bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microglia and the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor/uPA system in innate brain inflammation
Authors: Cunningham Orla , Campion Suzanne , Perry V. Hugh , Murray Carol , Sidenius Nicolai , Docagne Fabian , Cunningham Colm
Published: May 2009

The urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) receptor (uPAR) is a GPI‐linked cell surface protein that facilitates focused plasmin proteolytic activity at the cell surface. uPAR has been detected in macrophages infiltrating the central nervous system (CNS) and soluble uPAR has been detected in the cerebrospinal fluid during a number of CNS pathologies. However, its expression by resident microglial cells in vivo remains uncertain. In this work, we aimed to elucidate the murine CNS expression of uPAR and uPA as well as that of tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI‐1) during insults generating distinct and well‐characterized inflammatory responses; acute intracerebral lipopolysaccharide (LPS), acute kainate‐induced neurodegeneration, and chronic neurodegeneration induced by prion disease inoculation. All three insults induced marked expression of uPAR at both mRNA and protein level compared to controls (naïve, saline, or control inoculum‐injected). uPAR expression was microglial in all cases. Conversely, uPA transcription and activity was only markedly increased during chronic neurodegeneration. Dissociation of uPA and uPAR levels in acute challenges is suggestive of additional proteolysis‐independent roles for uPAR. PAI‐1 was most highly expressed upon LPS challenge, whereas tissue plasminogen activator mRNA was constitutively present and less responsive to all insults studied. These data are novel and suggest much wider involvement of the uPAR/uPA system in CNS function and pathology than previously supposed. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Early ultrastructural defects of axons and axon–glia junctions in mice lacking expression of Cnp1
Authors: Edgar Julia M. , McLaughlin Mark , Werner Hauke B. , McCulloch Mailis C. , Barrie Jennifer A. , Brown Angus , Faichney Andrew Blyth , Snaidero Nicolas , Nave Klaus‐Armin , Griffiths Ian R.
Published: May 2009

Most axons in the central nervous system (CNS) are surrounded by a multilayered myelin sheath that promotes fast, saltatory conduction of electrical impulses. By insulating the axon, myelin also shields the axoplasm from the extracellular milieu. In the CNS, oligodendrocytes provide support for the long‐term maintenance of myelinated axons, independent of the myelin sheath. Here, we use electron microscopy and morphometric analyses to examine the evolution of axonal and oligodendroglial changes in mice deficient in 2′,3′‐cyclic nucleotide 3′‐phosphodiesterase (CNP) and in mice deficient in both CNP and proteolipid protein (PLP/DM20). We show that CNP is necessary for the formation of a normal inner tongue process of oligodendrocytes that myelinate small diameter axons. We also show that axonal degeneration in Cnp1 null mice is present very early in postnatal life. Importantly, compact myelin formed by transplanted Cnp1 null oligodendrocytes induces the same degenerative changes in shiverer axons that normally are dysmyelinated but structurally intact. Mice deficient in both CNP and PLP develop a more severe axonal phenotype than either single mutant, indicating that the two oligodendroglial proteins serve distinct functions in supporting the myelinated axon. These observations support a model in which the trophic functions of oligodendrocytes serve to offset the physical shielding of axons by myelin membranes. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
External labor market strategy and career success: CEO careers in Europe and the United States
Authors: Hamori Monika , Kakarika Maria
Published: May 2009

In this paper, we examine the career histories of the chief executive officers (CEOs) affiliated with the 500 largest organizations in Europe and the 500 largest in the United States. Our purpose is to determine whether frequent career moves across employers, a phenomenon we label an “external labor market strategy,” brings greater career rewards than moves inside the same organization. The results reveal that an external labor market strategy is negatively related to career success. On both continents, CEOs who have spent a smaller fraction of their career in their current organization or have changed employers more often have taken a longer time from the start of their career to be promoted to the most influential corporate positions. The labor market institutions in the 22 countries sampled do not influence the relationship between an external labor market strategy and career success, while the specific geographic region in which the employers are located has a limited impact on this relationship. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fluid flow and heat transfer of mixed convection adjacent to vertical heated plates placed in uniform horizontal flow of air
Authors: Mitsuishi Akihiko , Sakai Akira , Kitamura Kenzo , Misumi Toshiyuki
Published: May 2009

Experiments have been carried out for mixed convective flows of air adjacent to the vertical heated plates in uniform horizontal forced flows to investigate relationships between the flow and the heat transfer. The experiments cover the ranges of the Reynolds and modified Rayleigh numbers: ReL = 160 to 2300 and RaL* = 4.3 × 105 to 2.0 × 108. The flow fields over the plates are visualized with particles and smoke. The results show that a stagnation point moves downward away from the center of the plate when the surface heat flux is beyond a critical value. The condition where the stagnation point begins to move is expressed with non‐dimensional parameters as: GrL*/ReL2.5 = 0.15. Profiles of measured local heat transfer coefficients are smooth even at the stagnation points in all the cases examined. When buoyancy effect is sufficiently weak, the coefficients agree well with those of the wedge flow. With increasing the surface heat flux, the coefficients are augmented to approach asymptotically the boundary layer solution of natural convection along a vertical heated plate. Finally, forced, mixed, and natural convection regimes are classified by the non‐dimensional parameter (GrL*/ReL2.5). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20256
Study on high performance evaporator with micro‐grooves (Measurement of capillary force in a single groove and modeling of heat and mass transfer)
Authors: Shirakashi Ryo , Hagiya Isao , Nishio Shigefumi
Published: May 2009

A micro‐grooved evaporator is composed of µm‐wide grooves on a heat transfer plate in which the inter‐line regions at the liquid–vapor meniscus of coolant become identifiable. The high‐heat performance of the evaporator is realized by this inter‐line region (ILR) where the liquid thin film reduces the thermal resistance on the heat transfer surface. In this report, we propose a numerical simulation model of heat and mass transfer in a single groove to predict its capillary force and heat flux. The capillary force performance (capillary‐rise length in a groove) of a single groove was measured for samples of varying width, superheat, and inclination. The performance was found to be a maximum at a specific groove width of 200–400 µm, which is in good agreement with the predicted results calculated by the proposed model. For a better prediction of capillary‐rise length, the effective capillary force and the effective flow resistance were considered. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20257
Protein–protein docking dealing with the unknown
Authors: Moreira Irina S. , Fernandes Pedro A. , Ramos Maria J.
Published: May 2009

Protein–protein binding is one of the critical events in biology, and knowledge of proteic complexes three‐dimensional structures is of fundamental importance for the biochemical study of pharmacologic compounds. In the past two decades there was an emergence of a large variety of algorithms designed to predict the structures of protein–protein complexes—a procedure named docking. Computational methods, if accurate and reliable, could play an important role, both to infer functional properties and to guide new experiments. Despite the outstanding progress of the methodologies developed in this area, a few problems still prevent protein–protein docking to be a widespread practice in the structural study of proteins. In this review we focus our attention on the principles that govern docking, namely the algorithms used for searching and scoring, which are usually referred as the docking problem. We also focus our attention on the use of a flexible description of the proteins under study and the use of biological information as the localization of the hot spots, the important residues for protein–protein binding. The most common docking softwares are described too. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010
On‐the‐path random walk sampling for efficient optimization of minimum free‐energy path
Authors: Chen Mengen , Yang Wei
Published: May 2009

A sampling method is proposed for the efficient acquisition of minimum free‐energy path (MFEP). Here, the MFEP optimization is realized based on the sampling via single on‐the‐path random walk simulation. The present strategy naturally ensures the on‐the‐path structural continuity so that the MFEP optimization can be simplified and its efficiency can be improved as well. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2009
Use of the revised Posttraumatic Growth Inventory for Children
Authors: Kilmer Ryan P. , Gil‐Rivas Virginia , Tedeschi Richard G. , Cann Arnie , Calhoun Lawrence G. , Buchanan Teresa , Taku Kanako
Published: May 2009

Posttraumatic growth (PTG; positive change resulting from the struggle with trauma) was examined among children impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The revised Posttraumatic Growth Inventory for Children (PTGI‐C‐R) assessed PTG at two time points, 12 (T1) and 22 months (T2) posthurricane. The PTGI‐C‐R demonstrated good reliability. Analyses focused on trauma‐related variables in predicting PTG. Child‐reported subjective responses to the hurricane and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) correlated with PTG at T1; however, in the regression, only PTSS significantly explained variance in PTG. At follow‐up, T1 PTG was the only significant predictor of PTG. Findings suggest that the PTGI‐C‐R may assist efforts to understand children's responses posttrauma.
Sufficient conditions for regularity and uniqueness of a 3D nematic liquid crystal model
Authors: Guillén–González F. , Rodríguez–Bellido M. A. , Rojas–Medar M. A.
Published: May 2009

In [3], L. Berselli showed that the regularity criterion ∇u ∈ (0, T; Lq (Ω)), for some q ∈ (3/2, + ∞], implies regularity for the weak solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations, being u the velocity field. In this work, we prove that such hypothesis on the velocity gradient is also sufficient to obtain regularity for a nematic Liquid Crystal model (a coupled system of velocity u and orientation crystals vector d) when periodic boundary conditions for d are considered (without regularity hypothesis on d). For Neumann and Dirichlet cases, the same result holds only for q ∈ [2, 3], whereas for q ∈ (3/2, 2) ∪ (3, + ∞] additional regularity hypothesis for d (either on ∇ d or Δd) must be imposed.

On the other hand, when the Serrin's criterion u ∈ (0, T; Lp (Ω)) with some p ∈ (3, + ∞] ([16]) for u is imposed, we can obtain regularity of the system only in the problem of periodic boundary conditions for d. When Neumann and Dirichlet cases for d are considered, additional regularity for d must be imposed for each p ∈ (3, + ∞] (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The haematopoietic specific signal transducer Vav1 is aberrantly expressed in lung cancer and plays a role in tumourigenesis
Authors: Lazer Galit , Idelchuk Yulia , Schapira Vered , Pikarsky Eli , Katzav Shulamit
Published: May 2009

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The spectrum of aberrations affecting signalling pathways in lung cancer pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Physiological expression of Vav1 is restricted to the haematopoietic system, where its best‐known function is as a GDP/GTP nucleotide exchange factor for Rho/RacGTPases, an activity strictly controlled by tyrosine phosphorylation downstream of cell surface receptors. Here we find Vav1 expression in 42% of 78 lung cancer cell lines analysed. Moreover, immunohistochemical analysis of primary human lung cancer tissue samples revealed Vav1 expression in 26/59 malignant samples, including adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and bronchioloalveolar carcinoma. Stronger Vav1 staining was associated with larger tumour size. siRNA‐mediated knockdown of Vav1 in lung cancer cells reduced proliferation in agar and tumour growth in nude mice, while control siRNA had no effect, suggesting that Vav1 plays a critical role in the tumorigenicity of lung cancer cells. Vav1 is tyrosine‐phosphorylated in lung cancer cells following activation by the growth factors EGF and TGFα, suggesting its participation in signalling events in these cells. Depletion of Vav1 reduced Rac‐GTP activation and decreased expression of TGFα, an autocrine growth factor. These data suggest that Vav1 plays a role in the neoplastic process in lung cancer, identifying it as a potential therapeutic target for lung cancer therapy. Copyright © 2009 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Risk of thyroid dysfunction and subsequent thyroid cancer among survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study
Authors: Chow Eric J. , Friedman Debra L. , Stovall Marilyn , Yasui Yutaka , Whitton John A. , Robison Leslie L. , Sklar Charles A.
Published: May 2009

Background

To determine the risk of thyroid dysfunction and subsequent thyroid cancer among childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors.

Procedure

Rates of self‐reported thyroid dysfunction and thyroid cancer were determined among 3,579 ALL survivors participating in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, a cohort of 5‐year survivors of pediatric cancers diagnosed from 1970 to 1986, and compared with 3,846 siblings and population rates, respectively.

Results

The cumulative incidence of hypo‐ and hyperthyroidism among survivors 15 years following leukemia diagnosis was 1.6% (95% CI 1.1, 2.1) and 0.6% (95% CI 0.3, 1.1), respectively, both significantly increased compared with siblings. In multivariate analysis, survivors who received ≥20 Gy cranial radiotherapy plus any spinal radiotherapy had the highest risk of subsequent hypothyroidism (HR 8.3, 95% CI 3.3, 20.5) compared with those treated with chemotherapy alone. Craniospinal radiotherapy also was associated with an increased risk of subsequent hyperthyroidism (HR 6.1, 95% CI 1.1, 34.2) compared with chemotherapy alone, as well as an increased risk of subsequent thyroid cancers (SIR 30.3, 95% CI 14.5, 55.7) compared with population rates. In radiation dosimetry analysis, pituitary doses ≥20 Gy combined with thyroid doses ≥10 Gy were associated with hypothyroidism, whereas pituitary doses ≥20 Gy combined with thyroid doses ≥15 Gy were associated with hyperthyroidism.

Conclusions

The risk of thyroid dysfunction and thyroid cancer was increased among childhood ALL survivors treated with craniospinal radiotherapy. In these individuals, long‐term surveillance is warranted as no obvious plateau in risk was seen, even after 25 years of follow‐up. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;53:432–437. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Transient neonatal acquired von Willebrand syndrome due to transplacental transfer of maternal monoclonal antibodies
Authors: Nageswara Rao Amulya A. , Rodriguez Vilmarie , Long Margaret E. , Winters Jeffrey L. , Nichols William L. , Pruthi Rajiv K.
Published: May 2009

Although typically a disorder of adults, acquired von Willebrand syndrome (AVWS) is increasingly being recognized in the pediatric population in association with congenital cardiac diseases, certain neoplasia, and hypothyroidism. Transplacental transfer of maternal immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies as a cause of neonatal disorders in infants born to mothers with autoimmune conditions has been reported. We describe the diagnosis and peripartum clinical management of AVWS due to monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and the first reported case of transient neonatal AVWS due to transplacental transfer of maternal IgG antibodies. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;53:655–657. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reasons for non‐response in observational pharmacogenetic research
Authors: van Wieren‐de Wijer Diane B.M.A. , Maitland‐van der Zee Anke‐Hilse , de Boer Anthonius , Kroon Abraham A. , de Leeuw Peter W. , Schiffers Paul , Janssen Rob G.J.H. , Psaty Bruce M. , van Duijn Cornelia M. , Stricker Bruno H. Ch. , Klungel Olaf H.
Published: May 2009

Purpose

In epidemiological studies, non‐response may introduce bias and limit generalizability. In genetic pharmacoepidemiological research, collection of DNA might be a major reason for non‐response. We determined reasons for non‐response and compared characteristics of non‐responders and responders in a pharmacogenetic case‐control study.

Methods

Myocardial infarction (MI) cases and controls, who were antihypertensive drug users, were recruited through community pharmacies that participate in the Pharmaco‐Morbidity‐Record‐Linkage‐System (PHARMO). The PHARMO database comprises drug dispensing histories of about 2 000 000 subjects from a representative sample of Dutch community pharmacies linked to the national registry of hospital discharges. Independent samples t‐test and ANOVA‐statistics were used to analyse the differences in continuous variables between responders and non‐responders. χ
2 statistics and logistic regression were used to compare categorical variables.

Results

We approached 1871 cases and 14 102 controls of whom 794 MI cases (42.4%) and 4997 controls (35.4%) responded. We could not approach 2194 patients of whom 63.1% had died and 31.2% moved to another pharmacy. Main reasons for non‐response were health problems or hospital stays (16.2%, OR 1.47; 95%CI: 1.00–2.16). Other reasons were old age or dementia (16.9%, OR 1.82; 95%CI: 1.24–2.65). Only a small percentage (1.1%, OR 1.43; 95%CI: 0.41–5.03) mentioned DNA sampling as a reason. About 30% of the non‐responders did not give a reason. Women were statistically significantly (p < 0.0005) less willing to participate than men (38.8% versus 31.3%). An association with age was also found (mean age 64.6 versus 66.5 yrs) (p < 0.0005).

Conclusion

In a pharmacogenetic case‐control study fear for genetic screening was not a major reported reason for non‐response. Females were less willing to participate than males. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Aging of polyethylene pipes transporting drinking water disinfected by chlorine dioxide. I. Chemical aspects
Authors: Colin X. , Audouin L. , Verdu J. , Rozental‐Evesque M. , Rabaud B. , Martin F. , Bourgine F.
Published: May 2009

Aging of unfilled polyethylene (PE) films in concentrated (80–100 ppm) chlorine dioxide (DOC) solutions at 20°C and 40 has been studied by IR spectrophotometry, melt rheometry, chlorine titration, and tensile testing to establish the mechanisms of PE degradation induced by DOC, to determine some important kinetic parameters, to identify the embrittlement mechanism, and to examine the possibility to predict nonempirically embrittlement from a kinetic model. Experimental results reveal that DOC initiates PE oxidation. This latter is responsible for hydroperoxide build‐up, and chain scissions occur when hydroperoxides reach a critical concentration above which they decompose bimolecularly. The weight average molar mass Mw decreases and embrittlement occurs when Mw approaches a value of 70 kg mol−1 as previously found in thermooxidation studies. A mechanistic scheme involving all the elementary steps of PE autooxidation plus one initiation and one termination step involving DOC has been elaborated. The kinetic scheme derived from this mechanistic scheme has been solved numerically and the results of simulations have been compared with experimental results. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
Engineering investigations on the potentiality of the thermoformability of HDPE charged by wood flours in the thermoforming part
Authors: Erchiqui F. , Godard F. , Gakwaya A. , Koubaa A. , Vincent M. , Kaddami H.
Published: May 2009

A dynamic finite element method is used to analyze the thermoformability of composites containing wood and a thermoplastic matrix for five different proportions of wood flour. Linear viscoelastic properties can be obtained by small amplitude oscillatory shear tests and the viscoelastic behavior is characterized using the Lodge model. To account for enclosed gas volume, which inflates the thermoplastic composite membrane, a thermodynamic approach is used to express the external work in terms of a closed volume. Pressure load is deduced by thermodynamic law using the Redlich–Kwong gas equation. The Lagrangian method together with the assumption of membrane theory is used in the finite element implementation. In addition, the influence of air flow on thickness and stress and the energy required to form a thin polymeric part in the thermoforming process are analyzed for five different proportions of wood flour in the HDPE material. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
Synthesis and characterization of poly(acrylic acid‐co‐acrylamide)/hydrotalcite nanocomposite hydrogels for carbonic anhydrase immobilization
Authors: Zhang Ya‐Tao , Fan Li‐Hai , Zhi Tian‐Tian , Zhang Lin , Huang He , Chen Huan‐Lin
Published: May 2009

To combine the advantages of a biopolymer with hydrotalcite in an enzyme immobilization system, the intercalation polymerization was used to prepare poly(acrylic acid‐co‐acrylamide)/hydrotalcite (PAA‐AAm/HT) nanocomposite hydrogels using sodium methyl allyl sulfonate as intercalation agent. Transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results revealed that sodium methyl allyl sulfonate chains entered into the interlayer of HT, the interaction between them has taken place, and HT was dramatically exfoliated into nanoscale and homogeneously dispersed in the PAA‐AAm matrix. Transmission electron microscopy and cryo scanning electron microscope results showed that dried hydrogels were regular spherical particles, and swollen hydrogels revealed homogeneous porous network structures. Then, PAA‐AAm/HT nanocomposite hydrogels were used to immobilize carbonic anhydrase (CA), and the CO2 hydration activities of free enzyme and immobilized enzyme were evaluated. Results showed that immobilized CA retained the majority of the enzyme activity. The reason may be the formation of a microenvironment almost all of which is composed of free water inside the porous network structures. Therefore, the immobilized CA is of great potential in the removal of trace CO2 from the closed spaces. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3232–3240, 2009
Identification and recommended management of leg ulcers
Authors: Robson Jill , Stansby Gerard
Published: May 2009

Our series Prescribing in older people gives practical advice for successful management of the special problems faced by this age group. Here, the authors describe how to recognise and treat leg ulcers. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Interface Ltd
Microstructure and piezoelectric properties of Li‐doped Bi0.5(Na0.825K0.175)0.5TiO3 piezoelectric ceramics
Authors: Chen Xiaoming , Liao Yunwen , Mao Lijun , Deng Yilan , Wang Huaiping , Chen Qiang , Zhu Jiliang , Xiao Dingquan , Zhu Jianguo , Xu Guangliang
Published: May 2009

Piezoelectric ceramics Bi0.5(Na0.825K0.175)0.5TiO3 + x wt% Li2CO3 (abbreviated as BNKTL‐x) with x ranging from 0 to 10 were synthesized by conventional solid‐state reaction. XRD results reveal that the ceramics possess pure perovskite phase from x = 0 to x = 1.0. The SEM micrographs show that ceramics have a dense microstructure with a fine grain size at 1145 °C when x < 5.0. The measurements of dielectric and piezoelectric properties indicate that the optimum piezoelectric properties constant d33 = 174 pC/N at x = 0.5 and planar electromechanical coupling factor kp = 29.7% at x = 0.75 are observed. The depolarization temperature Td of BNKTL‐1.0 ceramics is above 170 °C. It is apparent that the ceramics can be employed in practical applications. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Effect of ecosystem retrogression on stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes of plants, soils and consumer organisms in boreal forest islands
Authors: Hyodo Fujio , Wardle David A.
Published: May 2009

In the prolonged absence of catastrophic disturbance, ecosystem retrogression occurs, and this involves increased nutrient limitation, and reduced aboveground and belowground ecosystem processes rates. Little is known about how the nitrogen and carbon stable isotope ratios (δ15N and δ13C) of plants, soils and consumer organisms respond to retrogression in boreal forests. We investigated a 5000 year chronosequence of forested islands in the boreal zone of northern Sweden, for which the time since lightning‐induced wildfire increases with decreasing island size, leading to ecosystem retrogression. For this system, tissue δ15N of three abundant plant species (Betula pubescens, Vaccinium myrtillus and Pleurozium schreberi) and humus all increased as retrogression proceeded. This is probably due to enhanced ecosystem inputs of N by biological fixation, and greater dependency of the plants on organic N during retrogression. The δ13C of B. pubescens and plant‐derived humus also increased during retrogression, probably through nutrient limitation increasing plant physiological stress. Unlike the plants, δ15N of invertebrates (lycosid spiders and ants) did not increase during retrogression, probably because of their partial dependence on aquatic‐derived prey that had a variable δ15N signature. The δ13C of the invertebrates increased as retrogression proceeded and converged towards that of an aquatic prey source (chironomid flies), suggesting increased dependence on aquatic‐derived prey during retrogression. These results show that measurement of δ15N and δ13C of plants, soils, and consumers across the same environmental gradient can provide insights into environmental factors that drive both the aboveground and belowground subsystems, as well as the linkages between them. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development of a high throughput environment for the optimization of process parameters for the solvothermal synthesis of isomerization catalysts
Authors: Mentges Michael , Richter Rudolf , Maier Wilhelm F.
Published: May 2009

A completely parallelized workflow for the solvothermal synthesis of potential isomerization catalysts has been developed. With design of experiment methodologies, the influence of the process parameters such as water content, detergent type and concentration, synthesis temperature and shaking of the reaction mixture has been studied. The catalyst porosity was tested in high throughput by monitoring the heat of adsorption of probe molecules with emissivity corrected infrared thermography (EC‐IRT). The potential of the optimized materials was tested in a conventional plug‐flow reactor with the isomerization of 4‐Methyl‐1‐pentene as test reaction. In this study, two new isomerization catalysts have been identified, which are highly porous and outperform the reference zeolites Mordenite and Na‐Y at the conditions studied. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 1: 000‐000, 2009
Imaging Features of Constrictive Pericarditis: Beyond Pericardial Thickening
Authors: Napolitano Giuseppe , Pressacco Josephine , Paquet Eleonore
Published: May 2009

Constrictive pericarditis is caused by adhesions between the visceral and parietal layers of the pericardium and progressive pericardial fibrosis that restricts diastolic filling of the heart. Later on, the thickened pericardium may calcify.

Despite a better understanding of the pathophysiologic basis of the imaging findings in constrictive pericarditis and the recent advent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, which has dramatically improved the visualization of the pericardium, the diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis remains a challenge in many cases. In patients with clinical suspicion of underlying constrictive pericarditis, the most important radiologic diagnostic feature is abnormal pericardial thickening, which can be shown readily by computed tomography (CT) and especially by MRI, and is highly suggestive of constrictive pericarditis. Nevertheless, a thickened pericardium does not always indicate constrictive pericarditis. Furthermore, constrictive pericarditis can occur without pericardial thickening.
Putting the Political Back into Political Economy by Bringing the State Back in Yet Again
Authors: Schmidt Vivien A.
Published: May 2009

Dominant theoretical approaches in political economy today, whether they posit convergence to neoliberal capitalism, binary divergence of capitalisms, or tripartite differentiation of financial governance, downplay the importance of state action. Their methodological approaches, rational choice and historical institutionalism, tend to reinforce their substantive theories either by disaggregating the state into its historical institutional components or by focusing on the strategic actions of its rational actors. This article argues that by not taking state action seriously, they are unable to explain the differences in degree and kind of countries' neoliberal reforms. For this, it is necessary to bring the state back in and to put the political back into political economy not just in terms of political economic institutions but also in terms of policies, polity, and politics. To explore the political in all its variety, however, the article demonstrates that at least one more methodological approach, discursive institutionalism, is also needed. This approach, by taking the role of ideas and discourse seriously, brings political actors as sentient beings back in. This in turn also enables the author to explain the dynamics of neoliberal reform in political economy.
Statistical behaviour of the leaves of Riccati foliations
Authors: BONATTI CH. , GÓMEZ-MONT X. , VILA-FREYER R.
Published: May 2009

We introduce the geodesic flow on the leaves of a holomorphic foliation with leaves of dimension one and hyperbolic, corresponding to the unique complete metric of curvature −1 compatible with its conformal structure. We do these for the foliations associated to Riccati equations, which are the projectivization of the solutions of linear ordinary differential equations over a finite Riemann surface of hyperbolic type S, and may be described by a representation ρ:π1(S)→GL(n,ℂ). We give conditions under which the foliated geodesic flow has a generic repeller–attractor statistical dynamics. That is, there are measures μ− and μ+ such that for almost any initial condition with respect to the Lebesgue measure class the statistical average of the foliated geodesic flow converges for negative time to μ− and for positive time to μ+ (i.e. μ+ is the unique Sinaï, Ruelle and Bowen (SRB)-measure and its basin has total Lebesgue measure). These measures are ergodic with respect to the foliated geodesic flow. These measures are also invariant under a foliated horocycle flow and they project to a harmonic measure for the Riccati foliation, which plays the role of an attractor for the statistical behaviour of the leaves of the foliation.
Multifractal analysis of the Lyapunov exponent for the backward continued fraction map
Authors: IOMMI GODOFREDO
Published: May 2009

In this paper we study the multifractal spectrum of Lyapunov exponents for interval maps with infinitely many branches and a parabolic fixed point. It turns out that, in strong contrast with the hyperbolic case, the domain of the spectrum is unbounded and points of non-differentiability might exist. Moreover, the spectrum is not concave. We establish conditions that ensure the existence of inflection points. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that conditions of this type have been given. We also study the thermodynamic formalism for such maps. We prove that the pressure function is real analytic in a certain interval and then becomes equal to zero. We also discuss the existence and uniqueness of equilibrium measures. In order to do so, we introduce a family of countable Markov shifts that can be thought of as a generalization of the renewal shift.
The Rényi entropy function and the large deviation of short return times
Authors: HAYDN NICOLAI , VAIENTI SANDRO
Published: May 2009

We consider the Rényi entropy function for weaklyψ-mixing systems. The first main result of the paper establishes existence and regularity properties. The second main result is obtaining the decay rate for the large deviation of the return time to cylinder sets; we show that it is exponential with a rate given by the Rényi entropy function. Finally, we also obtain bounds for the free energy.
Web 2 technologies for Net Native language learners: a “social CALL”
Authors: Kárpáti Andrea
Published: May 2009

In order to make optimal educational use of social spaces offered by thousands of international communities in the second generation web applications termed Web 2 or Social Web, ICT competences as well as social skills are needed for both teachers and learners. The paper outlines differences in competence structures of Net Natives (who came of age in the 21st century) and the Net Generation of the 1980s and 1990s who evolve in response to changes between Web 1 and Web 2 technologies.

Virtual educational environments in the age of the Social Web represent a perfect embodiment of the Constructionist paradigm: they offer shared discussion and work spaces instead of presentation tools, coaching utilities instead of help desks, and digital learning resource repositories instead of ready-made learning materials. LRE, the European Learning Resource Exchange, and several collaborative web based services and applications will be presented, to illustrate the interrelated change in educational software design and use.

New teaching and learning aids require and at the same time inspire new educational theories. The trialogical learning paradigm that invites all educational stakeholders to work on shared objects of inquiry and development and thus develop epistemic agency will be offered as a foundation for a ‘social CALL’.
Machine translation in foreign language learning: language learners’ and tutors’ perceptions of its advantages and disadvantages
Authors: Niño Ana
Published: May 2009

This paper presents a snapshot of what has been investigated in terms of the relationship between machine translation (MT) and foreign language (FL) teaching and learning. For this purpose four different roles of MT in the language class have been identified: MT as a bad model, MT as a good model, MT as a vocational training tool (especially in the form of translation memories, pre-editing and post-editing), and MT as a “CALL tool”. Subsequently, some of the implications of the use of MT and of free online MT for FL learning are outlined and discussed along with practical examples for language teaching purposes. Finally, qualitative data, drawn from our empirical investigation are presented as synthesized findings pertaining to the perceptions of language learners and tutors in relation to the use of MT and, in particular, free online MT as a language tool.
Kognitiv-verhaltenstherapeutische Behandlung von Angststörungen im hohen Erwachsenenalter
Authors: Eidecker Judith , Gerlach Alexander L.
Published: May 2009

Der Bedarf an Psychotherapie im Alter steigt stetig. Grund dafür sind die veränderte Bevölkerungszusammensetzung sowie die steigende Bereitschaft älterer Patienten, Psychotherapie in Anspruch zu nehmen. In der Versorgungsrealität ist jedoch nur ein Bruchteil der Patienten in ambulanten Psychotherapien über 60 Jahre alt. Ein möglicher Grund dafür könnte in der Unsicherheit der Behandler liegen, inwiefern eine altersspezifische Behandlungsform notwendig ist. Die vorliegende Arbeit gibt einen Überblick über bisherige Forschungsergebnisse zur Psychotherapie von Angststörungen im Alter und diskutiert die Frage, ob und welche Adaptation des psychotherapeutischen Vorgehens für diese Behandlungsgruppe notwendig ist. Insbesondere werden empirische Belege dafür präsentiert, ob bestimmte Formen der Psychotherapie wie zum Beispiel Expositionstherapie kontraindiziert sind. Darüber hinaus wird exemplarisch die Behandlung eines älteren Patienten mit einer spezifischen Phobie dargestellt.
Pharmakotherapie bei Angsterkrankungen
Authors: Plag Jens , Siegmund Anja , Ströhle Andreas
Published: May 2009

Die moderne Psychopharmakotherapie von Angsterkrankungen begann mit der Beobachtung von Donald Klein und Max Fink, dass Imipramin antipanisch wirksam ist. Darauf aufbauend wurde die heute gebräuchliche Klassifikation von Angsterkrankungen entwickelt. Die akut anxiolytisch wirksamen Benzodiazepine sollten aufgrund von Nebenwirkungen und dem Missbrauchs- und Abhängigkeitspotenzials nur in Ausnahmenfällen angewendet werden. Derzeit werden selektive Serotonin- bzw. Serotonin- und Noradrenalin-Rückaufnahme-Inhibitoren als Mittel der ersten Wahl in der Psychopharmakotherapie von Angsterkrankungen angesehen. Daneben sind Pregabalin und Buspiron zur Behandlung der generalisierten Angststörung und Moclobemid zur Behandlung der sozialen Phobie zugelassen. Auch wenn einzelne Studien eine kurz- bis mittelfristige Überlegenheit der Kombination von Psychopharmakotherapie und Psychotherapie beschreiben, scheint diese langfristig, insbesondere nach Beendigung der Pharmakotherapie keine eindeutigen Vorteile zu besitzen. Ein neuer Ansatz zur Kombination von Pharmakotherapie und Psychotherapie wurde ausgehend von präklinischen Befunden entwickelt, die die molekularen Mechanismen von Konditionierung und Extinktion näher charakterisiert haben. Als partieller Agonist an der Glycin-Bindungsstelle des NMDA-Rezeptors verstärkt D-Cycloserin expositionsassoziierte Extinktion. Erste klinische Studien bestätigen die extinktionsfördernde Wirkung von D-Cycloserin bei Patienten mit Höhenangst, sozialer Phobie aber auch bei Zwangsstörungen.

Bereits heute sind gut wirksame und verträgliche Substanzen zur Psychopharmakotherapie von Angsterkrankungen verfügbar. Die Anwendung neuerer, aus präklinischen Befunden abgeleiteten Therapiestrategien im klinischen Alltag muss noch weiter untersucht werden.
The Effect of Element Spacing on Hemispheric Asymmetries for Global/Local Processing
Authors: Schlösser Jan , Hübner Ronald , Studer Tobias
Published: May 2009

In several studies with hierarchical stimuli it has been shown that the left and the right hemispheres are specialized for the processing of local and global information, respectively. However, although corresponding visual-field (VF) effects regularly show up for incongruent stimuli, they are often absent for congruent ones. In this study, it was investigated whether the spacing between the elements of the stimuli has any effect on this phenomenon. Therefore, in Experiment 1, stimuli with narrowly spaced elements were applied. As a result, VF-effects occurred independently of the congruency condition. For comparison, stimuli with wider element spacing were used in Experiment 2. Under these conditions, VF-effects occurred again, as expected, only for incongruent stimuli. These results show that element spacing can have an effect on VF-effects. The results are interpreted in the sense that narrowly spaced elements are perceived as texture, which always leads to an elaborate mental representation of the stimulus that differs between the hemispheres.
Stability of the seasonal distribution of precipitation in the Mediterranean region: Observations since 1950 and projections for the 21st century
Authors: López‐Moreno Juan I. , Vicente‐Serrano Sergio M. , Gimeno Luis , Nieto Raquel
Published: May 2009

A gridded data set of precipitation records since 1950 was used to assess how observed precipitation trends in the Mediterranean area have affected the contribution of monthly precipitation to total annual precipitation in the region. Simulations of nine AOGCMs for a control period (1961–1990) and a SRES A1B scenario (2040–2070) were also used to explore potential future changes. The results indicate that the seasonal distribution of precipitation has remained stable in most of the Mediterranean basin, and that this is expected to remain the case for the first half of the 21st century. This finding is independent of existing precipitation trends and any predicted reduction in precipitation.
Three‐dimensional modeling of equatorial spread F airglow enhancements
Authors: Krall J. , Huba J. D. , Martinis C. R.
Published: May 2009

A sequence of 630.0 nm images obtained with the Boston University all‐sky imaging system at Arecibo (18.3 N, 66.7 W, 28 N mag) shows equatorial spread F (ESF) airglow depletions evolving into ESF airglow enhancements. Using a combination of a meridional wind and a converging zonal wind, the NRL ionosphere model SAMI3/ESF can reproduce ESF airglow enhancements.
Insights into bacterial cellulose biosynthesis by functional metagenomics on Antarctic soil samples
Authors: Berlemont Renaud , Delsaute Maud , Pipers Delphine , D'Amico Salvino , Feller Georges , Galleni Moreno , Power Pablo
Published: May 2009

In this study, the mining of an Antarctic soil sample by functional metagenomics allowed the isolation of a cold-adapted protein (RBcel1) that hydrolyzes only carboxymethyl cellulose. The new enzyme is related to family 5 of the glycosyl hydrolase (GH5) protein from Pseudomonas stutzeri (Pst_2494) and does not possess a carbohydrate-binding domain. The protein was produced and purified to homogeneity. RBcel1 displayed an endoglucanase activity, producing cellobiose and cellotriose, using carboxymethyl cellulose as a substrate. Moreover, the study of pH and the thermal dependence of the hydrolytic activity shows that RBcel1 was active from pH 6 to pH 9 and remained significantly active when temperature decreased (18% of activity at 10 °C). It is interesting that RBcel1 was able to synthetize non-reticulated cellulose using cellobiose as a substrate. Moreover, by a combination of bioinformatics and enzyme analysis, the physiological relevance of the RBcel1 protein and its mesophilic homologous Pst_2494 protein from P. stutzeri, A1501, was established as the key enzymes involved in the production of cellulose by bacteria. In addition, RBcel1 and Pst_2494 are the two primary enzymes belonging to the GH5 family involved in this process.
Biodiversity of benthic microbial communities in bioturbated coastal sediments is controlled by geochemical microniches
Authors: Bertics Victoria J , Ziebis Wiebke
Published: May 2009

We used a combination of field and laboratory approaches to address how the bioturbation activity of two crustaceans, the ghost shrimp Neotrypaea californiensis and the fiddler crab Uca crenulata, affects the microbial diversity in the seabed of a coastal lagoon (Catalina Harbor, Santa Catalina Island, CA, USA). Detailed geochemical analyses, including oxygen microsensor measurements, were performed to characterize environmental parameters. We used a whole-assemblage fingerprinting approach (ARISA: amplified ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis) to compare bacterial diversity along geochemical gradients and in relation to subsurface microniches. The two crustaceans have different burrowing behaviors. The ghost shrimp maintains complex, deep-reaching burrows and permanently lives subterranean, supplying its burrow with oxygen-rich water. In contrast, the fiddler crab constructs simpler, J-shaped burrows, which it does not inhabit permanently and does not actively ventilate. Our goal was to address how varying environmental parameters affect benthic microbial communities. An important question in benthic microbial ecology has been whether burrows support similar or unique communities compared with the sediment surface. Our results showed that sediment surface microbial communities are distinct from subsurface assemblages and that different burrow types support diverse bacterial taxa. Statistical comparisons by canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the availability of oxidants (oxygen, nitrate, ferric iron) play a key role in determining the presence and abundance of different taxa. When geochemical parameters were alike, microbial communities associated with burrows showed significant similarity to sediment surface communities. Our study provides implications on the community structure of microbial communities in marine sediments and the factors controlling their distribution.
Suppressed expression of
RETROGRADE-REGULATED MALE STERILITY
restores pollen fertility in cytoplasmic male sterile rice plants
Authors: Fujii Sota , Toriyama Kinya
Published: May 2009

Conflict/reconciliation between mitochondria and nuclei in plants is manifested by the fate of pollen (viable or nonviable) in the cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS)/fertility restoration (Rf) system. Through positional cloning, we identified a nuclear candidate gene,
RETROGRADE-REGULATED MALE STERILITY
(
RMS
) for
Rf17
, a fertility restorer gene for Chinese wild rice (CW)-type CMS in rice (
Oryza sativa
L.). RNA interference-mediated gene silencing of
RMS
restored fertility to a CMS plant, whereas its overexpression in the fertility restorer line induced pollen abortion. The mRNA expression level of
RMS
in mature anthers depended on cytoplasmic genotype, suggesting that
RMS
is a candidate gene to be regulated via retrograde signaling. We found that a reduced-expression allele of the
RMS
gene restored fertility in haploid pollen, whereas a normal-expression allele caused pollen to die in the CW-type CMS.
RMS
encodes a mitochondrial protein, 178 aa in length, of unknown function, unlike the majority of other
Rf
genes cloned thus far, which encode pentatricopeptide repeat proteins. The unique features of
RMS
provide novel insights into retrograde signaling and CMS.
Schizosacharomyces pombe
RNA polymerase II at 3.6-Å resolution
Authors: Spåhr Henrik , Calero Guillermo , Bushnell David A. , Kornberg Roger D.
Published: May 2009

The second structure of a eukaryotic RNA polymerase II so far determined, that of the enzyme from the fission yeast
Schizosaccharomyces pombe
, is reported here. Comparison with the previous structure of the enzyme from the budding yeast
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
reveals differences in regions implicated in start site selection and transcription factor interaction. These aspects of the transcription mechanism differ between
S. pombe
and
S. cerevisiae
, but are conserved between
S. pombe
and humans. Amino acid changes apparently responsible for the structural differences are also conserved between
S. pombe
and humans, suggesting that the
S. pombe
structure may be a good surrogate for that of the human enzyme.