeks of yogic practices as compared to baseline recording; HR [84(78-94.5) Vs 72(67.5-77); p=0.028], SBP[144(140-165) Vs 130(125- 144); p=0.018], and DBP[98(94-101) Vs 88(78-90); p=0.018]. Similarly, significant reduction in SBP was found after yogic practices in response to HGT and HUT although the magnitude of changes was increased or comparable to control. There was significant increase in Valsalva ratio after yogic practices [1.17(1.12-1.4) Vs 1.33(1.29-1.55); p=0.018]. Conculsion: Yoga combined with anti-hypertensive drugs is effective in reducing BP in resting condition and increasing parasympathetic reactivity. It is also found to normalize cardiovascular autonomic function in hypertensive patients. Keywords: Yoga; essential hypertension. DOI: 10.3126/hren.v8i2.4421 Health Renaissance, May-Aug 2010; Vol 8 (No.2):102-109
Head Injury - A Case Profile Study from Eastern Region of Nepal
Authors: Bhandari R , Mahato IP , Paudel M , Giri R
Published: March 2011

Background: Head injury is a common presentation in emergency rooms. Management often is decided by time of trauma, clinical presentations and availability of facilities. Objective: To outline the general characteristics of head injury patients presenting to emergency. Methods: This is an observational (case series) study done in BPKIHS emergency room over a period of six months. All the acute head trauma cases presenting to the department of emergency, BPKIHS, were evaluated based on the semi closed clinical performa including major clinical indicators of intracranial trauma. Results: Among 255 head injury patients, males were more common. Fall was the commonest mode of injury resulting in 71.42% in those under ten years where as road traffic accidents was commonest in twenty to fifty years age group.23% reached the hospital after 12 hours of injury. Loss of consciousness and vomiting were the commonest history. 9.4% had consumed alcohol at presentation. Mild head injury was commonest (76.5%). 23% were discharged from emergency within 12 hours. 14.9% underwent neurosurgical intervention. 187 of 255 underwent CT scan, 132 were abnormal. Contusions were commonest. For the normal CT scan the mean GCS score was 13.65 and for abnormal CT scans the mean GCS was 12.48 with SD of 2.8 and 3.4 respectively, p=0.025. Keywords: head injury; clinical features; emergency; classification; Glasgow coma score; CT scan. DOI: 10.3126/hren.v8i2.4422 Health Renaissance, May-Aug 2010; Vol 8 (No.2):11--113
Liraglutide: The Latest Addition to Armamentarium of Antidiabetic Drugs
Authors: Dubey AK , Biswas NR
Published: March 2011

DOI: 10.3126/hren.v8i2.4424 Health Renaissance, May-Aug 2010; Vol 8 (No.2):117-121
Advances in the Krapcho Decarboxylation
Authors: Poon PO. S. , Banerjee Ajoy K. , Laya Manuel S.
Published: March 2011

Po. S. Poon, who received her Doctorate degree in 2007 from Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (IVIC), is working at IVIC as an Investigator in the Department of Chemistry. Her research encompases the synthesis of terpenoid and bioactive compounds. She was received the Paula Prize from IVIC for her high academic achievement.

Manuel S. Laya obtained his MSc degree in 1997 from IVIC and is now working as Research Associate in the Department of Organic Chemistry, IVIC. He has published more than 30 papers, most of which are related to synthetic studies on terpenoid compounds.

Ajoy K. Banerjee, who received his PhD in 1965 from the University of Kolkata (India), joined IVIC in 1968. Since 1982 he has been working as Senior Research Scientist. Most of his work is related to synthetic studies on terpenoid compounds (diterpenes and sesquitepenes). He teaches organic chemistry and supervises students who join IVIC for MSc or PhD degrees. Dr Banerjee is the author of two books on organic chemistry, written in Spanish, and several papers.

1. Modifications

2. General features

3. Mechanism

4. Synthetic applications

5. Conclusion

6. References

This review provides a brief description of the Krapcho dealkoxycarbonylation and its recent applications in the synthesis of organic compounds and natural products. The general features of the Krapcho reaction, its mechanism and several modifications of the Krapcho reaction are discussed.
Multicomponent Reaction for the Synthesis of Pyridine Derivatives based on Triphenylamine
Authors: Geng Li-Jun , Feng Guo-Liang , Yu Jiu-Gao , Zhang Hong-Li
Published: March 2011

A facile preparation of pyridine derivatives based on triphenylamine through a multicomponent reaction from 3-cya-noacetylindoles, ammonium acetate and a 1,3-diarylpropenone either by conventional heating or microwave irradiation is described. The three-component reaction afforded good yields and involved a simple procedure.
A One-Pot Synthesis of Functionalised 1-Azadienes Containing 2-Thioxoimidazolidin-4-Ones
Authors: Yavari Issa , Ghanbari Mohammad M. , Azizian Javad , Sheikholeslami Fatemeh
Published: March 2011

The zwitterionic 1:1 intermediates generated by addition of alkyl isocyanides to acetylenic esters are trapped by 3-methyl-5,5-diaryl-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-ones to yield dialkyl 2-[(alkylimino)(3-methyl-4-oxo-5,5-diaryl-2-thioxoimidazolidin-1-yl)methyl]but-2-enedioates in good yields.
Synthesis of Anti–-anti (anti–-syn)-3,4:8,9-Tetraacetoxy-11-Oxa-Tricyclo [4.4.1.01,6]Undecanes
Authors: Kelebekli Latif
Published: March 2011

Synthesis of anti–-anti- and anti–-syn-3,4:8,9-tetraacetoxy-11-oxa-tricyclo[4.4.1.01,6] undecanes have been achieved starting from naphthalene. The Birch reduction of naphthalene gave 1,4,5,8-tetrahydro-naphthalene in high yield. 1,4,5,8-Tetrahydro-naphthalene was selectively oxidised with mCPBA to give 11-oxa-tricyclo[4.4.1.01,6]undeca-3,8-diene. OsO4 oxidation followed by acetylation furnished the corresponding tetraacetates.
Synthesis and antimicrobial activities of 2-substituted 12H-chromeno[3,2-e][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidines, 3-ethoxycarbonyl-12H-chromeno[3,2-e][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c] pyrimidine-2-one and ethyl 2-formylamino- and 2-acetylamino-4H-chromene-3-carboxylates
Authors: El-Agrody Ahmed M. , Sabry Nermien M. , Motlaq Shymaa S.
Published: March 2011

Preparation of 2-substituted 9-(diethylamino)-12-(4-chlorophenyl)-12 H-chromeno[3,2- e][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5- c]pyrimidines is reported. Furthermore, 3-benzylideneamino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-8-(diethylamino)-4-imino-3,4-dihydro-5 H-chromeno[2,3- d]pyrimidine, 3-ethoxycarbonyl-12 H-chromeno[3,2- e][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5- c]pyrimidine-2-one, ethyl 2-formylamino- and 2-acetylamino-4 H-chromene-3-carboxylates were prepared. Structures of these compounds were established on the basis of IR, UV, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and MS data. The new compounds were evaluated for antimicrobial activities.
Synthesis of Zinc Stannate and Zinc Stannate Coated Nano-CaCO3 by Homogeneous Precipitation
Authors: Xie Jixing , Jiao Yunhong , Xu Jianzhong , Sun Hanwen
Published: March 2011

Zinc stannate (ZnSnO3) and zinc stannate-coated nm-CaCO3 (ZS-CaCO3) were synthesised from precursors which for the latter were formed by a homogeneous precipitation method with ultrasonic and azeotropic technology. The calcined products of ZnSnO3 and ZS–-CaCO3 were characterised by XRD and TG/DTA. The results indicated the optimal temperature for calcining was at 500°C. The surface of nm-CaCO3 was characterised by XPS and TEM, and the results showed that ZnSnO3 had effectively coated the surface of nm-CaCO3. The grain size of ZS-CaCO3 was about 50–70 nm.
One-Pot, Three-Component Route to Spiropyrrolidine Derivatives via a 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition Reaction
Authors: Feng Guo-Liang , Zhang Hong-Li , Geng Li-Jun
Published: March 2011

A series of novel spiropyrrolidine derivatives were synthesised via three-component 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of 1-(1-methylpyrrole-2-yl)-3-aryl-2-cyano-1-propenones, isatin and sarcosine in refluxing methanol. The method affords a fast one-pot synthesis of spiroheterocycles in high yields. Their structures were established by 1H NMR, IR and elementary analysis.
Synthesis, Characterisation of Polymer-Supported Palladium-2-Methylimidazole Complex Catalyst for the Hydrogenation of Aromatic Nitro Compounds
Authors: Velua Udayakumar , Stanislaus Alexander , Virupaiah Gayathri , Shivakumaraiah  , Patil Kashinath Rangu , Balasubramanian Viswanathan
Published: March 2011

A polymer-supported palladium-2-methylimidazole complex was synthesised and characterised by various physico-chemical methods. The complex was successfully used as a catalyst for the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene and a few of its derivatives under ambient conditions. Results reveal that the electronic as well as the steric effects of the substitutent control the rate of hydrogenation of the nitro group in the studied nitro compounds. The kinetics of hydrogenation and the reusability of the catalyst were also studied.
Novel and Efficient One-Pot Synthesis of Np-alkyl-N,N-dimethylacetamidines
Authors: Li Zhe-Qi , Wang Hui-Long
Published: March 2011

An efficient method for the synthesis of Np-alkyl- N,N-dimethylacetamidine derivatives under mild conditions and in excellent yields involved reacting primary alkylamines with N,N-dimethylacetamide in the presence of LiCl as a catalyst and methanol as the acetalising reagent.
Citric Acid Catalysed Beckmann Rearrangement, under Solvent free Conditions
Authors: Thopate Shankar Ramchandra , Kote Santosh Rajaram , Rohokale Sandeep Vasantrao , Thorat Nitin Madhukar
Published: March 2011

Citric acid is reported to be a highly efficient and eco-friendly catalyst for the Beckmann rearrangement under solvent free conditions.
Two New C21 Steroids from the Roots of Cynanchum Otophyllum
Authors: Shi Lin-Mei , Liu Wen-Hong , Yu Qing , Wan Hai-Tong
Published: March 2011

Two new C21 steroids, 12β- O-acetyl-20- O-(2-methylbutyryl)-sarcostin and its 3- O-digitoxopyranoside (1-2) were isolated from the roots of Cynanchum otophyllum, together with three known steroids, namely deacetylmetaplexigenin (3), sarcostin (4), and kidjoranin 3 -O-β-D-digitoxopyranoside (5). The structures of the new steroids were established by spectroscopic and chemical methods, especially two-dimensional NMR techniques.
C–C (alkynylation) vs C–O (ether) bond formation under Pd/C–Cu catalysis: synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of 4-alkynylthieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines
Authors: Gorja Dhilli Rao , Kumar K Shiva , Mukkanti K , Pal Manojit
Published: March 2011

The Pd/C–CuI–PPh3 catalytic system facilitated C–C bond formation between 4-chlorothieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines and terminal alkynes in methanol with high selectivity without generating any significant side products arising from C–O bond formation between the chloro compounds and methanol. A variety of novel 4-alkynylthieno[2,3- d]pyrimidines were prepared via alkynylation of 4-chlorothieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines in good to excellent yields. Some of the compounds synthesized were tested for cytotoxic activity in vitro.
Baseline CD4+ T-cell counts and weighted background susceptibility scores strongly predict response to maraviroc regimens in treatment-experienced patients
Authors: Schapiro Jonathan M , Boucher Charles AB , Kuritzkes Daniel R , van de Vijver David A , Llibre Josep M , Lewis Marilyn , Simpson Paul , Delogne Christophe , McFadyen Lynn , Chapman Douglass , Perros Manos , Valdez Hernan , van der Ryst Elna , Westby Mike
Published: March 2011

Background

Maraviroc-containing regimens are known to achieve virological suppression in many treatment-experienced patients. This study aimed to evaluate a more rigorous methodological approach to resistance–response analysis in large clinical studies and to better establish which subpopulations of patients were most likely to benefit from maraviroc by refining and extending previous subgroup analyses from the MOTIVATE studies.

Methods

Individual weighted optimized background therapy (OBT) susceptibility scores were calculated by combining genotypic or phenotypic resistance testing with prior drug use information. Virological response (HIV-1 RNA<50 copies/ml at week 48) using each of these methods was compared with a commonly used method of counting active drugs. Baseline predictors of virological response, including weighted or unweighted scoring, maraviroc use, baseline CD4+ T-cell count, HIV-1 plasma viral load and tropism, were assessed by logistic regression modelling.

Results

Genotypic or phenotypic weighted methods were similarly predictive of virological response and better than counting active drugs. Weighted scoring and baseline CD4+ T-cell count were the strongest predictors of virological response ( P<0.0001): -70% of maraviroc patients with a weighted score ≥2 had a virological response, rising to -80% when the baseline CD4+ T-cell count was ≥50 cells/mm3.

Conclusions

Approximately 80% of patients with a CD4+ T-cell count ≥50 cells/mm3 receiving maraviroc with the equivalent of at least two fully active agents achieved HIV-1 RNA<50 copies/ml at week 48 in the MOTIVATE studies. Genotypic and phenotypic weighted scores were similarly predictive of virological response.
"So oft to the movies they've been": British fan writing and female audiences in the silent cinema
Authors: Stead Lisa Rose
Published: March 2011

This article aims to address the ways in which working-class and lower-middle-class British women used silent-era fan magazines as a space for articulating their role within the development of a female film culture. The article focuses on letter pages that formed a key site for female contribution to British fan magazines across the silent era. In contributing to these pages, women found a space to debate and discuss the appeal and significance of particular female representations within film culture. Using detailed archival research tracing the content of a specific magazine, Picturegoer, across a 15-year period (1913–28), the article will show the dominance of particular types of female representation in both fan and "official" magazine discourses, analyzing the ways in which British women used these images to work through national tensions regarding modern femininity and traditional ideas of female propriety and restraint.
John Lennon, autograph hound: The fan-musician community in Hamburg's early rock-and-roll scene, 1960–65
Authors: Sneeringer Julia
Published: March 2011

This article explores the Beat music scene in Hamburg, West Germany, in the early 1960s. This scene became famous for its role in incubating the Beatles, who played over 250 nights there in 1960–62, but this article focuses on the prominent role of fans in this scene. Here fans were welcomed by bands and club owners as cocreators of a scene that offered respite from the prevailing conformism of West Germany during the Economic Miracle. This scene, born at the confluence of commercial and subcultural impulses, was also instrumental in transforming rock and roll from a working-class niche product to a cross-class lingua franca for youth. It was also a key element in West Germany's broader processes of democratization during the 1960s, opening up social space in which the meanings of authority, respectability, and democracy itself could be questioned and reworked.
"White shoes to a football match!": Female experiences of football's golden age in England
Authors: Pope Stacey , Williams John
Published: March 2011

Although many British historians claim that English football in the post-World War II period was substantially the passion of working-class men, oral history accounts also reveal a largely hidden history of active female sports fans, women who keenly followed football. These female fans often faced opposition from fellow supporters and from other women. In many ways, academic research on sports fandom has worked to omit serious discussion of the role of women. Taken from a wider project aimed at making more visible the historical experiences of female spectators in sport in Britain, this paper draws on interviews with 16 older female fans of the Leicester City football club based in the East Midlands in England. It explores their experiences in the so-called golden age of the game with regard to the football stadium, styles of female support, and relationships with and perceptions of football players. Via oral history research, the paper offers a wider context for understanding the sporting experiences of female fans. But it also analyzes and explicates the meaning of sport in the lives of female fans during a period when football players were paradoxically glamorous and unobtainable local figures, but also, in some contexts, still accessible, ordinary members of local communities.
The "Contraband" Incident: The strange case of Marion Zimmer Bradley
Authors: Coker Catherine
Published: March 2011

The late Marion Zimmer Bradley once said of her own most famous fictional world, "I didn't invent Darkover, I discovered it." Unlike most authors, who at best enjoy their admirers' activities, and at worst try to end them, Bradley and her sizable community of fans collaborated in the publication of a large body of work fairly harmoniously for over two decades. However, this collaboration came to an abrupt end in 1992 with an event that can be referred to as the Contraband Incident. As this overview will explain, it is a cautionary tale which illustrates how fan activity can do real emotional and monetary damage to the creator-author.
Excerpt from "IRL (In Real Life): The Bronze Documentary Project"
Authors: Tuszynski Stephanie
Published: March 2011

Excerpt from "IRL (In Real Life): The Bronze Documentary Project." One of the first feature-length documentary films to take on the subject of online relationships, "IRL (In Real Life)" chronicles the life, death, and afterlife of an online community called The Bronze, made up of fans from the official Web site for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
conversation with Paula Smith
Authors: Walker Cynthia W.
Published: March 2011

Interview with Paula Smith, conducted by Cynthia W. Walker.
Interview with Rusty Hevelin
Authors: Bewley Sarah
Published: March 2011

Interview with Rusty Hevelin, conducted by Sarah Bewley.
"Boys' love manga: Essays on the sexual ambiguity and cross-cultural fandom of the genre," edited by Antonia Levi et al.
Authors: Noppe Nele
Published: March 2011

Book review, Antonia Levi, Mark McHarry, and Dru Pagliassotti, eds. Boys' love manga: Essays on the sexual ambiguity and cross-cultural fandom of the genre. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2010. Paperback, $39.95 (280p) ISBN 978-0786441952.
Bowlers, ballads, bells, and blasters: Living history and fandom
Authors: Soderstrom Mark
Published: March 2011

In many people's lives the disposition to create community around historical interest or reenacted historical community practices, or even just entertainment in a mythic-history setting, intersects with a related and similar interest in science fiction/fantasy literature and participation on some level in the related fandoms and social activities of SF/F. The bowlers, ballads, bells, and blasters of my title come together not just in current steampunk scenes but also in the storied and genred lives of many reenactors and fans. Or, as a friend of mine suggested when discussing this essay, "historical reenactment is the trade secret to fandom."
Textual evidence of fandom activities: The fanzine holdings at UC Riverside's Eaton Collection
Authors: Lee Regina Yung
Published: March 2011

The Eaton Collection at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) is one of those nexus places, an archival cantina straddling several different functions in its daily uses and visitors. Located on the fourth floor of the Rivera Library, past the operational printing presses and the glassed-in displays of SF novel covers, its sunlit reading room and cheerful student help render the Eaton Collection vaguely unintimidating—until one gets past the small anteroom and into the collection itself. This vast array of papers, drafts, novels, anthologies, and other print matter evinces a long history of accumulated fandoms, material evidence of lifetimes of passionate enthusiasm all accumulated and accounted for, archived for anyone with a library pass, a yen for context, and a good eye for buried treasure.
"I'm Buffy, and you're history": Putting fan studies into history
Authors: Reagin Nancy , Rubenstein Anne
Published: March 2011

This essay kicks off the special historical issue of Transformative Works and Cultures by offering an overview of the ways in which fan communities have been studied by academic historians, and how fan studies has written the history of fan communities. The essay discusses historical work done by amateur fan historians throughout the 20th century; what academic historians can offer fan communities; why academic historians could benefit from studying fandoms as part of the history of popular culture; and what fan studies as a discipline might gain from a broader historical analysis of fandoms.
"A comics studies reader," edited by Jeet Heer and Kent Worcester
Authors: Long Geoffrey
Published: March 2011

Book review, Jeet Heer and Kent Worcester, eds. A comics studies reader. Oxford: University Press of Mississippi, 2009. Hardcover, $25.00 (380p) ISBN 978-1-60473-1-088.
Silence in the library: Archives and the preservation of fannish history
Authors: Versaphile -
Published: March 2011

Media fandom is an ephemeral culture, and online fandom even more so. A printed zine from the 1970s may last longer than a story published online in the last six months. For some, fandom is a private endeavor, and that very impermanence a desirable feature. But for those who seek to read and be read, to build on and be inspired by the collective history of fannish creativity, there is nothing so vital to authorial fandom's survival as the archive. In the following, I intend to give a brief overview of the main online interfaces fans have used to share their works and how these have affected authorial control, reader accessibility, and general permanence.
History and fandom
Authors: Editor TWC
Published: March 2011

Editorial for TWC No. 6 (March 15, 2011).
Genetic Analysis of Scats Reveals Minimum Number and Sex of Recently Documented Mountain Lions
Authors: Naidu Ashwin , Smythe Lindsay A. , Thompson Ron W. , Culver Melanie
Published: March 2011

Recent records of mountain lions Puma concolor and concurrent declines in desert bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis mexicana on Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona, United States, have prompted investigations to estimate the number of mountain lions occurring there. We performed noninvasive genetic analyses and identified species, individuals, and sex from scat samples collected from the Kofa and Castle Dome Mountains. From 105 scats collected, we identified a minimum of 11 individual mountain lions. These individuals consisted of six males, two females and three of unknown sex. Three of the 11 mountain lions were identified multiple times over the study period. These estimates supplement previously recorded information on mountain lions in an area where they were historically considered only transient. We demonstrate that noninvasive genetic techniques, especially when used in conjunction with camera-trap and radiocollaring methods, can provide additional and reliable information to wildlife managers, particularly on secretive species like the mountain lion.
Protective B Cell Responses to Flu—No Fluke!
Authors: Waffarn Elizabeth E. , Baumgarth Nicole
Published: March 2011

The mechanisms regulating the induction and maintenance of B lymphocytes have been delineated extensively in immunization studies using proteins and hapten-carrier systems. Increasing evidence suggests, however, that the regulation of B cell responses induced by infections is far more complex. In this study, we review the current understanding of B cell responses induced following infection with influenza virus, a small RNA virus that causes the flu. Notably, the rapidly induced, highly protective, and long-lived humoral response to this virus is contributed by multiple B cell subsets, each generating qualitatively distinct respiratory tract and systemic responses. Some B cell subsets provide extensive cross-protection against variants of the ever-mutating virus, and each is regulated by the quality and magnitude of infection-induced innate immune signals. Knowledge gained from the analysis of such highly protective humoral response might provide a blueprint for successful vaccines and vaccination approaches.
Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Program on Substance Use among University Students
Authors: Haaga David A. F. , Grosswald Sarina , Gaylord-King Carolyn , Rainforth Maxwell , Tanner Melissa , Travis Fred , Nidich Sanford , Schneider Robert H.
Published: March 2011

A randomized wait-list controlled trial ( university students) of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program was conducted in an urban setting. Substance use was assessed by self-report at baseline and 3 months later. For smoking and illicit drug use, there were no significant differences between conditions. For alcohol use, sex X intervention condition interactions were significant; TM instruction lowered drinking rates among male but not female students. TM instruction could play a valuable role in reducing alcohol use among male university students. Limitations are noted, along with suggestions for further research.
The expression of Sirtuins 1 and 4 in peripheral blood leukocytes from patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Song R. , Xu W. , Chen Y. , Li Z. , Zeng Y. , Fu Y.
Published: March 2011

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between SIRTs 1 and 4 in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) and human type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). SIRTs 1 and 4 have been confirmed to be associated with homeostasis of glucose/lipid metabolism, but their roles in T2DM are still poorly understood. Peripheral blood and biochemical data were collected from 52 healthy individuals (normal control group, NC group) and 113 cases of T2DM patients. Immunocytochemical staining was used to detect SIRT1 and SIRT4 and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect SIRT1 or SIRT4 mRNA levels in PBLs. Immunocytochemical staining showed that SIRT1 is expressed in both nucleus and cytoplasm, and SIRT4 in the cytoplasm of granulocytes and monocytes. No SIRT1 or SIRT4 was found in lymphocytes. RT-PCR showed that SIRT1 and SIRT4 mRNA levels in T2DM group were lower than those in NC group (P<0.01). Correlation analysis showed that there is a negative correlation between SIRTs 1 and 4 and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (P<0.05) (r= -0.161 and -0.156), a positive correlation between SIRT4 mRNA levels and triglyceride (TG)/lipoprotein a (LPa) levels (P<0.05), and a negative correlation between SIRT4 mRNA levels and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) (P<0.05). SIRTs 1 and 4 may have a role in the pathogenesis of T2DM and their expression in granulocytes and monocytes may indirectly reflect the homeostasis of glucose/lipid metabolism in T2DM.
Till composition and biogeochemistry near a porphyry Cu-Mo deposit: Gibraltar Mine, British Columbia
Authors: Plouffe A , Anderson R G , Dunn C E
Published: March 2011

During the 2008 field season, eleven till, six lodgepole pine and seven Engelmann spruce outer bark samples were collected near a porphyry Cu-Mo deposit (Gibraltar Mine) in central British Columbia. The purpose of this survey is to test the effectiveness of these
sampling medium at detecting mineralization in regions where bedrock mineralization is covered with glacial sediments. Various fractions of the till matrix and bark samples were submitted for geochemical analyses. Our results demonstrate that minor elements (Au, Ag, Ba, Cu, Mo, Te, Zn) and one major
oxide (Al2O3) are enriched to various degree in till down-ice from the Gibraltar ore bodies compared to background concentrations reported from the Bonaparte Lake map area south of the mine. Similarly, Cu and Mo are more enriched in lodgepole pine and Engelmann spruce outer bark near Gibraltar
compared to the Bonaparte survey. These results attest to the utility of till and tree outer bark geochemical surveys as means to vector towards porphyry mineralization such as that contained in the Gibraltar ore bodies.
Relationship between Distribution of Coronary Artery Lesions and Renal Artery Stenosis in Patients Undergoing Simultaneous Coronary and Renal Angiography
Authors: Salehi Negar , Firouzi Ata , Gholoobi Arash , Shakerian Farshad , Sanati Hamid-Reza , Ahmadabadi Mojde Nasiri , Moradi Masoud
Published: March 2011

Aims

We evaluated the relationship between distribution of lesions in coronary tree and atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (RAS).

Methods and Results

Data collected prospectively on 500 consecutive patients who underwent simultaneous renal angiography following coronary angiography. Overall prevalence of RAS was 26.2% (131 patients). Significant (≥ 50% luminal diameter stenosis) RAS was present in 70 patients (14%). In 346 individuals of the study population, significant CAD was present (69.2%). Significant RAS was more common (18.4%) in this group. Older age, higher intra-arterial systolic blood pressure (SBP) and pulse pressure (PP) at the time of catheterization, and 3-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) were associated with significant RAS in univariate analysis. Relationship between involved locations of coronary arteries [Left anterior descending (LAD), left circumflex (LCX), Right Coronary Artery (RCA), and their ostioproximal portions] and RAS were significant except for left main (LM) disease. In multivariate model, age more than 62 years, SBP greater than 150 mmHg, PP in excess of 60 mmHg and RCA involvement were independent predictors of significant RAS.

Conclusion

Simultaneous renal angiography following coronary angiography might be justified in patients with significant RCA disease who are older with increased levels of intra-arterial SBP and PP.
Clinical Perspective on the Management of Hypertension
Authors: Iqbal Muzaffar
Published: March 2011

Hypertension is an important medical and public health issue all over the world. It is one of the most prevalent conditions seen today by clinicians in both developed and developing countries. Depending upon progression of systolic and diastolic blood pressure it is classified into stage 1, 2 and 3 hypertension. Life style modifications may be helpful in initial stage but pharmacological treatment is necessary when it become difficult to control it. In routine practice, pharmacological treatment is being selected from diuretics, β-blockers, calcium channel blockers and renin angiotensin system inhibitors either alone or in combination for both initial and maintenance therapy. Choice of drug depends upon favourable effects in specific clinical setting. Thiazide type diuretics are being preferred for most patients with uncomplicated hypertension whereas β-blockers show strong benefits in patients with a variety of cardiovascular complications. ACE-Inhibitors and ARBs are superior to other class in patients with multiple risk factors like obesity, insulin resistance or diabetes. CCBs compared with other class of hypertensive drugs demonstrate similar blood pressure lowering effects and similar reductions in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality but higher incidence of heart failure and fatal myocardial infarction in some patients. Despite the continued decrease in mortality and morbidity rate by these antihypertensive drugs, some documented increasing prevalence of cardiac failure and end stage renal disease remains to be explained.
Gemfibrozil Improves Postprandial Hypertriglyceridemia in Patients with Isolated Low HDL
Authors: Kassem Hania S. , Zantout Mira S. , Azar Sami T.
Published: March 2011

Aim

To assess the response of postprandial (PP) hypertriglyceridemia to genfibrozil in healthy male subjects with isolated low HDL-Cholesterol but without the metabolic syndrome (MS).

Patients and methods

14 male subjects with isolated low HDL (HDL-C ≤ 33), normal fasting triglycerides and LDL-C levels and without any feature of the MS, were studied. 13 male subjects with HDL-C > 38 mg/dl served as controls. They also had normal fasting triglycerides and LDL-C levels and without any feature of the MS. The 2 groups were statistically similar with respect to age, blood pressure, BMI, body fat composition, waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, fasting insulin, fasting and PP blood sugar, baseline fasting TG level and baseline LDL-C. Postprandial TG levels were measured at 2, 4, and 6 hours following a morning meal. Ten of the patients with PP hypertriglyceridemia were treated with gemfibrozil 600 mg PO twice/day for one month.

Results

Patients had markedly higher levels of the peak PP TG at 4 hours compared to controls (296.0 ± 37.7 vs. 206.7 ± 29.9 mg/dl; P < 0.05) the other two postprandial levels were also higher in patients but the difference was not significant. Treatment with gemfibrozil significantly decreased the levels of fasting and postprandial TG and increased HDL-C by around 3.6 mg/dl (11.7%) without affecting LDL-C.

Conclusion

Postprandial increase in serum TG may be present in patients with isolated HDL-C without the MS. Treatment of patients with PP hypertriglyceridemia with gemfibrozil improves the low HDL-C and postprandial rise in TG.
Atmospheric emissions from vegetation fires in Portugal (1990–2008): estimates, uncertainty analysis, and sensitivity analysis
Authors: Rosa I. M. D. , Pereira J. M. C. , Tarantola S.
Published: March 2011

Abstract. Atmospheric emissions from wildfires in Portugal were estimated yearly over the period 1990–2008 using Landsat-based burnt area maps and land cover maps, national forest inventory data, biometric models, and literature review data. Emissions were calculated as the product of area burnt, biomass loading per unit area, combustion factor, and emission factor, using land cover specific values for all variables. Uncertainty associated with each input variable was quantified with a probability density function or a standard deviation value. Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of estimates were performed with Monte Carlo and variance decomposition techniques. Area burnt varied almost 50-fold during the study period, from about 9000 ha in 2008 to 440 000 ha in 2003. Emissions reach maximum and minimum in the same years, with carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq.) values of 159 and 5655 Gg for 2008 and 2003, respectively. Emission factors, and the combustion factor for shrubs were identified as the variables with higher impact on model output variance. There is a very strong correlation between area burnt and emissions, allowing for good emissions estimates once area burnt is quantified. Pyrogenic emissions were compared against those from various economy sectors and found to represent 1% to 9% of the total.
Bounce behavior of freshly nucleated biogenic secondary organic aerosol particles
Authors: Virtanen A. , Kannosto J. , Joutsensaari J. , Saukko E. , Kuuluvainen H. , Hao L. , Yli-Pirilä P. , Tiitta P. , Holopainen J. K. , Worsnop D. R. , Smith J. N. , Laaksonen A.
Published: March 2011

Abstract. The assessment of the climatic impacts and adverse health effects of atmospheric aerosol particles requires detailed information on particle properties. However, very limited information is available on the morphology and phase state of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles. The physical state of particles greatly affects particulate-phase chemical reactions, and thus the growth rates of newly formed atmospheric aerosol particles. Thus verifying the physical phase state of SOA particles gives new and important insight into their formation, subsequent growth, and consequently potential atmospheric impacts. According to our recent study, biogenic SOA particles produced in laboratory chambers from the oxidation of real plant emissions as well as in ambient boreal forest atmospheres can exist in a solid phase in size range >30 nm. In this paper, we extend previously published results to diameters in the range of 17–30 nm. The physical phase of the particles is studied by investigating particle bounce properties utilizing electrical low pressure impactor (ELPI). We also investigate the effect of estimates of particle density on the interpretation of our bounce observations. According to the results presented in this paper, particle bounce clearly decreases with decreasing particle size in sub 30 nm size range. The decreasing bounce can be caused by the differences in composition and phase of large (diameters greater than 30 nm) and smaller (diameters between 17 and 30 nm) particles.
The "Lung": a software-controlled air accumulator for quasi-continuous multi-point measurement of agricultural greenhouse gases
Authors: Martin R. J. , Bromley A. M. , Harvey M. J. , Moss R. C. , Pattey E. , Dow D.
Published: March 2011

Abstract. We describe the design and testing of a flexible bag ("Lung") accumulator attached to a gas chromatographic (GC) analyzer capable of measuring greenhouse gas emissive fluxes in a wide range of environmental/agricultural settings. In the design presented here, the Lung can collect up to three gas samples concurrently, each accumulated into a Tedlar® bag over a period of 20 min or longer. Toggling collection between 2 sets of 3 bags enables quasi-continuous collection with sequential analysis and discarding of sample residues. The Lung thus provides a flexible "front end" collection system for interfacing to a GC or alternative analyzer and has been used in 2 main types of application. Firstly, it has been applied to micrometeorological assessment of paddock-scale N2O fluxes. Secondly, it has been used for the automation of concurrent emission assessment from three flux chambers, multiplexed to a single GC. The Lung allows the same GC equipment used in laboratory discrete sample analysis to be deployed for continuous field measurement. Continuity of measurement enables spatially-averaged N2O fluxes in particular to be determined with greater accuracy, given the highly heterogeneous and episodic nature of N2O emissions. We present a detailed evaluation of the micrometeorological flux estimation alongside an independent tuneable diode laser system, reporting excellent agreement between flux estimates based on downwind vertical concentration differences. Whilst the current design is based around triplet bag sets, the basic design could be scaled up to a larger number of inlets or bags and less frequent analysis (longer accumulation times) where a greater number of sampling points are required.
Improving short-term forecasting during ramp events by means of Regime-Switching Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Gallego C. , Costa A. , Cuerva A.
Published: March 2011

Abstract. Ramp events are large rapid variations within wind power time series. Ramp forecasting can benefit from specific strategies so as to particularly take into account these shifts in the wind power output dynamic. In the short-term context (characterized by prediction horizons from minutes to a few days), a Regime-Switching (RS) model based on Artificial Neural Nets (ANN) is proposed. The objective is to identify three regimes in the wind power time series: Ramp-up, Ramp-down and No-ramp regime. An on-line regime assessment methodology is also proposed, based on a local gradient criterion. The RS-ANN model is compared to a single-ANN model (without regime discrimination), concluding that the regime-switching strategy leads to significant improvements for one-hour ahead forecasts, mainly due to the improvements obtained during ramp-up events. Including other explanatory variables (NWP outputs, local measurements) during the regime assessment could eventually improve forecasts for further horizons.
Climatology of persistent deep stable layers in Utah's Salt Lake Valley, USA
Authors: Zhong S. , Xu X. , Bian X. , Lu W.
Published: March 2011

Abstract. The characteristics of winter season persistent deep stable layers (PDSLs) over Utah's Salt Lake Valley are examined using 30-year twice daily rawinsonde soundings. The results highlight the basic climatological characteristics of the PDSLs, including the strengths of the inversion, the frequency of the occurrence, and the duration of the events. The data analyses also reveal linear trend, interannual variability, as well as the relationship between the interannual variability of PDSLs and the variability of large-scale circulations. Finally, the study investigates the large-scale atmosphere conditions accompanying the formation and destruction of the PDSL episodes.
Soil-atmosphere exchange of nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide in a gradient of elevation in the coastal Brazilian Atlantic forest
Authors: Sousa Neto E. , Carmo J. B. , Keller M. , Martins S. C. , Alves L. F. , Vieira S. A. , Piccolo M. C. , Camargo P. , Couto H. T. Z. , Joly C. A. , Martinelli L. A.
Published: March 2011

Abstract. Soils of tropical forests are important to the global budgets of greenhouse gases. The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is the second largest tropical moist forest area of South America, after the vast Amazonian domain. This study aimed to investigate the emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fluxes along an altitudinal transect and the relation between these fluxes and other climatic, edaphic and biological variables (temperature, fine roots, litterfall, and soil moisture). Annual means of N2O flux were 3.9 (± 0.4), 1.0 (± 0.1), and 0.9 (± 0.2) ng N cm−2 h−1 at altitudes 100, 400, and 1000 m, respectively. On an annual basis, soils consumed CH4 at all altitudes with annual means of −1.0 (± 0.2), −1.8 (± 0.3), and −1.6 (± 0.1) mg m−2 d−1 at 100 m, 400 m and 1000 m, respectively. Estimated mean annual fluxes of CO2 were 3.5, 3.6, and 3.4 μmol m−2 s−1 at altitudes 100, 400 and 1000 m, respectively. N2O fluxes were significantly influenced by soil moisture and temperature. Soil-atmosphere exchange of CH4 responded to changes in soil moisture. Carbon dioxide emissions were strongly influenced by soil temperature. While the temperature gradient observed at our sites is only an imperfect proxy for climatic warming, our results suggest that an increase in air and soil temperatures may result in increases in decomposition rates and gross inorganic nitrogen fluxes that could support consequent increases in soil N2O and CO2 emissions and soil CH4 consumption.
Sensitivity of atmospheric CO2 and climate to explosive volcanic eruptions
Authors: Frölicher T. L. , Joos F. , Raible C. C.
Published: March 2011

Abstract. Impacts of low-latitude, explosive volcanic eruptions on climate and the carbon cycle are quantified by forcing a comprehensive, fully coupled carbon cycle-climate model with pulse-like stratospheric sulfur release. The model represents the radiative and dynamical response of the climate system to volcanic eruptions and simulates a decrease of global and regional atmospheric surface temperature, regionally distinct changes in precipitation, a positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation, and a decrease in atmospheric CO2 after volcanic eruptions. The volcanic-induced cooling reduces overturning rates in tropical soils, which dominates over reduced litter input due to soil moisture decrease, resulting in higher land carbon inventories for several decades. The perturbation in the ocean carbon inventory changes sign from an initially weak carbon sink to a carbon source. Positive carbon and negative temperature anomalies in subsurface waters last up to several decades. The multi-decadal decrease in atmospheric CO2 yields an additional radiative forcing that amplifies the cooling and perturbs the Earth System on much longer time scales than the atmospheric residence time of volcanic aerosols. In addition, century-scale global warming simulations with and without volcanic eruptions over the historical period show that the ocean integrates volcanic radiative cooling and responds for different physical and biogeochemical parameters such as steric sea level or dissolved oxygen. Results from a suite of sensitivity simulations with different amounts of sulfur released and from global warming simulations show that the carbon cycle-climate sensitivity γ, expressed as change in atmospheric CO2 per unit change in global mean surface temperature, depends on the perturbation. On decadal time scales, modeled γ is several times larger for a Pinatubo-like eruption than for the industrial period and for a high emission, 21st century scenario.
Inferring phytoplankton carbon and eco-physiological rates from diel cycles of spectral particulate beam-attenuation coefficient
Authors: Dall'Olmo G. , Westberry T. K. , Behrenfeld M. J. , Boss E. , Courties C. , Prieur L. , Hardman-Mountford N. , Moutin T.
Published: March 2011

Abstract. The diurnal fluctuations in solar irradiance impose a fundamental frequency on ocean biogeochemistry. Observations of the ocean carbon cycle at these frequencies are rare, but could be considerably expanded by measuring and interpreting the inherent optical properties. A method is presented to analyze diel cycles in particulate beam-attenuation coefficient (cp) measured at multiple wavelengths. The method is based on fitting observations with a size-structured population and optical model to infer the particle size distribution and physiologically relevant parameters of the cells responsible for the measured diel cycle in cp. Results show that the information related to size and contained in the spectral data can be exploited to independently estimate growth and loss rates during the day and night. In addition, the model can characterize the population of particles affecting the cp diel variability. Application of this method to spectral cp measured at a station in the oligotrophic Mediterranean Sea suggests that most of the observed variations in cp can be ascribed to a synchronized population of cells with an equivalent spherical diameter between 1 and 4 μm. The inferred carbon biomass of these cells was about 8–13 mg m−3 and accounted for approximately 20% of the total particulate organic carbon. If successfully validated and implemented on autonomous platforms, this method could improve our understanding of the ocean carbon cycle.