bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prediction of Physiological Responses and Performance at Altitude Using the 6-Minute Walk Test in Normoxia and Hypoxia
Authors: Gibson Oliver R. , Richardson Alan J. , Hayes Mark , Duncan Ben , Maxwell Neil S.
Published: March 2015

Objective

The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is a reliable and valid tool for determining an individual’s functional capacity, and has been used to predict summit success. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate whether a 6MWT in normobaric hypoxia could predict physiological responses and exercise performance at altitude. The secondary aim was to determine construct validity of the 6MWT for monitoring acclimatization to 3400 m (Cuzco, Peru).

Methods

Twenty-nine participants performed six 6MWTs in four conditions: normoxic outdoor (NO), normoxic treadmill (NT), and hypoxic treadmill (HT) were each performed once; and hypoxic outdoor (HO) was performed three times, at 42 hours (HO1), 138 hours (HO2), and 210 hours (HO3) after arrival at Cuzco.

Results

One-way analysis of variance revealed no difference ( P > .05) between NO and HO1 for 6MWT distance. HT and HO protocols were comparable for the measurement of delta heart rate (HR) and post-test peripheral oxygen saturation (%Spo2; P > .05). Acclimatization was evidenced by reductions ( P < .05) in resting HR and respiratory rate (RR) between HO1, HO2, and HO3, and preservation of Spo2 between HO1 and HO2. Postexercise HR and RR were not different ( P > .05) with acclimatization. The duration to ascend to 4215 m on a trek was moderately correlated ( P < .05) to HR during the trek and the 6MWT distance during HT; no other physiological markers predicted performance.

Conclusions

The 6MWT is a simple, time-efficient tool for predicting physiological responses to simulated and actual altitude, which are comparable. The 6MWT is effective at monitoring elements of acclimatization to moderate altitude.
Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva España
Authors: Díaz del Castillo Bernal
Published: March 2015

Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1492–1584) was a foot soldier in the army of Mexico's conqueror Hernán Cortés. The first edition of his True History of the Conquest of New Spain (as it was entitled in a later English translation) was published in Madrid in 1632 from a manuscript copy sent to Spain shortly after the author's death. Written in a highly accessible style, and describing the experiences of the troops themselves, the work became even more successful than the official accounts and went through many editions and translations. The two-volume edition reissued here was first published in 1904 and is considered a more reliable text, as it was based on the original manuscript preserved in Guatemala City. Volume 1 contains an introduction by the editor, the influential Mexican historian and book-collector Genaro García (1867–1920), a table of variant readings, and chapters 1–139 of the text.
Energy and the English Industrial Revolution
Authors: Wrigley E. A.
Published: March 2015

The industrial revolution transformed the productive power of societies. It did so by vastly increasing the individual productivity, thus delivering whole populations from poverty. In this new account by one of the world's acknowledged authorities the central issue is not simply how the revolution began but still more why it did not quickly end. The answer lay in the use of a new source of energy. Pre-industrial societies had access only to very limited energy supplies. As long as mechanical energy came principally from human or animal muscle and heat energy from wood, the maximum attainable level of productivity was bound to be low. Exploitation of a new source of energy in the form of coal provided an escape route from the constraints of an organic economy but also brought novel dangers. Since this happened first in England, its experience has a special fascination, though other countries rapidly followed suit.
The Trade Relations of the British Empire
Authors: Root John William
Published: March 2015

The growth of an 'imperial' outlook in colonial policy at the end of the nineteenth century led to calls for greater imperial integration, which prompted studies and scholarly works on the economic relations between Britain and its imperial possessions. This volume, first published in 1903 and written by the economist John William Root, explores both the internal and external trade relations in the British Empire and its constituent colonies. Focusing on the practical aspects of international trade, Root discusses the customs policies and tariffs, main imports and exports and external influences on trade of the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, the West Indies and Canada. Organised by geographical region, the book also discusses fiscal warfare and the effect of preferential trade tariffs, using Canada as an example. This volume provides a detailed analysis of the system of trade regulations and their impact on imperial trade in the early twentieth century.
The Roman Forum
Authors: Gorski Gilbert J. , Packer James E.
Published: March 2015

The Roman Forum was in many ways the heart of the Roman Empire. Today, the Forum exists in a fragmentary state, having been destroyed and plundered by barbarians, aristocrats, citizens and priests over the past two millennia. Enough remains, however, for archaeologists to reconstruct its spectacular buildings and monuments. This richly illustrated volume provides an architectural history of the central section of the Roman Forum during the Empire (31 BCE–476 CE), from the Temple of Julius Caesar to the monuments on the slope of the Capitoline hill. Bringing together state-of-the-art technology in architectural illustration and the expertise of a prominent Roman archaeologist, this book offers a unique reconstruction of the Forum, providing architectural history, a summary of each building's excavation and research, scaled digital plans, elevations, and reconstructed aerial images that not only shed light on the Forum's history but vividly bring it to life. With this book, scholars, students, architects and artists will be able to visualize for the first time since antiquity the character, design and appearance of the famous heart of ancient Rome.
An Introduction to Space Plasma Complexity
Authors: Chang Tom Tien Sun
Published: March 2015

An Introduction to Space Plasma Complexity considers select examples of complexity phenomena related to observed plasma processes in the space environment, such as those pertaining to the solar corona, the interplanetary medium, and Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere. This book provides a guided tour of the ideas behind forced and/or self-organized criticality, intermittency, multifractals, and the theory of the dynamic renormalization group, with applications to space plasma complexity. There is much to be explored and studied in this relatively new and developing field. Readers will be able to apply the concepts and methodologies espoused in this introduction to their own research interests and activities.
Principles of LED Light Communications
Authors: Dimitrov Svilen , Haas Harald
Published: March 2015

Balancing theoretical analysis and practical advice, this book describes all the underlying principles required to build high performance indoor optical wireless communication (OWC) systems based on visible and infrared light, alongside essential techniques for optimising systems by maximising throughput, reducing hardware complexity and measuring performance effectively. It provides a comprehensive analysis of information rate-, spectral- and power-efficiencies for single and multi-carrier transmission schemes, and a novel analysis of non-linear signal distortion, enabling the use of off-the-shelf LED technology. Other topics covered include cellular network throughput and coverage, static resource partitioning and dynamic interference-aware scheduling, realistic light propagation modelling, OFDM, optical MIMO transmission and nonlinearity modelling. Covering practical techniques for building indoor optical wireless cellular networks supporting multiple users and guidelines for 5G cellular system studies, in addition to physical layer issues, this is an indispensable resource for academic researchers, professional engineers and graduate students working in optical communications.
Pollution and Crisis in Greek Tragedy
Authors: Meinel Fabian
Published: March 2015

Pollution is ubiquitous in Greek tragedy: matricidal Orestes seeks purification at Apollo's shrine in Delphi; carrion from Polyneices' unburied corpse fills the altars of Thebes; delirious Phaedra suffers from a 'pollution of the mind'. This book undertakes the first detailed analysis of the important role which pollution and its counterparts - purity and purification - play in tragedy. It argues that pollution is central in the negotiation of tragic crises, fulfilling a diverse array of functions by virtue of its qualities and associations, from making sense of adversity to configuring civic identity in the encounter of self and other. While primarily a literary study providing close readings of several key plays, the book also provides important new perspectives on pollution. It will appeal to a broad range of scholars and students not only in classics and literary studies, but also in the study of religions and anthropology.
Nonlinear Optical Systems
Authors: Lugiato Luigi , Prati Franco , Brambilla Massimo
Published: March 2015

Guiding graduate students and researchers through the complex world of laser physics and nonlinear optics, this book provides an in-depth exploration of the dynamics of lasers and other relevant optical systems, under the umbrella of a unitary spatio-temporal vision. Adopting a balanced approach, the book covers traditional as well as special topics in laser physics, quantum electronics and nonlinear optics, treating them from the viewpoint of nonlinear dynamical systems. These include laser emission, frequency generation, solitons, optically bistable systems, pulsations and chaos and optical pattern formation. It also provides a coherent and up-to-date treatment of the hierarchy of nonlinear optical models and of the rich variety of phenomena they describe, helping readers to understand the limits of validity of each model and the connections among the phenomena. It is ideal for graduate students and researchers in nonlinear optics, quantum electronics, laser physics and photonics.
In God's Image
Authors: Lorberbaum Yair
Published: March 2015

The idea of creation in the divine image has a long and complex history. While its roots apparently lie in the royal myths of Mesopotamia and Egypt, this book argues that it was the biblical account of creation presented in the first chapters of Genesis and its interpretation in early rabbinic literature that created the basis for the perennial inquiry of the concept in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Yair Lorberbaum reconstructs the idea of the creation of man in the image of God (tselem Elohim) attributed in the Midrash and the Talmud. He analyzes meanings attributed to tselem Elohim in early rabbinic thought, as expressed in Aggadah, and explores its application in the normative, legal, and ritual realms.
Competition Law and Economic Regulation
Authors: Dunne Niamh
Published: March 2015

Niamh Dunne undertakes a systematic exploration of the relationship between competition law and economic regulation as legal mechanisms of market control. Beginning from a theoretical assessment of these legal instruments as discrete mechanisms, the author goes on to address numerous facets of the substantive interrelationship between competition law and economic regulation. She considers, amongst other aspects, the concept of regulatory competition law; deregulation, liberalisation and 'regulation for competition'; the concurrent application of competition law in regulated markets; and relevant institutional aspects including market study procedures, the distribution of enforcement powers between competition agencies and sector regulators, and certain legal powers that demonstrate a 'hybridised' quality lying between competition law and economic regulation. Throughout her assessment, Dunne identifies and explores recurrent considerations that inform and shape the optimal relationship between these legal mechanisms within any jurisdiction.
Revisiting Prussia's Wars against Napoleon
Authors: Hagemann Karen
Published: March 2015

In 2013, Germany celebrated the bicentennial of the so-called Wars of Liberation (1813–15). These wars were the culmination of the Prussian struggle against Napoleon between 1806 and 1815, which occupied a key position in German national historiography and memory. Although these conflicts have been analyzed in thousands of books and articles, much of the focus has been on the military campaigns and alliances. Karen Hagemann argues that we cannot achieve a comprehensive understanding of these wars and their importance in collective memory without recognizing how the interaction of politics, culture, and gender influenced these historical events and continue to shape later recollections of them. She thus explores the highly contested discourses and symbolic practices by which individuals and groups interpreted these wars and made political claims, beginning with the period itself and ending with the centenary in 1913.
Is Bipartisanship Dead?
Authors: Harbridge Laurel
Published: March 2015

Is Bipartisanship Dead? looks beyond (and considers the time before) roll call voting to examine the extent to which bipartisan agreement in the House of Representatives has declined since the 1970s. Despite voting coalitions showing a decline in bipartisan agreement between 1973 and 2004, member's bill cosponsorship coalitions show a more stable level of bipartisanship. The declining bipartisanship over time in roll call voting reflects a shift in how party leaders structure the floor and roll call agendas. Party leaders in the House changed from prioritizing legislation with bipartisan agreement in the 1970s to prioritizing legislation with partisan disagreement by the 1990s. Laurel Harbridge argues that this shift reflects a changing political environment and an effort by leaders to balance members' electoral interests, governance goals, and partisan differentiation. The findings speak to questions of representation and governance. They also shed light on whether partisan conflict is insurmountable and whether bipartisanship in congressional politics is dead.
Roman Satire and the Old Comic Tradition
Authors: Ferriss-Hill Jennifer L.
Published: March 2015

Quintilian famously claimed that satire was tota nostra, or totally ours, but this innovative volume demonstrates that many of Roman satire's most distinctive characteristics derived from ancient Greek Old Comedy. Jennifer L. Ferriss-Hill analyzes the writings of Lucilius, Horace, and Persius, highlighting the features that they crafted on the model of Aristophanes and his fellow poets: the authoritative yet compromised author; the self-referential discussions of poetics that vacillate between defensive and aggressive; the deployment of personal invective in the service of literary polemics; and the abiding interest in criticizing individuals, types, and language itself. The first book-length study in English on the relationship between Roman satire and Old Comedy, Roman Satire and the Old Comic Tradition will appeal to students and researchers in classics, comparative literature, and English.
The Observation and Analysis of Stellar Photospheres
Authors: Gray David F.
Published: March 2015

The Observation and Analysis of Stellar Photospheres describes the equipment, observational techniques, and analysis used in the investigation of stellar photospheres. This third edition builds on the success of the previous editions, improving the presentation, and revising topics and results to keep up to date with the latest research. The first half of the book develops the tools of analysis and the second half demonstrates how they can be applied. Topics covered include radiation transfer, models of stellar photospheres, spectroscopic equipment, observing stellar spectra, and techniques for measuring stellar characteristics. Useful real star data can be found throughout the text and in the appendices, and there are extensive references to the primary literature. This comprehensive textbook is suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students of stellar physics. Each chapter contains exercises to test understanding and a wealth of useful reference material is included.
Private Wealth and Public Revenue in Latin America
Authors: Fairfield Tasha
Published: March 2015

Inequality and taxation are fundamental problems of modern times. How and when can democracies tax economic elites? This book develops a theoretical framework that refines and integrates the classic concepts of business's instrumental (political) power and structural (investment) power to explain the scope and fate of tax initiatives targeting economic elites in Latin America after economic liberalization. In Chile, business's multiple sources of instrumental power, including cohesion and ties to right parties, kept substantial tax increases off the agenda. In Argentina, weaker business power facilitated significant reform, although specific sectors, including finance and agriculture, occasionally had instrumental and/or structural power to defend their interests. In Bolivia, popular mobilization counterbalanced the power of economic elites, who were much stronger than in Argentina but weaker than in Chile. The book's in-depth, medium-N case analysis and close attention to policymaking processes contribute insights on business power and prospects for redistribution in unequal democracies.
Rules of Origin in ASEAN
Authors: Inama Stefano , Sim Edmund W.
Published: March 2015

Rules of Origin in ASEAN is the first in-depth exploration of the complex rules of origin in ASEAN's trade agreements. Written by two leading practitioners, it explains with clarity the existing ASEAN Rules of Origin (RoO) practices and their administration regimes in a comparative context and provide a recommendation for reform. The ASEAN RoOs can be simplified by imparting transparency and predictability to the legal drafting, focusing on a calculation method based on value of materials and lowering the regional value content required to qualify as ASEAN origin. The administration of ASEAN RoOs can be improved by expanding the use of self-certification, moving away from document-based verification to more modern post-entry audit and trade facilitation approaches. This is a timely and important topic which will be insightful to practitioners, policymakers and businesses in understanding how commerce and trade are conducted in Southeast Asia.
The Politics of the Human
Authors: Phillips Anne
Published: March 2015

The human is a central reference point for human rights. But who or what is that human? And given its long history of exclusiveness, when so many of those now recognised as human were denied the name, how much confidence can we attach to the term? This book works towards a sense of the human that does without substantive accounts of 'humanity' while also avoiding their opposite – the contentless versions that deny important differences such as race, gender and sexuality. Drawing inspiration from Hannah Arendt's anti-foundationalism, Phillips rejects the idea of 'humanness' as grounded in essential characteristics we can be shown to share. She stresses instead the human as claim and commitment, as enactment and politics of equality. In doing so, she engages with a range of contemporary debates on human dignity, humanism, and post-humanism, and argues that none of these is necessary to a strong politics of the human.
The Military's Business
Authors: Rasmussen Mikkel Vedby
Published: March 2015

If the military were a business, would you buy shares? Over recent years, Western armed forces, particularly the US, have been costing more yet achieving less. At the same time, austerity measures are reducing defence budgets. This book uses defence data to examine the workings of modern Western militaries and explore what kind of strategies can overcome this gap between input and output. Instead of focusing on military strategy, Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen seeks to draw on the ideas of business strategy to assess alternative business cases - reforming military HR to combat instability in the 'Global South' or utilising new technologies to overcome the prohibitive costs of current systems. Analysing the philosophical, strategic and budgetary underpinnings of these alternatives, he concludes that a more radical break from current military organisational practices is needed which would allow them to fit within a nation's overall national security system without ever-increasing budgets.
After the Ancestors
Authors: Beatty Andrew
Published: March 2015

Set on an isolated Indonesian island, this is the gripping true story of a fieldworker's experience of living in a tribal society during a period of crisis. Featuring a cast of unforgettable characters, After the Ancestors follows a bitter feud between rivals as it escalates into murder, intrigue and revenge. A vivid account of life within a radically different world, it also portrays a unique culture undergoing the transition from tribalism to modernity. A century of alien rule has left the island, once famous for its warrior ethos, with a hybrid culture. As the possibilities for heroic action recede, men raised to be orators and over-reachers rather than church elders and peasants find themselves occupying a stage too small for their personalities. 'Where can we turn', asks one tribesman, 'we who come after the ancestors?' A revenge tragedy for modern times, After the Ancestors will be enjoyed by anthropologists and general readers alike.
Which European Union?
Authors: Fabbrini Sergio
Published: March 2015

Sergio Fabbrini argues that the European Union (EU) is made up of states pursuing different aims, rather than simply moving in the same direction at different speeds. He describes the alternative perspectives on the EU (an economic community, an intergovernmental union, and a parliamentary union), that led to multiple compromises in its structure and shows how the Euro crisis has called them into question. The book argues that a new European political order is necessary to deal with the consequences of the crisis, based on an institutional differentiation between the EU member states interested only in market co-operation and those advancing towards a genuine economic and monetary union. Such a differentiation would allow the latter group to become a political union, conceptualised as a compound union of states and citizens, while preserving a revised framework of a single market in which both groups of states can participate.
When conifers took flight: a biomechanical evaluation of an imperfect evolutionary takeoff
Authors: Stevenson Robert A. , Evangelista Dennis , Looy Cindy V.
Published: March 2015

Manifera talaris, a voltzian conifer from the late early to middle Permian (ca. 270 Ma) of Texas, is the earliest known conifer to produce winged seeds indicative of autorotating flight. In contrast to autorotating seeds and fruits of extant plants, the ones ofM. talarisare exceptional in that they have variable morphology. They bore two wings that produced a range of wing configurations, from seeds with two equal-sized wings to single-winged specimens, via various stages of underdevelopment of one of the wings. To examine the effects of various seed morphologies on aerodynamics and dispersal potential, we studied the flight performance of paper models of three morphotypes: symmetric double-winged, asymmetric double-winged, and single-winged. Using a high-speed camera we identified the mode of descent (plummeting, gliding, autorotation) and quantified descent speed, autorotation frequency, and other flight characteristics. To validate such modeling as an inferential tool, we compared descent of extant analogues (kauri;Agathis australis) with descent of similarly constructed seed models. All three seed morphotypes exhibited autorotating flight behavior. However, double-winged seeds, especially symmetric ones, failed to initiate slow autorotative descent more frequently than single-winged seeds. Even when autorotating, symmetric double-winged seeds descend faster than asymmetric double-winged ones, and descent is roughly twice as fast compared to single-winged seeds. Moreover, the relative advantage that (effectively) single-winged seeds have in slowing descent during autorotation becomes larger as seed weight increases. Hence, the range in seed wing configurations inM. talarisproduced a wide variation in potential dispersal capacity. Overall, our results indicate that the evolutionarily novel autorotating winged seeds must have improved conifer seed dispersal, in a time when animal vectors for dispersion were virtually absent. Because of the range in wing configuration, the early evolution of autorotative flight in conifers was a functionally imperfect one, which provides us insight into the evolutionary developmental biology of autorotative seeds in conifers.
Vitamin E intake, α-tocopherol levels and pulmonary function in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Woestenenk Janna W. , Broos Nancy , Stellato Rebecca K. , Arets Hubertus G. M. , van der Ent Cornelis K. , Houwen Roderick H. J.
Published: March 2015

Pancreatic insufficiency cystic fibrosis (CF) patients receive vitamin E supplementation according to CF-specific recommendations in order to prevent deficiencies. It has been suggested that higher serum α-tocopherol levels could have protective effects on pulmonary function (PF) in patients with CF. Whether current recommendations are indeed optimal for preventing deficiency and whether vitamin E has therapeutic benefits are subjects of debate. Therefore, we studied vitamin E intake as well as the long-term effects of vitamin E intake, the coefficient of fat absorption (CFA) and IgG on α-tocopherol levels. We also examined the long-term effects of serum α-tocopherol and serum IgG on forced expiratory volume in 1 s expressed as percentage of predicted (FEV1% pred.) in paediatric CF patients during a 7-year follow-up period. We found that CF patients failed to meet the CF-specific vitamin E recommendations, but serum α-tocopherol below the 2·5th percentile was found in only twenty-three of the 1022 measurements (2 %). Furthermore, no clear effect of vitamin E intake or the CFA on serum α-tocopherol was found (both P≥ 0·103). FEV1% pred. was longitudinally inversely associated with age (P< 0·001) and serum IgG (P= 0·003), but it was not related to serum α-tocopherol levels. We concluded that in the present large sample of children and adolescents with CF, vitamin E intake was lower than recommended, but serum α-tocopherol deficiency was rare. We found no evidence that higher serum α-tocopherol levels had protective effects on PF. Adjustment of the recommendations to the real-life intake of these patients may be considered.
Dietary calcium concentration and cereals differentially affect mineral balance and tight junction proteins expression in jejunum of weaned pigs
Authors: Metzler-Zebeli Barbara U. , Mann Evelyne , Ertl Reinhard , Schmitz-Esser Stephan , Wagner Martin , Klein Dieter , Ritzmann Mathias , Zebeli Qendrim
Published: March 2015

Ca plays an essential role in bone development; however, little is known about its effect on intestinal gene expression in juvenile animals. In the present study, thirty-two weaned pigs (9·5 (sem 0·11) kg) were assigned to four diets that differed in Ca concentration (adequate v. high) and cereal composition (wheat–barley v. maize) to assess the jejunal and colonic gene expression of nutrient transporters, tight junction proteins, cytokines and pathogen-associated molecular patterns, nutrient digestibility, Ca balance and serum acute-phase response. To estimate the impact of mucosal bacteria on colonic gene expression, Spearman's correlations between colonic gene expression and bacterial abundance were computed. Faecal Ca excretion indicated that more Ca was available along the intestinal tract of the pigs fed high Ca diets as compared to the pigs fed adequate Ca diets (P< 0·05). High Ca diets decreased jejunal zonula occludens 1 (ZO1) and occludin (OCLN) expression, up-regulated jejunal expression of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and down-regulated colonic GLUT2 expression as compared to the adequate Ca diets (P< 0·05). Dietary cereal composition up-regulated jejunal TLR2 expression and interacted (P= 0·021) with dietary Ca on colonic IL1B expression; high Ca concentration up-regulated IL1B expression with wheat–barley diets and down-regulated it with maize diets. Spearman's correlations (r>0·35; P< 0·05) indicated an association between operational taxonomic units assigned to the phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria and bacterial metabolites and mucosal gene expression in the colon. The present results indicate that high Ca diets have the potential to modify the jejunal and colonic mucosal gene expression response which, in turn, interacts with the composition of the basal diet and mucosa-associated bacteria in weaned pigs.
Yokes of Gold and Threads of Silk: Sino-Tibetan competition for authority in early twentieth century Kham
Authors: RELYEA SCOTT
Published: March 2015

Beginning in the early eighteenth century, a bifurcated structure of authority in the Kham region of ethnographic Tibet frustrated attempts by both the Lhasa and Beijing governments to assert their unquestioned control over a myriad polities in the borderlands between Sichuan and Tibet. A tenuous accommodation of this structure persisted from the early eighteenth century until the first two decades of the twentieth century when powerful globalizing norms—territoriality and sovereignty—transformed both the understanding and expectations of territorial rule held by Qing and, later, Republican Chinese officials. Absolutist conceptions of these norms prompted an ambitious endeavour to shatter the bifurcated structure and undermine the Dalai Lama's spiritual influence on Kham society. Infrontier imperialism is used to analyse the incomplete implementation of resulting acculturative and incorporative policies, inflected by these two norms, which challenged the monasteries’ indirect influence on the lay rulers of Kham, initiating a struggle for authority that persists to this day.
Food supplementation among HIV-infected adults in Sub-Saharan Africa: impact on treatment adherence and weight gain
Authors: Audain Keiron A. , Zotor Francis B. , Amuna Paul , Ellahi Basma
Published: March 2015

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest proportion of undernourished people in the world, along with the highest number of people living with HIV and AIDS. Thus, as a result of high levels of food insecurity many HIV patients are also undernourished. The synergism between HIV and undernutrition leads to poor treatment adherence and high mortality rates. Undernutrition has a debilitating effect on the immune system due to key nutrient deficiencies and the overproduction of reactive species (oxidative stress), which causes rapid HIV progression and the onset of AIDS. Therapeutic food supplementation used in the treatment of severe acute malnutrition is being applied to HIV palliative care; however, little biochemical data exist to highlight its impact on oxidative stress and immune recovery. In addition, as most food supplements are imported by donor agencies, efforts are being put into local therapeutic food production such as the Food Multi-Mix concept to ensure sustainability. The purpose of this review is to highlight studies that examine the effectiveness of food supplementation in undernourished HIV patients in Sub-Saharan Africa; noting the parameters used to measure efficacy, as well as the long-term feasibility of supplementation.
Serological comparison of antibodies to avian influenza viruses, subtypes H5N2, H6N1, H7N3 and H7N9 between poultry workers and non-poultry workers in Taiwan in 2012
Authors: HUANG S. Y. , YANG J. R. , LIN Y. J. , YANG C. H. , CHENG M. C. , LIU M. T. , WU H. S. , CHANG F. Y.
Published: March 2015

In Taiwan, avian influenza virus (AIV) subtypes H5N2, H6N1 and H7N3 have been identified in domestic poultry, and several strains of these subtypes have become endemic in poultry. To evaluate the potential of avian-to-human transmission due to occupational exposure, an exploratory analysis of AIV antibody status in poultry workers was conducted. We enrolled 670 poultry workers, including 335 live poultry vendors (LPVs), 335 poultry farmers (PFs), and 577 non-poultry workers (NPWs). Serum antibody titres against various subtypes of viruses were analysed and compared. The overall seropositivity rates in LPVs and PFs were 2·99% (10/335) and 1·79% (6/335), respectively, against H5N2; and 0·6% (2/335) and 1·19% (4/335), respectively, for H7N3 virus. Of NPWs, 0·35% (2/577) and 0·17% (1/577) were seropositive for H5N2 and H7N3, respectively. Geographical analysis revealed that poultry workers whose workplaces were near locations where H5N2 outbreaks in poultry have been reported face greater risks of being exposed to viruses that result in elevated H5N2 antibody titres. H6N1 antibodies were detected in only one PF, and no H7N9 antibodies were found in the study subjects. Subclinical infections caused by H5N2, H6N1 and H7N3 viruses were thus identified in poultry workers in Taiwan. Occupational exposure is associated with a high risk of AIV infection, and the seroprevalence of particular avian influenza strains in humans reflects the endemic strains in poultry in this region.
Inferior and right-sided juxtaposition of the left atrial appendage with an unexpected type of inter-atrial communication
Authors: Sarwark Anne E. , Anderson Robert H. , Spicer Diane E.
Published: March 2015

We have re-investigated an unusual cardiac specimen with juxtaposition of the atrial appendages. The original description dates to 1962, when the autopsy was performed at the Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, now Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The heart was subsequently stored in the Farouk S. Idriss Cardiac Registry at the same institution. The specimen shows usual atrial arrangement, but with the morphologically left appendage juxtaposed in a rightward manner, passing behind the heart rather than through the transverse sinus so as to reach its location inferior to the morphologically right appendage. The heart also demonstrated an inter-atrial communication between the cavities of the juxtaposed left appendage and the morphologically right atrium. We provide a detailed description of the morphology, and provide images of this lesion, which to the best of our knowledge has not previously been described.
Evaluation of Online Disaster and Emergency Preparedness Resources
Authors: Friedman Daniela B. , Tanwar Manju , Richter Jane V.E.
Published: March 2015

Introduction:

Increasingly, individuals are relying on the Internet as a major source of health information. When faced with sudden or pending disasters, people resort to the Internet in search of clear, current, and accurate instructions on how to prepare for and respond to such emergencies. Research about online health resources ascertained that information was written at the secondary education and college levels and extremely difficult for individuals with limited literacy to comprehend. This content analysis is the first to assess the reading difficulty level and format suitability of a large number of disaster and emergency preparedness Web pages intended for the general public.

Objectives:

The aims of this study were to: (1) assess the readability and suitability of disaster and emergency preparedness information on the Web; and (2) determine whether the reading difficulty level and suitability of online resources differ by the type of disaster or emergency and/or Website domain.

Methods:

Fifty Websites containing information on disaster and/or emergency preparedness were retrieved using the GoogleTM search engine. Readability testing was conducted on the first Web page, suggested by GoogleTM, addressing preparedness for the general public. The reading level was assessed using Flesch-Kincaid (F-K) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) measures. The Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) instrument was used to evaluate additional factors such as graphics, layout, and cultural appropriateness.

Results:

The mean F-K readability score of the 50 Websites was Grade 10.74 (95% CI = 9.93, 11.55). The mean FRE score was 45.74 (95% CI = 41.38, 50.10), a score considered “difficult”. A Web page with content about both risk and preparedness supplies was the most difficult to read according to F-K (Grade level = 12.1). Web pages with general disaster and emergency information and preparedness supplies were considered most difficult according to the FRE (38.58, 95% CI = 30.09, 47.08). The average SAM score was 48% or 0.48 (95% CI = 0.45, 0.51), implying below average suitability of these Websites. Websites on pandemics and bioterrorism were the most difficult to read (F-K: p = 0.012; FRE: p = 0.014) and least suitable (SAM: p = 0.035) compared with other disasters and emergencies.

Conclusions:

The results suggest the need for readily accessible preparedness resources on the Web that are easy-to-read and visually appropriate. Interdisciplinary collaborations between public health educators, risk communication specialists, and Web page creators and writers are recommended to ensure the development and dissemination of disaster and emergency resources that consider literacy abilities of the general public.
Institutional development, transaction costs and economic growth: evidence from a cross-country investigation
Authors: KOVAČ MITJA , SPRUK ROK
Published: March 2015

This paper seeks to quantify the impact of transaction costs on cross-country economic growth. Our evidence from a cross-country panel data regression analysis reveals a persistent and robust negative effect of increasing transaction costs on the path of economic growth. The growth-enhancing effects of lower transaction costs are confirmed after controlling for the set of conditioning variables and further demonstrated in a cross-country growth model calibration. The results provide evidence that transaction costs might indeed be central to the study of cross-country productivity differences, suggest the importance of contractual relations and indicate their significant impact on cross-country economic performance over time.
Dropout prediction in a public mental health intervention for sub-threshold and mild panic disorder
Authors: Meulenbeek Peter , Seeger Kristin , ten Klooster Peter M.
Published: March 2015

Dropout is a common and serious problem in psychological research and practice. When participants terminate treatment prematurely, this may have methodological and clinical consequences. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of dropout in a sample of patients (N = 217) with sub-threshold and mild panic disorder treated with a public mental health intervention programme based on cognitive-behavioural principles. Three groups of possible baseline predictors were selected from the literature: (1) socio-demographic, (2) personal, and (3) illness-related variables. A total of 51 (23.5%) participants were classified as dropouts. Dropouts were further subdivided into pretreatment dropouts (n = 17) who attended no course sessions at all and regular dropouts (n = 34) who attended 1–5 course sessions. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent predictors of dropout. Few variables were significantly associated with increased odds of dropout and the total explained variance was small. Fewer years of education was the only independent predictor of total dropout and male gender was associated with more pretreatment dropout. No independent predictors were found for regular dropout. It can be concluded that it is difficult to precisely predict dropout risk in patients participating in a public mental health intervention for panic symptoms.
Triple band circularly polarized compact microstrip antenna with defected ground structure for wireless applications
Authors: Khandelwal Mukesh Kumar , Kanaujia Binod Kumar , Dwari Santanu , Kumar Sachin , Gautam Anil Kumar
Published: March 2015

Asymmetric slits loaded irregular shaped microstrip patch antenna with three different ground structures is proposed. All three antennas show triple band characteristics. First antenna with regular ground plane resonates at 1.95, 2.4, and 4.90 GHz with good radiation characteristics and shows right-hand circular polarization at 1.95 GHz. 18.75% of compactness is achieved with triple band characteristics. Further, same patch is used with different defected ground structures. Second antenna resonates at 1.85, 2.4, and 4.85 GHz with suppressed cross-polarization level and antenna shows right-hand circular polarization at 1.85 and 4.85 GHz. Compactness is further improved to the value of 22.91%. The third antenna resonates at 1.95, 2.4, and 4.85 GHz with better gain and radiation characteristics and antenna shows right-hand circular polarization at 1.95 and 2.4 GHz. The small frequency ratio f2/f1 is achieved and the value of f2/f1 is 1.29 and 1.23 for second and third configuration, respectively. Proposed structures show right-hand circularly polarized with suppressed left-hand circularly polarized radiations and suitable for fixed mobile wireless communication applications. All structures are analyzed using Ansoft HFSS v.14 based on finite element method and measured results satisfy the simulated results.
Tropical cyclone rainfall area controlled by relative sea surface temperature
Authors: Lin Yanluan , Zhao Ming , Zhang Minghua
Published: March 2015

Tropical cyclone rainfall rates have been projected to increase in a warmer climate. The area coverage of tropical cyclones influences their impact on human lives, yet little is known about how tropical cyclone rainfall area will change in the future. Here, using satellite data and global atmospheric model simulations, we show that tropical cyclone rainfall area is controlled primarily by its environmental sea surface temperature (SST) relative to the tropical mean SST (that is, the relative SST), while rainfall rate increases with increasing absolute SST. Our result is consistent with previous numerical simulations that indicated tight relationships between tropical cyclone size and mid-tropospheric relative humidity. Global statistics of tropical cyclone rainfall area are not expected to change markedly under a warmer climate provided that SST change is relatively uniform, implying that increases in total rainfall will be confined to similar size domains with higher rainfall rates.
Suspected community-acquired pneumonia in an ambulatory setting (CAPA): a French prospective observational cohort study in general practice
Authors: Partouche Henri , Buffel du Vaure Céline , Personne Virginie , Le Cossec Chloé , Garcin Camille , Lorenzo Alain , Ghasarossian Christian , Landais Paul , Toubiana Laurent , Gilberg Serge
Published: March 2015

Background:

Few studies have addressed the pragmatic management of ambulatory patients with suspected community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) using a precise description of the disease with or without chest X-ray (X-ray) evidence.

Aims:

To describe the characteristics, clinical findings, additional investigations and disease progression in patients with suspected CAP managed by French General Practitioners (GPs).

Methods:

The patients included were older than 18 years, with signs or symptoms suggestive of CAP associated with recent-onset unilateral crackles on auscultation or a new opacity on X-ray. They were followed for up to 6 weeks. Descriptive analyses of all patients and according to their management with X-rays were carried out.

Results:

From September 2011 to July 2012, 886 patients have been consulted by 267 GPs. Among them, 278 (31%) were older than 65 years and 337 (38%) were at increased risk for invasive pneumococcal disease. At presentation, the three most common symptoms, cough (94%), fever (93%), and weakness or myalgia (81%), were all observed in 70% of patients. Unilateral crackles were observed in 77% of patients. Among patients with positive radiography (64%), 36% had no unilateral crackles. A null CRB-65 score was obtained in 62% of patients. Most patients (94%) initially received antibiotics and experienced uncomplicated disease progression regardless of their management with X-rays. Finally, 7% of patients were hospitalised and 0.3% died.

Conclusions:

Most patients consulting GPs for suspected CAP had the three following most common symptoms: cough, fever, and weakness or myalgia. More than a third of them were at increased risk for invasive pneumococcal disease. With or without X-rays, most patients received antibiotics and experienced uncomplicated disease progression.
Physicochemical Evolution and Molecular Adaptation of the Cetacean Osmoregulation-related Gene UT-A2 and Implications for Functional Studies
Authors: Wang Jingzhen , Yu Xueying , Hu Bo , Zheng Jinsong , Xiao Wuhan , Hao Yujiang , Liu Wenhua , Wang Ding
Published: March 2015

Cetaceans have an enigmatic evolutionary history of re-invading aquatic habitats. One of their essential adaptabilities that has enabled this process is their homeostatic strategy adjustment. Here, we investigated the physicochemical evolution and molecular adaptation of the cetacean urea transporter UT-A2, which plays an important role in urine concentration and water homeostasis. First, we cloned UT-A2 from the freshwater Yangtze finless porpoise, after which bioinformatics analyses were conducted based on available datasets (including freshwater baiji and marine toothed and baleen whales) using MEGA, PAML, DataMonkey, TreeSAAP and Consurf. Our findings suggest that the UT-A2 protein shows folding similar to that of dvUT and UT-B, whereas some variations occurred in the functional So and Si regions of the selectivity filter. Additionally, several regions of the cetacean UT-A2 protein have experienced molecular adaptations. We suggest that positive-destabilizing selection could contribute to adaptations by influencing its biochemical and conformational character. The conservation of amino acid residues within the selectivity filter of the urea conduction pore is likely to be necessary for urea conduction, whereas the non-conserved amino acid replacements around the entrance and exit of the conduction pore could potentially affect the activity, which could be interesting target sites for future mutagenesis studies.
Nondestructive tribochemistry-assisted nanofabrication on GaAs surface
Authors: Song Chenfei , Li Xiaoying , Dong Hanshan , Yu Bingjun , Wang Zhiming , Qian Linmao
Published: March 2015

A tribochemistry-assisted method has been developed for nondestructive surface nanofabrication on GaAs. Without any applied electric field and post etching, hollow nanostructures can be directly fabricated on GaAs surfaces by sliding a SiO2 microsphere under an ultralow contact pressure in humid air. TEM observation on the cross-section of the fabricated area shows that there is no appreciable plastic deformation under a 4 nm groove, confirming that GaAs can be removed without destruction. Further analysis suggests that the fabrication relies on the tribochemistry with the participation of vapor in humid air. It is proposed that the formation and breakage of GaAs-O-Si bonding bridges are responsible for the removal of GaAs material during the sliding process. As a nondestructive and conductivity-independent method, it will open up new opportunities to fabricate defect-free and well-ordered nucleation positions for quantum dots on GaAs surfaces.