bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterizing the impact of process variation on write endurance enhancing techniques for non-volatile memory systems
Authors: Cintra Marcelo , Linkewitsch Niklas
Published: June 2013

Much attention has been given recently to a set of promising non-volatile memory technologies, such as PCM, STT-MRAM, and ReRAM. These, however, have limited endurance relative to DRAM. Potential solutions to this endurance challenge exist in the form of fine-grain wear leveling techniques and aggressive error tolerance approaches. While the existing approaches to wear leveling and error tolerance are sound and demonstrate true potential, their studies have been limited in that i) they have not considered the interactions between wear leveling and error tolerance and ii) they have assumed a simple write endurance failure model where all cells fail uniformly. In this paper we perform a thorough study and characterize such interactions and the effects of more realistic non-uniform endurance models under various workloads, both synthetic and derived from benchmarks. This study shows that, for instance, variability in the endurance of cells significantly affects wear leveling and error tolerance mechanisms and the values of their tuning parameters. It also shows that these mechanisms interact in subtle ways, sometimes cancelling and sometimes boosting each other's impact on overall endurance of the device.
Efficient crowdsourcing for multi-class labeling
Authors: Karger David R. , Oh Sewoong , Shah Devavrat
Published: June 2013

Crowdsourcing systems like Amazon's Mechanical Turk have emerged as an effective large-scale human-powered platform for performing tasks in domains such as image classification, data entry, recommendation, and proofreading. Since workers are low-paid (a few cents per task) and tasks performed are monotonous, the answers obtained are noisy and hence unreliable. To obtain reliable estimates, it is essential to utilize appropriate inference algorithms (e.g. Majority voting) coupled with structured redundancy through task assignment. Our goal is to obtain the best possible trade-off between reliability and redundancy. In this paper, we consider a general probabilistic model for noisy observations for crowd-sourcing systems and pose the problem of minimizing the total price (i.e. redundancy) that must be paid to achieve a target overall reliability. Concretely, we show that it is possible to obtain an answer to each task correctly with probability 1-ε as long as the redundancy per task is O((K/q) log (K/ε)), where each task can have any of the $K$ distinct answers equally likely, q is the crowd-quality parameter that is defined through a probabilistic model. Further, effectively this is the best possible redundancy-accuracy trade-off any system design can achieve. Such a single-parameter crisp characterization of the (order-)optimal trade-off between redundancy and reliability has various useful operational consequences. Further, we analyze the robustness of our approach in the presence of adversarial workers and provide a bound on their influence on the redundancy-accuracy trade-off.

Unlike recent prior work [GKM11, KOS11, KOS11], our result applies to non-binary (i.e. K>2) tasks. In effect, we utilize algorithms for binary tasks (with inhomogeneous error model unlike that in [GKM11, KOS11, KOS11]) as key subroutine to obtain answers for K-ary tasks. Technically, the algorithm is based on low-rank approximation of weighted adjacency matrix for a random regular bipartite graph, weighted according to the answers provided by the workers.
Distributing content simplifies ISP traffic engineering
Authors: Sharma Abhigyan , Venkataramani Arun , Sitaraman Ramesh K.
Published: June 2013

Several major Internet service providers today also offer content distribution services. The emergence of such "network-CDNs" (NCDNs) is driven both by market forces as well as the cost of carrying ever-increasing volumes of traffic across their backbones. An NCDN has the flexibility to determine both where content is placed and how traffic is routed within the network. However NCDNs today continue to treat traffic engineering independently from content placement and request redirection decisions. In this paper, we investigate the interplay between content distribution strategies and traffic engineering and ask whether or how an NCDN should address these concerns in a joint manner. Our experimental analysis, based on traces from a large content distribution network and real ISP topologies, shows that realistic (i.e., history-based) joint optimization strategies offer little benefit (and often significantly underperform) compared to simple and "unplanned" strategies for routing and placement such as InverseCap and LRU. We also find that the simpler strategies suffice to achieve network cost and user-perceived latencies close to those of a joint-optimal strategy with future knowledge.
The fundamentals of heavy-tails
Authors: Nair Jayakrishnan , Wierman Adam , Zwart Bert
Published: June 2013

Heavy-tails are a continual source of excitement and confusion across disciplines as they are repeatedly "discovered" in new contexts. This is especially true within computer systems, where heavy-tails seemingly pop up everywhere -- from degree distributions in the internet and social networks to file sizes and interarrival times of workloads. However, despite nearly a decade of work on heavy-tails they are still treated as mysterious, surprising, and even controversial.

The goal of this tutorial is to show that heavy-tailed distributions need not be mysterious and should not be surprising or controversial. In particular, we will demystify heavy-tailed distributions by showing how to reason formally about their counter-intuitive properties; we will highlight that their emergence should be expected (not surprising) by showing that a wide variety of general processes lead to heavy-tailed distributions; and we will highlight that most of the controversy surrounding heavy-tails is the result of bad statistics, and can be avoided by using the proper tools.
It Takes a Village: Ecological and Fitness Impacts of Multipartite Mutualism
Authors: Hussa Elizabeth A. , Goodrich-Blair Heidi
Published: June 2013

Microbial symbioses, in which microbes have either positive (mutualistic) or negative (parasitic) impacts on host fitness, are integral to all aspects of biology, from ecology to human health. In many well-studied cases, microbial symbiosis is characterized by a specialized association between a host and a specific microbe that provides it with one or more beneficial functions, such as novel metabolic pathways or defense against pathogens. Even in relatively simple associations, symbiont-derived benefits can be context dependent and influenced by other host-associated or environmental microbes. Furthermore, naturally occurring symbioses are typically complex, in which multiple symbionts exhibit coordinated, competing, or independent influences on host physiology, or in which individual symbionts affect multiple interacting hosts. Here we describe research on the mechanisms and consequences of multipartite symbioses, including consortia in which multiple organisms interact with the host and one another, and on conditional mutualists whose impact on the host depends on additional interacting organisms.
Generation of leptin-deficient Lepmkyo/Lepmkyo rats and identification of leptin-responsive genes in the liver
Authors: Aizawa-Abe Megumi , Ebihara Ken , Ebihara Chihiro , Mashimo Tomoji , Takizawa Akiko , Tomita Tsutomu , Kusakabe Toru , Yamamoto Yuji , Aotani Daisuke , Yamamoto-Kataoka Sachiko , Sakai Takeru , Hosoda Kiminori , Serikawa Tadao , Nakao Kazuwa
Published: June 2013

Leptin is one of the key molecules in maintaining energy homeostasis. Although genetically leptin-deficient Lep ob /Lep ob mice have greatly contributed to elucidating leptin physiology, the use of more than one species can improve the accuracy of analysis results. Using the N-ethyl- N-nitrosourea mutagenesis method, we generated a leptin-deficient Lep mkyo /Lep mkyo rat that had a nonsense mutation (Q92X) in leptin gene. Lep mkyo /Lep mkyo rats showed obese phenotypes including severe fatty liver, which were comparable to Lep ob /Lep ob mice. To identify genes that respond to leptin in the liver, we performed microarray analysis with Lep mkyo /Lep mkyo rats and Lep ob /Lep ob mice. We sorted out genes whose expression levels in the liver of Lep mkyo /Lep mkyo rats were changed from wild-type (WT) rats and were reversed toward WT rats by leptin administration. In this analysis, livers were sampled for 6 h, a relatively short time after leptin administration to avoid the secondary effect of metabolic changes such as improvement of fatty liver. We did the same procedure in Lep ob /Lep ob mice and selected genes whose expression patterns were common in rat and mouse. We verified their gene expressions by real-time quantitative PCR. Finally, we identified eight genes that primarily respond to leptin in the liver commonly in rat and mouse. These genes might be important for the effect of leptin in the liver.
Investigating Differences in Health-Related Quality of Life of Greeks and Albanian Immigrants with the Generic EQ-5D Questionnaire
Authors: Lahana Eleni , Niakas Dimitris
Published: June 2013

Background.Low socioeconomic status (SES) has been related by previous studies to low self-perceived HRQoL. Health is a major determinant of the society’s welfare, and few studies have determined the relevant elements that contribute to health and quality of life in Greece.Aim.The aim of the study was to evaluate and test for differences in HRQoL of Greek and Albanian immigrant population according to ethnicity and their demographic and SES characteristics.Methods.The study was conducted in a sample of 660 age-matched and gender-matched Greeks and Albanian immigrants. Moderate or severe decrease in HRQoL was assessed with the generic tool EQ-5D. Differences were statistically analyzed byt-test and ANOVA. Also, logistic and linear regression analyses were conducted for the dependent variables of the EQ-5D dimensions and VAS scores, respectively.Results.The Albanian immigrants reported better self-perceived health than their Greek counterparts. Health problems increase moderately with age and lower SES and are slightly higher for women than for men. Urbanity and superior education in both Greeks and Albaniansareassociated with worse HRQoL.Conclusion.There are some structural and compositional differences in the self-perceived quality of life between the two ethnicities, as estimated by EQ-5D. The combined information presentstopublic health providers the relevant data to assess health policies according to health needs.
Transmission Model of Hepatitis B Virus with the Migration Effect
Authors: Khan Muhammad Altaf , Islam Saeed , Arif Muhammad , ul Haq Zahoor
Published: June 2013

Hepatitis B is a globally infectious disease. Mathematical modeling of HBV transmission is an interesting research area. In this paper, we present characteristics of HBV virus transmission in the form of a mathematical model. We analyzed the effect of immigrants in the model to study the effect of immigrants for the host population. We added the following flow parameters: “the transmission between migrated and exposed class” and “the transmission between migrated and acute class.” With these new features, we obtained a compartment model of six differential equations. First, we find the basic threshold quantity Ro and then find the local asymptotic stability of disease-free equilibrium and endemic equilibrium. Furthermore, we find the global stability of the disease-free and endemic equilibria. Previous similar publications have not added the kind of information about the numerical results of the model. In our case, from numerical simulation, a detailed discussion of the parameters and their numerical results is presented. We claim that with these assumptions and by adding the migrated class, the model informs policy for governments, to be aware of the immigrants and subject them to tests about the disease status. Immigrants for short visits and students should be subjected to tests to reduce the number of immigrants with disease.
Wavelet-Based Artifact Identification and Separation Technique for EEG Signals during Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation
Authors: Adib Mani , Cretu Edmond
Published: June 2013

We present a new method for removing artifacts in electroencephalography (EEG) records during Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS). The main challenge in exploiting GVS is to understand how the stimulus acts as an input to brain. We used EEG to monitor the brain and elicit the GVS reflexes. However, GVS current distribution throughout the scalp generates an artifact on EEG signals. We need to eliminate this artifact to be able to analyze the EEG signals during GVS. We propose a novel method to estimate the contribution of the GVS current in the EEG signals at each electrode by combining time-series regression methods with wavelet decomposition methods. We use wavelet transform to project the recorded EEG signal into various frequency bands and then estimate the GVS current distribution in each frequency band. The proposed method was optimized using simulated signals, and its performance was compared to well-accepted artifact removal methods such as ICA-based methods and adaptive filters. The results show that the proposed method has better performance in removing GVS artifacts, compared to the others. Using the proposed method, a higher signal to artifact ratio of −1.625 dB was achieved, which outperformed other methods such as ICA-based methods, regression methods, and adaptive filters.
The Action of Antidiabetic Plants of the Canadian James Bay Cree Traditional Pharmacopeia on Key Enzymes of Hepatic Glucose Homeostasis
Authors: Nachar Abir , Vallerand Diane , Musallam Lina , Lavoie Louis , Badawi Alaa , Arnason John , Haddad Pierre S.
Published: June 2013

We determined the capacity of putative antidiabetic plants used by the Eastern James Bay Cree (Canada) to modulate key enzymes of gluconeogenesis and glycogen synthesis and key regulating kinases. Glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) and glycogen synthase (GS) activities were assessed in cultured hepatocytes treated with crude extracts of seventeen plant species. Phosphorylation of AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK), Akt, and Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) were probed by Western blot. Seven of the seventeen plant extracts significantly decreased G6Pase activity,Abies balsameaandPicea glauca, exerting an effect similar to insulin. This action involved both Akt and AMPK phosphorylation. On the other hand, several plant extracts activated GS,Larix laricinaandA. balsamea, far exceeding the action of insulin. We also found a significant correlation between GS stimulation and GSK-3 phosphorylation induced by plant extract treatments. In summary, three Cree plants stand out for marked effects on hepatic glucose homeostasis.P. glaucaaffects glucose production whereasL. laricinarather acts on glucose storage. However,A. balsameahas the most promising profile, simultaneously and powerfully reducing G6Pase and stimulating GS. Our studies thus confirm that the reduction of hepatic glucose production likely contributes to the therapeutic potential of several antidiabetic Cree traditional medicines.
On the Kronecker Products and Their Applications
Authors: Zhang Huamin , Ding Feng
Published: June 2013

This paper studies the properties of the Kronecker product related to the mixed matrix products, the vector operator, and the vec-permutation matrix and gives several theorems and their proofs. In addition, we establish the relations between the singular values of two matrices and their Kronecker product and the relations between the determinant, the trace, the rank, and the polynomial matrix of the Kronecker products.
Reconstitution of Kidney Side Population Cells after Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Self-Proliferation and Bone Marrow-Derived Cell Homing
Authors: Liu Hongbao , Liu Weihui , Liu Shuibing , Meng Qiuhong , Zhang Ning , Wang Hanmin , Li Rong , Wang Limin , Zhang Peng , Sun Shiren
Published: June 2013

The aim of this study was to examine the contribution of side population (SP) cells from kidney and bone marrow for reconstitution of kidney SP pools after ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). The SP and non-SP cells in kidneys following IRI were isolated and serially assessed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The apoptosis, proliferation, phenotype, and paracrine actions of SP cells were evaluatedin vitroandin vivo. Results indicated that the SP cells from ischemic kidney were acutely depleted within one day following renal IRI and were progressively restored to baseline within 7 days after IRI, through both proliferation of remaining kidney SP cells and homing of bone marrow-derived cells to ischemic kidney. Either hypoxia or serum deprivation alone increased apoptosis of SP cells, and a combination of both further aggravated it. Furthermore, hypoxiain vivoandin vitroinduced the increase in the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor, insulin-like growth factor 1, hepatocyte growth factor, and stromal cell-derived factor-1αin kidney SP but not non-SP cells. In summary, these results suggest that following renal IRI, kidney SP cells are acutely depleted and then progressively restored to baseline levels by both self-proliferation and extrarenal source, that is, bone marrow-derived cell homing.
Delay in Diagnosis of Adrenal Insufficiency Is a Frequent Cause of Adrenal Crisis
Authors: Papierska Lucyna , Rabijewski Michał
Published: June 2013

Delay of diagnosis of primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) leads to adrenal crisis which is potentially lethal complication. The objective of our work was an assessment whether the establishment of diagnosis of adrenocortical insufficiency in Poland is so much delayed as assessed in the past. We have analysed data from 60 patients with diagnosis of PAI established in our department during the past 12 years and who are still under our care. We found that the time to diagnosis of primary adrenal insufficiency in Poland exceeds 3 months in every patient and 6 months in patients admitted with symptoms of adrenal crisis. Forty-four percent of patients were diagnosed only just after the hospitalisation due to crisis, despite the evident signs and symptoms of PAI. Lack of appetite and loss of body weight occurred in all patients and for that reason a diagnosis of chronic gastric and duodenal ulcer disease was the most often incorrect diagnosis. After the proper diagnosis and treatment, in the course of 1–11 years of observation, there was only 6 imminent adrenal crises in 5 patients. Our results indicated that training of primary care physicians in the field of recognising and treatment of adrenal insufficiency is still essential.
Positive Solutions to Fractional Boundary Value Problems with Nonlinear Boundary Conditions
Authors: Nyamoradi Nemat , Baleanu Dumitru , Bashiri Tahereh
Published: June 2013

We consider a system of boundary value problems for fractional differential equation given byD0+βϕp(D0+αu)(t)=λ1a1(t)f1(u(t),v(t)),t∈(0,1),D0+βϕp(D0+αv)(t)=λ2a2(t)f2(u(t),v(t)),t∈(0,1), where1<α,β≤2,2<α+β≤4,λ1,λ2are eigenvalues, subject either to the boundary conditionsD0+αu(0)=D0+αu(1)=0,u(0)=0,D0+β1u(1)-Σi=1m-2a1i D0+β1u(ξ1i)=0,D0+αv(0)=D0+αv(1)=0,v(0)=0,D0+β1v(1)-Σi=1m-2a2i D0+β1v(ξ2i)=0orD0+αu(0)=D0+αu(1)=0,u(0)=0,D0+β1u(1)-Σi=1m-2a1i D0+β1u(ξ1i)=ψ1(u),D0+αv(0)=D0+αv(1)=0,v(0)=0,D0+β1v(1)-Σi=1m-2a2i D0+β1v(ξ2i)=ψ2(v), where0<β1<1,α-β1-1≥0andψ1,ψ2:C([0,1])→[0,∞)are continuous functions. The Krasnoselskiis fixed point theorem is applied to prove the existence of at least one positive solution for both fractional boundary value problems. As an application, an example is given to demonstrate some of main results.
Hypersurfaces with Null Higher Order Anisotropic Mean Curvature
Authors: Wang Hua , He Yijun
Published: June 2013

Given a positive function on which satisfies a convexity condition, for , we define for hypersurfaces in the th anisotropic mean curvature function , a generalization of the usual th mean curvature function. We call a hypersurface anisotropic minimal if , and anisotropic -minimal if . Let be the set of points which are omitted by the hyperplanes tangent to . We will prove that if an oriented hypersurface is anisotropic minimal, and the set is open and nonempty, then is a part of a hyperplane of . We also prove that if an oriented hypersurface is anisotropic -minimal and its th anisotropic mean curvature is nonzero everywhere, and the set is open and nonempty, then has anisotropic relative nullity .
The Effect of Anti-Inflammatory and Antimicrobial Herbal Remedy PADMA 28 on Immunological Angiogenesis and Granulocytes Activity in Mice
Authors: Radomska-Leśniewska Dorota M. , Skopiński Piotr , Niemcewicz Marcin , Zdanowski Robert , Lewicki Sławomir , Kocik Janusz , Skopińska-Różewska Ewa , Stankiewicz Wanda
Published: June 2013

PADMA 28 is a herbal multicompound remedy that originates from traditional Tibetan medicine and possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, angioprotecting, and wound healing properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of this remedy on immunological angiogenesis and granulocytes metabolic activity in Balb/c mice. Mice were fed daily, for seven days, with 5.8 mg of PADMA (calculated from recommended human daily dose) or 0.085 mg (dose in the range of active doses of other herbal extracts studied by us previously).Results. Highly significant increase of newly formed blood vessels number inex vivocutaneous lymphocyte-induced angiogenesis test (LIA) after grafting of Balb/c splenocytes from both dosage groups to F1 hybrids (Balb/c × C3H); increase of blood lymphocytes and granulocytes number only in mice fed with lower dose of remedy; and significant suppression of metabolic activity (chemiluminescence test) of blood granulocytes in mice fed with higher dose of PADMA.Conclusion. PADMA 28 behaves as a good stimulator of physiological angiogenesis, but for this purpose it should be used in substantially lower doses than recommended by producers for avoiding the deterioration of granulocyte function.
Feasibility of UAV Link Space Diversity in Wooded Areas
Authors: Simunek Michal , Pechac Pavel , Fontan Fernando P.
Published: June 2013

Space diversity techniques provide an effective way to mitigate the deep fades in received power in a scattering environment. Space diversity influence on narrowband UAV links, which are unique due to the elevation angle and mutual position of a moving transmitter in homogeneous environment and static receiver in scattering environment, is analyzed in a wooded area using a remotely controlled airship at 2 GHz. The experimental link forms a 1x4 SIMO configuration with influence quantified by values of diversity gain and subsequent comparison with Rayleigh fading series. The mutual antenna distance and elevation angle influence is also studied as the difference between the wooded area and an open field or urban environment.
Nanocarriers for Diagnosis and Targeting of Breast Cancer
Authors: Sharma Arun , Jain Nitin , Sareen Rashmi
Published: June 2013

Breast cancer nanotherapeutics is consistently progressing and being used to remove the various limitations of conventional method available for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Nanoparticles provide an interdisciplinary area for research in imaging, diagnosis, and targeting of breast cancer. With advanced physicochemical properties and better bioavailability, they show prolonged blood circulation with efficient tumor targeting. Passive targeting mechanisms by using leaky vasculature, tumor microenvironment, or direct local application and active targeting approaches using receptor antibody, amplification in the ability of nanoparticles to target specific tumor can be achieved. Nanoparticles are able to reduce cytotoxic effect of the active anticancer drugs by increasing cancer cell targeting in comparison to conventional formulations. Various nanoparticles-based formulations are in the preclinical and clinical stages of development; among them, polymeric drug micelles, liposomes, dendrimer, carbon nanotubes, and nanorods are the most common. In this review, we have discussed the role of nanoparticles with respect to oncology, by particularly focusing on the breast cancer and various nanodelivery systems used for targeting action.
Inhibition of AMPK and Krebs Cycle Gene Expression Drives Metabolic Remodeling of Pten-Deficient Preneoplastic Thyroid Cells
Authors: Antico Arciuch Valeria G. , Russo Marika A. , Kang Kristy S. , Di Cristofano Antonio
Published: June 2013

Rapidly proliferating and neoplastically transformed cells generate the energy required to support rapid cell division by increasing glycolysis and decreasing flux through the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway, usually without alterations in mitochondrial function. In contrast, little is known of the metabolic alterations, if any, which occur in cells harboring mutations that prime their neoplastic transformation. To address this question, we used a Pten-deficient mouse model to examine thyroid cells where a mild hyperplasia progresses slowly to follicular thyroid carcinoma. Using this model, we report that constitutive phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activation caused by PTEN deficiency in nontransformed thyrocytes results in a global downregulation of Krebs cycle and OXPHOS gene expression, defective mitochondria, reduced respiration, and an enhancement in compensatory glycolysis. We found that this process does not involve any of the pathways classically associated with the Warburg effect. Moreover, this process was independent of proliferation but contributed directly to thyroid hyperplasia. Our findings define a novel metabolic switch to glycolysis driven by PI3K-dependent AMPK inactivation with a consequent repression in the expression of key metabolic transcription regulators. Cancer Res; 73(17); 5459–72. ©2013 AACR.
Discontinuation of Antiplatelet Study Medication and Risk of Recurrent Stroke and Cardiovascular Events: Results from the PRoFESS Study
Authors: Weimar Christian , Cotton Dan , Sha Nanshi , Sacco Ralph L. , Bath Philip M.W. , Weber Ralph , Diener Hans Christoph ,   for the PRoFESS study group
Published: June 2013

Background: Several case control studies have reported an increased risk of cardiovascular events following discontinuation of antiplatelet agents in high-risk patients. We therefore sought to investigate the risk of recurrent stroke and cardiovascular events following discontinuation of antiplatelet study medication in the Prevention Regimen for Effectively Avoiding Second Strokes (PRoFESS) trial, a large randomized secondary stroke prevention study. Methods: The recurrent stroke and cardiovascular event rates following discontinuation of aspirin plus extended-release dipyridamole (ASA + ERDP) or clopidogrel were compared to the event rates in the on-treatment populations (patients who had discontinued their antiplatelet medication due to an outcome event were kept in the on-treatment population in order not to underestimate the on-treatment stroke rate). Results: In 7,212 treated ASA + ERDP patients, the stroke incidence rate for the on-treatment group was 729 strokes with an average exposure of 17,048 person-years (0.12 per 1,000 person-days). For 7,864 treated clopidogrel patients, the stroke incidence rate for the on-treatment group was 737 strokes with an average exposure of 18,715 person-years (0.11 per 1,000 person-days). ASA + ERDP was discontinued in 2,843 patients (in 57.7% due to an adverse event, 28.2% noncompliance, 1.4% loss to follow-up, 4.5% withdrawal of consent and 8.1% other/nonspecified reasons) and clopidogrel was permanently discontinued in 2,176 patients (49.0% due to an adverse event, 34.2% noncompliance, 1.8% loss to follow-up, 5.3% withdrawal of consent and 9.7% other/nonspecified reasons). Within 30 days, a recurrent stroke occurred in 31 patients (0.37 per 1,000 person-days) after discontinuation of ASA + ERDP and in 15 patients (0.24 per 1,000 person-days) after discontinuation of clopidogrel. This corresponds to an absolute excess risk of 0.77% within 30 days after discontinuation of ASA + ERDP and 0.40% within 30 days after discontinuation of clopidogrel compared with the on-treatment study populations. A combined vascular endpoint (stroke, myocardial infarction, vascular death) occurred in 68 patients (0.82 per 1,000 person-days) within 30 days after discontinuation of ASA + ERDP and in 47 patients (0.75 per 1,000 person-days) within 30 days after discontinuation of clopidogrel. This corresponds to an absolute excess risk of 2.02% within 30 days after discontinuation of ASA + ERDP and 1.83% within 30 days after discontinuation of clopidogrel compared with the on-treatment study populations. Conclusion: Discontinuation of antiplatelet medication after ischemic stroke should be advocated only when the risk and severity of bleeding clearly outweigh the risk of cardiovascular events.
Severe and Morbid Obesity in Crohn's Disease Patients: Prevalence and Disease Associations
Authors: Ungar Bella , Kopylov Uri , Goitein David , Lahat Adi , Bardan Eitan , Avidan Benjamin , Lang Alon , Maor Yaakov , Eliakim Rami , Ben-Horin Shomron
Published: June 2013

Background: Crohn's disease (CD) is frequently associated with weight loss and malnutrition. However, as the prevalence of obesity increases worldwide, it may become a clinical problem even in CD. Aim: To assess the prevalence of severe/morbid obesity in CD patients and to compare their disease characteristics to nonobese CD patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis of a computerized CD patient database was performed to identify severely/morbidly obese patients (BMI >35). Prevalence was compared to data of the general population. Severely/morbidly obese CD patients were then compared to randomly selected nonobese CD patients (BMI <30) in a 1:3 ratio. Results: Thirteen severely/morbidly obese patients out of 560 CD patients were found (2.3%), which is significantly lower than the prevalence in the general population (5.6%, p = 0.001). When compared to 39 nonobese CD patients, colonic disease was significantly more common among severely/morbidly obese CD patients (odds ratio: 6, 95% CI: 1.35-26.3, p = 0.02), while there was no difference in other disease parameters. Interestingly, 4 morbidly obese CD patients had undergone laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for treatment of morbid obesity with a favorable surgical course. Conclusion: CD in severely/morbidly obese patients is more often colonic, but otherwise no different than CD in nonobese patients. Sleeve gastrectomy is a viable therapeutic option for morbidly obese CD patients.
Plasma Lipidomic Profile Signature of Hypertension in Mexican American Families
Authors: Kulkarni Hemant , Meikle Peter J. , Mamtani Manju , Weir Jacquelyn M. , Barlow Christopher K. , Jowett Jeremy B. , Bellis Claire , Dyer Thomas D. , Johnson Matthew P. , Rainwater David L. , Almasy Laura , Mahaney Michael C. , Comuzzie Anthony G. , Blangero John , Curran Joanne E.
Published: June 2013

Both as a component of metabolic syndrome and as an independent entity, hypertension poses a continued challenge with regard to its diagnosis, pathogenesis, and treatment. Previous studies have documented connections between hypertension and indicators of lipid metabolism. Novel technologies, such as plasma lipidomic profiling, promise a better understanding of disorders in which there is a derangement of the lipid metabolism. However, association of plasma lipidomic profiles with hypertension in a high-risk population, such as Mexican Americans, has not been evaluated before. Using the rich data and sample resource from the ongoing San Antonio Family Heart Study, we conducted plasma lipidomic profiling by combining high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectroscopy to characterize 319 lipid species in 1192 individuals from 42 large and extended Mexican American families. Robust statistical analyses using polygenic regression models, liability threshold models, and bivariate trait analyses implemented in the SOLAR software were conducted after accounting for obesity, insulin resistance, and relative abundance of various lipoprotein fractions. Diacylglycerols, in general, and the DG 16:0/22:5 and DG 16:0/22:6 lipid species, in particular, were significantly associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP), as well as liability of incident hypertension measured during 7140.17 person-years of follow-up. Four lipid species, including the DG 16:0/22:5 and DG 16:0/22:6 species, showed significant genetic correlations with the liability of hypertension in bivariate trait analyses. Our results demonstrate the value of plasma lipidomic profiling in the context of hypertension and identify disturbance of diacylglycerol metabolism as an independent biomarker of hypertension.
Grallipeza Rondani (Diptera: Micropezidae: Taeniapterinae) of the Caribbean and North America
Authors: MARSHALL S. A.
Published: June 2013

The Caribbean and North American species of the large, otherwise neotropical genus Grallipeza Rondani (Diptera: Mi-cropezidae: Taeniapterinae) are revised and keyed. One species, G. nebulosa (Loew), is endemic to the southeastern Unit-ed States and eighteen species are endemic to single Caribbean islands. Of these, the following nine are described as new: Grallipeza abeja, G. albiterga, G. cliffi, G. grenada, G. marleyi, G. mellea, G. paraplacida, G. perezi and G. turba.
Taxonomic position of Eothenomys wardi (Arvicolinae: Cricetidae) based on morphological and molecular analyses with a detailed description of the species
Authors: ZENG TAO , JIN WEI , SUN ZHI YU , LIU YANG , MURPHY ROBERT W. , FU JIAN RONG , WANG XIN , HOU QUAN FEN , TU FEI YUN , LIAO RUI , LIU SHAO YING , YUE BI SONG
Published: June 2013

Ward's Red-backed Vole (Eothenomys wardi) is a rodent from the family Cricetidae. This endemic species occurs only in extreme northwestern Yunnan province, China in the Mekong and Salween river divide. It occupies steep cliffs at 2,800 to 4,250 m above sea level on the remote Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. The validity of E. wardi is controversial and no spec-imens exist apart from the nominal series. In 2010, we collected 38 topotypes of E. wardi from Meri Snow Mountain. The results of our phylogenetic analyses based on nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial genes cytochrome b (cytb) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit one (COI) suggest that E. wardi is the sister group of E. custos, against its previously pre-sumed sister species or conspecific species E. chinensis. In addition, seven out of 34 morphological characters differenti-ate E. wardi from other members of the genus Eothenomys. Therefore, we consider E. wardi to be a valid species and we provide its detailed morphological description.
Longitudinal course and predictors of suicidal ideation in a rural community sample
Authors: Handley Tonelle E , Attia John R , Inder Kerry J , Kay-Lambkin Frances J , Barker Daniel , Lewin Terry J , Kelly Brian J
Published: June 2013

Objective:

Suicide rates in rural Australia are higher than in urban areas. No existing research has explored the long-term patterns and predictors of change in suicidal ideation within rural areas. This report uses longitudinal data and multiple time points to determine predictors of the trajectory of suicidal ideation in rural Australia.

Method:

Participants in the Australian Rural Mental Health Study (ARMHS) completed self-report surveys at baseline, 12 and 36 months, reporting their psychological and social well-being, and suicidal ideation. Generalised linear mixed models explored these factors as correlates and predictors of suicidal ideation across 3 years using multiple data points.

Results:

A total of 2135 participants completed at least one wave of ARMHS, and hence were included in the current analysis. Overall, 8.1% reported suicidal ideation during at least one study wave, 76% of whom reported suicidal ideation intermittently rather than consistently across waves. Across the three time points, suicidal ideation was significantly associated with higher psychological distress (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.37), neuroticism (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.27), and availability of support (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.92), with a non-significant association with unemployment (OR 1.73, 95% CI 0.93 to 3.24) even after controlling for the effects of perceived financial hardship. Future suicidal ideation was significantly predicted by distress (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.23) and neuroticism (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.32), with a non-significant association with unemployment (OR 2.11, 95% CI 0.41 to 2.27). Predictive effects for marital status, social networks, sense of community and availability of support did not remain significant in the full multivariate analysis.

Conclusions:

Fluctuations in suicidal ideation are common, and may be associated with changes in psychological and social well-being. Public health strategies, focusing on encouraging help-seeking among those with higher psychological distress, lower social support, and unstable or absent employment opportunities, may be a useful long-term initiative to reduce the prevalence of suicidal ideation in the general rural community.
Interaction of gender, mentoring, and power distance on career attainment: A cross-cultural comparison
Authors: Ramaswami Aarti , Huang Jia-Chi , Dreher George
Published: June 2013

This article examines how demographics (gender) and cultural values (power distance) differentially moderate the relationship between mentoring (mentor presence) and career attainment (compensation and organizational position) among 390 managers and professionals in two contrasting cultures (Taiwan versus the USA). The four-way interaction of gender x mentor x power distance x country was significant for both dependent variables, supporting our hypotheses based on theories of power distance and gender egalitarianism. In hierarchical cultures such as Taiwan’s, mentored women with high power distance reported higher career returns than did mentored women with low power distance. In contrast, in egalitarian cultures such as the USA’s, mentored women with low power distance reported higher career returns than did mentored women with high power distance. Our findings demonstrate variation in mentoring outcomes, not just across, but also within, cultures for men and women. We discuss results along with implications for mentoring and cross-cultural theory, research, and practice.
Moral Panics and Morality Policy
Authors: Omori Marisa K.
Published: June 2013

The United States recently focused on the methamphetamine “epidemic,” but little research has examined policies resulting from this increased attention. This study explores influences of state-level methamphetamine legislation during 2000-2007, with the goals of understanding themes of legislative responses, and assessing political, social, and media-related predictors on legislation. Nine themes of methamphetamine legislation were identified through a legal database: pharmacy precursor regulations, precursor sentencing, manufacturing/trafficking, possession, research/task force, prevention or treatment, law enforcement, environmental cleanup, and child protection. Logistic regression results largely support the moral panic literature by finding media’s influence and methamphetamine manufacturing on legislation. Findings also suggest that law enforcement agencies participate in constructing the drug problem, which then drives legislation. Moreover, the drug problem is defined in terms of methamphetamine manufacturing rather than use and treatment, which are largely nonsignificant. Surprisingly, conservative political ideology predicted decreased legislation, suggesting that liberal candidates also raise concerns over methamphetamine.
Does Poor Neighbourhood Reputation Create a Neighbourhood Effect on Employment? The Results of a Field Experiment in the UK
Authors: Tunstall Rebecca , Green Anne , Lupton Ruth , Watmough Simon , Bates Katie
Published: June 2013

There are substantial variations in labour market outcomes between neighbourhoods. One potential partial explanation is that residents of some neighbourhoods face discrimination from employers. Although studies of deprived areas have recorded resident perceptions of discrimination by employers and negative employer perceptions of certain areas, until now there has been no direct evidence on whether employers treat job applicants differently by area of residence. This paper reports a unique experiment to test for a neighbourhood reputation effect involving 2001 applications to 667 real jobs by fictional candidates nominally resident in neighbourhoods with poor and bland reputations. The experiment found no statistically significant difference in employer treatment of applicants from these areas, indicating that people living in neighbourhoods with poor reputations did not face ‘postcode discrimination’ in the labour market, at the initial selection stage.
Mood and Threat to Attitudinal Freedom
Authors: Ziegler Rene , Schlett Christian , Aydinli Arzu
Published: June 2013

The present research examined when happy individuals’ processing of a counterattitudinal message is guided by mood-congruent expectancies versus hedonic considerations. Recipients in positive, neutral, or negative mood read a strong or weak counterattitudinal message which either contained a threat to attitudinal freedom or did not contain such a threat. As expected, a freedom-threatening counterattitudinal message was more mood threatening than a counterattitudinal message not threatening freedom. Furthermore, as predicted by the mood-congruent expectancies approach, people in positive mood processed a nonthreatening counterattitudinal message more thoroughly than people in negative mood. Message processing in neutral mood lay in between. In contrast, as predicted by the hedonic-contingency view, a threatening counterattitudinal message was processed less thoroughly in positive mood than in neutral mood. In negative mood, processing of a threatening counterattitudinal message was as low as in positive mood. These findings suggest that message processing is determined by mood congruency unless hedonic considerations override expectancy-based processing inclinations.
Weak > Strong
Authors: Akhtar Omair , Paunesku David , Tormala Zakary L.
Published: June 2013

When people seek support for a cause, they typically present the strongest case they can muster. The present research suggests that under some conditions, the opposite strategy may be superior—in particular, presenting weak rather than strong arguments might stimulate greater advocacy and action. Across four studies, we show that when individuals already agree with a cause (i.e., it is pro-attitudinal), receiving weak arguments in its favor can prompt them into advocating more on its behalf. Perceived argumentation efficacy mediates this effect such that people exposed to weak arguments are more likely to think they have something valuable to contribute. Moreover, consistent with the notion that it is driven by feelings of increased efficacy, the effect is more likely to emerge when initial argumentation efficacy and attitude certainty are moderate or low. Individuals with high argumentation efficacy and high certainty generally advocate more, regardless of the strength of arguments received.
Bringing Technology and Meaning into Institutional Work: Making News at an Italian Business Newspaper
Authors: Raviola Elena , Norbäck Maria
Published: June 2013

In this article we investigate the role of technology and meaning in the institutional work of newsmakers. By analysing ethnographic data from an Italian business newspaper undertaking a project integrating the print and online newsrooms, we show how technology makes certain actions possible – and even proposes action – for the journalists, in their enactment of the institution of business news. Drawing on Callon’s notion of agencement and Battilana and D’Aunno’s conceptualization of human agency in institutional work, our analysis shows that action is taken in the interaction between humans and non-humans, and changes in technology might trigger institutional work. The institutional work of journalists is performed by means of both old and new technologies; if new technologies trigger institutional work by proposing new actions that need to be made meaningful by the journalists, old technology functions as a ‘law book’, where the institution of business news is inscribed. The journalists then use this ‘law book’ to interpret the new actions.
Motivational Interviewing to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk in African American and Latina Women
Authors: Witt Dawn R. , Lindquist Ruth , Treat-Jacobson Diane , Boucher Jackie L. , Konety Suma H. , Savik Kay
Published: June 2013

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for women, and disproportionally so for African American and Latina women. CVD is largely preventable and many risks can be attributable to health behaviors, implementing and sustaining positive health behaviors is a challenge. Motivational interviewing is one promising intervention for initiating behavior change. The purpose of this review was to identify, synthesize, and critically analyze the existing literature on the use of motivational interviewing as a behavioral intervention to reduce CVD risk among African American and Latina women. Seven studies were identified that met inclusion criteria. Results of this review suggest that motivational interviewing has mixed results when used to reduce cardiovascular risk factors in African American and Latina women. More research using a standardized motivational interviewing approach is needed to definitively determine if it is an effective behavioral intervention to reduce CVD risk when used in populations of African American and Latina women.
Do Transactive Memory and Participative Teamwork Improve Nurses’ Quality of Work Life?
Authors: Brunault Paul , Fouquereau Evelyne , Colombat Philippe , Gillet Nicolas , El-Hage Wissam , Camus Vincent , Gaillard Philippe
Published: June 2013

Improvement in nurses’ quality of work life (QWL) has become a major issue in health care organizations. We hypothesized that the level of transactive memory (defined as the way groups collectively encode, store, and retrieve knowledge) and participative teamwork (an organizational model of care based on vocational training, a specific service’s care project, and regular interdisciplinary staffing) positively affect nurses’ QWL. This cross-sectional study enrolled 84 ward-based psychiatric nurses. We assessed transactive memory, participative teamwork, perceived organizational justice, perceived organizational support, and QWL using psychometrically reliable and valid scales. Participative teamwork and transactive memory were positively associated with nurses’ QWL. Perceived organizational support and organizational justice fully mediated the relationship between participative teamwork and QWL, but not between transactive memory and QWL. Improved transactive memory could directly improve nurses’ QWL. Improved participative teamwork could improve nurses’ QWL through better perceived organizational support and perceived organizational justice.
The ‘living wage’, low pay and in work poverty: Rethinking the relationships
Authors: Bennett Fran
Published: June 2013

The ‘living wage’ is an idea with a long history in the UK currently enjoying a renaissance. This article explores possible reasons for its re-emergence as a policy demand, but argues that thinking of low pay primarily as ‘poverty pay’ caused by employers’ failure to pay a living wage raises practical and conceptual issues that are problematic. It examines to what extent recent attempts to resolve such issues in the UK and elsewhere have succeeded, and concludes by suggesting that alternative ways of analysing and addressing the two key issues associated with the living wage, low pay and in work poverty, are required.