bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE ROLES OF PHOTOLUMINESCENT QUANTUM DOTS IN GENERATION OR DETECTION OF REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES: CULPRITS OR DETECTIVES?
Authors: WANG SUHUA , HUANG DEJIAN
Published: December 2010

In this review, we systematically analyzed the complicated interrelationship between photoluminescent quantum dots (QDs) and reactive oxygen species of biological importance. QDs, when photoexcited, generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are partially blamed for the cytotoxicity of QDs. On the positive side, the ability of generating ROS by QDs are exploited in photodynamic therapy using QDs alone or in combination with QD-surface bound organic sensitizers via resonance energy transfer from QDs to the organic dyes. Lastly, depending on the chemical composition and the functionalization of the QDs, ROS are known to quench or switch-on the QD photoluminescence. The selectivity and sensitivity toward specific ROS can be achieved through judicious chemical modification of QD surface coating layers by taking into account the reactivity difference among different ROS. The flexible QD surface functionalization opens up the unprecedented possibility of designer-made nanoprobes for sensing and quantifying ROS of biological importance.
Sub-40-fs Pulses from a Diode-Pumped Kerr-Lens Mode-Locked Yb-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Laser
Authors: Uemura Sadao , Torizuka Kenji
Published: January 2011

We have generated ultrashort pulses with a duration as short as 35 fs from a diode-pumped Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Yb:YAG) laser. This is, to our knowledge, the shortest pulse in Yb-doped bulk laser oscillators. Here we increased the Yb:YAG crystal length for gain suppression and applied a prism pair to precisely compensate the intracavity group-delay dispersion. The spectral width, center wavelength, and laser output power were 40 nm, 1060 nm, and 107 mW, respectively.
Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-Based Thermoresponsive Behavior of Fluorescent Organic Nanocrystals
Authors: Baba Koichi , Kasai Hitoshi , Nishida Kohji , Nakanishi Hachiro
Published: January 2011

In this article, we describe the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based thermoresponsive behaviors of fluorescent organic nanocrystals. Aqueous dispersions of thermoresponsive fluorescent nanocrystals were prepared by the reprecipitation method. Fluorescent dyes used for these nanocrystals were perylene, quinacridone, and zinc phthalocyanine. The perylene nanocrystals in the aqueous system using poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) exhibited a significantly increased fluorescence intensity assigned to the emission of the perylene monomer above the cloud point (∼35 °C). Significantly increased fluorescence intensities of quinacridone nanocrystals and zinc phthalocyanine nanocrystals were also observed above the cloud point (∼35 °C). These unique fluorescence behaviors were only observed in the aqueous system using poly(N-isopropylacrylamide).
Growth Rate Anomaly in Ultralow-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition of 3C-SiC on Si(001) Using Monomethylsilane
Authors: Saito Eiji , Filimonov Sergey N. , Suemitsu Maki
Published: January 2011

Temperature dependence of the growth rate of 3C-SiC films on Si(001) during ultralow-pressure chemical vapor deposition (ULP-CVD) using monomethylsilane is reported. At low temperatures the growth rate is high and thermally activated, but a drastic drop of the growth rate occurs at a critical temperature T
c. Another characteristic temperature T
* (≤T
c) separates single-crystalline and polycrystalline SiC(001)/Si growth. With a two-step growth procedure, consisting of a high temperature nucleation of a seeding 3C-SiC(001) layer followed by a low-temperature deposition, we have realized a high-rate (∼3 µm/h) growth of a single-crystalline 3C-SiC(001) film.
Analysis of SystemC actor networks for efficient synthesis
Authors: Falk Joachim , Zebelein Christian , Keinert Joachim , Haubelt Christian , Teich Juergen , Bhattacharyya Shuvra S.
Published: January 2011

Applications in the signal processing domain are often modeled by dataflow graphs. Due to heterogeneous complexity requirements, these graphs contain both dynamic and static dataflow actors. In previous work, we presented a generalized clustering approach for these heterogeneous dataflow graphs in the presence of unbounded buffers. This clustering approach allows the application of static scheduling methodologies for static parts of an application during embedded software generation for multiprocessor systems. It systematically exploits the predictability and efficiency of the static dataflow model to obtain latency and throughput improvements. In this article, we present a generalization of this clustering technique to dataflow graphs with bounded buffers, therefore enabling synthesis for embedded systems without dynamic memory allocation. Furthermore, a case study is given to demonstrate the performance benefits of the approach.
Ubiquity symposium: Computation and Computational Thinking
Authors: Aho Alfred V.
Published: January 2011

In this ninth piece to the Ubiquity symposium discussing What is computation? Alfred V. Aho shares his views about the importance of computational thinking in answering the question. --Editor
Experimental Studies of Transition to Turbulence in a Pipe
Authors: Mullin T.
Published: January 2011

In his landmark paper of 1883, Reynolds addressed the question of why the fluid motion along a pipe changes from a laminar to a turbulent state at modest flow rates. His discoveries have remained a focus of hydrodynamic stability for the intervening 125 years, and the central puzzle of why the transition takes place at all remains unresolved. It is an enigma as all theoretical and numerical evidence suggests that the base state of fully developed flow, Hagen-Poiseuille flow, is linearly stable. The transition to turbulence is abrupt, mysterious, and largely dependent on the quality of the facility used in any experimental investigation. It is therefore not an example of transition via a sequence of instabilities or bifurcations in which considerable success has been achieved over the same period. Despite wide-ranging research activity that has uncovered many important pieces of the jigsaw, the central puzzle remains unresolved. The purpose of this review is to bring together the available experimental evidence and attempt to extract a set of accepted facts about this important problem.
Fluid Mechanics of Papermaking
Authors: Lundell Fredrik , Söderberg L. Daniel , Alfredsson P. Henrik
Published: January 2011

Papermaking is to a large extent a multiphase flow process in which the structure of the material and many of the relevant properties of the final product are determined by the interaction between water and the wood fibers. The dominant feature of a suspension composed of wood fibers and water is its inherent propensity to form bundles of mechanically entangled fibers, known as fiber flocs. However, the phenomena apparent throughout the papermaking process are not unique but in fact have a generic fluid dynamical nature.
Optical Particle Characterization in Flows
Authors: Tropea Cameron
Published: January 2011

Particle characterization in dispersed multiphase flows is important in quantifying transport processes both in fundamental and applied research: Examples include atomization and spray processes, cavitation and bubbly flows, and solid particle transport in gas and liquid carrier phases. Optical techniques of particle characterization are preferred owing to their nonintrusiveness, and they can yield information about size, velocity, composition, and to some extent the shape of individual particles. This review focuses on recent advances for measuring size, temperature, and the composition of particles, including several planar methods, various imaging techniques, laser-induced fluorescence, and the more recent use of femtosecond pulsed light sources. It emphasizes the main sources of uncertainty, the achievable accuracy, and the outlook for improvement of specific techniques and for specific applications. Some remarks are also directed toward the computational tools used to design and investigate the performance of optical particle diagnostic instruments.
Fluctuations and Instability in Sedimentation
Authors: Guazzelli Élisabeth , Hinch John
Published: January 2011

This review concentrates on the fluctuations of the velocities of sedimenting spheres, and on the structural instability of a suspension of settling fibers. For many years, theoretical estimates and numerical simulations predicted the fluctuations of the velocities of spheres to increase with the size of the container, whereas experiments found no such variation. Two ideas have increased our understanding. First, the correlation length of the velocity fluctuations was found experimentally to be 20 interparticle separations. Second, in dilute suspensions, a vertical variation in the concentration due to the spreading of the front with the clear fluid can inhibit the velocity fluctuations. In a very dilute regime, a homogeneous suspension of fibers suffers a spontaneous instability in which fast descending fiber-rich columns are separated by rising fiber-sparse columns. In a semidilute regime, the settling is hindered, more so than for spheres.
Scale Interactions in Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence
Authors: Mininni Pablo D.
Published: January 2011

This article reviews recent studies of scale interactions in magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. The present-day increase of computing power, which allows for the exploration of different configurations of turbulence in conducting flows, and the development of shell-to-shell transfer functions, has led to detailed studies of interactions between the velocity and the magnetic field and between scales. In particular, processes such as induction and dynamo action, the damping of velocity fluctuations by the Lorentz force, and the development of anisotropies can be characterized at different scales. In this context we consider three different configurations often studied in the literature: mechanically forced turbulence, freely decaying turbulence, and turbulence in the presence of a uniform magnetic field. Each configuration is of interest for different geophysical and astrophysical applications. Local and nonlocal transfers are discussed for each case. Whereas the transfer between scales of solely kinetic or solely magnetic energy is local, transfers between kinetic and magnetic fields are observed to be local or nonlocal depending on the configuration. Scale interactions in the cascade of magnetic helicity are also reviewed. Based on the results, the validity of several usual assumptions in hydrodynamic turbulence, such as isotropy of the small scales or universality, is discussed.
Identification of maternally regulated fetal gene networks in the placenta with a novel embryo transfer system in mice
Authors: SenthamaraiKannan Paranthaman , Sartor Maureen A. , O'Connor Kyle T. , Neumann Jonathan C. , Klyza James P. , Succop Paul A. , Wagner Brad D. , Karyala Saikumar , Medvedovic Mario , Menon Anil G.
Published: January 2011

The mechanisms for provisioning maternal resources to offspring in placental mammals involve complex interactions between maternally regulated and fetally regulated gene networks in the placenta, a tissue that is derived from the zygote and therefore of fetal origin. Here we describe a novel use of an embryo transfer system in mice to identify gene networks in the placenta that are regulated by the mother. Mouse embryos from the same strain of inbred mice were transferred into a surrogate mother either of the same strain or from a different strain, allowing maternal and fetal effects on the placenta to be separated. After correction for sex and litter size, maternal strain overrode fetal strain as the key determinant of fetal weight ( P < 0.0001). Computational filtering of the placental transcriptome revealed a group of 81 genes whose expression was solely dependent on the maternal strain [ P < 0.05, false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.10]. Network analysis of this group of genes yielded highest statistical significance for pathways involved in the regulation of cell growth (such as insulin-like growth factors) as well as those involved in regulating lipid metabolism [such as the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1), LDL, and HDL], both of which are known to play a role in fetal development. This novel technique may be generally applied to identify regulatory networks involved in maternal-fetal interaction and eventually help identify molecular targets in disorders of fetal growth.
HIV Wasting Syndrome in a Nigerian Failing Antiretroviral Therapy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Ogoina Dimie , Obiako Reginald O. , Muktar Haruna M.
Published: December 2010

The HIV wasting syndrome represented the face of HIV/AIDS before the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Although the incidence of wasting has declined since the introduction of HAART, weight loss remains common in patients receiving HAART, especially in the setting of a failing HAART regimen. As we are not aware of any previous reports from Nigeria, we report a case of the classical wasting syndrome in a Nigerian female who had both virological and immunological HAART failure due to poor adherence. The influence of a failing HAART regimen, socioeconomic status, and other clinical variables in the wasting syndrome are discussed.
Biology of Obesity: Lessons from Animal Models of Obesity
Authors: Kanasaki Keizo , Koya Daisuke
Published: January 2011

Obesity is an epidemic problem in the world and is associated with several health
problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory failure, muscle weakness, and cancer. The precise molecular mechanisms by which obesity induces these health problems are not yet clear. To better understand the pathomechanisms of human disease, good animal models are essential. In this paper, we will analyze animal models of obesity and their use in the research of obesity‐associated human health conditions and diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
An Analysis of an EFL Teachers' Guide: A Case Study
Authors: Nazari Ahmad
Published: December 2010

This paper is an attempt to analyse one of the documents which may affect the classroom activities of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, namely teachers' guides. It also explores the context at which the document is aimed and critiques how EFL teachers are advised to teach as well as how EFL is taught. As such, the paper stands where critical discourse analysis and language policy come together in the study of language policies in education. The teachers' guide chosen and the analysis carried out here are not necessarily concerned with their representativeness and typicality but with the opportunity they provide to the researchers and teachers to learn about such language policy documents and how language and language teaching objectives are represented in them. The issues raised in this paper will have relevance to the EFL teachers' guides and EFL education in other contexts, as these issues are likely to be true of other EFL milieux.
Alleviation of Brain Hypoperfusion after Preventative Treatment with Lomerizine in an Elderly Migraineur with Aura
Authors: Aoyagi Joe , Ikeda Ken , Kiyozuka Tetsuhito , Hirayama Takehisa , Ishikawa Yuichi , Sato Ryuta , Yoshii Yasuhiro , Kawabe Kiyokazu , Iwasaki Yasuo
Published: December 2010

Previous studies of brain single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) showed changes of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in migraineurs during prodromes or headache attacks. Little is known about how successful medication of migraine prevention can reflect rCBF in migraineurs. We highlighted alternation of brain SPECT findings in a migraineur with aura before and after prophylactic treatment with lomerizine, a calcium channel blocker. A 70-year-old man with migraine developed visual disturbance frequently at walking exercise for the recent 3 months. After this visual attack, a mild-degree of throbbing headache occured occasionally. Brain SPECT using 99mTc-ethyl cysteinate dimer was performed at interictal time of migraine. Brain SPECT before lomerizine treatment revealed hypoperfusion in the frontal, parietal, and occipital regions. He was diagnosed with recurrence of migraine with aura (MA). Lomerizine (10 mg/day, po) was administered for 3 months. MA and visual aura without headache were dramatically improved. Migraine attacks and visual disturbance were not induced at exercise. At 3 months after lomerizine medication, brain SPECT showed remarkable increase of rCBF. These SPECT changes of our patient indicated that antimigraine mechanism of lomerizine could contribute to restoration of cerebral hypoperfusion.
The Role of Specific Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling Cascades in the Regulation of Steroidogenesis
Authors: Manna Pulak R. , Stocco Douglas M.
Published: January 2011

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) comprise a family of serine/threonine kinases that are activated by a large variety of extracellular stimuli and play integral roles in controlling many cellular processes, from the cell surface to the nucleus. The MAPK family includes four distinct MAPK cascades, that is, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), p38 MAPK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase or stress-activated protein kinase, and ERK5. These MAPKs are essentially operated through three-tiered consecutive phosphorylation events catalyzed by a MAPK kinase kinase, a MAPK kinase, and a MAPK. MAPKs lie in protein kinase cascades. The MAPK signaling pathways have been demonstrated to be associated with events regulating the expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) and steroidogenesis in steroidogenic tissues. However, it has become clear that the regulation of MAPK-dependent StAR expression and steroid synthesis is a complex process and is context dependent. This paper summarizes the current level of understanding concerning the roles of the MAPK signaling cascades in the regulation of StAR expression and steroidogenesis in different steroidogenic cell models.
VURD Syndrome in a Female
Authors: Zaccara A. , Pascali M. P. , Marciano A. , Carnevale E. , Salvatori G. , Dotta A. , Nahom A. , De Gennaro M.
Published: January 2011

VURD syndrome has been repeatedly described as unilateral reflux into a nonfunctioning renal moiety. This syndrome is considered a pop-off mechanism dissipating pressure in lower urinary tract obstruction: it may be found in association with other protective mechanisms occurring in utero, such as ascites and/or urinomas, and has been exclusively described in male patients. A premature female baby with signs and symptoms of outflow obstruction underwent diagnostic workup revealing congenital urethral hypoplasia with unilateral reflux into a dysplastic kidney. Obstetrical history was positive for early onset, serologically negative ascites without cardiomegaly, which required serial aspirations. Reconstructive surgery was carried out with good results: ascites and VURD syndrome were both deemed to be perinatal protective mechanism against excess pressure in the urinary tract. Although rare, lower urinary tract obstruction in the female can lead to the same protective mechanisms seen in male fetuses/newborns. VURD syndrome and ascites should be interpreted as such and require perinatal specialist counselling.
New Strategies in the Molecular Targeting of Glioblastoma: How Do You Hit a Moving Target?
Authors: Cloughesy Timothy F. , Mischel Paul S.
Published: January 2011

Cancer is a molecularly complex, genomically unstable disease. Selection for drug-resistant mutations, activation of feedback loops, and upregulation of cross-talk pathways provide escape routes by which cancer cells maintain signal flux through critical downstream effectors to promote therapeutic resistance. Attempts to target signal transduction pathways in cancer may therefore require investigators to aim at a moving target. We need to anticipate the routes of resistance to guide the selection of drugs that will lead to durable therapeutic response. In this New Strategies article, we discuss the challenges imposed by the complexity and adaptive capacity of cancer and suggest potential new diagnostic strategies to more effectively guide targeted cancer therapy. We focus on glioblastoma, the most common malignant primary brain tumor of adults. Glioblastoma is a model for a pathway-driven, molecularly heterogeneous cancer for which new genomic insights obtained through The Cancer Genome Atlas are ripe for integration with functional biology and incorporation into new molecular diagnostic assays. Clin Cancer Res; 17(1); 6–11. ©2011 AACR.
Antitumor Activity of SNX-2112, a Synthetic Heat Shock Protein-90 Inhibitor, in MET-Amplified Tumor Cells with or without Resistance to Selective MET Inhibition
Authors: Bachleitner-Hofmann Thomas , Sun Mark Y. , Chen Chin-Tung , Liska David , Zeng Zhaoshi , Viale Agnes , Olshen Adam B. , Mittlboeck Martina , Christensen James G. , Rosen Neal , Solit David B. , Weiser Martin R.
Published: January 2011

Purpose: Heat shock protein-90 (HSP-90), a molecular chaperone required by numerous oncogenic kinases [e.g., HER-2, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Raf-1, v-Src, and AKT] for conformational stability, has attracted wide interest as a novel target for cancer therapy. HSP-90 inhibition induces degradation of HSP-90 client proteins, leading to a combinatorial inhibition of multiple oncogenic signaling pathways with consecutive growth arrest and apoptosis. MET, a tyrosine kinase that is constitutively active in tumor cells with MET oncogene amplification, has recently been identified as another HSP-90 client.

Experimental Design: The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of SNX-2112, a synthetic HSP-90 inhibitor, in 3 different MET-amplified tumor cell lines (GTL-16, MKN-45, and EBC-1) as well as PR-GTL-16 cells, a GTL-16 subline selected for resistance to the highly selective MET kinase inhibitor PHA-665752.

Results: In all cell lines, SNX-2112 led to degradation of MET, HER-2, EGFR, and AKT, as well as abrogation of Ras/Raf/MEK/MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling, followed by complete cell cycle arrest. SNX-5542, an orally bioavailable prodrug of SNX-2112, displayed significant antitumor efficacy in vivo in nude mice bearing MET-amplified tumor xenografts. Importantly, HSP-90 inhibition maintained its antitumor efficacy in PR-GTL-16 cells both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that HSP-90 inhibition could be a particularly valuable strategy in MET-amplified tumors that have acquired resistance to MET kinase inhibition.

Conclusions: Our study provides evidence for the efficacy of HSP-90 inhibition in MET-amplified cancer cells, particularly when MET kinase inhibitor resistance has emerged. Clin Cancer Res; 17(1); 122–33. ©2011 AACR.
Interindividual Variability of Response to Rituximab: From Biological Origins to Individualized Therapies
Authors: Cartron Guillaume , Trappe Ralf Ulrich , Solal-Céligny Philippe , Hallek Michael
Published: January 2011

Rituximab has markedly changed the treatment of B-cell malignancies. Despite its widespread use, however, its precise mode of action and the impact of host- and tumor-related factors on rituximab-activated biological pathways were only recently clarified. Biological mechanisms resulting in complete resistance to rituximab may exist at both the cellular and subcellular level; however, their frequency and their impact on clinical response are unclear. The identification of Fcγ receptor polymorphisms that can influence anti-CD20 antibody activity has resulted in the development of third-generation anti-CD20 antibodies. However, it is also now appreciated that pharmacokinetic variability is a major factor affecting clinical response to anti-CD20 antibodies. The concept of antigenic mass, which takes into account the total tumor load and the expression levels of the target antigen CD20, is able to explain the correlation between rituximab plasma concentrations and treatment responses. Thus, it can be hypothesized that dosing regimens that take this information into account will help to improve response rates. Clin Cancer Res; 17(1); 19–30. ©2011 AACR.
Phase I Trial of TGF-β2 Antisense GM-CSF Gene-Modified Autologous Tumor Cell (TAG) Vaccine
Authors: Olivares Jairo , Kumar Padmasini , Yu Yang , Maples Phillip B. , Senzer Neil , Bedell Cynthia , Barve Minal , Tong Alex , Pappen Beena O. , Kuhn Joseph , Magee Mitchell , Wallraven Gladice , Nemunaitis John
Published: January 2011

Purpose: On the basis of the hypothesis that the combined expression of immunostimulatory granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and antitumor suppressor TGF-β2 antisense (AS) transgenes can break tolerance and stimulate immune responses to cancer-associated antigens, we constructed an expression plasmid [the tumor-associated glycoprotein (TAG) plasmid] that coexpresses GM-CSF and TGF-β2 AS nucleotide sequences and which was incorporated into an autologous whole-cell vaccine.

Experimental Design: Patients undergoing resection were enrolled. Freshly harvested autologous tumor cells were mechanically and enzymatically disaggregated, then electroporated with the TAG vector. The resulting vaccine was irradiated, then aliquoted and cryopreserved until the time of injection. Patients received a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 12 monthly intradermal injections. Immune function was monitored at baseline and at months 3 and 6.

Results: Vaccine manufacturing efficiency was 84% (32/38). Twenty-three patients received at least 1 vaccination. There were no grade 3 or 4 toxicities, and grade 1 and 2 events were local in nature. Seventeen of 21 patients had stable disease (SD) at month 2 or later as their best response, and 1 patient with stage IVa malignant melanoma achieved a complete response (CR) following 11 vaccinations and remains without evidence of disease 2 years following initiation of therapy. Six of 13 patients displayed a positive enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) response to autologous TAG vaccine at week 12 including 3 patients with prolonged SD or CR. The 3 other patients survived through week 24, as compared with none of the 7 ELISPOT-negative patients.

Conclusions: On the basis of safety and clinical and immunologic results, further evaluation of bifunctional vaccines is warranted. Clin Cancer Res; 17(1); 183–92. ©2011 AACR.
Molecular Targeting of Neural Cancer Stem Cells: TTAGGG, You're It!
Authors: Hjelmeland Anita B. , Rich Jeremy N.
Published: January 2011

Telomerase is an important mechanism by which cancers escape replicative senescence. In neural tumors, cancer stem cells express telomerase, suggesting that this may explain their preferential tumorigenesis. Oligonucleotide telomerase targeting selectively disrupts cancer stem cell growth through the induction of differentiation, adding to the armamentarium of anticancer stem cell therapies. Clin Cancer Res; 17(1); 3–5. ©2011 AACR.
Enhancement of Antiproliferative and Proapoptotic Effects of Cadmium Chloride Combined with hSmac in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells
Authors: Guo Caixia , Li Yanbo , Zhang Haixia , Wang Zhicheng , Jin Minghua , Zhang Long , An Liping , Hu Guiqin , Liu Xiaomei , Liu Ying , Du Haiying , Sun Zhiwei
Published: January 2011

Background: To study the effects of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) combined with hSmac on the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells, i.e. SMMC-7721. Methods: SMMC-7721 cells were transfected with pcDNA3.1+-hSmac using a lipofectamine-mediated method, and then cell viability was detected by MTT assay after exposure to 10, 20, and 30 µmol/l CdCl2. Apoptosis was determined by both acridine orange-ethidium bromide staining and flow cytometry, and expressions of caspase-3, caspase-9, and cytochrome c by Western blot. Results: CdCl2 had cytotoxicity to SMMC-7721 cells, and it could inhibit proliferation in a dose-dependent manner and induce apoptosis; hSmac could inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis independently in SMMC-7721 cells. Furthermore, cotreatment with CdCl2 and hSmac could enhance antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects in SMMC-7721 cells. Conclusions: hSmac could enhance the cytotoxicity of CdCl2.
Determinants of Overweight and Obesity in Lung Transplant Recipients
Authors: Bossenbroek Linda , den Ouden Marjolein E.M. , de Greef Mathieu H.G. , Douma W. Rob , ten Hacken Nick H.T. , van der Bij Wim
Published: January 2011

Background: Obesity-related diseases have been shown to affect post-lung transplantation survival. An estimated 30% of lung transplant recipients develop overweight. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the possible determinants of large increases in weight after lung transplantation. The contribution of physical activity, food intake, and resting energy expenditure was examined in lung transplant recipients. Methods: In this cross-sectional study 21 overweight lung transplant recipients (11 men, mean age 57 ± 7 years; BMI 30 ± 3) and 21 normal-weight lung transplant recipients (11 men, mean age 56 ± 5 years; BMI 22 ± 3) were matched for disease, gender, age, prescribed medication, and time since lung transplantation. Physical activity was measured by a pedometer and a questionnaire; resting energy expenditure was measured by the ventilated-hood technique, and daily food intake by a dietician. Additionally, fat-free mass, lower-body strength, and fatigue were measured. Results: The overweight lung transplant recipients had a significantly lower number of steps per day (4,686 ± 3,266 vs. 7,524 ± 3,448 steps/day, p = 0.01) and a lower fat-free mass (64 ± 9 vs. 75 ± 6%, p < 0.05) compared to normal-weight recipients. Obese subjects had a lower percentage of predicted resting energy expenditure level compared to normal-weight recipients (90 ± 14 vs. 100 ± 14% predicted, p = 0.04). Conclusion: Our data suggest that overweight in lung transplant recipients is associated with a lower fat-free mass and lower levels of physical activity and resting energy expenditure compared to normal-weight recipients.
α1AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Preserves Endothelial Function During Chronic Angiotensin II Treatment by Limiting Nox2 Upregulation
Authors: Schuhmacher Swenja , Foretz Marc , Knorr Maike , Jansen Thomas , Hortmann Marcus , Wenzel Philip , Oelze Matthias , Kleschyov Andrei L. , Daiber Andreas , Keaney John F. , Wegener Gerhard , Lackner Karl , Münzel Thomas , Viollet Benoit , Schulz Eberhard
Published: January 2011

Objective—

Besides its well-described metabolic effects, vascular AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) can activate endothelial NO synthase, promotes angiogenesis, and limits endothelial cell apoptosis. The current study was designed to study the effects of α1AMPK deletion during vascular disease in vivo.

Methods and Results—

Chronic angiotensin II infusion at low subpressor doses caused a mild endothelial dysfunction that was significantly aggravated in α1AMPK-knockout mice. Unexpectedly, this endothelial dysfunction was not associated with decreased NO content, because NO levels measured by serum nitrite or electron paramagnetic resonance were even increased. However, because of parallel superoxide production, NO was consumed under production of peroxynitrite in angiotensin II–treated α1AMPK-knockout mice, associated with NADPH oxidase activation and Nox2 upregulation. As Nox2 is also a component of phagocyte NADPH oxidases, we found a vascular upregulation of several proinflammatory markers, including inducible NO synthase, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, and cyclooxygenase-2. Cotreatment with the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin was able to prevent vascular inflammation and also partially restored endothelial function in α1AMPK-knockout mice.

Conclusion—

Our data indicate that in vivo α1AMPK deletion leads to Nox2 upregulation, resulting in endothelial dysfunction and vascular inflammation. This implicates basal AMPK activity as a protective, redox-regulating element in vascular homeostasis.
Distribution and diversity of root-lession nematode (Pratylenchus spp.) associated with Miscanthus × giganteus and Panicum virgatum used for biofuels, and species identification in a multiplex polymerase chain reaction
Authors: Gray Michael , Lopez-Nicora Horacio , Mekete Tesfamariam , Niblack Terry , Reynolds Kimberly
Published: January 2011

The distribution of Pratylenchus spp. from bioenergy field plots in six states (Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia) of the USA were surveyed. The species were identified based on morphology and morphometrics and further characterised based on fragment sequences of the 28S rRNA of the D2-D3 region. The region revealed variations in sequencing information that supports the morphological identification. In this work, six Pratylenchus spp. were detected: Pratylenchus brachyurus, P. crenatus, P. hexincisus, P. neglectus, P. penetrans and P. scribneri. Pratylenchus scribneri, P. crenatus, and P. penetrans were distributed most widely, with detection of 34, 29 and 15%, respectively. Pratylenchus hexincisus, P. brachyurus and P. neglectus were distributed sporadically, with detection rates of 10.0, 2.6 and 2.0%, respectively. A one-step multiplex PCR was developed for the simultaneous detection of P. scribneri, P. crenatus and P. penetrans. Sequence data from this research and NCBI were used to generate different primer sets that are species-specific. We have therefore designed three sets of primers that discriminate P. scribneri, P. crenatus and P. penetrans in multiplex PCR. All the tested primers have shown specificity and have no cross-reaction with the non-target species. When used in a uniplex, duplex and triplex PCR, the selected three primers gave a unique electrophoretic DNA banding pattern characterised by a single DNA fragment for P. scribneri (ca 750), P. crenatus (ca 690), and P. penetrans (ca 520). The method could be used for routine diagnostic programmes.
Serious Firearm Offending in New Zealand — Issues for Gun Controls and Public Safety
Authors: Walters Reece
Published: January 2011

Reducing or preventing the misuse of firearms (whether criminal, suicidal or accidental) is central to gun controls policy. In June 1997 the New Zealand Government received the recommendations of the Review of Firearms Control, an independent inquiry commissioned by the Minister of Police and chaired by Sir Thomas Thorp. The Review comprehensively examined several firearm-related issues, including the nature and extent of serious firearm offending in New Zealand. The research presented in this article was commissioned by the Review. Based on a population of 709 offences for the 12 months ending 30 June 1996, this study provides an analysis of serious firearm offending in New Zealand and discusses the implications of these findings for gun controls policy.
Transgressions: Towards an Affirmative Postmodernist Criminology
Authors: Milovanovic Dragan
Published: January 2011

Modernist thought in criminology and law is being eclipsed by the postmodern perspective for the new millennium. Although some of modernist's contributions are surely useful in understanding crime and social justice, it's exclusive use has become a stagnant force. Postmodern thought, of the affirmative form, has offered a new beginning. It is marked by transgressions, border crossings, edgework and reconstruction. We can identify several emerging threads (psychoanalytic semiotics, chaos theory, catastrophe theory, edgework, and topology theory) as well as attempts of integration (e.g., constitutive criminology, integrative-constitutive criminology). This article first summarizes the emerging threads and their application to critical criminology, and then argues for contingent, integrative perspectives rooted more in a holographic conception of social reality. 1 This article is more suggestive and offers lines of inquiry for critical research in the new millennium. Elsewhere (Milovanovic, 1997c, pp. 3–28), we have compared modernist with postmodernist thought along 8 salient points.
Art Theft: An Exploratory Study of the Illegitimate Art Market in Australia
Authors: Aarons Lisette
Published: January 2011

The stolen art market is a large and highly profitable illegitimate industry. Despite the costs of art theft to the art industry and to society as a whole, little research has been conducted in this field. The present study gathered information about the prevalence, frequency and characteristics of art theft in Australia, as well as the types of people involved in the illegitimate art market; suppliers, distributors and purchasers. Data were collected from 27 interviews with art market and other professionals, including representatives from public and private galleries, auction houses, insurance firms, private dealers and law enforcement. A market system model is proposed as a framework within which art thefts that occur in Australia can be considered.
Non-Fatal Self-Harm in Western Australian Prisons: Who, Where, When and Why
Authors: Dear Greg E. , Thomson Donald M. , Hall Guy J. , Howells Kevin
Published: January 2011

One hundred and eight non-fatal self-harm incidents that occurred in the Western Australian prison system over a nine-month period were examined. Descriptive data pertaining to these incidents and the 91 prisoners who enacted them are presented. Self-report data pertaining to motives for self-harming, precipitating factors and level of suicidal intent are also presented. The data are consistent with previous international research. Most incidents involved lacerations of low lethality (although 15% were attempted hangings) and occurred in the prisoner's cell when alone and within a secure prison. Self-report data indicated that prison stressors precipitated most incidents with the motive being to obtain relief from psychological distress. A high level of suicidal intent was reported for one in three incidents. Categories of prisoner at greater risk of self-harm included females, remandees, 18 to 25 year olds, those in special placements (disciplinary, medical, protection) and those in custody for less than one month.
Middle Eastern Appearances: “Ethnic Gangs”, Moral Panic and Media Framing
Authors: Poynting Scott , Noble Greg , Tabar Paul
Published: January 2011

This article details a moral panic in 1998–2000 about “ethnic gangs” in Sydney's south-western suburbs and analyses its ideological construction of the links between ethnicity, youth and crime. It documents the racisms of labelling and targeting of immigrant young people which misread, oversimplify and misrepresent complex and class-related social realities as racial, and the common-sense1 sharing of these understandings, representations and practices by “mainstream” media, police and vocal representatives in state, local and “ethnic” politics. The data used in this analysis are largely comprised of English-language media extracts, press, radio, television — both commercial and government-funded; and national, state and local in circulation, supplemented by interview material, from an ethnographic pilot study, with Lebanese-Australian youth, Lebanese immigrant parents, ethnic community workers, community leaders and police.
Crime, Criminal Justice, and Criminology for a Smaller Planet: Some Notes on the 21st Century
Authors: Zimring Franklin E.
Published: January 2011

This analysis attempts to project changes in types of crime and criminal justice response to crime in the early decades of the 21st century by assuming continuity in the technological, economic, and political trends of the last years of the 20th century. I predict that shifts in general rates of crime will be less important than changes in particular types of offense in stable nations, and that rates of. property crime will show more transnational similarity than rates and trends in serious violence. With respect to criminal justice practices, both technology and normative standards will exert pressure toward greater similarity in criminal justice practice among developed nations, with normative pressure being the more important for legal proceedings and punishment than technical change. The executioner is threatened by this trend, even in the United States. The prison warden has comfortable job security.
Shoplifting in Melbourne
Authors: Brady J. F. , Mitchell J. G.
Published: January 2011

Shoplifting is a persistent problem for the owner of the retail store, yet very little research has been done on the offence and on the backgrounds of the offenders. The authors of this paper studied the records of a group of shoplifters in a city store. Teenage shoplifters accounted for more than half of the offenders, while the typical adult shoplifter tended to be a married woman from a middle-class suburb.
Modification of The Behaviours of Delinquent Youths in a Token Economy: Lentara Project
Authors: Weir Karen , Ford Dennis
Published: January 2011

The study was carried out at a community-based treatment facility which utilizes Teaching-Family Programmes for the rehabilitation of delinquent youths. The purpose of the experiment was to monitor the effect of the token economy used in the Teaching-Family Programme on selected social and maintenance behaviours in two of the youths at the home. A multiple baseline design was used and modification of all the behaviours under study was demonstrated.
Aversion Therapy: Technical, Ethical, and Safety Issues
Authors: Wardlaw Grant R
Published: January 2011

The factors which should be considered when deciding on the appropriateness of a version therapy are discussed in terms of the type of stimulation to be used, the safety of electrical stimulation, and the ethical problems inherent in using aversive procedures. It is argued that aversion therapy is appropriate in limited circumstances provided that strict control is maintained over the decision making process.
Police Powers of Arres
Authors: Singer M , Francis R D
Published: January 2011

Prior to the passage of the Crimes (Powers of Arrest) Act 1972 (Vic) which came into operation on 1 July 1972, there existed in Victoria not only the complex common law rules governing instances of arrest, but also a collection of more than 60 legislative provisions contained in more than 30 separate Acts.

This paper sets out to examine some effects of this rationalizing Act. This report has an empirical base using records from a large and representative urban police station yielding, in this instance, 200 cases for analysis.

It was found that the legislation had no discernible effect in changes of arrest versus summons rates for comparable offences, but a number of distinct features were isolated as being influential in determining the police decision to arrest or to handle matters by means of summons. These factors were found to co-exist prior to and after the implementation of the legislation, and did not appear to change as a result of the legislation.

From this study it is concluded that there is an urgent need for some working guidelines to be set out in the relevant powers of arrest legislation. Such guidelines, absent in the present Act, confer on the police an unwarranted, and perhaps unwanted, degree of discretionary power.

Proposals for reform are examined, stressing the need to develop an objective system whereby influential factors in the decision to arrest, leading to the suggestion that such systematic control both could and should be formalized by the legislature.
Person Identification: Influencing the Outcome
Authors: Thomson Donald M
Published: January 2011

The effect of context and instructions on person identification was examined, “Witnesses” saw a series of slides which depicted people wearing certain clothing, doing certain activities, in certain settings. Later witnesses were required to pick out these people from another series of slides. In one condition, the clothing, activity and setting of the person was the same as had been seen previously, in the other conditions clothing, activity and settings were changed. One group of witnesses were instructed to minimize false recognitions, another to maximize the hit rate. Both manipulations had a profound effect on performance. Implications of the findings for present judicial procedures are discussed.
Analysis of Suburban Crime — An Exploratory Data Analysis Approach
Authors: Buck Andrew J , Hakim Simon
Published: January 2011

This paper analyses possible causes of violent and property crimes in suburban communities using a step by step approach to investigate “what the data tries to tell us”. It deviates from the common hypothesis testing approach used by social scientists by incorporating simultaneously theoretical models with extensive data analysis in order to derive the best statistical model to fit the data. The output of each stage in the analysis is the input to the next stage. The paper concludes with a crime attraction model indicating that most property offences are attracted by the special characteristics of suburban localities.
Police Contact and Delinquency: A Relevant Evaluation
Authors: Wellford Charles F , Aultman M G
Published: January 2011

The data for this study were obtained from a survey in Tallahassee, Florida in March of 1975. A stratifield cluster sampling technique was used to select approximately 1500 students from grades 6 though 12. A self-report technique was used to obtain the responses.

The model to be tested includes four variables: contact with police, perception of police, self-esteem, and delinquency. The issue addressed by the research concerns whether contacts with the police have any effect on delinquent behaviour and whether certain intervening variables (ie perception of police and self-esteem) have an effect in the causal process.

A comparison of the correlations between age and police contact and between age and delinquency shows that the latter set are much more strongly related than are the former set. This suggests that delinquency occurs more often later in the age cycle than does police contact. This finding is considered to lend support to the causal order. The path analysis shows that contact with police has a considerable effect on subsequent delinquent behaviour. The intervening variable “perception of police” is seen to indicate a more important causal path than does the route predicted by labelling theorists which involves self-esteem as an intervening factor. The total amount of variance explained by this path model is approximately 65%.
Female Status Offenders and Justice Reforms: An International Perspective
Authors: Hancock Linda , Chesney-Lind Meda
Published: January 2011

Females are treated differently from males in the juvenile justice system. While the majority of males appear in juvenile court on charges of illegal behaviour, most females appear on “status offence” grounds, that is, for behaviour that only juveniles under a particular age can be brought to police or court attention. Females charged on moral or status offences are treated more harshly than males. However, when they are charged with illegal behaviour, females are treated more leniently which is appropriate, since delinquent girls are generally involved in less serious criminal behaviour than boys.

In principle, the juvenile court was set up to protect juveniles and, by giving wide powers of discretion to law enforcers, to facilitate decisions in young offenders' best interests. In practice, particular categories of youth are treated more harshly than others. Evidence indicates that those females appearing on status offence charges (often from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds) are discriminated against on the basis of their sexual behaviour.

This paper describes the present situation and outlines the failures of attempts at legislative changes in the definition and processing of juvenile status offenders in the United States and Australia. These examples show that the double standard of juvenile justice is international; not simply an artifact of one nation's court system. Treating status offence problems within a criminal justice system has destructive and damaging effects which may only intensify the problems from which such youth are ostensibly being protected.