bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding the Lethal Variant of Prostate Cancer: Power of Examining Extremes
Authors: Aparicio Ana , Logothetis Christopher J. , Maity Sankar N.
Published: November 2011

Small cell prostate carcinoma is a lethal variant of castration-resistant prostate cancer. Beltran and colleagues identified overexpression and amplification of both aurora kinase A (AURKA) and the MYCN proto-oncogene in the small cell prostate carcinomas and propose Aurora kinase A as a potential therapeutic target in this disease subset. Cancer Discovery; 1(6); 466–68. ©2011 AACR.

Commentary on Beltran et al., p. 487.
HER2 Signaling and Resistance to the Anti-EGFR Monoclonal Antibody Cetuximab: A Further Step toward Personalized Medicine for Patients with Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Ciardiello Fortunato , Normanno Nicola
Published: November 2011

Primary and acquired resistance to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) drugs are clinically relevant problems in patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma. A complex network of molecular alterations is involved in this phenomenon. Bertotti et al. report the development of serially transplantable groups of tumor xenografts in immune-deficient mice from patient-derived, genetically characterized metastatic colorectal carcinoma samples. These experimental models (“xenopatients”) might represent a novel approach to discover and characterize the mechanisms of resistance to anti-EGFR therapy and other molecularly targeted therapies in metastatic colorectal carcinoma. In this respect, Bertotti et al. were able to identify HER2 gene amplification as one such mechanism of resistance to anti-EGFR therapy. Cancer Discovery; 1(6); 472–74. ©2011 AACR.

Commentary on Bertotti et al., p. 508.
Mechanisms of ER Stress-Induced Apoptosis in Atherosclerosis
Authors: Scull Christopher M. , Tabas Ira
Published: November 2011

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is triggered by perturbations in ER function such as those caused by protein misfolding or by increases in protein secretion. Eukaryotic cells respond to ER stress by activating 3 ER-resident proteins, activating transcription factor-6, inositol requiring protein-1, and protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase (PERK). These proteins direct signaling pathways that relieve ER stress in a process known as the unfolded protein response (UPR). In pathological settings, however, prolonged UPR activation can promote cell death, and this process has recently emerged as an important concept in atherosclerosis. We review here the evidence for UPR activation and cell death in macrophages, smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells in the context of advanced atherosclerosis as well as the existing literature regarding mechanisms of UPR-induced cell death. Knowledge in this area may suggest new therapeutic targets relevant to the formation of clinically dangerous atherosclerotic plaques.
Autophagy in Atherosclerosis
Authors: Schrijvers Dorien M. , De Meyer Guido R.Y. , Martinet Wim
Published: November 2011

Evidence is accumulating that autophagy occurs in advanced atherosclerotic plaques. Although there is an almost relentless discovery of molecules that are involved in autophagy, studies of selective autophagy induction or inhibition using knockout mice are just now beginning to reveal its biological significance. Most likely, autophagy safeguards plaque cells against cellular distress, in particular oxidative injury, by degrading the damaged intracellular material. In this way, autophagy is protective and contributes to cellular recovery in an unfavorable environment. Pharmacological approaches have recently been developed to stabilize vulnerable, rupture-prone lesions through induction of autophagy. This approach has proven to be successful in short-term studies. However, how autophagy induction affects processes such as inflammation remains to be elucidated and is currently under investigation. This review highlights the possibilities for exploiting autophagy as a drug target for plaque stabilization.
Dance Jockey: Performing Electronic Music by Dancing
Authors: de Quay Yago , Skogstad Ståle , Jensenius Alexander
Published: November 2011

The authors present an experimental musical performance called Dance Jockey, wherein sounds are controlled by sensors on the dancer's body. These sensors manipulate music in real time by acquiring data about body actions and transmitting the information to a control unit that makes decisions and gives instructions to audio software. The system triggers a broad range of music events and maps them to sound effects and musical parameters such as pitch, loudness and rhythm.
Composing with Melomics: Delving into the Computational World for Musical Inspiration
Authors: Diaz-Jerez Gustavo
Published: November 2011

The author describes his work with the Melomics approach to music composition. Taking the melody as its main object of study, Melomics, mimicking biology, implements a simulated evolution of music composition using generative methods. The goal of this work is to model the full process of professional music composition using sophisticated strategies for algorithm design.
Bringing Instrumental Musicians into Interactive Music Systems through Notation
Authors: Freeman Jason
Published: November 2011

The author describes the use of real-time music notation software that allows laptop musicians and instrumental musicians to perform together in collaborative, interactive improvisation.
Transmediating a Japanese Garden through Spatial Sound Design
Authors: Fowler Michael
Published: November 2011

There have been numerous artists, architects and designers whose encounters with traditional Japanese garden aesthetics have produced creative works. The author examines John Cage's Ryoanji, a musical translation of the famous karesansui garden in Kyoto, as an important musical precedent and uses it to position his own methodologies for transmediating the spatial predilections of the Japanese garden Sesshutei. He also documents various mapping techniques and data visualizations used to inform his recent multi-channel sound installation/performance environment, Sesshutei as a spatial model.
Notating Action-Based Music
Authors: Kojs Juraj
Published: November 2011

The author discusses the notation of action-based music, in which physical gestures and their characteristics, such as shape, direction and speed (as opposed to psychoacoustic properties such as pitch, timbre and rhythm), play the dominant role in preserving and transferring information. Grounded in ecological perception and enactive cognition, the article shows how such an approach mediates a direct relationship between composition and performance, details some action-based music notation principles and offers practical examples. A discussion of tablature, graphic scores and text scores contextualizes the method historically.
Computational Advantages of Reverberating Loops for Sensorimotor Learning
Authors: Fortney Kristen , Tweed Douglas B.
Published: November 2011

When we learn something new, our brain may store the information in synapses or in reverberating loops of electrical activity, but current theories of motor learning focus almost entirely on the synapses. Here we show that loops could also play a role and would bring advantages: loop-based algorithms can learn complex control tasks faster, with exponentially fewer neurons, and avoid the problem of weight transport. They do all this at a cost: in the presence of long feedback delays, loop algorithms cannot control very fast movements, but in this case, loop and synaptic mechanisms can complement each other—mixed systems quickly learn to make accurate but not very fast motions and then gradually speed up. Loop algorithms explain aspects of consolidation, the role of attention, and the relapses that are sometimes seen after a task has apparently been learned, and they make further predictions.
Simple Modification of Oja Rule Limits L1-Norm of Weight Vector and Leads to Sparse Connectivity
Authors: Aparin Vladimir
Published: November 2011

This letter describes a simple modification of the Oja learning rule, which asymptotically constrains the L1-norm of an input weight vector instead of the L2-norm as in the original rule. This constraining is local as opposed to commonly used instant normalizations, which require the knowledge of all input weights of a neuron to update each one of them individually. The proposed rule converges to a weight vector that is sparser (has more zero weights) than the vector learned by the original Oja rule with or without the zero bound, which could explain the developmental synaptic pruning.
Study of the Impact of Summer Monsoon Circulation on Spatial Distribution of Aerosols in East Asia Based on Numerical Simulations
Authors: Yan Libin , Liu Xiaodong , Yang Ping , Yin Zhi-Yong , North Gerald R.
Published: November 2011

The regional coupled climate–chemistry/aerosol model (RegCM3) is used to investigate the difference in the spatial distribution of aerosol optical depth (AOD) between a strong summer monsoon year (SSMY; July 2003) and a weak summer monsoon year (WSMY; July 2002) under the actual- and same-emission scenarios. It is shown that the intensity of the Asian summer monsoon is primarily responsible for the AOD spatial distribution anomaly in midsummer over East Asia. Specifically, the AOD over southern China, upwind of the Asian summer monsoon, is greater in WSMY than in SSMY, but the opposite is observed for the AOD downwind over northern China and the Korean Peninsula. The AOD spatial distribution patterns simulated on the basis of the actual emission inventories for the SSMY and WSMY do not substantially differ from their counterparts that are based on the same emission inventory, confirming that the monsoon circulation, rather than local emissions or dry and wet deposition processes, is the predominant factor determining the regional AOD distribution. These modeling results are consistent with the analyses based on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products, NCAR–Department of Energy wind fields, and air parcel movements according to the 7-day trajectories of air parcels determined by the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model.
Hail in Northeast Italy: Climatology and Bivariate Analysis with the Sounding-Derived Indices
Authors: Manzato Agostino
Published: November 2011

In this work the hailpad data collected during the April–September period of the years 1992–2009 by a network of approximately 360 stations on the plain of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region (northeast Italy) were analyzed. The frequency distribution of the hail cases is studied for the different years, for the yearday, and for the time of day, considering four 6-h-long periods of the day. Hail is found to be more frequent during the 1100–2300 UTC time interval and in the months of June and July even though during the 18 years analyzed there does not seem to be a defined trend in hail probability. The spatial distribution shows a maximum of probability along the foothills in particular in the northwest. In the middle of this area there is also the Udine–Campoformido radiosounding station, which performed four soundings per day. Each case (6-h-long period) is then associated with the 52 indices derived from the sounding launched at the beginning of that period. These sounding-derived indices are not all statistically independent, as found by looking at their correlation matrix and aggregating the most-correlated indices in three groups. A diagnostic bivariate analysis between each index and the hit hailpads in 6 h was done as a preliminary attempt to evaluate the utility of these indices for forecasting hail. It is found that some measures of instability (like updraft, hail diameter, and lifted index) seem to have more skill than the other indices when classifying the hail-event occurrence. When estimating the number of hit hailpads, the best correlation is obtained by the indices belonging to the “lifted index family.”
On the Use of Dual-Polarized C-Band Radar for Operational Rainfall Retrieval in Mountainous Areas
Authors: Vulpiani Gianfranco , Montopoli Mario , Passeri Luca Delli , Gioia Antonio G. , Giordano Pietro , Marzano Frank S.
Published: November 2011

Radar-rainfall estimation is a complex process that involves several error sources, some of which are related to the environmental context. The presence of orographic obstacles heavily affects the quality of the retrieved radar products. In relatively flat terrain conditions, dual-polarization capability has been proven either to increase the data quality or to improve the rainfall estimate. The potential benefit of using polarimetric techniques for precipitation retrieval is evaluated here using data coming from two radar systems operating in Italy under complex-orography conditions. The analysis outlines encouraging results that might open new scenarios for operational applications. Indeed, the applied rainfall algorithm employing specific differential phase mostly outperformed the examined reflectivity-based retrieval techniques except for the analyzed winter storm. In the latter case, the likely contamination by frozen or melting snow tended to degrade the performance of the examined Kdp-based rainfall algorithms.
Simulated Climate and Climate Change in the GFDL CM2.5 High-Resolution Coupled Climate Model
Authors: Delworth Thomas L. , Rosati Anthony , Anderson Whit , Adcroft Alistair J. , Balaji V. , Benson Rusty , Dixon Keith , Griffies Stephen M. , Lee Hyun-Chul , Pacanowski Ronald C. , Vecchi Gabriel A. , Wittenberg Andrew T. , Zeng Fanrong , Zhang Rong
Published: November 2011

The authors present results for simulated climate and climate change from a newly developed high-resolution global climate model [Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Climate Model version 2.5 (GFDL CM2.5)]. The GFDL CM2.5 has an atmospheric resolution of approximately 50 km in the horizontal, with 32 vertical levels. The horizontal resolution in the ocean ranges from 28 km in the tropics to 8 km at high latitudes, with 50 vertical levels. This resolution allows the explicit simulation of some mesoscale eddies in the ocean, particularly at lower latitudes.

Analyses are presented based on the output of a 280-yr control simulation; also presented are results based on a 140-yr simulation in which atmospheric CO2 increases at 1% yr−1 until doubling after 70 yr.

Results are compared to GFDL CM2.1, which has somewhat similar physics but a coarser resolution. The simulated climate in CM2.5 shows marked improvement over many regions, especially the tropics, including a reduction in the double ITCZ and an improved simulation of ENSO. Regional precipitation features are much improved. The Indian monsoon and Amazonian rainfall are also substantially more realistic in CM2.5.

The response of CM2.5 to a doubling of atmospheric CO2 has many features in common with CM2.1, with some notable differences. For example, rainfall changes over the Mediterranean appear to be tightly linked to topography in CM2.5, in contrast to CM2.1 where the response is more spatially homogeneous. In addition, in CM2.5 the near-surface ocean warms substantially in the high latitudes of the Southern Ocean, in contrast to simulations using CM2.1.
An Examination of Climate Change on Extreme Heat Events and Climate–Mortality Relationships in Large U.S. Cities
Authors: Greene Scott , Kalkstein Laurence S. , Mills David M. , Samenow Jason
Published: November 2011

This study examines the impact of a changing climate on heat-related mortality in 40 large cities in the United States. A synoptic climatological procedure, the spatial synoptic classification, is used to evaluate present climate–mortality relationships and project how potential climate changes might affect these values. Specifically, the synoptic classification is combined with downscaled future climate projections for the decadal periods of 2020–29, 2045–55, and 2090–99 from a coupled atmospheric–oceanic general circulation model. The results show an increase in excessive heat event (EHE) days and increased heat-attributable mortality across the study cities with the most pronounced increases projected to occur in the Southeast and Northeast. This increase becomes more dramatic toward the end of the twenty-first century as the anticipated impact of climate change intensifies. The health impact associated with different emissions scenarios is also examined. These results suggest that a “business as usual” approach to greenhouse gas emissions mitigation could result in twice as many heat-related deaths by the end of the century than a lower emissions scenario. Finally, a comparison of future estimates of heat-related mortality during EHEs is presented using algorithms developed during two different, although overlapping, time periods, one that includes some recent large-scale significant EHE intervention strategies (1975–2004), and one without (1975–95). The results suggest these public health responses can significantly decrease heat-related mortality.
Trade unions and corporate campaigning in a global economy: The case of James Hardie
Authors: Holland Peter , Pyman Amanda
Published: November 2011

This article analyses a campaign led by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, against James Hardie Industries Limited, concerning their responsibility and liability to fully fund asbestos compensation claims. Across the Anglo-American world, trade unions are faced with increasingly hostile legislative and political environments and a declining membership base. In addition, the globalization of capital increasingly allows for organizational mobility and reduced commitment to specific communities or workers. These factors can have a significant impact on union effectiveness, particularly due to their national focus. In response, the concepts of corporate campaigning and social movement unionism have increasingly been used by unions as a strategy to influence and contest corporate policy decisions. This high profile case illustrates the critical role that corporate campaigning can play in ensuring that the mobility of capital does not override justice in a global economy.
Workplace partnership and employee involvement – contradictions and synergies: Evidence from a heavy engineering case study
Authors: Butler Peter , Tregaskis Olga , Glover Linda
Published: November 2011

This article considers the workplace partnership–employee involvement nexus. While an empirical association has been recorded, there has been limited exploration of the potential benefits to be derived from the coupling of these interventions. Developing the idea of forward and reverse synergies this article argues the relationship is complex. The tendency for partnership to act as an antecedent for the utilization of employee involvement and wider organizational change has been documented – forward synergy. However, the reverse scenario, where involvement is used by management to initiate and subsequently bolster workplace cooperation and consensus has received far less scrutiny. This article seeks to shed light on both phenomena.
Employee turnover, HRM and institutional contexts
Authors: Croucher Richard , Wood Geoff , Brewster Chris , Brookes Michael
Published: November 2011

Literature on comparative capitalism remains divided between approaches founded on stylized case study evidence and descriptions of broad trends, and those that focus on macro data. In contrast, this study explores the relevance of Amable’s approach to understanding differences in employment relations practice, based on firm-level micro data. The article examines employee–employer interdependence (including turnover rates) in different categories of economy as classified by Amable. The findings confirm that exit – whether forced or voluntary – remains more common in market-based economies than in their continental counterparts and that institutionalized employee voice is an important variable in reducing turnover. However, there is as much diversity within the different country categories as between them, and across continental Europe. In Denmark’s case, high turnover is combined with high unionization, showing the effects of a ‘flexicurity’ strategy. While employee voice may be stronger in Scandinavia, interdependence is weaker than in continental Europe.
The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Orientation in the Task Environment–Performance Relationship
Authors: Rosenbusch Nina , Rauch Andreas , Bausch Andreas
Published: November 2011

Despite the importance of the external task environment for firm performance, little is known about the mechanisms that enable firms to benefit from a specific environmental setting. The authors argue that firms adjust their entrepreneurial orientation (EO) to the external environment and use it as a mechanism to transform the advantages provided by the environment into above-average performance levels. Specifically, the authors use meta-analysis supplemented by structural equation modeling to explore the links among environmental munificence, hostility, dynamism and complexity, EO, and firm performance in a mediation model. The results suggest that environmental munificence, dynamism, and complexity affect EO and, in turn, firm performance. The authors discuss the meta-analytical findings with respect to their theoretical contribution and their practical implications.
Enhanced Histopathology of the Immune System
Authors: Elmore Susan A.
Published: November 2011

Enhanced histopathology (EH) of the immune system is a tool that the pathologist can use to assist in the detection of lymphoid organ lesions when evaluating a suspected immunomodulatory test article within a subchronic study or as a component of a more comprehensive, tiered approach to immunotoxicity testing. There are three primary points to consider when performing EH: (1) each lymphoid organ has separate compartments that support specific immune functions; (2) these compartments should be evaluated individually; and (3) semiquantitative descriptive rather than interpretive terminology should be used to characterize any changes. Enhanced histopathology is a screening tool that should be used in conjunction with study data including clinical signs, gross changes, body weight, spleen and thymus weights, other organ or tissue changes, and clinical pathology. Points to consider include appropriate tissue collection, sectioning, and staining; lesion grading; and diligent comparison with concurrent controls. The value of EH of lymphoid organs is to aid in the identification of target cell type, changes in cell production and cell death, changes in cellular trafficking and recirculation, and determination of mechanism of action.
TCDD: An Environmental Immunotoxicant Reveals a Novel Pathway of Immunoregulation—A 30-Year Odyssey
Authors: Kerkvliet Nancy I.
Published: November 2011

I was honored to be the keynote speaker at the 30th Annual Society of Toxicologic Pathology Symposium “Toxicologic Pathology and the Immune System.” I had the opportunity to reminisce about events in the 1970s that set the stage for the birth and subsequent growth of the field of immunotoxicology and to summarize my research career that has spanned the past 40 years as well. An initial focus on the immunotoxicity of pentachlorophenol led my laboratory into the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) field and the study of its most potent ligand, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). My research career has been devoted to trying to elucidate the immunological basis of TCDD’s profound immunosuppressive activity that is mediated by activation of AHR. In recent years, my laboratory has focused on the role of CD4+ T cells as targets of TCDD, and we were the first to describe the induction of AHR-dependent regulatory T cells (Tregs). The ability to induce Tregs using an exogenous AHR ligand to activate the AHR-Treg pathway represents a novel approach to the prevention and/or treatment of autoimmune disease. We are currently searching for such ligands.
General Session 3: Acquired Immunity
Authors: Schuh JoAnn C. L. , Pearse Gail
Published: November 2011

Session 3 of the Toxicologic Pathology and the Immune System Symposium, presented as part of the 30th Annual Symposium of the Society of Toxicologic Pathology in 2011, focused on the biological advances in control of selected cellular and secretory components of acquired immunity. Acquired immunity goes beyond innate immunity to provide controlled recognition and memory for specific antigenic challenges. Predominately involving activation of T and B lymphocytes, the resulting cellular- and secretory-mediated activity provides immediate and long-term host defenses to antigenic challenge. This session highlighted the biological advances in function and dysfunction of acquired immunity through regulatory T cells, the pathophysiology of effector cells and secretory molecules in immunosuppression, allergic inflammatory disease, and dysregulation that leads to loss of tolerance and autoimmune disease. A brief overview of major concepts in acquired immunity and summaries of the above themes are covered herein, and discussions of these themes are covered in greater detail in this issue of Toxicologic Pathology.
Proceedings of the 2011 National Toxicology Program Satellite Symposium
Authors: Boorman Gary , Crabbs Torrie A. , Kolenda-Roberts Holly , Latimer Ken , Miller Andrew D. , Muravnick Kathleen B. , Nyska Abraham , Ochoa Ricardo , Pardo Ingrid D. , Ramot Yuval , Rao Deepa B. , Schuh JoAnn , Suttie Andrew , Travlos Greg S. , Ward Jerrold M. , Wolf Jeffrey C. , Elmore Susan A.
Published: November 2011

The 2011 annual National Toxicology Program (NTP) Satellite Symposium, entitled “Pathology Potpourri,” was held in Denver, Colorado in advance of the Society of Toxicologic Pathology’s 30th Annual Meeting. The goal of the NTP Symposium is to present current diagnostic pathology or nomenclature issues to the toxicologic pathology community. This article presents summaries of the speakers’ presentations, including diagnostic or nomenclature issues that were presented, along with select images that were used for audience voting or discussion. Some lesions and topics covered during the symposium include: proliferative lesions from various fish species including ameloblastoma, gas gland hyperplasia, nodular regenerative hepatocellular hyperplasia, and malignant granulosa cell tumor; spontaneous cystic hyperplasia in the stomach of CD1 mice and histiocytic aggregates in the duodenal villous tips of treated mice; an olfactory neuroblastoma in a cynomolgus monkey; various rodent skin lesions, including follicular parakeratotic hyperkeratosis, adnexal degeneration, and epithelial intracytoplasmic accumulations; oligodendroglioma and microgliomas in rats; a diagnostically challenging microcytic, hypochromic, responsive anemia in rats; a review of microcytes and microcytosis; nasal lesions associated with green tea extract and Ginkgo biloba in rats; corneal dystrophy in Dutch belted rabbits; valvulopathy in rats; and lymphoproliferative disease in a cynomolgus monkey.
Social media for company research
Authors: Brown Scott
Published: November 2011

Knowing the best social sources for company information, and what you can expect to find in those sources, will complement your ‘traditional’ information search and help you paint a richer picture of a company and its strategy. In this article, the author examines three of the top social tools for company information: LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube. By searching for the same company through all three tools, the author illustrates the unique company information available from each tool.
Job satisfaction of university library employees
Authors: Islam Mahbubul , Islam Shariful
Published: November 2011

Employee job satisfaction is a key factor in the contribution of staff to organizational success. The job satisfaction of its employees can impact the performance of a library. This article presents the results of a study of employees of two university libraries in Bangladesh (Rajshahi University Library (RUL) and Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology Library (RUETL)). The study set out to understand the satisfaction rates of the library employees using eight dimensions of job satisfaction, including working environment, wages, promotion, supervision, nature of the job, training facilities, library rules and regulations, and social status. The article concludes with some recommendations.
Local economies in a globalizing world: The role of European industrial policy
Authors: Ramelli Stefano , Christensen Peder , Allen Ch.
Published: November 2011

The crucial importance of manufacturing for the European Union (EU) and the need for a new growth model for the European economy has been recognized and documented. Whilst the major responsibility for industrial competitiveness and sustainability lies within industry itself, the EU, Member States and individual regions also have the responsibility to establish the right institutional framework. Among the priorities identified are the better integration of the European market to allow better conditions for industry specialization and trans-national cooperation; closer cooperation in Member State and EU technology policies; better coordination of social, economic and environmental policies; and better coordination between actors at the local, regional, national and European level, with stronger governance at the European level. To be successful, the new approach to industrial policy at the European level must be complemented by a closer link between EU and national level policies and between the EU level and regional and local authorities.
Towards a new era for regional development: Investing in leadership
Authors: Anselmo Andrea Di , Cascio Lorenzo Lo
Published: November 2011

In this new long-lasting period of crisis, public investments in general, and particularly those in support of innovation and economic development at regional level, are depressed by stability policies. The shortage of resources for any type of expansive policy poses regional decision makers straight questions to be answered: which has the primacy among the objectives of cohesion and growth? How to achieve more with less resource? New smarter forms of policymaking to support innovation and economic development are then needed. This can be achieved by going beyond the simplistic idea that distributing small bits of money to SMEs is in any case good support to industries. On the contrary, the focus of support policy has to be narrowed on targets in the perspective of a `selective investment of public resources'. Policies in support of company creation may offer a good example of this.
Immediate effects of electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement on gait velocity and spasticity in persons with hemiparetic stroke: a randomized controlled study
Authors: Yamaguchi Tomofumi , Tanabe Shigeo , Muraoka Yoshihiro , Masakado Yoshihisa , Kimura Akio , Tsuji Tetsuya , Liu Meigen
Published: November 2011

Objective: Research to examine the immediate effects of electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement on gait velocity and spasticity.

Design: A single-masked, randomized controlled trial design.

Subjects: Twenty-seven stroke inpatients in subacute phase (ischemic n=16, hemorrhagic n=11).

Interventions: A novel approach using electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement.

Main measures: We assessed the maximum gait speed and modified Ashworth scale before and 20 minutes after the interventions.

Results: The gait velocity of the electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement group showed the increase form 0.68±0.28 (mean±SD, unit: m) to 0.76±0.32 after the intervention. Both the electrical stimulation group and passive locomotion-like movement group also showed increases after the interventions (from 0.76±0.37 to 0.79±0.40, from 0.74±0.35 to 0.77±0.36, respectively). The gait velocity of the electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement group differed significantly from those of the other groups (electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement versus electrical stimulation: P=0.049, electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement versus passive locomotion-like movement: P=0.025). Although there was no statistically significant difference in the modified Ashworth scale among the three groups, six of the nine subjects (66.6%) in the electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement group showed improvement in the modified Ashworth scale score, while only three of the nine subjects (33.3%) in the electrical stimulation group and two of the nine subjects (22.2%) improved in the passive locomotion-like movement group.

Conclusion: These findings suggest electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement could improve gait velocity in stroke patients.
Parametric optimisation of stress relief groove shape in flat ends of boilers
Authors: Szybiński Bogdan , Wróblewski Adam
Published: November 2011

Flat ends of boilers with stress relief grooves have been used for many years. The existing standards set the value for the endplate thickness and admissible range of values for radius of the groove and the minimum thickness of the endplate under the relief groove. However, the codes do not specify the optimal parameters values for the endplate with stress relief groove. In this paper, the authors study the optimal choice of parameters for circular groove, and then propose its shape modification to elliptical, which considerably decreases stress concentration appearing in the zone of the groove. In the next step, the elliptical shape is replaced by the groove modelled by two spline functions, which results in further reduction of stress concentration. Finally, the groove with shape including several spline functions is proposed as an optimal one. In the performed study, the finite element modelling and the simple search method in optimisation procedures are used.
Recent Legal Developments
Authors: Hemmens Craig , Bolen Jonathan
Published: November 2011

During its 2010 term, the United State Supreme Court decided 28 cases that dealt with a criminal justice-related issue. While a number of these decisions will have only a slight impact on the daily administration of justice, there were several significant cases involving criminal justice-related topics such as search and seizure, interrogations, and sentencing. We present a summary and analysis of the most significant decisions involving criminal justice. The cases are divided, somewhat roughly, into categories.
Multifocal Intraparenchymal Langerhans’ Cell Histiocytosis Concomitant With an Arachnoid Cyst in a Child
Authors: Wang Yong , Qiu Bo , Li Ping , Cheng Peng , Li Guangyu , Li Xinguo , Xu Hongtao , Wang Yunjie
Published: November 2011

Langerhans’ cell histiocytosis is a disease usually found in children and characterized by idiopathic proliferation of histiocytes in the reticuloendothelial system. Intracranial Langerhans’ cell histiocytosis presenting as multifocal intraparenchymal lesions is very rare. In this article, the authors report on a 4-year-old boy diagnosed with multifocal intraparenchymal Langerhans’ cell histiocytosis concomitant with an arachnoid cyst. After a series of laboratory examinations, the right frontal mass was surgically excised. Histological examinations confirmed the diagnosis of intracranial Langerhans’ cell histiocytosis. The patient’s intracranial hypertension symptoms were alleviated, and the remaining foci were treated by Langerhans’ cell histiocytosis–directed standard chemotherapy. At the 8-month follow-up visit, no recurrence of the excised lesion was found, and no change in the size of other lesions was seen. Supratentorial intracerebral lesions with mass effect and enhancement have rarely been described; in this report, the histological features of and therapeutic options for such a case are discussed.
Children’s experiences and meaning construction on parental divorce: A focus group study
Authors: Maes Sofie DJ , De Mol Jan , Buysse Ann
Published: November 2011

The global aim of this study was to explore children’s narratives of parental divorce. A convenience sample, composed of 11- and 14-year-old children, was recruited. A total of 22 children (12 male, 10 female) participated in this focus group study. The findings show that two components seem to be really important for children during the divorce process: the ability to construct meaning about their parents’ decision to divorce and their feeling to count in the process of family transition. Children expressed the need for an explanation about why parents decided to divorce and wanted to matter with regard to the decisions on their post-divorce living arrangements.
A novel punch design approach with progressive clearance variation for the punching–broaching process
Authors: Lajarin S F , Neto R C B , Eto A M , Marcondes P V P
Published: November 2011

Thick sheet punching is a process used in the automobile industry, especially in the heavy vehicles segment. Aimed at generating holes of good cylindricity and surface quality, the definition of the process parameter values and the tool design are critical to the process. For this purpose, the finite element method is useful to decrease the trial-and-error procedures and also the tool development costs. The main aim of the present study was to analyse the influence of the punch design on the final quality of punched/broached holes produced on thick steel sheets (8 mm, NBR 6656). Several geometries of punch with combined broaching teeth as well as punches with traditional geometries have been analysed. The results of the simulations led to a detailed understanding of the influence of punch geometry during the punching–broaching process. In addition, a novel punch design approach was proposed which allowed the production of holes of good cylindricity due to the progressive variation of the clearance between the punch and the die during the punch penetration progress.
Design of a surgical instrument for removing bone to provide screw access to a spinal fusion cage
Authors: Aslani F Jabbary , Hukins DWL , Shepherd DET , Parry JJ , Fennell AJ , Lambell S
Published: November 2011

A surgical instrument to aid implantation of a range of lumbar spinal fusion cages has been developed. Once the cage is in position, the entrance to screw holes is partially blocked by the edge of the vertebral body. In order to insert fixation screws to secure the cage between the vertebrae, some part of the blocking edge has to be removed. Rongeurs are currently being used, but they can be time consuming and have the disadvantage that they may remove more bone than is necessary and may cause damage to the fusion cage if not used with care. In addition, access around some of the screw holes may be difficult. The aim of this instrument was to overcome these shortcomings. This paper describes the design of a surgical instrument for cutting edges from vertebral bodies. The development and evaluation of concept designs are presented and discussed. Potential risks were considered and modifications were performed on the selected concept. Functional prototypes were manufactured and tested on sheep lumbar vertebrae. The results showed that the newly designed cutting instrument functions as required and removes the required amount of bone from the vertebral body edge.
Discrepancies in glomerular and tubulointerstitial/vascular immune complex IgG subclasses in lupus nephritis
Authors: Satoskar AA , Brodsky SV , Nadasdy G , Bott C , Rovin B , Hebert L , Nadasdy T
Published: November 2011

Background and objectives: Lupus nephritis is characterized by glomerular and extraglomerular immune complex deposition in the kidney. It is unclear whether the same circulating immune complexes deposit in the glomeruli and in extraglomerular structures, or whether they are pathogenetically different. Differences in the IgG subclass composition may point towards different pathways in the formation of glomerular and extraglomerular immune complexes. Therefore we investigated IgG subclass distribution in the immune complex deposits at these anatomic sites.

Design: A total of 84 biopsies diagnosed as lupus nephritis and classified according to the International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) 2003 classification, were examined by direct immunofluorescence staining for IgG subclasses. The IgG subclass composition in the glomerular, tubular basement membrane (TBM) and vascular wall deposits was compared. We also correlated the presence/absence of interstitial inflammation and IgG subclasses in the TBM and vascular deposits. Lastly, we looked for correlation between staining for IgG subclasses and complement C1q and C3 staining.

Results: IgG staining was present in the TBM in 52/84 biopsies, and in the vascular walls in 40/84 biopsies. IgG subclass distribution was discrepant between glomerular and TBM deposits in 36/52 biopsies, and between glomerular and vascular deposits in 27/40 biopsies. Interstitial inflammation did not correlate with the presence of IgG staining or distribution of IgG subclasses in the TBM. Interstitial inflammation was more common in biopsies of African–American patients than Caucasian patients. The IgG subclass staining correlated with C1q staining in all the three compartments.

Conclusions: The antibody composition of the glomerular and extraglomerular immune complex deposits appear to differ from each other. They may not represent the same preformed immune complexes from the circulation. It is likely that their pathogenesis and site of formation are different.
How the Media Presents Medicine and Science
Authors: Brazier Margaret
Published: November 2011

Medicine and medical science attract a degree of media coverage much greater than other professions or other branches of science. In many instances the media play a large role in forming public and political opinion. The paper introduces some of the debates around the role of the media in the presentation of medicine and science. It seeks to show that public and media fascination with medicine is far from new and that determining how a responsible media should respond to medical and scientific developments is far from easy.
‘Choosing Disability’, Symbolic Law, and the Media
Authors: Scully Jackie Leach
Published: November 2011

Since a high-profile case in 2002, the potential use of reproductive technology to select for rather than against a disability has attracted considerable bioethical and popular attention. The ethical wrongness and the likelihood of ‘choosing disability’ were considered severe enough to warrant the insertion of a section in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 blocking assisted reproduction clinics from knowingly using gametes or embryos with severe genetic defects if alternatives exist. In this paper, I argue that this was a disproportionate response, and in tracing how it came about use this example to explore the symbolic function of the law in forming moral opinion, particularly in novel and ethically challenging areas, and the role of the media in conveying both the ‘message’ of the law to the public and the responses of stakeholders back to regulators.
Impact of Environmental Regulation on Technical Efficiency
Authors: Dutta Nivedita , Narayanan K.
Published: November 2011

There is a large concentration of chemical firms around Mumbai, and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board has been actively monitoring them. Such monitoring is likely to have an impact on the productive efficiency of these firms. The firms argue that additional costs to minimise environmental damage have reduced their efficiency. We try to find out whether these water-polluting firms in the chemical industry around Mumbai are actually unable to cope with the additional cost of pollution abatement, or whether by using cleaner practices, are able to improve their efficiency, and support the ‘win-win’ opportunities as claimed by the Porter Hypothesis. The study is carried out by estimating an Output Distance Function using a stochastic production function. The panel data of fifty water-polluting small-to medium-scale firms for three-year period of 2004–06 was collected in a primary survey of chemical industries around Mumbai. We find that the polluting firms are technically more efficient than those firms which adhere to pollution norms. Thus, the Porter Hypothesis does not hold for the sample.
Energy Intensity of Indian Manufacturing Firms
Authors: Golder Bishwanath
Published: November 2011

The energy intensity of Indian manufacturing has declined signifi cantly since 1992. Between 1992–93 and 2007–08, it fell by about 50 per cent. However, it seems, there is scope for further substantial decline in energy intensity, since industrial energy consumption data across states indicate signifi cant inter-plant variation in the energy intensity of energy-intensive industries. The paper examines the factors that infl uence energy intensity in Indian industries. The results of the analysis indicate that the post-1992 decline in energy intensity of Indian manufacturing is attributable mostly to an improvement in energy use efficiency of energy-intensive industries, which in turn may be traced in part to hikes in the real price of energy paid by manufacturing fi rms. The results also show a signifi cant impact of technological change on energy intensity and presence of energy efficiency spillover effects from foreign fi rms to local firms.
R&D Strategy of Small and Medium Enterprises in India
Authors: Pradhan Jaya Prakash
Published: November 2011

Liberalisation of economic policies in the last two decades and intensifying market competition tend to be a cause of policy concern for the survival of SMEs in emerging economies like India. These SMEs account for the largest chunk of industrial units and employment in the national economy. Yet, most of them are competing with deeply inadequate resources, especially by means of weak technological capabilities. The present study has provided not only preliminary estimates on SME R&D investments in Indian manufacturing and their broad trends and patterns, but also contributed to the understanding of factors driving the SME in-house R&D activities. It shows that Indian SMEs continue to be vulnerable among all firmas they have the lowest incidence of doing in-house R&D and their R&D intensitieshave fallen in the last decade. Based on the results from three-step Censored Quantile Regression, this study has suggested a set of useful policy implications for enhancing SME R&D.
Rapid genotyping assays for the 4–base pair deletion of canine MDR1/ABCB1 gene and low frequency of the mutant allele in Border Collie dogs
Authors: Mizukami Keijiro , Chang Hye-Sook , Yabuki Akira , Kawamichi Takuji , Hossain Mohammad A. , Rahman Mohammad M. , Uddin Mohammad M. , Yamato Osamu
Published: November 2011

P-glycoprotein, encoded by the MDR1 or ABCB1 gene, is an integral component of the blood–brain barrier as an efflux pump for xenobiotics crucial in limiting drug uptake into the central nervous system. Dogs homozygous for a 4–base pair deletion of the canine MDR1 gene show altered expression or function of P-glycoprotein, resulting in neurotoxicosis after administration of the substrate drugs. In the present study, the usefulness of microchip electrophoresis for genotyping assays detecting this deletion mutation was evaluated. Mutagenically separated polymerase chain reaction (MS-PCR) and real-time PCR assays were newly developed and evaluated. Furthermore, a genotyping survey was carried out in a population of Border Collies dogs in Japan to determine the allele frequency in this breed. Microchip electrophoresis showed advantages in detection sensitivity and time saving over other modes of electrophoresis. The MS-PCR assay clearly discriminated all genotypes. Real-time PCR assay was most suitable for a large-scale survey due to its high throughput and rapidity. The genotyping survey demonstrated that the carrier and mutant allele frequencies were 0.49% and 0.25%, respectively, suggesting that the mutant allele frequency in Border Collies is markedly low compared to that in the susceptible dog breeds such as rough and smooth Collies.