bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding Semantic Web: a conceptual model
Authors: Calaresu Michael , Shiri Ali
Published: February 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this article is to explore and conceptualize the Semantic Web as a term that has been widely mentioned in the literature of library and information science. More specifically, its aim is to shed light on the evolution of the Web and to highlight a previously proposed means of attempting to improve automated manipulation of Web-based data in the context of a rapidly expanding base of both users and digital content.

Design/methodology/approach

– The conceptual analysis presented in this paper adopts a three-dimensional model for the discussion of Semantic Web. The first dimension focuses on Semantic Web’s basic nature, purpose and history, as well as the current state and limitations of modern search systems and related software agents. The second dimension focuses on critical knowledge structures such as taxonomies, thesauri and ontologies which are understood as fundamental elements in the creation of a Semantic Web architecture. In the third dimension, an alternative conceptual model is proposed, one, which unlike more commonly prevalent Semantic Web models, offers a greater emphasis on describing the proposed structure from an interpretive viewpoint, rather than a technical one. This paper adopts an interpretive, historical and conceptual approach to the notion of the Semantic Web by reviewing the literature and by analyzing the developments associated with the Web over the past three decades. It proposes a simplified conceptual model for easy understanding.

Findings

– The paper provides a conceptual model of the Semantic Web that encompasses four key strata, namely, the body of human users, the body of software applications facilitating creation and consumption of documents, the body of documents themselves and a proposed layer that would improve automated manipulation of Web-based data by the software applications.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper will facilitate a better conceptual understanding of the Semantic Web, and thereby contribute, in a small way, to the larger body of discourse surrounding it. The conceptual model will provide a reference point for education and research purposes.

Originality/value

– This paper provides an original analysis of both conceptual and technical aspects of Semantic Web. The proposed conceptual model provides a new perspective on this subject.
Adding fuel to the fire
Authors: Khan Mohammad Saud , Breitenecker Robert J. , Schwarz Erich J.
Published: February 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how diversity in need for achievement (nfA) a well-established entrepreneurial personality trait impacts team performance (effectiveness and efficiency) in Austria. In addition, it investigates the interaction effects of Team Mean nfA and relationship conflicts on the nfA diversity-performance relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data originated from 44 entrepreneurial teams based in nine business incubators in Austria. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to estimate the model.

Findings

– Results indicate that, in general, nfA diversity has a negative impact on entrepreneurial team effectiveness and efficiency. However, acknowledging the importance of nfA for being entrepreneurial, diversity in nfA could improve team effectiveness when the prevailing team nfA (mean) is low. The dysfunctional role of relationship conflicts for entrepreneurial team performance is confirmed; nonetheless, similarity in nfA could help teams to cope more successfully with these potentially negative consequences.

Originality/value

– The paper puts forth one of the first empirical investigations of nfA and performance at a team level in an entrepreneurial field setting. Moreover, a contextually specific contribution of examining nfA diversity, team nfA (mean), relationship conflicts and team performance also augments team deep-level diversity and conflict literature. Finally, this study highlights that entrepreneurial teams could effectively leverage their human capital by realizing that some types of deep-level homogeneity (nfA) might prove helpful in neutralizing the damaging effects of relationship conflicts.
One-shot Wikipedia: an edit-sprint toward information literacy
Authors: Oliver John Thomas
Published: February 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate which learning targets can be achieved by using Wikipedia as a tool for teaching information literacy within the context of brief one-shot library instruction sessions.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this case study, a Wikipedia-editing activity was incorporated into 2-hour one-shot instruction sessions. A variety of qualitative data were collected during these sessions: Student reflections during a facilitated discussion, student responses to exit-survey questions and instructor observations about the extent to which students completed Wikipedia-editing tasks.

Findings

– Students found Wikipedia-editing activities and Wikipedia-related discussions engaging, and as a result they seemed to learn valuable lessons about research and writing. Students participating in this project effectively identified gaps in Wikipedia entries, critically evaluated and used sources to address those gaps and appropriately documented those materials. Students were easily encouraged to be critical about information sources, including Wikipedia and the more traditionally scholarly resources alike.

Originality/value

– While a great deal of attention has been paid to teaching with multi-week Wikipedia assignments and coursework, evidence from this project suggests that Wikipedia-related activities can be used effectively within much narrower time constraints, including during brief one-shot library instruction sessions.
Integrating the thematic approach into information literacy courses
Authors: Price Elizabeth , Richardson Rebecca
Published: February 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to review selected publications in library-related literature and discuss the thematic approach to course design in colleges and universities and how it has been implemented into information literacy (IL) courses.

Design/methodology/approach

– A literature review of peer-reviewed journals, professional journals, magazines and blogs contextualizes the thematic approach to instruction at the college and university levels. Search terms included “thematic approach”, “thematic approach in education” and “theme-based instruction”; the search was restricted to articles published in the past 20 years.

Findings

– In addition to the IL courses, thematic-based instruction has been used in biology, chemistry, English, French literature, history, mathematics, philosophy and sociology courses in college and university campuses. While instructors report that the thematic approach enhances student learning, few studies have directly tested the impact. No studies have been published within the library science literature.

Originality/value

– Thematic approach is a newer concept in the world of IL instruction. While many professional journal articles and blog posts provide in-depth case studies of how thematic-based instruction has been implemented, this article draws from all disciplines and features a succinct summary of what works, what does not work and how to best implement a thematic approach in an IL course.
Occupational therapy inpatient rehabilitation interventions with deconditioned older adults following an acute hospital admission: A Delphi study
Authors: Timmer Amanda J. , Unsworth Carolyn A. , Taylor Nicholas F.
Published: February 2015

Background/aim

Older adults admitted to an acute hospital setting with an illness often experience deconditioning. Although occupational therapists frequently work with deconditioned older adults in inpatient rehabilitation programmes, limited information exists regarding the type of interventions used and how these interventions are provided. This study aimed to determine the level of consensus among Australian occupational therapists about occupational therapy service delivery and interventions commonly used during inpatient rehabilitation with older adults who have become deconditioned during acute hospital admission for a medical illness.

Methods

The Delphi technique was used to reach consensus among expert occupational therapists regarding service delivery and interventions commonly used in an ideal clinical setting. Data were analysed from three rounds of surveys and the percentage of agreement between clinicians were calculated.

Results

Twenty‐six participants completed round one survey, with 24 completing subsequent surveys (92% response rate). Fifteen commonly used interventions were identified, including showering/dressing, light meal preparation and home assessment. Consensus was reached on commonly used aspects of service delivery, including intervention provision, programme length, team members and follow up after discharge.

Conclusion

Results generated may assist in guiding occupational therapists in the attributes of service delivery and the type of interventions currently considered best practice when working with deconditioned older adults in a rehabilitation setting. The information provides preliminary data for effectiveness studies.
Are health promotion and prevention interventions integrated into occupational therapy practice with older adults having disabilities? Insights from six community health settings in Québec, Canada
Authors: Turcotte Pier‐Luc , Carrier Annie , Desrosiers Johanne , Levasseur Mélanie
Published: February 2015

Background/aim

Increasingly, health‐care systems should promote seniors’ health and prevent disability. As they enable engagement in meaningful activities within the individuals’ living environment, community occupational therapists have great potential to contribute to health promotion and prevention. Despite this potential, little is known about current health promotion and prevention activities in occupational therapy community practice. This study thus aimed to: (1) identify health promotion and prevention interventions used with seniors having disabilities, and (2) explore barriers to integrating such interventions into practice.

Methods

Secondary data analysis of a qualitative study was carried out using thematic saliency analysis. Eleven community occupational therapists working with seniors having disabilities were recruited in six community health settings in Québec, Canada. Observations of 12 home visits, followed by 12 semi‐structured interviews, were conducted with occupational therapists.

Results

Most interventions involved optimising independence in personal care and mobility. Explicit health promotion interventions were limited and included enabling healthy lifestyles by increasing health literacy and empowerment. Meaningful activities (leisure, community participation) were not targeted. Barriers to integrating health promotion into practice were clients’ complex health conditions and limited openness to change combined with organisational and professional obstacles, such as a misunderstanding of occupational therapists’ role in health promotion.

Conclusions

Health promotion and prevention interventions are not intentionally integrated into community occupational therapy practice with seniors having disabilities. As a result, seniors’ needs to engage in meaningful activities might remain unmet. Overcoming barriers to integrating health promotion and prevention in practice could help improve population health and wellbeing.
Success and Failure in Public Policy: Twin Imposters or Avenues for Reform? Selected Evidence from 40 Years of Health‐care Reform in Australia*
Authors: Kay Adrian , Boxall Anne‐marie
Published: February 2015

In explaining policy reform, there is a tendency to assume that causes and outcomes are temporally contiguous and that the consequences of reform efforts unfold quickly. There is no obvious reason, theoretical or empirical, why this should be the case when considering the relationships between policy failure and policy success. This paper considers why and how policy failures may be causally linked to future policy events in sequences over extended periods of time. In particular, this paper focuses on the different mechanisms that might connect assessments of policy failure and subsequent reform success. Empirically, it draws on selected evidence from patterns of policy failures and successes in Australian health policy over a 40‐year time period.
Re‐imagining Geographic Labour Mobility through ‘Distance Labour’
Authors: Skilton Nick
Published: February 2015

Geographic labour mobility is necessary for increasing productivity in Australia. Long‐distance commuting has been found to be especially significant. However, important considerations are being excluded from policy discussions within the Productivity Commission on this topic. This commentary covers these important omissions. They are, namely, the problematic conflation of the terminologies of ‘fly‐in, fly‐out’ and ‘long‐distance commuting’ with mining, and a lack of qualitative research investigating the material impacts of these labour practices on people's lives. This commentary puts forward a new terminology, ‘distance labour’, to better include those industries on the margins of distance commuting. By accounting for the social worlds of workers engaged in distance labour, the Productivity Commission could increase the validity of its datasets, and provide more egalitarian policy recommendations.
Wound edge protector for prevention of surgical site infection in laparotomy: an updated systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhang Ming‐Xia , Sun Yi‐Hui , Xu Zheng , Zhou Ping , Wang Hong‐Xia , Wu Yong‐You
Published: February 2015

Background

An updated meta‐analysis based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of wound edge protector (WEP) in the prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) in patients undergoing laparotomies.

Methods

Meta‐analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.2. The pooled risk ratio was estimated with random‐effect model. Medline, Embase, the Cochrane library, reference lists and conference proceedings were data sources. Two independent reviewers screened studies for inclusion and data extraction. Eligible trials were RCTs enrolling patients accepting laparotomies to assess the effectiveness of WEP.

Results

Eleven RCTs totalling 2344 patients met the inclusion criteria. Six trials (1589 patients) testing the single‐ring design WEP did not show a statistically significant reduction in SSI of laparotomy (RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.51–1.12). Pooled analysis of the five trials (755 patients) that tested the effect of dual‐ring design WEP on SSI showed a significant reduction (RR 0.29, 95% CI 0.15–0.55). The combined data of the 11 trials favoured the effect of WEP (RR 0.58, 95% CI 0.39–0.87). Analysis adjusted by the degrees of contamination revealed that WEP is effective in reducing the incidence of SSI after laparotomy of contamination incision (RR 0.43, 0.26–0.72) but failed to demonstrate such effect in clean/contaminated and dirty incisions (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.43–1.21; RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.43–1.55, respectively).

Conclusions

Our exploratory meta‐analysis suggests that WEP reduces the incidence of SSI in patients receiving laparotomies, especially in the circumstance of dual‐ring WEP and in contaminated incisions. In order to fully assess the effectiveness of WEP, large‐scale and well‐designed RCTs are still needed in the future.
Early insights into neuromyelitis optica recounted by a past member of the Executive Committee of the Japanese Society for Neuroimmunology
Authors: Ohara Yoshiro
Published: February 2015

I started my career as a clinical neurologist at the Institute of Brain Diseases, Tohoku University School of Medicine in 1975. Since then, I have been closely associated with the Neuroimmunological Research Committee of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and the Japanese Society for Neuroimmunology. In this commentary, I will summarize an untold story regarding multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica in Japan.
Dimensionality of community structure: phylogenetic, morphological and functional perspectives along biodiversity and environmental gradients
Authors: Stevens Richard D. , Gavilanez Maria Mercedes
Published: February 2015

Biodiversity is a complex and multidimensional concept that characterizes variation of life on Earth. Nonetheless, most studies have examined only a few, if not just one, dimension in isolation. Herein we conduct analyses that explicitly incorporate correlations among multiple dimensions of biodiversity by characterizing morphological, phylogenetic, and functional structure of bat communities from Atlantic Forest of South America and examine degree of redundancy among these sets of descriptors. Second, we examine dimensionality (i.e. number of orthogonal dimensions) of community structure by quantitatively determining if these different sets of descriptors correspond to unique dimensions. We assess if dimensionality measured from empirical communities differs from that based on communities randomly assembled from a regional species pool. Finally, we examine whether different indices of community structure respond differently to environmental gradients spanning Atlantic Forest. We find that Atlantic Forest bat communities are highly variable in terms of morphological, phylogenetic, and functional structure. Different sets of community structure indices exhibited substantive correlations. Accordingly, dimensionality was lower than the set of six different descriptors or even the three different biological dimensions represented. Nonetheless, observed dimensionality was greater than that expected from a null model of assembly. Only abundance‐based indices of phylogenetic structure exhibited significant environmental gradients. Temperature seasonality was the strongest predictor of phylogenetic structure, with overdispersed communities characterizing more seasonal environments and underdispersed communities occurring in areas of lower variation in temperature. Dimensionality of community structure is low with phylogenetic structure exhibiting the strongest patterns, probably because phylogeny reflects many different ecological aspects of the phenotype that are not restricted to just one index of structure. Temperature seasonality is an important determinant of phylogenetic structure of bat communities in Atlantic Forest. This research helps us to better understand the factors underlying the distribution of biodiversity, which is increasingly important for endangered ecoregions such as Atlantic Forest.
Can Internet Search Queries Help to Predict Stock Market Volatility?
Authors: Dimpfl Thomas , Jank Stephan
Published: February 2015

We study the dynamics of stock market volatility and retail investors' attention to the stock market. The latter is measured by internet search queries related to the leading stock market index. We find a strong co‐movement of the Dow Jones' realised volatility and the volume of search queries for its name. Furthermore, search queries Granger‐cause volatility: a heightened number of searches today is followed by an increase in volatility tomorrow. Including search queries in autoregressive models of realised volatility improves volatility forecasts in‐sample, out‐of‐sample, for different forecasting horizons, and in particular in high‐volatility phases.
S100A7 acts as a dual regulator in promoting proliferation and suppressing squamous differentiation through GATA‐3/caspase‐14 pathway in A431 cells
Authors: Li Ting , Qi Zhi , Kong Fei , Li Yunguang , Wang Rui , Zhang Weiqing , Shang Yu , Huang Lingyun , He Dacheng , Xiao Xueyuan
Published: February 2015

S100A7 is expressed in many squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), such as SCC of the skin, and well‐differentiated SCC always displays stronger staining of this protein. A431 cells, an epidermal cancer cell line, were selected as a cell model to investigate the roles and mechanism of S100A7 in SCC of the skin. In this study, we demonstrated that the overexpression of S100A7 in A431 cells significantly promoted cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo, whereas it suppressed the expression of GATA‐3, caspase‐14 and three squamous differentiation markers, keratin‐1, TG‐1 and involucrin. Conversely, the overexpression of caspase‐14 not only significantly decreased cell proliferation and delayed tumor growth but also markedly induced the expression of three squamous differentiation markers, whereas S100A7 and GATA‐3 were not influenced. Further evidence showed that silencing GATA‐3 greatly inhibited the expression of caspase‐14 and three differentiation markers, while the expression of S100A7 was not changed; contrary results were obtained when overexpressing GATA‐3. Importantly, restoring the expression of GATA‐3 and caspase‐14 in A431‐S100A7 cells could bypass the ability of S100A7 to increase cell viability and repress squamous differentiation. These data suggested that S100A7 expression in SCC may play an important role in the maintenance of SCC cell dedifferentiation, at least in SCC of the skin.
Impaired T‐cell‐dependent protection against Leishmania major infection in HIV‐positive patients is associated with worsened disease outcome
Authors: Ngouateu Omer Bébé , Weller Karsten , Bröhl Konrad , Kamtchouing Pierre , Same‐Ekobo Albert , Dondji Blaise , Maurer Marcus , von Stebut Esther
Published: February 2015

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) patients coinfected with HIV are known to show a more severe, prolonged course of disease; the immunological basis is not known. We now assessed clinical features, sera and skin biopsies of HIV+ and HIV− patients with CL to identify drivers of increased susceptibility to Leishmania. CL lesion numbers, surface, and healing duration were significantly increased in HIV+ as compared to HIV− patients (2.5, 14 and >4‐fold, respectively). Patients with HIV infection exhibited lower serum Leishmania‐specific IgG levels and decreased IL‐6 and IL‐8. Most importantly, dramatically decreased numbers of CD4+ T cells (approximately eightfold), but not CD8+ cells, together with fewer CXCR3+ Th1 cells, fewer Foxp3+ effector/regulatory T cells, and reduced levels of IFN‐γ expression were found in lesional skin. Our findings suggest that compromised CD4+ T‐cell responses may be responsible for worsened disease outcome leading to defects in parasite elimination in the absence of sufficient numbers of IFN‐γ‐producing Th1 cells.
Interaction and colocalization of HERMES/RBPMS with NonO, PSF, and G3BP1 in neuronal cytoplasmic RNP granules in mouse retinal line cells
Authors: Furukawa Mari T. , Sakamoto Hiroshi , Inoue Kunio
Published: February 2015

HERMES, also called RBPMS, is a conserved RNA binding protein with a single RNA recognition motif (RRM) that is abundantly expressed in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and in the heart in vertebrates. Here, we identified NonO and PSF as the interacting proteins of HERMES only when the neuronal differentiation of the retinal cell line RGC‐5 was induced. Although NonO and PSF are nuclear paraspeckle components, these proteins formed cytoplasmic granules with HERMES in the neurites. G3BP1, a component of stress granules, was also colocalized to the granules, interacting with NonO and HERMES even in the absence of cellular stress. Consistent with a previous report that KIF5 interacts with neuronal granules, the localization of KIF5A overlapped with the cytoplasmic granules in differentiated RGC‐5 cells. Thus, our study strongly suggests that the cytoplasmic granule containing HERMES, NonO, PSF, and G3BP1 is a neuronal RNA–protein granule that is transported in neurites during retinal differentiation.
Three Women. A Kiss. A Life. On the Queer Writing of Time in Organization
Authors: Steyaert Chris
Published: February 2015

In this paper, a queer approach to feminine writing is related to the development of new female subject positions through conceiving of other understandings of time. To conceptualize this relationship, the novel The Hours by Michael Cunningham is analysed and interpreted as a queer story of how women — writing, reading and enacting a novel — acquire an opening to a life that breaks with the heteronormative conception of time. This one‐day novel that interweaves the lives of three women in a multiple assemblage offers the ‘formula’ of the triptych, which can be considered a primary form of life as multiplicity. Interconnecting the writings of Virginia Woolf, Michael Cunningham, and Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, the cartographic analysis zooms in on three aspects of time by addressing respectively the motifs of the party, the kiss and the day: time as pause, time as exquisite moment and time as affect. By re‐establishing the relationship between writing, time and the becoming‐woman of life, the paper aims to indicate that queer writing can help to re‐imagine new possibilities for (work) life.
Real‐life evidence in evaluating effectiveness of treatment in Haemophilia A with a recombinant FVIII concentrate: A non‐interventional study in emerging countries
Authors: Gouider E. , Rauchensteiner S. , Andreeva T. , Al Zoebie A. , Mehadzic S. , Nefyodova L. , Brunn M. , Tueckmantel C. , Meddeb B.
Published: February 2015

Some progress has been made regarding availability of recombinant factor VIII concentrates and prophylaxis for haemophilia A in emerging countries, where plasma‐derived concentrates were used in the vast majority. Clinical studies to document their introduction and effectiveness are so far not widely available in literature. This non‐interventional study evaluates the real‐life effectiveness and safety of prophylactic and on‐demand treatment with recombinant factor VIII formulated with sucrose (rFVIII‐FS) for bleed control and preservation of joints in emerging countries from Eastern Europe, North Africa and Middle East area. One hundred and eighty‐six patients from 11 countries were enrolled, mean ± SD age 12.8 ± 12.7 years. At enrolment, majority (79.6%) had severe haemophilia A (<2% IU mL−1), 47.8% had a target joint, 15% had an inhibitor history and one patient was on immune tolerance induction. During the 24‐month observation period, 58.1% of the patients were prescribed prophylaxis at every visit, 31.7% were on an on‐demand regimen. Patients with severe haemophilia A on prophylaxis (n = 82) had a mean annual rate of treated bleeds of 2.8 ± 4.4, whereas it was 19.1 ± 32.0 for the on‐demand group (n = 31), and a mean total Gilbert Score of 9.9 ± 10.3 at baseline and 4.1 ± 6.7 at study end; vs. 15.2 ± 17.3 and 13.7 ± 17.1 for on‐demand respectively. The majority of the bleeds (91.1%) were treated with one or two infusions. Four patients without inhibitor history had a first positive inhibitor test during the study. This study demonstrates the effective use of rFVIII‐FS in emerging countries and adds to the established safety profile of rFVIII‐FS.
How fit are children and adolescents with haemophilia in Germany? Results of a prospective study assessing the sport‐specific motor performance by means of modern test procedures of sports science
Authors: Seuser A. , Boehm P. , Ochs S. , Trunz‐Carlisi E. , Halimeh S. , Klamroth R.
Published: February 2015

There are a lot of publications on the physical fitness of patients with haemophilia (PWH), however, most studies only reflect individual sport‐specific motor capacities or focus on a single fitness ability. They involve small patient populations. In this respect principal objective of this study was to compare the physical fitness in all respects and the body composition of young PWH to healthy peers based on the most valid data we could get. Twenty‐one German haemophilia treatment centres were visited from 2002 to 2009. PWH between 8 and 25 years were included. They performed a five‐stage fitness test covering the sport‐specific motor capacities for coordination, measured by one leg stand, strength, aerobic fitness and mobility as well as body composition. The patients' results were compared with age‐ and gender‐specific reference values of healthy subjects. Two hundred and eighty‐five PWH (mean age 13.2 ± 4.5 years, 164 PWH with severe disease) were included prospectively in the study. PWH are significantly below the reference values of healthy subjects in the one‐leg stand test, the mobility of the lower extremity, the strength ratio of chest and back muscles and the endurance test. In body composition, the back strength and the mobility of the upper extremity PWH are significantly above the reference values. There are no significant differences in abdominal strength. In conclusion we found specific differences in different fitness abilities between PWH and healthy subjects. Knowing this, we are able to work out exercise programmes to compensate the diminished fitness abilities for our PWH.
The effects of single hemodialysis session on arterial stiffness in hemodialysis patients
Authors: Öğünç Handan , Akdam Hakan , Alp Alper , Gencer Fatih , Akar Harun , Yeniçerioğlu Yavuz
Published: February 2015

Increased arterial stiffness in hemodialysis patients is a strong predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIx), which are markers of arterial stiffness, were used to determine the severity of vascular damage noninvasively. This study aimed to investigate the effects of solute volume removal and hemodynamic changes on PWV and AIx of a single hemodialysis session. Thirty hemodialysis patients were enrolled in the study. Before initiation of hemodialysis, every 15 minutes during hemodialysis, and 30 minutes after the completion of the session, measurements of PWV and AIx@75 (normalized with heart rate 75 bpm) were obtained from each patient. Body composition was analyzed by bioimpedance spectroscopy device before and 30 minutes after completion of the hemodialysis session. During the hemodialysis, no significant change was observed in AIx@75. However, PWV decreased steadily during the session reaching statistically significant level at 135th minute (P = 0.026), with a maximal drop at 210th minute (P < 0.001). At 210th minute, decrease in PWV correlated positively with the decrease in central systolic blood pressure, central diastolic blood pressure, central pulse pressure, augmentation pressure, and AIx@75. Multiple regression analysis showed that decrease in PWV at 210th minute was associated with decrease in central systolic blood pressure and central pulse pressure. Ultrafiltration during hemodialysis had no significant effect on PWV and AIx@75. Delta urea correlated positively with delta PWV at 240th minute. A significant decrease in PWV was observed during hemodialysis and correlated with urea reduction; however, we were unable to document any effect of volume removal on arterial stiffness.
PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY'S RETURN
Authors: Harootunian Harry
Published: February 2015

Kojin Karatani's Structure of World History seeks to rescue the philosophy of history and restore to it the relationship between philosophical reflection and historical practice. This connection is particularly pertinent in Karatani's case since he had earlier worked out the philosophical scaffolding of this monumental study in his book Transcritique: On Kant and Marx, which embarked on a “return to Capital once more to read the potential that has been overlooked.” By juxtaposing Marx to Kant and vice versa to discover the importance of exchange over production, he found what was to become the informing principle of his later philosophy of history. While Karatani's accounting of the structure of world history presumes to recount the passage of the world's history from nomadic societies to the present as a condition to rethink “social formations” from a perspective that recalls the form of a stagist philosophy of history attributed to Marx and Engels, he has abandoned its informing principle of the modes of production. Instead, he offers the perspective of modes of exchange, which means waiving any consideration concerning who owns the means of production: the putative “economic base” underlying superstructural representations like the state, religion, and culture upheld by a vulgate tradition of Marxian historical writing and discounted by bourgeois historiography as deterministic. The decision to shift to modes of exchange means rooting the primary mode of exchange taking place first in nomadic societies, rather than forms of production and archaic communal ownership of land. Although his revised scheme still accords priority to the economic, the putative division between base and superstructures still persists, even though the latter are still produced by the former, which is now the mode of exchange. Whereas Marx privileged commodity exchange as dominant, Karatani places greater emphasis on the earliest mode of exchange, which consists of the “pure gift,” associated with early nomadic social formations and reciprocity practices by clans, and seems to offer nomadic/clan communalism as a model that resembles Marx's own strategic linking of the surviving Russian commune and contemporary capitalism. The point to this project is to transcend the hegemonic trinity of capital, nation, and state and satisfy a desire to share with other globalists a vision that aims to overcome the defects of capitalism and the nation‐state and the failure of a Marxian expectation that nation‐states will simply wither away with the final surpassing of capitalism. To this end, Karatani's appeal to Kant offers to inject a moral element absent in the merely economic structure of history that will thus provide the promise of “world peace,” which ultimately requires an abolition of the nation‐state as a condition for realizing a “simultaneous bourgeois revolution” that would finally overcome state and capital and establish a world federation.
Experimental enlargement of nest size does not increase risk of predation or brood parasitism in the Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus
Authors: Jelínek Václav , Procházka Petr , Honza Marcel
Published: February 2015

We assessed whether nest size affects the probability of nest loss using dyads of large and small (large being twice the size of small) inactive Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus nests placed at similar sites in Great Reed Warbler territories. Large nests were not predated significantly more frequently than small nests. Experimentally enlarged active Great Reed Warbler nests suffered non‐significantly higher predation compared with non‐manipulated control nests. Our experiments did not support the nest‐size hypothesis and suggested that nest size does not appear to be a factor affecting the risk of nest predation in this species. The probability of brood parasitism by the Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus was also unaffected by experimental nest enlargement, supporting the commonly accepted hypothesis that the Common Cuckoo searches for suitable host nests by host activity during nest building rather than nest size.
Optimal habitat conditions for the globally threatened Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola in eastern Poland and their implications for fen management
Authors: Kloskowski Janusz , Tanneberger Franziska , Marczakiewicz Piotr , Wiśniewska Anna , Choynowska Agata
Published: February 2015

To identify optimal habitat for the Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola, a flagship species of fen mires, we related numbers of singing males to habitat variables in all core breeding sites in eastern Poland. The density of male Aquatic Warblers increased with increasing ground cover by water and mosses and litter layer height, and was highest where vegetation was 60–90 cm tall. Male densities also increased with the biomass of arthropods > 10 mm length, estimated by sweep netting, and with the abundance of spiders, estimated by pan trapping. We suggest that habitat management should take into account species‐specific morphological adaptations, nest safety and arthropod productivity. Prevention of vegetation succession is a conservation priority for open fen mires. However, modern management practices to achieve this, especially mowing using tracked vehicles, should be evaluated and optimized to ensure that such practices do not adversely affect the long‐term development of moss cover and litter structure.
Arguments for and against financial literacy education: where to go from here?
Authors: Alsemgeest Liezel
Published: February 2015

Currently, everyone is brandishing financial literacy education as the answer to the global personal financial crisis. However, there are a few advocates against financial literacy education. There is contention whether financial literacy education actually leads to effective financial behaviours. The purpose of this theoretical article is to state the various arguments for and against financial literacy education and suggest possible guidelines for interventions by governments and institutions in an effort to increase financial well‐being. There are no easy answers to this complex problem and financial illiteracy should not be presented as the sole culprit. Basic financial literacy education is needed to manage day‐to‐day finances; however, specialist areas such as investments and retirement planning should be left to professionals. It is suggested that financial literacy education should focus not only on cognitive factors but also on non‐cognitive and affective factors that might override rational decision making.
Treatment of refractory stomal variceal haemorrhage with embolisation and sclerosis
Authors: Valaydon Z. , Desmond P.
Published: February 2015

Stomal variceal bleeding is a rare but life‐threatening complication of cirrhosis. As it is an uncommon condition, there is little evidence on the optimum treatment. We report a case of parastomal variceal bleeding in a cirrhotic and haemodynamically unstable patient. The bleeding had failed to respond to local therapy and was not amenable to transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting. The varix was successfully treated under radiological guidance embolisation in conjunction with Fibrovein (STD Pharmaceuticals, UK) sclerosis. We propose that Fibrovein sclerosis through angiography should be considered as an initial treatment option in patients with parastomal variceal bleeding who are not candidates for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting.
Le modèle de relations professionnelles piloté par les pouvoirs publics en Chine: la gestion par quotas de la consultation collective
Authors: WU Qingjun , SUN Zhaoyang
Published: February 2015

En Chine, les relations professionnelles sont fondées sur des consultations et des contrats collectifs pilotés par les pouvoirs publics et inscrits dans la tradition des «quotas» de la planification centralisée. Pouvoirs publics et syndicats coopèrent pour atteindre des quotas de couverture, notamment au niveau local ou de l'entreprise. La méthode est très efficace pour surmonter les réticences des employeurs, mais l'absence de négociation collective authentique induit un manque manifeste de contenu. Selon les auteurs, le gouvernement cherche à institutionnaliser un cadre réglementaire visant à contenir la montée des mouvements sociaux pour préserver la stabilité et la croissance, tout en remettant à plus tard la négociation collective.
Closing the gender gap in education: What is the state of gaps in labour force participation for women, wives and mothers?
Authors: GANGULI Ina , HAUSMANN Ricardo , VIARENGO Martina
Published: February 2015

The educational gender gap has closed or reversed in many countries. But what of gendered labour market inequalities? Using micro‐level census data for some 40 countries, the authors examine the labour force participation gap between men and women, the “marriage gap” between married and single women's participation, and the “motherhood gap” between mothers' and non‐mothers' participation. They find significant heterogeneity among countries in terms of the size of these gaps, the speed at which they are changing, and the relationships between them and the educational gap. But counterfactual regression analysis shows that the labour force participation gap remains largely unexplained by the other gaps.
News/Interview/Editorial
Authors: Bram Uri , Tarran Brian
Published: February 2015

DNA tests and disease risk – what do the numbers mean? Using probability lessons to beat problem gambling. Missing crimes in English police records. An interview with data designer David McCandless. Magicians and survivorship bias. The 2015 Young Statisticians Writing Competition
What Next for Randomised Clinical Trials?
Authors: Weisberg Herbert I.
Published: February 2015

RCTs have saved countless lives. But, in a world of complex medical conditions and personalised treatment plans, are they still fit for purpose? Herbert I. Weisberg looks to the past in search of a way forward

RCTs have saved countless lives. But, in a world of complex medical conditions and personalised treatment plans, are they still fit for purpose?
Securing the Premises
Authors: Tseloni Andromachi , Thompson Rebecca
Published: February 2015

How effective are different home security devices, on their own and in combination with others? Andromachi Tseloni and Rebecca Thompson analyse crime survey data in search of answers
Overexpression of deubiquitinating enzyme USP28 promoted non‐small cell lung cancer growth
Authors: Zhang Lei , Xu Biao , Qiang Yong , Huang Hairong , Wang Changtian , Li Demin , Qian Jianjun
Published: February 2015

Non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for most lung cancer. To develop new therapy required the elucidation of NSCLC pathogenesis. The deubiquitinating enzymes USP 28 has been identified and studied in colon and breast carcinomas. However, the role of USP28 in NSCLC is unknown. The level mRNA or protein level of USP28 were measured by qRT‐PCR or immunohistochemistry (IHC). The role of USP28 in patient survival was revealed by Kaplan–Meier plot of overall survival in NSCLC patients. USP28 was up or down regulated by overexpression plasmid or siRNA transfection. Cell proliferation and apoptosis was assayed by MTT and FACS separately. Potential microRNAs, which targeted USP28, were predicated by bioinformatic algorithm and confirmed by Dual Luciferase reporter assay system. High mRNA and protein level of USP28 in NSCLC were both correlated with low patient survival rate. Overexpression of USP28 promoted NSCLC cells growth and vice versa. Down‐regulation of USP28 induced cell apoptosis. USP28 was targeted by miR‐4295. Overexpression of USP28 promoted NSCLC cells proliferation, and was associated with poor prognosis in NSCLC patients. The expression of USP28 may be regulated by miR‐4295. Our data suggested that USP28 was a tumour‐promoting factor and a promising therapeutic target for NSCLC.
Tertiary individual prevention improves mental health in patients with severe occupational hand eczema
Authors: Breuer K. , John S.M. , Finkeldey F. , Boehm D. , Skudlik C. , Wulfhorst B. , Dwinger C. , Werfel T. , Diepgen T.L. , Schmid‐Ott G.
Published: February 2015

Background

Occupational hand eczema (OHE) is associated with impaired health‐related quality of life (QoL) and mental distress. Interdisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation measures in the framework of tertiary individual prevention (TIP) offered by the German employers' liability insurance associations include dermatological treatment, education and psychological interventions.

Objective

To investigate the effects of interdisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation in the framework of TIP on mental health in patients with severe OHE and the relationships between recovery of OHE and improvement of mental health and QoL.

Methods

A total of 122 patients participated in the study. A test battery consisting of the German versions of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS‐D), the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), the Short Form Health Survey‐36 (SF‐36) and the Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress (TICS) was applied at the time of admission (T1) and 3 weeks after dismissal (T2). Severity of hand eczema was assessed with the Osnabrueck Hand Eczema Severity Index (OHSI).

Results

All parameters improved significantly from T1 to T2. A relationship was established between the improvement of QoL and recovery of OHE, while there was no such relationship between the improvement of mental distress and improvement of OHE. Nonresponders had significantly more cumulative days of sickness at T1.

Conclusions

Our data underscore the importance of psychological interventions in addition to dermatological treatment in the framework of prevention measures for OHE. These measures should be applied at an early stage of OHE prior to the occurrence of sick leave.
Impaired clustered protocadherin‐α leads to aggregated retinogeniculate terminals and impaired visual acuity in mice
Authors: Meguro Reiko , Hishida Ryuichi , Tsukano Hiroaki , Yoshitake Kohei , Imamura Ryota , Tohmi Manavu , Kitsukawa Takashi , Hirabayashi Takahiro , Yagi Takeshi , Takebayashi Hirohide , Shibuki Katsuei
Published: February 2015

Clustered protocadherins (cPcdhs) comprising cPcdh‐α, ‐β, and ‐γ, encode a large family of cadherin‐like cell‐adhesion molecules specific to neurons. Impairment of cPcdh‐α results in abnormal neuronal projection patterns in specific brain areas. To elucidate the role of cPcdh‐α in retinogeniculate projections, we investigated the morphological patterns of retinogeniculate terminals in the lateral geniculate (LG) nucleus of mice with impaired cPcdh‐α. We found huge aggregated retinogeniculate terminals in the dorsal LG nucleus, whereas no such aggregated terminals derived from the retina were observed in the olivary pretectal nucleus and the ventral LG nucleus. These aggregated terminals appeared between P10 and P14, just before eye opening and at the beginning of the refinement stage of the retinogeniculate projections. Reduced visual acuity was observed in adult mice with impaired cPcdh‐α, whereas the orientation selectivity and direction selectivity of neurons in the primary visual cortex were apparently normal. These findings suggest that cPcdh‐α is required for adequate spacing of retinogeniculate projections, which may be essential for normal development of visual acuity.

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Clustered protocadherin‐α (cPcdh‐α) is a family of cadherin‐like cell‐adhesion molecules specifically expressed in the brain. We revealed that impairment of cPcdh‐α causes aggregation of fine retinogeniculate terminals in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGd), and leads to impaired visual acuity in mice.
GOVERNMENT SIZE AND GROWTH: A REJOINDER
Authors: Bergh Andreas , Henrekson Magnus
Published: February 2015

In our 2011 survey of the literature in the Journal of Economic Surveys on the effect of government size on economic growth in wealthy countries we find a relatively consistent pattern: An increase in government size by 10 percentage points is associated with a 0.5–1 percentage point lower annual growth rate. This conclusion is questioned by Colombier. In this rejoinder we present a rebuttal of Colombier's argument based on a detailed scrutiny of his own statistical evidence and regression results. Furthermore, we note that several new papers that have appeared since our original paper was published give support to our main conclusion.