bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Tyrphostin NT157 Suppresses Insulin Receptor Substrates and Augments Therapeutic Response of Prostate Cancer
Authors: Ibuki Naokazu , Ghaffari Mazyar , Reuveni Hadas , Pandey Mitali , Fazli Ladan , Azuma Haruhito , Gleave Martin E. , Levitzki Alexander , Cox Michael E.
Published: September 2014

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling is associated with castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) progression. Insulin receptor substrates 1 and 2 (IRS1/2) mediate mitogenic and antiapoptotic signaling from IGF1 receptor (IGF1R), insulin receptor, and other oncoproteins. This study demonstrates that IRS1/2 expression is increased in prostate cancer, and persists in CRPC. Furthermore, this study assesses the anticancer activity of NT157, a small molecule tyrphostin targeting IRS proteins, using androgen-responsive (LNCaP) and -independent (PC3) prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. NT157 treatment resulted in dose-dependent inhibition of IGF1R activation, suppression of IRS protein expression, inhibition of IGF1-induced AKT activation, but increased ERK activation in NT157-treated cells in vitro. These effects were correlated with decreased proliferation and increasing apoptosis of LNCaP cells and increasing G2–M arrest in PC3 cells. NT157 also suppressed androgen-responsive growth, delayed CRPC progression of LNCaP xenografts, and suppressed PC3 tumor growth alone and in combination with docetaxel. This study reports the first preclinical proof-of-principle data that this novel small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor suppresses IRS1/2 expression, delays CRPC progression, and suppresses growth of CRPC tumors in vitro and in vivo. Demonstration that IRS expression can be increased in response to a variety of stressors that may lead to resistance or reduced effect of the therapies indicate that NT157-mediated IRS1/2 downregulation is a novel therapeutic approach for management of advanced prostate cancer. Mol Cancer Ther; 13(12); 2827–39. ©2014 AACR.
Phosphorus: From the Stars to Land & Sea
Authors: Cummins Christopher C.
Published: September 2014

The chemistry of the element phosphorus offers a window into the diverse field of inorganic chemistry. Fundamental investigations into some simple molecules containing phosphorus reveal much about the ramifications of this element's position in the periodic table and that of its neighbors. Additionally, there are many phosphorus compounds of commercial importance, and the industry surrounding this element resides at a crucial nexus of natural resource stewardship, technology, and modern agriculture. Questions about our sources of phosphorus and the applications for which we deploy it raise the provocative issue of the human role in the ongoing depletion of phosphorus deposits, as well as the transfer of phosphorus from the land into the seas.
The Bright Future of Fabulous Materials Based on Carbon
Authors: Wudl Fred
Published: September 2014

Our current civilization belongs to the organic materials age. Organic materials science pervades nearly all aspects of our daily life. This essay sketches the evolution of materials science up to the present day. Plastics as textiles and structural materials dominate human civilization. The element carbon is at the core of this development because of its diverse interconnections with itself and other elements of the periodic table. While silicon will not be supplanted from its role in electronics, carbon will provide the most versatile electronics applications, through inexpensive, flexible electronic devices.
Using Computational Chemistry to Understand & Discover Chemical Reactions
Authors: Houk K. N. , Liu Peng
Published: September 2014

Chemistry, the “science of matter,” is the investigation of the fabulously complex interchanges of atoms and bonds that happen constantly throughout our universe and within all living things. Computational chemistry is the computer modeling of chemistry using mathematical equations that come from physics. The field was made possible by advances in computer algorithms and computer power and continues to flourish in step with developments in those areas. Computational chemistry can be thought of as both a time-lapse video that slows down processes by a quadrillion-fold and an ultramicroscope that provides a billion-fold magnification. Computational chemists can quantitatively simulate simple chemistry, such as the chemical reactions between molecules in interstellar space. The chemistry inside a living organism is dramatically more complicated and cannot be simulated exactly, but even here computational chemistry enables understanding and leads to discovery of previously unrecognized phenomena. This essay describes how computational chemistry has evolved into a potent force for progress in chemistry in the twenty-first century.
The Animacy Continuum in the Human Ventral Vision Pathway
Authors: Sha Long , Haxby James V. , Abdi Herve , Guntupalli J. Swaroop , Oosterhof Nikolaas N. , Halchenko Yaroslav O. , Connolly Andrew C.
Published: September 2014

Major theories for explaining the organization of semantic memory in the human brain are premised on the often-observed dichotomous dissociation between living and nonliving objects. Evidence from neuroimaging has been interpreted to suggest that this distinction is reflected in the functional topography of the ventral vision pathway as lateral-to-medial activation gradients. Recently, we observed that similar activation gradients also reflect differences among living stimuli consistent with the semantic dimension of graded animacy. Here, we address whether the salient dichotomous distinction between living and nonliving objects is actually reflected in observable measured brain activity or whether previous observations of a dichotomous dissociation were the illusory result of stimulus sampling biases. Using fMRI, we measured neural responses while participants viewed 10 animal species with high to low animacy and two inanimate categories. Representational similarity analysis of the activity in ventral vision cortex revealed a main axis of variation with high-animacy species maximally different from artifacts and with the least animate species closest to artifacts. Although the associated functional topography mirrored activation gradients observed for animate–inanimate contrasts, we found no evidence for a dichotomous dissociation. We conclude that a central organizing principle of human object vision corresponds to the graded psychological property of animacy with no clear distinction between living and nonliving stimuli. The lack of evidence for a dichotomous dissociation in the measured brain activity challenges theories based on this premise.
Australian Trade Agreements – A Divergence between Trade Policy and Business Outcomes – Can They Deliver Trade-related Growth for Australia?
Authors: Zeller Bruno , Cole Bill
Published: September 2014

The recently negotiated Japan Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (jaepa) is the latest in a series of trade agreements that seek to create a trading environment for Australian firms delivering outcomes similar to those anticipated under the wto multilateral model. However, the gains to business and the economy from this approach to trade policy have been particular to specific economic sectors and have generally not resulted in significant broad based economic benefits. In particular, the negotiation of trade agreements by Australia has been characterised by the reduction of trade-in-goods barriers (tariffs etc) which have assisted some agricultural and resource activities and compromised value adding, high employment sectors of the economy such as manufacturing. In contrast, Australian trading partners have increasingly sought concessions relating to Foreign Direct Investment (fdi), allowing their businesses to vertically integrate productive activity. The apparent disconnection between Australian trade policy outcomes and the requirements of business and the broader economy stem from failures at both the fundamental level of policy creation and the negotiation and implementation of the agreements. This paper argues that Australian trade policy needs to develop a new, more flexible and responsive model of trade negotiation in order to better serve the economy and its businesses.
Larval morphology of Hydryphantes clypeatus Thor, 1899, H. dispar Schaub, 1888 and H. planus Thon, 1899 (Acari, Hydrachnidia: Hydryphantidae)
Authors: TUZOVSKIJ PETR V.
Published: September 2014

Larvae of the water mite species Hydryphantes clypeatus Thor, 1899 are described for the first time, and redescriptions of the larvae H. dispar (Schaub, 1888) and H. planus Thon, 1899 are presented. The present data suggest that H. clypeatus and H. hellichi Thor, 1899, two species recently considered as a junior synonyms of H. planus resp. H. ruber (Geer, 1787) should be recognized as separate species. Separate keys to all named species based on larvae and adults are given.
Indo-Pacific Climate Interactions in the Absence of an Indonesian Throughflow
Authors: Kajtar Jules B. , Santoso Agus , England Matthew H. , Cai Wenju
Published: September 2014

The Pacific and Indian Oceans are connected by an oceanic passage called the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF). In this setting, modes of climate variability over the two oceanic basins interact. El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events generate sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) over the Indian Ocean that, in turn, influence ENSO evolution. This raises the question as to whether Indo-Pacific feedback interactions would still occur in a climate system without an Indonesian Throughflow. This issue is investigated here for the first time using a coupled climate model with a blocked Indonesian gateway and a series of partially decoupled experiments in which air–sea interactions over each ocean basin are in turn suppressed. Closing the Indonesian Throughflow significantly alters the mean climate state over the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The Pacific Ocean retains an ENSO-like variability, but it is shifted eastward. In contrast, the Indian Ocean dipole and the Indian Ocean basinwide mode both collapse into a single dominant and drastically transformed mode. While the relationship between ENSO and the altered Indian Ocean mode is weaker than that when the ITF is open, the decoupled experiments reveal a damping effect exerted between the two modes. Despite the weaker Indian Ocean SSTAs and the increased distance between these and the core of ENSO SSTAs, the interbasin interactions remain. This suggests that the atmospheric bridge is a robust element of the Indo-Pacific climate system, linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans even in the absence of an Indonesian Throughflow.
Following Incarceration, Most Released Offenders Never Return to Prison
Authors: Rhodes William , Gaes Gerald , Luallen Jeremy , Kling Ryan , Rich Tom , Shively Michael
Published: September 2014

Recent studies suggest that 50% of offenders released from state prisons return to prison within 3 to 5 years. In contrast, this article shows that roughly two of every three offenders who enter and exit prison will never return to prison. Using data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ newly revised National Corrections Reporting Program, we examine prison admissions and releases over a 13-year period in 17 states and over shorter periods in other states to determine the rate at which individual offenders return to prison. We distinguish between the traditional event-based sampling methods for studying recidivism and our alternative offender-based method, explaining how each is useful but how the two approaches answer different policy questions.
Quantitative in vivo analysis of small bowel motility using MRI examinations in mice – proof of concept study
Authors: Bickelhaupt S , Wurnig M C , Lesurtel M , Patak M A , Boss A
Published: September 2014

Small bowel motility analyses using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could reduce current invasive techniques in animal studies and comply with the ‘three Rs’ rule for human animal experimentation. Thus we investigated the feasibility of in vivo small bowel motility analyses in mice using dynamic MRI acquisitions. All experimental procedures were approved by the institutional animal care committee. Six C57BL/6 mice underwent MRI without additional preparation after isoflurane anaesthetization in the prone position on a 4.7 T small animal imager equipped with a linear polarized hydrogen birdcage whole-body mouse coil. Motility was assessed using a true fast imaging in a steady precession sequence in the coronal orientation (acquisition time per slice 512 ms, in-plane resolution 234 × 234 µm, matrix size 128 × 128, slice thickness 1 mm) over 30 s corresponding to 60 acquisitions. Motility was manually assessed measuring the small bowel diameter change over time. The resulting motility curves were analysed for the following parameters: contraction frequency per minute (cpm), maximal contraction amplitude (maximum to minimum [mm]), luminal diameter (mm) and luminal occlusion rate. Small bowel motility quantification was found to be possible in all animals with a mean small bowel contraction frequency of 10.67 cpm (SD ± 3.84), a mean amplitude of the contractions of 1.33 mm (SD ± 0.43) and a mean luminal diameter of 1.37 mm (SD ± 0.42). The mean luminal occlusion rate was 1.044 (SD ± 0.45%/100). The mean duration needed for a single motility assessment was 185 s (SD ± 54.02). Thus our study demonstrated the feasibility of an easy and time-sparing functional assessment for in vivo small bowel motility analyses in mice. This could improve the development of small animal models of intestinal diseases and provide a method similar to clinical MR examinations that is in concordance with the ‘three Rs’ for humane animal experimentation.
Empathy in Physician–Patient Relationship: The Construct and Its Applicability to India’s Health Care
Authors: Borkar Sharmila
Published: September 2014

Empathy in physician–patient relationship is widely discussed and debated as a critical input that helps to enhance the effectiveness of a therapeutic process and to improve the well-being of the patient and the physician. This article, based on relevant literature, which includes theoretical insights and conducted studies of empathy, presents a brief thematic review of empathy, with a specific focus on the role played by it in physician–patient relation and the usefulness of a patient-centred approach and empathetic understanding in enhancing positive health outcomes. Further, while examining the challenge to empathy in India’s current health care scenario, this study maintains that, amidst difficult circumstances, instances of empathetic behaviour still prevail and empathy hopefully has a definite role to play in India’s medical care.
Women in Higher Education in Globalised India: The Travails of Inclusiveness and Social Equality
Authors: Verma Smita
Published: September 2014

Globalisation and liberalisation has opened the doors of higher education for students from all walks of life—greater access, free flow of information, ideas, plethora of opportunities across the borders, to name a few. However, the results of globalisation of education have been paradoxical in the Indian scenario, especially in the backdrop of the structural changes struggling with the issue of equality. No doubt mass education has taken off, yet, in practice, socio-cultural hegemony exists in the educational institutions. The present article is an attempt to delineate the experiences of women students, pursuing higher education, about their interactions within the educational institutions in the city of Lucknow.
Socio-Economic Inequities and Household Sanitation in Rural India: A Comparative Analysis for Three States
Authors: Katrak Homi
Published: September 2014

There is widespread concern about the socio-economic inequities that disadvantage certain households in rural India. This article focuses on inequities in the context of the shortage of household sanitation. Lack of proper sanitation is a major environmental risk to children’s health and an inconvenience, particularly for women.

We undertake a comparative analysis of three states, namely Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and the Punjab. These three states are chosen because they differ significantly in terms of the Human Development Index. We compare the overall shortage of household sanitation in their rural areas and the likelihood of sanitation-related inequities. Empirical analyses, with data for 2007–08, showed that, in respect of both sanitation and sanitation-related inequities, Madhya Pradesh was in the third position, Gujarat did rather better, while Punjab had the best performance. The results could have some useful policy implications.
A microwave wireless energy harvesting system with a wideband antenna array
Authors: Zhang Jingwei , Huang Yi , Cao Ping
Published: September 2014

This paper is focused on a microwave wireless energy harvesting system using a rectenna (rectifying antenna), which consists of a wideband antenna array, a microwave low-pass filter and a voltage doubling rectifying circuit. The wideband antenna array is formed by two double-sided planar cross dipoles. The rectenna operates in the frequency range 1.6–2.5 GHz. Both simulation and experiment studies have been carried out for the rectenna with the input power density levels ranging from 1 to 100 µW/cm2, which are typical in urban environments. The simulated and measured results of the rectenna are compared and showed good agreement. The results demonstrate that the maximum conversion efficiency of the rectenna is above 32% in the frequency range 1.9–2.3 GHz, and the overall conversion efficiency is greater than 20% when the power density is more than 5 µW/cm2. This new wideband rectenna has great potential for harvesting wireless energy in the GSM/3G/4G and ISM 2.4-GHz bands.
Dissensions and Distances of Ideology to Reality: The Origins and Mitigations of Radical System Uncertainty from Dialectic Diagnosis
Authors: Chang Beryl Y.
Published: September 2014

Market practices since the industrialization in the West have followed a formal dualist system or monist reductionist system, where the former treats the opposites, for example, gain and loss, as mutual exclusives and the latter regards each practice as an independent or separable component. However, in light of the global economic recession that originated from the financial and property markets in the United States (US), many implore an explanation of the mechanisms of economic components in a market system and yearn for an outcome that transcends those from either the formal dualist or the monist reductionist practice that led to system collapse. Subsequently, this article presents strands of dialectic laws and principles in seeking understandings and resolutions of conflict reflecting industrial development in technology and innovations in a complex economic system.

JEL: D81, G01, G02, G18, G21, Z13
Intratumoral pseudoaneurysms in hepatocellular carcinoma: do they occur de novo without any prior intervention? A tertiary care center experience of 6 years
Authors: Haider Zishan , Idris Muhammad , Sajjad Zafar , Humayun Sidra , Kashif Nazia , Ali Sajjad
Published: September 2014

Background

Intratumoural pseudoaneurysms (ITPA) within hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) usually arise as postprocedural complications of endovascular therapies or surgical procedures. Their de novo presence in HCC without any prior interventions has not been adequately described in medical literature.

Purpose

To evaluate and quantify the presence of intratumoural pseudoaneurysms (ITPA) within hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) prior to any intervention.

Material and Methods

Retrospective cross-sectional review of 519 patients with HCC at a tertiary care university hospital with the purpose to evaluate and quantify the presence of ITPA present prior to any therapy. Patients’ baseline data along with viral marker status, alpha fetoprotein (AFP) levels, imaging findings, and any prior treatment provided were recorded. Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scans of selected patients were reviewed for presence of any ITPA and their incidence was calculated.

Results

ITPAs without any prior therapy were found in 5% (25/519) of patients with HCC. Seventeen of 25 (68%) patients had liver cirrhosis while eight of 25 (32%) patients were non-cirrhotic on imaging. Multiple ITPAs were seen in 44% (11/25) of patients. Eight percent (2/25) of patients had pseudoaneurysm-associated hemorrhage, 20% (5/25) had lung metastasis, 12% (3/25) had portal vein thrombosis, 8% (2/25) had hepatic vein thrombosis, and 16% (4/25) had peritumoral hematoma. The incidence of de novo ITPAs occurring in patients with HCC without any prior therapy or intervention was 0.24%.

Conclusion

These cases provide a unique insight into an additional feature of HCC and usefulness of recognizing the ITPAs on imaging studies. Although de novo ITPAs in HCC are uncommon, occurring with an incidence rate of 0.24%, their presence in hypervascular hepatic lesion may point towards the diagnosis of HCC. Additionally, they should be accounted for in management planning as they can lead to complications of rupture and hemorrhage.
Correlation between apparent diffusion coefficients on diffusion-weighted MRI and standardized uptake value on FDG-PET/CT in pancreatic adenocarcinoma
Authors: Sakane Makoto , Tatsumi Mitsuaki , Kim Tonsok , Hori Masatoshi , Onishi Hiromitsu , Nakamoto Atsushi , Eguchi Hidetoshi , Nagano Hiroaki , Wakasa Kenichi , Hatazawa Jun , Tomiyama Noriyuki
Published: September 2014

Background

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) and 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose–positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is increasingly recognized as important for assessing tumor malignancy in oncology. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and standardized uptake value (SUV) are negatively correlated in some types of cancer based on tumor aggressiveness.

Purpose

To evaluate relationships between ADC of magnetic resonance imaging and SUV of PET/CT in pancreatic adenocarcinomas.

Material and Methods

Twenty-nine patients histopathologically diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinomas were evaluated. ADC maps were generated from 3 T-MRI using b values (b = 0, 800 s/mm2). PET/CT was performed 60 min after intravenous injection of FDG (3.7 MBq/kg). The margins of tumors on DW-MRI and PET/CT were assessed to measure ADC and SUV of tumor appropriately. For tumors considered well-marginated, minimal and mean ADC as well as maximal and mean SUV were measured. The correlation of ADC and SUV were statistically evaluated and survival period stratified on ADC and SUV also evaluated.

Results

Twenty-two tumors on DW-MRI and 25 on PET/CT were deemed well-marginated. Minimal ADC was significantly and negatively correlated with maximal and mean SUV (r = −0.61, P = 0.0040; r = −0.66, P = 0.0015), and mean ADC also showed significantly and negatively correlation with maximal and mean SUV (r = −0.50, P = 0.024; r = −0.54, P = 0.012). There was no significant difference on overall survival stratified on ADC and SUV.

Conclusion

ADC and SUV were significantly correlated in pancreatic adenocarcinomas, although no significant findings were observed in overall survival.
Comparison of emergence times with different fresh gas flow rates following desflurane anaesthesia
Authors: Jeong Ji Seon , Yoon Sung Wook , Choi Sung Lark , Choi Sung Hwan , Lee Bong Yeong , Jeong Mi Ae
Published: September 2014

Objective

To investigate emergence times with different fresh gas flow rates, following desflurane anaesthesia.

Methods

Patients undergoing surgery with desflurane anaesthesia were randomly assigned to receive fresh gas flow rates of 100% oxygen during emergence of 2 l/min (group D2), 4 l/min (group D4) or 6 l/min (group D6). Time to eye opening, spontaneous movement and extubation (emergence time) were assessed after desflurane discontinuation. The end-tidal concentration of desflurane and bispectral index were recorded at each of these timepoints.

Results

A total of 105 patients were included in the study, with 35 in each of the three groups. Mean times to extubation were 17.6 min, 9.9 min and 9.1 min in groups D2, D4 and D6, respectively. Times to eye opening, spontaneous movement and extubation in group D2 were significantly longer than in groups D4 and D6.

Conclusions

These results suggest that there is the potential to predict emergence time based on fresh gas flow rate following desflurane anaesthesia. It should therefore be possible to use a low-flow technique during the emergence period, in addition to the maintenance period, without delaying recovery if the inhaled anaesthetic is stopped at the predicted time before the end of surgery.
A study on the road friction coefficient estimation and motor torque control for an in-wheel electric vehicle
Authors: Ko Sungyeon , Ko Jiweon , Lee Sangmoon , Cheon Jaeseung , Kim Hyunsoo
Published: September 2014

In this study, a motor torque control algorithm for improving the stability of an in-wheel electric vehicle is proposed. The longitudinal and normal forces acting on the tyre were estimated with the wheel speed, the vehicle acceleration and the motor torque, and a road friction coefficient estimation method based on these factors is suggested. Furthermore, a method for determining the control normal force of each wheel and for limiting the in-wheel motor torque is proposed by introducing the concept of virtual movement of the centre of gravity by the slip ratio. The performance of the proposed in-wheel motor torque control algorithm was validated through MATLAB/Simulink and CarSim co-simulation and real-vehicle tests. The simulations and experimental results show that the in-wheel motor torque control algorithm braked the vehicle with no spin on a slippery road.
Biomechanical comparison of mono-segment transpedicular fixation with short-segment fixation for treatment of thoracolumbar fractures: A finite element analysis
Authors: Xu Guijun , Fu Xin , Du Changling , Ma Jianxiong , Li Zhijun , Tian Peng , Zhang Tao , Ma Xinlong
Published: September 2014

Mono-segment transpedicular fixation is a method for the treatment of certain types of thoracolumbar spinal fracture. Finite element models were constructed to evaluate the biomechanics of mono-segment transpedicular fixation of thoracolumbar fracture. Spinal motion (T10–L2) was scanned and used to establish the models. The superior half of the cortical bone of T12 was removed and the superior half of the cancellous bone of the T12 body was assigned the material properties of injured bone to mimic vertebral fracture. Transpedicular fixation of T11 and T12 was performed to produce a mono-segment fixation model; T11 and L1 were fixed to produce a short-segment fixation model. Motion differences between functional units and von Mises stress on the spine and implants were measured under axial compression, anterior bending, extensional bending, lateral bending and axial rotation. We found no significant difference between mono- and short-segment fixations in the motion of any functional unit. Stress on the T10/T11 nucleus pulposus and T10/T11 and L1/L2 annulus fibrosus increased significantly by about 75% on anterior bending, extensional bending and lateral bending. In the fracture model, stress was increased by 24% at the inferior endplate of T10 and by 43% at the superior endplate of L2. All increased stresses were reduced after fixation and lower stress was observed with mono-segment fixation. In summary, the biomechanics of mono-segment pedicle screw instrumentation was similar to that of conventional short-segment fixation. As a minimally invasive treatment, mono-segment fixation would be appropriate for the treatment of selected thoracolumbar spinal fractures.
Friction modelling and simulation at system level: Considerations to load and temperature effects
Authors: Maré Jean-Charles
Published: September 2014

The influence of load and temperature on friction is addressed in a practical way to provide a step forward in simulation-based design through the development and the numerical implementation of realistic system-level models of frictional losses. Hydraulically and electrically supplied actuators are considered at both individual component level (e.g. gear pairs, nut–screws or bearings) and integrated equipment level (e.g. reducers or even complete actuators). The need for more realistic modelling of friction for embedded and more electrical systems is highlighted, and the influence of load and temperature is illustrated from measurements. The state of the art is reviewed considering knowledge models with special focus on physical effects and data commonly supplied by components’ manufacturers. Then, special attention is paid to global representation models developed as a parameterized combination of generic friction effects, and a generic framework for introducing load and temperature effects in system-level friction models is proposed. Candidate options for model structure, parameterization, numerical implementation and inverse simulation are discussed. The last part of this article supports the development of friction models from mechanical efficiency data, the parameter most widely handled by designers and suppliers, with special attention to aiding or opposite load and to sticking. Throughout this article, measured friction forces are extensively reported and compared with the proposed models.
Adaptive sliding mode control of a wheeled mobile robot towing a trailer
Authors: Keymasi Khalaji Ali , Moosavian S Ali A
Published: September 2014

Tractor–trailer systems have been widely used to increase load transportation capacity. Control of these systems started from motion aid facilities in human-driven vehicles to fully autonomous mobile robots in recent years. In fact, tractor–trailer wheeled robot has been proposed as a modular robotic system in which an actuated mobile robot tows a passive trailer. This is a highly nonlinear underactuated system subjected to nonholonomic kinematic constraints, stable tracking control of which is investigated in this article. To this end, first dynamic model and nonholonomic constraints of the system will be developed in the presence of uncertainties and external disturbances. Next, feasible reference trajectories for the system are generated considering the system constraints, and a Lyapunov kinematic control law is used to stabilize tracking errors. Then, an adaptive dynamic sliding mode controller is presented to control the wheeled mobile robot in the presence of external disturbances and uncertainties. Appropriate adaptive rules based on vigorous Lyapunov stability theorems are designed to compensate the wheeled mobile robot upper-bounded lumped uncertainties and automatically update controller gains. Next, the experimental setup is described, and the obtained results are presented and discussed. Experimental and comparative results reveal merits of the proposed approach in successful control of the overall system, that is, a wheeled mobile robot towing a passive trailer, leading to asymptotic tracking of reference trajectories.
Application and feasibility of systemic lupus erythematosus reproductive health care quality indicators at a public urban rheumatology clinic
Authors: Quinzanos I , Davis L , Keniston A , Nash A , Yazdany J , Fransen R , Hirsh J M , Zell J
Published: September 2014

Objectives

Quality indicators (QIs) are evidence-based processes of care designed to represent the current standard of care. Reproductive health QIs for the care of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have recently been developed, and examine areas such as pregnancy screening for autoantibodies, treatment of pregnancy-associated antiphospholipid syndrome, and contraceptive counseling. This study was designed to investigate our performance on these QIs and to explore potential gaps in care and demographic predictors of adherence to the QIs in a safety-net hospital.

Methods

We performed a record review of patients with a diagnosis of SLE at Denver Health Medical Center (DH) through an electronic query of existing medical records and via chart review. Data were limited to female patients between the ages of 18 and 50 who were seen between July 2006 and August 2011.

Results

A total of 137 female patients between the ages of 18 and 50 were identified by ICD-9 code and confirmed by chart review to have SLE. Of these, 122 patients met the updated 1997 American College of Rheumatology SLE criteria and had intact reproductive systems. Only 15 pregnancies were documented during this five-year period, and adherence to autoantibody screening was 100 percent. We did not have any patients who were pregnant and met criteria for pregnancy-associated antiphospholipid syndrome. Sixty-five patients (53%) received potentially teratogenic medications, and 30 (46%) had documented discussions about these medications’ potential risk upon their initiation. Predictors of whether patients received appropriate counseling included younger age (OR 0.92, CI 0.87–0.98) and those who did not describe English as their primary language (OR 0.24, CI 0.07–0.87) in the multivariate analysis.

Conclusions

We were able to detect an important gap in care regarding teratogenic medication education to SLE patients of childbearing potential in our public health academic clinic, as only one in two eligible patients had documented appropriate counseling at the initiation of a teratogenic medication.
Confidence intervals for a difference between lognormal means in cluster randomization trials
Authors: Poirier Julia , Zou GY , Koval John
Published: September 2014

Cluster randomization trials, in which intact social units are randomized to different interventions, have become popular in the last 25 years. Outcomes from these trials in many cases are positively skewed, following approximately lognormal distributions. When inference is focused on the difference between treatment arm arithmetic means, existent confidence interval procedures either make restricting assumptions or are complex to implement. We approach this problem by assuming log-transformed outcomes from each treatment arm follow a one-way random effects model. The treatment arm means are functions of multiple parameters for which separate confidence intervals are readily available, suggesting that the method of variance estimates recovery may be applied to obtain closed-form confidence intervals. A simulation study showed that this simple approach performs well in small sample sizes in terms of empirical coverage, relatively balanced tail errors, and interval widths as compared to existing methods. The methods are illustrated using data arising from a cluster randomization trial investigating a critical pathway for the treatment of community acquired pneumonia.
The Japanese Experience with Highway Development
Authors: David Dharish
Published: September 2014

Japan now has one of the world’s most highly developed multimodal transport systems. This was only made possible by successfully building an extensive highway network in a short period of time. The two remarkable aspects of this network have been the scale and layout, which were based not only on traffic volume forecasts but also on the principle of equal access. The Japan Highway Public Corporation (JHPC) was instituted in 1956 to oversee the development and expansion of the highway network. Due to the national government’s limited funding capacity, the JHPC initially relied extensively on debt financing, depending on toll revenues to accelerate the nation’s highway development. Eventually the government, seeking to give as many people as possible access to high-speed transport, introduced a pool system of revenues and costs (plus a uniform toll rate system) for all intercity expressway routes. The costs of each route were to be recovered by tolls paid by its users, cross-subsidisation from other routes and public funds. But over the years, the costs of building such a system soared, thereby increasing debt obligations and leading to the disintegration of the JHPC. Japan is now undergoing rapid transition, deregulation and privatisation of its highways, and is on an ambitious debt repayment programme to recover over ¥40 trillion in less than 40 years. This article is a narrative of the post-war historical experience of the development of highways, especially the expressway category of the road sector in Japan.
The Need for Experimental Methodology in Intimate Partner Violence: Finding Programs That Effectively Prevent IPV
Authors: Feder Lynette , Holditch Niolon Phyllis , Campbell Jacquelyn , Wallinder Jan , Nelson Robin , Larrouy Hattie
Published: September 2014

The lack of rigorous evaluations of intimate partner violence (IPV) programs has severely limited our knowledge about what works. However, IPV programs can be rigorously evaluated through randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted ethically and safely. This article provides an example of how a RCT to test an IPV preventive intervention—the Enhanced Nurse Family Partnership Study ( ENFPS)—was successfully implemented by a partnership of researchers and practitioners. The article concludes with some recommendations, arrived at by the researchers and practitioners on the ENFPS team, for achieving a successful collaboration thought to be essential in executing a field experiment.
Impact of Physician Asthma Care Education on Patient Outcomes
Authors: Cabana Michael D. , Slish Kathryn K. , Evans David , Mellins Robert B. , Brown Randall W. , Lin Xihong , Kaciroti Niko , Clark Noreen M.
Published: September 2014

Objective. We evaluated the effectiveness of a continuing medical education program, Physician Asthma Care Education, in improving pediatricians’ asthma therapeutic and communication skills and patients’ health care utilization for asthma. Methods. We conducted a randomized trial in 10 regions in the United States. Primary care providers were recruited and randomly assigned by site to receive the program provided by local faculty. The program included 2 interactive seminar sessions (2.5 hours each) that reviewed national asthma guidelines, communication skills, and key educational messages. Format included short lectures, case discussions, and a video modeling communication techniques. We collected information on parent perceptions of physicians’ communication, the child’s asthma symptoms, and patients’ asthma health care utilization. We used multivariate regression models to determine differences between control and intervention groups. Results. A total of 101 primary care providers and a random sample of 870 of their asthma patients participated. After 1 year, we completed follow-up telephone interviews with the parents of 731 of the 870 patients. Compared to control subjects, parents reported that physicians in the intervention group were more likely to inquire about patients’ concerns about asthma, encourage patients to be physically active, and set goals for successful treatment. Patients of physicians that attended the program had a greater decrease in days limited by asthma symptoms (8.5 vs 15.6 days), as well as decreased emergency department asthma visits (0.30 vs 0.55 visits per year). Conclusions. The Physician Asthma Care Education program was used in a range of locations and was effective in improving parent-reported provider communication skills, the number of days affected by asthma symptoms, and asthma health care use. Patients with more frequent asthma symptoms and higher health care utilization at baseline were more likely to benefit from their physician’s participation in the program.
Heart Disease Management by Women
Authors: Clark Noreen M. , Janz Nancy K. , Dodge Julia A. , Lin Xihong , Trabert Britton L. , Kaciroti Niko , Mosca Lori , Wheeler John R. , Keteyian Steven
Published: September 2014

A randomized controlled trial of two formats of a program (Women Take PRIDE) to enhance management of heart disease by patients was conducted. Older women ( N = 575) were randomly assigned to a group or self-directed format or to a control group. Data regarding symptoms, functional health status, and weight were collected at baseline and at 4, 12, and 18 months. The formats produced different outcomes. At 18 months, the self-directed format was better than the control in reducing the number ( p ≤ .02), frequency ( p ≤ .03), and bothersomeness ( p ≤ .02) of cardiac symptoms. The self-directed format was also better than the group format in reducing symptom frequency of all types ( p ≤ .04). The group format improved ambulation at 12 months ( p ≤ .04) and weight loss at 18 months ( p ≤ .03), and group participants were more likely to complete the program ( p ≤ .05). The availability of different learning formats could enhance management of cardiovascular disease by patients.
Strengthening patient-centred communication in rural Ugandan health centres: A theory-driven evaluation within a cluster randomized trial
Authors: Nayiga Susan , DiLiberto Deborah , Taaka Lilian , Nabirye Christine , Haaland Ane , Staedke Sarah G. , Chandler Clare I. R.
Published: September 2014

This article describes a theory-driven evaluation of one component of an intervention to improve the quality of health care at Ugandan public health centres. Patient-centred services have been advocated widely, but such approaches have received little attention in Africa. A cluster randomized trial is evaluating population-level outcomes of an intervention with multiple components, including ‘patient-centred services.’ A process evaluation was designed within this trial to articulate and evaluate the implementation and programme theories of the intervention. This article evaluates one hypothesized mechanism of change within the programme theory: the impact of the Patient Centred Services component on health-worker communication. The theory-driven approach extended to evaluation of the outcome measures. The study found that the proximal outcome of patient-centred communication was rated 10 percent higher ( p < 0.008) by care seekers consulting with the health workers who were at the intervention health centres compared with those at control health centres. This finding will strengthen interpretation of more distal trial outcomes.
Processing coping methods in expressive essays about stressful experiences: Predictors of health benefit
Authors: Hoyt Michael A , Austenfeld Jennifer , Stanton Annette L
Published: September 2014

This study distinguished constructive (e.g. planning/problem-solving) and unconstructive (e.g. worry) processing in expressive essays and their impact on depressive symptoms, healthcare visits, and physical symptoms. Affect labeling, achievement orientation, and insight utilization were examined as mediators. Essays from 43 medical students were coded; mediators were identified through linguistic text analysis. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and 3 months. Constructive processing predicted declining depressive symptoms (β = −.33, p < .05) and healthcare visits (β = −.61, p < .01). Unconstructive processing predicted increasing healthcare visits (β = .42, p < .05). Higher affect labeling mediated the effect of constructive processing, and lower achievement orientation mediated the effect of unconstructive processing.
Disciplines of truth: The ‘Arab Spring’, American journalistic practice, and the production of public knowledge
Authors: Creech Brian
Published: September 2014

This essay posits American journalism as a particular realm of public knowledge production, inflected with its own professional practices as well as the way in which those practices subjugate technologies of representation. Taking the Arab Spring of 2011 as a case study in journalistic knowledge production, this article analyzes three epistemological conditions underscoring the Arab Spring’s development as an object of knowledge: the use of social media tools within the practice of journalism, the representational authority of the individual reporter, and the articulation of journalistic knowledge to broader institutions of liberal democratic power. While these are by no means the only possible themes of investigation, by looking at how journalistic practices rendered the Arab Spring sensible and worthy of public consideration, this essay hopes to reveal them as temporally and technologically contingent, but also linked to the values of liberal democracy that undergird journalism’s role in American public life.
Biblical Studies: Fifty Years of a Multi-Discipline
Authors: Davies Philip R.
Published: September 2014

The creation of an autonomous and secular discipline of biblical studies can be traced back through several stages, in particular to cultural changes brought about by the Reformation and the Enlightenment. But it is only in the last 50 years or so that this discipline (more accurately, a multi-discipline) can be truly said to have emerged as distinct from Scripture, which now ought to be treated as a separate discipline belonging to theology rather than the human sciences. This review traces some of the principal themes of this discipline, specifically secularization, colonization and fictionalization. These themes are traced through a number of developments, beginning with the fundamental issue of what constitutes the ‘meaning’ of a text. Finally, it is suggested that the relationship between humanistic biblical studies and theological Scripture is becoming, and will continue to be, more explicitly addressed, but that no clear resolution can be foreseen.
Miracles, Jesus, and Identity: A History of Research regarding Jesus and Miracles with Special Attention to the Gospel of Mark
Authors: Kelley Andrew J.
Published: September 2014

To write a comprehensive history of research regarding miracle narratives and the Gospels that is also reasonably sized would itself be miraculous. This article attempts to present a history of literature that is faithful to the wealth of research about miracles and Jesus, but at the same time focuses directly on studies most relevant to the narrative of the Gospel of Mark in its final form. The development of miracle studies has multiple facets and has been approached in a variety of disparate ways. In order to facilitate the clearest history of research, the article has placed relevant works into five major categories: history of religions and the theios anē r debate; historical Jesus studies; the miracle, medicine, and magic discussion; comparative, literary, and other studies; and miracles in Mark and the identity of Jesus. Each of these categories are designed to review the history of secondary scholarship regarding Jesus, miracles, and the identity of Jesus as a miracle-worker with special attention to the Gospel of Mark.
Burden Among Male Alzheimer’s Caregivers
Authors: Geiger Jennifer R. , Wilks Scott E. , Lovelace Lauren L. , Chen Zibei , Spivey Christina A.
Published: September 2014

Focusing on the understudied, increasing population of male Alzheimer’s disease (AD) caregivers, the purpose of this study was to identify their likelihood of utilizing 3 coping strategies (task focused, emotion focused, and avoidance focused) and to examine the effects of each coping strategy on caregiving burden. Data were collected from 138 male AD caregivers in southern United States, including geographically proportional representation of African Americans in the sample. Stepwise regression revealed effects of each coping strategy on caregiving burden, controlling for demographics. The sample reported high burden. Task focused was the highest reported coping strategy. Yet, regression models indicated no significant effect of task-focused coping on burden outcomes. Emotion-focused and avoidance-focused coping each showed significant proportional effects on burden. Implications suggest that emotion- and avoidance-focused coping among male AD caregivers may be maladaptive, that is, reinforcing burden. Male AD caregivers may benefit from more task-focused coping, such as planning and active problem solving.