bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reversing Resistance to Vascular-Disrupting Agents by Blocking Late Mobilization of Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells
Authors: Taylor Melissa , Billiot Fanny , Marty Virginie , Rouffiac Valérie , Cohen Patrick , Tournay Elodie , Opolon Paule , Louache Fawzia , Vassal Gilles , Laplace-Builhé Corinne , Vielh Philippe , Soria Jean-Charles , Farace Françoise
Published: March 2012

The prevailing concept is that immediate mobilization of bone marrow–derived circulating endothelial progenitor cells (CEP) is a key mechanism mediating tumor resistance to vascular-disrupting agents (VDA). Here, we show that administration of VDA to tumor-bearing mice induces 2 distinct peaks in CEPs: an early, unspecific CEP efflux followed by a late yet more dramatic tumor-specific CEP burst that infiltrates tumors and is recruited to vessels. Combination with antiangiogenic drugs could not disrupt the early peak but completely abrogated the late VDA-induced CEP burst, blunted bone marrow–derived cell recruitment to tumors, and resulted in striking antitumor efficacy, indicating that the late CEP burst might be crucial to tumor recovery after VDA therapy. CEP and circulating endothelial cell kinetics in VDA-treated patients with cancer were remarkably consistent with our preclinical data. These findings expand the current understanding of vasculogenic “rebounds” that may be targeted to improve VDA-based strategies.

Significance: Our findings suggest that resistance to VDA therapy may be strongly mediated by late, rather than early, tumor-specific recruitment of CEPs, the suppression of which resulted in increased VDA-mediated antitumor efficacy. VDA-based therapy might thus be significantly enhanced by combination strategies targeting late CEP mobilization. Cancer Discov; 2(5); 434–49. ©2012 AACR.

Read the Commentary on this article by De Palma and Nucera, p. 395.

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 377.
Chloroquine Terminates Stretch-Induced Atrial Fibrillation More Effectively Than Flecainide in the Sheep Heart
Authors: Filgueiras-Rama David , Martins Raphael P. , Mironov Sergey , Yamazaki Masatoshi , Calvo Conrado J. , Ennis Steve R. , Bandaru Krishna , Noujaim Sami F. , Kalifa Jérôme , Berenfeld Omer , Jalife José
Published: March 2012

Background—

Blockade of inward-rectifier K
+
channels by chloroquine terminates reentry in cholinergic atrial fibrillation (AF). However, it is unknown whether inward-rectifier K
+
channels and reentry are also important in maintaining stretch-induced AF (SAF). We surmised that reentry underlies SAF, and that abolishing reentry with chloroquine terminates SAF more effectively than traditional Na
+
-channel blockade by flecainide.

Methods and Results—

Thirty Langendorff-perfused sheep hearts were exposed to acute and continuous atrial stretch, and mapped optically and electrically. AF dynamics were studied under control and during perfusion of either chloroquine (4 µmol/L, n=7) or flecainide (2–4 µmol/L, n=5). Chloroquine increased rotor core size and decreased reentry frequency from 10.6 ± 0.7 Hz in control to 6.3 ± 0.7 Hz (
P
<0.005) just before restoring sinus rhythm (7/7). Flecainide had lesser effects on core size and reentry frequency than chloroquine and did not restore sinus rhythm (0/5). Specific I
Kr
blockade by E-4031 (n=7) did not terminate AF when frequency values were >8 Hz. During pacing (n=11), flecainide reversibly reduced conduction velocity (≈30% at cycle length 300, 250, and 200 ms;
P
<0.05) to a larger extent than chloroquine (11% to 19%; cycle length, 300, 250, and 200 ms;
P
<0.05). Significant action potential duration prolongation was demonstrable only for chloroquine at cycle length 300 (12%) and cycle length 250 ms (9%) (
P
<0.05).

Conclusions—

Chloroquine is more effective than flecainide in terminating SAF in isolated sheep hearts by significantly increasing core size and decreasing reentry frequency. Chloroquine’s effectiveness may be explained by its inward-rectifier K
+
channel blockade profile and suggest that reentry is important to maintain acute SAF.
Innovator resilience potential: A process perspective of individual resilience as influenced by innovation project termination
Authors: Moenkemeyer Gisa , Hoegl Martin , Weiss Matthias
Published: March 2012

Innovation projects fail at an astonishing rate. Yet, the negative effects of innovation project failures on the team members of these projects have been largely neglected in research streams that deal with innovation project failures. After such setbacks, it is vital to maintain or even strengthen project members’ innovative capabilities for subsequent innovation projects. For this, the concept of resilience, i.e. project members’ potential to positively adjust (or even grow) after a setback such as an innovation project failure, is fundamental. We develop the second-order construct of innovator resilience potential, which consists of six components – self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, optimism, hope, self-esteem, and risk propensity – that are important for project members’ potential of innovative functioning in innovation projects subsequent to a failure. We illustrate our theoretical findings by means of a qualitative study of a terminated large-scale innovation project, and derive implications for research and management.
Model Blacks or “Ras the Exhorter”
Authors: Tillery Alvin Bernard , Chresfield Michell
Published: March 2012

This article examines the depiction of first-wave West Indian immigrants to the United States in Black print culture in the early 20th century. The authors conduct a series of content analyses of four newspapers that had wide circulation in the Black community between 1910 and 1940. Each content analysis serves as an empirical test one of four common hypotheses about ethnic differentiation between West Indians and African Americans: (a) the group consciousness hypothesis, (b) the racial nationalism hypothesis, (c) the radical politics hypothesis, and (d) the model minority hypothesis. The authors find very little empirical support for either the group consciousness hypothesis or the racial nationalism hypothesis and find only a modicum of support for the radical politics hypothesis. Finally, the authors find evidence confirming the model minority hypothesis. They also find that the Black press presented an accurate portrayal of the West Indian immigrants’ socioeconomic advantages to native-born Blacks.
Critical Analysis of the Production of Western Knowledge and Its Implications for Indigenous Knowledge and Decolonization
Authors: Akena Francis Adyanga
Published: March 2012

There has been a persistent contest among contemporary scholars over what is considered legitimate knowledge. This contest has implications on ways of knowing, organizing society, and responding to environmental challenges. The Western education system is a hybrid of different knowledge, adopted through European global expansion, to enrich our learning in formal educational settings. This article examines the production of Western knowledge and its validation, imposition, and effects on indigenous people and their knowledge. The author argues that there is a relationship between knowledge producers and their motives with the society in which they live. This relationship influences what is considered “legitimate knowledge” in society, politics, and economy in non-Western contexts.
Application research on infrared drying in silk re-reeling process
Authors: Wang Rui , Jiang Wenbin , Li Shan , Yang Hongbin , Dong Yubing , Fu Yaqin
Published: March 2012

Drying is an indispensable part of the silk re-reeling process. The existing silk drying method, steam pipe drying, consumes large quantities of energy and adds considerable cost of raw materials. In order to overcome this shortcoming, re-reeled silk slices were dried via infrared radiation and the feasibility of infrared drying in silk re-reeling process was investigated. Compared with conventional steam pipe drying, infrared drying had no adverse effects on the formation of silk slices, the quality and micro-structure of raw silk. Furthermore, the drying temperature inside the infrared re-reeling machine compartments can be lowered more than 10°C and the energy consumption is less than one-sixth of that required by conventional steam pipe drying. The results indicated that infrared drying of re-reeled silk slices seems feasible and it is meaningful to reduce energy consumption and improve workers’ working conditions.
Enhanced cell growth using non-woven scaffolds of multilobal fibres
Authors: Wong Cynthia S , Nuhiji Edin , Sutti Alessandra , Keating Graeme , Liu Xin , Kirkland Mark , Wang Xungai
Published: March 2012

Multilobal fibres contain several grooves and have higher surface area than round fibres. Cell density can be enhanced when cultured on scaffolds manufactured with multilobal fibres. This study compared the cell growth of dermal fibroblasts and osteoblast-like SaOS2 cells on polymeric scaffolds produced from multilobal fibres to the conventional round-fibred scaffolds. Cells were cultured on round nylon 6,6, trilobal nylon 6,6, round polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and multilobal PET scaffolds for 14 days. There were more cells cultured on trilobal nylon 6,6 and PET multilobal scaffolds than their round counterparts. Preference to the type of multilobal scaffolds was cell dependent. Fibroblasts increased by 21.8 ± 1.9 fold to 6.3 × 105 cells ( p < 0.001) when cultured on trilobal nylon 6,6 scaffolds while SaOS2 cells exhibited a 16.7 ± 2.8 fold increase (2.9 × 105 cells, p < 0.001) on the multilobal PET scaffolds after 14 days of culture. The ability of multilobal fibres to accommodate large quantities of cells presents an excellent alternative to round fibres as scaffolds for tissue engineering.
Analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in textiles treated by brominated flame retardants
Authors: Shin Jeoung Hwa , Baek Yoon Jeong
Published: March 2012

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) have been widely used as additives or as chemical reactants in polymers and textiles. The aim of this study was to develop methods for the analysis of synthesized polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in textiles. Analytical methods for the determination of PBDEs in textile samples were performed, including gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), thermal desorption (TD)-GC/MS, and high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). The experiments consisted of three different sub-experiments that centered on detecting the presence of deca-BDE in textiles by (1) GC/MS, (2) TD-GC/MS, and by (3) target molecule analysis of 27 PBDE congeners by HRGC/HRMS. Results indicated that deca-BDE detection by TD-GCMS was the most precise methodology and did not require extraction or cleanup procedures. The analyses of the 27 PBDE congeners were used for the HRGC-isotope dilution HRMS by EPA method 1614. TD-GC/MS with pyrolysis was the most effective method for monitoring of deca-BDE in textiles because of its simplicity. HRGC/HRMS analysis was the most appropriate method for determination of low concentrations of deca-BDE in textiles compared with the other analytical methods. GC/MS analysis may also be used but high-concentration samples are needed for detection. BDE-28, -66, -100, -119, -153, -197, -206, and -209 were detected in all textile samples by the HRGC/HRMS method, of which the concentration of BDE-209 was the highest. BDE-3, -7, -47, -49, -71, -99, -126, and -156 were not detected in any textile samples.
Antimicrobial treatments of hemp fibers grafted with β-cyclodextrin derivatives
Authors: Racu Cristina , Cogeanu Ana Maria , Diaconescu Rodica Mariana , Grigoriu Aurelia
Published: March 2012

The grafting of monochlorotriazinyl-β-cyclodextrin on cellulosic hemp materials provides hosting cavities that can include a large variety of chemicals for specific antimicrobial finishing. The yarns obtained after processes with simultaneous phases of wet-spinning and grafting have adequate physico-mechanical characteristics. The monochlorotriazinyl-β-cyclodextrin solution causes an increasing of hemp fibers adherence leading to yarns tenacities and elongations enhancing. Four compounds (ferulic acid, caffeic acid, ethyl ferulate and allantoin) have been included into the cavities of monochlorotriazinyl-β-cyclodextrin grafted on hemp fibers. The included derivatives have been characterized by infrared spectroscopy tests which have confirmed that the included components are efficiently hosted in the cyclodextrin nanocavities. The antimicrobial properties of the samples were evaluated by microbiological analysis which has shown that the sanogenetic properties of the hemp fibers are significantly modified by the chemical treatments.
Making an Issue out of a Standard
Authors: Millerand Florence , Ribes David , Baker Karen S. , Bowker Geoffrey C.
Published: March 2012

The article focuses on stories and storytelling practices as explanatory resources in standardization processes. It draws upon an ethnographic study of the development of a technical standard for data sharing in an ecological research community, where participants struggle to articulate the difficulties encountered in implementing the standard. Building from C. Wright Mills’ classic distinction between private troubles and public issues, the authors follow the development of a story as it comes to assist in transforming individual troubles in standard implementation into an institutional issue for the ecological scientific community. The authors present the “hands-on” social science collaboration in this study as an example of a mechanism for supporting institutionalization of issues. Finally, the authors argue that narratives can serve as effective organizing principles within institutional settings, thereby providing an approach to understand the practical, substantive difficulties that occur in work with data in the sciences.
Divergent Paradigms of European Agro-Food Innovation
Authors: Levidow Les , Birch Kean , Papaioannou Theo
Published: March 2012

The Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) has gained prominence as an agricultural R&D agenda of the European Union. Specific research policies are justified as necessary to create a KBBE for societal progress. Playing the role of a master narrative, the KBBE attracts rival visions; each favours a different diagnosis of unsustainable agriculture and its remedies in agro-food innovation. Each vision links a technoscientific paradigm with a quality paradigm: the dominant life sciences vision combines converging technologies with decomposability, while a marginal one combines agro-ecology with integral product integrity. From these divergent visions, rival stakeholder networks contend for influence over research policies and priorities, especially within the Framework Programme 7 (FP7) on Food, Agriculture, Fisheries and Biotechnology (FAFB), which has aimed to promote a Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy. Although the FAFB programme has favoured a life sciences vision, agro-ecological approaches have gained a presence, thus overcoming their general lock-out from agricultural research agendas. In their own way, each rival paradigm emphasises the need for collective systems to gather information for linking producers with users, as a rationale for the public sector to fund distinctive research priorities.
Using Online and Paper Surveys
Authors: de Bernardo Dana Huyser , Curtis Anna
Published: March 2012

To examine the effectiveness of mixed-mode methodology, this article draws on a study that used both online and paper surveys to collect data on a sample of the over 50 population in a small New England town. Respondents were offered the option of responding online or with a paper survey, an approach that addresses some of the major concerns about using online surveys among groups with limited Internet access while also reducing costs and simplifying data entry. The authors demonstrate that response mode does not have a significant effect on survey answers once demographic variables (such as employment and income) are added to the analysis. In addition, the results from this survey suggest that the Internet is useful as a tool to collect data from those over 50.
Structural Advantages of Good Health in Old Age
Authors: Schafer Markus H.
Published: March 2012

This article tests the hypothesis that health influences older adults’ position within a defined social structure. Building on a recent synthesis of social gerontology and network analysis, good health was expected to be associated with more network constraint and less network integration—two indicators of autonomy and access to social resources and information within a network. The study was conducted within a continuing care retirement community, a unique site offering several advantages for a novel test of the health-begets-position hypothesis. Consistent with this hypothesis, residents with the best health had positional advantage in the network. Results also highlight the particular importance of good health during the initial period of community tenancy.
A Randomized Double‐Blind Crossover Study of Phase‐Shift Sound Therapy for Tinnitus
Authors: Heijneman Karin M. , de Kleine Emile , van Dijk Pim
Published: March 2012

Objective

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of the treatment of tinnitus with a phase‐shifting pure tone to that of the same tone treatment without phase shifting.

Study Design

A double‐blind crossover randomized controlled trial.

Setting

This study was conducted at the University Medical Center Groningen.

Subjects and Methods

Twenty‐two patients with predominantly tonal tinnitus underwent both intervention and control treatments. Each treatment consisted of three 30‐minute sessions in 1 week. The control treatment was identical to the intervention treatment, except that the stimulus was a pure tone without phase shifting. Questionnaires, tinnitus loudness match, and annoyance and loudness ratings were used to measure treatment effects.

Results

Pure‐tone treatment and phase‐shift treatment had no significant effect on tinnitus according to questionnaires (Tinnitus Handicap Index, Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Maastricht Questionnaire), audiological matching procedures, and loudness and annoyance ratings of tinnitus. Furthermore, phase‐shift treatment showed no additional significant improvement in comparison with pure‐tone treatment. Changes in questionnaire scores due to pure‐tone and the phase‐shift treatment were correlated.

Conclusion

On average across the group, both treatments failed to demonstrate a significant effect. Both treatments were beneficial for some patients. However, a positive effect was not demonstrated that could be attributed to the periodic shifting of the phase of the stimulus tone.
Anatomic Variants on Computed Tomography in Congenital Aural Atresia
Authors: Dedhia Kavita , Yellon Robert F. , Branstetter Barton F. , Egloff Ann Marie
Published: March 2012

Objective

To report the prevalence of anatomic variants on computed tomography (CT) in congenital aural atresia (CAA) and external auditory canal stenosis (EACS). Anatomic variants included inferiorly displaced/obstructing tegmen mastoideum, malleus‐incus complex (MIC) directly lateral to stapes, facial nerve obstruction of oval window (OW) or middle ear, and incudostapedial joint (ISJ) angle.

Study Design

Cross‐sectional study.

Setting

Tertiary care children’s hospital.

Subjects and Methods

An anatomic analysis of 130 CT scans (98 children, 32 bilateral) of CAA/EACS, performed by a blinded neuroradiologist. Both Jahrsdoerfer’s and new/modified anatomic considerations were graded in 32 atresiaplasty and 66 nonsurgical patients. Surgical data were analyzed for anatomic correlations related to surgical findings.

Results

Prevalence of anatomic variants was as follows: 13% of the ears had mild inferior displacement of tegmen, 4% had a significantly obstructing tegmen, and 24% had MIC directly lateral to stapes. The facial nerve obstructed access to OW in 41% and middle ear in 21%. Six atresiaplasty patients were reported to have a large MIC obstructing stapes access with increased intraoperative difficulty in viewing and assessing the integrity and mobility of the ISJ and stapes. Five of these 6 (83%) were noted on CT scan. The mean ISJ angle was 101° (range, 51°‐155°).

Conclusion

A large obstructing MIC increases difficulty of atresiaplasty. Awareness of the presence of these anatomic variants is an aid in teaching temporal bone anatomy and may possibly influence the decision regarding atresiaplasty.
Labyrinthine Sequestrum
Authors: Lao Zheng , Sha Yan , Chen Bing , Dai Chun‐Fu , Huang Wen‐Hu , Cheng Yu‐Shu
Published: March 2012

Labyrinthine sequestrum, a rare form of labyrinthitis, is highly distinct from the more commonly encountered labyrinthitis ossificans based on its unique clinical, radiologic, and histologic characteristics. The study included 4 such patients who had undergone clinical and laboratory investigations, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessments followed by surgical procedures and pathological evaluation. Their major symptoms were otorrhea, otalgia, tinnitus, and profound hearing loss. Imaging studies showed an osteolytic soft mass with calcified debris in the inner ear, and the bony labyrinth was eroded partly or completely by granulation mass, with loss of bony morphology. Further pathological examination was coincident with inflammatory granulation tissue with some calcification or osseous tissue. The disease process is attributed to chronic osteomyelitis due to the presence of osteonecrosis. Prompt CT and MRI examinations and optimal therapeutic management facilitate definitive diagnosis and protect against fatal complications.
A critical review of major mortality risk factors for all-cause mortality in first-episode schizophrenia: clinical and research implications
Authors: Beary Michael , Hodgson Richard , Wildgust Hiram J
Published: March 2012

A bibliographical search was performed to identify and evaluate the impact in first-episode schizophrenia of the major mortality risk factors as described by the World Health Organisation (2009). We found that at first diagnosis rates of diabetes were only slightly increased, although lipid abnormalities, mild hypertension and being overweight were commonly reported. Levels of drug and alcohol abuse were high, as were pre-diagnosis rates of smoking, physical inactivity and poor cardiorespiratory fitness. During the first year of antipsychotic treatment, there were significant increases in the rates of hyperglycaemia/diabetes, obesity, lipid abnormalities and hypertension, but no changes in fitness levels, smoking or drug and alcohol abuse. In chronic schizophrenia, excess cancer and cardiac deaths seem linked in part to availability and quality of care. Innate risk factors such as abnormal reelin and raised prolactin may also be important. New evidence, such as an inverse relationship between body mass index and suicide in the general population, suggests accepted wisdom may not apply to patients at high risk of ending their own lives. With current knowledge emphasis needs to be placed by early intervention services on physical fitness, smoking and other substance misuse, diabetes and hypertension, as well as focusing on weight reduction only in the obese.
“You Get the Economy You Choose”
Authors: Smith Vicki
Published: March 2012

This article reviews three new books that analyze trends in jobs, careers, and labor markets. All three highlight ways in which work and employment have become precarious and how different groups of workers have experienced degradation in their labor market positions. They also show how economic and institutional transformations are the products of conscious choices made by political and corporate leaders, and by workers themselves. The article briefly reviews each, shows their overlapping themes, and notes their contradictory lines of thinking about how to best improve the American economy and labor markets. It concludes with a call for sociological research on understanding industrial and labor market transformations that might help us interpret the trends highlighted in these books.
Criteria for solid recovered fuels as a substitute for fossil fuels – a review
Authors: Beckmann Michael , Pohl Martin , Bernhardt Daniel , Gebauer Kathrin
Published: March 2012

The waste treatment, particularly the thermal treatment of waste has changed fundamentally in the last 20 years, i.e. from facilities solely dedicated to the thermal treatment of waste to facilities, which in addition to that ensure the safe plant operation and fulfill very ambitious criteria regarding emission reduction, resource recovery and energy efficiency as well. Therefore this contributes to the economic use of raw materials and due to the energy recovered from waste also to the energy provision. The development described had the consequence that waste and solid recovered fuels (SRF) has to be evaluated based on fuel criteria as well. Fossil fuels – coal, crude oil, natural gas etc. have been extensively investigated due to their application in plants for energy conversion and also due to their use in the primary industry. Thereby depending on the respective processes, criteria on fuel technical properties can be derived. The methods for engineering analysis of regular fuels (fossil fuels) can be transferred only partially to SRF. For this reason methods are being developed or adapted to current analytical methods for the characterization of SRF. In this paper the possibilities of the energetic utilization of SRF and the characterization of SRF before and during the energetic utilization will be discussed.
Age at Disease Onset Predicts Likelihood and Rapidity of Growth Failure Among Infants and Young Children With Spinal Muscular Atrophy Types 1 and 2
Authors: Sproule Douglas M. , Hasnain Ridda , Koenigsberger Dorcas , Montgomery Megan , De Vivo Darryl C. , Kaufmann Petra
Published: March 2012

Growth failure is nearly universal in spinal muscular atrophy type 1 and common in type 2, although acuity is often underappreciated at initial diagnosis. We reviewed 44 consecutive spinal muscular atrophy patients (28 type 1, 16 type 2) under 3 years at initial presentation. Growth failure was conventionally defined: weight below the fifth percentile or dropping 2 major percentiles over 6 months. Growth failure differed among subjects stratified by age at disease onset using the Kaplan-Meier method ( P = 0.011). Median time to growth failure among subjects with onset between 0 to 3 months of age was 5 months; Only 1 of 22 avoided failure by 22 months of age. Median time to failure with disease onset between 4 to 6 months was 15 months. Most late onset (> 6 months) subjects avoided growth failure. Early clinical symptoms predict feeding dysfunction and growth failure. Immediate, proactive nutritional intervention is indicated for patients with early symptom onset.
Ethosuximide-Induced Conversion of Typical Childhood Absence to Rolandic Spikes
Authors: Anyanwu Chinekwu , Ghavami Forough , Schuelein Marianne , Motamedi Gholam K.
Published: March 2012

Coexistence of 2 idiopathic epilepsy syndromes (ie, childhood absence and Rolandic epilepsy), as evidenced by electroencephalographic (EEG) findings with or without clinical features of the 2 conditions, is uncommon and remains controversial. Few case reports support this coexistence either as a continuum or drug-induced conversion, whereas a large sample case review did not find such co-occurrence. The authors report a case of conversion of typical absence to Rolandic spikes after treatment with ethosuximide. An 11-year-old girl was diagnosed with typical childhood absence epilepsy at the age of 6 years with classic clinical and EEG features. She became seizure-free on ethosuximide but her follow-up EEGs consistently recorded right centrotemporal and centroparietal spikes without associated clinical seizures. This case may suggest simultaneous presence of these 2 common childhood idiopathic epilepsies either as a continuum or a drug-induced conversion.
A Gelatinous Human Tail With Lipomyelocele
Authors: Puvabanditsin Surasak , Garrow Eugene , Gowda Sharada , Joshi-Kale Meera , Mehta Rajeev
Published: March 2012

We report a female infant who presented with a tail appendage bearing a gelatinous tip and an associated lipomyelocele. Magnetic resonance images revealed the presence of spina bifida and a tract in continuity from the tail to the conus medullaris. The tail was surgically removed. A human tail may be associated with underlying spinal dysraphism. Magnetic resonance or computed tomographic imaging is required in such cases for complete evaluation. This is the first case report of gelatinous-tip human tail.
The Sociological Imaginary and Disability Enquiry in Late Modernity
Authors: Shuttleworth Russell , Meekosha Helen
Published: March 2012

Mills’s idea of the sociological imagination has captured many generations of scholars interested in the difficult social issues that people grapple with in their lives. Yet, sociology has traditionally had a poor record of linking disabled people’s ‘private’ accounts of their difficulties to ‘public’ issues. We contend that disability is still marginal to the sociological imaginary, despite attempts by disability studies and subdisciplines within sociology to make the concept relevant to the larger discipline. There is a range of conceptual tensions in sociology such as public/private and normal/abnormal that can be better illuminated by focusing on disability. We argue that critical disability studies, with its reimagining of disability within late modernity, may be better positioned to make more effectively the case for disability’s significance to the sociological imaginary. Facilitating dialogue with sociology on the concept of disability, however, may require disability scholars to develop more explicit strategies of engagement.
Local government: the past, the present and the future
Authors: Jones George , Stewart John
Published: March 2012

Local government has faced critical issues since the 1970s. The case is made for local government as the government of local communities. Local government is presented as the government of difference, both responding to and creating differences between areas. The government of difference enhances the learning capacity of the system of government, a function not fully appreciated by central government. The role of local government has been weakened by the policies of successive governments. There has been a failure to recognise the need to strengthen local representative democracy. An almost continuous process of reorganisation has fragmented community government. These issues have arisen from a fundamentally defective relationship between local and central government. The government’s approach fails to recognize that the main barriers to the development of localism lie in central government. Centralism remains dominant in the Localism Act and in Whitehall departments, even the Department for Communities and Local Government. The government has failed to provide a financing system for local government that sustains localism: local authorities continue to be dependent on government grants. The way ahead is to change the culture of central government through a code on central–local government relations coordinated across all departments by a unit in the Cabinet Office and monitored by a joint committee of parliament; a genuine Localism Act; and a financial system in which local authorities draw most of their revenue from their own voters with taxes whose rates they determine.
The structures of the NHS in Northern Ireland: Divergence, policy copying and policy deficiency
Authors: Gray Ann Marie , Birrell Derek
Published: March 2012

Since the introduction of devolution in 1999 there has been a growth in comparative analysis of the National Health Service (NHS) as it has developed between England, Scotland and Wales. Several analyses have considered funding and policies on provision and performance, usually noting the difficulties in carrying out comparative evaluation. Few studies to date have included detailed analysis of Northern Ireland and this paper seeks to set out and analyse the organisation of the NHS in Northern Ireland. The focus is on the structures of the NHS as it has developed since devolution and relates to similar structures in the NHS in England, Scotland and Wales. The analytical approach in the paper uses the concept of policy copying to interrogate the structural and institutional organisation of the NHS in Northern Ireland. This facilitates an assessment of the degree of divergence between Northern Ireland and the other UK countries, and the nature and scope of policy copying. The article then seeks to explain the reasons for both policy copying and the rejection of policy copying, and how this may have led to identifiable policy deficiencies.
Public Administration in an age of austerity: the future of the discipline
Authors: Kelly Josie , Dodds Anneliese
Published: March 2012

Reflecting changes in the nature of governance, some have questioned whether Public Administration is now an historical anachronism. While a legitimate debate exists between sceptics and optimists, this special issue demonstrates grounds for optimism by indicating the continuing diversity and adaptability of the field of Public Administration. In this introduction, we first sketch the variety of intellectual traditions which comprise the field of modern Public Administration. We then consider institutional challenges facing the subject given considerable pressures towards disciplinary fragmentation, and ideological challenges arising from a new distrust of public provision in the UK. Despite these challenges, Public Administration continues to provide a framework to analyse the practice of government and governance, governing institutions and traditions, and their wider sociological context. It can also directly inform policy reform – even if this endeavour can have its own pitfalls and pratfalls for the ‘engaged’ academic. We further suggest that, rather than lacking theoretical rigour, new approaches are developing that recognise the structural and political nature of the determinants of public administration. Finally, we highlight the richness of modern comparative work in Public Administration. Researchers can usefully look beyond the Atlantic relationship for theoretical enhancement and also consider more seriously the recursive and complex nature of international pressures on public administration.
Modifying unstable headcurves of swept and unswept pump bladings by means of casing treatment
Authors: Jaberg H
Published: March 2012

Casing treatment was applied to three blade geometries for axial flow pumps to investigate its influence on their hydraulic characteristics and the well-known typical head curve instability. The geometries were a conventional blade with a radial leading edge and two blades with 45° forward and backward sweeps, respectively. The measurements were performed to show whether the effect of casing treatment does always remove the head curve instability and whether its smoothing effect on the head curve exists also in case of forward and backward sweeps, both of which geometries are known to differ considerably in stall inception. The head curves were measured in a standard way in cavitation-free flow, and additionally the pump head as function of net pressure suction head was measured to record the cavitational behaviour of the different set-ups. It was found that casing treatment strongly reduces the head curve instability though it does not always fully remove it and seems to have no distinct effect on the cavitation characteristics. All three impeller geometries are characterized by critical stall region near the tip.
Walking on thin ice: the use of triple antidepressant combinations in refractory melancholic depression
Authors: Restifo Sam
Published: March 2012

Objective: To report on the outcome of cases of refractory depression treated with a combination of three antidepressant agents.

Method: Retrospective case series.

Results: Three of the four patients made a good recovery. One patient developed transient increased agitation and exacerbation of pre-existing confusion.

Conclusion: The use of a triple antidepressant combination may be a treatment option, albeit unorthodox and inelegant, in very specific circumstances such as for patients with refractory melancholic depression who have only partially responded to vigorous pharmacological treatment with combined antidepressants and are unwilling to use, or are unsuitable for, established treatments, such as lithium augmentation or electro-convulsive therapy (ECT).
It’s raining mental health commissions: prospects and pitfalls in driving mental health reform
Authors: Rosenberg Sebastian , Rosen Alan
Published: March 2012

Objective: Partly in response to ongoing concerns about the state of mental health care, several jurisdictions across Australia, including the federal government, are hoping to drive change via the establishment of a mental health commission. This is the first of two articles in a series which aims to describe the background to this new trend. The commissions are being established with different powers and structures. This variety is explored and considered against a typology of commissions. Some consistent themes and goals emerge. The paper then provides a contemporary assessment of the ‘state of play’ of the nascent commissions and describes important emerging issues and differences between the models.

Conclusion: There are significant differences not only in the construct of the respective commissions but also in the political circumstances in which each must work. At the same time, the problems facing mental health in Australia are ubiquitous and profound. For commissions to be successful they will require not only astute leadership but also durable, bipartisan political support and an enduring capacity to generate new resources for the mental health sector.
A framework for exploring the potential of routine outcome measurement to improve mental health care
Authors: McKay Rod , Coombs Tim , Pirkis Jane
Published: March 2012

Objective: To present a framework for exploring the potential applications of routine outcome measurement (ROM) to improve clinical practice.

Conclusions: ROM is now commonplace in Australian mental health services, but it is fair to say that it has not yet achieved its potential in guiding service quality improvements. The framework described in this paper articulates the key components of ROM, noting that data from standardized outcome measures must be augmented by contextual information from other datasets. It considers the key users of ROM, and suggests the kind of questions that ROM might answer for each user group. It presents the use of ROM as a cycle of understanding the context, prioritization, brainstorming and planning, action and review. It is hoped that this framework might help to maximize the clinical utility of ROM at a number of levels.
Applying Motivational Interviewing to the initiation of long-acting injectable atypical antipsychotics
Authors: Kisely Steve , Ligate Loys , Roy Marc-André , Lavery Terri
Published: March 2012

Objective: Non-concordance with pharmacotherapy is common in psychiatric patients. Long-acting injectable atypical antipsychotic (LAI AA) medication may improve adherence but patients and clinicians may be reluctant to consider this alternative. This paper describes the application of Motivational Interviewing (MI) to the commencement of LAI AA.

Method: We developed a workshop applying the principles of MI to address medication adherence through the use of LAIs. This includes a training video to illustrate the following motivational techniques, as summarised by the acronym OARS: (a) Open questions; (b) Affirmation of patients’ self-efficacy and support; (c) Reflections of patients’ thoughts, desires, abilities, reasons, needs, and commitments; (d) Summaries of the patient’s history to promote consideration of change.

Results: We delivered four workshops across Canada. Results of feedback ( n=25) were encouraging.

Conclusions: Motivational Interviewing has many applications in psychiatric care for engagement in treatment, reduction in alcohol or substance misuse, and improving medication acceptance and adherence. Further research is required to assess whether changes in physicians’ views are reflected in improved adherence.
Modeling underplatform dampers for turbine blades: a refined approach in the frequency domain
Authors: Zucca Stefano , Firrone Christian M , Gola Muzio
Published: March 2012

Friction damping is one of the most exploited systems of passive control of the vibration of mechanical systems. In order to mitigate vibration of turbine blades, friction dampers are commonly included in the bladed disk design. A common type of blade-to-blade friction dampers are the so-called underplatform dampers (UPDs); these are metal devices placed under the blade platforms and held in contact with them by the centrifugal force acting during rotation. The effectiveness of UPDs to dissipate energy by friction and reduce vibration amplitude depends mostly on the damper geometry and material and on the static loads pressing the damper against the blade platforms. The common procedure used to estimate the static loads acting on UPDs consists in decoupling the static and the dynamic balance of the damper. A preliminary static analysis of the contact is performed in order to compute the static pressure distribution over the damper/blade interfaces, assuming that it does not change when vibration occurs. In this paper a coupled approach is proposed. The static and the dynamic displacements of blade and UPD are coupled together during the forced response calculation. Both the primary structure (the bladed disk) and the secondary structure (the damper) are modeled by finite elements and linked together by contact elements, allowing for stick, slip and lift off states, placed between each pair of contact nodes, by using a refined version of the state-of-the-art friction contact model. In order to model accurately the blade/damper contact with a large number of contact nodes without increasing proportionally the size of the set of nonlinear equations to be solved, damper and blade dynamics are modeled by linear superposition of a truncated series of normal modes. The proposed method is applied to a bladed disk under cyclic symmetric boundary conditions in order to show the capabilities of the method compared to the classical decoupled approaches.
Development of a sliding mode controller for semi-active vehicle suspensions
Authors: Yao Jia-ling , Shi Wen-ku , Zheng Jia-qiang , Zhou Hong-ping
Published: March 2012

Sliding mode control of semi-active suspensions possesses excellent performance as well as high robustness. However, it is difficult to obtain sufficient data concerning the various states of the suspension. A model reference sliding mode controller that is easy to implement has been designed. The proposed controller needs only two acceleration sensors and eliminates the necessity of measuring road signals in real-time. The controller uses an approximate ideal skyhook system as a reference model, and the control law is determined so that an asymptotically stable sliding mode will occur in the error dynamics between the plant and the reference model states. The effectiveness of this controller has been verified via experimental studies. A real-time control system has been constructed with a virtual instrument system. Experimental rapid control prototyping for the proposed controller has been conducted on a quarter-car suspension system. The experimental results indicate that, compared with a practical skyhook controller and a passive suspension, the sliding mode controller can effectively improve ride comfort and safety performance. The designed controller should be directly transferable to commercial implementations of semi-active vehicle suspensions.
Control for a class of four-dimensional chaotic systems with random-varying parameters and noise disturbance
Authors: Chen Diyi , Zhao Weili , Ma Xiaoyi , Wang Juan
Published: March 2012

This paper investigates the control of a class of four-dimensional chaotic systems with system parameters varying randomly under the condition of noise. Based on the sliding mode control method, the controller is designed to eliminate the chaotic behavior of a system and realize its stabilization. Numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the validity of the proposed method. The approach proposed in this paper is simple and easy to implement and also provides reference for chaos control in relevant systems.
The New York Times Readers’ Opinions About Paying People to Take Their Medicine
Authors: Park James D. , Metlay Jessica , Asch Jeremy M. , Asch David A.
Published: March 2012

Background. There has been considerable interest in using financial incentives to help people improve their health. However, paying people to improve their health touches on strongly held views about personal responsibility. Method. The New York Times printed two articles in June 2010 about patient financial incentives, which resulted in 394 comments from their online audience. The authors systematically analyzed those online responses to news media in order to understand the range of themes that were expressed regarding the use of financial incentives to improve health. Results. The New York Times online readers revealed a broad range of attitudes about paying individuals to be healthy. Many comments reflected disdain for financial incentives, describing them as “absurd” or “silly.” Other comments reflected the notion that financial incentives reward individuals for being irresponsible toward their health. Many individuals communicated concerns that paying individuals for healthy behaviors may weaken their internal drive to be healthy. A smaller set of comments conveyed support for financial incentives, recognizing it as a small sum to pay to prevent or offset higher costs related to chronic diseases. Conclusions. Although a measurable group of individuals supported financial incentives, most readers revealed negative perceptions of these approaches and an appeal for greater personal responsibility for individual health. Despite experimental success of financial incentives, negative perceptions may limit their public acceptability and uptake.
The Elasticity of Time
Authors: Olds Tim , Ferrar Katia E. , Gomersall Sjaan R. , Maher Carol , Walters J. L.
Published: March 2012

The way an individual uses one’s time can greatly affect his or her health. The purpose of this article was to examine the cross-sectional cross-elasticity relationships for use of time domains in a sample of Australian adolescents. This study analyzed 24-hour recall time use data collected using the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adults ( N = 2,200). Using simple linear regression, the authors calculated the difference in time devoted to a reference activity (i.e., screen time, sleep, or social) given 1 hour extra in the time devoted to a criterion activity (i.e., physical activity). The most elastic activities were screen time and school-related time. Every additional hour committed to physical activity was associated with 32 minutes less screen time. This relationship was more pronounced in obese adolescents (−56 minutes screen time) compared with normal (−31 minutes) and overweight (−27 minutes) adolescents. Promising behavior patterns exist, with screen time appearing as a highly elastic behavior.