bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Two ways to save a newly learned motor pattern
Authors: Roemmich Ryan T. , Bastian Amy J.
Published: April 2015

Savings, or faster relearning after initial learning, demonstrates humans' remarkable ability to retain learned movements amid changing environments. This is important within the context of locomotion, as the ability of the nervous system to “remember” how to walk in specific environments enables us to navigate changing terrains and progressively improve gait patterns with rehabilitation. Here, we used a split-belt treadmill to study precisely how people save newly learned walking patterns. In Experiment 1, we investigated savings by systematically varying the learning and unlearning environments. Savings was predominantly influenced by 1) previous exposure to similar abrupt changes in the environment and 2) the amount of exposure to the new environment. Relearning was fastest when these two factors coincided, and we did not observe savings after the environment was introduced gradually during initial learning. In Experiment 2, we then studied whether people store explicit information about different walking environments that mirrors savings of a new walking pattern. Like savings, we found that previous exposure to abrupt changes in the environment also drove the ability to recall a previously experienced walking environment accurately. Crucially, the information recalled was extrinsic information about the learning environment (i.e., treadmill speeds) and not intrinsic information about the walking pattern itself. We conclude that simply learning a new walking pattern is not enough for long-term savings; rather, savings of a learned walking pattern involves recall of the environment or extended training at the learned state.
Inhibition of Adenylyl Cyclase Type 5 Increases Longevity and Healthful Aging through Oxidative Stress Protection
Authors: Vatner Stephen F. , Pachon Ronald E. , Vatner Dorothy E.
Published: April 2015

Mice with disruption of adenylyl cyclase type 5 (AC5 knockout, KO) live a third longer than littermates. The mechanism, in part, involves the MEK/ERK pathway, which in turn is related to protection against oxidative stress. The AC5 KO model also protects against diabetes, obesity, and the cardiomyopathy induced by aging, diabetes, and cardiac stress and also demonstrates improved exercise capacity. All of these salutary features are also mediated, in part, by oxidative stress protection. For example, chronic beta adrenergic receptor stimulation induced cardiomyopathy was rescued by AC5 KO. Conversely, in AC5 transgenic (Tg) mice, where AC5 is overexpressed in the heart, the cardiomyopathy was exacerbated and was rescued by enhancing oxidative stress resistance. Thus, the AC5 KO model, which resists oxidative stress, is uniquely designed for clinical translation, since it not only increases longevity and exercise, but also protects against diabetes, obesity, and cardiomyopathy. Importantly, inhibition of AC5’s action to prolong longevity and enhance healthful aging, as well as its mechanism through resistance to oxidative stress, is unique among all of the nine AC isoforms.
Effects in Short and Long Term of Global Postural Reeducation (GPR) on Chronic Low Back Pain: A Controlled Study with One‐Year Follow‐Up
Authors: Castagnoli Chiara , Cecchi Francesca , Del Canto Antonio , Paperini Anita , Boni Roberta , Pasquini Guido , Vannetti Federica , Macchi Claudio
Published: April 2015

Objective. Comparing global postural reeducation (GPR) to a standard physiotherapy treatment (PT) based on active exercises, stretching, and massaging for improving pain and function in chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients. Design. Prospective controlled study. Setting. Outpatient rehabilitation facility. Participants. Adult patients with diagnosis of nonspecific, chronic (>6 months) low back pain. Interventions. Both treatments consisted of 15 sessions of one hour each, twice a week including patient education. Measures. Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire to evaluate disability, and Numeric Analog Scale for pain. A score change >30% was considered clinically significant. Past treatments, use of medications, smoking habits, height, weight, profession, and physical activity were also recorded on baseline, on discharge, and 1 year after discharge (resp., T0, T1, and T2). Results. At T0 103 patients with cLBP (51 cases and 52 controls) were recruited. The treatment (T1) has been completed by 79 (T1) of which 60 then carried out the 1‐year follow‐up (T2). Both GPR and PT at T1 were associated with a significant statistical and clinical improvement in pain and function, compared to T0. At T2, only pain in GPR still registered a statistically significant improvement.
A Novel Rules Based Approach for Estimating Software Birthmark
Authors: Nazir Shah , Shahzad Sara , Khan Sher Afzal , Binti Alias Norma , Anwar Sajid
Published: April 2015

Software birthmark is a unique quality of software to detect software theft. Comparing birthmarks of software can tell us whether a program or software is a copy of another. Software theft and piracy are rapidly increasing problems of copying, stealing, and misusing the software without proper permission, as mentioned in the desired license agreement. The estimation of birthmark can play a key role in understanding the effectiveness of a birthmark. In this paper, a new technique is presented to evaluate and estimate software birthmark based on the two most sought‐after properties of birthmarks, that is, credibility and resilience. For this purpose, the concept of soft computing such as probabilistic and fuzzy computing has been taken into account and fuzzy logic is used to estimate properties of birthmark. The proposed fuzzy rule based technique is validated through a case study and the results show that the technique is successful in assessing the specified properties of the birthmark, its resilience and credibility. This, in turn, shows how much effort will be required to detect the originality of the software based on its birthmark.
Scheduling Method of Data-Intensive Applications in Cloud Computing Environments
Authors: Fu Xiong , Cang Yeliang , Zhu Xinxin , Deng Song
Published: April 2015

The virtualization of cloud computing improves the utilization of resources and energy. And a cloud user can deploy his/her own applications and related data on a pay-as-you-go basis. The communications between an application and a data storage node, as well as within the application, have a great impact on the execution efficiency of the application. The locations of subtasks of an application and the data that transferred between the subtasks are the main reason why communication delay exists. The communication delay can affect the completion time of the application. In this paper, we take into account the data transmission time and communications between subtasks and propose a heuristic optimal virtual machine (VM) placement algorithm. Related simulations demonstrate that this algorithm can reduce the completion time of user tasks and ensure the feasibility and effectiveness of the overall network performance of applications when running in a cloud computing environment.
Effect of Eugenol againstStreptococcus agalactiaeand Synergistic Interaction with Biologically Produced Silver Nanoparticles
Authors: Perugini Biasi-Garbin Renata , Saori Otaguiri Eliane , Morey Alexandre Tadachi , Fernandes da Silva Mayara , Belotto Morguette Ana Elisa , Armando Contreras Lancheros César , Kian Danielle , Perugini Márcia Regina Eches , Nakazato Gerson , Durán Nelson , Nakamura Celso Vataru , Yamauchi Lucy Megumi , Yamada-Ogatta Sueli Fumie
Published: April 2015

Streptococcus agalactiae(group B streptococci (GBS)) is an important infections agent in newborns associated with maternal vaginal colonization. Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis in GBS-colonized pregnant women has led to a significant reduction in the incidence of early neonatal infection in various geographic regions. However, this strategy may lead to resistance selecting among GBS, indicating the need for new alternatives to prevent bacterial transmission and even to treat GBS infections. This study reported for the first time the effect of eugenol on GBS isolated from colonized women, alone and in combination with silver nanoparticles produced byFusarium oxysporum(AgNPbio). Eugenol showed a bactericidal effect against planktonic cells of all GBS strains, and this effect appeared to be time-dependent as judged by the time-kill curves and viability analysis. Combination of eugenol with AgNPbio resulted in a strong synergistic activity, significantly reducing the minimum inhibitory concentration values of both compounds. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed fragmented cells and changes in bacterial morphology after incubation with eugenol. In addition, eugenol inhibited the viability of sessile cells during biofilm formation and in mature biofilms. These results indicate the potential of eugenol as an alternative for controlling GBS infections.
SOCS2 Controls Proliferation and Stemness of Hematopoietic Cells under Stress Conditions and Its Deregulation Marks Unfavorable Acute Leukemias
Authors: Vitali Caterina , Bassani Claudia , Chiodoni Claudia , Fellini Elisa , Guarnotta Carla , Miotti Silvia , Sangaletti Sabina , Fuligni Fabio , De Cecco Loris , Piccaluga Pier P. , Colombo Mario P. , Tripodo Claudio
Published: April 2015

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) promptly adapt hematopoiesis to stress conditions, such as infection and cancer, replenishing bone marrow–derived circulating populations, while preserving the stem cell reservoir. SOCS2, a feedback inhibitor of JAK–STAT pathways, is expressed in most primitive HSC and is upregulated in response to STAT5-inducing cytokines. We demonstrate that Socs2 deficiency unleashes HSC proliferation in vitro, sustaining STAT5 phosphorylation in response to IL3, thrombopoietin, and GM-CSF. In vivo, SOCS2 deficiency leads to unrestricted myelopoietic response to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and, in turn, induces exhaustion of long-term HSC function along serial bone marrow transplantations. The emerging role of SOCS2 in HSC under stress conditions prompted the investigation of malignant hematopoiesis. High levels of SOCS2 characterize unfavorable subsets of acute myeloid and lymphoblastic leukemias, such as those with MLL and BCR/ABL abnormalities, and correlate with the enrichment of genes belonging to hematopoietic and leukemic stemness signatures. In this setting, SOCS2 and its correlated genes are part of regulatory networks fronted by IKZF1/Ikaros and MEF2C, two transcriptional regulators involved in normal and leukemic hematopoiesis that have never been linked to SOCS2. Accordingly, a comparison of murine wt and Socs2−/− HSC gene expression in response to 5-FU revealed a significant overlap with the molecular programs that correlate with SOCS2 expression in leukemias, particularly with the oncogenic pathways and with the IKZF1/Ikaros and MEF2C-predicted targets. Lentiviral gene transduction of murine hematopoietic precursors with Mef2c, but not with Ikzf1, induces Socs2 upregulation, unveiling a direct control exerted by Mef2c over Socs2 expression. Cancer Res; 75(11); 2387–99. ©2015 AACR.
A duplicata virtual e o boleto bancário – efeitos da informática sobre os títulos de crédito
Authors: Teixeira Tarcisio
Published: April 2015

O presente artigo tem por fim estudar a influência da informática sobre os títulos de crédito, objetivando verificar a possibilidade de reconhecimento jurídico dos títulos emitidos eletronicamente como documentos, bem como a viabilidade de sua execução judicial em havendo inadimplência. Para tanto, analisaremos os princípios da cartularidade e da literalidade, a duplicata virtual e o boleto bancário, além dos aspectos práticos e processuais inerentes aos títulos de crédito.
Relativismo cultural e os direitos das minorias sexuais nos países muçulmanos
Authors: Oliva Thiago Dias
Published: April 2015

A tensão existente entre as teorias universalistas e relativistas dos direitos humanos compõem o pano de fundo de uma questão sensível no mundo islâmico: a negação sistemática dos direitos das minorias sexuais. O elemento cultural, por muitos considerado como o responsável pela concepção tradicional que o mundo islâmico tem acerca da orientação sexual e da identidade de gênero, é o fator destoante em comparação com o mundo ocidental. Assim, indaga-se se o elemento cultural pode justificar a restrição aos direitos das minorias sexuais em países de cultura islâmica.
Valores da paisagem: os significados dos rios e manguezais da cidade do Recife
Authors: Bezerra Onilda Gomes , Melo Vera Lúcia Mayrinck de Oliveira
Published: April 2015

Este trabalho apresenta uma reflexão acerca dos valores atribuídos à paisagem dos rios e manguezais da cidade do Recife, aqui representados pelo rio Capibaribe e pelo Manguezal do Pina, da interpretação dos significados evocados por grupos humanos que vivenciam e mantêm relação direta ou indiretamente com esses ambientes. Busca-se desenvolver subsídios para a construção de instrumentos de avaliação da conservação patrimonial como diretrizes norteadoras de políticas públicas de proteção do patrimônio natural e cultural. Parte-se do pressuposto que o meio ambiente é constituído por bens naturais e culturais, que se expressa na paisagem. Compreendendo que o sítio natural tem papel fundamental na formação fisiográfica, estruturação urbana e no uso e ocupação da cidade, constitui-se como marco patrimonial representativo da identidade sociocultural de sua paisagem. As paisagens podem ser interpretadas no tempo e no espaço de formas distintas, ao serem representadas segundo os valores atribuídos pelos olhares e pelas percepções, formados dentro de contextos socioeconômicos e culturais específicos. Na análise, adotou-se como fundamentação teórica a abordagem da paisagem cultural sob a ótica da Nova Geografia Cultural, e como resultados identificaram-se diferentes valores obtidos a partir da interpretação das representações dos grupos humanos investigados.
How Is Pneumonia Diagnosed in Clinical Stroke Research?
Authors: Kishore Amit K. , Vail Andy , Chamorro Angel , Garau Javier , Hopkins Stephen J. , Di Napoli Mario , Kalra Lalit , Langhorne Peter , Montaner Joan , Roffe Christine , Rudd Anthony G. , Tyrrell Pippa J. , van de Beek Diederik , Woodhead Mark , Meisel Andreas , Smith Craig J.
Published: April 2015

Background and Purpose—

Diagnosis of pneumonia complicating stroke is challenging, and there are currently no consensus diagnostic criteria. As a first step in developing such consensus-based diagnostic criteria, we undertook a systematic review to identify the existing diagnostic approaches to pneumonia in recent clinical stroke research to establish the variation in diagnosis and terminology.

Methods—

Studies of ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, or both, which reported occurrence of pneumonia from January 2009 to March 2014, were considered and independently screened for inclusion by 2 reviewers after multiple searches using electronic databases. The primary analysis was to identify existing diagnostic approaches for pneumonia. Secondary analyses explored potential reasons for any heterogeneity where standard criteria for pneumonia had been applied.

Results—

Sixty-four studies (56% ischemic stroke, 6% intracerebral hemorrhage, 38% both) of 639 953 patients were included. Six studies (9%) reported no information on the diagnostic approach, whereas 12 (19%) used unspecified clinician-reported diagnosis or initiation of antibiotics. The majority used objective diagnostic criteria: 20 studies (31%) used respiratory or other published standard criteria; 26 studies (41%) used previously unpublished ad hoc criteria. The overall occurrence of pneumonia was 14.3% (95% confidence interval 13.2%–15.4%;
I
2
=98.9%). Occurrence was highest in studies applying standard criteria (19.1%; 95% confidence interval 15.1%–23.4%;
I
2
=98.5%). The substantial heterogeneity observed was not explained by stratifying for other potential confounders.

Conclusions—

We found considerable variation in terminology and the diagnostic approach to pneumonia. Our review supports the need for consensus development of operational diagnostic criteria for pneumonia complicating stroke.
Relative Distributions
Authors: McMeekin Peter , Wildman John , Ford Gary A. , Vale Luke , Price Christopher I.
Published: April 2015

Background and Purpose—

Analyses of trends in the delivery of time critical treatments typically report the median, but measures of central tendency may ignore important changes for specific patient groups. We considered whether this was an important effect during comparison of onset to treatment (OTT) time between 2 cohorts of patients with stroke receiving intravenous thrombolysis.

Methods—

After controlling for stroke severity, a relative distributions technique compared OTT for UK patients treated with recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator registered within the first and last quarters (each n=661) of the Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Monitoring Study database between January 2003 and September 2010.

Results—

Significant differences were found between OTT distributions. Overall, the second cohort’s OTT distribution demonstrated simultaneous increases in the proportion of patients with faster and slower OTT, which resulted in no net effect on the median after correction for stroke severity.

Conclusions—

Medians did not adequately describe distributional changes. Faster OTT may be because of more efficient processes in acute stroke centers and improved symptom recognition by the public. Slower OTT is likely to reflect movement from a 3- to a 4.5-hour OTT target. Relative distributions offer new insights into historical trends and service evaluation where time critical treatments are involved.
Euclidization in the Almagestum parvum
Authors: Zepeda Henry
Published: April 2015

The Almagestum parvum, a summary of Ptolemy’s Almagest written around the year 1200, provided a new stylistic framework for the content of the Almagest’s first six books. The author of the Almagestum parvum used a narrower range of types of mathematical writing and supplied his work with principles, which were listed at the beginning of each book and which were followed by propositions and demonstrations. Specific values were to a large extent replaced by general quantities, which would stand for a class of particulars. These and similar changes in the Almagestum parvum reveal the author’s concern with reshaping astronomy into a discipline in the mold of Euclid’s Elements, which emphasized the generality of propositions and proofs and connected Ptolemaic astronomy to the “mathematical toolbox” available in the Middle Ages. The Almagestum parvum was an influential part of a larger trend of understanding Ptolemaic astronomy in a non-Ptolemaic style.
Notes on the genus Anisomeridium (lichenized Ascomycotina) from Madeira and the Azores (Macaronesia)
Authors: BOOM P.P.G. van den
Published: April 2015

Descriptions are presented for two new species found on Madeira and the Azores: Anisomeridium macaronesicum and A. macropycnidiatum. The differentiation from related species is discussed and a key to the genus Anisomeridium in Macaronesia is added.
Serromyia diabolica, a new biting midge species from Lebanon (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)
Authors: Dominiak Patrycja , Mathieu BRUNO
Published: April 2015

A new darkly-pigmented species of Serromyia, closely related to S. subinermis Kieffer, is described from both sexes based on morphological characters and COI gene sequence analyses.
Online Fragmentation in Wartime
Authors: Freelon Deen , Lynch Marc , Aday Sean
Published: April 2015

Theorists have long predicted that like-minded individuals will tend to use social media to self-segregate into enclaves and that this tendency toward homophily will increase over time. Many studies have found moment-in-time evidence of network homophily, but very few have been able to directly measure longitudinal changes in the diversity of social media users’ habits. This is due in part to a lack of appropriate tools and methods for such investigations. This study takes a step toward developing those methods. Drawing on the complete historical record of public retweets posted between January 2011 and August 2013, we propose and justify a partial method of measuring increases or decreases in network homophily. We demonstrate that Twitter network communities that focused on Syria are in general highly fragmented and homophilous; however, only one of the nine detected network communities that persisted over time exhibited a clear increase in homophily.
Individual Motivations and Network Effects
Authors: Welles Brooke Foucault , Contractor Noshir
Published: April 2015

This article explores the relative influence of individual and network-level effects on the emergence of online social relationships. Using network modeling and data drawn from logs of social behavior inside the virtual world Second Life, we combine individual- and network-level theories into an integrated model of online social relationship formation. Results reveal that time spent online and the network pressure toward balance (individuals tending to form relationships with others who have relationships in common) predict the emergence of online relationship ties, while gender, age, proximity, homophily (the tendency of individuals to form relationships among people with similar traits), and preferential attachment are not significant predictors within the observed networks. We discuss these results in light of existing research on online social relationships and describe how digital data and network analytics enable novel insights about the emergence of online social relationships.
Data-Driven Content Analysis of Social Media
Authors: Schwartz H. Andrew , Ungar Lyle H.
Published: April 2015

Researchers have long measured people’s thoughts, feelings, and personalities using carefully designed survey questions, which are often given to a relatively small number of volunteers. The proliferation of social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, offers alternative measurement approaches: automatic content coding at unprecedented scales and the statistical power to do open-vocabulary exploratory analysis. We describe a range of automatic and partially automatic content analysis techniques and illustrate how their use on social media generates insights into subjective well-being, health, gender differences, and personality.
Using Supervised Machine Learning to Code Policy Issues
Authors: Burscher Bjorn , Vliegenthart Rens , De Vreese Claes H.
Published: April 2015

Content analysis of political communication usually covers large amounts of material and makes the study of dynamics in issue salience a costly enterprise. In this article, we present a supervised machine learning approach for the automatic coding of policy issues, which we apply to news articles and parliamentary questions. Comparing computer-based annotations with human annotations shows that our method approaches the performance of human coders. Furthermore, we investigate the capability of an automatic coding tool, which is based on supervised machine learning, to generalize across contexts. We conclude by highlighting implications for methodological advances and empirical theory testing.
Cross-National Patterns of Social Capital Accumulation
Authors: McDonald Steve , Chen Feinian , Mair Christine A.
Published: April 2015

Cultural and institutional context has the potential to moderate life course patterns of social interaction and network connectivity, yet few have attempted to empirically assess this claim. Contrasting collectivist versus individualistic cultural traditions, as well as socialist versus capitalist institutions, we develop and test a set of propositions regarding age-based variation in daily contact, occupational connections, and organizational memberships in China, Taiwan, and the United States. Analyses from cross-sectional survey data reveal how the cultural and institutional differences help structure access to social capital across age. Specifically, the data show how social capital accumulation in the individualistic societies is facilitated by employment and civic institutions, whereas family institutions form the basis for social capital accumulation in collectivist societies.
Reconnecting Here and There
Authors: Boase Jeffrey , Kobayashi Tetsuro , Schrock Andrew , Suzuki Tsutomu , Suzuki Takahisa
Published: April 2015

This article examines the reactivation of dormant ties in Japan and the United States. Using the institutional approach to culture developed by Yamagishi et al., it is hypothesized that respondents living in Japan will be less likely to reconnect with dormant ties when prompted than respondents living in the United States. It is further hypothesized that interaction with kin and work ties will help to explain lower levels of reconnection in Japan than in the United States. To examine these hypotheses, we developed a field experiment in which 95 adults living in Japan and 68 adults living in the United States were prompted by a smartphone application to reconnect with dormant ties. The results of this study show strong support for the hypothesis that respondents living in Japan are less likely to reconnect with dormant ties than respondents living in the United States when prompted. There is also mixed support for the hypothesis that interaction with kin and work ties helps to explain lower levels of reconnection in Japan than in the United States.
Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in Patients With Non-ST-Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome
Authors: Kocas Cuneyt , Yildiz Ahmet , Abaci Okay , Karaca Osman Sukru , Firdin Nur , Dalgic Yalcin , Bostan Cem , Ersanli Murat
Published: April 2015

We assessed the relation between platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) on admission and contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). A total of 488 patients with NSTE-ACS who underwent urgent coronary angiography were enrolled. Levels of PLR and creatinine were measured before angiography and at 72 hours after angiography. Patients were divided into 2 groups, namely, the CIN group, 80 patients (16.3%; age 65.3 ± 12.5years; 66.7% men) and the non-CIN group, 408 patients (83.7%; age 61.2 ± 12.3 years; 72.5% men). Patients in the CIN group had significantly higher PLR than those in the non-CIN group (152.9 ± 99.6 vs 120.4 ± 66.1, P < .001). In logistic regression analysis, PLR (odds ratio [OR] 1.004, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.001-1.007, P = .02), diabetes mellitus (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.02-2.98, P = .03), and ST-segment depression on admission electrocardiogram (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.00-2.81, P = .04) were independent predictors of CIN. The PLR was an independent predictor of CIN after angiography in patients with NSTE-ACS.
Increased Mean Platelet Volume in Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Authors: Icli Atilla , Aksoy Fatih , Nar Gökay , Kaymaz Haci , Alpay Mehmet Fatih , Nar Rukiye , Guclu Aydın , Arslan Akif , Dogan Abdullah
Published: April 2015

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disorder of lipoprotein metabolism and increases the risk of premature cardiovascular diseases. In patients with FH, platelet function may be activated; however, the extent of this activation and its etiology are unclear. We aimed to evaluate the mean platelet volume (MPV), a marker of platelet activation, in patients with FH. The study group consisted of 164 patients with FH and 160 control patients. Controls were matched for age, gender, hypertension, and smoking. The MPV was significantly higher in patients with FH than in controls (9.2 ± 0.4 vs 7.9 ± 0.6 fL, respectively; P < .001). Platelet count was significantly lower among patients with FH when compared to control patients (259 ± 51 vs 272 ± 56 × 103/L, respectively; P = .03). In linear regression analysis, MPV was independently associated only with total cholesterol (β = .6, 95% confidence interval: 0.004-0.008, P < .001). We have shown that MPV was increased in patients with FH and that it was independently associated with total cholesterol level.
Occupational balance: A study of the sociocultural perspective of Iranian occupational therapists
Authors: Yazdani Farzaneh , Roberts Dave , Yazdani Nastaran , Rassafiani Mehdi
Published: April 2015

Background.

The concept of occupational balance has always been important to occupational therapists and occupational scientists, but it is often interpreted differently by professionals, particularly in relation to practice.

Purpose.

This study focused on the understanding of occupational balance of a group of experienced occupational therapists who held positions at the time in Iran.

Method.

A preliminary qualitative study from within an interpretive paradigm was employed. A focus group was used for data collection, and the data were analyzed using thematic networks analysis in relation to occupational science concepts.

Findings.

Four organizing themes were uncovered: integrity in being, equilibrium in doing, contentedness in becoming, and harmony in belonging. The global theme of “fluidity” describes the dynamic nature of occupational balance.

Implications.

The concept of occupational balance needs to be further explored in different communities. Identifying similarities and differences in its meaning and application will inform culturally relevant client-centred education and practice.
Disclosure of Sexual Intercourse by Teenagers
Authors: Alexander Stewart C. , Fortenberry J. Dennis , Pollak Kathryn I. , Østbye Truls , Bravender Terrill , Tulsky James A. , Dolor Rowena , Shields Cleveland G.
Published: April 2015

Background. Physicians can help guide teenagers in their emerging sexuality; however, teens rarely inform physicians about their sexual activity. Methods. We audio-recorded annual visits between 365 teenagers and 49 physicians. Before the recorded visit, the teens were asked in a confidential telephone survey whether they had ever engaged in sexual intercourse. Recordings were coded for teenage disclosures about previous sexual intercourse. We measured agreement between telephone survey responses and annual visit disclosures, and examined factors associated with agreement between the two. Results. Fifty-six teenagers (15%) reported previous sexual intercourse in either the telephone survey or to their physician. Among those who reported sexual intercourse, 57% shared this information to both the telephone survey and their physician (κ = .72, confidence interval = 0.63-0.82). Conclusions. Although a slight majority of teenagers disclosed their sexual activity to both the telephone survey and their doctor, a significant number disclosed to just one source.
The Academic Gap
Authors: Makel Matthew C. , Wai Jonathan , Putallaz Martha , Malone Patrick S.
Published: April 2015

Despite growing concern about the need to develop talent across the globe, relatively little empirical research has examined how students develop their academic talents. Toward this end, the current study explored how academically talented students from the United States and India spend their time both in and out of school. Indian students reported spending roughly 11 more hours on academics than their U.S. peers during the weekend in both STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and non-STEM topics. U.S. students reported spending about 5.4 more hours than their Indian peers on non-STEM academics during the week, leaving an approximately 7-hour-a-week academic gap between U.S. and Indian students. Additionally, U.S. students reported using electronics over 14 hours per week more than their Indian peers. Indian students also reported having control over a greater proportion of their time during the week than U.S. students did. Generally, there were far more cross-cultural differences than gender differences. These results inform discussions on how academically talented students develop within educational systems as well as what each culture supports in and out of school.
Correlates of Caesarean Section among Delivery in Health Institutions in India
Authors: Narzary Pralip Kumar , Tsawe Mluleki , Susuman A Sathiya
Published: April 2015

Aim is to find out the disparities in cesarean sections among institutional deliveries across segments of the society in the study area. The National Family Health Survey data 2005–06 were used. There were 14,808 women who were found to be relevant for this study. Bivariate results show that cesarean section is highest among women older than 40 years, having the highest level of education, holding skilled jobs, from the highest social hierarchy, who delivered in private health institutions, experienced cesarean section in previous delivery, and had pregnancy complications. Performance of cesarean section may be necessary for safety of both mother and infant.
NADPH Oxidase 4 Mediates TGFβ1-induced CCN2 in Gingival Fibroblasts
Authors: Yang W.H. , Deng Y.T. , Hsieh Y.P. , Wu K.J. , Kuo M.Y.P.
Published: April 2015

Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) plays a central role in the pathogenesis of gingival overgrowth (GO). Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF; or CCN2) is induced by TGFβ in human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) and is overexpressed in GO tissues. CCN2 creates an environment favorable for fibrogenesis and is required for the maximal profibrotic effects of TGFβ. We previously showed that Src, JNK, and Smad3 mediate TGFβ1-induced CCN2 protein expression in HGFs. Moreover, Src is an upstream signaling transducer of JNK and Smad3. Recent studies suggested that NADPH oxidase (NOX)–dependent redox mechanisms are involved in mediating the profibrotic effects of TGFβ. In this study, we demonstrated that TGFβ1 upregulated NOX4 protein expression and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in HGFs. Genetic or pharmacologic targeting of NOX4 abrogated TGFβ1-induced ROS production; Src, JNK, and Smad3 activation; and CCN2 and type I collagen protein expression in HGFs. Our results indicated that NOX4-derived ROS play pivotal roles in activating Src kinase activity leading to the activation of canonical (Smad3) and noncanonical (JNK) cascades that cooperate to attain maximum CCN2 expression. Furthermore, we demonstrated that curcumin significantly inhibited the TGFβ1-induced NOX4 protein expression in HGFs. Curcumin potentially qualifies as an agent to control GO by suppressing TGFβ1-induced NOX4 expression in HGFs.
X-ray Study of Human Dental Tissues Affected by Erythroblastosis Fetalis
Authors: Sui T. , Ying S. , Korsunsky A.M. , Landini G.
Published: April 2015

Numerous diseases are known to cause microstructural alteration of dental tissues structure. One type in particular is associated with neonatal jaundice and circulation of bilirubin in blood at high concentration due to increased hemolysis in conditions such as erythroblastosis fetalis, septicemia, biliary atresia, and other causes of hyperbilirubinemia. In those conditions, the products of the catabolism of hemoglobin end up deposited in various tissues, including teeth, where they can present clinically as visibly stained brown/green teeth. There is almost no information on the nature or extent of the structural changes taking place in these conditions. Here, advanced nondestructive wide-angle synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques combined with scanning microscopy methods were used to investigate for the first time the ultrastructure of the dental hard tissues in an archival case of intrinsically pigmented green teeth. Despite no obvious elemental variation across the pigmented tissue region, the high-resolution crystallographic properties probed by wide-angle synchrotron X-ray scattering revealed an ultrastructural variation (orientation, particle size, and lattice parameter of hydroxyapatite crystallites) associated with a pigmentation line in dentine and with a distinct neonatal line in enamel.
Benefit of STR-based chimerism analysis to identify TA-GVHD as a cause of death: Utility of various biological specimens
Authors: Raina Anupuma , Chaudhary Garima , Dogra Tirath Das , Khandelwal Deepchand , Balayan Ajay , Jain Vandana , Kanga Uma , Seth Tulika
Published: April 2015

Transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD) is a rare condition. It can occur after blood transfusion in immune-compromised and occasionally even in immune-competent patients, and is associated with a mortality rate of >90%. The diagnosis of TA-GVHD is often delayed because of its non-specific clinical features. A case of an immune-competent child who developed TA-GVHD is reported here. DNA profiling (short tandem repeat analysis), a technique that has a wide application in forensic medicine, was performed to detect the presence of donor cells in this patient. The findings suggest that more studies are needed with this tool, and the diagnostic potential of using other multiple biological specimens for DNA profiling such as the hair follicle and buccal swab should be evaluated. This is the first case report where the donor’s DNA fingerprinting pattern was substantiated from a patient’s hair follicle sample. Chimerism was also present in the blood and buccal swab specimens.
Attitudes and Practices in the Bereavement Care Offered by Children’s Hospitals
Authors: Thienprayoon Rachel , Campbell Ryan , Winick Naomi
Published: April 2015

Fifty thousand children die annually in the United States. No best practice standard exists regarding what services should be offered by children’s hospitals to grieving families. We sought to identify the bereavement services most commonly offered, the departments primarily responsible for their dissemination, whether resources differ based on the patient’s diagnosis or place of death, and whether the services offered are adequate. A 13-item anonymous online survey was emailed to 201 pediatric chaplains using the Pediatric Chaplains Network email list. Seventy respondents (34.8%) participated. Respondents described offering a variety of resources, but 47.8% of respondents believe the resources provided are not adequate. Increased staff and financial resources, and more consistency in services provided, were cited as needing improvement. The breadth and depth of bereavement services varies among children’s hospitals. More studies are warranted to define the optimal approach to care for families grieving the loss of a child.
Quantization-based simulation of switched mode power supplies
Authors: Migoni Gustavo , Kofman Ernesto , Bergero Federico , Fernández Joaquín
Published: April 2015

In this article we study the performance of quantized state system algorithms in the simulation of switched mode power supplies. Under realistic modeling assumptions, these models are stiff and exhibit frequent discontinuities, making them difficult to simulate with classic solvers. However, there are linearly implicit quantized state system methods that can efficiently handle these types of systems, providing faster and more accurate results. In order to corroborate these features, we first built the models corresponding to the different topologies of switched mode power supplies, and then analyzed the resulting equation structures in order to establish whether they can be efficiently simulated by linearly implicit quantized state system algorithms. Finally, we compared the simulation performance of linearly implicit quantized state systems with the widely used DASSL solver. The results showed that the linearly implicit quantized state systems were 3–200 times faster and noticeably more accurate than the differential algebraic system solver.
Semantic validation of physical models using role models
Authors: Samlaus Roland , Fritzson Peter
Published: April 2015

The complexity of models for the simulation of physical systems is steadily increasing. This makes the effective validation of models for different design aspects crucial. One of the many important aspects is the structural correctness and the behavior due to design parameters which are of particular concern for the modeling of wind turbines. This article presents a design and implementation of a role-based validation framework. The framework allows for the creation of validation rules for different design aspects. This is done by role models that are used to define restrictions for an aspect by roles and rules. Multiple role models can be combined to cover all design features during model development. Restrictions on how models can interact with each other can be defined, which broadens language-specific restriction capabilities. The resulting rules can then be tested on arbitrary models based on the Eclipse Modeling Framework, for which mapping between elements of the role model and elements of the validated modeling language must be provided. In the domain of wind turbines, this approach is evaluated by application to two kinds of modeling languages (Modelica and UML2). Role models and rules have shown to be easily described with the frameworks role model language and role model definitions are successfully re-used by the definition of mappings for both kinds of modeling languages.
Building cities on financial assets: The financialisation of property markets and its implications for city governments in the Paris city-region
Authors: Guironnet Antoine , Attuyer Katia , Halbert Ludovic
Published: April 2015

The 2008 global financial meltdown has redirected attention to the entwinement of financial markets and the urban built environment. Against that background, recent works in urban political economy have focused on how city governments support the rent-maximisation strategies of landowners, thereby reinforcing ‘the increasing tendency to treat land as a financial asset’ (Harvey, [1982]2006). However, this perspective paradoxically understates the importance of market finance actors, neglecting to demonstrate how, in practice, such financial investors, who have been shown to adopt selective investment practices, shape urban redevelopment projects. In this article, the role of financial investors is analysed through a case study of a large-scale redevelopment project on the outskirts of the Paris city-region (city of Saint-Ouen). The analysis of negotiations over urban design and economic development issues – raised by property developers seeking to fashion commercial properties as investment assets – reveals the unevenness of a local authority’s ability to implement an agenda that potentially diverges from the expectations of financial investors. Accordingly, given the growing importance of investors in the ownership of the built environment, the article considers urban redevelopment as the outcome of power relations that originate in the circulation of investors’ expectations. These expectations are met through translating market finance categories (risk, return and liquidity) into elements of the urban fabric. This bears substantial consequences for policy-making, given the current context of austerity, as municipal authorities are increasingly constrained to rely on property markets. Urban redevelopment projects are thereby increasingly shaped to provide investment assets for financial investors.
How Has a Post-Philosophical Sociology Become Possible? A Response to Philip Walsh
Authors: Kilminster Richard
Published: April 2015

This article responds to Philip Walsh’s defence (in the March 2014 issue, Vol. 44 (2): 179-200) of the traditional Lockean “underlaborer” conception of the role of philosophy against Norbert Elias’s sociology of knowledge. The article argues, contra Walsh, that the “post-philosophical” status of sociology is already a historical fait accompli. The author challenges Walsh’s contention that Elias’s perspectival sociological theory of knowledge is fatally flawed by its improper use of the concept of process as a central principle. The response concludes that Walsh’s article is a formidable mobilization of logical, conceptual, analytical, and other theoretical resources tacitly designed to save the autonomy of philosophy at all costs in the face of the advanced sociology of knowledge of Elias.
Pavlovianism in China: Politics and differentiation across scientific disciplines in the Maoist era
Authors: Gao Zhipeng
Published: April 2015

In the early 1950s, the Chinese communist party promoted a massive Learning-from-the-Soviet-Union Campaign and made Pavlov’s reflexology the political-academic orthodoxy in physiology, medical science and psychology. In the late 1950s, however, while Pavlov’s theory was continuously advocated by physiologists and medical scientists, it suffered a major setback in psychology as Pavlovian psychology was criticized as being bourgeois and reactionary. How was it possible for such sheer contrast across disciplines to take place within a few years? This paper argues that the greater ideologization of Pavlovian psychology was conditioned by a number of factors: the Sino-Soviet relations, the shifting Chinese communist policies, professional practices, local social conditions, disciplinary cultures and discursive performances. This historical reconstruction rejects a homogenizing view of the relation between politics and science in the Maoist China, and demonstrates ways in which historical localities and dynamics ruptured the overarching political context.
“What the Hell Is Revise?”
Authors: Perun Stefan Austin
Published: April 2015

Objective:

To learn how interactions among the content, professor, and students shaped passing and failing developmental English at one urban-serving community college (USCC).

Method:

I observed three sections of developmental English at USCC throughout a semester and conducted semi-structured interviews with all three professors and a sample of 23 student volunteers from across the three courses. The analysis drew on field notes from 58 classroom session observations, transcripts of the instructor, and student interviews, and more than 100 pages of course documents handed out to students (i.e., syllabi, assignments, rubrics, etc.).

Results:

Students’ high school experiences shaped approaches to coursework (at least initially), whereby students quickly completed assignments without regard to the assessmentcriteria and expected passing grades for their effort. However, passing required students to adopt a new approach whereby they revised an unacceptable draft of an essay assignment intoa satisfactory one.

Conclusion:

The findings suggest that pedagogy focused on developing drafting and revising practices helped students develop the approaches necessary to pass. Further research is needed to understand a wider range of influences on students’ learning experiences as well as how pedagogy influences passing and failing.
Cops, Gangs, and Revolutionaries in 1960s Chicago
Authors: Satter Beryl
Published: April 2015

In late 1960s Chicago, radical black police officers opposed to police brutality created the Afro-American Patrolmen’s League (AAPL). This paper describes the political vision of the AAPL and that of the contemporaneous, path-breaking black television series Bird of the Iron Feather, which was inspired by the AAPL and created with AAPL members’ input. Both used their positions within white-dominated institutions to present black perspectives on white power. The AAPL and Bird also analyzed gangs, both black and white, as functional parts of a larger, white-dominated, urban “machine” political structure. Their analyses of structural racism, and their understanding of the diverse responses of black Americans living within such a system, uncovered the complexities of black urban life in the mid-twentieth century. Together, they stand as sophisticated expressions of a popular black power vision that eschewed romantic images of revolutionary resistance in favor of careful analysis of and resistance to personal and structural white violence.