bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Retrospective cohort study of accident outcomes for individuals who have successfully undergone driver assessment following stroke
Authors: Pearce Alison M. , Smead Jan M. , Cameron Ian D.
Published: December 2011

Background:  The occupational role of ‘driver’ is highly valued. Stroke can have a significant impact on an individual’s ability to drive safely. Multi‐disciplinary driver assessments are conducted to assess the safety of post‐stroke individuals returning to driving, however, little follow‐up of drivers following successful assessment has been performed.

Aim:  The objective of this study was to investigate whether passing a multi‐disciplinary driving assessment following stroke predicted medium‐ to long‐term safe and confident driving.

Methods:  A retrospective cohort study with primary data collection through structured telephone interviews was undertaken. Respondents were individuals post‐stroke aged 18–74 years who had successfully passed a multi‐disciplinary driver assessment.

Results:  Forty‐five respondents were interviewed an average of 20 months following the assessment. Forty individuals were still driving. Twenty‐five driving respondents reported driving in conditions that indicated confident driving. Confident driving was measured by driving frequency and distance, night driving, freeway driving and driving alone. The frequency of accidents and incidents suggests that 95% (n = 38) of drivers are ‘safe’. Eight respondents reported accidents, one of which was major. In two accidents the respondent was ‘at fault’. A crash rate of 222 per 100,000 drivers is within the confidence interval for similar accidents in New South Wales.

Conclusions:  The results of this small cohort study suggest that a multi‐disciplinary driver assessment may be effective in identifying people following stroke with the ability to drive safely and confidently.
Oral versus intravenous antibiotics in treatment of paediatric febrile neutropenia
Authors: Vedi Aditi , Cohn Richard
Published: December 2011

The purpose of this study is to determine whether, in low‐risk febrile neutropenic paediatric populations, oral antibiotics are as effective as intravenous antibiotics in obtaining resolution of the febrile neutropenic episode. A comprehensive literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL identified prospective, randomised controlled trials comparing oral antibiotics with intravenous antibiotics in the treatment of febrile neutropenic episodes in low‐risk paediatric oncology patients. Outcomes assessed were mortality, rate of treatment failure, length of the febrile neutropenic episode and adverse events. The random effects model was used to calculate risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous data and mean difference with standard deviation for continuous data. Seven trials were included in the overall analysis, which included 934 episodes of febrile neutropenia in 676 patients aged between 9 months and 20 years. The overall treatment failure rates were not significantly different between oral and intravenous antibiotics (RR: 1.02, 95% confidence interval 0.78–1.32, P= 0.91). In carefully selected low‐risk febrile neutropenic children, empiric treatment with oral antibiotics is a safe and effective alternative to intravenous antibiotics as they lower the cost of treatment as well as psychosocial burden on these children and their families.
Haplotypes of heparin‐binding epidermal‐growth‐factor‐like growth factor gene are associated with pre‐eclampsia
Authors: Harendra Galhenagey Gayani , Jayasekara Rohan W. , Dissanayake Vajira H. W.
Published: December 2011

Aim:  Heparin‐binding epidermal‐growth‐factor‐like growth factor (HBEGF) plays an important role in placentation, including impaired placentation, the primary defect seen in pre‐eclampsia. We carried out a case–control disease‐association study to examine the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the HBEGF gene and haplotypes defined by them with pre‐eclampsia in a Sinhalese population in Sri Lanka.

Materials and Methods:  A total of 175 women with pre‐eclampsia and 171 matched normotensive controls were genotyped for six SNP selected in silico as having putative functional effects using mass array Sequenom iplex methodology and a newly designed polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism assay.

Results:  The individual SNP were not associated with pre‐eclampsia. The haplotypes defined by them, however, showed both predisposing (rs13385T,rs2074613G,rs2237076G,rs2074611C,rs4150196A,rs1862176A; odds ratio, 1.65; 95% confidence interval 1.04–2.60; P = 0.032) and protective (rs13385C,rs2074613G,rs2237076A,rs2074611C,rs4150196A,rs1862176A; odds ratio, 0.20; 95% confidence interval, 0.04–0.89; P = 0.034) effects.

Conclusions:  These results confirm that polymorphisms in the HGEGF gene are associated with pre‐eclampsia. The haplotypes are likely to exert their effects through the numerous transcription regulation factors binding to the polymorphic sites, namely GATA‐1, GATA‐3, MZF‐1 and AML‐1a.
Glycaemia and correlates of patient‐reported outcomes in ACCORD trial participants
Authors: Ali M. K. , Feeney P. , Hire D. , Simmons D. L. , O’Connor P. J. , Ganz‐Lord F. , Goff D. , Zhang P. , Anderson R. T. , Narayan K. M. V. , Sullivan M. D.
Published: December 2011

Diabet. Med. 29, e67–e74 (2012)

Aims  Post‐hoc evaluation of relationships between first‐year change in glycaemic control (HbA1c) and change in patient‐reported outcomes among ACCORD health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) substudy participants.

Methods  Data from 2053 glycaemia‐trial subjects were analysed. We assessed physical and mental health status (36‐Item Short Form Health Survey, Version‐2), symptom count and severity (Diabetes Symptoms Distress Checklist) and treatment satisfaction (Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire). Linear mixed models were used to test relationships between 1‐year changes in HbA1c and patient reported outcomes sequentially adjusting for correlates (baseline characteristics, baseline patient reported outcomes, treatment assignment, frequency of clinical contact and post‐randomization weight change plus new complications).

Results  Poorer baseline control of HbA1c and cardiovascular disease risk factors predicted greater one‐year improvements in treatment satisfaction. Similarly, poorer baseline patient reported outcome scores all individually predicted greater 1‐year improvement in that same outcome. Accounting for baseline and post‐randomization characteristics and treatment arm, 1‐year change in HbA1c was unrelated to changes in overall physical or mental health; however, every one percentage‐point (10.9 mmol/mol) reduction in HbA1c was associated with lower symptom count (β = 0.599; P = 0.012), lower symptom distress (β = 0.051; P = 0.001), and higher treatment satisfaction (β = −2.514; P < 0.001).

Conclusions  Independent of all relevant covariates, better glycaemic control over 1 year was associated with reduced patient‐reported diabetes symptoms and symptom distress, and increased treatment satisfaction, but not overall physical and mental health. Further investigation is required to understand the specific psychosocial mechanisms that affect how patients value health and treatments.
FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND INCOME IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES
Authors: BALIAMOUNE‐LUTZ MINA
Published: December 2011

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the relationship between financial system development and economic development. Using cointegration and vector autoregressive estimations on annual data from Africa, we examine the nature of the relationship between financial development and income. We find mixed results on both the short‐ and the long‐run relationships between the two variables. We find finance causing income, income causing finance, and bidirectional causality. The results indicate that neither the short‐run effects nor the long‐run relationship seem to linearly depend on the level of financial development or the stage of development.(JELE44, O16, G20)
PRIVATE EDUCATION IN INDIA: A NOVEL TEST OF CREAM SKIMMING
Authors: TABARROK ALEXANDER
Published: December 2011

Students in private schools routinely outperform those in public schools both in the United States and around the world. But do private schools make students better or do they simply cream skim better students? In this article I take advantage of the remarkable fact that in many districts in India a majority of students attend private schools. As the private share of school enrollment increases, cream skimming becomes less plausible as the explanation for a higher rate of achievement in private schools. Evidence for cream skimming is found when the private share of schooling is low, in the range of 0–15%, and thus private schools have a large public pool from which to skim. But the private effect on achievement does not appear to diminish greatly even in districts where more than 70% of students are in private schools. Most importantly, mean scores taken over the entire population of students, private and public, increase with the share of private schooling. These findings support a significant productivity effect of private schools. (JEL I25, I2, L33)
DOES COBRA'S RETROACTIVE COVERAGE FEATURE ENCOURAGE DELAYED ENROLLMENT?
Authors: ZIMMER DAVID M.
Published: December 2011

The Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1985, which aimed to protect individuals experiencing employment separation from losing employer‐provided health insurance, contains a feature that is unusual among health insurance markets. Individuals eligible for COBRA have 60 days following employment separation to elect coverage, and if they elect, coverage is retroactive back to the date of employment separation. This paper investigates whether employment separators take advantage of COBRA's retroactive coverage provision by delaying enrollment until after incurring medical expenses. Results indicate that an individual whose household incurs medical expenses during the months after employment separation is approximately 1−10 percentage points more likely to subsequently enroll in COBRA, depending on the magnitude of expenses. (JEL I18, I11)
Infants generate goal‐based action predictions
Authors: Cannon Erin N. , Woodward Amanda L.
Published: December 2011

Predicting the actions of others is critical to smooth social interactions. Prior work suggests that both understanding and anticipation of goal‐directed actions appears early in development. In this study, on‐line goal prediction was tested explicitly using an adaptation of Woodward’s (1998) paradigm for an eye‐tracking task. Twenty 11‐month‐olds were familiarized to movie clips of a hand reaching to grasp one of two objects. Then object locations were swapped, and the hand made an incomplete reach between the objects. Here, infants reliably made their first look from the hand to the familiarized goal object, now in a new location. A separate control condition of 20 infants familiarized to the same movements of an unfamiliar claw revealed the opposite pattern: reliable prediction to the familiarized location, rather than the familiarized object. This study suggests that by 11 months infants actively use goal analysis to generate on‐line predictions of an agent’s next action.
Entering the State: Civil Society Activism and Participatory Governance in Brazil
Authors: Wampler Brian
Published: December 2011

Participatory governance programs, which institutionalize government—civil society interactions through the promotion of public deliberation and decision making, are being adopted by local governments to harness a wide range of outcomes believed to be positively associated with citizens' and civil society organizations' active involvement in public life. This article draws from an original survey administered to 833 individuals elected to leadership positions in Brazil's municipal-level participatory budgeting program. Analysis of these data using a series of outcome variables and a set of individual- and municipal-level variables demonstrates that civil society organization (CSO) leaders now engage in direct negotiations with other CSOs, form alliances with other CSOs and carry these practices into other institutional venues, which helps to undercut traditional clientelistic practices while also empowering citizens and enhancing the quality of democracy. Further, citizens living in communities that directly benefit from public works won through participatory budgeting are empowered by credible state commitment. Citizens not directly affiliated with a CSO continue to rely on their direct connections to government officials, thus demonstrating that individuals' type of involvement in civil society has a significant impact on how participatory governance arrangements can affect basic state—society relationships.
THE ROLE OF THE INFORMAL SECTOR IN SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN THE GAMA, GHANA: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Authors: OTENG‐ABABIO MARTIN
Published: December 2011

Solid waste is one of the most discussed environmental issues, especially in urban centres where both public and private sectors are active participants in its management. This increased attention has been due to the continuous insanitary and health threatening conditions, in spite of governments' huge budgetary interventions. Meanwhile, for most urban poor, waste collection and recycling is a common means for eking out a living, yet this potential for improving solid waste management appears untapped by the authorities. Using mainly qualitative research techniques, this study examines the role of the informal sector and promotes dialogue on the potential of this sector in solid waste management. The findings show that the practice has become a survival strategy for thousands among the urban poor and that, the proper integration of the sector into the existing solid waste management policies can lead to sustainable management practices and possibly help alleviate poverty.
Alan of Lille's Academic Concept of the Manichee
Authors: CHIU HILBERT
Published: December 2011

Academic texts of the twelfth century are regularly used by historians of medieval heresy for snippets of evidence on the “religion” of so‐called heretical movements like the “Cathars.” The difficulties of using such evidence in this way are apparent when reading these academic texts in full, and considering them in their context: the theological disputations of the first universities. I will elsewhere write more about how developments in theology during the twelfth century affected the way the intellectual leaders of the church understood popular religion; and how the idea of there being heretical movements and the idea of removing them by inquisition both had the same origins. In this article I introduce some of these ideas by looking closely at only one part of one such academic text: Book One of the De fide catholica, of Alan of Lille.
Pregnancy outcomes in adolescents in the UK and Ireland growing up with HIV
Authors: Kenny J , Williams B , Prime K , Tookey P , Foster C
Published: December 2011

Objectives

Adolescents with HIV infection acquired perinatally or in early childhood are becoming sexually active, but little is known about fertility and pregnancy outcomes. Multicentre data on pregnancy outcomes in this population are described here.

Methods

A retrospective case note review of pregnant women with perinatal/early acquired HIV infection, conceiving before 1 September 2009 and attending participating centres in the UK and Ireland, was carried out.

Results

Among 252 women with perinatal/early acquired infection aged 12 years and older under follow‐up in 21 centres, 42 pregnancies were reported in 30 women (19 women with a single pregnancy, 10 women with two pregnancies, and one woman with three pregnancies). Fifteen women (50%) had previous AIDS‐defining diagnoses. The median age at first reported pregnancy was 18 years (range 14–22 years). Of the 42 pregnancies, 34 (81%) were reportedly unplanned, 31 (74%) involved regular partners, and in 21 (50%) of the 42 pregnancies the partners were reported to be unaware of maternal HIV status. Fifteen of the 42 pregnancies (36%) were electively terminated, six of the 42 (14%) resulted in first‐trimester miscarriages and 21 of the 42 (50%) resulted in live births. Maternal viral load was detectable close to delivery in seven of 21 pregnancies (33%). Four infants required neonatal intensive care, three of whom were delivered preterm. One infant is HIV infected, there are ongoing concerns about the development of three of 21 infants (14%), and two of 21 (10%) have been fostered.

Conclusions

Despite access to ongoing sexual health and contraceptive services, unplanned pregnancies are occurring in young women growing up with HIV. Pregnancy care and prevention of onward transmission require complex case management for this emerging population.
Increased number of Purkinje cell dendritic swellings in essential tremor
Authors: Yu M. , Ma K. , Faust P. L. , Honig L. S. , Cortés E. , Vonsattel J.‐P. G. , Louis E. D.
Published: December 2011

Background and Purpose:  Essential Tremor (ET) is among the most prevalent neurologic disorders. Growing clinical and neuro‐imaging evidence implicates cerebellar dysfunction in the pathogenesis of ET and emerging postmortem studies have identified structural changes in the cerebellum, particularly in Purkinje cells. In this study we systematically quantified focal Purkinje cell dendritic swellings (DS) in 20 ET vs. 19 control brains.

Methods:  In each brain, a standard parasagittal neocerebellar tissue block was harvested. DS were quantified in one 7‐μm thick section stained with Luxol Fast Blue/Hematoxylin and Eosin (LH&E) and one section stained with Bielschowsky method.

Results:  The number of DS were higher in cases than controls by LH&E (1.50 ± 1.79 vs. 0.05 ± 0.23, P = 0.002) and Bielschowsky methods (2.70 ± 3.10 vs. 0.37 ± 0.50, P = 0.002). The number of DS was correlated with the number of torpedoes and marginally inversely correlated with the number of Purkinje cells.

Conclusion:  The current study documents and quantifies an additional structural abnormality in the ET cerebellum, adding to the growing list of such changes in this disease. The mechanisms that underlie this and other structural changes observed in ET are currently unknown, and they deserve additional exploration.
One‐year survival of demented stroke patients: data from the Dijon Stroke Registry, France (1985–2008)
Authors: Béjot Y. , Jacquin A. , Rouaud O. , Durier J. , Aboa‐Eboulé C. , Hervieu M. , Osseby G.‐V. , Giroud M.
Published: December 2011

Background and purpose:  Dementia is a frequent condition after stroke that may affect the prognosis of patients. Our aim was to determine whether post‐stroke dementia was a predictor of 1‐year case‐fatality and to evaluate factors that could influence survival in demented stroke patients.

Methods:  From 1985 to 2008, all first‐ever strokes were recorded in the population‐based stroke registry of Dijon, France (150 000 inhabitants). Dementia was diagnosed during the first month following stroke, according to DSM‐III and DSM‐IV criteria. Survival was evaluated at 1 year and multivariate analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards to identify independent predictive factors.

Results:  We recorded 3948 first‐ever strokes. Among these stroke patients, 3201 (81%) were testable, and of these, 653 (20.4%) had post‐stroke dementia (337 women and 316 men). Demented patients had lower 1‐year survival than patients without dementia (82.9% vs. 86.9%, P = 0.013). However, in multivariate analysis, dementia did not appear as an independent predictor of 1‐year death. In demented stroke patients, age >80 years old, severe handicap at discharge, recurrent stroke within the first year and subarachnoid haemorrhage were associated with a higher risk of 1‐year death, and the risk was lower in the study period 2003–2008.

Conclusions:  Dementia after stroke is not independently associated with an increased risk of death at 1 year. In recent years, 1‐year case‐fatality decreased in demented as well as in and non‐demented patients suggesting that improvements in the management of stroke also benefited the most fragile patients.
BEYOND THE HORIZON: CHRONOSCHISMS AND HISTORICAL DISTANCE
Authors: KELLNER HANS
Published: December 2011

Historical distance presents more complex issues than simply evaluating the meaning of the temporal span between a point in the past and some moment present to an observer. The ordinary historical difference, which is horizontal in the sense that it evokes the notion of hermeneutic horizons, fragments uncontrollably when examined closely, resulting in what might be called a “chronoschism.” The experience of encountering a historical painting by Botticelli provides an example of this fragmentation. This complication of historical distance reminds us also of quite different sorts of distance, including the depths of endless regression, and the elevation of the historical sublime. These various forms of historical distance present a challenge to the horizontal character of normal historical practice.
CONSTITUTIONAL INTERPRETATION: A VIEW FROM A DISTANCE
Authors: PETERS RIK
Published: December 2011

This paper explores how the notion of distance works in the practice of interpretation by studying the philosophical underpinnings of the originalism debate in American constitutionalism. Focusing on some of its most important spokespeople, the paper shows that they start from the historicist presupposition that distance can in principle be overcome by a reconstruction of the original intentions of the framers of the Constitution. With the help of Hans‐Georg Gadamer, who explicitly based his philosophical hermeneutics on the notion of distance, this presupposition will be criticized. The paper concludes that the originalist and hermeneuticist positions do not mutually exclude each other, but can be synthesized if they are seen as different questions about the same text. The meaning of the Constitution is therefore not given but is dependent on the direction of the questions asked by the interpreter. From this question‐dependency of meaning it follows that interpretation follows the law of acoustics: “Angle of incidence equates angle of reflection.”
An Emic Approach to Intersectional Study of Diversity at Work: A Bourdieuan Framing
Authors: Tatli Ahu , Özbilgin Mustafa F.
Published: December 2011

This paper presents an emic approach, which is sensitive to the emergence of new categories of difference, in intersectional study of workforce diversity. The paper first provides a comprehensive review of the literature on diversity at work in the business and management field, identifying that this literature is predominantly etic in nature, as it focuses on pre‐established, rather than emergent, categories of difference. Next, an emic approach to researching diversity at work is offered. In offering an emic approach, the key distinction the paper makes is the direction of the investigation. Unlike the dominant etic approach, which adopts pre‐established (ex ante) diversity categories, the emic perspective proposed identifies emergent and situated categories of diversity ex post, as embedded in a specific time and place. In order to operationalize the emic approach, the use of the Bourdieuan theory of capitals is suggested, and a five‐step research guide is presented.
The mechanisms of antihyperalgesic effect of topiramate in a rat model of inflammatory hyperalgesia
Authors: Paranos Sonja Lj. , Tomić Maja A. , Micov Ana M. , Stepanović‐Petrović Radica M.
Published: December 2011

Recent studies have shown that topiramate, a structurally novel anticonvulsant, exerts antinociceptive activity in animal models of neuropathic, acute somatic, and visceral pain. This study was aimed to examine: (i) the effects of systemically and locally peripherally administered topiramate in the rat inflammatory pain model and (ii) the potential role and site(s) of gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA), opioid, and adrenergic receptors in topiramate’s antihyperalgesia. Rats received intraplantar (i.pl.) injections of the pro‐inflammatory compound carrageenan. A paw pressure test was used to determine: (i) the effect of systemic and local peripheral topiramate on carrageenan‐induced hyperalgesia and (ii) the effects of systemic and local peripheral bicuculline (selective GABAA receptor antagonist), naloxone (nonselective opioid receptor antagonist), and yohimbine (selective α2‐adrenergic receptor antagonist) on topiramate‐induced antihyperalgesia. Systemic topiramate (40–160 mg/kg; p.o.) produced a significant dose‐dependent reduction in the paw inflammatory hyperalgesia induced by carrageenan. The antihyperalgesic effect of systemic topiramate was significantly decreased by systemic bicuculline (0.5–1 mg/kg; i.p.), naloxone (2–5 mg/kg; i.p.), and yohimbine (1–3 mg/kg; i.p.). Local peripheral topiramate (0.03–0.34 mg/paw; i.pl.) also produced significant dose‐dependent antihyperalgesia, which was significantly depressed by local peripheral yohimbine (0.05–0.2 mg/paw; i.pl.) but not by local peripheral bicuculline (0.15 mg/paw; i.pl.) or naloxone (0.1 mg/paw; i.pl.). The results suggest that topiramate produces systemic and local peripheral antihyperalgesia in an inflammatory pain model, which is, at least partially, mediated by central GABAA and opioid receptors and by peripheral and most probably central α2‐adrenergic receptors. These findings contribute to better understanding of topiramate’s action in pain states involving inflammation.
Decreased aerobic capacity 4 years after aortic valve replacement in male patients operated upon for chronic aortic regurgitation
Authors: Hedman Kristofer , Tamás Éva , Nylander Eva
Published: December 2011

Exercise testing is underutilized in patients with valve disease. We have previously found a low physical work capacity in patients with aortic regurgitation 6 months after aortic valve replacement (AVR). The aim of this study was to evaluate aerobic capacity in patients 4 years after AVR, to study how their peak oxygen uptake (peakVO2) had changed postoperatively over a longer period of time. Twenty‐one patients (all men, 52 ± 13 years) who had previously undergone cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) pre‐ and 6 months postoperatively underwent maximal exercise testing 49 ± 15 months postoperatively using an electrically braked bicycle ergometer. Breathing gases were analysed and the patients’ physical fitness levels categorized according to Åstrand’s and Wasserman’s classifications. Mean peakVO2 was 22·8 ± 5·1 ml × kg−1 × min−1 at the 49‐month follow‐up, which was lower than at the 6‐month follow‐up (25·6 ± 5·8 ml × kg−1 × min−1, P = 0·001). All but one patient presented with a physical fitness level below average using Åstrand’s classification, while 13 patients had a low physical capacity according to Wasserman’s classification. A significant decrease in peakVO2 was observed from six to 49 months postoperatively, and the decrease was larger than expected from the increased age of the patients. CPET could be helpful in timing aortic valve surgery and for the evaluation of need of physical activity as part of a rehabilitation programme.
New dinosaur tracksites from the Middle Jurassic of Madagascar: ichnotaxonomical, behavioural and palaeoenvironmental implications
Authors: WAGENSOMMER ALEXANDER , LATIANO MARIANNA , LEROUX GÉRAUD , CASSANO GIANLUCA , D’ORAZI PORCHETTI SIMONE
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  New dinosaur tracksites are described from the Bajocian–Bathonian Bemaraha Formation of western Madagascar. Two track‐bearing surfaces can be followed over a distance of at least 4 km, suggesting the existence of a hitherto unrecognized megatracksite. The track assemblage is theropod dominated, but sauropod tracks also occur at one site. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the abundant theropod track material suggests that most, if not all, theropod footprints are attributable to a single trackmaker and are referred to Kayentapus isp. Although this ichnogenus, originally described from the Lower Jurassic of North America, has never been recorded from Gondwana nor from the Middle Jurassic, track morphology strongly suggests this attribution. Palaeogeographical, sedimentological and ichnological data suggest that the dinosaur tracks formed in an intertidal to supratidal setting where the coastline influenced the preferred walking direction of the animals.
Subtype selective NMDA receptor antagonists induce recovery of synapses lost following exposure to HIV‐1 Tat
Authors: Shin AH , Kim HJ , Thayer SA
Published: December 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Neurocognitive disorders afflict approximately 20% of HIV‐infected patients. HIV‐1‐infected cells in the brain shed viral proteins such as transactivator of transcription (Tat). Tat elicits cell death and synapse loss via processes initiated by NMDA receptor activation but mediated by separate downstream signalling pathways. Subunit selective NMDA receptor antagonists may differentially modulate survival relative to synaptic changes.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Tat‐evoked cell death was quantified by measuring propidium iodide uptake into rat hippocampal neurons in culture. The effects of Tat on synaptic changes were measured using an imaging‐based assay that quantified clusters of the scaffolding protein postsynaptic density 95 fused to green fluorescent protein.

KEY RESULTS

Dizocilpine, a non‐competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, inhibited Tat‐induced synapse loss, subsequent synapse recovery and Tat‐induced cell death with comparable potencies. Memantine (10 µM) and ifenprodil (10 µM), which preferentially inhibit GluN2B‐containing NMDA receptors, protected from Tat‐induced cell death with no effect on synapse loss. Surprisingly, memantine and ifenprodil induced synapse recovery in the presence of Tat. In contrast, the GluN2A‐prefering antagonist TCN201 prevented synapse loss and recovery with no effect on cell death.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Synapse loss is a protective mechanism that enables the cell to cope with excess excitatory input. Thus, memantine and ifenprodil are promising neuroprotective drugs because they spare synaptic changes and promote survival. These GluN2B‐preferring drugs induced recovery from Tat‐evoked synapse loss, suggesting that synaptic pharmacology changed during the neurotoxic process. NMDA receptor subtypes differentially participate in the adaptation and death induced by excitotoxic insult.
A SIMPLE METHOD FOR ISOLATING FILAMENTS AS “ALGAL SEED STOCK” FROM MONOSTROMA LATISSIMUM (CHLOROPHYTA) GERMLINGS, AND APPLICATION FOR MASS CULTIVATION1
Authors: Chen Yean‐Chang
Published: December 2011

Germlings were grown from Monostroma latissimum Wittr. reproductive cells on nylon ropes. Holdfast threads and some uniseriate filaments were observed to have penetrated the fibers of the dispersed ropes. The algal filaments were easily isolated and prepared for cultivation, in comparison to the methods of enzymatically isolated algal protoplasts. Under low light (60–100 μmol photons · m−2 · s−1), the algal filaments grew to form a filamentous mass. When cultivated under stronger light (300–600 μmol photons · m−2 · s−1), they grew to initially form tubular thalli and then, when cultivated under light intensities >700 μmol photons · m−2 · s−1, formed foliaceous thalli. Consequently, the filaments were homogenized into small sections and then sewed on the nylon rope for algal mass cultivation. Under high‐intensity natural light, they grew to form leafy thalli.
A Regime‐Switching Approach to Modeling Rental Prices of U.K. Real Estate Sectors
Authors: Füss Roland , Stein Michael , Zietz Joachim
Published: December 2011

This article uses regime‐switching models of the threshold type to analyze the adjustment process of rental prices for three U.K. commercial real estate sectors over the period 1974–2008. The nonlinear models outperform their linear counterparts in in‐sample fit. Their out‐of‐sample forecasting ability is better whenever the corresponding linear models contain a significant amount of neglected nonlinearity. Regime switches are triggered when the growth rates of rental price exceed certain threshold levels. For the industrial and retail sectors such regime switches occur in situations of strong excess demand, for the office sector they occur when there is strong excess supply.
Can Bank Lines of Credit Protect REITs against a Credit Crisis?
Authors: Ooi Joseph T.L. , Wong Woei‐Chyuan , Ong Seow‐Eng
Published: December 2011

In a tight credit market, the primary concern of most real estate investment trusts (REITs) is the ability to access capital and maintain adequate liquidity. Bank lines of credit or loan commitments, which are legally binding contracts arranged to provide debt at the call of the borrowers under prespecified terms, have been theorized to provide insurance protection against a credit crisis. This article examines whether bank lines of credit can indeed provide some insurance for REITs and allow them to access credit during bad times. Covering three credit crunch events, both the origination and utilization patterns of commitment loans by 275 REITs publicly traded between 1992 and 2007 are analyzed. We find that bank lines of credit insulated REITs from credit rationing at both the broad market level as well as at the firm level. However, the insurance value is qualified in the case of smaller and risky firms which may not get to extend their credit limit or draw down on their existing credit lines in a credit crisis.
Technology and the Polytheistic Mind: From Global to Planetary Theologies
Authors: Bauman Whitney A.
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  Assuming that human beings are, among other things, techno‐sapiens, natural‐cultural; and that technology‐nature‐culture are a part of the same emergent process of life (e.g., Martin Heidegger, Donna Haraway, Phil Hefner), this paper argues for a move from global to planetary technologies. According to Gayatri Spivak, the process of globalization is the imposition of sameness over the face of the globe. In contrast, she argues, what we need is a planetary vision of the world: one that pays attention to multi‐perspectivalism and difference; and connects peoples, places, and things through those differences rather than in spite of them. In this article I argue that theological technologies of monotheism have tended to support globalization. As such, I explore the possibilities for polytheistic (or at least) polydox theological technologies of planetary becoming.
A Priestly Approach to Environmental Theology: Learning to Receive and Give Again the Gifts of Creation
Authors: Wirzba Norman
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  A priestly sensibility is here presented as a way to characterize humanity's place in creation. Sacrifice, asceticism, and gratitude are described as three distinct and practical modalities of a priestly life that contribute to the care and celebration of creation. While a priestly understanding is often associated with Orthodox environmental theology, it has the potential to inform environmental theology broadly construed.
Theological Education: A Theological Framework for Renewed Mission and Models
Authors: Steinke Robin J.
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  This essay explores renewed ways to reimagine theological education. Incarnation is used as a theological lens that engages anew “the transmission of Christian memory, the education for God's peace and justice, and the formation of church and community leadership.” Attention is given to apprenticeship, project‐based learning, distributed learning, and global learning, and concludes with implications for governance and faculty.
Re‐Imagining Theological Education for the Twenty‐First Century: “What Has Theological Ed to do with Higher Ed?”
Authors: Stortz Martha E.
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  In re‐imagining theological education for the twenty‐first century, Stortz examines two late‐twentieth‐century proposals for seminary education: ecumenical consortia and “clustering,” or merging seminaries within the same communion. Given the relative failure of such proposals, she explores a “back to the future” move—a return of seminaries to the church‐related colleges from which many of them sprung. The move might prove mutually beneficial on three fronts: helping the respective institutions with twin emphases on formation and professionalization, sorting through mission and identity issues, and facilitating a greater awareness of the global context which both theological and higher education serve.
Electrocardiographic Determinants of the Polymorphic QRS Morphology in Idiopathic Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Tachycardia
Authors: IGARASHI MIYAKO , TADA HIROSHI , KUROSAKI KENJI , YAMASAKI HIRO , AKIYAMA DAIKI , SEKIGUCHI YUKIO , KUROKI KENJI , MACHINO TAKESHI , MURAKOSHI NOBUYUKI , NAKATA YOSHIO , KUGA KEISUKE , NOGAMI AKIHIKO , AONUMA KAZUTAKA
Published: December 2011

Coupling Intervals and Polymorphic QRS Morphologies. Introduction: Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) arising from the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) can trigger polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PVT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) in patients with no structural heart disease. We aimed to clarify the ECG determinants of the polymorphic QRS morphology in idiopathic RVOT PVT/VF.

Methods and Results: The ECG parameters were compared between 18 patients with idiopathic PVT/VF (PVT‐group) and 21 with monomorphic VT arising from the RVOT (MVT‐group). The coupling interval (CI) of the first VT beat was comparable between the 2 groups. However, the prematurity index (PI) of the first VT beat was smaller in the PVT‐group than in the MVT‐group (P  <  0.001). Furthermore, the QT index, defined as the ratio of the CI to the QT interval of the preceding sinus complex, was also smaller for the PVT/VF in the PVT‐group than that for the VT in the MVT‐group (P  <  0.01). In the PVT‐group, the CI of the first VT beat was comparable between that of VT and isolated PVCs, but the PI of the first VT beat was shorter for VT than isolated PVCs (P  <  0.05). The PI was the only independent determinant of the polymorphic QRS morphology (odd ratio = 2.198; 95% confidence interval = 1.321–3.659; P = 0.002).

Conclusion: The smaller PIs of the first VT beat may result in a polymorphic QRS morphology. (Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23, pp. 521‐526, May 2012)
Left ventricular morphology and function in diabetic and nondiabetic hemodialyzed patients
Authors: Tomaszuk‐Kazberuk Anna , Malyszko Jolanta , Bachorzewska‐Gajewska Hanna , Kozuch Marcin , Mysliwiec Michal , Musial Wlodzimierz J.
Published: December 2011

Morbidity in end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) diabetic patients is worse than in patients without diabetes mellitus (DM). This study aims to compare clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic features between the ESRD patients with and without DM. Fifty‐eight ESRD patients on dialysis were prospectively divided into two groups according to the presence of DM. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic features (ejection fraction and wall motion score index) were compared between the two groups. Overall, 20 out of 58 patients (37.8%) with ESRD had DM. There were no significant differences between the patients with DM and those without DM when it comes to age (60.6 ± 10.6 vs. 59.0 ± 10.6 years, P = 0.665), ejection fraction (52.6% ± 12.8% vs. 54.2% ± 12.8%, P = 0.59), and wall motion score index (1.21 ± 0.3 vs.1.15 ± 0.3, P = 0.37). In multivariant analysis of the interventricular septum, posterior wall thickness and left atrium size correlated positively with DM. There was also no statistical difference in myocardial perfusion disturbances on real‐time contrast echocardiography between the groups with and without DM (12 (60%) patients vs. 14 patients (36.8%), P = 0.079). Among diabetics 77.8% had significant atherosclerotic changes, while in the group without DM, only 38.1%, P = 0.01. From the laboratory parameters ferritin and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein levels were significantly higher in the group with DM, P = 0.014 and P = 0.026, respectively. Patients with ESRD and DM have significantly bigger left atrial size, thicker left ventricular walls, and higher serum ferritin and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein levels than the patients without DM. The aforementioned features may be possible risk factors for the development of adverse cardiac events in patients on hemodialysis.
Effect of SiC Nanowires on the Mechanical and Oxidation Protective Ability of SiC Coating for C/C Composites
Authors: Yanhui Chu , Qiangang Fu , Hejun Li , Xiaohong Shi , Kezhi Li , Xue Wen , Gunan Shang
Published: December 2011

To protect carbon/carbon (C/C) composites against oxidation, a SiC nanowire‐toughened SiC coating with homogeneously dispersed nanowires within the coating was successfully prepared on C/C composites by a simple and low cost two‐step technique of chemical vapor deposition and pack cementation. The SiC nanowires effectively increased the mechanical properties of the coating, decreased the size of the defects in the coating, and improved the oxidation protection effectiveness of the coating. The results showed that, after introducing the SiC nanowires, the hardness, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness of the SiC coating were increased by 5%, 19%, and 48%, respectively. The mass loss of the coated C/C samples was reduced from 8.10% to 5.21% after thermogravimetric analysis in air from 873 to 1773 K. Moreover, the mass loss of the SiC nanowire‐toughened SiC coated sample was only 14.33% and 2.68% after isothermal oxidation at 1173 K for 39 h and 1773 K for 44 h in air, whereas the mass loss of the pure SiC coated sample was up to 16.12% and 7.00% after isothermal oxidation at 1173 K for 15 h and 1773 K for 20 h in air.
Synthesis of Plate‐LikeZrB2Grains
Authors: Hu Chunfeng , Zou Ji , Huang Qing , Zhang Guojun , Guo Shuqi , Sakka Yoshio
Published: December 2011

Plate‐likeZrB2grains were synthesized at 1550°C byin situsolid/liquid reaction usingZrandBpowders mixed with transition metal (Mo,Nb,Ti, orW) andSipowder. The preferred growth direction of plate grains was alonga‐ orb‐axis depending on the initial content of transition metal and silicon in the mixtures. The synthesis mechanism of plate‐like grain was possibly related to the catalysis ofin situformed silicides.
Sampling Assumptions in Inductive Generalization
Authors: Navarro Daniel J. , Dry Matthew J. , Lee Michael D.
Published: December 2011

Inductive generalization, where people go beyond the data provided, is a basic cognitive capability, and it underpins theoretical accounts of learning, categorization, and decision making. To complete the inductive leap needed for generalization, people must make a key ‘‘sampling’’ assumption about how the available data were generated. Previous models have considered two extreme possibilities, known as strong and weak sampling. In strong sampling, data are assumed to have been deliberately generated as positive examples of a concept, whereas in weak sampling, data are assumed to have been generated without any restrictions. We develop a more general account of sampling that allows for an intermediate mixture of these two extremes, and we test its usefulness. In two experiments, we show that most people complete simple one‐dimensional generalization tasks in a way that is consistent with their believing in some mixture of strong and weak sampling, but that there are large individual differences in the relative emphasis different people give to each type of sampling. We also show experimentally that the relative emphasis of the mixture is influenced by the structure of the available information. We discuss the psychological meaning of mixing strong and weak sampling, and possible extensions of our modeling approach to richer problems of inductive generalization.
Spontaneous progression of experimental peri‐implantitis at implants with different surface characteristics: An experimental study in dogs
Authors: Albouy, Jean‐Pierre , Abrahamsson Ingemar , Berglundh Tord
Published: December 2011

Aim

To analyse spontaneous progression of ligature‐induced peri‐implantitis at implants with different surface characteristics.

Material and Methods

Four implants with similar geometry and with two different surface characteristics (turned/TiUnite; Nobel Biocare AB) were placed pairwise in one side of the mandible in five dogs, 3 months after tooth extraction. Experimental peri‐implantitis was initiated by placement of ligatures and plaque formation. The ligatures were removed when about 40% of the supporting bone was lost. After 6 months, block biopsies were obtained and prepared for histological analysis.

Results

The amount of bone loss that occurred during the plaque accumulation period after ligature removal was significantly larger at implants with a TiUnite surface than at implants with a turned surface. The histological analysis revealed that the vertical dimensions of the lesion and the pocket epithelium and the apical extension of the biofilm were significantly larger at TiUnite implants than at turned implants.

Conclusion

It is suggested that the implant surface characteristics influence progression of peri‐implantitis.
Automatic telangiectasia analysis in dermoscopy images using adaptive critic design
Authors: Cheng B. , Stanley R. J. , Stoecker W. V. , Hinton K.
Published: December 2011

Background

Telangiectasia, tiny skin vessels, are important dermoscopy structures used to discriminate basal cell carcinoma (BCC) from benign skin lesions. This research builds off of previously developed image analysis techniques to identify vessels automatically to discriminate benign lesions from BCCs.

Methods

A biologically inspired reinforcement learning approach is investigated in an adaptive critic design framework to apply action‐dependent heuristic dynamic programming (ADHDP) for discrimination based on computed features using different skin lesion contrast variations to promote the discrimination process. Lesion discrimination results for ADHDP are compared with multilayer perception backpropagation artificial neural networks.

Results

This study uses a data set of 498 dermoscopy skin lesion images of 263 BCCs and 226 competitive benign images as the input sets. This data set is extended from previous research [Cheng et al., Skin Research and Technology, 2011, 17: 278]. Experimental results yielded a diagnostic accuracy as high as 84.6% using the ADHDP approach, providing an 8.03% improvement over a standard multilayer perception method.

Conclusion

We have chosen BCC detection rather than vessel detection as the endpoint. Although vessel detection is inherently easier, BCC detection has potential direct clinical applications. Small BCCs are detectable early by dermoscopy and potentially detectable by the automated methods described in this research.
INCOMPLETE TRACHEAL INTUSSUSCEPTION IN A DOG
Authors: Kim Jung‐Hyun , Park Chul , Moon So‐Jeung , Kang Min‐Hee , Park Hee‐Myung
Published: December 2011

An 18‐year‐old male miniature poodle had a chronic nonproductive cough. On radiographic examination, an opacification resembling a foreign body was noticed within the trachea at the level of the sixth cervical vertebra. When the trachea was examined endoscopically, a circumferential flap‐like lesion was found. To differentiate the invagination from an annular mass, thoracic computed tomography (CT) of the trachea was performed. There was cranial displacement and invagination of a tracheal segment creating the flap‐like lesion. Tracheal intussusception should be considered as a cause of an annular tracheal mass.