bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationship Between Seizure Episode and Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Patients With Epilepsy
Authors: Stecker Eric C. , Reinier Kyndaron , Uy-Evanado Audrey , Teodorescu Carmen , Chugh Harpriya , Gunson Karen , Jui Jonathan , Chugh Sumeet S.
Published: August 2013

Background—

Among patients with epilepsy, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a major cause of death. It is commonly thought that SCA in epilepsy occurs after a seizure, though the strength of evidence supporting this is limited. We sought to evaluate the relationship between seizures and SCA in patients with epilepsy.

Methods and Results—

From the ongoing Oregon Sudden Unexpected Death Study, cases of SCA identified using prospective, multisource ascertainment (Portland metropolitan area, Oregon; population ≈1 million; February 1, 2002, to March 1, 2012) were evaluated for history of epilepsy. In the subset with witnessed SCA, clinical presentations were analyzed for evidence of seizure activity immediately before the event as well as lifetime clinical history, including nature of seizures before SCA. Only 34% of patients with history of epilepsy and a witnessed arrest had evidence of seizure activity before the arrest. Rates of survival to hospital discharge after attempted resuscitation were 2.7% in patients with history of epilepsy versus 11.9% for patients without epilepsy (
P
=0.014). Patients with epilepsy had a significantly lower rate of presentation with ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation as opposed to pulseless electrical activity/asystole (epilepsy, 26%; no epilepsy, 44%;
P
=0.002), despite nearly identical response times.

Conclusions—

In the majority (66%) of epilepsy patients, there was no relationship between seizure and SCA, implying that SCA in epilepsy patients often may not involve seizure as a trigger. The significantly worse rate of survival from SCA in epilepsy patients warrants urgent investigation.
Levels and Changes of HDL Cholesterol and Apolipoprotein A-I in Relation to Risk of Cardiovascular Events Among Statin-Treated Patients
Authors: Boekholdt S. Matthijs , Arsenault Benoit J. , Hovingh G. Kees , Mora Samia , Pedersen Terje R. , LaRosa John C. , Welch K.M.A. , Amarenco Pierre , DeMicco David A. , Tonkin Andrew M. , Sullivan David R. , Kirby Adrienne , Colhoun Helen M. , Hitman Graham A. , Betteridge D. John , Durrington Paul N. , Clearfield Michael B. , Downs John R. , Gotto Antonio M. , Ridker Paul M. , Kastelein John J.P.
Published: August 2013

Background—

It is unclear whether levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) or apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) remain inversely associated with cardiovascular risk among patients who achieve very low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol on statin therapy. It is also unknown whether a rise in HDL-C or apoA-I after initiation of statin therapy is associated with a reduced cardiovascular risk.

Methods and Results—

We performed a meta-analysis of 8 statin trials in which lipids and apolipoproteins were determined in all study participants at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Individual patient data were obtained for 38 153 trial participants allocated to statin therapy, of whom 5387 suffered a major cardiovascular event. HDL-C levels were associated with a reduced risk of major cardiovascular events (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.81–0.86 per 1 standard deviation increment), as were apoA-I levels (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.72–0.82). This association was also observed among patients achieving on-statin low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels <50 mg/dL. An increase of HDL-C was not associated with reduced cardiovascular risk (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.94–1.01 per 1 standard deviation increment), whereas a rise in apoA-I was (HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.90–0.97).

Conclusions—

Among patients treated with statin therapy, HDL-C and apoA-I levels were strongly associated with a reduced cardiovascular risk, even among those achieving very low low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. An apoA-I increase was associated with a reduced risk of major cardiovascular events, whereas for HDL-C this was not the case. These findings suggest that therapies that increase apoA-I concentration require further exploration with regard to cardiovascular risk reduction.
Dynamics of Household Assets and Income Shocks in the Long-run Process of Economic Development: The Case of Rural Pakistan
Authors: Kurosaki Takashi
Published: August 2013

This paper analyzes the dynamics of assets held by low-income households facing various types of income shocks in pre-independence and post-independence Pakistan. Focusing on the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North–West Frontier Province or NWFP), the paper first investigates long-run data at the district level beginning 1902. Results show that the population of livestock, the major asset of rural households, experienced a persistent decline after crop shocks due to droughts, but did not respond much to the Great Depression. In the post-independence period, crop agriculture continued to be vulnerable to natural disasters, although less substantially so, while the response of livestock to such shocks was indiscernible from district-level data. To examine microeconomic mechanisms underlying such asset dynamics, I analyze a panel dataset collected from approximately 300 households in three villages in the NWFP during the late 1990s. Results show that the dynamics of household landholding and livestock are associated with a single long-run equilibrium. When human capital is included, the dynamics curve changes its shape but this is not sufficiently nonlinear to produce statistically significant multiple equilibriums. The size of livestock holding was reduced in all villages hit by macroeconomic stagnation, while land depletion was reported only in a village with inferior access to markets. The patterns of asset dynamics established from historical and contemporary analyses are consistent with limited but improving access to consumption smoothing measures in the study region over the century.
African Tongues on the Israeli Stage: A Reversed Diaspora
Authors: Cofman-Simhon Sarit
Published: August 2013

Over the last decade, Moroccan Israeli and Ethiopian Israeli actors have started to speak Maghrebi and Amharic, respectively, onstage. Their performances indicate a new, nonmainstream theatrical richness and “otherness,” and acknowledge diasporic cultures in Israel. “This is not a ‘trend,’ it is a return,” says a well-known Israeli singer—it is a reversed diaspora.
The Aesthetics of the Invisible: Sacred Music in Secular (French) Places
Authors: Kapchan Deborah
Published: August 2013

Is listening a performance? How do “invisible” practices like Sufi Muslim sama', or sacred listening, impact the public and secular spaces of contemporary France? What do listening acts reveal about the political viability and performativity of sacred listening in a secular nation?
Introducing Greek Conversation Analysis
Authors: Terkourafi Marina , Hadjidemetriou Chryso , Vasilopoulou Alexandra
Published: August 2013

Although conversation analysis (CA) has been widely employed in different languages, its application to Greek talk-in-interaction is still quite limited. For this reason, in our introduction we summarise briefly the foundations of CA and present international and Greek CA bibliography on different areas of analysis in a manner that will be accessible to conversation analysts of various interests but also to researchers who are new to the field. We begin by outlining the foundations of CA and then offer a brief background to its development and its relationship to other disciplines. The empirical basis of CA is stressed by focussing on the process of collecting and transcribing data for CA and the method and units of analysis. We also give background information on the main CA areas of analysis (grammar-and-interaction, prosody, narrative analysis, institutional interaction, feminist CA, membership categorisation analysis, multimodal interaction). Finally, we present a brief overview of past studies of Greek talk-in-interaction and conclude with a summary of the articles of the Special Issue. By placing the emphasis on the fine-grained, turn-by-turn analysis, its ethnomethodological underpinnings and the understanding of social action, our aim is to set the tone for this Special Issue and to encourage future study of Greek conversational data and cross-cultural comparisons.
Tunes in Free Variation and Sequentially Determined Pitch Alignment: Evidence from Interactional Organisation
Authors: Kaimaki Marianna
Published: August 2013

Results arising from a study of the prosodic organisation of everyday talk in Greek suggest that 'falling' and 'rising' tunes might occur in free variation in certain interactional contexts. They also show that, at least for Greek, pitch alignment of rising tunes might be interactionally driven. I explore these possibilities by examining the organisation of two interactional sequences: a) response-to-summons turns (i.e. the first utterance by the recipient of a call) at the openings of Greek telephone calls, b) sequences involving the Greek continuer ne. Analysis of the first data set of response-to-summons turns suggests that the choice of falling or rising tune does not appear to have consequences for the design or subsequent development of the talk. Nor is there evidence in the interactional behaviour of the participants that the choice conveys a difference in pragmatic nuance. Analysis of the second data set shows that pitch alignment of rising tunes might be dependent on the interactional function and/or lexical design of the turn they occur in. I argue that choice of tune-type in this interactional context is related to particular lexical selections and that pitch alignment is related to interactional structure and composition of the turn.
Aspects of Advice Giving and Advice Receiving in Television Talk Shows
Authors: Poulios Apostolos
Published: August 2013

Advice giving sequences are often the result of troubles telling sequences in both ordinary conversation and institutional interaction: it is often the case that a troubles teller is offered advice by interlocutors which he/she tends to reject because the interactional rights of a troubles teller are valued and troubles tellers are reluctant to abandon them. This paper analyses advice giving that takes place during Greek reality-television talk shows in which people participate to talk about their troubles and possibly find a solution to the problems they face. Advice is offered by the host/hostess of these shows and/or a professional expert. I explore the ways in which advice is either accepted or rejected during the shows by the guests. The analysis indicates that the guests accept advice that affiliates with their troubles and tend to resist advice that is hearable as criticism of their actions and perspectives. In addition, advice recipients often resort to troubles talk as seeking affiliation with their troubles seems to be more important for them in the talk-show context.
Standard Modern and Pontic Greek Person Restrictions: A Feature-Free Dynamic Account
Authors: Chatzikyriakidis Stergios , Kempson Ruth
Published: August 2013

In this paper, using new evidence from Pontic Greek (PG) in addition to Standard Modern Greek, we argue that the Person Case Constraint (PCC), generally presumed to be an irreducible morphosyntactic constraint on clitic pronoun combinations and argued by several to provide evidence of feature-driven syntactic operations, is a direct consequence of processing considerations, these new data being inexplicable under any of the current feature-driven analyses (Anagnostopoulou 2003, 2005; Béjar & Rezac 2003; Bianchi 2006; Adger & Harbour 2007; Nevins 2007; Pescarini 2010 among others). Adopting the Dynamic Syntax (DS) perspective of Cann et al. (2005), in which syntax is defined as the monotonic incremental growth of semantic structure, with structural underspecification and update as the core syntactic notion, we argue that the PCC is wholly due to restrictions on tree-growth imposed by the logic of finite trees: that these should underpin observed gaps in possible clitic combinations is due to clitics being calcified reflexes of previously available tree-growth update-sequences whose variability is the source of word order variation. More specifically, we argue that PCC effects, including the problematic PG data, are the consequence of a tree-logic restriction that only one unfixed node can be present in a tree at any stage in the tree growth process. PG, a dialect in which no 3rd person clitic clusters are allowed, provides strong evidence for such a feature-free account. Contrary to current feature-based analyses, which would preclude such data, the analysis presented here is shown to directly predict the Pontic Greek data, thus pointing towards a feature-free account of the PCC.
Phylogenetic Methods in Historical Linguistics: Greek as a Case Study
Authors: Mooers Arne O. , Pappas Panayiotis A.
Published: August 2013

We review and assess the different ways in which research in evolutionary-theory-inspired biology has influenced research in historical linguistics, and then focus on an evolutionary-theory inspired claim for language change made by Pagel et al. (2007). They report that the more Swadesh-list lexemes are used, the less likely they are to change across 87 Indo-European languages, and posit that frequency-of-use of a lexical item is a separate and general mechanism of language change. We test a corollary of this conclusion, namely that current frequency-of-use should predict the amount of change within individual languages through time. We devise a scale of lexical change that recognizes sound change, analogical change and lexical replacement and apply it to cognate pairs on the Swadesh list between Homeric and Modern Greek. Current frequency-of-use only weakly predicts the amount of change within the history of Greek, but amount of change does predict the number of forms across Indo-European. Given that current frequency-of-use and past frequency-of-use may be only weakly correlated for many Swadesh-list lexemes, and given previous research that shows that frequency-of-use can both hinder and facilitate lexical change, we conclude that it is premature to claim that a new mechanism of language change has been discovered. However, we call for more in-depth comparative study of general mechanisms of language change, including further tests of the frequency-of-use hypothesis.
Clause Intertwining and Word Order in Ancient Greek
Authors: Allan Rutger J.
Published: August 2013

In Ancient Greek complex sentences consisting of a main and complement clause, constituents which semantically and syntactically belong to the complement clause can be placed in a position preceding or interrupting the main clause. This phenomenon is referred to as clause or sentence intertwining. This paper examines the pragmatic factors involved in the preposing of contituents in sentences containing an in initival complement clause. It will be argued that the specific pragmatic function of the preposed constituents is Theme (left dislocation), new/contrastive topic or narrow focus. Preposing can be analyzed as a device to pragmatically highlight the involved constituents. The paper also addresses the position of new, contrastive and given topics and of adverbs and clauses with Setting function.
Perfect Periphrases in Post-Classical and Early Byzantine Greek: An Ecological-Evolutionary Account
Authors: Bentein Klaas
Published: August 2013

I analyze the use and development of perfect periphrases with the verbs “be” (εἰμί) and “have” (ἔχω) in Post-classical and Early Byzantine Greek. While their importance has often been stressed in the context of the restructuring of the verbal system (more in particular the loss of the synthetic perfect), they have not received an in-depth, corpus-based treatment yet. The approach adopted in this article builds on insights from recently developed ecological-evolutionary models, which recognize the fact that language change is a two-step process, consisting of innovation and propagation, and that multiple ‘ecologogical’ factors influence the spread of a construction through the population (what I discuss in terms of ‘register’).
On the Verbal Complements of Aspectual Verbs
Authors: Lavidas Nikolaos , Drachman Gaberell
Published: August 2013

This article presents independent morpho-syntactic evidence from Ancient Greek and Old English supporting the existence of two alternative Aspect functional heads (following Fukuda 2007 on Modern Japanese and Modern English). The focus of the study is on the similarities between Ancient Greek and Old (and Modern) English aspectual verbs and on the consequences of these similarities for the analysis of aspectuals. Ancient Greek and Old English aspectual verbs fall into two groups: (a) aspectual verbs that could select both infinitive/to-infinitive and participial/ bare infinitive complements (aspectual in H-Asp), and (b) aspectual verbs that selected only a participial/bare infinitive complement (aspectual in L-Asp). No aspectual verb takes only infinitive/to-infinitive. Furthermore, “long middles/passives” is an option only with aspectual verbs in L-Asp, while the regular embedded middle/passive is the only option with an aspectual verb in H-Asp. The similar properties of the Greek and English aspectual verbs, however, historically manifest di󰀇ferent developments: English not only retained Old English possibilities (to- vs. bare infinitives), but later extended them from Middle English into the 18th century, while in Greek the development of the infinitive and the participle a󰀇fected the options of verbal complements of aspectual verbs.
Style Shifting from Cypriot towards Greek Phonology
Authors: Christodoulidou Maria
Published: August 2013

This study investigates how different linguistic audiences influence the speech styles of Cypriot Greeks who are bilinguals in Cypriot and Standard Modern Greek. Drawing upon the theoretical framework of language style as audience design (Bell 1984), this paper investigates style shifting of select phonological variables—from Cypriot Greek towards Standard Modern Greek—in the interactions of Cypriots with three types of audiences, composed of respectively: 1. Cypriot addressees and Greek auditors; 2. Greek and Cypriot addressees; and 3. Greek addressees and Cypriot auditors. The variables investigated are (k), (x), (t), (p). Apart from the specific results for each of the variables, this research demonstrates that the subjects under investigation shift their speech to imitate the speech of their addressees, whereas auditors have an inferior effect on style shifting. Specifically, the results of this study show greater style-shifting in conversations with an audience of Greek addressees rather than auditors.
„Authentizität“ in der Leben-Mohammed-Forschung
Authors: Nagel Tilman
Published: August 2013

Abstrakt/Resümee

Mit „Isnad-cum-matn-Analyse“ bezeichnet man ein formalistisches Verfahren, durch das man in den Quellen zur sīra das „authentische Material“ identifizieren könne. Sobald dieses Verfahren auf einen hinreichend großen Teil der Quellen angewendet sein werde, werde eine Biographie Mohammeds entstehen, die seiner Person gerecht werde. Nagel zeigt, warum sich diese Hoffnung nicht erfüllen kann. Der Islam hat zwischen der Berufung Mohammeds zum Gesandten Allahs und dem Ende des 7. Jahrhundert – der Entstehungszeit des Ḥadīt̠ – eine rasante Entwicklung seiner religiösen Erscheinungsformen durchlaufen. Der Schlüssel zum historischen Mohammed liegt im Verständnis dieser in den Quellen gut dokumentierten Entwicklung. Von diesem Verständnis her wird es möglich, den Inhalt des Mohammedglaubens des frühen Islam von der historischen Person zu unterscheiden.
La notice « ṣifat sadd Yāgūg wa-Māgūg » dans le Kitāb al-Masālik wa-l-mamālik d’Ibn Ḫurdād̠bih : une feintise réussie
Authors: Garnier Sébastien
Published: August 2013

Résumé

Et si Sallām n’avait jamais existé que dans l’imagination toute fabulatrice d’Ibn Ḫurdād̠bih qui aurait alors recouru à cette forgerie en vue de doter son Routier d’une entrée, en bonne et due forme, sur la barrière prétendument bâtie par le Bicornu face aux peuples de Gog et Magog ? La présente contribution a pour objectif de tester cette proposition pour conclure que ce ḫabar purement littéraire allait s’imposer en quelques décennies comme un discours de vérité.
Gĕi 'give' in Beijing and beyond 1
Authors: CHIRKOVA Katia , CHIRKOVA Katia
Published: August 2013

This article focuses on the various uses of gĕi 'give', as attested in a corpus of spoken Beijing Mandarin collected by the author. These uses are compared to those in earlier attestations of Beijing Mandarin from the end of the Qing, and to those in Greater Beijing Mandarin and in the Ji-Lŭ Mandarin dialects. The uses of gĕi in the corpus are shown to be consistent with those found in these two dialect groups, where the primary function of gei is that of indirect object marking and where, in contrast to Standard Mandarin, gei is not additionally used as an agent marker or a direct object marker. Exceptions to this pattern in the corpus are explained as a recent development arisen through reanalysis.
Proto-Japonic *e and *o in Eastern Old Japanese
Authors: PELLARD Thomas , PELLARD Thomas
Published: August 2013

In this article I examine the correspondences found between Western Old Japanese high vowels and Eastern Old Japanese midvowels in light of the recent hypotheses concerning the Proto-Japonic vowel system. Correspondences in both the morphology and the lexicon are established and then comparative evidence from several modem Japanese and Ryukyuan dialects is adduced to show that these are instances of retention of Proto-Japonic *e and *o.
On the chronology of the changes to Proto-Tai initial clusters *pl-, *ml-, *kl- in Northern Tai*
Authors: HUBER Daniel , HUBER Daniel
Published: August 2013

Reflexes of Proto-Tai initial clusters *pl-, *ml-, *kl- show a rich array of forms across modem Northern Tai, and these forms are worth studying for their phonotactic patterns. These lenitions to pj-, mj-, kj-, or py-, my-, ky-, or eventual palatalizations to tʃ- in Northern Tai are not extensively discussed in the literature: Li (1977) offers some crucial data but with little analysis, Qin (1997) offers further data with a chronology of the changes. It is precisely Qin's chronology that this paper challenges. The paper offers a chronology that is more plausible based on Qin's data and cross-linguistic evidence as well as Northern Tai phonotactics.
Les adverbes zài du chinois mandarin et encore dans le système temporel de Reichenbach
Authors: DONAZZAN Marta , SCHWER Sylviane R. , TOVENA Lucia M , DONAZZAN Marta , SCHWER SylvianeR. , TOVENA Lucia M.
Published: August 2013

Ce travail étudie les propriétés sémantiques de l'adverbe zài ??? du chinois mandarin, que nous analysons comme un adverbe de répétition restreint aux événements prospectifs par rapport au temps d'évaluation, et comparons avec l'adverbe encore du français, en reprenant l'analyse de Renaud et Luo (1987). Un examen détaillé des contraintes imposées par le système aspectuel des deux langues nous permet d'analyser les interactions de ces deux adverbes avec l'information temporelle véhiculée par la phrase. Notre description formelle s'appuie sur la caractérisation des différentes formes d'itération produites par les adverbes répétitifs, proposée par Donazzan (2008); Tovena et Donazzan (2008), et sur la représentation du modèle reichenbachien des temps verbaux sous forme de treillis de Delannoy généralisés, présentée par Autebert et Schwer (2003), et appliquée par Schwer (2007) à l'étude des temps verbaux.
The Thulung Raiverbal system:Anaccount of verb stem alternation *
Authors: LAHAUSSOIS Aimee , LAHAUSSOIS Aimée
Published: August 2013

Thulung Rai, an endangered Tibeto-Burman language of Eastern Nepal, has complex verbal morphology, with verb endings encoding agent and patient person and number in transitive scenarios. In addition to this, a large number of verbs alternate between several stems, and the stem selection criteria are initially elusive. Inspired by work by Boyd Michailovsky, who proposes morphophonological accounts for the verb stem alternation in related Dumi Rai, I propose an analysis of the Thulung verbal system and its verb stem alternation.
L'interprétation temporelle des subordonnées relatives en chinois standard : contribution de l'aspect lexical*
Authors: SAILLARD Claire , SAILLARD Claire
Published: August 2013

Cet article explore l'interprétation temporelle d'une classe de propositions relatives en chinois à partir des informations aspectuelles — aspect lexical et aspect grammatical — disponibles tant dans les subordonnées que dans les propositions principales. Nous y montrons l'interdépendance entre type d'intervalle temporel défini dans la proposition principale et aspect lexical du prédicat de la proposition relative. Nous y exposons sous quelles conditions l'interprétation temporelle d'une proposition relative est dépendante ou non des propriétés aspecto-temporelles de la proposition principale.
Verbs of Saying Serh 4 , Tann 3 and Kong 2 in Lì Jìng Jì : A constructional Approach*
Authors: LIEN Chinfa , Chinfa LIEN
Published: August 2013

The paper examines verbs of saying (serh4
???, tann3
???, and kong2
???) in Li
Jìng
Jì, a sixteenth century Southern Min play script, in terms of construction types. We draw a distinction between four major construction types and the use of verbs of saying in set expressions. The major concern is to study how the semantic roles of Speaker, Addressee and Message are selectively realized in each construction type. We argue that a great measure of simplicity can be attained in the representation of a speech event by distinguishing compositional construction types and set expressions.
Lycomimus, a new genus of Australian Ptilodactylidae (Coleoptera: Byrrhoidea)
Authors: LAWRENCE JOHN F. , SLIPINSKI ADAM
Published: August 2013

A new genus of Ptilodactylidae, Lycomimus gen. n., based on L. bejsaki sp. n. from northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, Australia, is described. The genus is compared with other known ptilodactylid genera, and a key is provided to the genera occurring in Australia.
A Bayesian Framework for Probabilistic Seasonal Drought Forecasting
Authors: Madadgar Shahrbanou , Moradkhani Hamid
Published: August 2013

Seasonal drought forecasting is presented within a multivariate probabilistic framework. The standardized streamflow index (SSI) is used to characterize hydrologic droughts with different severities across the Gunnison River basin in the upper Colorado River basin. Since streamflow, and subsequently hydrologic droughts, are autocorrelated variables in time, this study presents a multivariate probabilistic approach using copula functions to perform drought forecasting within a Bayesian framework. The spring flow (April–June) is considered as the forecast variable and found to have the highest correlations with the previous winter (January–March) and fall (October–December). Incorporating copula functions into the Bayesian framework, two different forecast models are established to estimate the hydrologic drought of spring given either the previous winter (first-order conditional model) or previous winter and fall (second-order conditional model). Conditional probability density functions (PDFs) and cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) are generated to characterize the significant probabilistic features of spring droughts. According to forecasts, the spring drought is more sensitive to the winter status than the fall status, which approves the results of prior correlation analysis. The 90% predictive bound of the spring-flow forecast indicates the efficiency of the proposed model in estimating the spring droughts. The proposed model is compared with the conventional forecast model, the ensemble streamflow prediction (ESP), and it is found that their forecasts are generally in agreement with each other. However, the forecast uncertainty of the new method is more reliable than the ESP method. The new probabilistic forecast model can provide insights to water resources managers and stakeholders to facilitate the decision making and developing drought mitigation plans.
Association Between Uric Acid and Coronary Collateral Circulation in Patients With Stable Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Uysal Onur Kadir , Sahin Durmus Yildiray , Duran Mustafa , Turkoglu Caner , Yıldırım Arafat , Elbasan Zafer , Ozkan Bugra , Tekin Kamuran , Kunak Aysegul Ulgen , Yilmaz Yucel , Kaya Mehmet Gungor , Gur Mustafa , Cayli Murat
Published: August 2013

Serum uric acid (SUA) levels have been proposed as a biomarker of coronary artery disease (CAD) and coronary collateral circulation (CCC). We investigated the association between SUA levels and development of CCC in patients with stable CAD. Consecutive patients (n = 480) with stable CAD who underwent coronary angiography and documented total occlusion in 1 of the major coronary arteries were included in this study. Levels of fasting blood glucose, white blood cell (WBC), creatinine, platelet count, and SUA were significantly higher in patients with poor CCC than in those with good CCC. After multivariate analysis, high levels of SUA were an independent predictor of CCC together with levels of fasting blood glucose and WBC. The receiver–operating characteristic analysis provided a cutoff value of 5.65 mg/dL for SUA to predict poor CCC with 60% sensitivity and 66% specificity. High levels of SUA may be associated with poor CCC in patients with stable CAD.
The Critical Tracking Task
Authors: Petzoldt Tibor , Bellem Hanna , Krems Josef F.
Published: August 2013

Objective:

We report on four experiments that investigated the critical tracking task’s (CTT) potential as a tool to measure distraction.

Background:

Assessment of the potential of new in-vehicle information systems to be distracting has become an important issue. An easy-to-use method, which might be a candidate to assess this distraction, is the CTT. The CTT requires an operator to stabilize a bar, which is displayed on a computer screen, such that it does not depart from a predefined target position. As the CTT reflects various basic aspects of the operational level of the driving task, we used it as a simple surrogate for driving to assess the CTT’s capabilities.

Method:

We employed secondary tasks of varying demand, artificial tasks as well as tasks representative of secondary tasks while driving, and asked participants to perform them together with the CTT in parallel. CTT performance, secondary task performance, and subjective ratings of load were recorded and analyzed.

Results:

Overall, the CTT was able to differentiate between different levels of demand elicited by the secondary tasks. The results obtained corresponded with our a priori assumptions about the respective secondary tasks’ potential to distract.

Conclusion:

It appears that the CTT can be used to assess in-vehicle information systems with regard to their potential to distract drivers. Additional experiments are necessary to further clarify the relationship between driving and CTT performance.

Application:

The CTT can provide a cost-effective solution as part of a battery of tests for early testing of new in-vehicle devices.
A quantitative analysis tool for quality assessment of nanocomposite masterbatches
Authors: Lively Brooks , Smoot William R , Sangari Samra S , Zhong Weihong
Published: August 2013

The use of masterbatches for increasing the industry friendliness of polymer nanocomposite production has grown in popularity over the last several years but is lacking a proper method for quality assessment. As the quality of a masterbatch is a critical pre-requisite for obtaining resultant high quality nanocomposites, a quantitative dispersion analysis tool viable and practical for industry use was studied in this paper. Polycarbonate/carbon nanotube masterbatches (10 wt.%) were prepared with a controlled dispersion state and their dispersion quality was assessed with a new quantitative stereological macrodispersion analysis tool. At the same time, the dispersion quality of the resultant two-step nanocomposites (diluted to 1 wt.%) was also assessed with the same method. It was demonstrated that the dispersion quality of the masterbatch has a significant effect on the quality of the second step composites. To confirm this relation, the material properties closely related to the dispersion quality of the masterbatch and diluted composites were studied. Moreover, we show that the use of stereology for the estimation of the bulk agglomeration state of a masterbatch system may yield a significant increase in accuracy over conventional methods.
A Missense Mutation in DUSP6 is Associated with Class III Malocclusion
Authors: Nikopensius T. , Saag M. , Jagomägi T. , Annilo T. , Kals M. , Kivistik P.A. , Milani L. , Metspalu A.
Published: August 2013

Class III malocclusion is a common dentofacial phenotype with a variable prevalence according to ethnic background. The etiology of Class III malocclusion has been attributed mainly to interactions between susceptibility genes and environmental factors during the morphogenesis of the mandible and maxilla. Class III malocclusion shows familial recurrence, and family-based studies support a predominance of an autosomal-dominant mode of inheritance. We performed whole-exome sequencing on five siblings from an Estonian family affected by Class III malocclusion. We identified a rare heterozygous missense mutation, c.545C>T (p.Ser182Phe), in the DUSP6 gene, a likely causal variant. This variant co-segregated with the disease following an autosomal-dominant mode of inheritance with incomplete penetrance. Transcriptional activation of DUSP6 has been presumed to be regulated by FGF/FGFR and MAPK/ERK signaling during fundamental processes at early stages of skeletal development. Several candidate genes within a linkage region on chromosome 12q22-q23 – harboring DUSP6 – are implicated in the regulation of maxillary or mandibular growth. The current study reinforces that the 12q22-q23 region is biologically relevant to craniofacial development and may be genetically linked to the Class III malocclusion.
Paid annual leave in Australia: Who gets it, who takes it and implications for work–life interference
Authors: Skinner Natalie , Pocock Barbara
Published: August 2013

Working time is mostly studied in terms of daily and weekly hours. However, longer breaks from work, in the form of paid annual leave, are also an important aspect of working time, and can help workers manage the fit between their working lives and activities beyond work. Analysing nationally representative data from the Australian Work and Life Index we find that 60% of full-time workers with an entitlement to paid annual leave did not use their full leave entitlement in 2009. Compared to an earlier survey in 2002, very little has changed. Work-related pressures are prominent barriers to leave uptake. There are significant work–life penalties for not taking paid annual leave – particularly for workers with parenting responsibilities and for women. When asked to choose between two weeks’ additional paid leave and an equivalent pay rise, the majority choose more paid leave over a pay increase. These findings support a strengthening of Australian employees’ paid leave entitlements, including increasing entitlements and broader eligibility. There is also a case for more assertive management of leave, so that workers can take annual leave regularly rather than allow leave to accumulate.
Wildcat strikes: A catalyst for union reform in Vietnam?
Authors: Chi Do Quynh , Broek Di van den
Published: August 2013

During the past decade, Vietnam has transitioned from a highly regulated and authoritarian system to a more market-oriented economy. During this period, Vietnam has also experienced unprecedented levels of industrial action. Informal wildcat strikes, as well as high labour turnover and absenteeism, were most apparent in foreign firms within specific provinces. This article examines the impact of wildcat strikes on reform within Vietnamese trade unions. It suggests that the strikes posed significant challenges for Vietnamese trade unions to be more democratic. However, union subordination to the Communist Party and managerially dependent enterprise unions remained a major obstacle to fundamental trade union reform.
The effects of ill health and informal care roles on the employment retention of mid-life women: Does the workplace matter?
Authors: Austen Siobhan , Ong Rachel
Published: August 2013

This article uses longitudinal data to measure the effects of ill health and informal care roles on the employment chances of mid-life women, and to examine how these effects are mediated by workplace characteristics. We find that women in jobs with lower skills/status encounter the greatest difficulty in finding accommodations for changes in their health and informal care roles. We identify an important role for paid sick leave and holiday leave in boosting employment retention. However, we find that the positive employment effects of permanent contracts do not extend to women experiencing increased informal care roles. Additionally, we do not identify a positive link between employment retention and flexible working time arrangements. However, we do establish a link between a preference for reduced working hours and employment cessation, suggesting that some women experience problems in achieving flexible working hours and that this causes some of them to leave work altogether. We argue that these findings are relevant to the design of policy initiatives aimed at lifting rates of workforce participation as part of the response to population ageing.
The effect of wind, body movement and garment adjustments on the effective thermal resistance of clothing with low and high air permeability insulation
Authors: Morrissey Matthew P , Rossi René M
Published: August 2013

Using a thermal manikin, the total clothing thermal resistance ( IT) of two clothing ensembles with the same air-impermeable outer layer but with either high or low air permeability insulation was determined at three different walking (0, 1 and 2.5 km.h−1) and wind (0.1, 1 and 2.5 m.s−1) speeds. Three clothing ‘configurations’ (outer garment sealed, outer garment open, outer and mid layer garment open) were also tested. The IT of the high-permeability insulation was lower than that of the low-permeability insulation, indicating more heat transfer by radiation and the possibility of natural convection between clothing layers. When the outer garment was opened to favor ventilation, the IT of the high-permeability insulation was reduced by between 15% (surface-weighted average) and 25% (locally) more than that of the low-permeability insulation, but when the outer garment was ‘sealed’, the IT of the high-permeability insulation was not reduced by a greater extent. The use of high-permeability insulation may allow clothing designers to create more comfortable clothing by encouraging ventilation, particularly by creating localized cooling.
Family and School Strains and Their Effects on Adolescent Deviance in Taiwan
Authors: Lin Wen-Hsu , Yi Chin-Chun
Published: August 2013

General strain theory is an established criminological theory. Although the theory has been examined by many, the propositions of mediating effects through negative emotions, lower social control, and criminogenic social learning environment are understudied. In addition, previous studies that touched on these mechanisms were limited to cross-sectional data or on samples from Western countries, mostly the United States. Consequently, proper casual relationships and possible cultural influences are ignored. The present study used a panel sample of youths from Taiwan to examine the three pathways from strains to deviance. We found that strains, school and family related, were related to deviance, and these strains increased student deviance by increasing depressive level, lowering school engagement, and increasing delinquent peer associations. Furthermore, we also found some complex relationships between these mediating factors, strains, and deviance. Some limitations were also discussed.
Right atrial obstruction due to cardiac extension of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Hayashida Kyoko , Okumura Satoru , Kawase Tetsunori
Published: August 2013

Hepatocellular carcinoma is fatal and has a marked propensity for vascular invasion. However, tumor thrombi rarely occur in the right atrium. A 72-year-old man was admitted with dyspnea and disturbed consciousness. Abdominal computed tomography and echocardiography showed a huge tumor thrombus in the inferior vena cava and the right atrium. The tumor thrombus was surgically removed to treat the hemodynamic compromise. The patient underwent transcatheter arterial chemoembolization postoperatively and survived for 6 months.
“Boundaries” and “thresholds”: Conceptual models of the musical mind in the history of music psychology
Authors: Kim Youn
Published: August 2013

The mutual relationship between German psychology and music theory in the late 19th century has been generally understood within the context of the positivist movement of this same time period. Studies of both the mind and music had been recently institutionalized as independent academic disciplines, both aspiring to be scientific. What might be more significant, however, than this shared aspiration is the change in the conception of the human mind itself: The question to be addressed is how the human psyche, the agency of musical listening, was conceptualized with the advent of new perspectives in mind science. Focusing on the conceptual rather than methodological dimension of interdisciplinarity, the present article looks into the selected writings of pioneers in the psychology of music including Hugo Riemann, Johann Friedrich Herbart, Wilhelm Wundt, and Gustav Fechner. A closer inspection of the use of technical terms such as Vorstellungen and Tonvorstellungen reveals a flux between different psychological conceptualizations that can be characterized by ideas such as “boundary” and “threshold.” The notions of the human psyche fluctuated between mind ( Geist) and soul ( Seele) – to borrow Edward Reed’s expression – and this conceptual change possibly points to an important paradigmatic shift in early music psychology.
Pornography Consumption and Opposition to Affirmative Action for Women
Authors: Wright Paul J. , Funk Michelle
Published: August 2013

Despite the persistence of wage gaps and other indicators of discrimination, many Americans oppose affirmative action for women. Our study investigated a potential source of social influence that has often been hypothesized to reduce compassion and sympathy for women: pornography. National panel data were employed. Data were gathered in 2006, 2008, and 2010 from 190 adults ranging in age from 19 to 88 at baseline. Pornography viewing was indexed via reported consumption of pornographic movies. Attitudes toward affirmative action were indexed via opposition to hiring and promotion practices that favor women. Contrary to a selective-exposure perspective on media use, prior opposition to affirmative action did not predict subsequent pornography viewing. Consistent with a social learning perspective on media effects, prior pornography viewing predicted subsequent opposition to affirmative action even after controlling for prior affirmative action attitudes and a number of other potential confounds. Gender did not moderate this association. Practically, these results suggest that pornography may be a social influence that undermines support for affirmative action programs for women. Theoretically, these results align with the perspective that sexual media activate abstract scripts for social behavior which may be applied to judgments that extend beyond the specific interaction patterns depicted.
Botulinum Toxin Type A in Children and Adolescents With Severe Cerebral Palsy
Authors: Mesterman Ronit , Gorter Jan Willem , Harvey Adrienne , Lockhart Julia , McEwen-Hill Jenny , Margallo Karen , Goldie Nancy
Published: August 2013

This retrospective cohort study reviewed set goals and their outcomes of children and adolescents with severe cerebral palsy who received botulinum toxin A in 2008 and 2009. Sixty children (36 male, mean age 9 years) were included. They received on average 4 (range 1-7) treatments, with the dosage varying between 20 and 400 units per treatment (3-21 U/kg/body weight). Mild transient side effects were reported in 12 of 242 treatments with botulinum toxin A. Treatment goals were related to lower limb function (82%), range of motion (68%), positioning (33%), upper limb function (33%), and facilitating ease of care in dressing (30%), toileting, and diapering (22%). The treatment goals were reached in 60% to 85% by report of the parent and child dyad. Our findings suggest that botulinum toxin A should be considered as a treatment option in patients with cerebral palsy within Gross Motor Function Classification System levels IV and V.
Proximal Myopathy
Authors: Suthar Renu , Sankhyan Naveen , Thapa B. R. , Singhi Pratibha
Published: August 2013

Celiac disease presenting as proximal myopathy is rarely seen, particularly in children. We report a 5-year-old girl who presented with bilateral lower limb weakness and on examination had proximal myopathy. She also had florid rickets and short stature. On investigation, the underlying etiology turned out to be celiac disease. Proximal myopathy with celiac disease can be secondary to the disease per se or due to associated osteopenia and rickets.
Management of Comorbidities in Diabetics With Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Rabey Jonathan L. , Yin Jingjing , Kublas Tammy M. , Mashtare Terry , Ceacareanu Alice C.
Published: August 2013

Objectives:

This study evaluated whether particular diabetes mellitus (DM), hyperlipidemia, or hypertension pharmacotherapy was associated with improved renal cell carcinoma (RCC) outcomes in diabetics with emergent RCC.

Methods:

All DM cases newly diagnosed with RCC at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (January 01, 2003-December 31, 2010) were included (n = 95). Baseline demographic information, clinical history, and cancer outcomes were documented after chart review. Fisher’s test was used for the analysis of categorical outcomes across different treatment groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses for the comparisons of the overall survival and progression-free survival across treatment groups were assessed using Kaplan-Meier log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards models.

Results:

We found that DM pharmacotherapy users, which may represent a more advanced disease as compared to those controlled by diet alone, displayed significantly greater mortality ( P = .01). Additionally, we found that cholesterol-lowering pharmacotherapy use was associated with decreased RCC mortality (hazard ratio = 0.54, P = .06). Individuals receiving combined hypertension regimens had a lower chance to present with baseline metastasis; however, hypertension pharmacotherapy use added no survival benefit.

Conclusion:

Reinforcing guidelines compliance for hyperlipidemia management in patients with DM may provide a considerable cancer benefit if diagnosed with RCC. Studies evaluating the need for cholesterol-lowering pharmacotherapy in guidelines-noncompliant DM cases upon RCC diagnosis are currently needed.