bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of epoxy/hyperbranched blends for resin transfer molding and vacuum assisted resin transfer molding applications: Effect of a reactive diluent
Authors: Cicala G. , Recca G. , Carciotto S. , Restuccia C.L.
Published: January 2009

The rheological and thermomechanical properties of some epoxy blends modified with hyperbranched polymers are reported. The effects of different percentages of a multifunctional reactive diluent were investigated to develop formulations that could be processed by RTM (Resin Transfer Molding) and VARTM (Vacuum‐Assisted Resin Transfer Molding). The diluent chosen for the study was trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether, which was added at three percentages: 10%, 20%, and 40%. The hyperbranched modifier used was aliphatic polyester of the fourth pseudo‐generation commercialized by Perstorp as Boltorn™ H40. A cure cycle composed of a precure at 135°C followed by a postcure at 180°C was adopted. The blends were thoroughly characterized in both the unreacted and cured states. The unreacted blends were characterized by parallel plate rheometry, both in dynamic and isothermal mode. Analysis of the cured samples was carried out through dynamic mechanical tests after precuring and postcuring. The diluent had an impact, due to its peculiar structure, on both the uncured and cured properties. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
Ethylene vinyl acetate/ethylene propylene diene terpolymer‐blend‐layered double hydroxide nanocomposites
Authors: Kuila T. , Srivastava S.K. , Bhowmick Anil K.
Published: January 2009

Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA‐45)/ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) blend‐layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanocomposites have been prepared by solution blending of 1:1 weight ratio of EVA and EPDM with varying amounts of organo LDH (DS‐LDH). X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analysis suggest the formation of partially exfoliated EVA/EPDM/DS‐LDH nanocomposites. Measurement of mechanical properties of the nanocomposites (3 wt% DS‐LDH content) show that the improvement in tensile strength and elongation at break are 35 and 12% higher than neat EVA/EPDM blends. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis also shows that the storage modulus of the nanocomposites at glass transition temperature is higher compared to the pure blend. Such improvements in mechanical properties have been correlated in terms of fracture behavior of the nanocomposites using scanning electron microscopy analysis. Thermal stability of the prepared nanocomposites is substantially higher compared to neat EVA/EPDM blend, confirming the formation of high‐performance polymer nanocomposites. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
The rheological modification of talc‐filled polypropylene by epoxy‐polyester hybrid resin and its effect on morphology, crystallinity, and mechanical properties
Authors: Jahani Yousef , Ehsani Morteza
Published: January 2009

Reactive mixing of polypropylene (PP) and talc with epoxy‐polyester resin was preformed using a corotating twin screw extruder, and the rheology, morphology, crystallization behavior, and mechanical properties of composites were evaluated. The melts of composites mixed with resin exhibited yield stress and the variation of viscosity against frequency can be approximated in two lines with various slopes. The measurement of the suspension viscosity can be used to characterize the microstructural state of dispersion. Empirical formula was used to relate viscosity with particle concentration, and the analysis showed that the maximum volume fraction increases by using small amount of epoxy resin in the formulations. The morphological study of composites by scanning electron microscopy revealed that the use of resin improved the dispersion of talc in PP, which leads to the arrangement of talc platelets in the direction of flow even close to wall of the mold. The differential scanning calorimetry showed that the epoxy resin suppressed the nucleation effect of talc on PP while the degree and rate of crystallization increased. The compatibilization by maleic anhydride‐grafted polypropylene showed a noticeable increase in tensile strength of composites reactively mixed with epoxy resin. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
Polyurethanes from tung oil: Polymer characterization and composites
Authors: Mosiewicki M.A. , Casado U. , Marcovich N.E. , Aranguren M.I.
Published: January 2009

A natural polyol was obtained from tung oil (TO) to be further used in the formulation of rigid polyurethane polymers. The synthesis of the polyol was carried out in two steps: first hydroxylation of the double bonds in the fatty acid chains of the unsaturated oil and then, alcoholysis of the hydroxylated oil with triethanolamine. The chemical analysis (titration, FTIR, 1H NMR) of the unmodified TO, the hydroxylated tung oil, and the alcoholized hydroxylated tung oil‐based polyol indicates that the hydroxyl content increased significantly after the hydroxylation and alcoholysis reactions. The modified TO was subsequently used as the polyol component in the formulation of reinforced rigid polyurethanes. Wood flour (WF) and microcrystalline cellulose were the reinforcements chosen to be incorporated in these materials. Physical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the neat and reinforced polyurethanes were measured and analyzed. An excellent dispersion of the WF in the matrix, confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, was observed in the polyurethane reinforced with WF. This system also presented the highest modulus and strength. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
NICE Clinical Guideline 34: updated hypertension guidance
Authors: Chaplin Steve
Published: January 2009

Steve Chaplin summarises the recently updated NICE guideline on the management of hypertension in primary care. Copyright © 2006 Wiley Interface Ltd
Insulin glulisine: a new rapid‐acting insulin analogue
Authors: Narendran Parth
Published: January 2009

Insulin glulisine is the latest rapid‐acting insulin analogue to become available. Here Dr Narendran describes the results of clinical trials of its efficacy and tolerability, and considers its potential role in the management of diabetes. Copyright © 2006 Wiley Interface Ltd
Current drug management of BPH in primary care
Authors: Taylor Claire , Foley Charlotte , Kirby Roger
Published: January 2009

The range of drug treatments for BPH, alone and in combination, allow many patients to be managed in primary care and delay the need for referral. Our Drug review considers their efficacy and side‐effects, followed by sources of further information, an analysis of prescription data and the Datafile. Copyright © 2006 Wiley Interface Ltd
Asthma: diagnosis and management in the older person
Authors: Dyer Christopher
Published: January 2009

Our series Prescribing in older people gives practical advice for successful management of the special problems experienced by this patient group. Here, the author describes the problem of diagnosing asthma and discusses subsequent management. Copyright © 2006 Wiley Interface Ltd
Recognition and management of drug‐induced rhabdomyolysis
Authors: Maxwell Simon
Published: January 2009

Our series on serious ADRs focusses on rare but important drug reactions and how to recognise and avoid them. Here, Dr Maxwell describes the signs and symptoms of rhabdomyolysis and the importance of early diagnosis in its effective management. Copyright © 2006 Wiley Interface Ltd
Ask about medicines: helping patients to ask questions
Authors: Shaw Joanne
Published: January 2009

Encouraging medicine users to ask questions about their prescribed drugs is one of the aims of the Ask About Medicines coalition. This year the focus is on polypharmacy in older people and the Ask About Medicines campaign runs from 6‐10 November. Copyright © 2006 Wiley Interface Ltd
Current management of menorrhagia in primary care
Authors: Rusman Vivian , Higham Jenny
Published: January 2009

The nonsurgical treatment of menorrhagia can be initiated successfully in primary care. Here our Drug review discusses the current drug therapies and when referral to secondary care is appropriate, followed by sources of further information and the Datafile. Copyright © 2006 Wiley Interface Ltd
How to recognise and treat severe skin reactions
Authors: Chaponda Mas
Published: January 2009

Our series on serious ADRs focusses on rare but important drug reactions and how to recognise and avoid them. Here, Dr Chaponda describes the features of severe skin reactions, the drugs commonly implicated and recommended management. Copyright © 2006 Wiley Interface Ltd
When would you order a ‘special’ and why do they cost so much?
Authors: Chaplin Steve
Published: January 2009

Specials are unlicensed medicines from a commercial source made to the order of a GP or dentist. Here, Steve Chaplin describes the regulations that govern their manufacture and supply and the proposals to standardise prices for the most popular products. Copyright © 2006 Wiley Interface Ltd
Diagnosis and management of Parkinson's disease
Authors: Hughes Graham , Burn David
Published: January 2009

Our series Prescribing in older people gives practical advice for successful management of the special problems experienced by this patient group. Here, the authors describe the diagnosis and recommended management of Parkinson's disease. Copyright © 2006 Wiley Interface Ltd
PCM study of the solvent and substituent effects on bond dissociation energies of the CNO bond
Authors: Li Xiao‐Hong , Tang Zheng‐Xin , Yang Xiang‐Dong
Published: January 2009

Quantum chemical calculations are used to estimate the equilibrium CNO bond dissociation energies (BDEs) for eight XNO molecule (X = CCl3, C6F5, CH3, CH3CH2, iC3H7, tC4H9, CH2CHCH2, and C6H5CH2). These compounds are studied by employing the hybrid density functional theory (B3LYP, B3PW91, B3P86) methods together with 6‐31G** and 6‐311G** basis sets and the complete basis set (CBS‐QB3) method. The obtained results are compared with the available experimental results. It is demonstrated that B3P86/6‐31G** and CBS‐QB3 methods are accurate for computing the reliable BDEs for the XNO molecule. Considering the inevitably computational cost of CBS‐QB3 method and the reliability of the B3P86 calculations, B3P86 method with 6‐31G** basis set may be more suitable to calculate the BDEs of the CNO bond. The solvent effects on the BDEs of the CNO bond are analyzed and it is shown that the CNO BDEs in a vacuum computed by using B3PW91/6‐311G** method are the closest to the computed values in acetontrile and the average solvent effect is 1.48 kcal/mol. Subsequently, the substituent effects of the BDEs of the CNO bond are further analyzed and it is found that electron denoting group stabilizes the radical and as a result BDE decreases; whereas electron withdrawing group stabilizes the group state of the molecule and thus increases the BDE from the parent molecule. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009
Theoretical investigation of the adsorption of oxygen on small bimetallic LimCun (m, n ≤ 4) clusters
Authors: Padilla‐Campos Luis
Published: January 2009

A theoretical study of the adsorption of molecular oxygen on small bimetallic LimCun (m, n ≤ 4) clusters was carried out using density functional methods, and it was compared with the adsorption of O2 on copper (Cun, n ≤ 8) clusters. The study of O2‐LimCun system is important to understand the promotion effects of the alkali atoms on the copper surface participating in the catalytic processes. Adsorption energies ranging from 7.9 to 51 kcal/mol were found, which represented values over 30% to those calculated for the adsorption of O2 on copper clusters in a previous study. Thus, the reactivity of molecular oxygen on bimetallic clusters is more favorable with high tendency being in favor of the dissociation of the O2 molecule. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009
Pulsed radiofrequency glow discharge time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry for molecular depth profiling of polymer‐based films
Authors: Tuccitto Nunzio , Lobo Lara , Tempez Agnès , Delfanti Ivan , Chapon Patrick , Canulescu Stela , Bordel Nerea , Michler Johann , Licciardello Antonino
Published: January 2009

We demonstrate the potential of an innovative technique, pulsed radiofrequency glow discharge time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry, for the molecular depth profiling of polymer materials. The technique benefits from the presence, in the afterglow of the pulsed glow discharge, of fragment ions that can be related to the structures of the polymers under study. Thin films of different polymers (PMMA, PET, PAMS, PS) were successfully profiled with retention of molecular information along the profile. Multilayered structures of the above polymers were also profiled, and it was possible to discriminate among layers having similar elemental composition but different polymer structure. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fragmentation pathways of some benzothiophene radical cations formed by atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation
Authors: Herrera Lisandra Cubero , Ramaley Louis , Grossert J. Stuart
Published: January 2009

Polycyclic aromatic sulfur‐containing compounds (PASHs) are commonly found in fossil fuels and are of considerable importance in environmental studies. This work presents detailed studies on the fragmentation patterns of radical cations formed from four representative PASHs, benzo[b]thiophene, dibenzothiophene, 4‐methyldibenzothiophene and 4,6‐dimethyldibenzothiophene, using tandem atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI‐MS/MS). Understanding these fragmentation patterns can be a useful aid in the analysis of PASHs employing APCI or electron ionization (EI‐MS/MS), either alone or in conjunction with liquid or gas chromatography. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Skeleton‐based active catheter navigation
Authors: Fu Yili , Liu Hao , Wang Shuguo , Deng Wei , Li Xianling , Liang Zhaoguang
Published: January 2009

Background

The emergence of the active catheter has prompted the development of catheterization in minimally invasive surgery. However, it is still operated using only the physician's vision; information supplied by the guiding image and tracking sensors has not been fully utilized.

Methods

In order to supply the active catheter with more useful information for automatic navigation, we extract the skeleton of blood vessels by means of an improved distance transform method, and then present the crucial geometric information determining navigation. With the help of tracking sensors' position and pose information, two operations, advancement in the proximal end and direction selection in the distal end, are alternately implemented to insert the active catheter into a target blood vessel.

Results

The skeleton of the aortic arch reconstructed from slice images is extracted fast and automatically. A navigation path is generated on the skeleton by manually selecting the start and target points, and smoothed with the cubic cardinal spline curve. Crucial geometric information determining navigation is presented, as well as requirements for the catheter entering the target blood vessel. Using a shape memory alloy active catheter integrated with magnetic sensors, an experiment is carried out in a vascular model, in which the catheter is successfully inserted from the ascending aorta, via the aortic arch, into the brachiocephalic trunk.

Conclusions

The navigation strategy proposed in this paper is feasible and has the advantage of increasing the automation of catheterization, enhancing the manoeuvrability of the active catheter and providing the guiding image with desirable interactivity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development of a piezo‐actuated micro‐teleoperation system for cell manipulation
Authors: Zareinejad M. , Rezaei S. M. , Abdullah A. , Shiry Ghidary S.
Published: January 2009

Background

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) requires long training and has low success rates, primarily due to poor control over the injection force. Making force feedback available to the operator will improve the success rate of the injection task. A macro–micro‐teleoperation system bridges the gap between the task performed at the micro‐level and the macroscopic movements of the operator. The teleoperation slave manipulator should accurately position a needle to precisely penetrate a cell membrane. Piezoelectric actuators are widely used in micromanipulation applications; however, hysteresis non‐linearity limits the accuracy of these actuators.

Method

This paper presents a novel approach for utilizing a piezoelectric nano‐stage as slave manipulator of a teleoperation system. The Prandtl–Ishlinskii (PI) model is used to model actuator hysteresis in a feedforward scheme to cancel out this non‐linearity. To deal with the influence of parametric uncertainties, unmodelled dynamics and PI identification error, a perturbation term is added to the slave model and applies a sliding mode‐based impedance control with perturbation estimation.

Results

The stability of entire system is guaranteed by Llewellyn's absolute stability criterion. The performance of the proposed controller was investigated through experiments for cell membrane penetration.

Conclusion

The experimental results verified the accurate position tracking in free motion and simultaneous position and force tracking in contact with a low stiffness environment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Imaging organic and mineral phases in a biomineral using novel contrast techniques
Authors: Stockdale E. J. , Shaw J. A. , Macey D. J. , Clode P. L.
Published: January 2009

Chitons are marine molluscs that mineralize their teeth by the process of matrix‐mediated biomineralization. The teeth develop in a continuous manner forming hard minerals, including magnetite, making analysis of the matrix within these mineralized regions difficult. This article describes the use of charge contrast imaging techniques, rarely applied to biological samples, to simultaneously image the organic and mineral phases within the teeth of these animals. Resulting evidence demonstrates the power of this technique in delivering architectural information concerning both the matrix and mineral phases, without the need for removal of the hard mineralized material. SCANNING 31: 11–18, 2009. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Magnetosensory function in rats: Localization using positron emission tomography
Authors: Frilot Clifton , Carrubba Simona , Marino Andrew A.
Published: January 2009

The aim of this study was to show that low‐strength electromagnetic fields (EMFs) produced evoked potentials in rats and to localize the activated region in the brain. In response to a 2.5‐G, 60‐Hz stimulus, onset‐ and offset‐evoked potentials were detected (P < 0.05 in each of the 10 animals studied); the evoked potentials had the same magnitude, latency, and nonlinear relationship to the field seen in previous studies on rabbits and human subjects. The neuroanatomical region of activation associated with the electrophysiological effect was identified by positron emission tomography using fluorodeoxyglucose. Paired emission scans (the same animal with and without field treatment) from 10 additional rats were differenced and averaged to produce a t‐statistic image using the pooled variance; the t value of each voxel was compared with a calculated critical t value to identify the activated voxels (P < 0.05). A brain volume of 13 mm3 (15 voxels) located in the posterior, central cerebellum was found to have been activated by exposure to the field. Taken together, the results indicated that magnetosensory evoked potentials in the rats were associated with increased glucose utilization in the cerebellum, thereby supporting earlier evidence that EMF transduction occurred in the brain. Synapse 63:421–428, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Low dielectric and flame‐retardant properties of thermosetting redistributed poly(phenylene oxide)
Authors: Hwang Hann‐Jang , Hsu Su‐Wen , Wang Chun‐Shan
Published: January 2009

A curable low‐molecular‐weight poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide) (PPO) was prepared by the redistribution of regular PPO with maleic anhydride (MA) in toluene, using benzoyl peroxide as an initiator. The redistributed PPO (MA‐PPO), which contained alkene groups, was characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The redistributed PPO oligomers with reactive double bonds were cured with triallylisocyanurate (TAIC) and/or a phosphorus‐containing allyl‐functionalized monomer (allyl‐DOPO). Electrical properties of cured resins were studied by using a dielectric analyzer. The glass transition temperatures were measured by dynamic mechanical analysis. The flame retardancy was determined by the UL‐94 vertical test. The effects of curing accelerator and the amounts of TAIC and allyl‐DOPO incorporated into the network on the dielectric properties, glass transition temperature, and flame retardancy of the resulting systems were investigated. The results indicated that MA‐PPO cured with TAIC exhibited low dielectric constants (2.23–2.58 at 1 GHz) and dissipation factors (0.0034–0.0039 at 1 GHz) but had high glass transition temperatures (171–197°C). The MA‐PPO/TAIC copolymerized with allyl‐DOPO could achieve a flame retardancy rating of UL‐94 V‐0 at about 1.35 wt % of phosphorus. The redistributed PPO/TAIC resins have potential applications in the fabrication of printed circuit boards. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers.
Demographic responses to a mild winter in enclosed vole populations
Authors: Hoset Katrine S. , Le Galliard Jean‐François , Gundersen Gry
Published: January 2009

Mild winter weather causing snow to melt and ice to accumulate on the ground has been proposed to cause the decreased survival of individuals, and less pronounced cyclicity, of small rodent populations in Fennoscandia. However, detailed data linking ice accumulation to decreased winter survival is lacking. We live‐trapped and monitored with passive integrated transponders enclosed populations of root voles (Microtus oeconomus) exposed to different amounts of ice accumulation through a mild winter. We studied how social behaviour and survival responded to snow melt and ice accumulation. Voles avoided ground ice by moving their home ranges, thus increasing home range overlap in enclosed populations experiencing more extensive ice cover. Winter survival was not affected by the amount of ice accumulation, and was only slightly reduced during ice formation in early winter. The lowest survival rates were found at the onset of snow melt in early spring. These results suggest that ice accumulation does not cause lower survival during mild winters, probably because plastic social behaviour enables root voles to reduce the negative effects of varying winter weather on survival. The mechanisms for lower survival during mild winters may operate during spring and be related to spring floods or increased susceptibility to predators.
Differential Gene Expression Analysis of Subcutaneous Fat, Fascia, and Skin Overlying a Dupuytren's Disease Nodule in Comparison to Control Tissue
Authors: Shih Barbara , Brown Jason J. , Armstrong Daniel J. , Lindau Tommy , Bayat Ardeshir
Published: January 2009

Dupuytren's disease (DD) is a benign fibroproliferative tumor with an unknown etiology and high recurrence postsurgery. Several observations suggest the possible involvement of skin overlying nodule (SON) and the subcutaneous fat in the pathogenesis of DD. This study aims to (1) compare the gene expression levels of SON and subcutaneous fat in DD and normal subjects and (2) to compare transverse palmar fascia (Skoog's fibers) from DD patients as internal control tissue, with palmar fascia (transverse carpal ligament) from patients undergoing carpal tunnel release as external control. Skin, fat, and fascia were obtained from five DD patients of Caucasian origin (age=66±14) and from five control subjects (age=57±19) undergoing carpal tunnel release. Total ribonucleic acids was extracted from each sample and used for complementary deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to assess the gene expression levels of six candidate genes: A disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain (ADAM12), aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member A1 (ALDH1A1), iroquois homeoboxprotein 6 (IRX6), periostin, osteoblast specific factor, proteoglycan 4, and tenascin C. Using independent t test, ADAM12, ALDH1A1, and IRX6 expression levels in DD fats were significantly ( p<0.05) higher than those in the controls. There is no significant difference in the gene expression levels of all six genes when comparing disease and control fascia and skin. Interestingly, ADAM12 up-regulation has also been observed in several other fibrotic and proliferative disorders. In conclusion, this study demonstrates potential roles for subcutaneous fat in DD pathogenesis as well as supports the use of transverse palmar fascia as appropriate control tissues in DD research.
Impairment of VGLUT2 but not VGLUT1 signaling reduces neuropathy‐induced hypersensitivity
Authors: Leo Sandra , Moechars Dieder , Callaerts‐Vegh Zsuzsanna , D'Hooge Rudi , Meert Theo
Published: January 2009

Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system with an important role in nociceptive processing. Storage of glutamate into vesicles is controlled by vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUT). Null mutants for VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 were poorly viable, thus, pain‐related behavior was presently compared between heterozygote VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 mice and their respective wild‐type littermates using a test battery that included a variety of assays for thermal and mechanical acute nociception, and inflammatory and neuropathic pain syndromes. Behavioral analysis of VGLUT1 mutant mice did not show important behavioral changes in the pain conditions tested. Reduction of VGLUT2 also resulted in unaltered acute nociceptive and inflammatory‐induced pain behavior. Interestingly, VGLUT2 heterozygote mice showed an attenuation or absence of some typical neuropathic pain features (e.g., absence of mechanical and cold allodynia after spared nerve injury). Chronic constriction injury in VGLUT2 heterozygote mice showed also reduced levels of cold allodynia, but had no impact on mechanical thresholds. Together, these data suggest that VGLUT2, but not VGLUT1, plays a role in neuropathy‐induced allodynia and hypersensitivity, and might be a therapeutic target to prevent and/or treat neuropathic pain.
Sleep continuity and architecture: Associations with pain‐inhibitory processes in patients with temporomandibular joint disorder
Authors: Edwards R.R. , Grace E. , Peterson S. , Klick B. , Haythornthwaite J.A. , Smith M.T.
Published: January 2009

Recent research suggests bi‐directional interactions between the experience of pain and the process of sleep; pain interferes with the ability to obtain sleep, and disrupted sleep contributes to enhanced pain perception. Our group recently reported, in a controlled experimental study, that sleep fragmentation among healthy adults resulted in subsequent decrements in endogenous pain inhibition. The present report follows up that observation by extending this line of research to a sample of patients experiencing persistent pain. Patients with chronic temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) pain were studied using polysomnography and psychophysical evaluation of pain responses. We assessed whether individual differences in sleep continuity and/or architecture were related to diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC), a measure of central nervous system pain inhibition. Among 53 TMD patients, higher sleep efficiency and longer total sleep time were positively associated with better functioning of DNIC (r = 0.42–0.44, p < 0.01; ps < 0.05 for the multivariate analyses). These results suggest the possibility that disrupted sleep may serve as a risk factor for inadequate pain‐inhibitory processing and hint that aggressive efforts to treat sleep disturbance early in the course of a pain condition might be beneficial in reducing the severity or impact of clinical pain.
Inducible expression of Wnt genes during adult hepatic stem/progenitor cell response
Authors: Itoh Tohru , Kamiya Yoshiko , Okabe Mayuko , Tanaka Minoru , Miyajima Atsushi
Published: January 2009

In injured livers where hepatocyte growth is severely limited, facultative hepatic stem/progenitor cells, termed oval cells in rodents, are known to emerge and contribute to the regeneration process. Here, we investigated a possible involvement of Wnt signaling during mouse oval cell response and found significant upregulation of several Wnt genes including Wnt7a, Wnt7b, and Wnt10a. Accordingly, increase of β‐catenin protein was observed in oval cell compartments. Pharmacological activation of the canonical Wnt/β‐catenin signaling induced proliferation of cultured hepatic stem/progenitor cell lines. These results together implicate the role of Wnt/β‐catenin signaling in adult hepatic stem/progenitor cell response.
Interplay between poxviruses and the cellular ubiquitin/ubiquitin‐like pathways
Authors: Zhang Leiliang , Villa Nancy Y. , McFadden Grant
Published: January 2009

Post‐translational polypeptide tagging by conjugation with ubiquitin and ubiquitin‐like (Ub/Ubl) molecules is a potent way to alter protein functions and/or sort specific protein targets to the proteasome for degradation. Many poxviruses interfere with the host Ub/Ubl system by encoding viral proteins that can usurp this pathway. Some of these include viral proteins of the membrane‐associated RING‐CH (MARCH) domain, p28/Really Interesting New Gene (RING) finger, ankyrin‐repeat/F‐box and Broad‐complex, Tramtrack and Bric‐a‐Brac (BTB)/Kelch subgroups of the E3 Ub ligase superfamily. Here we describe and discuss the various strategies used by poxviruses to target and subvert the host cell Ub/Ubl systems.
Fatty acid pattern in serum is associated with bone mineralisation in healthy 8-year-old children
Authors: Eriksson Susanne , Mellström Dan , Strandvik Birgitta
Published: January 2009

Animal studies have shown that fatty acids (FA) are important for normal bone development. Human data are scanty and mostly related to diseases. We hypothesised that serum FA pattern might be related to bone mineralisation in healthy children. Serum phospholipid FA pattern was studied in relation to bone parameters in eighty-five healthy Caucasian 8-year-olds. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and blood sampling for analysis of serum phospholipid FA by capillary GLC were performed on the same day. SFA concentrations were associated with bone mineral density (BMD) of the hip, lumbar spine and total body. There was a general trend that linoleic acid (LA; 18 : 2n-6) was negatively associated with BMD, since that was found both for the LA concentration, the total n-6 concentration and the ratio of n-6:n-3 FA. Arachidonic acid (AA; 20 : 4n-6) was positively correlated with bone mineral content (BMC) and BMD of total body, as was the corresponding z-score and the AA:LA ratio. Both saturated and polyunsaturated serum phospholipid FA were associated with BMC and BMD in healthy children. LA and AA were found to inversely influence bone mineralisation and the association with the n-6:n-3 ratio suggested that this balance might also be of importance. The general trend of a negative influence of high n-6 FA concentrations on bone mineralisation might be of concern in relation to the changes in the Western diet. Longitudinal studies are necessary to verify if different bone compartments and different grades of modelling are related to different FA patterns.
Dietary vitamin E, brain redox status and expression of Alzheimer's disease-relevant genes in rats
Authors: Gaedicke Sonja , Zhang Xiangnan , Huebbe Patricia , Boesch-Saadatmandi Christine , Lou Yijia , Wiswedel Ingrid , Gardemann Andreas , Frank Jan , Rimbach Gerald
Published: January 2009

Oxidative stress is one of the major pathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we investigated whether dietary vitamin E (VE) depletion may induce adverse effects and supplementation with α-tocopherol (αT) may result in beneficial effects on redox status and the regulation of genes relevant in the pathogenesis of AD in healthy rats. Three groups of eight male rats each were fed diets with deficient ( < 1 mg αT equivalents/kg diet), marginal (9 mg αT equivalents/kg diet) or sufficient (18 mg αT equivalents/kg diet) concentrations of natural-source VE for 6 months; a fourth group was fed the VE-sufficient diet fortified with αT (total VE, 146 mg αT equivalents/kg diet). Feeding of the experimental diets dose dependently altered αT concentrations in the cortex and plasma. No significant changes in F2-isoprostane concentrations, activities of antioxidative enzymes (total superoxide dismutase, Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase) and concentrations of glutathione or the expression of AD-relevant genes were observed. In this non-AD model, depletion of VE did not induce adverse effects and supplementation of αT did not induce positive effects on the parameters related to the progression of AD.
Prenatal arachidonic acid exposure and selected immune-related variables in childhood
Authors: Dirix Chantal E. H. , Hogervorst Janneke G. F. , Rump Patrick , Hendriks Johannes J. E. , Bruins Maaike , Hornstra Gerard
Published: January 2009

Arachidonic acid (AA) is considered essential in fetal development and some of its metabolites are thought to be important mediators of the immune responses. Therefore, we studied whether prenatal exposure to AA is associated with some immune-related clinical conditions and plasma markers in childhood. In 280 children aged 7 years, atopy, lung function and plasma inflammation markers were measured and their relationships with early AA exposure were studied by linear and logistic regression analyses. AA exposure was deduced from AA concentrations in plasma phospholipids of the mothers collected at several time points during pregnancy and at delivery, and in umbilical cord plasma and arterial and venous wall phospholipids. In unadjusted regression analyses, significant positive associations were observed between maternal AA concentrations at 16 and 32 weeks of pregnancy (proxies for fetal AA exposure) and peak expiratory flow decline after maximal physical exercise and plasma fibrinogen concentrations of their children, respectively. However, after correction for relevant covariables, only trends remained. A significant negative relationship was observed between AA concentrations in cord plasma (reflecting prenatal AA exposure) and the average daily amplitude of peak expiratory flow at rest, which lost significance after appropriate adjustment. Because of these few, weak and inconsistent relationships, a major impact of early-life exposure to AA on atopy, lung function and selected plasma inflammation markers of children at 7 years of age seems unlikely.
Mass Constraints on Political Realignments: Perceptions of Anti-System Parties in Italy
Authors: Sani Giacomo
Published: January 2009

Coalition phenomena are at the heart of politics everywhere, but they acquire a special significance in fragmented multiparty systems. In these systems, the distribution of political forces is such that parties are compelled to seek out at least one and often two or more partners, depending on the level of the system's fragmentation. The existence of a structural constraint that forces co-operative interaction is a major distinguishing feature of these systems and, accordingly, coalition-related phenomena occupy a central position in the political process. Coalition-maintenance activities are prominent, debates over coalition alternatives are frequent, procedures for the resolution of cabinet crises become institutionalized, and appropriate general orientations develop both at the level of the specialized actors in the political system and of the citizenry.
Trust, Distrust and Consensus
Authors: Parry Geraint
Published: January 2009

If there is a consensus on ‘consensus’ amongst political scientists it is that it occurs where there is a high degree of ‘trust’ amongst members of a political system. It may not always be clear whether such trust must be found amongst the citizens at large or only amongst the elite or between citizens and elite. Nor is it always certain whether ‘trust’ is a condition for consensual politics or an aspect of it. Nevertheless ‘trust’ would appear essential in a liberal democracy or a polyarchy. The section on ‘Trust’ in Robert A. Dahl'sPolyarchyis indicative of this current concern. He argues that ‘mutual trust favors polyarchy and public contestation while extreme distrust favors hegemony’. This is for three reasons. Firstly, the mutual communication required in a polyarchy best occurs where men trust one another. Secondly, men need to trust one another if they are to associate together in the achievement of those objectives which they cannot gain by their own individual action. Thirdly, a feeling of trust prevents political disputes from turning into severe enmity.
Policy Innovation and Institutional Stability in Sweden
Authors: Castles Francis G.
Published: January 2009

Despite the greatly enhanced interest in processes of political change that political scientists have shown in recent years, there are still areas that have received attention in only the most speculative manner. Modernization, political development and comparative history are becoming established subdisciplines, reflecting ‘the change to change’. But the political processes involved in the transformation of advanced industrial societies have as yet received only cursory empirical treatment.
‘Exit, Voice, and Loyalty’ Revisited: The Strategic Production and Consumption of Public and Private Goods
Authors: Laver Michael
Published: January 2009

In his recent review of Albert O. Hirschman's book Exit, Voice, and Loyalty Brian Barry suggested that the next step was ‘to look more systematically at ways in which exit and voice can be related, and to try and bring all the variables relevant to each kind of relationship into an explicit theoretical structure.’ This paper is an attempt to move in this direction by locating the concepts involved unequivocally within the so-called ‘economic’ or ‘rational choice’ paradigm. It is hoped that any resulting loss of richness will be more than compensated for by an increase in the internal consistency of the argument. It will be demonstrated that most of the logic of Exit, Voice, and Loyalty rests on ‘economic’ assumptions – Barry has already shown that where Hirschman departs from these his argument is at its weakest – and that making this reliance fully explicit not only increases the rigor of the approach but reorients some of the conclusions.
The Relationship between Public Expenditures and Services: A Longitudinal Analysis
Authors: Peters B. Guy
Published: January 2009

In summary, we do find that levels of services and expenditures are more closely related across time than they are in cross-sectional studies and that, further, these relationships are functionally specific. At the same time, however, it would appear from these data that the extension of services precedes the expansion of the budget. It may, therefore, be argued that the extension of services can be used as a rational means of expanding the budget available to an agency rather than as a response to the increased availability of funds. This expansion may also be seen as a function of demand creation on the part of the agencies in increasing these services.

A second point to be made is the importance of differentiating different categories of service. For those indicators of service that concern output or a service rendered, expenditures and policy are positively related. For those indicators of service that are more related to impacts – or needs – there is a negative relationship – i.e. lower quality associated with higher expenditure. Therefore, we find that the policy-making system of Sweden may have been making policy in relation to important objective changes in its service environment. It further leads us to expect quite different relationships between services and expenditures dependent upon the type of service measure being used.

The research site and the measures of services used here are obviously different from those of Sharkansky. However, these findings do speak to the general theoretical point of the connection between public expenditures and services. They demonstrate the need to examine this important research question within a more dynamic framework and in a variety of social and cultural settings. Sharkansky's findings for the American states should be tested, for example, in an examination of the same question for sub-national units in Sweden and other European systems. Through the gradual accretion of these findings, we can elaborate theoretically the linkages between expenditures and policy outputs.
Some Correlates of Regime Support in Canada
Authors: Kornberg Allan , Clarke Harold D. , Leduc Lawrence
Published: January 2009

This paper is concerned with the distribution and foundations of public support for the political regime in Canada. Support for the regime historically has been a matter of concern to Canadian elites. The recent provincial electoral victory of the Parti Québécois, a party dedicated to making Quebec an independent nation, has made regime support and maintenance matters of concern to average citizens as well. The analyses that follow are based upon data gathered in a nation-wide survey of the Canadian electorate in 1974. We focus on the following areas: the extent to which socio-demographic and attitudinal variables conventionally employed in studies of political behavior are related to levels of regime support; the relationships between the direction and strength of partisanship and support for the political regime; the relationships between attitudes toward key political institutions and political actors and the level of regime support; and finally, the effects of major structural and cultural factors (i.e. federalism and regionalism) on support for the regime. From the perspective of comparative political analysis, research in these areas allows us an opportunity to comment on and expand the base of the existing empirical research on regime support. From the more particular perspective of Canadian politics, our analysis may help to clarify the impact on regime support of ethnicity, regionalism, federalism and a British-model parliamentary system.
Generational Replacement and Partisan Dealignment in Britain and the United States
Authors: Abramson Paul R.
Published: January 2009

Ivor Crewe, Bo Särlvik and James Alt (‘Partisan Dealignment in Britain 1964–1974’, this Journal, VII (1977), 129–90) have made a major contribution to our understanding of partisan change in Britain. Whereas the declining share of the Conservative and Labour party vote can be documented through electoral statistics, Crewe and his colleagues focused on individual-level change in attitudes toward the parties, and thus provided valuable insights that help explain the dealignment that has occurred. One of their major findings was that the strength of party loyalties has declined among the British electorate. Building a measure of mean partisan strength that captures the distribution of ‘very strong’ identifiers, ‘fairly strong’ identifiers, ‘not very strong’ identifiers, and non-identifiers, they show a continuous decline in the strength of partisan loyalties between 1964 and October 1974. In 1964 the partisan strength of the electorate was 2·19; by October 1974 it had fallen to 1·90 (pp. 162–4). This overall decline is quite substantial, given that their measure of mean partisan strength ranges from 0·0 to 3·0.
Arms Races: External Security or Domestic Pressure?
Authors: Saris Willem , Middendorp Cees
Published: January 2009

Arms races have been the subject of many and various explanations, but of few formal theories which manage to combine the virtues of plausibility and parsimony. Perhaps the best known is Richardson's, to which interesting modifications have been proposed by Smoker, Saaty and most recently Hamblin et al.2 Common to all these models is the assumption that arms races can be explained by an action-reaction process between the two nations involved.
The Rise of the Career Politician in Britain — And its Consequences
Authors: King Anthony
Published: January 2009

The new British government formed in May 1979 contained a Butler, a Chalker, a Fowler and a Prior. It also, as the whole world knows, contained a Thatcher. It did not, however, contain a single Barrister, Solicitor or Journalist; nor, remarkably, did it contain anybody by the name of Politician.
The United States Supreme Court and Criminal Cases, 1935–1976: Alternative Models of Agenda Building
Authors: Caldeira Gregory A.
Published: January 2009

Perhaps the most important decisions that the United States Supreme Court makes consist of which sorts of issues it will entertain and how, when, and in what forms it will resolve them. Indeed, as Mr Justice Brandeis once remarked, the ‘most important thing [the Court does] is not doing’, i.e. winnowing cases. Yet, until quite recently, few studies focused on the politics of the agenda-building process on the Supreme Court. From the important researches of Tanenhaus and his associates and of Ulmer and his colleagues we know that under certain conditions and in certain cases the justices operate on the basis of a few ‘cues’ in decisions to grant or deny petitions for certiorari – the main mode of obtaining a hearing from the Court. And Ulmer has instructed us that in making choices on certiorari, ‘Supreme Court justices are predisposed to support underdogs and upperdogs disproportionately but, also, are motivated to hide any “bias” that may be at work in determining votes’. So, although we do know more about some segments of agenda building than before, investigations are still at a relatively early stage. Furthermore, few have treated the Supreme Court as an institution that operates across time as well as space or have accounted for variations in its behaviour across that temporal dimension.
Electoral Choice and the Production of Government: The Changing Operation of the Electoral System in the United Kingdom since 1955
Authors: Curtice John , Steed Michael
Published: January 2009

The debate about electoral reform in Britain has taken a new turn with the latest upsurge in mid-term support for the Liberals, the launch of the SDP, and the immediate electoral success of the Alliance between the two parties. We do not deal here with the durability or consequences of these developments. We are concerned with the electoral system that they put under challenge. This concern is the more important because, as we shall show here, the working of that system altered fundamentally between 1955 and 1979. Before considering how fragile ‘the mould of British polities’ is or whether it should be broken, it is appropriate to reconsider and remeasure the precise shape and texture of that mould, and establish what are the chemical bonds which have determined those characteristics.