bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Low Serum Vitamin D is Not Associated with an Increase in Mortality in Oldest Old Subjects: The Octabaix Three-Year Follow-Up Study
Authors: Formiga Francesc , Ferrer Assumpta , Megido Maria Jesus , Boix Lucia , Contra Ana , Pujol Ramon ,   on behalf of the Octabaix study members
Published: May 2013

Background: Poor vitamin D status, i.e. low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], is common in the general population. Prospective epidemiologic data on the association between vitamin D and mortality in oldest old subjects are limited. Objective: This study aimed to determine whether 25(OH)D concentrations were prospectively and independently associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and all-cause mortality in oldest old subjects. Methods: A total of 312 subjects aged 85 years old at baseline (Octabaix study) were followed for 3 years. Sociodemographic and overall geriatric assessment data were collected. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were used to assess vitamin D status. Data on overall and cardiovascular mortality were collected. Results: The mean serum 25(OH)D levels were 28 ± 30 ng/ml. During the follow-up period, 58 subjects (18.5%) died. Twenty-five of the deaths (8%) were related to CVD. There were no differences in mortality rates according to the different quartiles of vitamin D (p = 0.41 for total mortality and p = 0.86 for CVD mortality). Conclusion: In community-dwelling oldest old subjects, serum 25(OH)D levels were not associated with overall or CVD mortality after a 3-year follow-up.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo in the Elderly
Authors: Batuecas-Caletrio Angel , Trinidad-Ruiz Gabriel , Zschaeck Christiane , del Pozo de Dios Juan Carlos , de Toro Gil Laura , Martin-Sanchez Victor , Martin-Sanz Eduardo
Published: May 2013

Background: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most frequent peripheral vertigo in the elderly. It is a well-characterized entity and generally easy to treat. Objective: To evaluate the main symptoms, time to consult for the problem, vertigo characteristics, treatment and follow-up in patients over 70 with BPPV. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. Four hundred and four patients were diagnosed to have BPPV (between January 2006 and December 2012); 211 of them were ≥70 years old (mean 77.7 years) and 193 <70 years old (mean 53.82 years). Results: Patients over 70 with BPPV took longer to consult for the problem (Spearman rho, p = 0.01). The frequency of a clinical presentation consisting of unsteadiness or imbalance without vertigo sensation is higher among elderly patients (χ2, p = 10-6). The effectiveness of the repositioning maneuver is lower than in patients under 70 (χ2, p = 0.002), and the recurrences are more frequent (χ2, p = 0.04). Conclusion: BPPV is a frequent entity in the elderly, and it is necessary to take it into account when older patients complain about imbalance. An appropriate treatment with repositioning maneuvers and prolonged follow-up are required in order to detect recurrences.
Pestalotiopsis anacardiacearum sp. nov. (Amphisphaeriaceae) has an intricate relationship with Penicillaria jocosatrix the mango tip borer
Authors: MAHARACHCHIKUMBURA SAJEEWA S. N. , ZHANG YANMIN , WANG YONG , HYDE KEVIN D.
Published: May 2013

Pestalotiopsis anacardiacearum sp. nov. is described from leaves of Mangifera indica from Yunnan Province, China. The taxon can clearly be distinguished from all known species of Pestalotiopsis by its morphology. Phylogenetic analysis based on combined multi-locus alignment of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), partial β-tubulin and partial translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) also distinguishes this taxon. It can be distinguished from previously recorded Pestalotiopsis pathogens on mango by having larger conidia. The species occurs on leaves of mango following death associated with the mango tip borer (Penicillaria jocosatrix).
Paleocene origin of the cockroach families Blaberidae and Corydiidae: Evidence from Amur River region of Russia
Authors: VRŠANSKÝ PETER , VIDLIČKA ĽUBOMÍR , BARNA PETER , BUGDAEVA EUGENIA , MARKEVICH VALENTINA
Published: May 2013

Morphna paleo sp. n., the earliest winged representative of any living cockroach genus and the earliest representative of the family Blaberidae, is described from the Danian Arkhara-Boguchan coal mine in the Amur River region (Russian Far East). The branched Sc and A suggest Ectobiidae (=Blattellidae) probably is not the ancestral family because Blaberidae were derived directly from the extinct family Mesoblattindae. The associated Danian locality Belaya Gora yielded Ergaula stonebut sp. n., the earliest record of the family Corydiidae. Both species belong to genera codominant in the Messel locality, thus validating their dominance in early Cenozoic assemblages.
Brachyrhynchus n. gen. n. sp., a new genus of Polycystididae Graff, 1905 (Rhabdocoela: Kalyptorhynchia), with the description of three new species from the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean
Authors: ARTOIS TOM , WILLEMS WIM , REYGEL PATRICK , SCHOCKAERT ERNEST
Published: May 2013

Three new species of Polycystididae are described: Brachyrhynchus triplostylis n. gen. n. sp., B. acutus n. sp. and B. oosterlyncki n. sp. They are the first species of Polycystididae to be described with a second, single-walled accessory stylet connected to a small glandular vesicle in the male system. The three species can be distinguished from each other by the detailed morphology and the relative lengths of the three stylets in the male system. The relationships of these species with other representatives of Polycystididae are discussed.
Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) of East Asia (1). Re-examination of the male genitalia of types deposited at the Russian Academy of Sciences
Authors: STONIS JONAS R. , ROCIENĖ AGNĖ
Published: May 2013

East Asia is famous for its tremendous overall biodiversity, and the Nepticulidae are no exception. The majority of the currently known fauna of Nepticulidae was described in 1984–1987 by several authors, but R. Puplesis is the author of the largest number of new species from the region. Unfortunately, the genitalia of all species from Primorskiy Kray, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands were described from temporary slides in glycerol, and therefore, the drawings do not always show all details of genital armature or may be confusing. Without the baseline data providing morphology of genital armature of type material, it is impossible to continue studies on the East Asiatic fauna of Nepticulidae. In this paper we reexamine and document for the first time with photographs the types of 56 species described by R. Puplesis from the Russian Far East. Details of the morphology is updated for most of the re-examined species.
Berengeria Gil-Santana & Coletto-Silva, a junior synonym of Ectrichodiella Fracker & Bruner, with new records and taxonomic notes on Ectrichodiinae from Brazil, and with keys to Ectrichodiinae and Reduviinae genera of the New World (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae)
Authors: GIL-SANTANA HÉLCIO R. , BAENA MANUEL , GRILLO HORACIO
Published: May 2013

Berengeria Gil-Santana & Coletto-Silva, 2005 is considered a junior synonym of Ectrichodiella Fracker & Bruner, 1924. Ectrichodiella minima (Valdés, 1910) and E. rafaeli (Gil-Santana & Coletto-Silva, 2005), new. comb. are redescribed. Tax-onomic notes on Brontostoma alboannulatum (Stål, 1860), B. discus (Burmeister, 1835), B. nanus Carpintero, 1980, B. rubrovenosum (Stål, 1860), and B. trux (Stål, 1859) are given. Brontostoma diringshofeni Gil-Santana & Baena, 2009, B. nanus, and Racelda robusta Bérenger & Gil-Santana, 2005 are recorded from Brazil for the first time. Keys to Ectricho-diinae and Reduviinae genera of the New World are presented.
Directional Wind–Wave Coupling in Fully Coupled Atmosphere–Wave–Ocean Models: Results from CBLAST-Hurricane
Authors: Chen Shuyi S. , Zhao Wei , Donelan Mark A. , Tolman Hendrik L.
Published: May 2013

The extreme high winds, intense rainfall, large ocean waves, and copious sea spray in hurricanes push the surface-exchange parameters for temperature, water vapor, and momentum into untested regimes. The Coupled Boundary Layer Air–Sea Transfer (CBLAST)-Hurricane program is aimed at developing improved coupling parameterizations (using the observations collected during the CBLAST-Hurricane field program) for the next-generation hurricane research prediction models. Hurricane-induced surface waves that determine the surface stress are highly asymmetric, which can affect storm structure and intensity significantly. Much of the stress is supported by waves in the wavelength range of 0.1–10 m, which is the unresolved “spectral tail” in present wave models. A directional wind–wave coupling method is developed to include effects of directionality of the wind and waves in hurricanes. The surface stress vector is calculated using the two-dimensional wave spectra from a wave model with an added short-wave spectral tail. The wind and waves are coupled in a vector form rather than through the traditional roughness scalar. This new wind–wave coupling parameterization has been implemented in a fully coupled atmosphere–wave–ocean model with 1.67-km grid resolution in the atmospheric model, which can resolve finescale features in the extreme high-wind region of the hurricane eyewall. It has been tested in a number of storms including Hurricane Frances (2004), which is one of the best-observed storms during the CBLAST-Hurricane 2004 field program. This paper describes the new wind–wave coupling parameterization and examines the characteristics of the coupled model simulations of Hurricane Frances (2004). Observations of surface waves and winds are used to evaluate the coupled model results.
Looking Toward the Future
Authors: Cho Wonbin , Logan Carolyn
Published: May 2013

Can democracy consolidate in electoral systems without power alternations? Using public attitude data collected by the Afrobarometer in 16 sub-Saharan African countries (2005-2006), as well as country-level variables, this study examines how alternations in power that result from electoral contests affect mass perceptions of democratic durability. By examining durability, we shift the focus from individuals’ own preferences and attitudes regarding democracy to their perceptions about the degree of societal commitment to a democratic regime. Multilevel analysis finds that a lack of alternation among power holders undermines popular confidence that democracy, weak as it may be, will endure. Moreover, the gap in perceptions of democratic durability between the political majority and the minority narrows considerably in systems where one or more alternations have occurred.
Less Lethal Force Policy and Police Officer Perceptions
Authors: Terrill William , Paoline Eugene A.
Published: May 2013

The relationship between administrative policy and deadly force has been well established in the policing literature. Surprisingly, there has been no similarly oriented research with respect to less lethal force. The current inquiry seeks to start this process. Utilizing data collected from a national multiagency use of force project, we focus on those charged with the street-level application of organizational use of force policy. In doing so, patrol officers ( N = 990) from three agencies, each varying in terms of policy direction, are surveyed regarding the extent to which they believe their agency policy offers appropriate forms of guidance and restrictiveness. The findings show a number of significant policy effects. In particular, officers working in a department that uses a loosely coupled nonlinear model are significantly less likely to believe their agency policy offers adequate guidance in terms of when force can and cannot be used. However, the findings also illustrate that officers do not want to be too tightly constrained within a linear policy model in relation to restrictiveness. Such findings suggest that agency leaders may wish to consider a linear-based design that offers some degree of policy guidance, but not so much that force options are overly restricted. The implications of these findings for police practitioners and researchers are considered.
The Memorability of Introductory Psychology Revisited
Authors: Landrum R. Eric , Gurung Regan A. R.
Published: May 2013

Almost 2 million students enroll in introductory psychology each year in the United States, making it the second most popular undergraduate course in the nation. Introductory psychology not only serves as a prerequisite for other courses in the discipline but for some students this course provides their only exposure to psychological science. Presently, when introductory psychology students are asked about what they believe they will learn in the course, students indicate becoming more insightful about their own behavior and expect to have improved critical thinking skills. However, what do students actually remember from introductory psychology? Two years after completing the course, a sample of students voluntarily retook their cumulative final exam, and we compared these scores to senior-level psychology majors enrolled in a Capstone course. We discuss the outcomes in relation to the knowledge retention expected for subsequent coursework as well as realistic expectations of faculty members about what their students know.
Texts, Tables and Tablets: A Response to John C. Poirier
Authors: Derrenbacker Robert A.
Published: May 2013

John C. Poirier, in ‘The Roll, the Codex, the Wax Tablet and the Synoptic Problem’ ( JSNT 35.1: 3-30), argues that Synoptic source critics, particularly F. Gerald Downing and Robert A. Derrenbacker, Jr, have exaggerated and misrepresented the problems with Luke’s use of Matthew on the Farrer Hypothesis, as well as failed to consider the role that the medium of wax tablet may have played in Luke’s use of Matthew on that theory. However, in several areas, Poirier’s argument is problematic, misleading and in need of revision.
Waxing Careless: Poirier, Derrenbacker and Downing
Authors: Downing F. Gerald
Published: May 2013

In ‘The Roll, the Codex, the Wax Tablet and the Synoptic Problem’ ( JSNT 35.1), John C. Poirier helpfully draws attention to the use of wax tablets in the Graeco-Roman world of the early Christians. These might seem to have allowed for more flexibility in the collation of literary sources than many (F. Gerald Downing and Robert A. Derrenbacker in particular) have allowed for: e.g., for Luke using Matthew and Mark. Poirier’s critical attention to other scholars, however, leaves a lot of relevant questions not only unanswered but unraised, and a range of these is here outlined.
Problem-solving orientation and attributional style as predictors of depressive symptoms in Egyptian adolescents with visual impairment
Authors: Emam Mahmoud M
Published: May 2013

The association between attributional style (AS), problem-solving orientation (PSO), and gender on depressive symptoms was investigated in Egyptian adolescents with visual impairment (VI). After being written in Braille, measures of AS, PSO, and depression were administered to 110 adolescents with VI, ages 12–17 years, from a residential school for pupils with VI. Regression analyses showed that gender, negative general (NG) attributions, and negative problem-solving orientation (NPSO) were the strongest predictors of depressive symptoms in adolescents with VI, whereas negative internal (NI) attributions and avoidant problem-solving orientation (APSO) were weak predictors. The findings are discussed in relation to different perspectives and models of depression, particularly the stress-diathesis model. The theory that these cognitive variables are core constituents of a cognitive diathesis model of depression in individuals with VI is not supported by this study.
Myocardial damage following cardiac surgery: comparison between single-dose Celsior cardioplegic solution and cold blood multi-dose cardioplegia
Authors: Giordano P , Scrascia G , D’Agostino D , Mastro F , Rotunno C , Conte M , Rociola R , Paparella D
Published: May 2013

Myocardial protection during cardiac surgery can be accomplished by different cardioplegic solutions. The aim of this study was to assess myocardial damage after heart valve surgery performed with myocardial protection of a single dose of Celsior cardioplegia or with repeated cold blood cardioplegia. After the stratification of 139 valvular patients by means of matching according to cross-clamp and cardiopulmonary bypass time, 32 patients were retained for comparison (16 patients received Celsior and 16 patients received cold blood cardioplegia). Creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) release were evaluated until six days after the operation. Pre-operative characteristics were similar in both groups. In the Celsior group, CK-MB and cTnI values were significantly higher from the first up to the sixth post-operative day. Peak cTnI values were 19.4±13.4 and 9.7±7 ng/mL (p=0.01) in the Celsior and the Cold Blood group, respectively. Peak CK-MB values were 79.6±58.8 and 45.9±20.6 U/L (p=0.07) in the Celsior and the Cold Blood group, respectively. Cold blood cardioplegia reduces perioperative myocardial damage compared to the Celsior solution in elective cardiac valve operations.
The state of poverty: Elite perceptions of the poor in Brazil and Uruguay
Authors: López Matias
Published: May 2013

This article approaches elites’ perceptions of poverty, inequality, and social policy in Brazil and Uruguay from democratization to the recent shift toward left-wing governments. It explores elites’ perceptions of the roles of the state, the market, and their own role in relation to poverty. The analysis relies on a series of elite surveys targeting leaders from the state and government, the corporate world, and the third sector in Brazil and Uruguay. The main argument is that poverty and inequality can be perceived by elites as a source of political and social threats, potentially motivating elites to embrace collective action and policy support. Although Brazil and Uruguay are often treated as opposite cases in Latin America, they share similarities in the way in which their national elites have dealt with poverty and inequality since democratization. From authoritarian regimes to cash transfer programs, the historical inheritance of a business-state and the threats posed by the poor pushed elites toward similar measures, although often based on different understandings of poverty and inequality.
The transitional phase of mate selection in East Asian countries
Authors: Tsutsui Junya
Published: May 2013

This study challenges the orthodox concept of mate selection. Existing research presupposes the binary conceptualization of ‘arranged marriage versus love marriage,’ which is too limited in scope to grasp the reality of transition in mate selection. An alternative model is proposed in this study and is applied to data from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Analyses suggest that a considerable number of cases cannot be described as either ‘traditional’ or ‘love’ marriages; these are considered transitional cases. In some cases, the couple’s first meeting is initiated by free will but with strong parental intervention regarding the decision to marry. In other cases, the first meeting is arranged by parents or kin, but the couple maintains free will. Three countries share basic trends regarding the shift between the types of mate selection, and an analysis shows that national differences regarding certain factors also explain the shift.
A methodological exploration of social quality research: A comparative evaluation of the quality of life and social quality approaches
Authors: Lin Ka
Published: May 2013

This article discusses two basic theories of social measurement in development studies – the quality of life (QOL) and social quality (SQ) theories. The QOL theory has a long tradition in the study of individuals’ living standards, whereas SQ theory helps us understand the traits of social circumstances. Based on survey data collected from six Asian societies, a number of QOL and SQ factors are examined in this study to show how these two approaches are both distinctive and complementary. The study suggests consideration and comparison of these measures relating to factual indicators and subjective indicators in order to reveal the features of different societies.
CYP19A1 gene polymorphisms and risk of lung cancer
Authors: Zhang Jie , Yin Yue , Niu Xiao-Min , Liu Yun , Garfield David , Chen Su-Feng , Wang Rui , Wang Lei , Chen Hai-Quan
Published: May 2013

Objectives

To investigate the association between polymorphisms of aromatase (encoded by the CYP19A1 gene and a key enzyme in biosynthesis of oestradiol) and the risk of lung cancer, and whether there were differences stratified by sex and smoking history.

Methods

This case–control study included consecutive, nonselected and pathologically-confirmed lung cancer patients and healthy people. Participants were classed as nonsmokers or smokers by questionnaire. Peripheral blood samples from all participants were genotyped for three single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs; rs727479, rs730154 and rs10046); allelic frequencies were compared across genotype and clinical records.

Results

A total of 529 patients with lung cancer and 567 age- and sex-matched controls were included. After adjustment for age, sex and smoking history, rs727479 was significantly associated with the incidence of lung cancer (for alleles AC vs AA). There was also a significant difference between patients and controls in haplotype CCA, while haplotype ACA was only significantly associated with nonsmokers and female nonsmokers.

Conclusions

Polymorphisms of CYP19A1 may be related to the increased risk of lung cancer; in particular, haplotype ACA may contribute to lung-cancer progression in nonsmokers. Further validation with larger populations is required.
Randomized controlled trial of zoledronic acid for treatment of osteoporosis in women
Authors: Bai Hua , Jing Danqing , Guo Aitao , Yin Shinan
Published: May 2013

Objective

To assess the effect of zoledronic acid (ZOL) on bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture risk at the L1–L4 vertebrae, femoral neck, hip and trochanter in Chinese women with osteoporosis.

Methods

A randomized controlled trial was conducted in female patients with osteoporosis, randomized to receive one 5-mg ZOL intravenous infusion per year or placebo equivalent. Facture risk and BMD were measured over a 2-year follow-up period.

Results

A statistically significant reduction in the risk of fracture was observed at the trochanter in the ZOL group ( n = 242) compared with the placebo group ( n = 241); (odds ratio 0.54 [95% confidence interval 0.29, 0.98]): BMD was 0.24, 0.28, 0.31 and 0.22 greater at the L1–L4 vertebrae, total hip, femoral neck and trochanter, respectively, in the ZOL group. The incidence of adverse events was comparable between treatment groups.

Conclusions

This study indicated that ZOL could increase BMD and reduce fracture risk in women with osteoporosis over a 2-year follow-up period, and was not associated with any serious drug-related adverse effects.
Association between cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4 gene +49 A/G polymorphism and chronic infection with hepatitis B virus: A meta-analysis
Authors: Xu Hangdi , Zhao Mingfei , He Jiliang , Chen Zhi
Published: May 2013

Objective

This meta-analysis determined the relationship between polymorphisms of the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 ( CTLA4) gene and hepatitis B virus (HBV) clearance in chronic hepatitis B.

Methods

Published studies reporting associations between CTLA4 gene +49A/G polymorphisms and chronic HBV infection were reviewed. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to assess the risk of persistent HBV according to genotype.

Results

Six studies, involving 1076 chronic HBV patients and 1294 controls, were included. The risk of persistent HBV in patients with a +49 GG/AG genotype decreased significantly compared with the AA genotype (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.52, 0.82). The variant G allele was negatively associated with chronic HBV infection versus the A allele (OR 0.77; 95% CI 0.68, 0.88). When stratifying by type of study control, a significantly decreased risk was associated with CTLA4+49 variant genotypes (AG and GG) in both spontaneous recovery control group and healthy control group.

Conclusions

Findings of this meta-analysis suggest that A at position +49 of the CTLA4 gene may significantly increase the risk of persistent HBV infection, whereas G at position +49 may positively influence virus clearance.
Life and death in the multispecies commons
Authors: Baynes-Rock Marcus
Published: May 2013

The multispecies commons is the kind of place in which human–animal entanglements are made most explicit. It is where social, biological and historical processes are so inextricably entwined with wider ecological processes as to be inseparable. Here I describe one such place: the area outside a gate in the ancient, defensive wall around the historic city of Harar, Ethiopia. It was at this place that a solitary, poisoned hyena set in motion a series of events which culminated in a conflict between two hyena clans; a conflict in which the local humans were participants. To gain an understanding of the events I follow the threads of histories, landscapes, territoriality and social engagement between species to reveal how this place demands interdisciplinary study. It dramatically exemplifies the ways in which humans and non-humans are entangled in more-than-social processes through which they co-shape each others’ worlds. The multispecies commons explicitly deconstructs limited conceptions of the social and weaves them back together with multiple other threads that coalesce to create a greater, tangled web of ecological processes.
Can animals sing? On birdsong, music and meaning
Authors: Yan Hektor KT
Published: May 2013

This article deals with conceptual questions regarding claims to the effect that humans and animals share artistic abilities such as the possession of music. Recent works focusing on animals, from such as Hollis Taylor and Dominique Lestel, are discussed. The attribution of artistic traits in human and animal contexts is examined by highlighting the importance of issues relating to categorization and evaluation in cross-species studies. An analogy between the denial of major attributes to animals and a form of racism is drawn in order to show how questions pertaining to meaning can impact on our understanding of animal abilities. One of the major theses presented is that the question of whether animals possess music cannot be answered by a methodology that is uninformed by the way concepts such as music or art function in the context of human life: the ascription of music to humans or non-humans is a value-laden act rather than a factual issue regarding how to represent an entity. In order to see how humans and animals share a life in common, it is necessary to come to the reflective realization that how human beings understand themselves can impact on their perception and experience of human and non-human animals.
Recent French, Belgian and Italian work in the cognitive science of animals: Dominique Lestel, Vinciane Despret, Roberto Marchesini and Giorgio Celli
Authors: Bussolini Jeffrey
Published: May 2013

This paper is a review of the work of four scholars who have made substantial new developments in our understanding of animal mind and animal–human interactions. Dominique Lestel indicates that culture is rooted in the animal realm and draws upon ethology and ethnography to study animal worlds. Vinciane Despret pays heed to complex animal–human sociality and combines critical psychology and ethology to take account of animal mind. Roberto Marchesini argues that animal influence on humans is widespread and is foundational to culture; he uses anthropology and ethology to expand the field of animal–human interactions. Giorgio Celli holds that ethology permeates the spaces of everyday life and that animals such as cats demonstrate complex problem-solving and social behavior.
Hope in blasted landscapes
Authors: Kirksey S Eben , Shapiro Nicholas , Brodine Maria
Published: May 2013

Insights about biocultural hope emerged at the Multispecies Salon, an art exhibit in New Orleans. In a landscape blasted by Hurricane Katrina and flooded by oil following BP’s Deepwater Horizon explosion, the exhibit grounded hopes in actual organisms – like goats, fish and hermit crabs – living in the aftermath of multiple disasters. At the Salon, art catalyzed discussions about catastrophes amongst plankton biologists, chemical oceanographers, microbiologists, activists and anthropologists. Departing from these discussions, we adapted the tactics of multi-sited ethnography of ‘following the thing’, to ‘follow the species’ from the art gallery into the environs of New Orleans and beyond. Against the backdrop of bleak landscapes, people engaged in intimate acts of interspecies care. Uneasy alchemy transformed toxic specters into figures of hope. Signs of advancing disaster, depictions of animals in peril and blighted parcels of land began to fuel mass mobilizations and tactical interventions. Collective hopes moved like oil in water, coalescing around specific figures only to dance away – to alight on new events, objects and lively agents.
Traumatic Brain Injury and Diet
Authors: Greco Tiffany , Prins Mayumi L.
Published: May 2013

Increasing attention is being paid to nutritional and metabolic management of traumatic brain injury patients. The gross metabolic changes that occur after injury have been found to be influenced by both macronutrients, that is, dietary ratios of fat, carbohydrates, and protein, and micronutrients, for example, vitamins and minerals. Alterations in diet and nutritional strategies have been shown to decrease both morbidity and mortality after injury. Despite this knowledge, defining optimal nutritional support following traumatic brain injury continues to be an ongoing challenge.
Possessed by Evil Spirits
Authors: Obladen Michael
Published: May 2013

For 4 millennia, seizures in infancy were believed to be of supranatural origin and were dealt with by incantations, exorcising rituals, and protective amulets. Instead of pursuing scientific research into their causes, gods, devils, mothers, wet nurses, midwives, or obstetricians were blamed. Help from protective gods and patron saints was sought, and amulets against the “evil eye” were recommended by physicians, mostly in the form of necklaces. Infants were despised and hidden away from the community. Among the medical conditions associated with seizures, those most prominent were dentition, gastrointestinal irritation, and “bad” mother’s milk. Medical treatment consisted of cutting or rubbing the gums with a hare’s brain during dentition, and applying peony or theriac. Even during the 20th century, when laboratory methods, electroencephalography, brain imaging, and powerful pharmaceutical techniques were available, effective treatment evolved empirically rather than systematically.
Restricted Calorie Ketogenic Diet for the Treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme
Authors: Maroon Joseph , Bost Jeffrey , Amos Austin , Zuccoli Giulio
Published: May 2013

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults and generally considered to be universally fatal. Glioblastoma multiforme accounts for 12% to 15% of all intracranial neoplasms and affects 2 to 3 adults per every 100,000 in the United States annually. In children glioblastoma multiforme accounts for only approximately 7% to 9% of central nervous system tumors. The mean survival rate in adults after diagnosis ranges from 12 to 18 months with standard therapy and 3 to 6 months without therapy. The prognosis in children is better compared to adult tumor onset with a mean survival of approximately 4 years following gross total surgical resection and chemotherapy. There have been few advances in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme in the past 40 years beyond surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and corticosteroids. For this reason a restrictive calorie ketogenic diet, similar to that used in children to control drug resistant seizure activity, has been advanced as an alternative adjunctive treatment to help prolonged survival. This article reviews the science of tumor metabolism and discusses the mechanism of calorie restriction, cellular energy metabolism, and how dietary induced ketosis can inhibit cancer cell’s energy supply to slow tumor growth.
Diagnosis and Management of Epilepsy Associated With Hypothalamic Hamartoma
Authors: Pati Sandipan , Sollman Myriam , Fife Terry D. , Ng Yu-Tze
Published: May 2013

The main objective was to review the evidence for management of epilepsy associated with hypothalamic hamartomas. We performed a systemic review of the literature through July 2012 that studied patients with hypothalamic hamartomas and related epilepsy. Articles meeting selection criteria were rated according to the American Academy of Neurology classification of evidence scheme. Recommendations were linked to the strength of the evidence and as follows: (a) precocious puberty is associated more with the pedunculated type and epilepsy typified by gelastic seizures with the sessile form of hypothalamic hamartomas (class III); (b) significant behavioral and cognitive deficits are associated with patients with hypothalamic hamartomas (class III); (c) video electroencephalography (EEG) findings are extremely variable particularly across the different ages and do not affect surgical outcome (class III); d) various surgical techniques (transcallosal and endoscopic resection) resulted in 49% to 54% seizure freedom, 15% with a pterional approach as well as about 40% with radiosurgery (class III).
Coercive Control and Abused Women’s Decisions About Their Pets When Seeking Shelter
Authors: Hardesty Jennifer L. , Khaw Lyndal , Ridgway Marcella D. , Weber Cheryl , Miles Teresa
Published: May 2013

The importance of pets in families, especially during major life stressors, is well documented. Research suggests links between pet ownership and intimate partner violence (IPV). This study explored abused women’s decisions about pets when seeking help from a shelter. Interviews were conducted with 19 women who were pet owners. Using grounded theory methods, two patterns emerged surrounding abusers’ treatment of pets, bonds to pets, women’s decisions about pets upon seeking shelter, and future plans for pets. The presence of coercive control was central to these patterns. Women also discussed their experiences with and needs from shelter professionals and veterinarians with implications for practice.
Global Commodity Chains and the Organizational Grounding of Consumer Cultural Production
Authors: Brewer Benjamin D.
Published: May 2013

This essay brings together ‘commodity chain’ analysis with some of the central concerns motivating studies of consumption and consumer culture. It argues that we can, from the perspective of capitalist agents and agencies, discern important historical shifts in the economic significance of the various activities that generate modern consumer culture, or ‘consumer cultural production’. Shifts in both the nature and intensity of competitive pressures imply different roles for consumer cultural production within the portfolios and strategies of leading capitalist organizations over time. Thus, the essay provides a framework for periodizing and linking historical shifts in the organization of commodity chains in relation to transformations in the structure and nature of consumer cultural production over roughly the past century. More concretely, it connects the broad shift from commodity chains organized along a ‘producer-driven’ form to the ‘buyer-driven’ arrangement to different kinds of ‘market making’ through consumer cultural production.
Transitions in Caregiving and Health Dynamics of Caregivers for People With AIDS
Authors: Chepngeno-Langat Gloria , Evandrou Maria
Published: May 2013

Objectives: A cohort of older people living in a low-resource setting in Nairobi is followed to understand the transitions in caregiving status and trajectories in health over a 3-year period. Methods: Three categories of older people comprising 65 AIDS caregivers, 102 Other caregivers and 1,322 noncaregivers identified at baseline were assessed at end-line based on two self-reported health outcome measures, a functionality score and having a severe health problem. Results: A majority of caregivers were still providing care at the end of the study, and or had taken on new care recipients. Compared with noncaregivers, AIDS caregivers reported poor health, with men more likely to report poor health than women. New caregivers also reported poorer health compared with noncaregivers. Discussion: The results indicate improvement in health over time among male caregivers supporting the adaptation model. We recommend timely programs to support caregivers particularly at the onset of caregiving.
Screw optimization for performance enhancement of a twin-screw pump
Authors: Tang Qian , Zhang Yuanxun
Published: May 2013

The performance of twin-screw pumps that are widely used in industry hinges upon a number of factors. In this research, a systematic approach is presented, encompassing the design optimization of a Type-A screw and the subsequent performance evaluation of a twin-screw pump. We first investigate the effect of involute meshing angle on the contact line properties of the Type-A screw, and carry out design optimization. We then formulate a flow field analysis of the twin-screw pump using the screw tooth profiles and spiral surfaces under the optimal involute angles obtained, and analyze the pressure field, velocity field and other characteristics of the pump. The influence of contact line on the pump sealing property is also assessed. Concurrent with the numerical study, experimental investigation is performed to evaluate the rotating speed and power of the pump, as well as their intrinsic relations with the flow, pressure and power of the screws. These studies reveal that under the optimal design of the screw, the pump performance can be significantly improved. The methodology of design and analysis outlined in this research can be applied to other screw pumps, and the results of parametric analysis involved can shed lights on the development of screw pumps in general.
Learning to make racism funny in the ‘color-blind’ era: Stand-up comedy students, performance strategies, and the (re)production of racist jokes in public
Authors: Pérez Raúl
Published: May 2013

This article contends performance comedy serves as a mechanism for expressing ethnic and racial stereotypes in public and presents a challenge to studies of contemporary racial discourse which suggest overt racetalk in public is on the decline. In this ethnographic study on the training of stand-up comedians, I probe how comedy students learn to use rhetorical performance strategies to couch ethnic and racial stereotypes in more palatable ways, in order to be ‘funny’ rather than ‘offensive’ in public. Using critical discourse analysis (CDA), this study illustrates the role elites play in managing racial discourse. It is found that white versus non-white comedy students are taught to engage in racial discourse in different ways. Whites are taught distance and denial strategies which allow them to engage in overt racial commentary and deny racism or racist intent, while non-whites are often encouraged to engage in racial stereotypes uncritically. This study shows how strategic use of humor allows the ‘constraints’ on current racial discourse, on whites in particular, to be broken, suggesting a new phase of color-blind racism may be underway.
Forging a relational approach: Best interests or human rights?
Authors: Herring Jonathan
Published: May 2013

This article considers whether someone who is attracted to relational ethics is likely to find a rights-based approach or a best interests-based approach to medical law more amenable to accommodating the responses they would wish to promote. Many of those promoting relational approaches have rejected the standard legal approaches and preferred instead to promote alternatives based on an ethic of care. The article explores the capacity of both rights and best interests in the context of medical law to take account of relational values. It accepts that both approaches raise concerns for relational ethicists, but both have the potential to develop promising line of argument. It seeks to analyse and explore them.
Predicting Science Achievement in India
Authors: Larson Lisa M. , Stephen Asha , Bonitz Verena S. , Wu Tsui-Feng
Published: May 2013

We examined the role of self-reported effort in predicting chemistry and physics achievement after controlling for prior achievement, gender, and mathematics/science self-efficacy and interest. The data were collected from two Asian Indian high school samples. Self-reported effort was hypothesized to be the most salient predictor of achievement, given its important role in the Asian Indian culture. Based on prior findings, it was also hypothesized that gender would moderate the effect of interest on achievement. Both hypotheses were supported. After other key variables were controlled (prior achievement, gender, and mathematics/science self-efficacy and interest), self-reported effort was a significant predictor of both chemistry achievement and physics achievement. Moreover, gender did moderate the relation of interest and achievement. Boys who were more interested in physics and chemistry achieved higher scores, but girls’ level of interest did not correlate with their achievement.
The Prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse in Out-of-Home Care
Authors: Euser Saskia , Alink Lenneke R. A. , Tharner Anne , van IJzendoorn Marinus H. , Bakermans-Kranenburg Marian J.
Published: May 2013

We investigated the 2010 year prevalence of child sexual abuse (CSA) in residential and foster care and compared it with prevalence rates in the general population. We used two approaches to estimate the prevalence of CSA. First, 264 professionals working in residential or foster care (sentinels) reported CSA for the children they worked with ( N = 6,281). Second, 329 adolescents staying in residential or foster care reported on their own experiences with CSA. Sentinels and adolescents were randomly selected from 82 Dutch out-of-home care facilities. We found that 3.5 per 1,000 children had been victims of CSA based on sentinel reports. In addition, 248 per 1,000 adolescents reported having experienced CSA. Results based on both sentinel report and self-report revealed higher prevalence rates in out-of-home care than in the general population, with the highest prevalence in residential care. Prevalence rates in foster care did not differ from the general population. According to our findings, children and adolescents in residential care are at increased risk of CSA compared to children in foster care. Unfortunately, foster care does not fully protect children against sexual abuse either, and thus its quality needs to be further improved.
Reframing Public Space Through Digital Mobilization
Authors: Molnár Virág
Published: May 2013

Flash mobs have spread, like wildfire, across the globe in recent years fuelling new uses of urban public space. The media has wondered if these events are simply pointless pranks, creative public performances, or mass social experiments in community building. Existing research emphasizes only the vital role of digital communications technology in the mobilization process. In contrast, this analysis shows through a broad range of examples from New York, London, Berlin, Budapest to Tokyo that these nascent forms of collective action are also important to examine because they provide insight into the intersection and interaction between new communications media and changing uses of physical urban space. It situates flash mobs in a historical context, constructs a basic typology of flash mob activity based on extensive Internet research, and theorizes it as a new form of sociability. It also explores how these examples of urban creativity have inspired commerce and politics to rediscover urban space, increasingly borrowing the organizational techniques of flash mobs in marketing campaigns and social protests.
Aliskiren improves vascular smooth muscle function in the skin microcirculation of type 2 diabetic patients with normal renal function
Authors: Dushay Jody R , Tecilazich Francesco , Kafanas Antonios , Magargee Mary L , Auster Michael E , Gnardellis Charalambos , Dinh Thanh , Veves Aristidis
Published: May 2013

Objective:

The objective of this paper is to study the effect of aliskiren on metabolic parameters and micro- and macrovascular reactivity in individuals diagnosed with or at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Research design and methods:

We studied 47 T2DM and 41 at-risk individuals in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. All subjects were treated with 150 mg aliskiren or placebo daily for 12 weeks. Twenty-six (55%) of T2DM and four (8%) at-risk subjects were also treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers.

Results:

Aliskiren treatment was associated with improvement in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and endothelium-independent vasodilation at the skin microcirculation in those with T2DM but not in those at risk. There were no incidences of hypotension and no significant changes in serum potassium or creatinine levels with aliskiren treatment in either study group.

Conclusions:

Aliskiren improves blood pressure and vascular smooth muscle function in the skin microcirculation of T2DM patients.
Making planning theory real
Authors: Harrison Philip
Published: May 2013

This article argues that contemporary planning theory is underpinned by an anti-realist ontology that has eroded its capacity to engage meaningfully with the materiality of space. The article draws on the experience of the author as a planner in a large city in the global South to illustrate the limits of planning theory. It argues that the ‘southwards turn’ in planning theory has expanded the reach of planning theory but that more is needed. The article then considers the possibility that a new body of philosophical thought known as ‘speculative realism’ may provide an antidote to this anti-realism and support sustained engagement with the objects of planning’s concern.
Legitimacy and reputation in the institutional field of food safety: A public relations case study
Authors: Merkelsen Henrik
Published: May 2013

The overall objective of this study is to examine how the institutional context of food safety affects and is affected by concerns for legitimacy and reputation. The paper employs a neo-institutional approach to analyzing the institutional field of food safety in a case study of a multinational food service provider where a tension between conflicting institutional logics implied a reputational challenge. The study shows how food safety as a well-defined operational risk is transformed into a high-priority reputational risk and how actors in the field of food safety are caught in a state of mutual distrust, partly as a consequence of an intense politicization of food risk over the past years and partly as a result of their respective concerns for legitimacy. The study points to how the field of food safety is colonized by a reputational logic that is paradoxically reproduced by actors at all organizational levels even though they strongly oppose to this logic.