bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
No evidence supports vitamin E indiscriminate supplementation
Authors: Dotan Yedidia , Lichtenberg Dov , Pinchuk Ilya 
Published: October 2009

AbstractFor many years, the prevailing concept was that LDL oxidation plays the central role in atherogenesis. As a consequence, supplementation of antioxidants, particularly vitamin E, became very popular. Unfortunately, major randomized clinical trials yielded disappointing results and recent meta‐analyses concluded that indiscriminate, high dose vitamin E supplementation results in increased mortality. This conclusion raised (quite reasonable) criticism, much of which referred to the characteristics of meta‐analysis. In our recent study, we used a Markov‐model approach, which is free of most of the limitations of meta‐analyses. Our major finding was that the average quality‐adjusted life years (QALY) of vitamin E‐ supplemented individuals was 0.30 QALY (95%CI 0.21 to 0.39) less than that of untreated people. In our view, this supports the view that indiscriminate supplementation of high dose vitamin E can not be recommended to the general public.In the present communication we address several recent studies that demonstrated negative effects of vitamin E and raise possible mechanisms that may be responsible for the harmful effects of vitamin E supplementation. We also review recent studies conducted with specific groups of patients that gained from vitamin E supplementation, indicating that although, on the average, indiscriminate supplementation of high dose vitamin E is not beneficial, specific populations may gain from vitamin E. The challenge is to establish selection criteria that will predict who is likely to benefit from vitamin E supplementation. Such criteria may be based either on the assumption that antioxidants are likely to be beneficial for people under oxidative stress or on knowledge regarding the benefit of sick people with certain diseases. In short, we adopt the view that vitamin E is a “double‐edge sword” that should not be consumed until criteria are defined to predict who is likely to benefit from high dose supplementation of vitamin E. © 2009 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
The effects of gender, family status, and race on sentencing decisions
Authors: Freiburger Tina L. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThis study sought to determine the effects of family role, gender, and race on judges' sentencing decisions. To assess these effects, factorial surveys were sent to 360 Court of Common Plea judges who presided over criminal court cases in the state. Survey administration resulted in a 51% response rate. The findings indicate that defendants who were depicted as performing caretaker roles had a significantly decreased likelihood of incarceration. Further analysis found that the reduction in likelihood of incarceration for being a caretaker was larger for males than for females. Examination of the interaction of familial role with race found that familial role equally reduced the likelihood of incarceration for black and white females. Familial responsibility, however, resulted in a significantly greater decrease in likelihood of incarceration for black men than for white men. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bereitstellung von Energie und Rohstoffen für eine den biogenen Stoffkreisläufen nachempfundene, nachhaltige Stoffwirtschaft – Eine neue Herausforderung für die Bioverfahrenstechnik?
Authors: Trösch W. , Hirth T. , Rupp S. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractEine komplexe, globale Herausforderung ist die Destabilisierung globaler Stoffgleichgewichte (Kreisläufe), die sich insbesondere im Anstieg des atmosphärischen Kohlenstoffdioxidgehalts ablesen lässt. So ist die Erhaltung des CO2/O2‐Gleichgewichtes, das im Wesentlichen durch die Übervölkerung des Planeten und die heutige Form der freien globalisierten Marktwirtschaft gestört wird, künftig eine zentrale Aufgabe der Bioverfahrenstechnik. Möglichkeiten und Wege, nachwachsende Rohstoffe energieeffizient einzusetzen, werden hier beschrieben.
Electrocatalytic Reduction of Oxygen at Anthraquinonedisulfonate/Polypyrrole Composite Film Modified Electrodes and Its Application to the Electrochemical Oxidation of Azo Dye
Authors: Zhang Guoquan , Zhao Sha , Yang Fenglin , Liu Lifen 
Published: October 2009

AbstractWe report here the electrocatalytic reduction of oxygen on thin anthraquindisulfonate (AQDS)/poplypyrrole (PPy) composite film modified electrodes and its application to the electrooxidation of azo dye‐amaranth. The polymer‐coated cathode exhibited good electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), and allowed the formation of strong oxidant hydroxyl radical (.OH) in the medium via Electro‐Fenton's reaction between cathodically generated H2O2 and added or regenerated Fe2+. The electrochemical behaviors of ORR in various pH solutions were described using cyclic voltammetry (CV), rotating disk electrode (RDE) and chronoamperometric (CA) techniques. The effect of solution pH on amaranth mineralization by the Fe2+/H2O2 and Fe3+/H2O2 electrooxidation systems was studied. In addition, the long‐term electrocatalytic activity and stability of the AQDS/PPy composite film during multiple experimental runs were also examined electrochemically.
Electrochemistry and Voltammetric Determination of Adenosine with N‐Hexylpyridinium Hexafluorophosphate Modified Electrode
Authors: Sun Wei , Duan Yuanyuan , Li Yinzhuo , Zhan Tianrong , Jiao Kui 
Published: October 2009

AbstractAn ionic liquid N‐hexylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate (HPPF6) modified carbon paste electrode was fabricated for the sensitive voltammetric determination of adenosine in this paper. Carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) was prepared by mixing graphite powder and HPPF6 together and the CILE was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical methods. The electrochemical behaviors of adenosine on the CILE were studied carefully. Compared with the traditional carbon paste electrode (CPE), a small negative shift of the oxidation peak potential appeared with greatly increase of the oxidation peak current, which indicated the presence of ionic liquid in the carbon paste not only as the binder but also as the modifier and promoter. Under the optimal conditions the oxidation peak current increased with the adenosine concentration in the range from 1.0×10−6 mol/L to 1.4×10−4 mol/L with the detection limit of 9.1×10−7 mol/L (S/N=3) by differential pulse voltammetry. The proposed method was applied to the human urine samples detection with satisfactory results.
The Fabrication and Characterization of a Nickel Nanoparticle Modified Boron Doped Diamond Electrode for Electrocatalysis of Primary Alcohol Oxidation
Authors: Stradiotto Nelson R. , Toghill Kathryn E. , Xiao Lei , Moshar Amir , Compton Richard G. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractWe report the fabrication of a Ni nanoparticle modified BDD electrode and its application in the electrocatalysis of primary alcohol electrooxidation. Modification was achieved via electrodeposition from Ni(NO3)2 dissolved in sodium acetate solution (pH 5). Characterization of the Ni‐modified BDD (Ni‐BDD) was performed using ex situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) and high resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX). Large nanoparticles of nickel were observed on the BDD surface ranging 5 to 690 nm in height and 0.18 μm−3 in volume, and an average number density of ca. 13×106 nanoparticles cm−2 was determined. The large range of sizes suggests progressive rather than instantaneous nucleation and growth. Electrocatalysis of ethanol and glycerol, was conducted in an alkaline medium using an unmodified BDD, Ni‐BDD and a bulk Ni macro electrode. The Ni‐BDD electrode gave the better electrocatalytic performance, with glycerol showing the greatest sensitivity. Linear calibration plots were obtained for the ethanol and glycerol additions over concentration ranges of 2.8–28.0 mM and 23–230 μM respectively. This gave an ethanol limit of detection of 1.7 mM and sensitivity of 0.31 mA/M, and the glycerol a limit of detection of 10.3 μM with a sensitivity of 35 mA/M.
Double Modification of Electrode Surface for the Selective Detection of Epinephrine and Its Application to Flow Injection Amperometric Analysis
Authors: Xu Guang‐Ri , Qi Xin‐hua , Yang Fengxia , Lee Jae‐Joon , Xu Ming‐Lu , Zhang Yu‐Ping , Kim Sunghyun 
Published: October 2009

AbstractA glassy carbon electrode having two polymer layers has been applied to selectively detect epinephrine. The inner layer formed by electropolymerization of macrocyclic nickel complex functioned as an electrocatalyst for epinephrine oxidation and the outer layer composed of hydrolyzed polyurethane γ‐benzyl L‐glutamate as a screening layer. Differential pulse voltammetry showed almost 100% recovery of epinephrine even in 100‐fold excess of interferents. When applied to a dual glassy carbon electrode as an amperometric detector in flow injection analysis, a linear response over 0.1 μM and 10 μM was obtained. Recovery tested for 5‐fold diluted human urine samples was 97.5%.
Gully processes and gully dynamics
Authors: Kirkby M. J. , Bracken L. J. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThis synthetic review of gully morphology and genesis focuses on incised semi‐permanent gully systems rather than on shallow ephemeral gullies. It examines the conditions for gully formation; a sharp step to initiate a headcut, a sufficiently low effective bedload fraction to evacuate eroded material, and the potential to maintain steep sidewalls, usually dominated by mass movement processes. Gully formation is also favoured by an indurated surface layer which maintains steep sideslopes, often with armouring material from the capping layer, and a sharp headcut which does not diffuse away. Two different approaches towards the areal modelling of gully system development agree in treating the ratio of advective (channel) to diffusive (sideslope) processes as a key determinant of the morphology of a gully system as it evolves. Implications for gully prevention and remediation are briefly discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mechanisms of ephemeral gully erosion caused by constant flow through a continuous soil‐pipe
Authors: Wilson G. V. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractEphemeral gully erosion is considered to be driven by convergent surface flow while the role of subsurface flow is often overlooked. This study sought to characterize and quantify the soil erosion mechanisms associated with ephemeral gully erosion by pipe flow. A soil pipe (1 cm o.d.) was formed in a 10 cm soil bed immediately above a 5 cm water restricting layer. Flow into the soil pipe was established at steady‐state rates of 190 and 284 l h−1. Experiments were performed for pipe flow alone and with rainfall. Despite a constant flow rate into soil pipes, pipe flow was highly unstable due to internal mass wasting clogging soil pipes until pressure increases forced the debris plug out of the pipe. Short (10–20 Seconds) periods of negligible flow were followed by surges in flow with high sediment concentrations that included a high proportion of aggregates. Increases in soil water pressures associated with these debris flows were observed but were likely not representative of the pressures inside the soil pipes due to hydraulic non‐equilibrium between the soil pipe and soil matrix. Hydraulic non‐equilibrium resulted in hydraulic gradients in the opposite direction of flow through the soil pipe during early stages of pipe flow. Pipe flow rates and sediment concentrations during debris flow periods were likely more extreme than observed due to integration over the three minute sample collection interval. The Slot Erosion Test (SET) was extended to conditions of constant flow rate through an internal soil pipe that was observed at the front face of a soil bed. The modified SET provided estimates of shear stress between 2·2 to 5·3 kg m−1 s−2, however, the technique did not prove effective for estimation of the soil erodibility coefficient. Published in 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of Holocene climate and sea‐level changes on coastal gully evolution: insights from numerical modelling
Authors: Leyland Julian , Darby Stephen E 
Published: October 2009

AbstractGullies are sensitive to a range of environmental disturbances so they can provide insight into the environmental history of surrounding landscapes. Coastal gullies are of particular interest as they are influenced by terrestrial and marine processes. For example, the coastal gullies found on the Isle of Wight, UK, are highly dynamic, with episodes of sea cliff erosion causing rejuvenation of the channel network. Consequently a key factor in their long‐term evolution is the relative balance between rates of cliff retreat (driven primarily by Holocene sea‐level rise) and headwards incision caused by knickpoint migration (driven primarily by Holocene climate via its impact on runoff). In this paper we explore the Holocene erosional history of these gullies using a numerical landscape evolution model modified to include a cliff recession function. Knickpoint recession rates are simulated using a detachment‐limited erosion law wherein erosion rate is a power function of drainage area and stream gradient with model parameters defined using empirically‐derived data. Hindcast simulations, from 12 000 cal. years BP to present, are undertaken for a range of scenarios of Holocene climate change and sea‐level rise. Plausible erosional histories are extracted from scenarios in which simulated and observed gully forms match. The results suggest that rate of sea‐level rise is the key control on gully formation and that it is only in the late Holocene period, and specifically in the last 2000 years, that sea‐level rise has slowed sufficiently for knickpoint recession rates to exceed cliff recession rates and create sustainable gully networks. The simulations also indicate that the contemporary gully systems are close to a critical threshold, suggesting that future gully evolution is likely to be sensitive to small changes in rates of effective precipitation and/or sea‐level rise. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Catchment scale analysis of the effect of topography, tillage direction and unpaved roads on ephemeral gully incision
Authors: Svoray Tal , Markovitch Hila 
Published: October 2009

AbstractHigh‐resolution airphotographs and digital elevation models (DEMs) were used to study areas prone to gully incision in a small agricultural catchment in northern Israel. Data are analyzed to understand better the integrated effect of environmental and human factors on gully incision. The effect of flow accumulation, slope, unpaved roads density and tillage direction on gully width and length is found discontinuous and topography – in the form of the topographic threshold – was found to be the most dominant factor on gully incision in the catchment scale. The topographic threshold coefficients observed in Yehezkel catchment were lower than those found in previous studies, due to the effect of large rainfall events during the early winter season, when the soil in fields is still unprotected by crops. In addition, a survey of previous studies shows that, in cultivated areas, there is relationship between the topographic threshold coefficients a (multiplier) and b (exponent). The influence of unpaved roads and tillage direction on gully incision was also found significant and consistent during the two seasons observed, while the non‐parametric test showed that it added to the prediction in ∼15% of the gullies. Incision points density plot show that of the two parameters, the unpaved roads were found to have greater influence on gully‐head location than tillage direction. Studying the phenomenon on the catchment scale allows better understanding of the effect of spatial variation on gully‐head location. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modelling the occurrence of gullies in rangelands of southwest Spain
Authors: Gómez Gutiérrez Álvaro , Schnabel Susanne , Felicísimo Ángel M. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractGully erosion has been recognized as an important soil degradation process in rangelands of southwest Spain. In this paper, a relatively new data mining technique called Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) was applied to construct a model capable of predicting the location of gullies. A large database was used to support the model composed of a target variable (presence or absence of gullies) and 36 independent variables related to topography, lithology, soils, rainfall, land use and vegetation cover. The performance of the model was evaluated using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve for five external datasets. The model had high predictive power, with values for the area under the ROC curve of the external validation datasets varying from 0·75 to 0·98 (1·0 being perfect prediction). The most important variables explaining the spatial distribution of gullies were lithology and soil type. Finally the model was compiled and implemented into a geographical information system to obtain maps of susceptible areas for gully erosion. These maps show that approximately 7% of the study area presents favourable conditions for the development of gullies. The results demonstrate that MARS constitutes a valuable model in geomorphic research and could also be a useful tool for assessing the impacts of changing climate and land use on gully erosion. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Silibinin can induce differentiation as well as enhance vitamin D3‐induced differentiation of human AML cells ex vivo and regulates the levels of differentiation‐related transcription factors
Authors: Zhang Jing , Harrison Jonathan S , Uskokovic Milan , Danilenko Michael , Studzinski George P 
Published: October 2009

AbstractInduction of terminal differentiation is a conceptually attractive approach for the therapy of neoplastic diseases. Although vitamin D derivatives (deltanoids) can induce differentiation of AML cells in vitro, so far deltanoids have not been successfully brought to the clinic, due to the likelihood of life‐threatening hypercalcemia. Here, we incubated freshly obtained blood cells from patients with AML with a plant antioxidant (PAOx), silibinin (SIL), alone or together with a deltanoid. Twenty patients with AML (all subtypes except M3) were available for this study, and in 14 (70%), SIL (60 µM) either induced differentiation ex vivo, or enhanced differentiation induced by deltanoids, or both. Interestingly, SIL acting alone induced differentiation only in cases in which chromosome aberrations could not be detected. In eleven samples sufficient material was available for a limited analysis of the underlying events. Quantitative RT‐PCR showed that differentiation markers were upregulated at the mRNA level by both SIL and deltanoids, suggesting that intracellular signaling pathways upstream of transcription factors (TFs) were activated by these agents. Western analysis for proteins which function as TFs in deltanoid‐induced monocytic differentiation, such as members of Jun and C/EBP families, surprisingly demonstrated that SIL upregulated all these TFs in the cases tested. This suggests that although the presence of SIL may not always be sufficient to induce differentiation, it can serve as a differentiation enabling factor for blasts obtained from a large proportion of patients with AML. Thus, SIL/deltanoid combinations warrant further consideration as preventive/therapeutic regimens in human leukaemia. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Outcomes for lymphoid malignancies in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) as compared to the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program
Authors: Abel Gregory A , Bertrand Kimberly A , Earle Craig C , Laden Francine 
Published: October 2009

AbstractVital statistics for the lymphoid malignancies obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program have seldom been directly compared to data from alternative national databases. While SEER is recognized as the standard, some lymphoid malignancies—especially the chronic ones—may be underreported. We compared the incidence, all‐cause and cause‐specific mortality for Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), multiple myeloma (MM) and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) in SEER to that in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), a national cohort study of 121 700 female registered nurses, matching for age and race. In over 2.5 million person‐years, the incidence of HL was the same as in SEER (SIR = 1.01 [0.75, 1.26]), while the incidence of NHL, CLL and MM were slightly higher. All‐cause mortality was lower for the lymphoid malignancies except for MM, which was the same; there were no differences in cause‐specific mortality, except for MM (HR = 1.26 [1.07, 1.48]). Our analysis suggests that, at least among white women, SEER is a reliable data source with respect to lymphoid malignancies. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Combination of alpha‐1 antitrypsin and doxycycline suppresses collagen‐induced arthritis
Authors: Grimstein Christian , Choi Young‐Kook , Satoh Minoru , Lu Yuanqing , Wang Xueying , Campbell‐Thompson Martha , Song Sihong 
Published: October 2009

AbstractBackgroundRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex disease characterized by autoimmune inflammation and joint destruction. Despite recent advances in RA treatment, current therapies require further improvement to overcome adverse events and ineffectiveness in some cases. By targeting different pathways/molecules using drug combinations, a better treatment can be obtained, whereas adverse events are reduced. In order to develop a new treatment option, the present study employs a gene therapy‐based combination therapy using doxycycline and human alpha‐1 antitrypsin (hAAT).MethodsDBA/1 mice were immunized with type II collagen to induce arthritis. Four weeks before immunization, they received a doxycycline containing diet and a single injection of adeno‐associated virus vector expressing hAAT under the control of a tetracycline‐dependent promoter. Control groups received doxycycline alone or saline. Macroscopic arthritis development as well as histopathological changes in the joint were evaluated. In addition, the effects of hAAT and doxycycline on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐ or tumor necrosis factor‐α‐induced interleukin (IL)‐6 production from mouse fibroblast cells were also determined.ResultsCombination therapy significantly reduced arthritis development and progression compared to the control group in respect to macroscopic as well as histopathological changes. Doxycycline and hAAT in combination also inhibited IL‐6 expression from LPS‐stimulated NIH/3T3 mouse fibroblast cells, indicating a contributing mechanism of arthritis inhibition.ConclusionsThe results obtained in the present study indicate that a combination therapy using AAT and doxycycline holds promising potential as a new therapy for RA. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A comparative study of the magnitude, frequency and distribution of intense rainfall in the United Kingdom
Authors: Rodda John C. , Little Max A. , Rodda Harvey J. E. , McSharry Patrick E. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractDuring the 1960s, a study was made of the magnitude, frequency and distribution of intense rainfall over the United Kingdom, employing data from more than 120 daily read rain gauges covering the period 1911 to 1960. Using the same methodology, that study was recently updated utilizing data for the period 1961 to 2006 for the same gauges, or from those nearby. This paper describes the techniques applied to ensure consistency of data and statistical modelling. It presents a comparison of patterns of extreme rainfalls for the two periods and discusses the changes that have taken place. Most noticeably, increases up to 20% have occurred in the north‐west of the country and in parts of East Anglia. There have also been changes in other areas, including decreases of the same magnitude over central England. The implications of these changes are considered. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society