bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aminoglycoside Ototoxicity: Prevention in Sight?
Authors: Schacht Jochen
Published: December 2010

Despite the development of new antibiotics, the aminoglycosides are still indispensable in the treatment of life‐threatening diseases. Worldwide they are the most commonly used antibiotics, and their use is expected to increase in the wake of the rising incidence of tuberculosis. The most prominent side effects of aminoglycoside treatment—cochlear, vestibular, and renal impairment—are a limiting factor in the utility of these drugs. A novel mechanism of gentamicin ototoxicity is based on observations of iron chelation and free radical formation. Predictions from this mechanism have led to successful therapeutic prevention of ototoxicity by use of iron chelators and radical scavengers in guinea pigs. The drugs used for this interventive treatment affect neither serum levels of gentamicin nor its antibacterial efficacy. Because these drugs are in clinical use, the suggested protective treatment should lend itself to clinical trials. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1998;118:674‐7.)
Does Surgery Improve the Survival of Patients with Advanced Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma?
Authors: LU WEN‐TSOUNG , Lin Jen‐Der , Huang Hong‐So , Chao Tzu‐Chieh
Published: December 2010

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is one of the most lethal neoplasms, with poor prognosis being reported by most authors. The benefits of surgery for most cases of advanced disease remain controversial. In this study we asked the following question: Does surgical intervention alter outcomes for patients with advanced anaplastic thyroid carcinoma? Forty‐six patients with advanced anaplastic thyroid carcinoma were analyzed. There were 20 patients with advanced localized disease (group 1), 15 of whom received surgery. Of the other 26 patients with evidence of distant metastases (group 2), 13 received surgery. For group 1 patients, the mean survival was 12.8 months versus 8.6 months in the surgical and nonsurgical subgroups (p = 0.46). For group 2 patients, the mean survival was 3.5 months versus 2.8 months in the surgical and nonsurgical subgroups (p = 0.72). These data suggest that surgery does not improve survival for patients with advanced anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. In conclusion, the mean survival showed no significant differences between surgical and nonsurgical patients (p = 0.43). This study suggests that surgical resection does not improve the survival of patients with advanced anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1998;118:728–31.)
Validity Study of the Preschool Language Scale-4 With English-Speaking Hispanic and European American Children in Head Start Programs
Authors: Qi Cathy H. , Marley Scott C.
Published: December 2010

The purpose of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Preschool Language Scale—4 (PLS-4) with a sample of English-speaking Hispanic and European American children who attended Head Start programs. Participants were 440 children between the ages of 3 and 5 years (52% male; 86% Hispanic and 14% European American). Participants were administered the PLS-4 and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—III (PPVT-III). The Auditory Comprehension and Expressive Communication subscales and Total Language scale scores for the PLS-4 in this sample had excellent reliability (Kuder Richardson—20s > .90). Validity evidence for the PLS-4 was present, with both subscales being positively correlated with PPVT-III scores. Agreement analysis between the PLS-4 and the PPVT-III indicated that the PLS-4 was less likely to identify a child as having a potential language delay than was the PPVT-III. The results largely support the validity of the PLS-4 for its intended purpose of assessing language skills with preschoolers.
Contingent Valuation and Estimates of Residents’ Support for Revitalization Plans
Authors: Rosentraub Mark S. , Brennan John F.
Published: December 2010

Revitalization efforts often require some commitment of tax dollars for the costs of the related-development projects. Elected and appointed officials often need to gauge support for these investments if electoral approval is required. Contingent valuation surveys can be a precise tool to understand support and concern among different groups of residents. This study illustrates a refined methodology and method for looking at the value placed on a new town center and the required public investment. The results illustrate that there is a considerable base of support for the plan and its financing, but officials would also need to implement an identified strategy to insure electoral support from a majority of residents.
It’s the Conscience Collective, Stupid: Philosophical Aesthetics and the Sociology of Art
Authors: Milner Andrew
Published: December 2010

The article begins with a sociologically triumphalist critique of philosophical aesthetics, grounded in the work of Ernest Gellner and Emile Durkheim. It proceeds to note the practical failure of this kind of sociology to become institutionalized within the wider discipline. It explores a number of possible explanations for this failure, but finally suggests that a normalized sociology of art requires a normalized conception of art itself, such as that tentatively advanced by Pierre Bourdieu and Franco Moretti. The article also has an autobiographical subtext.
Aesthetic Experience, Transitional Objects and the Third Space: The Fusion of Audience and Aesthetic Objects in the Performing Arts
Authors: Woodward Ian , Ellison David
Published: December 2010

Aesthetic experience has been relativized and marginalized by recent social and cultural theory. As less attention has been paid to understanding the nature of aesthetic experience than mapping the distributed social correlates of tastes, its transformative potential and capacity to animate actors’ imaginations and actions goes unexplored. In this paper we draw upon a large number of in-depth interviews with performing arts audiences around Australia to investigate the language and discourse used to describe aesthetic experiences. In particular, we begin with theorizations of the subject-object nexus within object-relations theory to consider the transformative potential of aesthetic experience. Using these literatures, and extending them to others within sociology of the arts and materiality, our focus is on the way aesthetic experience can fuse human subjects with aesthetic objects. We examine how viewers take an aesthetic object into themselves and in turn project themselves into the aesthetic object by various visual and imaginative techniques. Our theoretical and empirical analysis bears out the constructive and productive capacity of aesthetic experience.
The Artwork Made Me Do It: Introduction to the New Sociology of Art
Authors: De La Fuente Eduardo
Published: December 2010

The sociology of art has experienced a significant revival during the last three decades. However, in the first instance, this renewed interest was dominated by the ‘production of culture’ perspective and was heavily focused on contextual factors such as the social organization of artistic markets and careers, and displays of ‘cultural capital’ through consumption of the arts. In this article, I outline a new mode of approaching art sociologically that begins with Alfred Gell’s (1998) Art and Agency, but comes to full fruition in what I am calling the ‘new sociology of art’. A major theoretical statement that captures many of the aspirations of the new approach is Jeffrey Alexander’s essay: ‘Iconic Consciousness: The Material Feeling of Meaning’. It is suggested that the new sociology of art has much in common with material culture studies, and that a more robust concept of the artwork’s agency is needed now that art has well and truly taken on a social and cultural life well beyond those institutions traditionally understood as the ‘art world’.
A methodology to determine permeability distribution of a preform in resin transfer molding process
Authors: Chen YF , Rodriguez A. , Minaie B.
Published: December 2010

This article presents a scheme that directly calculates permeability distribution of a preform during the RTM process. The measured filling front locations as well as the corresponding inlet conditions are used in the proposed scheme to calculate the permeability distribution that also takes into account race-tracking phenomenon. The proposed scheme employs a numerical optimization algorithm to minimize a cost function that leads to the permeability field of the preform. Time-step-independent RTM filling algorithm is utilized as a computational kernel to generate the cost function for the subsequent minimization. Numerical development of the proposed scheme is discussed in this article. In addition, the proposed scheme is applied to several test problems involving a variety of spatial permeability distribution of the preform including a situation that involves race-tracking phenomena.
Roles of reactive oxygen species and mitochondria in cadmium-induced injury of liver cells
Authors: Tao Liu  , Wenting He  , Chuan Yan  , Yongmei Qi  , Yingmei Zhang
Published: December 2010

The roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial damage in the cadmium (Cd)-induced injury of liver cells were studied by using N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and acetyl-L-carnitine hydrochloride (ALCAR). After exposure of experimental rats to cadmium (Cd) for 16 h, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), ROS production, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, glutathione (GSH) content, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and DNA single-strand break (DNA-SSB) were analyzed. Loss of MMP, increase of ROS production, inhibition of GSH-Px activity, elevation of GSH content, rise of MDA content and DNA-SSB level suggest the participation of ROS and mitochondrion in Cd-induced injury of liver cell. NAC pretreatment attenuated oxidative stress, reversed the decline in GSH-Px activity and reduced GSH and MDA levels significantly. However, Cd-induced loss in MMP was significantly exacerbated by NAC. For another, ALCAR did not perform as well as NAC in terms of reducing ROS production, restoring GSH-Px activity and reducing GSH content. Nevertheless, it significantly improved the recovery of MMP and reduction of MDA content. In addition, conspicuous DNA damage was observed in the samples treated with NAC or ALCAR, indicating Cd could attack DNA through other pathways. These results suggest that oxidative stress or mitochondrial impairment plays a main role in different injuries respectively.
Linking Land Use Planning and Regulation to Economic Development: A Literature Review
Authors: Jae Hong Kim
Published: December 2010

This article examines how land use planning and regulation may affect regional economic prosperity by reviewing relevant literature. It identifies a set of complex causal links between land use and regional economies—through (1) development pattern changes and spatial structure reformation, (2) land market efficiency improvements, (3) supply constraints and price increases in property markets, and (4) labor market shifts—that suggest the possibility of countervailing effects. The review also reveals that the economic consequences of land use policies may highly depend on context and that institutional settings as well as substantive policies are essential for achieving more systematic coordination of land use planning and economic development practices.
Ethnicity in Time and Space: A Conceptual Analysis
Authors: Malešević Siniša
Published: December 2010

The study of ethnicity has largely developed in two different and for the most part incommensurable directions of research: the temporal and the spatial. The main aim of this paper is to critically engage with these two dominant paradigms of research in order to articulate a more coherent sociological concept of ethnicity. The author argues that the principal weaknesses of the temporal perspective are cultural reductionism and historical determinism whereas the spatial perspective suffers from analytical particularism and inflexible collectivism. To circumvent these epistemological problems it is necessary to articulate an alternative general understanding that conceptualizes ethnicity as a universal, interactive social situation.
The Targeting of the East Los Angeles Brown Berets by a Racial Patriarchal Capitalist State: Merging Intersectionality and Social Movement Research
Authors: Correa Jennifer G.
Published: December 2010

The Chicano Movement was flourishing throughout the southwestern part of the USA during the late 1960s. The movement was made up of a myriad of non-student and student activist groups in communities, colleges and universities. Its main goal was the economic, political and educational advancement of the Mexican community. Despite initial developments, by the late 1970s, some factions had declined primarily due to repression and violence from the state, patriarchal domination, and from internal ideological conflicts. This study examines the decline of a faction of the movement formerly known as the East Los Angeles Brown Berets between 1967 and 1973. The study focuses on the state and its intersections with ‘mutually constructing systems’ of oppression — racism, sexism, and class — that contributed to the demise of the Brown Berets.
Re-membering Black Greeks: Racial Memory and Identity in Stomp the Yard
Authors: Hughey Matthew W.
Published: December 2010

Critical sociological analysis suggests that the film Stomp the Yard immerses its audience in a myopic legend of African American fraternities and sororities. Combining historical photos of Civil Rights leaders, traditions of ‘stepping’, tales of meritocratic social uplift, and romanticized aspects of historically black college or university (HBCU) culture, Stomp the Yard reveals a hyper-individualistic, conservative, and politically blunted form of historiography. Specifically, five ideological mythologies ground the film’s construction of Civil Rights memory and racialized identities. These mythologies decisively fail to interrogate the complexity of black fraternities and sororities. In so doing, they invite a critical blindness to these organizations’ role in past Civil Rights struggles as well as their intersection with contemporary issues such as classism, hazing, and resistance to contemporary forms of racism and racial inequality.
Perinatal toxicity of cyfluthrin in mice: Developmental and behavioral effects
Authors: Soni I. , Syed F. , Bhatnagar P. , Mathur R.
Published: December 2010

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the teratogenic and behavioral effects of perinatal exposure to cyfluthrin (Synthetic Pyrethroid) on mice offspring. Humans are exposed to this compound as it is widely used in various household insecticide formulations and in public health programmes. Pregnant females were exposed to 16 mg/kg (low dose) and 32 mg/kg (high dose) body weight cyfluthrin daily by oral intubation from gestation day 14 through parturition and lactation up to weaning. On 18th day of gestation, 50% females were euthanized for teratological studies and the remaining were allowed to deliver their pups normally. The fetuses were weighed and observed for gross external malformations and routine teratological examination was done. The neonates were observed for neuromotor reflexes (surface righting, tail hang reflex and pivoting) from day 1 up to day 7 after birth. Movement and exploratory behavior of weanlings were observed using ‘open-field’ and ‘hole-board.’ The fetuses did not show any external malformation. Skeletal aberrations observed included poor ossification of the skull and phalanges and short ribs. Surface righting and pivoting were significantly affected by the high dose. Both doses produced significant changes in the locomotion, exploration, and rearing frequencies in the open-field. The study indicates that cyfluthrin when administered at the above-mentioned doses did not elicit significant teratogenicity but both the doses caused significant difference in behavioral activities.
Performance of statistical methods for meta-analysis when true study effects are non-normally distributed: A simulation study
Authors: Kontopantelis Evangelos , Reeves David
Published: December 2010

Meta-analysis (MA) is a statistical methodology that combines the results of several independent studies considered by the analyst to be ‘combinable’. The simplest approach, the fixed-effects (FE) model, assumes the true effect to be the same in all studies, while the random-effects (RE) family of models allows the true effect to vary across studies. However, all methods are only correct asymptotically, while some RE models assume that the true effects are normally distributed. In practice, MA methods are frequently applied when study numbers are small and the normality of the effect distribution unknown or unlikely. In this article, we discuss the performance of the FE approach and seven frequentist RE MA methods: DerSimonian–Laird, Q-based, maximum likelihood, profile likelihood, Biggerstaff–Tweedie, Sidik–Jonkman and Follmann–Proschan. We covered numerous scenarios by varying the MA sizes (small to moderate), the degree of heterogeneity (zero to very large) and the distribution of the effect sizes (normal, skew-normal and ‘extremely’ non-normal). Performance was evaluated in terms of coverage (Type I error), power (Type II error) and overall effect estimation (accuracy of point estimates and error intervals).
Female Critics of Islamism: Liberal or Secular Islam?
Authors: Cliteur Paul
Published: December 2010

The author distinguishes between two types of criticism of Islamism: ‘liberal Islam’ and ‘secular Islam’. The meaning and consequences of this difference in approach is analyzed with reference to the work of Chadortt Djavann, Irshad Manji, Mina Ahadi and Taslima Nasreen. The difference of approach is especially relevant in the way one looks at ‘interpretation’. This will be illustrated by analyzing a discussion between Tariq Ramadan and Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Fair Trade Sex: Reflections on God, Sex, and Economics
Authors: Cooper Thia
Published: December 2010

God, sex, and economics are all intertwined. The trafficking of people for sex intensifies each year. The sex trade crosses a spectrum from ‘high class’ escorts to sex slaves. The sex industry includes toys, pornography, and the exchange of sex between buyers, sellers, and managers. In this market exists sexual poverty caused by injustice, the imbalance of sexual power between individuals and within structures. Poverty pushes people into the market to sell, to be sold. Theologically there is a harmful, top-down, and irrelevant theology that often ignores our sexuality. Liberation theology’s hermeneutical circle, a circle of action and reflection in community, can address sexual poverty. Its steps include: 1. assessing our situation; 2. analyzing our situation with academic tools; 3. analyzing our faith; and 4. praxis; right action. It can help us to draw the line between sexual exploitation and the celebration of sex as a way to know God.
The Relationship Between Symptom Prevalence and Severity and Cancer Primary Site in 796 Patients With Advanced Cancer
Authors: Kirkova Jordanka , Rybicki Lisa , Walsh Declan , Aktas Aynur , Davis Mellar P. , Karafa Matthew T.
Published: December 2010

Knowledge of differences in symptom experience between cancer sites may help better understand symptom pathophysiology. A total of 38 symptoms in 796 consecutive patients with advanced cancer were retrospectively analyzed. Symptom prevalence and severity were compared among the 12 primary site groups (PSGs) by the chi-square test. Pairwise comparisons determined which sites differed. Pain, fatigue, weakness, lack of energy, and anorexia had the highest overall prevalence but did not differ among PSGs. The 3 most common neuropsychological symptoms (insomnia, depression, and anxiety) also did not vary among PSGs. Nineteen (50%) symptoms varied significantly between PSGs, in prevalence (17), severity (14), or both (12). Nine of 17, 6 of 14, and 6 of 12 were gastrointestinal symptoms. Symptoms which varied by PSGs can be included in cancer site-specific symptom assessment instruments.
A Multilevel Model of Transformational Leadership and Adaptive Performance and the Moderating Role of Climate for Innovation
Authors: Charbonnier-Voirin Audrey , El Akremi Assâad , Vandenberghe Christian
Published: December 2010

Using a multilevel framework, we hypothesized that (a) individual perceptions of transformational leadership and (b) team-level transformational leadership climate would be positively related to individual adaptive performance. We also hypothesized that a stronger climate for innovation would enhance the association between transformational leadership and adaptive performance at the individual level. Hierarchical linear modeling conducted on data collected from 120 employees belonging to 35 teams and their managers in an organization operating in the aerospace industry confirmed our predictions. The significance and relevance of these findings for future research on transformational leadership and adaptive performance are discussed.
Team Self-Managing Behaviors and Team Effectiveness: The Moderating Effect of Task Routineness
Authors: Rousseau Vincent , Aubé Caroline
Published: December 2010

This study investigates the role of team members’ self-managing behaviors in regard to three dimensions of team effectiveness. Furthermore, this study examines the moderating effect of task routineness on these relationships. The sample consists of 97 work teams (341 members and 97 immediate supervisors) drawn from a public safety organization. Results show that team self-managing behaviors are positively related to team performance, team viability, and team process improvement. Results also indicate that task routineness moderates the relationships that team self-managing behaviors have with team performance and team viability such that these relationships are stronger when the level of task routineness is low. However, this moderating effect is not significant in regard to the relationship between team self-managing behaviors and team process improvement. Taken together, these findings suggest that emphasis on team self-managing behaviors may enhance team effectiveness, but this enhancement effect is contingent on task routineness.
Stochastic optimal semi-active control of stay cables by using magneto-rheological damper
Authors: Zhao M , Zhu WQ
Published: December 2010

Stochastic optimal semi-active control for stay cable multi-mode vibration attenuation by using magneto-rheological (MR) damper is developed. The Bingham model for an MR damper is used. The force produced by an MR damper is split into passive and active parts. The passive part is combined with structural damping forces into effective damping forces. The partially averaged Itô stochastic differential equations for controlled modal energies are derived by applying the stochastic averaging method for quasi-integrable Hamiltonian systems. Then the dynamical programming equation for controlled modal energies with an index involving control force is established by applying the stochastic dynamical programming principle, and a stochastic optimal semi-active control law is obtained by solving the dynamical programming equation. For controlled modal energies with an index not involving control force, bang-bang control law is obtained without solving a dynamical programming equation. A comparison between the two control laws shows that the stochastic optimal semi-active control strategy is superior to the bang-bang control strategy in the sense of higher control effectiveness and efficiency and less chattering.
Rotation and magnetic field effects on P wave reflection from a stress-free surface of elastic half-space with voids under one thermal relaxation time
Authors: Abo-Dahab SM , Mohamed RA , Singh Baljeet
Published: December 2010

The present paper is devoted to the investigation of the influence of the rotation, thermal field, magnetic field and voids on the reflection of a P wave with one relaxation time. The basic governing equations for isotropic and homogeneous generalized thermoelastic half-spaces with voids, rotation and Maxwell’s stress are formulated in the context of the Lord Shulman theory. The boundary conditions at the stress-free thermally insulated surface are satisfied to obtain an algebraic system of four equations in the reflection coefficients of various reflected waves. It is shown that there exist four plane waves: P1, P 2, P3 and P4. In addition, the reflection coefficients from insulated and stress-free surfaces for the incident P wave are obtained. Finally, numerical values of the complex modulus of the reflection coefficients are visualized graphically to display the effects of the rotation, magnetic field, thermal relaxation time and void parameters.
Disease course and outcome of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is more severe in adults than in children
Authors: Ketelslegers IA , Visser IER , Neuteboom RF , Boon M , Catsman-Berrevoets CE , Hintzen RQ
Published: December 2010

Background: Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) affects children more frequently than adults. Current studies investigating ADEM in different age groups are difficult to compare.

Objective: To investigate whether the clinical presentation, outcome and disease course of ADEM differ between adults and children.

Methods: Disease characteristics of 25 adults and 92 children suffering from ADEM between 1988 and 2008 were compared.

Results: The most common presenting symptoms of ADEM in both groups were pyramidal signs and encephalopathy. Ataxia occurred more frequently in children ( p = 0.002). In general, MRI showed ill-defined and large white matter lesions in both groups, whereas periventricular lesions were more prevalent in adults ( p = 0.001). In adults, duration of hospitalization was longer ( p = 0.002) and intensive care unit (ICU) admission was more frequently required ( p = 0.043). Three adults (12%) and one child (1%) died ( p = 0.030). Fewer adults had complete motor recovery after their first clinical event ( p < 0.001). In 73 patients follow-up time was ≥ 2 years and most of these patients remained monophasic. Although relapses after ADEM can occur, only one adult (5%) and five children (6%) converted to MS.

Conclusions: The clinical presentations in children and adults share similarities, but the disease course and outcome of ADEM is more severe in adults with respect to hospitalization, ICU admission, recovery and mortality.
The Variegated Cultures of Philanthropy: National and Corporate Impacts on Private Foundation Governance
Authors: Lew Stephen , Wójcik Dariusz
Published: December 2010

This paper explores philanthropic finance by analysing data on the sizes and structures of the 20 highest-giving private foundations in the US, the UK, Germany and Japan in 2005. It is shown that socio-cultural rather than purely economic indicators are better predictors of private foundation giving. Foundations in the four countries show similarities in terms of age, geographic scope, areas of funding and lack of performance measurement. Methods of income generation, asset management and capital deployment, however, differ significantly between countries. We suggest that, while philanthropic culture and governance exist, they bear the features of national business culture and governance. Conclusions are drawn for the feasibility of competition and collaboration, as well as the use of performance metrics, among private foundations.
Financial Inclusion and Social Protection: A Case for India Post
Authors: Priyadarshee Anurag , Hossain Farhad , Arun Thankom
Published: December 2010

Analysis of empirical evidence from three Indian states suggests that financial inclusion strategies may be inefficient if designed without accounting for the government social protection programmes. Social protection programmes generate additional needs for financial services among the poor, meeting which can also deepen the impact of such programmes. Being a government department and the largest financial service-providing network, India Post may be most suitably located to implement such synergistic strategies. An examination of the official data on India Post indicates that the approach of diversifying its financial products to target higher-end clients in largely urban areas may not be appropriate due to its competitive disadvantage. We argue that delivery of financial services through post offices, built around social protection, may contribute to financial inclusion in rural areas while improving revenues of India Post.
The Political Economy of Andrew Carnegie's Library Philanthropy, with a Reflection on its Relevance to the Philanthropic Work of Bill Gates
Authors: Stevenson Siobhan
Published: December 2010

When it was announced in 1997, Bill Gates' library philanthropy programme attracted a tremendous amount of media attention. A central feature of that coverage was a renewed interest in Andrew Carnegie's library building programme. While identifying the historical similarities between Carnegie and Gates is an interesting exercise, failure to ground these comparisons in a critical policy analysis frame that attends to the political economy of largescale private philanthropy seriously limits, if not jeopardizes, the public library community's ability to respond to the broader cultural implications of Gates' library programme. Here, the radical philanthropic approach is used to frame a historical analysis of Andrew Carnegie's philanthropy as a response to the contemporary class warfare of the period, within which he was deeply implicated. Unpacking Carnegie's library philanthropy for its ideological importance in the struggle over the ownership and control of the means of industrial production provides a powerful analytic lens through which to view capital's updated hegemonic project, as reflected in Gates' philanthropy, which is designed to bring software and internet connectivity to America's public libraries.
Gel polymer electrolyte based on poly(methyl methacrylate-maleic anhydride)-poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether and organophilic rectorite clay
Authors: Huang Yun , Wang Xu , He Xianru , Yang Yan
Published: December 2010

A grafted polymer (P(MMA-MAh)-PEGME)) was synthesized by reacting poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether (PEGME) with copolymer of poly(methyl methacrylate-maleic anhydride) (P(MMA-MAh)and end-capping the residual carboxylic acid with methanol. Natural rectorite (REC) was made organophilic by modification with the surfactant dodecyl benzyl dimethyl ammonium chloride. The organoclay was termed OREC and was used as a filler additive to modify gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) which consisted of the grafted polymer (used as a polymer matrix), propylene carbonate (PC) as a plasticizer and LiClO4 as a lithium ion producer.

The temperature dependence of the ionic conductivity of the GPEs agreed well with the VTF (Vogel-Tamman-Fulcher) relation. 5 phr doses of OREC resulted in the highest ionic conductivity. Using OREC also considerably improved the plasticizer retention levels. As a consequence of OREC occupation of the free volume space in the polymer matrix of GPEs, the bulk resistance of the GPEs was reduced and the glass transition temperature (Tg) increased. From the present research, it can be concluded that the incorporation of PEGME into the copolymer of P(MMA-MAh) produced a great improvement in ionic conductivity, plasticizer retention capability and movement of carrier charge of Li+.
Effect of extensive drying on the cation exchange capacity of bentonites
Authors: Kaufhold S. , Dohrmann R.
Published: December 2010

Extensive drying of smectites can cause the interlayer space to break down (collapse). This can affect the properties of bentonites as geotechnical barriers of HLRW (highly radioactive waste) repositories. If and to what extent the collapse occurs depends strongly on the type of interlayer cation. In particular K is known to lead to ready dehydration, in contrast to Ca and Mg. In the present study, various bentonites and one illite/smectite clay were dried/heated at 90ºC for 1.5 a and in a different experiment at 120ºC for 4.5 a and investigated with respect to mineralogical and geochemical changes of the smectite.

Smectite alteration after extensive drying was restricted to changes of the exchangeable cations. The CEC decreased by 9% (90ºC test) and 14% (120ºC test). A slight decrease of exchangeable Na+ was observed following the 90ºC test. No significant further decrease was observed after the 120ºC test. In contrast, the larger cation exchange capacity (CEC) decrease after the 120ºC test could be explained by increased Ca/Mg fixation. A possible mechanism for the observations is presented.
Comparative influence of burial depth on the clay mineral assemblage of the Agadir-Essaouira basin (western High Atlas, Morocco)
Authors: Daoudi L. , Ouajhain B. , Rocha F. , Rhouta B. , Fagel N. , Chafiki D.
Published: December 2010

In the western High Atlas basin, the evolution of the clay assemblage of the Upper Jurassic–Cretaceous sedimentary series is controlled by palaeogeographic changes of the basin and by burial diagenesis.The effects of burial are expressed by an increase in the proportions of illite and chlorite with depth, a decrease of expandability of smectite minerals and by a decrease in the Kübler Index.Kaolinite is preserved at greater depths than smectite, but also tends to diminish in abundance. TEM observations show that idiomorphic pseudo-hexagonal crystals of illite increase in size and abundance downwards, especially in the sandy levels.In the Agadir section, the main change in the clay mineral evolution related to late diagenesis occurs at the Mid-Albian, corresponding to a burial depth of about 1800 m; in the Essaouira section it occurs at the Lower Tithonian at a burial depth of about 2100 m.Considering the different geothermal gradient between Agadir (36ºC km–1) and Essaouira (27ºC km–1), the disappearance of smectite occurs at the same temperature in these two sites (60 to 65ºC).
Mineralogical and physicochemical characterization of a natural bleaching earth containing sepiolite suitable for fast filtration and bioseparation
Authors: Emmerich K. , Steudel A. , Schuhmann R. , Weidler P. G. , Ruf F. , Sohling U.
Published: December 2010

A clay from the Mediterranean area classified as natural bleaching earth was comprehensively characterized and the quantitative phase content was determined. Morphology and surface characteristics were determined by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and nitrogen adsorption. The BET surface area was >200 m2 g–1 and the average mesopore diameter was >10 nm. Thus the clay is suitable for bioseparation of larger proteins. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), cation exchange capacity (CEC), layer charge measurement and simultaneous thermal analysis (STA) were used for mineralogical characterization. Determination of the phase content by Rietveld analysis was possible only after Sr2+ saturation, while Rietveld analysis of XRD patterns from Na+-saturated clay resulted in a strong overestimation of the amorphous content and masking of the sepiolite. The clay consists of sepiolite, dioctahedral smectite with high layer charge and low stack height, X-ray amorphous matter (probably mainly SiO2) and accessory feldspars.
Mineralogical characterization of fibrous zeolites from the Kahrizak volcanic suite, south Tehran, Iran
Authors: Kusehlar M. , Tutti F. , Mirnejad H. , Lalonde A. E.
Published: December 2010

Selected samples of large cavity filling and vein-type fibrous zeolites from Eocene volcanic rocks in the Kahrizak region, northern Iran, have been studied for their mineralogical and chemical characteristics. X-ray powder diffraction and electron microprobe analyses confirmed the presence of natrolite, mesolite and scolecite with compositions of [Na14.922Ca0.202K0.015Ba0.002] [Al15.697Si24.267O80]·nH2O, [Ca15.714Na14.224][Al46.431Si73.398O240]·nH2O and [Ca7.804Na0.142K0.024Ba0.012Mg0.006][Al15.320Si24.437O80]·nH2O, respectively. In addition, examination of textural relationships in thin sections and back-scattered electron images reveals a paragenetic order in which the Ca-rich zeolites crystallized first. It is most probable that the fibrous zeolites of Kahrizak were formed during two pulses of hydrothermal activity in the area. Scolecite and mesolite were precipitated from Ca-rich solution, whereas the second stage Na-rich, low-temperature fluid crystallized natrolite and reacted with Ca-species.
Hydroniumpharmacosiderite, a new member of the pharmacosiderite supergroup from Cornwall, UK: structure and description
Authors: Mills S. J. , Kampf A. R. , Williams P. A. , Leverett P. , Poirier G. , Raudsepp M. , Francis C. A.
Published: December 2010

Hydroniumpharmacosiderite, ideally (H3O)Fe4(AsO4)3(OH)4·4H2O, is a new mineral from Cornwall, UK, probably from the St. Day group of mines. It occurs as a single yellowish green, slightly elongated cube, measuring 0.17 mm ×0.14 mm ×0.14 mm. The mineral is transparent with a vitreous lustre. It is brittle with a cleavage on {001}, has an irregular fracture, a white streak and a Mohs hardness of 2–3 (determined on H3O-exchanged pharmacosiderite). Hydroniumpharmacosiderite has a calculated density of 2.559 g cm–3 for the empirical formula. The empirical formula, based upon 20.5 oxygen atoms, is: [(H3O)0.50K0.48Na0.06]1.04(Fe3.79Al0.22)4.01[(As2.73P0.15)2.88O12](OH)4·4H2.14O. The five strongest lines in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern are [dobs(Å),Iobs,(hkl)]: 8.050,100,(001); 3.265,35,(112); 2.412,30,(113); 2.830,23,(202); 4.628,22,(111). Hydroniumpharmacosiderite is cubic, space group with a = 7.9587(2) Å, V = 504.11(2) Å3 and Z = 1. The crystal structure was solved by direct methods and refined to R1 = 0.0481 for 520 reflections with I > 2σ(I). The structure is consistent with determinations for H3O-exhchanged pharmacosiderite and the general pharmacosiderite structure type.
A temperature-dependent structure study of gem-quality hibonite from Myanmar
Authors: Nagashima M. , Armbruster T. , Hainschwang T.
Published: December 2010

The structure of hibonite from Myanmar (space groupP63/mmc,Z= 2, at room temperaturea= 5.5909(1),c= 21.9893(4) Å), with simplified formula CaAl12O19and composition (Ca0.99Na0.01)Σ1.00was investigated between temperatures of 100 K and 923 K by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Structure refinements have been performed at 100, 296, 473 and 923 K. In hibonite from Myanmar, Ti substitutes for Al mainly at the octahedral Al4 site and, to a lesser degree, at the trigonal bipyramidal site, Al2. The Al4 octahedra build face-sharing dimers. If Ti4+substitutes at Al4, adjacent cations repulse each other for electrostatic reasons, leading to off-centre cation displacement associated with significant bond-length distortion compared to synthetic (Ti-free) CaAl12O19. Most Mg and smaller proportions of Zn and Si are assigned to the tetrahedral Al3 site. 12-coordinated Ca in hibonite replaces oxygen in a closest-packed layer. However, Ca is actually too small for this site and engages in a ‘rattling-type’ motion with increasing temperature. For this reason, Ca does not significantly increase thermal expansion coefficients of hibonite. The expansion of natural Ti,Mg-rich hibonite between 296 and 923 K along thexand thezaxes is αa= 7.64×10–6K–1and αc= 11.19×10–6K–1, respectively, and is thus very similar to isotypic, synthetic CaAl12O19and LaMgAl11O19(LMA).
Mast cell hyperplasia, B-cell malignancy, and intestinal inflammation in mice with conditional expression of a constitutively active kit
Authors: Gerbaulet Alexander , Wickenhauser Claudia , Scholten Julia , Peschke Katrin , Drube Sebastian , Horny Hans-Peter , Kamradt Thomas , Naumann Ronald , Müller Werner , Krieg Thomas , Waskow Claudia , Hartmann Karin , Roers Axel
Published: December 2010

Signaling through the receptor tyrosine kinase kit controls proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic precursor cells and mast cells. Somatic point mutations of the receptor that constitutively activate kit signaling are associated with mastocytosis and various hematopoietic malignancies. We generated a Cre/loxP-based bacterial artificial chromosome transgenic mouse model that allows conditional expression of a kit gene carrying the kitD814V mutation (the murine homolog of the most common mutation in human mastocytosis, kitD816V) driven by the kit promoter. Expression of the mutant kit in cells of adult mice, including hematopoietic precursors, caused severe mastocytosis with 100% penetrance at young age frequently associated with additional hematopoietic (mostly B lineage–derived) neoplasms and focal colitis. Restriction of transgene expression to mature mast cells resulted in a similar mast cell disease developing with slower kinetics. Embryonic expression led to a hyperproliferative dysregulation of the erythroid lineage with a high rate of perinatal lethality. In addition, most adult animals developed colitis associated with mucosal mast cell accumulation. Our findings demonstrate that the effects of constitutive kit signaling critically depend on the developmental stage and the state of differentiation of the cell hit by the gain-of-function mutation.
High-scatter T cells: a reliable biomarker for malignant T cells in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
Authors: Clark Rachael A. , Shackelton Jeffrey B. , Watanabe Rei , Calarese Adam , Yamanaka Kei-ichi , Campbell James J. , Teague Jessica E. , Kuo Helen P. , Hijnen DirkJan , Kupper Thomas S.
Published: December 2010

In early-stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), malignant T cells are confined to skin and are difficult to isolate and discriminate from benign reactive cells. We found that T cells from CTCL skin lesions contained a population of large, high-scatter, activated skin homing T cells not observed in other inflammatory skin diseases. High-scatter T (THS) cells were CD4+ in CD4+ mycosis fungoides (MF), CD8+ in CD8+ MF, and contained only clonal T cells in patients with identifiable malignant Vβ clones. THS cells were present in the blood of patients with leukemic CTCL, absent in patients without blood involvement, and contained only clonal malignant T cells. The presence of clonal THS cells correlated with skin disease in patients followed longitudinally. Clonal THS cells underwent apoptosis in patients clearing on extracorporeal photopheresis but persisted in nonresponsive patients. Benign clonal T-cell proliferations mapped to the normal low-scatter T-cell population. Thus, the malignant T cells in both MF and leukemic CTCL can be conclusively identified by a unique scatter profile. This observation will allow selective study of malignant T cells, can be used to discriminate patients with MF from patients with other inflammatory skin diseases, to detect peripheral blood involvement, and to monitor responses to therapy.
Cellular origin(s) of chronic lymphocytic leukemia: cautionary notes and additional considerations and possibilities
Authors: Chiorazzi Nicholas , Ferrarini Manlio
Published: December 2010

Several cell types have been suggested as giving rise to chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and these suggestions have reflected the sophistication of technology available at the time. Although there is no consensus as to the normal cellular counterpart(s) in the disease, an antigen-experienced B lymphocyte appears required based on surface membrane phenotypes and gene expression profiles. However, what is still unclear is whether a single or multiple normal precursors were stimulated to evolve into CLL and at what stage(s) this occurred. A unifying, parsimonious theory is that CLL clones with either mutated or unmutated IGHVs derive from marginal zone B cells. However, evidence for remarkably similar B-cell receptor amino acid sequence and striking differences in polyantigen and autoantigen-binding activity, found in some but not all CLL clones, challenge a single-cell derivation for CLL. In this Perspective, we summarize data regarding normal counterparts of CLL cells and suggest that a multistep process of leukemogenesis is important to consider when assigning a cellular origin for this disease. Finally, although available data do not definitively identify the cell(s) of origin, we offer possibilities for single- and multiple-cell origin models as straw men that can be improved on and hopefully lead to final answers to this puzzle.
Pulmonary function measures predict mortality differently in IPFversuscombined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema
Authors: Schmidt S.L. , Nambiar A.M. , Tayob N. , Sundaram B. , Han M.K. , Gross B.H. , Kazerooni E.A. , Chughtai A.R. , Lagstein A. , Myers J.L. , Murray S. , Toews G.B. , Martinez F.J. , Flaherty K.R.
Published: December 2010

The composite physiologic index (CPI) was derived to represent the extent of fibrosis on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), adjusting for emphysema in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We hypothesised that longitudinal change in CPI would better predict mortality than forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) or diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DL,CO) in all patients with IPF, and especially in those with combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE).

Cox proportional hazard models were performed on pulmonary function data from IPF patients at baseline (n = 321), 6 months (n = 211) and 12 months (n = 144). Presence of CPFE was determined by HRCT.

A five-point increase in CPI over 12 months predicted subsequent mortality (HR 2.1, p = 0.004). At 12 months, a 10% relative decline in FVC, a 15% relative decline inDL,COor an absolute increase in CPI of five points all discriminated median survival by 2.1 to 2.2 yrsversuspatients with lesser change. Half our cohort had CPFE. In patients with moderate/severe emphysema, only a 10% decline in FEV1predicted mortality (HR 3.7, p = 0.046).

In IPF, a five-point increase in CPI over 12 months predicts mortality similarly to relative declines of 10% in FVC or 15% inDL,CO. For CPFE patients, change in FEV1was the best predictor of mortality.
Transforming growth factor-β gene polymorphisms in different phenotypes of sarcoidosis
Authors: Pabst S. , Fränken T. , Schönau J. , Stier S. , Nickenig G. , Meyer R. , Skowasch D. , Grohé C.
Published: December 2010

The aetiology of sarcoidosis is unclear. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in transforming growth factor (TGF)-β2 and -β3 have been reported to be associated with the development of lung fibrosis in patients with sarcoidosis.

SNPs in TGF-β2 (rs1891467) and TGF-β3 (rs3917200) were investigated in 296 patients with sarcoidosis (acute/self remitting, n = 70 (including 62 patients with Löfgren's syndrome); chronic, n = 168; acute/chronic, n = 58) by real-time PCR. 32 patients showed radiological signs of lung fibrosis. The genotype frequencies were compared among the sarcoidosis groups as well as to 377 healthy controls.

We found a significant association with the G-allele in rs1891467 in TGF-β2 and an acute/self remitting course of sarcoidosis compared to a chronic course (p = 0.001). The results were even more evident for patients with Löfgren's syndrome (p<0.001). Moreover, we could demonstrate a borderline significance between TGF-β3 (rs3917200) and lung fibrosis (p = 0.050).

Carriers of the G-allele in rs1891467 might be protected from developing a chronic course. Moreover, there is evidence that rs3917200 is involved in the development of lung fibrosis in sarcoidosis. This study is the first in sarcoidosis patients to suggest a genetic implication of TGF-β2 as a protective factor in the course of sarcoidosis.