bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Face Consciousness on Consumption of Counterfeit Luxury Goods
Authors: Chen Yun-Qing , Zhu Hong , Le Meng , Wu Yi-Zhen
Published: July 2014

We conducted 3 laboratory experiments to determine how face consciousness influences consumption of counterfeit luxury goods, along with the moderating roles of usage occasion and brand prominence. The participants in the first study were 138 Chinese undergraduates who were allocated
to a 2 × 2 design to evaluate their intention to purchase a counterfeit luxury item that would be used either in public or in private. In Studies 2 and 3, using two 2 × 2 designs we evaluated the purchase intention of the participants (132 and 136, respectively) in order to investigate
the moderating role of brand prominence. The results showed that participants' face consciousness had a significant positive influence on intention to purchase counterfeit luxury goods. In addition, the products' usage occasion and brand prominence positively moderated the influence that face
consciousness had on counterfeit luxury item purchase intention of our participant groups.
Exploring the Persuasive Effect of Member-Get-Member Referral Programs
Authors: Chan Simon T. H. , Lin Tom M. Y. , Bodhi Priy
Published: July 2014

Marketers use both financial and nonfinancial incentives to create word-of-mouth (WOM) communication but few empirical researchers have explored how these different types of incentives might affect the design of referral programs and new customer responses to them. In this study we
adopted an experimental design and established hypotheses to investigate the persuasive effect of different referral reward programs, such as a member-get-member setup. Our findings show that low-involvement products offer financial rewards to new members. This means that managers can stimulate
exogenous WOM by encouraging enterprise. Additional managerial implications and limitations are discussed.
Effect of Proactive Personality and Decision-Making Self-Efficacy on Career Adaptability Among Chinese Graduates
Authors: Hou Chunna , Wu Lin , Liu Zhijun
Published: July 2014

We studied the effect of proactive personality and career decision-making self-efficacy on career adaptability under employment pressure among 810 Chinese graduate students. Participants completed the Proactive Personality Scale, the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale–International
Form 2.0, the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Employment Pressure Scale. The results showed: (a) proactive personality affected career adaptability, (b) career decision-making self-efficacy played a mediating role in that relationship, (c) employment pressure moderated
the mediating effect on the relationship in (a), and (d) students with a highly proactive personality were more inclined to be influenced by the negative effects of employment pressure than were those with a less proactive personality when forming career decision-making self-efficacy.
Applying Game Theory to the Balance Between Academic and Administrative Power in Universities
Authors: Meng Qian , Xu Liu , Xu Xiaodong
Published: July 2014

Academic power and administrative power are the 2 basic types of authority in a university. While closely related to each other, they are at the same time opposed to each other. Whether a university is dominated by academic power or administrative power, they are all influenced by the
political and market needs of the country. Game theory is an effective tool to analyze the relationship between academic power and administrative power. In this study we analyzed the game relationships between these 2 types of authority in universities with the help of a prisoner's dilemma
game model, to achieve a new theoretical interpretation of the balance between academic power and administrative power.
Unpacking the Black Box of Multifocused Customer Loyalty
Authors: Wang XiFeng , Wang GuoCai , Wang XiaoYan , Wee Chow Hou , Lim Elison
Published: July 2014

Many scholars and managers have raised concerns that customers' personal loyalty to a salesperson may be a risk to their loyalty to the firm. We tested our theoretical model, which was based on the theories of psychology and organizational behavior, in the context of the direct selling
industry, using a sample of 900 salesperson–customer dyads from Amway in China. It was found that customers' personal loyalty toward individuals can work positively and cooperatively toward loyalty to the firm. Specifically, we identified and examined 4 concurrent underlying mechanisms:
affect transfer, social influence, behavioral sensemaking, and perceived entitativity. Our findings enrich the marketing literature on customer loyalty and we offer suggestions for managerial strategies and practice.
Birth Order and Sibling Sex Ratio in Relation to Sexual Orientation in China
Authors: Xu Yin , Zheng Yong
Published: July 2014

We examined birth order and sibling sex ratio in relation to sexual orientation within a Chinese cultural context. A total of 672 people comprising 160 heterosexual men, 215 homosexual men, 255 heterosexual women, and 42 homosexual women, took part in a web-based survey. Our results
showed that as a whole homosexual and heterosexual men had a significantly late position in the birth order of the children in their families, but that the same phenomenon did not apply for homosexual women. In contrast to studies involving Western populations, in this study heterosexual and
homosexual men had a significant excess of older sisters, but not older brothers when compared with the norm in a Chinese population. We concluded that the male-preference stopping rule adopted by Chinese parents affected birth order and sibling sex ratio in relation to sexual orientation.
Proton pump inhibitors in the contemporary clinical practice
Authors: Bjelovic Milos
Published: July 2014

Since the second half of the twenty century complications of the acid related
disorders were common problem in gastroenterology. However, introduction of
the proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), significantly chanted clinical course of
the diseases. Spectrum of PPIs is steadily growing in respect to discovering
new drugs, new isomeric forms, new formulations like combination with sodium
bicarbonate, etc. If the mechanism of action is key point that classifies the
drugs in the same group, are there clinically significant differences between
PPIs? Now we know that there are differences between PPIs in respect to
formulation, pharmacodynamics, metabolism and profile of interaction. The
dilemma is how much those differences influence clinical efficacy,
effectiveness when comparing mg/mg doses, and safety. Overall clinical
efficacy in influenced by the individual drug characteristic (i.e. efficacy
in achieving acidosuppression, onset and duration of action, etc.) and inter
individual differences among patients. However, contextual frame is wider
than clinical efficacy alone, and encounter differences in the attitude of
the patient and healthcare providers (important for proper dose selection
when switching to a different PPI), and cost of the drug for calculating the
cost-effectiveness of individual PPIs.
The effect of plate design and fixation type on primary stability after open wedge high tibial osteotomy
Authors: Stepanovic Zeljko , Zivkovic Miroslav , Vulovic Snezana , Aleksandrovic Srbislav , Ristic Branko
Published: July 2014

Background: The stability of the open wedge high tibial osteotomy is
dependent on an undamaged cortical hinge and design of the plate. Aims: We
evaluated the primary stability of two internal fixation devices for open
wedge high tibial osteotomy. Methods: Five pairs of cadaveric tibia with 10?
valgus correction were stabilized with a newly designed plate with hybrid
fixation and 10 mm spacer block and with conventional T plate with 10 mm
spacer block. Static axial loads were applied until ultimate failure of the
construct. Results: The average load at initial failure of the new plate
construct was 4757.7 N compared to 3022.43 N obtained with the T plate,
(p<0.01). The difference in initial stiffness of both constructs was not
significant (p=0.27). The mean ultimate load at failure of the new plate
construct was 5280.6 N compared to 3635.3N obtained with the T plate,
(p=0.001). Conclusion: The new plate with hybrid fixation, provides
substantial load resistance but similar stiffness when compared to standard T
plate.
Tonsillectomy complications in children and adults
Authors: Milic Dejan , Zivic Ljubica , Jovanovic Danijela , Milovanovic Sanjin , Budimcic Milenko
Published: July 2014

Tonsilectomy is one of the most commom surgerys, although its number has been
decreasing since seventies. It is consider a routine procedure, but it is not
free of risk and can have numerous complications. Aim of our study is to
determine complications of clasic technique tonsilectomy in general
endotracheal anestesia in children and adults that required intervention.
This is a retrospective study of 2325 tonsilectomies done in the period from
2001 till 2010 at ENT Clinic, Clinical Centre Kragujevac. Out of 2325
tonsilectomies 1935(83%) were done in children, while 390(17%) were done in
adults. In children 1167(60%) were pure adenectomies, while the rest,
768(40%) were tonsilectomies. Complications that required intervention were
present in 1.6% of patients. Bleeding that required revision and hemostasis
in ER has developed in 15(0.6%) patients, 12 (3.07) children and 3 (0.15%)
adults. One child has a severe bleeding after adenectomy which required
posteral tamponade. One adult developed severe bleeding that required ligate
of a.carotis externa. High body temperature and dehidration developed in 23
(1.18%) children which required pediatrian examination. One child developed
appendicitis, and three of them pneumonia. The most common tonsilectomy
complication inadults is bleeding, and in children elevated body temperature
and dehidration.
Clinical outcomes after microfracture treatment of full-thikness articular cartilage lesions of the knee
Authors: Mitev Konstantin , Kaftangiev Igor
Published: July 2014

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the clinical results after
microfracture treatment of the full-thikness articular lesions of the knee.
Methods: This study presented clinical outcomes of 51 patients with focal
full thikness articular cartilage lesion who were treated with microfracture
technique and evaluated according Lysholm-Tegner, Oxford, Womac and KSS
scores. According the age we examined of patients younger than 35 years and
second group between 36-60 years old. Results: On the basis of follow-up at
minimum 18 months, mean improvements in Lysholm-Ttegner scores in younger
group (from 38.4-94.1) in older group (from 37.1-87.3), Oxford scores in
younger (from 29.5-45.2) and older group (from 25.5-50.5), and Womac score in
younger group (from 51.1-94.8) in older (from 50.8-87.8). There was a strong
and significant correlation between functional results and age of the
patients with full-thikness cartilage lesion less than 2 cm in dijametar.
Conclusions: According to our short term results, microfracture technique is
effective treatment for the full-thikness cartilage lesions with regard to
the improvements of daily activities with a favorable impact on pain relief
and better functional results. There was a strong correlation between
functional results and age, size of defect location of defect as prognostic
parameters.
Predictive morphological factors of rupture of arteriovenous malformations of the brain
Authors: Matic Sinisa , Repac Nikola , Nikolic Igor , Djoric Igor , Janicijevic Aleksandar , Scepanovic Vuk , Jovanovic Vladimir , Ivanisevic Vesna , Tasic Goran
Published: July 2014

The study includes a series of 39 patients with AVM of the brain that are not
subjected to any method of treatment, except for the symptomatic treatment
who were hospitalized and diagnosed AVM at the Institute of Neurosurgery,
Clinical Center, in the period 2005-2011. Results: The structure of the
patients was measured by gender are male. Average age of the respondents was
27.4 ? 7.6 years. With the average length of the follow-up of 4.8 years, new
hemorrhage occurred in 24 patients (58 episodes). Predictor (p<0.01), factors
for bleeding include: arterial supply from the VB and ACA basin and multiple
arterial supply. Conclusion: The analysis of our series may be proposed for
following model of the natural course of AVM : After initiall haemorrhage
there is annual risk of rehemorrhage of 3.33%. Bleeding events were
significantly more common in medium-sized AVM (2.5 - 5 cm), localized in
elocvent area of the brain with combined type of venous drainage, arterial
supply from the vertebrobasilar artery, anterior cerebral artery basin or
combined arterial supply.
A rare case of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma in a young woman with prolonged survival
Authors: Tausanovic Katarina , Zivaljevic Vladan , Paunovic Ivan , Diklic Aleksandar , Kalezic Nevena , Kazic M. , Sabljak V. , Zoric G.
Published: July 2014

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is one of the most aggressive tumors in human
medicine. Despite the multimodal therapy, the average survival of patients is
just several months. Fortunately, it is an extremely rare tumor. Most
frequently, ATC occurs in the elderly, with the average age of the patients
being almost 70 years. It is extremely rare that ATC occurs in people under
the age of 40. We report a case of a 33 year old woman with ATC, with the
diameter of the tumor being 8x7cm, confirmed by histopathology and
imunohistochemistry. In January 2001, a total thyroidectomy was performed,
and the tumor was completely resected. Postoperatively, the patient received
radiation therapy. Ten years after the surgery, on regular check-ups, the
patient is still living and there is no evidence of a recurrent tumor or
metastases. This case is instructive for two reasons, as it shows that ATC
can occur in younger people and that there is a possibility of long term
survival.
Young Adolescents' Knowledge and Notions of Citizenship
Authors: Doppen Frans H. , Feinberg Joseph R. , Arrowood-Schultheis Chelsie M.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this study was to use the US naturalization test as a springboard to gauge the citizenship knowledge and notions of young adolescent students in Ohio and Georgia. The participants' citizenship knowledge was partially measured by administering questions from the US naturalization test in two case studies. Students from a range of academic achievement levels were then selected to participate in interviews regarding their notions of citizenship. The findings show that the overwhelming majority of adolescents in this study dismally failed the naturalization test. When interviewed, the predominantly Caucasian participants from Ohio struggled to articulate universal conceptions of citizenship and were notably uninformed about justice-oriented citizenship. The more diverse participants from Georgia showed very similar results, however, with a few notable exceptions among the immigrant adolescents.
The Neoliberalisation of Sustainability
Authors: Tulloch Lynley , Neilson David
Published: July 2014

Sustainability – embedded in intergovernmental global agreements and filtering, reassuringly, into ‘common sense’ – is now the globally dominant environmental discourse. However, this dominance does not equate with the mainstreaming of its original meaning that is tied up with a radical critique of capitalism that crystallised in movements of both the South and the North in the 1970s. Rather, radical sustainability discourse has been effectively neutralised by its ‘articulation’ with the neoliberal capitalist project. This article examines this articulatory shift, focusing particularly on a post-Marxist neo-Gramscian inspired discourse analysis of the key documents of intergovernmental global agreement. The article argues for the rearticulation of sustainability to a new counter-hegemonic ‘reimagining’ of nature.
Comparing Teacher Education and Finance Majors' Agreement with Financial Morality Topics
Authors: Lucey Thomas A. , Bates Alan
Published: July 2014

This article describes findings from a research survey that measured agreement with items that concerned financial morality. The authors analyzed the responses of 382 teacher education majors and finance majors at a Midwestern institution of higher learning in the USA. The study found highest agreement with items measuring business responsibilities, and lowest agreement with items related to wealth distribution. It noted significant differences and varying effect sizes among education and finance majors' interpretation of items concerning business responsibility and wealth distribution. The authors recommend additional research to interpret the concept of financial morality and provide suggestions for related study.
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells enhance bone formation in orthodontically expanded maxillae in rats
Authors: Ekizer Abdullah , Yalvac Mehmet Emir , Uysal Tancan , Sonmez Mehmet Fatih , Sahin Fikrettin
Published: July 2014

Objective: 

To transplant bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into the interpremaxillary suture after rapid maxillary expansion with the aim of increasing new bone formation in the suture.

Materials and Methods: 

Nineteen male Wistar rats were divided into two groups (control, n  =  9; experimental, n  =  10). Both groups were subjected to expansion for 5 days, and 50 cN of force was applied to the maxillary incisors with a helical spring. Pkh67+ (green fluorescent dye)–labeled MSCs were applied to the interpremaxillary suture after force application into the interpremaxillary suture of rats. Bone formation in the sutural area was histomorphometrically evaluated, including the amount of new bone formation (µm2), number of osteoblasts, number of osteoclasts, and number of vessels. Mann-Whitney U-test was used for statistical evaluation at the P < .05 level.

Results: 

After 10 days of retention, Pkh67+ can be detected in suture mostly in the injection site under fluorescence microscope. Histomorphometric analysis revealed that a single local injection of MSCs into the midpalatal suture increased the new bone formation in the suture by increasing the number of osteoblasts and new vessel formation, compared with controls injected with phosphate-buffered saline.

Conclusions: 

This preclinical study might provide foundations for the underlying potential clinical use of MSCs after maxillary expansion. Given the fact that MSCs are currently in use in clinical trials, this approach might be a feasible treatment strategy to accelerate new bone tissue formation in midpalatal suture and to shorten the treatment period for patients undergoing maxillary expansion reinforcement
Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide Augments Glucagon Responses to Hypoglycemia in Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Christensen Mikkel , Calanna Salvatore , Sparre-Ulrich Alexander H. , Kristensen Peter L. , Rosenkilde Mette M. , Faber Jens , Purrello Francesco , van Hall Gerrit , Holst Jens J. , Vilsbøll Tina , Knop Filip K.
Published: July 2014

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) is glucagonotropic, and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is glucagonostatic. We studied the effects of GIP and GLP-1 on glucagon responses to insulin-induced hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Ten male subjects with T1DM (C-peptide negative, age [mean ± SEM] 26 ± 1 years, BMI 24 ± 0.5 kg/m2, HbA1c 7.3 ± 0.2%) were studied in a randomized, double-blinded, crossover study, with 2-h intravenous administration of saline, GIP, or GLP-1. The first hour, plasma glucose was lowered by insulin infusion, and the second hour constituted a “recovery phase.” During the recovery phase, GIP infusions elicited larger glucagon responses (164 ± 50 [GIP] vs. 23 ± 25 [GLP-1] vs. 17 ± 46 [saline] min ⋅ pmol/L, P < 0.03) and endogenous glucose production was higher with GIP and lower with GLP-1 compared with saline (P < 0.02). On the GIP days, significantly less exogenous glucose was needed to keep plasma glucose above 2 mmol/L (155 ± 36 [GIP] vs. 232 ± 40 [GLP-1] vs. 212 ± 56 [saline] mg ⋅ kg−1, P < 0.05). Levels of insulin, cortisol, growth hormone, and noradrenaline, as well as hypoglycemic symptoms and cognitive function, were similar on all days. Our results suggest that during hypoglycemia in patients with T1DM, exogenous GIP increases glucagon responses during the recovery phase after hypoglycemia and reduces the need for glucose administration.
Type 2 Diabetes, Skin Autofluorescence, and Brain Atrophy
Authors: Moran Chris , Münch Gerald , Forbes Josephine M. , Beare Richard , Blizzard Leigh , Venn Alison J. , Phan Thanh G. , Chen Jian , Srikanth Velandai
Published: July 2014

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with brain atrophy, but the mechanisms underlying this link are unknown. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accumulate in T2DM, resulting in inflammation, oxidative stress, and protein cross-linking, which are known contributors to neurodegeneration. We aimed to study whether tissue AGE accumulation is associated with T2DM-related brain atrophy. We performed brain magnetic resonance imaging, cognitive tests, and noninvasive skin autofluorescence (SAF; a measure of tissue AGE levels) on people aged >55 years with and without T2DM. Multivariable linear regression was used to study the relationships among T2DM, SAF, and gray matter volume (GMV). There were 486 people included in the study. T2DM was associated with greater SAF. Greater SAF, T2DM, and cognitive impairment were each associated with lower GMV independently of age, sex, and total intracranial volume. SAF partially mediated the association between T2DM and GMV. Longitudinal studies may help confirm whether tissue AGE accumulation is associated with brain atrophy in T2DM.
Leukocyte Profiles Differ Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes and Are Associated With Metabolic Phenotypes: Results From the German Diabetes Study (GDS)
Authors: Menart-Houtermans Barbara , Rütter Ruth , Nowotny Bettina , Rosenbauer Joachim , Koliaki Chrysi , Kahl Sabine , Simon Marie-Christine , Szendroedi Julia , Schloot Nanette C. , Roden Michael ,   for the German Diabetes Study Group
Published: July 2014

OBJECTIVE

Altered immune reactivity precedes and accompanies type 1 and type 2 diabetes. We hypothesized that the metabolic phenotype relates to the systemic cellular immune status.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A total of 194 metabolically well-controlled patients with type 1 diabetes (n = 62, mean diabetes duration 1.29 years) or type 2 diabetes (n = 132, 1.98 years) and 60 normoglycemic persons underwent blood sampling for automated white blood cell counting (WBC) and flow cytometry. Whole-body insulin sensitivity was measured with hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp tests.

RESULTS

Patients with type 2 diabetes had higher WBC counts than control subjects along with a higher percentage of T cells and activated T helper (Th) and cytotoxic T (Tc) cells but lower proportions of natural killer (NK) cells. In type 1 diabetes, the percentage of activated Th and Tc cells was also higher compared with control subjects, whereas the ratio of regulatory T (Treg) cells to activated Th cells was lower, suggesting diminished regulatory capacity. Parameters of glycemic control related positively to Treg cells only in type 2 diabetes. Upon age, sex, and body mass adjustments, insulin sensitivity correlated positively with monocytes, while circulating lipids correlated positively with T cell subsets in type 1 diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

Immune cell phenotypes showed distinct frequencies of occurrence in both diabetes types and associate with insulin sensitivity, glycemia, and lipidemia.
The D
e (T, t) plot: A straightforward self-diagnose tool for post-IR IRSL dating procedures
Authors: Fu Xiao
Published: July 2014

This study presents a new self-diagnose method for the recently developed post-IR infrared stimulated luminescence (pIRIR) dating protocols. This criterion studies the dependence of equivalent dose (D
e) on measurement-temperature (T) and time (t), by applying the D
e (t) analysis to the IRLS and pIRIR signals measured under different temperatures, and combines these D
e (t) plots into one, so-called the D
e (T, t) plot. The pattern of the D
e (T, t) plot is shown to be affected by anomalous fading, partial bleaching and non-bleachable signal. A D
e plateau can be achieved in the D
e (T, t) plot only when the effects of these factors are insignificant. Therefore, this plot can be used as a self-diagnose tool for the validity of pIRIR results. The D
e (T, t) analysis has been applied to four recently developed pIRIR protocols, using aeolian samples with different ages. The results show that this self-diagnose tool can be applied to different pIRIR protocols for validating the pIRIR dating results and evaluating the pIRIR measurement conditions.
Ethical issues in ophthalmic practice and the ways to monitor ethics
Authors: Reddy Sagili Chandrasekhara
Published: July 2014

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nepjoph.v6i1.10758 Nepal J Ophthalmol 2014; 6 (2): 3-5
Factors affecting the time lag to the second eye cataract surgery in a hospital-based population
Authors: Malik Charu , Bhatia Manjit S , Dhaliwal Upreet
Published: July 2014

Introduction: Cataract can be treated successfully, yet patients delay surgery. Surgery in one eye may not promote surgery in the second. Objectives: To determine the time lag to the second eye cataract surgery and identify the factors that affect it. Materials and methods: This study was conducted at an ophthalmology out-patient department of a teaching hospital and was an observational, cross-sectional study. Consecutive patients of over 45 years who had had cataract surgery in one eye and had visually significant senile cataract in the other were categorized into those that requested sequential surgery (Group 1) and those that refused (Group 2). The relevant history and vision were recorded. A questionnaire was used to seek possible responsible factors that determined the refusal for the second surgery. Statistical analysis: Categorical variables were compared between groups using the chi-square test and continuous variables using the Student t-test. Factors significantly affecting the time lag were subjected to the analysis of covariance. Rresults: Of the 250 patients of the study, only 104 (41.6 %) requested the second eye surgery, less than one-fifth within one year. Thirteen patients from Group 2 presented with complications of hypermaturity in the second eye. The average time lag was 2.39 ± 2.19 years. It was significantly more in Group 2 patients (p = 0.024) who also reported more barriers (2.75 ± 1.23 versus 1.58 ± 1.10; p = 0.005). The factors that increased the time lag were older age (p = 0.028), extra-capsular surgery (p < 0.001), and being able to manage after the first surgery (p = 0.011) in Group1, and eye-camp (p = 0.021) or extra-capsular surgery (p < 0.001) in Group 2 patients. Conclusions: One-fifth of the patients reported back for sequential surgery within one year. Patients who refused surgery had more barriers; most were related to the first surgery and should be anticipated by compassionate ophthalmic professionals after surgery in the first eye. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nepjoph.v6i1.10761   Nepal J Ophthalmol 2014; 6 (2): 31-38
Clinico-epidemiological characteristics of central retinal vein occlusion in a tertiary level eye care center of Nepal
Authors: Shrestha Nirsara , Byanju Raghu Nandan , Bhattarai Binita , Bajracharya Kabindra , Shrestha Ruchi
Published: July 2014

Background: Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) is one of the common retinal disorders causing severe visual impairment. Objective: To study the clinical profile, risk factors and visual outcome in central retinal vein occlusion. Materials and methods: Seventy-four eyes of 74 patients with central retinal vein occlusion were retrospectively enrolled during the period of one year. All the patients in the study were classified with regard to their ischemic status into two groups, ischemic CRVO and non-ischemic CRVO. The demographic pattern of the patients was recorded. The other parameters studied were visual acuity, history of glaucoma, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia. The patients were followed up at 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after treatment. Results: The majority of the patients (n = 49, 66.2 %) had the ischemic type of CRVO, whereas, 25 (33.8 %) of them had the non-ischemic type. The CRVO was more commonly observed in males in both the groups. Hypertension was the most common risk factor associated with CRVO. The visual improvement was significantly better in non-ischemic CRVO (RR = 0.04, 95% CI = 0.01 – 0.31, p = 0.000). Conclusion: The CRVO was more common in males than in females. It was associated with systemic hypertension. The ischemic type of the CRVO was more prevalent than the non-ischemic one in this study. Visual outcome was better in the non-ischemic CRVO. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nepjoph.v6i1.10771   Nepal J Ophthalmol 2014; 6 (2): 39-45
Effect of phacoemulsification surgery on various parameters in patients with glaucoma
Authors: Bhandari Sanjeeb , Pandyal Indira , Khanal Shankar Prasad , Thapa Suman S
Published: July 2014

Background: Cataract and glaucoma are both common conditions and are often present in the same patient. The incidence of these diseases increases with age. Besides vision impairment, these diseases are associated with decrement in quality of life (QOL). Objective: To study the effect of phacoemulsification surgery on various parameters in patients with glaucoma. Materials and methods: We enrolled 50 eyes of 36 patients with glaucoma and concomitant cataract scheduled for phacoemulsification cataract surgery . A record was made which included number of anti-glaucoma medications, visual acuity (VA), intra-ocular pressure (IOP), anterior chamber depth (ACD), cataract category/grade, visual field (VF) analysis (mean deviation (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD) and responses to Indian visual function questionnaires (IND-VFQ). The patients were re-evaluated at one month after cataract extraction and the above parameters were again obtained to compare them with the firs values. Results: The mean age of the patients was 66.34 yrs ± 7.96; 10 eyes (20 %) had angle closure and 40 (80 %) had open angle glaucoma. Following cataract extraction, VA improved, IOP decreased, number of glaucoma medications decreased and AC depth increased. The VF analysis showed that the improvement in MD was significant while changes in PSD were not. The improvements seen in the visual function questionnaires (VFQ) were significant. When these parameters were analyzed based on the types of glaucoma, in the angle closure glaucoma (ACG) group, the decrease of IOP from 15.30 ± 6.18 to 12.70 ± 2.71 was not significant ( p = 0.24). In the open angle glaucoma (OAG) group, the changes in the number of anti-glaucoma medication were not significant. When the parameters were analyzed in subgroups, based on cataract category, nuclear sclerosis and posterior sub-capsular, the VA improved significantly in both and the MD improved in the posterior sub-capsular surgery. Improvement in VFQ’s was observed in denser nuclear sclerotic and posterior subcapsular cataracts. Conclusion: Cataract extraction results in significant improvement in vision, IOP reduction, decrease in the number of medications, deepening of AC and in the quality of life in patients with co-existing glaucoma when the cataract is of significant density. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nepjoph.v6i1.10772 Nepal J Ophthalmol 2014; 6 (2): 46-55
Macular toxicity following brilliant blue G-assisted macular hole surgery – a report of three cases
Authors: Jindal Animesh , Pathengay Avinash , Mithal Kopal , Chhablani Jay , Pappuru Rajeev Reddy , Flynn Harry W
Published: July 2014

Introduction: Brilliant blue G is a new dye used for staining the internal limiting membrane to ease its peeling in cases like a macular hole. Cases: Three patients presented with full-thickness idiopathic macular hole. They underwent pars planavitrectomy, Brilliant Blue G (BBG) stained internal limiting membrane peeling and fluid gas exchange. Observations: Postoperatively,the macular hole closed but foveal thinning and perifoveal hyperpigmentation presumably due to BBG toxicity were observed in all three patients. All of them had a subnormal final best corrected visual acuity. Conclusion:This case series highlights the unusual occurrence of macular toxicity following brillantblue G-assisted macular hole surgery. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nepjoph.v6i1.10779   Nepal J Ophthalmol 2014; 6 (2): 98-101
Herpes Simplex Keratitis – an unusual clinical presentation
Authors: Sharma Ananda Kumar
Published: July 2014

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nepjoph.v6i1.10787 Nepal J Ophthalmol 2014; 6 (2): 125-126
Between Excess and Inanition: Tobias Smollett’s Medical Model of the State
Authors: Duhaime Douglas
Published: July 2014

Tobias Smollett’s medical training in the Boerhaavian tradition helped shape his contributions to debates on luxury, British foreign policy, and public economics. He also invested his medical philosophy with a vast range of political import. This article draws on recent scholarship to outline some of the ways in which medical thought informed the political sensibilities of those writing before Smollett, from Gerard de Malynes and Edward Misselden to William Petty and François Quesnay. Reading Smollett’s novels vis-à-vis his medical and historical works, I analyze the ways in which Smollett deployed his medical philosophy to naturalize his reactionary agenda on issues from Anglo-Scottish fiscal policy to the Seven Years’ War. Attending to Smollett’s revision of the body politic metaphor can help resolve extant scholarly debates concerning Smollett’s axiological orientation.
Edgeworth’s Belinda and the Gendering of Caricature
Authors: Taylor David Francis
Published: July 2014

Vital parts of the narrative of Maria Edgeworth’s Belinda (1801) hinge on the disastrous personal consequences that attend one woman’s caricaturing of another. Critics, however, have yet to pay attention to graphic satire in their readings of this novel. In this article, I offer a close reading of the key episode in Belinda in which Lady Delacour caricatures Mrs Luttridge, a satirical act that leads to a duel and, subsequently, to Lady Delacour sustaining a seemingly cancerous wound to her breast. I apply critical pressure to the representation of graphic satire as a gendered cultural practice, a “masculine” discourse that offers another means by which Lady Delacour transgresses the mores of polite womanhood. In particular, I consider the specific significance of introducing caricature—a form that deals in a grammar of physiognomic distortion and disfigurement, and in which bodies, not least women’s bodies, are invested with complex moral and political symbolism—into a scene that culminates in the infliction of injury and into a novel that is centrally concerned with the vexed relations between a woman and her body.
Humour et sociabilité dans les récits galants et les écrits mondains aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles en France
Authors: Hölzle Dominique
Published: July 2014

RÉSUMÉ

Dans les sociétés mondaines, à l’époque classique, avoir de l’humour—terme anachronique—c’est être spirituel. L’esprit est la qualité la plus précieuse que peut avoir un galant, mais cette qualité est aussi rare qu’indéfinissable, et elle peut se transformer en défaut rédhibitoire. On ne peut approcher de l’esprit qu’en définissant ce qu’il n’est pas (la sottise, l’érudition, le sérieux), mais la difficulté tient également au fait que ce concept qui doit organiser les relations sociales dans le cadre des salons est constamment susceptible de se corrompre, et de devenir non plus le principe sur lequel se fonde l’harmonie des mondains, mais une arme qui réintroduit la violence dans un univers galant qui se voulait apaisé. Cette ambiguïté fondamentale de l’esprit était déjà présente dans les textes de Bouhours ou de Méré, eux qui n’ont cessé de distinguer le véritable esprit du faux esprit ou de la médisance, et c’est elle qui explique l’émergence d’une forme dégradée de l’esprit, le « bon ton », que condamnent tant Crébillon que Duclos. Le tableau des mœurs que proposent les auteurs du XVIIIe siècle est si négatif que l’on est en droit de se demander si l’« esprit » peut encore être perçu positivement, et si cette forme d’humour reste acceptable.
Rousseau et le combat pour le rire: L’Humour entre gaieté et moquerie
Authors: Menin Marco
Published: July 2014

RÉSUMÉ

Le présent article se propose de montrer à quel point le jugement que Jean-Jacques Rousseau porte sur l’humour et sur le rire peut nous aider à éclairer sa réflexion philoso‐ phique, notamment la genèse de l’émotion et le rôle que celle-ci peut jouer dans la conduite morale de l’individu. L’analyse généalogique de la passion du rire dans l’œuvre de Rousseau—qui s’inscrit de manière cohérente dans sa conception «vectorielle» de l’émotion—nous signale la nécessité de séparer nettement la réalisation positive de la bonne humeur, c’est à dire la gaieté, de sa dégénérescence négative, à savoir la moquerie. Dans le premier cas, il s’agit d’une émotion positive et légitime qui reprend le caractère naturel d’une passion pré-morale en l’élevant à outil d’édification de la socialité humaine; dans le second, il s’agit, au contraire, d’un sentiment artificiel et conventionnel qui fausse l’émotion et la transforme en un instrument de domination sur le prochain.
“Eating, Drinking and Sleeping”: Exploring Thomas Rowlandson’s Peter Plumb’s Diary
Authors: Felsenstein Frank
Published: July 2014

By close visual and verbal commentary with the focus on Peter Plumb’s Diary (1810), my essay takes issue with Ronald Paulson’s long established belief that Thomas Rowlandson’s graphic satires never tell “more than the simplest anecdote that is least in need of commentary.” A contextual examination of this particular print shows that it is replete with historical and linguistic echoes, which reveal a surprising inventiveness and depth of vision on the part of Rowlandson. His comedic art joyously captures the spirit of the age by finding humour in the everyday aspects of bourgeois life in Regency London. A widening of the frame of reference allows us to see a reiteration of his vis comica in a selection of other works by Rowlandson. The discussion ends with the plea that twenty-first-century art historians and critics should take advantage of the open access to many major collections that digitization allows and endeavour to construct an online and fully searchable catalogue raisonné of Rowlandson’s satires.
Dispersion of Bioactive Glass using Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide
Authors: Yehia Ahmed , Yassin Khaled E. , Shoeib Madeha , El-Bahrawy S. , Shalaby M.
Published: July 2014

The dispersion of bioactive glass, (BG), sample was studied using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). An array of experimental techniques like adsorption, Zeta potential and turbidity were used to achieve this goal. Turbidity was used as a parameter to reflect the degree of dispersion where a higher value of turbidity represents higher dispersion efficiency. Dispersion of the BG particles was largely affected by CTAB concentration and the solution pH. Dispersion of the BG particles was increased with increasing of CTAB concentration till the CMC of CTAB is reached. Above the CMC, the BG particles become hydrophilic causing a decrease in glass dispersion. On the other hand, dispersion of the BG particles was affected with the solution pH. It was increased with increasing pH till pH 9. At higher pH, dispersion was decreased where the formation of micelles is favored.
Inactivation of Human Norovirus by Common Domestic Laundry Procedures
Authors: Lemm Davina , Merettig Nadine , Lucassen Ralf , Bockmühl Dirk P.
Published: July 2014

Today, noroviruses (NoV) are the world's most common cause of human gastroenteritis. Because of its low infectious dose and its ability to persist in the environment, the virus can be easily transmitted from person-to-person. In addition, surfaces like toilet seats, door handles or clothes worn by infected patients might serve as transmission vectors. Although environmental contamination plays a big role in the spread of the virus, little is known about how contaminated surfaces and textiles can be cleaned efficiently to prevent infections. To estimate the lifelike situation, textiles were contaminated with NoV-containing stool and washed in a normal household machine using laundry detergents with or without activated oxygen bleach at different temperatures. The obtained results show that a sufficient inactivation of NoV-contaminated fabric requires a washing temperature of at least 60°C, even if a detergent with activated oxygen bleach is used.
Influence of Alcohols on Micellar and Release Balances of Cationic Surfactant – Carbethopendecinium Bromide (Septonex)
Authors: Oremusová Jarmila , Vitková Zuzana , Herdová Petra
Published: July 2014

An objective of this work is analysis of influence of selected alcohols from the group of enhancers (ethanol, propan-1-ol, propan-2-ol) and humectants (ethane-1,2-diol, propane-1,2-diol and propane-1,2,3-triol) in the hydrogels containing carbethopendecinium bromide on their associative (critical micelle concentration and thermodynamic parameters) and release properties (pH, percentage of drug release and the release rate constant). The studied hydrogels contained constant amounts of the gel-creating basis (polymer chitosan – 2.5% w/w), drug carbethopendecinium bromide (Septonex) – 1.0% w/w and additive of alcohol in 5 and 10% w/w concentrations. Associative parameter – critical micelle concentration (CMC) was evaluated by conductometric measurements. The CMC significantly increased in the environment of alcohols in comparison with water solutions as many as 50 times, while concentration of alcohols ranged within W = 0–100% mass fractions. Micellization in the both environments was spontaneous (ΔGm < 0), and from the energetic point of view it was exothermic (ΔHm < 0). The additive of alcohols in hydrogels supported the drug relase from hydrogels. As the concentration of alcohols increased the mass percentage of the drug released from gel increased as well.
Actually existing tomatoes
Authors: Aistara Guntra A.
Published: July 2014

In March 2012, a small farm in Latvia with a collection of over 200 tomato varieties was charged with the illegal sale of seeds not included in the European Union's Common Catalogue. The farm's collection includes traditional Latvian varieties that have never been officially registered, Western varieties imported illegally during the Soviet years, and Russian varieties that came into use during the Soviet years and are now defended by Latvian gardeners as "traditionally grown" and representing the taste of their childhoods. The debate highlighted the continuing struggle over Latvia's geopolitical positioning between Russia and the European Union and control over seeds as a tactic of empire. I explore the cultural memories embedded in the contested tomato seeds and how they contribute to an intertwined imaginary of the Latvian landscape idyll with a Soviet sociality. I argue that the innovative resolution to this conflict represents a process of transculturation in a contact zone between empires (Pratt 1992).
The seed and the citizen
Authors: Müller Birgit
Published: July 2014

While farmers set up conditions for the development of plants, the seeds they help grow into plants determine conditions for the farmers. Modern plants not only have agronomic characteristics but also intellectual property rights, phytosanitary regulations, and classifications attached to them. Interacting with their seeds creates fields of property and power, situations of possibility and impossibility, in which farmers and breeders operate. The biosocial networks from which seeds emerge are animated by bureaucratic measures, property relations, and research and cultivation practices that I will explore in action. Seeds not only become what they are in multifarious networks of natural, cultural, and political agencies, but their emergence and coevolution with humans is ruptured through deregistration, persecution, confiscation, and destruction of proprietary seeds. This article will take the reader from the fields of farmers in Saskatchewan to seed breeders in Saskatoon and ultimately to public meetings organized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Ottawa.
A political ontology of seeds
Authors: Demeulenaere Elise
Published: July 2014

This article follows the trajectory of a French farmers' movement that contests the seed production and regulation system set in place during agricultural modernization. It focuses on the creativity of the movement, which ranges from semantic innovations (such as “peasant seeds”) to the reinvention of onfarm breeding practices based on new scientific paradigms, and includes new alliances with the social movements defending the commons. The trajectory of the movement is shaped by its encounters—with scientists, other international seed contestations, and other social movements—and by the productive frictions they create. This in-depth reframing of the activities connected to seeds contributes to building a counternarrative about farmers and seeds that reopens spaces for contestation. In this counternarrative, “peasant seeds” play a central and subversive role in the sense that they question the ontological assumptions of present seed laws.
The booming global market of contemporary art
Authors: Fillitz Thomas
Published: July 2014

The present economic and financial crises do not seem to particularly influence the global art market of contemporary art. In an attempt to understand this apparent opposition, I adopt a macro perspective, combining my own research ventures in Dakar and Vienna with general art market studies. I argue that this market is a special representation of millennial capitalism (Comaroff and Comaroff 2001). The global art market puts in place an organization of diversity that allows a high flexibility in including specific centers and marginalizing others, as well as a special focus on a globally acting group of “ultra high net worth” individuals. Striking features are the concentration of capital flows to a few major centers, the constitution of complex, transnational networks, the dominant logics for each market field (gambling, glamour, moral economy), and the diversification of the commodity character of the work of art.
Tracing creative moments
Authors: Henig David
Published: July 2014

In postsocialist and postwar Bosnia-Herzegovina, popular dervish cults are re-emerging after several decades of (semi)clandestine existence due to official bans and repression imposed by the Yugoslav state socialist governmentality. This article explores how an absence of divine knowledge ensuing from this disruptive history—strongly felt among various Bosnian dervishes today—is transformed into spiritual creativity and an improvisatory dynamic mediated by charismatic sheikhs. It traces “creative moments” leading toward the formation of a Bosnian dervish cult and its realignment with translocal networks of dervish lodges to explore the dynamics of divine knowledge and its creation inside these networks. The ethnography presented here suggests that we move a step beyond mere sociological descriptions of how translocal cults are organized across distance to explore in a more nuanced way the historicity and the dynamics of how divine knowledge is (re)created and idiosyncratically appropriated within these networks.