bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Is Antarctica melting?
Authors: Rignot Eric 
Published: April 2011

AbstractUntil recently, the mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet was not well known. Here, I review recent progress in determining its magnitude and temporal evolution, the physical processes that control the observed changes in ice sheet mass balance, and the important knowledge gaps that remain. The results highlight that the linkage between climate change and the Antarctic ice sheet is more complex than anticipated and that major observational and numerical modeling advances will be needed before we can reliably predict its evolution in a warming climate. At present, the Antarctic ice sheet is losing mass at a rate almost comparable to that of the Greenland ice sheet, about 250 ± 31 Gt/year or 0.7 mm/year sea level rise, and the mass loss is increasing with time, at a rate slightly below that observed in Greenland, at 14 ± 2 Gt/yr2. The Antarctic ice sheet is therefore a major contributor to sea level rise and its contribution is slowly increasing with time. WIREs Clim Change 2011 2 324–331 DOI: 10.1002/wcc.110This article is categorized under:

Paleoclimates and Current Trends > Modern Climate Change
Polymer‐based therapeutics: nanoassemblies and nanoparticles for management of atherosclerosis
Authors: Lewis Daniel R. , Kamisoglu Kubra , York Adam W. , Moghe Prabhas V. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractCoronary arterial disease, one of the leading causes of adult mortality, is triggered by atherosclerosis. A disease with complex etiology, atherosclerosis results from the progressive long‐term combination of atherogenesis, the accumulation of modified lipoproteins within blood vessel walls, along with vascular and systemic inflammatory processes. The management of atherosclerosis is challenged by the localized flare‐up of several multipronged signaling interactions between activated monocytes, atherogenic macrophages and inflamed or dysfunctional endothelial cells. A new generation of approaches is now emerging founded on multifocal, targeted therapies that seek to reverse or ameliorate the atheroinflammatory cascade within the vascular intima. This article reviews the various classes and primary examples of bioactive configurations of nanoscale assemblies. Of specific interest are polymer‐based or polymer‐lipid micellar assemblies designed as multimodal receptor‐targeted blockers or drug carriers whose activity can be tuned by variations in polymer hydrophobicity, charge, and architecture. Also reviewed are emerging reports on multifunctional nanoassemblies and nanoparticles for improved circulation and enhanced targeting to atheroinflammatory lesions and atherosclerotic plaques. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2011 3 400–420 DOI: 10.1002/wnan.145This article is categorized under:

Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanomaterials and Implants
Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Cardiovascular Disease
Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology
Integration of cardiovascular regulation by the blood/endothelium cell‐free layer
Authors: Makena Hightower C. , Salazar Vázquez Beatriz Y. , Woo Park Sung , Sriram Krishna , Martini Judith , Yalcin Ozlem , Tsai Amy G. , Cabrales Pedro , Tartakovsky Daniel M. , Johnson Paul C. , Intaglietta Marcos 
Published: April 2011

AbstractThe cell‐free layer (CFL) width separating red blood cells in flowing blood from the endothelial cell membrane is shown to be a regulator of the balance between nitric oxide (NO) production by the endothelium and NO scavenging by blood hemoglobin. The CFL width is determined by hematocrit (Hct) and the vessel wall flow velocity gradient. These factors and blood and plasma viscosity determine vessel wall shear stress which regulates the production of NO in the vascular wall. Mathematical modeling and experimental findings show that vessel wall NO concentration is a strong nonlinear function of Hct and that small Hct variations have comparatively large effects on blood pressure regulation. Furthermore, NO concentration is a regulator of inflammation and oxygen metabolism. Therefore, small, sustained perturbations of Hct may have long‐term effects that can promote pro‐hypertensive and pro‐inflammatory conditions. In this context, Hct and its variability are directly related to vascular tone, peripheral vascular resistance, oxygen transport and delivery, and inflammation. These effects are relevant to the analysis and understanding of blood pressure regulation, as NO bioavailability regulates the contractile state of blood vessels. Furthermore, regulation of the CFL is a direct function of blood composition therefore understanding of its physiology relates to the design and management of fluid resuscitation fluids. From a medical perspective, these studies propose that it should be of clinical interest to note small variations in patient's Hct levels given their importance in modulating the CFL width and therefore NO bioavailability. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2011 3 458–470 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.150This article is categorized under:

Physiology > Mammalian Physiology in Health and Disease
Solvothermal Synthesis and Crystal Structure of the Non‐Centrosymmetric Thioantimonate [Ni(tren)2]2[Ni(tren)(en)]2(Sb4S8)2·0.25H2O
Authors: Lühmann Henning , Näther Christian , Bensch Wolfgang 
Published: April 2011

AbstractThe new thioantimonate [Ni(tren)2]2[Ni(tren)(en)]2(Sb4S8)2·0.25H2O (tren = tris(2‐aminoethyl)amine; en = ethylenediamine) was obtained under solvothermal conditions. The compound crystallizes in the non‐centrosymmetric space group P1 with a = 9.424(2), b = 13.010(3), c = 18.883(4) Å, α = 102.46(3), β = 96.11(3), γ = 90.92(3), V = 2246.1(8) Å3, Z = 1. Two of the unique Ni2+ cations are octahedrally surrounded by two tridentate acting tren ligands (type 1) and the other two Ni2+ cations are in an octahedral environment of one tetradentate tren molecule and one bidentate en ligand (type 2). The antimony atoms are in a trigonal pyramidal environment of three sulfur atoms. The SbS3 pyramids are corner‐linked to form two individual [Sb4S8]4– chains running parallel to [010]. Along [001] the two different types of Ni2+‐centered complex cations and the thioantimonate chains alternate. The interchain separations between [Sb4S8]4– chains depend on the space requirements of the two different types of complex cations. Extended N–H···S hydrogen bonding interactions between the complex cations and the anionic chains generates a three‐dimensional network.
Optimal control of static plasticity with linear kinematic hardening
Authors: Herzog R. , Meyer C. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractAn optimal control problem for the static problem of infinitesimal elastoplasticity with linear kinematic hardening is considered. The variational inequality arising on the lower‐level is regularized using a Yosida‐type approach, and an optimal control problem for the so‐called viscoplastic model is obtained. Existence of a global optimizer is proved for both the regularized and original problems, and strong convergence of the solutions is established.
Time‐dependent MHD Couette flow in a rotating system with suction/injection
Authors: Jha B.K. , Apere C.A 
Published: April 2011

AbstractThe unsteady MHD Couette flow of a viscous incompressible electrically conducting fluid between two parallel porous plates in a rotating system when one of the plate is set into uniform accelerated motion is studied. A unified closed form analytical expressions for the velocity and the skin friction for the magnetic lines of force being fixed relative to either the fluid or the moving porous plate are derived using the Laplace transform technique. The effects of suction/injection parameter in the presence of magnetic field and rotation on both the primary and secondary velocities and the resultant skin friction are presented graphically. The analysis of the result shows that the primary velocity increases with increase in the suction/injection parameter while the secondary velocity increases in magnitude near the moving plate and decreases in magnitude near the fixed plate for the two cases. It is interesting to note that the Ekman number has an increasing effect on the primary velocity when the magnetic lines of force are fixed relative to the moving plate. On the other hand, the resultant skin friction decreases with increase in the suction/injection parameter at the porous plate where injection takes place and increases at the porous plate where the fluid is been sucked for the two cases considered.
Modeling the influence of unbalances for ultra‐precision cutting processes
Authors: Brandt C. , Niebsch J. , Ramlau R. , Maass P. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractIn order to produce components in optical quality in ultra‐precision cutting processes it is very important to have a highly balanced system. Achieving the best possible balancing state is a time consuming process. Therefore, the prediction of the influence of the balancing state on the surface quality of the component is desirable. On the other hand, such a model should enable us to predict a necessary balancing state for a desired surface quality and thus save time in the balancing process. In this paper we present a model of an ultra‐precision cutting experimental platform that determines vibrations and displacements of the platform caused by unbalances and forces from the cutting process. The actual cutting parameters are described by a second model. Since they depend on the unbalance displacements, both models have to be coupled to an interaction model. To compute balancing weights from vibrational measurements, regularization techniques for the solution of inverse and ill‐posed problems are employed and presented.
Traveling wave solutions in temporally discrete reaction‐diffusion systems with delays
Authors: Xia J. , Yu Z. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractAn idea used by W. Li et al. (Nonlinearity 19, 1253–73, 2006) is extended to show existence of traveling wave solutions for a class of temporally discrete reaction‐diffusion systems with delays. The result is an generalization of an existing result for scalar equations to systems. As examples, the obtained abstract results will be applied to temporally discrete diffusion‐competition systems with delay. Our results suggest temporally discrete diffusion‐competition systems are dynamically consistent with the differential diffusion‐competition systems.
On modelling and non‐linear elasto‐plastic analysis of thin shells with deformable junctions
Authors: Chróścielewski J. , Konopińska V. , Pietraszkiewicz W. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractThe undeformed base surface of the irregular thin shell is modelled by the union of a finite number of regular smooth surface elements joined together along spatial curvilinear surface edges. The equilibrium conditions are formulated by postulating an appropriate form of the principle of virtual work, where also deformability of shell junctions is taken into account. The PVW is then discretised by C1 finite elements and the incremental‐iterative procedure is applied to solve the highly non‐linear BVP. As an example, the axisymmetric deformation state is calculated in the casing of devise measuring the external pressure and having two pairs of circular welded junctions. The problem is solved within the elasto‐plastic range of material behaviour with linear combination of isotropic and kinematic hardening, and deformability of the junctions is taken into account.
Selenium Deficiency a Factor in Endemic Goiter Persistence in Sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Kishosha P. A. , Galukande M. , Gakwaya A. M. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractBackgroundGoiter is still common in Uganda, despite the present iodized salt coverage of at least 95%. Where there is endemic goiter after adequate iodine supplementation, selenium deficiency could be a factor for the continued occurrence of goiter. The objectives of the present study, therefore, were to determine the serum selenium levels among goitrous patients and nongoitrous controls and to determine the association between goiter and selenium levels among these patients.MethodsThe investigation was designed as a case control study in which 92 subjects were enrolled, 46 cases and 46 controls of similar age and sex distribution. Subjects were interviewed and examined. Blood samples were taken and selenium concentrations were determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry.ResultsThe overall mean serum selenium levels were 77.25 μg/l (SD 16.78) for the goiter patients and 95.50 μg/l (24.47) for the nongoiter controls. The difference between goitrous and nongoitrous populations was statistically significant (p = 0.0001). Selenium levels above 102.8 μg/l had a statistically significant protective effect against goiter with adjusted odds ratio 0.3 (0.13–0.69); p = 0.005. Other factors, such as age, main food constituent, and use of iodized salt, had no association with goiter.ConclusionsThere were significant differences between selenium levels among goitrous patients and nongoitrous controls. High selenium levels seem to have a protective effect against goiter. Selenium supplementation as a preventive strategy is worth further exploration
NeoGemTax: Gemcitabine and Docetaxel as Neoadjuvant Treatment for Locally Advanced Nonmetastasized Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Sahora Klaus , Kuehrer Irene , Schindl Martin , Koelblinger Claus , Goetzinger Peter , Gnant Michael 
Published: April 2011

AbstractBackgroundAbout 30% of patients with pancreatic cancer suffer from locally advanced nonmetastatic carcinoma at the time of diagnosis. We conducted a prospective phase II clinical trial using neoadjuvant chemotherapy, consisting of gemcitabine and docetaxel, to assess the rate of complete radical resection and overall survival.MethodsGemcitabine (900 mg/m2) and docetaxel (35 mg/m2) were given on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28‐day cycle. Two cycles were administered for a preoperative treatment duration of 8 weeks. Patients experiencing tumor regression or stable disease and improved performance status subsequently underwent surgical exploration and pancreatic resection, if feasible. All patients were followed postoperatively to assess long‐term survival.ResultsA total of 25 patients were eligible and included in the intent‐to‐treat and evaluable population. Thirteen patients had unresectable disease at inclusion and 12 patients had borderline resectable pancreatic cancer. Finally, 8 of 25 (32%) patients underwent resection after neoadjuvant chemotherapy; 7 (87%) of these patients had R0 resection. The median overall survival of patients who underwent resection was 16 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 8–24 months) compared to 12 months (95% CI, 8–16 months) for those without resection (p = 0.276). The median recurrence‐free survival rate after resection was 12 months (95% CI, 2–21 months).ConclusionsNeoGemTax was safe and resection was feasible in a number of patients after systemic neoadjuvant treatment. Further randomized clinical trials are needed to identify novel multimodal regimens that would be able to increase the percentage of patients undergoing curative pancreatic cancer surgery despite advanced tumor stage at the time of diagnosis.
Thyroid Tuberculosis in Southeastern Turkey: Is This the Resurgence of a Stubborn Disease?
Authors: Akbulut Sami , Sogutcu Nilgun , Arikanoglu Zulfu , Bakir Sule , Ulku Abdullah , Yagmur Yusuf 
Published: April 2011

AbstractBackgroundWhile tuberculosis (TB) has been found in many parts of the body, involvement of the thyroid gland is rare. In this study we describe the clinicopathological characteristics of seven patients with primary thyroid tuberculosis (TTB).MethodsThis report is a retrospective case study of seven patients with thyroid tuberculosis who were treated surgically in our clinic between 2004 and 2010. Data collected from the cases included age, sex, clinical presentation, concurrent medical illness, initial diagnosis, and history of pulmonary tuberculosis. Testing used to establish the diagnosis of TTB included thyroid function tests, histopathological examination, a tuberculin skin test, and FNAC (fine needle aspiration cytology). Surgical procedures, antitubercular therapy, and follow‐up data were also analyzed.ResultsAll seven cases were females between the age of 30 and 60 years (mean = 44.1 ± 9.5 years). Four cases had neck swelling and three had additional complaints of dysphagia and dyspnea. While total thyroidectomy was performed in six patients with multinodular goiter, a lobectomy was performed in one patient in whom a solitary thyroid nodule was detected. Histopathologic changes consistent with thyroid tuberculosis were detected in all patients. Thoracic X‐ray, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) test, and tuberculin skin test (PPD) were performed and all patients were screened for other possible foci of infection. In conclusion, all seven cases were diagnosed with primary tuberculosis. While the lobectomy patient was administered a 6‐month antitubercular treatment, the total‐thyroidectomy patients did not receive any medical treatment postoperatively. During the postoperative follow‐up period, which lasted between 6 and 53 months (mean = 37.3 ± 18.6 months), none of the patients had a recurrence of disease.ConclusionTuberculosis should be considered in the list of differential diagnoses for thyroid abscesses and nodular lesions in people living in geographic regions with a high tuberculosis prevalence.
Fatty Acid Alkyl Esters as Feedstocks for the Enzymatic Synthesis of Alkyl Methacrylates and Polystyrene‐co‐alkyl Methacrylates for use as Cold Flow Improvers in Diesel Fuels
Authors: Kim Young‐Wun , Eom Gyeong Tae , Hong Jin‐Sook , Chung Keun‐Wo 
Published: April 2011

AbstractThe enzymatic transesterifications of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) with hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) were carried out using the Candida antarctica lipase B immobilized within a porous polymethacrylate resin. The enzymatic activity in the transesterification reaction of FAME with HEMA depended on the polarity of the solvent and the highest yield was obtained in toluene (non‐polar). The molar ratio of 1:4 (for methyl laurate:HEMA) and 1:2 (for methyl oleate:HEMA) was most favorable for the transesterification yield. The reaction condition (at 60 °C/24 h), and the enzyme concentration of 5% (w/w) for methyl laurate with HEMA, 2% (w/w) for methyl oleate with HEMA resulted in the highest final yield. Under these conditions, the maximum yields for the transesterification of methyl laurate with HEMA, methyl oleate with HEMA were 97 ± 5.4% and 91 ± 4.7%, respectively. After ten batches of transesterification of FAME with HEMA, enzyme activity was retained at the level of 88 ± 2.6% and 76 ± 2.3%, respectively, compared with their initial activity. Also, alkyl methacrylate/styrene copolymers were synthesized by radical polymerization of HEMA‐LMA (or HEMA‐OMA) and styrene. The prepared copolymers have average molecular weights from 2.6 × 104 to 5.5 × 104. Especially, the poly(styrene‐co‐alkyl methacrylate)s (PStmHAMAn) led to a reduction in the pour point in ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) treated with 200–1,000 ppm of poly(styrene‐co‐alkyl methacrylate). Diesel fuel containing 1,000 ppm of the copolymer (PSt2HLMA8) showed a 15 ± 1.25 °C reduction in its pour point.
When corruption fights back: democracy and elite interest in Nigeria's anti-corruption war
Authors: Adebanwi Wale , Obadare Ebenezer 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACTThis essay analyses the construction of the anti-corruption war under the civilian government in Nigeria between 1999 and 2008. We consolidate existing insights in the literature in three key ways. First, we show that in democratising contexts like Nigeria, the gravest threats to anti-corruption campaigns often emanate from a combination of intra-elite rancour and political intrigue. Second, we provide an explanation of what happens when, literally, corruption fights back. Finally, we suggest that where anti-corruption efforts are not backed by other radical institutional reforms, they fall prey to the overall endemic (systemic) crisis, a part of which,ab initio, necessitated the anti-corruption war.
Paying ‘buckets of blood’ for the land: moral debates over economy, war and state in Southern Sudan
Authors: Leonardi Cherry 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACTThis paper challenges the prevailing focus on ethnic division and conflict in Southern Sudan in recent years, demonstrating that even within ethnically divisive debates over land, there are shared, transethnic levels of moral concern. These concerns centre on the commodification and monetisation of rural and kinship resources, including human life itself, epitomised in ideas of land being bought with blood, or blood being turned into money by the recent wartime economy. It argues that the enduring popular ambivalence towards money derives not only from its commonly observed individualising properties, but also from the historical association of money with government. Southern Sudanese perceive historical continuity in government consumption and corruption, and express concern at the expansion of its alternative value system into rural economies during and since the war. Whilst seeking to access money and government, they nevertheless continue to employ a discursive but powerful dichotomy between the moral worlds of state and kinship.
The social context of herding contracts in the Far North Region of Cameroon
Authors: Moritz Mark , Ritchey Kristen , Kari Saïdou 
Published: April 2011

ABSTRACTDroughts across Africa have led to a shift in livestock ownership from impoverished pastoralists to absentee owners who contract hired herders to manage their animals. The assumption has been that these contracts are exploitative and negatively affect herd and rangeland management. We conducted an ethnographic study of a mobile pastoral system in the Far North Region of Cameroon to examine whether herding contracts provide sustainable livelihoods and allow herders to rebuild their herds. We found considerable variation in contracts and livelihoods, and argue that the social organisation of herding contracts may explain why they have no negative impact on herd and rangeland management.
Low-frequency fluctuations in scrape-off layer of tokamak plasma with limiter biasing
Authors: BISAI N. , SINGH RAMESWAR , SINGH R. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractThe effects of limiter biasing on the equilibrium density and potential profiles of the scrape-off layer (SOL) in tokamak plasma are investigated by including ionization and cross-field mobility. It is shown that a broadening of SOL can take place by the inclusion of ionization for low negative biasing. Various microinstabilities relevant for SOL plasmas have been studied. Generalized low-frequency dispersion relation is derived. It is shown that limiter biasing significantly modifies the SOL fluctuations. It is also shown that growth rate of conductive wall instability is smaller for negative biasing than positive biasing case. New mode, the modified Simon–Hoh, and ion temperature gradient instabilities are found to contribute significantly to the growth of curvature- and electron temperature-gradient-driven conductive wall instabilities.