bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Towards tourism: a Laotian perspective
Authors: Suntikul Wantanee , Bauer Thomas , Song Haiyan 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThis paper reports the findings of a study of the attitudes of residents towards tourism in the District of Viengxay, Lao People's Democratic Republic, where tourism is in its infancy. Based on focus group interviews, the paper analyses the societal and individual attitudes of the residents towards tourists, tourism development and employment in the tourism field. It was found that locals have little understanding of the motivations of tourists for visiting their villages. Villagers look forward to tourism development to bring more communication and fame to their village, as well as to tourism's contribution to the local economy. Community‐mindedness, control and organisation, cultural exchange, understanding and cultural awareness are prime motivators in forming local attitudes towards tourism. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Microbiology of third and fourth branchial pouch cysts
Authors: Pahlavan Shane , Haque Waqar , Pereira Kevin , Larrier Deidre , Valdez Tulio A. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractObjectives/Hypothesis:To identify the most common pathogens involved in infections of third and fourth branchial pouch cysts. Third and fourth branchial pouch cyst infections are an uncommon cause of anterior neck abscesses often confused with other entities, such as thyroglossal duct cysts and thyroid abscesses leading to misdiagnosis, recurrence, and increased morbidity related to a delay in diagnosis and appropriate treatment.Study Design:Retrospective chart and literature review.Methods:Retrospective chart review case series of patients presenting to the Bobby R. Alford Department of Otolaryngology at Texas Children's Hospital from July 2004 to July 2008 with third and fourth branchial pouch cysts.Results:A total of 11 patients were identified. All patients had left‐sided lesions. Eikenella corrodens was found in 60% of cultures and was the most common organism identified in our patient group. Furthermore, 56% of the organisms isolated were anaerobic. All organisms with the exception of Staphylococcus aureus were identified as oral cavity flora.Conclusions:Third and fourth branchial pouch cysts provide a communication between the neck and the oral cavity through pyriform sinus tracts. The presence of oral cavity flora in a left anterior neck abscess should raise the suspicion of a branchial pouch anomaly, and subsequently alter therapeutic management. Laryngoscope, 2010
Parallel excitation in the human brain at 9.4 T counteracting k‐space errors with RF pulse design
Authors: Wu Xiaoping , Vaughan J. Thomas , Uğurbil Kâmil , Van de Moortele Pierre‐François 
Published: December 2009

AbstractMultidimensional spatially selective radiofrequency (RF) pulses have been proposed as a method to mitigate transmit B1 inhomogeneity in MR experiments. These RF pulses, however, have been considered impractical for many years because they typically require very long RF pulse durations. The recent development of parallel excitation techniques makes it possible to design multidimensional RF pulses that are short enough for use in actual experiments. However, hardware and experimental imperfections can still severely alter the excitation patterns obtained with these accelerated pulses. In this note, we report at 9.4 T on a human eight‐channel transmit system, substantial improvements in two‐dimensional excitation pattern accuracy obtained when measuring k‐space trajectories prior to parallel transmit RF pulse design (acceleration ×4). Excitation patterns based on numerical simulations closely reproducing the experimental conditions were in good agreement with the experimental results. Magn Reson Med, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The effects of customer rebates and retailer incentives on a manufacturer's profits and sales
Authors: Demirag Ozgun Caliskan , Baysar Ozgul , Keskinocak Pinar , Swann Julie L. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractIn some industries such as automotive, production costs are largely fixed and therefore maximizing revenue is the main objective. Manufacturers use promotions directed to the end customers and/or retailers in their distribution channels to increase sales and market share. We study a game theoretical model to examine the impact of “retailer incentive” and “customer rebate” promotions on the manufacturer's pricing and the retailer's ordering/sales decisions. The main tradeoff is that customer rebates are given to every customer, while the use of retailer incentives is controlled by the retailer. We consider several models with different demand characteristics and information asymmetry between the manufacturer and a price discriminating retailer, and we determine which promotion would benefit the manufacturer under which market conditions. When demand is deterministic, we find that retailer incentives increase the manufacturer's profits (and sales) while customer rebates do not unless they lead to market expansion. When the uncertainty in demand (“market potential”) is high, a customer rebate can be more profitable than the retailer incentive for the manufacturer. With numerical examples, we provide additional insights on the profit gains by the right choice of promotion.© 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2010
What can clinical behaviour analysis contribute to nidotherapy?
Authors: Veale David , Smith Georgina , Drossel Claudia 
Published: December 2009

AbstractNidotherapy is an approach that involves the assessment and modification of situational or interpersonal aspects. It is used to reduce the impact of severe mental disorder when previous therapies have failed and suggests that its methods result in improved social functioning. We describe nidotherapy as a novel intervention, and to enhance understanding, compare and contrast nidotherapy with clinical behaviour analysis. To facilitate establishing an evidence base, our recommendations include: clarification of the theory underlying nidotherapy; collaboration with clinical behaviour analysts to explore the role of situational and interpersonal changes within the theoretical system; design of single‐subject experiments to gather data pertaining to individuals; consideration of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy to examine the therapeutic bond; a definition of the repertoires and competencies of nidotherapists to guarantee supervision; and long‐term follow‐up to rule out unintended effects of environmental changes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Proteomic analysis of doxorubicin‐induced changes in the proteome of HepG2cells combining 2‐D DIGE and LC‐MS/MS approaches
Authors: Hammer Elke , Bien Sandra , Salazar Manuela Gesell , Steil Leif , Scharf Christian , Hildebrandt Petra , Schroeder Henry W. S. , Kroemer Heyo K. , Völker Uwe , Ritter Christoph A. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractHepG‐2 cells are widely used as a cell model to investigate hepatocellular carcinomas and the effect of anticancer drugs such as doxorubicin, an effective antineoplastic agent, which has broad antitumoral activity against many solid and hematological malignancies. To investigate the effect of doxorubicin on the protein pattern, we used complementary proteomic workflows including 2‐D gel‐based and gel‐free methods. The analysis of crude HepG2 cell extracts by 2‐D DIGE provided data on 1835 protein spots which was then complemented by MS‐centered analysis of stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture‐labeled cells. The monitoring of more than 1300 distinct proteins, including proteins of the membrane fraction provides the most comprehensive overview on the proteome of the widely used model cell line HepG2. Of the proteins monitored in total, 155 displayed doxorubicin‐induced changes in abundance. Functional analysis revealed major influences of doxorubicin on proteins involved in protein synthesis, DNA damage control, electron transport/mitochondrial function, and tumor growth. The strongest decrease in level was found for proteins involved in DNA replication and protein synthesis, whereas proteins with a function in DNA damage control and oxidative stress management displayed increased levels following treatment with doxorubicin compared with control cells. Furthermore, the doxorubicin‐associated increase in levels of multiple forms of keratins 8, 18, and 19 and other structural proteins revealed an influence on the cytoskeleton network.
Protein profiling in human sera for identification of potential lung cancer biomarkers using antibody microarray
Authors: Han Min‐Kyu , Oh Young‐Hee , Kang Jimin , Kim Young‐Pil , Seo Soowon , Kim Jhingook , Park KeunChil , Kim Hak‐Sung 
Published: December 2009

AbstractTo identify potential biomarkers of lung cancer (LC), profiling of proteins in sera obtained from healthy and LC patients was determined using an antibody microarray. Based on our previous study on mRNA expression profiles between patients with LC and healthy persons, 19 proteins of interest were selected as targets for fabrication of an antibody microarray. Antibody to each protein and five nonspecific control antibodies were spotted onto a hydrogel‐coated glass slide and used for profiling of proteins in sera of LC patients in a two‐color fluorescence assay. Forty‐eight human sera samples were analyzed, and expression profiling of proteins were represented by the internally normalized ratio method. Six proteins were distinctly down‐regulated in sera of LC patients; this observation was validated by Wilcoxon test, false discovery rate, and Western blotting. Blind test of other 32 human sera using the antibody microarray followed by hierarchical clustering analysis revealed an approximate sensitivity of 88%, specificity of 80%, and an accuracy of 84%, respectively, in classifying the sera, which supports the potential of the six identified proteins as biomarkers for the prognosis of lung cancer.
Glucose‐regulated protein 78: A new partner of p53 in trophoblast
Authors: Arnaudeau Serge , Arboit Patrizia , Bischof Paul , Shin‐ya Kasuo , Tomida A. , Tsuruo T. , Irion Olivier , Cohen Marie 
Published: December 2009

AbstractAlthough wild‐type p53 protein is overexpressed in first trimester trophoblast, it is inactive towards its target genes Metalloproteinase 2 and 9. This seems to be due to a complex mechanism of inactivation and stabilization of p53 relying on the formation of protein complexes involving the N‐terminus of p53. To detect the proteins associated with this sequence, we incubated biotinylated p53 N‐terminal peptide in cytotrophoblastic cell medium 24 h before lysis of cells. We purified the proteins retained on biotinylated peptide using a neutravidin affinity column. Proteins were then identified by peptide mass finger printing followed or not by peptide fragmentation sequencing. Among these proteins, we identified glucose‐regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and verified its interaction with p53 in trophoblastic cells by immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis. Moreover, the decreased expression of GRP78 induced by GRP78siRNA or versipelostatin decreased the formation of high molecular weight p53 complexes and p53 monomer and increased trophoblastic invasion. These results suggest that GRP78 is involved in inactivation and stabilization of p53 and in the regulation of trophoblastic invasion.
Application of a stress and coping model to positive and negative adjustment outcomes in colorectal cancer caregiving
Authors: Fitzell Amber , Pakenham Kenneth I. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThis study examined relations between stress and coping predictors and negative (distress) and positive (positive affect, life satisfaction, positive states of mind, health) adjustment outcomes in colorectal cancer caregivers. A total of 622 caregivers and their care‐recipients completed questionnaires and interviews. Predictors included caregiving parameters, social support, appraisal (stress, control, challenge), and coping strategies (problem‐solving, avoidance, substance use, religion, humor, seeking social support). Regression analyses indicated that after controlling for the effects of relevant caregiving parameters (caregiver age, gender and paid employment status, care‐recipient quality of life, cancer stage), better caregiver adjustment was related to higher social support, lower stress and higher challenge appraisals, and less reliance on avoidance and substance use coping, as hypothesized. Stress appraisal emerged as the strongest and most consistent predictor of all adjustment outcomes. Findings support the utility of the stress and coping model of adjustment to caregiving in colorectal cancer. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fusion partners can increase the expression of recombinant interleukins via transient transfection in 2936E cells
Authors: Carter Jane , Zhang Jue , Dang Thien‐Lan , Hasegawa Haruki , Cheng Janet D. , Gianan Irene , O'Neill Jason W. , Wolfson Martin , Siu Sophia , Qu Sheldon , Meininger David , Kim Helen , Delaney John , Mehlin Christopher 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThe expression levels of five secreted target interleukins (IL‐11, 15, 17B, 32, and IL23 p19 subunit) were tested with three different fusion partners in 2936E cells. When fused to the N‐terminus, human serum albumin (HSA) was found to enhance the expression of both IL‐17B and IL‐15, cytokines which did not express at measurable levels on their own. Although the crystallizable fragment of an antibody (Fc) was also an effective fusion partner for IL‐17B, Fc did not increase expression of IL‐15. Fc was superior to HSA for the expression of the p19 subunit of IL‐23, but no partner led to measurable levels of IL‐32γ secretion. Glutathione S‐transferase (GST) did not enhance the expression of any target and suppressed the production of IL‐11, a cytokine which expressed robustly both on its own and when fused to HSA or Fc. Cleavage of the fusion partner was not always possible. The use of HSA or Fc as N‐terminal fusions can be an effective technique to express difficult proteins, especially for applications in which the fusion partner need not be removed.
Elucidating residue roles in engineered variants of AraC regulatory protein
Authors: Tang Shuang‐Yan , Cirino Patrick C. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThe AraC regulatory protein was previously engineered to control gene expression specifically in response to D‐arabinose and not the native effector L‐arabinose (Tang et al., J Am Chem Soc 2008;130:5267–5271). Mutations were targeted in the ligand‐binding pocket and on the AraC N‐terminal arm, which plays an important role in maintaining repressing or activating conformations in the absence or presence of effector, respectively. In this study, we analyze the contributions of individual mutations toward the overall mutant functions in an attempt to streamline future AraC design efforts. For a variety of point mutants, we quantify the induced expression response to D‐arabinose (level of leaky expression, induction fold, half‐maximal dose response, and effector specificity) and the binding affinity of the purified ligand‐binding domain for D‐arabinose. We find that mutations introduced in the N‐terminal arm (design Position 8) strengthen the induction response, most likely by weakening interactions with the DNA‐binding domain, but are not involved in ligand binding. Meanwhile, binding pocket mutations occurring further away from the arm (Positions 80 and 82) primarily contribute to maintaining repression in the absence of effector and do not show response to D‐arabinose without the accompanying mutations. Combinations of mutations cooperatively couple molecular recognition to transcriptional activation, demonstrating the complexity of the AraC regulatory switch and the power of combinatorial protein design to alter effector specificity while maintaining regulatory function.
Germline humanization of a murine Aβ antibody and crystal structure of the humanized recombinant Fab fragment
Authors: Robert Remy , Streltsov Victor A. , Newman Janet , Pearce Lesley A. , Wark Kim L. , Dolezal Olan 
Published: December 2009

AbstractAlzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting 26 million people worldwide. The Aβ peptide (39–43 amino acids) derived from the proteolytic cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein is one of the main constituents of amyloid plaques associated with disease pathogenesis and therefore a validated target for therapy. Recently, we characterized antibody fragments (Fab and scFvs) derived from the murine monoclonal antibody WO‐2, which bind the immunodominant epitope (3EFRH6) in the Aβ peptide at the N‐terminus. In vitro, these fragments are able to inhibit fibril formation, disaggregate preformed amyloid fibrils, and protect neuroblastoma cells against oligomer‐mediated toxicity. In this study, we describe the humanization of WO‐2 using complementary determining region loop grafting onto the human germline gene and the determination of the three‐dimensional structure by X‐ray crystallography. This humanized version retains a high affinity for the Aβ peptide and therefore is a potential candidate for passive immunotherapy of Alzheimer's disease.
Ni based planar Schottky diodes on gallium nitride (GaN) grown on sapphire
Authors: Ménard Olivier , Cayrel Frédéric , Collard Emmanuel , Alquier Daniel 
Published: December 2009

AbstractIn this work, Schottky barrier diodes (SBD), made using lift‐off process, were realized on low doped n‐type GaN grown by MOCVD. Schottky to Schottky structures were first realized, allowing to select convenient process parameters that reduce the leakage current, such as surface cleaning, thickness of the metallic contact and annealing time or temperature. Then, planar Schottky diodes were patterned and characterized to extract barrier height and ideality factor. Results show that good rectifying behaviour can be obtained with a 300nm thick Ni Schottky contact annealed in RTA at 450°C during 3 min under Argon. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Total reflectance and Raman studies in AlyInxGa1‐x‐yN epitaxial layers
Authors: Bola A. Margarida , Correia M. R. , Pereira S. , González J. C. , Lorenz K. , Alves E. , Barradas N. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThis study comprises a set of AlyInxGa1‐x‐yN thin films grown on GaN/sapphire substrate by MOVPE, with In content between 2 and 8% and Al between 21 and 38%. The thin films were optically characterized by means of UV‐Visible total reflectance and μ‐UV‐Raman scattering, performed at room temperature. It is shown that the [Al]/[In] ration influences strongly the Reflectance spectra and a good correlation has been found between the reflectance maximum located at higher energy and the band gap predicted by Vegard's law for quaternary alloys. The Raman results indicate that the LO‐AlGaN‐like vibration mode is the dominated vibration in good agreement with the oscillator strength values obtained theoretically [12] for this alloys. It is shown how the influence of competing effects, such as composition and strain influences the frequency observed for the LO‐AlGaN‐like mode (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Optimization of the ohmic contact processing in InAlN//GaN high electron mobility transistors for lower temperature of annealing
Authors: Čičo Karol , Gregušová Dagmar , Gaži Štefan , Šoltýs Ján , Kuzmík Ján , Carlin Jean‐François , Grandjean Nicolas , Pogany Dionýz , Fröhlich Karol 
Published: December 2009

AbstractIn this article, we optimized the ohmic contact processing in InAlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors for the lower temperature of annealing by recessing of metalliza‐tion to approach the 2DEG at the InAlN/GaN interface. The ohmic contacts which were recessed down to 5 nm depth and annealed at 700 °C 2 min. exhibited the contact resistance of 0,39 Ωmm while the channel sheet resistance was 210 Ω/square. These values are comparative to values of contacts processed at more conventional an‐nealing conditions (800 °C, 2 min).Moreover we applied the recessed ohmic contact technology to fabricate Schottky barrier (SB) HEMTs and MOSHEMTs with Al2O3 dielectric film. For MOSHEMTs, we measured the maximal reduction of the gate leakage current by about 6 orders of magnitude if compared with SB HEMTs. The maximal drain current of MOSHEMTs was about 750 mA/mm at VGS = 0 V and the maximal extrinsic transconductance (gme) reached 101 mS/mm. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Towards a functional understanding of the effects of sediment aggradation on stream fish condition
Authors: Sullivan S. M. P. , Watzin M. C. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractUsing both field and laboratory experiments, we evaluated mechanistic links among sediment aggradation, embeddedness and fish condition. In the field, we measured fish condition in three common stream and river species representing unique feeding guilds [creek chubs (surface and water column feeders), pumpkinseeds (omnivores) and white suckers (benthic invertivores)] over time across varying sedimentation levels. We continued this work in the laboratory with white suckers (benthic invertivores) and common shiners (surface and water column feeders), standardizing food amounts across degrees of sediment aggradation. In the field, pumpkinseeds – the species with the greatest foraging plasticity – showed no significant difference in condition across levels of sediment aggradation or time. Creek chubs and white suckers were affected by sediment level and time. White suckers – the most specialized forager – were most strongly affected, but exhibited the greatest loss of condition in least aggraded conditions. Laboratory data suggested that sedimentation and time spent in aggraded conditions were significant factors affecting common shiners, in spite of consistent food availability. Results varied across feeding guilds, indicating that opportunistic species that feed across the water column may be more resilient to sedimentation than more specialized trophic groups. However, all fish in the study experienced a loss of condition in aggraded environments over time, indicating that streams and rivers with extensive sediment aggradation are unlikely to support healthy fish assemblages. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A formal approach for the construction and verification of railway control systems
Authors: Haxthausen Anne E. , Peleska Jan , Kinder Sebastian 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
This paper describes a complete model-based development and verification approach for railway control systems. For each control system to be generated, the user makes a description of the application-specific parameters in a domain-specific language. This description is automatically transformed into an executable control system model expressed in SystemC. This model is then compiled into object code. Verification is performed using three main methods applied to different levels. (0) The domain-specific description is validated wrt. internal consistency by static analysis. (1) The crucial safety properties are verified for the SystemC model by means of bounded model checking. (2) The object code is verified to be I/O behaviourally equivalent to the SystemC model from which it was compiled.