bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Deliberative Approach to Northeast Asia's Contested History
Authors: HE BAOGANG , HUNDT DAVID
Published: January 2012

The failure to reconcile views of the past and to address historical injustice has damaged inter-state relations in Northeast Asia. Joint committees, dialogues, and the participation of civil society have been used to address historical issues, but scholars in the disciplines of international relations and area studies have largely ignored these dialogues and deliberative forums. At the same time, there is an emergent theoretical literature on how deliberative democracy can address ethnic conflicts and historical injustice. There is a serious disconnect or distance between the theoretical literature on the resolution of conflicts via deliberation on the one hand, and empirical studies of deliberative approach in East Asia on the other. This article aims to address this shortcoming in the study of the politics of historical dispute in Northeast Asia by proposing a deliberative approach to history disputes and highlighting the achievements, limits, and dynamics of deliberation. Through mapping and comparative testing, we confirm that deliberation offers some potential for a departure from nationalist mentalities and a shift towards a consciousness of regional history in Northeast Asia. Our empirical test of the utility of the deliberative approach suggests that a new model for addressing regional disputes may be emerging.
Going it alone on climate change A new challenge to WTO subsidies disciplines: are subsidies in support of emissions reductions schemes permissible under the WTO
Authors: HENSCHKE LAUREN
Published: January 2012

This paper examines the specific ways in which the provision of emissions permits by governments in carbon trading schemes, interacts with, and challenges, the disciplines on subsidies in the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures. It will argue that the case of emissions permits gives rise to two key challenges. First, it highlights the need for a resolution on the issue of the characterization of intangible goods under the SCM Agreement, and the importance this has for the calculation of benefit and hence the correct application of SCM disciplines. Secondly, when applied to emissions permits, the SCM Agreement produces a result that heavily favours the complaining Member at the expense of ‘distributive justice’. This is compounded by the current lack of directly applicable exceptions for subsidies directed at legitimate public policy goals. Fundamentally, this will affect the potential cost and continuing viability of national emissions trading schemes and further challenge the environmental credentials of the WTO.
THE MYSTERY OF ERNELINDE
Authors: McGinnis Reginald
Published: January 2012

François-André Danican Philidor's Ernelinde was one of the most famous French operas of the late eighteenth century. A subject of great controversy when it was first performed in 1767, the history of its reception has been obscured by judgments rooted more in the politics of the French literary world than in the work itself. The opera is shown in a new light by reconsidering Philidor's librettist, Antoine-Henri Poinsinet.
‘The moral background of the work of art’: ‘character’ in German musical aesthetics, 1780–1850
Authors: Pritchard Matthew
Published: January 2012

The terms ‘character’ and ‘characteristic’ in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries have usually been thought of as having had rather limited significance, often being restricted in application to ‘picturesque’ or ‘realistic’ genres such as the romantic ‘character piece’ or ‘characteristic symphony’. Through a re-examination of Christian Gottfried Körner's 1795 essay ‘On the Representation of Character in Music’ and other contemporary texts, I argue that, on the contrary, these terms are conceptually fundamental to the classical German idealist project of defending music's dignity as a true and morally beneficial fine art. Although persistently misread during the twentieth century as a disguise for concerns with stylistic or thematic unity, the metaphor of ‘character’ was in fact a sophisticated hermeneutic tool and a means of equal discursive engagement for performers, composers and critics. It was only the rise of politically oriented criticism and Wagnerian polemics that undermined the legitimacy of the ‘characteristic’ – a concept that may have a better claim than ‘absolute music’ to be considered the leading idea of the classical and romantic eras in music aesthetics.
‘Positive biology’ as a new paradigm for the medical sciences
Authors: Farrelly Colin
Published: January 2012

The nearly exclusive focus on understanding and treating chronic disease might not be the most efficient way to improve public health, especially as an effective alternative strategy exists.
More Than Black and White: Differences in Predictors of Obesity Among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders and European Americans
Authors: Madan Alok , Archambeau Olga G. , Milsom Vanessa A. , Goldman Rachel L. , Borckardt Jeffery J. , Grubaugh Anouk L. , Tuerk Peter W. , Frueh B. Christopher
Published: January 2012

Although Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders exhibit the highest rates of obesity and associated chronic diseases of any racial/ethnic group, they remain vastly underrepresented in health research. In a cross‐sectional survey of college students (N = 402) we examined BMI and health outcomes in an ethno‐racially diverse rural sample of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (25.1%), Asian Americans (39.8%), and European Americans (35.1%). Measures assessed BMI, health status, health behaviors, frequency of exercise, and symptoms of psychiatric disorders (i.e., depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and substance abuse and dependence). Regression analyses revealed that an overall model of five predictors (gender, race, regular exercise, difficulty sleeping, and anxiety) was significantly associated with obesity (P < 0.001) and correctly classified 84.2% of cases. A 30.7% of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders were obese as compared with 9.2% of European Americans and 10.6% of Asian Americans. These findings suggest that Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islanders are at high risk for obesity and associated medical comorbidities, but that regular physical activity may ameliorate this risk. Further, these results support the consideration of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders as a distinct racial/ethnic subgroup separate from other Asian populations.
1α,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 enhances fast‐myosin heavy chain expression in differentiated C2C12 myoblasts
Authors: Okuno Hiroshi , Kishimoto Koshi N. , Hatori Masahito , Itoi Eiji
Published: January 2012

We investigated the effect of VD3 (1α,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3) on the proliferating, differentiating and differentiated phases of C2C12 myoblasts, a mouse skeletal muscle cell line. VD3 treatment in 10% FBS (fetal bovine serum) inhibited the proliferation and viability of the cells in a dose‐dependent manner. It also dose‐dependently increased the percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase as shown by flow cytometry. In the differentiating phase, VD3 treatment inhibited the formation of myotubes and the expression of total myosin heavy chain at both the mRNA and protein levels. In the differentiated phase, treatment had no significant effect on the amount of total myosin heavy chain, as Western blot analysis with MF20 antibody [DSHB (Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank)] showed. However, significantly greater expression of fast myosin heavy chain in 1 nM VD3 was found by Western blot analysis with MY‐32 (Sigma). Thus VD3 inhibited the proliferation of myoblasts during proliferating and differentiating phases, whereas it increased the expression of the fast myosin heavy chain isoform in the differentiated phase. The data indicate that an adequate concentration of VD3 might have an anabolic effect on differentiated skeletal muscle.
Stimulability Measures and Dynamic Assessment of Speech Adaptability
Authors: Glaspey Amy M.
Published: January 2012

Stimulability has a long history in the field of speech-language pathology. The purpose of this article is to show different procedures that have been used over time and how stimulability methodologies are variable across clinicians. Global correction, phoneme-based, and dynamic assessment of speech adaptability approaches are presented. These measures are illustrated using a case sample of a preschool-age girl with severe phonological disorder. Furthermore, dynamic assessment of speech adaptability is highlighted as a newer strategy that encompasses stimulability and expands traditional practices in the diagnostic and treatment phases of intervention. A 15-point scale is used to document a child’s ability to adapt speech production when given a systematic presentation of cues and linguistic environments.
Speech Intelligibility in Children With Speech Disorders
Authors: Hustad Katherine C.
Published: January 2012

Intelligibility is a critical component of effective communication. For children with significant speech disorders, intelligibility often has detrimental impact on functional communication and social participation. In this article, I consider the concept of intelligibility using the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health-2 (ICF-2; 2001) model and the concepts of an intelligibility-oriented approach to treatment.
Emotion and Migration: British Transnationals in Dubai
Authors: Walsh Katie
Published: January 2012

This paper examines some of the emotions highlighted by interactions between British migrants and Gulf nationals in the emerging global city of Dubai. Tracing the emotions that emerge in ‘expatriate’ handbooks, field notes, and interview narratives, I contribute to an emerging body of work that focuses on the embodied migrant and troubles the notion of privileged migrants as being detached from place. I demonstrate that attention to the emotions framing such interactions, in both geographical and temporal terms, can help us to better understand migrant encounters.
Reading Paths, Eye Drawings, and Word Islands: Movement in Un coup de dés
Authors: Loos Ruth
Published: January 2012

In the framework of an artistic–scientific project on eye-movements during reading, my collaborators from the psychology department at the KU Leuven and I had a close look at the poem “Un coup de dés jamais n'abolira le hasard” (“A throw of the dice will never abolish chance”) by Stéphane Mallarmé. The poem is an intriguing example of nonlinear writing, of a typographic game with white and space, and of an interweaving of different reading lines. These specific features evoke multiple reading methods. The animation, Movement in Un coup de dés, created during the still-ongoing collaboration interweaves a horizontal and a vertical reading method, two spontaneous ways of reading that point at the poem's intriguing ambiguity. Not only are we interested in different methods of reading; the scientific representations of eye movements themselves are a rich source of images with much artistic potential. We explore eye movements as “eye drawings” in new images characterized both by a scientific and by an artistic perspective.
Temporal Patterns of Saccadic Eye Movements Predict Individual Variation in Alternation Rate during Binocular Rivalry
Authors: Hancock Sarah , Gareze Lynn , Findlay John M , Andrews Timothy J
Published: January 2012

Interindividual variation has been shown in the rates at which subjects alternate in perception during viewing of binocular rivalry and other ambiguous figures. A similar pattern of interindividual variation is evident in the rate of eye movements. The aim of this study was to determine whether individual differences in the rate of binocular rivalry predict individual differences in the rate of eye movements. First, participants reported changes in perception during contour rivalry. We found that the alternation rate during rivalry varied from 0.15 to 0.59/s between individuals. Next, participants viewed different visual displays while their eye movements were tracked. We found that the rate of saccadic eye movements varied by 1.9–4.4/s between individuals. Although the temporal characteristics of eye movements and binocular rivalry differed in their absolute rate, we found a significant positive correlation between these measures; that is, the frequency of saccadic eye movements can predict an individual's rate of perceptual alternation during rivalry. These findings suggest a potential link between the mechanisms involved in binocular rivalry and those processes involved in controlling eye movements.
Four decades of anal cancer in Tasmania, Australia: what do the case data tell us?
Authors: Simpson Steve , Turner Richard
Published: January 2012

Background Anal cancer is a rare cancer analogous to cervical cancer, largely caused by exposure to oncogenic human papillomavirus. We have sought to study this disease in the epidemiologically distinct population of Tasmania. Methods: Medical records at all tertiary and secondary referral centres in Tasmania were audited for records with corresponding International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 codes. Statistical significances of trends were evaluated using Fisher’s exact test, logistic regression or linear regression. Results: Of ~1350 screening records, 170 cases of anal cancer were found with patient presentation during 1973–2010, corresponding to 132 patients. This cohort was mostly female (66.7%), with squamous cell histology (81.8%) and anal canal primaries (72.0%). Most cases were detected at Stage II or below and the majority remained disease-free after treatment. Relatively few cases had documentation of typical risk factors for anal cancer, such as HIV seropositivity, a history of cancer or smoking. After 2000, there was a trend towards a lower stage at presentation, correlating with an increased 5-year survival. After 2000, no anal margin tumours presented beyond Stage II; nearly half were detected in situ and none were fatal. For anal canal tumours, there was virtually no change in the mean stage at detection or in survival. Conclusion: This is the first case series of anal cancer in Tasmania. We find that in many ways, including symptoms and pathology at presentation, epidemiology is typical. However, our cohort is distinct in its paucity of known risk groups, including HIV-positive people, those with a history of cancer and smokers.
Molecular architecture of the multisubunit homotypic fusion and vacuole protein sorting (HOPS) tethering complex
Authors: Bröcker Cornelia , Kuhlee Anne , Gatsogiannis Christos , kleine Balderhaar Henning J. , Hönscher Carina , Engelbrecht-Vandré Siegfried , Ungermann Christian , Raunser Stefan
Published: January 2012

Membrane fusion within the eukaryotic endomembrane system depends on the initial recognition of Rab GTPase on transport vesicles by multisubunit tethering complexes and subsequent coupling to SNARE-mediated fusion. The conserved vacuolar/lysosomal homotypic fusion and vacuole protein sorting (HOPS) tethering complex combines both activities. Here we present the overall structure of the fusion-active HOPS complex. Our data reveal a flexible ≈30-nm elongated seahorse-like structure, which can adopt contracted and elongated shapes. Surprisingly, both ends of the HOPS complex contain a Rab-binding subunit: Vps41 and Vps39. The large head contains in addition to Vps41 the SNARE-interacting Vps33, whereas Vps39 is found in the bulky tip of its tail. Vps11 and Vps18 connect head and tail. Our data suggest that HOPS bridges Ypt7-positive membranes and chaperones SNAREs at fusion sites.
Extreme anti-oxidant protection against ionizing radiation in bdelloid rotifers
Authors: Krisko Anita , Leroy Magali , Radman Miroslav , Meselson Matthew
Published: January 2012

Bdelloid rotifers, a class of freshwater invertebrates, are extraordinarily resistant to ionizing radiation (IR). Their radioresistance is not caused by reduced susceptibility to DNA double-strand breakage for IR makes double-strand breaks (DSBs) in bdelloids with essentially the same efficiency as in other species, regardless of radiosensitivity. Instead, we find that the bdelloid
Adineta vaga
is far more resistant to IR-induced protein carbonylation than is the much more radiosensitive nematode
Caenorhabditis elegans
. In both species, the dose–response for protein carbonylation parallels that for fecundity reduction, manifested as embryonic death. We conclude that the great radioresistance of bdelloid rotifers is a consequence of an unusually effective system of anti-oxidant protection of cellular constituents, including those required for DSB repair, allowing bdelloids to recover and continue reproducing after doses of IR causing hundreds of DSBs per nucleus. Bdelloid rotifers therefore offer an advantageous system for investigation of enhanced anti-oxidant protection and its consequences in animal systems.
H5N1 influenza viruses: Facts, not fear
Authors: Palese Peter , Wang Taia T.
Published: January 2012

The ongoing controversy over publication of two studies involving the transmission in ferrets of H5N1 (H5) subtype influenza viruses and the recommendations of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity to redact key details in the manuscripts call for an examination of relevant scientific facts. In addition, there are calls in the media to destroy the viruses, curtail future research in this area, and protect the public from such “frightening” research efforts. Fear needs to be put to rest with solid science and not speculation.
Size effects of metal nanoparticles embedded in a buffer layer of organic photovoltaics on plasmonic absorption enhancement
Authors: Kim Inho , Lee Taek Seong , Jeong Doo Seok , Lee Wook Seong , Lee Kyeong-Seok
Published: January 2012

The effects of Au or Ag nanoparticles on optical absorption enhancement of organic photovoltaics based on blended poly(3-hexylthiophene) : phyenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT : PCBM) were investigated using a finite-difference-time-domain method. The spherical metal nanoparticles were embedded in a buffer layer of thickness 20 nm and their size was varied from 10 to 50 nm. The metal nanoparticles with diameter 10–20 nm offered negligible absorption enhancement in the active layer. Unlike those short metal nanoparticles, the incorporation of metal nanoparticles taller than the buffer layer led to a significant absorption enhancement by plasmonic resonance especially in the case of Ag nanoparticles. Ag nanoparticles gave broader and stronger absorption enhancement in the active layer than Au nanoparticles. An enhancement of 34% in the optical absorption of the active layer was observed with Ag nanoparticles of 50 nm diameter at 10% coverage. The electric field distributions around metal nanoparticles, their self-absorption and the active layer thickness dependence on the absorption enhancement were studied.
Workfunction tuning of zinc oxide films by argon sputtering and oxygen plasma: an experimental and computational study
Authors: Kuo Fang-Ling , Li Yun , Solomon Marvin , Du Jincheng , Shepherd Nigel D
Published: January 2012

Zinc oxide (ZnO) films were grown by radio frequency magnetron sputter deposition and the changes to its surface composition and workfunction induced by argon sputter cleaning and oxygen plasma treatments were characterized using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional theory modelling. Compared with a workfunction of 3.74 eV for the as-deposited ZnO films, a workfunction of 3.95 eV was obtained after Ar sputter cleaning and 4.21 eV after exposure to oxygen plasma. The data indicate that oxygen plasma treatment leads to a more negative ZnO surface. The dipole induced by this charge redistribution reinforces the original surface dipole, which results in an increase in the surface dipole moment and an increase in workfunction. The reverse is true for hydrocarbon contamination of ZnO surfaces. Excellent qualitative agreement between the experimental results and computational modelling was obtained. The results suggest that specific surface functionalization may be a viable method of controlling the workfunction of ZnO for use as the transparent conducting oxide in optoelectronic applications such as solar cells and organic light-emitting diodes.
Microscopic mechanism for unipolar resistive switching behaviour of nickel oxides
Authors: Chen Y S , Kang J F , Chen B , Gao B , Liu L F , Liu X Y , Wang Y Y , Wu L , Yu H Y , Wang J Y , Chen Q , Wang E G
Published: January 2012

A microscopic mechanism for the unipolar resistive switching phenomenon in nickel oxides is proposed based on the thermal decomposition of oxygen ions from oxygen-rich clusters and their recombination with electron-depleted vacancies induced by local electric field in conductive filaments. The proposed physical feature is confirmed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and electrical measurements in the as-deposited NiO
x
samples. The deduced formulae under reasonable approximations directly demonstrate the relationships of switching parameters that were widely observed and questioned in different material systems, indicating the universal validity of the proposed mechanism.
Ion energies and currents of type I and mitigated ELMs in the ASDEX Upgrade far scrape-off layer
Authors: Kočan M. , Allan S.Y. , Carpentier-Chouchana S. , de Marné P. , Elmore S. , Franke T. , Gunn J.P. , Herrmann A. , Kirk A. , Kubič M. , Lunt T. , Müller H.W. , Pitts R.A. , Rohde V.
Published: January 2012

New measurements of ion energies and currents in type I and mitigated ELMs have been carried out in the ASDEX Upgrade far scrape-off layer using a retarding field analyser (RFA). The ion temperature averaged over an ELM, T
i ELM measured 35–60 mm outside the separatrix (i.e. 15–25 mm in front of the outboard limiter) is in the range 20–200 eV, which is 5–50% of the ion temperature at the pedestal top. T
i ELM decreases with the separatrix distance with the e-folding length of ∼10 mm measured in the far SOL for a particular set of conditions, and increases with the ELM energy W
ELM. Lowest T
i ELM is measured during mitigated type I ELMs. Likewise, the ELM-averaged ion current e-folding length
increases with W
ELM, similar to the e-folding length of the heat flux density at the RFA probe head during an ELM, monitored by a fast IR camera. The most plausible explanation of observed trends is that on average the filaments of larger ELMs travel faster radially and have less time to dilute by parallel losses along field lines before reaching the far SOL. These observations provide further evidence that the fraction of the ELM energy deposited on the main chamber plasma-facing components increases with W
ELM.
Large ELM-like events triggered by core MHD in JET advanced tokamak plasmas: impact on plasmas profiles, plasma-facing components and heating systems
Authors: Baranov Yu.F. , Challis C.D. , Ongena J. , Alper B. , Arnoux G. , Buratti P. , Gerbaud T. , Keeling D. , Kiptily V. , Mailloux J. , Mayoral M.-L. , Monakhov I. , Parail V. , Sergienko G. , Sharapov S.
Published: January 2012

Large and infrequent collapse events have been observed in high βN advanced tokamak (AT) plasmas in JET. Although they have features similar to large ELMs, they were triggered by core MHD. They caused a considerable loss of the plasma thermal and fast particle energy (∼10% of the total stored energy), but the heat load in the divertor due to these collapse events was small as a fraction of the plasma energy loss compared with regular type-I ELMs. Instead, significant heating of the main chamber wall was observed. A large, toroidally asymmetric, increase in the neutral gas pressure outside the plasma was observed after such events, which caused arcs in the lower hybrid (LH) and ion cyclotron (IC) heating systems and increased reionization in the neutral beam (NB) injectors. The collapses resulted in a reduction in the electron and ion temperatures and toroidal rotation of the whole plasma, a rise in Z
eff; and a sufficiently large increase in the peripheral electron density to completely black-out the ECE emission from the plasma core. These features have been modelled to gain an understanding of the plasma behaviour associated with these collapse events and the implication for the operation of AT plasma scenarios with high additional heating power will be discussed.
Oxford Handbook of Clinical Pharmacy
Authors: Wiffen Philip , Mitchell Marc , Snelling Melanie , Stoner Nicola
Published: January 2012

The overall goal of clinical pharmacy is to promote the correct and appropriate use of prescription and non-prescription medicinal products and devices, and to minimize adverse effects. This is the definitive quick reference guide to clinical pharmacy, providing practising and student pharmacists with a wealth of practical information.
Patient-specific issues
Authors: Wiffen Philip , Mitchell Marc , Snelling Melanie , Stoner Nicola
Published: January 2012

Medicines for children: introduction 206

Medicines for children: pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics 208

Medicines for children: licensing 210

Medicines for children: calculating children's doses 212

Medicines for children: adherence 214

‘Pill school’: teaching children how to take tablets and capsules 216

Medicines for elderly people: introduction ...
Pharmaceutical calculations
Authors: Wiffen Philip , Mitchell Marc , Snelling Melanie , Stoner Nicola
Published: January 2012

Concentrations 236

Moles and millimoles 238

Practical issues involving pharmaceutical calculations 240

Pharmaceutical calculations involving drug administration 242

Pharmaceutical preparations consist of a number of different ingredients in a vehicle. The ingredients can be solid, liquid, or gas.

‘Concentration’ is an expression of the ratio of the amount of an ingredient to the amount of product. Concentrations can be expressed in several ways.
...
Medicines management
Authors: Wiffen Philip , Mitchell Marc , Snelling Melanie , Stoner Nicola
Published: January 2012

Medicines management 256

Evaluating new drugs 258

How to write a drug protocol 260

Unlicensed use of medicines 262

Drug and therapeutics committees 264

Patient group directions (PGDs) 266

Supplementary prescribing 268

Independent prescribing 272

Community (FP10) prescription use in hospitals 274

Electronic prescribing 276...
Research
Authors: Wiffen Philip , Mitchell Marc , Snelling Melanie , Stoner Nicola
Published: January 2012

Audit and research 304

Writing a research proposal 306

Citations in documents and articles for publication 309

Personal bibliographic databases 310

Research on humans should be subject to ethical committee review. Sometimes there is a blurred distinction between audit or quality assurance activities and research. Pharmacists need to consider projects carefully and ensure that they comply with local requirements. The following may help to distinguish research from audit and quality assurance....
Therapy-related issues: central nervous system
Authors: Wiffen Philip , Mitchell Marc , Snelling Melanie , Stoner Nicola
Published: January 2012

Pain: a definition 396

Assessment of pain 398

Acute pain: incidence 401

Acute pain 402

Treating cancer pain 404

Equianalgesic doses for opioids 406

Compatibility of drugs in pain and palliative care 407

Chronic pain 408

The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as ‘...
Therapy-related issues: malignant disease and immunosuppression
Authors: Wiffen Philip , Mitchell Marc , Snelling Melanie , Stoner Nicola
Published: January 2012

Policy for the administration and handling of cytotoxic drugs 466

Clinical screening of chemotherapy prescriptions 470

Chemotherapy dosing 474

Antiemetics for the prophylaxis of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting 478

Principles of extravasation 486

Extravasation of chemotherapy in adult patients 488

Extravasation of chemotherapy in paediatric patients ...
Therapy-related issues: musculoskeletal diseases
Authors: Wiffen Philip , Mitchell Marc , Snelling Melanie , Stoner Nicola
Published: January 2012

Rheumatoid arthritis 548

Gout 556

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease which causes joints lined with synovium to become inflamed, swollen, stiff, and painful, and leads to joint erosion. It is a multisystem disorder which can affect many organs including the eyes, lungs, heart, and blood vessels. The aim of treatment is to decrease pain and inflammation, prevent joint damage, and ultimately induce remission of disease....
Psychotherapy
Authors: Lam Raymond W.
Published: January 2012

• Evidenced-based psychotherapies for depression include problem solving therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and cognitive behavioural-analysis system of psychotherapy.

• For mild to moderate severity of depression, evidence-based psychotherapies are first-line treatments and are as effective as pharmacotherapy.

• For more severe, chronic or comorbid depressions, combined treatment with psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy is indicated....
Cutaneous dendritic cells in allergic inflammation
Authors: Gros E. , Novak N.
Published: January 2012

The skin represents a physical barrier, which is capable of protecting the body from damaging invaders. Moreover, the skin operates as an active immunological organ, harbouring a complex network of dendritic cells (DCs), which serve as a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity. Equipped with specific pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), DCs are able to capture, process and present antigens to naïve T cells in the skin draining lymph nodes, thereby inducing adaptive antigen‐specific immunity. However, the outcome of the immune response is shaped by numerous factors including the DC subtype, maturation state of DCs, composition of PRRs expressed by DCs, type of pathogen as well as factors in the microenvironment. Thus, cutaneous DC subtypes are known to contribute to both, peripheral tolerance and the generation of allergic skin inflammation. Identifying the underlying mechanisms is a challenging task in understanding DC biology. Based on their functional diversity, cutaneous DCs might represent promising therapeutic targets, with the potential of down‐modulating pro‐inflammatory immune responses and inducing tolerogenic pathways, thereby ensuring the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and restoring the balance of dysregulated immune reactions in the context of allergic skin diseases. In this review, we summarize the versatile character of DC subtypes in human skin and highlight their phenotypic characteristics and role in allergic skin inflammation. In addition, we discuss current therapeutic approaches for the management of inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis with the main focus on strategies targeting DCs. We point towards potential challenges, benefits, risks and limitations for the treatment of patients.
Low testosterone levels as an independent predictor of mortality in men with chronic liver disease
Authors: Grossmann Mathis , Hoermann Rudolf , Gani Linsey , Chan Irene , Cheung Ada , Gow Paul J , Li Angela , Zajac Jeffrey D. , Angus Peter
Published: January 2012

Objective

To examine the prevalence and prognostic implications of low serum testosterone levels in men with chronic liver disease.

Design

We conducted an observational study at a tertiary referral centre.

Patients and measurements

Baseline serum testosterone was measured in 171 men presenting to the Victorian Liver Transplant Unit for liver transplant evaluation. Patients were followed up to liver transplant or death.

Results

Sixty‐one per cent of men had a low total testosterone level (TT, <10 nm), and 90% of men had a low calculated free testosterone level (cFT, <230 pm). During the available observation time (median 8 months, interquartile range 4–14 months), 56 men (33%) died and 63 (37%) received a liver transplant. Fifty‐two (30%) survived without a transplant. Median time to death was 8 months (range 2–13) and to liver transplant was 8 months (4–14). Baseline low TT and cFT levels both (P < 0·0001) predicted mortality. Moreover, in a Cox proportional hazard model, both low total (P = 0·02) and free testosterone (P = 0·007) levels remained predictive of death independently of established prognostic factors, such as the model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD) score and serum sodium levels. A decrease in TT by 1 nm and in cFT by 10 pm was associated with an 8% increase in mortality.

Conclusions

Low testosterone levels are common in men with severe liver disease and predict mortality independent of MELD, the standard score used to prioritize the allocation of liver transplants.
Caller self‐care decisions following teletriage advice
Authors: Williams Bev , Warren Sharon , McKim Robert , Janzen Wonita
Published: January 2012

Aim.  To examine caller self‐care decisions following teletriage advice provided by nurses.

Background.  The use of teletriage is gaining popularity as one way of enhancing capacity for self‐care. Research from several countries suggests that teletriage reduces the use of other healthcare services without compromising safety. However, there is little or no research related to how often self‐care advice is provided and whether or not callers follow the advice.

Design.  A descriptive survey design was used with a random sample of 312 callers who were advised by a teletriage nurse to engage in self‐care.

Method.  Callers were randomly selected from all calls to a teletriage service each day of the month for nine months. Data were collected using a researcher‐developed interview guide and analysed using a variety of inferential statistics for forced choice questions and content analysis for open‐ended questions.

Results.  The majority of callers who were advised to engage in self‐care reported doing so. Callers with greater self‐efficacy and satisfaction with the nurse interaction were more likely to follow advice to self‐care. All callers would call the teletriage service again for the same or a different issue.

Conclusion.  Teletriage callers were confident in the advice provided and were willing to continue to use the service.

Relevance to clinical practice.  This study indicates that teletriage programmes are a cost‐effective way of addressing self‐care needs of individuals who might otherwise visit an emergency department.
Effect of progesterone on colonic motility and fecal output in mice with diarrhea
Authors: Li C. P. , Ling C. , Biancani P. , Behar J.
Published: January 2012

Background  Patients with diarrhea and slow transit constipation (STC) have high 5‐HT levels. In STC, the high 5‐HT levels have been difficult to explain, as 5‐HT stimulates peristalsis. Over expression of progesterone (P4) receptors in epithelial and muscle cells of the colon may reconcile this contradiction because P4 decreases SERT and increases 5‐HT levels, but their effects are rendered ineffective because of the impaired muscle contraction.

Aims  We examined whether P4 treatment could reduce the stool output in two mouse diarrheal models because of higher 5‐HT levels, the SERT knock‐out (KO), and the fluoxetine‐treated mice.

Methods  Contractility of colon circular muscle strips from wild mice was studied. Fecal water and dry fecal output were measured daily over a 4‐day period in wild and SERT‐KO mice and in fluoxetine‐treated mice treated with IM saline or P4. 5‐HT levels were measured using ELISA.

Key Results  Progesterone blocked the spontaneous and stimulated phasic contractions. Fecal water output measured in two consecutive 4‐day periods was not different in wild and SERT‐KO mice. The fecal output in the SERT‐KO mice was higher than in wild mice. P4 treatment reduced the 4‐day fecal output in both groups compared with saline treatment. Oral fluoxetine treatment increased 5‐HT levels in wild mice and increased the 4‐day fecal output compared with oral saline. P4 treatment caused a decrease in the fecal output in both groups.

Conclusions & Inferences  Progesterone decreased the contractility of circular muscle strips, and reduced the fecal output in two diarrheal models, the SERT‐KO and fluoxetine‐treated mice.
Antimicrobial activity of two techniques for arm skin disinfection of blood donors in Brazil
Authors: Celere M. S. , Ferreira O. , Ubiali E. M. A. , Julião F. C. , Fernandes A. F. T. , de Andrade D. , Segura‐Muñoz S. I.
Published: January 2012

Objective: Evaluation of the antimicrobial effect of skin disinfection techniques is essential to avoid the transmission of infectious agents during blood transfusion. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of two methods of arm skin disinfection used in blood donors at a Hemotherapy Center in Brazil that represents an important centre for distributing haemocomponents to many cities in the country.

Methods: Two skin disinfection techniques in 50 blood donors were evaluated. For the first arm, 10% povidone–iodine/two‐stage technique was used. On the opposite arm, 0·5% chlorhexidine digluconate alcohol solution/one‐stage technique was used. The swabs were seeded on three culture media: blood agar, mannitol salt agar and Mac Conkey agar. Automated bacterial classification based on biochemical tests/specific substrates was performed. Donor characteristics were collected using the computerised system of the Hemotherapy Center.

Results: We found that microbial reduction was significantly higher for 10% povidone–iodine technique (98·57–98·87%) when compared with 0·5% chlorhexidine technique (94·38–95·06%). The species Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Staphylococcus hominis showed resistance to both disinfection techniques. We did not find statistically significant relationships between donor characteristics and microbial reduction.

Conclusions: Arm skin disinfection with 10% povidone–iodine produced better antimicrobial activity. We must acknowledge that 10% povidone–iodine technique has the limitation of being a two‐stage method. However, prevention of adverse events due to bacterial contamination and transfusion reactions should be prioritised. Production of hypoallergenic and stronger antiseptics that allowed a safe one‐stage disinfection technique should be encouraged in health systems, not only in Brazil but also around the world.
Mycorrhizal colonization alleviates drought‐induced oxidative damage and lignification in the leaves of drought‐stressed perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)
Authors: Lee Bok‐Rye , Muneer Sowbiya , Jung Woo‐Jin , Avice Jean‐Christophe , Ourry Alain , Kim Tae‐Hwan
Published: January 2012

To investigate the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Glomus intraradices on antioxidative activity and lignification under drought‐stressed (DS) conditions, the enzyme activities, growth, lignin contents and some stress symptomatic parameters as affected by drought treatment were compared in AM colonized or non‐colonized (non‐AM) perennial ryegrass plants for 28 days. Drought significantly decreased leaf water potential (Ψw), photosynthesis rate and biomass. The negative impact of drought on these parameters was much highly relived in AM plants compared to non‐AM ones. Drought increased H2O2, lipid peroxidation, phenol and lignin levels, with significantly higher in non‐AM relative to AM plants at day 28 after drought treatment. The enhanced activation of guaiacol peroxidase (GPOX), coniferyl alcohol peroxidase (CPOX), syringaldazine peroxidase (SPOX) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was closely related with the decrease in Ψw in both AM and non‐AM plants. GPOX, CPOX, SPOX and PPO highly activated with a concomitant increase in lipid peroxidation and lignin as the Ψw decreased below −2.11 MPa in non‐AM plants, while much less activated by maintaining Ψw≥−1.15 MPa in AM ones. These results indicate that AM symbiosis plays an integrative role in drought stress tolerance by alleviating oxidative damage and lignification, which in turn mitigate the reduction of forage growth and digestibility under DS conditions.
Colorectal cancer incidence and trend in UK South Asians: a 20‐year study
Authors: Hebbar S. , Fuggle W. J. , Nevill A. M. , Veitch A. M.
Published: January 2012

Aims  South Asians comprise 13.6% of the Wolverhampton population. We aimed to compare the incidence and trend of colorectal cancer in this subgroup with the non South Asian population over a 20‐year period.

Method  Patients of South Asian origin diagnosed with colorectal cancer from 1989 to 2008 were identified from the hospital histopathology database and compared with those of non South Asian origin. 1991 and 2001 census data were used to standardize for differing age and sex distributions in the two study populations.

Results  The median unadjusted incidence of colorectal cancer from 1989 to 2008 was 6.17 per 100 000 per year in South Asians compared with 71.70 per 100 000 per year in non South Asians (77.79% white British). The age and sex adjusted odds ratio for colorectal cancer in South Asians was 0.2 (P < 0.001). There was an equal increased trend in the incidence in both the South Asians and non South Asians over the study period (0.8% per year). In patients < 50 years, the gender difference in the incidence of cancer was not significant, but as age increased this rose significantly (males > females).

Conclusion  There was a markedly lower incidence of colorectal cancer in South Asians compared with non South Asians, maintained over 20 years. Colorectal cancer incidence increased by a small and similar amount over the period in both groups. There was a male preponderance of colorectal cancer in both populations over 50 years.
The operative safety and oncological outcomes of laparoscopic nephrectomy for T3 renal cell cancer
Authors: Stewart Grant D. , Ang W. Jensen , Laird Alexander , Tolley David A. , Riddick Antony C. P. , McNeill S. Alan
Published: January 2012

Study Type – Therapy (case series)

Level of Evidence 4

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy is a well established treatment for localized RCC, where nephron‐sparing approaches are not appropriate. As surgeon and departmental experience grow more extensive tumours will be tackled laparoscopically. However, little is known about the operative safety and oncological outcomes of the laparoscopic approach for locally advanced RCC.

The present study describes the largest reported cohort of patients receiving laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for locally advanced RCC. In the context of suitably experienced personnel in an established centre, we have established that this approach is safe from operative, postoperative and oncological standpoints, with comparable data to existing open series.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the operative, postoperative and oncological outcomes of laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (LRN) for locally advanced renal cell cancer (RCC), which, as surgeon and departmental experience increases, is being performed more often.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In total, 94 consecutive patients receiving LRN for pathologically confirmed T3 or T4 RCC at a tertiary referral centre between March 2002 and May 2010 were analyzed.

Preoperative, operative, tumour and postoperative characteristics were evaluated together with recurrence and outcome data.

Survival was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Cox's proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

In total, 77 patients had LRN with curative intent and 17 patients had LRN with cytoreductive intent.

There were six LRNs (6.4%) that were converted to open procedures.

Overall, there were two (2.1%) Clavien grade IIIa complications, one (1.1%) grade IVa complication and one (1.1%) postoperative death.

Overall median follow‐up was 17.4 months. In total, 22 (28.6%) patients receiving curative LRN developed a recurrence after a median of 13.9 months; 12 (54.5%) patients developed distant metastases, five (22.7%) patients had local recurrences and three (13.6%) patients had transcoelomic spread. Median predicted progression free survival was 48.4 months in patients undergoing LRN with curative intent. Median predicted overall survival was 65.6 months after curative LRN and 15.7 months after cytoreductive LRN.

Multivariate analysis did not reveal any variables influencing recurrence or survival.

CONCLUSIONS

In the context of suitably experienced personnel in an established centre, LRN for locally advanced RCC is safe from an operative and oncological standpoint.

Patients clinically staged as T3 RCC must still be selected carefully for LRN in a multidisciplinary setting.
Perturbation Theory for the Solitary Wave Solutions to a Sasa‐Satsuma Model Describing Nonlinear Internal Waves in a Continuously Stratified Fluid
Authors: Swaters Gordon E.
Published: January 2012

The adiabatic evolution of perturbed solitary wave solutions to an extended Sasa‐Satsuma (or vector‐valued modified Korteweg–de Vries) model governing nonlinear internal gravity propagation in a continuously stratified fluid is considered. The transport equations describing the evolution of the solitary wave parameters are determined by a direct multiple‐scale asymptotic expansion and independently by phase‐averaged conservation relations for an arbitrary perturbation. As an example, the adiabatic evolution associated with a dissipative perturbation is explicitly determined. Unlike the case with the dissipatively perturbed modified Korteweg–de Vries equation, the adiabatic asymptotic expansion for the Sasa‐Satsuma model considered here is not exponentially nonuniform and no shelf region emerges in the lee‐side of the propagating solitary wave.
When Transparency Goes Against Efficiency: Fiscal Equalization in a Context of Firm and Household Mobility
Authors: DURAN‐VIGNERON PASCALE
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the mobility of households and firms affects economic efficiency and whether a transparent system of equalization payments can be efficiency‐enhancing. When local governments choose their fiscal policy taking into account the impact the policy will have on migration, the decentralized equilibrium does not result in a socially efficient allocation: central government intervention is required. However, assuming the transparency of fiscal equalization—that is local governments know the transfer formulas as advocated by the Council of Europe—no system of equalization transfers is able to ensure economic efficiency. The system has to combine a transparent transfer with a grant the formula of which is not known to local governments.
CHINESE ART: HOW DIFFERENT COULD IT BE FROM WESTERN PAINTING?
Authors: Carrier David
Published: January 2012

When encountering something unfamiliar, it is natural to describe and understand it by reference to what is familiar. Commentary on Chinese landscape painting usually relies heavily upon analogies with Western art. James Elkins, concerned to understand the implications of this procedure, asks whether in seeing and writing about this art we ever can escape our Western perspectives. His problem is not just that he himself does not know Chinese. Even bilingual specialists or native Chinese speakers employ this vocabulary, for the vocabulary of contemporary art history, developed in the West, now is the language of academic art history everywhere. We know that we are distorting our descriptions of this Chinese art, even though we don't know how to “get it right.” In the history of European painting from Cimabue to the present, it would be hard to find any Western paintings that could be confused with any art made in China, so the frequent reliance of scholars upon such comparisons seems problematic. Of course, in the near future this situation might change. Perhaps in fifty years, as China becomes more prosperous, art history will become a hybrid discipline. At that point, the situation, which Elkins analyzes, will be reversed. But such a change is a long way in the future.