bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Curcumin targeted signaling pathways: basis for anti‐photoaging and anti‐carcinogenic therapy
Authors: Heng Madalene C.Y. 
Published: June 2010

AbstractPhotocarcinogenesis is caused by DNA damage from solar radiation in the ultraviolet range, resulting in the development of both melanoma and non‐melanoma skin cancers. Although the ultraviolet B (UVB) spectrum has previously been considered the more carcinogenic of the two, recent evidence suggests that ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation may have damaging effects that are not generally appreciated. Furthermore, it is becoming apparent that although sunscreens have been in use for many years, they are relatively ineffective in protecting against UVA‐induced photoaging and UVA‐induced skin cancers. More recently, attention has been directed on certain dietary phytochemicals, in particular curcumin, in the attempt to repair photodamaged skin as a means of preventing degeneration into solar‐induced skin cancers. Curcumin has been shown to protect against the deleterious effects of injury by attenuating oxidative stress and suppressing inflammation. In this review, the curcumin‐targeted signaling pathways directed against solar‐induced injury are reviewed. The ability of curcumin to block multiple targets on these pathways serve as a basis for the potential use of this phytochemical in photoaging skin and photocarcinogenesis.
Epidemiological features of Kawasaki disease in Korea, 2006–2008
Authors: Park Yong Won , Han Ji Whan , Hong Young Mi , Ma Jae Sook , Cha Sung Ho , Kwon Tae Chan , Lee Sang Bum , Kim Chul Ho , Lee Joon Sung , Kim Chang Hwi 
Published: June 2010

AbstractBackground:  The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence and describe the epidemiological characteristics of Kawasaki disease among children in Korea.Methods:  Questionnaires for surveying the epidemiology of Kawasaki disease were distributed to a total of 101 hospitals that conduct pediatric residency programs. Then, we retrospectively obtained the data, which covered a three‐year period (2006–2008) and analyzed them.Results:  During the three‐year study period, a total of 9039 cases of Kawasaki disease were reported from 84 hospitals (response rate, 83.2%), comprising 5375 boys and 3664 girls (male : female ratio, 1.47:1). The outbreak rate per 100 000 children <5 years old was 108.7 in 2006, 118.3 in 2007 and 112.5 in 2008 (average rate, 113.1). The seasonal distribution showed a slightly higher incidence rate in winter and summer. The patients’ mean age of onset was 32.6 months, while the proportions of sibling cases and recurrent cases were 0.17% and 2.2%, respectively. Coronary arterial abnormalities were detected during follow up by echocardiogram in 17.5% of all cases including dilatations (16.4%) and aneurysms (2.1%).Conclusions:  The average annual incidence rate of Kawasaki disease in Korea has been continuously increasing, and reached 113.1/100 000 children <5 years old, which is the second highest rate in the world.
Patient flow to carotid endarterectomy: hastening the patient journey
Authors: Khashram Manar , Roake Justin A. , Lewis David R. 
Published: June 2010

AbstractBackground:  Early carotid endarterectomy (CEA) after stroke or transient ischaemic attack is the proposed standard of care to prevent recurrent ischaemic events in selected patients. The aim of this study was to investigate if this standard is achieved in a tertiary vascular unit.Methods:  This was a clinical audit. CEAs performed from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2008 at Christchurch hospital were identified. The value stream from initial presentation to surgery was mapped in two phases (phase 1; 2006–2007 and phase 2; 2008). Patients who had carotid intervention for asymptomatic carotid lesions were excluded.Results:  The relevant patient journey was documented in 81 patients (55 phase 1; 26 phase 2). Median time from initial presentation to carotid ultrasound was 5 days in phase 1 and 6 days in phase 2. Time from presentation to vascular surgery review was 22 days in phase 1 and 13 days in phase 2. Time from presentation to CEA significantly reduced from 83 to 32 days between phases (P < 0.005).Conclusions:  There has been a significant decrease in time from presentation to operation between phase 1 and 2. The most significant change is reduced delay between vascular surgery review and CEA. There has been no improvement in urgency of referral for imaging or surgical review. This part of the patient journey is a target for improvement.
Navigation‐induced ZENK expression in the olfactory system of pigeons (Columba livia)
Authors: Patzke Nina , Manns Martina , Güntürkün Onur , Ioalè Paolo , Gagliardo Anna 
Published: June 2010

AbstractA large body of evidence indicates that pigeons use olfactory cues to navigate over unfamiliar areas with a differential contribution of the left and right hemispheres. In particular, the right nostril/olfactory bulb (OB) and left piriform cortex (Cpi) have been demonstrated to be crucially involved in navigation. In this study we analysed behaviour‐induced activation of the olfactory system, indicated by the expression of the immediate early gene ZENK, under different homing conditions. One experimental group was released from an unfamiliar site, the second group was transported to the unfamiliar site and back to the loft, and the third group was released in front of the loft. To evaluate the differential contribution of the left and/or right olfactory input, the nostrils of the pigeons were either occluded unilaterally or not. Released pigeons revealed the highest ZENK cell density in the OB and Cpi, indicating that the olfactory system is activated during navigation from an unfamiliar site. The groups with no plug showed the highest ZENK cell density, supporting the activation of the olfactory system probably being due to sensory input. Moreover, both Cpis seem to contribute differently to the navigation process. Only occlusion of the right OB resulted in a decreased ZENK cell expression in the Cpi, whereas occlusion of the left nostril had no effect. This is the first study to reveal neuronal activation patterns in the olfactory system during homing. Our data show that lateralized processing of olfactory cues is indeed involved in navigation over unfamiliar areas.
Tangibility and investment irreversibility in asset pricing
Authors: Docherty Paul , Chan Howard , Easton Steve 
Published: June 2010

Abstract Zhang (2005) and Cooper (2006) provide a theoretical risk‐based explanation for the value premium by suggesting a nexus between firms’ book‐to‐market ratio and investment irreversibility. They argue that unproductive physical capacity is costly in contracting conditions but provides growth opportunities during economic expansions, resulting in covariant risk between firms’ investment in tangible assets and market‐wide returns. This article uses the Australian accounting environment to empirically test this theory – a test that is not possible using US data. Consistent with the theoretical argument, tangibility is priced in equity returns, and augmenting the Fama and French three‐factor model with a tangibility factor increases model explanatory power.
The effect of political visibility on audit effort and audit pricing
Authors: Redmayne Nives Botica , Bradbury Michael E. , Cahan Steven F. 
Published: June 2010

AbstractThis study examines whether auditors adjust their effort and pricing decisions for political visibility. We argue, from the behavioural literature, that political visibility will create the need for more justification by auditors. Using data on actual audit fees, hours and billing rates for a sample of New Zealand public sector companies, we find that total audit fees are positively related to the number of press mentions (our proxy for political visibility). Consistent with our expectations we find that audit fees are monotonically related to audit fees. We also find that auditors increase the hours spent on the audit but not billing rates, which further suggests defensive bolstering by auditors.
International Air Travel and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Proposal for an Adaptation Levy1
Authors: Hepburn Cameron , Müller Benito 
Published: June 2010

Abstract(1287) Cameron Hepburn and Benito Müller Greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation services have been increasing rapidly and are likely to continue to do so in the absence of major policy changes. At the same time, while all countries will experience impacts from climate change, developing countries are the most vulnerable. Significant financial assistance for adaptation is therefore needed for developing countries, but current proposals are inadequate. Solutions to the challenges of both aviation greenhouse gas emissions and climate change adaptation finance are thus urgently required. This paper proposes an international air travel adaptation levy that addresses both problems.
Immigration of Nurses
Authors: KALIST DAVID , SPURR STEPHEN , WADA TATSUMA 
Published: June 2010

This paper examines the effects of immigration on a specific occupation, registered nurses (RNs). To learn whether immigrant nurses reduced the earnings of RNs, we applied techniques developed by Goldin (1994) and Borjas, Freeman, and Katz (1996), but found the effect of immigrant penetration either positive or insignificant. We also found that the supply of immigrant RNs was far more elastic than the supply coming from natives.It is often argued that it will be hard to detect negative effects on wages and employment of natives in local markets, because natives will avoid a market which many immigrants have entered. This study finds no support for this hypothesis in this market, based on data that measures the rate of entry of RNs exactly. We find no adverse effect of immigration on native workers in this occupation.
The Kingdom Anticipated: The Church and Eschatology
Authors: MOSTERT CHRISTIAAN 
Published: June 2010

AbstractThe idea that the church is an eschatological community, closely connected to the kingdom or reign of God, has not been prominent in ecclesiology. This article argues that the early Christian community understood its own existence in eschatological terms, as the ‘vestibule’ of God's reign (Bultmann). With the help of the concept of ‘anticipation’, it is argued that the church is an anticipatory sign of the kingdom, but that the relation between them requires nuanced statement. Central among the ways in which the church's eschatological character is instantiated is the Eucharist. However, such a view of the church also has pastoral, missiological and political implications.
Practising Urban and Regional Research beyond Metrocentricity
Authors: BUNNELL TIM , MARINGANTI ANANT 
Published: June 2010

AbstractOur experience of teaching a graduate‐student module entitled ‘Global Cities’ in Singapore forms the starting point for reflection on the limitations of the global‐ and world‐cities paradigms. Otherwise varied strands of critique, we argue, may be understood in terms of a common tendency in Anglophone urban and regional research. We term this tendency ‘metrocentricity’. While this intervention in many ways echoes important existing critiques (Robinson, 2006; Roy, 2009), it is intended to call attention in particular to the need for alternative practices or ways of doing urban and regional research. After identifying metrocentric tendencies, we consider how teaching and research might be (re)oriented both conceptually and methodologically beyond metrocentricity. In making this case, we invoke insights from feminist geographies that view research as embodied work. Valorizing the diverse, situated practices and engagements of a range of actors — including but not limited to academics — is a key starting point for less metrocentric urban and regional studies.Résumé Notre expérience d’enseignement de troisième cycle à Singapour dans le cadre d’un module consacré aux villes planétaires est à l’origine d’une réflexion sur les limites des paradigmes de ville mondiale et ville planétaire. D’autres axes critiques peuvent, selon nous, répondre à une tendance courante dans les sphères anglophones de la recherche urbaine et régionale, tendance que nous appelons ‘métrocentricité’. Par bien des aspects, ce travail fait écho à d’importantes critiques existantes, mais il cherche plus particulièrement à attirer l’attention sur la nécessité de pratiques ou de modes de réalisation différents en matière de recherche sur les villes et les régions. Une fois les tendances métrocentriques identifiées, sont envisagées les possibilités d’orienter ou de réorienter enseignement et recherche sur le plan conceptuel et méthodologique en échappant à cette métrocentricité. Pour exposer cette position, nous rappelons l’éclairage des géographies féministes qui considèrent la recherche comme un travail incorporé. Valoriser la diversité des pratiques et des engagements situés d’un éventail d’acteurs (y compris les chercheurs) constitue un point de départ essentiel pour produire des études urbaines et régionales moins métrocentriques.
Dual effects of nobiletin, a citrus polymethoxy flavone, on catecholamine secretion in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells
Authors: Zhang Han , Toyohira Yumiko , Ueno Susumu , Shinohara Yuko , Itoh Hideaki , Furuno Yumi , Yamakuni Tohru , Tsutsui Masato , Takahashi Kojiro , Yanagihara Nobuyuki 
Published: June 2010

J. Neurochem.(2010)114, 1030–1038.AbstractNobiletin, a compound of polymethoxy flavones found in citrus fruits, possesses a wide range of pharmacological activities. Here we report the effects of nobiletin on catecholamine secretion in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells. Nobiletin (1.0–100 μM) concentration‐dependently stimulated catecholamine secretion and45Ca2+influx. Its stimulatory effect of nobiletin on catecholamine secretion was abolished by deprivation of extracellular Ca2+and partially inhibited by specific inhibitors of voltage‐dependent Ca2+channels and Na+/Ca2+exchangers. On the other hand, nobiletin suppressed catecholamine secretion and22Na+and45Ca2+influx induced by acetylcholine, an agonist of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, in a concentration‐dependent manner. It also inhibited catecholamine secretion,22Na+influx and/or45Ca2+influx induced by veratridine, an activator of voltage‐dependent Na+channels, and 56 mM K+, an activator of voltage‐dependent Ca2+channels. InXenopusoocytes expressing α3β4 neuronal acetylcholine receptors, nobiletin directly inhibited the current evoked by acetylcholine in a concentration‐dependent manner similar to that observed in catecholamine secretion. The present findings suggest that nobiletin, by itself, stimulates catecholamine secretion via activation of voltage‐dependent Ca2+channels or Na+/Ca2+exchangers, whereas it inhibits catecholamine secretion induced by acetylcholine through the suppression of Na+influx and Ca2+influx in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells.
Perinatal risk factors for the neonatal abstinence syndrome in infants born to women on methadone maintenance therapy
Authors: LIU Anthony J.W. , JONES Michael P. , MURRAY Henry , COOK Colleen‐Maree , NANAN Ralph 
Published: June 2010

Background:  Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) occurs in more than 50% of infants exposed to intrauterine opiates. Maternal opiate dosing has been investigated with conflicting results.Aims:  The aims of this study were to correlate maternal methadone dose and other risk factors with the development of NAS requiring pharmacological treatment by using easily accessible clinical parameters.Methods:  Retrospective medical record review of data from 228 opioid dependent pregnant women who delivered 232 live‐born infants. Logistic regression analysis was performed on maternal, perinatal and neonatal parameters to identify risk factors for NAS requiring treatment. A prediction model was developed and validated on a separate independent cohort of 188 infants.Results:  Of the 232 infants, 172 (74%) infants were treated for NAS. The risk of withdrawal increased by 17% per 5 mg increment of the last maternal methadone dose. The risk was lower for younger gestational ages and for those delivered by Caesarean section compared to those delivered by normal vaginal delivery. Through predictive modeling, gestational age, mode of delivery and last methadone dose were established as risk factors for withdrawal. The model was validated by other statistical measures and its diagnostic performance confirmed on the separate independent cohort.Conclusions:  Our data suggests that timing and mode of delivery as well as last maternal methadone dose are significant risk factors for the development of NAS requiring treatment. Based on these clinical parameters, risk stratification for perinatal management of pregnancies associated with opioid dependency and risk prediction for the neonate might now be possible.
Design of a Symmetry Controller for Cycling Induced by Electrical Stimulation: Preliminary Results on Post‐Acute Stroke Patients
Authors: Ambrosini Emilia , Ferrante Simona , Schauer Thomas , Ferrigno Giancarlo , Molteni Franco , Pedrocchi Alessandra 
Published: June 2010

AbstractThis study deals with the design of a controller for cycling induced by functional electrical stimulation. The controller will be exploitable in the rehabilitation of hemiparetic patients who need to recover motor symmetry. It uses the pulse width as the control variable in the stimulation of the two legs in order to nullify the unbalance between the torques produced at the two crank arms. It was validated by means of isokinetic trials performed both by healthy subjects and stroke patients. The results showed that the controller was able to reach, and then maintain, a symmetrical pedaling. In the future, the controller will be validated on a larger number of stroke patients.
Application of Polycaprolactone as an Anti‐Adhesion Biomaterial Film
Authors: Lo Hsien‐Yi , Kuo Hsuan‐Ting , Huang Yi‐You 
Published: June 2010

AbstractAdhesions are unavoidable consequences of surgery and other trauma. How to prevent the adhesions remains a big issue in healthcare system. The objective of this study is to test the efficacy of polycaprolactone (PCL) films as physical barriers in reducing postoperative intra‐abdominal adhesions in the rat cecum‐abdominal wall model. PCL is quite cheap compared with the agents recently used in the market. The fabrication method is also very easy to perform. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed multiple pores over upper and bottom surfaces but too small to permit cells to migrate from one surface onto another surface. Those pores were proven to be not interconnected. The PCL film did not show any evidence of cytotoxic effects as it did not induce any significant increase in cytoplasmic lactate dehydrogenase release from the NIH3T3 cells that it came in contact with. In animal studies, the PCL films led to fewer adhesions than Seprafilm in rat adhesion model. PCL films were efficacious in reducing postoperative intra‐abdominal adhesion formation in rat cecum‐abdominal wall models.
Disposable MagLev Centrifugal Blood Pump Utilizing a Cone‐Shaped Impeller
Authors: Hijikata Wataru , Sobajima Hideo , Shinshi Tadahiko , Nagamine Yasuyuki , Wada Suguru , Takatani Setsuo , Shimokohbe Akira 
Published: June 2010

AbstractTo enhance the durability and reduce the blood trauma of a conventional blood pump with a cone‐shaped impeller, a magnetically levitated (MagLev) technology has been applied to the BioPump BPX‐80 (Medtronic Biomedicus, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA), whose impeller is supported by a mechanical bearing. The MagLev BioPump (MagLev BP), which we have developed, has a cone‐shaped impeller, the same as that used in the BPX‐80. The suspension and driving system, which is comprised of two degrees of freedom, radial‐controlled magnetic bearing, and a simply structured magnetic coupling, eliminates any physical contact between the impeller and the housing. To reduce both oscillation of the impeller and current in the coils, the magnetic bearing system utilizes repetitive and zero‐power compensators. In this article, we present the design of the MagLev mechanism, measure the levitational accuracy of the impeller and pressure‐flow curves (head‐quantity [HQ] characteristics), and describe in vitro experiments designed to measure hemolysis. For the flow‐induced hemolysis of the initial design to be reduced, the blood damage index was estimated by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. Stable rotation of the impeller in a prototype MagLev BP from 0 to 2750 rpm was obtained, yielding a flow rate of 5 L/min against a head pressure in excess of 250 mm Hg. Because the impeller of the prototype MagLev BP is levitated without contact, the normalized index of hemolysis was 10% less than the equivalent value with the BPX‐80. The results of the CFD analysis showed that the shape of the outlet and the width of the fluid clearances have a large effect on blood damage. The prototype MagLev BP satisfied the required HQ characteristics (5 L/min, 250 mm Hg) for extracorporeal circulation support with stable levitation of the impeller and showed an acceptable level of hemolysis. The simulation results of the CFD analysis indicated the possibility of further reducing the blood damage of the prototype MagLev BP.
Variations in Aortic Pressure Affect the Mechanics of the Intra‐Aortic Balloon: An In Vitro Investigation
Authors: Biglino Giovanni , Kolyva Christina , Whitehorne Michael , Pepper John R. , Khir Ashraf W. 
Published: June 2010

AbstractThis study aims to investigate the mechanics of the intra‐aortic balloon (IAB) under different aortic pressure (Pao) and inclination (0–75°). Pressure and flow were measured in an artificial aorta during IAB pumping with a frequency of 1:3. Volume displaced toward the “coronary arteries” during inflation (Vprox) and “intra‐aortic” pressure reduction during deflation (Pr) were derived. IAB duration of inflation and deflation was determined with a high‐speed camera visualization. When the aorta was horizontal, Pao raised from 45 mm Hg to 115 mm Hg, Vprox reduced by 18% (25.0 ± 1.0 mL vs. 30.4 ± 1.9 mL) and Pr increased by 117% (106.4 ± 0.3 mm Hg vs. 48.9 ± 0.6 mm Hg). When the aorta was inclined, at low Pao of 45 mm Hg, Vprox was reduced by 30% from 0° to 45° (19.8 ± 2.3 mL vs. 28.3 ±  1.7 mL) and Pr was reduced by 66% (16.5 ± 0.1 mm Hg vs. 48.9 ± 0.6 mm Hg). However, at high Pao of 115 mm Hg, Vprox remained unchanged with increasing angle (20.0 ±  1.0 mL) and Pr was reduced by 24% (80.6 ± 0.8 mm Hg vs. 106.4 ± 0.3 mm Hg). Increasing Pao increased duration of inflation. At low Pao, increasing angle resulted in increasing duration of inflation, but at high Pao, increasing angle had the opposite effect. Duration of deflation generally decreased with Pao and increased with increasing angle. The IAB pump is affected by both Pao and angle, indicating that non‐normotensive patients or patients in the semi‐recumbent position might not receive the full benefits of IAB counterpulsation.
Poetics of Memory: In Defence of Literary Experimentation with Holocaust Survivor Testimony
Authors: Rapport Frances , Hartill Graham 
Published: June 2010

SUMMARYThis article defends literary experimentation through poetics, suggesting it is both valid and powerful for re‐presenting social data. The article concentrates on methodological debates surrounding the use of poetics in social science studies, contextualizing the theoretical with exemplars taken from a study of Holocaust survivors' life stories that aimed to clarify whether notions of health and well‐being were in evidence in survivor testimony. In so doing, the article raises an interesting question: “What happens when a poet and a qualitative health researcher work on the same sections of transcribed text?” The article argues for the value of poetics as a working method with oral histories of this kind, suggesting its major strength is to uphold processes of personal transformation via layers of differently mediated dialogue: between participant and researcher, researcher and reader, and the like. The article concludes with a discussion of how poetics might be useful to support others' research studies.