bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Collaborative Approach in Workforce Assessment
Authors: Frass Lydia R. , Hopkins Xavery L. , Smith Lillian U. , Kyle Joe , VanderKnyff Jeremy , Hand Gregory A.
Published: February 2014

The South Carolina Public Health Training Center and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control conducted a state public health workforce assessment using a collaborative methodology. A joint workforce assessment team used the 2010 Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals—developed by the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice—as the basis for the assessment and resulting continuing education programs. A 91% response rate ( n = 1,375) was achieved among full-time regional employees, while an 81% response rate ( n = 1,598) was achieved among all regional employee types. This unusually high response rate in a voluntary assessment was accomplished by involving key stakeholders in the planning, development, and implementation process and by communicating directly with leaders in South Carolina’s eight health regions. In addition to boosting the response rate, the collaborative approach strengthened the partnership between the academic and practice partners. In this article, we discuss the workforce assessment methodology, strategies, results, and lessons learned.
An Instructional Design Model for Culturally Competent Community Health Worker Training
Authors: Uriarte Jessica A. , Cummings Angela D. L. , Lloyd Linda E.
Published: February 2014

The Texas Public Health Training Center (TPHTC) provides quality training and education for the full spectrum of public health workers. As part of this mission, the TPHTC creates continuing education modules for nontraditional public health workers, such as community health workers (CHWs), through a culturally competent curriculum development process. CHWs, like many public health workers, must be certified by the state of Texas to practice within its borders, and continuing education is required to maintain certification. By involving CHWs and community members in its curriculum development process, the TPHTC is able to produce training modules that are more suitable for this unique and important segment of the public health workforce. The iterative curriculum development process is described here, along with a state-approved curriculum resulting from this method. As the value of the nontraditional public health workforce gains more recognition, sound curriculum design will be increasingly important to support and strengthen these nontraditional professions.
Future of Public Workforce Training
Authors: Miner Kathleen , Allan Susan
Published: February 2014

The guest editors identified eleven prominent public health thought leaders from practice, academia, professional associations, and philanthropic organizations to be interviewed for their opinions about the future of public health, the skills needed by the public health workforce, and training opportunities and roles. While they spoke from many different perspectives, several overarching themes emerged. The public health workforce needs updated skills. Public health academia should be more engaged in educating and training for public health practice, which would also benefit academia. There is a sense that “now is the time” for public health to be an essential player in the health care system. They see promise in emerging activities such as accreditation, practice-based research, and an explicit national agenda for workforce training. Overall, they are cautiously optimistic about the potential for greater real and perceived value of public health, momentum for more comprehensive, and coordinated public health training.
Embodied leadership: Moving from leader competencies to leaderful practices
Authors: Fisher Kelly , Robbins Christine Reiser
Published: February 2014

The aim of this study is to illustrate the rich potential of using a phenomenological lens to forefront leader–follower interactions in an intercultural and dangerous context, thus providing a more situational, relational, and integral understanding of leadership practices. An interdisciplinary approach that used a phenomenological ontology and a leadership practice epistemology was applied to re-analyze a competency framework previously identified in a larger case study of Australian military advisers during the Vietnam War. We demonstrate the rich promise of an embodied perspective through the words of the practitioner and their own (bodily) interpretations of leading. In so doing, we challenge the Cartesian mind–body dichotomy and acontextual approach that underpins most mainstream leadership studies. The (re)analysis locates two “leaderful practices” and identifies the influence of in situ context in which leader–follower relations are situated. Our results signal the explanatory potential of embodiment and the related influence of context on the processual nature of leadership.
The Plantar Plate of the First Metatarsophalangeal Joint
Authors: Lucas Douglas E. , Philbin Terrence , Hatic Safet
Published: February 2014

The plantar plate of the first metatarsophalangeal (MP) joint is a critical structure of the forefoot that has been identified as a major stabilizer within the capsuloligamentous complex. Many studies have clarified and documented the anatomy of the lesser toe MP plantar plates, but few have looked closely at the anatomy of the first MP joint. Ten cadaveric specimens were examined to identify and document the objective anatomic relationship of the plantar plate, tibial sesamoid, and surrounding osseus structures. The average distance of the plantar plate distal insertion from the joint line into the proximal phalanx was 0.33 mm. The plantar plate was inserted into the metatarsal head on average 17.29 mm proximal from the joint line. The proximal aspect of the sesamoid was 18.55 mm proximal to the distal attachment of the plantar plate to the phalanx. The distal aspect of the sesamoid averaged 4.69 mm away from the distal attachment into the proximal phalanx. The footprint of the distal plate insertion was on average 6.33 mm in length in the sagittal plane. The authors hope that these objective data measures can aid in the understanding and subsequent surgical repair of this important forefoot structure.

Level of Evidence: Level V: Cadaver study
Improved Neuroprotective Effects by Combining Bacopa monnieri and Rosmarinus officinalis Supercritical CO2 Extracts
Authors: Ramachandran Cheppail , Quirin Karl-Werner , Escalon Enrique , Melnick Steven J.
Published: February 2014

Ethnobotanical evidence suggests that herbs such as brahmi ( Bacopa monnieri) and rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis) may possess antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. We compared the antioxidant and neuroprotective effects of supercritical extract of Bacopa monnieri and rosemary antioxidant extract obtained from Rosmarinus officinalis as well as their combination to examine the effects on human glial (U-87 MG) and embryonic mouse hypothalamus cells. Bacopa monnieri extract, rosemary antioxidant extract, and their combination (1:1) are not cytotoxic in both glial and embryonic mouse hypothalamus cell lines up to 200 μg/mL concentration. The combination of extracts of Bacopa monnieri + rosemary antioxidant has better antioxidant potential and antilipid peroxidation activity than either agent alone. Although the extract of Bacopa monnieri + rosemary antioxidant showed almost similar inhibition of phospho tau expression as Bacopa monnieri or rosemary antioxidant extract alone, the combination has better inhibitory effect on amyloid precursor protein synthesis and higher brain-derived neurotrophic factor production in hypothalamus cells than single agents. These results suggest that the extract of Bacopa monnieri + rosemary antioxidant is more neuroprotective than Bacopa monnieri or rosemary antioxidant extract.
Hijamat in Traditional Persian Medicine
Authors: Nimrouzi Majid , Mahbodi Ali , Jaladat Amir-Mohammad , Sadeghfard Abbas , Zarshenas Mohammad M.
Published: February 2014

Traditional Persian medicine is based on humoral medical concepts. In the case of abundant blood in the body, tabi’at (body nature) deals with this imbalance by elimination of the morbid substances via some controlling mechanisms. If tabi’at could not react properly, the physician should prescribe an intervention to let the extra blood out. This can be done through phlebotomy, wet cupping, and the use of leech or scarification of the ears. Cupping with scarification may eliminate the morbid substance through the scarified skin, and cupping without scarification evacuates the morbid materials from the compromised organs. Wet cupping in health state is meant to be applied for preventing the blood humor dominance in susceptible individuals. In disease condition, wet cupping is defined as a treatment in which the patients confront the abundance of blood. Wet cupping may have harmful complications in extremely thin or obese patients. Wet cupping should be postponed in patients compromised by diseases especially in the thick phlegm abundance. In Asia, Iranian people, because of religious beliefs, are very interested in cupping therapy. Many unsupervised cupping procedures are performed in Iran, whereas benefits and risks of these procedures are undetermined by providers and clients. In this study, the most important indications and contraindications of wet cupping have been reviewed based on the traditional Persian medicine resources.
Remedies for Children Constipation in Medieval Persia
Authors: Nimrouzi Majid , Sadeghpour Omid , Imanieh Mohammad-Hadi , Shams-Ardekani Mohammadreza , Zarshenas Mohammad Mehdi , Salehi Alireza , Minaei Mohamad-Bagher
Published: February 2014

Constipation in children with bowel movement less than 3 times a week and lasting for more than 3 months is defined as pediatric chronic constipation. According to traditional Persian medicine resources, dryness of food, low nutrition, hotness or dryness of the gastrointestinal tract, intestine sensory loss, excessive urination, increase of evaporation, and sweating because of heavy exercise will together constitute the condition for constipation occurrence. Lifestyle changes considered as premier of medical intervention for constipation. Treatment of constipation in children vastly benefitted from traditional Persian medicine, including simple dietary measures, oil massages, and herbal medicines. This investigation was performed to somewhat help the anxious academics to achieve proper findings in the field of gastroenterology, in pursuit of the traditional Persian medicine advices.
Convergent Validity of the One-Mile Run and PACER VO2MAX Prediction Models in Middle School Students
Authors: Burns Ryan D. , Hannon James C. , Allen Brett M. , Brusseau Timothy A.
Published: February 2014

FITNESSGRAM uses an equating method to convert Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) laps to One-mile run/walk (1MRW) times to estimate aerobic fitness (VO2MAX) in children. However, other prediction models can more directly estimate VO2MAX from PACER performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the convergent validity and relative accuracy between 1MRW and various PACER models for predicting VO2MAX in middle school students. Aerobic fitness was assessed on 134 students utilizing the 1MRW and PACER on separate testing days. Pearson correlations, Bland–Altman plots, kappa statistics, proportion of agreement, and prediction error were used to assess associations and agreement among models. Correlation coefficients were strong ( r ≥ .80, p < .001) and error estimates were similar between comparisons. Bland–Altman plots yielded similar Limits of Agreement between 1MRW and PACER models. Fitness Zone agreement with 1MRW was moderate-to-excellent with kappa > .40 and agreement > .90. The results support that PACER models contain convergent validity and strong relative accuracy with the 1MRW model.
Language and Love
Authors: Jenssen Brian P. , Gray Nicola J. , Harvey Kevin , DiClemente Ralph J. , Klein Jonathan D.
Published: February 2014

Social networking sites (SNS) provide adolescents with opportunities for content generation on a wide range of social issues, providing unique insight into the psychosocial development of adolescence. We explored SNS webpages viewed by a random sample of adolescents during the initial uptake of SNS use (2005) to describe their general language use. Adolescents aged 14 to 17 with home Internet access were recruited using list-assisted random digit dialing methods. All SNS (MySpace) webpages viewed by participants were captured, and a large, structured set of texts (text corpus) was created from the profiles and message boards therein. Using concordance software, word frequency and keyword associations were analyzed. The 346 participants viewed approximately 28,000 MySpace pages, yielding a 1,147,432-word text corpus. Profile sections presented information about the content creator, while message boards focused more on short conversations with recipients. The most common content word was the term love. Profile owners would profess their love for activities, such as dancing, partying, or shopping, followed by their love for family, friends, and significant others. SNS offer teens an opportunity to describe and share feelings about people, places, and things connected to a range of activities and social contacts within their online and offline environments. Better understanding of SNS can offer strategies to adolescents and health care providers for insight into what connects young people in a community.
Return to Play After Open Bankart Repair
Authors: Stone Geoffrey P. , Pearsall Albert W.
Published: February 2014

Background:

Results of open Bankart repair have been well reported. However, less information is available outlining the timetable for return to play (RTP) in athletes after this procedure.

Purpose:

To review the current literature regarding (1) the timetable recommended for athletes to RTP after an open Bankart repair and (2) the objective criteria on which the decision to allow an athlete to RTP is based.

Study Design:

Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

A comprehensive literature search was conducted of all relevant English-language articles using the electronic databases OVID and PubMed between the years 1947 and 2012 to identify open Bankart repair. Two reviewers screened articles for eligibility based on the following criteria: (1) an open Bankart repair, (2) a minimum follow-up of at least 8 months, (3) any report that described the procedure in athletes, and (4) any report that described the time for an athlete to RTP. All relevant data were collected and analyzed with regard to number of patients; mean follow-up; Rowe, Constant, and American Shoulder and Elbow (ASES) scores; redislocation rate; and return-to-sport timing.

Results:

In all, 559 relevant citations were identified, of which 29 articles met the inclusion criteria. The mean follow-up was 51.7 months (range, 8-162 months), and the mean age was 25.9 years (range, 21-31 years). The average Rowe score for all studies was 86.9 (range, 63-90). The average redislocation rate was 5.3%. Twenty-six of 29 studies cited a specific timetable for unrestricted RTP, with an average of 23.2 weeks (range, 12-36 weeks). Only 38% of authors reported sport-specific criteria for return to competition, with the majority allowing return to noncontact sports at 12 to 16 weeks, and the resumption of throwing/contact sports by 24 weeks. Three reports described specific functional parameters for RTP.

Conclusion:

The current review summarized return-to-play guidelines for athletic competition after open Bankart repair. These data may provide general guidelines to aid surgeons when determining the appropriate timetable to allow an athlete to return to unrestricted competition.
Friction stir welding of mild steel to alloy 625 – development of welding parameters
Authors: Rodriguez J. , Ramirez A. J.
Published: February 2014

Friction stir welding parameters were developed for a 6 mm thick dissimilar butt joint made of mild steel and Ni based alloy 625. A composite W-Re/polycrystalline cubic born nitride tool was used to study the effect of tool offset (between 0 and 3·13 mm away from the alloy 625 plate) and rotational speed (between 250 and 350 rev min−1) on joint consolidation. When non-optimal parameters were used, macrovoids were observed at the advancing side and faying surface near the joint interface root. Defect free joints were obtained using 300 rev min−1, 100 mm min−1, tool offset of 1·63 mm, and axial force between 25 and 30 kN, under force controlled mode.
NOTCH2 and FLT3 gene mis-splicings are common events in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML): new potential targets in AML
Authors: Adamia Sophia , Bar-Natan Michal , Haibe-Kains Benjamin , Pilarski Patrick M. , Bach Christian , Pevzner Samuel , Calimeri Teresa , Avet-Loiseau Herve , Lode Laurence , Verselis Sigitas , Fox Edward A. , Galinsky Ilene , Mathews Steven , Dagogo-Jack Ibiayi , Wadleigh Martha , Steensma David P. , Motyckova Gabriela , Deangelo Daniel J. , Quackenbush John , Tenen Daniel G. , Stone Richard M. , Griffin James D.
Published: February 2014

Key Points

Overall, our results suggest that NOTCH2 and FLT3 aberrant splicing is a common event in AML that correlates with disease status and may correlate with disease outcomes. Selected variants of NOTCH2 and FLT3 transcripts were detected in a significant number of AML patients and could be useful as disease markers.
The IL-2/CD25 axis maintains distinct subsets of chronic myeloid leukemia-initiating cells
Authors: Kobayashi Chiharu I. , Takubo Keiyo , Kobayashi Hiroshi , Nakamura-Ishizu Ayako , Honda Hiroaki , Kataoka Keisuke , Kumano Keiki , Akiyama Hideo , Sudo Tetsuo , Kurokawa Mineo , Suda Toshio
Published: February 2014

Key Points

CD25+ CML LICs have high LIC capacity and secrete cytokines that constitute the LIC niche. Targeting the IL-2/CD25 axis effectively eliminates CML LICs and improves the survival of CML model mice.
Diffusible signal factor (DSF) quorum sensing signal and structurally related molecules enhance the antimicrobial efficacy of antibiotics against some bacterial pathogens
Authors: Deng Yinyue , Lim Amy , Lee Jasmine , Chen Shaohua , An Shuwen , Dong Yi-Hu , Zhang Lian-Hui
Published: February 2014

Background

Extensive use of antibiotics has fostered the emergence of superbugs that are resistant to multidrugs, which becomes a great healthcare and public concern. Previous studies showed that quorum sensing signal DSF (diffusible signal factor) not only modulates bacterial antibiotic resistance through intraspecies signaling, but also affects bacterial antibiotic tolerance through interspecies communication. These findings motivate us to exploit the possibility of using DSF and its structurally related molecules as adjuvants to influence antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial pathogens.

Results

In this study, we have demonstrated that DSF signal and its structurally related molecules could be used to induce bacterial antibiotic susceptibility. Exogenous addition of DSF signal (cis-11-methyl-2-dodecenoic acid) and its structural analogues could significantly increase the antibiotic susceptibility of Bacillus cereus, possibly through reducing drug-resistant activity, biofilm formation and bacterial fitness. The synergistic effect of DSF and its structurally related molecules with antibiotics on B. cereus is dosage-dependent. Combination of DSF with gentamicin showed an obviously synergistic effect on B. cereus pathogenicity in an in vitro model. We also found that DSF could increase the antibiotic susceptibility of other bacterial species, including Bacillus thuringiensis, Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Neisseria subflava and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Conclusion

The results indicate a promising potential of using DSF and its structurally related molecules as novel adjuvants to conventional antibiotics for treatment of infectious diseases caused by bacterial pathogens.
An aza-macrocycle containing maltolic side-arms (maltonis) as potential drug against human pediatric sarcomas
Authors: Guerzoni Clara , Amatori Stefano , Giorgi Luca , Manara Maria Cristina , Landuzzi Lorena , Lollini Pier-Luigi , Tassoni Aurora , Balducci Mauro , Manfrini Marco , Pratelli Loredana , Serra Massimo , Picci Piero , Magnani Mauro , Fusi Vieri , Fanelli Mirco , Scotlandi Katia
Published: February 2014

Background

Identification of new drugs against paediatric sarcomas represents an urgent clinical need that mainly relies on public investments due to the rarity of these diseases. In this paper we evaluated the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of a new maltol derived molecule (maltonis), belonging to the family of molecules named hydroxypyrones.

Methods

Maltonis was screened for its ability to induce structural alteration of DNA molecules in comparison to another maltolic molecule (malten). In vitro antitumour efficacy was tested using a panel of sarcoma cell lines, representative of Ewing sarcoma, osteosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma, the three most common paediatric sarcomas, and in normal human mesenchymal primary cell cultures. In vivo efficacy was tested against TC-71 Ewing sarcoma xenografts.

Results

Maltonis, a soluble maltol-derived synthetic molecule, was able to alter the DNA structure, inhibit proliferation and induce apoptotic cell death in paediatric sarcoma cells, either sensitive or resistant to some conventional chemotherapeutic drugs, such as doxorubicin and cisplatin. In addition, maltonis was able to induce: i) p21, p15 and Gadd45a mRNA upregulation; ii) Bcl-2, survivin, CDK6 and CDK8 down-regulation; iii) formation of γ-H2AX nuclear foci; iv) cleavage of PARP and Caspase 3. Two independent in vivo experiments demonstrated the tolerability and efficacy of maltonis in the inhibition of tumour growth. Finally maltonis was not extruded by ABCB1, one of the major determinants of chemotherapy failure, nor appeared to be a substrate of the glutathione-related detoxification system.

Conclusions

Considering that treatment of poorly responsive patients still suffers for the paucity of agents able to revert chemoresistance, maltonis may be considered for the future development of new therapeutic approaches for refractory metastatic patients.
Impact of caste on the neurodevelopment of young children from birth to 36 months of age: a birth cohort study in Chitwan Valley, Nepal
Authors: Parajuli Rajendra Prasad , Fujiwara Takeo , Umezaki Masahiro , Watanabe Chiho
Published: February 2014

Background

Caste, a proxy of socioeconomic position, can influence the neurodevelopment of children through several pathways, including exposure to toxic elements. Studies from developing countries where caste is represented by prevailing caste groups and people are highly exposed to toxic elements can provide useful insights into the mechanisms of neurodevelopmental inequities among children. This study aims to investigate the impact of caste on the neurodevelopment of children from birth to 36 months of age in Chitwan Valley, Nepal, where people are exposed to high levels of arsenic (As) and lead (Pb).

Methods

Participants (N = 94) were mother-infant pairs from the Chitwan district in Nepal. The neurodevelopment of the infants was assessed using the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, Third Edition, (NBAS III) at birth and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition, (BSID II) at ages 6, 24, and 36 months. Caste was categorized based on surname, which, in Nepal generally refers to one of four caste groups. We also measured the concentrations of As and Pb in cord blood.

Results

Caste was positively associated with the state regulation cluster score of the NBAS III at birth after adjustment for covariates (p for trend < 0.01). Adding cord blood As levels attenuated the association (p for trend = 0.12). With regard to neurodevelopment at six months of age, the third-ranked caste group scored higher than the first-ranked caste group on the Mental Development Index (MDI) of the BSID II (coefficient = 3.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.3 to 6.0). This difference remained significant after adjustment for cord blood As levels and other covariates was made (coefficient = 3.9; 95% CI = 1.2 to 6.7). The remaining clusters of the NBAS III and BSID II at 6, 24, and 36 months were not significantly associated with caste group.

Conclusions

Caste was positively associated with the state regulation cluster score of NBAS III at birth. This association was partially mediated by cord blood As levels. However, the negative impact of caste on neurodevelopment disappeared as the children grew. Furthermore, an inverse association between caste and MDI at six months of age was observed. Additional studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism of how caste affects neurodevelopment.
Contractive multivalued maps in terms of Q-functions on complete quasimetric spaces
Authors: Karapınar Erdal , Romaguera Salvador , Tirado Pedro
Published: February 2014

In this paper we prove the existence of a fixed point for multivalued maps satisfying a contraction condition in terms of Q-functions, and via Bianchini-Grandolfi gauge functions, for complete

T
0

-quasipseudometric spaces. Our results extend, improve, and generalize some recent results in the literature. We present some examples to validate and illustrate our results.

MSC:54H25, 47H10, 54E50.
The effect of age on sagittal plane profile of the lumbar spine according to standing, supine, and various sitting positions
Authors: Lee Eui Seok , Ko Cheol Woong , Suh Seung Woo , Kumar Suresh , Kang Il Kuy , Yang Jae Hyuk
Published: February 2014

Background

The sagittal alignment of the spine changes depending on body posture and degenerative changes. This study aimed to observe changes in sagittal alignment of the lumbar spine with different positions (standing, supine, and various sitting postures) and to verify the effect of aging on lumbar sagittal alignment.

Methods

Whole-spine lateral radiographs were obtained for young volunteers (25.4 ± 2.3 years) and elderly volunteers (66.7 ± 1.7 years). Radiographs were obtained in standing, supine, and sitting (30°, 60°, and 90°) positions respectively. We compared the radiological changes in the lordotic and segmental angles in different body positions and at different ages. Upper and lower lumbar lordosis were defined according to differences in anatomical sagittal mobility and kinematic behavior.

Results

Lumbar lordosis was greater in a standing position (52.79° and 53.90° in young and old groups, respectively) and tended to decrease as position changed from supine to sitting. Compared with the younger group, the older group showed significantly more lumbar lordosis in supine and 60° and 90° sitting positions (P = 0.043, 0.002, 0.011). Upper lumbar lordosis in the younger group changed dynamically in all changed positions compared with the old group (P = 0.019). Lower lumbar lordosis showed a decreasing pattern in both age groups, significantly changing as position changed from 30° to 60° (P = 0.007, 0.007).

Conclusions

Lumbar lordosis decreases as position changes from standing to 90°sitting. The upper lumbar spine is more flexible in individuals in their twenties compared to those in their sixties. Changes in lumbar lordosis were concentrated in the lower lumbar region in the older group in sitting positions.
Prehospital stroke diagnostics based on neurological examination and transcranial ultrasound
Authors: Herzberg Moriz , Boy Sandra , Hölscher Thilo , Ertl Michael , Zimmermann Markus , Ittner Karl-Peter , Pemmerl Josef , Pels Hendrik , Bogdahn Ulrich , Schlachetzki Felix
Published: February 2014

Background

Transcranial color-coded sonography (TCCS) has proved to be a fast and reliable tool for the detection of middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusions in a hospital setting. In this feasibility study on prehospital sonography, our aim was to investigate the accuracy of TCCS for neurovascular emergency diagnostics when performed in a prehospital setting using mobile ultrasound equipment as part of a neurological examination.

Methods

Following a ‘911 stroke code’ call, stroke neurologists experienced in TCCS rendezvoused with the paramedic team. In patients with suspected stroke, TCCS examination including ultrasound contrast agents was performed. Results were compared with neurovascular imaging (CTA, MRA) and the final discharge diagnosis from standard patient-centered stroke care.

Results

We enrolled ‘232 stroke code’ patients with follow-up data available in 102 patients with complete TCCS examination. A diagnosis of ischemic stroke was made in 73 cases; 29 patients were identified as ‘stroke mimics’. MCA occlusion was diagnosed in ten patients, while internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion/high-grade stenosis leading to reversal of anterior cerebral artery flow was diagnosed in four patients. The initial working diagnosis ‘any stroke’ showed a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 48%. ‘Major MCA or ICA stroke’ diagnosed by mobile ultrasound showed an overall sensitivity of 78% and specificity of 98%.

Conclusions

The study demonstrates the feasibility and high diagnostic accuracy of emergency transcranial ultrasound assessment combined with neurological examinations for major ischemic stroke. Future combination with telemedical support, point-of-care analysis of blood serum markers, and probability algorithms of prehospital stroke diagnosis including ultrasound may help to speed up stroke treatment.
Height increment of understorey Norway spruces under different tree canopies
Authors: Laiho Olavi , Pukkala Timo , Lähde Erkki
Published: February 2014

Background

Stands having advance regeneration of spruce are logical places to start continuous cover forestry (CCF) in fertile and mesic boreal forests. However, the development of advance regeneration is poorly known.

Methods

This study used regression analysis to model the height increment of spruce understorey as a function of seedling height, site characteristics and canopy structure.

Results

An admixture of pine and birch in the main canopy improves the height increment of understorey. When the stand basal area is 20 m2ha-1 height increment is twice as fast under pine and birch canopies, as compared to spruce. Height increment of understorey spruce increases with increasing seedling height. Between-stand and within-stand residual variation in the height increment of understorey spruces is high. The increment of 1/6 fastest-growing seedlings is at least 50% greater than the average.

Conclusions

The results of this study help forest managers to regulate the density and species composition of the stand, so as to obtain a sufficient height development of the understorey. In pure and almost pure spruce stands, the stand basal area should be low for a good height increment of the understorey.
p16INK4a and its regulator miR-24 link senescence and chondrocyte terminal differentiation-associated matrix remodeling in osteoarthritis
Authors: Philipot Didier , Guérit David , Platano Daniela , Chuchana Paul , Olivotto Eleonora , Espinoza Francisco , Dorandeu Anne , Pers Yves-Marie , Piette Jacques , Borzi Rosa Maria , Jorgensen Christian , Noel Danièle , Brondello Jean-Marc
Published: February 2014

Introduction

Recent evidence suggests that tissue accumulation of senescent p16INK4a-positive cells during the life span would be deleterious for tissue functions and could be the consequence of inherent age-associated disorders. Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by the accumulation of chondrocytes expressing p16INK4a and markers of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), including the matrix remodeling metalloproteases MMP1/MMP13 and pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-8 (IL-8) and IL-6. Here, we evaluated the role of p16INK4a in the OA-induced SASP and its regulation by microRNAs (miRs).

Methods

We used IL-1-beta-treated primary OA chondrocytes cultured in three-dimensional setting or mesenchymal stem cells differentiated into chondrocyte to follow p16INK4a expression. By transient transfection experiments and the use of knockout mice, we validate p16INK4a function in chondrocytes and its regulation by one miR identified by means of a genome-wide miR-array analysis.

Results

p16INK4a is induced upon IL-1-beta treatment and also during in vitro chondrogenesis. In the mouse model, Ink4a locus favors in vivo the proportion of terminally differentiated chondrocytes. When overexpressed in chondrocytes, p16INK4a is sufficient to induce the production of the two matrix remodeling enzymes, MMP1 and MMP13, thus linking senescence with OA pathogenesis and bone development. We identified miR-24 as a negative regulator of p16INK4a. Accordingly, p16INK4a expression increased while miR-24 level was repressed upon IL-1-beta addition, in OA cartilage and during in vitro terminal chondrogenesis.

Conclusions

We disclosed herein a new role of the senescence marker p16INK4a and its regulation by miR-24 during OA and terminal chondrogenesis.
Simple and nonradioactive detection of microRNAs using digoxigenin (DIG)-labeled probes with high sensitivity
Authors: Wu Wei , Gong Pengtao , Li Jianhua , Yang Ju , Zhang Guocai , Li He , Yang Zhengtao , Zhang Xichen
Published: February 2014

The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs), which are ∼21–23 nucleotides that can regulate targeted mRNA by transcript cleavage or protein translation suppression, has changed the landscape of biomedical field greatly. At present, Northern blot analysis based on radioisotopes is still the most popular method on the detection of miRNAs for its high sensitivity. However, radioisotopes have been known for certain disadvantages, such as instability, expense, and safety; thus, developing a nonradioactive and highly sensitive method is needed. Here, we report a simple, nonradioactive, and sensitive method for miRNAs detection based on 5′-phos-3′-DIG–labeled probes prepared through splinted ligation and EDC cross-linking (DSLE). The method was more sensitive than traditional Northern blots with a DIG-labeled DNA probe and can detect as low as 2 fmol of miRNAs. The whole procedure can be completed within 6–8 h. DSLE method is very convenient, cost-effective, time-saving, and highly sensitive.
Measurable Multiattribute Value Functions for Portfolio Decision Analysis
Authors: Liesiö Juuso
Published: February 2014

Portfolio decision analysis models support selection of a portfolio of projects with multiple objectives and limited resources. These models often rely on the additive-linear portfolio value function, although empirical evidence suggests that the underlying preference assumptions do not always hold. In this paper we relax these assumptions and derive a more general class of portfolio value functions that deploy symmetric multilinear functions to capture nonlinearities in the criterion-specific portfolio values. These values can be aggregated with an additive or a multilinear function, allowing a rich representation of preferences among the multiple objectives. We develop novel techniques for eliciting these value functions and also discuss the use of existing techniques that are often applied in practice. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the value functions can be maximized for problem sizes of practical relevance using an implicit enumeration algorithm or an approximate mixed-integer linear programming model. Application of the results is illustrated with an example in ecological conservation site selection.
Bread, Freedom, Social Justice: The Egyptian Uprising and a Sufi Khidma
Authors: Mittermaier Amira
Published: February 2014

‘Aīsh, huriyya, ‘adāla igtimā‘iyya (“bread, freedom, social justice”) were key demands of Egyptian protesters in early 2011. Whereas the call for bread evokes immediate need, social justice is often associated with structural transformations and a better tomorrow. In light of this temporal tension, this article calls for a critical rethinking of an orientation toward the future by dwelling on the ethical and political potentials inherent to traditions of giving, sharing, and hospitality that are fundamentally oriented toward the present. Drawing on fieldwork in Cairo during 2010 and 2012, I think about an ethics of immediacy that is embodied in seemingly non-revolutionary everyday practices, but that also emerges from stories about Tahrir as a space of togetherness and solidarity. I argue that such an ethics is obscured in dominant neoliberal concepts of social justice, which foreground individual responsibility, productivity, and economic growth. Concretely, the article places the Tahrir utopia in conversation with a Sufi khidma that provides guests with food, tea, and a place to rest. Both spaces, I suggest, gesture toward modes of being in the world which rupture the state’s monopoly of politics, enable alternative forms of circulation and distribution, and encourage forms of relationality different from capitalism (in both its welfare and neoliberal renditions). By bringing these spaces into conversation, I seek to problematize a pervasive neoliberalization of social justice and to contribute to an anthropology of the otherwise.
Some Carry On, Some Stay in Bed: (In)convenient Affects and Agency in Neoliberal Nicaragua
Authors: Nouvet Elysée
Published: February 2014

What is the significance of feeling unbearably weighed-down by everyday life on the social and economic margins of a Central American city? What are the politics of a mother feeling there is no longer any point in showing up for work given the limited impact it makes for the everyday needs of her family? Relatedly, what is the significance of another woman carrying on with the business of survival as a member of Nicaragua’s urban poor majority? In this article, I question the differences and connections between two women’s engagements with poverty in a shanty on the outskirts of León, Nicaragua’s second biggest city. Subject to isolated analysis, each woman’s corporealization of poverty appears ambiguous in terms of what they do to the inequalities that structure their existence. By engaging these corporealities as affective forces—trans-personally constituted and constituting forces that impact human action—they can be understood as agencies capable of impacting the future. The impetus to carry on and to curl up in bed may represent seemingly contradictory engagements in (or away from) social life, but they both animate a sense of the present’s painful inadequacy, which may be socially transformative. Approaching bodies pushed to their limits as affective forces complicates individual-centric notions of agency, and, I argue, is crucial for understanding how and when social and political transformation becomes imaginable and achievable (or not) in particular contexts.
Managing Hate: Political Delinquency and Affective Governance in Germany
Authors: Shoshan Nitzan
Published: February 2014

The governance of young right-extremists in Germany has spawned a proliferation of therapeutic procedures for their political rectification. This article examines three such efforts in order to expose the excesses and paradoxes that dovetail with, and at times seem to overwhelm, the presumed biopolitical rationality of governance. The penal regimes that bear on young right-extremists call into being a peculiar figure: the political delinquent. In turn, these regimes form part of what I call the management of hate, a wide field of knowledge/praxis invested in governing the relation of German publics to cultural alterity. The elaboration and administration of corrective methods to political delinquents, key to the management of hate, thus reveals itself as inscribed within cultural and political aporias, rather than as fundamentally concerned with the economistic management of populations. Specifically, the intractable specter of National Socialism and the troubled relation of contemporary German nationalism to immigration and difference haunt these therapeutic regimes, which often end up inciting precisely those affective dispositions they seek to curb. The governance of hate in Germany, I conclude, reveals itself as a politically-charged social field, suffused with historical specters and cultural antinomies, and generative of tautological irrationalities and inexorable excesses.
Ecologies of Investment: Crisis Histories and Brick Futures in Argentina
Authors: D'Avella Nicholas
Published: February 2014

This article describes an ecological approach to investment in Argentina. This approach involves seeing investments as part of an emergent web of relations among constitutive and constituting parts. Such a sensibility is central to Argentine economic life, in which no investment is treated like any other. Care about attributing equivalence and attention to the relationality of investments was also central to how people worked to save their savings in the aftermath of the Argentine economic crisis of 2001. But Argentines are not just invested in dollars and pesos, bank accounts and cash; they are also invested in their economic past. As a result, the history of Argentine economic life is under a constant process of (re)narration, as Argentines reflect upon their rocky economic past in films, memoirs, comic monologues, and stories told among family and friends. I follow Argentines in attending to the past as a means to engage current ecologies of investment, paying particular attention to the history of currency and banking in Argentina, which together helped produce a boom in real estate investment in the years following the crisis. I also suggest that thinking ecologically about investments can be useful for anthropologists who are compelled to look beyond global descriptions of the economy.
Active spectral imaging and mapping
Authors: Steinvall Ove
Published: February 2014

Active imaging and mapping using lasers as illumination sources have been of increasing interest during the last decades. Applications range from defense and security, remote sensing, medicine, robotics, and others. So far, these laser systems have mostly been based on a fix wavelength laser. Recent advances in lasers enable emission of tunable, multiline, or broadband emission, which together with the development of array detectors will extend the capabilities of active imaging and mapping. This paper will review some of the recent work on active imaging mainly for defense and security and remote sensing applications. A short survey of basic lidar relations and present fix wavelength laser systems is followed by a review of the benefits of adding the spectral dimension to active and/or passive electro-optical systems.
Aristotle on the Deliberative Abilities of Women
Authors: Karbowski Joseph
Published: February 2014

In this paper I examine what it is about a woman’s nature that, according to Aristotle, makes her suited only for partial authority in the household but not the polis. I situate this question within the context of his rejection of Plato’s more enlightened proposals about women in the Republic. My central claim is that, contra Plato, Aristotle thinks women command only partial authority in the household because their deliberative faculties are intrinsically deficient or limited in comparison to those of freeborn males. I motivate this presumption by critically examining the main interpretations of Aristotle’s notorious claim that a woman’s deliberative faculty is ‘without authority’ (akuron) and support it with evidence from the text. I also examine what implications this insight has for our interpretation of that elusive ‘without authority’ qualification.
Platinum organometallic complexes: classification and analysis of crystallographic and structural data of tri- and oligomeric complexes
Authors: Melník Milan , Mikuš Peter , Holloway Clive E.
Published: February 2014

This review covers almost 100 organoplatinum complexes: trimers (40 examples), tetramers (40 examples), pentamers (4 examples), hexamers (5 examples), nona- and oligomers (8 examples). Platinum is predominantly found in the oxidation states +2 and +4. A number of coordination geometries are observed, the most common being essentially square planar, especially with Pt(II), and distorted octahedral, especially with Pt(IV). The most common ligands are methyl, carbonyl, PX3 and bis(diphenylphosphine)methane. Relationships between the Pt-Pt distances, Pt-X-Pt bridge angles, Pt-L bond distances and covalent radii of coordinated atoms are discussed. The mean Pt-Pt bond distance elongates in the order of nuclearity: 269.0 pm (trimers)<270.5 pm (tetramers)<271.5 pm (dimers)<278.0 pm (oligomers). A comprehensive brief discussion on over 1600 organoplatinum complexes and over 2500 platinum coordination complexes is given. These complexes prefer to crystallize in monoclinic (53%) and triclinic (27%) crystal classes. About l0% of these 4100 plus complexes exist as isomers. It is observed that these isomers are more often stereoisomers than structural isomers and that distortion isomerism is surprisingly more common than the better known cis-trans isomerism, especially in the chemistry of Pt(II) complexes.
Characterization of Adherence Steels Hardened Superficially
Authors: Sanchez-Huerta D. , De la Mora-Ramírez T. , Doñu-Ruiz M.A. , López-Perrusquia N. , Cortés-Suarez J. V.
Published: February 2014

This study evaluates the behavior of the adherence layers - sawn flat iron boride formed on the surface of steels used in manufacturing industry in Mexico. In steels AISI 1018, AISI 8620 and AISI 316 was characterized this behavior, boriding thermochemical treatment with box technique, with a processing temperature of 1273 °K, with an exposure time of 8 hours. Furthermore the adherence is assessed by the Rockwell C hardness technique prescribed by the German standard VDI 3198 of traction, this impact test qualitatively determine the type of adherence formed three thermochemical steels treated by the technique of boriding. Moreover optical microscopy determines the type of film morphology FeB/ Fe2B of each of the materials exposed to a boriding, also shows the thicknesses of the phases generated in the surface type in all three steels boriding. Phase presence boride FeB/Fe2B was determined by X -ray diffraction (XRD). Technique for scanning electron microscopy (EDS) was evaluated qualitatively the presence of FeB/Fe2B of boronizing. Otherwise determines the hardness and elastic modulus by nanoindentation technique of the phases present in the three steels. Lastly, AISI 1018 and AISI 8620 are bounding scale H1 to H3, the AISI 316 steel has an adherence of H3 to H6 under German standard VDI 3198.
Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of 308 and 409 Stainless Steel Welded by GTAW Process
Authors: Saldaña-Garcés R. , Miranda-Pérez A. F. , Pérez-Medina G. Y. , Barrón-Vargas Y. N. , Reyes-Valdés F. A.
Published: February 2014

Today, stainless steel is widely used in automotive industry due to its high impact resistance, corrosion resistance and light weight. This paper present the research carried out to study the differences between microstructure and mechanical properties of 409 and 308 stainless steel sheets, each joints by gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). For each of weldments, detailed analysis was conducted on the chemical composition, microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties of base metal (BM), heat affected zone (HAZ) and fusion zone (FZ). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy were used to analyze microstructural changes and mechanical properties, including microhardness and tensile test. This study can be a practical guide in the selection of other materials in order to determine the important to use in structural automotive industry.