bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The application of genetics approaches to the study of exceptional longevity in humans: potential and limitations
Authors: Ferrario Anna , Villa Francesco , Malovini Alberto , Araniti Fiorella , Puca Annibale A 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
The average life-span of the population of industrialized countries has improved enormously over the last decades. Despite evidence pointing to the role of food intake in modulating life-span, exceptional longevity is still considered primarily an inheritable trait, as pointed out by the description of families with centenarian clusters and by the elevated relative probability of siblings of centenarians to become centenarians themselves. However, rather than being two separate concepts, the genetic origin of exceptional longevity and the more recently observed environment-driven increase in the average age of the population could possibly be explained by the same genetic variants and environmentally modulated mechanisms (caloric restriction, specific nutrients). In support of this hypothesis, polymorphisms selected for in the centenarian population as a consequence of demographic pressure have been found to modulate cellular signals controlled also by caloric restriction. Here, we give an overview of the recent findings in the field of the genetics of human exceptional longevity, of how some of the identified polymorphisms modulate signals also influenced by food intake and caloric restriction, of what in our view have been the limitations of the approaches used over the past years to study genetics (sib-pair-, candidate gene association-, and genome-wide association-studies), and briefly of the limitations and the potential of the new, high-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques applied to exceptional longevity.
Algae biodiesel - a feasibility report
Authors: Gao Yihe , Gregor Chapin , Liang Yuanjie , Tang Dawei , Tweed Caitlin 
Published: April 2012

Abstract

Background
Algae biofuels have been studied numerous times including the Aquatic Species program in 1978 in the U.S., smaller laboratory research projects and private programs.

Results
Using Molina Grima 2003 and Department of Energy figures, captial costs and operating costs of the closed systems and open systems were estimated. Cost per gallon of conservative estimates yielded $1,292.05 and $114.94 for closed and open ponds respectively. Contingency scenarios were generated in which cost per gallon of closed system biofuels would reach $17.54 under the generous conditions of 60% yield, 50% reduction in the capital costs and 50% hexane recovery. Price per gallon of open system produced fuel could reach $1.94 under generous assumptions of 30% yield and $0.2/kg CO2.

Conclusions
Current subsidies could allow biodiesel to be produced economically under the generous conditions specified by the model.
Frontier battery development for hybrid vehicles
Authors: Lewis Heather , Park Haram , Paolini Maion 
Published: April 2012

Abstract

Background
Interest in hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) has recently spiked, partly due to an increasingly negative view toward the U.S. foreign oil dependency and environmental concerns. Though HEVs are becoming more common, they have a significant price premium over gasoline-powered vehicles. One of the primary drivers of this “hybrid premium” is the cost of the vehicles’ batteries. This paper focuses on these batteries used in hybrid vehicles, examines the types of batteries used for transportation applications and addresses some of the technological, environmental and political drivers in battery development and the deployment of HEVs.

Methods
This paper examines the claim, often voiced by HEV proponents, that by taking into account savings on gasoline and vehicle maintenance, hybrid cars are cheaper than traditional gasoline cars. This is done by a quantitative benefit-cost analysis, in addition to qualitative benefit-cost analysis from political, technological and environmental perspectives.

Results
The quantitative benefit-cost analysis shows that, taking account of all costs for the life of the vehicle, hybrid cars are in fact more expensive than gasoline-powered vehicles; however, after five years, HEVs will break even with gasoline cars.

Conclusions
Our results show that it is likely that after 5 years, using hybrid vehicles should be cheaper in effect and yield a positive net benefit to society. There are a number of externalities that could significantly impact the total social cost of the car. These externalities can be divided into four categories: environmental, industrial, R&D and political. Despite short-term implications and hurdles, increased HEV usage forecasts a generally favorable long-term net benefit to society. Most notably, increasing HEV usage could decrease greenhouse gas emissions, while also decreasing U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
A BAC library of the SP80-3280 sugarcane variety (saccharum sp.) and its inferred microsynteny with the sorghum genome
Authors: Figueira Thais Rezende e Silva , Okura Vagner , Rodrigues da Silva Felipe , Jose da Silva Marcio , Kudrna Dave , Ammiraju Jetty SS , Talag Jayson , Wing Rod , Arruda Paulo 
Published: April 2012

Abstract

Background
Sugarcane breeding has significantly progressed in the last 30 years, but achieving additional yield gains has been difficult because of the constraints imposed by the complex ploidy of this crop. Sugarcane cultivars are interspecific hybrids between Saccharum officinarum and Saccharum spontaneum. S. officinarum is an octoploid with 2n = 80 chromosomes while S. spontaneum has 2n = 40 to 128 chromosomes and ploidy varying from 5 to 16. The hybrid genome is composed of 70-80% S. officinaram and 5-20% S. spontaneum chromosomes and a small proportion of recombinants. Sequencing the genome of this complex crop may help identify useful genes, either per se or through comparative genomics using closely related grasses. The construction and sequencing of a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library of an elite commercial variety of sugarcane could help assembly the sugarcane genome.

Results
A BAC library designated SS_SBa was constructed with DNA isolated from the commercial sugarcane variety SP80-3280. The library contains 36,864 clones with an average insert size of 125 Kb, 88% of which has inserts larger than 90 Kb. Based on the estimated genome size of 760–930 Mb, the library exhibits 5–6 times coverage the monoploid sugarcane genome. Bidirectional BAC end sequencing (BESs) from a random sample of 192 BAC clones sampled genes and repetitive elements of the sugarcane genome. Forty-five per cent of the total BES nucleotides represents repetitive elements, 83% of which belonging to LTR retrotransposons. Alignment of BESs corresponding to 42 BACs to the genome sequence of the 10 sorghum chromosomes revealed regions of microsynteny, with expansions and contractions of sorghum genome regions relative to the sugarcane BAC clones. In general, the sampled sorghum genome regions presented an average 29% expansion in relation to the sugarcane syntenic BACs.

Conclusion
The SS_SBa BAC library represents a new resource for sugarcane genome sequencing. An analysis of insert size, genome coverage and orthologous alignment with the sorghum genome revealed that the library presents whole genome coverage. The comparison of syntenic regions of the sorghum genome to 42 SS_SBa BES pairs revealed that the sorghum genome is expanded in relation to the sugarcane genome.
Comparison of safety and toxicity of liposomal doxorubicin vs. conventional anthracyclines: a meta-analysis
Authors: Rafiyath Shamudheen M , Rasul Mohammad , Lee Byung , Wei Guoqing , Lamba Gurpreet , Liu Delong 
Published: April 2012

Abstract

Background
Liposomal formulations of anthracyclines appear to have favorable toxicity profile when compared with conventional anthracyclines in elderly, high risk cardiac patients and patients with prior use of anthracyclines. Randomized controlled trials have evaluated the efficacy and safety profile of liposomal formulations with conventional anthracyclines. Our aim is to evaluate the adverse effects and quantify the relative safety profile of the liposomal and conventional anthracyclines through meta-analysis of the published randomized trials.

Methods
We conducted a broad search strategy of major electronic databases. We performed a meta- analysis of adverse effects on randomized controlled trials comparing liposomal formulation and conventional anthracyclines on different tumors. The primary outcome was the adverse effects including congestive heart failure (CHF), hematological toxicity, palmar-plantar erythrodysthesias (PPE), alopecia, nausea and vomiting. The odds ratios of the adverse effects were calculated separately and the overall odds ratio of the pooled data was calculated.

Results
We identified nine randomized controlled trials comparing liposomal formulations and conventional anthracyclines. The study included 2220 patients, of which1112 patients were treated with liposomal formulations and 1108 were treated with conventional anthracyclines. We found that the liposomal formulations have low incidence of CHF(OR 0.34, 95% CI, 0.24–0.47), alopecia (OR 0.0.25, 95% CI, 0.0.10-0.62), neutropenia (OR 0.62, 95% CI, 0.45- 0.85),(OR 0.89, 95% CI, 0.71-1.125), and thrombocytopenia (OR 0.87, 95% CI, 0.61-1.25). The incidence of PPE was similar in both arms (OR 1.08, 95% CI, 0.11- 10.30).

Conclusions
Liposomal doxorubicin and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin demonstrated favorable toxicity profiles with better cardiac safety and less myelosuppression, alopecia, nausea and vomiting compared with the conventional anthracyclines. The better therapeutic index of liposomal anthracyclines without compromising the efficacy makes it a favorable choice over conventional anthracyclines in elderly patients, patients with risk factors for cardiac disease and patients with prior use of anthracyclines.
The Face of Imposture in Postrevolutionary France
Authors: Johnson James H. 
Published: April 2012

This article considers deceit and criminal disguise in the context of social upheaval that recast the terms of identity from inherited status to merit. The appearance of high-profile impostors after the Revolution produced both fear and fascination, which writers and artists were quick to exploit for a ready market. It also prepared the ground for broad distrust of professional success and social advancement later in the century. Instances of deceit from across the culture mark the shifting sense of imposture in law and the popular imagination: the arrest and trial of an escaped convict who rose in the officers’ corps by posing as a noble émigré; the corrosive appeal of the stage bandit Robert Macaire, in whom audiences found a symbol for swindlers in finance, law, and medicine; and the many masks, physical and figurative, that appear in Balzac’s Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes.
Cet article traite de la tromperie et l’imposture criminelle dans le contexte des bouleversements sociaux qui ont redéfini les conditions de l’identité sociale de la naissance au mérite. L’apparition d’imposteurs notoires après la Révolution a provoqué à la fois de la peur et de la fascination que les écrivains et les artistes ont vite exploitées pour un marché avide. Ce phénomène a aussi posé les bases qui révéleront plus tard au cours du siècle une méfiance générale face au succès professionnel et à l’avancement social. Des exemples de tromperie, à travers la littérature et les arts, signalent l’évolution du sens de l’imposture dans les lois ainsi que dans l’imagination populaire: l’arrestation et le procès d’un condamné échappé qui avait fait carrière dans un corps d’officiers en se faisant passer pour un émigré noble; l’attrait nuisible du bandit de grands chemins, Robert Macaire, personnage fictif chez qui le public a trouvé un symbole pour les escrocs de la finance, du droit et de la médecine; ainsi que les nombreux masques, tant réels que figuratifs qui apparaissent dans l’oeuvre de Balzac, Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes.
The Facts of Social Organization in the Debate over North Africa, 1834–1852: Law, Government, Critique
Authors: Aisenberg Andrew 
Published: April 2012

This article examines the legislative debate over the legal status of occupied North Africa during the July Monarchy and the Second Republic. Frustrated by government reluctance to resolve the legal irregularity of the occupation, but confident that a resolution was possible, legislative leaders debated the characteristics of social organization entailed in, and guaranteed by, a legal order. The article focuses on the deployment of conflicting facts about social order and the lack of closure in the debate that resulted, as part of a larger effort to rethink the crucial early decades of the French occupation of North Africa. Instead of assessing the origin, aims, and future potential of the occupation from the vantage point of an uncontested definition of the law, the article approaches the occupation of North Africa as the expression of deep conflicts about the relationship between law and social order that defined the metropolitan “social question” during the 1830s and 1840s.
Cet article examine le débat législatif sur le statut légal du territoire occupé de l’Afrique du Nord pendant la Monarchie de Juillet et la Deuxième République. Frustrés par la répugnance du gouvernement à résoudre l’irrégularité légale de l’occupation, mais certains qu’une résolution définitive serait possible, les députés discutaient des caractéristiques de l’organisation sociale imposées par un ordre légal. L’article se concentre sur l’étendue des faits contradictoires de l’organisation sociale et le manque de finalité qui en résultait dans le but de revoir les premières décades décisives de l’occupation française de l’Afrique du Nord. Au lieu de fixer les origines, les buts et le potentiel de l’occupation basée sur une définition incontestée de la loi, l’article aborde l’occupation de l’Afrique du Nord comme le résultat de conflits profonds à l’égard du rapport entre la loi et l’ordre social qui a défini la « question sociale » métropolitaine pendant les décennies de 1830 et 1840.
Scenes of Perception and Revelation: Gender and Truth in Antidreyfusard Caricature
Authors: Everton Elizabeth 
Published: April 2012

Since Emile Zola’s “J’accuse,” the Dreyfus affair has often been conceptualized as a struggle between truth and raison d’état. In this interpretation, the antidreyfusards voluntarily cede any claim to the concept of truth in favor of arguments based in the exigencies of national security. This article suggests, however, that antidreyfusard rhetoric and imagery also employed a concept of truth: a subjective truth that depended on personal credibility as established through opposition to imagined enemies of France. The caricaturist Caran d’Ache represented this relational truth in scenes of antidreyfusard women identifying and rejecting dreyfusard or Jewish men. These scenes allowed the artist to emphasize the personal and conditional nature of this sort of truth by showing ambiguous sexualized or aggressive women acquiring credibility through their hostile interactions with dreyfusard or Jewish adversaries, thereby permitting the representation of a truth based on human interaction and relationships.
Depuis le « J’accuse » d’Emile Zola, on a souvent affirmé que l’affaire Dreyfus symbolisait la lutte entre la vérité et la « raison d’état ». Dans cette interprétation, les antidreyfusards rejettent l’idée même de la vérité pour formuler des arguments qui privilégient la sécurité de l’état et de l’armée. Cet article soutient qu’au lieu d’abandonner complètement le concept de vérité, les antidreyfusards ont aussi employé dans leurs discours une vérité subjective basée sur le caractère et la crédibilité de l’individu. Le dessinateur Caran d’Ache a évoqué cette vérité subjective dans des scènes où des anti-dreyfusards repoussent des adversaires dreyfusards et juifs. L’artiste ainsi soulignait la nature conditionnelle de cette idée de vérité en représentant des femmes sexualisées ou agressives qui deviennent honnêtes en démasquant des ennemis de la France. Cette stratégie artistique permet la visualisation d’une vérité subjective située dans les relations humaines.
Tetracyanoanthraquinodimethanes Having Biaryl Substituents: Synthesis, Crystal Structures, and Physical Properties
Authors: Chiba Hiroshi , Nishida Jun-ichi , Yamashita Yoshiro 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
11,11,12,12-Tetracyano-9,10-anthraquinodimethane (TCNAQ) derivatives having four types of aryl substituents, phenyl, biphenyl-4-yl, thien-2-yl, and 2,2′-bithiophen-5-yl groups at their 2-position, were synthesized and characterized. Their crystal structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray structure analysis, revealing that the TCNAQ moiety and electron-donating substituents form donor–acceptor-segregated columnar structures. The combination of nonplanar electron acceptor TCNAQ and planar donor units provides a good way to afford segregated columnar structures.
Computer-assisted total knee replacement in patients with arthritis and a recurvatum deformity
Authors: Mullaji A. , Lingaraju A. P. , Shetty G. M. 
Published: April 2012

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 1150 computer-assisted total knee replacements and analysed the clinical and radiological outcomes of 45 knees that had arthritis with a pre-operative recurvatum deformity. The mean pre-operative hyperextension deformity of 11° (6° to 15°), as measured by navigation at the start of the operation, improved to a mean flexion deformity of 3.1° (0° to 7°) post-operatively. A total of 41 knees (91%) were managed using inserts ≤ 12.5 mm thick, and none had mediolateral laxity > 2 mm from a mechanical axis of 0° at the end of the surgery. At a mean follow-up of 26.4 months (13 to 48) there was significant improvement in the mean Knee Society, Oxford knee and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index scores compared with the pre-operative values. The mean knee flexion improved from 105° (80° to 125°) pre-operatively to 131° (120° to 145°), and none of the limbs had recurrent recurvatum.These early results show that total knee replacement using computer navigation and an algorithmic approach for arthritic knees with a recurvatum deformity can give excellent radiological and functional outcomes without recurrent deformity.
Growth of aligned wurtzite GaN nanorods on Si(111): Role of Silicon nitride intermediate layer
Authors: Kumar Praveen , Tangi Malleswararao , Shetty Satish , Kesaria Manoj , Shivaprasad S. M. 
Published: April 2012

ABSTRACT:We present here a report on a role of initial nitridation of Si(111) surface on GaN nanorod growth. High quality wurtzite GaN nanorods are grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy on bare Si(111)-7x7, crystalline and amorphous silicon nitride at 750oC, under nitrogen rich conditions. Using in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction and ex-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence, the structural and chemical properties are monitored. In the first part of the study, we have optimized the conditions of the N2* RF plasma, for formation of crystalline and amorphous silicon nitride on Si(111)-7x7 surface. While in the second part, GaN nanorods are grown on clean and these modified Si(111) substrates. Anisotropic spots are observed by RHEED for GaN grown on clean Si and on the amorphous silicon nitride, while circular, sharp and intense RHEED spots have been observed for GaN grown on crystalline Si3N4. FESEM results show nanorod growth in all the three different conditions. However, GaN nanorods grown on crystalline Si3N4 surface are observed to be self aligned and oriented along <0001> direction, while those grown on amorphous silicon nitride and bare Si(111) surfaces show great disorder increasing, respectively. Overall, the results clearly demonstrate that high quality of dense and self aligned c-oriented GaN nanorods can be formed on Si(111) surface by modifying it by appropriate nitridation.
Electrical Properties of Phosphorus-Doped and Boron-Doped Nanocrystalline Germanium Thin-Films for p-i-n Devices
Authors: Jordan William B. , Wagner Sigurd 
Published: April 2012

AbstractNanocrystalline germanium thin-films deposited on glass by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition from germane and hydrogen were doped with phosphorus and boron. We report some electrical transport and structural properties of Ge films as a function of dopant species and doping levels. The dark conductivities of the phosphorus- and boron-doped films are approximately three to four orders of magnitude higher than the intrinsic nanocrystalline germanium. In the solid phase, phosphorus comprised about 1 atomic percent in the Ge bulk over the range of source gas ratios used, and the conductivity remained fairly constant, indicating saturated conditions. Boron comprised about 10 atomic percent in Ge at the highest dark conductivity, while increased doping turned the films amorphous. To test the doped layers for device applications, an all-nanocrystalline germanium p-i-n diode was constructed and showed rectification when measured in the dark at room temperature.
Rare Manifestation of Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis
Authors: Bhattarai Manoj , Yuan Weijia , Fletcher Paul , Gersten Adam , Chang Anthony , Spiera Robert , Bass Anne , Erkan Doruk , Tarnow Dennis 
Published: April 2012

Introduction: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), formerly known as Wegener granulomatosis, is a multisystem disorder that mainly involves airways and kidneys. Oral GPA may present as ulcerations or strawberry gingivitis. Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial for overall prognosis.Case Presentation: An unusual case of oral GPA manifested by chronic localized inflammation, leading to failure of dental implants in an elderly woman, is presented. Diagnosis was based on antineutrophil cytoplasmic testing and histopathologic evidence of necrotizing vasculitis. Disease remission was achieved with cyclophosphamide and steroids.Conclusion: Familiarity with oral manifestations of GPA will help dentists and oral surgeons diagnose and treat early or incipient GPA without delay.
The mosasaurid (Squamata) Prognathodon in the Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of the Cotentin Peninsula (Normandy, northwestern France)
Authors: Buffetaut Eric , Bardet Nathalie 
Published: April 2012

AbstractAlthough the presence of mosasaurids in the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Baculites limestone of the Cotentin peninsula, in the western part of Normandy (France), was reported as early as 1873 by Henri-Emile Sauvage, this occurrence has largely been overlooked by subsequent authors. In this paper we review Sauvage’s original material (an isolated tooth – the type of Mosasaurus platyodon) and describe an additional, hitherto unpublished, tooth crown also from the Baculites Limestone of the Cotentin and refer both to the globidensine mosasaur Prognathodon. Mosasaurus platyodonSauvage, 1873 is considered a nomen dubium.
The snout of Halisaurus platyspondylusMarsh 1869: phylogenetic and functional implications
Authors: Polcyn Michael J. , Lamb James 
Published: April 2012

Abstract
New material of Halisaurus platyspondylus allows description of the snout elements for the first time. The specimen was recovered from the Late Maastrichtian New Egypt Formation in Gloucester County, New Jersey. Portions of the frontal, both prefrontals, and the left quadrate are preserved and are nearly identical to the USNM H. platyspondylus specimen. It can be excluded from H. arambourgi by the extensive sutural contact of the prefrontal and ventral frontal. The new material demonstrates development of a relatively broad short skull in H. platyspondylus as in H. arambourgi, and articulations of constituent elements reveal a strong, akinetic snout. This stands in contrast to the elongate, narrow skulls of more basal halisaurines such as Eonatator. This pattern, also seen in derived members of other mosasaurid subfamilies, suggests a shift from high velocity jaw closure for prey acquisition in more basal forms to robust skulls optimized for increased bite force in some more derived forms.