bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How young adults address their parents reflects their perception of parenting
Authors: Yokotani Kenji
Published: August 2012

A speaker's use of a title for the listener shows the speaker's deference to the listener. Previous studies suggested that the use of kinship terms in the family also shows deference to the listener. The present study focused on young adults' use of kinship terms for their parents to investigate whether their use of kinship terms reflects their perception of their parenting. The participants were 329 Japanese college students, who answered a questionnaire about their forms of address for their parents, perceived parental emotional accessibility, and perceived parental control. They also reported their satisfaction with their parent–child relationships and the frequency of parent–child communication. The results suggest that young adults who use kinship terms for their parents perceive their parents to be more emotionally accessible and communicate with their parents more than those who do not. Young adults who use kinship terms for their father are also more satisfied with their father–child relationships than those who do not. Young adults' use of kinship terms might signal not only their deference to their parents, but also their acceptance of their parent–child relationships.
Genetic Algorithms for the Dependability Assurance in the Design of a Long‐Span Suspension Bridge
Authors: Sgambi Luca , Gkoumas Konstantinos , Bontempi Franco
Published: August 2012

Abstract:  A long‐span suspension bridge is a complex structural system that interacts with the surrounding environment and the users. The environmental actions and the corresponding loads (wind, temperature, rain, earthquake, etc.) together with the live loads (railway traffic, highway traffic), have a strong influence on the dynamic response of the bridge, and can significantly influence the structural behavior and alter its geometry, thus limiting the serviceability performance even up to a partial closure. This article will present some general considerations and operative aspects of the activities related to the analysis and design of such a complex structural system. Specific reference is made to the dependability assessment and the performance requirements of the whole system, while focus is given on methods for handling the completeness and the uncertainty in the assessment of the load scenarios. Aiming at the serviceability assessment, a method based on the combined application of genetic algorithms and a finite element method (FEM) investigation is proposed and applied.
Depression: the ambivalence of diagnosis
Authors: Kokanovic Renata , Bendelow Gillian , Philip Brigid
Published: August 2012

The diagnosis of depression in the clinical context is extremely controversial and is subject to criticism of over‐medicalisation and pharmaceuticalisation. Depression can be conceptualised across the entire spectrum of lay and medical belief, from the ‘normal’ highs and lows of the human condition to its inclusion in the dominant Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classificatory system, as a form of serious mental illness. In this context, a better understanding of how people describe, experience, negotiate and participate in the process of diagnosis is needed. This article draws on qualitative interviews to explore lay accounts of being diagnosed with depression. The findings reveal that lay accounts of depression vacillate in and out of the medicalised discourse of depression, highlighting the limitations of the biomedical approach to diagnosis and treatment.
The dynamics and processes of social support: families’ experiences coping with a serious paediatric illness
Authors: Gage Elizabeth A.
Published: August 2012

A large body of research has revealed that social support helps buffer the negative consequences of stressful life events. Yet research also suggests that social support exchanges involve complex interpersonal dynamics. Using in‐depth interview data from 76 parents of paediatric cancer patients in the US, the findings demonstrate that parents experienced difficulty sustaining support after the diagnosis crisis, uncertainty about how to ask for the support they needed and challenges managing support efforts. Given these complexities in negotiating social support, this article examines the mechanics of effective social support exchanges. The findings show the importance of the nature of the pre‐existing relationship between the support recipient and provider, as well as the interactions throughout the period of support. For example, parents found support efforts that involved frequent interactions and involvement in families’ daily lives (such as help with childcare) most effective when the support provider was a close network member. In contrast, support offered from members of extended networks was most effective when the effort required little marshalling from the parents, did not need to be asked for and did not intrude in the families’ private lives. These findings contribute to the medical sociology and social support literature by analysing the conditions under which effective support efforts are marshalled.
‘You don’t need a body to feel a body’: phantom limb syndrome and corporeal transgression
Authors: Crawford Cassandra S.
Published: August 2012

One of the central tensions within the literature on body studies concerns the degree to which the physical body is constituted by or through language, knowledges, and practices and the degree to which the body has foundational, purely material, or essential attributes. Three theoretical approaches have been at the heart of this debate: social constructionism, phenomenology, and structuration theory. Recently, body studies theorists have challenged scholars to move beyond the widely recognised limitations of dominant theorising by taking into account all three perspectives and conceptualising the body as surface, vehicle, and circuit. Because they embrace agnosticism and relational materialism, science and technology studies scholars are in a distinctive position to answer this call. Proponents fully acknowledge the materiality of the body without espousing essentialist claims by effacing the analytic division between agency and structure. Starting from this perspective, I use the concept of corporeal transgression and the phenomenon of phantom limb to reveal how ‘immaterial’– indeed, at times, fictive and fanciful – body parts became socially and materially substantive, engendering transformations within the bodies, minds, and brains of amputees, as well as within the field of neuroscience.
Inter‐embodiment and the experience of genetic testing for familial hypercholesterolaemia
Authors: Jenkins Nicholas , Lawton Julia , Douglas Margaret , Hallowell Nina
Published: August 2012

In this article we explore the concept of inter‐embodiment and its potential for advancing sociological research into illness biography and genetic identity. Inter‐embodiment theory views embodied knowledge as produced through relations between bodies, as opposed to originating from within the body or as the product of relations between disembodied selves. Drawing on a qualitative study in which we interviewed 38 individuals about their experiences of discovering they had high cholesterol and undergoing genetic testing for familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), we discuss how their narratives may be understood from an inter‐embodiment perspective. The participants frequently talked at length about their family histories of high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. Through these accounts, we develop the concept of the family corpus in order to highlight the role body networks play in shaping lay constructions of genetic identity and a familial disease biography. The notion of a family corpus, we argue, is useful in understanding why genetic testing for FH was experienced as either biographical re‐enforcement or as biographical disruption. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for future sociological research into illness biography and genetic identity.
Wicked problems or wicked people? Reconceptualising institutional abuse
Authors: Burns Diane , Hyde Paula , Killett Anne
Published: August 2012

Institutional abuse is a global issue, sometimes ascribed to the behaviour of a few wicked people. It persists despite regulatory measures, interventions from enforcement and protection agencies, organisational policies and procedures. Therefore, the accurate recognition and early detection of abuse and taking corresponding steps to deal with perpetrators are critical elements in protecting vulnerable people who live in institutions. However, research is less clear about why and how abuse (re)occurs. Using the tame and wicked problem analysis of Rittell and Webber (1973) as a lens, we examine the ways institutional abuse is formulated in care settings. Drawing on case study data from eight care homes for older people, we show how solutions seeking to reduce institutional abuse and improve care quality can cause additional problems. The article reconceptualises institutional abuse through the lens of wicked problem analysis to illustrate the multifaceted and recurring, wicked problem characteristics of residential care provision.
The relationship between expressive vocabulary knowledge and reading skills for adult struggling readers
Authors: Hall Ryan , Greenberg Daphne , Laures‐Gore Jacqueline , Pae Hye K.
Published: August 2012

This study examined expressive vocabulary and its relationship to reading skills for 232 native English‐speaking adults who read between the third‐ and fifth‐grade levels. The Boston Naming Test (BNT) was used to measure expressive vocabulary. Participants scored lower than the normative sample of adults on all aspects of the test; they had fewer spontaneously correct answers, and were not helped by stimulus or phonemic cues. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that expressive vocabulary accounted for significant variance in both reading comprehension and exception word reading, but not for general word reading or nonword reading.
The Effect of Early Cognitive Ability on Earnings Over the Life‐Cycle
Authors: Falch Torberg , Massih Sofia Sandgren
Published: August 2012

This paper utilizes information on cognitive ability at age 10 and earnings information from age 20 to 65 to estimate the return to ability over the life‐cycle. Cognitive ability measured at an early age is not influenced by the individual's choices of schooling. We find that most of the unconditional return to early cognitive ability goes through educational choice. The conditional return is increasing for low levels of experience and non‐increasing for experience above about 15–25 years. The return is similar for men and women, and highest for individuals with academic education. Only a small part of the return can be explained by higher probability of having a supervisory position.
Individual Differences in L2 Learning and Long‐Term L1–L2 Relationships
Authors: Sparks Richard L.
Published: August 2012

In this article, I describe studies conducted over 25 years with secondary and post‐secondary L2 learners in the United States. The evidence from these studies shows that there are important connections between students’ early L1 skills and their L2 aptitude and L2 proficiency and that individual differences in students’ L1 skills in elementary school are related to differences in their L2 achievement several years later.
Second Language Proficiency and Cross‐Language Lexical Activation
Authors: van Hell Janet G. , Tanner Darren
Published: August 2012

Although research has consistently shown that a bilingual's two languages interact on multiple levels, it is also well‐established that bilinguals can vary considerably in their proficiency in the second language (L2). In this paper we review empirical studies that have examined how differences in L2 proficiency modulate cross‐language co‐activation and interaction during bilingual lexical processing. We review studies investigating cognate and homograph processing in visual word perception and word production, auditory word perception using the visual world paradigm, and cross‐language priming, focusing specifically on how differences in proficiency modulate co‐activation during lexical access. We further discuss differences in L2 proficiency in relation to immersion and age of L2 acquisition, how differences in L2 proficiency relate to neurocognitive aspects of cognitive control, and how changes in L2 proficiency relative to L1 proficiency may affect lexical processing.
Individual Differences in Second Language Sentence Processing
Authors: Roberts Leah
Published: August 2012

As is the case in traditional second language (L2) acquisition research, a major question in the field of L2 real‐time sentence processing is the extent to which L2 learners process the input like native speakers. Where differences are observed, the underlying causes could be the influence of the learner's first language and/or differences (fundamental or not) in the use of processing strategies between learners and native speakers. Another factor that may account for L1–L2 differences, perhaps in combination with others, is individual variability in general levels of proficiency or in learners’ general cognitive capacities, such as working memory and processing speed. However, systematic research into the effects of such individual differences on L2 real‐time sentence processing has yet to be done because researchers in the main attempt to control for individual differences in general cognitive capacities rather than to investigate them in their own right: nevertheless, a review of the current work on L2 sentence and discourse processing raises some interesting findings. An overview of this research is presented in this paper, highlighting what appear to be the circumstances under which individual differences in factors such as working memory capacity and proficiency do or do not affect L2 sentence processing. Taken together, the data suggest that it is only under certain experimental circumstances—specifically, when participants are asked to perform a metalinguistic task directing their attention to the manipulation at the same time as comprehending the input—that individual differences in such factors as insufficient L2 proficiency and/or cognitive processing limitations, like speed and working memory influence L2 learners’ real‐time processing of the target input. Under these circumstances, L2 learners of for instance, a higher working memory capacity or greater proficiency are more likely to process the input like native speakers. Otherwise, learners appear to shallow process the input, irrespective of individual variability.
A clinical analysis of 58 chinese cases of pigmented fungiform papillae of the tongue
Authors: Tan C. , Liu Y. , Min Z.‐S. , Zhu W.‐Y.
Published: August 2012

Background  Pigmented fungiform papillae of the tongue (PFPT) is a disorder in which the fungiform papillae of the tongue have abnormal coloration. However, Chinese‐specific clinical data for PFPT are lacking.

Objective  To determine the prevalence and characteristics of PFPT among the Chinese population.

Methods  A survey was carried out using a clinical examination and a questionnaire on 14,346 first‐time outpatients in our dermatology department, and 58 cases of PFPT were subsequently diagnosed.

Results  The prevalence of PFPT was 0.4% among dermatological outpatients. All patients had pin‐sized, brownish fungiform papillae on the tip, lateral or dorsal parts of the tongue. Of the three subtypes, type I was the most common (87.93%). PFPT generally coexisted with Hori’s nevus (48.28%), melasma (20.69%), hysteromyoma (24.14%) and breast cystic hyperplasia (20.69%).

Conclusion  Our study confirms that PFPT is a relatively common disorder among Chinese outpatients, and it was presumed to be closely coupled with Hori’s nevus, melasma and other disorders.
Parallel Planning, Local Solutions: Four Newfoundland Airports Deal Diverted Flights after 9/11
Authors: Scanlon Joseph
Published: August 2012

On September 11, 2001, after a series of terrorist attacks, the USA closed its air space while scores of flights were over the North Atlantic. As a result many of those flights were forced to land in Canada: 88 flights carrying approximately 12,000 people landed at four Newfoundland airports – meaning that four communities with parallel plans faced the same emergency at the same on the same day providing a unique opportunity for a comparative study. As it happened all four handled the emergency effectively but each did it in its own way starting with a plan but adapting the plan to local circumstances.
The effect of induced heat waves on Pinus taeda and Quercus rubra seedlings in ambient and elevated CO2 atmospheres
Authors: Ameye Maarten , Wertin Timothy M. , Bauweraerts Ingvar , McGuire Mary Anne , Teskey Robert O. , Steppe Kathy
Published: August 2012

Here, we investigated the effect of different heat‐wave intensities applied at two atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([CO2]) on seedlings of two tree species, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) and northern red oak (Quercus rubra).

Seedlings were assigned to treatment combinations of two levels of [CO2] (380 or 700 μmol mol−1) and four levels of air temperature (ambient, ambient +3°C, or 7‐d heat waves consisting of a biweekly +6°C heat wave, or a monthly +12°C heat wave). Treatments were maintained throughout the growing season, thus receiving equal heat sums. We measured gas exchange and fluorescence parameters before, during and after a mid‐summer heat wave.

The +12°C heat wave, significantly reduced net photosynthesis (Anet) in both species and [CO2] treatments but this effect was diminished in elevated [CO2]. The decrease in Anet was accompanied by a decrease in Fv′/Fm′ in P. taeda and ΦPSII in Q. rubra.

Our findings suggest that, if soil moisture is adequate, trees will experience negative effects in photosynthetic performance only with the occurrence of extreme heat waves. As elevated [CO2] diminished these negative effects, the future climate may not be as detrimental to plant communities as previously assumed.
Red blood cell endothelial nitric oxide synthase does not modulate red blood cell storage hemolysis
Authors: Kanias Tamir , Wang Ling , Lippert Ashley , Kim‐Shapiro Daniel B. , Gladwin Mark T.
Published: August 2012

BACKGROUND: The red blood cell (RBC) endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) has been shown to regulate intrinsic RBC rheologic properties, such as membrane deformability, suggesting that a functional eNOS could be important in RBC viability and function during storage. This study examines the correlation between RBC eNOS deficiency and the propensity of RBCs to hemolyze under selected stress conditions including prolonged hypothermic storage.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Fresh or stored RBCs from normal and eNOS knockout (KO) mice or from healthy human volunteers were subjected to selected hemolytic stress conditions including mechanical stress hemolysis, osmotic stress hemolysis, and oxidation stress hemolysis and evaluated during standard storage in CPDA‐1 solutions.

RESULTS: Fresh RBCs from normal and eNOS KO mice demonstrated comparable susceptibility to hemolysis triggered by mechanical stress (mechanical fragility index 6.5 ± 0.5 in eNOS KO vs. 6.4 ± 0.4 for controls; n = 8‐9), osmotic stress, and oxidative stress. Additionally, RBCs from both mouse groups exhibited similar hemolytic profile at the end of 14‐day hypothermic storage, analogous to 42 days of human RBC storage. Storage of human RBCs (28 days in CPDA‐1) in the presence of NOS cofactors (l‐arginine and tetrahydro‐l‐biopterin) or inhibitor (N5‐[imino(methylamino)methyl]‐l‐ornithine monoacetate) did not affect cell recovery or hemolytic response to the selected stressors.

CONCLUSION: These studies suggest that RBC eNOS does not modulate susceptibility to hemolysis in response to selected stress conditions or prolonged hypothermic storage. Other strategies to increase nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity after prolonged storage utilizing NOS‐independent pathways such as the nitrate–nitrite–NO pathway may prove a more promising approach.
Washing of banked blood by three different blood salvage devices
Authors: Gruber Michael , Breu Anita , Frauendorf Melanie , Seyfried Timo , Hansen Ernil
Published: August 2012

BACKGROUND: Storage lesions in red blood cells (RBCs) lead to an accumulation of soluble contaminants that can compromise the patient. Organ failures, coagulopathies, and cardiovascular events including lethal cardiac arrest have been reported, especially with massive transfusion or in pediatric patients. Washing improves the quality of stored RBCs, and autotransfusion devices have been proposed for intraoperative processing, but these devices were designed for diluted wound blood, and limited data on their performance with RBCs are available.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Three autotransfusion devices (Electa, Sorin; CATS, Fresenius; OrthoPAT, Haemonetics) differing in function of their centrifugation chambers were evaluated with RBCs at the end of their shelf life and with dilutions thereof. Elimination rates of potassium, plasma free hemoglobin, total protein, citrate, acid equivalents, and iomeprol added as a marker substance were analyzed, in addition to RBC recoveries.

RESULTS: Product hematocrit (Hct) levels ranged between 54.8 and 72.6%. RBC recovery rates were between 62.7 and 95.0%, the lowest being with the OrthoPAT processing of undiluted RBCs. Plasma elimination rates increased with predilution and ranged from 46.6% to 99.5%, the lowest being with the CATS and undiluted RBCs. Washing did not change pH and buffering capacity of RBCs.

CONCLUSION: Autotransfusion devices offer a practical and obviously economical option to wash banked RBCs intraoperatively to prevent hyperkalemia and other disturbances in massive transfusion or pediatric patients. Predilution improves elimination rates, especially in devices that produce high product Hct levels. With a Y‐tubing the RBCs should bypass reservoir and vacuum, and the procedure should be guarded by a policy and procedure manual and a quality management system.
Results of lookback for Chagas disease since the inception of donor screening at New York Blood Center
Authors: Kessler Debra A. , Shi Patricia A. , Avecilla Scott T. , Shaz Beth H.
Published: August 2012

BACKGROUND: Chagas disease is a parasitic infection by Trypanosoma cruzi, typically transmitted via infected triatomine bug fecal contamination of bite sites. Other routes of infection include congenital, oral, organ transplantation, and blood product transmission.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: From 2007 until 2011, New York Blood Center screened donations for the presence of T. cruzi antibodies using a Food and Drug Administration–approved test. Confirmatory testing was performed and recipients of units donated by confirmed‐positive donors were investigated via lookback.

RESULTS: A total of 204 donors were T. cruzi antibody positive representing 0.019% of all donors during this time period (1,066,516 unique donors screened). Of the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay–reactive donors, 77 were confirmed positive by radioimmunoprecipitation assay (0.007%). At least 154 units from 29 of the confirmed‐positive donors had been transfused to 141 recipients. At the time of lookback, 48 of the 141 recipients were alive and seven underwent T. cruzi screening. Two recipients were found to be immunofluorescence assay (IFA) positive. Both IFA‐positive recipients received a leukoreduced apheresis platelet unit (two separate donations) from the same confirmed positive donor, a 72‐year‐old immigrant from Argentina.

CONCLUSIONS: Lookback analysis was able to identify the first two cases of probable transfusion‐transmitted T. cruzi infection since implementation of the national screening program, which increases the total number of reported cases in the United States to 8.
Inclusion and Public Policy: Evidence from Sweden’s Introduction of Noncitizen Suffrage
Authors: Vernby Kåre
Published: August 2012

The largest disenfranchised group in modern democracies is international migrants who lack citizenship of their country of residence. Despite that noncitizen suffrage has been introduced in some countries and has been the subject of vigorous public debate in many others, there have been no systematic attempts to investigate its policy consequences. Drawing on standard models of political competition, I argue that there will be a selection bias inherent in estimating the impact of noncitizen suffrage on public policy and analyze data that are uniquely suitable to deal with this methodological problem, namely data on exogenous changes in the composition of the electorates of Swedish municipalities generated by the introduction of noncitizen suffrage. According to the results, the effect of enfranchising noncitizens on public policy was large, causing spending on education and social and family services to increase substantially in municipalities where noncitizens made up a nonnegligible share of the electorate.
The Indiana Toll Road Lease as an Intergenerational Cash Transfer
Authors: Gilmour John B.
Published: August 2012

In a recent incarnation of the public–private partnership, state or city governments agree to lease revenue‐producing assets to a private operator for a lengthy period, up to 99 years. The government receives an up‐front payment, allowing it to collect many years of future revenue at once. This article evaluates the distributional consequences across time of one asset lease, the Indiana Toll Road. The analysis finds that the majority of benefits, in the form of road construction, are enjoyed in the early part of the lease, while the bulk of the costs fall late in the lease, raising important questions about intergenerational fairness.
Using the Surface Electrocardiogram to Localize the Origin of Idiopathic Ventricular Tachycardia
Authors: PARK KYOUNG‐MIN , KIM YOU‐HO , MARCHLINSKI FRANCIS E.
Published: August 2012

The surface electrocardiogram (ECG) is a useful tool to help identify the sites of origin of ventricular tachycardia (VT). Despite such limitations as chest wall deformity and metabolic and drug effects, the analysis of the QRS morphologic patterns and vectors can discern the site of activation of myocardium. There have been described numerous reports about ECG features of idiopathic left‐ and right‐ventricular VT. In this review, we summarized typical ECG characteristics according to the VT sites of origin based on previous reports, with anatomical considerations of the left and right ventricles, including the outflow tracts and epicardium. (PACE 2012;35:1516–1527)
A Review on Advanced Atrioventricular Block in Young or Middle‐Aged Adults
Authors: BARRA SÉRGIO NUNO CRAVEIRO , PROVIDÊNCIA RUI , PAIVA LUÍS , NASCIMENTO JOSÉ , MARQUES ANTÓNIO LEITÃO
Published: August 2012

Complete atrioventricular block is a relatively uncommon arrhythmia that is nonetheless increasingly seen in elderly people of developed countries, due to the increase in life expectancy. Congenital and degenerative etiologies are the most commonly seen among young and old patients, respectively. However, scientific literature is surprisingly scarce regarding the etiology of complete atrioventricular block in the asymptomatic otherwise healthy young and middle‐aged adult population. Coronary artery disease, autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis, history of acute or chronic infectious or hypersensitivity myocarditis, infiltrative processes, hypothyroidism, congenital cardiopathies such as left ventricular noncompaction or Ebstein anomaly, lamin A/C mutations, and pathologic hypervagotony and idiopathic degenerative scleroatrophy of the atrioventricular junctional specialized tissue (Lenegre‐Lev disease) are among the most frequent etiologies of complete atrioventricular block in young or middle‐aged adults. To our knowledge, no comprehensive review on the specificities of the investigation warranted in this age group has ever been developed, nor have the implications of particular diagnoses on treatment modalities been appropriately addressed. We aim at reviewing the most frequent differential diagnoses of advanced atrioventricular block in otherwise healthy asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic young or middle‐aged adults and their impact on therapeutic options. Additionally, we suggest a diagnostic algorithm that may be helpful in this group of patients. (PACE 2012; 35:1395–1405)
The Prescription of Minimal Ventricular Pacing
Authors: LIM HOONG SERN
Published: August 2012

Contemporary devices include sophisticated algorithms specifically designed to minimize ventricular pacing, with the intention of limiting the patient's exposure to potentially deleterious effects of right ventricular pacing. The added complexity and adverse effects (some potentially life‐threatening) associated with the use of these algorithms are often under‐appreciated. The operational features, efficacy, and the potential adverse effects associated with one of these algorithms to minimize ventricular pacing—the Managed Ventricular Pacing™ algorithm—are reviewed to guide the appropriate prescription of this therapy. (PACE 2012;35:1528–1536)
Robust Model‐Based Quantification of Global Ventricular Torsion from Spatially Sparse Three‐Dimensional Time Series Data by Orthogonal Distance Regression: Evaluation in a Canine Animal Model Under Different Pacing Regimes
Authors: ZENKER SVEN , KIM HYUNG KOOK , CLERMONT GILLES , PINSKY MICHAEL R.
Published: August 2012

Background: Quantification of global ventricular rotational deformation, expressed as twist or torsion, and its dynamic changes is important in understanding the pathophysiology of heart disease and its therapy. Various techniques, such as sonomicrometry, allow tracking of specific sites within the myocardium. Quantification of twist from such data requires a longitudinal reference axis of rotation. Current methods require specific positioning and numbers of myocardial markers and assumptions about temporal positional evolution that may be violated during dyssynchronous contraction.

Methods: We present a new method to assess myocardial twist that makes minimal fully explicit assumptions while removing extraneous assumptions, by performing a least squares orthogonal distance regression of all position data on an ellipsoidal ventricular model. Rotational deformation is quantified in terms of the ellipsoid's internal coordinate system, allowing intuitive visualization.

Results: We tested this method on a set of sparse, noisy sonomicrometric crystal data in dogs under different pacing regimes to model dyssynchrony and cardiac resynchronization. We found that this method yielded robust and plausible data. This technique is also fully automated while identifying when data may be insufficient for reliable quantification of rotational deformation.

Conclusion: This approach may allow future analysis of myocardial contraction with less tracking sites and relaxed positioning requirements while identifying situations where data are insufficient for reliable quantification of rotational deformation.

(PACE 2013; 36:13–23)
Patients’ Attitudes and Perceptions of Implantable Cardioverter‐Defibrillators: Potential Barriers to Appropriate Primary Prophylaxis
Authors: YUHAS JENNIFER , MATTOCKS KRISTIN , GRAVELIN LAURA , REMETZ MICHAEL , FOLEY JOHN , FAZIO RICHARD , LAMPERT RACHEL
Published: August 2012

Background:
 Primary prophylaxis with implantable cardioverter‐defibrillators (ICDs) improves mortality in patients at risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD). However, ICDs are highly underutilized. We explored patients’ attitudes and perceptions of ICDs to better understand potential patient‐related barriers to appropriate utilization.

Methods:
 Records of patients visiting three outpatient cardiology clinics (June 2009–January 2010) were reviewed and 133 with ejection fractions ≤35% and without an ICD were identified. Seventy‐two met criteria for ICD placement. Twenty‐five consented and were interviewed by telephone using a semistructured open‐ended interview guide. Twelve individuals had accepted ICD referral, and 13 had declined. We analyzed transcripts of ICD refusers and acceptors using the constant comparative method of grounded theory.

Results:

 Five major themes emerged: (1) Patients who refused ICD referral demonstrated a lack of insight into their own risk potential. (2) Many patients who accepted ICD referral perceived that this was strongly recommended by their physicians, although many patients refusing did not. (3) Concerns over recall, malfunction, and surgical risk were common in both. (4) Many patients demonstrated inaccurate perceptions of ICD‐related risks and lifestyle changes. Acceptors often reported these perceptions being addressed by their physician. (5) Feelings regarding invasive life‐prolonging interventions played an important role in ICD referral refusal for some individuals.

Conclusions:
 Refusal of ICD is common among primary prevention candidates. Common themes in the decision‐making process include insight into personal risk of SCD, and perceived strength of the physician recommendation. Providers may want to consider assessment of patients’ individual understanding and perceptions when discussing ICD prophylaxis. (PACE 2012; 35:1179–1187)
Efficiency, Safety, and Long‐Term Follow‐up of Retrograde Approach for CTO Recanalization: Initial (Belgrade) Experience with International Proctorship
Authors: STOJKOVIC SINISA , SIANOS GEORGE , KATOH OSAMU , GALASSI ALFREDO R. , BELESLIN BRANKO , VUKCEVIC VLADAN , NEDELJKOVIC MILAN , STANKOVIC GORAN , ORLIC DEJAN , DOBRIC MILAN , TOMASEVIC MILOJE , OSTOJIC MIODRAG
Published: August 2012

Background:
 Retrograde approach increases the success rate for percutaneous recanalization of complex chronic total occlusion (CTO) of coronary arteries.

Objectives:
 The purpose of this study was to describe our initial experience of retrograde percutaneous coronary intervention for CTO program, focusing on its safety and feasibility, and long‐term clinical follow‐up.

Methods:
 The study was a single center retrospective registry which included a total of 40 patients, of 590 CTO treated patients (6.7%), between January 2008 and October 2011, who underwent retrograde approach for CTO recanalization.

Results:
 Mean occlusion duration was 37.8 ± 40.3 months. Overall success recanalization rate was 87.5% (35/40). Septal collaterals were used to access the occlusion in all cases (100%). Retrograde guidewire crossing of collateral channels was successful in 36/40 (90.0%) patients with success rate of CTO recanalization in these patients of 97.2%. Retrograde approach as the primary strategy was applied in 23/40 (57.5%) patients, retrograde approach immediately after antegrade failure attempt was performed in 8/40 (20.0%) patients, and retrograde approach as elective procedure, after previously failed antegrade attempt, was performed in 9/40 (22.5%) patients. The success rate of these strategies was: 87.0% (20/23 patients) for primary, 87.5% (7/8 patients) for retrograde immediately after antegrade failure, and 88.9% (8/9 patients) for retrograde after previous failed antegrade attempt, respectively. Total in‐hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACE) rate was 5.0% (2 non‐Q‐wave myocardial infarctions). The MACE free survival at median follow‐up of 20 months was 89% (95% CI: 78–100%).

Conclusions:
 This study has demonstrated that adequate training and international proctorship for this complex and demanding technique is a necessity and prerequisite to achieve high overall success rates, with acceptable complication rates and excellent long‐term survival rate. (J Interven Cardiol 2012;25:540–548).
NDVI variation and its relation to climate in Canadian ecozones
Authors: He Yuhong , Guo Xulin , Dixon Paul , Wilmshurst John F.
Published: August 2012

Parks Canada began the Northern Satellite Monitoring Program in 1997, with the objective of tracking large‐scale vegetation variation in Canadian ecosystems and helping land managers to develop appropriate management practices in response to climate change. Under this program, a sequence of 10‐day composite Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)‐derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from 1985 to 2007 was examined to study seasonal and inter‐annual relationships between vegetation and climate data over Canadian ecosystems using statistical and wavelet analysis. Statistical analysis showed that temperature was the principal driver for seasonal variability in greenness, explaining more than 70 percent of seasonal variation in vegetation for most Canadian ecozones. In comparison with temperature, the relationships between NDVI and precipitation were weaker but still significant. Maximum annual NDVI showed increasing trends in Canadian ecozones during the study period, although increasing rates were spatially heterogeneous. Wavelet analysis confirmed that inter‐annual variation in NDVI was different at two ecozones in Canada. NDVI variation in the Northern Arctic was significant at scales of 3–4 years from 1997 to 2001, which was associated with temperature and precipitation variation. Comparatively, NDVI variation in the Boreal Shield was significant at scales of 5–8 years from 1991 to 1999, but did not correspond with climate variation.
Nervous system autoantibodies and vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms in hemodialysis patients
Authors: Mason Darius L. , Assimon Magdalene M. , Bishop Jeffrey R. , El‐Fawal Hassan A. N.
Published: August 2012

Cognitive deficits are prevalent in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) have been linked to both neurodegeneration (ND) and neuroprotection, respectively. Autoantibodies (Ab) to myelin basic protein (MBP), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and neurofilament (NF) triplet proteins arise secondary to nervous system (NS) damage providing a means to assess neurological injury. Characterization of Ab biomarkers of NS damage in HD patients, their association with VDR SNPs, and nutritional vitamin D (NVD) therapy was performed. VDR genotypes, cytokines, and Ab biomarkers to NS proteins in HD subjects receiving ergocalciferol (n = 40) were compared with nonusers (n = 71). Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), and immunoglobulin G (IgG) titers against NFs, GFAP, and MBP were measured by immunoassay. Subjects were genotyped for VDR SNPs BsmI (rs1544410) and FokI (rs2228570). Subjects (age 63.3 ± 16.1 years, 66% male) who were C allele carriers of BsmI had higher values of NF‐68 antibody titers (p = 0.027). Ergocalciferol users (n = 40) compared with nonusers (n = 71) had lower Ab titers to NS proteins; however, only anti–NF‐160 and anti‐MBP titers were significantly (p < 0.05) higher. IgG against NS proteins in HD patients suggests neuronal and glial insult and a relationship with VDR alleles. NVD may provide some neuroprotection, indicated by anti–NF‐160 and anti‐MBP, which was markedly lowered in ergocalciferol patients. This preliminary study suggests that Ab detection may be useful in monitoring ND and the potential of NVD for neuroprotection in HD patients.
First Report of the Epiphytic Dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus caribaeus in the Temperate Waters off Jeju Island, Korea: Morphology and Molecular Characterization
Authors: Jeong Hae Jin , Lim An Suk , Jang Se Hyeon , Yih Won Ho , Kang Nam Seon , Lee Sung Yeon , Yoo Yeong Du , Kim Hyung Seop
Published: August 2012

Gambierdiscus spp. are epiphytic, benthic dinoflagellates. Some species have been shown to be toxic and cause ciguatera fish poisoning. We report, for the first time, the occurrence of Gambierdiscus caribaeus isolated from the waters off Jeju Island in Korea. Its morphology was similar to that of the original Belize strains of G. caribaeus. Gambierdiscus caribaeus has been reported in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and Floridian coast. Our report extends its range to the North Pacific Ocean. The plates of the Korean strain were arranged in a Kofoidian series of Po, 3′, 7′′, 6c, 6s, 5′′′, 1p, and 2′′′′, morphologically closer to other strains of G. caribaeus than to G. carpenteri. When properly aligned, its small subunit (SSU) rDNA was 0.5% different from those of Gambierdiscus sp. C‐1, a strain that was isolated from the waters off eastern Japan, but was 2.4–4.0% different from those of the NOAA strains of G. caribaeus and 3.1–3.4% different from those of the NOAA strains of G. carpenteri. Additionally, the D1–D3 large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequence of the Korean strain of G. caribaeus was 4.7–5.3% different from those of the NOAA strains of G. caribaeus and 7.1–7.5% different from those of all reported G. carpenteri strains, including the NOAA strains. In phylogenetic trees based on SSU and LSU rDNA sequences, our Korean strain was basal to the clade consisting of the NOAA strains of G. caribaeus, which in turn was sister clade to all reported G. carpenteri strains.
Dispersal and tributary immigration by juvenile coho salmon contribute to spatial expansion during colonisation
Authors: Anderson Joseph H. , Pess George R. , Kiffney Peter M. , Bennett Todd R. , Faulds Paul L. , Atlas William I. , Quinn Thomas P.
Published: August 2012

Anadromous fishes are frequently restricted by artificial barriers to movement such as dams and culverts, so measuring dispersal helps identify sites where improved connectivity could promote range expansion and population viability. We used a combination of DNA‐based parentage analysis and mark–recapture techniques to evaluate dispersal by juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in a population in the initial stages of colonisation following installation of fish passage structures at a previously impassable dam on the Cedar River, WA, USA. The spatial distribution of individuals within maternal families revealed that dispersal was common. Among the offspring of radio‐tagged mothers, 28% were collected outside the spawning reach and dispersed up to 6.3 km (median = 1.5 km). Most juveniles captured in a tributary (Rock Creek, where few adults spawned) had immigrated from the Cedar River and represented many different families. Juvenile dispersal therefore provided a secondary phase of spatial expansion following initial colonisation by adults. Consistent with the condition‐dependent dispersal hypothesis, juveniles that dispersed farther upstream in the tributary were larger than fish collected near the tributary mouth. Overall, the results demonstrated widespread dispersal in a system with low coho salmon densities, and this might increase the rate of population growth if it reduces the effects of local density dependence. By implication, juveniles can take advantage of rearing habitats reconnected through barrier removal, even when such areas are located several kilometres from adult breeding grounds.
Association study of GIT1 gene with attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder in Brazilian children and adolescents
Authors: Salatino‐Oliveira A. , Genro J. P. , Chazan R. , Zeni C. , Schmitz M. , Polanczyk G. , Roman T. , Rohde L. A. , Hutz M. H.
Published: August 2012

Attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in children with a worldwide prevalence of 5.3%. Recently, a Korean group assessed the G‐protein‐coupled receptor kinase‐interacting protein 1 (GIT1) gene that had previously been associated with ADHD. In their work, 27 single nucleotide polymorphisms SNPs in the GIT1 gene were tested; however, only the rs550818 SNP was associated with ADHD susceptibility. Moreover, the presence of the risk‐associated allele determined reduced GIT1 expression, and Git1‐deficient mice exhibit ADHD‐like phenotypes. The aim of this study was to determine if this association also occurs in a sample of Brazilian children with ADHD. No effect of GIT1 genotypes on ADHD susceptibility was observed in the case–control analysis. The odds ratios (ORs) were 0.75 (P = 0.184) for the CT genotype and 1.09 (P = 0.862) for the TT genotype. In addition, the adjusted OR of the CT+TT genotypes vs. the CC genotype was also estimated (P = 0.245). There were no dimensional associations between the GIT1 genotypes and both hyperactivity and /impulsivity, and only hyperactivity Swanson, Nolan and Pelham Scale‐Version IV (SNAP‐IV) scores (P = 0.609 and P = 0.247, respectively). The transmission/disequilibrium test indicated that there was no over‐transmission of rs550818 alleles from parents to ADHD children (z = 0.305; P = 0.761). We conclude that rs550818 is not associated with ADHD in this Brazilian sample. More studies are required before concluding that this polymorphism plays a role in ADHD susceptibility.
Employment Status, Social Capital, and Political Participation: A Comparison of Unemployed and Employed Youth in Geneva
Authors: LORENZINI JASMINE , GIUGNI MARCO
Published: August 2012

Abstract:  This paper examines the relationships between employment status, social capital, and the participation of young people in different kinds of political activities such as contacting, consumer, and protest activities. We focus on the role of social capital for political participation, addressing three related questions: Do unemployed and employed youth display different levels of social capital and political participation? Does social capital favor the political participation of unemployed and employed youth? Is social capital more important for unemployed youth than for employed youth? To address these questions we compare long‐term unemployed youth to regularly employed youth using original survey data. Our analysis suggests that the employment status has only a limited impact on political participation, affecting only consumer actions. In contrast, the social capital resulting from associational involvement is positively correlated to political participation. However, rather than countering the effect of exclusion from the labor market, it plays a similar role for unemployed youth and employed youth.
Institutional Foundations of Legislative Turnover: A Comparative Analysis of the Swiss Cantons
Authors: HEINSOHN TILL , FREITAG MARKUS
Published: August 2012

Abstract:  The rate of turnover within parliaments remains an understudied area of research. The present paper contributes to filling this gap by presenting the first comparable macro‐level data on legislative turnover in the 26 Swiss cantonal legislatures. In examining the strikingly different levels of turnover in sub‐national Swiss parliaments between 1993 and 2011, the focus is on politico‐institutional features. Multilevel models reveal that two hitherto neglected institutional variables are correlated with legislative turnover. In addition to the reduction of parliamentary size, we find the strength of a cantonal parliament to affect turnover rates on the Swiss sub‐national level. Moreover, we show that proportional representation significantly promotes parliamentary elite circulation. Among the non‐institutional covariates, we find that electoral volatility is also relevant in explaining legislative turnover rates.