bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of whole-body vibration on neuromuscular performance in individuals with spinal cord injury: a systematic review
Authors: Ji Qiaodan , He Hongchen , Zhang Chi , Lu Chunlan , Zheng Yu , Luo Xiao tian , He Chengqi
Published: September 2016

Objective:

To examine the effects of whole-body vibration on neuromuscular performance in people with spinal cord injury and evaluate the safe and effective vibration protocols.

Methods:

PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL and PEDro were mainly searched for English literatures. Other data sources were ClinicalTrials.gov , Current Controlled Trials and reference lists of all relevant articles. The PEDro scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality, and the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine level of evidence was used to assess the level of evidence. Basic information and whole-body vibration protocols were extracted by two independent researchers. Any disagreements were resolved by the third researcher.

Results:

Of the eight included studies involving 94 individuals with spinal cord injury and 24 able-bodied participants, six of them reported beneficial effects of whole-body vibration on muscle activation and the other two on muscle spasticity. Based on the reviewed studies, an intermittent mode of whole-body vibration (frequency: 10–50 Hz; amplitude: 0.6–4 mm) is less likely to cause adverse events when applying to spinal cord injury subjects standing on platform (knees flexed at 10°–40°).

Conclusions:

The strength of evidence is insufficient in supporting the benefits of whole-body vibration on neuromuscular performance in individuals with spinal cord injury. The intermittent vibration (frequency: 10–50 Hz; amplitude: 0.6–4 mm; knee flexion: 10°–40°) may be the possible effective range and have good compliance.
The effect and mechanism of action of metformin on in vitro FaDu cell proliferation
Authors: Sun Ruijie , Ma Xiaojie , Cai Xiaolan , Pan Xinliang , Liu Dayu
Published: September 2016

Objective

To investigate the effect and mechanism of action of metformin on proliferation of a human hypopharyngeal carcinoma cell line (FaDu).

Methods

FaDu cells were treated with metformin (25–125 mmol/l). Cell proliferation was evaluated via CCK-8 assay. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate microRNA (miR)-21-5p and PDCD4 (programmed cell death 4) expression. PDCD4 protein was quantified by Western blot.

Results

Metformin significantly inhibited FaDu cell proliferation in a dose- (25–100 mmol/l) and time-dependent manner (12 h–36 h), significantly downregulated miR-21-5p, and upregulated PDCD4 mRNA and protein expression.

Conclusions

Metformin significantly inhibited FaDu cell proliferation , possibly via downregulation of miR-21-5p and upregulation of PDCD4.
Comparison of saddle, lumbar epidural and caudal blocks on anal sphincter tone: A prospective, randomized study
Authors: Shon Yoon-Jung , Huh Jin , Kang Sung-Sik , Bae Seung-Kil , Kang Ryeong-Ah , Kim Duk-Kyung
Published: September 2016

Objective

To compare the effects of saddle, lumbar epidural and caudal blocks on anal sphincter tone using anorectal manometry.

Methods

Patients undergoing elective anorectal surgery with regional anaesthesia were divided randomly into three groups and received a saddle (SD), lumbar epidural (LE), or caudal (CD) block. Anorectal manometry was performed before and 30 min after each regional block. The degree of motor blockade of the anal sphincter was compared using the maximal resting pressure (MRP) and the maximal squeezing pressure (MSP).

Results

The study analysis population consisted of 49 patients (SD group, n = 18; LE group, n = 16; CD group, n = 15). No significant differences were observed in the percentage inhibition of the MRP among the three regional anaesthetic groups. However, percentage inhibition of the MSP was significantly greater in the SD group (83.6 ± 13.7%) compared with the LE group (58.4 ± 19.8%) and the CD group (47.8 ± 16.9%). In all groups, MSP was reduced significantly more than MRP after each regional block.

Conclusions

Saddle block was more effective than lumbar epidural or caudal block for depressing anal sphincter tone. No differences were detected between lumbar epidural and caudal blocks.
Incidence and characteristics of hepatitis E virus infection in children in Assiut, Upper Egypt
Authors: Hasan Gamal , Assiri Asaad , Marzuuk Naglaa , Daef Enas , Abdelwahab Sayed , Ahmed Ahmed , Mohamad Ismail , Al-Eyadhy Ayman , Alhaboob Ali , Temsah Mohamad-Hani
Published: September 2016

Objective

To describe the characteristics of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in a cohort of children from Upper Egypt using data from a large multicentre prospective study of acute viral hepatitis (AVH).

Methods

Data from subjects aged 2–18 years with AVH or close contacts of those with AVH found to have asymptomatic AVH were included in the analysis. Information concerning medical history, clinical examination, liver function tests and screening for hepatotropic viruses was recorded and analysed.

Results

A total of 123 patients (73 boys, 50 girls) were included in the analysis. Of these, 33 (26.8%) had HEV infection, 17 (13.8%) had hepatitis A virus infection, 10 (8.1%) had hepatitis B virus infection, 14 (11.4%) had cytomegalovirus hepatitis, five (4.1%) had autoimmune hepatitis, 11 (8.9%) had hepatitis due to mixed viral infections and 33 (26.8%) had non A–E hepatitis. Overall, 38 (30.9%) had infection with HEV. HEV infection was significantly higher among those using underground wells as a water source compared with tap water. Liver enzymes were significantly raised in patients with non-HEV infection compared with those with HEV infection.

Conclusions

HEV is a significant cause of AVH among children in Upper Egypt. Contamination of drinking water appears to be a major source of infection. Screening for HEV should be considered in all Egyptian children with AVH.
Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery varicocelectomy versus conventional laparoscopic varicocele ligation: A meta-analysis
Authors: Li Mingchao , Wang Zhengyun , Li Hao
Published: September 2016

Objective

To perform a meta-analysis of data from available published studies comparing laparoendoscopic single-site surgery varicocelectomy (LESSV) with conventional transperitoneal laparoscopic varicocele ligation.

Methods

A comprehensive data search was performed in PubMed and Embase to identify randomized controlled trials and comparative studies that compared the two surgical approaches for the treatment of varicoceles.

Results

Six studies were included in the meta-analysis. LESSV required a significantly longer operative time than conventional laparoscopic varicocelectomy but was associated with significantly less postoperative pain at 6 h and 24 h, a shorter recovery time and greater patient satisfaction with the cosmetic outcome. There was no difference between the two surgical approaches in terms of postoperative semen quality or the incidence of complications.

Conclusion

These data suggest that LESSV offers a well tolerated and efficient alternative to conventional laparoscopic varicocelectomy, with less pain, a shorter recovery time and better cosmetic satisfaction. Further well-designed studies are required to confirm these findings and update the results of this meta-analysis.
Recognizing “Bella Swan” and “Hermione Granger”: No Own-Race Advantage in Recognizing Photos of Famous Faces
Authors: Zhou Xiaomei , Mondloch Catherine J.
Published: September 2016

We investigated recognition of familiar and unfamiliar own- and other-race faces across natural variability in appearance. Participants sorted 20 photographs of each of two identities into piles such that each pile contained all photographs of a single identity. The other-race effect was limited to unfamiliar faces. When faces were unfamiliar, participants perceived more identities when sorting other-race faces; when faces were familiar, participants made two piles for both own- and other-race faces. Our work calls for rethinking the concept of the other-race effect.
The Olfactory Mosaic: Bringing an Olfactory Network Together for Odor Perception
Authors: Courtiol Emmanuelle , Wilson Donald A.
Published: September 2016

Olfactory perception and its underlying neural mechanisms are not fixed, but rather vary over time, dependent on various parameters such as state, task, or learning experience. In olfaction, one of the primary sensory areas beyond the olfactory bulb is the piriform cortex. Due to an increasing number of functions attributed to the piriform cortex, it has been argued to be an associative cortex rather than a simple primary sensory cortex. In fact, the piriform cortex plays a key role in creating olfactory percepts, helping to form configural odor objects from the molecular features extracted in the nose. Moreover, its dynamic interactions with other olfactory and nonolfactory areas are also critical in shaping the olfactory percept and resulting behavioral responses. In this brief review, we will describe the key role of the piriform cortex in the larger olfactory perceptual network, some of the many actors of this network, and the importance of the dynamic interactions among the piriform-trans-thalamic and limbic pathways.
Self-Ratings of Olfactory Performance and Odor Annoyance Are Associated With the Affective Impact of Odor, but Not With Smell Test Results
Authors: Knaapila Antti , Raittola Auri , Sandell Mari , Yang Baoru
Published: September 2016

Our aim was to explore factors potentially associated with subjective (self-rated) and objective (measured using the Sniffin’ Sticks Extended test) olfactory performance in the general population without olfactory disorders. We studied associations between olfactory performance and how important odors were in determining liking for new places, things, and people (measured using the Affective Impact of Odor scale) and the average annoyance caused by odors in 117 adults (83 women, 34 men; age 18–69 years, mean age 32 years). In a subset of 44 participants, we also studied associations between olfactory performance and spice odor identification task scores (14 odors) and the number of herbs and spices consumed. Self-rated olfactory acuity and odor-related annoyance were associated with the Affective Impact of Odor scores, but neither correlated with the smell test results. Instead, the number of spices consumed correlated with spice odor identification score ( r = .50) and the identification (but not threshold nor discrimination) subscore of the Sniffin’ Sticks test ( r = .49). Our results suggest that a tendency to perceive odors in affective terms may be associated with overestimation of olfactory abilities and that recurrent exposure to a large variety of spice odors may improve performance on odor identification.
Reasons for personal music listening: A mobile experience sampling study of emotional outcomes
Authors: Randall William M. , Rickard Nikki Sue
Published: September 2016

An important aspect of researching everyday music use is determining the reasons people have for listening to music. While this has been the focus of an extensive body of research, findings have been inconsistent, and the frequencies and affective outcomes of different reasons for listening remain unclear. Emotional reasons for listening are of particular interest, as these have been consistently shown to be of central importance to everyday music use. The current study aimed to provide empirical data to clarify the frequencies of reasons for listening, and their affective outcomes, by using the experience sampling method (ESM). Participants ( N = 327; mean age 21.02 years, SD = 6.18) used the MuPsych app, a mobile ESM designed for the real-time and ecologically valid measurement of personal music listening. Results revealed that emotional reasons were most frequently used only when the listener was in a negative mood. Listening to cope with a situation or forget problems was associated with negative affective states and poor emotional health and well-being. It was concluded that personal music listening is utilised to fulfil specific emotional needs, which are determined by initial mood, and influenced by emotional health.
Witness Against Torture, Guantánamo and solidarity as resistance
Authors: Russo Chandra
Published: September 2016

The Guantánamo Bay detention camp is a quintessential structure of the US national security state and contemporary Empire. For such imperial formations to proceed as if they are ‘normal’ requires solidarity from various publics. This paper explores what it means to refuse such solidarity through an ethnographic examination of Witness Against Torture (WAT), a group of US citizens enacting solidarity with the men detained at Guantánamo. WAT’s tactical repertoire intervenes in three ways. The Guantánamo prison is not supposed to be seen, but WAT travels there to expose state secrets and the administration’s myth of transparency. The prisoners are not supposed to be heard, but WAT publicly amplifies their testimonies through affectively potent street performances. Indefinite detention and torture are meant to remain distant, but WAT links the plight of detainees to that of Black communities in the US interior. Through these acts, WAT simultaneously reveals and contests the culture of erasure and radical divisiveness upon which the US national security state depends.
The inversion of accountability
Authors: Webber Frances
Published: September 2016

In this wide-ranging survey of recent UK government pronouncements, policies and new legislation relating particularly – but not limited – to ‘security’, migration and refugee issues, the author exposes a consistent pattern in which human rights concerns are being systematically downgraded. But, at the same time that government is systematically minimising its own accountability over possible abuses committed by its agents or in its name, it is ramping up the policing of the UK population in a catch-all programme that places duties of surveillance on individuals and professionals in almost every sector of society – from nursery nurses to private landlords, from lorry drivers to university lecturers. And, even while professionals from every sector are attempting to question the validity of the government’s current policy programme, particularly its so-called counter-radicalisation strategy, the right to freedom of expression among Third Sector organisations is being incrementally whittled away.
Why Rhodes Must Fall
Authors: Newsinger John
Published: September 2016

The international Rhodes Must Fall campaign has reinvigorated public interest in the legacy of Cecil Rhodes, Empire and the production of historical memory. But it has also been subject to a fierce backlash in the rightwing media, which has fought against the campaign at an Oxford college to remove a statue of Cecil Rhodes both on the grounds of free speech (and the right to offend) and on the grounds that Rhodes must be judged by the standards of his time. Here, the author revisits Rhodes’ legacy in Africa, detailing not only his imperial exploits via the British South Africa Company but the way he was reviled by British politicians, thinkers, and writers at the time – even at Oxford itself.
Germany: neo-Nazis and the market in asylum reception
Authors: Komaromi Priska
Published: September 2016

Attacks on and abuses within asylum reception centres are increasing across Germany; even those that attract widespread media attention seem to garner little effective action from the German criminal justice system. Germany’s booming private security industry, which operates with sparse legislative oversight or accountability, is attracting large numbers of neo-Nazis to its ranks. It is estimated that one in ten neo-Nazis known to the intelligence services works in private security. And it is private security companies, operating for profit, that are largely contracted to guard and manage Germany’s refugee centres. Thus, those who are most hostile to refugees and asylum seekers are those who, increasingly, are being put in positions of direct access to and authority over them.
Shigley Hauler— A competitive project illustrating basic machine design principles
Authors: Farouki Rida T , Linke Barbara S
Published: September 2016

By requiring students to meet demanding functional specifications using limited resources, the competitive Shigley Hauler project offers undergraduate students practical “hands-on” experience in the design, fabrication, and testing of mechanical systems. The project imparts a thorough experiential understanding of the key principles that govern the selection and integration of basic machinery components—gears, shafts, bearings, DC motors, etc.—into a robust and efficient working system. The Shigley Hauler project has been successfully incorporated into the mechanical engineering curriculum at UC Davis for more than a decade, and its pedagogical and motivational value is corroborated by student feedback. The project is run within a 10-week timeframe, and entails only modest costs for the instructor and student teams.
A Kollár and Pluzsik anisotropic composite beam theory for arbitrary multicelled cross sections
Authors: Victorazzo Danilo S , De Jesus Andre
Published: September 2016

In this paper we extend Kollár and Pluzsik’s thin-walled anisotropic composite beam theory to include multiple cells with open branches and booms, and present a finite element formulation utilizing the stiffness matrix obtained from this theory. To recover the 4 × 4 compliance matrix of a beam containing N closed cells, we solve an asymmetric system of 2N + 4 linear equations four times with unitary section loads and extract influence coefficients from the calculated strains. Finally, we compare 4 × 4 stiffness matrices of a multicelled beam using this method against matrices obtained using the finite element method to demonstrate accuracy. Similarly to its originating theory, the effects of shear deformation and restrained warping are assumed negligible.
Capturing the influence of geometric variations on permeability using a numerical permeability prediction tool
Authors: Swery Elinor E , Allen Tom , Kelly Piaras
Published: September 2016

An automated tool has been developed for generation of permeability predictions for multi-layered unit cells utilising textile modelling techniques. This tool has been used to predict the permeability tensor of a woven textile. Single-layer predictions were carried out and the predicted permeabilities obtained were in close agreement to the permeability behaviour captured experimentally. The tool was used to capture the effects of textile variability on its permeability, isolating the influence of individual parameters. A complete textile sample was also analysed, predicting its permeability map. The concept of estimating the permeability of a textile with variability using an average single unit cell was explored. The prediction tool was also used to study the effect of preform structure on its permeability, including consideration of the number of layers, ply shift and applied compaction.
Dangerous bargains with the devil? Incorporating new approaches in peace science for the study of war
Authors: Mitchell Sara McLaughlin
Published: September 2016

Two theoretical perspectives, dangerous dyads and the bargaining model of war, have dominated theoretical discourse and empirical analyses in the Peace Science Society community for the past 25 years. This article discusses what we have learned about war from these approaches to the study of interstate and intrastate conflict. More critically, the piece examines what perspectives have been absent from Peace Science research and how these missing gaps influence the quantitative study of war and the diversity of the Peace Science community.
Cultural Involvement, Indigenous Identity, and Language
Authors: Mesinas Melissa , Perez William
Published: September 2016

This exploratory study analyzed the influence of Zapotec parental socialization practices on the cultural awareness and involvement, ethnic identity, and Zapotec language use of their adolescent children. A total of 15 parent-child dyads participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents. Adolescents responded to corresponding open-ended questions in a written survey. Results indicate that the children of parents who were the most involved in cultural groups and organizations were more likely to participate in traditional dance and music groups. The children of parents who identified as indigenous and encouraged Zapotec language use were more likely to also identify as indigenous and speak Zapotec. High cultural awareness and participation among adolescents was not always related to indigenous self-identification and/or Zapotec language use. Many adolescents who did not self-identify as indigenous and did not speak Zapotec also reported high levels of cultural awareness and involvement. Implications for parental socialization research on Mexican indigenous immigrants in the United States are discussed.
Having It All? A Qualitative Examination of Affluent Adolescent Girls’ Perceptions of Stress and Their Quests for Success
Authors: Spencer Renée , Walsh Jill , Liang Belle , Mousseau Angela M. Desilva , Lund Terese J.
Published: September 2016

This study sought to better understand the relationship between affluence and elevated risk for psychosocial distress among adolescent girls. In-depth qualitative interviews at two time points with three cohorts of girls (sixth-, eighth-, and 10th grade; T1 n = 57, T2 n = 58) from two independent girls schools Grades 6 to 12, along with their parents, and their teachers were conducted. Through narrative thematic analysis, four overarching sources of significant stress were identified: (a) pervasive experiences of pressures to perform, (b) narrow constructions of success, (c) peer competition, and (d) misalignments in expectations between some girls and their parents. These pressures were even more heightened among the older girls. Although all of the girls reported experiencing these stressors, those girls who reported a more other-oriented sense of purpose also reported stronger connections with peers and seemed better able to manage the pressures.
An integrated optimization framework for multi-cycle environmental stress screening tests and preventive maintenance scheduling
Authors: You Ming-Yi
Published: September 2016

An integrated optimization framework for multi-cycle environmental stress screening tests and preventive maintenance scheduling is proposed. The proposed framework considers the improvement of product reliability through environmental stress screening tests and the associated screening cost, and the effect of preventive maintenance schedule on the maintenance cost as well. The environmental stress screening model is extended first to be applicable for multi-cycle environmental stress screening tests. The extended environmental stress screening model characterizes the product reliability function which survives the environmental stress screening test in terms of both the number of environmental stress screening cycles and the severity of screening stress. Afterwards, an integrated cost model is established by considering the cost of preventive maintenance, the cost of corrective maintenance, the cost of environmental stress screening test, and the cost due to failure of products in the environmental stress screening test. The application case study demonstrates the implementation procedures and the application effectiveness of the proposed approach. The application results show that, considering the cost due to environmental stress screening and the cost due to maintenance separately could lead to suboptimal decisions. For enterprises responsible for both environmental stress screening and maintenance, it is suggested to optimize the environmental stress screening test and maintenance scheduling jointly to minimize the overall cost.
Late-Holocene Indian summer monsoon variability revealed from a 3300-year-long lake sediment record from Nir’pa Co, southeastern Tibet
Authors: Bird Broxton W , Lei Yanbin , Perello Melanie , Polissar Pratigya J , Yao Tandong , Finney Bruce , Bain Daniel , Pompeani David , Thompson Lonnie G
Published: September 2016

Sedimentological and geochemical results from Nir’pa Co, an alpine lake on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, detail late-Holocene Indian summer monsoon (ISM) hydroclimate during the last 3300 years. Constrained by modern calibration, elevated silt and lithics and low sand and clay between 3.3 and 2.4 ka and 1.3 ka and the present indicate two pluvial phases with lake levels near their current overflow elevation. Between 2.4 and 1.3 ka, a sharp increase in sand and corresponding decrease in lithics and silt suggest drier conditions and lower lake levels at Nir’pa Co. Hydroclimate expressions in the sedimentological proxies during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA) are not statistically significant, suggesting that these events were minor compared to the millennial scale variability on which they were superimposed. However, decreasing sand and increasing lithics and silt during the MCA between 950 and 800 cal. yr BP may suggest briefly wetter conditions, while increasing sand and reduced lithics and silt from 500 to 200 cal. yr BP suggest potentially drier conditions during the LIA. Similarities with regional records from lake sediment and ice cores and speleothem records from the central and eastern Tibetan Plateau, India, and the Arabian Sea, suggest generally coherent late-Holocene ISM variability in these regions. Increased late-Holocene ISM intensity occurred during times when Tibetan Plateau surface air temperatures were warmer, Indo-Pacific sea surface temperatures were elevated, and the tropical Pacific was in a La Niña–like mean state. Conversely, aridity between 2.4 and 1.3 ka occurred in concert with cooling on the Tibetan Plateau and in the Indo-Pacific with more El Niño–like conditions in the tropical Pacific. Differences with western Tibetan records may reflect a weakened ISM and stronger westerlies in this region during the late-Holocene.
Fatigue and cognitive function in systemic lupus erythematosus: associations with white matter microstructural damage. A diffusion tensor MRI study and meta-analysis
Authors: Wiseman S J , Bastin M E , Hamilton I F , Hunt D , Ritchie S J , Amft E N , Thomson S , Belch J F F , Ralston S H , Wardlaw J M
Published: September 2016

Objective

The objective of this study was to investigate fatigue and cognitive impairments in systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) in relation to diffuse white matter microstructural brain damage.

Methods

Diffusion tensor MRI, used to generate biomarkers of brain white matter microstructural integrity, was obtained in patients with SLE and age-matched controls. Fatigue and cognitive function were assessed and related to SLE activity, clinical data and plasma biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction.

Results

Fifty-one patients with SLE (mean age 48.8 ± 14.3 years) were included. Mean diffusivity (MD) was significantly higher in all white matter fibre tracts in SLE patients versus age-matched healthy controls ( p < 0.0001). Fatigue in SLE was higher than a normal reference range ( p < 0.0001) and associated with lower MD ( ß = −0.61, p = 0.02), depression ( ß = 0.17, p = 0.001), anxiety ( ß = 0.13, p = 0.006) and higher body mass index ( ß = 0.10, p = 0.004) in adjusted analyses. Poorer cognitive function was associated with longer SLE disease duration ( p = 0.003) and higher MD ( p = 0.03) and, in adjusted analysis, higher levels of IL-6 ( ß = −0.15, p = 0.02) but not with MD. Meta-analysis (10 studies, n = 261, including the present study) confirmed that patients with SLE have higher MD than controls.

Conclusion

Patients with SLE have more microstructural brain white matter damage for age than the general population, but this does not explain increased fatigue or lower cognition in SLE. The association between raised IL-6 and worse current cognitive function in SLE should be explored in larger datasets.
Urinary sediment suggests lupus nephritis histology
Authors: Martínez-Martínez M U , Llamazares-Azuara L M de G , Martínez-Galla D , Mandeville P B , Valadez-Castillo F , Román-Acosta S , Borjas-García J A , Abud-Mendoza C
Published: September 2016

Objectives

The objective of this paper was to evaluate correlations between kidney biopsy indexes (activity and chronicity) and urinary sediment findings; the secondary objective was to find which components of urinary sediment can discriminate proliferative from other classes of lupus nephritis.

Methods

Lupus nephritis patients scheduled for a kidney biopsy were included in our study. The morning before the kidney biopsy, we took urine samples from each patient. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to determine the area under the curve (AUC) of each test for detecting proliferative lupus nephritis; a classification tree was calculated to select a set of values that best-predicted lupus nephritis classes.

Results

We included 51 patients, 36 of whom were women (70.6%). Correlations of lupus nephritis activity index with the counts in the urinary sediment of erythrocytes (isomorphic and dysmorphic), acanthocytes, and leukocytes were 0.65 ( p < 0.0001) 0.62 ( p < 0.0001) and 0.22 ( p = 0.1228), respectively. Correlations of lupus nephritis chronicity index with the counts of erythrocytes, acanthocytes, and leukocytes were 0.60 ( p ≤ 0.0001), 0.52 ( p = 0.0001) and 0.17 ( p = 0.2300), respectively. Our classification tree had an accuracy of 84.3%.

Conclusions

Evaluation of urine sediment reflects lupus nephritis histology.
Long-term systemic lupus erythematosus disease control after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation
Authors: Gladstone D E , Petri M , Bolaños-Meade J , Dezern A E , Jones R J , Fine D , Brodsky R A
Published: September 2016

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a disorder of the immune system, is potentially curable by allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (alloBMT). Until recently, alloBMT was limited by donor availability and toxicity. Reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) combined with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) has improved the availability and safety of alloBMT permitting its exploration in severe-refractory autoimmune illnesses. We report the six-year follow-up of a young female whose refractory SLE-associated nephrosis resolved after RIC alloBMT with PTCy.
Biological therapies in the treatment of cutaneous lupus erythematosus
Authors: Presto J K , Hejazi E Z , Werth V P
Published: September 2016

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is an autoimmune skin disease occurring in association with or without systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although antimalarials are widely used as the first-line systemic agent, refractory cases may benefit from additional immunomodulators, immunosuppressives, and biologics. An interest in biological therapies for CLE has emerged in recent years due to novel insight into the pathogenesis of CLE. These targets include B cells, T cells, and cytokines that are involved in immune system pathways. Currently belimumab is the only biological therapy approved for SLE and no biologic has been approved for CLE. While there is a paucity of high quality evidence with regard to biologics in CLE management, trials are currently being performed to determine their role.
Determinants of In-the-money Expiration of Call Option Contracts—An Empirical Evidence from Call Options on Nifty 50 Index
Authors: Sudhakar A. , Srikanth Potharla
Published: September 2016

Increased integration of stock markets with other stock markets in the world and other segments of domestic and foreign financial markets is the fundamental reason for the increased volatility in the Indian stock market. Though volatility is an instinct behaviour of stock market, its reasonable prediction can help an investor in making a profitable investment plan. Research on volatility measurement and forecasting is as old as the existence of stock markets. Ex post measures of volatility have lost their significance in the light of evolution of ex-ante measures of volatility, especially, ‘Implied volatility’. Implied volatility can be estimated with the help of option pricing models. The present study examines the role of various determinants of the probability of exercising call options. Volatility, one of the key elements of option pricing, has been measured in three different variants, that is, historical volatility, realized volatility and implied volatility. Probit and Logit model are commonly used in qualitative regression estimation and they are applied to estimate the probability of exercising call options. The results of the analysis brings out the fact that neither the historical volatility nor the Black- and Scholes-model-based implied volatility can demonstrate significant influence on the estimation of probability of exercising call options. Realized volatility based the probability of exercising call options has greater magnitude of impact on Nifty 50 Index returns compared to that of historical volatility and implied volatility based probability of exercising call options. In the estimation of probability of exercising call options, Logit model outperforms the Probit model. The comparatively heavy fat-tailed distribution of Logit model is attributable to the better performance of the model.
A Commentary on Education and Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Sterling Stephen
Published: September 2016

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are viewed in the context of Johan Rockström’s work on planetary boundaries at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. This work sets a double challenge to educational policy and practice: to embrace and help achieve the Goals, but also to work towards a deeper change in consciousness which can reconcile people and planet.1 The role of education is more profound and comprehensive than is recognized in the text of the SDGs as regards its potential to address their implementation. Education requires a re-invention, and re-purposing so that it can assume the responsibility these challenges require, and develop the agency that is needed for transformative progress to be made.
A Modern Peace? Schumpeter, the Decline of Conflict, and the Investment–War Trade-Off
Authors: Chatagnier J. Tyson , Castelli Emanuele
Published: September 2016

Drawing on the writings of Joseph Schumpeter, we develop and explore a new theory of international conflict. We outline a simple mechanism whereby industrialization fosters peace, suggesting that industrialized states are more peaceful because they can gain more by investing at home than by pursuing foreign military conquest. We borrow from Schumpeter to argue that our mechanism is distinct from traditional measures of liberalism. Empirically, we propose a measure of industrial development, based on a state’s economic structure. Using World Bank sector-specific economic data, our exploratory analysis shows that a more industrialized economy significantly reduces the likelihood that a state will be involved in a fatal military conflict. We show that this result is robust across a number of model specifications and independent of both democracy and capitalism. We propose this as an interesting first step toward a broader research program on modernization and conflict.
Four Lymphomas in 1 Patient: A Unique Case of Triple Composite Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Followed by Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma
Authors: Tennese Alysa , Skrabek Pamela J. , Nasr Michel R. , Sekiguchi Debora R. , Morales Carmen , Brown Theresa C. , Weisenburger Dennis D. , Perry Anamarija M.
Published: September 2016

Composite lymphomas consist of 2 or more distinct lymphomas occurring in a single anatomical site or simultaneously in different sites and can be composed of any combination of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), T-cell NHL, or Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Cases of composite lymphomas with more than 2 lymphomas are extremely rare, with only 4 reports in the literature. We report the case of a 49-year-old man with a triple composite lymphoma in a single lymph node, consisting of small lymphocytic lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, and mantle cell lymphoma in situ. The patient received multiple courses of chemotherapy and an autologous stem cell transplant, which resulted in complete remission. Then, 6 years after the stem cell transplant, he developed classical HL. This unique case is, to our knowledge, the first report of a patient with triple composite lymphoma consisting of 3 small mature B-cell NHLs, who subsequently developed a fourth lymphoma.
The Role of Place Attachment in Developing Emotional Solidarity With Residents
Authors: Woosnam Kyle M. , Aleshinloye Kayode D. , Strzelecka Marianna , Erul Emrullah
Published: September 2016

As the body of work concerning emotional solidarity between residents and tourists continues to grow within the tourism literature, little focus has been placed on how the setting factors into such relationships. Using the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove (a UNESCO World Heritage Site in southwestern Nigeria) as a study site, this research examines the role visitors’ attachment to the place plays in explaining their perceived solidarity with area residents. From confirmatory factor analysis, a measurement model was established, which revealed strong psychometric properties for the two place attachment factors (i.e., place identity and place dependence) and the three emotional solidarity factors (i.e., feeling welcomed, emotional closeness, and sympathetic understanding). Structural equation modeling demonstrated that each of the place attachment factors explained a high degree of variance (e.g., R2 ranging between 45% and 54%) in visitors’ emotional solidarity with residents. Implications and future research opportunities are offered within the close of the article.
Experimental study on the wettability of microtextured surfaces generated by the ultrasonic-assisted face turning
Authors: Nouri H , Farahnakian M , Elhami S
Published: September 2016

Surface texture technology is a useful method for controlling the wettability. In this paper, ultrasonic-assisted face turning is implemented to create a microscaled texture on the flat faces. The effect of process parameters on the wettability of untextured and textured patterns is investigated by the full factorial method. Experimental results showed that the ultrasonic-assisted face turning is an effective method to create microdimples (periodic ripples) on the flat faces. Considered factors are turning (cutting speed, feed) and ultrasonic (vibration direction and vibration amplitude) parameters, which control the configuration and dimensions of microstructures. Surfaces machined by ultrasonic-assisted face turning have more liquid–solid interfacial areas compared with those processed by conventional turning. By changing the process parameters, expansion of microdimples in the cutting direction changes, hence the ratio between the interfacial and projected area and adsorption between the surface and water increases. So, textured surfaces by the ultrasonic-assisted face turning have better wettability performance in comparison to the untextured surfaces.
When a majority becomes a minority: Essentialist intergroup stereotyping in an inverted power differential
Authors: Zeromskyte Ruta , Wagner Wolfgang
Published: September 2016

This study is on the relationship between a dominant nominal Lithuanian majority and a Polish minority in regions with either a straight dominance of the majority or with a high proportion of minority members, who outnumber the national majority. Compared to ‘normal’ regions, the latter situation creates an inverted power differential that we expect to have an impact on how the two groups essentialize their own and the other group’s ethnic identity, how they stereotype the out-group and how they cope with the perceived change in power balance by more or less disparaging the others. We analysed the discourse in eight focus group discussions with members of both groups comprising a total of 66 participants. As expected, the nominal minority exhibited a tendency to self-essentialize more than the majority in general. Members of the Lithuanian majority that was locally outnumbered by the minority also self-essentialized but to a lesser degree and additionally used marked arguments of in-group favouritism at the Poles’ expense in their discourse. Members of the unambiguous majority were the most ‘politically correct’ participants by conspicuously favouring a non-generalising and anti-essentialist conversation. The findings are discussed in terms of inter-group relations and implications for politics.
Nonmainstream left parties and women’s representation in Western Europe
Authors: Keith Daniel James , Verge Tània
Published: September 2016

Ideology is one of the most relevant variables in explaining the level of women’s representation attained by political parties. While left-wing parties are typically the best performers, extant research has tended to overlook the diversity of the left block and predominantly focused on mainstream left-wing political parties, namely the Social Democrats. Yet, the Left also includes both Green parties and radical left parties. This article analyzes the differences that exist within this largely heterogeneous group of parties across Western Europe. In particular, it explores how the diverse ideological background of radical left and Green parties leads to varied ways of engaging with feminism, diverse forms of organizing women within their ranks as well as dissimilar positions toward gender quotas. These shape different levels of women’s numerical representation in public office and in party decision-making positions. Generally, we find that ideology is a greater determinant of representation than geographical region. Our findings also show a significant convergence among distinct party subgroups in terms of their share of elected women in both party and public office.
The effect of franchising on debt maturity in the US restaurant industry
Authors: Seo Kwanglim
Published: September 2016

With franchising as an efficient means of growth and expansion, this study aims to explore how franchising can influence corporate debt maturity structure in the US restaurant industry. The purpose of this study is to investigate (1) the effect of franchising on debt maturity structure, (2) the relationship between leverage and short-term debt, and (3) the moderating effect of franchising on the relationship between short debt maturity and leverage in the US restaurant industry. Analyzing panel data on publicly traded US restaurant firms, this study showed that franchising could be an important determinant of the maturity structure of corporate debt. Empirical evidence suggests that restaurant firms pursuing growth and expansion through franchising should take into consideration the effect of franchising on the debt maturity structure when making capital structure decisions.
Approaching music therapy in a different country: A literature review on cultural considerations when practising in a developing country
Authors: Fitzsimons Bethan
Published: September 2016

Inspired by the author’s experience of a short-term placement in Rwanda while training, this essay aims to address the issue of culture, specifically, the question of how being in a different country and culture affects a Music Therapist’s clinical work, and how they might approach their practice. The essay presents a literature review and then an in-depth look at five pieces of literature and the issues that arise from these. The essay concludes that there is a need for further dialogue as to how to approach this area of practice, and how Music Therapists work within different cultural settings.
A review on the temperature and moisture degradation of adhesive joints
Authors: Viana G , Costa M , Banea MD , da Silva LFM
Published: September 2016

Despite offering very attractive advantages over traditional joining methods, one of the setbacks of adhesive bonding is its long-term strength in aggressive environments, such as environments with high moisture and extreme temperatures. With the rise of new lightweight materials and their recent use in everyday vehicles, transportation industries have been very interested in determining the long-term behavior of adhesive joints. The aim is to build durable, lighter vehicles, which consume less energy and emit less pollution. The two main factors that affect the strength of vehicle adhesive joints are exposure to moist environments and high and low temperatures. There are some works concerning the effect of these two factors separately and some predictive models have been developed, which help the engineer to design reliable, safe, and efficient adhesive joints. However, the combined effect of temperature and moisture is not yet totally understood. This paper presents a review on the temperature and moisture degradation of adhesive joints.
Synthetic personalization of Barack Obama at the 2008 US Democratic National Convention: a social semiotic multimodal analysis of a staged political context
Authors: Wong Wee Boon
Published: September 2016

This article sets out to investigate how represented social actors can be related multimodally to addressees in political contexts that are staged specially for public and media consumption. Drawing on Van Leeuwen’s theoretical assumption in Discourse and Practice: New Tools for Critical Discourse Analysis (2008) on the different kinds of ‘symbolic’ relations that can be constructed between represented social actors and viewers, and Lemke’s (1998) view, cited by Jewitt in The Routledge Handbook of Multimodal Analysis (2009), on the different ways resources from different semiotic modes can ‘interact’ with one another within a multimodal ensemble, this article adopts a social semiotic approach to the multimodal analysis of the staged political context of the 2008 US Democratic National Convention, focusing its analysis, in particular, on the multimodal construction of relations between Barack Obama and the American people viewing the event. In an area in which very little research on the multimodal construction of relations between represented social actors and addressees in staged political contexts has been done, this article provides a starting point for the understanding of this discursive phenomenon and, in so doing, makes an original and significant contribution to the fields of social semiotics and multimodality.
A multimodal analysis of storyline in ‘The Chinese Professor’ political advertisement: narrative construction and positioning in economic hard times
Authors: McVee Mary B , Carse Colette
Published: September 2016

This article analyzes a political advertisement known as ‘The Chinese Professor’ and related artifacts from popular culture and news media. This advertisement aired in the midst of the worst economic downturn the US had experienced since the 1930s. The advertisement is set 20 years in the future and uses a fictional Chinese professor to deliver a lecture about the reasons why the US became a fallen empire. Using perspectives from social semiotics, multimodality, and positioning theory, the authors identify five storylines indicative of the ideologies that frame the advertisement and several forms of positioning. The authors demonstrate how micro level design choices position viewers within aesthetic experiences across these storylines and ultimately reflect the macro discourses framing ‘The Chinese Professor’. The authors conclude that these structures work together to create a ‘malignant positioning’ between viewers and ‘The Chinese Professor’.