bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Management of large vestibular schwannoma. Part II. Primary Gamma Knife surgery: radiological and clinical aspects
Authors: van de Langenberg Rick , Hanssens Patrick E. J. , Verheul Jeroen B. , van Overbeeke Jacobus J. , Nelemans Patty J. , Dohmen Amy J. C. , de Bondt Bert J. , Stokroos Robert J.
Published: August 2011

Object

In large vestibular schwannomas (VSs), microsurgery is the main treatment option. A wait-and-scan policy or radiosurgery are generally not recommended given concerns of further lesion growth or increased mass effect due to transient swelling. Note, however, that some patients do not present with symptomatic mass effect or may still have serviceable hearing. Moreover, others may be old, suffer from severe comorbidity, or refuse any surgery. In this study the authors report the results in patients with large, growing VSs primarily treated with Gamma Knife surgery (GKS), with special attention to volumetric growth, control rate, and symptoms.

Methods

The authors retrospectively analyzed 33 consecutive patients who underwent GKS for large, growing VSs, which were defined as > 6 cm3 and at least indenting the brainstem. Patients with neurofibromatosis Type 2 were excluded from analysis, as were patients who had undergone previous treatment. Volume measurements were performed on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR images at the time of GKS and during follow-up. Medical charts were analyzed for clinical symptoms.

Results

Radiological growth control was achieved in 88% of cases, clinical control (that is, no need for further treatment) in 79% of cases. The median follow-up was 30 months, and the mean VS volume was 8.8 cm3 (range 6.1–17.7 cm3). No major complications occurred, although ventriculoperitoneal shunts were placed in 2 patients. The preservation of serviceable hearing and facial and trigeminal nerve function was achieved in 58%, 91%, and 86% of patients, respectively, with any facial and trigeminal neuropathy being transient. In 92% of the patients presenting with trigeminal hypesthesia before GKS, the condition resolved during follow-up. No patient- or VS-related feature was correlated with growth.

Conclusions

Primary GKS for large VSs leads to acceptable radiological growth rates and clinical control rates, with the chance of hearing preservation. Although a higher incidence of clinical control failure and postradiosurgical morbidity is noted, as compared with that for smaller VSs, primary radiosurgery is suitable for a selected group of patients. The absence of symptomatology due to mass effect on the brainstem or cerebellum is essential, as are close clinical and radiological follow-ups, because there is little reserve for growth or swelling.
Remarkable epidural scar formation compressing the cervical cord after osteoplastic laminoplasty with hydroxyapatite spacer
Authors: Kuraishi Keita , Hanakita Junya , Takahashi Toshiyuki , Minami Manabu , Mori Masanao , Watanabe Mizuki
Published: August 2011

The authors report on an 81-year-old woman whose condition deteriorated 2 months after undergoing osteoplastic laminoplasty with placement of hydroxyapatite spacers. Magnetic resonance imaging showed postlaminectomy scar formation compressing the cervical spinal cord. The patient underwent laminectomy and removal of remarkably thick epidural scar tissue, which resulted in resolution of her symptoms. Histological diagnosis of the scar was fibrous granulation tissue with foreign body granuloma, characterized by multinucleated giant cells and marked increases of capillary vessels, fibroblasts, and collagen fibers. This case of symptomatic postlaminectomy scar formation after osteoplastic laminoplasty suggests that osteoplastic laminoplasty cannot always prevent laminectomy membrane formation.
Site of deep brain stimulation and jaw velocity in Parkinson disease
Authors: Robertson Lee T. , St George Rebecca J. , Carlson-Kuhta Patricia , Hogarth Penelope , Burchiel Kim J. , Horak Fay B.
Published: August 2011

Object

While deep brain stimulation (DBS) has proven to be an effective treatment for many symptoms of Parkinson disease (PD), a deterioration of axial symptoms frequently occurs, particularly for speech and swallowing. These unfavorable effects of DBS may depend on the site of stimulation. The authors made quantitative measures of jaw velocity to compare the relative effectiveness of DBS in the globus pallidus internus (GPi) or the subthalamic nucleus (STN). This was a randomized, double-blind, and longitudinal study, with matched healthy controls.

Methods

The peak velocities of self-scaled and externally scaled jaw movements were studied in 27 patients with PD before and after 6 months of bilateral DBS in the GPi or the STN. A mixed-effects model was used to identify differences in jaw velocity before DBS surgery (baseline) while off and on levodopa therapy, and after 6 months of DBS (postoperative) during 4 treatment conditions (off- and on-levodopa states with and without DBS).

Results

Self-scaled jaw velocity was impaired by the DBS procedure in the STN; velocity was significantly decreased across all postoperative conditions compared with either the off- or on-levodopa baseline conditions. In contrast, the postoperative velocity in the GPi group was generally faster than the baseline off-levodopa state. Turning the DBS off and on had no effect on jaw velocity in either group. Unlike baseline, levodopa therapy postoperatively no longer increased jaw velocity in either group, and this lack of effect was not related to postoperative changes in dose. The externally scaled jaw velocity was little affected by PD, but DBS still slightly affected performance, with the STN group significantly slower than the GPi group for most conditions.

Conclusions

The authors' results suggest that either the electrode implant in STN or the subsequent period of continuous STN stimulation negatively affected voluntary jaw velocity, including the loss of the preoperative levodopa-induced improvement. While the GPi group showed some improvement in voluntary jaw velocity postoperatively, their performance during the combination of DBS and levodopa was not different from their best medical management presurgery. The results have implications for DBS target selection, particularly for those patients with oromotor dysfunctions.
Vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy: a meta-analysis of efficacy and predictors of response
Authors: Englot Dario J. , Chang Edward F. , Auguste Kurtis I.
Published: August 2011

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) was approved by the US FDA in 1997 as an adjunctive treatment for medically refractory epilepsy. It is considered for use in patients who are poor candidates for resection or those in whom resection has failed. However, disagreement regarding the utility of VNS in epilepsy continues because of the variability in benefit reported across clinical studies. Moreover, although VNS was approved only for adults and adolescents with partial epilepsy, its efficacy in children and in patients with generalized epilepsy remains unclear. The authors performed the first meta-analysis of VNS efficacy in epilepsy, identifying 74 clinical studies with 3321 patients suffering from intractable epilepsy. These studies included 3 blinded, randomized controlled trials (Class I evidence); 2 nonblinded, randomized controlled trials (Class II evidence); 10 prospective studies (Class III evidence); and numerous retrospective studies. After VNS, seizure frequency was reduced by an average of 45%, with a 36% reduction in seizures at 3–12 months after surgery and a 51% reduction after > 1 year of therapy. At the last follow-up, seizures were reduced by 50% or more in approximately 50% of the patients, and VNS predicted a ≥ 50% reduction in seizures with a main effects OR of 1.83 (95% CI 1.80–1.86). Patients with generalized epilepsy and children benefited significantly from VNS despite their exclusion from initial approval of the device. Furthermore, posttraumatic epilepsy and tuberous sclerosis were positive predictors of a favorable outcome. In conclusion, VNS is an effective and relatively safe adjunctive therapy in patients with medically refractory epilepsy not amenable to resection. However, it is important to recognize that complete seizure freedom is rarely achieved using VNS and that a quarter of patients do not receive any benefit from therapy.
‘You have to come into the world’: Transition, Emotion and Being in Narratives of Life with the Internet
Authors: Davis Mark
Published: August 2011

This paper explores the relation between internet technologies and social change with reference to the narratives of ordinary internet-users living in Melbourne, Australia. The argument developed here draws attention to the interviewee's imaginaries of being-in-the-world under internet-related change; imaginaries which are, at times, marked by a language of emotional and bodily transition. This framing of life with the internet suggests that its technologies are not merely the means by which people gain access to information, advice, services and social interaction; they appear to mobilise questions of being and at the same time offer themselves as the means for establishing ‘beingness’, to borrow a term from Valerie Walkerdine (2010) . This emphasis on being in accounts of internet-related change also suggests the exercise of narrative subjectification through internet technologies or, in other terms, the internet-related ‘technologisation’ of narrative practices.
The Trauma of Vulnerability: Human Rights and the Real
Authors: Bergoffen Debra
Published: August 2011

The history of human rights is ambiguous and uncertain. Appeals to rights have been used to secure the privileges of the powerful and to legitimate the status quo. Appeals to rights have been used to expose the evils of cruelty and oppression. Given this muddied history we cannot assume that calls for human rights will operate in the name of justice. Cognizant of this history, I argue that human rights discourses can be a force for justice if: (1) we read human rights demands as an attempt to respond to the experience of the destabilizing, destructive and incomprehensible forces that Lacan calls the Real and that Adriana Cavero calls horrorism; and (2) if we use human rights discourses to respond to the trauma of encountering this horror by defining the human dignity and bodily integrity that human rights claims are intended to protect in terms of the dignity and integrity of the vulnerable body. I argue that if we persist in fleeing our vulnerability by using human rights discourse to insist on our autonomous sovereignty we will perpetuate the cycle of violence endemic to human history.
Scarred for Life: Women's Creative Self-Journeys through Stigmatised Embodiment
Authors: Inckle Kay
Published: August 2011

A recent advertising campaign for a product named Bio-Oil promises to restore women's ‘natural’ (that is, hetero) femininity – their attractiveness, desirability and self-confidence – through eradicating scars which are posited as detrimental to a fully functioning life as a woman. In this paper I draw on my research with three women who experience stigmatised embodiment as a result of the scars of self-injury alongside my own experience of (primarily) medically-inflicted scarring to challenge the imperative to normative gendered embodiment which are promoted by this product. I use feminist and queer approaches to embodiment, difference and The Human to critique the normative, gendered body-self ideals which are perpetuated in the Bio-Oil advert and which also reflect the broader normalising projects of bio-medicine in terms of gender, sexuality and disability. I go on to apply this queer, feminist and embodied approach to a research ethic through which I explore three women's experiences of stigmatised embodiment and the alternative journeys they have made using creative practices to develop an embodied self beyond normative and stigmatising ideals. These experiences further emphasise the ways in which normalising body projects only further fragment and alienate an already socially problematised self, while the women's individual, creative reflections of their unique corporeality and its history offer a more coherent and productive identity (in each woman's individual terms).This creative ethos is also mirrored in the empirical orientation of this paper, in which I aim towards an experiential and affective methodology which invites readers to engage in an intimate dialogue with stigmatised bodies/selves (including my own) and to experience the alternative possibilities that working with and through (rather than normalising and eradicating) stigmatised embodiment can offer.
Filming Non-Normative Embodiment: Power, Sexuality and Genetic Difference in Jabe Babe – A Heightened Life, a Documentary about a Dominatrix with Marfan Syndrome
Authors: Merewether Janet
Published: August 2011

This article will examine the ethical and directorial challenges faced by the documentary filmmaker when collaborating with a central subject who lives with a potentially fatal genetic condition, whilst pursuing a career as a professional dominatrix. What modes of representation and collaboration are open to the director, when artificial boundaries and television genre categorisations such as ‘the science documentary’, ‘the biography’ and the fetish or ‘porno film’ seem limiting? Jabe Babe – A Heightened Life ( Merewether 2005 ) seeks to collapse and merge these conventionally distinct practices by developing a hybrid mode of representation, provoking questions about society's desire for sexual, visual, and genetic conformity.
Fatness andFable: Regulating the Interactive Body in Video Games
Authors: Beattie Scott
Published: August 2011

The video game Fable 2 promises new modes of interaction, by which decisions made by the player can shape the game world and the body of their virtual persona. Some decisions affect the good/evil index by which the avatar takes on a diabolical or saintly aspect. Other decisions affect the character's purity/corruption index, which impacts on the relative thinness and upright posture or fatness and hunched posture and of the avatar. This moralisation of fatness, embedded in the ideological code of the game reflects a set of values about consumption, exploitation and the aesthetics of body. These ‘morality systems’ as they are described in video games are connected to the ways in which other characters respond to you, define the life choices and options (in the Fable games this includes marriage and children) and shape the metaphysical powers of your character. As interactive media evolves, and these kinds of complex interactions become more commonplace, we must challenge the design decisions that align meat eating, tenant exploitation, farting on angry people, bigamy, stealing, long periods of sleep and interpersonal meanness with a fat body image. We are increasingly using avatars as a form of virtual embodiment, particularly in social networking and the deployment of avatars in video games provides precedents for their use in other contexts.
A Martyr in the Archive: The Life and Afterlife of Harvey Milk's Suit
Authors: Jones Jordy
Published: August 2011

This paper analyzes the history of a visible, visceral artifact of a violent event. What was Milk's message, and how is it still deployed through the relics of his life? Harvey Milk argued for gay rights and for the full inclusion of gay bodies into the body politic. People can be pictures and Milk's assassination was an act of iconoclasm. The suit he was wearing at the time of his assassination now resides in the archives of The International Museum of GLBT History. In its journey from the tailor to the shop, through the closet, the legislative chamber, the evidence room, to the box under the surviving lover's bed and finally to the archive, the suit picked up meaning. In exhibition, as part of Saint Harvey: The Life and Afterlife of a Modern Gay Martyr it acquired more. Its original owner, the assassin and the curators are all contributing authors. Reading audiences complete the act of historical inscription. The visitor to the shrine of ‘Saint Harvey’ stands in for the assassin, stands in for the murdered man, stands where an artist would, and stands in dialog with the shroud. Milk the man was a man, but Milk the martyr is a myth. The suit is a relic, the reliquary not a closet but an archive. Objects can be articulate. The suit, produced reverently for an exhibition, a year-long saint's day, speaks.
Novel Genetic Diversity Through Somatic Mutations: Fuel for Adaptation of Reef Corals?
Authors: Van Oppen Madeleine J. H. , Souter Petra , Howells Emily J. , Heyward Andrew , Berkelmans Ray
Published: August 2011

Adaptation of reef corals to climate change is an issue of much debate, and often viewed as too slow a process to be of relevance over decadal time scales. This notion is based on the long sexual generation times typical for some coral species. However, the importance of somatic mutations during asexual reproduction and growth on evolution and adaptation (i.e., cell lineage selection) is rarely considered. Here we review the existing literature on cell lineage selection and show that the scope for somatic mutations to arise in the coral animal and associated Symbiodinium is large. For example, we estimate that ~100 million somatic mutations can arise within a branching Acropora coral colony of average size. Similarly, the large population sizes and rapid turn-over times of in hospite Symbiodinium likely result in considerable numbers of somatic mutations. While the fate of new mutations depends on many factors, including ploidy level and force and direction of selection, we argue that they likely play a key role in the evolution of reef corals.
Changes in Biodiversity and Functioning of Reef Fish Assemblages following Coral Bleaching and Coral Loss
Authors: Pratchett Morgan S. , Hoey Andrew S. , Wilson Shaun K. , Messmer Vanessa , Graham Nicholas A.J.
Published: August 2011

Coral reef ecosystems are increasingly subject to severe, large-scale disturbances caused by climate change (e.g., coral bleaching) and other more direct anthropogenic impacts. Many of these disturbances cause coral loss and corresponding changes in habitat structure, which has further important effects on abundance and diversity of coral reef fishes. Declines in the abundance and diversity of coral reef fishes are of considerable concern, given the potential loss of ecosystem function. This study explored the effects of coral loss, recorded in studies conducted throughout the world, on the diversity of fishes and also on individual responses of fishes within different functional groups. Extensive (>60%) coral loss almost invariably led to declines in fish diversity. Moreover, most fishes declined in abundance following acute disturbances that caused >10% declines in local coral cover. Response diversity, which is considered critical in maintaining ecosystem function and promoting resilience, was very low for corallivores, but was much higher for herbivores, omnivores and carnivores. Sustained and ongoing climate change thus poses a significant threat to coral reef ecosystems and diversity hotspots are no less susceptible to projected changes in diversity and function.
Removal and Conversion of Tar in Syngas from Woody Biomass Gasification for Power Utilization Using Catalytic Hydrocracking
Authors: Huang Jiu , Schmidt Klaus Gerhard , Bian Zhengfu
Published: August 2011

Biomass gasification has yet to obtain industrial acceptance. The high residual tar concentrations in syngas prevent any ambitious utilization. In this paper a novel gas purification technology based on catalytic hydrocracking is introduced, whereby most of the tarry components can be converted and removed. Pilot scale experiments were carried out with an updraft gasifier. The hydrocracking catalyst was palladium (Pd). The results show the dominant role of temperature and flow rate. At a constant flow rate of 20 Nm3/h and temperatures of 500 °C, 600 °C and 700 °C the tar conversion rates reached 44.9%, 78.1% and 92.3%, respectively. These results could be increased up to 98.6% and 99.3% by using an operating temperature of 700 °C and lower flow rates of 15 Nm3/h and 10 Nm3/h. The syngas quality after the purification process at 700 °C/10 Nm3/h is acceptable for inner combustion (IC) gas engine utilization.
Preparation of Chitin Nanofibers from Mushrooms
Authors: Ifuku Shinsuke , Nomura Ryoki , Morimoto Minoru , Saimoto Hiroyuki
Published: August 2011

Chitin nanofibers were isolated from the cell walls of five different types of mushrooms by the removal of glucans, minerals, and proteins, followed by a simple grinding treatment under acidic conditions. The Chitin nanofibers thus obtained have a uniform structure and a long fiber length. The width of the nanofibers depended on the type of mushrooms and varied in the range 20 to 28 nm. The Chitin nanofibers were characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR spectra, and X-ray diffraction profiles. The results showed that the α-chitin crystal structure was maintained and glucans remained on the nanofiber surface.
Effect of Penetration Enhancer Containing Vesicles on the Percutaneous Delivery of Quercetin through New Born Pig Skin
Authors: Chessa Maura , Caddeo Carla , Valenti Donatella , Manconi Maria , Sinico Chiara , Fadda Anna Maria
Published: August 2011

Quercetin (3,3′,4′,5,7-pentahydroxyflavone) exerts multiple pharmacological effects: anti-oxidant activity, induction of apoptosis, modulation of cell cycle, anti-mutagenesis, and anti-inflammatory effect. In topical formulations quercetin inhibits oxidative skin damage and the inflammatory processes induced by solar UV radiation. In this work, quercetin (2 mg/mL) was loaded in vesicular Penetration Enhancer containing Vesicles (PEVs), prepared using a mixture of lipids (Phospholipon® 50, P50) and one of four selected hydrophilic penetration enhancers: Transcutol® P, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol 400, and Labrasol® at the same concentration (40% of water phase). Photon Correlation Spectroscopy results showed a mean diameter of drug loaded vesicles in the range 80–220 nm. All formulations showed a negative surface charge and incorporation efficiency in the range 48–75%. Transmission Electron Microscopy confirmed that size and morphology varied as a function of the used penetration enhancer. The influence of PEVs on ex vivo quercetin (trans)dermal delivery was evaluated using Franz-type diffusion cells, new born pig skin and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy. Results showed that drug delivery is affected by the penetration enhancer used in the PEVs' formulation.
Broadband Wide Angle Lens Implemented with Dielectric Metamaterials
Authors: Hunt John , Kundtz Nathan , Landy Nathan , Nguyen Vinh , Perram Tim , Starr Anthony , Smith David R.
Published: August 2011

The Luneburg lens is a powerful imaging device, exhibiting aberration free focusing for parallel rays incident from any direction. However, its advantages are offset by a focal surface that is spherical and thus difficult to integrate with standard planar detector and emitter arrays. Using the recently developed technique of transformation optics, it is possible to transform the curved focal surface to a flat plane while maintaining the perfect focusing behavior of the Luneburg over a wide field of view. Here we apply these techniques to a lesser-known refractive Luneburg lens and implement the design with a metamaterial composed of a semi-crystalline distribution of holes drilled in a dielectric. In addition, we investigate the aberrations introduced by various approximations made in the implementation of the lens. The resulting design approach has improved mechanical strength with small aberrations and is ideally suited to implementation at infrared and visible wavelengths.
Correction: Okomo-Adhiambo, M. et al. Neuraminidase Inhibitor Susceptibility Testing in Human Influenza Viruses: A Laboratory Surveillance Perspective. Viruses 2010, 2, 2269-2289
Authors: Okomo-Adhiambo Margaret , Sleeman Katrina , Ballenger Kristina , Nguyen Ha T. , Mishin Vasiliy P. , Sheu Tiffany G. , Smagala James , Li Yan , Klimov Alexander I. , Gubareva Larisa V.
Published: August 2011

The authors would like to make the following corrections to their published paper: There was an error in calculation of IC50 fold changes for the NAI-resistant viruses reported in Table 1 of the above-mentioned paper. The corrected values are marked in the updated Table 1 below. [...]
Adenovirus Recruits Dynein by an Evolutionary Novel Mechanism Involving Direct Binding to pH-Primed Hexon
Authors: Scherer Julian , Vallee Richard B
Published: August 2011

Following receptor-mediated uptake into endocytic vesicles and escape from the endosome, adenovirus is transported by cytoplasmic dynein along microtubules to the perinuclear region of the cell. How motor proteins are recruited to viruses for their own use has begun to be investigated only recently. We review here the evidence for a role for dynein and other motor proteins in adenovirus infectivity. We also discuss the implications of recent studies on the mechanism of dynein recruitment to adenovirus for understanding the relationship between pathogenic and physiological cargo recruitment and for the evolutionary origins of dynein-mediated adenovirus transport.
Helicobacter pylori associated with chronic urticaria
Authors: Ben Mahmoud Lobna , Ghozzi Hanène , Hakim Ahmed , Sahnoun Zouheir , Zeghal Khaled
Published: August 2011

Chronic urticaria is one of the most frequent skin diseases in medical practice. Urticaria is defined as acute if the whealing persists for less than six weeks and as chronic if it persists for longer. Chronic urticaria that lasts for several years to decades significantly impairs the quality of life. There is evidence that Helicobacter pylori has a critical role in different extragastric diseases such as chronic urticaria. We present a case of chronic urticaria in an adult patient with H. pylori infection and disease regression after triple anti-H. pylori therapy. In contrast to the autoimmune mechanisms involved in chronic urticaria against which no specific treatment strategy has been developed, infections with H. pylori could be treated with triple therapy. It is suggested that laboratory tests for the detection of this pathogen should be performed in patients with chronic urticaria.
Prevalence of infectious bronchitis and Newcastle disease virus among domestic and wild birds in H5N1 outbreaks areas
Authors: Tarnagda Zekiba , Yougbare Issaka , Kam Adele , Tahita Marc Christian , Ouedraogo Jean Bosco
Published: August 2011

Introduction: The first H5N1 outbreak in Burkina Faso was reported to the World Organization for Animal Health on 3 April 2006. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of avian influenza virus, infectious bronchitis virus, and Newcastle disease virus among domestic and wild birds in highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 outbreaks areas. Methodology: We collected paired tracheal and cloacal swabs from 283 birds including 278 domestic and five wild birds (three vultures, one sparrowhawk and one Western Grey Plantain-eater) in the Central Region (Ouagadougou) and the Western Region (Bobo-Dioulasso and Sokoroni) of Burkina Faso. Total RNA extracted from samples were subjected to reverse transcription  and resulting cDNA amplified by PCR using specific primers for detection of Avian Influenza Virus (AIV mainly highly pathogenic H5N1), Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV), and Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) for the first time in Burkina Faso. Results and conclusions: Our results show that 13.8% (39/283) samples were reactive for NDV, and the prevalence of IBV was 3.9% (11/283). None of the 283 birds were co-infected by AIV, IBV and/or NDV in our study areas. The prevalence of influenza A virus was 3.2% (95% CI: 0-6.6) with a 1.7% (95% CI: 0-3.2) prevalence of H5N1 being detected. Positive cases of H5N1 virus were found in two out of three vultures in Ouagadougou, and in three out of 203 local chickens in the Western Region. These results confirm the presence of influenza A H5N1 virus, IBV and NDV in domestic and wild birds in Burkina Faso.
Primary hydatid disease of diaphragm with subcutenous extension
Authors: Gümüş Metehan , Yağmur Yusuf , Gümüş Hatice , Kapan Murat , Önder Akın , Böyük Abdullah
Published: August 2011

While diaphragmatic hydatid disease is a rare condition, subcutaneous extension of the disease is very rare. A 33-year-old female visited our clinic due to swelling on the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. Thoraco-abdominal CT scan and MRI revealed a hydatid cyst (110 x 98 x 78 mm) located in the costal part of the hemidiaphragm extending into the preperitoneal space and protruding intercostally to a subcutaneous area. Total pericyst resection without opening the cyst, including a margin of normal diaphragm, was performed. The patient was started on albendazole for three months. Hydatid cyst in the diaphragm should be considered in patients with preoperative imaging data indicating cystic lesions adjacent to the diaphragm, especially for cystic lesions encountered in patients who live in or who have come from endemic regions.
Acute and chronic Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and inflammatory markers in coronary artery disease patients
Authors: Haider Mehvash , Rizvi Meher , Malik Abida , Azam Mohammad , Rabbani Mohammad Urooj
Published: August 2011

Introduction: We evaluated the role of inflammation and acute or persistent Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in coronary artery disease (CAD).      Methodology: The study involved 63 cardiovascular disease patients diagnosed with angina and myocardial infarction (MI) and 40 healthy controls. ELISA was performed for detection of C. pneumoniae IgA antibodies and for quantitative analysis of IFN-γ. PCR was performed for detection of the C. pneumoniae 16 SrRNA gene in blood. Results: C. pneumoniae IgA antibodies were detected in 66.66% cases and 41.37% controls. Of IgA seropositive cases 71.43% were MI patients, 61.90% were stable angina patients, and 64.29% unstable angina patients. Of 40 patients whose PCR was done 32.5% were positive of which 76.92% were IgA seropositive. Traditional risk factors were not significantly associated with CAD. The mean value of IFN-γ in cases was 32.12pg/ml and 11.32pg/ml in controls. Elevated IFN-γ was observed in 76.92% of C. pneumoniae IgA seropositives with a mean value of IFN-γ in angina patients of 3.39pg/ml, in unstable angina of 12.91 pg/ml and in MI patients of 23.89 pg/ml. IFN-γ levels in cases who were positive for C. pneumoniae infection by serology and PCR was 55.21 pg/ml. Conclusion: C. pneumoniae infection was significantly associated with CAD risk. The role of acute or persistent infection in progression of CAD to adverse clinical outcome was evident by a high percentage of seropositives among PCR positives. Although IFN-γ alone had a role to play in development of CAD, its values were further enhanced due to recurrent C. pneumoniae infection.
Apropos “Outbreak of Chikungunya in the Republic of Congo and the global picture”
Authors: Arya Subhash Chandra , Agarwal Nirmala
Published: August 2011

This item has no abstract available. Follow the link below to access the full article text.
Inferior Oblique Transposition Onto the Equator: The Role of the Equator in Development of Contralateral Inferior Oblique Overaction
Authors: Kim Seung-Hyun , Na Jae-Hoon , Cho Yoonae A.
Published: August 2011

Purpose:

To investigate the role of the location of the equator and orientation of newly attached inferior oblique (IO) muscle in the development of contralateral inferior oblique overaction (IOOA).

Methods:

Fourteen patients (14 eyes) with 5 to 12 prism diopters (PD) of hyperdeviation in primary position with unilateral, congenital, superior oblique palsy were included. Seven patients underwent modified IO transposition onto the equator (equator group) and seven patients underwent modified IO 14-mm recession (14-mm group). IOOA in the contralateral eye and the angle of strabismus were assessed at 3 months postoperatively.

Results:

Mean angles of hyperdeviation in primary gaze and sursoadduction were 0.7 and 2.1 PD in the equator group and 0.6 and 2.4 PD in the 14-mm group, respectively. Six patients (86%) developed anti-elevation syndrome and four patients (57%) showed definite 2+ or higher IOOA in the contralateral eye in the equator group. Three patients (43%) in the 14-mm group also developed contralateral IOOA, although it was 1+ or less. The postoperative difference in contra-lateral IOOA between groups was statistically significant (
P
= .04).

Conclusion:

This finding suggests that vertical orientation of the IO muscle is another important contributor in the development of contralateral IOOA in addition to the location of the newly attached IO muscle.
Os bibliotecários e os profissionais independentes em informação à luz da nova classificação brasileira de ocupações (CBO 2002)
Authors: Pereira Edmeire Cristina , Oliveira Ângela Maria
Published: August 2011

Apresenta as questões relacionadas aos bibliotecários e aos profissionais independentes em informação no contexto da Classificação Brasileira de Ocupações (CBO 2002). Apresenta um histórico da CBO e demonstra que os profissionais independentes não foram contemplados nesta nova CBO, e se, de um lado, as universidades tentam formar profissionais com características que o mercado exige, a legislação não foi modificada.
Web semântica
Authors: Dziekaniak Gisele Vasconcelos , Kirinus Josiane Boeira
Published: August 2011

O trabalho aborda a Web Semântica: a nova versão da web que está em desenvolvimento, através de projetos como o Scorpion1 e o Desire2. Estes projetos buscam organizar o conhecimento armazenado em seus arquivos e páginas web, prometendo a compreensão da linguagem humana pelas máquinas na recuperação da informação, sem que o usuário precise dominar refinadas estratégias de buscas. O artigo apresenta o padrão de metadados Dublin Core como o padrão mais utilizado atualmente pelas comunidades desenvolvedoras de projetos na área da Web Semântica e aborda o RDF como estrutura indicada pelos visionários desta nova web para desenvolver esquemas semânticos na representação da informação disponibilizada via rede, bem como o XML enquanto linguagem de marcação de dados estruturados. Revela a necessidade de melhorias na organização da informação no cenário brasileiro de indexação eletrônica a fim de que o mesmo possa acompanhar o novo paradigma da recuperação da informação e organização do conhecimento.
Atuação do bibliotecário na educação especial
Authors: Fachin Gleisy Regina Bóries , Hillesheim Araci Isaltina de Andrade , Mata Maria Margarete Sell da
Published: August 2011

Este artigo apresenta a educação especial enquanto campo de atuação para o bibliotecário. Relata os resultados de projeto de extensão do Departamento de Ciência da Informação, da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, que têm como objetivos a organização de biblioteca para a educação especial e o desenvolvimento de atividades de leitura para portadores de necessidades especiais.
A aplicabilidade terapêutica de textos literários para crianças
Authors: Caldin Clarice Fortkamp
Published: August 2011

O artigo apóia-se na teoria aristotélica de admitir a possibilidade de a literatura desempenhar uma função de cura ao aliviar a pressão das emoções. Articula o literário com a biblioterapia, permitindo enfocar a leitura como catarse. Baseia-se também, no pensamento de Freud, que apresenta o riso como terapêutico, como depurativo das tensões. Vale-se, ainda dos seguintes conceitos associados à terapia pela literatura: identificação, introjeção, projeção, introspecção e compensação. Apresenta análises de modelos de textos literários infantis e sua aplicabilidade terapêutica em crianças hospitalizadas.
O nome profissional “bibliotecário” no Brasil: O efeito das mudanças sociais e econômicas dos últimos anos do século XX
Authors: Souza Francisco das Chagas de
Published: August 2011

Apresenta parte da análise construída sobre o tema identidade profissional, realizada a partir da teoria social apoiada na perspectiva interacionista de Berger e Luckmann, comunicacional/discursiva de Habermas e representacional de Moscovici. Tem foco central nas interações comunicativas e na ordem do discurso que elabora a concepção de rótulos como sociedade da informação e/ou sociedade do conhecimento.
Levantando significações para significantes: da gestão do conhecimento a organização do saber
Authors: Bufrem Leilah Santiago
Published: August 2011

Argumenta que o estado de ambigüidade conceitual relacionado aos termos organização e gestão do conhecimento ou do saber é reforçado por duas ordens de fatores: uma relacionada à recente estruturação do campo da ciência da informação e outra à evolução do campo de atuação profissional na área, a partir da expansão do modo capitalista das relações sociais e de trabalho, ambas afetando as formas de expressar idéias em palavras. Apóia-se, tanto em estudos de especialistas, quanto na análise de conteúdo a partir dos Anais do VI Congreso del Capítulo Español de ISKO e IV Coloquio Internacional de Ciencias de la Documentación, considerando que um conceito pode ser definido, seja em relação aos dados empíricos seja aos aportes teóricos que o constituem. Constata uma tendência em direção ao reforço de uma base teórica e epistemológica que facilite a linguagem comum para o sucesso na compreensão de conceitos fundamentais da área de ciência da informação. Considera que representar conhecimentos, registrados ou não, enquanto modo de atribuir ou levantar significações para significantes, é o produto de compromissos contraditórios sob a dupla pressão de fatores ideológicos e de imperativos tecnológicos relacionados ao desenvolvimento efetivo do sistema de gestão do conhecimento, seus propósitos e compromissos.
A inteligência competitiva aplicada à comunicação e à arquitetura da marca de uma organização
Authors: Miquelino Fernando L. C. , Santos Raimundo N. M. , Padovani Reginaldo C.
Published: August 2011

Este trabalho pretende demonstrar que a simples escolha de um posicionamento exclusivo qualquer não estabelece garantia de criação de uma vantagem competitiva sustentável para uma organização. Primeiramente, porque se não for compartilhada pela mesma, pode não ser exeqüível; segundo, em função da ameaça da imitação por parte da concorrência pela obviedade ou, em geral, pela baixa barreira de entrada. É preciso que o posicionamento esteja associado à forma distinta que a organização opera sua cadeia de valor inteira, considerando o jeito de ser e de fazer que cria sistemas, procedimentos, serviços, hábitos, ritos, etc. que são característicos e únicos, como se derivados de uma mesma identidade genética, de difícil imitação por terceiros que não partilhem da essência daquela organização. Esta essência deve ser refletida na marca da organização e de seus produtos, que encontra na comunicação construída via o processo de inteligência competitiva, a sua mais importante ferramenta.
Prospecção e monitoramento informacional no processo de inteligência competitiva
Authors: Valentim Marta Ligia Pomim , Molina Letícia Gorri
Published: August 2011

A prospecção e o monitoramento informacional são atividades base para a inteligência competitiva, entendida como um processo dinâmico, composto pela gestão da informação e pela gestão do conhecimento. O processo de inteligência competitiva (I. C.) nas organizações ocorre a partir de diferentes atividades informacionais, dentre elas estão as ligadas a prospecção e ao monitoramento. O papel destas atividades é essencial, pois alimentam todo o processo com dados, informação e conhecimento, constroem diversas estruturas formais e informais de informação dentro da organização, além do que, as atividades de prospecção e monitoramento geram serviços e produtos informacionais sistematizados, com alto valor agregado.
Mapeamento de inteligência competitiva (IC) e de gestão do conhecimento (GC) no setor saúde
Authors: Canongia Claudia , Pereira Maria de Nazaré F , Mendes Cristina d´Urso de Souza , Antunes Adelaide Maria de Souza
Published: August 2011

Conhecimento e inovação são variáveis-chave de competitividade e de desenvolvimento na sociedade global. Novos modelos de gestão como a inteligência competitiva (IC) e a gestão do conhecimento (GC) vêm sendo discutidos na literatura como metodologias catalisadoras de crescimento e inovação. Neste trabalho são apresentados resultados da aplicação de conceitos e técnicas de IC e GC em estudos do setor Saúde utilizando-se artigos indexados em três bases do ISI Web of Science, no período 1990/2003. São apresentados mapas de conhecimento decorrentes de text mining, para análise da evolução de publicação, identificação de instituições, parcerias e análises de conteúdo para verificação dos principais enfoques adotados.
Advances and limitations of atmospheric boundary layer observations with GPS occultation over Southeast Pacific Ocean
Authors: Xie F. , Wu D. L. , Ao C. O. , Mannucci A. J. , Kursinski E. R.
Published: August 2011

Abstract. The typical atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) over the southeast (SE) Pacific Ocean is featured with a strong temperature inversion and a sharp moisture gradient across the ABL top. The strong moisture and temperature gradients result in a sharp refractivity gradient that can be precisely detected by the Global Positioning System (GPS) radio occultation (RO) measurements. In this paper, the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) GPS RO soundings, radiosondes and the high-resolution ECMWF analysis over the SE Pacific are analyzed. COSMIC RO is able to detect a wide range of ABL height variations (1–2 km) as observed from the radiosondes. Whereas, the ECMWF analyses systematically underestimate ABL heights. The sharp refractivity gradient at the ABL top frequently exceeds the critical refraction (e.g., −157 N-unit km−1) and becomes the so-called ducting condition, which results in systematic RO refractivity bias (or called N-bias) inside the ABL. Simulation study using refractivity profiles based on radiosondes reveals that the N-biases are significant and the magnitudes of biases are vertical resolution dependent. The N-bias is also the primary cause of the systematically smaller refractivity gradient (rarely exceeding −110 N-unit km−1) at the ABL top from RO measurement. However, the N-bias seems not affect the ABL height detection. Instead, the very sharp refractivity gradient and the large RO bending angle due to ducting allow reliable detection of ABL height from GPS RO. The seasonal mean climatology of ABL heights derived from a nine-month composite of COSMIC RO soundings over the SE Pacific reveals significant differences from the ECMWF analysis. Both show the deepening of ABL height from the shallow stratocumulus near the coast to a much higher trade wind inversion further off the coast. However, COSMIC RO shows systematically higher ABL heights overall and reveals different locations of the minimum and maximum ABL heights as compared to the ECMWF analysis. The significantly decreasing number of COSMIC RO soundings at lower latitudes along with the lower percentage of RO soundings penetrating into the lowest 500 m above mean-sea-level (a.m.s.l.), result in generally small sampling errors in the mean ABL climatology and will not affect the morphology of RO ABL height climatology. The difference of ABL height climatology between COSMIC RO and ECMWF analysis over SE Pacific is significant and requires further studies.
Towards space based verification of CO2 emissions from strong localized sources: fossil fuel power plant emissions as seen by a CarbonSat constellation
Authors: Velazco V. A. , Buchwitz M. , Bovensmann H. , Reuter M. , Schneising O. , Heymann J. , Krings T. , Gerilowski K. , Burrows J. P.
Published: August 2011

Abstract. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) that cause global warming. With electricity generation through fossil-fuel power plants now as the economic sector with the largest source of CO2, power plant emissions monitoring has become more important than ever in the fight against global warming. In a previous study done by Bovensmann et al. (2010), random and systematic errors of power plant CO2 emissions have been quantified using a single overpass from a proposed CarbonSat instrument. In this study, we quantify errors of power plant annual emission estimates from a hypothetical CarbonSat and constellations of several CarbonSats while taking into account that power plant CO2 emissions are time-dependent. Our focus is on estimating systematic errors arising from the sparse temporal sampling as well as random errors that are primarily dependent on wind speeds. We used hourly emissions data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) combined with assimilated and re-analyzed meteorological fields from the National Centers of Environmental Prediction (NCEP). CarbonSat orbits were simulated as a sun-synchronous low-earth orbiting satellite (LEO) with an 828-km orbit height, local time ascending node (LTAN) of 13:30 (01:30 p.m.) and achieves global coverage after 5 days. We show, that despite the variability of the power plant emissions and the limited satellite overpasses, one CarbonSat can verify reported US annual CO2 emissions from large power plants (≥5 Mt CO2 yr−1) with a systematic error of less than ~4.9 % for 50 % of all the power plants. For 90 % of all the power plants, the systematic error was less than ~12.4 %. We additionally investigated two different satellite configurations using a combination of 5 CarbonSats. One achieves global coverage everyday but only samples the targets at fixed local times. The other configuration samples the targets five times at two-hour intervals approximately every 6th day but only achieves global coverage after 5 days. From the statistical analyses, we found, as expected, that the random errors improve by approximately a factor of two if 5 satellites are used. On the other hand, more satellites do not result in a large reduction of the systematic error. The systematic error is somewhat smaller for the CarbonSat constellation configuration achieving global coverage everyday. Finally, we recommend the CarbonSat constellation configuration that achieves daily global coverage.
Observations of AGW/TID propagation across the polar cap: a case study
Authors: Cai H. T. , Yin F. , Ma S. Y. , McCrea I. W.
Published: August 2011

Abstract. In this paper, we present observational evidence for the trans-polar propagation of large-scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (TIDs) from their nightside source region to the dayside. On 13 February 2001, the 32 m dish of EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR) was directing toward the geomagnetic pole at low elevation (30°) during the interval 06:00–12:00 UT (MLT ≈ UT + 3 h), providing an excellent opportunity to monitor the ionosphere F-region over the polar cap. The TIDs were first detected by the ESR over the dayside north polar cap, propagating equatorward, and were subsequently seen by the mainland UHF radar at auroral latitudes around geomagnetic local noon. The propagation properties of the observed ionization waves suggest the presence of a moderately large-scale TIDs, propagating across the northern polar cap from the night-time auroral source during substorm conditions. Our results agree with the theoretical simulations by Balthazor and Moffett (1999) in which poleward-propagating large-scale traveling atmospheric disturbances were found to be self-consistently driven by enhancements in auroral heating.