bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sexual Orientation, Gender, and Racial Differences in Illicit Drug Use in a Sample of US High School Students
Authors: Newcomb Michael E. , Birkett Michelle , Corliss Heather L. , Mustanski Brian
Published: December 2013

Objectives. We evaluated drug use differences between sexual minority and heterosexual students, including interactions with gender and race/ethnicity.

Methods. We used 2005 and 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data pooled from Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Delaware; Maine; Massachusetts; New York City, New York; Rhode Island; and Vermont to evaluate drug use (marijuana, cocaine, inhalants, heroin, methamphetamine, and MDMA [Ecstasy]) using 2 aspects of sexual orientation (identity and sex of sexual partners).

Results. Sexual minority students had higher prevalence of drug use than did heterosexuals on both sexual orientation dimensions, and differences were particularly pronounced among bisexual students on both dimensions. Differences between sexual minority and heterosexual male students in prevalence were generally larger than were differences between sexual minority and heterosexual female students. Racial minority students generally reported lower prevalence of drug use. However, the protective effect of African American race was less pronounced for some sexual minorities.

Conclusions. Sexual minority youths are at increased risk for drug use. Intervention is needed at the institutional and individual levels to address these disparities.
A Syndemic of Psychosocial Health Disparities and Associations With Risk for Attempting Suicide Among Young Sexual Minority Men
Authors: Mustanski Brian , Andrews Rebecca , Herrick Amy , Stall Ron , Schnarrs Phillip W.
Published: December 2013

Objectives. We examined a syndemic of psychosocial health issues among young men who have sex with men (MSM), with men and women (MSMW), and with women (MSW). We examined hypothesized drivers of syndemic production and effects on suicide attempts.

Methods. Using a pooled data set of 2005 and 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys from 11 jurisdictions, we used structural equation modeling to model a latent syndemic factor of depression symptoms, substance use, risky sex, and intimate partner violence. Multigroup models examined relations between victimization and bullying experiences, syndemic health issues, and serious suicide attempts.

Results. We found experiences of victimization to increase syndemic burden among all male youths, especially MSMW and MSM compared with MSW (variance explained = 44%, 38%, and 10%, respectively). The syndemic factor was shown to increase the odds of reporting a serious suicide attempt, particularly for MSM (odds ratio [OR] = 5.75; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.36, 24.39; P < .001) and MSMW (OR = 5.08; 95% CI = 2.14, 12.28; P < .001) compared with MSW (OR = 3.47; 95% CI = 2.50, 4.83; P < .001).

Conclusions. Interventions addressing multiple psychosocial health outcomes should be developed and tested to better meet the needs of young MSM and MSMW.
Teacher Stress Questionnaire: Validity and Reliability Study in Italy
Authors: Zurlo Maria Clelia , Pes Daniela , Capasso Roberto
Published: December 2013

This study analyses the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Teacher Stress Questionnaire elaborated in England by Travers and Cooper in 1996. This Italian survey was completed by 863 teachers randomly drawn from a cross-section of Italian school levels. The construct validity of the questionnaire was verified by factor analysis and by measuring the internal consistency of the single scales. All dimensions measured by the Teacher Stress Questionnaire were compared for sample subgroups of all teacher levels. Several meaningful and reliable factors emerged from the factor analysis of the scales. The internal consistency of each scale (Cronbach's α) revealed satisfactory values. Teachers' age and school level were determining factors for all dimensions of stress explored. The Italian version of the Teacher Stress Questionnaire showed satisfactory psychometric properties and constitutes a useful and reliable measure to analyse stress in Italian schools.
Up- and Down-Regulation of Daily Emotion: An Experience Sampling Study of Chinese Adolescents' Regulatory Tendency and Effects
Authors: Deng Xinmei , Sang Biao , Luan Ziyan
Published: December 2013

The present study examined Chinese adolescents' emotion regulatory tendency and its effect, using an Experience Sampling Method. Participants comprised 72 Chinese adolescents ( M age = 15.2 yr., SD = 1.7; 36 girls). Momentary emotional experience and regulation was assessed up to 5 or 6 times each day for two weeks. Results showed that participants tended to use up-regulation when they experienced positive emotion and habitually regulated their negative emotion by down-regulation. Also, adolescents who utilized down-regulation in a certain sampling moment reported higher positive emotion at the subsequent sampling moment. Moreover, adolescents who utilized down-regulation more frequently reported higher positive emotion at the subsequent sampling moment. Overall, down-regulation seemed to be a more adaptive regulatory strategy than up-regulation in Chinese adolescents' emotional lives.
Predicting Game-Attending Behavior in Amateur Athletes: The Moderating Role of Intention Stability
Authors: Lu Wan Chen , Cheng Chih-Fu , Chen Lung Hung
Published: December 2013

The theory of planned behavior is a well-established theory in predicting human behavior. However, there is evidence of an inconsistent relationship between intention and behavior. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to further investigate the gap between intention and behavior. The study proposes intention stability as the moderator. Participants ( N=154, M age = 23 yr., SD = 6.7) were recruited from Internet volleyball forums and local volleyball courts in Taiwan. Multiple hierarchical regression was used to analyze the data. The results indicated that perceived behavioral control significantly predicted game-attending behavior through intention. However, attitude and subjective norms did not significantly predict behavioral intention. In addition, intention stability moderated the relationship between intention and behavior and indicated the relationship between intention and behavior was strong when intention stability was high. On the contrary, when intention stability was low, the relationship between intention and behavior was weak. Implications and applications are discussed.
Target-to-Distractor Ratio Effects on Decision Time in the Orderly Array Shape Cancellation Task
Authors: Nakajima Yoshimi , Ikeda Yoshifumi , Okuzumi Hideyuki
Published: December 2013

The cancellation task is a paper-and-pencil test commonly used to assess attention or planning. This study investigated whether the decision time performance on the task was influenced by the number of targets and distractors. This study reduced the demand of planning and used an index of the decision time, an estimate of the time taken to decide whether to mark a stimulus. Forty healthy adults ( M age = 21.3 yr., SD = 1.5) performed five cancellation tasks. Four tasks were conducted with instructions to mark a detected target. The target-to-distractor ratio varied from 35/15,40/10,45/5, and 50/0, and one task with instructions to mark all stimuli (50/0), to measure the motor time to mark targets. One-way analysis of variance indicated statistically significant differences between conditions. There was a linear relationship between decision time and target-to-distractor ratio; the decision time increased as the proportion of distractors increased. The results suggested the decision time reflects the frequency of switches between responses to targets and distractors or attention modulation of processing to targets and distractors.
Door-in-the-Face: Is it Really Necessary That Both Requests Be Made by the Same Requester?
Authors: Terrier Lohyd , Marfaing Bénédicte , Boldi Marc-Olivier
Published: December 2013

The door-in-the-face technique increases the likelihood of individuals accepting a target request by confronting them, beforehand, with an extreme request. The present research tests a new door-in-the-face technique in which the two requests are formulated by two different requesters during the same interaction. 160 participants were asked to help a charity organization following a door-in-the-face procedure. According to the experimental conditions, requests were formulated by one or two requesters during the same or a different interaction. As predicted, the door-in-the-face effect was observed even if two requests are formulated by two requesters, but only if both are present during the interaction. Results are discussed in terms of a reciprocal concessions interpretation and a motivational interpretation.
Measurement of Academic Entitlement
Authors: Miller Brian K.
Published: December 2013

Members of Generation Y, or Millennials, have been accused of being lazy, whiny, pampered, and entitled, particularly in the college classroom. Using an equity theory framework, eight items from a measure of work entitlement were adapted to measure academic entitlement in a university setting in three independent samples. In Study 1 ( n = 229), confirmatory factor analyses indicated good model fit to a unidimensional structure for the data. In Study 2 ( n = 200), the questionnaire predicted unique variance in university satisfaction beyond two more general measures of dispositional entitlement. In Study 3 ( n = 161), the measure predicted unique variance in perceptions of grade fairness beyond that which was predicted by another measure of academic entitlement. This analysis provides evidence of discriminant, convergent, incremental, concurrent criterion-related, and construct validity for the Academic Equity Preference Questionnaire.
Brand Emotional Credibility: Effects of Mixed Emotions about Branded Products with Varying Credibility
Authors: Mileti Antonio , Prete M. Irene , Guido Gianluigi
Published: December 2013

This research investigates the effects of mixed emotions on the positioning and on the intention to purchase different categories of branded products (i.e., Attractiveness-products, Expertise-products, and Trustworthiness-products), in relation to their main component of credibility (Ohanian, 1990). On the basis of a focus group ( n = 12) aimed to identify the three branded products used as stimuli and a pre-test ( n = 240) directed to discover emotions elicited by them, two studies ( n = 630; n = 240) were carried out. Positioning and multiple regression analyses showed that positive and negative emotions are positively related with the positioning and the purchase intention of Attractiveness-products, and, respectively, positively and negatively related with those of Trustworthiness-products; whereas negative emotions are negatively associated with those of Expertise-products. Brand Emotional Credibility—i.e., the emotional believability of the brand positioning signals—may help to identify unconscious elements and the simultaneous importance of mixed emotions associated with different products to match consumers' desires and expectations.
Sondra Hale’s “Ethnographic Residuals”
Authors: Gruenbaum Ellen
Published: December 2013

Sondra Hale’s self-imposed thirty years of silence on female circumcision—broken in 1994 for her Ufahamu article and discussed in her chapter for Obioma Nnaemeka’s Female Circumcision and the Politics of Knowledge (Praeger, 2005)—was grounded in her critique of the “residuals” of the ethnographic agenda. She argued that ethnography, particularly when addressing controversial practices, creates cultural difference rather than the generating solidarity for the struggles of women, such as the Sudanese struggles she studied. Hale recognized that the issue of female circumcision (or female genital cutting, FGC) was being co-opted by imperial discourses calling for civilizing the women in African, Arab, and Muslim societies—what one might label a form of trafficking in women. Hale chose to decline to address the issue of female circumcision for many years, since her audiences so often found themselves unable to consider any other issue of the Sudanese women’s struggles once they heard about FGC. In the face of this imperial discourse and the harm it has done, both to international alliances and to respect for feminist movements in their varying contexts, I utilize Hale’s cautionary principles and several contemporary examples to reconsider how feminists from many loci might engage positively in the female circumcision controversy with something other than silence. In my view, silence is no longer an option, precisely for the reasons Hale waited to address FGC: to resist the imperialist discourse. In light of the escalating use of FGC in inflamed journalism, misplaced condemnations, and the continuing globalization of the movement for change, I argue we must not cede terrain to the arrogance of such voices, lest we find ourselves complicit with the conflagration undermining human dignity.
"Every Slight Movement of the People … is Everything"
Authors: Slyomovics Susan
Published: December 2013

This essay traces the intertwined topics of collaboration and multisited ethnography in the writings of anthropologist Sondra Hale on Sudanese artists and art. Hale’s trajectories and movements in and out of Sudan traverse parallel, sometimes overlapping tracks with the artists she studied, championed, and curated. Studying Sudan and its artists may have begun in Khartoum during Hale’s first three-year period there from 1961 to 1964; however, this essay analyzes Hale’s subsequent writings based on the places where she encountered artists, residing abroad and in exile, in Cairo, Asmara, Addis Ababa, Oxford, the Hales’ Los Angeles home, as well as in American venues for meetings of the Sudan Studies Association.
L’effet de la disponibilité des armes à feu sur les taux d’homicides au Québec de 1974 à 2006 : une analyse de séries chronologiques
Authors: Reeves-Latour Maxime , Blais Étienne
Published: December 2013

Cet article estime la relation entre la disponibilité des armes à feu (AAF) et les homicides au Québec de 1974 à 2006. L’article se distingue des recherches préalablement réalisées, d’une part, en opérationnalisant des indicateurs de disponibilité selon le statut de l’arme et, d’autre part, en créant des taux d’homicide tenant compte de leur contexte. Des séries chronologiques furent analysées à l’aide d’une modélisation ARIMA. Les relations significatives s’observent principalement lorsque les deux phénomènes sont considérés au même temps de mesure. Par conséquent, il demeure difficile de déterminer si les AAF influent sur le taux d’homicide ou bien si ce sont les homicides qui affectent la disponibilité des AAF. La disponibilité des AAF entretient toutefois des liens étroits avec les homicides dans un contexte bien précis, soit celui des homicides conjugaux. Une augmentation des homicides conjugaux se traduit par une hausse de la disponibilité des armes longues. Par la suite, une recrudescence dans la disponibilité de ce type d’armes s’accompagne d’une baisse des homicides conjugaux. L’interprétation des résultats met l’accent sur l’importance des contextes et du statut de l’arme lors de l’étude de la disponibilité des AAF et des violences criminelles.
Improved Stress Shielding on a Cementless Tibia Tray using Functionally Graded Material
Authors: Hedia Hassan S. , Fouda Noha
Published: December 2013

Aseptic loosening of the tibial component is a primary concern of total knee replacement (TKR), which may be caused by stress shielding in cancellous bone of tibia and may require subsequent revision surgery. There is no doubt that materials and design are important issues within general product development and even more in biomedical products. In this study, a 2D axisymmetric finite element model of the tibia and tibial prosthesis is designed to find the optimal functionally graded material (FGM) constituents as well as the optimal gradation direction. The results showed that the optimal design of a tibia tray material is represented by grading it vertically from hydroxyapatite at the end of stem tibia to collagen at the upper layers of the tibia plate. This new design is found to reduce stress shielding in cancellous epiphyseal and diaphyseal bone by 78 % and 68 %, respectively, compared to cementless titanium tibia tray. However, the interface shear stress in cancellous diapyseal bone is reduced by 24 % using FGM tibia tray, which will reduce the pain at the end of stem after the surgery. It is concluded that the new tibial design will increase the life of the knee prosthesis.
Microstructural Effects on Fatigue Behaviour of a Forged Medium Carbon Microalloyed Steel
Authors: Gündüz Süleyman , Karabulut Hasan , Erden Mehmet Akif , Türkmen Mustafa
Published: December 2013

The effect of different microstructures on the fatigue behaviour of a medium carbon vanadium microalloyed steel has been studied. Specimens were subjected to a controlled closed die forging followed by cooling in sand, air or oil, respectively. The hardness and fatigue properties of the microalloyed steel are determined and compared with those of ferrite-pearlite and martensite microstructures obtained by cooling with different mediums after forging. Relatively fine ferrite and pearlite increase the fatigue strength of the steel, while the martensite structure reduces the fatigue strength. Characteristics of fatigue fracture surface morphology are summarized and related to fatigue crack initiation and propagation mechanisms in the forged medium carbon microalloyed steel. The cooling rate has a remarkable effect on the microstructure, hardness, and fatigue behaviour at room temperature.
Microstructural Investigations of Electron Beam Welded Joints of Continuous Saw Blades
Authors: Mitelea Ion , Ochian Dumitru , Uţu Ion-Dragoş
Published: December 2013

The active part of the endless saw blades is made of high-speed steel, HS2-10-1-8, and the holder from X32CrMoV4-1 alloyed steel. Joining of the both parts is realized by electron beam welding which provides narrow seams, small heat affected zones (HAZ), good reproducibility of the results, and uniform microstructure in welded joint zones. The present paper analyzes the structural modifications as well as the chemical composition in the welded joint zones obtained by the electron beam welding of two dissimilar steels. The phenomena which cause the continuous developement of the chemical composition of the weld are examined by energy dispersion X-ray technique (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy.
Influence of Plasma Carbonitriding and Nitriding on Phase Composition and Mechanical Properties of a X 12 CrNi 18 10 Ti Stainless Steel Surface
Authors: Skakov Mazhyn , Kurbanbekov Sherzod , Scheffler Michael
Published: December 2013

The surface structure of a X 12 CrNi 1810 Ti low-carbon steel after saturation with nitrogen and carbon as a consequence of electrolytic plasma nitriding and carbonitriding was studied in this work. It turned out that the X 12 CrNi 1810 Ti steel surface has a modified martensite structure and high hardness after electrolytic plasma processing. It was determined that carbide and nitride particles are formed in the surface layer during nitriding and carbonitriding followed by tempering. The X 12 CrNi 1810 Ti steel wear resistance after carbonitriding and nitriding was investigated and a decrease of the friction coefficient was observed.
Supraglacial lakes on the Larsen B ice shelf, Antarctica, and at Paakitsoq, West Greenland: a comparative study
Authors: Banwell Alison F. , Caballero Martamaria , Arnold Neil S. , Glasser Neil F. , Mac Cathles L. , MacAyeal Douglas R.
Published: December 2013

Supraglacial meltwater lakes trigger ice-shelf break-up and modulate seasonal ice-sheet flow, and are thus agents by which warming is transmitted to the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. To characterize supraglacial lake variability we perform a comparative analysis of lake geometry and depth in two distinct regions, one on the pre-collapse (2002) Larsen B ice shelf, Antarctica, and the other in the ablation zone of Paakitsoq, a land-terminating region of the Greenland ice sheet. Compared to Paakitsoq, lakes on the Larsen B ice shelf cover a greater proportion of surface area (5.3% cf. 1%), but are shallower and more uniform in area. Other aspects of lake geometry (e.g. eccentricity, degree of convexity (solidity) and orientation) are relatively similar between the two regions. We attribute the notable difference in lake density and depth between ice-shelf and grounded ice to the fact that ice shelves have flatter surfaces and less distinct drainage basins. Ice shelves also possess more stimuli to small-scale, localized surface elevation variability, due to the various structural features that yield small variations in thickness and which float at different levels by Archimedes’ principle.
Preliminary results of mass-balance observations of Yala Glacier and analysis of temperature and precipitation gradients in Langtang Valley, Nepal
Authors: Baral Prashant , Kayastha Rijan B. , Immerzeel Walter W. , Pradhananga Niraj S. , Bhattarai Bikas C. , Shahi Sonika , Galos Stephan , Springer Claudia , Joshi Sharad P. , Mool Pradeep K.
Published: December 2013

Monitoring the glacier mass balance of summer-accumulation-type Himalayan glaciers is critical to not only assess the impact of climate change on the volume of such glaciers but also predict the downstream water availability and the global sea-level change in future. To better understand the change in meteorological parameters related to glacier mass balance and runoff in a glacierized basin and to assess the highly heterogeneous glacier responses to climate change in the Nepal Himalaya and nearby ranges, the Cryosphere Monitoring Project (CMP) carries out meteorological observations in Langtang Valley and mass-balance measurements on Yala Glacier, a debris-free glacier in the same valley. A negative annual mass balance of –0.89m w.e. and the rising equilibrium-line altitude of Yala Glacier indicate a continuation of a secular trend toward more negative mass balances. Lower temperature lapse rate during the monsoon, the effect of convective precipitation associated with mesoscale thermal circulation in the local precipitation and the occurrence of distinct diurnal cycles of temperature and precipitation at different stations in the valley are other conclusions of this comprehensive scientific study initiated by CMP which aims to yield multi-year glaciological, hydrological and meteorological observations in the glacierized Langtang River basin.
Surface energy balance in the ablation zone of Langfjordjøkelen, an arctic, maritime glacier in northern Norway
Authors: Giesen Rianne H. , Andreassen Liss M. , Oerlemans Johannes , Van Den Broeke Michiel R.
Published: December 2013

Glaciers in northern and southern Norway are subject to different daily and seasonal cycles of incoming solar radiation, which is presumably reflected in the importance of net solar radiation in their surface energy balance. We present a 3 year continuous record from an automatic weather station in the ablation zone of the ice cap Langfjordjøkelen, one of the most northerly glaciers of mainland Norway. Despite its location at 70º N, Langfjordjøkelen was found to have a maritime climate, with an annual mean air temperature of –1.08C, frequent cloud cover and end-of-winter snow depths over 3 m in all three years. The main melt season was May–October, but occasional melt events occurred on warm, cloudy winter days. Net solar and longwave radiation together accounted for 58% of the melt energy, with a positive contribution by net longwave radiation (7%). The sensible and latent heat fluxes supplied the remainder of the melt energy. Cloud optical thickness over Langfjordjøkelen was larger than on two glaciers in southern Norway, especially in the summer months. This resulted in a smaller contribution of net solar radiation to surface melt on Langfjordjøkelen; the effect of the higher latitude on net solar radiation was found to be small.
Air Pollution Induces Oxidative Stress
Authors: Parvin Shakila
Published: December 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ibmcj.v2i1.17306IBMC J 2011; 2(1): 02
Relation between Elevated Plasma Retinol Binding Protein-4 & Glucose Dysregulation in Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Kabir Fahmida , Alam Azmeri , Sen Moushumi , Khairuzzaman AKM , Khan Fatema M
Published: December 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ibmcj.v2i1.17312 IBMC J 2011; 2(1): 17-20
Sarcoidosis - A Case Report
Authors: Jahan RA , Majumder S
Published: December 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ibmcj.v2i1.17314 IBMC J 2011; 2(1): 25-27
A Stitch in Time: Changing Cultural Constructions of Craft and Mending
Authors: König Anna
Published: December 2013

Over the course of the twentieth century, the availability of cheap, mass-produced fashion has contributed to a decline in everyday domestic mending skills. Indeed, as mass-manufactured goods have become cheaper for the global population it has become normative consumer behaviour to dispose of any item that is less than perfect, even when the damage is entirely superficial, leading Clark to claim that: ‘mending has died out’ (2008: 435).

However, in recent years there has been an apparent revival in domestic mending, aided and evidenced by the emergence of sewing and mending groups in the UK, mainland Europe and North America. This has coincided with a growing interest in more sustainable material goods (McDonough & Braungart 2002; Fletcher 2008), and a small body of academic work around the notion of craftsmanship (e.g. Sennett 2008; Crawford 2009). Of particular interest here is the history of mending of clothing and household goods, as well as recent incarnations of mending as both an individual and group activity. In the past year, researchers from diverse theoretical backgrounds have also highlighted the role of mending in everyday material goods providing further insights into the subject (Laitala & Boks 2012; Middleton 2012; Portwood-Stacer 2012).

An examination of mending reveals a complex picture in which gender, class, aesthetics and social motivations interweave with the imperatives of consumer culture. Whilst historically it is generally constructed as a feminine activity, and carried connotations of material deprivation, contemporary mending is often motivated by environmental concerns and a desire to reduce consumption. Ultimately, mending is demonstrated to be an under-researched subject loaded with cultural meaning, and ultimately, is shown to be anything but a trivial activity.
British Asians, Covert Racism and Exclusion in English Professional Football
Authors: Kilvington Daniel
Published: December 2013

This article examines the exclusion of British Asians from English professional football. At present, there are eight British Asians with professional contracts out of over 4,000 players. This statistic is increasingly noteworthy when we consider that, first, football is extremely popular across British Asian groups and, second, Britain is home to over 4 million British Asians (the UK’s largest minority ethnic group). Following a brief introduction as well as a discussion of racisms, the work will provide an overview of the barriers that have excluded British Asian football communities from the professional ranks. In particular, I shall discuss some of the key obstacles including overt racism, ‘all-Asian’ football structures and cultural differences. However, the focus of this paper is to explore the impact and persist-ing nature of institutional racism within football. With the aid of oral testimonies, this work shall present British Asian experiences of covert racism in the game. I shall therefore demonstrate that coaches/scouts (as gatekeepers) have a tendency to stereotype and racialize British Asian footballers, thus exacerbating the British Asian football exclusion. Finally, the article will offer policy recommendations for reform. These recommendations, which have come out of primary and secondary research, aspire to challenge institutional racism and combat inequalities within the game.
Playing with Personal Media: On an Epistemology of Ignorance
Authors: Kærlein Timo
Published: December 2013

Mobile devices are ubiquitous and increasingly an integral part of everyday media usage. One remarkable development in the field of personal media (smartphones, tablet computers, etc.) is the trivialization of their interfaces and appearance, especially when compared to the complexity of the underlying software and hardware. The iPhone and its successors trump with usability, they offer simple and seemingly direct access to many functions. Software can be handled with basic hand gestures or voice control, no expert knowledge is required to use the devices. Rather, current apps and operating systems are designed for a playful approach that favours unbiased exploration.

The article investigates forms of the trivial in both device materiality and interface design from a media studies perspective. Pertinent philosophical positions on human-technology relationships by Günther Anders and Hans Blumenberg are discussed to explore the ramifications of a highly productive epistemology of ignorance. A focus is placed upon the process of blackboxing, a technique of invisibilization common to media technologies wherein the social and material prerequisites of a given artefact are hidden from users. The black box also serves as a model of thought to offer a way of analysing unknown complex systems as proposed in cybernetics, and it has more recently been picked up and refashioned in significant ways in actor-network theory.

Playing with personal media is situated between the poles of user infantilization and the freedom of exploring new practices. Triviality in interface design is ambiguous in that it denies insight into more fundamental processes but at the same time creates a space for playful variation not requiring professional knowledge. The article aims to negotiate between positions of elitist criticism and affirmative technophilia, which are widespread in the discourse on mobile devices.
Cytocompatibility of Siloxane-Containing Vaterite/Poly(l-lactic acid) Composite Coatings on Metallic Magnesium
Authors: Yamada Shinya , Maeda Hirotaka , Obata Akiko , Lohbauer Ulrich , Yamamoto Akiko , Kasuga Toshihiro
Published: December 2013

Poly(l-lactic acid)-based films which include 60 wt % of vaterite (V) or siloxane-containing vaterite (SiV) were coated on a pure magnesium substrate, denoted by PLLA/V or PLLA/SiV, respectively, to suppress early corrosion and improve its cytocompatibility. Both coating films adhered to the Mg substrate with 2.3–2.8 MPa of tensile bonding strength. Soaking test for 7 days in α-modified minimum essential medium revealed that the morphological instability of the PLLA/V film caused a higher amount of Mg2+ ion to be released from the coating sample. On the other hand, in the case of the coating with the PLLA/SiV film, no morphological change even after the soaking test was observed, owing to the suppression of the degradation rate. In cell culture tests, the proliferation of mouse osteoblast-like cell (MC3T3-E1) was significantly enhanced by both coatings, in comparison with the uncoated magnesium substrate. The cell morphology revealed that a few less-spread cells were observed on the PLLA/V film, while more elongated cells were done on the PLLA/SiV film. The cells on the PLLA/SiV film exhibited an extremely higher alkaline phosphatase activity after 21 days of incubation than that on the PLLA/V one. The PLLA/SiV film suppressed the early corrosion and enhanced cytocompatibility on metallic magnesium.
Effect of Delayed Icing on Biogenic Amines Formation and Bacterial Contribution of Iced Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)
Authors: Hosseini Seyed , Hamzeh Ali , Moslemi Mehran , Lashkan Aria , Iglesias Antonio , Feás Xesús
Published: December 2013

The variation of six biogenic amines (BAs) and total viable count (TVC) in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) stored in ice with 0, 4 and 8 h delay before icing was evaluated in a period of 4 days. Delayed icing led to significant (p < 0.05) increases in TVC throughout the period of storage and showed a good correlation with BAs content. The obtained data showed that putrescine and cadaverine were predominant in all samples and it was indicated that they could be proper indicators to determine the carp quality. Spermidine and spermine increased slightly toward the end of storage and the levels of dangerous BAs (histamine and tyramine) were under the limit over the period. As a result, it is indicated that delaying time affects on formation of BAs and the effect in samples with 8 h delay was significantly (p < 0.05) more than those with 0 and 4 h delay.
Long-Term Satellite Detection of Post-Fire Vegetation Trends in Boreal Forests of China
Authors: Yi Kunpeng , Tani Hiroshi , Zhang Jiquan , Guo Meng , Wang Xiufeng , Zhong Guosheng
Published: December 2013

This paper describes the long-term effects on vegetation following the catastrophic fire in 1987 on the northern Great Xing’an Mountain by analyzing the AVHRR GIMMS 15-day composite normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) dataset. Both temporal and spatial characteristics were analyzed for natural regeneration and tree planting scenarios from 1984 to 2006. Regressing post-fire NDVI values on the pre-fire values helped identify the NDVI for burnt pixels in vegetation stands. Stand differences in fire damage were classified into five levels: Very High (VH), High (H), Moderate (M), Low (L) and Slight (S). Furthermore, intra-annual and inter-annual post-fire vegetation recovery trajectories were analyzed by deriving a time series of NDVI and relative regrowth index (RRI) values for the entire burned area. Finally, spatial pattern and trend analyses were conducted using the pixel-based post-fire annual stands regrowth index (SRI) with a nonparametric Mann-Kendall (MK) statistics method. The results show that October was a better period compared to other months for distinguishing the post- and pre-fire vegetation conditions using the NDVI signals in boreal forests of China because colored leaves on grasses and shrubs fall down, while the leaves on healthy trees remain green in October. The MK statistics method is robustly capable of detecting vegetation trends in a relatively long time series. Because tree planting primarily occurred in the severely burned area (approximately equal to the Medium, High and Very High fire damage areas) following the Daxing’anling fire in 1987, the severely burned area exhibited a better recovery trend than the lightly burned regions. Reasonable tree planting can substantially quicken the recovery and shorten the restoration time of the target species. More detailed satellite analyses and field data will be required in the future for a more convincing validation of the results.
Design of a Wireless Sensor Network Platform for Tele-Homecare
Authors: Chung Yu-Fang , Liu Chia-Hui
Published: December 2013

The problem of an ageing population has become serious in the past few years as the degeneration of various physiological functions has resulted in distinct chronic diseases in the elderly. Most elderly are not willing to leave home for healthcare centers, but caring for patients at home eats up caregiver resources, and can overwhelm patients’ families. Besides, a lot of chronic disease symptoms cause the elderly to visit hospitals frequently. Repeated examinations not only exhaust medical resources, but also waste patients’ time and effort. To make matters worse, this healthcare system does not actually appear to be effective as expected. In response to these problems, a wireless remote home care system is designed in this study, where ZigBee is used to set up a wireless network for the users to take measurements anytime and anywhere. Using suitable measuring devices, users’ physiological signals are measured, and their daily conditions are monitored by various sensors. Being transferred through ZigBee network, vital signs are analyzed in computers which deliver distinct alerts to remind the users and the family of possible emergencies. The system could be further combined with electric appliances to remotely control the users’ environmental conditions. The environmental monitoring function can be activated to transmit in real time dynamic images of the cared to medical personnel through the video function when emergencies occur. Meanwhile, in consideration of privacy, the video camera would be turned on only when it is necessary. The caregiver could adjust the angle of camera to a proper position and observe the current situation of the cared when a sensor on the cared or the environmental monitoring system detects exceptions. All physiological data are stored in the database for family enquiries or accurate diagnoses by medical personnel.
Appearance of Planktothrix rubescens Bloom with [D-Asp3, Mdha7]MC–RR in Gravel Pit Pond of a Shallow Lake-Dominated Area
Authors: Vasas Gábor , Farkas Oszkár , Borics Gábor , Felföldi Tamás , Sramkó Gábor , Batta Gyula , Bácsi István , Gonda Sándor
Published: December 2013

Blooms of toxic cyanobacteria are well-known phenomena in many regions of the world. Microcystin (MC), the most frequent cyanobacterial toxin, is produced by entirely different cyanobacteria, including unicellular, multicellular filamentous, heterocytic, and non-heterocytic bloom-forming species. Planktothrix is one of the most important MC-producing genera in temperate lakes. The reddish color of cyanobacterial blooms viewed in a gravel pit pond with the appearance of a dense 3 cm thick layer (biovolume: 28.4 mm3 L−1) was an unexpected observation in the shallow lake-dominated alluvial region of the Carpathian Basin. [d-Asp3, Mdha7]MC–RR was identified from the blooms sample by MALDI-TOF and NMR. Concentrations of [d-Asp3, Mdha7]MC–RR were measured by capillary electrophoresis to compare the microcystin content of the field samples and the isolated, laboratory-maintained P. rubescens strain. In analyzing the MC gene cluster of the isolated P. rubescens strain, a deletion in the spacer region between mcyE and mcyG and an insertion were located in the spacer region between mcyT and mcyD. The insertion elements were sequenced and partly identified. Although some invasive tropical cyanobacterial species have been given a great deal of attention in many recent studies, our results draw attention to the spread of the alpine organism P. rubescens as a MC-producing, bloom-forming species.
Pancho Villa y el corrido de la revolución
Authors: Parra Max
Published: December 2013

En este trabajo se revisan sucintamente los atributos de la figura de héroe, Pancho Villa, en los corridos revolucionarios. Se proporciona una contextualizaciôn histôrica y cultural de éstos, sus antécédentes en los corridos de bandidos, y su incidencia en la formaciôn de una imagen viril del mexicano en el imaginario nacional.
La structure du commerce extérieur de la France en 1955 et 1956, par groupes de produits et par zones commerciales
Authors: Néel A.
Published: December 2013

Les échanges extérieurs de la France en 1956 sont, à première vue, fort différents de ceux de l'année 1955 : la balance du commerce des produits alimentaires est devenue profondément déficitaire, à la suite des gelées du mois de février 1956 ; l'expansion de l'économie, les opérations d'Algérie, puis, en fin d'année, le blocage du canal de Suez, ont augmenté la valeur des importations ou compromis le développement des exportations. Cependant, ces variations n'empêchent pas que soit constatée, en 1955 comme en 1956, la présence sous-jacente d'une structure des échanges dont l'absence permanente d'adaptation aux moyens comme aux besoins de notre économie, reste très préoccupante en 1957.
Les difficultés récentes de l'économie britannique
Authors: Obellianne Élisabeth
Published: December 2013

En 1955, le rythme d'expansion accéléré des investissements dans le secteur privé et un accroissement trop rapide des stocks ont amené un déséquilibre de l'économie britannique qui s'est traduit par des pénuries de certains produits de base et de main-d'oeuvre, une tension accrue sur les prix, une augmentation de la consommation intérieure, un accroissement du déficit commercial qui a provoqué une crise des payements extérieurs. Le relèvement du loyer de l'argent, des mesures de restrictions de crédit et des mesures fiscales, en stabilisant la demande intérieure, ont amené un redressement remarquable de la balance des payements en 1956. Ce résultat a été obtenu au prix d'une réduction d'activité dans certains secteurs de l'économie, qui cependant n'a pas réussi à limiter les revendications de salaires. La crise de Suez, en juillet 1956, a provoqué des mouvements spéculatifs de capitaux et les retraits de capitaux à court terme placés à Londres se sont reflétés par une chute des réserves d'or de la zone sterling si aiguë que le Gouvernement a dû prendre certaines mesures de sauvegarde en novembre 1956 : emprunts auprès du F.M.I, et de l'Export-Import Bank, remise du payement des intérêts de l'emprunt américain. En 1957, le redressement de l'activité économique observé au cours du deuxième trimestre a amené une reprise des tensions inflationnistes et le problème des prix et des salaires se pose avec acuité. L'amélioration du commerce et des payements extérieurs s'est maintenue, mais les spéculations contre la livre se sont aggravées en août et en septembre obligeant le Gouvernement à renforcer sa politique de restrictions de crédit.
Population Growth in the Border Villages of Srem, Serbia
Authors: Lukić Tamara , Bubalo - Živković Milka , Đerčan Bojan , Jovanović Gordana
Published: December 2013

Population growth in the border villages of Srem (Vojvodina, Serbia) has been analysed in this paper, with the goal of explaining how and why it differed from other areas in the region. Special attention has been paid to the 1990s, because these villages became part of a border region and a high level of migration on the territory of the former Yugoslavia occurred, much of it through this territory. The results of the research are derived from literary resources and applying mathematical and statistical procedures in the processing of data received from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. They were checked on the field via a questionnaire. This paper is significant because it enriches knowledge about villages of Srem, the municipality of Šid and population trends at the end of the 20th century.
CCL-21 Conditioned Regulatory T Cells Induce Allotolerance through Enhanced Homing to Lymphoid Tissue
Authors: Chauhan Sunil K. , Saban Daniel R. , Dohlman Thomas H. , Dana Reza
Published: December 2013

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are instrumental in the induction and maintenance of tolerance, including in transplantation. Tregs induce allotolerance by interacting with APCs and T cells, interactions that require their proper homing to the lymphoid tissues. Using a well-characterized model of corneal allotransplantation, we demonstrate in this study that Tregs in the draining lymph nodes (LN) of allograft acceptors, but not rejectors, colocalize with APCs in the paracortical areas and express high levels of CCR7. In addition, we show that Treg expression of CCR7 is important not only for Treg homing to the draining LN, but also for optimal Treg suppressive function. Finally, we show that Tregs augmented for CCR7 expression by their ex vivo stimulation with the CCR7 ligand CCL21 show enhanced homing to the draining LN of allograft recipients and promote transplant survival. Together, these findings suggest that CCR7 expression is critical for Treg function and migration and that conditioning of Treg for maximal CCR7 expression may be a viable strategy for promoting allograft survival.
Role of IL-6 in Mycobacterium avium–Associated Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome
Authors: Barber Daniel L. , Andrade Bruno B. , McBerry Cortez , Sereti Irini , Sher Alan
Published: December 2013

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is a major adverse event of antiretroviral therapy in HIV infection, and paradoxically occurs as HIV viremia is suppressed and CD4 T cell numbers recover. IRIS reflects pathogenic immune responses against opportunistic infections acquired during the period of immunodeficiency, but little is understood about the mechanisms of inflammatory pathology. In this study, we show that IL-6 and C-reactive protein levels transiently rise at the time of the IRIS event in HIV-infected patients, umasking Mycobacterium avium complex infection after starting antiretroviral therapy. To directly test the role of IL-6 in IRIS pathology, we used a model of experimentally inducible IRIS in which M. avium–infected T cell–deficient mice undergo a fatal inflammatory disease after reconstitution with CD4 T cells. We find that IL-6 neutralization reduces C-reactive protein levels, alleviates wasting disease, and extends host survival during experimental IRIS. Moreover, we show that combined blockade of IL-6 and IFN-γ further reduces IRIS pathology, even after the onset of wasting disease. The combination of these clinical and experimental–model data show that the IL-6 pathway is not only a biomarker of mycobacterial IRIS but also a major mediator of pathology distinct from IFN-γ and may be a useful target for therapeutic intervention.
Effects of Aging, Cytomegalovirus Infection, and EBV Infection on Human B Cell Repertoires
Authors: Wang Chen , Liu Yi , Xu Lan T. , Jackson Katherine J. L. , Roskin Krishna M. , Pham Tho D. , Laserson Jonathan , Marshall Eleanor L. , Seo Katie , Lee Ji-Yeun , Furman David , Koller Daphne , Dekker Cornelia L. , Davis Mark M. , Fire Andrew Z. , Boyd Scott D.
Published: December 2013

Elderly humans show decreased humoral immunity to pathogens and vaccines, yet the effects of aging on B cells are not fully known. Chronic viral infection by CMV is implicated as a driver of clonal T cell proliferations in some aging humans, but whether CMV or EBV infection contributes to alterations in the B cell repertoire with age is unclear. We have used high-throughput DNA sequencing of IGH gene rearrangements to study the BCR repertoires over two successive years in 27 individuals ranging in age from 20 to 89 y. Some features of the B cell repertoire remain stable with age, but elderly subjects show increased numbers of B cells with long CDR3 regions, a trend toward accumulation of more highly mutated IgM and IgG Ig genes, and persistent clonal B cell populations in the blood. Seropositivity for CMV or EBV infection alters B cell repertoires, regardless of the individual’s age: EBV infection correlates with the presence of persistent clonal B cell expansions, whereas CMV infection correlates with the proportion of highly mutated Ab genes. These findings isolate effects of aging from those of chronic viral infection on B cell repertoires and provide a baseline for understanding human B cell responses to vaccination or infectious stimuli.
Lepidoptera Pest Species Response to Mid-Summer Fire
Authors: Evans T. R. , Musters C. J. M. , Cashatt E. D. , de Snoo G. R.
Published: December 2013

In the American Midwest, summer fires are infrequent, and there is little information on their impact on ecosystems. After an accidental wildfire in a 20 ha grassland restoration, new growth provided effective substrate for the noctuid species corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), and tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (Fabricius). These agricultural pests feed on a number of important crop species and have been implicated in crop losses of up to 50 %. Invertebrate collections were made at 16 days, 45 days, 70 days, and 101 days post fire. A comparison of burned and unburned areas at 70 days post fire show 18 times the number of Lepidoptera larvae collected in pitfall traps in the burned area compared to the adjacent unburned area of the grasslands. These findings demonstrate that a mid-summer fire can affect the abundance of economically important insects.