bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical Outcomes, Resource Use, and Costs at 1 Year in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome Undergoing PCI: Results from the Multinational APTOR Registry
Authors: BAKHAI AMEET , FERRIERES JEAN , IÑIGUEZ ANDRES , SARTRAL MAGALI , BELGER MARK , SCHMITT CLAUDE , ZEYMER UWE ,   on Behalf of APTOR Trial Investigators
Published: December 2011

Background:

Limited prospectively collected data are available on the total outcomes, cost estimates, and quality of life associated with treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) through 1 year in a nonclinical‐trial setting, or on the impact of new clinical events by 1 year on resource utilization and costs.

Methods:

The Antiplatelet Therapy Observational Registry (APTOR) 12‐month study followed 1,335 concurrently recruited ACS patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and treated with antiplatelet therapy from France, Spain, and the United Kingdom in a “real world” clinical setting. Data were collected on clinical events, resource utilization, quality of life, and cost estimates through 1‐year follow‐up.

Results:

By 1 year, 14.4% (95% CI 12.7–16.4%) of patients experienced a clinical event of death, MI, stroke, unstable angina, urgent target vessel revascularization, or acute heart failure. Costs by 1 year were higher among those who had a new clinical event (£8,988, 95% CI £7,848, £10,395) as compared with those with no events (£5,809, 95% CI £5,486, £6,161). This increased cost was due to higher postdischarge resource use costs. Using the EQ‐5D assessment at 1 year, quality of life was directionally lower in those patients who had experienced a new clinical event.

Conclusions:

The risk of experiencing a new clinical event during the year following an ACS, which was treated with PCI, remains high among European patients, with one‐seventh of patients having a new event. These additional clinical outcomes reduce quality of life and increase health care expenditures, expanding the already high cost of treatment for ACS. (J Interven Cardiol 2012;25:19–27)
Interpopulation variation in allelopathic traits informs restoration of invaded landscapes
Authors: Lankau Richard A.
Published: December 2011

Invasive species can show substantial genetic variation in ecologically important traits, across ranges as well within the introduced range. If these traits affect competition with native species, then management may benefit from considering the genetic landscape of the invader. Across their introduced range, Alliaria petiolata populations vary in their investment in allelopathic traits according to invasion history, which could lead to gradients of impact on native species. Red oak (Quercus rubra) seedlings were transplanted into eight A. petiolata‐invaded sites that varied in their invasion history and allelochemical concentrations. At each site, an invader removal treatment was crossed with experimental inoculations of native soil biota, to test whether the benefits of these restoration actions differed across invader populations. Q. rubra seedlings grew faster in invader populations with a longer invasion history and lower allelochemical concentrations. Invader removal and soil inoculation interacted to determine seedling growth, with the benefits of soil inoculation increasing in younger and more highly allelopathic invader populations. A greenhouse experiment using soils collected from experimentally inoculated field plots found similar patterns. These results suggest that the impact of this invader varies across landscapes and that knowledge of this variation could improve the efficacy and efficiency of restoration activities.
A Reply to Williamson's “Outsourcing …”
Authors: Zipkin Paul
Published: December 2011

A recent article by Oliver Williamson essentially comprises a critique of supply chain management (SCM) from the perspective of his own field, transaction‐cost economics. Here is one reader's response. SCM can indeed be faulted for inflated rhetoric, among other sins. I believe, however, that the two fields have much to learn from each other.
An Operations Perspective on Product Take‐Back Legislation for E‐Waste: Theory, Practice, and Research Needs
Authors: Atasu Atalay , VanWassenhove Luk N.
Published: December 2011

Agrowing stream of environmental legislation enforces collection and recycling of used electrical and electronics products. Based on our experiences with producers coping with e‐waste legislation, we find that there is a strong need for research on the implications of such legislation from an operations perspective. In particular, as a discipline at the interface of systems design and economic modeling, operations focused research can be extremely useful in identifying appropriate e‐waste take‐back implementations for different business environments and how producers should react to them.
A Choice‐Based Dynamic Programming Approach for Setting Opaque Prices
Authors: Anderson Chris K. , Xie Xiaoqing
Published: December 2011

Opaque pricing is a form of pricing where certain characteristics of the product or service are hidden from the consumer until after purchase. In essence, opaque selling transforms a differentiated good into a commodity. Opaque pricing has become popular in service pricing as it allows firms to sell their differentiated product at higher prices to regular brand loyal customers while simultaneously selling to non‐brand loyal customers at discounted prices. We use a nested logit model in combination with logistic regression and dynamic programming to illustrate how a service firm can optimally set prices on an opaque sales channel. The choice model allows the characterization of consumer trade‐offs when purchasing opaque products while the dynamic programming approach allows the characterization of the optimal pricing policy as a function of inventory and time remaining. We compare optimal prices and expected revenues when dynamic pricing is restricted to daily price changes. We provide an illustrative example using data from an opaque selling mechanism ( Hotwire.com ) and a Washington DC‐based hotel.
Explaining Seasonal Fluctuations of Measles in Niger Using Nighttime Lights Imagery
Authors: Bharti N. , Tatem A. J. , Ferrari M. J. , Grais R. F. , Djibo A. , Grenfell B. T.
Published: December 2011

Changes in human population density as measured by satellite images of nighttime lights predict measles.
Empathy and Pro-Social Behavior in Rats
Authors: Bartal Inbal Ben-Ami , Decety Jean , Mason Peggy
Published: December 2011

Rats free companions from restraint, apparently motivated by empathy to end their mate's distress.
Perceived Predation Risk Reduces the Number of Offspring Songbirds Produce per Year
Authors: Zanette Liana Y. , White Aija F. , Allen Marek C. , Clinchy Michael
Published: December 2011

Fear itself reduces reproductive success in song sparrows.
Perceptual Learning Incepted by Decoded fMRI Neurofeedback Without Stimulus Presentation
Authors: Shibata Kazuhisa , Watanabe Takeo , Sasaki Yuka , Kawato Mitsuo
Published: December 2011

Even the adult primary visual cortex is sufficiently plastic to allow performance enhancement.
Tohoku Inundation Spurs Hunt for Ancient Tsunamis
Authors: Normile Dennis
Published: December 2011

Sand layers beneath Japan's Sendai Plain and other regions are evidence of massive tsunamis that struck eons ago and may augur future disaster risk.
Immunogenicity of the Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus (Type 6/11/16/18) Vaccine in Males 16 to 26 Years Old
Authors: Hillman Richard J. , Giuliano Anna R. , Palefsky Joel M. , Goldstone Stephen , Moreira Edson D. , Vardas Eftyhia , Aranda Carlos , Jessen Heiko , Ferris Daron G. , Coutlee Francois , Marshall J. Brooke , Vuocolo Scott , Haupt Richard M. , Guris Dalya , Garner Elizabeth I. O.
Published: December 2011

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection can lead to significant disease in males, including anogenital warts, intraepithelial neoplasias, and several types of oral and anogenital cancers. The quadrivalent HPV (type 6/11/16/18) L1 virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine (qHPV vaccine; Gardasil) has recently been demonstrated to prevent persistent infection and associated disease related to vaccine HPV types in males. We report the overall immunogenicity results from a trial of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine in males. Overall, 3,463 heterosexual men and 602 men who had sex with men were enrolled into a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy study. Serum samples were collected prior to vaccination at day 1 and at months 7, 24, and 36 postvaccination. Immunogenicity was evaluated with a multiplex, competitive Luminex immunoassay. Almost all subjects (97.4 to 99.2%) seroconverted for vaccine HPV types by month 7. At month 36, 88.9%, 94.0%, 97.9%, and 57.0% of subjects were still seropositive for HPV-6, -11, -16, and -18, respectively. For all vaccine HPV types, black subjects had significantly higher antibody titers at month 7 than did both Caucasian and Asian subjects. An anamnestic antibody response was seen in men seropositive before vaccination. The vaccine was highly immunogenic in males 16 to 23 years of age; responses were comparable to those observed in women. Furthermore, the immune responses were consistent with the established efficacy of the vaccine in the prevention of incident and persistent HPV infection, anogenital warts, and anal intraepithelial neoplasia.
Pneumonia and Bacteremia Due to Kytococcus schroeteri
Authors: Blennow Ola , Westling Katarina , Fröding Inga , Özenci Volkan
Published: December 2011

Kytococcus schroeteri
, a saprophyte of the human skin, may cause serious infections in the immunocompromised host. Here, we describe a case of pneumonia and bacteremia due to
Kytococcus schroeteri
in an immunocompromised patient, successfully treated with linezolid and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.
The NK Cell Response to Mouse Cytomegalovirus Infection Affects the Level and Kinetics of the Early CD8+T-Cell Response
Authors: Mitrović Maja , Arapović Jurica , Jordan Stefan , Fodil-Cornu Nassima , Ebert Stefan , Vidal Silvia M. , Krmpotić Astrid , Reddehase Matthias J. , Jonjić Stipan
Published: December 2011

Natural killer (NK) cells and CD8+T cells play a prominent role in the clearance of mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection. The role of NK cells in modulating the CD8+T-cell response to MCMV infection is still the subject of intensive research. For analyzing the impact of NK cells on mounting of a CD8+T-cell response and the contribution of these cells to virus control during the first days postinfection (p.i.), we used C57BL/6 mice in which NK cells are specifically activated through the Ly49H receptor engaged by the MCMV-encoded ligand m157. Our results indicate that the requirement for CD8+T cells in early MCMV control inversely correlates with the engagement of Ly49H. While depletion of CD8+T cells has only a minor effect on the early control of wild-type MCMV, CD8+T cells are essential in the control of Δm157virus. The frequencies of virus epitope-specific CD8+T cells and their activation status were higher in mice infected with Δm157virus. In addition, these mice showed elevated levels of alpha interferon (IFN-α) and several other proinflammatory cytokines as early as 1.5 days p.i. Although the numbers of conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) were reduced later during infection, particularly in Δm157-infected mice, they were not significantly affected at the peak of the cytokine response. Altogether, we concluded that increased antigen load, preservation of early cDCs' function, and higher levels of innate cytokines collectively account for an enhanced CD8+T-cell response in C57BL/6 mice infected with a virus unable to activate NK cells via the Ly49H–m157 interaction.
Maxi-channels recorded in situ from ICC and pericytes associated with the mouse myenteric plexus
Authors: Parsons Sean P. , Kunze Wolfgang A. , Huizinga Jan D.
Published: December 2011

Ion channels are fundamental to gastrointestinal pacemaking by interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). Previously, we have recorded a high-conductance chloride channel (HCCC) from ICC, both in culture and in situ, associated with the myenteric plexus. The biophysical properties of the HCCC (conductance, subconductances, voltage- and time-dependent inactivation) suggest it is a member of a class called the maxi-anion channels. In this study we further investigated the properties of the HCCC in situ. Our main finding was that the HCCC is not strictly a chloride channel but has a relative sodium-chloride permeability (PNa/Cl) of 0.76 to 1.64 (depending on the method of measurement). Therefore, we have renamed the HCCC the “maxi-channel.” A maxi-channel was also expressed by pericytes associated with the vasculature near the myenteric plexus. This had a lower PNa/Cl (0.33 to 0.49, depending on the method of measurement) but similar conductance (326 ± 7 vs. 316 ± 24 pS for ICC). This is the first report of cation permeability equaling anion permeability in a maxi-anion channel. As such, the properties of the maxi-channels described in this article may have implications for the maxi-anion channel field, as well as for studies of their role in ICC and pericytes.
Median preoptic nucleus and subfornical organ drive renal sympathetic nerve activity via a glutamatergic mechanism within the paraventricular nucleus
Authors: Llewellyn Tamra , Zheng Hong , Liu Xuefei , Xu Bo , Patel Kaushik P.
Published: December 2011

The paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus is involved in the neural control of sympathetic drive, but the precise mechanism(s) that influences the PVN is not known. The activation of the PVN may be influenced by input from higher forebrain areas, such as the median preoptic nucleus (MnPO) and the subfornical organ (SFO). We hypothesized that activation of the MnPO or SFO would drive the PVN through a glutamatergic pathway. Neuroanatomical connections were confirmed by the recovery of a retrograde tracer in the MnPO and SFO that was injected bilaterally into the PVN in rats. Microinjection of 200 pmol of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) or bicuculline-induced activation of the MnPO and increased renal sympathetic activity (RSNA), mean arterial pressure, and heart rate in anesthetized rats. These responses were attenuated by prior microinjection of a glutamate receptor blocker AP5 (4 nmol) into the PVN (NMDA − ΔRSNA 72 ± 8% vs. 5 ± 1%; P < 0.05). Using single-unit extracellular recording, we examined the effect of NMDA microinjection (200 pmol) into the MnPO on the firing activity of PVN neurons. Of the 11 active neurons in the PVN, 6 neurons were excited by 95 ± 17% ( P < 0.05), 1 was inhibited by 57%, and 4 did not respond. The increased RSNA after activation of the SFO by ANG II (1 nmol) or bicuculline (200 pmol) was also reduced by AP5 in the PVN (for ANG II − ΔRSNA 46 ± 7% vs. 17 ± 4%; P < 0.05). Prior microinjection of ANG II type 1 receptor blocker losartan (4 nmol) into the PVN did not change the response to ANG II or bicuculline microinjection into the SFO. The results from this study demonstrate that the sympathoexcitation mediated by a glutamatergic mechanism in the PVN is partially driven by the activation of the MnPO or SFO.
Radiogenic Lead with Dominant Content of 208Pb: New Coolant and Neutron Moderator for Innovative Nuclear Facilities
Authors: Shmelev A. N. , Kulikov G. G. , Apse V. A. , Kulikov E. G. , Artisyuk V. V.
Published: December 2011

As a rule materials of small atomic weight (light and heavy water, graphite, and so on) are used as neutron moderators and reflectors. A new very heavy atomic weight moderator is proposed—radiogenic lead consisting mainly of isotope 208Pb. It is characterized by extremely low neutron radiative capture cross‐section (0.23 mbarn for thermal neutrons, i.e., less than that for graphite and deuterium) and highest albedo of thermal neutrons. It is evaluated that the use of radiogenic lead makes it possible to slow down the chain fission reaction on prompt neutrons in a fast reactor. This can increase safety of the fast reactors and reduce as well requirements pertaining to the fuel fabrication technology. Radiogenic lead with high 208Pb content as a liquid‐metal coolant of fast reactors helps to achieve a favorable (negative) reactivity coefficient on coolant temperature. It is noteworthy that radiogenic lead with high 208Pb content may be extracted from thorium (as well as thorium‐uranium) ores without isotope separation. This has been confirmed experimentally by the investigations performed at San Paulo University, Brazil.
An Algorithm for Optimally Fitting a Wiener Model
Authors: Beverlin Lucas P. , Rollins Derrick K. , Vyas Nisarg , Andre David
Published: December 2011

The purpose of this work is to present a new methodology for fitting Wiener networks to datasets with a large number of variables. Wiener networks have the ability to model a wide range of data types, and their structures can yield parameters with phenomenological meaning. There are several challenges to fitting such a model: model stiffness, the nonlinear nature of a Wiener network, possible overfitting, and the large number of parameters inherent with large input sets. This work describes a methodology to overcome these challenges by using several iterative algorithms under supervised learning and fitting subsets of the parameters at a time. This methodology is applied to Wiener networks that are used to predict blood glucose concentrations. The predictions of validation sets from models fit to four subjects using this methodology yielded a higher correlation between observed and predicted observations than other algorithms, including the Gauss‐Newton and Levenberg‐Marquardt algorithms.
Improving Outcomes from Breast Cancer in a Low-Income Country: Lessons from Bangladesh
Authors: Story H. L. , Love R. R. , Salim R. , Roberto A. J. , Krieger J. L. , Ginsburg O. M.
Published: December 2011

Women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have yet to benefit from recent advances in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment now experienced in high-income countries. Their unique sociocultural and health system circumstances warrant a different approach to breast cancer management than that applied to women in high-income countries. Here, we present experience from the last five years working in rural Bangladesh. Case and consecutive series data, focus group and individual interviews, and clinical care experience provide the basis for this paper. These data illustrate a complex web of sociocultural, economic, and health system conditions which affect womens’ choices to seek and accept care and successful treatment. We conclude that health system, human rights, and governance issues underlie high mortality from this relatively rare disease in Bangladesh.
A New Hybrid Method for Equilibrium Problems, Variational Inequality Problems, Fixed Point Problems, and Zero of Maximal Monotone Operators
Authors: Wang Yaqin
Published: December 2011

We introduce a new hybrid iterative scheme for finding a common element of the set of common fixed points of two countable families of relatively quasi‐nonexpansive mappings, the set of the variational inequality, the set of solutions of the generalized mixed equilibrium problem, and zeros of maximal monotone operators in a Banach space. We obtain a strong convergence theorem for the sequences generated by this process in a 2‐uniformly convex and uniformly smooth Banach space. The results obtained in this paper improve and extend the result of Zeng et al. (2010) and many others.
Inequalities between Arithmetic‐Geometric, Gini, and Toader Means
Authors: Chu Yu-Ming , Wang Miao-Kun
Published: December 2011

We find the greatest values p1, p2 and least values q1, q2 such that the double inequalities and hold for all a, b > 0 with a ≠ b and present some new bounds for the complete elliptic integrals. Here M(a, b), T(a, b), and Sp(a, b) are the arithmetic‐geometric, Toader, and pth Gini means of two positive numbers a and b, respectively.
Characterization of Chronic Cutaneous Lesions from TNF-Receptor-1-Deficient Mice Infected byLeishmania major
Authors: Oliveira Carolina Ferreira , Manzoni-de-Almeida Daniel , Mello Paula Seixas , Natale Caio Cotta , Santiago Helton da Costa , Miranda Luíza da Silva , Ferraz Fernanda Oliveira , dos Santos Liliane Martins , Teixeira Mauro Martins , Arantes Rosa Maria Esteves , Vieira Leda Quercia
Published: December 2011

Leishmania major-infected TNF receptor 1 deficient (TNFR1 KO) mice resolve parasitism but fail to resolve lesions, while wild-type mice completely heal. We investigated the cell composition, cytokine production, and apoptosis in lesions fromL. major-infected TNFR1 KO and wild-type (WT) mice. Chronic lesions fromL. major-infected TNFR1 KO mice presented larger number of CD8+ T and Ly6G+ cells. In addition, higher concentrations of mRNA for IFN-γCCL2 and CCL5, as well as protein, but lower numbers of apoptotic cells, were found in lesions from TNFR1 KO mice than in WT, at late time points of infection. Our studies showed that persistent lesions inL. major-infected TNFR1 KO mice may be mediated by continuous migration of cells to the site of inflammation due to the presence of chemokines and also by lower levels of apoptosis. We suggest that this model has some striking similarities to the mucocutaneous clinical form of leishmaniasis.
The Prevalence of Central Poststroke Pain according to the Integrity of the Spino-Thalamo-Cortical Pathway
Authors: Hong Ji Heon , Choi Byung Yun , Chang Chul Hoon , Kim Seong Ho , Jung Young Jin , Lee Dong Gyu , Kwon Yong Hyun , Jang Sung Ho
Published: December 2011

Objectives: Little is known about the prevalence of central poststroke pain (CPSP) according to the integrity of the spino-thalamo-cortical pathway (STP). Using diffusion tensor tractography, we investigated the prevalence of CPSP according to the integrity of the STP in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. Methods: We recruited 52 consecutive chronic patients and 10 normal control subjects. Patients were classified into two groups according to preservation of the integrity of the STP. Each group was divided into two subgroups according to the presence of CPSP. Results: The preserved group included 34 patients [CPSP subgroup, 16 (47%) patients; non-CPSP subgroup, 18 (53%) patients], and 18 patients were enrolled into the disrupted group [CPSP subgroup, 3 (17%) patients; non-CPSP subgroup, 15 (83%) patients]. The fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity values of the CPSP and non-CPSP subgroups of the preserved group were decreased and increased when compared with those of the control group, respectively (p < 0.05). Conclusions: We found that the prevalence of CPSP in patients with partial injury of the STP was higher than that of patients with complete injury of the STP. Partial injury of the STP appears to be more vulnerable to development of CPSP than complete injury of the STP in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.
The Diagnostic Value of Controlled Oral Word Association Test-FAS and Category Fluency in Single-Domain Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Malek-Ahmadi Michael , Small Brent J. , Raj Ashok
Published: December 2011

Background: Recent studies have shown that decreases in both letter fluency and category fluency may be present in addition to memory impairment in single-domain amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). However, the clinical utility of these fluency measures is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine what, if any, diagnostic value letter and category fluency provide in differentiating single-domain aMCI from normal cognition. Methods: Data from 66 individuals [33 cognitively normal (CN) and 33 aMCI] between the ages of 66 and 87 years participating in the Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center were compared on the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT)-FAS and Category Fluency test, both in terms of raw and scaled scores. Results: Participants were matched on age, education and sex. Two-tailed independent sample t-tests found statistically significant differences between the CN and aMCI groups for both raw and scaled scores of COWAT-FAS and Category Fluency (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analyses found that COWAT-FAS and Category Fluency did not significantly improve diagnostic accuracy when combined with the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised delayed recall. Conclusion: Although decreased COWAT-FAS and Category Fluency performance may be present in single-domain aMCI, these tests do not improve the ability of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised delayed recall to differentiate aMCI from CN individuals.
Enhanced Perception and Performance by Multimodal Threat Cueing in Simulated Combat Vehicle
Authors: Oskarsson Per-Anders , Eriksson Lars , Carlander Otto
Published: December 2011

Objective: In a simulated combat vehicle, uni-, bi-, and trimodal cueing of direction to threat were compared with the purpose to investigate whether multisensory redundant information may enhance dynamic perception and performance.

Background: Previous research has shown that multimodal display presentation can enhance perception of information and task performance.

Method: Two experiments in a simulated combat vehicle were performed under the instructions to turn the vehicle toward the threat as fast and accurately as possible after threat cue onset. In Experiment 1, direction to threat was presented by four display types: visual head-down display, tactile belt, 3-D audio, and trimodal with the three displays combined. In Experiment 2, direction to threat was presented by three display types: visual head-up display (HUD)–3-D audio, tactile belt–3-D audio, and trimodal with HUD, tactile belt, and 3-D audio combined.

Results: In Experiment 1, the trimodal display provided overall best performance and perception of threat direction. In Experiment 2, both the trimodal and HUD–3-D audio displays led to overall best performance, and the trimodal display provided overall the best perception of threat direction. None of the trimodal displays induced higher mental workload or secondary task interference.

Conclusion: The trimodal displays provided overall enhanced perception and performance in the dynamically framed threat scenario and did not entail higher mental workload or decreased spare capacity.

Application: Trimodal displays with redundant information may contribute to safer and more reliable peak performance in time-critical dynamic tasks and especially in more extreme and stressful situations with high perceptual or mental workload.
The institutionalization of meritocracy in Latin American regulatory agencies
Authors: Parrado Salvador , Salvador Miquel
Published: December 2011

Research into 72 regulatory authorities in four policy sectors (pharmacy, telecommunications, finances and pensions) in 18 Latin American countries shows that the institutionalization of meritocratic practices in the recruitment and careers of its staff has not been widespread, even in countries with a professionalized bureaucracy. The implementation of meritocracy could be partially explained through the policy sector and the influence of epistemic communities while alternative explanations like administrative legacies or the autonomy of the regulatory authorities to devise and implement personnel policies play a less important role. The institutionalization of meritocracy in ‘islands of excellence’ has policy implications for sustained merit-based strategies for the civil service.

Points for practitioners

This research has shown that the institutionalization of meritocracy is not widespread when considering recruitment and staff careers in 72 regulatory Latin American agencies. Successful meritocratic practices are partially explained by the policy sector in which these agencies operate. Economic regulated sectors (financial services, delivery of pensions and telecommunications) are more meritocratic than social regulated areas (pharmacy). Two explanations have been offered for this. On the one hand, meritocracy seems to be influenced by particular epistemic communities in which competition plays an important role (for instance, economists). On the other hand, agencies need to increase their credibility and attract the confidence of international donors and private regulated enterprises. These findings suggest that the introduction of meritocracy could be more successfully approached through a more individualized process (i.e. by targeting individual agencies) instead of launching overall civil service reforms with uncertain consequences.
Damage Inflicted by the Indian Crested Porcupine, Hystrix indica, on Forestry and Agricultural systems in Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Hafeez Shahid , Ashfaq Muhammad , Khan Ghulam S , Khan Zahoor H
Published: December 2011

In Pakistan, Hystrix indica is abundant and distributed all over the country. It has been identified as a serious pest of traditional as well as non-traditional crops, fruit orchards, vegetables, flowering plants and grasses of forage importance in rangelands. The most important porcupine damage, however, occurs in forestry and range areas. Damage estimates are 15.18 ± 1.79% to Dalbergia sissoo, 12.38 ± 1.86% to Morus alba, 15.16 ± 2.04% to Eucalyptus camaldulensis and 3.44 ± 0.04% to Albizzia procera in different irrigated forest plantations of Punjab have been reported. Severe stock damage figures of 58.4 ± 4.00% to Bombax ceiba, 9.81 ± 2.69% to Dalbergia sissoo and 6.79 ± 2.23% to Albizzia procera were recorded in different areas of the Punjab. Crops of economic importance such as wheat, maize, sugar cane, groundnut and melon are severely damaged in the irrigated plains and rain-fed Pothohar belt. Among the vegetables, okara, pumpkin, bitter gourd and onions are badly damaged.
Stereovision for three-dimensional measurements of fabric pilling
Authors: Xu Bugao , Yu Wurong , Wang RongWu
Published: December 2011

This paper introduces a three-dimensional (3D) imaging system designed for objective evaluation of fabric pilling. Thesystem was aimed at reconstructing high-fidelity 3D surfaces of fabric by using only two side-by-side images of a pilling fabric captured by a pair of regular digital cameras without special lighting. The robust calibration and stereo-matching algorithms were implemented to make the system insusceptible to fabric structures, colors, fiber contents and other factors. The depth data provide the most relevant information for pilling segmentation and measurements, because pilling is the protrusion of entangled fibers. 3D measurement data can be used for not only evaluating pilling appearance, but also for understanding pilling mechanisms in different abrasive treatments.
The Manhattan Project and Its Long Shadow
Authors: Agassi Joseph
Published: December 2011

A sequel to Shapin’s earlier work, The Scientific Life: A Moral History of a Late Modern Vocation again solves the problem of induction by observing that researchers are decent. Shapin dismisses most of the literature on both the philosophy of science and (more so) on the sociology of science as ideologically biased and as irrelevant. Approaches to the book as light reading and as serious scholarly reading are considered before a critical summary is offered as a conclusion.
Beyond the Screams
Authors: Zavella Patricia
Published: December 2011

In debates about migration from Mexico, popular culture, especially music, can be an important political space for expressing feelings and thoughts about nativist discourses. Ann Cvetkovich’s notion of “archives of feelings” is helpful for understanding political texts that address the plight of Mexicans in music. Performances become reflexive spaces that foster agency by allowing for a critique of politics from outside of and within Latino communities. Interviews with participants in the Latino punk scene and an interpretation of the documentary film Beyond the Screams/Más allá de los gritos show how punk lyrics, musical performances, and representations become interpretive sites when performed in public. The texts and performances discussed here create powerful transnational archives of feelings that contest official stories about the subordination of Mexicans and all Latinos.

En los debates sobre la migración mexicana, la cultura popular, especialmente la música, puede convertirse en un importante espacio político para expresar sentimientos y pensamientos acerca de los discursos nativistas. La noción de “archivos de sentimientos” (archives of feelings) propuesta por Ann Cvetkovich resulta útil para entender los textos políticos que se ocupan, musicalmente, de la difícil situación de los mexicanos. Las actuaciones se convierten en espacios de reflexión que promueven la agencia al presentar una crítica política desde fuera y dentro de las comunidades latinas. Entrevistas con los participantes en la escena punk latina y una interpretación de la película documental Beyond the Screams/Más allá de los gritos muestran cómo las letras de canciones punk, las actuaciones musicales y sus representaciones se convierten en sitios de interpretación cuando se realizan públicamente. Los textos y actuaciones aquí discutidos crean archivos transnacionales de sentimiento que refutan las historias oficiales sobre la subordinación de los mexicanos y todos los latinos.
Group Faultlines
Authors: Thatcher Sherry M. B. , Patel Pankaj C.
Published: December 2011

Organizations have been searching for ways to harness the benefits of groups while simultaneously reducing process losses associated with groups. The focus on group composition and individual attribute alignment has led to an interest in the topic of faultlines. Faultlines are hypothetical dividing lines that split a group into two or more subgroups based on the alignment of one or more individual attributes and have been found to influence group processes, performance outcomes, and affective outcomes. Using 59 published articles, the authors summarize the current state of the faultlines literature with respect to the following themes: theoretical foundations, faultline measurement, empirical findings, and the contingent role of context. A quantitative aggregation of 34 published empirical articles is used to summarize identified relationships in the literature and shows that the faultlines construct explains variance above and beyond the effect of team diversity measures on group outcomes. The authors provide guidance for future research that should be of interest to scholars in the areas of diversity, teams, power, alliances, subgroups, social networks, intergroup behavior, conflict, learning, and decision making. Future research directions build off the extant findings, such as extending conceptualizations of faultlines and refining the measurement of faultlines. The authors further propose the application of faultlines to the areas of leadership, international studies, and strategic management.
A Child With Night Blindness
Authors: Kohlschütter Alfried , Santer René , Lukacs Zoltan , Altenburg Christiane , Kemper Markus J. , Rüther Klaus
Published: December 2011

Refsum disease is a genetic progressive neurological disorder caused by neurotoxic phytanic acid, a nutritional component patients are unable to metabolize. Symptoms include retinopathy, polyneuropathy, ataxia, and deafness. They are variable and rarely recognized before adulthood. The authors report the case of a 14-year-old girl diagnosed because of night blindness. They treated her with a phytanic acid–poor diet and extracorporeal lipid apheresis. They used different methods over a 30-month period. Thereafter, the patient was treated with diet only. Membrane filtration and heparin-induced extracorporeal low-density lipoprotein precipitation apheresis were well tolerated. Withdrawal of phytanic acid was studied quantitatively. During a 5-year period, blood phytanic acid levels decreased to a noncritical range. The patient remained free of ophthalmological and neurological progression for a total observation of 12 years. Early diagnosis and effective measures to keep the phytanic acid load low can probably prevent the serious sequelae of Refsum disease. Developing a method for newborn screening is desirable.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type III
Authors: Dunaway Sally , Montes Jacqueline , Ryan Patricia A. , Montgomery Megan , Sproule Douglas M. , Vivo Darryl C. De
Published: December 2011

Spinal muscular atrophy is a relatively stable chronic disease. Patients may gradually experience declines in muscle strength and motor function over time. However, functional progression is difficult to document, and the mechanism remains poorly understood. An 11-year-old girl was diagnosed at 19 months and took a few steps without assistance at 25 months. She was evaluated for 54 months in a prospective multicenter natural history study. Outcome measures were performed serially. From 6 to 7.5 years, motor function improved. From 7.5 to 11 years, motor function declined with increasing growth. Manual muscle testing scores minimally decreased. Motor unit number estimation studies gradually increased over 4.5 years. Compared to the published natural history of spinal muscular atrophy type III, our patient lost motor function over time. However, she walked with assistance 2 years longer than expected. Our report highlights possible precipitating factors that could affect the natural history of spinal muscular atrophy type III.
Glucose Transporter Type I Deficiency Causing Mitochondrial Dysfunction
Authors: Lankford Jeremy , Butler Ian J. , Koenig Mary Kay
Published: December 2011

Mitochondrial disorders are varied in their clinical presentation and pathogenesis. Diagnosis is usually made clinically and genetic defects are often not identified. We present a 6-year-old female patient with a diagnosis of a mitochondrial disorder secondary to complex I deficiency with seizures and developmental delay from infancy. Glucose transporter deficiency was suspected after a lumbar puncture showed hypoglycorrhachia. Her disorder was confirmed genetically as a mutation in her solute carrier family 2, facilitated glucose transporter member 1 ( SLCA2) gene. Delayed diagnosis led to delayed treatment, and neurologic sequelae may have been prevented by earlier recognition of this disorder.
Training the Next Generation of Child Neurologists
Authors: Gilbert Donald L.
Published: December 2011

In the United States, child neurologists continue to value close, historical ties to adult neurology. However, the mandatory year of adult training for American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology certification in “Neurology with Special Qualification in Child Neurology” deprives residents of educational opportunities that would yield greater benefit for children afflicted with neurologic diseases. The need for modernization has been recognized in a Professors of Child Neurology survey in which a majority of program directors favored reducing adult neurology training and changing the certification to “Child Neurology.” This article reviews the rationale for an overdue transformation of Child Neurology training.
A study of the mechanical behaviour on injection moulded nanoclay enhanced polypropylene composites
Authors: Ferreira JAM , Reis PNB , Costa JDM , Richardson MOW
Published: December 2011

This paper presents the results of a current study on the mechanical properties of a polypropylene matrix resin, enhanced using nanoclay filler with a special silane treatment. The study was centred on the effect of adding nanoclay and of water immersion on static and fatigue behaviour. Specimens filled up to 3% in weight were produced by an injection moulding process. The filler improved significantly bending quasi static and dynamic stiffness, and also marginally the bending strength. Surprisingly, the immersion in water for 40 days increases the bending stiffness and the bending strength. The addition of 3% w/w nanoclay promoted a negative effect in Gc. All material configurations exhibited a faster and intense stress release from the first cycles of fatigue. The 3% nano-enhanced composites exhibited higher fatigue strength than unfilled materials.
Immersion- and invariance-based adaptive missile control using filtered signals
Authors: Lee K W , Singh S N
Published: December 2011

The article presents a new non-certainty-equivalent adaptive (NCEA) longitudinal autopilot for the control of a missile based on the immersion and invariance theory. The interest here is to control the angle of attack of the missile in the presence of large parametric uncertainties. For the derivation of the control law, a backstepping design procedure is used. At each step of the design, certain filtered signals are generated for the synthesis of a stabilizing control signal and a parameter estimator. Using Lyapunov stability analysis, it is shown that in the closed-loop system, trajectory control of the angle of attack is accomplished, and the trajectories of the system are attracted to certain manifold in the space of state variables and parameter errors. For stability in the closed-loop system, an explicit analytical relation involving the controller gains is obtained. It may be pointed out that recently an adaptive autopilot based on the immersion and inversion theory has been designed, but it has stringent requirements because for its synthesis, the derivatives of the Mach number and angle of attack must be known, and a large number of parameters must be updated. The derived control system of this article is synthesized using only the state variables, and its identifier is of lower order. A traditional certainty-equivalent adaptive autopilot is also presented for comparison. Simulation results are obtained which show that the designed NCEA control system can accomplish angle of attack control despite large parametric uncertainties; and it can give better tracking performance than the traditional controller.
Numerical investigation of the effects of base size on supersonic flow through a sudden duct enlargement
Authors: Lijo V , Kim H D , Setoguchi T
Published: December 2011

An abrupt increase in duct cross-section is often found in pressure-reducing devices, valves of internal-combustion engines, flow control devices in pipe systems of power plants, launch tubes of the ballistic ranges, thrust augmentation systems for cruise missiles, zero secondary flow ejectors, etc. The objective of this study is to revisit the classical base flow fields in a wall-bounded supersonic flow past a sudden expansion, to study and exploit their dependence on the size of the enlarged part – termed as the base size. Two-dimensional numerical simulations are performed for a nozzle flow, which is suddenly expanded in a larger rectangular channel. Five different turbulence models have been utilized in this study. Flow determination near the base is influenced by the proper selection of the turbulence model. The numerical solutions are compared with available experimental data and good agreement is achieved with renormalization group k–ε turbulence model. This investigation is concerned with the determination of the base size, for which the jet characteristics and the base pressure become independent of the size of the enlarged part. For a given duct, base pressure tends to a minimum for a particular pressure ratio. In this study, the authors have been able to link the jet characteristics to the base size by both analytical and numerical methods. This has led to the conclusion that for a constant driving pressure, the base pressure asymptotically decreases when the base size is increased up to a critical value, and it becomes independent of the base size thereafter. It is believed that the results of this study can provide a better understanding of the wall-bounded supersonic flow past a sudden expansion. The relevance of the present observations in some of the engineering applications is also discussed.
Psychology and the Zeitgeist
Authors: Blunden Andy
Published: December 2011

Two books surveying the state of psychology from broad, historical, and interdisciplinary points of view are reviewed. Jerome Kagan covers the “three cultures”—natural science, social science, and the humanities—and tracks the Zeitgeist and the ebb and flow of the influence of the three cultures on the community and each other. Ash and Sturm’s book is a collaborative review of the state of psychology from the point of view of leaders in neuroscience, psychology, and the history of science. Each approach has merits, though Ash and Sturm’s has the great merit of presenting both sides of the disputes in the words of committed advocates of each view. Together, the two books offer a telling insight into the Zeitgeist of the human sciences.
Time perspective, personality and psychopathology: Zimbardo’s time perspective inventory in psychiatry
Authors: van Beek Wessel , Berghuis Han , Kerkhof Ad , Beekman Aartjan
Published: December 2011

Time perspective theory assumes that behaviour is influenced by how individuals link their behaviour to their past, present, and future. This paper explores the concept of time perspective ( Zimbardo and Boyd, 1999 ) within a psychiatric context. We compared 76 individuals, in treatment ( n = 32) or not in treatment ( n = 44). The participants completed the time perspective questionnaire ZTPI, the NEO-PI-R (personality traits), an instrument to measure personality problems SIPP-118, and the BDI-II (depression). We found correlations between measures of psychopathology and Past Positive, Past Negative and Present Fatalistic time perspectives. Particularly Past Negative appeared to be indicative for psychiatric problems.
Why Aren’t We Smarter Already
Authors: Hills Thomas , Hertwig Ralph
Published: December 2011

Pharmacological enhancers of cognition promise a bright new future for humankind: more focus, more willpower, and better memory, with applications ranging from education to military combat. Underlying such promises is a linear, more-is-better vision of cognition that makes intuitive sense. This vision is at odds, however, with our understanding of cognition’s evolutionary origins. The mind has evolved under various constraints and consequently represents a delicate balance among these constraints. Evidence of the trade-offs that have shaped cognition include (a) inverted U-shaped performance curves commonly found in response to pharmacological interventions and (b) unintended side effects of enhancement on other traits. Taking an evolutionary perspective, we frame the above two sets of findings in terms of within-task (exemplified by optimal-control problems) and between-task (associated with a gain/loss asymmetry) trade-offs, respectively. With this framework, psychological science can provide much-needed guidance to enhancement development, a field that still lacks a theoretical foundation.
On Social Stability and Social Change
Authors: Kay Aaron C. , Friesen Justin
Published: December 2011

More than a decade of research from the perspective of system-justification theory (Jost & Banaji, 1994) has demonstrated that people engage in motivated psychological processes that bolster and support the status quo. We propose that this motive is highly contextual: People do not justify their social systems at all times but are more likely to do so under certain circumstances. We describe four contexts in which people are prone to engage in system-justifying processes: (a) system threat, (b) system dependence, (c) system inescapability, and (d) low personal control. We describe how and why, in these contexts, people who wish to promote social change might expect resistance.
Resilience
Authors: Seery Mark D.
Published: December 2011

When adverse life events occur, people often suffer negative consequences for their mental health and well-being. More adversity has been associated with worse outcomes, implying that the absence of life adversity should be optimal. However, some theory and empirical evidence suggest that the experience of facing difficulties can also promote benefits in the form of greater propensity for resilience when dealing with subsequent stressful situations. I review research that demonstrates U-shaped relationships between lifetime adversity exposure and mental health and well-being, functional impairment and health care utilization in chronic back pain, and responses to experimentally induced pain. Specifically, a history of some lifetime adversity predicts better outcomes than not only a history of high adversity but also a history of no adversity. This has important implications for understanding resilience, suggesting that adversity can have benefits.