bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Syntheses, Electrical and Optical Properties of Doped and Undoped CuAlS2
Authors: Donohue P. C. , Bierlein J. D. , Hanlon J. E. , Jarrett H. S.
Published: December 2007

Colorless

CuAlS

2

was prepared by using either a small excess of Al or a deficiency of S or Cu. A stoichiometric ratio of the reactants or deficiency of Al yielded a green color product. These crystals showed ESR and optical absorption similar to iron‐doped crystals indicating that trace amounts of Fe+3 are responsible for the color. Crystals heated in the presence of elements such as Si or Cd lose their color and ESR spectrum, indicative of a reduction of Fe+3 to Fe+2. All as‐grown and most doped crystals were p‐type, while most crystals doped with a combination of Cd/Al were n‐type. Colorless

CuAlS

2

fluoresces with a broad peak at about 600 nm. The fluorescence may be stimulated by infrared after exposure to u.v. Mn‐doped crystals exhibit red‐orange fluorescence.
Maternal supply of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids alter mechanisms involved in oocyte and early embryo development in the mouse
Authors: Wakefield Sarah L. , Lane Michelle , Schulz Samantha J. , Hebart Michelle L. , Thompson Jeremy G. , Mitchell Megan
Published: December 2007

Despite the well-known benefits of omega-3 ( n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation on human health, relatively little is known about the effect of n-3 PUFA intake on fertility. More specifically, the aim of this study was to determine how oocyte and preimplantation embryo development might be influenced by n-3 PUFA supply and to understand the possible mechanisms underlying these effects. Adult female mice were fed a control diet or a diet relatively high in the long-chain n-3 PUFAs for 4 wk, and ovulated oocytes or zygotes were collected after gonadotropin stimulation. Oocytes were examined for mitochondrial parameters (active mitochondrial distribution, mitochondrial calcium and membrane potential) and oxidative stress, and embryo developmental ability was assessed at the blastocyst stage following 1) in vitro fertilization (IVF) or 2) culture of in vivo-derived zygotes. This study demonstrated that exposure of the oocyte during maturation in the ovary to an environment high in n-3 PUFA resulted in altered mitochondrial distribution and calcium levels and increased production of reactive oxygen species. Despite normal fertilization and development in vitro following IVF, the exposure of oocytes to an environment high in n-3 PUFA during in vivo fertilization adversely affected the morphological appearance of the embryo and decreased developmental ability to the blastocyst stage. This study suggests that high maternal dietary n-3 PUFA exposure periconception reduces normal embryo development in the mouse and is associated with perturbed mitochondrial metabolism, raising questions regarding supplementation with n-3 PUFAs during this period of time.
Sexual dimorphism in the acute effects of secondhand smoke on thyroid hormone secretion, inflammatory markers and vascular function
Authors: Flouris Andreas D. , Metsios Giorgos S. , Jamurtas Athanasios Z. , Koutedakis Yiannis
Published: December 2007

Experimental evidence for the physiological effects of secondhand smoke (SHS) is limited, although it affects millions of people globally and its prevalence is increasing, despite currently adopted antismoking measures. Also, scarce evidence suggests that the effects of SHS may be more pronounced in men. We conducted a randomized single-blind crossover study to investigate the sex-specific SHS effects in a controlled simulated bar/restaurant environment on gonadal and thyroid hormones, inflammatory cytokines, and vascular function. Twenty-eight (women = 14) nonsmoking adults underwent a 1-h exposure to moderate SHS and a 1-h control trial. Serum and urine cotinine, gonadal and thyroid hormones, inflammatory cytokines, heart rate, and arterial blood pressure were assessed before exposure and immediately after in both trials. Results showed that testosterone ( P = 0.019) and progesterone ( P < 0.001) in men and 17β-estradiol ( P = 0.001) and progesterone ( P < 0.001) in women were significantly decreased after SHS. In men, SHS was accompanied by increased free thyroxine ( P < 0.001), triiodothyronine ( P = 0.020), and decreased the triiodothyronine-to-free thyroxine ratio ( P = 0.033). In women, significant SHS-induced change was observed only in free thyroxine ( P = 0.010), with considerable sex variation in free thyroxine and triiodothyronine and a decrease in luteinizing hormone ( P = 0.026) and follicle-stimulating hormone ( P < 0.001). After SHS, IL-1β ( P = 0.001) and systolic blood pressure ( P = 0.040) were increased in men but not women. We concluded that a 1-h SHS exposure at bar/restaurant levels is accompanied by decrements in gonadal hormones in both sexes and marked increases in thyroid hormone secretion, IL-1β production, and systolic blood pressure in men.
Akt activation improves oxidative phosphorylation in renal proximal tubular cells following nephrotoxicant injury
Authors: Shaik Zabeena P. , Fifer E. Kim , Nowak Grażyna
Published: December 2007

Previously, we showed that protein kinase B (Akt) activation increases intracellular ATP levels and decreases necrosis in renal proximal tubular cells (RPTC) injured by the nephrotoxicant S-(1, 2-dichlorovinyl)-l-cysteine (DCVC) (Shaik ZP, Fifer EK, Nowak G. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 292: F292–F303, 2007). This study examined the role of Akt in improving mitochondrial function in DCVC-injured RPTC. Our data show a novel observation that phosphorylated (active) Akt is localized in mitochondria of noninjured RPTC, both in mitoplasts and the mitochondrial outer membrane. Mitochondrial levels of active Akt decreased in nephrotoxicant-injured RPTC, and this decrease was associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. DCVC decreased basal, uncoupled, and state 3 respirations; ATP production; activities of complexes I, II, and III; the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm); and F0F1-ATPase activity. Expressing constitutively active Akt in DCVC-injured RPTC increased the levels of phosphorylated Akt in mitochondria, reduced the decreases in basal and uncoupled respirations, increased complex I-coupled state 3 respiration and ATP production, enhanced activities of complex I, complex III, and F0F1-ATPase, and improved ΔΨm. In contrast, inhibiting Akt activation by expressing dominant negative (inactive) Akt or using 20 μM LY294002 exacerbated decreases in electron transport rate, state 3 respiration, ATP production, ΔΨm, and activities of complex I, complex III, and F0F1-ATPase. In conclusion, our data show that Akt activation promotes mitochondrial respiration and ATP production in toxicant-injured RPTC by 1) improving integrity of the respiratory chain and maintaining activities of complex I and complex III, 2) reducing decreases in ΔΨm, and 3) restoring F0F1-ATPase activity.
Trial-by-Trial Updating of the Gain in Preparation for Smooth Pursuit Eye Movement Based on Past Experience in Humans
Authors: Tabata Hiromitsu , Miura Kenichiro , Kawano Kenji
Published: December 2007

To understand how the CNS uses past experiences to generate movements that accommodate minute-by-minute environmental changes, we studied the trial-by-trial updating of the gain for initiating smooth pursuit eye movements and how this relates to the history of previous trials. Ocular responses in humans elicited by a small perturbing motion presented 300 ms after appearance of a target were used as a measure of the gain of visuomotor transmission. After the perturbation, the target was either moved horizontally (pursuit trial) or remained in a stationary position (fixation trial). The trial sequence randomly included pursuit and fixation. The amplitude of the response to the perturbation was modulated in a trial-by-trial manner based on the immediately preceding trial, with preceding fixation and pursuit trials decreasing and increasing the gain, respectively. The effect of the previous trial was larger with shorter intertrial intervals, but did not diminish for at least 2,000 ms. A time-series analysis showed that the response amplitude was significantly correlated with the past few trials, with dynamics that could be approximated by a first-order linear system. The results suggest that the CNS integrates recent experiences to set the gain in preparation for upcoming tracking movements in a changing environment.
Responses to Tactile Stimulation in Deep Cerebellar Nucleus Neurons Result From Recurrent Activation in Multiple Pathways
Authors: Rowland Nathan C. , Jaeger Dieter
Published: December 2007

In a previous study, we found that neurons in the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) respond to 5-ms brief facial tactile stimulation in rats anesthetized with ketamine-xylazine with multiphasic response patterns lasting over 200 ms. It remained unclear, however, to what extent these responses were shaped not only by ascending sensory input from the trigeminal nuclei but also by interactions with other major cerebellar afferent systems, in particular the inferior olive (IO) and cerebral cortex. In the present study, we recorded from the IO, cerebral cortex, cerebellar granule cell layer (GCL), and DCN during the presentation of 5-ms facial tactile stimuli to elucidate potential mechanisms of how extended DCN response patterns are generated. We found that tactile stimulation resulted in robust multiphasic local field potentials responses in the IO as well as in the activation of a wide region of the somatosensory cortex (SI) and the primary motor cortex (MI). DCN neurons responded to electrical stimulation of any of these structures (IO, SI, and MI) with complex temporal patterns strikingly similar to air-puff lip stimulation responses. Simultaneous recordings from multiple structures revealed that long-lasting activation patterns elicited in DCN neurons were based on recurrent network activation in particular between the IO and the DCN with a potential contribution of DCN rebound properties. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that sensory stimulation triggers a feedback network activation of cerebellum, IO, and cerebral cortex to generate temporal patterns of activity that may control the timing of behavior.
Differential Effects of Corticosterone on the Slow Afterhyperpolarization in the Basolateral Amygdala and CA1 Region: Possible Role of Calcium Channel Subunits
Authors: Liebmann Lutz , Karst Henk , Sidiropoulou Kyriaki , van Gemert Neeltje , Meijer Onno C. , Poirazi Panayiota , Joëls Marian
Published: December 2007

The stress hormone corticosterone increases the amplitude of the slow afterhyperpolarization (sAHP) in CA1 pyramidal neurons, without affecting resting membrane potential, input resistance, or action potential characteristics. We here examined how corticosterone affects these properties in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). In the amygdala, corticosterone does not change the AHP amplitude, nor any of the passive and active membrane properties studied. The lack of effect on the AHP is surprising since in both areas corticosterone increases high-voltage–activated sustained calcium currents, which supposedly regulate the sAHP. We wondered whether corticosterone targets different calcium channel subunits in the two areas because currents through only one of the subunits (Cav1.3) are thought to alter the AHP amplitude. In situ hybridization studies revealed that CA1 cells express Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 subunits; corticosterone does not transcriptionally regulate Cav1.2 but increases Cav1.3 expression compared with vehicle treatment. In the BLA, Cav1.3 expression was not detectable, both after control and corticosterone treatment. Cav1.2 is moderately expressed. In a modeling study, we examined putative consequences of changes in specific calcium channel subunit expression and calcium extrusion by corticosterone for the AHP in CA1 and amygdala neurons. A differential distribution and transcriptional regulation of Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 in the CA1 area versus BLA partly explain the observed differences in AHP amplitude. The functional implication of these findings could be that stress-induced arousal of activity in the BLA is more prolonged than that in the CA1 hippocampal area, so that information with an emotional component is more effectively encoded.
Metabolic Control of Proteasome Function
Authors: Zhang Fengxue , Paterson Andrew J. , Huang Ping , Wang Kai , Kudlow Jeffrey E.
Published: December 2007

Proteasomes are major cellular proteases that are important for protein turnover and cell survival. Dysregulation of proteasome is related to many major human diseases. Regulation of the proteasome is beginning to be understood by the recent findings that proteasomes are modified and regulated by metabolic factors O-GlcNAcylation and PKA phosphorylation.
The Role of Matrix Metalloproteinases in Stromal/Epithelial Interactions in the Gut
Authors: Sengupta N. , MacDonald T. T.
Published: December 2007

The gastrointestinal mucosa is an extremely soft, highly vascularised tissue, with a single layer of epithelium separating the gut lumen from the host. Epithelial cells adhere to a thin basement membrane that is produced by both epithelial cells and the underlying stromal cells. Signals passing between epithelial cells and stromal cells are needed for normal gut structure. In gut diseases, however, epithelial cells and stromal cells produce large amounts of matrix degrading enzymes (matrix metalloproteinases), the function of which is only beginning to be elucidated. Here, we review the role of matrix metalloproteonases (MMPs) in the gut in health, in gut inflammation, and in cancer.
Fusion, Fission, and Secretion During Phagocytosis
Authors: Huynh Kassidy K. , Kay Jason G. , Stow Jennifer L. , Grinstein Sergio
Published: December 2007

Phagocytosis is essential for the elimination of pathogens and for clearance of apoptotic bodies. The ingestion process entails extensive remodeling of the cellular membranes, particularly when large and/or multiple particles are engulfed. The membrane fusion and fission events that accompany phagocytosis are described. The coordinated sequence of membrane trafficking events required for phagocytosis involves multiple organelles and also serves other cellular functions, such as cytokine secretion.
The Figure of Job (Ayyūb) in Modern Arabic Poetry
Authors: Khoury Jeries
Published: December 2007

The employment of historical and mythical symbols is one of the most important characteristics of modern Arabic poetry. Many Arab poets have been inspired by historical and mythical characters and made frequent use of them in their poetry. Among these poets is Badr Shākir al-Sayyāb, who makes extensive use of different kinds of figures in his poetry. Among the few such figures to have survived to the latest stage of his poetry is that of "Job" (Ayyūb). This figure is intimately related to al-Sayyāb's own character because of the similarities in their lives. Al-Sayyāb seems to have been inspired by the biblical narration of this story, but he introduced many changes in the figure itself by merging it into his own persona. Al-Sayyāb's use of Job in poetry is so striking that many poets who were affected by his tragic death wrote elegies for him, in which they show the effects on them of al-Sayyāb's life story, poetry and use of Job. Al-Sayyāb in such poems, becomes an intertext himself, one which has inspired numerous other poets.
The Sura of the Poets: "Final Conclusions"?
Authors: Zwettler Michael
Published: December 2007

In JAL (2004), an article by Professor Irfan Shahīd appeared, defiantly entitled "The Sūra of the Poets, Qur'ān xxvi: Final Conclusions." That article, however, offers neither an analytical study nor an exegetical interpretation of Sura xxvi. Rather, focusing almost exclusively on three of the last four āyas of the sura (224-226), the author presents a diffuse apologia for his view (already advanced in earlier publications) that this sura in general and these āyas in particular must be acknowledged as incontrovertible textual grounds that prove "clearly" the qur'ānic origin of I'jāz al-Qur'ān: the Islamic doctrine upholding the miraculous "literary" (Shahīd's word) inimitability of the language, style, and verbal beauty of the Scripture revealed to God's Messenger, Muhammad. But, apart from failing to deal with Sura xxvi as a whole in an article whose title promises to arrive at " final conclusions" about that sura, Professor Shahīd seems to be guilty in building his case of "playing fast and loose" both with the language of the revealed text itself and with the discourse and opinions of scholars whose writings he consults—whether they be traditional Muslim philologists and mufassirū;n or modern scholarly writers and editors whose views he might deem supportive or with whom he might agree or disagree. I undertake to point out some of the more unsound assumptions, presuppositions, and speculations on which Shahīd's "final conclusions" are based; to correct some of the more cogent linguistic and philological errors and misconceptions which undermine his arguments; and to "set the record straight" regarding precisely what the sources that he cites and refers to did, in fact say. Readers may find it worthwhile to know what, for instance, at-Tabarī, az-Zamaxšarī, and I actually did say, rather than what Professor Shahīd claims we said.
Religion as a Source of Social Change in the New South Africa
Authors: Garner Robert C.
Published: December 2007

In the scholarship of recent decades, religion has been accorded little power as a source of social change, either 'from above' (via changes at the macro-level) or 'from below' (at the micro-level). However, as the attention of various disciplines has been drawn to developing societies, an awareness of the potential influence of religion has grown. Based on research in a South African township, conducted after the macro-transition to democratic government, this article explores the social and economic mechanisms at work in a variety of Christian churches. It argues that their capacity to effect social change 'from below' is uneven, and that the most powerful are those which maximise four variables: indoctrination, religious experience, exclusion and socialisation. These variables are often highest in Pentecostalism, and in certain types of AIC. The differential impact of church types on their members is then illustrated with reference to financial, social and cultural behaviour.
Hermeticism and Alchemy: the Case of Ludovigo Lazzarelli
Authors: Crisciani Chiara
Published: December 2007

This paper examines the alchemical interests of Ludovico Lazzarelli (1450-1500) and of some alchemical texts connected with his name, analyzing them within the context of Lazzarelli's Hermetic philosophical position. Beginning with an analysis of the specific relationship between alchemy and Hermeticism expressed by Lazzarelli, this paper proposes for discussion some general hypotheses on the link between alchemy and Hermeticism and between alchemy and magic in the Quattrocento.
The Consilia Attributed To Arnau De Vilanova1
Authors: Giralt Sebastià
Published: December 2007

Four of the works attributed to Arnau de Vilanova may be considered consilia, which is the name of the genre of texts that expound medical treatments for illnesses suffered by specific individuals. In this paper, I first address the problem of their authenticity within the framework of the so-called "Arnaldian question". The evidence presented here confirms that Arnau de Vilanova was the author of the Regimen podagre and the Epistola ad Bremundum Montisferrarii, while the question regarding the authorship of the Regimen quartane and the Cura febris ethice remains unresolved. This article furthermore documents the degree to which the actual cures prescribed by the physician in the consilia agreed with the doctrinal works of the Galenic tradition. It is explained how medieval university-trained physician had to compete with other practitioners and how they tried to outrival them by applying the doctrines of learned medicine to the individual cases at hand.
Implicit Carolingian Tidal Data
Authors: Hughes Paul
Published: December 2007

Ten rotae and tables, contained in Carolingian works for Easter calculation, contain tidal information. The emergence of the terminology associated with these diagrams is explained, notably of the arcane terms malina and Ledon, which would develop into our modern concepts of springs and neaps, and of the term dodrans, first-of-flood. One particular rota, because of its rich illumination, serves most of the offices of an actual tide-table. This article also looks at the difficulty of tracing the transmission of the rotae to the later Middle Ages and the complex scientific knowledge contained in the rota explanations and the commentaries written on them.
Ignatius of Loyola On Medical Education. or: Should Todays Jesuits Continue To Run Health Sciences Schools?
Authors: Welie Jos V.M.
Published: December 2007

There are at present 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, which together offer more than 50 health sciences degree programs. But as the Society's membership is shrinking and the financial risks involved in sponsoring health sciences education are rising, the question arises whether the Society should continue to sponsor health sciences degree programs. In fact, at least eight Jesuit health sciences schools have already closed their doors. This paper attempts to contribute to the resolution of this urgent question by reexamining Ignatius' own views on health sciences education and, more specifically, his prohibition of the Society's sponsoring medical education. It concludes on the basis of an historical analysis of Ignatius' views that there is insufficient support for today's ,Jesuits to maintain their engagement in medical and health care education.
Complex Inequalities
Authors: Byng Michelle D.
Published: December 2007

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have redefined the meaning of religious minority identity for Muslim Americans. When religious identities are central to U.S. political conflicts, they shift from supporting adaptation to American society to facilitating inequality. Using newspaper articles published in the northeastern region of the United States and The Washington Post between May 2002 and May 2003, the following analysis investigates how Muslim religious identity comes to mimic the inequality of race identity via essentialist images of Islam, government policies, and experiences of discrimination. Benign markers of difference no longer exist in American society; instead, any identity that designates a group boundary can be used to organize social inequality. The religious minority identity of Muslim Americans following 9/11 signals the complexity of social inequality and, therefore, the difficulty of achieving social justice.
The Media as a System of Racialization
Authors: Littlefield Marci Bounds
Published: December 2007

Historically, the media perpetuate ideas about race and ethnicity that place African American women at a clear disadvantage. Beginning with the welfare queen image during the Reagan administration and moving to the porno chick represented in current videos, society views a daily discourse on race, gender, and class that continues to reproduce dominant and distorted views of African American womanhood and sexuality. The overabundance of this portrayal in popular culture raises serious implications associated with linking sexual promiscuity to the nature and identity of African American women. These popular representations of African American women and men are mostly unchallenged by larger society and the African American community. This article discusses the media as a system of racialization and proposes to challenge this system as a method of social justice and social change.
The Campaign to Restore the Voting Rights of People Convicted of a Felony and Sentenced to Probation in Connecticut
Authors: McMiller Darryl L.
Published: December 2007

In May 2001, a Democratic-led Connecticut General Assembly passed a bill restoring the voting rights of convicted felons on probation. The measure, signed into law by then governor John G. Rowland, a Republican, made Connecticut one of the first states to successfully and significantly alter its voter eligibility law in the aftermath of the controversial 2000 presidential election. This was the culmination of a 7-year campaign started when Hartford freshman legislator Kenneth P. Green introduced a bill designed to eliminate Connecticut's restriction on voting rights of persons convicted of felonies. This investigation tells how Green and the Connecticut Voting Rights Restoration Coalition—a racially and ethnically diverse coalition of more than 40 grassroots organizations and social justice and faith-based groups and agencies working in the criminal justice system and 3 legislatively sponsored commissions for women, Latinos, and African Americans—worked together to secure passage of this landmark piece of legislation.
University-Based Educational Programs in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropic Studies: A 10-Year Review and Projections of Future Trends
Authors: Mirabella Roseanne M.
Published: December 2007

From the mid-1990s to the present, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of colleges and universities in the United States involved in the education of nonprofit managers. Currently, 240 universities and colleges across the United States provide courses in nonprofit management education. This article reports on this growth through a compilation of the most recent data available from an electronic database accessible from the World Wide Web. The author maps the growth of the field during the past 10 years by type of program: graduate (including PhD), undergraduate, continuing education, and noncredit. Based on an analysis of developments and changes during the past 10 years, the author looks toward the future of nonprofit management education and philanthropy programs in the United States.
Asymmetric Mutuality: User Involvement as a Government—Voluntary Sector Relationship in Norway
Authors: Andreassen Tone Alm
Published: December 2007

User involvement (UI) has been introduced as a measure to ensure more focused, efficient, client-oriented, service-minded health and welfare services. User involvement as participation in planning and decision making requires collective action on behalf of more or less formally organized groups of people for whom welfare policy is targeted, for instance people with long-term somatic or mental health problems or impairments. User involvement is thus to be understood as a specific kind of government-voluntary relationship. By utilizing a combination of social movement perspectives and neoinstitutional perspectives, the article explores the conditions behind the growth of UI and the characteristics of the relationship of UI compared with other government-voluntary relationships in the field of health and welfare—philanthropy and corporatist relations.
The Multiple Meanings of Violence
Authors: Parkes Jenny
Published: December 2007

Drawing on data from an empirical study of children's engagements with violence in South Africa, this article explores children's talk about violence in their neighbourhood. Violence entered into children's daily lives in many forms, repelling and disempowering them. At the same time, violence could attract, when it was understood as a form of capital or a source of control. As children tried to negotiate subject positions in relation to violence, they experienced conflicts and tensions; in managing these tensions, they both resisted and perpetuated violent beliefs and practices. The article concludes by considering the implications for the well-being of young people, and by suggesting ways in which programmes and interventions might support children's resistance to violence.
Understandings of Care Work With Young Children
Authors: Cameron Claire
Published: December 2007

This paper reviews some of the ways in which early childhood professionals in England discuss aspects of practice in nurseries for preschool age children. The ways in which professionals talk about and react to early childhood practice tell us much about contemporary understandings of such practice and how concepts and policies developed over time are being interpreted and translated on the ground. The data for the study were obtained using a video observation method that asks small groups of selected and knowledgeable people to make spontaneous comments about elements of professional practice, both national and cross-national, that they view on a video. One of the emergent themes from this `talk' was a discourse around children's independence and choice in early childhood services such as childcare centres. This discourse is discussed with reference to the wider discourses on `independence', contrasting current debate in England with that in other European countries.
Synthesis and Characterization of Polyrotaxanes based on Cyclodextrins and Viologen-modified Polydimethylsiloxanes
Authors: Marangoci Narcisa , Fifere Adrian , Farcas Aurica , Harabagiu Valeria , Pinteala Mariana , Simionescu Bogdan C. , Perichaud Alain
Published: December 2007

β-Cyclodextrin ( 1 -CD) and 2 -cyclodextrin ( 2 -CD) (hosts) formed inclusion complexes with 4,41-bipyridinium dication derivatives with long chains (guests), in which the substituents on the bipyridinium nitrogen atoms are 1,3-bis(chloromethylphenethyl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane. The number of 2 -CD molecules threaded onto the polymer chain increases with the length of the guest chain. In contrast, the number of β-CD molecules threaded onto the polymer is approximately 4 corresponding to each molecular chain, due to the repulsive interaction between β-CD and the quaternary bipyridinium units. The complexes were isolated in high yield and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, X-ray diffraction, thermal and scanning electron micrographs studies. As proven by X-ray analysis, the synthesized polyrotaxanes are crystalline materials with crystalline patterns significantly different from that of native cyclic oligosaccharide. The thermal stabilities of polyrotaxanes are higher than that of the physical mixture between cyclodextrin and the alternating copolymer, denoting the formation of the inclusion complexes. Scanning electron micrographs of polyrotaxanes reveal cubic and linear shapes without a well formed shape. Shape regularity and geometrical regularities in the agglomerating forms can be observed.
The Behavior of Polyacrylonitrile Solutions in Dimethylformamide at Very Low Concentrations
Authors: Brunchi C.-E. , Bercea M. , Morariu S.
Published: December 2007

The viscometric behavior of polyacrylonitrile solutions in dimethylformamide at 25°C has been examined at high dilutions. The reduced viscosity—concentration curves are strongly dependent on the flow conditions, being influenced by the viscometer capillary size. The observed viscosity abnormality in the extremely dilute concentration regime is also due to the adsorption phenomena on the viscometer wall surface and to conformational changes of macromolecules in solution.
Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Poly(sulfoxide-urethane)s from 2,2'-Sulfoxidebis(4-methyl phenol) with Various Diisocyanates
Authors: Shockravi Abbas , Atabaki Fariborz , Mallakpour Shadpour , Banihashemi Ahmad
Published: December 2007

A series of novel poly(sulfoxide-urethane)s (PSUs) with enhanced thermal stability and good solubility were prepared by two different processes from 2,2' -sulfoxide bis(4-methyl phenol) with commercially available diisocyanates. In the first process the PSUa-d were prepared by solution polymerization in dry N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) under gradual heating. In the second process, the PSU1-4 were synthesized under reflux conditions. The resulting polymers exhibited inherent viscosities in the range of 0.19—1.10 dL g-1 and 0.13—0.79 dL g -1 for PSUa-d and PSU1-4, respectively. All of the polymers were characterized by Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy and elemental analyses. The PSUs exhibited a good solubility in a variety of polar solvents. The glass transition temperatures of the PSUa-d as determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were in the range 154—2003C. The 10% weight loss temperatures of the PSU a-d as determined by dynamic thermogravimetric analysis were found to be in the range 235—3053C in argon atmosphere.
The crime beat is hard labour now
Authors: Brunt Martin
Published: December 2007

The Sky News crime correspondent insists that the good old days of crime reporting are gone forever. “For years our staple diet of murder, rape and armed robbery was occasionally supplemented by terror,” he writes.” Now terror overshadows everything and I’m forever waiting for another attack, more arrests, a next court appearance or the latest trial opening. Keeping on top of all that requires contacts beyond the police… The glut of terror stories has sometimes put a strain on our relationship with police. Scotland Yard’s counter-terror chief, Peter Clarke, used a speech this year to hit out over leaks that he said were endangering lives… There’s a big difference of opinion among people I talk to: those who insist it’s vital to keep terror plot details secret to avoid prejudicing the trial and those who believe the public has a right to know, as soon as possible, what atrocities are being planned against them.”
War watchdogs or lapdogs?
Authors: Moorcraft Paul , Taylor Philip M.
Published: December 2007

Academics Moorcraft and Taylor argue that it does not matter if journalists rarely have the political impact some of them think they possess, especially in war zones: “Let them believe that if it helps it keeps them to keep going. They can still be witnesses, recording the first draft of history with all its flaws. Taking a long view, there will always be friction in wartime between the media and the military. It is in every democratic citizen’s interest that this is so.” The role of the war correspondent has changed radically over the years, but is still a vital one, they claim: “The BBC’s Alan Little was more pessimistic on the role of journalist as moral witness: ‘A lot of us, especially in Bosnia, thought that the effect of our being there and bearing witness would have a beneficial effect, would in fact change things. In fact, it didn’t change anything.’ But journalists were there to record what happened in some places some of the time. Some of the horrors were recorded. That is the prime directive of the craft. Until the very last days of the Second World War, no foreign journalist recorded Auschwitz for the outside world. At least the concentration camps in Bosnia were filmed early in the Balkan wars. No-one could say, “We didn’t know.”
Journey's end
Authors: Deedes W.F.
Published: December 2007

Bill Deedes, reporter, editor, columnist, Cabinet minister and decorated war hero, died on August 17 at the age of 94. In tribute to a journalistic icon, the British Journalism Review recalls Lord Deedes’ own memories of lifetime love affair with newspapers by publishing an extract from his 1997 memoir, Dear Bill (Macmillan). The extract concludes: “We go this way only once, and there seems so little time in which to explore the world and its wonders, to find out more about the human tragedy – or, as I more often find it, the human comedy – of which we are part. ‘Never forget,’ the Austrian poet Rilke said to his wife as he lay dying, ‘life is magnificent,’ and that is right. I believe there is a future life, but I do not let that discourage me from trying to get the most out of this one.”
Immune Responses to Guided Imagery During Breast Cancer Treatment
Authors: Lengacher Cecile A. , Bennett Mary P. , Gonzalez Lois , Gilvary Danielle , Cox Charles E. , Cantor Alan , Jacobsen Paul B. , Yang Chiu , Djeu Julie
Published: December 2007

Background: The use of relaxation and guided imagery to reduce stress and improve immune function has great potential benefits for patients with breast cancer. Methods: This pilot study used a pretest—posttest experimental design with 28 breast cancer patients, aged 25 to 75 years, with the diagnosis of stage 0, 1, or 2 breast cancer. The experimental group received a relaxation and guided imagery intervention and the control group received standard care. The effects of the intervention on immune function were measured by natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity and IL-2—activated NK cell activity prior to surgery and 4 weeks postsurgery. NK cell activity was measured using a 15-hr incubation chromium release assay. Cytotoxicity of NK cells was measured against chromium-labeled K-562 target cells. IL-2 was used to enhance reactivity of NK cells against tumor cells. After incubation for 15 hr, cytotoxicity was measured through the release of radioactive chromium. Results: Significant differences between groups were found at 4 weeks postsurgery. T-tests showed increased NK cell cytotoxicity for the intervention group at 100:1, 50:1, and 25:1 effector cell: target cell ratios (E:T) ( p < .01 to p < .05) and increased activation for IL-2 at 100:1, 50:1, 25:1, and 12.5:1 (E:T) ( p < .01 to p < .05) for the intervention group as compared to the control group. Discussion: These findings suggest that a relaxation intervention such as guided imagery could have an effect on NK cell cytotoxicity and NK cell cytotoxicity after activation with IL-2 in patients undergoing surgery for breast cancer.
An Accelerometry-Based Comparison of 2 Robotic Assistive Devices for Treadmill Training of Gait
Authors: Regnaux Jean-Philippe , Saremi Kaveh , Marehbian Jon , Bussel Bernard , Dobkin Bruce H.
Published: December 2007

Objective. Two commercial robotic devices, the Gait Trainer (GT) and the Lokomat (LOKO), assist task-oriented practice of walking. The gait patterns induced by these motor-driven devices have not been characterized and compared. Methods. A healthy participant chose the most comfortable gait pattern on each device and for treadmill (TM) walking at 1, 2 (maximum for the GT), and 3 km/h and over ground at similar speeds. A system of accelerometers on the thighs and feet allowed the calculation of spatiotemporal features and accelerations during the gait cycle. Results . At the 1 and 2 km/h speed settings, single-limb stance times were prolonged on the devices compared with overground walking. Differences on the LOKO were decreased by adjusting the hip and knee angles and step length. At the 3 km/h setting, the LOKO approximated the participant's overground parameters. Irregular accelerations and decelerations from toe-off to heel contact were induced by the devices, especially at slower speeds. Conclusions. The LOKO and GT impose mechanical constraints that may alter leg accelerations–decelerations during stance and swing phases, as well as stance duration, especially at their slower speed settings, that are not found during TM and overground walking. The potential impact of these perturbations on training to improve gait needs further study.
“Just Like the Qing Empire”
Authors: Golub Alex , Lingley Kate
Published: December 2007

This article examines discourse about Internet addiction and video—game—related suicide in the People's Republic of China. Through an analysis of media reportage, interview transcripts, and chat rooms, a preliminary account of the origins of contemporary Chinese concerns with Internet addiction is provided. This approach differs from biomedical models, which see Internet suicide as a form of mental illness, similar to drug or gambling addiction. This approach draws on anthropological and sociological models of the cultural construction of social problems and argues that concerns with Internet addiction are part of a more general moral crisis faced by Chinese, in response to rapid consumerism, the medicalization of mental illness, and new forms of public and publicity.
Age of New Media Empires
Authors: Dal Yong Jin  , Chee Florence
Published: December 2007

In this article, the authors attempt to ascertain the factors involved in the swift growth of online games in the context of broader sociocultural elements. Through political economy and ethnographic analysis, they show that online games, like other forms of technology, are sociocultural products that have been historically constituted by certain forms of knowledge and social practice. First, they map out the forces driving their development by examining government policies and competition among online games companies in Korea. They then explore capital flow to investigate the major players in the market. Finally, they explore the sociocultural elements contributing to the diffusion of online games in the cultural milieu specific to Korea.
Relating Online
Authors: Nan Li  , Jackson Michele H. , Trees April R.
Published: December 2007

The theory of dialectical contradictions (L. A. Baxter & B. M. Montgomery, 1996) is used to examine relationships developed in a Chinese online role-playing game, Legend of Mir. Analysis of discourse on a Web-based Legend-theme bulletin board system and a series of online articles identified oppositional tensions in discussion about relationships. Seven contradictions representing three basic thematic families—integration—separation, expression—nonexpression, and stability—change—were identified. Four contradictions signified internal tensions between relational partners, and the rest addressed a relationship's connection with others. Players coped with these contradictions in various ways, drawing on game infrastructure and elements of offline life.
Memoing in qualitative research
Authors: Birks Melanie , Chapman Ysanne , Francis Karen
Published: December 2007

This paper explores memoing in the context of qualitative research methodologies. The functions of memos in the research process are discussed and a number of techniques for employing memo writing to enhance the research experience and outcomes are examined. Memoing is often discussed in the literature as a technique employed in grounded theory research, yet there is limited exploration of the value of memo writing in qualitative methodologies generally. Memoing serves to assist the researcher in making conceptual leaps from raw data to those abstractions that explain research phenomena in the context in which it is examined. Memos can be effectively employed by both the novice and experienced researcher as a procedural and analytical strategy throughout the research process. Data exploration is enhanced, continuity of conception and contemplation is enabled and communication is facilitated through the use of memoing. While guidelines exist to aid in the production and use of memos, memoing remains a flexible strategy wherein the process of construction and nature of content is determined by the preferences and abilities of the researcher and the aims and focus of the specific research study.
Ki-67 predicts outcome in advanced-stage mantle cell lymphoma patients treated with anti-CD20 immunochemotherapy: results from randomized trials of the European MCL Network and the German Low Grade Lymphoma Study Group
Authors: Determann Olaf , Hoster Eva , Ott German , Wolfram Bernd Heinz , Loddenkemper Christoph , Leo Hansmann Martin , Barth Thomas E. F. , Unterhalt Michael , Hiddemann Wolfgang , Dreyling Martin , Klapper Wolfram
Published: December 2007

Clinical outcome of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is highly heterogeneous. Tumor cell proliferation as assessed by the Ki-67 index has been shown to yield prognostic information on MCL in many studies using heterogeneously treated patient cohorts. The prognostic value of the Ki-67 index in patients treated with anti-CD20 therapy has not been studied so far. We analyzed the Ki-67 index at primary diagnosis in 249 advanced-stage MCL patients treated within randomized trials. Ki-67 showed high prognostic relevance for overall survival (relative risk 1.27 for 10% higher Ki-67, P < .001), also independently from clinical prognostic factors. The 3 groups with different Ki-67 index of less than 10%, 10% to less than 30%, and 30% or more showed significantly different overall survival in patients treated with CHOP (P = .001) as well as in patients treated with CHOP in combination with anti-CD20 therapy (R-CHOP, P = .013). Thus, the Ki-67 index remains an important prognostic marker in the era of anti-CD20 therapy. The Euro-pean MCL study is registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov as #NCT00016887.
Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β, carrying the activating mutation D849N, accelerates the establishment of B16 melanoma
Authors: Suzuki Shioto , Heldin Carl-Henrik , Heuchel Rainer Lothar
Published: December 2007

Background

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB and PDGF receptor (PDGFR)-β are mainly expressed in the developing vasculature, where PDGF-BB is produced by endothelial cells and PDGFR-β is expressed by mural cells, including pericytes. PDGF-BB is produced by most types of solid tumors, and PDGF receptor signaling participates in various processes, including autocrine stimulation of tumor cell growth, recruitment of tumor stroma fibroblasts, and stimulation of tumor angiogenesis. Furthermore, PDGF-BB-producing tumors are characterized by increased pericyte abundance and accelerated tumor growth. Thus, there is a growing interest in the development of tumor treatment strategies by blocking PDGF/PDGFR function. We have recently generated a mouse model carrying an activated PDGFR-β by replacing the highly conserved aspartic acid residue (D) 849 in the activating loop with asparagine (N). This allowed us to investigate, in an orthotopic tumor model, the role of increased stromal PDGFR-β signaling in tumor-stroma interactions.

Methods

B16 melanoma cells lacking PDGFR-β expression and either mock-transfected or engineered to express PDGF-BB, were injected alone or in combination with matrigel into mice carrying the activated PDGFR-β (D849N) and into wild type mice. The tumor growth rate was followed and the vessel status of tumors, i.e. total vessel area/tumor, average vessel surface and pericyte density of vessels, was analyzed after resection.

Results

Tumors grown in mice carrying an activated PDGFR-β were established earlier than those in wild-type mice. In this early phase, the total vessel area and the average vessel surface were higher in tumors grown in mice carrying the activated PDGFR-β (D849N) compared to wild-type mice, whereas we did not find a significant difference in the number of tumor vessels and the pericyte abundance around tumor vessels between wild type and mutant mice. At later phases of tumor progression, no significant difference in tumor growth rate was observed between wild type mice and mutant mice, although the pericyte coverage was higher around tumor vessels from mutant mice.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the activated PDGFR-β (D849N) in the host animal increased the total vessel area and the average vessel surface even in PDGF-negative tumors, resulting in a shorter lag phase during tumor establishment.