bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postoperative bladder and rectal function in children with sacrococcygeal teratoma
Authors: Berger Michael , Heinrich Martina , Lacher Martin , Hubertus Jochen , Stehr Maximilian , von Schweinitz Dietrich
Published: November 2010

Background

In patients with sacrococcygeal teratoma, the location of the tumor and surgical intervention affects bladder and rectal function. However, there are no clear guidelines for postoperative assessment of bladder function, and the literature on this subject is scarce especially for children requiring multiple surgical interventions. The aim of this study is to evaluate postoperative bladder and rectal function in children with sacrococcygeal teratoma.

Methods

Retrospective analysis was performed of 25 patients (6 male, 19 female) with sacrococcygeal teratoma operated at our institution from 1998 to 2009. Functional assessment of the bladder and rectum was carried out by clinical follow‐up, rectomanometry, and urodynamic studies. Data of 24 children were available for follow‐up.

Results

Of the 24 children, twelve had bladder dysfunction (50%). Ten children (42%) required more than one surgical intervention. Of the 14 children operated on only once, three developed bladder dysfunction (21%), compared to nine of the 10 children who underwent multiple surgical interventions (90%). All four Altman stages were represented, and bladder dysfunction was found for all tumor types. All children with clinical bladder dysfunction showed abnormalities on urodynamic studies, with seven cases of neurogenic bladder. In contrast, no rectal dysfunction was found.

Conclusions

Bladder dysfunction is a common risk of sacrococcygeal tumors. The risk increases particularly if multiple surgical interventions are needed in order to excise the tumor. Therefore, the need for meticulous and complete excision upon first intent is crucial in order to avoid bladder dysfunction. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2011;56:397–402. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Influence of Si‐doping on the characteristics of InGaGdN/GaN MQWs grown by MBE
Authors: Tawil Siti Nooraya Mohd , Krishnamurthy Daivasigamani , Kakimi Rina , Ishimaru Manabu , Emura Shuichi , Hasegawa Shigehiko , Asahi Hajime
Published: November 2010

We report the investigation on the effects of Si‐doping in the GaN barrier layers of InGaGdN/GaN multiple‐quantum wells (MQWs) prepared by the molecular‐beam epitaxy. X‐ray diffraction results exhibit improved crystal and interfacial qualities for the Si‐doped barrier samples as compared to the undoped barrier sample. The magnetic properties measured with the superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer indicate clear hysteresis and enhanced saturation magnetization with the increase of Si cell temperature for all the Si‐doped barrier MQW samples. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Fabrication of transparent conductive W‐doped SnO2 thin films on glass substrates using anatase TiO2 seed layers
Authors: Nakao Shoichiro , Yamada Naoomi , Hitosugi Taro , Hirose Yasushi , Shimada Toshihiro , Hasegawa Tetsuya
Published: November 2010

Pulsed laser deposition was used to grow W‐doped SnO2 (WTO) thin films on glass substrates. By using 10‐nm‐thick polycrystalline anatase TiO2 seed layers formed on the glass substrates, the lowest resistivity of 3.5 × 10‐4 Ωcm, with a mobility of 84 cm2V‐1s‐1 and a carrier concentration of 2.1 × 1020 cm‐3, was obtained at a W concentration of 1.5 at.%. An optimized WTO film with a sheet resistance of 9.1 Ω/□ exhibited an optical transmittance of over 70% at wavelengths ranging from 400 to 1950 nm. These transport and optical properties are comparable to those of Ta‐doped SnO2 (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Development of X‐ray diffractometer for in‐situ observation of thin‐film crystal growth equipped with focusing monochromator
Authors: Tameoka Hiroshi , Kawase Tatsuya , Tabuchi Masao , Takeda Yoshikazu
Published: November 2010

X‐ray crystal truncation rod scattering measurement is a kind of X‐ray diffraction/scattering measurement, which is a very powerful technique to analyze interface structures quantitatively and non‐destructively. The X‐ray CTR scattering measurement can reveal layer thicknesses, distributions of atoms, surface roughness, and lattice constants at an atomic‐scale. In our previous works, synchrotron radiation (SR) has been utilized as an X‐ray source for the measurement, since it is generally considered that a strong X‐ray is necessary to measure the very weak CTR scattering signal. In this work, using a conventional X‐ray source, i.e., rotating anode X‐ray generator operated at 300 mA and 50 kV, we successfully developed an X‐ray diffractometer that can be used for the X‐ray CTR scattering measurement. The key component was a Johansson monochromator to develop the diffractometer. The Johansson monochromator was utilized both to focus X‐ray at a sample position (to make divergence angle of the incident X‐rays) and to monochromatize Cu‐Kα. By using the Johansson monochromator and a 2D‐detector, a sample was irradiated by a diverging incident X‐ray beam and the scattered X‐ray was detected at the same time. In order to suppress the noise, a Soller slit was introduced. The noise was greatly suppressed and spectrum was drastically improved by using the Soller slit. Without moving the X‐ray source, the sample, nor the detector, a reciprocal space map of a crystal can be obtained by the newly developed diffractometer, and it reduced the measurement time drastically. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Continuous-time quantum walks on the threshold network model
Authors: IDE YUSUKE , KONNO NORIO
Published: November 2010

It is well known that many real world networks have a power-law degree distribution (the scale-free property). However, there are no rigorous results for continuous-time quantum walks on such realistic graphs. In this paper, we analyse the space–time behaviour of continuous-time quantum walks and random walks on the threshold network model, which is a reasonable candidate model having the scale-free property. We show that the quantum walker exhibits localisation at the starting point, although the random walker tends to spread uniformly.
Being the ‘Other’: Teaching U.S. History as a Fulbright Professor in Egypt
Authors: Flanagan Maureen A.
Published: November 2010

If for Russell Johnson the experience of teaching the Gilded Age and Progressive Era in Turkey was that of being in a “not so strange land,” my four months as a Fulbright professor at the University of Alexandria in Egypt were often quite the opposite. There I was truly a stranger in a strange land. But it is important to note right from the start that by strange I mean foreign in the sense that American history of any sort is not part of the Egyptian university curriculum. So much so that before I arrived in Egypt I had been given only a hazy idea of what I might be teaching. Once there I quickly found that I had to jettison the proposal that I had submitted for the Fulbright competition – to teach about the processes and ideas of democracy in U.S. history, most especially in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. The reasons for my inability to teach what I had proposed help explain much about the place of U.S. history, indeed all of “western” history, in Egyptian universities, and how the situation differs enormously from those described for Canada, Mexico, and Turkey. In these “post-eleventh September” days, it seems to me especially important to understand that while in the U.S. we seek to expand our university history curricula into a world vision, in Egypt exactly the opposite has been happening. Why this should be so in the age of globalization, and what lessons it has for U.S. historians, I think are among the valuable insights that can be gained from a Fulbright teaching fellowship in the Arab world.
“In Spiritual Communion”: Eugene V. Debs and the Socialist Christians
Authors: Dorn Jacob H.
Published: November 2010

He had only seen Debs three times, met him twice, and really talked to him once, but when Debs died in 1926, John Haynes Holmes, pastor of New York City's Community Church (Unitarian), himself a distinguished civil libertarian and social reformer, announced that he loved Debs deeply and “honored him above all other men now alive in America.” Why did many people share that love of Debs, and others hate him, Holmes asked. In both cases the answer was Debs' own outflowing love, which common folks cherished but the rich and powerful saw as a threat to the established order. Exactly the same answer explained reactions to Jesus. Holmes spoke at a mass meeting in Debs' memory at the Madison Square Garden and converted a Sunday service at the Community Church into “a public memorial” to Debs: “I shall take his life as my text,” he wrote Theodore Debs, “use his writings for Scripture reading, and place in the pulpit a full-sized copy of Louis Mayer's bust, draped with the Red flag.” Waxing poetic, Holmes had Christ receive Debs into heaven with these words:
Henry Krehbiel: German American, Music Critic
Authors: Horowitz Joseph
Published: November 2010

The “dean” of New York's music critics a century ago, Henry Krehbiel–born in Ann Arbor to German immigrant parents—was emblematic of a vibrant intellectual community that blended Germanic and American traits. As a dominant propagator of a distinctively wholesome American Wagnerism, he embodied both GermanKunstand American meliorism. As a self-made critic, he combined weighty scholarly learning and prose with a nose for news and a popularizing bent. During World War I, the German enemy incited no more patriotic response than his. But Krehbiel was increasingly stranded in postwar America. A bearer of genteel culture, he retained his iron criterion of uplift; no such aesthetic anchor would stabilize art in times to come.
“The Most Beautiful Suffragette“: Inez Milholland and the Political Currency of Beauty
Authors: Nicolosi Ann Marie
Published: November 2010

This article examines the role of beauty and image in the U.S. suffrage movement. It focuses specifically on Inez Milholland and on how she and the movement capitalized on her extraordinary beauty and used her image and media popularity to present an icon for the movement, thereby softening and making acceptable the spectacle of women in public spaces and political matters. Milholland provided the movement with a representation that undermined the association of female political participation with masculine women and gender transgression. She provided a constructed model of acceptable white femininity, one that answered the anti-suffrage movement's accusations that suffragists were masculine women, inverts, and “abnormal” women whose lobbying for the vote was proof of their wretched state. Milholland thereby helped to bring women into the movement who might fear the taint of masculinity and gender transgression.
William McKinley and Us
Authors: Rauchway Eric
Published: November 2010

In the presidential campaign of 2004, George W. Bush's advisor Karl Rove repeated to journalists his long-standing explanation of why he admires William McKinley and expects Bush to reproduce what Rove regards as McKinley's successes. In 2003, Kevin Phillips, a Bush critic, wrote a book explaining how much he also admires McKinley. Eric Schlosser, a muck-raking journalist, saw his playAmericansdebut in London in the fall of 2003 to a theater full of Britons drawn to a play about the assassination of McKinley. Schlosser explains his interest in McKinley by invoking William Faulkner: “The past is never dead. It isn't even past.” By saying so he raises anew the old question of how much our interest in present events ought to inflect our study of the past, but he also raises a question of peculiar interest to historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. The McKinley of Rove, Phillips, and Schlosser—the McKinley whom Rove wants the President to emulate—may sound dimly familiar to us. But does the work of professional historians sustain this gloss on current affairs?
Family Trees and Timber Rights: Albert E. Jenks, Americanization, and the Rise of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota
Authors: Soderstrom Mark
Published: November 2010

Hindsight allows present-day scholars to view the development of academic disciplines in a light that contemporaries would never have seen. Hence, from our perspective, Mary Furner's assertion that anthropology developed as a profession reacting against biology and the physical sciences makes sense, for we tend to celebrate the triumph of cultural anthropology as the coming of age of the discipline. However, this trajectory of professional development was not a necessary or predestined development. Rather, the eventual (if occasionally still embattled) predominance of culture over the categories of race, nation, and biology was only one of many possible outcomes. This paper investigates a different trajectory, one that most current scholars would hope has been relegated to the dustbin of history. It is still a cautionary tale, though, in that while the racial anthropology followed in this narrative did not survive World War II, its practitioners did enjoy a degree of prominence and influence that was much greater and longer than has been generally acknowledged by current accounts.
From Regulation to Censorship: Film and Political Culture in New York in the Early Twentieth Century
Authors: Rosenbloom Nancy J.
Published: November 2010

The struggle over censorship stood at the core of the relationship between the political culture of progressivism and early moving pictures. Called by contemporaries and historians alike a democratic art, the moving pictures invited audiences to participate in the new mass culture of the early twentieth-century. As some early film makers began to use the medium to tell stories, those sitting in small theaters in towns and cities across America saw before them a make-believe world that was nonetheless plausible commentary on the past, the present, and the future. What remained unresolved was how those who championed political reforms, ostensibly in the language of progressive and democratic politics, might harness the power of the medium in redefining American political and social life. How much power the moving pictures and its mass audience might assume energized men and women, particularly progressives in New York City, who sought a more democratic culture, politics, and social life. How much power the moving pictures and its mass audience might assume energized men and women, particularly progressives in New York City, who sought a more democratic culture, politics, and social life. They regarded the political potential of the moving pictures as essential to the empowerment of the masses in an age when social boundaries were in flux. At the same time, they tried and ultimately failed to extend to moving pictures the protection of the First Amendment. They did this because they believed in the political and artistic possibilities of the medium for a democratic culture. In creating a plan to elevate the moving pictures and their places of exhibition, they became locked in a confrontation with other reformers who feared the awesome power of the screen to hasten modernity and all that it implied.
NetNotes
Authors: Phillips Thomas E.
Published: November 2010

Selected postings from the Microscopy Listserver from July 1, 2010 to August 31, 2010. Complete listings and subscription information can be obtained at http://www.microscopy.com. Postings may have been edited to conserve space or for clarity.
Microscopy & Microanalysis 2010
Authors: Mansfield John , Chair Program
Published: November 2010

On August 1–5, 2010, the Microscopy & Microanalysis meeting was held in Portland, Oregon. This annual meeting is sponsored by the Microscopy Society of America and the Microbeam Analysis Society. The meeting was enhanced by participation of the International Metallographic Society and the Microscopical Society of Canada, both of which held their annual meetings in conjunction with M&M. The conference attracted a total of 2,768 attendees from 34 countries, making the meeting the third largest in attendance after Philadelphia in 2000 and Chicago in 2006. The equipment exhibition, always a key element of any M&M meeting, was a great success with 1,007 exhibitor attendees from 108 companies occupying 333 booths, totaling 33,300 square feet (3,094 sq metres).
Satellite Monitoring of Pakistan's Rockslide‐Dammed Lake Gojal
Authors: Kargel Jeffrey S. , Leonard Gregory , Crippen Robert E. , Delaney Keith B. , Evans Stephen G. , Schneider Jean
Published: November 2010

On 4 January 2010, a rockslide 1200 meters long, 350 meters wide, and 125 meters high dammed the Hunza River in Attabad, northern Pakistan, and formed Lake Gojal. The initial mass movement of rock killed 20 people and submerged several villages and 22 kilometers of the strategic Karakoram Highway linking Pakistan and China. Tens of thousands of people were displaced or cut off from overland connection with the rest of the country.

On 29 May, the lake overflow began to pour through a spillway excavated by Pakistani authorities. On approximately 20 July, the lake attained a maximum depth of 119 meters and a torrent at least 9 meters deep issued over the spillway, according to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). To date, the natural dam is holding and eroding slowly. However, the threat of a catastrophic outburst flood remains.
Walking Contradictions: Chinese Women Unbound at the Turn of the Century1
Authors: BROADWIN JULIE
Published: November 2010

Although footbinding ended quickly in urban China once campaigns to eradicate the practice were launched, we cannot assume that reformers' depictions of boundfoot women mirrored women's actual capabilities or their own understandings of the custom. The turn‐of‐the‐century anti‐footbinding platforms, which characterized the practice as lewd, wasteful, and nationally humiliating, are read against evidence suggesting that women saw values of beauty, morality and productivity embodied within their bound feet.
Implicit and explicit attitudes toward ex‐partners differentially predict breakup adjustment
Authors: IMHOFF ROLAND , BANSE RAINER
Published: November 2010

The present research examined the hypothesis that positive implicit attitudes toward a former romantic partner might be detrimental to well‐being as these attitudes lead to more suffering. In a cross‐sectional study (N = 144), implicit ex‐partner attitudes measured with an Affect Misattribution Procedure were negatively related to well‐being only for those participants who had not found a new partner after breakup. In contrast, positive explicit ex‐partner attitudes were related to greater well‐being, again only for those who were still alone. Contrary to the view that time will heal all wounds, the current research suggests that engaging with a new partner will make both implicit and explicit ex‐partner attitudes irrelevant.
Underestimation of the expression of cellular prion protein on human red blood cells
Authors: Panigaj Martin , Brouckova Adela , Glierova Hana , Dvorakova Eva , Simak Jan , Vostal Jaroslav G. , Holada Karel
Published: November 2010

BACKGROUND: Recent transmissions of variant Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease by blood transfusion emphasize the need for the development of prion screening tests. The detection of prions in blood is complicated by the presence of poorly characterized cellular prion protein (PrPC) in both plasma and blood cells. According to published studies, most of PrPC in blood cells resides in platelets (PLTs) and white blood cells.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To clarify conflicting reports about the quantity of PrPC associated with human red blood cells (RBCs), quantitative flow cytometry, Western blot (WB), and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to measure protein levels in healthy donors.

RESULTS: RBCs expressed 290 ± 140 molecules of PrPC per cell, assuming equimolar binding of monoclonal antibody (MoAb) 6H4 to PrPC. Binding of alternate PrPC MoAbs, FH11 and 3F4, was substantially lower. WB estimated the level of PrPC per cell on RBCs to be just four times lower than in PLTs. A similar level of PrPC was detected using ELISA. The weak binding of commonly used MoAb 3F4 was not caused by PrPC conformation, truncation, or glycosylation, suggesting a covalent modification, likely glycation, of the 3F4 epitope.

CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, human RBCs express low but significant amounts of PrPC/cell, which makes them, due to high RBC numbers, major contributors to the pool of cell‐associated PrPC in blood. Previous reports utilizing MoAb 3F4 may have underestimated the amount of PrPC in RBCs. Likewise, screening tests for the presence of the abnormal prion protein in blood may be difficult if the abnormal protein is modified similar to RBC PrPC.
Observer agreement for detection of cardiac arrhythmias on telemetric ECG recordings obtained at rest, during and after exercise in 10 Warmblood horses
Authors: TRACHSEL D. S. , BITSCHNAU C. , WALDERN N. , WEISHAUPT M. A. , SCHWARZWALD C. C.
Published: November 2010

Reasons for performing study: Frequent supraventricular or ventricular arrhythmias during and after exercise are considered pathological in horses. Prevalence of arrhythmias seen in apparently healthy horses is still a matter of debate and may depend on breed, athletic condition and exercise intensity.

Objectives: To determine intra‐ and interobserver agreement for detection of arrhythmias at rest, during and after exercise using a telemetric electrocardiography device.

Materials and methods: The electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings of 10 healthy Warmblood horses (5 of which had an intracardiac catheter in place) undergoing a standardised treadmill exercise test were analysed at rest (R), during warm‐up (W), during exercise (E), as well as during 0–5 min (PE0–5) and 6–45 min (PE6–45) recovery after exercise. The number and time of occurrence of physiological and pathological ‘rhythm events’ were recorded. Events were classified according to origin and mode of conduction. The agreement of 3 independent, blinded observers with different experience in ECG reading was estimated considering time of occurrence and classification of events.

Results: For correct timing and classification, intraobserver agreement for observer 1 was 97% (R), 100% (W), 20% (E), 82% (PE0–5) and 100% (PE6–45). Interobserver agreement between observer 1 vs. observer 2 and between observer 1 vs. 3, respectively, was 96 and 92.6% (R), 83 and 31% (W), 0 and 13% (E), 23 and 18% (PE0–5), and 67 and 55% (PE6–45). When including the events with correct timing but disagreement for classification, the intraobserver agreement increased to 94% during PE0–5 and the interobserver agreement reached 83 and 50% (W), 20 and 50% (E), 41 and 47% (PE0–5), and 83.5 and 65% (PE6–45). The interobserver agreement increased with observer experience.

Conclusions: Intra‐ and interobserver agreement for recognition and classification of events was good at R, but poor during E and poor‐moderate during recovery periods. These results highlight the limitations of stress ECG in horses and the need for high‐quality recordings and adequate observer training.
Effects of feed deprivation on Standardbred horses fed a forage‐only diet and a 50:50 forage‐oats diet
Authors: CONNYSSON M. , ESSÉN‐GUSTAVSSON B. , LINDBERG J. E. , JANSSON A.
Published: November 2010

Reasons for performing study:A higher forage allowance to athletic horses might be an alternative to increase health and the gut fluid reservoir. However, more forage might increase bodyweight (bwt) and could therefore be a limitation during competition.

Objectives:To investigate the effect of a forage‐only diet (FD) compared to a 50:50 (dry matter basis) forage:oats diet (OD) on bwt, plasma protein concentration and some metabolic plasma parameters during 12 h of feed deprivation.

Methods:Twelve adult Standardbred horses in training were used. The 2 diets were fed in 2 experimental periods of 3 weeks each in a crossover design. The last day of each period the horses were fasted for 12 h. The horses were weighed and their water intake measured every day during the trial and every hour during the 12 h feed deprivation. During feed deprivation total plasma protein (TPP), insulin, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), urea, glucose and acetate concentrations were analysed.

Results:Bwt and water intake was higher on FD compared to OD. Bwt loss was higher during feed deprivation on FD compared to OD. TPP was lower before and during the last 8 h of feed deprivation on FD compared to OD. Plasma insulin was lower on FD than on OD at feeding and for 5 h during feed deprivation. Plasma NEFA and urea increased on both diets during feed deprivation. Plasma glucose was not affected by diet or feed deprivation.

Conclusion:High energy forage diets could be an alternative to high grain diets for athletic horses. The small increase in bwt on FD diminished with feed deprivation and the low TPP concentration indicate a greater potential to use an internal fluid compartment to maintain plasma volume.
Synthesis and characterization of dicarboranylmethylammonium polyoxometallates
Authors: Macías Ramón , Kennedy John D. , Bould Jonathan , Thornton-Pett Mark
Published: November 2010

The reaction of [C2B10H11CH2NH3]Cl (3) with [NH4]6[Mo7O24][H2O]4 in water instantly afforded a white precipitate: crystallization from acetone–hexane thence gave the hybrid dicarborane octamolybdate salt, [C2B10H11CH2NH3]2[C2B10H11CH2NH=CMe2]2[Mo8O26][Me2CO]4.5 (5), whereas crystallization from acetonitrile–ether gave three further salts: [C2B10H11CH2NH3]2[C2B10H11CH2NH2CHMe2]2[Mo8O26][MeCN]2 (6), [C2B10H11CH2NH3]4[Mo8O26][MeCN]2[Et2O]2 (7) and [C2B10H11CH2NH3]2[C2B10H11CH2NH2Et]2[Mo8O26][MeCN]2 (8). Similarly, treatment of an acidified solution of Na2WO4 with [C2B10H11CH2NH3]Cl (3) in water also yielded a white precipitate: crystallization from acetone–hexane afforded the salt [C2B10H11CH2NH=CHMe2]4[W10O32][H2O]2[Me2CO]4 (10), whereas crystallization from acetonitrile–ether gave the double salt [C2B10H11CH2NH3]2[C5H5NH]2[W10O32][MeCN]2-[Et2O] (11). All these ‘globule–globule’ salts 5, 6, 8, 10 and 11 have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Crystal structures reveal the presence of various small solvate molecules, together with an extensive network of hydrogen bonds between ammonium groups and oxygen atoms of the isopolyoxometallates. The isopropyl substituent in one of the carborane cations of the salts 6 and the ethyl substituent in one of the carborane cations of salts 8 may result from occluded isopropanol and ethanol in the starting salt 3 with alkylations of the primary ammonium group being assisted by isopolymolybdate anions. The presence of the pyridinium cation in 11 is believed to arise from contamination during work-up the reaction mixture.
Radix astragali (Huangqi) as a Treatment for Defective Hypoglycemia Counterregulation in Diabetes
Authors: Sang Zhen , Zhou Ligang , Fan Xiaoning , McCrimmon Rory J.
Published: November 2010

Radix astragali is a herbal remedy used in China to treat patients with diabetes exposed to repeated episodes of hypoglycemia. The physiological basis or validity of this approach is not clear. In the present study, we examine the effect of pre-treatment with Radix astragali on hormonal counterregulatory responses to hypoglycemia in normal male Sprague-Dawley rats. Four groups of rodents were studied. In two of these groups, rodents were pre-treated for 3 days with either intravenous Radix astragali or control solution and, subsequently, while awake and unrestrained, underwent an in vivo hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemic (50 mg/dl) clamp study. The rodents in other two groups were pre-treated for 7 days with either intravenous Radix astragali or control solution. In addition, for the last 3-days of their treatment, the rats were subjected to a once-daily episode of insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Upon completion of this protocol, each rat underwent a controlled in vivo hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemic (50 mg/dl) clamp study. Radix astragali was shown to amplify the glucose counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia in both untreated and recurrently hypoglycemic rats. Immunocytochemistry studies suggested this might reflect increased neural activation in two key central glucose-sensing regions, the paraventricular hypothalamus and the nucleus tractus solitarius. Based on these rodent studies, we conclude that Radix astragali pre-treatment can amplify the counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia through a mechanism that may involve the central glucose-sensing regions. Future studies to examine the potential therapeutic benefit of Radix astragali in rodent models of type 1 diabetes are warranted.
PHASE DIAGRAM OF STRONGLY INTERACTING THEORIES
Authors: SANNINO FRANCESCO
Published: November 2010

We summarize the phase diagrams of SU , SO and Sp gauge theories as function of the number of flavors, colors, and matter representation as well as the ones of phenomenologically relevant chiral gauge theories such as the Bars-Yankielowicz and the generalized Georgi-Glashow models. We finally report on the intriguing possibility of the existence of gauge-duals for nonsupersymmetric gauge theories and the impact on their conformal window.
Spectroscopic and kinetic investigations on porphyrin J-aggregates induced by polyamines
Authors: Romeo Andrea , Angela Castriciano Maria , Scolaro Luigi Monsù
Published: November 2010

A non-covalent supramolecular approach to build up mesoscopic fractal J-aggregates of meso-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin by using different polyamines under mild acidic conditions is reported. Spermine-induced J-aggregates have been treated as a model system for a kinetic investigation. The kinetic analysis has been performed through two non-conventional approaches as function of a different reagent mixing protocol. In particular, an autocatalytic pathway in which the formation of aggregation nuclei is the rate-determining step is found when porphyrin is added to the reaction mixture as first reagent. In order to gain information on this early stage, a kinetic investigation has been carried out as function of different parameters, such as pH, and both spermine and porphyrin concentration. The nucleation becomes particularly evident when polyamines with fewer than three protonable nitrogen atoms are used. In these cases, a sort of "YES/NO" effect for the aggregation process has been found as a function of the reagent mixing order protocol. Most importantly, the observed kinetic behavior strongly affects the mesoscopic structure of the final aggregates.
The role of the metal ion in the photophysical behavior of Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) octabutoxynaphthalocyanines: insights from ultra-fast time-resolved spectroscopy and DFT/TDDFT calculations
Authors: Ricciardi Giampaolo , Soldatova Alexandra V. , Rosa Angela
Published: November 2010

The photo-deactivation mechanism of the MNc(OBu)8 (M = Co, Ni, Cu) series of complexes is reviewed, with special emphasis on the role played by the central metal. Ultra-fast transient absorption experiments and Density Functional Theory and time-dependent Density Functional Theory calculations consistently show that the central metal modifies the photo-deactivation mechanism of the investigated complexes by inducing substantial changes in the nature and energy of the excited states lying between the photo-generated state and the ground state.
Role of PPARαand Its Agonist in Renal Diseases
Authors: Cheng Ching-Feng , Chen Hsi-Hsien , Lin Heng
Published: November 2010

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α, a member of a large nuclear receptor superfamily, plays a major role in the regulation of lipid metabolism. Recently, PPARαactivation has been shown to confer additional benefits on endothelial function, kidney function, and anti-inflammation, suggesting that PPARαagonists may be good candidates for treating acute renal failure. In clinical application, PPAR-αactivators, such as hypolipidemic drugs in fibric acid class, were proven to have therapeutic effects on metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. This paper focuses on signaling pathways, ligand selectivity, and physio-pathological roles of PPARαin kidney diseases and the therapeutic utility of PPARαmodulators in the treatment of diabetes and inflammation-induced nephropathy. Implication of new and more potent PPAR-αactivators could provide important insights into the overall benefits of activating PPAR-αclinically for the treatment of dyslipidemia and the prevention of diabetic or inflammation-induced nephropathy in the future.
Germline Variation in Apoptosis Pathway Genes and Risk of Non–Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Authors: Kelly Jennifer L. , Novak Anne J. , Fredericksen Zachary S. , Liebow Mark , Ansell Stephen M. , Dogan Ahmet , Wang Alice H. , Witzig Thomas E. , Call Timothy G. , Kay Neil E. , Habermann Thomas M. , Slager Susan L. , Cerhan James R.
Published: November 2010

Background: The t(14;18)(q32;q21) translocation is the most commonly observed chromosomal translocation in non–Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), resulting in constitutive Bcl-2 expression and apoptosis inhibition. In addition, germline variation in both BCL2L11 (BIM) and CASP9, known regulators of apoptosis, has recently been linked to NHL risk. We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of 36 apoptosis pathway genes with risk of NHL.

Methods: We genotyped 226 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) from 36 candidate genes in a clinic-based study of 441 newly diagnosed NHL cases and 475 frequency-matched controls. We used principal components analysis to assess gene-level associations, and logistic regression to assess SNP-level associations. MACH was used for imputation of SNPs in BCL2L11 and CASP9.

Results: In gene-level analyses, BCL2L11 (P = 0.0019), BCLAF1 (P = 0.0097), BAG5 (P = 0.026), and CASP9 (P = 0.0022) were associated with NHL risk after accounting for multiple testing (tail strength, 0.38; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.70). Two of the five BCL2L11 tagSNPs (rs6746608 and rs12613243), both genotyped BCLAF1 tagSNPs (rs797558 and rs703193), the single genotyped BAG5 tagSNP (rs7693), and three of the seven genotyped CASP9 tagSNPs (rs6685648, rs2020902, and rs2042370) were significant at P < 0.05. We successfully imputed BCL2L11 and CASP9 SNPs previously linked to NHL, and replicated all four BCL2L11 and two of three CASP9 SNPs.

Conclusion: We replicated the association of BCL2L11 and CASP9 with NHL risk at the gene and SNP level, and identified novel associations with BCLAF1 and BAG5.

Impact: Closer evaluation of germline variation of genes in the apoptosis pathway with risk of NHL and its subtypes is warranted. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(11); 2847–58. ©2010 AACR.
Sedentary Behavior and Cancer: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Proposed Biological Mechanisms
Authors: Lynch Brigid M.
Published: November 2010

Background: Sedentary behavior (prolonged sitting or reclining characterized by low energy expenditure) is associated with adverse cardiometabolic profiles and premature cardiovascular mortality. Less is known for cancer risk. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the research on sedentary behavior and cancer, to summarize possible biological pathways that may underlie these associations, and to propose an agenda for future research.

Methods: Articles pertaining to sedentary behavior and (a) cancer outcomes and (b) mechanisms that may underlie the associations between sedentary behavior and cancer were retrieved using Ovid and Web of Science databases.

Results: The literature review identified 18 articles pertaining to sedentary behavior and cancer risk, or to sedentary behavior and health outcomes in cancer survivors. Ten of these studies found statistically significant, positive associations between sedentary behavior and cancer outcomes. Sedentary behavior was associated with increased colorectal, endometrial, ovarian, and prostate cancer risk; cancer mortality in women; and weight gain in colorectal cancer survivors. The review of the literature on sedentary behavior and biological pathways supported the hypothesized role of adiposity and metabolic dysfunction as mechanisms operant in the association between sedentary behavior and cancer.

Conclusions: Sedentary behavior is ubiquitous in contemporary society; its role in relation to cancer risk should be a research priority. Improving conceptualization and measurement of sedentary behavior is necessary to enhance validity of future work.

Impact: Reducing sedentary behavior may be a viable new cancer control strategy. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(11); 2691–709. ©2010 AACR.
Role and Importance of Phenoloxidase in Insect Hemostasis
Authors: Eleftherianos Ioannis , Revenis Christina
Published: November 2010

In response to microbial infection, insects mount several defense reactions including the induction of proteolytic cascades that lead to localized melanization and coagulation. Melanization requires the activation of prophenoloxidase (proPO) to its active form phenoloxidase (PO), a key enzyme that leads to the formation of melanin at wound sites and around intruding microorganisms in the hemolymph. Clotting is critical in limiting hemolymph loss and initiating wound healing following injury; it quickly acts to form a solid barrier against infection by immobilizing microorganisms and promoting their killing. Recent advances in Drosophila and other insects imply a possible link between PO and the coagulation system, although the exact molecular mechanisms controlling this interaction appear to be complex and are still not well defined. The development of hemolymph experimental techniques in Drosophila larvae together with proteomic analysis have further led to the identification of proPO as a cross-linking component that is involved in the hardening and melanization of clots. However, clot PO activity varies between insect species and life stages, depending on physiological and ecological conditions. Here we review our current knowledge of the association between PO and coagulation and discuss the implications of the previous findings on insect innate immunity and hemostasis.
The Poor Law of Old England: Institutional Innovation and Demographic Regimes
Authors: Kelly Morgan , Gráda Cormac Ó
Published: November 2010

The striking improvement in life expectancy that took place in England between the Middle Ages and the seventeenth century cannot be explained either by an increase in real wages or by better climatic conditions. The decrease in the risk of utter destitution or of death from famine that was evident on the eve of the Industrial Revolution stemmed, in part, from institutional changes in the old poor law, which began to take shape and become effective early in the seventeenth century.
Characterization of Five Different Implant Surfaces and Their Effect on Osseointegration: A Study in Dogs
Authors: Coelho Paulo G. , Bonfante Estevam A. , Pessoa Roberto S. , Marin Charles , Granato Rodrigo , Giro Gabriela , Witek Lukasz , Suzuki Marcelo
Published: November 2010

Background: Chemical modification of implant surface is typically associated with surface topographic alterations that may affect early osseointegration. This study investigates the effects of controlled surface alterations in early osseointegration in an animal model.

Methods: Five implant surfaces were evaluated: 1) alumina‐blasting, 2) biologic blasting, 3) plasma, 4) microblasted resorbable blasting media (microblasted RBM), and 5) alumina‐blasting/acid‐etched (AB/AE). Surface topography was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and optical interferometry, and chemical assessment by x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The implants were placed in the radius of six dogs, remaining 2 and 4 weeks in vivo. After euthanization, specimens were torqued‐to‐interface failure and non‐decalcified‐processed for histomorphologic bone–implant contact, and bone area fraction–occupied evaluation. Statistical evaluation was performed by one‐way analysis of variance (P <0.05) and post hoc testing by the Tukey test.

Results: The alumina‐blasting surface presented the highest average surface roughness and mean root square of the surface values, the biologic blasting the lowest, and AB/AE an intermediate value. The remaining surfaces presented intermediate values between the biologic blasting and AB/AE. The x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra revealed calcium and phosphorus for the biologic blasting and microblasted RBM surfaces, and the highest oxygen levels for the plasma, microblasted RBM, and AB/AE surfaces. Significantly higher torque was observed at 2 weeks for the microblasted RBM surface (P <0.04), but no differences existed between surfaces at 4 weeks (P >0.74). No significant differences in bone–implant contact and bone area fraction–occupied values were observed at 2 and 4 weeks.

Conclusion: The five surfaces were osteoconductive and resulted in high degrees of osseointegration and biomechanical fixation.
Shifting perspectives: method, media and the complex image
Authors: Colson Alicia , Parry Ross
Published: November 2010

This article argues that the analysis of a threedimensional image demanded a three-dimensional approach. The authors realise that discussions of images and image processing inveterately conceptualise representation as being flat, static, and finite. The authors recognise the need for a fresh acuteness to three-dimensionality as a meaningful – although problematic – element of visual sources. Two dramatically different examples are used to expose the shortcomings of an ingrained two-dimensional approach and to facilitate a demonstration of how modern (digital) techniques could sanction new historical/anthropological perspectives on subjects that have become all too familiar. Each example could not be more different in their temporal and geographical location, their cultural resonance, and their historiography. However, in both these visual spectacles meaning is polysemic. It is dependent upon the viewer's spatial relationship to the artifice as well as the spirito-intellectual viewer within the community. The authors postulate that the multi- faceted and multi-layered arrangement of meaning in a complex image could be assessed by working beyond the limitations of the two-dimensional methodological paradigm and by using methods and media that accommodated this type of interconnectivity and representation.
Using image content for retrieval and navigation
Authors: Lewis Paul H. , Davis Hugh C. , Dobie Mark R. , Hall Wendy
Published: November 2010

Multimedia information collections are becoming increasingly common in the humanities. This paper describes developments in hypermedia and image analysis techniques which are beginning to provide tools for retrieving and navigating through digitally stored visual information. The use of static links for navigating from text has become increasingly popular with the emergence of the World Wide Web, but generic links based on information content matching can provide more powerful information handling capabilities. We show how content based retrieval and generic Unk authoring and following can be applied to image data in multimedia collections. The paper highlights some of the problems with content based techniques applied to image retrieval and navigation and suggests how the introduction of a multimedia thesaurus can overcome some of these problems. The multimedia thesaurus provides a network of concepts in the domain of interest.
The Effect of Different Foam Concentrations on Sperm Motility in Japanese Quail
Authors: Biswas Avishek , Ranganatha O. S. , Mohan Jag
Published: November 2010

A study was conducted to determine the effect of foam extract on sperm motility in the male Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Adult male quails (12 weeks) of heavy body weight strain were housed in individual cages and divided into 5 groups according to the size of their cloacal glands. The data indicated that the size of the cloacal gland was positively correlated with the frequency of foam secretion and total foam production. One gram of freshly collected clean foam was mixed with 1.0 mL of normal saline and homogenized for 10 minutes. After centrifugation at 35 000 rpm, the supernatant was used as 100% foam extract. The extract was diluted to 1:40, 1:20, 1:10, and 1:4 with normal saline to produce 2.5, 5.0, 10, and 25% foam extracts, respectively. 5% foam extract enhanced sperm survival at room temperature (30°–35°C) for 2 to 3 hrs, whereas higher concentrations (10% and above) suppressed sperm motility. From this study, it may be concluded that foam secretion and quantity of foam are directly proportional to the size of the cloacal gland and that the foam enhances and prolongs sperm motility, in vitro at an optimum concentration of 5%.
Capsaicin induces degeneration of cutaneous autonomic nerve fibers
Authors: Gibbons Christopher H. , Wang Ningshan , Freeman Roy
Published: November 2010

Objective

To determine the effects of topical application of capsaicin on cutaneous autonomic nerves.

Methods

Thirty‐two healthy subjects underwent occlusive application of 0.1% capsaicin cream (or placebo) for 48 hours. Subjects were followed for 6 months with serial assessments of sudomotor, vasomotor, pilomotor, and sensory function with simultaneous assessment of innervation through skin biopsies.

Results

There were reductions in sudomotor, vasomotor, pilomotor, and sensory function in capsaicin‐treated subjects (p < 0.01 vs. placebo). Sensory function declined more rapidly than autonomic function, reaching a nadir by Day 6, whereas autonomic function reached a nadir by Day 16. There were reductions in sudomotor, vasomotor, pilomotor, and sensory nerve fiber densities in capsaicin‐treated subjects (p < 0.01 vs. placebo). Intraepidermal nerve fiber density declined maximally by 6 days, whereas autonomic nerve fiber densities reached maximal degeneration by Day 16. Conversely, autonomic nerves generally regenerated more rapidly than sensory nerves, requiring 40–50 days to return to baseline levels, whereas sensory fibers required 140–150 days to return to baseline.

Interpretation

Topical capsaicin leads to degeneration of sudomotor, vasomotor, and pilomotor nerves accompanied by impairment of sudomotor, vasomotor, and pilomotor function. These results suggest the susceptibility and/or pathophysiologic mechanisms of nerve damage may differ between autonomic and sensory nerve fibers treated with capsaicin and enhances the capsaicin model for the study of disease‐modifying agents. The data suggest caution should be taken when topical capsaicin is applied to skin surfaces at risk for ulceration, particularly in neuropathic conditions characterized by sensory and autonomic impairment. ANN NEUROL 2010