bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Supramolecular Assembly of Double‐Stranded Chains, Helical Chains and Catenane‐like Layers with Flexible Ligands
Authors: Sun Chang‐Yan , Li Xin‐Xin , Wang Shui‐Feng , Li Wen‐Jun , Zheng Xiang‐Jun 
Published: March 2008

AbstractFour new transition metal coordination polymers, [Co(bpndc)(phen)(H2O)]n (1), [Co3(bpndc)3(2,2′‐bpy)2]n·0.5n(i‐C3H7OH) (2), and [M(bpndc)(2,2′‐bpy)2]n (M = Zn, 3; Cu, 4; H2bpndc = benzophenone ‐4,4′‐dicarboxylic acid; phen = 1,10‐phenanthroline; 2,2′‐bpy = 2,2′‐bipyridine) have been synthesized by the hydrothermal reactions and characterized by single crystal X‐ray diffraction, elemental analysis, and IR spectrum. Because of the introduction of different terminal auxiliary ligands, bpndc ligands in complexes 1 and 2 adopt different coordination modes. In complex 1, bpndc ligands act as tridentate ligand and bridge CoII ions into 1D double‐stranded chains; while complex 2 possesses 2D (4,4) grids, where bpndc ligands adopt tetradente and pentadentate modes. Two such grids interpenetrate to form a novel catenane‐like layer. Complexes 3 and 4 are isostructural. Bpndc ligands adopt tetradentate mode and bridge metal ions forming 1D helical chains.
Juju Oaths in Customary Law Arbitration and Their Legal Validity in Nigerian Courts
Authors: Oba Abdulmumini A 
Published: March 2008

AbstractTraditional oaths play decisive roles in customary law arbitration and are recognized and accorded due respect by the courts. This position is now threatened by four emerging factors. First, all customary law arbitrations (including those based on juju oaths) are now subjected to stringent conditions before the courts will enforce them. Secondly, there are discordant voices in the Supreme Court on the legal relevance and juristic value of traditional oaths. Thirdly, in August 2005, the gruesome activities of some shrines where juju oaths are administered in some Igbo communities were exposed in the mass media. This exposure has given traditional oaths a bad image. Lastly, the onslaught of Islam and Christianity is taking its toil on traditional oaths. There is the need to protect traditional oaths from these threats.
The “Double Exposure” of History in Evan S. Connell's Mrs. Bridge and Mr. Bridge
Authors: GILMORE SHAWN 
Published: March 2008

Evan S. Connell's Bridge novels, Mrs. Bridge (1959) and Mr. Bridge (1969), are products of a post-World War II culture set in a prewar Kansas City of the 1920s and 1930s. In this paper, I argue that these novels pointedly articulate their historically disjunct construction – remaining firmly planted in a carefully articulated history and geography of pre-World War II Kansas City and representing the alienation and dissipation of postwar suburban life – in both the presentation of the racial and social geography of Kansas City between the wars and in the gap between the novels' two generations of the Bridge family.
‘Over-under’ myringoplasty with umbus-anchored graft
Authors: Fiorino F , Barbieri F 
Published: March 2008

AbstractIntroduction:‘Over-under’ myringoplasty is a versatile and effective surgical technique for tympanic membrane repair. The main drawbacks are possible trauma to the inner ear, due to manipulation of the malleus, and graft detachment from the apical portion of the malleus during the healing process, with consequent reduction of sound transfer function. To obviate these disadvantages, we have modified the over-under myringoplasty by maintaining anchorage of the tympanic membrane to the umbus.Material and methods:A total of 78 umbus-anchored over-under myringoplasties were performed from 2004 to 2006 in 63 patients. After elevation of the tympanomeatal flap, the malleus was freed from the tympanic membrane in a superior to inferior direction, up to the region immediately superior to the umbus. A large graft with a radial slit was distended under the tympanic remnants and annulus, and the two tongues were positioned to surround the umbus area and overlapped under a non-perforated portion of the tympanic membrane.Results:Graft take was obtained in 71 ears (91 per cent). The auditory results showed an average residual air–bone gap of 6.7 dB, which was significantly better (p = 0.04) in comparison to that obtained in ears undergoing traditional over-under myringoplasty (11.9 dB).Conclusion:Modification of the over-under myringoplasty by anchoring the graft to the umbus preserves both lever and catenary effects of the tympano-ossicular system, reduces traumatising manoeuvres during dissection of the tympanic membrane from the malleus, and yields excellent results in terms of graft take and auditory outcome.
Force/position control self-tuned to unknown surface slopes using motion variables
Authors: Doulgeri Zoe , Karayiannidis Yiannis 
Published: March 2008

SUMMARYThis work considers the problem of force/position regulation for a robotic finger in compliant contact with an unknown curved surface resulting in uncertain force and position control subspaces. The proposed controller is an adaptive control scheme of a simple structure that achieves the desired target by the on-line tuning of the position and force control actions to their corresponding actual subspaces at the desired point using motion state feedback. The local asymptotic stability of the system equilibrium point is proved and an estimate of the region of attraction is given. The controller performance is illustrated by a simulation example.
What's Etiology Got to Do With It?
Authors: Donnelly Kerry 
Published: March 2008

Cerebrovascular Disease, Cognitive Impairment and Dementia. John O'Brien, David Ames, Lars Gustafson, Marshal Folstein, and Edmond Chiu (Eds.). 2004. London: Martin Dunitz, 406 pp., $79.95 (HB).Cerebrovascular Disease, Cognitive Impairment and Dementiais the second edition ofCerebrovascular Disease and Dementia(2000). The new edition is over 160 pages longer than the earlier version, with several new chapters devoted to the pathophysiology of cerebrovascular disease [including provocative chapters on neurotransmitter changes in vascular dementia (VaD), the contributions of homocysteine and low vitamin B to VaD, and a good overview of hereditary forms of VaD], vascular mild cognitive impairment, noncognitive symptoms, and an expanded discussion of prevention and treatment. It is written for both clinical and scientific audiences. As in the first edition, there is a laudable comparative emphasis, with epidemiologic studies of vascular dementia in Europe, North America, Japan, and China. Indeed, the editors hail from the U.K, Australia, Sweden, and the U.S, and this affords the volume a useful global perspective. With five editors and 22 additional contributors, however, this book suffers a bit from the “too many cooks” syndrome. There is a good bit of redundancy. After the fifth or sixth description of classification criteria for vascular dementia, the reader begins to feel on the receiving end of some repetitive rehearsal therapy for her own dementia.
Explaining the Mind in Terms of the Brain: Two Challenges
Authors: Howieson Diane B. 
Published: March 2008

The Wisdom Paradox: How Your Mind Can Grow Stronger as Your Brain
Grows Older, by Elkhonon Goldberg. 2005. New York: Gotham Books.
337pp., $26.00 (HB).Creativity and the Brain, by Kenneth M. Heilman. 2005. New
York: Psychology Press. 207 pp., $55.00 (HB).Doctors Goldberg and Heilman have both written absorbing accounts of
the brain for the interested public as well as scientists that address
some of the most intriguing questions in neuroscience, wisdom and
creativity. Dr. Goldberg is a Clinical Professor of Neurology at New York
University School of Medicine and a valuable and innovative contributor to
the theoretical foundations of neuropsychology. Dr. Heilman, a
Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Health Psychology at the
University of Florida, is recognized for his many contributions to
understanding brain mechanisms underlying behavior as well as his legacy
as a teacher and mentor for many neuroscientists.
Disorder of the Natural Kind?
Authors: Greiffenstein Manfred F. 
Published: March 2008

Neuropsychology of PTSD: Biological, Cognitive, and Clinical
Perspectives. Jennifer J. Vasterling and Chris R. Brewin (Eds.).
2005. New York: The Guilford Press, 337 pp., $48.00 (HB).Philosophically, neuropsychologists believe the disorders they
evaluate are of a natural kind: biologically real and existing
independently of our means of classifying them, much like viruses or
atomic structures exist separately from cultural outlook (McNally, 2004). We do not like to believe historical
influences affect our evaluations, and nobody likes the idea that
cognitive disorders can be created by merely marketing their existence.
Social and cultural factors cannot be avoided when neuropsychologists move
away from well-defined cerebral disorders to the study of subjectively
defined disorders. Shorter (1994) elaborated the
fluid presentation of hysteria over time, and ill-defined “railway
spine” syndromes emerged when railroad accidents became compensable
in 1800's Great Britain but not for orchard workers with similarly
abrupt orthopedic strains. For a current controversy, consider how rising
autism rates are believed to be biologically determined (e.g., mercury in
vaccines) even though research underscores a proportional decline in
mental retardation rates and autism rates still climbed long after mercury
preservatives were eliminated in Denmark (Madsen et
al., 2003). I refer to diagnostic “bracket creep”
(e.g., “defining deviancy down” or “up” in the
case of retardation), and “medicalization of misery,” variants
of the idea that cultural pressures influence the vocabulary and scope of
our inquiries. This can lead to increasing heterogeneity of our diagnostic
categories, becoming a potentially insurmountable obstacle for those
determined to discover a specific neurobiology for psychological
suffering. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a myriad symptom
constellation with widening boundaries under increasing neurocognitive
scrutiny.
Niche differentiation among sulfur-oxidizing bacterial populations in cave waters
Authors: Macalady Jennifer L , Dattagupta Sharmishtha , Schaperdoth Irene , Jones Daniel S , Druschel Greg K , Eastman Danielle 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
The sulfidic Frasassi cave system affords a unique opportunity to investigate niche relationships among sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, including epsilonproteobacterial clades with no cultivated representatives. Oxygen and sulfide concentrations in the cave waters range over more than two orders of magnitude as a result of seasonally and spatially variable dilution of the sulfidic groundwater. A full-cycle rRNA approach was used to quantify dominant populations in biofilms collected in both diluted and undiluted zones. Sulfide concentration profiles within biofilms were obtained in situ using microelectrode voltammetry. Populations in rock-attached streamers depended on the sulfide/oxygen supply ratio of bulk water (r=0.97; P&lt;0.0001). Filamentous epsilonproteobacteria dominated at high sulfide to oxygen ratios (&gt;150), whereas Thiothrix dominated at low ratios (&lt;75). In contrast, Beggiatoa was the dominant group in biofilms at the sediment–water interface regardless of sulfide and oxygen concentrations or supply ratio. Our results highlight the versatility and ecological success of Beggiatoa in diffusion-controlled niches, and demonstrate that high sulfide/oxygen ratios in turbulent water are important for the growth of filamentous epsilonproteobacteria.
School‐based Obesity Prevention Programs: An Evidence‐based Review
Authors: Kropski Jonathan A. , Keckley Paul H. , Jensen Gordon L. 
Published: March 2008

Objective: This review seeks to examine the effectiveness of school‐based programs for reducing childhood overweight or obesity.Methods and Procedures: A systematic review of the research literature published since 1990 was conducted to identify experimental or quasi‐experimental school‐based curricular or environmental preventive interventions, with evaluation ≥6 months after baseline, which reported outcomes in terms of a measure of overweight.Results: Fourteen studies were identified, including one involving a nutrition‐only program, two physical activity promotion interventions and eleven studies combining nutrition and physical activity components. Most studies (n = 10) offered weak (grade 2) quality evidence. One study offered strong (grade 4) evidence reducing the odds ratio for overweight in girls only, while four grade 2 studies reported significant improvements in BMI or at‐risk‐for overweight or overweight prevalence in boys, girls, or both. Twelve studies reported significant improvement in at least one measure of dietary intake, physical activity, and/or sedentary behavior.Discussion: Our ability to draw strong conclusions as to the efficacy of school‐based obesity prevention programs is limited by the small number of published studies and by methodological concerns. Qualitative analysis suggests programs grounded in social learning may be more appropriate for girls, while structural and environmental interventions enabling physical activity may be more effective for boys. High‐quality evaluation protocols should be considered essential components of future programs.
Dietary Fatty Acids Differentially Regulate Production of TNF‐α and IL‐10 by Murine 3T3‐L1 Adipocytes
Authors: Bradley Richard L. , Fisher FFolliott M. , Maratos‐Flier Eleftheria 
Published: March 2008

Objective: Obesity correlates with increased production of adipocyte‐derived cytokines, which may contribute to a chronic subclinical inflammation seen in obese individuals. This study evaluated the ability of specific fatty acids to modulate production of the proinflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), and the anti‐inflammatory cytokine, interleukin‐10 (IL‐10), in murine 3T3‐L1 adipocytes. Effects on nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB), a key transcriptional activator of the inflammatory cascade, and suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS‐3), a negative regulator of cytokine signaling, were also determined.Methods and Procedures: Adipocytes were incubated for 24 and 48 h with and without 50 or 500 μmol/l of palmitic acid, oleic acid, or docosahexaenoic acid, (DHA). Effects on gene expression and protein secretion of TNF‐α and IL‐10 were determined using real‐time PCR and a murine multipex RIA kit. SOCS‐3 expression was determined by northern blotting and NF‐κB binding activity was assessed using a commercially available assay.Results: Adipocytes treated for 24 h with palmitic acid exhibited a 70% increase in TNF‐α production and up to a 75% decrease in IL‐10 production, relative to untreated cells. In contrast, DHA treatment had no effect on TNF‐α, but increased IL‐10 production twofold. No effect of oleic acid was seen on either TNF‐α or IL‐10 production. Similar results were obtained during a 48‐h incubation. Furthermore, NF‐κB DNA‐binding activity increased fourfold in response to palmitic acid and decreased 60% in response to DHA. Expression of SOCS‐3 increased twofold in DHA‐treated cells.Discussion: In aggregate, these results suggest that dietary fatty acids act directly on adipocytes to modulate cytokine production. As circulating fatty acids levels are chronically elevated in obese individuals, this effect may account in part for obesity‐associated inflammation.
Peripheral Endocannabinoid System Activity in Patients Treated With Sibutramine
Authors: Engeli Stefan , Heusser Karsten , Janke Jürgen , Gorzelniak Kerstin , Bátkai Sándor , Pacher Pál , Harvey‐White Judith , Luft Friedrich C. , Jordan Jens 
Published: March 2008

Objective: The endocannabinoid system (ECS) promotes weight gain and obesity‐associated metabolic changes. Weight loss interventions may influence obesity‐associated risk indirectly through modulation of the peripheral ECS. We investigated the effect of acute and chronic treatment with sibutramine on components of the peripheral ECS.Methods and Procedures: Twenty obese otherwise healthy patients received randomized, double‐blind, crossover treatment with placebo and 15 mg/day sibutramine for 5 days each, followed by 12 weeks open‐label sibutramine treatment. We determined circulating anandamide and 2‐arachidonoylglycerol and expression levels of endocannabinoid genes in subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue biopsies.Results: Body weight was stable during the acute treatment period and decreased by 6.0 ± 0.8 kg in those patients completing 3 months of sibutramine treatment (P < 0.05). Circulating endocannabinoids and the expression of ECS genes did not change with acute or chronic sibutramine treatment.Discussion: The ECS is activated in obesity. We did not find any influence of 5% body weight loss induced by sibutramine on circulating levels of endocannabinoids and adipose‐tissue expression of endocannabinoid genes in obese subjects. These data confirm our previous findings on dietary weight loss and suggest that the dysregulation of the ECS may be a cause rather than a consequence of obesity.
School Level Contextual Factors Are Associated With the Weight Status of Adolescent Males and Females
Authors: Richmond Tracy K. , Subramanian S.V. 
Published: March 2008

Objective: To determine whether school context influences the BMI of adolescent males and females.Methods and Procedures: Our sample was 17,007 adolescents (aged 12–19) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). We used gender‐stratified multilevel modeling to examine the contribution of schools to the overall variance in adolescent BMIs, calculated from self‐reported weight and height. We then examined the associations of individual attributes with BMI after controlling for the average BMI of the school and the association of two school‐level variables with BMI.Results: Participants attended schools that were segregated by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES). In females, when controlling only for individual‐level attributes, individual household income was inversely associated (β = −0.043, P = 0.01) while Hispanic (β = 0.89, P < 0.001) and black (β = 1.61, P < 0.001) race/ethnicity were positively associated with BMI. In males, Hispanic (β = 0.67, P < 0.001) race/ethnicity was positively associated with BMI; there was no difference in the BMIs of blacks compared with whites (β = 0.24, P = 0.085). After controlling for the school racial/ethnic makeup and the school level median household income, the relationship between individual race/ethnicity and BMI was attenuated in both male and female adolescents. Higher school level median household income was associated with lower individual BMIs in adolescent girls (γ = −0.37, P < 0.001) and boys (γ = −0.29, P < 0.001) suggesting a contextual effect of the school.Discussion: Male and female adolescents attending schools with higher median household incomes have on average lower BMIs. Resources available to or cultural norms within schools may constitute critical mechanisms through which schools impact the BMI of their students.
Weight Loss Produced by Tesofensine in Patients With Parkinson's or Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Astrup Arne , Meier Dieter H. , Mikkelsen Birgit O. , Villumsen John S. , Larsen Thomas M. 
Published: March 2008

Objective: Tesofensine (TE) is a norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin reuptake inhibitor. We conducted a meta‐analysis of TE's effect on body weight in trials investigating its potential for treatment of Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease.Methods and Procedures: Four randomized, double‐blind, multicenter trials compared TE (n = 740) and placebo (n = 228), two in each disease. Patients received oral TE or placebo once daily for 14 weeks without any weight loss program. Results were adjusted for baseline values, age, and study.Results: In the placebo group, 14% were obese and 21% were in the TE group. In the total cohort, weight change after 14 weeks was +0.5, −0.5, −0.9, −1.8, −2.8% in the placebo, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg in the TE groups, respectively (P = 0.015 for dose effect). In the obese subgroup, weight changes were −0.2, −1.7, −1.6, −1.5, −3.7%, and 2.1, 8.2, 14.1, 20.9, 32.1% of the obese patients achieved ≥5% weight loss (P < 0.001 for 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mg vs. placebo for both end points). Changes in heart rate were −0.4, 2.1, 4.2, 6.0, and 6.8 bpm after 14 weeks (TE vs. placebo: P < 0.001 from 0.25 mg), but no effect on blood pressure was observed.Discussion: TE produced a placebo‐subtracted weight loss of ∼4% for >14 weeks without any diet and lifestyle therapy, which is similar to that of sibutramine, but with no effect on blood pressure. On the basis of these results, TE is now being developed for obesity management.
Additional Contribution of Emerging Risk Factors to the Prediction of the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Evidence From the Western New York Study
Authors: Stranges Saverio , Rafalson Lisa B. , Dmochowski Jacek , Rejman Karol , Tracy Russell P. , Trevisan Maurizio , Donahue Richard P. 
Published: March 2008

Objective: To examine whether several biomarkers of endothelial function and inflammation improve prediction of type 2 diabetes over 5.9 years of follow‐up, independent of traditional risk factors.Methods and Procedures: A total of 1,455 participants from the Western New York Study, free of type 2 diabetes at baseline, were selected. Incident type 2 diabetes was defined as fasting glucose exceeding 125 mg/dl or on antidiabetic medication at the follow‐up visit. Sixty‐one people who met the case definition (8/1,000 person years) were identified and individually matched with up to three controls on gender, race, year of study enrollment, and baseline fasting glucose (<110 or 110–125 mg/dl). Biomarkers were measured from frozen baseline samples.Results: In conditional logistic regression analyses accounting for traditional risk factors (age, family history of diabetes, smoking, drinking status, and BMI), E‐selectin was positively related (3rd vs. 1st tertile: odds ratio 2.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13–6.79, P for linear trend = 0.023) and serum albumin was inversely related (3rd vs. 1st tertile: odds ratio 0.36, 95% CI 0.14–0.93, P for linear trend = 0.032) to type 2 diabetes incidence. The addition of E‐selectin, serum albumin, and leukocyte count to a basic risk factor model including only traditional risk factors significantly increased the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) (from 0.646 to 0.726, P value = 0.04).Discussion: These results support the role of endothelial dysfunction and subclinical inflammation as important mechanisms in the etiopathogenesis of type 2 diabetes; moreover, they indicate that novel biomarkers may improve the prediction of type 2 diabetes beyond the use of traditional risk factors alone.
Global Characterization of Cell-Specific Gene Expression through Fluorescence-Activated Sorting of Nuclei
Authors: Zhang Changqing , Barthelson Roger A. , Lambert Georgina M. , Galbraith David W. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractWe describe a simple and highly effective means for global identification of genes that are expressed within specific cell types within complex tissues. It involves transgenic expression of nuclear-targeted green fluorescent protein in a cell-type-specific manner. The fluorescent nuclei are then purified from homogenates by fluorescence-activated sorting, and the RNAs employed as targets for microarray hybridization. We demonstrate the validity of the approach through the identification of 12 genes that are selectively expressed in phloem.