bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Low-level mechanical stimulation is sufficient to improve tendon healing in rats
Authors: Andersson Therese , Eliasson Pernilla , Hammerman Malin , Sandberg Olof , Aspenberg Per
Published: August 2012

Treatment of tendon injuries often involves immobilization. However, immobilization might not prevent mild involuntary isometric muscle contraction. The effect of weak forces on tendon healing is therefore of clinical interest. Studies of tendon healing with various methods for load reduction in rat Achilles tendon models show a consistent reduction in tendon strength by at least half, compared with voluntary cage activity. Unloading was not complete in any of these models, and the healing tendon was therefore still exposed to mild mechanical stimulation. By reducing the forces acting on the tendon even further, we now studied the effects of this mild stimulation. Rat Achilles tendons were transected and allowed to heal spontaneously under four different loading conditions: 1) normal cage activity; 2) calf muscle paralysis induced by botulinum toxin A (Botox); 3) tail suspension; 4) Botox and tail suspension, combined, to eliminate even mild stimulation. Healing was evaluated by mechanical testing after 8 days. Botox alone and suspension alone both reduced tendon callus size (transverse area), thereby impairing its strength compared with normal cage activity. The combination of Botox and suspension did not further reduce tendon callus size but drastically impaired the material properties of the tendon callus compared with each treatment alone. The peak force was only a fifth of that in the normal cage activity group. The results indicate that also the mild loading that occurs with either Botox or suspension alone stimulates tendon healing. This stimulation appears to affect mainly tissue quality, whereas stronger stimulation also increases callus size.
Involvement of PGE2and RANTES inStaphylococcus aureus-induced fever in rats
Authors: Martins Juliano M. , Longhi-Balbinot Daniela T. , Soares Denis M. , Figueiredo Maria José , Malvar David do C. , de Melo Miriam C. C. , Rae Giles A. , Souza Glória E. P.
Published: August 2012

This study investigated the involvement of prostaglandins and regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), in fever induced by live Staphylococcus aureus (no. 25923, American Type Culture Collection) injection in rats. S. aureus was injected intraperitoneally at 109, 1010, and 2 × 1010colony-forming units (CFU)/cavity, and body temperature (Tb) was measured by radiotelemetry. The lowest dose of S. aureus induced a modest transient increase in Tb, whereas the two higher doses promoted similar long-lasting and sustained Tbincreases. Thus, the 1010CFU/cavity dose was chosen for the remaining experiments. The Tbincrease induced by S. aureus was accompanied by significant decreases in tail skin temperature and increases in PGE2levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and hypothalamus but not in the venous plasma. Celecoxib (selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, 2.5 mg/kg po) inhibited the fever and the increases in PGE2concentration in the CSF and hypothalamus induced by S. aureus. Dipyrone (120 mg/kg ip) reduced the fever from 2.5 to 4 h and the PGE2increase in the CSF but not in the hypothalamus. S. aureus increased RANTES in the peritoneal exudate but not in the CSF or hypothalamus. Met-RANTES (100 μg/kg iv), a chemokine (C-C motif) receptor (CCR)1/CCR5 antagonist, reduced the first 6 h of fever induced by S. aureus. This study suggests that peripheral (local) RANTES and central PGE2production are key events in the febrile response to live S. aureus injection. As dipyrone does not reduce PGE2synthesis in the hypothalamus, it is plausible that S. aureus induces fever, in part, via a dipyrone-sensitive PGE2-independent pathway.
The EGF Receptor and HER2 Participate in TNF-α-Dependent MAPK Activation and IL-8 Secretion in Intestinal Epithelial Cells
Authors: Jijon Humberto B. , Buret Andre , Hirota Christina L. , Hollenberg Morley D. , Beck Paul L.
Published: September 2012

TNF-αactivates multiple mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) leading to the secretion of interleukin 8 (IL-8), a neutrophil chemoattractant and an angiogenic factor with tumor promoting properties. As the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a known transducer of proliferative signals and a potent activator of MAPKs, we hypothesized that the EGFR participates in TNF-dependent MAPK activation and IL-8 secretion by intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). We show that the EGFR is tyrosine-phosphorylated following treatment of IECs (HT-29 and IEC-6) with TNF-α. This requires EGFR autophosphorylation as it was blocked by the EGFR kinase inhibitor AG1478. Autophosphorylation was also inhibited by both a Src-kinase inhibitor and the metalloproteinase inhibitor batimastat. TNF treatment of IECs resulted in the accumulation of soluble TGF-α; treatment of IECs with batimastat suppressed TGF-αrelease and immunoneutralization of TGF-αresulted in decreased EGFR and ERK phosphorylations. TNF-αtreatment of IECs resulted in an association between EGFR and HER2 and inhibition of HER2 using a specific inhibitor AG879 in combination with AG1478-suppressed TNF-α-dependent ERK phosphorylation and IL-8 release. Downregulation of HER2 via siRNA resulted in a significant decrease in ERK phosphorylation and a 50% reduction in IL-8 secretion.
Novel Compact CPW-Fed Antennas with Harmonic Suppression and Bandwidth Enhancement
Authors: Zhou Zhi-Li , Li Li , Hong Jing-Song
Published: September 2012

Novel compact CPW-fed antennas with harmonic suppression are presented and investigated in detail. By inserting symmetrical slots connected to the end of CPW transmission line in the ground plane, and exploiting parasitic technique, harmonic suppression, compact size, as well as wide bandwidth are obtained. General performances of the proposed antennas are studied by equivalent transmission line circuits. Moreover, the steps of constructing such harmonic suppression antennas are derived. Eventually, the experiment results verified the validation of the proposed harmonic suppression antennas.
Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Triterpene Saponins Isolated from Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)
Authors: Lee Yeonju , Jung Jae-Chul , Ali Zulfiqar , Khan Ikhlas A. , Oh Seikwan
Published: September 2012

Blue cohosh has been used as a medicinal herb in eastern North America. It was commonly used as traditional medicines for the treatment of menopausal symptoms, rheumatic pain, and as anti-inflammatory remedy. Particularly, extract of blue cohosh roots has been used as anti-inflammatory antipyretic in traditional medicines. In the present study, we investigated the effects of blue cohosh components on the suppressive expression of iNOS or proinflammatory cytokines after the activation of microglia with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The expression of iNOS, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 was determined by western blotting or gene expression. Blue cohosh treatment suppressed the elevation of LPS-induced iNOS expression in a concentration-dependent manner in microglia cells. Blue cohosh constituents also suppressed the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. In addition, blue cohosh extract suppressed the expression of COX-2, iNOS, and proinflammatory cytokines in adrenal glands of mice. These results demonstrate that constituents of blue cohosh exert anti-inflammatory effects through the inhibition of expression of iNOS and proinflammatory cytokines. Therefore, blue cohosh may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases.
Metamaterial Embedded Wearable Rectangular Microstrip Patch Antenna
Authors: Joshi J. G. , Pattnaik Shyam S. , Devi S.
Published: September 2012

This paper presents an indigenous low-cost metamaterial embedded wearable rectangular microstrip patch antenna using polyester substrate for IEEE 802.11a WLAN applications. The proposed antenna resonates at 5.10 GHz with a bandwidth and gain of 97 MHz and 4.92 dBi, respectively. The electrical size of this antenna is0.254λ×0.5λ. The slots are cut in rectangular patch to reduce the bending effect. This leads to mismatch the impedance at WLAN frequency band; hence, a metamaterial square SRR is embedded inside the slot. A prototype antenna has been fabricated and tested, and the measured results are presented in this paper. The simulated and measured results of the proposed antenna are found to be in good agreement. The bending effect on the performance of this antenna is experimentally verified.
Physiological Measurement of the Small Airways
Authors: Verbanck Sylvia
Published: August 2012

Noninvasive physiological measurements are reviewed that have been reported in the literature with the specific aim being to study the small airways in lung disease. This has mostly involved at-the-mouth noninvasive measurement of flow, pressure or inert gas concentration, with the intent of deriving one or more indices that are representative of small airway structure and function. While these measurements have remained relatively low-tech, the effort and sophistication increasingly reside with the interpretation of such indices. When aspiring to derive information at the mouth about structural and mechanical processes occurring several airway generations away in a complex cyclically changing cul-de-sac structure, conceptual or semi-quantitative lung models can be valuable. Two assumptions that are central to small airway structure-function measurement are that of an average airway change at a given peripheral lung generation and of a parallel heterogeneity in airway changes. While these are complementary pieces of information, they can affect certain small airways tests in confounding ways. We critically analyzed the various small airway tests under review, while contending that negative outcomes of these tests are probably a true reflection of the fact that no change occurred in the small airways. Utmost care has been taken to not favor one technique over another, given that most current small airways tests still have room for improvement in terms of rendering their content more specific to the small airways. One way to achieve this could consist of the coupling of signals collected at the mouth to spatial information gathered from imaging in the same patient.
Efficacy and Patient-Reported Outcomes of a New Mometasone Cream Treating Atopic Eczema
Authors: Ruzicka Thomas , Willers Christoph , Wigger-Alberti Walter
Published: August 2012

This double-blind controlled phase II study was conducted to compare a newly developed formulation of mometasone furoate with a water content of 33% (Monovo® Cream) and with a smooth consistency versus the commercially available fatty cream of mometasone furoate (Ecural® Fettcreme) in terms of efficacy, cosmetic properties, and patients’ acceptance. In 20 patients with mild to moderate atopic eczema, the preparations were tested intraindividually in a randomized mode and in two comparable lesion areas. Both preparations were equally effective and well tolerated. Due to improved cosmetic properties, the new formulation was preferred by the patients when asked for preferential use. Quality of life could be improved by treating with both preparations.
Environmental Sex Determination Mechanisms in Reptiles
Authors: Merchant-Larios H. , Díaz-Hernández V.
Published: August 2012

Temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) was first discovered in reptiles. Since then, a great diversity of sex-determining responses to temperature has been reported. Higher temperatures can produce either males or females, and the temperature ranges and lengths of exposure that influence TSD are remarkably variable among species. In addition, transitory gene regulatory networks leading to gonadal TSD have evolved. Although most genes involved in gonadal development are conserved in vertebrates, including TSD species, temporal and spatial gene expression patterns vary among species. Despite variation in TSD pattern and gene expression heterochrony, the structural framework, the medullary cords, and cortex of the bipotential gonad have been strongly conserved. Aromatase (CYP19), which regulates gonadal estrogen levels, is proposed to be the main target of a putative thermosensitive factor for TSD. However, manipulation of estrogen levels rarely mimics the precise timing of temperature effects on expression of gonadal genes, as occurs with TSD. Estrogen levels may influence sex determination or gonad differentiation depending on the species. Furthermore, the process leading to sex determination under the influence of temperature poses problems that are not encountered by species with genetic sex determination. Yolk steroids of maternal origin and steroids produced by the embryonic nervous system should also be considered as sources of hormones that may play a role in TSD.
Diversity and Plasticity of Sex Determination and Differentiation in Fishes
Authors: Kobayashi Y. , Nagahama Y. , Nakamura M.
Published: August 2012

Among vertebrates, fishes show an exceptional range of reproductive strategies regarding the expression of their sexuality. Fish sexualities were categorized into gonochorism, synchronous/sequential hermaphrodite, or unisexual reproduction. In gonochoristic fishes, sex is determined genetically or by environmental factors. After sex determination, the gonads are differentiated into ovary or testis, with the sex remaining fixed for the entire life cycle. In contrast, some sequential hermaphrodite fishes can change their sex from male to female (protandrous), female to male (protogynous), or serially (bi-directional sex change) in their life cycle. In many cases, sex change is cued by social factors such as the disappearance of a male or female from a group. This unique diversity in fishes provides an ideal animal model to investigate sex determination and differentiation in vertebrates. This review first discusses genetic-orientated sex determination mechanisms. Then, we address the gonadal sex differentiation process in a gonochoristic fish, using an example of the Nile tilapia. Finally, we discuss various types of sex change that occur in hermaphrodite fishes.
Precious Cargo: Regulation of Sex-Specific Germ Cell Development in Mice
Authors: Bowles J. , Koopman P.
Published: August 2012

Although mammalian sex determination is normally specified genetically by an XX or XY chromosome complement, germ cells develop as sperm or oocytes in response to molecular cues provided by the gonadal somatic cells. In an ovary, germ cells enter meiosis during fetal life, thereby committing to oogenesis. In a testis, germ cells do not enter meiosis until after birth, at puberty. Recent findings indicate that, in mice, the sex-specific timing of entry into meiosis is governed by the balance between 2 secreted signalling molecules, retinoic acid (RA), which promotes entry into meiosis, and fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9), which counteracts RA. The combined action of these 2 molecular regulators provides a safety mechanism to guard against germ cell dysregulation that can lead to infertility or germ cell cancers.
Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound for Screening Cerebral Small Vessel Disease
Authors: Mok Vincent , Ding Ding , Fu Jianhui , Xiong Yunyun , Chu Winnie W.C. , Wang Defeng , Abrigo Jill M. , Yang Jie , Wong Adrian , Zhao Qianhua , Guo Qihao , Hong Zhen , Wong Ka Sing
Published: September 2012

Background and Purpose—

We explored the association between pulsatility index (PI) as derived from transcranial Doppler ultrasound with various measures of small vessel disease in the community.

Methods—

We performed transcranial Doppler and magnetic resonance imaging in 205 consecutive community-dwelling elderly subjects who were participants of the Shanghai Aging Study. We investigated the association between middle cerebral artery (MCA) PI with measures of white matter lesions (WML), lacunes, and microbleeds.

Results—

Multiple logistic regression found that MCA PI was associated with severe WML (odds ratio, 1.33 per 0.1 increase in PI; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.70;
P
=0.02). At optimal MCA PI cut-off, the area under curve, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 0.70 (95% confidence interval, 0.60–0.80), 34.9%, and 85.6%, respectively, for detection of severe WML. No association was found between MCA PI and measures of lacunes or microbleeds.

Conclusions—

PI correlates with WML severity. With a high negative predictive value, the chance of having severe WML with a normal PI is low. Transcranial Doppler may guide selective magnetic resonance imaging scanning for the detection of WML in the community.
A Fully Conserved Minimal Adjustment Scheme with (T, S) Coherency for Stabilization of Hydrographic Profiles
Authors: Wang Xidong , Chu Peter C. , Han Guijun , Li Wei , Zhang Xuefeng , Li Dong
Published: September 2012

A new, fully conserved minimal adjustment scheme with temperature and salinity (T, S) coherency is presented for eliminating false static instability generated from analyzing and assimilating stable ocean (T, S) profiles data, that is, from generalized averaging over purely observed data (data analysis) or over modeled/observed data (data assimilation). This approach consists of a variational method with (a) fully (heat, salt, and potential energy) conserved conditions, (b) minimal adjustment, and (c) (T, S) coherency. Comparison with three existing schemes (minimal adjustment, conserved minimal adjustment, and convective adjustment) using observational profiles and a simple one-dimensional ocean mixed layer model shows the superiority of this new scheme.
Aero-thermoelastic stability and nonlinear flutter analysis of functionally graded panels
Authors: Lee Chang-Yull , Kim Ji-Hwan
Published: August 2012

Nonlinear flutter characteristics under the thermal load as well as aerodynamic heating on functionally graded material panels are investigated in the hypersonic flow. Mathematical models are defined such as power-law, sigmoid and exponential functionally graded materials by the volume fractions of the constituents. Further, third-order piston theory of aerodynamics and von Karman strain-displacement relationship is adopted in order to perform the aero-thermoelastic analysis. Applying the principle of virtual work, equations of motion are derived in the matrix form, and then finite element method is used to obtain the discretized equations. Then, the time domains analysis is performed using Newmark’s time integration method. To check the validity of the present formulation, numerical results are compared with the previous data in the literatures.
Colossal dielectric constant polymer nanocomposites: Role of charge injection at matrix–filler interfaces
Authors: Racherla V
Published: August 2012

Recent experiments show that certain self-assembled polymer nanocomposites exhibit colossal dielectric constants (∼4000 at 20 Hz), as compared to eight for the polymer matrix, even for small filler volume fractions (∼7%). However, reasons for this are not well understood. In this work, two possible explanations are systematically evaluated: (i) presence of interface zones with dielectric constants much greater than that of the matrix and (ii) charge injection from filler surfaces into the dielectric at matrix–filler interfaces. Linear, isotropic composites with periodic and random arrangements of spherical, conducting nanofillers are considered. While finite element analyses on unit cells are used to compute quasi-static dielectric properties of periodic composites, standard homogenization theories are used for investigating random composites. A novel two-parameter, non-local model is used to describe the charge injection. It is shown that both the effects improve the overall dielectric constants but in very different ways. While charge injection leads to a drastic increase in effective dielectric constant even for small filler volume fractions (∼1%), high dielectric constant interface zones significantly alter the overall properties only at percolation volume fractions. Charge injection appears to be the likely reason for the colossal dielectric constants observed experimentally in self-assembled nanocomposites.
Thermal buckling and postbuckling of functionally graded fiber-reinforced composite laminated plates
Authors: Shen Hui-Shen
Published: August 2012

Thermal buckling and postbuckling behavior is presented for fiber-reinforced laminated plates subjected to in-plane temperature variation and resting on an elastic foundation. Two kinds of fiber-reinforced laminated plates, namely, uniformly distributed and functionally graded reinforcements, are considered. The material properties of fiber-reinforced laminated plates are based on a micromechanical model and are assumed to be temperature dependent. The governing equations are based on a higher order shear deformation plate theory that includes plate–foundation interaction and the thermal effect. Numerical illustrations are carried out for fiber-reinforced polymer matrix and metal matrix composite laminated plates without or resting on elastic foundations. The numerical results show that the buckling temperature as well as thermal postbuckling strength of the plate can be increased as a result of functionally graded fiber reinforcements. The results reveal that the effect of functionally graded fiber reinforcements on the thermal buckling and postbuckling strength of the plate with polymer matrix is more pronounced compared to the plate with metal matrix.
Ulrich Beck’s ‘Reflecting Faith’: Individualization, Religion and the Desecularization of Reflexive Modernity
Authors: Speck Simon
Published: September 2012

This article focuses on Ulrich Beck’s account of reflexive religiosity set out in his most recent work, A God of One’s Own: Religion’s Capacity for Peace and Potential for Violence. It traces the shift this represents in Beck’s thinking from an understanding of reflexive modernity as a project of radical secularization to one in which religion is a vital moral constituent. The article focuses on Beck’s description of a concurrent ‘individualization’ and ‘cosmopolitanization’ of religious belief which provides support for a cosmopolitan outlook necessary in an age of global risk. It argues that, whilst the religious deficit of the earlier account has been addressed and the acknowledgement of religious reflexivity is welcome, contemporary religious expression and experience cannot be so readily recruited to Beck’s cosmopolitan ethic.
Price Fairness of Airline Ancillary Fees
Authors: Chung Jin Young , Petrick James F.
Published: August 2012

Charging airline fees has recently been a controversial issue in terms of price fairness. Nonetheless, few researchers have studied price fairness in the tourism literature. This study aimed to examine the antecedents and consequences of tourists’ perceived price fairness of ancillary revenues. From an attributional perspective, a conceptual model was expected to complement shortcomings of the traditional dual entitlement principle. Data were collected from U.S. domestic airline passengers through an online survey ( n = 524) and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results suggest that price comparison and cognitive attribution influence price fairness, which, in turn, leads to emotional response and behavioral intentions. Results provide potentially important directions for the development of a theoretical framework of price fairness in a tourism context. It is further expected that the findings of this study provide managerial guidance for the utilization of marketing strategy for airline management.
Children’s poor academic performance evokes parental homework assistance—but does it help?
Authors: Silinskas Gintautas , Niemi Pekka , Lerkkanen Marja-Kristiina , Nurmi Jari-Erik
Published: September 2012

This study investigated the longitudinal associations between type of parental homework assistance and children’s academic performance during grade 1 and grade 2. The reading and math skills of 2,261 children were measured three times during grade 1 and grade 2, and the children’s mothers and fathers filled in questionnaires on the type of homework assistance they engaged in. The results showed that the worse reading and math skills children showed at the beginning of grade 1 and grade 2, the more monitoring and helping with homework parents reported later on. The results suggest, overall, that children’s academic performance has an “evocative impact” on their parents’ behavior.
Multi-hit ballistic impact on S-2 glass/SC15 thick-section composites: finite element analyses
Authors: (Gama) Haque Bazle Z , Harrington Jessica L , Gillespie John W
Published: August 2012

The effect of support spans on single-hit ballistic limit and the effect of pre-existing ballistic damage on multi-hit ballistic limit for two S-2 glass/SC15 composite laminate thicknesses (i.e. 13.6 mm and 20.5 mm) using 0.50cal fragment simulating projectiles have been experimentally investigated in a companion paper. The main objective of this paper is to simulate and correlate the multi-hit ballistic experiments using finite element analyses. One multi-hit ballistic impact scenario on two different composite laminate thicknesses is considered in the present analyses. Finite element model of the impact scenario is developed using three-dimensional solid elements and are solved using LS-DYNA and the progressive composite damage model MAT162. The MAT162 properties and parameters of plain-weave S-2 glass/SC15 composites used in the present simulations were validated in our previous work. Multi-hit impact cases are simulated by sequentially impacting the composite laminate with five different fragment simulating projectiles at five different impact locations at an interval of 200 micro-seconds. Good correlations of ballistic limit velocities between experiments and finite element analyses are obtained. In addition, finite element analyses provided time histories of projectile and laminate dynamics, and damage evolution and interactions for the multi-hit impact cases. Detailed simulation results and comparison with the experiments are presented.
Understanding Urban Women’s Domestic-Role Orientation in Post-Mao China
Authors: Zuo Jiping
Published: September 2012

The present study examines the trend of urban women’s domestic role orientation in the wake of market transition in post-Mao China. During the 2005–7 period, we conducted in-depth interviews with 115 married women, who either currently held a job or had retreated to the home from workplaces, of both Mao and post-Mao cohorts in four large cities. It is found that women’s growing domestic orientation mainly stems from labor commodification and denigration, as the party-state scaled back its welfare provisions and commitment to social justice, on the one hand, and unleashed market forces, on the other. Therefore, women’s domestic orientation, rather than a mere reflection of persistent traditional culture, may be seen as their refusal to be commodified and passive resistance to labor denigration in the new age of economic liberalism. The findings also bear feminist and class implications of complex dynamics of capitalism.
Theories of legislative politics and committee action in the postwar U.S. House of Representatives
Authors: Kypriotis Chris
Published: August 2012

Scholars of American legislative politics have settled into debating the merits and faults of majoritarian and party theories to explain legislative actions, brushing aside theories that see committees as autonomous. However, all three types of theories have rarely been tested together. This study builds upon an existing game-theoretic model of the legislative process in the U.S. House of Representatives to compare all three simultaneously. Competing hypotheses are generated and tested using observable actions by legislative committees. Support is found for both committee and party theories, conditional on the congressional era and the relative preferences of key institutional actors.
Synthesis and properties of novel copolymers of poly(ether ketone ketone) and poly(ether ether ketone ketone) containing amide and sulfone linkages
Authors: Ding Nengwen , Zhou Minghong , Cai Mingzhong
Published: September 2012

N, N′-Bis(4-phenoxybenzoyl)-4,4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (BPBDAS) was prepared by the condensation of 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone with 4-phenoxybenzoyl chloride in N, N-dimethylacetamide. Novel copolymers of poly(ether ketone ketone) (PEKK) and poly(ether ether ketone ketone) containing amide and sulfone linkages (PEASAEKK) were synthesized by electrophilic Friedel–Crafts copolycondensation of terephthaloyl chloride with a mixture of diphenyl ether (DPE) and BPBDAS over a wide range of DPE/BPBDAS molar ratios, in the presence of anhydrous AlCl3 and N-methylpyrrolidone in 1,2-dichloroethane. The influences of the reaction conditions on the preparation of copolymers were examined. The copolymers obtained were characterized by different physicochemical techniques. The copolymers containing 10–25 mol% BPBDAS are semicrystalline and had remarkably increased Tgs compared to the commercially available poly(ether ether ketone) and PEKK due to the incorporation of amide and sulfone linkages in the main chains. The copolymer V with 25 mol% BPBDAS had not only high Tg of 187°C but also moderate Tm of 343°C, with good potential for melt processing. The copolymer V had a tensile strength of 102.7 MPa, Young’s modulus of 2.19 GPa, and elongation at break of 14.1%, and it also exhibited high thermal stability and good resistance to organic solvents.
Correlated Trait–Correlated Method Minus One Analysis of the Convergent and Discriminant Validities of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
Authors: Gomez Rapson
Published: August 2012

This study used the correlated trait–correlated method minus one model to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the scales of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The SDQ scales are emotional symptoms (ES), conduct problems (CP), hyperactivity (HY), peer problems (PP), and prosocial behaviors (PS). A total of 202 adolescents provided self-ratings and were also rated by their mothers and teachers. The findings indicated support for convergent validity for all five SDQ scales for all three respondents. Generally there was more convergence between mother–adolescent ratings than mother–teacher and adolescent–teacher ratings, especially for ES and PP. There was support for the discriminant validity between the traits in all scales, except between CP and HY. The findings are discussed in relation to the construct validity and clinical use of the SDQ.
Iptakalim Ameliorates Monocrotaline-Induced Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Rats
Authors: Li JunShan , Long ChaoLiang , Cui WenYu , Wang Hai
Published: September 2012

Objectives:

We sought to investigate the experimental therapeutic effects and mechanisms of iptakalim, a new adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium channel (KATP) opener, on monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and right heart ventricle remodeling in rats.

Methods:

Rats were injected with a single dose (50 mg/kg, ip) of MCT and given iptakalim (1, 3, and 9 mg/kg·per d, orally [po]) or saline for 28 days. The hemodynamic and morphometric parameters were assessed. Tissue and plasma samples were collected for histological and molecular analysis.

Results:

Treatment with iptakalim at daily oral doses of 1, 3, and 9 mg/kg from the day of MCT injection attenuated the high right ventricle systolic pressure (RVSP) and the increased weight ratio of right ventricle (RV) to left ventricle (LV) plus septum (S) (RV/(LV+S)), decreased heart rate (HR) and decreased mean arterial pressure (MAP), inhibited the RV myocardial tissue cell apoptosis, and the RV myocardial cell B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) protein expression. Iptakalim also decreased the serum levels of nitric oxide (NO), endothelin 1 (ET-1), BNP, and the levels of NO, ET-1, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in the lung tissue.

Conclusion:

These results indicate that iptakalim prevents MCT-induced PAH and RV remodeling and its mechanisms are related to inhibiting the pathological increases in NO, ET-1, BNP, and TNF-α, and Iptakalim may be a promising candidate for the treatment of PAH.
Managerialism and Terrorism Policy for the Urban Financial Industry
Authors: Keenan Kevin , Gong Hongmian
Published: August 2012

The urban financial industry is expected to continue to be a primary target of terrorism. Critical policy analyses call for reevaluations of knowledge via direct linkages with served communities. We use interview and survey data from 79 financial executives in New York after 9/11 to study place-based subsidy policies. We demonstrate that place is an important, and often overlooked, geographical concept for understanding how financial decision makers should respond to terrorism. We show that an analysis of local context must be included when crafting effective policies, and we argue that microscales are as important to urban resiliency as the citywide and regional scales.
Understanding the biopsychosocial aspects of HIV disclosure among HIV-positive gay men in Scotland
Authors: Flowers Paul , Davis Mark DM
Published: August 2012

This study presents an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experiential accounts of HIV-positive gay men. Participants took part in open-ended interviews. Three key-related recurrent themes are presented: ‘Disclosure, deliberation and the abject other’; ‘Disclosure, care and the valued other’ and ‘Disclosure and intimate citizenship’. These highlight the complex, situated and mindful ways in which disclosure occurs. They stand in contrast to the understandings of HIV status disclosure as a ‘health behaviour’ deracinated from its social, relational and emotional dimensions. We explore the findings in relation to contemporary HIV prevention (with its increasing biomedical slant) and in relation to a biopsychosocial framework.
Hazardous drinking among restaurant workers
Authors: Norström Thor , Sundin Erica , Müller Daniel , Leifman Håkan
Published: September 2012

Background/aims: We address three research questions pertaining to Swedish restaurant workers: (i) What is the prevalence of hazardous drinking? (ii) How is the consumption of alcohol distributed? (iii) Does the prevention paradox apply? Methods: Data were collected by administering the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) among restaurant workers who attended a 2-day Responsible Beverage Service training in Stockholm during the period from October 2008 to December 2009. The control group comprised a sample representative of the general Swedish population. We restricted the analyses to the age span 18–59 years, which yielded a sample size of 579 for restaurant workers and 434 for the general population. Results: The prevalence of hazardous drinking as measured by AUDIT (8+ for men and 6+ for women) was markedly higher among restaurant workers than in the general population. The difference was especially pronounced among females below 30 years of age. We found no difference between restaurant workers and the general population in the distribution of alcohol consumption. About 76% of the drinking problems were found in the lower part of the consumption distribution (bottom 88%), which supports the prevention paradox. Conclusions: Restaurant workers comprise a high-risk group with respect to drinking.
Public journalism and professional reflexivity
Authors: Ahva Laura
Published: August 2012

The self-understanding of journalists is framed by shared norms, values, and a sense of belonging to a professional group. In this article, the journalistic profession is discussed from the viewpoint of journalists’ own work experiences in public journalism projects. The article examines the way in which public journalism projects in three different newspapers in Finland have acted as a ground for professional reflexivity for journalists. The present study suggests that public journalism, as a participatory news practice, challenges some of the core dimensions of classical professionalism. In the Finnish context, journalists generally regard public journalism as a moderately positive but slightly problematic set of ideas. Journalists re-articulate their role as a helper, accessible collaborator, discussion moderator or ‘connector’, and as a commercial representative of the paper. Thus, despite its stability, the journalist’s professional self-image is a construct that can be re-articulated, and public journalism is evoking much of this redefinition.
The interdependency between the maximal pressure and ion current in a spark-ignition engine
Authors: Gao Zhongquan , Wu Xiaomin , Huang Zuohua , Yoshiyama Sadami , Tomita Eiji , Yamazaki Kazuki , Higashi Taro
Published: August 2012

An experimental investigation on the interdependency between the maximal pressure and ion current in a spark-ignition engine was conducted in this work. Eight ion current sensors were located centrally symmetric in a gasket between the cylinder and its head. The measurements of the ion current and the start timing, peak timing and end timing of the ion current were compared and the optimized interdependency between the maximal pressure and characteristic parameter of ion current was investigated. Experimental results show that the peak timing and the end timing of the ion current depend strongly on the start timing of the ion current for each ion sensor. The interdependency between the maximal pressure and start timing detected from the sensors near the intake port is better than that of the exhaust port. Furthermore, interdependency between the maximal pressure and average start timing from sensors 3 to 7 were found to give the best performance regardless the engine test conditions. The maximum pressure and average start timings were found to vary inversely with increasing intake pressure, ignition timing and excess air fuel ratio.
Facilitating improved writing among students through directed peer review
Authors: Crossman Joanne M , Kite Stacey L
Published: September 2012

This study contributes to scant empirical investigation of peer critique of writing among heterogeneously grouped native and nonnative speakers of English, now commonplace in higher education. This mixed-methods study investigated the use of directed peer review to improve writing among graduate students, the majority of whom were nonnative speakers of English. Following a modified version of the Optimal Model of peer critique of university coursework, statistically significant gains were realized between the initial draft of a business proposal and its final submission for each of the measured items: support, audience focus, writing conventions, and organization. In addition, during the qualitative phase, students were observed to identify how peer editors naturally engaged in probing and collaborative styles of feedback known as discovery mode interactions. Approximately 80% of the students engaged in interactions to clarify the text and align it with the author’s intentions, and approximately 37% sought to enhance and develop the text. Finally, the results suggest that the face-to-face peer review did improve the quality of a business communication assignment and implies a number of essential instructional practices toward improved writing and collaboration.
Early changes of hypothalamic angiotensin II receptors expression in gestational protein-restricted offspring: effect on water intake, blood pressure and renal sodium handling
Authors: de Lima Marcelo Cardoso , Scabora José Eduardo , Lopes Agnes , Mesquita Flávia Fernandes , Torres Daniele , Boer Patrícia Aline , Gontijo José Antonio Rocha
Published: August 2012

The current study examines changes in the postnatal hypothalamic angiotensin receptors by maternal protein restriction (LP), and its impact on in uteri programming of hypertension in adult life. The data show that LP male pup body weight was significantly reduced when compared to that of control (NP) pups. Also, immunoblotting analysis demonstrated a significantly decreased expression of type 1 AngII receptors (AT1R) in the entire hypothalamic tissue extract of LP rats at 12 days of age compared to age-matched NP offspring. Conversely, the expression of the type 2 AngII (AT2R) receptors in 12-day- and 16-week-old LP hypothalamus was significantly increased. The current data show the influence of central AngII administration on water consumption in a concentration-dependent fashion, but also demonstrate that the water intake response to AngII was strikingly attenuated in 16-week-old LP. These results may be related to decreased brain arginine vasopressin (AVP) expression appearing in maternal protein-restricted offspring. The present investigation shows an early decrease in fractional urinary sodium excretion in maternal protein-restricted offspring. The decreased fractional sodium excretion was accompanied by a fall in proximal sodium excretion and occurred despite unchanged creatinine clearance. These effects were associated with a significant enhancement in arterial blood pressure in the LP group, but the precise mechanism of these phenomena remains unknown.
Gender Territories
Authors: White Mimi
Published: August 2012

House Hunters is an American lifestyle TV program that focuses on home buying. Across episodes, the program represents a wide range of buyers—singles and couples, married and not, with and without children, gay and straight, young and old. Families are often multiracial, multiethnic, or international. The program mobilizes diverse buyers, budgets, and locations, representing the American domestic real estate market in terms of variety and difference. As these buyers assess homes, ideas about domestic needs, comforts, and ideals proliferate—ideas that carry specific gender implications. Through repetition, these gender differences accrue weight as familiar cultural touchstones. The conventional gendered domestic territory exists in tension with the program’s emphasis on inclusiveness and diversity, as all kinds of people buy houses across the United States. With this tension, House Hunters provokes multiple and variable fantasies of American mobility, domesticity, security, and adventure through narratives of house hunting and home ownership.
Liberal Norms and Their Discontents
Authors: Prentice Deborah A.
Published: September 2012

Recent analyses of the predominance of liberals in personality and social psychology have raised the possibility that this ideological imbalance is driven in part by active discrimination against conservatives. In this article, I review empirical evidence relevant to this possibility and find little support for it. The evidence points instead to a predominance of liberal views in academia more generally, driven by multiple factors including the consonance of academic work with the goals and values of liberals. Within the field of personality and social psychology, this concentration of liberal views has fostered strong liberal norms, which both intensify and exaggerate the field’s ideological homogeneity. These liberal norms have unfortunate narrowing effects on research in personality and social psychology; remedies for these effects should focus on weakening the norms.
Mirabegron: a review of recent data and its prospects in the management of overactive bladder
Authors: Sacco Emilio , Bientinesi Riccardo
Published: September 2012

Mirabegron is a novel, once-daily, orally active, first-in-class, potent β3-adrenoceptor agonist recently approved by Food and Drug Administration for overactive bladder therapy. Phase II studies and four large-scale phase III multinational randomized, controlled trials have supported the efficacy and tolerability of mirabegron in the clinical trial setting of patients with overactive bladder for up to 12 weeks of therapy and in the long term (12 months). The reported incidence and severity of treatment-emergent and serious adverse effects were similar to antimuscarinics, but with a more than threefold lower incidence of dry mouth compared with tolterodine. However, the effects on the cardiovascular system, pharmacokinetic interactions with other drugs, and increased incidence of new malignant events will require careful evaluation in the near future.
Institutions, Politics, and Mental Health Parity
Authors: Hernandez Elaine M. , Uggen Christopher
Published: August 2012

Mental health parity laws require insurers to extend comparable benefits for mental and physical health care. Proponents argue that by placing mental health services alongside physical health services, such laws can help ensure needed treatment and destigmatize mental illness. Opponents counter that such mandates are costly or unnecessary. The authors offer a sociological account of the diffusion and spatial distribution of state mental health parity laws. An event history analysis identifies four factors as especially important: diffusion of law, political ideology, the stability of mental health advocacy organizations and the relative health of state economies. Mental health parity is least likely to be established during times of high state unemployment and under the leadership of conservative state legislatures.
The Peasant Question and Contemporary Capitalism: Some Reflections with Reference to India
Authors: Patnaik Prabhat
Published: September 2012

An economic policy regime under the sway of neoliberalism, or laissezfaire, puts tremendous pressure on peasant agriculture. This article argues, with a special focus on India, that during the current phase of capitalism, this is exactly what is happening in the developing world. During the dirigiste phase of India’s development, which spanned from decolonization to the end of the 1980s, the nationalist development project gave a boost to the agricultural sector and ushered in capitalist development in the countryside. However, as the pursuit of an autonomous capitalist development has been compromised in the neoliberal period, the Indian peasantry has come under severe strain and, in many ways, this is reminiscent of the colonial rule when policies similar to neoliberalism prevailed.
Reclaiming the Land, Reclaiming the Nation: Adjacent or Twin Questions?
Authors: Moraes Reginaldo C.
Published: September 2012

This article explores the relationship between the agrarian and national questions. It is argued that the ambiguities and gaps in the developmental theories after the Second World War have been progressively unveiled by the more successful processes of capitalist development of the twentieth century, which combined sustainable economic growth, reduction of social inequalities and improvement of political institutions with the progressive inclusion of the working masses. The relevance of the relation between the agrarian and the national questions was often obscured in prescriptive theories, but came to be anticipated in some of them, providing heuristic tools for the development of new projects and new utopias. The article interrogates one of these analysts, Fernando Fajnzylber, key ideologue of the neostructuralism in Latin America, with regard to his vision on development, an explicitly knowledge-based one, and much more rural-based than assumed by the old ECLA structuralism.
Creation, Management and Succession of a Small Firm
Authors: Likhi Dinesh Kumar
Published: September 2012

A professional with experience in marketing of industrial products identifies opportunity in marketing select industrial products in yet to be exploited market of North India. He incorporated Times Marketing Private Limited. Since inception, the company followed certain core values in the journey of its growth. The essence of these values was total professional integrity in operations. However, the company faced certain challenges in terms of resource constraints in the beginning, conflict of competencies in growth phase and succession issue in maturity phase. The case examines nature of the opportunity, in which the entrepreneur assembles and displays his resources to meet the opportunity and his own values and behaviour. The case describes extensive thought process of a typical professional and his dilemma in his professional life in corporate and entrepreneurial venture. The resolution of such dilemma has been addressed with critical analysis of environment, values and resources to strive for congruencies amongst these factors.