bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nitric oxide alterations following acute ductal constriction in the fetal lamb: a role for superoxide
Authors: Hsu Jong-Hau , Oishi Peter , Wiseman Dean A. , Hou Yali , Chikovani Omar , Datar Sanjeev , Sajti Eniko , Johengen Michael J. , Harmon Cynthia , Black Stephen M. , Fineman Jeffrey R.
Published: April 2010

Acute partial compression of the fetal ductus arteriosus (DA) results in an initial abrupt increase in pulmonary blood flow (PBF), which is followed by a significant reduction in PBF to baseline values over the ensuing 2–4 h. We have previously demonstrated that this potent vasoconstricting response is due, in part, to an endothelin-1 (ET-1)-mediated decrease in nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity. In addition, in vitro data demonstrate that ET-1 increases superoxide levels in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells and that oxidative stress alters NOS activity. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the potential role of superoxide in the alterations of hemodynamics and NOS activity following acute ductal constriction in the late-gestation fetal lamb. Eighteen anesthetized near-term fetal lambs were instrumented, and a lung biopsy was performed. After a 48-h recovery, acute constriction of the DA was performed by inflating a vascular occluder. Polyethylene glycol-superoxide dismutase (PEG-SOD; 1,000–1,500 units/kg, n = 7) or PEG-alone (vehicle control group, n = 5) was injected into the pulmonary artery before ductal constriction. Six animals had a sham operation. In PEG-alone-treated lambs, acute ductal constriction rapidly decreased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) by 88%. However, by 4 h, PVR returned to preconstriction baseline. This vasoconstriction was associated with an increase in lung superoxide levels (82%), a decrease in total NOS activity (50%), and an increase in P-eNOS-Thr495 (52%) ( P < 0.05). PEG-SOD prevented the increase of superoxide after ductal constriction, attenuated the vasoconstriction, preserved NOS activity, and increased P-eNOS Ser1177 (307%, P < 0.05). Sham procedure induced no changes. These data suggest that an acute decrease in NOS activity that is mediated, in part, by increased superoxide levels, and alterations in the phosphorylation status of the endothelial NOS isoform, underlie the pulmonary vascular response to acute ductal constriction.
Effect of aging on cardiac function during cold stress in humans
Authors: Wilson Thad E. , Gao Zhaohui , Hess Kari L. , Monahan Kevin D.
Published: April 2010

To determine whether skin surface cooling increases left ventricular preload and contractility to a greater extent in older compared with young adults we studied 11 young (28 ± 2 yr; means ± SE) and 11 older (64 ± 3 yr) adults during normothermia (35°C water perfused through a tube-lined suit) and cooling (15°C water perfused for 20 min) using standard and tissue Doppler echocardiography. Cooling significantly decreased skin surface temperature in young (Δ2.8 ± 0.3°C) and older (Δ3.0 ± 0.3°C) adults and increased rate-pressure product, an index of myocardial oxygen demand, in older (6,932 ± 445 to 7,622 ± 499 mmHg·beats/min for normothermia and cooling, respectively), but not young (7,085 ± 438 to 7,297 ± 438 mmHg·beats/min) adults. Increases in blood pressure (systolic and mean blood pressure) during cooling were greater ( P < 0.05) in older than in young adults. Cooling increased preload in older (left ventricular end-diastolic volume from 106 ± 7 to 126 ± 9 ml and left ventricular internal diameter in diastole from 4.69 ± 0.12 to 4.95 ± 0.14 cm; both P < 0.01), but not young adults (left ventricular end-diastolic volume from 107 ± 7 to 111 ± 7 ml and left ventricular internal diameter in diastole from 4.70 ± 0.10 to 4.78 ± 0.10 cm). Indices of left ventricular contractility (ejection fraction, myocardial acceleration during isovolumic contraction, and peak systolic mitral annulus velocity) were unchanged during cooling in both young and older adults. Collectively, these data indicate that cooling increases left ventricular preload, without affecting left ventricular contractility in older but not young adults. Greater increases in preload and afterload during cooling in older adults contribute to greater increases in indices of myocardial oxygen demand and may help explain the increased risk of cardiovascular events in cold weather.
Unbiased Minimum‐Variance Filter for State and Fault Estimation of Linear Time‐Varying Systems with Unknown Disturbances
Authors: Ben Hmida Fayçal , Khémiri Karim , Ragot José , Gossa Moncef
Published: April 2010

This paper presents a new recursive filter to joint fault and state estimation of a linear time‐varying discrete systems in the presence of unknown disturbances. The method is based on the assumption that no prior knowledge about the dynamical evolution of the fault and the disturbance is available. As the fault affects both the state and the output, but the disturbance affects only the state system. Initially, we study the particular case when the direct feedthrough matrix of the fault has full rank. In the second case, we propose an extension of the previous case by considering the direct feedthrough matrix of the fault with an arbitrary rank. The resulting filter is optimal in the sense of the unbiased minimum‐variance (UMV) criteria. A numerical example is given in order to illustrate the proposed method.
Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation for Spacecraft Formation Flying
Authors: Shan Jinjun , Wenderski Piotr
Published: April 2010

This paper presents a hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation approach for multiple spacecraft formation flying. Considering a leader-follower formation flying configuration, a Fuzzy Logic controller is developed first to maintain the desired formation shape under external perturbations and the initial position offsets. Cold-gas on/off thrusters are developed to be introduced to the simulation loop, and the HITL simulations are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed simulation configuration and Fuzzy Logic control.
Metabolic Engineering for Production of Biorenewable Fuels and Chemicals: Contributions of Synthetic Biology
Authors: Jarboe Laura R. , Zhang Xueli , Wang Xuan , Moore Jonathan C. , Shanmugam K. T. , Ingram Lonnie O.
Published: April 2010

Production of fuels and chemicals through microbial fermentation of plant material is a desirable alternative to petrochemical-based production. Fermentative production of biorenewable fuels and chemicals requires the engineering of biocatalysts that can quickly and efficiently convert sugars to target products at a cost that is competitive with existing petrochemical-based processes. It is also important that biocatalysts be robust to extreme fermentation conditions, biomass-derived inhibitors, and their target products. Traditional metabolic engineering has made great advances in this area, but synthetic biology has contributed and will continue to contribute to this field, particularly with next-generation biofuels. This work reviews the use of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology in biocatalyst engineering for biorenewable fuels and chemicals production, such as ethanol, butanol, acetate, lactate, succinate, alanine, and xylitol. We also examine the existing challenges in this area and discuss strategies for improving biocatalyst tolerance to chemical inhibitors.
From Experimental Approaches to Computational Techniques: A Review on the Prediction of Protein-Protein Interactions
Authors: Browne Fiona , Zheng Huiru , Wang Haiying , Azuaje Francisco
Published: April 2010

A crucial step towards understanding the properties of cellular systems in organisms is to map their network of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) on a proteomic-wide scale completely and as accurately as possible. Uncovering the diverse function of proteins and their interactions within the cell may improve our understanding of disease and provide a basis for the development of novel therapeutic approaches. The development of large-scale high-throughput experiments has resulted in the production of a large volume of data which has aided in the uncovering of PPIs. However, these data are often erroneous and limited in interactome coverage. Therefore, additional experimental and computational methods are required to accelerate the discovery of PPIs. This paper provides a review on the prediction of PPIs addressing key prediction principles and highlighting the common experimental and computational techniques currently employed to infer PPI networks along with relevant studies in the area.
Genetic and Expression Analysis of HER-2 and EGFR Genes in Salivary Duct Carcinoma: Empirical and Therapeutic Significance
Authors: Williams Michelle D. , Roberts Dianna B. , Kies Merrill S. , Mao Li , Weber Randal S. , El-Naggar Adel K.
Published: April 2010

Purpose: Salivary duct carcinoma overexpresses epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and HER-2, although the underlying mechanisms remain undefined. Because of the potential utilization of these markers as treatment targets, we evaluated protein and gene status by several techniques to determine complementary value.

Experimental Design: A tissue microarray of 66 salivary duct carcinomas was used for immunohistochemical analysis of HER-2 and EGFR expression (semiquantitatively evaluated into a three-tiered system), and fluorescence in situ hybridization for gene copy number, and chromosomes 7 and 17 ploidy status. Sequencing of exons 18, 19, and 21 of the EGFR gene for mutations was carried out.

Result: For EGFR, 46 (69.7%) of the 66 tumors showed some form of EGFR expression (17 at 3+, 17 at 2+, 12 at 1+) but none gene amplification. Five (9.4%) of 53 tumors showed mutations in exon 18 (n = 3) and exon 19 (n = 2). Polysomy of chromosome 7 (average >2.5 copies/cell) was detected in 15 (25.0%) of 60 tumors (6 at 3+, 5 at 2+, 2 at 1+, 2 at 0+ expression) and correlated with poor 3-year survival (P = 0.015). For HER-2, 17 (25.8%) of 66 tumors expressed HER-2 (10 at 3+, 3 at 2+, 4 at 1+). Eight tumors showed HER-2 gene amplification (6 at 3+, 1 at 1+, 1 at 0+ protein expression). Chromosome 17 polysomy was found in 8 (15.7%) of 51 tumors; two had HER-2 expression (3+, 1+).

Conclusion: Our study shows that salivary duct carcinomas (a) harbor EGFR gene mutations in a subset of tumors that may guide therapy, (b) pursue an aggressive clinical course in cases with chromosome 7 polysomy and high EGFR expression, and (c) with HER-2 gene amplification and protein high expression, may be selected for targeted therapy. Clin Cancer Res; 16(8); 2266–74. ©2010 AACR.
Nuclear Localization of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Is Associated with a Better Prognosis
Authors: Pectasides Eirini , Egloff Ann-Marie , Sasaki Clarence , Kountourakis Panteleimon , Burtness Barbara , Fountzilas George , Dafni Urania , Zaramboukas Thomas , Rampias Theodoros , Rimm David , Grandis Jennifer , Psyrri Amanda
Published: April 2010

Purpose: A high frequency of head and neck squamous cell cancers (HNSCC) contain constitutively activated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). To further elucidate the prognostic role of STAT3 in HNSCC, the expression pattern of STAT3 was correlated with outcome in two independent data sets.

Experimental Design: STAT3 protein expression analysis was done on a test cohort of 102 patients with HNSCC recruited between 1992 and 2005. Automated quantitative analysis was used to assess STAT3 protein expression. We evaluated associations with clinicopathologic parameters and survival prognosis. Associations were validated in a second, independent cohort of 58 patients with confirmed HNSCC enrolled in the Early Detection Research Network–sponsored study who underwent surgical resection with curative intent at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center between 2000 and 2004.

Results: STAT3 displayed mixed nuclear and cytoplasmic staining. Survival analysis showed that high nuclear STAT3 expression (top tertile versus the rest) was associated with longer progression-free survival (n = 70, mean survival of 88.9 versus 46.7 months, P = 0.012 for the first cohort; n = 37, mean survival of 60.3 versus 33.0 months, P = 0.009 for the second cohort). After best model selection in the multivariable analysis context, only STAT3 was significant, revealing a lower risk of progression and death for patients with high nuclear STAT3-expressing tumors (hazard ratio, 0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.10-0.82; P = 0.019; and hazard ratio, 0.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.07-0.76; P = 0.016, respectively).

Conclusions: Our results indicate that high nuclear STAT3 expression levels by automated quantitative analysis are associated with favorable outcome in HNSCC. Clin Cancer Res; 16(8); 2427–34. ©2010 AACR.
Aprataxin Tumor Levels Predict Response of Colorectal Cancer Patients to Irinotecan-based Treatment
Authors: Dopeso Higinio , Mateo-Lozano Silvia , Elez Elena , Landolfi Stefania , Ramos Pascual Francisco Javier , Hernández-Losa Javier , Mazzolini Rocco , Rodrigues Paulo , Bazzocco Sarah , Carreras Maria Josep , Espín Eloy , Armengol Manel , Wilson Andrew J. , Mariadason John M. , Ramon y Cajal Santiago , Tabernero Josep , Schwartz Simo , Arango Diego
Published: April 2010

Purpose: Irinotecan (CPT11) treatment significantly improves the survival of colorectal cancer patients and is routinely used for the treatment of these patients, alone or in combination with other agents. However, only 20% to 30% of patients show an objective response to irinotecan, and there is great need for new molecular markers capable of identifying the subset of patients who are unlikely to respond.

Experimental Design: Here we used microarray analysis of a panel of 30 colorectal cancer cell lines and immunohistochemistry to identify and validate a new biomarker of response to irinotecan.

Results: A good correlation was observed between irinotecan sensitivity and the expression of aprataxin (APTX), a histidine triad domain superfamily protein involved in DNA repair. Moreover, using an isogenic in vitro system deficient in APTX, we show that aprataxin directly regulates the cellular sensitivity to camptothecin, suggesting that it could be used to predict patient response to irinotecan. We constructed a tissue microarray containing duplicate tumor samples from 135 patients that received irinotecan for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. Immunohistochemical assessment of the tumor levels of aprataxin showed a significant association with treatment response and patient survival. Patients with low aprataxin had longer progression-free (9.2 versus 5.5 months; P = 0.03) and overall survival (36.7 versus 19.0 months; P = 0.008) than patients with high tumor aprataxin. No associations were found between coding APTX variants and aprataxin levels or camptothecin sensitivity.

Conclusions: These results show that aprataxin tumor levels can be used to identify patients with low probability of response to irinotecan-based therapy who are ideal candidates to receive treatment with alternative agents in an attempt to improve patient survival. Clin Cancer Res; 16(8); 2375–82. ©2010 AACR.
Potent Preclinical Impact of Metronomic Low-Dose Oral Topotecan Combined with the Antiangiogenic Drug Pazopanib for the Treatment of Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Hashimoto Kae , Man Shan , Xu Ping , Cruz-Munoz William , Tang Terence , Kumar Rakesh , Kerbel Robert S.
Published: April 2010

Low-dose metronomic chemotherapy has shown promising activity in many preclinical and some phase II clinical studies involving various tumor types. To evaluate further the potential therapeutic impact of metronomic chemotherapy for ovarian cancer, we developed a preclinical model of advanced human ovarian cancer and tested various low-dose metronomic chemotherapy regimens alone or in concurrent combination with an antiangiogenic drug, pazopanib. Clones of the SKOV-3 human ovarian carcinoma cell line expressing a secretable β-subunit of human choriogonadotropic (β-hCG) protein and firefly luciferase were generated and evaluated for growth after orthotopic (i.p.) injection into severe combined immunodeficient mice; a highly aggressive clone, SKOV-3-13, was selected for further study. Mice were treated beginning 10 to 14 days after injection of cells when evidence of carcinomatosis-like disease in the peritoneum was established as assessed by imaging analysis. Chemotherapy drugs tested for initial experiments included oral cyclophosphamide, injected irinotecan or paclitaxel alone or in doublet combinations with cyclophosphamide; the results indicated that metronomic cyclophosphamide had no antitumor activity whereas metronomic irinotecan had potent activity. We therefore tested an oral topoisomerase-1 inhibitor, oral topotecan, at optimal biological dose of 1 mg/kg/d. Metronomic oral topotecan showed excellent antitumor activity, the extent of which was significantly enhanced by concurrent pazopanib, which itself had only modest activity, with 100% survival values of the drug combination after six months of continuous therapy. In conclusion, oral topotecan may be an ideal agent to consider for clinical trial assessment of metronomic chemotherapy for ovarian cancer, especially when combined with an antiangiogenic drug targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway, such as pazopanib. Mol Cancer Ther; 9(4); 996–1006. ©2010 AACR.
Protein Kinase G Type Iα Activity in Human Ovarian Cancer Cells Significantly Contributes to Enhanced Src Activation and DNA Synthesis/Cell Proliferation
Authors: Leung Elaine L. , Wong Janica C. , Johlfs Mary G. , Tsang Benjamin K. , Fiscus Ronald R.
Published: April 2010

Previously, we showed that basal activity of nitric oxide (NO)/cyclic GMP (cGMP)/protein kinase G (PKG) signaling pathway protects against spontaneous apoptosis and confers resistance to cisplatin-induced apoptosis in human ovarian cancer cells. The present study determines whether basal PKG kinase activity regulates Src family kinase (SFK) activity and proliferation in these cells. PKG-Iα was identified as predominant isoform in both OV2008 (cisplatin-sensitive, wild-type p53) and A2780cp (cisplatin-resistant, mutated p53) ovarian cancer cells. In both cell lines, ODQ (inhibitor of endogenous NO-induced cGMP biosynthesis), DT-2 (highly specific inhibitor of PKG-Iα kinase activity), and PKG-Iα knockdown (using small interfering RNA) caused concentration-dependent inhibition of DNA synthesis (assessed by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation), indicating an important role of basal cGMP/PKG-Iα kinase activity in promoting cell proliferation. DNA synthesis in OV2008 cells was dependent on SFK activity, determined using highly selective SFK inhibitor, 4-(4′-phenoxyanilino)-6,7-dimethoxyquinazoline (SKI-1). Studies using DT-2 and PKG-Iα small interfering RNA revealed that SFK activity was dependent on PKG-Iα kinase activity. Furthermore, SFK activity contributed to endogenous tyrosine phosphorylation of PKG-Iα in OV2008 and A2780cp cells. In vitro coincubation of recombinant human c-Src and PKG-Iα resulted in c-Src–mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of PKG-Iα and enhanced c-Src autophosphorylation/activation, suggesting that human c-Src directly tyrosine phosphorylates PKG-Iα and the c-Src/PKG-Iα interaction enhances Src kinase activity. Epidermal growth factor–induced stimulation of SFK activity in OV2008 cells increased PKG-Iα kinase activity (indicated by Ser239 phosphorylation of the PKG substrate vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein), which was blocked by both SKI-1 and SU6656. The data suggest an important role of Src/PKG-Iα interaction in promoting DNA synthesis/cell proliferation in human ovarian cancer cells. The NO/cGMP/PKG-Iα signaling pathway may provide a novel therapeutic target for disrupting ovarian cancer cell proliferation. Mol Cancer Res; 8(4); 578–91. ©2010 AACR.
Effect of Muscarinic and Nicotinic Receptor Antagonism on Rat Gastric Motor Activity
Authors: Janssen Pieter , Karlsson Lisa K.C. , Nielsen Maria Astin , Gillberg Per-Göran , Hultin Leif
Published: April 2010

Background/Aims: Our aim was to investigate whether muscarinic and nicotinic receptors mediate nitric oxide release during motor events in the rat stomach. Methods: Isolated rat stomach volume changes were monitored in an organ bath setup with an intragastric balloon coupled to a barostat and studied in basal conditions and during electrical vagal stimulation (EVS). In conscious rats, the intragastric pressure (IGP) was measured during test meal infusion. Results: In the presence of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 0.1 mmol/l), EVS induced significant gastric contractions (mean ± SEM = 0.27 ± 0.04 ml; n = 6) that could be blocked by atropine (3 µmol/l) and hexamethonium (0.1 mmol/l). In the presence of atropine and/or hexamethonium, EVS-induced relaxations could not be blocked by L-NAME, while exogenous nitric oxide could still relax the stomach. In conscious rats, atropine (1 mg kg–1) initially decreased IGP, while during further distension it increased IGP. In the presence of L-NAME (30 mg kg–1) atropine consistently decreased IGP. L-NAME alone significantly increased IGP during the test meal infusion, but this effect was reduced in the presence of atropine. Conclusion: These findings indicate a role for nicotinic and muscarinic receptors in the vagal-stimulation-induced activation of nitrergic nerves in the rat stomach.
Mild Cognitive Impairment in Medical Inpatients: The Mini-Mental State Examination Is a Promising Screening Tool
Authors: De Marchis G.M. , Foderaro G. , Jemora J. , Zanchi F. , Altobianchi A. , Biglia E. , Conti F.M. , Monotti R. , Mombelli G.
Published: April 2010

Aim: To assess the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in medical inpatients aged 55–85 years without known cognitive deficits, and how often ward physicians mentioned MCI in their discharge notes. Moreover, we aimed to identify variables associated with MCI and to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for MCI. Methods: Two neuropsychologists administered a 60-min battery of validated tests to evaluate different cognitive domains. The diagnosis of MCI was based on a prespecified algorithm. The sensitivity and specificity of the MMSE for MCI were calculated. Results: Fifteen patients showed a normal cognitive profile (21.4%), while 55 patients (78.6%) showed MCI. Ward physicians, blinded to the results of the neuropsychological evaluation, did not mention MCI in their discharge notes of any of the evaluated patients. The only variable independently associated with MCI was the MMSE. A MMSE score of ≤28 showed a sensitivity of 85.5% and a specificity of 66.7% for MCI. Conclusion: MCI is frequent albeit overlooked in elderly medical inpatients without previously known cognitive deficits. In view of therapies preventing the progression of MCI to dementia, MCI screening will be crucial. The MMSE represents a promising screening tool for MCI in medical inpatients.
Combined Effect of Cerebral Hypoperfusion and White Matter Lesions on Executive Functioning – The SMART-MR Study
Authors: Appelman A.P.A. , van der Graaf Y. , Vincken K.L. , Mali W.P.T.M. , Geerlings M.I. ,   for the SMART Study Group
Published: April 2010

Background/Aims: It has been hypothesized that cerebral hypoperfusion may contribute to cognitive deterioration. Patients with white matter lesions (WML) may be more vulnerable to a decrease in cerebral blood flow (CBF) due to an impaired autoregulation. We investigated the association between CBF and cognitive performance and whether WML modified this relation. Methods: Within the SMART-MR study, a cohort study among patients with manifest arterial disease, cross-sectional analyses were performed in 472 patients (mean age 57 ± 10 years, 77% male). Total CBF was measured with magnetic resonance angiography in the internal carotid arteries and basilar artery, and was expressed per 100 ml brain volume. Neuropsychological tests assessing executive functioning and memory were performed and composite scores were calculated. We used linear regression analyses, adjusted for age, sex, education and intelligence, to investigate the association between CBF and cognitive performance. Results: We found that WML modified the association between CBF and executive functioning (p for interaction <0.001); the association between lower CBF and worse performance on executive functioning became stronger and significant with increasing volumes of WML. Lower CBF was not associated with worse memory. Conclusion: Our results suggest that a combination of lower CBF and WML may impair executive functioning but not memory.
Shrine, Images, and Power: The Worship of Former Worthies in Early Nineteenth Century Suzhou
Authors: Han Seunghyun
Published: April 2010

In the 1820s, the literati of Suzhou embarked on a project to build a shrine devoted to the worship of local former worthies and engraved almost six hundred portraits of the latter on the shrine's inner walls. Since the locality already had a paired shrine of eminent officials and local worthies, as had become the case across the empire since the mid-Ming period, why did they need to create a shrine of a similar nature? What was the cultural significance of introducing visual representations of the worthies in the worship? By analyzing the multiple layers of meaning surrounding this shrine-building activity, the present study attempts to illuminate an aspect of the changing state-elite relations in the early nineteenth century. Au cours des années 1820 les lettrés de Suzhou s'engagèrent dans un projet de construction d'un sanctuaire dédié au culte des anciennes personnalités locales éminentes, sur les murs duquel furent gravés les portraits de près de six cents d'entre elles. Dans la mesure, où Suzhou possédait déjà deux sanctuaires, l'un pour les fonctionnaires éminents et l'autre pour les personnalités locales, comme c'était le cas partout dans l'Empire depuis le milieu des Ming, pourquoi fut-il jugé nécessaire d'en créer un autre de même nature? Que signifiait d'un point de vue culturel le fait d'introduire des représentations visuelles des personnalités en question dans les célébrations? En analysant les niveaux de sens multiples qui entourent cette activité de construction, le présent article s'efforce de mettre en lumière un aspect particulier du changement dans les relations entre l'État et les élites au début du xixe siècle.
"Words of Blood and Tears": Petty Urbanites Write Emotion
Authors: Goodman Bryna
Published: April 2010

Recent attention to the modern history of emotion in China has traced multiple and shifting discourses. The New Culture Movement that competed with "butterfly fiction" in the first decade of China's new Republic championed an autonomous form of individual personhood that broke with the authoritarian family and arranged marriages, and embraced free love and free choice marriage. In the late 1920s, projects of revolutionary emotional retooling reoriented passion, loyalty, and identity in the direction of the nation. But historians have relatively little source material that illuminates the linkage between changes in elite discourses and the everyday experiences of individual commoners, particularly for the study of emotional expression. The unusual survival of a set of petty-urbanite love letters permits the close textual mapping, in this essay, of the ways in which the broad public circulation in the Republican era of multiple and contradictory discourses of emotion entered into and affected particular commoner lives.
τενκην δ δλως λω: Reading Sappho’s ‘Confession’ (fr. 94) through Penelope
Authors: Larson Stephanie
Published: April 2010

Scholarship on Sappho’s use of epic models focuses primarily on her incorporation and rewriting of motifs and characters from the Iliadic cycle. This paper rather turns to the Odyssey’s Penelope as exemplar for Sappho fragment 94, also known as Sappho’s ‘Confession’. The author argues that fragment 94 alludes to Penelope and her situation through a series of associative, lexical and narrative points, particularly through the unique adverb δλως and the symbolic image of the soft bed as a locus for desire. At the same time, Sappho can be seen to subvert aspects of Penelope’s fictional story, thereby more poignantly highlighting the focus on separation and change in the poem. Reading Sappho 94 through the Odyssey’s Penelope also supports ascribing the first extant line of the poem to the departing girl and bolsters arguments for a marriage context for the fragment.
Offending the Powerful: Tacitus’ Dialogus de Oratoribus and Safe Criticism
Authors: Strunk Thomas E.
Published: April 2010

This paper argues that the character of Curiatius Maternus in Tacitus’ Dialogus de Oratoribus is consistent throughout the dialogue in his attitude to the imperial regime. Maternus begins the dialogue in outright dissent, while in the second half he appears to be an apologist for the regime. Accepting the ironic reading of Maternus’ concluding speech, this paper asserts that Maternus shifts to figured speech in reaction to M. Aper, who expresses solidarity with the political values and rhetorical style of the delatores, and Vipstanus Messalla, the half-brother of the delator M. Aquilius Regulus. Confronted with such individuals, Maternus recognizes he must change the tenor of his language. Thus, his concluding speech is ironic critique consistent with his earlier dissent.
Portraits of New Literacies in Two Singapore Classrooms
Authors: Tan Lynde , Bopry Jeanette , Libo Guo
Published: April 2010

The need to broaden the notion of literacy has been continually emphasized within the field of New Literacy Studies in recent years. This is necessary because of the advent of information and communication technology (ICT) in our everyday, school and workplace literacy practices. A broader notion of literacy is needed to pay attention to the rearrangement in the constellation of modes of representation from print to screen which has profound consequences for meaning making and communication in the classroom (Kress, 2003). In this paper, we present our exploratory study in a Singapore high school whereby a multiliteracies curriculum was designed and implemented. We document our collaborating teacher’s changing perceptions towards meaning making and how her shifting perceptions change her pedagogical practices in her two English Language classrooms of 14-year-old students. We conclude with a discussion on the implications of developing new literacies for language teaching in Singapore.
Thematization in EFL Students’ Composition Writing and its Relation to Academic Experience
Authors: Jalilifar Alireza
Published: April 2010

This study made frequency and functional analysis of thematization in English students’ compositions in Shahid Chamran University. Ninety students were selected and divided into three groups, followed by a homogeneity test (Fowler and Coe, 1976). An educated native speaker was also used as a criterion measure. Then, they were asked to narrate three pictorial stories, given to them, each in a 30-minute session. The data were analyzed based on Halliday (1985) and McCabe (1999) models of thematicity. The results suggested thematically different compositions in terms of interpersonal, unmarked, simple, and multiple themes. The results also showed that students’ level of language proficiency monitor the use of linear and split thematic progression chains. This study may have implications for teaching composition writing at different levels of language proficiency.
Integrating Trait and Social-Cognitive Views of Personality: Neuroticism, Implicit Stress Priming, and Neuroticism-Outcome Relationships
Authors: Moeller Sara K. , Robinson Michael D. , Bresin Konrad
Published: April 2010

The trait perspective of personality emphasizes the broad role of traits in outcome prediction, whereas the social-cognitive perspective emphasizes the importance of if—then intrapsychic associations. Three studies ( N = 188) were conducted to reconcile these alternative views of personality in the context of stress-related behaviors. Implicit priming tasks were used to quantify the extent to which stress primes activated thoughts of aggression (Studies 1 and 2) or eating (Study 3), and trait levels of neuroticism were also assessed. Neuroticism did not consistently predict stress-related implicit associations, consistent with the independence of these predictors. Of more importance, such implicit associations predicted problematic outcomes (e.g., physical aggression), but only to the extent that relevant individuals were also high in neuroticism. The results highlight an interface of trait and social-cognitive views of personality and do so in the context of understanding stress-reactivity processes, a topic of importance to multiple literatures.
Differences in causal estimates from longitudinal analyses of residualized versus simple gain scores: Contrasting controls for selection and regression artifacts
Authors: Larzelere Robert E. , Ferrer Emilio , Kuhn Brett R. , Danelia Ketevan
Published: April 2010

This study estimates the causal effects of six corrective actions for children's problem behaviors, comparing four types of longitudinal analyses that correct for pre-existing differences in a cohort of 1,464 4- and 5-year-olds from Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) data. Analyses of residualized gain scores found apparently detrimental effects of all corrective actions by parents and professionals on subsequent antisocial behavior and hyperactivity. In contrast, analyses of simple gain scores found only apparently beneficial effects. Temporally reversed analyses yielded the same pattern of results, consistent with selection biases and regression artifacts, not with unidirectional causal effects. The findings were similar for corrective actions by professionals (e.g., Ritalin, psychotherapy) and by parents (physical and nonphysical punishment, scolding/yelling, “hostile-ineffective” parenting). Longitudinal analyses should check for similar artifacts by implementing temporally-reversed analyses and by determining whether causally relevant coefficients would replicate without artifacts biased in their favor.
Adolescent romantic relationships in China and Canada: A cross-national comparison
Authors: Zhi Hong Li  , Connolly Jennifer , Depeng Jiang  , Pepler Debra , Craig Wendy
Published: April 2010

This study compared the romantic involvements of Canadian and Chinese adolescents as well as linkages with friend and parental relationships. Participants were 496 Chinese adolescents and 395 Canadian adolescents, aged 16—17 years. Chinese adolescents were less likely to have any form of romantic involvement, including a romantic relationship, displayed lower levels of romantic experience, and had fewer close romantic relationships. Gender moderated cultural differences, with Chinese girls least involved in romantic experiences. Although friendships were more intimate in Canada and parent relationships were closer in China, the linkages of parental and friend relationships with romantic experience were quite consistent across the two cultures, with friends being positively linked to romantic experiences and parents indirectly linked through their connection to friends. Among Chinese adolescents, parents also directly connected with romantic experiences in a negative direction. Implications of the findings for understanding the interface between individual growth and cultural context are discussed.
Youth Religious Involvement and Adult Community Participation: Do Levels of Youth Religious Involvement Matter?
Authors: Perks Thomas , Haan Michael
Published: April 2010

The potential role that a religious background plays in determining adult levels of community participation in Canada has, to date, received limited research attention. The present study examines this relationship by testing whether involvement in a religious organization as a youth positively predicts four measures of adult community participation: informal volunteering, formal volunteering, participation in voluntary organizations, and community association membership. Drawing on data from the 2000 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering, and Participating (NSGVP), the findings show that involvement in a religious organization as a youth positively predicts all four adult community participation measures. The analysis also shows that, unlike other youth activities, the number of Canadian youths involved in religious organizations has declined in recent decades. The implications of this decline, combined with the evidence that religious involvement as a youth appears to be a good predictor of adult community participation, are discussed.
Making Civil Society Work: Models of Democracy and Their Impact on Civic Engagement
Authors: Stadelmann-Steffen Isabelle , Freitag Markus
Published: April 2010

This article evaluates the influence of different models of democracy on individual volunteering in associations and organizations. More precisely, we investigate the extent to which the degree of liberal and participatory conceptions of democracy respectively shapes the conditions under which voluntary engagement thrives. We apply multilevel analysis—a method that corresponds well to the central hypothesis of institutional approaches and is most suitable for modeling the relationship between the democratic context and individual volunteering. We show that both a representative conception of democracy, as well as strong direct democracy, leads to advantageous conditions for civic engagement. In contrast, if the two models of democracy are combined, the two different logics of the democratic process disturb one another, resulting in less voluntary engagement.
Infants and Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Early Identification and Early Intervention
Authors: Boyd Brian A. , Odom Samuel L. , Humphreys Betsy P. , Sam Ann M.
Published: April 2010

The increased prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and its detection during the first 3 years of life have substantial relevance for early intervention. The purpose of this article is to summarize current scientific and policy information on early identification and early intervention for infants and toddlers with ASD and their families. Following a brief overview that provides basic information about ASD, the authors discuss early warning signs of the disorder and available screening and diagnostic tools. Finally, they highlight focused intervention practices and comprehensive treatment models appropriate for infants and toddlers with ASD, as well as issues affecting the delivery of effective early intervention services to children and families.
Continuous Moral Economies: The State Regulation of Bodies and Sex Work in Cuba
Authors: Garcia Alyssa
Published: April 2010

Contemporary debates regarding sex work in Cuba pose a simplistic opposition between pre-revolutionary prostitution before 1959 and Special Period jineterismo in the 1990s, obfuscating the links between these periods and denying the legacy of the Cuban state’s discipline of women’s bodies. This article situates jineterismo amidst a historical context to explore the phenomena as a continuous practice of state regulation of sex work and women’s bodies in Cuba. Despite the structural changes initiated by the Revolution, I demonstrate the persistence of state forms of bodily regulation both ideologically and materially from the colonial and republic period, early revolutionary campaigns, through contemporary Cuba. I highlight how notions of morality and honor, dependent on particular invocations of race, gender, and sexuality, have fueled state regulatory projects before and after the Revolution in Cuba. Cuban women’s bodies were/are pathologized and constructed as deviant and in turn policed by the state, both materially and discursively.
Small town life
Authors: Durr Marlese
Published: April 2010

■ Moving to southern Ohio from upstate New York was a necessity: I needed the job. I wondered what it would be like to live in the Midwest as a single African American woman. I soon learned that racial, social, and sexual homogeneity compounded to make my new neighborhood into a cohesive whole from which I was excluded. Confronting daily expressions of hostility from neighbors and pointed comments about race from students, I wrote notes on my kitchen calendar to record these odious events. I was an ‘exception’ but still an ‘outsider’, a reminder of what people who belonged to this nearly all-white gay-partnered community did not want. My ‘outsider-ness’ afforded me some immunity, yet veiled conversation said ‘she’s not so different from the rest of them’. This article discusses my reawakening to homogeneity as the basis for solidifying social bonds, while I learned more about myself.
Socialization to class, ethnicity, and race in the New Haven area during the 1950s
Authors: Lidz Victor
Published: April 2010

■ I was raised in the New Haven suburb of Hamden and attended the town’s public schools during the 1950s. This article discusses the differences of class, ethnicity, and race as I encountered them in my neighborhood and schools and the understandings of these differences that I developed. At the time, the region centered on an industrial city, and its class and status order revolved largely around the rankings of occupational roles in an industrial society. Yet, the system of stratification was being transformed both by the rising prosperity of the working class and by the efforts of second and third generation immigrant ethnic groups, principally Italian Americans, to gain recognition as the equals of other groups, including Protestants of old New England backgrounds. Lifestyles were modest compared with today, and yet the distinctions between groups and strata were clear and strongly defended.
Bayesian calibration of hydrocarbon reservoir models using an approximate reservoir simulator in the prior specification
Authors: Lødøen Ole Petter , Tjelmeland Håkon
Published: April 2010

We consider prediction and uncertainty analysis for the ‘history matching’ problem in petroleum reservoir evaluation. Unknown reservoir properties are represented on a fine three dimensional lattice. A ‘reservoir simulator’ takes the reservoir properties as input and gives production properties as output. The history matching problem is to infer the reservoir properties from the observed production history. To run the reservoir simulator on the lattice size of interest is computer intensive, and this severely limits the number of runs possible.

We formulate the problem in a Bayesian setting and, following suggestions in the statistical literature, consider the reservoir simulator as an unknown function. To obtain a realistic prior distribution for this function, we propose to combine a coarse lattice (faster) version of the simulator with parameters correcting for bias introduced by the coarser lattice. We simulate from the resulting posterior by Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). We construct an artificial reference reservoir, generate corresponding flow observations, and use our procedure to evaluate the reservoir properties in the resulting posterior distribution. Convergence and mixing are acceptable. The case study demonstrates how the observed production history provides information about both the reservoir properties and the bias correcting parameters included in the prior specification.
Mutation-specific hemostatic variability in mice expressing common type 2B von Willebrand disease substitutions
Authors: Golder Mia , Pruss Cynthia M. , Hegadorn Carol , Mewburn Jeffrey , Laverty Kimberly , Sponagle Kate , Lillicrap David
Published: April 2010

Type 2B von Willebrand disease (2B VWD) results from von Willebrand factor (VWF) A1 mutations that enhance VWF-GPIbα binding. These “gain of function” mutations lead to an increased affinity of the mutant VWF for platelets and the binding of mutant high-molecular-weight VWF multimers to platelets in vivo, resulting in an increase in clearance of both platelets and VWF. Three common 2B VWD mutations (R1306W, V1316M, and R1341Q) were independently introduced into the mouse Vwf cDNA sequence and the expression vectors delivered to 8- to 10-week-old C57Bl6 VWF−/− mice, using hydrodynamic injection. The resultant phenotype was examined, and a ferric chloride–induced injury model was used to examine the thrombogenic effect of the 2B VWD variants in mice. Reconstitution of only the plasma component of VWF resulted in the generation of the 2B VWD phenotype in mice. Variable thrombocytopenia was observed in mice expressing 2B VWF, mimicking the severity seen in 2B VWD patients: mice expressing the V1316M mutation showed the most severe thrombocytopenia. Ferric chloride–induced injury to cremaster arterioles showed a marked reduction in thrombus development and platelet adhesion in the presence of circulating 2B VWF. These defects were only partially rescued by normal platelet transfusions, thus emphasizing the key role of the abnormal plasma VWF environment in 2B VWD.
HLA-mismatched unrelated donors are a viable alternate graft source for allogeneic transplantation following alemtuzumab-based reduced-intensity conditioning
Authors: Mead Adam J. , Thomson Kirsty J. , Morris Emma C. , Mohamedbhai Sajir , Denovan Shari , Orti Guillermo , Fielding Adele K. , Kottaridis Panagiotis D. , Hough Rachael , Chakraverty Ronjon , Linch David C. , Mackinnon Stephen , Peggs Karl S.
Published: April 2010

The impact of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatch after reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (RIT) using unrelated donors (UD) is unclear, and may be modulated by T-cell depletion. We therefore examined outcomes of 157 consecutive patients undergoing RIT after uniform conditioning with fludarabine, melphalan, and alemtuzumab (FMC). Donors were 10/10 HLA-matched (MUDs, n = 107) and 6 to 9/10 HLA-matched (MMUDs, n = 50), with no significant differences in baseline characteristics other than increased cytomegalovirus seropositivity in MMUDs. Rates of durable engraftment were high. Graft failure rates (persistent cytopenias with donor chimerism) were similar (8% vs 3%, P = .21), though rejection (recipient chimerism) was more frequent in MMUDs (8% vs 0%, P < .01). There were no significant differences between donors in the incidences of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD; 20% vs 22% grade 2-4, respectively, P = .83), chronic extensive GVHD (3-year cumulative incidence [CI] 23% vs 24%, P = .56), or treatment-related mortality (1-year CI 27% vs 27%, P = .96). Furthermore, there was no difference in 3-year overall survival (OS; 53% vs 49%, P = .44). Mismatch occurred at the antigenic level in 40 cases. The outcome in these cases did not differ significantly from the rest of the cohort. We conclude that RIT using HLA-mismatched grafts is a viable option using FMC conditioning.