bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The mechanics of the adhesive locomotion of terrestrial gastropods
Authors: Lai Janice H. , del Alamo Juan C. , Rodríguez-Rodríguez Javier , Lasheras Juan C.
Published: October 2010

Research on the adhesive locomotion of terrestrial gastropods is gaining renewed interest as it provides a source of guidance for the design of soft biomimetic robots that can perform functions currently not achievable by conventional rigid vehicles. The locomotion of terrestrial gastropods is driven by a train of periodic muscle contractions (pedal waves) and relaxations (interwaves) that propagate from their tails to their heads. These ventral waves interact with a thin layer of mucus secreted by the animal that transmits propulsive forces to the ground. The exact mechanism by which these propulsive forces are generated is still a matter of controversy. Specifically, the exact role played by the complex rheological and adhesive properties of the mucus is not clear. To provide quantitative data that could shed light on this question, we use a newly developed technique to measure, with high temporal and spatial resolution, the propulsive forces that terrestrial gastropods generate while crawling on smooth flat surfaces. The traction force measurements demonstrate the importance of the finite yield stress of the mucus in generating thrust and are consistent with the surface of the ventral foot being lifted with the passage of each pedal wave. We also show that a forward propulsive force is generated beneath each stationary interwave and that this net forward component is balanced by the resistance caused by the outer rim of the ventral foot, which slides at the speed of the center of mass of the animal. Simultaneously, the animal pulls the rim laterally inward. Analysis of the traction forces reveals that the kinematics of the pedal waves is far more complex than previously thought, showing significant spatial variation (acceleration/deceleration) as the waves move from the tail to the head of the animal.
Prey type, vibrations and handling interactively influence spider silk expression
Authors: Blamires S. J. , Chao I.-C. , Tso I.-M.
Published: October 2010

The chemical and mechanical properties of spider major ampullate (MA) silks vary in response to different prey, mostly via differential expression of two genes – MaSp1 and MaSp2 – although the spinning process exerts additional influence over the mechanical properties of silk. The prey cues that initiate differential gene expression are unknown. Prey nutrients, vibratory stimuli and handling have been suggested to be influential. We performed experiments to decouple the vibratory stimuli and handling associated with high and low kinetic energy prey (crickets vs flies) from their prey nutrients to test the relative influence of each as inducers of silk protein expression in the orb web spider Nephila pilipes. We found that the MA silks from spiders feeding on live crickets had greater percentages of glutamine, serine, alanine and glycine than those from spiders feeding on live flies. Proline composition of the silks was unaffected by feeding treatment. Increases in alanine and glycine in the MA silks of the live-cricket-feeding spiders indicate a probable increase in MaSp1 gene expression. The amino acid compositions of N. pilipes feeding on crickets with fly stimuli and N. pilipes feeding on flies with cricket stimuli did not differ from each other or from pre-treatment responses, so these feeding treatments did not induce differential MaSp expression. Our results indicate that cricket vibratory stimuli and handling interact with nutrients to induce N. pilipes to adjust their gene expression to produce webs with mechanical properties appropriate for the retention of this prey. This shows that spiders can genetically alter their silk chemical compositions and, presumably, mechanical properties upon exposure to different prey types. The lack of any change in proline composition with feeding treatment in N. pilipes suggests that the MaSp model determined for Nephila clavipes is not universally applicable to all Nephila.
Differential adjustment in gill Na+/K+- and V-ATPase activities and transporter mRNA expression during osmoregulatory acclimation in the cinnamon shrimp Macrobrachium amazonicum (Decapoda, Palaemonidae)
Authors: Faleiros Rogério Oliveira , Goldman Maria Helena S. , Furriel Rosa P. M. , McNamara John Campbell
Published: October 2010

We evaluate osmotic and chloride (Cl–) regulatory capability in the diadromous shrimp Macrobrachium amazonicum, and the accompanying alterations in hemolymph osmolality and [Cl–], gill Na+/K+-ATPase activity, and expression of gill Na+/K+-ATPase α-subunit and V-ATPase B subunit mRNA during salinity (S) acclimation. We also characterize V-ATPase kinetics and the organization of transport-related membrane systems in the gill epithelium. Macrobrachium amazonicum strongly hyper-regulates hemolymph osmolality and [Cl–] in freshwater and in salinities up to 25‰ S. During a 10-day acclimation period to 25‰ S, hemolymph became isosmotic and hypo-chloremic after 5 days, [Cl–] alone remaining hyporegulated thereafter. Gill Na+/K+-ATPase α-subunit mRNA expression increased 6.5 times initial values after 1 h, then decreased to 3 to 4 times initial values by 24 h and to 1.5 times initial values after 10 days at 25‰ S. This increased expression was accompanied by a sharp decrease at 5 h then recovery of initial Na+/K+-ATPase activity within 24 h, declining again after 5 days, which suggests transient Cl– secretion. V-ATPase B-subunit mRNA expression increased 1.5-fold within 1 h, then reduced sharply to 0.3 times initial values by 5 h, and remained unchanged for the remainder of the 10-day period. V-ATPase activity dropped sharply and was negligible after a 10-day acclimation period to 21‰ S, revealing a marked downregulation of ion uptake mechanisms. The gill epithelium consists of thick, apical pillar cell flanges, the perikarya of which are coupled to an intralamellar septum. These two cell types respectively exhibit extensive apical evaginations and deep membrane invaginations, both of which are associated with numerous mitochondria, characterizing an ion transporting epithelium. These changes in Na+/K+- and V-ATPase activities and in mRNA expression during salinity acclimation appear to underpin ion uptake and Cl– secretion by the palaemonid shrimp gill.
Sensing the strike of a predator fish depends on the specific gravity of a prey fish
Authors: Stewart William J. , McHenry Matthew J.
Published: October 2010

The ability of a predator fish to capture a prey fish depends on the hydrodynamics of the prey and its behavioral response to the predator's strike. Despite the importance of this predator–prey interaction to the ecology and evolution of a diversity of fish, it is unclear what factors dictate a fish's ability to evade capture. The present study evaluated how the specific gravity of a prey fish's body affects the kinematics of prey capture and the signals detected by the lateral line system of the prey during the strike of a suction-feeding predator. The specific gravity of zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae was measured with high precision from recordings of terminal velocity in solutions of varying density. This novel method found that specific gravity decreased by ∼5% (from 1.063, N=8, to 1.011, N=35) when the swim bladder inflates. To examine the functional consequences of this change, we developed a mathematical model of the hydrodynamics of prey in the flow field created by a suction-feeding predator. This model found that the observed decrease in specific gravity due to swim bladder inflation causes an 80% reduction of the flow velocity around the prey's body. Therefore, swim bladder inflation causes a substantial reduction in the flow signal that may be sensed by the lateral line system to evade capture. These findings demonstrate that the ability of a prey fish to sense a predator depends crucially on the specific gravity of the prey.
Effect of different glycaemic conditions on gene expression of neuropeptides involved in control of food intake in rainbow trout; interaction with stress
Authors: Conde-Sieira Marta , Agulleiro Maria J. , Aguilar Ariel J. , Míguez Jesús M. , Cerdá-Reverter José M. , Soengas José L.
Published: October 2010

To assess mechanisms relating to food intake and glucosensing in fish, and their interaction with stress, we evaluated changes in the expression of orexigenic (NPY) and anorexigenic (POMC, CART and CRF) peptides in central glucosensing areas (hypothalamus and hindbrain) of rainbow trout subjected to normoglycaemic (control), hypoglycaemic (4 mg insulin kg–1) or hyperglycaemic (500 mg glucose kg–1) conditions for 6 h under normal stocking density (NSD; 10 kg fish mass m–3) or under stress conditions induced by high stocking density (HSD; 70 kg fish mass m–3). Hyperglycaemic NSD conditions resulted in decreased mRNA levels of NPY and increased levels of CART and POMC in the hypothalamus as well as increased mRNA levels of CART and CRF in the hindbrain compared with hypo- and normoglycaemic conditions. HSD conditions in normoglycaemic fish induced marked changes in the expression of all peptides assessed: mRNA levels of NPY and CRF increased and mRNA levels of POMC and CART decreased in the hypothalamus, whereas the expression of all four peptides (NPY, POMC, CART and CRF) decreased in the hindbrain. Furthermore, HSD conditions altered the response to changes in glycaemia of NPY and POMC expression in the hypothalamus and CART expression in the hypothalamus and the hindbrain. The results are discussed in the context of food intake regulation by glucosensor systems and their interaction with stress in fish.
Hypoxia stimulates lactate disposal in rainbow trout
Authors: Omlin Teye , Weber Jean-Michel
Published: October 2010

Current understanding of lactate metabolism in fish is based almost entirely on the interpretation of concentration measurements that cannot be used to infer changes in flux. The goals of this investigation were: (1) to quantify baseline lactate fluxes in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) under normoxic conditions; (2) to establish how changes in rates of lactate appearance (Ra) and disposal (Rd) account for the increase in blood lactate elicited by hypoxia; and (3) to identify the tissues responsible for lactate production. Ra and Rd lactate of rainbow trout were measured in vivo by continuous infusion of [U-14C]lactate in trout exposed to 25% O2 saturation or maintained in normoxia for 90 min. In normoxic fish, Ra lactate decreased from 18.2 to 13.1 μmol kg–1 min–1 and Rd lactate from 19.0 to 12.8. Ra and Rd were always matched, thereby maintaining a steady baseline blood lactate concentration of ∼0.8 mmol l–1. By contrast, the hypoxic fish increased blood lactate to 8.9 mmol l–1 and Ra lactate from 18.4 to 36.5 μmol kg–1 min–1. This stimulation of anaerobic glycolysis was unexpectedly accompanied by a 52% increase in Rd lactate from 19.9 to 30.3 μmol kg–1 min–1. White muscle was the main producer of lactate, which accumulated to 19.2 μmol g–1 in this tissue. This first study of non-steady-state lactate kinetics in fish shows that the increase in lactate disposal elicited by hypoxia plays a strategic role in reducing the lactate load on the circulation. Without this crucial response, blood lactate accumulation would double.
Optimal Provision of Multiple Excludable Public Goods
Authors: Fang Hanming , Norman Peter
Published: October 2010

This paper studies the optimal provision mechanism for multiple excludable public goods. For a class of problems with symmetric goods and binary valuations, we show that the optimal mechanism involves bundling if a regularity condition, akin to a hazard rate condition, on the distribution of valuations is satisfied. Relative to separate provision mechanisms, the optimal bundling mechanism may increase the asymptotic provision probability of socially efficient public goods from zero to one, and decreases the extent of use exclusions. If the regularity condition is violated, the optimal solution replicates the separate provision outcome for the two-good case. (JEL D82, H41)
Hicksian Welfare Measures and the Normative Endowment Effect
Authors: Weber Thomas A
Published: October 2010

We show that the Hicksian welfare measures of compensating variation and equivalent variation coincide if one of them is evaluated at a compensated income. The measures are nondecreasing in income if the varied attribute and income are complementary, and indirect utility is concave in income. Income monotonicity implies the normative endowment effect, where the equivalent variation exceeds the compensating variation. We provide sufficient conditions for the normative endowment effect and discuss empirical implications. In the global absence of a strict (anti-) endowment effect, both Hicksian welfare measures must be independent of income and the indirect utility function additively separable in income. (JEL D11, D63)
Naïve Herding in Rich-Information Settings
Authors: Eyster Erik , Rabin Matthew
Published: October 2010

In social-learning environments, we investigate implications of the assumption that people naïvely believe that each previous person's action reflects solely that person's private information. Naïve herders inadvertently over-weight early movers' private signals by neglecting that interim herders' actions also embed these signals. Such “social confirmation bias” leads them to herd with positive probability on incorrect actions even in extremely rich-information settings where rational players never do. Moreover, because they become fully confident even when wrong, naïve herders can be harmed, on average, by observing others. (JEL D82, D83)
Inequality and Markets: Some Implications of Occupational Diversity
Authors: Mookherjee Dilip , Ray Debraj
Published: October 2010

This paper studies income distribution in an economy with borrowing constraints. Parents leave both financial and educational bequests; these determine the occupational choices of children. Occupational returns are determined by market conditions. If the span of occupational investments is large, long-run wealth distributions display persistent inequality. With a “rich” set of occupations, so that training costs form an interval, the distribution is unique and the average return to education must rise with educational investment. This finding contrasts with the usual presumption of diminishing returns to human capital. It is the central testable proposition of this paper. (JEL D14, D31, J24)
Double column osteotomy for correction of residual adduction deformity in idiopathic clubfoot
Authors: Loza Michel Eshak , Bishay Sherif NG , El-Barbary Hassan Magdy , Hanna Atef Abdel-Aziz Zaki , Tarraf Yehia Nour El-Din , Lotfy Ashraf Adel Ibrahim
Published: October 2010

INTRODUCTION

Adduction of the forefoot is the most common residual deformity in idiopathic clubfoot. The ‘bean-shaped foot’, which is a term used to describe a clinical deformity of forefoot adduction and midfoot supination, is not uncommonly seen in resistant clubfoot.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Fifteen children (20 feet) with residual forefoot adduction in idiopathic clubfeet aged 3–7 years were analyzed clinically and radiographically. All of the cases were treated by double column osteotomy (closing wedge cuboid osteotomy and opening wedge medial cuneiform osteotomy) with soft tissue releases (plantar fasciotomy and abductor hallucis release), to correct adduction, supination and cavus deformities. Pre-operative measurements of certain foot angles were compared with their corresponding postoperative values.

RESULTS

A grading system for evaluation of the results using a point scoring system was suggested to evaluate accurately both clinical and radiographic results after a follow-up period of an average of 2.3 years. Eight feet (40%) had excellent, eight (40%) good, three (15%) fair, and one (5%) poor outcome. There was no major complication. There was significant improvement in the result (P > 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Double column osteotomy can be considered superior to other types of bone surgeries in correction of residual adduction, cavus and rotational deformities in idiopathic clubfoot.
Postoperative drainage in head and neck surgery
Authors: Amir Ida , Morar Pradeep , Belloso Antonio
Published: October 2010

INTRODUCTION

A major factor affecting patients’ length of hospitalisation following head and neck surgery remains the use of surgical drains. The optimal time to remove these drains has not been well defined. A routine practice is to measure the drainage every 24 h and remove the drain when daily drainage falls below 25 ml. This study aims to determine whether drainage measurement at shorter intervals decreases the time to drain removal and hence the length of in-patient stays.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A 6-month prospective observational study was performed. The inclusion criteria were patients who underwent head and neck surgery without neck dissection and had a closed suction drain inserted. Drainage rates were measured at 8-hourly intervals. Drains were removed when drainage-rate was ≤ 1 ml/h over an 8-h period.

RESULTS

A total of 43 patients were evaluated. The highest drainage rate occurred in the first 8 postoperative hours and decreased significantly in the subsequent hours. The median drainage rates at 8, 16, 24, 32 and 40 postoperative hours were 3.375, 1, 0, 0 and 0 ml/h, respectively. Applying our new removal criteria of ≤ 1 ml/h drainage rate, the drains were removed in 22 (51%) patients at the 16th postoperative hour; 37 (86%) were removed by 24 h after operation. In comparison, only nine (20.9%) patients could potentially be discharged the day after surgery if previous criteria of ≤ 25 ml/24-h were used to decide on drain removal.

CONCLUSIONS

Our 8-hourly drainage-rate monitoring has facilitated safe earlier discharge of an additional 28 (65%) patients on the day after surgery. This has led to improvement in patient care, better optimisation of hospital resources and resulted in positive economic implications to the department.
Alveolar bone grafting: results of a national outcome study
Authors: Revington Peter J , McNamara Clare , Mukarram Shumaila , Perera Esther , Shah Hemendranath V , Deacon Scott A
Published: October 2010

INTRODUCTION

In 1998, the Clinical Standards Advisory Group (CSAG) report demonstrated a successful radiographic outcome of 58%, for alveolar bone grafting, from 157 cases of unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) in children aged 12 years. No further national studies have assessed the current level of radiographic outcome following the re-organisation of cleft services since the recommendations from the CSAG report.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In 2008, radiographic images were requested for alveolar bone grafts performed in calendar year 2006 from each of the now established UK cleft centres. A sample of 206 patients with 235 grafted sites was scored by a panel of trained assessors, following a calibration exercise, using a modified Kindelan index. Inter- and intra-observer variation was assessed.

RESULTS

The overall radiographic success rate for the 2006 images assessed was 85%. There was no statistical difference for radiographic success between centres or surgeons or cleft type when defined as either a bilateral or unilateral alveolar defect for a patient.

CONCLUSIONS

Alveolar bone grafting appears to have improved radiographic outcomes when compared with the CSAG report following the re-organisation of surgical services for children with cleft lip and/or palate.
Audit of safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of local anaesthetic cystodiathermy
Authors: Davenport Kim , Keeley Francis X , Timoney Anthony G
Published: October 2010

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to audit our experience of cystodiathermy under local anaesthetic (LA) at the time of flexible cystoscopy for recurrent superficial bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 264 flexible cystoscopies were performed on patients with a past history of TCC. The number and site of recurrences were recorded and selected patients were offered cystodiathermy. Patient tolerability was noted. At follow-up, any recurrence was recorded.

RESULTS

Eighty patients (30%) had 91 procedures showing one or more recurrences. Fifty-one of the 80 patients (64%) were treated with cystodiathermy under LA. All completed treatment. Forty-five (88%) tolerated the procedure well. Forty-seven (92%) treatments were completed within 5 min. At a median follow-up of 15 weeks, 30 (59%) treated patients had no recurrence and three (6%) had recurrence at the site of treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

LA cystodiathermy is an effective and well-tolerated alternative to general anaesthetic cystodiathermy that enables treatment at the time of detection and may, thereby, reduce patient anxiety.
Absorbable or non-absorbable sutures? A prospective, randomised evaluation of aesthetic outcomes in patients undergoing elective day-case hand and wrist surgery
Authors: Kundra RK , Newman S , Saithna A , Lewis AC , Srinivasan S , Srinivasan K
Published: October 2010

INTRODUCTION

We prospectively evaluated aesthetic outcomes in a group of randomised patients who underwent elective day-case hand and wrist surgery using either absorbable or non-absorbable sutures.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A cohort of 100 adult patients were randomised using sealed envelopes to receive either absorbable or non-absorbable sutures for their wound closure. Clinical review was carried out at 6 weeks. A postal questionnaire was sent to all patients 3 months following surgery comprising a visual analogue scale (VAS) for wound satisfaction, a validated 6-point patient scar assessment tool and the shortened version of the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand questionnaire (QuickDASH).

RESULTS

From the postal questionnaire, 70 responses were received. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of VAS, patient scar assessment tool and quick DASH.

CONCLUSIONS

For elective day-case hand and wrist surgery, either suture material can be used confidently with respect to overall aesthetic appearance in such patients.
Pre-operative inspiratory muscle training preserves postoperative inspiratory muscle strength following major abdominal surgery – a randomised pilot study
Authors: Kulkarni SR , Fletcher E , McConnell AK , Poskitt KR , Whyman MR
Published: October 2010

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this pilot study was to assess the effect of pre-operative inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on respiratory variables in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Respiratory muscle strength (maximum inspiratory [MIP] and expiratory [MEP] mouth pressure) and pulmonary functions were measured at least 2 weeks before surgery in 80 patients awaiting major abdominal surgery. Patients were then allocated randomly to one of four groups (Group A, control; Group B, deep breathing exercises; Group C, incentive spirometry; Group D, specific IMT). Patients in groups B, C and D were asked to train twice daily, each session lasting 15 min, for at least 2 weeks up to the day before surgery. Outcome measurements were made immediately pre-operatively and postop-eratively.

RESULTS

In groups A, B and C, MIP did not increase from baseline to pre-operative assessments. In group D, MIP increased from 51.5 cmH2O (median) pre-training to 68.5 cmH2O (median) post-training pre-operatively (P < 0.01). Postoperatively, groups A, B and C showed a fall in MIP from baseline (P < 0.01, P < 0.01) and P = 0.06, respectively). No such significant reduction in postoperative MIP was seen in group D (P = 0.36).

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-operative specific IMT improves MIP pre-operatively and preserves it postoperatively. Further studies are required to establish if this is associated with reduced pulmonary complications.
The impact of an Acute Knee Clinic
Authors: Ball Simon , Haddad Fares S
Published: October 2010

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this audit was to analyse the impact of an open access clinic for the treatment of soft tissue knee injuries with regard to delay to treatment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data from 100 consecutive patients seen in our sports clinic in 2000 were collected. Following this audit, an Acute Knee Clinic was introduced and took place once per week. In 2006, the audit loop was closed and data from 100 consecutive patients seen in the Acute Knee Clinic were collected.

RESULTS

The time from injury to the first review by a specialist is referred to as the time to diagnosis. The introduction of the Acute Knee Clinic led to an 89% reduction in the time to diagnosis for accident and emergency referrals and a 32% reduction for general practitioner referrals. The average number of visits of any sort made by the patient prior to review by a specialist in 2000 was five as opposed to one in 2006.

CONCLUSIONS

An Acute Knee Clinic with open access is a simple method of dramatically reducing the delay to diagnosis. This decreases the total delay to treatment which is of particular importance in patients requiring anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction due to the risk of secondary meniscal and chondral injuries. Decreasing the delay to diagnosis and appropriate treatment reduces the recovery time. This not only reduces the socio-economic cost of soft tissue knee injuries but may also decrease the psychosocial consequences for the patient. By reducing the number of times a patient is seen by medical practitioners prior to review by a specialist has the potential to decrease the total cost of treatment. The socio-economic impact and potential actual cost savings of treatment are particularly important with the current economic climate.
The Nora and Noel Bartholomeusz Centre
Authors: Aluwihare Arjuna
Published: October 2010

The College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka (CSSL) has long wanted a headquarters of its own. This need was compounded by Colombo being chosen to house the office of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Surgical Care Society – the apex surgical body of the SAARC countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
A Career in Otolaryngology: Too Early to Decide?
Authors: Smillie I , Jervis S , Doshi J , Powell S
Published: October 2010

The implementation of Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) has led medical graduates to make career choices at an earlier stage. An application to specialty training occurs at approximately 18 months post graduation, allowing an individual a relatively short time to experience a specialty prior to selection. In addition, time spent in theatre, clinics or even emergency experience has been greatly reduced due to the shift pattern of work enforced to meet the European Working Time Regulations. It is foreseeable that early training or experience in subspecialised areas such as otolaryngology may suffer in an attempt to maximise an individual's capabilities within the generic areas of surgery – general surgery and orthopaedics.
A new international focus for the RCS
Authors: Getty John
Published: October 2010

The College is an inherently international organisation with international interests: around a quarter of our total membership resides abroad in 99 countries. The movement of doctors and patients and the development of surgical innovation have a great impact on surgery in this country. In addition, the coalition government has cited health and overseas development as the two key areas for ring-fenced resourcing. Increasingly, policy and safety initiatives at both the EU and the global level (such as the European Working Time Regulations and the World Health Organization's safer surgery checklist) demonstrate that an appreciation, understanding of and active engagement in international affairs can be usefully brought to bear on advancing surgical standards in the UK, to the benefit of our fellows and members, and ultimately their patients.
Tandem Mass Spectrometry for the Direct Assay of Lysosomal Enzymes in Dried Blood Spots:Application to Screening Newborns for Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA
Authors: Khaliq Tanvir , Sadilek Martin , Scott C Ronald , Turecek Frantisek , Gelb Michael H
Published: October 2010

BACKGROUND

Treatments are being developed for an increasing number of mucopolysaccharidoses, and early diagnosis is expected to be necessary to maximize the benefits of therapy. Therefore, we developed an assay for N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase (GALNS), the enzyme deficient in mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (Morquio A syndrome), that is applicable for clinical diagnosis.

METHODS

A novel substrate for GALNS was synthesized for a new enzyme activity assay that is based on tandem mass spectrometry and uses dried blood spots (DBSs) as the enzyme source. We optimized the assay conditions, including the substrate concentration, reaction pH, lead formate concentration, incubation time, punch size of the DBS, and mass spectrometer conditions. We also assessed inter- and intraassay variation.

RESULTS

The assay uses either solid-phase or liquid-phase extraction before analysis by mass spectrometry. An evaluation of blood spots from 90 randomly chosen healthy newborns and 9 patients with Morquio A syndrome showed a well-defined interval between their respective enzyme activities. Inter- and intraassay imprecision was <10%.

CONCLUSIONS

This tandem mass spectrometry assay requires a minimal number of sample-preparation steps, thus making it easy to implement. The assay has the potential to be adopted for early diagnosis of Morquio A syndrome. We believe this assay could be performed in a multiplex fashion with assays for other lysosomal enzymes.
Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Dimethylarginine as Predictors for Mortality in Patients Referred for Coronary Angiography: The Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health Study
Authors: Meinitzer Andreas , Kielstein Jan T , Pilz Stefan , Drechsler Christiane , Ritz Eberhard , Boehm Bernhard O , Winkelmann Bernhard R , März Winfried
Published: October 2010

BACKGROUND

Asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, has been linked to cardiovascular risk. The clinical role of its structural isomer symmetrical dimethylarginine (SDMA) remains largely unclear.

METHODS

We measured SDMA and ADMA in 3229 patients undergoing coronary angiography at baseline (1997–2000) and recorded total and cardiovascular mortality during a median follow-up time of 7.7 years. We investigated associations of SDMA with cardiovascular risk factors and mortality and compared its role as a cardiovascular risk factor with ADMA, which predicted mortality in previous analyses of our study.

RESULTS

In linear regression analyses including common cardiovascular risk factors as covariates, SDMA and ADMA were significantly associated with cystatin C, N-terminal pro-B–type natriuretic peptide, New York Heart Association classification, and homocysteine. The regression coefficients were higher for SDMA than for ADMA. In Cox proportional-hazards models adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors, the hazard ratios (HRs) (with 95% CI) in the second, third, and fourth SDMA quartile compared to the lowest quartile were 0.77 (0.60–0.99), 0.99 (0.78–1.25), and 1.51 (1.20–1.91) for total mortality and 0.92 (0.68–1.25), 0.93 (0.68–1.26), and 1.54 (1.14–2.01) for cardiovascular mortality. The same calculations for ADMA quartiles revealed HRs of 1.05 (0.83–1.32), 1.19 (0.95–1.50), and 1.61 (1.30–1.99) for total mortality and HR of 1.00 (0.74–1.34), 1.26 (0.95–1.68), and 1.54 (1.18–2.02) for cardiovascular mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum concentrations of SDMA are independently associated with increased cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing coronary angiography. The pattern of risk linked to SDMA is different from that linked to ADMA, suggesting different pathophysiological roles of these 2 methylarginine metabolites.
Minorisation linguistique et mergence d'un thtre cadien et franco-amricain en franais vernaculaire
Authors: Mauguire Bndicte N , Ryon Dominique
Published: October 2010

This article examines Cajun and Franco-American Theatre in vernacular French dialects (respectively Cajun French and Franco-American French), as a case of literary emergence coming from les immigrs de l'intrieur de la francophonie (migrants from within the francophone world) to use
Eric Waddell's words. It uses both a sociolinguistic and a literary approach to investigate the apparent paradox of a phenomenon of literary emergence in a context of linguistic obsolescence. Some features of Franco-American and Cajun theatre in vernacular language, such as the popularity
of the monologue, are analyzed in relation to oral tradition, but others (in particular the staging of stigma) are analysed in terms of different strategic responses to linguistic and cultural assimilation. Finally the study identifies the repeated appearance of the old woman as a paradigm
of Cajun and Franco-American drama and offers some possible interpretations.
Revendication sociale et carnavalesque dans le thtre acadien
Authors: Bourque Denis
Published: October 2010

Between 1875 and 1932, Acadia's first playwrights all sought to underline the courage, the determination and the resilience of the Acadian people throughout its history, thus heralding the advent, several decades later, of a contemporary Acadian theatre focused on both collective and
individual liberation. During the 1970s, Acadia and its playwrights took an active part in the political and social upheaval which was sweeping the Western world. A new kind of theatre emerged which contested traditional values and which focused upon breaking the yoke of a social, political,
economic, cultural and linguistic oppression that weighed upon the Acadian people since its return from the Great Deportation more than two centuries earlier. Simultaneously all forms of oppression, religious, ideological, sexist and artistic, were being called into question. It is through
laughter, parody and carnivalesque subversion that this rejection of all forms of subservience is variously expressed in the works of Acadia's playwrights such as Antonine Maillet, Laval Goupil, Claude Renaud, Gracia Couturier, Rino-Morin Rossignol, Hermmgilde Chiasson and Mlanie Lger.
L'preuve parisienne: le cas d'Albertine, en cinq temps de Michel Tremblay
Authors: Killick Rachel
Published: October 2010

Theatre as a public art has a major role in the affirmation, interrogation and confirmation of community and national identity, and nowhere more so than in minority societies. In Quebec, the need for a specifically Qubcois theatre, distinct from that of France, was first publicly recognized
in Gratien Glinas's vision Pour un thtre national populaire (1949) and decisively taken forward subsequently by Michel Tremblay in his first major play Les Belles-surs (1968). But reinforcement of community and nation from within leads on to the ambition of recognition of community
or national profile from without, particularly in Quebec's case recognition from France. The 1988 performance and reception in Paris of Albertine, en cinq temps (1984a), probably the most highly acclaimed of Tremblay's plays after Les Belles-surs, highlights some of the difficulties
of this ambition, and raises questions as to the extent to which particular and universal values can be successfully transposed and shared between two related, and yet distant and distinctive, environments.
Abusing, resisting, claiming power in the works of Quebec women playwrights
Authors: Forsyth Louise H
Published: October 2010

The number of boldly innovative plays by Quebec women playwrights, published and performed professionally since the mid-twentieth century, runs to well over one hundred. Their themes and approaches to making theatre vary widely, as did those of pioneers Anne Hbert and Franoise Loranger.
An important strand, particularly evident during the 1970s and 1980s when le thtre au fminin was strong, is the ostension and debunking of social practices deriving from dominant ideologies legitimating and even encouraging the abuse of power. These plays frequently dramatize the negative
impact of such abuse on individuals' internalized sense of identity, self-worth, and legitimacy of place, and respond to the abuse with a wide spectrum of inventive theatrical techniques, as individual characters come to a realization of what is being done to them. In more recent decades,
women playwrights have continued to show urgent concern about the abuse of power in social relations and institutions, but have usually set aside explicitly feminist thematics, although the complexity of motherdaughter relations and the stereotypes surrounding motherhood continue to preoccupy
them. These playwrights stress the importance of imagination, fantasy, words, images and artistic creation as they boldly explore new ways of making theatre and representing society. Frequently postmodern, their plays usually remain open and ambiguous, leaving audiences and readers free to
plunge for themselves into the unending and myriad flow of conflicting processes and never to become ensconced in the sort of static situation cultural norms often construct for women. Despite such fresh and creative vision that could promise new departures, however, many of the plays in this
corpus continue to develop dramatic conflict around characters' inability to move beyond the contradictory imperatives of motherdaughter relations, frank enjoyment of their own sexuality and full use of the tools of language and agency available to them. Appropriate modes for the expression
of women's erotic energy and the exercise of power are still seen to be elusive on Quebec stages.
The Thtre du Flamboyant from Aim Csaire to Carole Frchette: Constructing a professional theatre in Martinique
Authors: Ruprecht Alvina
Published: October 2010

The trajectory of the Thtre du Flamboyant founded in 1997 by Lucette Salibur, who still continues as its artistic director, emblematizes the evolution of professional theatre in Martinique. Salibur is a member of that first generation of Martinican theatre practitioners who followed
a professional training, set in place by Aim Csaire, and who subsequently became members of the first professional theatre company in Martinique, the Thtre de la Soif nouvelle, created by Csaire himself in 1982. In keeping with the broad cultural vision of Aim Csaire, the Thtre du Flamboyant
embraces new Martinican texts, Creole adaptations of the classics of French theatre, as well as children's theatre, born of Salibur's training with puppets. More recently, Salibur has entered the world of Qubcois theatre, staging Le collier d'Hlne (2007), a play by the Qubcoise Carole
Frchette, that was first performed in France by the Compagnie La Barraca in a bilingual version in French and Arabic, staged by Nabil El Azan. A detailed analysis of Salibur's Martinican production shows how a Caribbean reading transforms the play, originally set far from Quebec and the Antilles,
in a place ravaged by war. This analysis gives rise to reflection on the intercultural operation of theatre practice.
Sameness and difference in Les Belles-surs: A Canadian spectator's reflections on two Polish productions of Michel Tremblay's play
Authors: Bednarski Betty
Published: October 2010

The viewing of two Polish productions of Qubcois playwright Michel Tremblay's play Les Belles-surs gives rise to a reflection on the ways in which foreign reception can change theatrical works, both through translation into another language and through the physical othering of
performance and staging. At the heart of Tremblay's play, in which a million trading stamps bring a fleeting vision of material happiness to a Montreal working-class housewife and send a gathering of other women into paroxysms of jealousy, is condensed a particular experience of poverty and
a lived relationship between that poverty and consumerism. These very different Polish productions, occurring seven years apart, at different moments in the post-Communist era, represent two diverse attempts to imagine not only a more or less distant, more or less understood North American
socio-cultural phenomenon, but also the impact of emerging consumerism in a rapidly changing Polish society. In the imagining of the other is implied a re-imagining of self. For the Canadian spectator, the experience of viewing these two productions, comparing them and reflecting on them over
an extended period of time, has yielded insights into an evolving feat of cross-cultural imagining, as well as a heightened awareness of the consumerism at the centre of the belles-surs' universe, a new appreciation of the power of Tremblay's stamps to signify.
Website Review
Authors: Nzengou-Tayo Marie-Jos
Published: October 2010

Franco-Thtres. Website created by Alvina Ruprecht and hosted by Carleton University. URL: http://www.carleton.ca/francotheatres/index.html
Book Reviews
Authors: Brning Angela , Douglas Rachel , Erickson John D , Gadet Franoise , Gauvin Lise , Hiddleston Jane , Mazi Myriem El , Majumdar Margaret A , Norridge Zo , Small Audrey , Smith Douglas , Vogl Mary B
Published: October 2010

Eating Well, Reading Well: Maryse Cond and the Ethics of Interpretation, Nicole Simek (2008)Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi, 235 pp., ISBN 978-90-420-2327-7 (pbk), 47, US73

Just Below South: Intercultural Performance in the Caribbean and the US South, Jessica Adams, Michael P. Bibler and Ccile Accilien (eds) (2007)Charlottesville and London: University of Virginia Press, 288 pp., ISBN 978-0-8139-2599-8 (hbk), 59.50/ISBN 978-0-8139-2600-1 (pbk), 22.50

Patrick Chamoiseau: Recovering Memory, Maeve McCusker (2007)Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 184 pp., ISBN 978-1-84631-048-5 (hbk), 50

Exile and Post-1946 Haitian Literature: Alexis, Depestre, Ollivier, Laferrire, Danticat, Martin Munro (2007)Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 310 pp., ISBN 9781846310799 (hbk), 50

Silence Is Death. The Life and Work of Tahar Djaout, Julija ukys (2007)Lincoln & London: University of Nebraska Press, 197 pp., ISBN 978-0-8032-4320-0 (hbk), 26.95

The Defence of French. A Language in Crisis?, Robin Adamson (2007)Clevedon, Buffalo, Toronto: Multilingual Matters, 199 pp., ISBN-13:978-1-85 359-949-1 (hbk), 36.95

Parcours qubcois. Introduction la littrature du Qubec, Pierre Morel (d.) (2007)Bucarest: Cartier international, 248 pp., ISBN 978-9975-79-141-0 (hbk), 15

Postcoloniality: The French Dimension, Margaret A. Majumdar (2007)New York, Oxford: Berghahn Books, 310 pp., ISBN 978-1-84545-252-0 (hbk), 47.50

Coquelicot du massacre/Poppy from the Massacre, by Evelyne Accad, translated by Cynthia Hahn (2006)Paris: L'Harmattan, 155 pp., ISBN : 2-296-01977-3 (pbk), 25.50

MadahSartre: The Kidnapping, Trial and Conver(sat/s)ion of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, Alek Baylee Toumi (2007)Lincoln, Nebraska and London: University of Nebraska Press, 108 pp., ISBN 13:978-0-8032-1115-5/10:0-8032-1115-5 (pbk), 13.95

Dog Days (Temps de chien), Patrice Nganang, translated by Amy Baram Reid (2006)Charlottesville and London: University of Virginia Press, 230 pp., ISBN 0-8139-2535-5 (pbk), 18.50

Maryse Cond et Ahmadou Kourouma: griots de l'indicible, Jean Oudraogo (2004)Francophone Cultures and literatures, No. 43, New York: Peter Lang, 180 pp.

Packaging Post/Coloniality. The Manufacture of Literary Identity in the Francophone World, Richard Watts (2005)Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 191 pp., ISBN 0-7391-085507(pbk), 24.95.

Fictions of 1947: Representations of Indian Decolonization 19191962, Kate Marsh (2007)Oxford: Peter Lang, 238 pp., ISBN 978-3-03911-033-9 (pbk), 49.20 32

Time Signatures: Contextualizing Contemporary Francophone Autobiographical Writing from the Maghreb, Alison Rice (2006)Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 349 pp., ISBN 0-739-11290-2 (pbk), 28.01
Priming of pioneer tree Guazuma ulmifolia (Malvaceae) seeds evaluated by an automated computer image analysis
Authors: Brancalion Pedro Henrique Santin , Tay David , Novembre Ana Dionisia da Luz Coelho , Rodrigues Ricardo Ribeiro , Marcos Filho Júlio
Published: October 2010

Direct seeding is one of the most promising methods in restoration ecology, but low field seedling emergence from pioneer tree seeds still reduces its large scale applicability. The aim of this research was to evaluate seed priming for the pioneer tree species Guazuma ulmifolia. Priming treatments were selected based on seed hydration curves in water and in PEG 8000 solution. Seeds were primed in water for 16 h and in Polyethylene glycol - PEG 8000 (-0.8 MPa for 56 and 88 h) at 20ºC to reach approximately 30% water content. Half of the seed sample of each treatment was dried back to the initial moisture content (7.2%); both dried and non-dried primed seeds as well as the unprimed seeds (control) were tested for germination (percentage and rate) and vigor (electrical conductivity of seed leachates). Seedling emergence percentage and rate were evaluated under greenhouse conditions, while seedling length and uniformity of seedling development were estimated using the automated image analysis software SVIS®. Primed seeds showed the highest physiological potential, which was mainly demonstrated by image analysis. Fresh or dried primed seeds in water for 16 h and in PEG (-0.8 MPa) for 56 h, and fresh primed seeds in PEG for 88 h, improved G. ulmifolia germination performance. It is suggested that these treatments were promising to enhance efficiency of stand establishment of this species by direct seeding in restoration ecology programs.
Força de Casimir para potenciais delta de Dirac
Authors: Carrillo Luis Alberto Soriano , Nogueira Jose Alexandre
Published: October 2010

Neste trabalho mostramos explicitamente como determinar as funções de Green para o cálculo da força de Casimir devido a campos escalares entre fronteiras representadas por duas funções delta de Dirac em 1+1 dimensões. Reobtemos os resultados de K.A. Milton (J. Phys. A37, 209 (2004)), porém mostrando de forma detalhada os calculos das funções de Green.
Fazendo imagens com um simples elemento difrativo ou refrativo: o axicon
Authors: Lunazzi José Joaquín , Magalhães Daniel S. Ferreira
Published: October 2010

Neste artigo, previamente divulgado em inglês [1], demonstramos que a luz difratada por um simples disco digital pode ser usada para gerar imagens com atributos basicos interessantes. Comparamos esses atributos com os obtidos com elementos refrativos. Um disco digital resulta funcionar como um axicon que gera um feixe se propagando em forma de línea e, porque a posião de focalização da imagem depende do comprimento de onda da luz difratada, logo o elemento pode ser usado como um filtro espectral. Os experimentos são de fácil reprodução, permitindo o entendimento de imagens que os estudantes observam diariamente na escola ou em casa.
A telegrafia eléctrica nas páginas de "O Instituto", revista da Academia de Coimbra
Authors: Leonardo António José F. , Martins Décio R. , Fiolhais Carlos
Published: October 2010

Analisamos os avanços da telegrafia eléctrica e da telegrafia sem fios no mundo e, em particular, em Portugal, com base em artigos da revista O Instituto, publicada pelo Instituto de Coimbra, uma sociedade científica, fundada em 1852, que reuniu um vasto leque de personalidades das ciências e artes nacionais. Passamos em revista os principais artigos sobre a telegrafia: o artigo de José Maria de Abreu de 1855, publicado menos de um mês depois da adjudicação das primeiras linhas telegráficas em Portugal; o parecer da Faculdade de Filosofia da Universidade de Coimbra sobre as deliberações do Congresso e Conferências de Paris para determinação das unidades eléctricas, onde esteve Santos Viegas, Presidente do Instituto; e o artigo de Álvaro Silva Basto de 1903 sobre a telegrafia sem fios. Uma menção especial é feita ao artigo de Adriano Paiva Brandão de 1878 sobre telescopia.
Fenômenos críticos: 150 anos desde Cagniard de la Tour
Authors: Berche Bertrand , Henkel Malte , Kenna Ralph
Published: October 2010

Em 1822 o cientista francês Caignard de la Tour descobriu os fenômenos críticos. Com o intuito de comemorar os 150 anos do aniversário de sua morte, revisamos neste artigo o contexto e a história inicial de sua descoberta. Em seguida descrevemos brevemente a história dos fenômenos críticos, indicando as principais linhas de desenvolvimento até a presente data.