bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Maxillary Sinus: A 26-Year Experience
Authors: Kreppel Matthias , Danscheid Sarah , Scheer Martin , Lüers Jan Christoffer , Eich Hans Theodor , Zöller Joachim E. , Guntinas-Lichius Orlando , Beutner Dirk
Published: October 2012

Background. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of neoadjuvant platinum-based radiochemotherapy (RCT) in patients with maxillary sinus squamous cell carcinoma and to compare the results with other multimodality treatment concepts for advanced-stage maxillary sinus carcinoma in the literature.
Methods. In total, 53 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary sinus were reviewed retrospectively. All patients received a neoadjuvant RCT containing either cisplatin or carboplatin followed by radical surgery. Overall survival and locoregional control were plotted by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Prognostic factors were identified through univariate and multivariate analysis.
Results. Five-year overall survival for all patients was 35%. Eleven patients achieved a complete response after radiochemotherapy. The complete response rate was significantly higher for patients treated with cisplatin (P=0.028); however the 5-year overall survival rates did not differ significantly (P=0.673) for patients treated with cisplatin (37%) and carboplatin (32%). Orbital invasion (P=0.005) and complete response to radiochemotherapy (P=0.021) had a significant impact on overall survival in univariate analysis.
Conclusions. Neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy followed by radical surgery is an effective treatment for patients with advanced maxillary sinus squamous cell carcinoma. In terms of treatment response cisplatin seems to be more effective than carboplatin.
Virtual Commissioning of an Assembly Cell with Cooperating Robots
Authors: Makris S. , Michalos G. , Chryssolouris G.
Published: October 2012

The Virtual Commissioning (VC) technology is the latest trend in automotive assembly which, among other benefits, promises a more efficient handling of the complexity in assembly systems, a great reduction in the system’s ramp-up time, and a resulting shortening of the product’s time to market. This paper presents the application of VC techniques to the case of an industrial robotic cell, involving cooperating robots. The complete workflow of the virtual validation of the cell is presented, and the implementation requirements are discussed. Based on the findings, the outlook and challenges for the wide-range adoption of VC technologies in large-scale assembly systems are provided.
Maternal and Early Childhood Risk Factors for Overweight and Obesity among Low-Income Predominantly Black Children at Age Five Years: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Janjua Naveed Zafar , Mahmood Bushra , Islam M. Aminul , Goldenberg Robert L.
Published: October 2012

Objective. To identify maternal and early childhood risk factors for obesity and overweight among children at age 5 in the state of Alabama.Methods. We recruited 740 mothers during early pregnancy from University of Alabama Prenatal Clinics in a prospective cohort study and followed them throughout pregnancy. We followed their children from birth until 5 years of age. The main outcome measure was obesity (BMI for age and sex ≥ 95th percentile) at 5 years of age. We used poisson regression with robust variance estimation to compute risk ratio (RR).Results. At the 5th year of followup, 71 (9.6%) of the children were obese and 85 (11.5%) were overweight (BMI ≥ 85th–<95th percentile). In multivariable analysis, maternal prepregnancy overweight (RR: 2.30, 95% CI: 1.29–4.11) and obesity (RR: 2.53, 95% CI: 1.49–4.31), and child's birth weight >85th percentile (RR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.13–3.68) were associated with childhood obesity. Maternal prepregnancy BMI, birth weight, and maternal smoking were associated with the child being overweight 1–12 cigarettes/day versus 0 cigarettes/day (RR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.02–1.91).Conclusion. Children of overweight and obese mothers, and children with higher birth weight, are more likely to be obese and overweight at age 5. Maternal smoking 1–12 cigarettes per day is associated with the child being overweight.
“An Unusual Urological Tumour”: Above the Collar and below the Belt
Authors: Mayer Erik K. , Undre Shabnam , Cohen Daniel C. , Walker Marjorie M. , Vale Justin A. , Patel Anup
Published: October 2012

Bladder lymphomas are rarely primary tumours and more commonly associated with systemic lymphoma, either as nonlocalised bladder lymphoma or as secondary bladder lymphoma. Primary bladder lymphomas (PBL) tend to be low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type, contrasting with diffuse large cell or follicular centre cell types more commonly seen in secondary bladder lymphoma. Bladder involvement by systemic lymphoma infers poor prognosis and patients often have no localising symptoms (typically a postmortem diagnosis). Other treatments are preferred over surgery for all bladder lymphomas, except where diagnosis is uncertain or for relief of irritative bladder symptoms. We describe a unique case of systemic high-grade B-cell lymphoma with simultaneous cutaneous renal and bladder lesions at presentation.
The Ongoing Revolution in Breast Imaging Calls for a Similar Revolution in Breast Pathology
Authors: Tabár L. , Dean P. B. , Lindhe N. , Ingvarsson M.
Published: October 2012

Communication between pathologists and radiologists suffers from a lack of common ground: the pathologists examine cells in ultrathin tissue slices having the area of a postage stamp, while the radiologists examine images of an entire organ, but without seeing the cellular details. The current practice of examining breast cancer specimens is analogous to scrutinizing individual pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, without examining all of them and never putting all the pieces into place. The routine use of large section histopathology technique could help to alleviate much of this problem, especially with nonpalpable, screen-detected breast cancers. The study of three-dimensional (3D) images of subgross, thick section pathology specimens by both radiologists and pathologists could greatly assist in the communication of findings.
Sun-Protection Habits of Primary Students in a Coastal Area of Greece
Authors: Saridi M. , Toska A. , Rekleiti M. , Wozniak G. , Liachopoulou A. , Kalokairinou A. , Souliotis K. , Birbas K.
Published: October 2012

Aim. The aim of the present study was to record habits and attitudes of primary school students in Greece regarding sun-protection measures.Materials and Methods. 2,163 students with an average age of 9.9 (±1.1) years, studying in 14 schools of a Greek region, constituted our sample. The SPSS 17.0 software was used for the statistical analysis and significance level was set toP≤0.05.Results. Our sample had an equal gender distribution. 16% of the students belonged to the high-risk group, 70.2% of the participants lived 0–5 km away from the sea (urban area), 84.2% of the students were Greek, and 15.8% had non-Greek nationality. Half of the participants said they wear a hat when under the sun and 72% of them said they use sunscreen. 33.1% of the students said they had a sunburn last summer. Greek students as well as those who lived near the sea had better behaviour patterns regarding sun protection. Finally, children who did not use a sunscreen systematically had suffered sunburns more often than the rest.Conclusions. Health education programmes are necessary for students and parents/teachers alike, in order to raise awareness about everyday sun protection.
Modeling of Signal Plans for Transit Signal Priority at Isolated Intersections under Stochastic Condition
Authors: Bin Lv
Published: October 2012

Transit signal priority (TSP) is recognized as having the potential to improve transit service reliability at small cost to general traffic. The popular preference for TSP encounters the challenges of various and challenging test scenarios. According to the stochastic characteristics of traffic flow, the signal timing model was established for TSP at an isolated signal intersection, where the passenger average delay was used as the optimization objective, and the weights of all phases were considered. The priority logic that is considered in the study provides cycle length and green time within a fixed‐time traffic signal control environment. Using the Gauss elimination, the quantitative relationships were determined between phase clearance reliability (PCR), cycle length, and green time. Simulation experiments conducted by the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm indicated that (1) the random variation of arrival rate has an obvious effect on traffic signal settings; (2) the proposed TSP model can reduce passenger delays, especially under stochastic traffic flow.
Carbon Dioxide Insufflation in Colonoscopy Is Safe: A Prospective Trial of 347 Patients
Authors: Geyer M. , Guller U. , Beglinger Ch.
Published: October 2012

Available evidence suggests that the use of CO2insufflation in endoscopy is more comfortable for the patient. The safety of CO2use in colonoscopy remains contentious, particularly in sedated patients. The objective of the present prospective trial was to assess the safety of CO2colonoscopies.Methods. 109 patients from our previous randomized CO2colonoscopy study and an additional 238 subsequent consecutive unselected patients who had a routine colonoscopy performed in a private practice were enrolled from April 2008 through September 2008. All but 2 patients were sedated. All patients were routinely monitored with transcutaneous CO2measurement. Volumes of CO2administered were correlated with capnographic measurements from transcutaneous monitoring.Results. Of the 347 patients examined, 57% were women; mean (SD) age of participants was of 60.2 years (12.8). Mean propofol dosage was 136 mg (64 mg). Mean CO2values were 34.7 mm Hg (5.3) at baseline, 38.9 mm Hg (5.5) upon reaching the ileum, and 36.9 mm Hg (5.0) at examination's end. Mean maximum increase of CO2was 4.5 mm Hg (3.6). No correlation was observed between volume of CO2administered and increase in level of CO2(correlation coefficient: 0.01;Pvalue: 0.84). No complications were observed.Conclusions. The present prospective study, which was based on one of the largest sedated patient sample reported to date in this setting, provides compelling evidence that CO2insufflation in colonoscopy is safe and unassociated with relevant increases in transcutaneously measured levels of CO2.
On Solving Systems of Autonomous Ordinary Differential Equations by Reduction to a Variable of an Algebra
Authors: Alvarez-Parrilla Alvaro , Frías-Armenta Martín Eduardo , López-González Elifalet , Yee-Romero Carlos
Published: October 2012

A new technique for solving a certain class of systems of autonomous ordinary differential equations over𝕂nis introduced (𝕂being the real or complex field). The technique is based on two observations: (1), if𝕂nhas the structure of certain normed, associative, commutative, and with a unit, algebras𝔸over𝕂, then there is a scheme for reducing the system of differential equations to an autonomous ordinary differential equation on one variable of the algebra; (2) a technique, previously introduced for solving differential equations overℂ, is shown to work on the class mentioned in the previous paragraph. In particular it is shown that the algebras in question include algebras linearly equivalent to the tensor product of matrix algebras with certain normal forms.
A Parameterization Technique for the Continuation Power Flow Developed from the Analysis of Power Flow Curves
Authors: Magalhães Elisabete de Mello , Bonini Neto Alfredo , Alves Dilson Amancio
Published: October 2012

This paper presents an efficient geometric parameterization technique for the continuation power flow. It was developed from the observation of the geometrical behavior of load flow solutions. The parameterization technique eliminates the singularity of load flow Jacobian matrix and therefore all the consequent problems of ill‐conditioning. This is obtained by adding equations lines passing through the points in the plane determined by the loading factor and the total real power losses that is rewritten as a function of the real power generated by the slack bus. An automatic step size control is also provided, which is used when it is necessary. Thus, the resulting method enables the complete tracing of P‐V curves and the computation of maximum loading point of any electric power systems. Intending to reduce the CPU time, the effectiveness caused by updating the Jacobian matrix is investigated only when the system undergoes a significant change. Moreover, the tangent and trivial predictors are compared with each other. The robustness and simplicity as well as the simple interpretation of the proposed technique are the highlights of this method. The results obtained for the IEEE 300‐bus system and for real large systems show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Structural Pounding Detection by Using Wavelet Scalogram
Authors: Xing Shutao , Halling Marvin W. , Meng Qingli
Published: October 2012

Structural pounding can cause considerable damage and even lead to collapse of structures. Most research focuses on modeling, parameter investigation, and mitigation approaches. With the development of structural health monitoring, the on-line detection of pounding becomes possible. The detection of pounding can provide useful information of potential damage of structures. This paper proposed using wavelet scalograms of dynamic response to detect pounding and examined the feasibility of this method. Numerical investigations were performed on a pounding system that consisted of a damped single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) structure and a rigid barrier. Hertz contact model was used to simulate pounding behavior. The responses and pounding forces of the system under harmonic and earthquake excitations were numerically solved. The wavelet scalograms of acceleration responses were used to identify poundings. It was found that the scalograms can indicate the occurrence of pounding and occurrence time very well. The severity of the poundings was also approximately estimated. Experimental studies were carried out, in which shake table tests were conducted on a bridge model that underwent pounding between its different components during ground motion excitation. The wavelet scalograms of the bridge responses indicated pounding occurrence quite well. Hence the conclusions from the numerical studies were verified experimentally.
Periodontal Plastic Surgery to Improve Aesthetics in Patients with Altered Passive Eruption/Gummy Smile: A Case Series Study
Authors: Cairo Francesco , Graziani Filippo , Franchi Lorenzo , Defraia Efisio , Pini Prato Giovan Paolo
Published: October 2012

Altered passive eruption/gummy smile is a common challenge in patients requiring aesthetic treatment. A specific surgical protocol was designed and tested in patients with altered passive eruption. Standardized preoperative X-rays were used to assess crown length at baseline and to place submarginal incisions. Osseous respective therapy was performed to achieve biological width. Clinical outcomes were recorded 6 months after surgery. Eleven patients with a total of 58 teeth were treated with flap surgery and osseous resective therapy at upper anterior natural teeth. At the last followup, a significant and stable improvement of crown length was obtained when compared to the baseline (P<0.0001). All patients rated as satisfactory in the final outcomes (final VAS value = 86.6). In conclusion, this study showed that periodontal plastic surgery including osseous resection leads to predictable outcomes in the treatment of altered passive eruption/gummy smile: A careful preoperative planning avoids unpleasant complications and enhances postsurgical stability of the gingival margin.
Transmission Attributes of Periurban Malaria in Lusaka, Zambia, Precedent to the Integrated Vector Management Strategy: An Entomological Input
Authors: Chanda Emmanuel , Baboo Kumar S. , Shinondo Cecilia J.
Published: October 2012

Globalization and urbanization with their inherent developmental activities and ecological transformations impact on malaria epidemiology. Entomological factors involved in malaria transmission in periurban Lusaka were assessed prior to vector control reintroduction. Data was collected through standard entomological and epidemiological protocols and a pretested structured questionnaire. Larval habitats were characterized as transient (43%), semipermanent (36%), and permanent (21%).Anopheles arabiensisandAn. gambiae ss.were the only vectors identified. A shift in vector population was noted, with the later outnumbering the former.Plasmodium falciparummonoinfection rates were 25.6% (95% CI: 20.9–30.7) (n=297). Parasitaemia was 31.8% (95% CI: 23.2–42.2), 25.7% (95% CI: 13.5–41.3), and 23.3% (95% CI: 17.4–29.6) in under 5, 5 to 14, and above 15 age groups, respectively. Low knowledge levels on vector control tools with an average of 7 residents per household were also observed. This study confirmed a local malaria transmission paradigm. The epidemiology necessitated deployment of an integrated vector management strategy with intensified information education and communication.
Field Measurement of Wind Characteristics of Typhoon Muifa on the Shanghai World Financial Center
Authors: An Y. , Quan Y. , Gu M.
Published: October 2012

Field measurement is considered to be the most reliable method to obtain wind characteristics of typhoon, and it is of essential value of further understanding of wind-resistant design of super tall buildings. In this paper, the wind data were recorded atop the Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) with a height of 494 m during the whole course of Typhoon Muifa on August 6–8 in 2011. Detailed analysis of the field data is conducted to investigate the characteristics of the typhoon-generated wind including the mean wind speed and direction, turbulence intensities, gust factors, peak factors, turbulence integral length scales, and spectra of fluctuating wind speed. A comparative study between the measured wind characteristics and those previously obtained in the literature is also carried out. It is found that the average values of turbulence intensities, gust factors, and turbulence integral length scales under the condition of Typhoon Muifa are higher than those under monsoon condition atop the SWFC, and Von Karman spectra are suitable to describe of the turbulent kinetic energy distribution at Lujiazui of the Pudong district in Shanghai.
On Convergence Results for Lipschitz Pseudocontractive Mappings
Authors: Kang Shin Min , Rafiq Arif
Published: October 2012

We establish the strong convergence for the Ishikawa iteration scheme associated with Lipschitz pseudocontractive mappings in real Banach spaces. Moreover, our technique of proofs is of independent interest.
Discrete Symmetries Analysis and Exact Solutions of the Inviscid Burgers Equation
Authors: Yang Hongwei , Shi Yunlong , Yin Baoshu , Dong Huanhe
Published: October 2012

We discuss the Lie point symmetries and discrete symmetries of the inviscid Burgers equation. By employing the Lie group method of infinitesimal transformations, symmetry reductions and similarity solutions of the governing equation are given. Based on discrete symmetries analysis, two groups of discrete symmetries are obtained, which lead to new exact solutions of the inviscid Burgers equation.
Superior Mesenteric Vein Thrombosis Secondary to Oral Contraceptive Use
Authors: Stewart Heather , Flannery Michael T. , Humphrey Deborah A.
Published: October 2012

Superior mesenteric vein thrombosis (SMVT) is a rare yet frequently fatal cause of intestinal ischemia. Despite its severe consequences, SMVT often presents with nonspecific symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. It can occur with or without gastrointestinal bleeding, and symptoms may be present for hours to weeks. Physical exam can vary from a benign to an acute abdomen. The are no specific diagnostic laboratory studies for the presence of MVT, and it can be an incidental finding of computed tomography or ultrasound. Patients at risk for MVT include those with a history of a hypercoagulable state or secondary cases such as sepsis, gastrointestinal malignancy, liver disease, pancreatic pathology, abdominal surgery and medications. The authors present a case of a patient presenting with acute abdominal pain and ultimately a SMVT secondary to oral contraceptives by exclusion.
Diastolic Heart Murmur, Nocturnal Back Pain, and Lumbar Rigidity in a 7-Year Girl: An Unusual Manifestation of Lyme Disease in Childhood
Authors: Kameda Genn , Vieker Silvia , Hartmann Johannes , Niehues Tim , Längler Alfred
Published: October 2012

A 7-year-old girl presented with nocturnal pain in her back and legs. The physical examination revealed a loud opening sound of the mitral valve and lumbar rigidity. With the exception of significantly increased anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) levels, the immunological findings did not show any other abnormal parameters, also spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound examination of the abdomen and pelvis yield no pathological findings. The lumbar puncture showed a lymphocytic pleocytosis as well as an intrathecal synthesis of Borrelia-specific antibodies. Echocardiography showed a thickened mitral valve with mild regurgitation. No other signs of florid endocarditis or myocarditis could be detected. Due to these findings, the diagnosis Lyme neuroborreliosis was made and an intravenous antibiotic therapy was given. The clinical symptoms subsided. Six months later, she had an almost normal mitral valve with only trivial mitral insufficiency. The association between the lumbar rigidity and the thickened mitral valve remains unclear. The case of our patient with nocturnal back and leg pain may be considered a rare case of Lyme neuroborreliosis with meningoradiculitis in children, and to our knowledge these symptoms together with cardiac involvement, such as a significantly thickened mitral valve, have not yet been described in the literature.
Impact of Periodontal Disease on the Quality of Life of Diabetics Based on Different Clinical Diagnostic Criteria
Authors: de Pinho Aline Mendes Silva , Borges Carolina Marques , de Abreu Mauro Henrique Nogueira Guimarães , e Ferreira Efigênia Ferreira , Vargas Andréa Maria Duarte
Published: October 2012

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of periodontal disease on the quality of life of individuals with diabetes according to different clinical criteria (I-AAP, II-Beck, III-Machtei, IV-Lopez, V-Albandar, VI-Tonetti, and VII-CPI). This cross-sectional study sampled 300 individuals in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The Oral Health Impact Profile was used to measure the impact of periodontal disease on quality of life. Prevalence of periodontal disease was 35.3%, 30.7%, 35.0%, 9.7%, 92.3%, 25.3%, and 75.3% using criteria I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII, respectively. The III-Machtei (P=0.043) and IV-Lopez (P<0.001) criteria were associated with OHIP-14; functional limitation was associated with IV-Lopez (P=0.006) and V-Albandar (P=0.018) criteria. Pain was only associated with V-Albandar criteria (P<0.001). Psychological discomfort was associated with the IV-Lopez (P=0.018) criteria. Physical disability was associated with the IV-Lopez (P=0.047) and V-Tonetti (P=0.046) criteria. Being handicapped was associated with the I-AAP (P=0.025) and II-Beck (P=0.041) criteria. Concepts of health and disease determined by clinical diagnostic criteria may influence the assessment of the impact of periodontal disease on diabetics' quality of life.
Alcohol Consumption, Beverage Preference, and Diet in Middle-Aged Men from the STANISLAS Study
Authors: Herbeth Bernard , Samara Anastasia , Stathopoulou Maria , Siest Gérard , Visvikis-Siest Sophie
Published: October 2012

The question about differences in dietary patterns associated with beer, wine, and spirits is still unresolved. We used diet data from 423 middle-aged males of the STANISLAS Study. Using adjusted values for covariates, we observed a negative significant association between increasing alcohol intakes and the consumption of milk, yogurt, and fresh/uncured cheese, sugar and confectionery, vegetables and fruits, and a significant positive relationship with cheese, meat and organs, pork-butcher's meat, and potatoes. In addition, the first dietary pattern identified by factor analysis (characterized a more prudent diet) was inversely related to alcohol intakes. Conversely, when analyzing daily consumption of specific food groups and diet patterns according to beverage preference (wine, beer, and spirits), no significant difference was observed. In conclusion, in this sample of middle-aged French males, there was a linear trend between increasing alcohol intakes and worsening of quality of diet, while no difference was observed according to beverage preference.
Pneumatosis Intestinalis as the Initial Presentation of Systemic Sclerosis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Ejtehadi Farshid , Chatzizacharias Nikolaos A. , Kennedy Hugh
Published: October 2012

Introduction. Pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) is an uncommon pathology characterised by the presence of gas within the intestinal wall. It has been associated with various conditions, including connective tissue diseases. This is the first report of PI being the initial presentation of systemic sclerosis.Case Presentation. The patient, a 75-year-old female, presented with an 8-month history of worsening dysphagia and epigastric pain, as well as other nonspecific symptoms. Initial investigations with an oesophagogastroduodenoscopy diagnosedCandidaoesophagitis and also identified an extrinsic compression of the gastric antrum. Subsequently a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis showed moderately dilated small bowel loops and PI. Due to the patient’s stability, non-critical clinical condition, conservative management was instituted. More detailed investigations confirmed the diagnosis of systemic sclerosis with positive anticentromeric and antinuclear antibodies. The patient improved on methotrexate and was discharged with appropriate outpatient follow-up.Discussion. PI is a rare but well-documented pathology associated with connective tissue diseases, such as systemic sclerosis. In most cases, conservative management is preferable to surgical intervention, depending on the patient’s clinical presentation and progress. This is the first report of PI being the initial presentation of a patient with systemic sclerosis responsive to conservative management.
Synthesis, Spectroscopic Characterization and Biological Activities of Transition Metal Complexes Derived from a Tridentate Schiff Base
Authors: Kumaran J. Senthil , Priya S. , Jayachandramani N. , Mahalakshmi S.
Published: October 2012

A new series of Cu (II), Ni (II), Co (II) and Zn (II) complexes have been synthesized from the Schiff base derived from 4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxybenzylidine‐4‐aminoantipyrine and 2‐aminophenol. The structural features have been determined from their elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility, molar conductance, Mass, IR, UV‐Vis, 1H‐NMR, 13C‐NMR and ESR spectral studies. The redox behavior of the copper complex has been studied by cyclic voltammetry. The data confirm that the complexes have composition of ML2 type. The electronic absorption spectral data of the complexes propose an octahedral geometry around the central metal ion. All the metal complexes with DNA structure were guided by the presence of inter‐molecular C–H⋯O and C–H⋯N hydrogen bonds. The biological activity of the synthesized compounds were tested against the bacterial species such as Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris and fungal species such as Candida albicans by the well-diffusion method.
Interstitial Fluid Pressure and Associated Lymph Node Metastasis Revealed in Tumors by Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI
Authors: Hompland Tord , Ellingsen Christine , Øvrebø Kirsti Marie , Rofstad Einar K.
Published: October 2012

Elevated interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) in tumors can cause metastatic dissemination and treatment resistance, but its study poses a challenge because of a paucity of noninvasive imaging strategies. In this study, we address this issue by reporting the development of a noninvasive tool to assess tumor IFP and interstitial hypertension-induced lymph node metastasis. Using mouse xenograft models of several types of human cancer, we used gadolinium diethylene-triamine penta-acetic acid (Gd-DTPA) as a contrast agent for dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI). Immediately after Gd-DTPA administration, a high-signal-intensity rim was observed in the tumor periphery, which moved outward with time. Assuming the velocity of Gd-DTPA to be equal to the fluid flow velocity, we used a simple model of peritumoral interstitial fluid flow to calculate the fluid flow velocity at the tumor surface (v0) based on the rim movement. Significant positive correlations were found between v0 and IFP in all tumor xenografts. Moreover, the primary tumors of metastasis-positive mice displayed higher IFP and v0 than the primary tumors of metastasis-negative mice. Findings were confirmed in cervical cancer patients with pelvic lymph node metastases, where we found v0 to be higher compared with patients without lymph node involvement (P < 0.00001). Together, these findings establish that Gd-DTPA-based DCE-MRI can noninvasively visualize tumor IFP, and they reveal the potential for v0 determined by this method to serve as a novel general biomarker of tumor aggressiveness. Cancer Res; 72(19); 4899–908. ©2012 AACR.
Demonstration of Blood Pressure-Independent Noninfarct Myocardial Fibrosis in Primary Aldosteronism
Authors: Freel E. Marie , Mark Patrick B. , Weir Robin A.P. , McQuarrie Emily P. , Allan Karen , Dargie Henry J. , McClure John D. , Jardine Alan G. , Davies Eleanor , Connell John M.C.
Published: October 2012

Background—

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is common and associates with excess cardiovascular morbidity independent of blood pressure. Exposure to aldosterone and sodium leads to cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy in humans and animals possibly mediated by inflammation and oxidative stress. We aimed to clarify the effects of aldosterone excess on myocardial structure and composition in human subjects with PA and essential hypertension using contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging as well as explore the mechanistic basis for any observed differences.

Methods and Results—

Twenty-seven subjects with recently diagnosed PA and 54 essential hypertension controls were recruited. Subjects underwent gadolinium-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance; noninfarct related myocardial fibrosis was identified by a diffuse pattern of late gadolinium enhancement. Patients also underwent assessment of pulse wave velocity, measurement of circulating superoxide anion and C-reactive protein, as well as blood pressure and biochemical assessment. Subjects were well matched with no difference in severity or duration of hypertension. There was a significant increase in the frequency of noninfarct late gadolinium enhancement in PA (70%) when compared with essential hypertension subjects (13%;
P
<0.0001) with no difference in left ventricular mass. Pulse wave velocity, superoxide, and C-reactive protein were significantly higher in subjects with PA.

Conclusions—

These data illustrate that patients with PA exhibit frequent myocardial fibrosis as demonstrated by late gadolinium enhancement using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging; this finding is independent of blood pressure. This may be mediated partly through inflammation and oxidative stress. This study highlights the importance of specific targeting of aldosterone excess as well as blood pressure reduction to minimize cardiac morbidity in PA.
Scavenger Receptor Class B Type I Is a Plasma Membrane Cholesterol Sensor
Authors: Saddar Sonika , Carriere Véronique , Lee Wan-Ru , Tanigaki Keiji , Yuhanna Ivan S. , Parathath Sajesh , Morel Etienne , Warrier Manya , Sawyer Janet K. , Gerard Robert D. , Temel Ryan E. , Brown J. Mark , Connelly Margery , Mineo Chieko , Shaul Philip W.
Published: October 2012

Rationale:

Signal initiation by the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor scavenger receptor class B, type I (SR-BI), which is important to actions of HDL on endothelium and other processes, requires cholesterol efflux and the C-terminal transmembrane domain. The C-terminal transmembrane domain uniquely interacts with plasma membrane (PM) cholesterol.

Objective:

The molecular basis and functional significance of SR-BI interaction with PM cholesterol are unknown. We tested the hypotheses that the interaction is required for SR-BI signaling, and that it enables SR-BI to serve as a PM cholesterol sensor.

Methods and Results:

In studies performed in COS-M6 cells, mutation of a highly conserved C-terminal transmembrane domain glutamine to alanine (SR-BI-Q445A) decreased PM cholesterol interaction with the receptor by 71% without altering HDL binding or cholesterol uptake or efflux, and it yielded a receptor incapable of HDL-induced signaling. Signaling prompted by cholesterol efflux to methyl-β-cyclodextrin also was prevented, indicating that PM cholesterol interaction with the receptor enables it to serve as a PM cholesterol sensor. Using SR-BI-Q445A, we further demonstrated that PM cholesterol sensing by SR-BI does not influence SR-BI-mediated reverse cholesterol transport to the liver in mice. However, the PM cholesterol sensing does underlie apolipoprotein B intracellular trafficking in response to postprandial micelles or methyl-β-cyclodextrin in cultured enterocytes, and it is required for HDL activation of endothelial NO synthase and migration in cultured endothelial cells and HDL-induced angiogenesis in vivo.

Conclusions:

Through interaction with PM cholesterol, SR-BI serves as a PM cholesterol sensor, and the resulting intracellular signaling governs processes in both enterocytes and endothelial cells.
Analysis of Permafrost Thermal Dynamics and Response to Climate Change in the CMIP5 Earth System Models
Authors: Koven Charles D. , Riley William J. , Stern Alex
Published: October 2012

The authors analyze global climate model predictions of soil temperature [from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) database] to assess the models’ representation of current-climate soil thermal dynamics and their predictions of permafrost thaw during the twenty-first century. The authors compare the models’ predictions with observations of active layer thickness, air temperature, and soil temperature and with theoretically expected relationships between active layer thickness and air temperature annual mean- and seasonal-cycle amplitude. Models show a wide range of current permafrost areas, active layer statistics (cumulative distributions, correlations with mean annual air temperature, and amplitude of seasonal air temperature cycle), and ability to accurately model the coupling between soil and air temperatures at high latitudes. Many of the between-model differences can be traced to differences in the coupling between either near-surface air and shallow soil temperatures or shallow and deeper (1 m) soil temperatures, which in turn reflect differences in snow physics and soil hydrology. The models are compared with observational datasets to benchmark several aspects of the permafrost-relevant physics of the models. The CMIP5 models following multiple representative concentration pathways (RCP) show a wide range of predictions for permafrost loss: 2%–66% for RCP2.6, 15%–87% for RCP4.5, and 30%–99% for RCP8.5. Normalizing the amount of permafrost loss by the amount of high-latitude warming in the RCP4.5 scenario, the models predict an absolute loss of 1.6 ± 0.7 million km2 permafrost per 1°C high-latitude warming, or a fractional loss of 6%–29% °C−1.
Changing Global Norms through Reactive Diffusion
Authors: Chorev Nitsan
Published: October 2012

This article explores conditions under which global norms change. I use a case study in which the original interpretation of an international agreement on intellectual property rights was modified to address demands for improved access to affordable AIDS drugs. Conventional theories that focus on international negotiations cannot fully account for the events in this case. Drawing on the theory of recursivity and insights from the literature on diffusion, I suggest that shifts in global norms occur through reactive diffusion of policies across states. Experiences accumulated in this ongoing process of reinvention eventually lead to a new, globally accepted reinterpretation of the original obligation.
Religion and Volunteering in Context
Authors: Lim Chaeyoon , MacGregor Carol Ann
Published: October 2012

This study examines whether religion’s effect on volunteering spills over to nonreligious individuals through personal ties between religious and nonreligious individuals. We use three different analytic strategies that focus on national, local, and personal network level contexts to identify the network spillover effect of religion on volunteering. We find that if nonreligious people have close friends with religious affiliations, they are more likely to volunteer for religious and nonreligious causes. However, this network spillover effect cannot be inferred from the relationship between volunteering and national or local level religious context—a common approach in the literature. In fact, we find that the average level of local religious participation is negatively associated with volunteering among the nonreligious in the United States. This novel finding suggests that to fully understand religion’s civic role in the wider community, we need to consider how religion might influence the civic life of people outside religious communities, not just those within them. Our findings also suggest that in spite of methodological advances, studies that purport to test mechanisms at one level of analysis by using data at a larger level of aggregation run a high risk of committing an ecological fallacy.
The Rise of the Super-Rich
Authors: Volscho Thomas W. , Kelly Nathan J.
Published: October 2012

The income share of the super-rich in the United States has grown rapidly since the early 1980s after a period of postwar stability. What factors drove this change? In this study, we investigate the institutional, policy, and economic shifts that may explain rising income concentration. We use single-equation error correction models to estimate the long- and short-run effects of politics, policy, and economic factors on pretax top income shares between 1949 and 2008. We find that the rise of the super-rich is the result of rightward-shifts in Congress, the decline of labor unions, lower tax rates on high incomes, increased trade openness, and asset bubbles in stock and real estate markets.
Refreshing Experience: The Christ-Event as Fact, Classic, and Phenomenon
Authors: Kelly Anthony J.
Published: October 2012

This article accepts that theology is always in danger of becoming abstract and losing its distinctive sense of reality. Part of the problem is the way a critical theology can become removed from experience. A constructive response to this problem—of special relevance to theological education and pastoral communication—is fostering an interplay in Christian experience between the empirical ‘fact’ of Christianity, the ‘classic’ form of Christian revelation, and ‘the phenomenon’ of God’s self-revelation experienced in the corporate consciousness of the Church.
Cosmic Time and the Theological View of World History
Authors: Cameron Euan
Published: October 2012

To Christian people of the Middle Ages and the Reformation era, history contained the narrative of God’s dealings with humanity, located within and related to the history of the Christian Church. During the Protestant Reformation in Germany and Switzerland, people tried to make sense of what was happening within world history and the divine plan. Scholars, including Luther and Melanchthon, interpreted history in terms of the four-monarchies system derived from the Book of Daniel. They discovered in Scripture not only divine governance of political affairs, but also affirmation of their theological principles. Swiss theologians, such as Oecolampadius and Bullinger, understood God’s relations with humanity as an eternal covenant, expressed in different transient forms. The quest for ever greater precision in the seventeenth century eventually discredited the providential, scriptural view of world history. It proved to have been one of those transient cultural movements within Christian experience.
Thought Amidst Waste
Authors: Pithouse Richard
Published: October 2012

This paper begins by noting that some forms of leftism reinforce rather than oppose the exclusion of the urban poor from the agora. It shows that neither the capacity for intellectual nor for ethical seriousness can be read off a sociological location and suggests that a humanism made, in Cesaire’s terms, ‘to the measure of the world’, a commitment to a universal ethic, is necessary if the humanity, and therefore the prospect of political agency, on the part of all people is to be recognized. It concludes by arguing that recent debates about a return to a communist Idea need to be mindful of a history in which communism has been a form of imperialism rather than a genuinely universal ideal.
The ‘Voucher Strike’: Workers’ Political Subjectivities in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Authors: Hayem Judith
Published: October 2012

The article presents an anthropological case study of workers’ forms of thinking and subjectivity as they appeared at Autofirst, during a strike which took place in December 1998, in South Africa. After conceptualizing my approach as a ‘post-classist’ analysis following the work of the French political anthropologist Sylvain Lazarus and presenting my methodology, I focus on the problematic word ‘happy’ and its meaning in the specific subjective sequence. I show how the interviewees’ prescriptions that ‘a happy worker is a quality worker’ and that ‘the worker should be happy’ as much as management, are indications of the workers’ own logic and vision on what is possible in the factory in terms of relationships between management and workforce, during the early post-apartheid period. I contend that a ‘classist’ vision of capital and labour would not allow us to comprehend the issues at stake in the strike and in South African industry as a whole at that particular moment in time. Finally, I demonstrate the sequential existence of the factory as a place of engagement and of communication between 1995 and 1998, in contrast to the ‘apartheid of speech’ which, from the workers’ point of view, had previously characterized it.
Ribbed glass fiber reinforced plastic rebar embedded in concrete – an experimental study
Authors: Arias JP Morales , Escobar MM , Vazquez A
Published: October 2012

The experimental program developed in this work aims at investigating the bond behavior of glass fiber reinforced plastic embedded in concrete. Different types of surface treatment were applied to the smooth rods in order to enhance the bond with concrete. Firstly, the rods were machined using a lathe and a grinding stone to create lugs with different configurations. The experimental results indicate that the bond strength is highest when the failure mode is a combination of two mechanisms: shearing off of the concrete lugs and that of the FRP lugs. With regard to the variation of rib width, the friction and interlock forces have a greater influence on bond strength. With respect to the height of the rib, the variation of internal diameter does not affect significantly the bond strength. Secondly, the machined rods were coated with sand fixed with a thin layer of epoxy resin. The incorporation of the sand on the surface increases the bond strength compared with the results obtained without sand.
Strength characterization of woven glass/epoxy composites under tensile fatigue loading at cryogenic temperatures using open hole specimens
Authors: Shindo Yasuhide , Takeda Tomo , Narita Fumio , Yamaki Satoru
Published: October 2012

In this article, we investigate the strength characteristics of woven glass fiber reinforced polymer composite laminates subjected to tensile fatigue loading at cryogenic temperatures using the open hole specimens. Tension–tension fatigue tests were conducted on the open hole specimens of the woven glass fiber reinforced polymer laminates at room temperature, liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K) and liquid helium temperature (4 K), and microscopic observations of damage around the hole were made on failed specimens. A numerical procedure based on the finite element method was then applied to evaluate the fatigue strength of the unnotched woven glass fiber reinforced polymer laminates using the experimentally applied load and the length of the hole edge damage zone. The obtained results were compared with the existing experimental data from the unnotched specimens. It was demonstrated that the presented combined numerical–experimental method was effective for the determination of the fatigue properties of the woven glass fiber reinforced polymer laminates at cryogenic temperatures.
Strength prediction of triaxially loaded composites using a progressive damage model based on micromechanics of failure
Authors: Huang Yuanchen , Jin Chengzhu , Ha Sung Kyu
Published: October 2012

The research presented in this article is a continuation of the authors’ work in Part A of the second world-wide failure exercise (WWFE-II). In Part A, a constituent damage model based on micromechanics of failure was employed in order to predict the failure envelopes and stress–strain curves for unidirectional and laminated composites under multi-axial loadings. In this study, original predictions were compared with experimental data, supplied in Part B of the second world-wide failure exercise. Three modifications were made to the previous model: (a) a quadratic fiber failure criterion was proposed to replace the maximum longitudinal stress failure criterion used for fibers in the original model; (b) a three-dimensional kinking model was introduced so as to take into account the influence of the formation of kinking bands on micro stresses in the matrix, when a ply is under longitudinal compression; and (c) in-plane shear terms in stress amplification factors were averaged to avoid overestimation of local stress concentration for regions within the matrix and in the vicinity of the fiber–matrix interface. Questions regarding the discrepancies between the idealized and actual tests were also raised and are discussed in this study.
Cultivating the Therapeutic Moment
Authors: Mølbak Rune L.
Published: October 2012

A popular model of psychotherapy as a rational, linear, and instrumental treatment that can be mastered and planned by the therapist is critiqued as an idealized fantasy. This model, which often underpins cognitive behavioral therapy and a medical approach to therapy, is contrasted with an alternative model based on attentiveness to the therapeutic process defined as an emergent and unpredictable thirdness between therapist and client. Three principles of a process-oriented therapy are described and illustrated through case vignettes. Each of these principles is shown to contradict the assumptions of a rational/planning approach to therapy and therefore to undermine the rational endeavor to “plan” treatment. A process-oriented model of therapy is argued to be a more ethical choice due to the fact that it avoids the moralism and authoritarianism of the rational/planning approach to therapy and has a more radical therapeutic aim that circumvents conventional definitions of what good outcome is or should be.
The radio plays games
Authors: Stachyra Grażyna
Published: October 2012

This article analyses the play-element of radio communication, based on examples taken from Poland’s commercial radio stations. The theoretical framework is provided by Roger Caillois’s distinction of four types of games ( agôn, alea, mimicry, ilinx) that stretch between two poles: spontaneity ( paidia) and rules ( ludus). The article illustrates how different kinds of radio games exist on the air and the type of communicational function they have in modern society.