bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Die Verwendung von Naturheilverfahren, komplementären und alternativen Therapien in Deutschland - eine systematische Übersicht bundesweiter Erhebungen
Authors: Linde Klaus , Alscher Anna , Friedrichs Clara , Joos Stefanie , Schneider Antonius
Published: March 2014

The Use of Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Germany - a Systematic Review of Nationwide Surveys. Ziel der vorliegenden systematischen Übersichtsarbeit war es, Daten zur Inanspruchnahme von Naturheilverfahren, komplementärer und alternativer Medizin (NHV/CAM) durch die deutsche Bevölkerung und zur Verwendung durch Ärzte und Heilpraktiker zusammenzustellen. Bundesweite Repräsentativbefragungen der letzten 20 Jahre (echte Zufallsstichproben, Stichprobenziehung über Paneloder Quotenverfahren), die in der Bevölkerung oder unter Ärzten durchgeführt worden waren, wurden mittels Pub-Med, Google Scholar und Google sowie Durchsicht von Literaturverzeichnissen und Expertenkontakten identifiziert. Zusätzlich wurden Daten aus behördlichen Statistiken und Markterhebungen berücksichtigt. 16 Befragungen von Stichproben der erwachsenen Bevölkerung und 4 Arztbefragungen konnten eingeschlossen werden. Der Bevölkerungsanteil, der in den vergangenen Jahren mindestens eine NHV/CAM-Methode in Anspruch genommen hatte, schwankte zwischen 40 und 62%. Im Vergleich zu anderen Arztgruppen scheinen Hausärzte und Orthopäden NHV/CAM in besonders breitem Umfang anzuwenden. Phytotherapie und Chirotherapie werden dabei besonders häufig eingesetzt. Untersuchungen zur Verwendung durch Heilpraktiker liegen nicht vor. Die vorliegenden Erhebungen belegen eine breite Verwendung von NHV/CAM durch die Bevölkerung und niedergelassene Ärzte. In den letzten Jahren scheint die Inanspruchnahme jedoch nicht weiter gestiegen zu sein; bei einzelnen Verfahren (insbesondere der Phytotherapie) ist ein Rückgang zu beobachten.
The Course of Incidental Intraorbital Cavernous Hemangioma in a Patient with Myasthenia Gravis Treated with Cyclosporine: A Case Report
Authors: Konno Shingo , Hagiwara Wataru , Sasaki Miyuki , Fuse Akihisa , Imamura Tomomi , Inoue Masashi , Kitazono Hisao , Fujioka Toshiki
Published: March 2014

A 69-year-old woman presented with generalized myasthenia gravis and a left orbital cavernous hemangioma (OCH), which elevated the optic nerve and displaced the external eye muscles. Cyclosporine treatment induced a gradual size reduction in the OCH, and consequently contributed to improved external ocular symptoms in combination with immunosuppressant effects.
What Can Proteomics Tell Us About Platelets?
Authors: Burkhart Julia M. , Gambaryan Stepan , Watson Stephen P. , Jurk Kerstin , Walter Ulrich , Sickmann Albert , Heemskerk Johan W.M. , Zahedi René P.
Published: March 2014

More than 130 years ago, it was recognized that platelets are key mediators of hemostasis. Nowadays, it is established that platelets participate in additional physiological processes and contribute to the genesis and progression of cardiovascular diseases. Recent data indicate that the platelet proteome, defined as the complete set of expressed proteins, comprises >5000 proteins and is highly similar between different healthy individuals. Owing to their anucleate nature, platelets have limited protein synthesis. By implication, in patients experiencing platelet disorders, platelet (dys)function is almost completely attributable to alterations in protein expression and dynamic differences in post-translational modifications. Modern platelet proteomics approaches can reveal (1) quantitative changes in the abundance of thousands of proteins, (2) post-translational modifications, (3) protein–protein interactions, and (4) protein localization, while requiring only small blood donations in the range of a few milliliters. Consequently, platelet proteomics will represent an invaluable tool for characterizing the fundamental processes that affect platelet homeostasis and thus determine the roles of platelets in health and disease. In this article we provide a critical overview on the achievements, the current possibilities, and the future perspectives of platelet proteomics to study patients experiencing cardiovascular, inflammatory, and bleeding disorders.
Percutaneous Closure of Postinfarction Ventricular Septal Defect
Authors: Calvert Patrick A. , Cockburn James , Wynne Dylan , Ludman Peter , Rana Bushra S. , Northridge David , Mullen Michael J. , Malik Iqbal , Turner Mark , Khogali Saib , Veldtman Gruschen R. , Been Martin , Butler Rob , Thomson John , Byrne Jonathan , MacCarthy Philip , Morrison Lindsay , Shapiro Len M. , Bridgewater Ben , de Giovanni Jo , Hildick-Smith David
Published: March 2014

Background—

Postinfarction ventricular septal defect carries a grim prognosis. Surgical repair offers reasonable outcomes in patients who survive a healing phase. Percutaneous device implantation represents a potentially attractive early alternative.

Methods and Results—

Postinfarction ventricular septal defect closure was attempted in 53 patients from 11 centers (1997–2012; aged 72±11 years; 42% female). Nineteen percent had previous surgical closure. Myocardial infarction was anterior (66%) or inferior (34%). Time from myocardial infarction to closure procedure was 13 (first and third quartiles, 5–54) days. Devices were successfully implanted in 89% of patients. Major immediate complications included procedural death (3.8%) and emergency cardiac surgery (7.5%). Immediate shunt reduction was graded as complete (23%), partial (62%), or none (15%). Median length of stay after the procedure was 5.0 (2.0–9.0) days. Fifty-eight percent survived to discharge and were followed up for 395 (63–1522) days, during which time 4 additional patients died (7.5%). Factors associated with death after postinfarction ventricular septal defect closure included the following: age (hazard ratio [HR]=1.04;
P
=0.039), female sex (HR=2.33;
P
=0.043), New York Heart Association class IV (HR=4.42;
P
=0.002), cardiogenic shock (HR=3.75;
P
=0.003), creatinine (HR=1.007;
P
=0.003), defect size (HR=1.09;
P
=0.026), inotropes (HR=4.18;
P
=0.005), and absence of revascularization therapy for presenting myocardial infarction (HR=3.28;
P
=0.009). Prior surgical closure (HR=0.12;
P
=0.040) and immediate shunt reduction (HR=0.49;
P
=0.037) were associated with survival.

Conclusions—

Percutaneous closure of postinfarction ventricular septal defect is a reasonably effective treatment for these extremely high-risk patients. Mortality remains high, but patients who survive to discharge do well in the longer term.
Variability in Outcome After Elective Cerebral Aneurysm Repair in High-Volume Academic Medical Centers
Authors: Zacharia Brad E. , Bruce Samuel S. , Carpenter Amanda M. , Hickman Zachary L. , Vaughan Kerry A. , Richards Catherine , Gold William E. , Lu June , Appelboom Geoffrey , Solomon Robert A. , Connolly E. Sander
Published: March 2014

Background and Purpose—

Unruptured intracranial aneurysm repair is the most commonly performed procedure for the prevention of hemorrhagic stroke. Despite efforts to regionalize care in high-volume centers, overall results have improved little. This study aims to determine the effectiveness in improving outcomes of previous efforts to regionalize unruptured intracranial aneurysm repair to high-volume centers and to recommend future steps toward that goal.

Methods—

Using data obtained via the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System, this study included all patients admitted to any of the 10 highest volume centers in New York state between 2005 and 2010 with a principal diagnosis of unruptured intracranial aneurysm who were treated either by microsurgical or endovascular repair. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to determine the degree to which hospital-level and patient-level variables contributed to observed variation in good outcome, defined as discharge to home, between hospitals.

Results—

Of 3499 patients treated during the study period, 2692 (76.9%) were treated at the 10 highest volume centers, with 2198 (81.6%) experiencing a good outcome. Good outcomes varied widely between centers, with 44.6% to 91.1% of clipped patients and 75.4% to 92.1% of coiled patients discharged home. Mixed-effects logistic regression revealed that procedural volume accounts for 85.8% of the between-hospital variation in outcome.

Conclusions—

There is notable interhospital heterogeneity in outcomes among even the largest volume unruptured intracranial aneurysm referral centers. Although further regionalization may be needed, mandatory participation in prospective, adjudicated registries will be necessary to reliably identify factors associated with superior outcomes.
Multidisciplinary Consensus on Assessment of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms
Authors: Etminan Nima , Beseoglu Kerim , Barrow Daniel L. , Bederson Joshua , Brown Robert D. , Connolly E. Sander , Derdeyn Colin P. , Hänggi Daniel , Hasan David , Juvela Seppo , Kasuya Hidetoshi , Kirkpatrick Peter J. , Knuckey Neville , Koivisto Timo , Lanzino Giuseppe , Lawton Michael T. , LeRoux Peter , McDougall Cameron G. , Mee Edward , Mocco J , Molyneux Andrew , Morgan Michael K. , Mori Kentaro , Morita Akio , Murayama Yuichi , Nagahiro Shinji , Pasqualin Alberto , Raabe Andreas , Raymond Jean , Rinkel Gabriel J.E. , Rüfenacht Daniel , Seifert Volker , Spears Julian , Steiger Hans-Jakob , Steinmetz Helmuth , Torner James C. , Vajkoczy Peter , Wanke Isabel , Wong George K.C. , Wong John H. , Macdonald R. Loch
Published: March 2014

Background and Purpose—

To address the increasing need to counsel patients about treatment indications for unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA), we endeavored to develop a consensus on assessment of UIAs among a group of specialists from diverse fields involved in research and treatment of UIAs.

Methods—

After composition of the research group, a Delphi consensus was initiated to identify and rate all features, which may be relevant to assess UIAs and their treatment by using ranking scales and analysis of inter-rater agreement (IRA) for each factor. IRA was categorized as very high, high, moderate, or low.

Results—

Ultimately, 39 specialists from 4 specialties agreed (high or very high IRAs) on the following key factors for or against UIA treatment decisions: (1) patient age, life expectancy, and comorbid diseases; (2) previous subarachnoid hemorrhage from a different aneurysm, family history for UIA or subarachnoid hemorrhage, nicotine use; (3) UIA size, location, and lobulation; (4) UIA growth or de novo formation on serial imaging; (5) clinical symptoms (cranial nerve deficit, mass effect, and thromboembolic events from UIAs); and (6) risk factors for UIA treatment (patient age and life expectancy, UIA size, and estimated risk of treatment). However, IRAs for features rated with low relevance were also generally low, which underlined the existing controversy about the natural history of UIAs.

Conclusions—

Our results highlight that neurovascular specialists currently consider many features as important when evaluating UIAs but also highlight that the appreciation of natural history of UIAs remains uncertain, even within a group of highly informed individuals.
Distinct Neural Specializations for Learning to Read Words and Name Objects
Authors: Taylor J. S. H. , Rastle Kathleen , Davis Matthew H.
Published: March 2014

Understanding the neural systems that underpin reading acquisition is key if neuroscientific findings are to inform educational practice. We provide a unique window into these systems by teaching 19 adults to read 24 novel words written in unfamiliar letters and to name 24 novel objects while in an MRI scanner. Behavioral performance on trained items was equivalent for the two stimulus types. However, componential letter-sound associations were extracted when learning to read, as shown by correct reading of untrained words, whereas object–name associations were holistic and arbitrary. Activity in bilateral anterior fusiform gyri was greater during object name learning than learning to read, and ROI analyses indicated that left mid-fusiform activity was predictive of success in object name learning but not in learning to read. In contrast, activity in bilateral parietal cortices was predictive of success for both stimulus types but was greater during learning and recall of written word pronunciations relative to object names. We argue that mid-to-anterior fusiform gyri preferentially process whole items and contribute to learning their spoken form associations, processes that are required for skilled reading. In contrast, parietal cortices preferentially process componential visual–verbal mappings, a process that is crucial for early reading development.
On the Utility of Positive and Negative Feedback in a Paired-associate Learning Task
Authors: Arbel Yael , Murphy Anthony , Donchin Emanuel
Published: March 2014

This study offers a neurophysiological examination of the relationship between feedback processing and learning. A two-choice paired-associate learning task borrowed and modified from Tricomi and Fiez [Tricomi, E., & Fiez, J. A. Feedback signals in the caudate reflect goal achievement on a declarative memory task. Neuroimage, 41, 1154–1167, 2008] was employed to examine the mediofrontal electrophysiological brain activity associated with the processing of performance feedback in a learning task and to elucidate the extent to which the processing of the initial informative feedback is related to learning outcomes. Twenty participants were tasked with learning to correctly pair 60 novel objects with their names by choosing on a trial-by-trial basis between two possible names and receiving feedback about the accuracy of their selection. The novel objects were presented in three blocks of trials (rounds), each of which presented the same set of 60 objects once. The rounds allowed the separation of the initial informative feedback in Round 1 from the other feedback stimuli in Rounds 2 and 3. The results indicated differences in the processing of initial informative and proceeding feedback stimuli. More specifically, the difference appeared to be driven by the change in the processing of positive feedback. Moreover, very first positive feedback provided in association with a particular new object was found associated with learning outcomes. The results imply that signs of successful and unsuccessful learning may be detected as early as the initial positive feedback provided in a learning task. The results suggest that the process giving rise to the feedback-related negativity is sensitive to the utility of the feedback and that the processing of the first informative positive feedback is associated with learning outcomes.
The Face of Negative Affect: Trial-by-Trial Corrugator Responses to Negative Pictures Are Positively Associated with Amygdala and Negatively Associated with Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Activity
Authors: Heller Aaron S. , Lapate Regina C. , Mayer Kaitlyn E. , Davidson Richard J.
Published: March 2014

The ability to simultaneously acquire objective physiological measures of emotion concurrent with fMRI holds the promise to enhance our understanding of the biological bases of affect and thus improve our knowledge of the neural circuitry underlying psychiatric disorders. However, the vast majority of neuroimaging studies to date examining emotion have not anchored the examination of emotion-responding circuitry to objective measures of emotional processing. To that end, we acquired EMG activity of a valence-sensitive facial muscle involved in the frowning response (corrugator muscle) concurrent with fMRI while twenty-six human participants viewed negative and neutral images. Trial-by-trial increases in corrugator EMG activity to negative pictures were associated with greater amygdala activity and a concurrent decrease in ventromedial PFC activity. Thus, this study highlights the reciprocal relation between amygdalar and ventromedial PFC in the encoding of emotional valence as reflected by facial expression.
Speculations on the Evolution of Awareness
Authors: Graziano Michael S. A.
Published: March 2014

The “attention schema” theory provides one possible account of the biological basis of consciousness, tracing the evolution of awareness through steps from the advent of selective signal enhancement about half a billion years ago to the top–down control of attention, to an internal model of attention (which allows a brain, for the first time, to attribute to itself that it has a mind that is aware of something), to the ability to attribute awareness to other beings, and from there to the human attribution of a rich spirit world surrounding us. Humans have been known to attribute awareness to plants, rocks, rivers, empty space, and the universe as a whole. Deities, ghosts, souls—the spirit world swirling around us is arguably the exuberant attribution of awareness.
Dopamine D2-like Receptor Activation Wipes Out Preferential Consolidation of High over Low Reward Memories during Human Sleep
Authors: Feld Gordon B. , Besedovsky Luciana , Kaida Kosuke , Münte Thomas F. , Born Jan
Published: March 2014

Memory formation is a selective process in which reward contingencies determine which memory is maintained and which is forgotten. Sleep plays a pivotal role in maintaining information for the long term and has been shown to specifically benefit memories that are associated with reward. Key to memory consolidation during sleep is a neuronal reactivation of newly encoded representations. However, it is unclear whether preferential consolidation of memories associated with reward requires the reactivation of dopaminergic circuitry known to mediate reward effects at encoding. In a placebo-controlled, double-blind, balanced crossover experiment, we show that the dopamine D2-like receptor agonist pramipexole given during sleep wipes out reward contingencies. Before sleep, 16 men learned 160 pictures of landscapes and interiors that were associated with high or low rewards, if they were identified between new stimuli at retrieval 24 hr later. In the placebo condition, the participants retained significantly more pictures that promised a high reward. In the pramipexole condition, this difference was wiped out, and performance for the low reward pictures was as high as that for high reward pictures. Pramipexole did not generally enhance memory consolidation probably because of the fact that the dopaminergic agonist concurrently suppressed both SWS and REM sleep. These results are consistent with the concept that preferential consolidation of reward-associated memories relies on hippocampus-driven reactivation within the dopaminergic reward system during sleep, whereby during sleep reward contingencies are fed back to the hippocampus to strengthen specific memories, possibly, through dopaminergic facilitation of long-term potentiation.
Two new turrid species (Gastropoda: Pseudomelatomidae) from the Palawan region, the Philippines
Authors: STAHLSCHMIDT PETER , FRAUSSEN KOEN
Published: March 2014

Species richness of tropical marine molluscs is considerably underestimated (Bouchet et al. 2002). Indeed, the molluscan faunas of some regions, such as Palawan in the western Pacific, have received little attention and some hyper-diverse groups, such as the turrids (a parapyhletic group of Conoidea, formerly known as Turridae), are barely documented. For example, apart from original descriptions of two turrid taxa that have their type locations in Palawan (Comitas aequatorialis palawanica Powell, 1969 and Mangilia quadrasi Boettger, 1895 = Gingicithara notabilis (E. A. Smith, 1888)), there are no published records of turrids from this region. We have been fortunate to have access to recent collections of turrids from different parts of Palawan. Examination of these materials has revealed existence of several undescribed and potentially endemic species. In the present paper two new Pseudomelatomidae species are described.
Advertisement call of Rhinella crucifer (Wied-Neuwied, 1821)
(Anura: Bufonidae) from southern Bahia, Brazil
Authors: DE OLIVEIRA RENAN MANOEL , RUAS DANILO SILVA , MENDES CAIO VINICIUS DE MIRA , SOLÉ MIRCO
Published: March 2014

The Rhinella crucifer species group is currently composed by six species: Rhinella crucifer (Wied-Neuwied, 1821); R. ornata (Spix, 1824); R. henseli (A. Lutz, 1924); R. abei (Baldissera, Caramaschi & Haddad, 2004); R. pombali (Baldissera, Caramaschi & Haddad, 2004) and R. inopina Vaz-Silva, Valdujo & Pombal, 2012. Until 2012, the group was known to occur only in the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest from Rio Grande do Sul to Ceará, and adjacent areas in Minas Gerais and São Paulo (Baldissera et al. 2004). The recently described R. inopina revealed an allopatric distribution, occurring in forest vegetation types in eastern Cerrado (Vaz-Silva et al. 2012). Rhinella crucifer (Wied-Neuwied, 1821), occurs throughout the Atlantic Rain Forest from Rio de Janeiro to Ceará including the northeast of Minas Gerais (Baldissera et al. 2004; Frost, 2014). Only two species in the group have described calls: R. ornata as Bufo crucifer in Heyer et al. (1990) and R. pombali (Lourenço et al. 2010). The type locality of R. crucifer was informed as being between São Pedro de Alcantara in Santa Catarina and Barra da Vereda in Bahia, but as stated by Bokermann (1966) the type locality can be narrowed down to an area between the rivers Piabanda and Issara, both affluents of the Ilhéus river, approximately 40 km above the municipality of Itabuna. Herein we describe the advertisement call of R. crucifer from a population in the municipality of Igrapiúna, Bahia, Brazil, located less than 100 km from the city of Itabuna.
Endecous apterus: A new species of cave cricket from northeast Brazil, with comments on the use of subterranean habitats by Luzarinae crickets (Orthoptera: Grylloidea: Phalangopsidae: Luzarinae)
Authors: SOUZA-DIAS PEDRO G.B. , BOLFARINI MÁRCIO P. , NIHEI SILVIO S. , DE MELLO FRANCISCO A.G.
Published: March 2014

In this study we describe the first apterous species of Endecous Saussure (1878), collected in two caves at Ituaçu, Bahia State, Brazil. In Brazil, Endecous is the most widespread cricket in hypogean environments and its species can colonize caves and inhabit the entrance and the aphotic zones; Endecous species can also be found in the litter, rock gullies, crevices, burrows, and any natural cavities. The use of subterranean habitat by Endecous crickets and its related genera are discussed.
A new Stygarctus (Arthrotardigrada: Stygarctidae) from Japan, with entangled seminal receptacle ducts
Authors: FUJIMOTO SHINTA
Published: March 2014

Stygarctus ayatori sp. nov. (Arthrotardigrada: Stygarctidae), is described from a sandy beach located at Okinoshima, Tateyama Bay, Boso Peninsula, Honshu, Japan. The most prominent characters were observed in the female genital structure, with the seminal receptacle ducts forming a three-dimensional entanglement near the exterior opening, and internal thickening situated peripheral to the gonopore and between the gonopore and anus. The new species is distinguished from the congeners by these characters; excluding S. abornatus McKirdy et al., 1976 for which there is no information on the genital structure. However, S. ayatori sp. nov. and S. abornatus can be differentiated by the presence of dorsal spines on the former species, which are absent from the latter.
Assimilation of GPS Radio Occultation Refractivity Data with WRF 3DVAR and Its Impact on the Prediction of a Heavy Rainfall Event
Authors: Ha Ji-Hyun , Lim Gyu-Ho , Choi Suk-Jin
Published: March 2014

To accommodate accurate analyses and forecasts of a heavy rainfall event over the Korean Peninsula, the authors assimilated the GPS radio occultation (RO) data by using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) and its three-dimensional variational data assimilation system (3DVAR). The employed datasets are from the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) and Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) missions. The selected case was from late October 2006, which intensively hit the northeastern part of the Korean Peninsula with record-breaking rainfall. In this study, the local refractivity observation operator was used in assimilating GPS RO soundings. The results are more pronounced for the cycling assimilation of GPS RO data than for the one-time data assimilation. From all of the parameters investigated (temperature, geopotential height, specific humidity, and winds), the GPS RO soundings highly modified the moisture distribution in the lower troposphere and also changed the wind field via the model dynamics. For the heavy rainfall forecast, the quantitative accuracy of the precipitation forecast with the GPS RO data assimilation was in good agreement with observations in terms of the maximum rainfall amount and threat scores. The improved forecast in the experiment came from the exact positioning of the low pressure system and its consequent convergence near the rainfall area. When RO data and GPS precipitable water data were assimilated simultaneously, the moisture distribution changed horizontally and vertically such that it increased the amount of rainfall, and an accurate description of the convective system development was feasible.
Impact of Afternoon Thunderstorms on the Land–Sea Breeze in the Taipei Basin during Summer: An Experiment
Authors: Chen Tsing-Chang , Yen Ming-Cheng , Tsay Jenq-Dar , Liao Chi-Chang , Takle Eugene S.
Published: March 2014

Environmental conditions for the roughly three million people living in the Taipei basin of Taiwan are greatly affected by the land–sea breeze and afternoon thunderstorm activities. A new perspective on the land–sea breeze life cycle and how it is affected by afternoon thunderstorm activity in the Taipei basin during the dry season is provided. During the summer monsoon break–revival phase, about 75% of rainfall in the Taipei basin is produced by afternoon thunderstorms triggered by sea-breeze interactions with the mountains to the south of this basin. Because the basic characteristics of the land–sea breeze and the changes it undergoes through the influence of afternoon thunderstorms have not been comprehensively analyzed/documented, a mini–field experiment was conducted during the summers of 2004 and 2005 to explore these aspects of the land–sea breeze in this basin. Thunderstorm rainfall is found to change not only the basin’s land–sea-breeze life cycle, but also its ventilation mechanism. On the nonthunderstorm day, the sea breeze supplies the open-sea fresh air for about 8 h during the daytime, but the land breeze persists on the thunderstorm day from afternoon to the next morning, acting to sweep polluted urban air out of the basin.
Rationalizing the Spatial Distribution of Mesoscale Eddy Diffusivity in Terms of Mixing Length Theory
Authors: Bates Michael , Tulloch Ross , Marshall John , Ferrari Raffaele
Published: March 2014

Observations and theory suggest that lateral mixing by mesoscale ocean eddies only reaches its maximum potential at steering levels, surfaces at which the propagation speed of eddies approaches that of the mean flow. Away from steering levels, mixing is strongly suppressed because the mixing length is smaller than the eddy scale, thus reducing the mixing rates. The suppression is particularly pronounced in strong currents where mesoscale eddies are most energetic. Here, a framework for parameterizing eddy mixing is explored that attempts to capture this suppression. An expression of the surface eddy diffusivity proposed by Ferrari and Nikurashin is evaluated using observations of eddy kinetic energy, eddy scale, and eddy propagation speed. The resulting global maps of eddy diffusivity have a broad correspondence with recent estimates of diffusivity based on the rate at which tracer contours are stretched by altimetric-derived surface currents. Finally, the expression for the eddy diffusivity is extrapolated in the vertical to infer the eddy-induced meridional heat transport and the overturning streamfunction.
Weather Forecast Use for Winter Recreation*
Authors: Rutty Michelle , Andrey Jean
Published: March 2014

Recent studies have begun to address the importance of weather information for leisure activities. This paper contributes to the understanding of how weather information is sourced, perceived, and used for the discretionary and weather-dependent winter activities of skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling. A survey of 1948 Ontario (Canada) skiers/snowboarders and snowmobilers is the empirical basis for the paper, providing insights into how winter recreationists are both similar to and different from the general public with respect to weather information. Results show that virtually all (≥97%) skiers/snowboarders and snowmobilers use weather forecasts when planning an outing, which are primarily (≥95%) sourced through Internet and mobile devices. Skiers/snowboarders and snowmobilers are also highly attentive to rain and freezing rain variables in the forecast, as it negatively affects participation. The results also demonstrate the importance of forecast use for planning travel to snow resorts and snowmobile trails, with poor road conditions likely to result in a postponed or cancelled trip. These findings underscore the differing weather needs of subpopulations, with the need for continued research to examine variations among weather forecast users for context specific decision making.
Factors Associated With Recurrence of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Involving the Temporal Bone
Authors: McRackan Theodore R. , Fang Te-Yung , Pelosi Stanley , Rivas Alejandro , Dietrich Mary S. , Wanna George B. , Labadie Robert F. , Haynes David S. , Bennett Marc L.
Published: March 2014

Objective:

This study aimed to better identify factors associated with recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) involving the temporal bone.

Methods:

A retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary hospital. Sixty patients who were diagnosed over a 10-year period with SCC involving the temporal bone and underwent surgical resection were analyzed. All patients were staged based on the University of Pittsburgh staging system. Demographic, intraoperative, and pathologic data were analyzed with respect to recurrence.

Results:

Thirteen (21.7%) patients were T1, 8 (13.3%) T2, 7 (11.7%) T3, and 32 (53.3%) T4. Eighteen patients (30.0%) recurred in the study period. The mean time to recurrence was 5.8 months. Tumors originating in the skin overlying the parotid gland and the external auditory canal had higher recurrence rates than those from the auricle/postauricular skin and temporal bone ( P = .05). Direct parotid and perineural spread accounted for 15.0% of all routes of temporal invasion but resulted in 22.2% of all recurrences ( P = .04). Increased N stage was statistically associated with increased risk of recurrence ( P = .01). Cervical, as compared to perifacial and parotid, lymph node involvement was associated with increased risk of recurrence (odds ratio = 6.91; 95% confidence interval, 1.11–42.87).

Conclusion:

We have identified multiple factors that are associated with increased recurrence of SCC involving the temporal bone.
Laryngeal Granuloma in Experimental Rats With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Mechanically Injured Vocal Cord Mucosa
Authors: Shimazu Rintaro , Kuratomi Yuichiro , Aoki Shigehisa , Inokuchi Akira
Published: March 2014

Objective:

This study was undertaken to elucidate the mechanisms underlying laryngeal granuloma formation in a rat model of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with mechanically injured vocal cord mucosa.

Methods:

The rat model of GERD was surgically created by tying the pyloric sphincter and ligating the transitional region between the forestomach and the glandular portion (limiting ridge). The control rats received only a midline incision. In all the animals, a plastic bar was inserted into the trachea, and moved vertically thrice in 3 seconds to cause mechanical injury of the vocal cord mucosa. The rats were sacrificed 2 weeks postsurgically, and their pharynx and larynx were observed histologically.

Results:

Granulomas were observed in the vocal cord mucosa of the GERD group (3 of 5 animals); they presented a similar pathological structure to that of human laryngeal granulomas. In contrast, only abrasions and blisters were observed on the vocal cord mucosa in the control group (all 5 animals).

Conclusions:

The development of laryngeal granuloma may involve both mechanical injury and gastric acid reflux.
Symptom Overlap Between Laryngopharyngeal Reflux and Glottic Insufficiency in Vocal Fold Atrophy Patients
Authors: Patel Anju K. , Mildenhall Nicholas R. , Kim William , Carroll Thomas L.
Published: March 2014

Objective:

To determine in true vocal fold (TVF) atrophy patients if symptoms of throat clearing and mucus sensation, attributed to laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), are due to glottic insufficiency. Is the TVF atrophy population being prescribed proton pump inhibitors unnecessarily?

Methods:

A retrospective review of patients with TVF atrophy but no other underlying laryngeal pathology seen at a tertiary voice center from July 2009 to May 2012 was conducted. Patient demographics, symptoms, LPR diagnosis, interventions, and pre-intervention and post-intervention Voice Handicap Index–10 (VHI) and Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) scores were recorded.

Results:

Twenty-six patients met inclusion criteria, and 85% were treated for LPR. Throat clearing and mucus sensation (85%), dysphonia (54%), and globus sensation (46%) were recorded. Interventions included LPR medical management (65%), vocal fold augmentation (23%), and voice therapy (12%). Reflux Symptom Index scores improved in all groups. Voice Handicap Index–10 and RSI scores normalized in patients treated with augmentation. Globus was never present in patients who received augmentation.

Conclusion:

Throat clearing and mucus sensation may be due to underlying glottic insufficiency and changes of the aging larynx rather than LPR. High VHI and RSI scores normalized with TVF augmentation. Further work is needed to evaluate symptom presentation and risk versus benefit of treatment options, especially if it avoids unnecessary proton pump inhibitor trials.
Reliability of Clinical Office-Based Laryngeal Electromyography in Vocally Healthy Adults
Authors: Croake Daniel J. , Stemple Joseph C. , Uhl Timothy , Archer Sanford , Andreatta Richard D.
Published: March 2014

Objective:

This study aimed to conduct a 3-session reliability assessment of the laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) signal in healthy participants during intensity controlled vocalization tasks. We hypothesized that vocal intensity level and testing session would affect LEMG measures.

Methods:

This prospective study used a 2-factor repeated measures design. Seven participants underwent bipolar needle LEMG of the right thyroarytenoid muscle. Data were collected over 3 testing sessions using vocalization tasks performed with visually guided intensity feedback targets (65 and 75 dB SPL). Root mean square amplitudes in microvolts were analyzed for within-session and between-session reliability.

Results:

The main effect for intensity was found to approach significance ( F = 5.71, P = .054). However, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) using a 2-factor mixed random effect model indicated poor to fair signal reliability between testing sessions (ICC = 0.56 at 65 dB, 0.40 at 70 dB). Intraclass correlation coefficients for within-session data indicated excellent reliability for all testing conditions (0.84–0.98).

Conclusion:

Using a quantitative analysis protocol to inform an essentially qualitative technique, our results indicated that there was generally poor to fair reliability in the LEMG signal over testing sessions. Vocal intensity was an important variable that affected LEMG signal reliability. Standardization of LEMG protocols using vocal control parameters and quantitative analyses may help improve LEMG reliability in clinical settings.
Vulnerability to Acoustic Trauma in the Normal Hearing Ear With Contralateral Hearing Loss
Authors: Lim Hyun Woo , Lee Ji Won , Chung Jong Woo
Published: March 2014

Objectives:

We undertook an animal study to investigate the functional and histological changes that occur in the normal hearing ear of following acoustic trauma.

Methods:

As an animal model of unilateral hearing loss, the right ears of CBA mice were deafened by cochlear destruction at 6 weeks of age (SSD group). The control groups included mice that underwent a sham surgery, and mice that were exposed to noise binaurally and monaurally (by plugging the right ear completely). At 10 weeks of age, all mice were exposed to acoustic trauma (110 dB sound pressure level for 1 hour) that induced a transient threshold shift (TTS). Changes in the hearing thresholds of the left ear were assessed over the next 4 weeks by measuring the auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs).

Results:

Following the noise exposure, the SSD group showed a permanent threshold shift (PTS) of about 10 dB, whereas the other groups showed full recovery from the TTS. The threshold of the DPOAEs of the left ears were increased after noise exposure but returned to normal in all groups, with no significant differences among the groups. Histological evaluation showed no apparent cellular loss or apoptosis in the left ears of all groups, including the SSD group.

Conclusions:

These results suggest that normal hearing ears are more vulnerable to acoustic trauma following contralateral unilateral cochlear ablation. This increased vulnerability may be due to damaged neural structures.
Esthesioneuroblastoma
Authors: Gallagher Kelly K. , Spector Matthew E. , Pepper Jon-Paul , McKean Erin L. , Marentette Lawrence J. , McHugh Jonathan B.
Published: March 2014

Objective:

The Hyams grading system has been extensively used to predict prognosis in patients with esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB). However, most studies showing prognostic correlation group grading into I/II versus III/IV, essentially comparing low versus high grade. In addition, these studies include patients with variable treatment regimens, including some that were treated with chemoradiation alone. We aimed to determine whether additional histologic variables correlate with outcome with regard to disease free and overall survival in a series of patients universally treated with anterior skull base resection and +/– adjuvant chemoradiation.

Study Design:

A retrospective review of 27 patients with ENB was performed.

Methods:

The sections of tumor from these 27 patients were studied and reviewed with attention to percentage lobularity, degree of pleomorphism, degree of neurofibrillary matrix, and degree of apoptosis. In addition, the presence or absence of rosettes, necrosis, calcification, spindle cells, gland hyperplasia, and bone invasion were noted. Finally, the number of mitoses per high power field and the nature of chromatin (fine vs coarse) were recorded. The histopathologic features of these 27 ENBs were reviewed and correlated with clinical outcome.

Results:

There were 11 patients with recurrence (40.7% recurrence). There were 5 deaths (81.5% survival). The study cohort’s mean overall survival was 158 months and the mean disease-free survival was 70.6 months. In terms of overall survival, necrosis and mitosis (#/10hpf) were significant but not when multivariate analysis was performed, these were not individually significant. In terms of disease-free survival, mitosis (#/10hpf) was significant but not on multivariate analysis. Gland hyperplasia was found to be a positive prognostic variable, associated with longer overall and disease-free survival, but only in combination with no spindle features and without necrosis.

Conclusions:

An updated histologic grading system may provide more valuable prognostic information in patients with esthesioneuroblastoma treated with a standardized treatment paradigm.
Failure of Tooth Formation Mediated by miR-135a Overexpression via BMP Signaling
Authors: Kim E.J. , Lee M.J. , Li L. , Yoon K.S. , Kim K.S. , Jung H.S.
Published: March 2014

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to regulate a variety of gene functions in many tissues and organs, but their expression and function in tooth development are not well-understood. A specific miRNA, miR-135a, was determined to be highly expressed at the bud stage. Interestingly, after the cap stage, miR-135a was expressed in the epithelium and mesenchyme but not in the inner enamel epithelium. To identify the relationship between miR-135a and its putative target genes, Bmpr-Ia and Bmpr-Ib, in early tooth development, miR-135a was ectopically overexpressed with a lentivirus. This overexpression resulted in the repression of Bmpr-Ia and Bmpr-Ib. Furthermore, miR-135a inhibited both Bmpr-Ia and Bmpr-Ib transcription. BMP2 proteins were expressed ectopically in tooth germs during the cap stage to determine the relationship between miR-135a and BMP signaling in early tooth development. When miR-135a was ectopically expressed, no tooth formation was observed after 4 wk of incubation in the kidney capsule. This study suggested that Bmp signaling, specifically Bmpr-Ia and Bmpr-Ib, regulates tooth formation via miR-135a.
The (in)effectiveness of torture for combating insurgency
Authors: Sullivan Christopher Michael
Published: March 2014

It is commonly believed that torture is an effective tool for combating an insurgent threat. Yet while torture is practiced in nearly all counterinsurgency campaigns, the evidence documenting torture’s effects remains severely limited. This study provides the first micro-level statistical analysis of torture’s relation to subsequent killings committed by insurgent and counterinsurgent forces. The theoretical arguments contend that torture is ineffective for reducing killings perpetrated by insurgents both because it fails to reduce insurgent capacities for violence and because it can increase the incentives for insurgents to commit future killings. The theory also links torture to other forms of state violence. Specifically, engaging in torture is expected to be associated with increased killings perpetrated by counterinsurgents. Monthly municipal-level data on political violence are used to analyze torture committed by counterinsurgents during the Guatemalan civil war (1977–94). Using a matched-sample, difference-in-difference identification strategy and data compiled from 22 different press and NGO sources as well as thousands of interviews, the study estimates how torture is related to short-term changes in killings perpetrated by both insurgents and counterinsurgents. Killings by counterinsurgents are shown to increase significantly following torture. However, torture appears to have no robust correlation with subsequent killings by insurgents. Based on this evidence the study concludes that torture is ineffective for reducing insurgent perpetrated killings.
Assessing cotton maturity using distributional parameters of fiber cross-section measurements
Authors: Guo Xiaowen , Ouyang Wenbin , Xu Bugao
Published: March 2014

Many previous studies on cotton maturity used a sole parameter to rank the maturity of a cotton sample containing a large number of fibers. In light of the complexity of maturity distributions, the sole-parameter approach does not appear to be reliable and rational for cotton maturity evaluation. More distributional parameters should be examined and included in the new classification methods. This paper (1) introduces important changes in the image-analysis algorithms for cotton cross-section measurements to enhance the consistency of fiber detections in order to reduce the bias on immature fibers, (2) investigates the characteristics and patterns of cotton maturity distributions, and (3) presents the experimental results on the cross-section images selected from seven cotton varieties that have a wide range of maturities. It is found that the skewness of a maturity distribution is an essential parameter for classifying the distribution pattern and that the dead fiber content and the mature fiber content are the important distributional parameters for assessing cotton maturity.
The Politics of Government Reform in Korea
Authors: Park Sauk-Hee , Wilding Mark
Published: March 2014

Government reforms in South Korea, beginning in the 1980s, moved toward deconcentration and deregulation in the 1990s and 2000s. However, the contents of the reforms under the “transformational” presidencies following democratization, which aimed to raise the quality of government and respond to increasing social polarization and political discord, did not significantly reduce state power or depoliticize policy making. Instead, state strength was consolidated through tripartite politicization: the rise of ministers as a third force in policy making vis-à-vis the president and legislature. Under the “post-transformational” presidencies of Lee Myung-Bak and Park Geun-Hye, government reforms can be summarized as bipartite politicization between the president and legislature, as ministerial power has been reduced.
Traffic Tickets
Authors: Hummel Daniel
Published: March 2014

States and municipalities across the country are struggling to match revenues with expenditures. Sometimes these governments use traffic fines and fees to help balance the budget more so at the city level than at the state level. This article explores the rationale for the issuance of traffic tickets and provides a state-level analysis on the occurrence of tickets and its relation with budget or public safety factors. Utilizing a cross-sectional multiple regression with lags, it was found that public safety concerns as evident in fatal crashes data has a significant and larger negative effect on the issuance of traffic tickets than budget concerns as measured by state credit ratings, unemployment rates, and housing prices.
Skills-Based International Volunteering Among Older Adults From the United States
Authors: Lough Benjamin J. , Xiang Xiaoling
Published: March 2014

International volunteering among older adults is an under-researched, yet growing, market. Policy experts and volunteer resource managers have proposed recruiting older volunteers to meet a demand for skilled volunteers that are able to serve for a longer duration abroad. This article utilizes data from the U.S. Current Population Survey (CPS) to assess how well older international volunteers from the United States fit this profile. Administrative implications are proposed as a way to further increase participation of skilled older adults in mutually beneficial international volunteer service.
Organizational Form Emergence
Authors: Bogaert Sandy , Boone Christophe , Negro Giacomo , van Witteloostuijn Arjen
Published: March 2014

In this study, the authors provide an assessment of the ecological theory of organizational form emergence and focus on the positive density effect associated with legitimation. The argument comes in two steps. First, organizational ecology seeks to understand cross-population similarities in search of general patterns in form emergence processes. Using summative meta-analysis, the authors show that the average effect of density dependence on population-level legitimation is positive, but this average effect hides large variation across different populations. Second, in the spirit of recent revisions of this theory, the authors introduce two concepts that can be linked to industries or populations to explain this unaccounted-for variation: perceived simplicity of organizational goals and tangibility of offerings. Using formative meta-analysis, the study reveals that both population-level characteristics increase legitimation. Density effects on organizational founding rates tend to be stronger in manufacturing and for-profit industries, which are arguably settings featuring higher simplicity of goals and larger tangibility of offerings, respectively. On the basis of this set of findings, the authors conclude with a plea for a population-level theory of ecological differences, developing a comparative research strategy that is distinct from the current emphasis on single-population studies.