bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Unusual Presentation of Juvenile Alexander Disease
Authors: Osorio Maria Joana , Risen Sarah , Alper Gulay
Published: September 2011

Alexander disease is a rare leukodystrophy that most often presents in infancy but also includes neonatal, juvenile, and adult variants. Juvenile Alexander disease presents primarily with bulbar symptoms between 2 and 12 years of age. The diagnosis is often suggested by the clinical course and brain magnetic resonance image pattern and then confirmed by the presence of a mutation in the glial fibrillary acidic protein gene. A young girl presented with globus sensation and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed abnormalities mainly involving white matter tracts of the medulla oblongata and cerebellum. The presence of a mutation in the glial fibrillary acidic protein gene confirmed the diagnosis of juvenile Alexander disease. A high index of clinical suspicion is necessary for the diagnosis of late-onset presentations of Alexander disease.
Community-Based Career Counseling for Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Chronister Krista M. , Harley Eliza , Aranda Christina L. , Barr Leah , Luginbuhl Paula
Published: September 2011

Intimate partner violence (IPV) costs women nearly 8 million days of paid work annually. Greater attention to violence survivors' employment and career development can facilitate women escaping abusive relationships and promotes their overall rehabilitation and healing. A first step to increasing attention to survivors' career development includes collaborating with social service agencies in an effort to translate career intervention research findings into community-based practice. The purpose of this article is to provide a description of an individual career counseling model that the authors use to serve women IPV survivors. The authors review the structure of the service model, the theoretical and research foundations, and describe two case examples to highlight career counseling interventions relevant for women survivors.
Temporal Stability, Correlates, and Longitudinal Outcomes of Career Indecision Factors
Authors: Nauta Margaret M.
Published: September 2011

A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tested the fit of Kelly and Lee’s six-factor model of career decision problems among 188 college students. The six-factor model did not fit the data well, but a five-factor (Lack of Information, Need for Information, Trait Indecision, Disagreement with Others, and Choice Anxiety) model did provide a good fit. Scores for four of the five factors demonstrated 8-month test–retest stability; scores on Disagreement with Others were not stable over the retest period. Trait indecision was negatively associated with age and year in school, but the other career indecision factors were not associated with age or year in school. Three of the five career indecision factors were associated with career decision-making self-efficacy assessed 8 months later, but only one factor (Trait Indecision) was associated with the subsequent declaration of a major among formerly undeclared students. Implications for intervention and future research are discussed.
Life-Course Exposure to Early Socioeconomic Environment, Education in Relation to Late-Life Cognitive Function Among Older Mexicans and Mexican Americans
Authors: Zeki Al Hazzouri Adina , Haan Mary N. , Galea Sandro , Aiello Allison E.
Published: September 2011

Objectives: To examine the associations between life-course education and late-life cognitive function along with the modifying role of migration history. Method: The combined sample includes 1,789 participants from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging and 5,253 participants from the Mexican Health and Aging Study. Aged 60+ at baseline, participants were classified as Mexican residents, Mexicans–return migrants, Mexicans–immigrants to the United States, and Mexicans–U.S. born. Cognitive function was measured using standardized z scores of a short-term verbal recall test. Multivariate linear regression analysis was conducted. Results: Participants’ z scores were higher among those whose mother had more than elementary education (β = 0.28, p < .05). Participant’s education mediated this association. For 5-year difference in education, the cognitive z score increased by 0.3 points for a U.S. born. Results were similar with father’s education. Discussion: Adult educational attainment mediates the effect of childhood socioeconomic status on late-life cognition. Migration plays a role in shaping cognitive aging.
The Tragedy of the Commodity
Authors: Longo Stefano B. , Clausen Rebecca
Published: September 2011

This article develops a critique of the tragedy of the commons theory that is frequently applied to explain fisheries decline. In its place the authors offer the tragedy of the commodity as an alternative framework that better explains resource overexploitation and environmental degradation. They use a political economic analysis to discuss the social and ecological transformations that have occurred in the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery, with an emphasis on the Sicilian traditional trap fishery. Examining this case, the authors argue that Marx’s explanation of capitalist private property, commodity production, and the general formula for capital provide powerful theoretical guides for clarifying the social relations of production that have driven the overexploitation of fisheries in the recent past. Relying on historical and qualitative data, the case study illustrates the ways in which the social imperative of capitalist commodity production toward accumulating surplus-value directs production, reorganizes social relations, and transforms nature into an instrumental input that can more easily serve the needs of capital. The resulting ecological problems demonstrate the tragedy of the commodity.
Respondent-driven sampling to recruit in-country migrant workers in China: A methodological assessment
Authors: Qiu Peiyuan , Yang Yang , Ma Xiao , Wu Fang , Yuan Ping , Liu Qiaolan , Caine Eric
Published: September 2011

Aim: Respondent-driven Sampling (RDS) is a new form of chain-referral sampling, which is superior to random sampling and traditional non-probability sampling in hard-to-reach populations. We employed RDS to recruit internal migrant workers in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, and examined whether it could be successfully used in this population. Methods: 1,270 migrant workers were recruited into the study. Social demographic information, social network size, and geographic information about participants’ residential locations were collected. RDSAT software and geographic information system (GIS) technology were used to examine whether RDS was successful. Results: The results showed that the sample compositions converged to equilibrium very quickly. Sample representativeness testing results showed that females (t = 3.61, p < 0.001) and people aged 46 years old and above (t = 3.222, p < 0.001) were under-represented. GIS results showed that respondents were concentrated in the vicinity of the third road ring of Chengdu, especially in the areas of 3, 4 and 21, which were close to the investigation site. Conclusions: The results demonstrated that RDS is a robust sampling method in the study of migrant workers. Despite its potential utility, it is also important to recognize and mitigate potential limitations, such as geographic proximity.
A political boss and the press: The impact on democracy of two Brazilian newspapers
Authors: Harlow Summer
Published: September 2011

When Brazil’s then-president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was implicated in a bribery scandal in 2005, Senator Antônio Carlos Magalhães from the state of Bahia emerged as one of the president’s most vocal critics. This study relied on a content analysis of scandal coverage in two competing Bahia newspapers: A Tarde, which had no overt political ties, and Correio da Bahia, which Sen. Magalhães owned. Results showed that Magalhães’s newspaper, Correio da Bahia, excluded citizens’ voices and covered Sen. Magalhães more extensively and favorably than did the competing newspaper, A Tarde. Thus, Correio da Bahia succumbed to owner influence, potentially threatening democracy by allowing Magalhães to set the newspaper’s agenda.
Moving emotional labor beyond surface and deep acting
Authors: Mesmer-Magnus Jessica R. , DeChurch Leslie A. , Wax Amy
Published: September 2011

Emotional labor (EL) is the process by which employees manage their true feelings in order to express organizationally desired emotional displays. We develop and test components of an organizing framework for emotional labor wherein various aspects of emotional labor are understood through the underlying discordance versus congruence in felt versus displayed emotions. Meta-analytic results from 109 independent studies (total N = 36,619) demonstrate that discordant emotional labor states are associated with a range of harmful consequences (health-, attitudinal-, and performance-related), whereas congruent emotional labor states do not incur these harmful consequences. We identify different patterns of worker- and work-related correlates on the basis of emotional discordance–congruence, as well as interesting occupational differences in these relationships. Lastly, we find discordant forms of emotional labor partially mediate the effects of organizational display rules on burnout, whereas congruent states do not mediate this relationship.
Inhibition of Rac GTPase signaling and downstream prosurvival Bcl-2 proteins as combination targeted therapy in MLL-AF9 leukemia
Authors: Mizukawa Benjamin , Wei Junping , Shrestha Mahesh , Wunderlich Mark , Chou Fu-Sheng , Griesinger Andrea , Harris Chad E. , Kumar Ashish R. , Zheng Yi , Williams David A. , Mulloy James C.
Published: September 2011

The Rac family of small Rho GTPases coordinates diverse cellular functions in hematopoietic cells including adhesion, migration, cytoskeleton rearrangements, gene transcription, proliferation, and survival. The integrity of Rac signaling has also been found to critically regulate cellular functions in the initiation and maintenance of hematopoietic malignancies. Using an in vivo gene targeting approach, we demonstrate that Rac2, but not Rac1, is critical to the initiation of acute myeloid leukemia in a retroviral expression model of MLL-AF9 leukemogenesis. However, loss of either Rac1 or Rac2 is sufficient to impair survival and growth of the transformed MLL-AF9 leukemia. Rac2 is known to positively regulate expression of Bcl-2 family proteins toward a prosurvival balance. We demonstrate that disruption of downstream survival signaling through antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins is implicated in mediating the effects of Rac2 deficiency in MLL-AF9 leukemia. Indeed, overexpression of Bcl-xL is able to rescue the effects of Rac2 deficiency and MLL-AF9 cells are exquisitely sensitive to direct inhibition of Bcl-2 family proteins by the BH3-mimetic, ABT-737. Furthermore, concurrent exposure to NSC23766, a small-molecule inhibitor of Rac activation, increases the apoptotic effect of ABT-737, indicating the Rac/Bcl-2 survival pathway may be targeted synergistically.
Anti–IL6-receptor-alpha (tocilizumab) does not inhibit human monocyte-derived dendritic cell maturation or alloreactive T-cell responses
Authors: Betts Brian C. , St Angelo Erin T. , Kennedy Michael , Young James W.
Published: September 2011

Significant comorbidites and lethality complicate GVHD and its treatment. Targeting the cytokine milieu may improve GVHD control; and IL6 is an attractive candidate, given its role in dendritic cell activation and T-cell differentiation. Tocilizumab is a humanized mAb to IL6-receptor-α (IL6R-α), which is Food and Drug Administration–approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Mouse transplant models have demonstrated that IL6 blockade also improves GVHD scores and survival. Definitive immunologic effects of IL6 inhibition have not emerged given inconsistent alterations in regulatory T cells (Tregs) and suppression of T-cell proliferation. Despite on-target suppression of IL6R-α signaling in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) and T cells, our data show no effect on moDC maturation/activation, alloreactive T-cell proliferation, Treg expansion, or allogeneic Th1/Th17 responses in vitro. These findings merit attention in any clinical trials of tocilizumab for GVHD prevention or treatment and provide a rationale for evaluating more specific inhibitors of downstream JAK2/STAT3 signaling as well.
Proteomic detection of a large amount of SCGFα in the stroma of GISTs after imatinib therapy
Authors: Da Riva Luca , Bozzi Fabio , Mondellini Piera , Miccichè Francesca , Fumagalli Elena , Vaghi Elena , Tarantino Eva , Huber Veronica , Gronchi Alessandro , Tamborini Elena , Pierotti Marco A , Pilotti Silvana , Bongarzone Italia
Published: September 2011

Background

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most frequent mesenchymal tumors to develop in the digestive tract. These tumors are highly resistant to conventional chemotherapy and only the introduction of imatinib mesylate has improved the prognosis of patients. However, Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors are inappropriate for assessing tumor response, and the histological/pathological response to imatinib is variable, heterogeneous, and does not associate with clinical response. The effects of imatinib on responding GISTs are still being explored, and few studies correlate the clinical response with the histological response after pharmacological treatment. Recently, apoptosis and autophagy were suggested as possible alternative mechanisms of pharmacological response.

Methods

Here, we used a proteomic approach, combined with other analyses, to identify some molecular stromal components related to the response/behavior of resected, high-risk GISTs after neoadiuvant imatinib therapy.

Results

Our proteomic results indicate an elevated concentration of Stem Cell Growth Factor (SCGF), a hematopoietic growth factor having a role in the development of erythroid and myeloid progenitors, in imatinib-responsive tumor areas. SCGFα expression was detected by mass spectrometry, immunohistochemistry and/or western blot and attributed to acellular matrix of areas scored negative for KIT (CD117). RT-PCR results indicated that GIST samples did not express SCGF transcripts. The recently reported demonstration by Gundacker et al. [1] of the secretion of SCGF in mature pro-inflammatory dendritic cells would indicate a potential importance of SCGF in tissue inflammatory response. Accordingly, inflammatory infiltrates were detected in imatinib-affected areas and the CD68-positivity of the SCGF-positive and KIT-negative areas suggested previous infiltration of monocytes/macrophages into these regions. Thus, chronic inflammation subsequent to imatinib treatment may determine monocyte/macrophage recruitment in imatinib-damaged areas; these areas also feature prominent tumor-cell loss that is replaced by dense hyalinization and fibrosis.

Conclusions

Our studies highlight a possible role of SCGFα in imatinib-induced changes of GIST structure, consistent with a therapeutic response.
Nanoscale potassium niobate crystal structure and phase transition
Authors: Chen Haiyan , Zhang Yixuan , Lu Yanling
Published: September 2011

Nanoscale potassium niobate (KNbO3) powders of orthorhombic structure were synthesized using the sol-gel method. The heat-treatment temperature of the gels had a pronounced effect on KNbO3 particle size and morphology. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to determine particle size and morphology. The average KNbO3 grain size was estimated to be less than 100 nm, and transmission electron microscopy images indicated that KNbO3 particles had a brick-like morphology. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction was used to identify the room-temperature structures using Rietveld refinement. The ferroelectric orthorhombic phase was retained even for particles smaller than 50 nm. The orthorhombic to tetragonal and tetragonal to cubic phase transitions of nanocrystalline KNbO3 were investigated using temperature-dependent powder X-ray diffraction. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to examine the temperature dependence of KNbO3 phase transition. The Curie temperature and phase transition were independent of particle size, and Rietveld analyses showed increasing distortions with decreasing particle size.
Mixed monotone-generalized contractions in partially ordered probabilistic metric spaces
Authors: Ćirić Ljubomir , Agarwal Ravi P , Samet Bessem
Published: September 2011

In this article, a new concept of mixed monotone-generalized contraction in partially ordered probabilistic metric spaces is introduced, and some coupled coincidence and coupled fixed point theorems are proved. The theorems Presented are an extension of many existing results in the literature and include several recent developments.

Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 54H25; Secondary 47H10.
How recombinant swollenin from Kluyveromyces lactisaffects cellulosicsubstrates and accelerates their hydrolysis
Authors: Jäger Gernot , Girfoglio Michele , Dollo Florian , Rinaldi Roberto , Bongard Hans , Commandeur Ulrich , Fischer Rainer , Spiess Antje C , Büchs Jochen
Published: September 2011

Background

In order to generate biofuels, insoluble cellulosic substrates are pretreated andsubsequently hydrolyzed with cellulases. One way to pretreat cellulose in a safeand environmentally friendly manner is to apply, under mild conditions,non-hydrolyzing proteins such as swollenin - naturally produced in low yields bythe fungus Trichoderma reesei. To yield sufficient swollenin forindustrial applications, the first aim of this study is to present a new way ofproducing recombinant swollenin. The main objective is to show how swolleninquantitatively affects relevant physical properties of cellulosic substrates andhow it affects subsequent hydrolysis.

Results

After expression in the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis, the resultingswollenin was purified. The adsorption parameters of the recombinant swolleninonto cellulose were quantified for the first time and were comparable to those ofindividual cellulases from T. reesei. Four different insoluble cellulosicsubstrates were then pretreated with swollenin. At first, it could bequalitatively shown by macroscopic evaluation and microscopy that swollenin causeddeagglomeration of bigger cellulose agglomerates as well as dispersion ofcellulose microfibrils (amorphogenesis). Afterwards, the effects of swollenin oncellulose particle size, maximum cellulase adsorption and cellulose crystallinitywere quantified. The pretreatment with swollenin resulted in a significantdecrease in particle size of the cellulosic substrates as well as in theircrystallinity, thereby substantially increasing maximum cellulase adsorption ontothese substrates. Subsequently, the pretreated cellulosic substrates werehydrolyzed with cellulases. Here, pretreatment of cellulosic substrates withswollenin, even in non-saturating concentrations, significantly accelerated thehydrolysis. By correlating particle size and crystallinity of the cellulosicsubstrates with initial hydrolysis rates, it could be shown that theswollenin-induced reduction in particle size and crystallinity resulted in highcellulose hydrolysis rates.

Conclusions

Recombinant swollenin can be easily produced with the robust yeast K.lactis. Moreover, swollenin induces deagglomeration of celluloseagglomerates as well as amorphogenesis (decrystallization). For the first time,this study quantifies and elucidates in detail how swollenin affects differentcellulosic substrates and their hydrolysis.
Limit theorems for some continuous-time random walks
Authors: Jara M. , Komorowski T.
Published: September 2011

In this paper we consider the scaled limit of a continuous-time random walk (CTRW) based on a Markov chain {Xn,n≥ 0} and two observables, τ(∙) andV(∙), corresponding to the renewal times and jump sizes. Assuming that these observables belong to the domains of attraction of some stable laws, we give sufficient conditions on the chain that guarantee the existence of the scaled limits for CTRWs. An application of the results to a process that arises in quantum transport theory is provided. The results obtained in this paper generalize earlier results contained in Becker-Kern, Meerschaert and Scheffler (2004) and Meerschaert and Scheffler (2008), and the recent results of Henry and Straka (2011) and Jurlewicz, Kern, Meerschaert and Scheffler (2010), where {Xn,n≥ 0} is a sequence of independent and identically distributed random variables.
Optimal Control of Capital Injections by Reinsurance with a Constant Rate of Interest
Authors: Eisenberg Julia , Schmidli Hanspeter
Published: September 2011

We consider a classical risk model and its diffusion approximation, where the individual claims are reinsured by a reinsurance treaty with deductible b ∈ [0, b̃]. Here b = b̃ means ‘no reinsurance’ and b= 0 means ‘full reinsurance’. In addition, the insurer is allowed to invest in a riskless asset with some constant interest rate m > 0. The cedent can choose an adapted reinsurance strategy {bt}t≥0, i.e. the parameter can be changed continuously. If the surplus process becomes negative, the cedent has to inject additional capital. Our aim is to minimise the expected discounted capital injections over all admissible reinsurance strategies. We find an explicit expression for the value function and the optimal strategy using the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman approach in the case of a diffusion approximation. In the case of the classical risk model, we show the existence of a ‘weak’ solution and calculate the value function numerically.
An Integrated Probabilistic Model for Assessing a Nanocomponent's Reliability
Authors: Ebrahimi Nader , Yang Yarong
Published: September 2011

We construct an integrated probabilistic model to capture interactions between atoms of a nanocomponent. We then use this model to assess reliabilities of nanocomponents with different structures. Several properties of our proposed model are also described under a sparseness condition. The model is an extension of our previous model based on Markovian random field theory. The proposed integrated model is flexible in that pairwise relationship information among atoms as well as features of individual atoms can be easily incorporated. An important feature that distinguishes the integrated probabilistic model from our previous model is that the integrated approach uses all available sources of information with different weights for different types of interaction. In this paper we consider the nanocomponent at a fixed moment of time, say the present moment, and we assume that the present state of the nanocomponent depends only on the present states of its atoms.
Signatures of Coherent Systems Built with Separate Modules
Authors: Gertsbakh Ilya , Shpungin Yoseph , Spizzichino Fabio
Published: September 2011

The signature is an important structural characteristic of a coherent system. Its computation, however, is often rather involved and complex. We analyze several cases where this complexity can be considerably reduced. These are the cases when a ‘large’ coherent system is obtained as a series, parallel, or recurrent structure built from ‘small’ modules with known signature. Corresponding formulae can be obtained in terms of cumulative notions of signatures. An algebraic closure property of families of homogeneous polynomials plays a substantial role in our derivations.
Signature-Based Representations for the Reliability of Systems with Heterogeneous Components
Authors: Navarro Jorge , Samaniego Francisco J. , Balakrishnan N.
Published: September 2011

Signature-based representations of the reliability functions of coherent systems with independent and identically distributed component lifetimes have proven very useful in studying the ageing characteristics of such systems and in comparing the performance of different systems under varied criteria. In this paper we consider extensions of these results to systems with heterogeneous components. New representation theorems are established for both the case of components with independent lifetimes and the case of component lifetimes under specific forms of dependence. These representations may be used to compare the performance of systems with homogeneous and heterogeneous components.
Low-temperature Ammonothermal Synthesis of LaTaON2
Authors: Watanabe Tomoaki , Tajima Keisuke , Li JinWang , Matsushita Nobuhiro , Yoshimura Masahiro
Published: September 2011

Pure perovskite-type LaTaON2 crystal powders with high crystallinity were synthesized in supercritical ammonia using sodium amide as a flux. The synthesis temperature for this new method is 873 K, approximately 300 K lower than that for previous methods. The obtained powders have a pseudocubic lattice with a lattice constant of a = 0.4049 nm, which is in good agreement with the reported value.
Fabrication and Photocatalytic Properties of TiO2 Nanotube Arrays Modified with Phosphate
Authors: Nakata Kazuya , Liu Baoshun , Ishikawa Yosuke , Sakai Munetoshi , Saito Hidenori , Ochiai Tsuyoshi , Sakai Hideki , Murakami Taketoshi , Abe Masahiko , Takagi Katsuhiko , Fujishima Akira
Published: September 2011

We have prepared TiO2 nanotubes by anodization in HF or HF/H3PO4 mixed electrolyte. The morphologies and photocatalytic properties of the nanotubes were changed by electrolytes. The nanotubes prepared in HF/H3PO4 mixed electrolyte showed higher performance to decompose acetaldehyde by photocatalysis than those prepared in pure HF.
Practical Synthesis of Cyclic Bis(3′–5′)diadenylic Acid (c-di-AMP)
Authors: Suzuki Noritaka , Oyama Kin-ichi , Tsukamoto Masaki
Published: September 2011

Cyclic bis(3′–5′)diadenylic acid (c-di-AMP) (Chart 1), recently identified as a second messenger monitoring DNA integrity during sporulation in the soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis, was synthesized on an 80 µmol scale by a combination of the phosphoramidite and phosphotriester methods using a commercially available adenosine phosphoramidite as starting material. An artificial analog 2′-bis(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-c-di-AMP was also obtained by our procedure.
Surface Modification of Boron Nitride Nanoparticles by Decylphosphonic Acid Characterized by Solid-state NMR
Authors: Souma Hiroyuki , Hayashi Shigenobu
Published: September 2011

We have attempted to modify the surface of boron nitride (BN) nanoparticles by decylphosphonic acid and have characterized the surface layer of BN nanoparticles by means of high-resolution solid-state 31P NMR. The surface of BN nanoparticles was successfully modified, and the 31P NMR spectra showed two types of bonding states for the organic modifier. They are tentatively assigned to P–B and P–N bonding states from consideration of the residual line broadening due to interaction with quadrupole nuclei.
Remote Controlled Intramolecular Exciplex Formation and Enhanced Photoisomerization in Stilbene-cored Poly(benzyl ether) Dendrimers with Alkoxycarbonyl Surface Functional Groups
Authors: Takizawa Tsutomu , Arai Tatsuo
Published: September 2011

Exciplex-induced isomerization played a key role in highly efficient photoisomerization of stilbene-cored poly(benzyl ether) dendrimers tethering two alkoxycarbonyl surface functional groups at the meta position of each terminating phenyl group. This is the first report on the control of photochemical behavior of dendrimers using intramolecular exciplex formation.
An Efficient Total Synthesis of Resokaempferol 3-O-β-d-Glucoside
Authors: Ren Xuhong , Wang Jingjing , Shen Liu-Lan , Li Wei , Muraoka Osamu , Cheng Maosheng
Published: September 2011

Resokaempferol 3-O-β-d-glucoside, an artificial flavonol glycoside, was synthesized from 2,4-dihydroxyacetophenone in six steps and 40% overall yield via an efficient glycosylation method using NaH.
Cataract surgery outcome at a rural eye care hospital in India
Authors: Vivekanand Undrakonda , Shetty Avinash , Kulkarni Chidanand
Published: September 2011

We report the final outcomes, based on final visual acuity, of patients who underwent cataract surgery at an outreach rural ophthalmology unit and document the details of the ophthalmic examination, type of surgery, intra- and postoperative complications and the final visual acuity. Of 208 eyes (198 patients), 81.3% had small incision cataract surgery and 18.7% had phacoemulsification. We believe that, with good planning and the proper utilization of available resources, it is possible to achieve a good visual outcome in the great majority of cases.
Analysis of In-Service Lubricating Grease
Authors: Turner David
Published: September 2011

The analysis of in-service lubricating fluids is a useful tool in determining the state of both the fluid and the equipment being lubricated. Many laboratories provide analysis services for in-service lubricating fluids. The results of the analyses performed are often tracked over time to allow for the observation of trends in the test results. The analysis of in-service lubricating grease is a more challenging task; since the amount of grease in many applications is quite small, the grease may be partially or totally replaced each time new grease is added, and access to the lubricated contact zone may be difficult. Many commercial in-service lubricant analysis laboratories lack the specialized test equipment required for grease analysis, so that type of analysis is performed by a limited number of laboratories, primarily those of the grease manufacturers. Various techniques are employed to determine both the macro and micro condition of in-service lubricating grease. The strengths and weaknesses of those techniques are discussed herein.
Recent developments targeting new and experienced users in EXPGUI, an open source Rietveld analysis interface
Authors: Lake Charles H. , Toby Brian H.
Published: September 2011

EXPGUI is an open source interface that supplements the GSAS program package, which together provide a powerful set of tools for structure refinement, especially Rietveld Analysis. The combined GSAS-EXPGUI packages are freely distributed and are ideal for both new and experienced users. The latest EXPGUI version includes many new intuitive features including methods of implementing distance restraints, fixing coordinates, advanced searching and viewing of interatomic distances and angles as well as improved user friendliness and much more.
(2-Amidoethyl)trichlorotin(IV)complexes with amido ligands and chloride ion: supramolecular arrays from H-bonds involving the amido and chloride ions
Authors: Howie R. Alan , de Lima Geraldo M. , Tiekink Edward R. T. , Wardell James L. , Wardell Solange M. S. V. , Welte William B.
Published: September 2011

Complexes, (H2NCOCH2CH2-C,O)(L)SnCl3(2:L= XCH2CH2CONH2; X = H or Cl), rather than (H2NCOCH2CH2-C,O)SnCl3, have been isolated from reaction mixtures containing hydrochloric acid, tin and acrylamide in Et2O solution. Ligand exchange reactions occur between (2: L= EtCONH2) and HCONMe2or HCONHBu. The anionic complex, [pyridinium][(H2NCOCH2CH2-C,O)SnCl4],3, was isolated from a reaction mixture composed of pyridine and2. In both complex types,2and3, tin is hexacoordinate, in which the octahedral geometries are somewhat distorted due to variations in the Sn—Cl bond lengths, exemplifying thetranseffect, and the small bite angles of the chelating (2-amidoethyl-C,O) ligand. The supramolecular structures are dominated by intermolecular hydrogen-bonds with the NH2groups as the donor species. A feature of each crystal structure is a double chain in which the NH2group of the (2-amidoethyl-C,O) ligand acts as donor for N—H···X (X = Cl or O) intermolecular hydrogen-bonds.
From Backwater to Center Stage: Using Electronegativity as a Central Concept for Understanding Chemical Principles in Biology Classes
Authors: Sauterer Roger
Published: September 2011

Understanding basic chemical concepts, including bonding, polar and nonpolar molecules, and hydrogen bonds is difficult for many biology students, who often have minimal chemistry backgrounds. The concept of electronegativity is introduced at the beginning of the chemical foundations part of a biology course as a central integrative concept. By using the electronegativity concept and an associated line graph, students gain an understanding of why ionic and covalent bonds form and which atoms form them, why atoms form polar and nonpolar covalent bonds, and what chemical groups can form hydrogen bonds. Positive student reviews indicate that this is an effective method for introducing chemical principles.
Scan & Learn! Use of Quick Response Codes & Smartphones in a Biology Field Study
Authors: Lee Jun-Ki , Lee Il-Sun , Kwon Yong-Ju
Published: September 2011

The purpose of this article is to introduce and develop a teaching method and process that incorporates quick response (QR) codes and smartphones into field trips for biology classes. The teaching process using QR codes and smartphones consisted of four steps. The first step was the selection of a suitable field study site and identification of species at the site. For this study, a tidal mudflat in Korea was selected and 24 species were identified at the field site. The second step was the generation by the instructor of QR codes for the 24 species, construction of QR code sheets for the species, and installation of a "QR code decoding app" on students' smartphones. In step 3, students explored and identified species at the field study site using the QR code sheets and shared their results with classmates via a social network system (SNS). The final step was the presentation and discussion of results in follow-up classes. The teaching method developed for this study led to active classroom discussion via smartphone social-networking services. Besides detailing the "scan and learn" teaching method and process, the paper offers a quick checklist for teachers and simplified specifics for the creation of a customized and illustrative field-study guidebook that motivates students.
The Ecotoxicology of Plastic Marine Debris
Authors: Brander Susanne M. , Fontana Rachel E. , Mata Tawny M. , Gravem Sarah A. , Hettinger Annaliese , Bean Jessica R. , Szoboszlai Amber I. , Keiper Carol A. , Marrero Meghan E.
Published: September 2011

The accumulation of plastic in the oceans is an ever-growing environmental concern. Plastic debris is a choking and entanglement hazard for wildlife; plastics also leach toxic compounds into organisms and ecosystems. Educating students about the marine debris problem introduces fundamental concepts in toxicology, ecology, and oceanography. Students will learn about the toxicity of plastics, collect and analyze data on plastic debris, and put their new knowledge to work by writing a congressional bill that addresses the problem of marine debris.
Safe Return: Working Toward Preventing Domestic Violence When Men Return from Prison
Authors: Bobbitt Mike , Campbell Robin , Tate Gloria L.
Published: September 2011

This article is excerpted from Mike Bobbitt, Robin Campbell, and Gloria L. Tate's longer report of the same name published by the Vera Institute of Justice in 2006. Only a very few state and federal institutions offer services that address domestic violence among inmates during incarceration, and a smaller number provide prevention services to those reentering or their families that could reduce the risk of intimate partner violence upon release. Furthermore, only a small portion of domestic violence perpetrators may be identified as needing related in-prison programming. In 2005, the Safe Return Initiative designed a series of roundtable discussions to highlight these important issues and develop appropriate responses. The resulting report stressed that attention must be paid to conducting interventions in a culturally competent manner both before and after release and building on existing family strengths while also offering support to protect families from safety risks.
The Unintended Sentence of Criminal Justice Debt
Authors: Shookhoff Alexandra , Constantino Robert , Elkin Evan
Published: September 2011

Increases in both the number and amount of court fees, fines, and surcharges—regardless of offenders' ability to pay—have become standard practice in courthouses throughout the United States. A recent report from the Brennan Center for Justice, as well as several others, have shown that imposing criminal justice debt can interfere with reentry and rehabilitation. In response to this identified problem, the Vera Institute of Justice is exploring a potential demonstration project that would help jurisdictions generate revenue and hold offenders accountable for their crimes without the unintended negative justice outcomes. The Fines and Fees Initiative seeks to ameliorate the negative consequences that criminal justice debt may have on individuals, communities, and criminal justice systems.
The First Month Out: Post-Incarceration Experiences in New York City
Authors: Nelson Marta , Deess Perry , Allen Charlotte
Published: September 2011

This article is excerpted from Marta Nelson, Perry Deess, and Charlotte Allen's longer article of the same name published by the Vera Institute of Justice in 1999. The report is an account, issue by issue, of what the authors learned from participants about life in the first thirty days after getting out of prison or jail. Those first days and weeks appear to be critical, with arrest rates for released prisoners highest soon after release and declining over time. The study showed that the first month is not only a period of difficulties but also a period of opportunities to get people started on the path to employment, abstinence from drugs, good family relations, and crime-free living.
What Did We Learn From the Evaluation of Project Greenlight?
Authors: Wilson James A.
Published: September 2011

Project Greenlight was a prison-based reentry program developed by the Vera Institute of Justice in 2000–2001 that was associated with negative program effects. This article reviews the basics of the program and the results of the evaluation, along with more recent evidence, and then discusses what the evaluation says about correctional practices and programs. Lessons learned from Project Greenlight were both specific to corrections and more generally about program development. The evaluation of the Greenlight intervention highlighted some unintended consequences and provided some explanations about why negative program effects occurred. In so doing, the failures of the program have provided greater insights into some of the intricacies of correctional interventions and perhaps can inform future correctional practice.
Next-Generation Mapping of Complex Traits with Phenotype-Based Selection and Introgression
Authors: Earley Eric J , Jones Corbin D
Published: September 2011

Finding the genes underlying complex traits is difficult. We show that new sequencing technology combined with traditional genetic techniques can efficiently identify genetic regions underlying a complex and quantitative behavioral trait. As a proof of concept we used phenotype-based introgression to backcross loci that control innate food preference in Drosophila simulans into the genomic background of D. sechellia, which expresses the opposite preference. We successfully mapped D. simulans introgression regions in a small mapping population (30 flies) with whole-genome resequencing using light coverage (∼1×). We found six loci contributing to D. simulans food preference, one of which overlaps a previously discovered allele. This approach is applicable to many systems, does not rely on laborious marker development or genotyping, does not require existing high quality reference genomes, and needs only small mapping populations. Because introgression is used, researchers can scale mapping population size, replication, and number of backcross generations to their needs. Finally, in contrast to more widely used mapping techniques like F2 bulk-segregant analysis, our method produces near-isogenic lines that can be kept and reused indefinitely.
‘Sounding Japan’
Authors: Johnson Henry
Published: September 2011

Focusing on the political milieu of Japanese cultural nationalism, particularly the closing years of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century, this article discusses the transformation of tradition with regard to traditional Japanese musical instruments and their place within discourses of cultural nationalism. Instruments have many meanings and associations within different social and cultural spheres, but radical changes to national cultural policy can quickly transform the ways they are perceived. The starting point for this paper is the Meiji era (1868-1912), which witnessed monumental changes to and influences on Japan. It is from this period that the concept of tradition took on a whole new meaning, and a time that serves as a point on which changes in contemporary Japan are often based. Bringing the observations to the current Heisei era (1989-), traditional Japanese instruments have, especially since the late 1990s, been foregrounded within a wave of cultural nationalism that has been perpetrated simultaneously by a distinct shift in state education policy and an increased popularity and consumption of traditional and more specifically new traditional music.
Negotiation and hybridity in new Balinese music
Authors: Mora Manolete
Published: September 2011

Writers and scholars have often interpreted the Balinese as struggling to exist in two worlds - the traditional and the modern. Many Balinese, however, tend to see themselves as attempting to negotiate foreign culture and to manage the far-reaching transformations that have taken place in their world. Moreover, Balinese conceptions and expressions of their contemporary world are not homogenous and artists have responded in a variety of ways. The case of Sanggar Bona Alit, a studio for the teaching and performance of music and dance founded by Alit Adi Putra - musician, composer, and painter - shows how creative productions may be shaped by processes of cultural negotiation that occur at the conceptual boundaries between the familiar and the foreign, the inside and outside, and the traditional and the modern.
Occorrência de primatas no Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca e entorno, estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil
Authors: Nogueira Denize Fontes , Ferraz Daniel Silva , Oliveira Aquila Fialho , Tabacow Fernanda Pedreira , Amâncio Sara Machado Souza , Melo Fabiano Rodrigues
Published: September 2011

No abstract
Secondhand Smoke and Periodontal Disease: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study
Authors: Sanders Anne E. , Slade Gary D. , Beck James D. , Ágústsdóttir Helga
Published: September 2011

Objectives. We investigated the relationship between secondhand smoke and periodontal disease in nonsmokers.

Methods. We undertook a cross-sectional analysis of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study with 2739 lifetime nonsmokers aged 53–74 years, unexposed to other sources of tobacco, who received a complete periodontal examination at visit 4. Exposure was reported as average hours per week in close contact with a smoker in the preceding year. We defined severe periodontitis as 5 or more periodontal sites with probing pocket depth of 5 millimeters or more and clinical attachment levels of 3 millimeters or more in those sites. Other outcomes were extent of periodontal probing depths of 4 millimeters or more and extent of clinical attachment levels of 3 millimeters or more.

Results. In a binary logistic regression model, adjusted odds of severe periodontitis for those exposed to secondhand smoke 1 to 25 hours per week increased 29% (95% confidence interval = 1.0, 1.7); for those exposed to secondhand smoke 26 hours per week, the odds were twice as high (95% confidence interval = 1.2, 3.4) as for those who were unexposed.

Conclusions. Exposure to secondhand smoke and severe periodontitis among nonsmokers had a dose-dependent relationship.
Future Infectious Disease Threats to Europe
Authors: Suk Jonathan E. , Semenza Jan C.
Published: September 2011

We examined how different drivers of infectious disease could interact to threaten control efforts in Europe. We considered projected trends through 2020 for 3 broad groups of drivers: globalization and environmental change, social and demographic change, and health system capacity. Eight plausible infectious disease threats with the potential to be significantly more problematic than they are today were identified through an expert consultation: extensively drug-resistant bacteria, vector-borne diseases, sexually transmitted infections, food-borne infections, a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases, health care–associated infections, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, and pandemic influenza. Preemptive measures to be taken by the public health community to counteract these threats were identified.
Changing the Constitutional Landscape for Firearms: The US Supreme Court's Recent Second Amendment Decisions
Authors: Vernick Jon S. , Rutkow Lainie , Webster Daniel W. , Teret Stephen P.
Published: September 2011

In 2 recent cases—with important implications for public health practitioners, courts, and researchers—the US Supreme Court changed the landscape for judging the constitutionality of firearm laws under the Constitution's Second Amendment.

In District of Columbia v Heller (2008), the court determined for the first time that the Second Amendment grants individuals a personal right to possess handguns in their home. In McDonald v City of Chicago (2010), the court concluded that this right affects the powers of state and local governments.

The court identified broad categories of gun laws—other than handgun bans—that remain presumptively valid but did not provide a standard to judge their constitutionality. We discuss ways that researchers can assist decision makers.
Contribution of Obesity to International Differences in Life Expectancy
Authors: Preston Samuel H. , Stokes Andrew
Published: September 2011

Objectives. The United States has the highest prevalence of obesity and one of the lowest life expectancies among high-income countries. We investigated the relationship between these 2 phenomena.

Methods. We estimated the fraction of deaths attributable to obesity by country, age, and sex and reestimated life tables after removing these deaths. To allow for a possible secular decline in obesity risks, we employed alternative risks from a more recent period.

Results. In our baseline analysis, obesity reduced US life expectancy at age 50 years in 2006 by 1.54 years (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.37, 1.93) for women and by 1.85 years (95% CI = 1.62, 2.10) for men. Removing the effects of obesity reduced the US shortfall by 42% (95% CI = 36, 48) for women and 67% (95% CI = 57, 76) for men, relative to countries with higher life expectancies. Using more recently recorded risk data, we estimated that differences in obesity still accounted for a fifth to a third of the shortfall.

Conclusions. The high prevalence of obesity in the United States contributes substantially to its poor international ranking in longevity.
Reexamining the Declining Effect of Age on Mortality Differentials Associated With Excess Body Mass: Evidence of Cohort Distortions in the United States
Authors: Yu Yan
Published: September 2011

Objectives. I examined age patterns of mortality differentials associated with body mass because the declining age effect observed in previous comparisons of cross-sectional age groups is susceptible to cohort and period distortions and because previous studies used time since baseline as time at risk, making the evaluation of age-specific mortality impossible.

Methods. I conducted a parametric survival analysis of data from the 1988–1994 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 3 cohorts of American men and women born from 1901 through 1957 and observed from 1988 through 2006 under an age-period–cohort framework.

Results. Mortality differentials strengthened across cohorts but did not decline with age or change over the study period. Because excess overweight and obesity mortality increased from earlier cohorts to more recent ones, ignoring cohort differences led to a declining age pattern of excess mortality.

Conclusions. Cross-sectional age patterns of mortality differentials appear to be distorted by cohort differences. Age should be used as risk time to study age variations in associations between risk factors and time to event.