bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Kurds and Settlement Policies from the Late Ottoman Empire to Early Republican Turkey: Continuities and Discontinuities (1916–34)
Authors: Bozkurt Serhat
Published: August 2014

This article highlights the continuities and discontinuities between the settlement policies of the late Ottoman state and early Republican Turkey. It argues that although there was a certain degree of evolution in the language employed by the state between the late Ottoman and Republican periods, there is a significant amount of overlap between the policies pursued by the Committee of Union and Progress which seized power in 1913 and the Kemalist regime established in the early 1920s towards the Kurds. In short, the emergence of settlement policies aimed at assimilating the Kurds into the Turkish nation are not an innovation of the Kemalists; it is possible to trace them to the late Ottoman period. This is substantiated through a comparison of two laws relating to settlement; the 1916 “Ordinance Outlining the Transfer and Settlement as well as the Sustenance and Maintenance for Refugees arriving from Conflict Zones” prepared by the Ottoman Ministry of the Interior's General Directorate for Tribes and Refugees and the Settlement Law of 1934, which was implemented in Republican Turkey and which remained on the statute books until 2006.
The Kurdish Cultural Movement in Mandatory Syria and Lebanon: An Unfinished Project of “National Renaissance,” 1932–46
Authors: Tejel Gorgas Jordi
Published: August 2014

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries diverse, and sometimes competing, movements of cultural renaissance emerged in the Middle East. Within this context, the Kurdish cultural renaissance in the Kurmanji dialect appeared relatively late and moreover its fruits were curtailed by two major events: the First World War and the establishment of the Turkish republic. From 1923 onwards, the task of animating the Kurdish cultural renaissance fell on the Kurds exiled first in mandatory Syria and Lebanon and then in Europe. In exile, Kurdish intellectuals benefited from some advantageous conditions such as freedom of speech and organization. Yet Kurdish intellectual endeavors in the Levant were to face political, social and economic challenges. Using French records and Kurdish newspapers, this article explores both the opportunities and the constraints for the consolidation of the Kurdish cultural renaissance under colonial rule. In doing so, the article intends to enrich the debate on the formation of nationalisms in the interwar era on the one hand, and the relationship between colonial powers and minorities in the Middle East, on the other.
Respiration accumulates Calvin cycle intermediates for the rapid start of photosynthesis in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
Authors: Shimakawa Ginga , Hasunuma Tomohisa , Kondo Akihiko , Matsuda Mami , Makino Amane , Miyake Chikahiro
Published: August 2014

We tested the hypothesis that inducing photosynthesis in cyanobacteria requires respiration. A mutant deficient in glycogen phosphorylase (∆GlgP) was prepared in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 to suppress respiration. The accumulated glycogen in ΔGlgP was 250–450% of that accumulated in wild type (WT). The rate of dark respiration in ΔGlgP was 25% of that in WT. In the dark, P700+ reduction was suppressed in ΔGlgP, and the rate corresponded to that in (2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone)-treated WT, supporting a lower respiration rate in ∆GlgP. Photosynthetic O2-evolution rate reached a steady-state value much slower in ∆GlgP than in WT. This retardation was solved by addition of d-glucose. Furthermore, we found that the contents of Calvin cycle intermediates in ∆GlgP were lower than those in WT under dark conditions. These observations indicated that respiration provided the carbon source for regeneration of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate in order to drive the rapid start of photosynthesis.
Production of 1,5-anhydro-d-fructose by an α-glucosidase belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 31
Authors: Maneesan Janjira , Matsuura Hideyuki , Tagami Takayoshi , Mori Haruhide , Kimura Atsuo
Published: August 2014

α-1,4-Glucan lyases [glycoside hydrolase family (GH) 31] catalyze an elimination reaction to form 1,5-anhydro-d-fructose (AF), while GH31 α-glucosidases normally catalyze a hydrolytic reaction. We determined that a small amount of AF was produced by GH31 Aspergillus niger α-glucosidase from maltooligosaccharides by elimination reaction, likely via an oxocarbenium ion intermediate.
A novel antisense long noncoding RNA within the IGF1R gene locus is imprinted in hematopoietic malignancies
Authors: Sun Jingnan , Li Wei , Sun Yunpeng , Yu Dehai , Wen Xue , Wang Hong , Cui Jiuwei , Wang Guanjun , Hoffman Andrew R. , Hu Ji-Fan
Published: August 2014

Dysregulation of the insulin-like growth factor type I receptor (IGF1R) has been implicated in the progression and therapeutic resistance of malignancies. In acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells, IGF1R is one of the most abundantly phosphorylated receptor tyrosine kinases, promoting cell growth through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. However, little is known regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying IGF1R gene dysregulation in cancer. We discovered a novel intragenic long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) within the IGF1R locus, named IRAIN, which is transcribed in an antisense direction from an intronic promoter. The IRAIN lncRNA was expressed exclusively from the paternal allele, with the maternal counterpart being silenced. Using both reverse transcription-associated trap and chromatin conformation capture assays, we demonstrate that this lncRNA interacts with chromatin DNA and is involved in the formation of an intrachromosomal enhancer/promoter loop. Knockdown of IRAIN lncRNA with shRNA abolishes this intrachromosomal interaction. In addition, IRAIN was downregulated both in leukemia cell lines and in blood obtained from high-risk AML patients. These data identify IRAIN as a new imprinted lncRNA that is involved in long-range DNA interactions.
The iron-sensing aconitase B binds its own mRNA to prevent sRNA-induced mRNA cleavage
Authors: Benjamin Julie-Anna M. , Massé Eric
Published: August 2014

Aconitase is an iron–sulfur protein and a major enzyme of the TCA cycle that catalyzes the conversion of citrate to isocitrate under iron-rich conditions. In Escherichia coli, aconitase B (AcnB) is a typical moonlighting protein that can switch to its apo form (apo-AcnB) which favors binding its own mRNA 3′UTR and stabilize it when intracellular iron become scarce. The small regulatory RNA (sRNA) RyhB has previously been shown to promote RNase E-dependent degradation of acnB mRNA when it was expressed from an ectopic arabinose-dependent promoter, independently of intracellular iron levels. In marked contrast, we report here that expression of RyhB under low-iron conditions did not result in acnB mRNA degradation even when RyhB was bound to acnB ribosome binding site (RBS). Genetic and biochemical evidence suggested that, under low-iron conditions, apo-AcnB bound to acnB 3′UTR close to a RNase E cleavage site that is essential for RyhB-induced acnB mRNA degradation. Whereas RyhB can block acnB translation initiation, RNase E-dependent degradation of acnB was prevented by apo-AcnB binding close to the cleavage site. This previously uncharacterized regulation suggests an intricate post-transcriptional mechanism that represses protein expression while insuring mRNA stability.
Widening the lens: what the manual modality reveals about language, learning and cognition
Authors: Goldin-Meadow Susan
Published: August 2014

The goal of this paper is to widen the lens on language to include the manual modality. We look first at hearing children who are acquiring language from a spoken language model and find that even before they use speech to communicate, they use gesture. Moreover, those gestures precede, and predict, the acquisition of structures in speech. We look next at deaf children whose hearing losses prevent them from using the oral modality, and whose hearing parents have not presented them with a language model in the manual modality. These children fall back on the manual modality to communicate and use gestures, which take on many of the forms and functions of natural language. These homemade gesture systems constitute the first step in the emergence of manual sign systems that are shared within deaf communities and are full-fledged languages. We end by widening the lens onsignlanguage to include gesture and find that signers not only gesture, but they also use gesture in learning contexts just as speakers do. These findings suggest that what is key in gesture's ability to predict learning is its ability to add a second representational format to communication, rather than a second modality. Gesture can thus be language, assuming linguistic forms and functions, when other vehicles are not available; but when speech or sign is possible, gesture works along with language, providing an additional representational format that can promote learning.
Echoes of the spoken past: how auditory cortex hears context during speech perception
Authors: Skipper Jeremy I.
Published: August 2014

What do we hear when someone speaks and what does auditory cortex (AC) do with that sound? Given how meaningful speech is, it might be hypothesized that AC is most active when other people talk so that their productions get decoded. Here, neuroimaging meta-analyses show the opposite: AC is least active and sometimes deactivated when participants listened to meaningful speech compared to less meaningful sounds. Results are explained by an active hypothesis-and-test mechanism where speech production (SP) regions are neurally re-used to predict auditory objects associated with available context. By this model, more AC activity for less meaningful sounds occurs because predictions are less successful from context, requiring further hypotheses be tested. This also explains the large overlap of AC co-activity for less meaningful sounds with meta-analyses of SP. An experiment showed a similar pattern of results for non-verbal context. Specifically, words produced less activity in AC and SP regions when preceded by co-speech gestures that visually described those words compared to those words without gestures. Results collectively suggest that what we ‘hear’ during real-world speech perception may come more from the brain than our ears and that the function of AC is to confirm or deny internal predictions about the identity of sounds.
Crystal structure of 1-(4-formylbenzylidene)thiosemicarbazone
Authors: Carballo Rosa , Pino-Cuevas Arantxa , Vázquez-López Ezequiel M.
Published: August 2014

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C9H9N3OS, contains two approximately planar molecules (r.m.s. deviations for 14 non-H atoms = 0.094 and 0.045 Å), with different conformations. In one of them, the C=O group issynto the S atom and in the other it isanti. Each molecule features an intramolecular N—H...N hydrogen bond, which generates anS(5) ring. In the crystal, molecules are linked by N—H...O and N—H...S hydrogen bonds, generating discrete networks; thesynmolecules form [010] chains and theantimolecules form (100) sheets.
Crystal structure of (N1-benzyl-N1,N2,N2-trimethylethane-1,2-diamine-κ2N,N′)dichloridomercury(II)
Authors: Manjare Sudesh T. , Singh Harkesh B. , Butcher Ray J.
Published: August 2014

In the structure of the title compound, [HgCl2(C12H20N2)], the HgIIatom has a distorted tetrahedral coordination sphere defined by two tertiary amine N-atom donors, as well as two Cl−anions [the dihedral angle between the N—Hg—N and Cl—Hg—Cl planes is 82.80 (9)°]. The five-membered chelate ring adopts an envelope conformation, with puckering parameters ofQ(2) = 0.446 (6) Å and ϕ(2) = 88.8 (6)°, with the two amine CH3substituents on opposite sides of the ring. In the crystal, the molecules are linked by C—H...Cl interactions into a zigzag chain parallel to [101].
Resistance and resilience to changing climate and fire regime depend on plant functional traits
Authors: Enright Neal J. , Fontaine Joseph B. , Lamont Byron B. , Miller Ben P. , Westcott Vanessa C.
Published: August 2014

Changing disturbance–climate interactions will drive shifts in plant communities: these effects are not adequately quantified by environmental niche models used to predict future species distributions. We quantified the effects of more frequent fire and lower rainfall – as projected to occur under a warming and drying climate – on population responses of shrub species in biodiverse Mediterranean‐climate type shrublands near Eneabba, southwestern Australia.

Using experimental fires, we measured the density of all shrub species for four dominant plant functional groups (resprouter/non‐sprouter × serotinous/soil seed bank) before and after fire in 33 shrubland sites, covering four post‐fire rainfall years and fire intervals from 3–24 years.

Generalized linear mixed effects models were used to test our a priori hypotheses of rainfall, fire interval and plant functional type effects on post‐fire survival and recruitment.

At shortened fire intervals, species solely dependent on seedling recruitment for persistence were more vulnerable to local extinction than were species with both seedling recruitment and vegetative regrowth. Nevertheless, seedling recruitment was essential for population maintenance of resprouting species. Serotinous species were less resilient than soil seed storage species regardless of regeneration mode. Critically, in relation to changing climate, a 20% reduction in post‐fire winter rainfall (essential for seedling recruitment) is predicted to increase the minimum inter‐fire interval required for self‐replacement by 50%, placing many species at risk of decline.

Synthesis. Our results highlight the potentially deleterious biodiversity impacts of climate and fire regime change, and underscore weaknesses inherent in studies considering single impact factors in isolation. In fire‐prone ecosystems characterized by a projected warming and drying climate, and increasing fire hazard, adaptive approaches to fire management may need to include heightened wildfire suppression and lengthened intervals for prescribed fire to best support the in situ persistence of perennial plant species and of plant biodiversity. This conclusion is at odds with the view that more managed fire may be needed to mitigate wildfire risk as climate warms.
Examining the Scope for National Lesson‐drawing on Climate Governance
Authors: BENSON DAVID , LORENZONI IRENE
Published: August 2014

The need to understand the scope for comparative lesson‐drawing on national‐level climate mitigation policy has acquired added significance due to the current impasse in international‐level governance. Greater policy learning or lesson‐drawing among peers at the national level could, to an extent, foster meaningful developments by overcoming generalised international apathy and inaction. In this respect, we analyse the features of one significant example of national climate policy in order to examine the scope for lesson‐drawing, thereby setting out a normative research agenda. The UK Climate Change Act 2008 remains one of the few examples of legally enshrined national mitigation legislation and hence provides a relevant, but surprisingly under‐researched, source of learning for policy‐makers worldwide. By analysing its development, critical features and implementation, this article shows that—despite criticism of the sustainability and implementation effectiveness of the Act—some aspects of the policy could provide lessons for other states, and hence are potentially transferable extraterritorially, although lesson‐drawing itself is conditional on contextual constraints.
The pharmacy gaze: bodies in pharmacy practice
Authors: Jamie Kimberly
Published: August 2014

The body is a central feature of pharmacy practice. Despite this and the increased sociological focus on bodies in health and social care practice, the nature of the body and the work undertaken upon it in pharmacy have not been explored. Drawing on semi‐structured interviews with hospital and community pharmacists, this article explores the ways in which bodies are constructed and managed in these two practice contexts. It is argued that pharmacists see patients' bodies in particular ways given their expertise in medicines, which is conceptualised here as the pharmacy gaze. The notion of complexity, as a way of constructing the body, and the generation of algorithmic bodies, as a way of managing this complexity, are shown to be central to the pharmacy gaze in both hospital and community contexts. In hospitals, complexity was located in a singular body, that is, increasingly rationalised to reduce costs and toxicity. In community practice, complexity arose from the multiplicity of bodies with which pharmacists interact in their multifaceted role as retailers, dispensers and public health practitioners. The article concludes by reflecting on the ways in which current UK health policy may broaden the body work that English pharmacists undertake.
The Impact of Employees' and Managers' Training on the Performance of Small‐ and Medium‐Sized Enterprises: Evidence from a Randomized Natural Experiment in the UK Service Sector
Authors: Georgiadis Andreas , Pitelis Christos N.
Published: August 2014

We investigate the relationship between employees' and managers' training and firm performance using a policy intervention that randomly assigned training support to small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises in the UK accommodation and food service sector. Because the number of firms self‐selected into training exceeded available places, training was randomly assigned to some firms, resulting in a randomized natural experimental design that allowed us to identify the average effect of training on treated firms. Our empirical results suggest that employees' training had a stronger positive impact on firms' labour productivity and profitability than that of managers'.
Positional Isomerization of A Non‐Cleavable Combi‐Molecule Dramatically Altered Tumor Cell Response Profile
Authors: Huang Ying , Rachid Zakaria , Peyrard Lisa , Senhaji Mouhri Zhor , Williams Christopher , Jean‐Claude Bertrand J.
Published: August 2014

To potentiate the quinazoline‐based inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a chloroethyl alkylating moiety was appended to its 6‐position. This led to molecules with extremely strong EGFR inhibitory potency and anomalously strong DNA‐damaging potential. To assess the role of the chloroethyl group on potency, we designed a molecule in which it is shifted to the 7‐position where it would be less reactive and away from the cys773 of the EGFR ATP site. The results showed that (i) ZR2009 was 10‐fold less potent than its positional isomer ZR2003 in EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibition, (ii) it consistently exhibited significantly weaker antiproliferative potency than ZR2003, (iii) in reversibility assays, while ZR2003 induced sustained inhibition of EGFR phosphorylation, ZR2009 inhibitory activity was partially reversed, and (iv) likewise, ZR2009 significantly lost its activity in short exposure growth inhibitory assays and induced lower levels of DNA damage than ZR2003. Molecular modeling suggested that while the chloroethylamino group in ZR2003 was at 3.5 Å away from Cys773, that of ZR2009 was at 6.3 Å. The results in toto suggest that, while the chloroethyl is a strong alkylating group, its appendage to the 6‐position is optimal for DNA damage, sustained EGFR, and growth inhibition.
Identification of novel CYP1B1 gene mutations in patients with primary congenital and primary open‐angle glaucoma
Authors: Micheal Shazia , Ayub Humaira , Zafar Saemah N , Bakker Bjorn , Ali Mahmood , Akhtar Farah , Islam Farrah , Khan Muhammad I , Qamar Raheel , den Hollander Anneke I
Published: August 2014

Background

CYP1B1 is the most commonly mutated gene in primary congenital glaucoma (PCG), and mutations have also been identified in primary open‐angle glaucoma (POAG). This study was undertaken to describe mutations in CYP1B1 in patients and families with PCG and POAG from Pakistan.

Design

Case‐control series.

Participants

Forty families, 190 sporadic POAG cases and 140 controls from Pakistan.

Methods

Patients and healthy individuals of one consanguineous Pakistani family were genotyped with high‐resolution single nucleotide polymorphism microarrays. Homozygosity mapping was performed using HomozygosityMapper. Direct sequencing of CYP1B1 gene was performed in probands of the families, sporadic POAG cases and control individuals.

Main Outcome Measures

Mutations in the CYP1B1 gene in PCG and POAG patients.

Results

Homozygosity mapping in a consanguineous Pakistani family revealed one 11‐Mb homozygous region encompassing the CYP1B1 gene. A homozygous CYP1B1 missense mutation (p.Arg390His) was identified in this family. Sequence analysis of CYP1B1 in 39 additional families revealed one known and three novel homozygous mutations in PCG (p.Ala288Pro, p.Asp242Ala, p.Arg355* and p.Arg290Profs*37). In POAG, one novel heterozygous missense mutation (p.Asp316Val) was identified in one family and a previously reported mutation (p.Glu229Lys) was identified in three families. Analysis of CYP1B1 in a panel of 190 sporadic POAG patients revealed three novel heterozygous variants (p.Thr234Lys, p.Ala287Pro and p.Gln362*) and three previously reported heterozygous variants (p.Gly61Glu, p.Glu229Lys and p.Arg368His). The p.Glu229Lys variant was significantly associated with POAG (P = 0.03; odds ratio 2.49).

Conclusions

This study confirms that CYP1B1 mutations are associated with POAG and PCG in the Pakistani population.
CHILD syndrome with mild skin lesions: histopathologic clues for the diagnosis
Authors: Gantner Susanne , Rütten Arno , Requena Luis , Gassenmaier Gerhard , Landthaler Michael , Hafner Christian
Published: August 2014

CHILD syndrome is an acronym signifying congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform nevus and limb defects. A 27‐year‐old woman presented with chronic verrucous and hyperkeratotic skin lesions involving the left genital area, left hand and left foot since childhood. The histopathologic findings were consistent with verruciform xanthoma. In correlation with the clinical picture of a linear lesion, the diagnosis of CHILD nevus was made. Subsequent genetic analysis identified a germline c.324C>T (p.A105V) NSDHL mutation and confirmed a diagnosis of CHILD syndrome. This syndrome can be associated with only minimal clinical symptoms. The anatomical distribution of the lesions, a static clinical course and the typical histopathologic features of a CHILD nevus can serve as the clue to a diagnosis of CHILD syndrome in such cases.
The influence of price‐related point‐of‐sale promotions on bottle shop purchases of young adults
Authors: Jones Sandra C. , Barrie Lance , Gregory Parri , Allsop Steve , Chikritzhs Tanya
Published: August 2014

Introduction and Aims

To investigate the impact of point‐of‐sale promotions on product choice, brand choice and purchase quantity of young adults purchasing alcohol for off‐premise consumption in Australia.

Design and Methods

A cross‐sectional interviewer‐completed survey conducted at 24 bottle shops (liquor stores), 12 each in the capital cities of Sydney, New South Wales and Perth, Western Australia. Participants were 509 adults (18 and over) exiting bottle shops having purchased alcohol.

Results

When prompted, 26.5% indicated that there was a special offer, price discount, or special promotion connected with a product that they had purchased. Those who participated in point‐of‐sale promotions purchased a greater quantity of alcohol than those who did not participate: ready to drink, an average of 11.5 standard drinks (SD) compared with an average of 8.9 SD (t = 1.320, P = 0.190); beer, an average of 26.8 SD compared with an average of 16.4 SD; wine, an average of 16.1 SD compared with an average of 13.8 SD (t = 0.924, P = 0.357).

Discussion and Conclusions

Participation in point‐of‐sale promotions may be associated with increased purchase quantities, not solely shifting between brands. There is a need for further research to explore changes in purchase and consumption patterns as a result of the availability of price‐based promotions. The results of this study, combined with previous research, suggest that regulators—and marketers—should consider the immediate and cumulative effect of point‐of‐sale promotions on drinking patterns, particularly those of younger drinkers. [Jones SC, Barrie L, Gregory P, Allsop S, Chikritzhs T. The influence of price‐related point‐of‐sale (POS) promotions on bottle shop purchases of young adults. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;43:170–176]
Endoscopic features of lymphoid follicles in Helicobacter pylori‐associated chronic gastritis
Authors: Hayashi Seishu , Imamura Jun , Kimura Kiminori , Saeki Shunichi , Hishima Tsunekazu
Published: August 2014

Background and Aim

Small, round, yellowish‐white nodules (YWN) are frequently observed in Helicobacter pylori‐associated gastritis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical significance of these YWN.

Methods

Participants comprised 211 patients with H. pylori‐associated gastritis, ranging in age from 23 to 86 years.

Results

YWN were detected in 23% of participants, more frequently in women (33%) than in men (12%; P < 0.01). YWN were observed on the antral mucosa in 4.7% of cases, lesser curvature of the corpus mucosa in 20%, greater curvature of the corpus mucosa in 0.9%, and fundic mucosa in 12%. Most YWN located on the antral mucosa showed nodular type, and most YWN located on the corpus mucosa and fundic mucosa showed flat type. On magnifying endoscopy with narrow‐band imaging, YWN appeared as round whitish lesions with radial or branching microvessels on the surface and hypovascular globe structures just beneath the surface of the mucosa. Targeted biopsies of YWN revealed lymphoid follicles with lymphocyte infiltration or intense inflammatory cell infiltration.

Conclusion

The endoscopic finding of YWN could be observed at any site of the gastric mucosa in H. pylori‐associated gastritis, and represented histological lymphoid follicles.
Thromboembolic Risk in Atrial Fibrillation: Association between Left Atrium Mechanics and Risk Scores. A Study Based on 3D Wall‐Motion Tracking Technology
Authors: Islas Fabián , Olmos Carmen , Vieira Catarina , De Agustín José A. , Marcos‐Alberca Pedro , Saltijeral Adriana , Almería Carlos , Rodrigo José L. , García Fernández Miguel A. , Macaya Carlos , Pérez de Isla Leopoldo
Published: August 2014

Background/Objectives

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with a significantly high risk of stroke and systemic embolism. The aim of our study was to assess the association between left atrium (LA) mechanics measured by 3D wall‐motion tracking (3DWMT) technology and the most common thromboembolic risk scores (CHADS2, CHA2DS2‐VASc).

Methods

A total of 101 consecutive patients with permanent AF referred were included. Conventional bidimensional (2D) LA parameters, and LA mechanics by means of 3DWMT were studied. Association between LA 2D and 3DWMT parameters and both risk scores was evaluated as well as its correlation with every component of the score individually.

Results

Mean age was 78 ± 10 years. Mean CHADS2 was 2.7 ± 1.3 and mean CHA2DS2‐VASc was 4.4 ± 1.7. Values of 2D and 3DWTM LA parameters were: 2D area 26.4 ± 9.7 cm2, 2D volume index 49.4 ± 10.1 mL/m2, 3DWMT left atrial emptying fraction (LAEF) 15.9 ± 8.4%, longitudinal strain 9.1 ± 4.5% and area strain 14.9 ± 8.8%. Linear regression analysis showed statistically significant correlation between LA longitudinal strain and LAEF with CHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores. For each 10% variation in longitudinal strain, CHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores change in 0.7 and 0.8 points, respectively.

Conclusions

Left atrial longitudinal strain and emptying fraction assessed by 3D WMT technology have correlation with both CHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores. Each 10% of variation in longitudinal strain represents a 0.7 and 0.8 points change in those risk scores. LA mechanics evaluation might provide additional value to risk scores and could be considered to be a predictor of stroke in patients with AF.
Governing Sex Work in the City
Authors: Laing Mary , Cook Ian R.
Published: August 2014

Sex work is often constructed as an urban ‘problem’. As a result, sex workers, clients and the spaces in which people buy or sell sex are frequently the subject of intervention from those governing cities. This paper considers the ways in which problems and solutions are framed in the wider governance of sex work in cities in the global north. It draws on a range of academic literature to show how the urban governance of sex work takes relational and territorial forms. Governance is relational in the sense that it is about ‘improving’ the connections and relationships between those involved in sex work and those seemingly affected by sex work, and it is territorial in that placing sex work in the city through spatial exclusion, containment and the construction and maintenance of spatial boundaries is often the focus of strategies of governance. The paper argues that while the urban governance of sex work is contingent, there are often resonances and connections between cities in how they frame the problem of sex work and the interventions used. The paper concludes by highlighting future areas for research on the subject of sex work, governance and the city.
Relational Comparison, Queer Urbanism and Worlding Cities
Authors: Binnie Jon
Published: August 2014

Urban studies have recently witnessed a revival of critical interest in comparison, situated within a broader postcolonial critique of the parochialism of (Western) urban theory. However, recent discussions of the comparative within urban studies have tended to neglect sexual politics, despite the emergence of a significant body of work on the queer politics of comparison. Urban research on sexualities has tended to focus on the territorialisation of same‐sex desire and identifications in territories such as gay villages or neighbourhoods and has often overlooked the sexual politics of networked relations and connections between cities. Although relational approaches to urbanism have been adopted in this field, there has been little explicit engagement with the comparative, which remains largely under‐theorised. This paper considers the usefulness of Kevin Ward's work on ‘relational comparison’ in informing research agendas on the sexual politics of (transnational) connections between cities. It argues that the use of relational comparison can help interrogate the transnational politics of knowledge production in the field and can help in opening up new research agendas.
Mirabegron 50 mg once‐daily for the treatment of symptoms of overactive bladder: An overview of efficacy and tolerability over 12 weeks and 1 year
Authors: Chapple Christopher R , Kaplan Steven A , Mitcheson David , Blauwet Mary Beth , Huang Moses , Siddiqui Emad , Khullar Vik
Published: August 2014

The aim of the present review article was to summarize the efficacy and tolerability for mirabegron 50 mg over 12 weeks and 1 year versus placebo (SCORPIO) or tolterodine ER 4 mg (SCORPIO and TAURUS). After a 2‐week placebo run‐in, adults with overactive bladder symptoms for ≥3 months were randomized if, during a 3‐day micturition diary period before baseline, they had an average of ≥8 micturitions/24 h and ≥3 urgency episodes. Efficacy end‐points were change from baseline to each study visit and final visit in incontinence, micturitions, volume voided/micturition, urgency incontinence, urgency (grades 3 or 4), level of urgency and nocturia. Additional secondary efficacy variables included patient‐reported outcomes. Safety variables included changes in treatment‐emergent adverse events and vital signs. For SCORPIO, statistically significant improvements from baseline in efficacy variables and patient‐reported outcomes were seen with mirabegron versus placebo from week 4, and were maintained over time. For TAURUS, numerical improvements in efficacy were evident from month 1, and were maintained throughout 12 months. Treatment‐emergent adverse events incidence was similar between groups, except for dry mouth, which was reported by fourfold (SCORPIO) and threefold (TAURUS) more patients taking tolterodine than mirabegron. Mirabegron 50 mg for 12 weeks was associated with statistically significant improvements in objective measures of efficacy and patient‐reported outcomes. At final visit, improvements with mirabegron 50 mg were statistically greater versus placebo. The efficacy profile of mirabegron 50 mg appears to be maintained over 12 months.
A qualitative study of nurses' attitudes towards' and accommodations of patients' expressions of religiosity and faith in dementia care
Authors: Skomakerstuen Ødbehr Liv , Kvigne Kari , Hauge Solveig , Danbolt Lars Johan
Published: August 2014

Aims

To investigate nurses' attitudes towards and accommodations of patients' expressions of religiosity and faith in dementia care.

Background

Holistic care for people with dementia addresses patients' religiosity and faith. Nurses' accommodations of patients' religiosity have not been studied extensively even though nurses report a lack of experience and knowledge regarding religious care.

Design

This study has a qualitative research design.

Methods

Eight focus group interviews with 16 nurses and 15 care workers in four Norwegian nursing homes were conducted from June 2011–January 2012. The interview text was analysed using van Manen's hermeneutic‐phenomenological approach and Lindseth and Nordberg's structural analysis.

Findings

The following three main themes reflected the nurses' and care workers' attitudes towards and accommodations of patients' expressions of religiosity and faith: (i) embarrassment vs. comfort, described in the sub‐themes ‘feelings of embarrassment’ and ‘religiosity as a private matter’; (ii) unknown religious practice vs. known religious practice, described as ‘religious practice that was scary’ or ‘religious practice that was recognizable’; and (iii) death vs. life, described as ‘difficulty talking about death ‘or ‘focusing on life and the quality of life’.

Conclusion

Nurses and care workers were uncertain and lacked knowledge of the patients' expressions of religiosity and faith in terms of both their substance and their function. Nurses struggled with ambivalent feelings about patients' religious expressions and with unclear understanding of the significance of religiosity. These challenges compromised person‐centred and holistic care on several occasions.
From ‘Sleeping Giant’ to Left–Right Politicization? National Party Competition on theEUand theEuro Crisis
Authors: Miklin Eric
Published: August 2014

WhileEuropean issues have, for a long time, played hardly any role in national elections and party politics, theEUhas seen a continuous increase in politicization throughout the last decades. So far, however, contestation has been restricted largely to constitutional issues, and has been driven mainly byEurosceptic parties that challenged mainstream parties' positive attitudes towardsEUintegration. This article discusses to what extent the euro crisis has added to this a left‐right conflict between mainstream parties about their different views onEuropean policies. It argues that the potential for such debates across theEUremains restricted. While the euro crisis has clearly increased the saliency ofEuropean issues, overall the incentive structure of mainstream parties in many Member States still works against publicly visible discussions among them. The plausibility of the argument is demonstrated through a comparison of interparty debates on the euro crisis in Austria and Germany.
Effect of peginterferon alfa‐2b and ribavirin on hepatocellular carcinoma prevention in older patients with chronic hepatitis C
Authors: Honda Takashi , Ishigami Masatoshi , Masuda Hiroko , Ishizu Yoji , Kuzuya Teiji , Hayashi Kazuhiko , Itoh Akihiro , Hirooka Yoshiki , Nakano Isao , Ishikawa Tetsuya , Urano Fumihiro , Yoshioka Kentaro , Toyoda Hidenori , Kumada Takashi , Katano Yoshiaki , Goto Hidemi
Published: August 2014

Background and Aims

The population of patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is aging, and the number of older patients with HCV‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of peginterferon and ribavirin combination therapy on prevention of HCC in older patients with chronic hepatitis C (CH‐C).

Methods

We compared the sustained virological response (SVR) and treatment discontinuation rates between older (≥ 65 years) and younger patients (< 65 years) among 1280 CH‐C patients treated with peginterferon alfa‐2b and ribavirin. Cumulative incidence of HCC was determined by Kaplan–Meier analysis, and factors associated with liver carcinogenesis were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results

Older patients had a significantly lower SVR rate and a significantly higher discontinuation rate of treatment than younger patients. Fifty patients developed HCC during median follow‐up period of 47 months. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis indicated that the following were independent risk factors associated with the development of HCC: older age, male, advanced fibrosis, non‐SVR in all patients: higher gamma‐glutamyltranspeptidase, and non‐SVR in older patients. Older patients who achieved SVR had a significantly reduced rate of HCC compared with those who did not achieve SVR, especially those who had gamma‐glutamyltranspeptidase over 44 IU/L.

Conclusions

The SVR rate was lower and the combination therapy discontinuation rate was higher in older CH‐C patients than in younger patients. However, older patients who achieved SVR had a markedly lower rate of HCC development compared with older patients who did not achieve SVR.
Effect of prolonged administration of pegylated interferon/ribavirin therapy in genotypes 2a and 2b: Propensity score‐matched analysis
Authors: Yokoyama Satoe , Kawakami Yoshiiku , Imamura Michio , Hayes C Nelson , Kohno Hiroshi , Kohno Hirotaka , Tsuji Keiji , Aisaka Yasuyuki , Kira Shinsuke , Yamashina Keitarou , Nonaka Michihiro , Takahashi Shoichi , Moriya Takashi , Kitamoto Mikiya , Aimitsu Shiomi , Nakanishi Toshio , Kawakami Hiroiku , Chayama Kazuaki
Published: August 2014

Background and Aim

Chronic hepatitis C genotype 2 patients show high susceptibility to pegylated interferon plus ribavirin therapy (PEG/RBV). However, the differences in response to therapy between genotypes 2a and 2b, and the efficacy of prolonged therapy for refractory patients have not been evaluated. We investigated the differences in response to PEG/RBV between each genotype and examined the efficacy of prolonged therapy.

Methods

A total of 343 chronic hepatitis patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 (2a: n = 195; 2b: n = 148) were enrolled in this study. All patients received PEG/RBV for 24 (24 week group, n = 242) or more weeks (prolonged group, n = 101). We analyzed the differences in virological response between genotypes 2a and 2b. Clinical and virological factors of patients in the 24‐week group and the prolonged treatment group were matched using propensity score analysis, and the efficacy of prolonged therapy established by comparing time of serum HCV disappearance for each genotype.

Results

Virological response tended to be higher for genotype 2a compared with genotype 2b; however, there was no significant difference in sustained virological response rates between genotypes (2a: 78.3%; 2b: 70.2%; P = 0.19). After propensity score matching, the adjusted P‐value for sustained virological response rate was significantly different for genotype 2b patients with undetectable HCV‐RNA between weeks 5 and 8, and for genotype 2a patients with detectable HCV‐RNA at week 8.

Conclusion

Prolonged therapy with PEG/RBV may be effective when serum HCV‐RNA is detectable at week 4 and week 8 for genotype 2b and 2a patients, respectively.
A comment on diffusion and the displacement of atoms in metamorphic transformations
Authors: Kretz R.
Published: August 2014

Experimental data on diffusion in olivine, are used to define certain terms – diffusion coefficient, jump frequency, characteristic distance, random walk – that are useful in a discussion of atom displacements under natural conditions. Examples of atom displacements in two metamorphic terranes of the Canadian Precambrian Shield are then examined, as follows. (i) In a high‐grade metamorphic terrane in the Mid‐Proterozoic Grenville Province (Otter Lake Area), Mg concentration gradients about dolomite microcrystals in calcite and Na gradients about albite microcrystals in K‐feldspar are viewed as stranded Mg–Ca and Na–K interdiffusion gradients, formed by exsolution during slow cooling from ~700 to ~400 °C. (ii) In the Archean Slave Province (Yellowknife area), the crystallization of sillimanite, near andalusite but within crystals of quartz, possibly occurred by coupled Al–Si and oxygen–vacancy interdiffusion in quartz at ~550 °C. And the crystallization of garnet from chlorite occurred by the two‐way crystal‐boundary diffusion of several kinds of atoms across distances ranging to 3 mm. (iii) In the Otter Lake area, the crystallization of orthopyroxene–hornblende–spinel reaction zones at boundaries between crystals of olivine and plagioclase in metagabbro, evidently occurred by the mechanism of interstitial diffusion, that transported Mg, Fe, Mn and O atoms across the reaction zone from olivine to the plagioclase–(hornblende+spinel) boundary, and Si, Al, Ca and Na atoms from plagioclase to the olivine–orthopyroxene boundary, accompanied by NaSi–CaAl interdiffusion in plagioclase, and the addition of hydrogen and minor Ti, Zn, F, Cl and K from beyond the reaction zone. Also, centimetric reaction zones, with abundant biotite and plagioclase, at boundaries between K‐feldspar gneiss and deformed amphibolite dykes, evidently formed by the reaction, strained hornblende (in amphibolite) + K‐feldspar (in gneiss)→biotite (in amphibolite) + plagioclase (in gneiss), with crystal‐boundary diffusion of (Na + Ca) atoms and of K atoms across the reaction zone.
Anatomical landmarks for the localization of the greater palatine foramen – a study of 1200 head CTs, 150 dry skulls, systematic review of literature and meta‐analysis
Authors: Tomaszewska Iwona M. , Tomaszewski Krzysztof A. , Kmiotek Elizabeth K. , Pena Iwona Z. , Urbanik Andrzej , Nowakowski Michał , Walocha Jerzy A.
Published: August 2014

Accurate knowledge of greater palatine foramen (GPF) anatomy is necessary when performing a variety of anaesthesiological, dental or surgical procedures. The first aim of this study was to localize the GPF in relation to multiple anatomical landmarks. The second aim was to perform a systematic review of literature, and to conduct a meta‐analysis on the subject of GPF position to aid clinicians in their practice. One‐hundred and fifty dry, adult, human skulls and 1200 archived head computed tomography scans were assessed and measured in terms of GPF relation to other anatomical reference points. A systematic literature search was performed using the PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases, and a meta‐analysis on the subject of GPF relation to the maxillary molars was conducted. On average, in the Polish population, the GPF was positioned 15.9 ± 1.5 mm from the midline maxillary suture (MMS), 3.0 ± 1.2 mm from the alveolar ridge (AR) and 17.0 ± 1.5 mm from the posterior nasal spine (PNS); 74.7% of GPF were positioned opposite the third maxillary molar (M3). Twenty‐seven studies were included in the systematic review and 23 in the meta‐analysis (n = 6927 GPF). The pooled prevalence of the GPF being positioned opposite the M3 was 63.9% (95% confidence interval = 56.6–70.9%). Concluding, the GPF is most often located opposite the M3 in the majority of the world's populations. The maxillary molars are the best landmarks for locating the GPF. In edentulous patients the most useful points for approximating the position of the GPF are the AR, MMS and PNS. This study introduces an easy and repeatable classification to reference the GPF to the maxillary molars.
The significance of ‘facilitator as a change agent’ – organisational learning culture in aged care home settings
Authors: Grealish Laurie , Henderson Amanda , Quero Fritz , Phillips Roslyn , Surawski May
Published: August 2014

Aims and objectives

To explore the impact of an educational programme focused on social behaviours and relationships on organisational learning culture in the residential aged care context.

Background

The number of aged care homes will continue to rise as the frail older elderly live longer, requiring more formal care and support. As with other small‐ to medium‐sized health services, aged care homes are faced with the challenge of continuous development of the workforce and depend upon registered nurses to lead staff development.

Design

A mixed‐method evaluation research design was used to determine the impact of an educational programme focused on social aspects of learning on organisational learning culture.

Methods

One hundred and fifty‐nine (pre) and 143 (post) participants from three aged care homes completed the Clinical Learning Organisational Culture survey, and three participant‐researcher registered nurse clinical educators provided regular journal entries for review.

Results

While each site received the same educational programme over a six‐month period, the change in organisational learning culture at each site was notably different. Two aged care homes had significant improvements in affiliation, one in accomplishment and one in recognition. The educators' journals differed in the types of learning observed and interventions undertaken, with Eucalyptus focused on organisational change, Grevillea focused on group (student) change and the Wattle focused on individual or situational change.

Conclusion

Clinical educator activities appear to have a significant effect on organisational learning culture, with a focus on the organisational level having the greatest positive effect on learning culture and on individual or situational level having a limited effect.

Relevance to clinical practice

Clinical educator facilitation that is focused on organisational rather than individual interests may offer a key to improving organisational learning culture.
Deviance, Persecution and the Roman Creation of Christianity
Authors: Phillips Gervase
Published: August 2014

Although Roman persecution of Christians was sporadic and localised for much of the first three centuries of the church's existence, it is argued here that such persecution was nevertheless crucial in the creation and shaping of a distinct Christian identity. The primary deviance of the radical Jewish sect that had surrounded Jesus himself created a “sticky reputation” that endured even when the church had become largely politically and socially conservative. Periodic outbreaks of violence towards those labelled Christians by the authorities created a transactional relationship, in which the victims and their co‐religionists responded by the explicit adoption of a deviant identity and experienced the corollary reconstruction of the self in terms of attitudes, mores and affiliations (secondary deviance). This transaction halted a drift towards religious syncretism that might otherwise have seen Jesus take his place within the henotheistic Roman Pantheon, and thus ensured the survival of the Christian faith as monotheistic and oppositional to Roman religio.