bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beyond Social Graphs
Authors: Wilson Christo , Sala Alessandra , Puttaswamy Krishna P. N. , Zhao Ben Y.
Published: December 2012

Social networks are popular platforms for interaction, communication, and collaboration between friends. Researchers have recently proposed an emerging class of applications that leverage relationships from social networks to improve security and performance in applications such as email, Web browsing, and overlay routing. While these applications often cite social network connectivity statistics to support their designs, researchers in psychology and sociology have repeatedly cast doubt on the practice of inferring meaningful relationships from social network connections alone. This leads to the question: “Are social links valid indicators of real user interaction? If not, then how can we quantify these factors to form a more accurate model for evaluating socially enhanced applications?” In this article, we address this question through a detailed study of user interactions in the Facebook social network. We propose the use of “interaction graphs” to impart meaning to online social links by quantifying user interactions. We analyze interaction graphs derived from Facebook user traces and show that they exhibit significantly lower levels of the “small-world” properties present in their social graph counterparts. This means that these graphs have fewer “supernodes” with extremely high degree, and overall graph diameter increases significantly as a result. To quantify the impact of our observations, we use both types of graphs to validate several well-known social-based applications that rely on graph properties to infuse new functionality into Internet applications, including Reliable Email (RE), SybilGuard, and the weighted cascade influence maximization algorithm. The results reveal new insights into each of these systems, and confirm our hypothesis that to obtain realistic and accurate results, ongoing research on social network applications studies of social applications should use real indicators of user interactions in lieu of social graphs.
Detecting Early Biomechanical Effects of Zoledronic Acid on Femurs of Osteoporotic Female Rats
Authors: Palacio Evandro Pereira , Müller Sérgio Swain , Sardenberg Trajano , Mizobuchi Roberto Ryuiti , Galbiatti José Antônio , Durigan Alcides , Savarese Aniello , Ortolan Érika Veruska Paiva
Published: December 2012

Aim. To investigate the biomechanical effects of zoledronic acid (ZA) on femurs of female osteoporotic rats after follow-up periods of 9 and 12 months.Methods. Eighty female Wistar rats were prospectively assessed. At 60 days of age, the animals were randomly divided into two groups: bilateral oophorectomy (O) (n=40) and sham surgery (S) (n=40). At 90 days of age, groups O and S were randomly subdivided into four groups, according to whether 0.1 mg/kg of ZA or distilled water (DW) was intraperitoneally administered: OZA (n=20), ODW (n=20), SZA (n=20), and SDW (n=20). The animals were sacrificed at 9 and 12 months after the administration of the substances, and then their right femurs were removed and analyzed biomechanically. Axial compression tests that focused on determining the maximum load (N), yield point (N), and stiffness coefficient (N/mm) of the proximal femur were performed in the biomechanical study.Results. ZA significantly increased the maximum load and yield point, reducing the stiffness coefficient concerning the oophorectomy status and follow-up period.Conclusion. Zoledronic acid, at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg, significantly increased the maximum loads and yield points and reduced the stiffness coefficients in the femurs of female rats with osteoporosis caused by bilateral oophorectomy.
Assessing the Invasion Risk ofEucalyptusin the United States Using the Australian Weed Risk Assessment
Authors: Gordon Doria R. , Flory S. Luke , Cooper Aimee L. , Morris Sarah K.
Published: December 2012

Many agricultural species have undergone selection for traits that are consistent with those that increase the probability that a species will become invasive. However, the risk of invasion may be accurately predicted for the majority of plant species tested using the Australian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA). This system has been tested in multiple climates and geographies and, on average, correctly identifies 90% of the major plant invaders as having high invasion risk, and 70% of the noninvaders as having low risk. We used this tool to evaluate the invasion risk of 38Eucalyptustaxa currently being tested and cultivated in the USA for pulp, biofuel, and other purposes. We predict 15 taxa to have low risk of invasion, 14 taxa to have high risk, and 9 taxa to require further information. In addition to a history of naturalization and invasiveness elsewhere, the traits that significantly contribute to a high invasion risk conclusion include having prolific seed production and a short generation time. Selection against these traits should reduce the probability that eucalypts cultivated in the USA will become invasive threats to natural areas and agricultural systems.
Plasma Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Is Associated with End-Stage Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy in the Northern Chinese Han Population
Authors: Zhong Ze-Long , Chen Song
Published: December 2012

Objective. To identify predictors of end-stage proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in a cohort of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from the Northern Chinese Han population.Methods. We investigated characteristics of 153 consecutive diabetic patients with end-stage PDR (62 males, 91 females), 123 consecutive PDR patients without end-stage PDR (48 males, 75 females), and 151 normal subjects (63 males, 88 females). Only one eye of each patient or healthy subject was included in this study. Univariate logistic regression models and multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to evaluate the predictors of end-stage PDR.Results. In univariate analysis, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, duration of diabetes, family history of T2DM, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were significently associated with end-stage PDR. After multivariate analysis, family history of T2DM, plasma PAI-1 levels, smoking, and duration of diabetes were four positive predictors associated with end-stage PDR.Conclusions. Higher plasma levels of PAI-1 were associated with end-stage PDR in the Northern Chinese Han population with T2DM.
Changing Trends in Modeling Mobility
Authors: Munjal Aarti , Camp Tracy , Aschenbruck Nils
Published: December 2012

A phenomenal increase in the number of wireless devices has led to the evolution of several interesting and challenging research problems in opportunistic networks. For example, the random waypoint mobility model, an early, popular effort to model mobility, involves generating random movement patterns. Previous research efforts, however, validate that movement patterns are not random; instead, human mobility is predictable to some extent. Since the performance of a routing protocol in an opportunistic network is greatly improved if the movement patterns of mobile users can be somewhat predicted in advance, several research attempts have been made to understand human mobility. The solutions developed use our understanding of movement patterns to predict the future contact probability for mobile nodes. In this work, we summarize the changing trends in modeling human mobility as random movements to the current research efforts that model human walks in a more predictable manner. Mobility patterns significantly affect the performance of a routing protocol. Thus, the changing trend in modeling mobility has led to several changes in developing routing protocols for opportunistic networks. For example, the simplest opportunistic routing protocol forwards a received packet to a randomly selected neighbor. With predictable mobility, however, routing protocols can use the expected contact information between a pair of mobile nodes in making forwarding decisions. In this work, we also describe the previous and current research efforts in developing routing protocols for opportunistic networks.
Calcium and Potassium Channels in Experimental Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and Transient Global Ischemia
Authors: Kamp Marcel A. , Dibué Maxine , Schneider Toni , Steiger Hans-Jakob , Hänggi Daniel
Published: December 2012

Healthy cerebrovascular myocytes express members of several different ion channel families which regulate resting membrane potential, vascular diameter, and vascular tone and are involved in cerebral autoregulation. In animal models, in response to subarachnoid blood, a dynamic transition of ion channel expression and function is initiated, with acute and long-term effects differing from each other. Initial hypoperfusion after exposure of cerebral vessels to oxyhemoglobin correlates with a suppression of voltage-gated potassium channel activity, whereas delayed cerebral vasospasm involves changes in other potassium channel and voltage-gated calcium channels expression and function. Furthermore, expression patterns and function of ion channels appear to differ between main and small peripheral vessels, which may be key in understanding mechanisms behind subarachnoid hemorrhage-induced vasospasm. Here, changes in calcium and potassium channel expression and function in animal models of subarachnoid hemorrhage and transient global ischemia are systematically reviewed and their clinical significance discussed.
Stability of the Stochastic Reaction‐Diffusion Neural Network with Time‐Varying Delays and p‐Laplacian
Authors: Qingfei Pan , Zifang Zhang , Jingchang Huang
Published: December 2012

The main aim of this paper is to discuss moment exponential stability for a stochastic reaction‐diffusion neural network with time‐varying delays and p‐Laplacian. Using the Itô formula, a delay differential inequality and the characteristics of the neural network, the algebraic conditions for the moment exponential stability of the nonconstant equilibrium solution are derived. An example is also given for illustration.
Application of a Data-Driven Fuzzy Control Design to a Wind Turbine Benchmark Model
Authors: Simani Silvio
Published: December 2012

In general, the modelling of wind turbines is a challenging task, since they are complex dynamic systems, whose aerodynamics are nonlinear and unsteady. Accurate models should contain many degrees of freedom, and their control algorithm design must account for these complexities. However, these algorithms must capture the most important turbine dynamics without being too complex and unwieldy, mainly when they have to be implemented in real-time applications. The first contribution of this work consists of providing an application example of the design and testing through simulations, of a data-driven fuzzy wind turbine control. In particular, the strategy is based on fuzzy modelling and identification approaches to model-based control design. Fuzzy modelling and identification can represent an alternative for developing experimental models of complex systems, directly derived directly from measured input-output data without detailed system assumptions. Regarding the controller design, this paper suggests again a fuzzy control approach for the adjustment of both the wind turbine blade pitch angle and the generator torque. The effectiveness of the proposed strategies is assessed on the data sequences acquired from the considered wind turbine benchmark. Several experiments provide the evidence of the advantages of the proposed regulator with respect to different control methods.
Intelligent Lane Reservation System for Highway(s)
Authors: Dobre Ciprian
Published: December 2012

Highways tend to get congested because of the increase in the number of cars travelling on them. There are two solutions to this. The first one, which is also expensive, consists in building new highways to support the traffic. A much cheaper alternative consists in the introduction of advanced intelligent traffic control systems to manage traffic and increase the efficiency of the already existing highways. Intelligent lane reservation system for highways (ILRSH) is such a software control system. It is designed to assist and automate the use of a highway lane as a reserved lane. The idea is to allow and support drivers to travel at a speed higher, if in return they are willing to pay a small fee to reserve an empty virtual slot on the reserved lane. This slot is valid for a portion and of the highway and a time window, so each driver pays the fee depending thier its travelling needs. In return, drivers are guaranteed a congestion-free travel on that portion. In this paper, we present the proposed architecture of the ILRSH and its subsystems. The system is based on several proposed algorithms designed to assist the drivers, enter or exit the reserved lane, based on real-world driving observations. We present extensive simulation results showing the feasibility of the proposed approach, that can easily be implemented with little costs on already-existing highways, and the increase in traffic efficiency.
Basin Hopping as a General and Versatile Optimization Framework for the Characterization of Biological Macromolecules
Authors: Olson Brian , Hashmi Irina , Molloy Kevin , Shehu Amarda
Published: December 2012

Since its introduction, the basin hopping (BH) framework has proven useful for hard nonlinear optimization problems with multiple variables and modalities. Applications span a wide range, from packing problems in geometry to characterization of molecular states in statistical physics. BH is seeing a reemergence in computational structural biology due to its ability to obtain a coarse-grained representation of the protein energy surface in terms of local minima. In this paper, we show that the BH framework is general and versatile, allowing to address problems related to the characterization of protein structure, assembly, and motion due to its fundamental ability to sample minima in a high-dimensional variable space. We show how specific implementations of the main components in BH yield algorithmic realizations that attain state-of-the-art results in the context of ab initio protein structure prediction and rigid protein-protein docking. We also show that BH can map intermediate minima related with motions connecting diverse stable functionally relevant states in a protein molecule, thus serving as a first step towards the characterization of transition trajectories connecting these states.
Alleviating a Nomad's Anguish: Successful Treatment of a Case of Leg Mycetoma—A Case Report
Authors: Maina Anthony Muchiri , Macharia Joseph Theuri
Published: December 2012

Introduction. Mycetoma is a localized, chronic, progressive, granulomatous, inflammatory, non contagious, tumour-like lesion with sinuses discharging different types of granules. The organisms are usually inoculated into any body part subject to trauma-usually the foot. Treatment is medical and/or surgical. Prognosis is good in early cases with high recurrences in late cases or those inadequately treated. The authors describe the successful treatment of a severe case of leg mycetoma, with combined surgical and medical therapies.
Wave Equations in Bianchi Space‐Times
Authors: Jamal S. , Kara A. H. , Narain R
Published: December 2012

We investigate the wave equation in Bianchi type III space‐time. We construct a Lagrangian of the model, calculate and classify the Noether symmetry generators, and construct corresponding conserved forms. A reduction of the underlying equations is performed to obtain invariant solutions.
A Rare Case of Paraneoplastic Syndrome Presented with Severe Gastroparesis due to Ganglional Loss
Authors: Argyriou Konstantinos N. , Peters Martin , Ishtiaq Javaid , Enaganti Santosh
Published: December 2012

Paraneoplastic syndromes are rare initial manifestations of a neoplastic disorder that may precede the actual detection of an overt cancer. These syndromes can generally involve any organic system of the human body with gastroparesis being the commonest manifestation of the paraneoplastic involvement of the neuronal bodies of the gastrointestinal tract in cancer patients. Gastroparesis is the result of an autoimmune destruction of the nerve plexus of the stomach that causes nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms such as intractable vomiting and abdominal discomfort that interfere with patients' quality of life and are often ascribed to psychological factors. Thus, if not suspected, it easily evades the diagnostic thought especially in those cases where the diagnostic work up has not detected any apparent cause. Consequently, it should always be considered in patients with diagnosed or suspected cancer who complain of unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms. In our report, so as to increase the clinical awareness of this rare clinical entity, we present the case of a 70-year-old Caucasian female who presented in our hospital with severe gastroparesis that was later proven to be associated with an overt small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and we discuss the existing knowledge of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of this disorder.
Tissues Use Resident Dendritic Cells and Macrophages to Maintain Homeostasis and to Regain Homeostasis upon Tissue Injury: The Immunoregulatory Role of Changing Tissue Environments
Authors: Lech Maciej , Gröbmayr Regina , Weidenbusch Marc , Anders Hans-Joachim
Published: December 2012

Most tissues harbor resident mononuclear phagocytes, that is, dendritic cells and macrophages. A classification that sufficiently covers their phenotypic heterogeneity and plasticity during homeostasis and disease does not yet exist because cell culture-based phenotypes often do not match those foundin vivo. The plasticity of mononuclear phagocytes becomes obvious during dynamic or complex disease processes. Different data interpretation also originates from different conceptual perspectives. An immune-centric view assumes that a particular priming of phagocytes then causes a particular type of pathology in target tissues, conceptually similar to antigen-specific T-cell priming. A tissue-centric view assumes that changing tissue microenvironments shape the phenotypes of their resident and infiltrating mononuclear phagocytes to fulfill the tissue's need to maintain or regain homeostasis. Here we discuss the latter concept, for example, why different organs host different types of mononuclear phagocytes during homeostasis. We further discuss how injuries alter tissue environments and how this primes mononuclear phagocytes to enforce this particular environment, for example, to support host defense and pathogen clearance, to support the resolution of inflammation, to support epithelial and mesenchymal healing, and to support the resolution of fibrosis to the smallest possible scar. Thus, organ- and disease phase-specific microenvironments determine macrophage and dendritic cell heterogeneity in a temporal and spatial manner, which assures their support to maintain and regain homeostasis in whatever condition. Mononuclear phagocytes contributions to tissue pathologies relate to their central roles in orchestrating all stages of host defense and wound healing, which often become maladaptive processes, especially in sterile and/or diffuse tissue injuries.
An Early Morning Sputum Sample Is Necessary for the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Even with More Sensitive Techniques: A Prospective Cohort Study among Adolescent TB-Suspects in Uganda
Authors: Ssengooba Willy , Kateete David P. , Wajja Anne , Bugumirwa Eric , Mboowa Gerald , Namaganda Carolyn , Nakayita Germine , Nassolo Maria , Mumbowa Francis , Asiimwe Benon B. , Waako James , Verver Suzanne , Musoke Philippa , Mayanja-Kizza Harriet , Joloba Moses L.
Published: December 2012

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends collection of two sputum samples for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis, with at least one being an early morning (EM) using smear microscopy. It remains unclear whether this is necessary even when sputum culture is employed. Here, we determined the diagnostic yield from spot and the incremental yield from the EM sputum sample cultures among TB-suspected adolescents from rural Uganda. Sputum samples (both spot and early-morning) from 1862 adolescents were cultured by the Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) and Mycobacterium Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) methods. For spot samples, the diagnostic yields for TB were 19.0% and 57.1% with LJ and MGIT, respectively, whereas the incremental yields (not totals) of the early-morning sample were 9.5% and 42.9% (P<0.001) with LJ and MGIT, respectively. Among TB-suspected adolescents in rural Uganda, the EM sputum culture has a high incremental diagnostic yield. Therefore, EM sputum in addition to spot sample culture is necessary for improved TB case detection.
Reduced Muscle Glycogen Differentially Affects Exercise Performance and Muscle Fatigue
Authors: Williams Jay H. , Batts Timothy W. , Lees Simon
Published: December 2012

This investigation examined the effects of reduced muscle glycogen on exercise performance and muscle fatigue. Male rats were assigned to a low glycogen group (LG) that participated in a protocol of exercise and fasting, a high glycogen group (HG) that exercised but were allowed free access to food, or control group (CON) that did not exercise but were allowed free access to food. Following the protocol, muscle glycogen content of the LG animals was reduced by 45%. The LG animals also performed 79 and 81% less voluntary treadmill exercise than the HG and CON groups. At exhaustion, the LG group had lower blood glucose than HG and CON but exhibited no reduction in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) function. During 30 min of in situ stimulation, the rates and magnitudes of muscle fatigue were not significantly different between groups, and fatigue-induced reductions in SR function were similar between groups. The results indicate that reduced muscle glycogen markedly impairs voluntary exercise performance but does not appreciably affect isolated muscle function. It is likely that exercise exhaustion due to reduced muscle glycogen is due, in large part, to hypoglycemia and central fatigue as opposed to peripheral mechanisms.
Prognostic Significance of AKT/mTOR and MAPK Pathways and Antitumor Effect of mTOR Inhibitor in NF1-Related and Sporadic Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors
Authors: Endo Makoto , Yamamoto Hidetaka , Setsu Nokitaka , Kohashi Kenichi , Takahashi Yusuke , Ishii Takeaki , Iida Kei-ichiro , Matsumoto Yoshihiro , Hakozaki Michiyuki , Aoki Mikiko , Iwasaki Hiroshi , Dobashi Yoh , Nishiyama Kenichi , Iwamoto Yukihide , Oda Yoshinao
Published: December 2012

Purpose: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is a rare soft tissue sarcoma with poor prognosis. MPNSTs occur frequently in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), in which NF1 gene deficiency leads to Ras hyperactivation. Ras activation causes the subsequent activation of the AKT/mTOR and Raf/MEK/ERK pathways and regulates cellular functions. However, the activation profiles of the AKT/mTOR and MAPK pathways in MPNSTs are poorly understood. The purposes of this study are to examine the correlation between the activation of these pathways and clinicopathologic or prognostic factors and to identify candidate target molecules in MPNST. Moreover, we assessed the antitumor effects of the inhibitor of candidate target.

Experimental Design: Immunohistochemistry was conducted to evaluate the activation profiles of AKT/mTOR and MAPK pathways using 135 tumor specimens. Immunohistochemical expressions were confirmed by Western blotting. Then, an in vitro study was conducted to examine the antitumor effect of the mTOR inhibitor on MPNST cell lines.

Results: Phosphorylated-AKT (p-AKT), p-mTOR, p-S6RP, p-p70S6K, p-4E-BP1, p-MEK1/2, and p-ERK1/2 expressions were positive in 58.2%, 47.3%, 53.8%, 57.1%, 62.6%, 93.4%, and 81.3% of primary MPNSTs, respectively. Positivity for each factor showed no difference between NF1-related and sporadic MPNSTs. Univariate prognostic analysis revealed that p-AKT, p-mTOR, and p-S6RP expressions were associated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, activation of each p-mTOR and p-S6RP was an independent poor prognostic factor by multivariate analysis. mTOR inhibition by Everolimus showed antitumor activity on MPNST cell lines in vitro.

Conclusion: mTOR inhibition is a potential treatment option for both NF1-related and sporadic MPNSTs. Clin Cancer Res; 19(2); 450–61. ©2012 AACR.
Metabolic and Glutathione Redox Markers Associated with Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Depressed African Men and Women: Evidence for Counterregulation?
Authors: Harvey Brian H. , Hamer Mark , Louw Roan , van der Westhuizen Francois H. , Malan Leoné
Published: December 2012

Background: Major depression is associated with evidence for metabolic and redox imbalance and also with reports of lower serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). However, the relationship between these factors has not been well studied. Methods: We studied the contribution of physiological risk factors to cardiometabolic health in 200 adult male and female black Africans, aged between 36 and 52 years, presenting with (n = 89) and without (n = 111) symptoms of depression. Specifically the association between serum BDNF and markers of basal metabolic and redox status in depressed versus nondepressed individuals were analyzed. Results: BDNF and markers of redox and metabolic status were not associated with the symptoms of depression. Waist circumference, a metabolic risk factor, was positively associated with BDNF and accounts for 49% of the variance in BDNF in depressed men. Reduced and oxidized glutathione were positively and negatively correlated with BDNF in depressed women, respectively, with glutathione redox status accounting for 36–42% of the variance in BDNF. Conclusion: Selected metabolic and redox factors explained gender-specific variances in serum BDNF levels in depressed African men and women. Our findings suggest that changes in redox and metabolic status may represent counterregulation by BDNF or alternatively that BDNF may mediate undesirable redox and metabolic changes that are associated with the development of a mood disorder.
Renal Dysfunction as a Predictor of Stroke and Systemic Embolism in Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Piccini Jonathan P. , Stevens Susanna R. , Chang YuChiao , Singer Daniel E. , Lokhnygina Yuliya , Go Alan S. , Patel Manesh R. , Mahaffey Kenneth W. , Halperin Jonathan L. , Breithardt Günter , Hankey Graeme J. , Hacke Werner , Becker Richard C. , Nessel Christopher C. , Fox Keith A.A. , Califf Robert M.
Published: December 2012

Background—

We sought to define the factors associated with the occurrence of stroke and systemic embolism in a large, international atrial fibrillation (AF) trial.

Methods and Results—

In ROCKET AF (Rivaroxaban Once-daily, oral, direct factor Xa inhibition Compared with vitamin K antagonism for prevention of stroke and Embolism Trial in Atrial Fibrillation), 14 264 patients with nonvalvular AF and creatinine clearance ≥30 mL/min were randomized to rivaroxaban or dose-adjusted warfarin. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to identify factors at randomization independently associated with the occurrence of stroke or non–central nervous system embolism based on intention-to-treat analysis. A risk score was developed in ROCKET AF and validated in ATRIA (AnTicoagulation and Risk factors In Atrial fibrillation), an independent AF patient cohort. Over a median follow-up of 1.94 years, 575 patients (4.0%) experienced primary end-point events. Reduced creatinine clearance was a strong, independent predictor of stroke and systemic embolism, second only to prior stroke or transient ischemic attack. Additional factors associated with stroke and systemic embolism included elevated diastolic blood pressure and heart rate, as well as vascular disease of the heart and limbs (C-index 0.635). A model that included creatinine clearance (R
2
CHADS
2
) improved net reclassification index by 6.2% compared with CHA
2
DS
2
VASc (C statistic=0.578) and by 8.2% compared with CHADS
2
(C statistic=0.575). The inclusion of creatinine clearance <60 mL/min and prior stroke or transient ischemic attack in a model with no other covariates led to a C statistic of 0.590.Validation of R
2
CHADS
2
in an external, separate population improved net reclassification index by 17.4% (95% confidence interval, 12.1%–22.5%) relative to CHADS
2
.

Conclusions—

In patients with nonvalvular AF at moderate to high risk of stroke, impaired renal function is a potent predictor of stroke and systemic embolism. Stroke risk stratification in patients with AF should include renal function.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00403767.
Observed Coherent Trends of Surface and Upper-Air Wind Speed over China since 1960
Authors: Lin Changgui , Yang Kun , Qin Jun , Fu Rong
Published: December 2012

Previous studies indicated that surface wind speed over China declined during past decades, and several explanations exist in the literature. This study presents long-term (1960–2009) changes of both surface and upper-air wind speeds over China and addresses observed evidence to interpret these changes. It is found that surface wind over China underwent a three-phase change over the past 50 yr: (i) it step changed to a strong wind level at the end of the 1960s, (ii) it declined until the beginning of the 2000s, and (iii) it seemed to be steady and even recovering during the very recent years. The variability of surface wind speed is greater at higher elevations and less at lower elevations. In particular, surface wind speed over the elevated Tibetan Plateau has changed more significantly. Changes in upper-air wind speed observed from rawinsonde are similar to surface wind changes. The NCEP–NCAR reanalysis indicates that wind speed changes correspond to changes in geopotential height gradient at 500 hPa. The latter are further correlated with the changes of latitudinal surface temperature gradient, with a correlation coefficient of 0.88 for the past 50 yr over China. This strongly suggests that the spatial gradient of surface global warming or cooling may significantly change surface wind speed at a regional scale through atmospheric thermal adaption. The recovery of wind speed since the beginning of the 2000s over the Tibetan Plateau might be a precursor of the reversal of wind speed trends over China, as wind over high elevations can respond more rapidly to the warming gradient and atmospheric circulation adjustment.
Dual Severe Mental and Substance Use Disorders as Predictors of Federal Inmate Assaults
Authors: Wood Steven R.
Published: December 2012

The relationships between dual psychiatric and substance use disorders and assaults among U.S. federal prisoners were examined using logistic regression. Dually disordered inmates were more likely to be assaulted than nondually disordered inmates but both groups were equally likely to assault others. Assault victimization and perpetration were strongly correlated, and assault victimization and perpetration were associated with being assaulted before this incarceration and lifetime posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnoses. Dually disordered inmates may be “importing” into prison some vulnerability to being assaulted. Effectively screening for and treating inmates’ trauma-related disorders (e.g., PTSD), and providing inmates specialized dual disorders treatments are two study implications.
Unraveling Braid
Authors: Arnott Luke
Published: December 2012

“Unraveling Braid” analyzes how unconventional, non-linear narrative fiction can help explain the ways in which video games signify. Specifically, this essay looks at the links between the semiotic features of Jonathan Blow’s 2008 puzzle-platform video game Braid and similar elements in Georges Perec’s 1978 novel Life A User’s Manual, as well as in other puzzle-themed literary precursors. Blow’s game design concepts “dynamical meaning” and “game play rhetoric” are explained in relation to a number of Braid levels; along side this analysis is a parallel examination of the relationship between puzzle-makers and puzzle-solvers in Life A User’s Manual, revealed from a close reading of textual and organizational elements of Perec’s novel. Ultimately, Braid and Life A User’s Manual are shown to draw upon the same signifying processes, which are understood by their authors to operate within an implicitly communicative model. “Unraveling Braid”develops this model by positing a theory of storytelling in the imperative mood, in which the representation and arrangement of objects in the visual/organizational space of the text or game world becomes a fundamental rhetorical technique and meaning-maker.This technique signal show the reader/player is meant to progress through the work and interpret it as narrative, telling the reader/player what to do (but not necessarily how to do it). An understanding of “imperative” storytelling, this essay concludes, allows for a discussion of games and other media that denies neither the importance of player interactivity nor that of authorial design.
Competing time orders in human service work: Towards a politics of time
Authors: Colley Helen , Henriksson Lea , Niemeyer Beatrix , Seddon Terri
Published: December 2012

Human service work is being reconfigured by welfare state reforms driven by neo-liberal globalization. Sectors are being merged, ‘hybrid’ occupations formed and occupational boundaries renegotiated. Yet time is rarely considered in the study of such boundary work. This article conceptualizes time as generated by human action, in different orders that may operate in tension with one another. Three case studies of reform in educational work, from Finland, England and Germany, each illustrate a particular configuration of these competing time orders. The article concludes by arguing for a politics of time to create a more democratic climate for education and other human services work.
Living on a knife’s edge: Temporal conflicts in welfare service work
Authors: Hirvonen Helena , Husso Marita
Published: December 2012

This article considers the temporal variations of agency from the point of view of social and health care workers’ experiences and the social structures and practices of the contemporary public service sector. It is based on an interview study of 24 Finnish welfare service workers. The results show that the public service sector increasingly operates according to market principles and an economic-rationalistic framing of time, contrary to the relational understanding of time in care practices. To maintain their sense of self as skilled professionals, workers actively reassess and adjust their identities according to the exigencies of working life, but not without difficulties. The results reflect the intuitive, habitual and innovative nature of temporality in care practices, but also the constraints posed by the economic-rationalistic temporal structures of public service work that produce the experience of working on a knife’s edge. The results suggest that the temporal aspect of professional agency is rather poorly understood in terms of managing and organizing welfare service work. Hence, the article points to the importance of temporality as a viewpoint for studies of agency.
Of ‘true professionals’ and ‘ethical hero warriors’: A gender-discourse analysis of private military and security companies
Authors: Joachim Jutta , Schneiker Andrea
Published: December 2012

Private military and security companies (PMSCs) have gained increasingly in importance over the course of the past two decades. Yet, given the intransparency of the industry and the heterogeneity of the companies that comprise it, we thus far know little about the actors involved. In this article, we offer preliminary insights into the self-representation of PMSCs, based on a gender-discourse analysis of the homepages of select companies and their main professional associations. We argue that survival in an increasingly competitive industry not only hinges on size, market share or effectiveness, but is also inherently gendered. PMSCs and their associations draw on the one hand on civilized and accepted forms of masculinity and femininity, presenting themselves as ‘highly skilled professional’ military strategists and ordinary businesses akin to banks or insurance companies. At the same time, however, PMSCs also engage in strategies of (hyper)masculinization and pathologization to set themselves apart from mercenaries, their private competitors and state security forces. In this respect, companies appear to view themselves as ‘ethical hero warriors’. Whether intended or not, their strategies have political consequences. Within the security industry, they contribute to the creation and maintenance of a norm regarding what constitutes a legitimate PMSC, to which more or less all companies strive to adhere. Vis-à-vis other security actors, these strategies seek to establish PMSCs as being superior because, unlike these actors, such companies are super-masculine and able to live up to the growing and sometimes contradictory demands of changing security contexts.
Jugaad—From ‘Making Do’ and ‘Quick Fix’ to an Innovative, Sustainable and Low-Cost Survival Strategy at the Bottom of the Pyramid
Authors: Singh Ramendra , Gupta Vaibhav , Mondal Akash
Published: December 2012

Until recent times, Indian jugaad was commonly constructed to be a frugal form of innovation engendered from the lack of resources and unhealthy financial conditions, and has been recently imported in the management literature. In this exploratory article, we extend the concept of jugaad to highlight the various facets of jugaad, and illustrate how poor people are applying jugaad, despite their low-levels of literacy, and frugal resources, as a survival strategy. This study discusses Indian jugaad as not only a way of ‘making do’ but also a methodology that has emerged as a way of survival for consumers at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP). The article mainly focuses on jugaads at a BOP household-level to the level of BOP entrepreneurship. In this article, we cover major innovations that have uplifted the rural livelihood using a series of interviews with BOP consumers, producers, as well as distant observations. We conclude the article with a few key managerial implications and some directions for future research.
What are we to do with our ‘nice students’? The learning experience within the scholastic apartheid system of the research-led university
Authors: Marinetto Mike
Published: December 2012

The Humboldtian educational ideal of the modern university based around an intellectual-based learning experience cannot be ignored. Indeed, this has been brought into sharp relief by the marketization of higher education: there is a growing awareness in the university sector, particularly in research-intensive universities, that fee-paying students are entitled to a worthwhile learning experience. This awareness has been further reinforced with the growth of consumer scrutiny in the higher education sector, principally through the introduction of the National Student Survey in 2005. The concern of this article is to explore how research-focused institutions have used their supposed research excellence to pursue teaching excellence and whether this really has enhanced the student learning experience in practice.
Serum levels of IL-17A in patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis treated with interferon-β
Authors: Bălaşa Rodica , Bajko Zoltan , Huţanu Adina
Published: December 2012

Background:

Interleukin-17 (IL-17), which is secreted by Th17 cells, is a proinflammatory cytokine that is implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and plays a role in nonresponse of MS patients to interferon-β (IFN-β) therapy.

Objectives:

The purpose of this study was to establish a correlation between nonresponders (NR) and IL-17A serum titers and binding antibodies (BAbs) to IFN-β, as well as to find a correlation between IL-17A serum levels and other features of MS patients.

Methods:

Our prospective study included 72 inactive relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients that had been treated for at least 18 months with IFN-β and 15 healthy subjects. We determined the serum levels of IL-17A and of BAbs. IL-17A levels were considered elevated (IL-17A+) if the recorded value was greater than 1.6 pg/ml.

Results:

Twenty-seven patients (37.5%) were NR and had a significantly higher serum IL-17A level compared to the responders group. Nineteen patients (26.4%) were IL-17A+ and had had a significantly higher number of relapses in the previous year and a higher Expanded Disability Status Score. The majority of IL-17A+ patients were NR and had a shorter MS duration.

Conclusions:

RRMS patients with high serum IL-17A levels do not respond well to IFN-β therapy and have shorter MS duration compared to patients with low IL-17A levels. This response is not influenced by the presence of BAbs.
Nonsuicidal self-injury in an adolescent population in Singapore
Authors: Tan Augustine CY , Rehfuss Mark C , Suarez Elisabeth C , Parks-Savage Agatha
Published: December 2012

This mixed methods study examined the phenomenon of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) of adolescents in Singapore. The researchers analyzed quantitative data to understand the functions of NSSI, the relationship of parental invalidation to NSSI, and the association between academic stress and parental invalidation. In addition, the researchers employed semi-structured qualitative interviews to provide supportive qualitative data. The participants were outpatients at the Child Guidance Clinic, Singapore, between the ages of 13 to 19 years old. Researchers compared 30 participants who engage in NSSI with 30 participants who do not engage in NSSI. The emotional regulation function was the most commonly endorsed function for NSSI. Adolescents who engage in NSSI have statistically significant ( p < .01) higher mean parental invalidation scores than those who do not engage in NSSI. There is also a moderate, positive correlation between the level of parental invalidation and the level of academic stress for Singaporean adolescents. The researchers discuss the implications of this study for mental health professionals.
Learning orientation as a predictor of positive intergroup contact
Authors: Migacheva Katya , Tropp Linda R.
Published: December 2012

Adapting the goal orientation framework from the achievement motivation literature, the present research tests whether learning orientation, as compared to performance orientation, predicts greater comfort and interest in intergroup contact. These links are examined in a cross-sectional survey of European American and African American middle school students (Study 1), and in a longitudinal survey with European American high school students (Study 2). Both studies yielded converging evidence that while performance orientation generally had a negative association with comfort and interest, a stronger orientation toward learning predicted greater comfort and interest in intergroup contact. The links between the learning orientation and comfort and interest in intergroup contact were consistent across both racial groups in Study 1, and in longitudinal analyses in Study 2. Together, these findings point to learning orientation as a potentially important means for promoting positive intergroup contact.
Health in older cat and dog owners: The Nord-Trondelag Health Study (HUNT)-3 study
Authors: Enmarker Ingela , Hellzén Ove , Ekker Knut , Berg Ann-Grethe
Published: December 2012

Aim: The main objective was to compare older male and female cat, dog, and non-owners with regard to demographic and health-related characteristics. Method: Data in the present cross-sectional population study were drawn from HUNT-3 in Norway. A total of 12,297 persons (5631 men; 6666 women) between the ages of 65 and 101 years were included, of whom 2358 were pet owners. Results: The main finding was that owning a dog demonstrated several health-related characteristics to a higher positive degree than both non-pet and cat ownership among the participants. Cat owners showed higher body mass index values and higher systolic blood pressure, and reported worse general health status. They also exercised to a lower degree than the others. Conclusions: As the result implies that older cat owners are negatively outstanding in many aspects of health compared with the dog owners, in the future, more focus must be put on the worse health of those. Further, there were more married male than female cat and dog owners. This probably depends on traditional cultural thinking; the man is the owner of the pet even if the woman lives with and cares about it. It is important to point out that different groups in the population might select different pets. Consequently, the findings showing a correlation between pet ownership and health may be owing to unrelated confounding factors.
High rates of unprotected sex and serosorting among men who have sex with men: A national online study in Norway
Authors: Berg Rigmor C.
Published: December 2012

Unprotected sexual contact between men remains the predominant means of HIV transmission in men. Aim: To ascertain predictors of unprotected anal intercourse between non-primary partners among a sample of 2096 men who have sex with men in Norway and to characterise the sociosexual profile of men who have sex with men who engage in this behaviour. Methods: A cross-sectional survey, using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire, was conducted in 2010. Results: Multivariate logistic regression showed that the likelihood of engaging in unprotected anal intercourse with non-primary partners was lower for men over 30 years (OR = 0.60), those with higher education (OR = 0.58), and higher HIV-related knowledge (OR = 0.98). The likelihood of engaging in unprotected anal intercourse with non-primary partners was higher among men who have sex with men reporting that condoms had not been available (OR = 1.58), who had a higher number of non-primary anal intercourse partners (OR = 1.20), and who reported use of party drugs (OR = 2.34). These men were not more likely to test for HIV/sexually transmitted infections, but they were more likely to have been diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections, engage in serosorting, and various other sexual behaviours. Conclusions: As we enter the fourth decade of the HIV epidemic, the results for Norwegian men who have sex with men underscore the need for a scaling-up of prevention campaigns, highlighting messages and behavioural strategies that encourage safer sex strategies.
Good intentions and dangerous assumptions: Research ethics committees and illicit drug use research
Authors: Bell Kirsten , Salmon Amy
Published: December 2012

Illicit drug users are frequently identified as a ‘vulnerable population’ requiring ‘special protection’ and ‘additional safeguards’ in research. However, without specific guidance on how to enact these special protections and safeguards, research ethics committee (REC) members sometimes fall back on untested assumptions about the ethics of illicit drug use research. In light of growing calls for ‘evidence-based research ethics’, this commentary examines three common assumptions amongst REC members about what constitutes ethical research with drug users, and whether such assumptions are borne out by a growing body of empirical data. The assumptions that form the focus of this commentary are as follows: (i) drug users do not have the capacity to provide informed consent to research; (ii) it is ethically problematic to provide financial incentives to drug users to participate in research; and (iii) asking drug users about their experiences ‘re-traumatizes’ and ‘re-victimizes’ them.