bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
European Banking Policy: Past, Present and Future
Authors: Bruton John
Published: June 2011

Over the last half-century, economic integration in Europe has, despite some legitimate flaws, been tremendously successful in creating a situation of peace and prosperity. The success we enjoy today, however, has not always come easily. At many points along the path of European integration, policymakers were forced to make difficult choices that demanded political courage and foresight. Now is just such a time. As Europe emerges from the crippling worldwide economic crisis, it is imperative that policymakers unite on key measures to re-capitalise Europe's banks, provide proper regulatory oversight and control public debt. Europe's future economic vitality depends on it.
The Transatlantic Relationship: An Alliance of Values
Authors: Lee Crowley Brian
Published: June 2011

The long-standing close relationship between the democracies of Europe and North America has been based on shared values. However, the central value we share is not democracy in the abstract. Rather, it is the spirit of individual liberty and the conviction, deeply rooted in our culture, that governments must be bound by the rule of law that preserves the rights of individuals and of minorities, plus a willingness to make sacrifices to defend these values. The will to protect and defend these values have been eroding on both sides of the Atlantic. But the process of erosion is clearly further advanced in Europe, where the institutions of the welfare state matter enormously and large portions of the populace have become dependent on state aid. These developments have brought both Americans and Europeans to a crossroads. On the one hand, Americans must resist the seductive urge to shrug off global responsibilities and retreat into isolation and, on the other, Europeans must beware of pushing their North American allies away. To preserve the transatlantic partnership we must grasp that what increasingly divides us is not policy disputes or political styles but the crumbling commitment of Western culture to the values that made it special and without which no will to defend it can possibly exist.
The Arab Spring: What's in it for Us?
Authors: Freudenstein Roland
Published: June 2011

The wave of protest movements and revolts spreading in the Middle East and North Africa presents the EU and the US with a unique opportunity: to help create a freer and more stable environment in the South and Southeast. A joint strategic approach with the US, a reformed and enhanced ENP with serious conditionality and a renewed emphasis on trade and migration policy, and a greatly enhanced effort to help build civil societies and democratic party structures are the decisive ingredients of a response to the Arab Spring that is based on our core values.
Emergency ultrasound diagnosis of a left atrial thrombus and diffuse emboli
Authors: Datta Anita , Kapoor Monica , Pearl-Davis Michelle , Lema Penelope Chun
Published: June 2011

Introduction

A 71-year-old female with a history of atrial fibrillation presented to the emergency department (ED) for abdominal pain. A computed tomography (CT) scan in ED showed an abdominal aortic thrombus and diffuse emboli suspicious for a cardiac source.

Methods

A bedside ultrasound was performed which confirmed the presence of a dilated left atrium with thrombus. The patient was admitted to the hospital and eventually placed on anticoagulation.

Conclusions

Atrial fibrillation is a common cause of atrial thrombus. Intracardiac thrombus can be diagnosed by bedside echocardiography in the ED. Emboli can occur as a complication of thrombus in the atrium. Management may include anticoagulation or surgical intervention.
Brief report: Gum chewing affects standardized math scores in adolescents
Authors: Johnston Craig A. , Tyler Chermaine , Stansberry Sandra A. , Moreno Jennette P. , Foreyt John P.
Published: June 2011

Gum chewing has been shown to improve cognitive performance in adults; however, gum chewing has not been evaluated in children. This study examined the effects of gum chewing on standardized test scores and class grades of eighth grade math students. Math classes were randomized to a gum chewing (GC) condition that provided students with gum during class and testing, or a control condition with no gum (NGC). Participants included 108 students. The math sections of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ‐III), and math class grades were used to assess academic performance. Students in the gum chewing condition improved standardized test scores and maintained higher grades in math class compared to those in the no‐gum chewing condition. These results are encouraging as gum chewing may be a cost‐effective and easily implemented method to increase student performance.

Trial Registration: NCT00792116.
Effects of partial rootzone drying and rootstock vigour on dry matter partitioning of apple trees (Malus domesticacvar Pink Lady)
Authors: LO BIANCO R. , TALLUTO G. , FARINA V.
Published: June 2011

The effects of partial rootzone drying (PRD) and rootstock vigour on dry matter accumulation and partitioning among leaves, shoots, fruits, frame and roots of apple trees (Malus domesticaBorkh. cvar Pink Lady) were investigated in 2005 near Caltavuturo, in Sicily. In a first field trial, trees on MM.106 rootstock were subjected to: conventional irrigation (CI), maintaining soil moisture above 0·80 of field capacity; PRD irrigation, where alternating sides of the rootzone received 0·50 of the CI irrigation water; and continuous deficit irrigation (DI), where 0·50 of the CI water was equally applied to both sides of the rootzone. In a second trial, trees on M.9 or MM.106 were subjected to CI and PRD irrigation. In trial 1, dry matter accumulation was markedly reduced by DI irrigation and to a lesser extent by PRD; PRD trees partitioned 20% less to leaves, 31% less to fruits and 24% more to woody components than CI trees; DI trees partitioned 14% less to current shoots and 18% more to fruits than CI and had the highest fruit:leaf ratio. In trial 2, there was no interaction between rootstock and irrigation treatments. MM.106 induced greater leaf, shoot, frame and root dry weights (DWs) than M.9, resulting in more vegetative growth and larger trees. PRD reduced leaf, shoot, frame and fruit DWs, while root DWs were similar to CI, and thus PRD trees were 18% smaller than CI trees. Neither rootstock nor irrigation affected dry matter partitioning among organs or root:canopy ratio, whereas PRD trees or trees on MM.106 showed better water use efficiency than CI and M.9, respectively. The results show that PRD trees did not activate drought tolerance strategies in terms of dry matter allocation that could improve acquisition of water resources, regardless of rootstock. PRD irrigation increased above-ground dry matter partitioning towards woody components at the expense of leaves and fruits.
Laboratory assessment of ammonia emission after soil application of treated and untreated manures
Authors: MONACO S. , SACCO D. , PELISSETTI S. , DINUCCIO E. , BALSARI P. , ROSTAMI M. , GRIGNANI C.
Published: June 2011

Ammonia (NH3) volatilization from soil-applied manure not only causes environmental pollution but also reduces the fertilization value of the manure. Anaerobic digestion and solid/liquid separation alter the physical and chemical characteristics of slurry, which affect NH3 emissions after application. The present study measured potential laboratory NH3 losses from different manures, untreated pig slurry and the liquid fractions of each untreated and digested slurry, after their application to two different soil types. The experiment was carried out in dynamic chambers using a photoacoustic infrared gas analyser to determine the NH3 concentration in the air stream directly.

The estimated values of nitrogen (N) emitted for surface-applied, untreated pig slurry were 0·26±0·064 mg per mg of applied total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN). For the liquid fractions of pig slurry and digested pig slurry, results were 0·13±0·064 and 0·16±0·064 mg/mg, respectively. Initial NH3–N emission rates from surface-applied, untreated pig slurry were higher than those measured for either liquid fraction; in the case of the untreated pig slurry, half was emitted in the first 4·9 h of measurement. Silty-loam soil showed a higher N emission than loam soil with surface-applied slurries. This result was probably due to the higher infiltration rate of loam soil, even offsetting the effect of its high soil pH. Immediate manure incorporation into the soil was shown to reduce NH3 emissions by 82%. Results demonstrated that a method combining dynamic chambers with a photoacoustic gas analyser was as reliable as the widely used acid traps method. Moreover, direct measurement with the gas analyser permits an increasing temporal resolution that gave a high-quality description of the NH3 emission dynamic.
The Politics of Anglican Martyrdom: Letters to John Walker, 1704–1705
Authors: NEUFELD MATTHEW
Published: June 2011

This article explores the political significance of past Christian suffering at the dawn of the Augustan era through an analysis of correspondence containing accounts of hardships endured by conforming clergymen during the English civil wars and Interregnum. The politics of martyrdom to be derived from letters to John Walker was grounded on the correspondents' conviction that their epistles conveyed accounts of sequestered clergymen and their families who had suffered for their profession of Christian truth. The persecutions that loyal clergy had endured during the 1640s and 1650s were signs that the Church by law established, both then and now, was the true English Church. Furthermore, as documentary witnesses to oral testimonies which identified the genuine sufferers for Christian truth within recent memory, the epistles themselves aspired to be martyrological relics.
Secularisation, Church and Popular Religion
Authors: BRUCE STEVE
Published: June 2011

The contrast between institutional and popular (or folk) religion is used by some social historians to rebut the sociological secularisation thesis. This article uses a re-examination of religion in the north Yorkshire fishing village of Staithes to consider how some elements of popular religion change with the decline of institutional religion. It concludes by suggesting that, far from enduring despite the decline of the Christian Churches, popular religion is doubly vulnerable to secularisation: it is directly eroded by secularising forces and it is indirectly undermined by the decline of the Churches. Without an institutional core, a popular religious culture cannot be sustained.
Visual memory as a potential cognitive endophenotype of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Shang C. Y. , Gau S. S.
Published: June 2011

Background

Executive functions have been proposed as endophenotypes for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); however, data regarding visual memory are lacking. We therefore assessed visual memory in adolescents with ADHD and their unaffected siblings compared with controls.

Method

The participants included 279 adolescents with ADHD, 108 unaffected siblings, and 173 unaffected school controls. They were assessed by using the visual memory tasks of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB): Delayed Matching to Sample (DMS), Spatial Recognition Memory (SRM), Paired Associates Learning (PAL), and Pattern Recognition Memory (PRM).

Results

Compared with the controls, probands with ADHD had a significantly lower number of correct responses, a higher probability of an error following a correct response and following an error response in the DMS, and a lower percentage of correct responses in the SRM. Their unaffected siblings occupied an intermediate position between ADHD probands and controls in the probability of an error following a correct response and following an error response in the DMS, and in the percentage of correct responses in the SRM. In general, lower IQ and current use of and duration of treatment with methylphenidate were associated with more severe visual memory deficits.

Conclusions

The present results suggest that ADHD is associated with poorer visual memory function. Visual memory assessed by the DMS and SRM tasks in the CANTAB may be a useful endophenotype for ADHD.
Social Policy Digest Online
Authors: Bennett Fran , Jones Ken
Published: June 2011

The Social Policy Digest is a major online resource providing up-to-date listings of developments across the whole range of social policy issues – including links to source materials and related commentaries. The Digest is published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Social Policy Association.
The economic-institutional construction of regions: conceptualisation and operationalisation
Authors: POWERS KATHY , GOERTZ GARY
Published: June 2011

The international relations literature on regionalism, both in economic and security issues, has grown dramatically over the last 15 years. One of the ongoing issues discussed in most articles and books is the conceptualisation of ‘region’. Instead of thinking about regions using notions of interdependence and interaction we take a social constructivist approach, whereby states themselves define regions via the construction of regional economic institutions (REI). We explore how a conceptualisation of region based on REIs contrasts with various related concepts such as regional system, and regional IGO. Empirically, we show that most all countries belong to at least one important regional economic institution, REI, (for example, EU, Mercosur, ASEAN, etc). In short, the world is dividing itself into regions by the creation of regional economic institutions. We contrast our economic-institutional approach to regions with Buzan and Wæver's ‘regional security complexes’ which is based on security dependence. There are interesting agreements and disagreements between their approach and our economic-institutional approach to defining regions. It is perhaps not surprising that many REIs have taken on security roles, which we briefly show by looking at military alliances embedded in REIs. This suggests that policymakers are creating regions through institutional innovations that link economic and security issues.
Why do civil wars occur? Another look at the theoretical dichotomy of opportunity versus grievance
Authors: TAYDAS ZEYNEP , ENIA JASON , JAMES PATRICK
Published: June 2011

The purpose of this article is to review major theoretical arguments with regard to the causes of civil war and identify problems associated with the conceptual juxtaposition of opportunity versus grievance that predominates in the field. While they are critical aspects of conflict processes, perception of opportunity and grievance as two mutually competing explanations or separate categories ultimately can limit, rather than facilitate, our understanding of civil conflicts. For example, we show that not all motives can be designated easily as deriving from one or the other. In addition, the existing dichotomous framework masks other important questions about the way that collective action is achieved in some circumstances and not others or the way that some factors seem to generate grievances at one stage, perhaps, but then an opportunity at another orvice versa. Thus the priority should be to develop an integrated, comprehensive approach that can account for fundamental aspects of complex conflict processes. We conclude by providing suggestions for future research on civil conflict.
Effect of chirping on the intensity profile and growth rate of modulation instability of a laser pulse propagating in plasma
Authors: Mishra Rohit K. , Jha Pallavi
Published: June 2011

This paper deals with the analytical study of the effect of chirping of a laser pulse on its intensity profile, as it propagates in plasma. Considering a matched laser beam, graphical analysis of the intensity distribution across the chirped laser pulse and growth of modulation instability has been presented. Further, considering finite pulse effects to be a perturbation, the growth rate of modulation instability of the chirped laser pulse is evaluated and compared with that obtained due to an unchirped pulse.
Stability properties of the electron return current for intense ion beam propagation through background plasma
Authors: Khudik V.N. , Startsev E.A. , Davidson R.C.
Published: June 2011

When an intense ion beam propagates through a dense background plasma, its current is partially neutralized by the electron plasma return current. Due to the non-uniformity of the background plasma electrons longitudinal velocity profile ${\bar v}$(r), the flow can be unstable. The instability is similar to the Kelvin-Helmholz instability for the non-uniform flow of an incompressible neutral fluid, with the electrostatic potential playing the role of pressure. For the case of electron return current flow, the significant new feature is the presence of the partially self-neutralized magnetic field of the ion beam, which significantly affects the evolution of small-amplitude excitations. In this paper the stability properties of the flow of electrons making up the plasma return current is investigated using the macroscopic cold-fluid-Maxwell equations. It is shown that this flow may become unstable, but the instability growth rates are exponentially small. This unstable body mode is qualitatively different from previously studied surface-mode excitations of the electron plasma return current for an intense ion beam with a sharp radial boundary, which is found to be stable due to the stabilizing influence of the partially neutralized magnetic field of the ion beam.
Families of curve congruences on Lorentzian surfaces and pencils of quadratic forms
Authors: Nabarro Ana Claudia , Tari Farid
Published: June 2011

We define and study families of conjugate and reflected curve congruences associated to a self-adjoint operator on a smooth and oriented surface M endowed with a Lorentzian metric g. These families trace parts of the pencil joining the equations of the -asymptotic and the -principal curves, and the pencil joining the -characteristic and the -principal curves, respectively. The binary differential equations (BDEs) of these curves can be viewed as points in the projective plane. Using the polar lines of various BDEs with respect to the conic of degenerate quadratic forms, we obtain geometric results on the above pencils and their relation with the metric g, on the type of solutions of a given BDE, of its -conjugate equation and on BDEs with orthogonal roots.
Towards a Kantian Theory of International Distributive Justice
Authors: Williams Howard
Published: June 2011

This article examines where Kant stands on the question of the redistribution of wealth and income both nationally and globally. Kant is rightly seen as a radical reformer of the world order from a political standpoint seeking a republican, federative worldwide system; can he also be seen as wanting to bring about an equally dramatic shift from an economic perspective? To answer this question we have first of all to address the question of whether he is an egalitarian or an inegalitarian at the national level. Certainly there are certain social and material inequalities within a civil society Kant is prepared to accept and there are some he is not. This would imply that he would affirm certain inequalities at an international level and that there are others upon which he would recommend action. Thus the question arises as to whether or not it is appropriate for Kantians to regard the current enormous inequalities in wealth and income between individuals living in different parts of the globe as scandalous and in need of change. The paper throughout relates the problem of distributive justice within the state to the problem of distributive justice amongst states, arguing that this approach is warranted by Kant's own method. Particular attention is paid to how Kant's own approach to political philosophy may be deployed to underpin a change to a distinctive type of international distributive justice.
Is Kant's Transcendental Deduction of the Categories Fit for Purpose?
Authors: Gomes Anil
Published: June 2011

James Van Cleve has argued that Kant's transcendental deduction of the categories shows, at most, that we must apply the categories to experience. This falls short of Kant's aim, which is to show that they must so apply. In this discussion I argue that, once we have noted the differences between the first and second editions of the deduction, this objection is less telling. But Van Cleve's objection can help illuminate the structure of the B deduction, and it suggests an interesting reason why the rewriting might have been thought necessary.
TELESCOPIC LINKAGES AND A TOPOLOGICAL APPROACH TO PHASE TRANSITIONS
Authors: FARBER MICHAEL , FROMM VIKTOR
Published: June 2011

A topological approach to the theory of equilibrium phase transitions in statistical physics is based on the topological hypothesis, which claims that phase transitions are due to changes of the topology of suitable submanifolds in the configuration space. In this paper we examine in detail the antiferromagnetic mean-field XY model and study the topology of the subenergy manifolds. The latter can be interpreted mechanically as the configuration space of a linkage with one telescopic leg. We use methods of Morse theory to describe explicitly the Betti numbers of this configuration space. We apply these results to the antiferromagnetic mean-field XY model and compute the exponential growth rate of the total Betti number. Previous authors studied the Euler characteristic rather than the total Betti number. We show that in the presence of an external magnetic field the model undergoes a single ‘total Betti number phase transition’.
The Social Science of Democracy?
Authors: Craiutu Aurelian
Published: June 2011

Alexis de Tocqueville, the First Social Scientist. By Jon Elster. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 212p. $80.00 cloth, $22.99 paper.

Alexis de Tocqueville is surely one of the most widely cited, discussed, and celebrated political theorists in the world. Jon Elster's book,Alexis de Tocqueville: the First Social Scientistproceeds from a provocative premise: that Tocqueville's major works were lacking in “system” and were “hugely incoherent,” and that Tocqeuville himself “was not a major political thinker” (xi). Elster argues that instead Tocqueville ought to be viewed as a penetrating historical sociologist and an exemplary social scientist who might well be considered the first true social scientist. Elster's argument is important for at least two reasons: first, because it offers a striking and challenging reading of Tocqueville; and second, because it expands on Elster's own contributions in the philosophy of social science, and develops interesting understandings of “causal mechanisms,” methodological individualism, and social explanation more generally. As Elster writes in his Introduction, “the main task of this book is to argue for the relevance of Tocqueville for social science in the twenty-first century (p. 5).” The purpose of this Perspectives symposium is to assess Elster's argument in broad terms. What are the strengths and limits of Elster's reading of Tocqueville? How ought we to assess Elster's understanding of Tocqueville's deficiencies as a “political theorist?” What is the relevance of Tocqueville for contemporary social science? And, most importantly, what are the challenges and possible trajectories facing social science in the twenty-first century, and to what extent does Elster's essay point us in the right direction?—Jeffrey C. Isaac, Editor
The Social Science of Democracy?
Authors: Gerring John
Published: June 2011

Alexis de Tocqueville, the First Social Scientist. By Jon Elster. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 212p. $80.00 cloth, $22.99 paper.

Alexis de Tocqueville is surely one of the most widely cited, discussed, and celebrated political theorists in the world. Jon Elster's book,Alexis de Tocqueville: the First Social Scientistproceeds from a provocative premise: that Tocqueville's major works were lacking in “system” and were “hugely incoherent,” and that Tocqeuville himself “was not a major political thinker” (xi). Elster argues that instead Tocqueville ought to be viewed as a penetrating historical sociologist and an exemplary social scientist who might well be considered the first true social scientist. Elster's argument is important for at least two reasons: first, because it offers a striking and challenging reading of Tocqueville; and second, because it expands on Elster's own contributions in the philosophy of social science, and develops interesting understandings of “causal mechanisms,” methodological individualism, and social explanation more generally. As Elster writes in his Introduction, “the main task of this book is to argue for the relevance of Tocqueville for social science in the twenty-first century (p. 5).” The purpose of this Perspectives symposium is to assess Elster's argument in broad terms. What are the strengths and limits of Elster's reading of Tocqueville? How ought we to assess Elster's understanding of Tocqueville's deficiencies as a “political theorist?” What is the relevance of Tocqueville for contemporary social science? And, most importantly, what are the challenges and possible trajectories facing social science in the twenty-first century, and to what extent does Elster's essay point us in the right direction?—Jeffrey C. Isaac, Editor
Ordering Power: Contentious Politics and Authoritarian Leviathans in Southeast Asia. By Dan Slater. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. 342p. $85.00 cloth, $28.99 paper.
Authors: Levitsky Steven , Way Lucan A.
Published: June 2011

It is not easy to offer a critical review of Dan Slater's book. Ordering Power makes several major contributions to the study of both state building and authoritarian durability. The book's analysis converges with ours in many areas; in some of these areas, it takes important steps beyond it.
Complex Justice: The Case ofMissouri v. Jenkins. By Joshua M. Dunn. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2008. 240p. $39.95.
Authors: Alonso Gaston
Published: June 2011

Joshua Dunn presents a carefully researched study of Missouri v. Jenkins, a Kansas City case that led to the nation's “most expansive and expensive” school desegregation effort (p. 4). Dunn draws important lessons from the case regarding the limitations of judicial policymaking and the inability, and often unwillingness, of our nation to respond to demands by urban communities of color that equal and excellent schools be made available to all children.
Response to Deborah Gould's Review ofQueering the Public Sphere in Mexico and Brazil: Sexual Rights Movements in Emerging Democracies
Authors: de la Dehesa Rafael
Published: June 2011

As I wrote in my review, Deborah Gould offers us a valuable conceptual tool kit in Moving Politics with which to explore the role of affect and emotion in social movements. In her review of my book, she invites me to address these dimensions in my own account of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) activism in Brazil and Mexico.
Popular Development Economics—An Anthropologist among the Mandarins
Authors: McGovern Mike
Published: June 2011

In 1997, I found myself newly arrived at Oxford University. I was taking a detour from my path to do research in West Africa thanks to a fellowship that funded a year of ancillary training before my fieldwork. Though studying anthropology, I was at St. Antony's College, where Paul Collier's Center for the Study of African Economies is located, and was in the same entering cohort as Collier's now-famous student Dambisa Moyo (assuming I would not be able to remember her first name, she offered, “it sounds kind of like ‘pizza’”).
Analyzing Democracy
Authors: Isaac Jeffrey C.
Published: June 2011

Perspectives on Politics is a unique political science journal. Approaching its tenth year of existence, its broad mission is to publish excellent political science, and in so doing to contribute to the enlivening of scholarly communication within the discipline and thus to the broader relevance of the discipline in the world. With this in mind, our editorial team decided to “brand” the journal A Political Science Public Sphere. Readers of this journal know that we publish work in a number of formats that mirror the ways that political scientists actually write: self-contained scholarly research articles, more freewheeling and reflective essays, scholarly symposia and critical dialogues, book review essays, and of course the conventional book review.
Conceptualizing and Measuring Democracy: A New Approach
Authors: Coppedge Michael , Gerring John , Altman David , Bernhard Michael , Fish Steven , Hicken Allen , Kroenig Matthew , Lindberg Staffan I. , McMann Kelly , Paxton Pamela , Semetko Holli A. , Skaaning Svend-Erik , Staton Jeffrey , Teorell Jan
Published: June 2011

In the wake of the Cold War, democracy has gained the status of a mantra. Yet there is no consensus about how to conceptualize and measure regimes such that meaningful comparisons can be made through time and across countries. In this prescriptive article, we argue for a new approach to conceptualization and measurement. We first review some of the weaknesses among traditional approaches. We then lay out our approach, which may be characterized ashistorical,multidimensional,disaggregated,andtransparent.We end by reviewing some of the payoffs such an approach might bring to the study of democracy.
The Art of Political Science: Spatial Diagrams as Iconic and Revelatory
Authors: Brady Henry E.
Published: June 2011

Spatial diagrams of politics could and should be iconic for political science in much the same way as supply-and-demand curves are in economics. Many fundamental problems of political science can be connected with them, and many different concepts—such as ideological constraint, cross-pressures, framing, agenda-setting, political competition, voting systems, and party systems, to name just a few—can be illuminated through spatial diagrams. Spatial diagrams raise questions and provide insights. They suggest political maneuvers, possible realignments, and political problems. They provide us with revealing images that aid memory and facilitate analysis. They are a powerful way to think about politics, and we could not do better than to feature them in our textbooks, to use them in our research, and to exhibit them as our brand—as our distinctive way of thinking about how the world works
The venous return simulator: comparison of simulated with measured ambulatory venous pressure in normal subjects and in venous valve incompetence
Authors: Chauveau  , Gelade  , Cros
Published: June 2011

Background: To compare results of numerical simulation of lower limb venous return with those of in vivo measurements, in normal subjects, and those with venous incompetence. Patients and methods: the venous return simulator (VRS) is a mathematical model which takes into account architecture, dimensions, and compliance of the venous network, blood viscosity, valve function, and external pressures (muscular contraction, compression stockings). Using the laws of hydrodynamics, it provides calibres, pressures and flows throughout the network. Ambulatory venous pressure (AVP) computed for some theoretical examples of superficial and /or deep venous incompetence has been compared to in vivo values reported in literature. Results: In a normal subject, computed AVP was 33 mmHg during walking and 30 mmHg with tiptoe exercise; the range of conventionally measured AVP is 20.6 - 27.9 mmHg during walking, and 29 - 32.5 mmHg during tiptoe exercise; In the case of great saphenous vein (GSV) incompetence, computed AVP was 34 or 57 mmHg, according to whether the distal GSV was competent or not. The range of AVP measured in superficial venous insufficiency is 27.6 - 61 mmHg, all but one of the published values lie between the low computed value corresponding to a short reflux and the high computed value due to a long distance reflux. AVP computed in two cases of deep venous incompetence was 44 and 71 mmHg, according to the extent of devalvulation, as compared with the 60 mmHg reported in one clinical study In patients with extensive combined incompetence, computed AVP was 75 mmHg, whilst the range of conventionally measured values was between 62 and 84 mmHg. Conclusions: the good agreement between computed and measured AVP in different cases of valve incompetence indicates that the VRS is quite a realistic model, with the potential to simulate the results of surgery or compression therapy.
Increased health care utilization by patients with peripheral arterial disease in primary care: data from the CONTENT study
Authors: Müller-Bühl  , Szecsenyi  , Laux
Published: June 2011

Background: Due to demography the proportion of elderly patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in primary care settings is continuously growing. The study aimed to compare general practitioner care of patients with PAD with those without PAD. Patients and methods: The analyzed data are derived from the general practice morbidity research network CONTENT (CONTinuous morbidity registration Epidemiologic NETwork). A sample of 480 patients with ensured PAD diagnosis was extracted from a total of 89516 steadily registered primary care patients. Matched pair analysis with the propensity score was used statistically to compare the data of each PAD patient with data of three associated control patients. Results: During a two-year period, PAD patients had significantly more consultations (20.1 vs. 18.0; p < 0.0001), more referrals to specialists (5.5 vs. 3.5; p < 0.0001) and a higher rate of hospitalization (0.3 vs. 0.1; p < 0.0001) than corresponding controls. The analysis of reasons for doctor-patient encounters showed a significantly higher number of disordered sleep, alcohol abuse, dyspnea and tobacco abuse among PAD patients compared to patients without PAD. The ranking of the most frequent reasons for referral to specialists suggested significantly more diagnoses related to cardiovascular disease in PAD patients. In the PAD cases, 20.4 % of all inpatient treatments were related to complications of the vascular disease, whereas no patient of the control group had to be hospitalized due to vascular disease problems. Conclusions: The CONTENT episode-based registration presents a realistic and detailed picture of health care utilization of PAD patients. They overuse medical services in primary care compared to corresponding unaffected patients. This is associated with deficits in their life-style behavior, increased cardiovascular morbidity and increased inpatient care.
Die Entwicklung eines Instruments zur «Evaluation stationärer Hospize aus der Perspektive hinterbliebener Angehöriger» (EHPA)
Authors: Lohe Mandy , Zimmermann Manja , Luderer Christiane , Sadowski Katharina
Published: June 2011

Als Einrichtungen des Gesundheitswesens sind stationäre Hospize in Deutschland zur Qualitätssicherung und internen Qualitätsentwicklung verpflichtet. Die Bedeutung der Patientenzufriedenheit als einer der indirekten Indikatoren zur Beurteilung der Pflege- und Betreuungsqualität ist mittlerweile unumstritten. Eine subjektive Bewertung des Hospizes durch den Gast selbst birgt sowohl praktische als auch ethische Probleme. Eine Befragung der Angehörigen empfiehlt sich. Der vorliegende Artikel beschreibt die Entwicklung eines Instruments zur Evaluation stationärer Hospize aus der Sicht hinterbliebener Angehöriger. Mit dessen Hilfe soll die Frage, wie Angehörige die Begleitung und Pflege beurteilen, die ihnen sowie ihrem verstorbenen Familienmitglied durch das Hospiz zuteil wurde, beantwortet werden. Die Konstruktion der Fragen erfolgte auf Basis bestehender Konzepte zum Assessment der end-of-life care und einer Analyse aller identifizierten Instrumente zur Evaluation stationärer Hospize aus der Perspektive hinterbliebener Angehöriger. Die Fragebogenentwicklung umfasste neben der umfassenden Literaturrecherche die Bildung eines Itempools, die Itemauswahl, die kritische Diskussion der Fragen im Expertenkreis sowie einen standardisierten und kognitiven Pretest. Entstanden ist ein fünfdimensionaler Fragebogen, der physische, psychologische, soziale, spirituelle und versorgungsorganisatorische Aspekte der end-of-life care integriert. Das Instrument umfasst 53 Items in Form überwiegend geschlossener Fragen.
Präventive Maßnahmen zur Kontrakturprophylaxe in der geriatrischen Pflege. Eine systematische Übersichtsarbeit.
Authors: Scheffel Sonja , Hantikainen Virpi
Published: June 2011

Kontrakturen gehören zu den Gesundheitsproblemen mobilitätseingeschränkter, geriatrischer Patienten. Ihre funktionalen Folgen machen Kontrakturen so klinisch bedeutsam. Prophylaktische Interventionen scheinen unerlässlich. Diese systematische Übersichtsarbeit untersucht, welche prophylaktischen Interventionen für immobilitätsbedingte Kontrakturen in der geriatrischen Langzeitpflege eingesetzt werden und wie wirksam sie sind. Die Literatursuche wurde in den Datenbanken PubMed, PEDro, CINAHL und der Cochrane Library durchgeführt (Mai 2010). Einschlusskriterien waren: Studien, die explizit Interventionen zur Prophylaxe von Kontrakturen untersuchen, im Setting Alten- oder Langzeitpflege angesiedelt sind und Studienteilnehmer ab 65 Jahre untersuchen. Primär wurde nach RCTs, systematischen Reviews und Metaanalysen gesucht, die im Zeitraum zwischen 1990 bis Mai 2010 in englischer und deutscher Sprache publiziert wurden. Die eingeschlossenen Studien wurden von einer Autorin analysiert und bewertet und von der zweiten kontrolliert. Die methodische Qualität wurde anhand akzeptierter Kriterien kritisch beurteilt. Insgesamt konnten acht Studien eingeschlossen werden. Die prophylaktischen Interventionen lassen sich in mobilitätsfördernde und positionsunterstützende Interventionen einteilen. Mobilitätsfördernde Interventionen zielen auf die Vermeidung von Kontrakturen und Immobilität ab, beispielsweise durch Übungen bezüglich des Bewegungsgrades. Positionsunterstützende Interventionen sind Bewegungs- und Positionsveränderungen, die mit Unterstützung von Pflegepersonen durchgeführt werden. Aufgrund der mangelnden Qualität der Studien kann die Wirksamkeit für einzelne Maßnahmen nicht abgeleitet werden. Weitere Studien zur Kontrakturprophylaxe sind notwendig, die neben patientenrelevanten Ergebnisparametern, unerwünschte Wirkungen und Kosten berücksichtigen.
Single‐molecule approach to immunoprecipitated protein complexes: insights into miRNA uridylation
Authors: Yeom Kyu‐Hyeon , Heo Inha , Lee Jinwoo , Hohng Sungchul , Kim V Narry , Joo Chirlmin
Published: June 2011

Single‐molecule techniques have been used for only a subset of biological problems because of difficulties in studying proteins that require cofactors or post‐translational modifications. Here, we present a new method integrating single‐molecule fluorescence microscopy and immunopurification to study protein complexes. We used this method to investigate Lin28‐mediated microRNA uridylation by TUT4 (terminal uridylyl transferase 4, polyU polymerase), which regulates let‐7 microRNA biogenesis. Our real‐time analysis of the uridylation by the TUT4 immunoprecipitates suggests that Lin28 functions as a processivity factor of TUT4. Our new technique, SIMPlex (single‐molecule approach to immunoprecipitated protein complexes), provides a universal tool to analyse complex proteins at the single‐molecule level.
Increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in shanghai, China, 1983-2007
Authors: Wang Youxin , Wang Wei
Published: June 2011

Increasing incidences of thyroid cancer were observed in some countries, like USA, UK, France, etc. Jointpoint regression was used to analyze the incidence of thyroid cancer in Shanghai, China, from 1983 to 2007. The results showed there were both two distinct slopes, in males representing a significant APC of 2.6% from 1983 to 2000 (P<0.001), followed by a sharply increased APC of 14.4% (P <0 .001), and in females representing a significant APC of 4.9% from 1983 to 2003 (P<0.001), followed by a sharply increased APC of 19.9% (P =0 .001). Incidence of thyroid cancer increased 5 to 8 years after the supplement of iodine, for males and females respectively, suggesting that either the developed screening techniques or supplement of iodine might contribute to this accelerated increase in incidence of thyroid cancer. The predicated future burdens indicated that thyroid cancer is never an unusual cancer, either in the present or in the future.
A Primer on Pedagogical Scholarship
Authors: Weimer Maryellen
Published: June 2011

This article defines pedagogical scholarship and offers a typology for categories of the various kinds of previously published work. It illustrates those categories with examples drawn from a range of disciplines. Current interest in scholarly work on teaching and learning raises two important questions: Is this work credible scholarship? and Is it a viable literature of use and value to college teachers? Both questions are explored in the paper which takes the position that attention to standards and unique characteristics can make this scholarship credible and viable.
Treatment of Attention To Improve Conversational Success in Aphasia
Authors: Hardin Kathryn Y. , Ramsberger Gail
Published: June 2011

Being able to successfully engage in conversation is an important skill for most adults. When an adult has aphasia, this skill is affected. Traditionally, speech-language pathologists try to increase language skills in people with aphasia in an effort to ultimately improve performance in functional activities such as conversation. However, conversation is a complex communication task that places demands not only on linguistic processing, but also on higher level cognitive processing. In this paper, we describe our initial efforts to improve conversational success in people with aphasia when training their attention on simple non-linguistic computer tasks.
Flash radiography with 24 GeV/c protons
Authors: Morris C. L. , Ables E. , Alrick K. R. , Aufderheide M. B. , Barnes P. D. , Buescher K. L. , Cagliostro D. J. , Clark D. A. , Clark D. J. , Espinoza C. J. , Ferm E. N. , Gallegos R. A. , Gardner S. D. , Gomez J. J. , Greene G. A. , Hanson A. , Hartouni E. P. , Hogan G. E. , King N. S. P. , Kwiatkowski K. , Liljestrand R. P. , Mariam F. G. , Merrill F. E. , Morgan D. V. , Morley K. B. , Mottershead C. T. , Murray M. M. , Pazuchanics P. D. , Pearson J. E. , Sarracino J. S. , Saunders A. , Scaduto J. , Schach von Wittenau A. E. , Soltz R. A. , Sterbenz S. , Thompson R. T. , Vixie K. , Wilke M. D. , Wright D. M. , Zumbro J. D.
Published: June 2011

The accuracy of density measurements and position resolution in flash (40 ns) radiography of thick objects with 24 Gev/c protons is investigated. A global model fit to step wedge data is shown to give a good description spanning the periodic table. The parameters obtained from the step wedge data are used to predict transmission through the French Test Object (FTO), a test object of nested spheres, to a precision better than 1%. Multiple trials have been used to show that the systematic errors are less than 2%. Absolute agreement between the average radiographic measurements of the density and the known density is 1%. Spatial resolution has been measured to be 200 μm at the center of the FTO. These data verify expectations of the benefits provided by high energy hadron radiography for thick objects.
Nonlinear evolution of double tearing mode with guiding magnetic field
Authors: Zhang C. L. , Ma Z. W.
Published: June 2011

Nonlinear dynamic evolution of the double tearing mode (DTM) with a guiding magnetic field (By0) is investigated by magnetohydrodynamical numerical simulation. The dynamic process of DTM depends weakly on the guiding field in the weak guiding field regime (By0≤1), but is suppressed by a strong guiding field (By0>2). During the explosive nonlinear phase, the maximum reconnection rate (γmax) increases weakly with the increase of the resistivity as γmax~η0.06 for By0≤1, but for By0>2, γmax is nearly independent of the resistivity. The maximum reconnection rate in the explosive growth phase increases with increase of the initial current sheet separation. A secondary tearing instability is observed at moderate current sheet separation. A strong guiding field suppresses the formation of a secondary island. Based on the simulation results, it is found that the secondary tearing instability occurs only when the length-to-thickness aspect ratio of the reconnection region exceeds about 20.
Density functional study of weak ferromagnetism in a thick BiCrO3 film
Authors: Ding Jun , Yao Yugui , Kleinman Leonard
Published: June 2011

Very thick films of BiCrO3 have been grown on a SrTiO3 substrate, maintaining a tetragonal lattice up to thicknesses of 14,000 Å. Assuming that we can treat films of this thickness as bulk crystals, we first calculated the experimentally undetermined atomic positions within the unit cell with the measured lattice constant of the film, and then relaxed the lattice constants along with the atomic positions. All of the calculations result in an antiferroelectric crystal with the Pnma space group with noncollinear Bi displacements. We find G-type antiferromagnetism with a spin-orbit induced weak ferromagnetic component; however, the weak ferromagnetic component can be canceled if the antiferromagnetic spins are oriented along a particular one of the three twofold rotation axes.
Electrically induced bound state switches and near-linearly tunable optical transitions in graphene under a magnetic field
Authors: Song Yu , Guo Yong
Published: June 2011

We study the low-lying excited spectra and optical transitions of a single Dirac electron in a graphene sheet that is subjected to a homogeneous magnetic field and an electrostatic potential produced by an applied top gate of disk shape. Numerical results based on the Dirac equation and the transfer matrix method show that in the regime of a small circle-inner magnetic flux, the variable potential induces switches between extended Landau-type bound states and localized quantum-dot-type ones. We indicate that the frequency of emitted or absorbed photons can be tuned almost linearly by the potential within specific ranges, which may have potential applications as a near-linearly-controlled photon frequency filter. These properties are robust to the sharpness of the potential boundary.
Impacts of reduction of deep levels and surface passivation on carrier lifetimes in p-type 4H-SiC epilayers
Authors: Hayashi T. , Asano K. , Suda J. , Kimoto T.
Published: June 2011

Impacts of reduction of deep levels and surface passivation on carrier lifetimes in p-type 4H-SiC epilayers are investigated. The authors reported that the carrier lifetime in n-type epilayers increased by reduction of deep levels through thermal oxidation and thermal annealing. However, the carrier lifetimes in p-type epilayers were not significantly enhanced. In this study, in order to investigate the influence of surface passivation on the carrier lifetimes, the epilayer surface was passivated by different oxidation techniques. While the improvement of the carrier lifetime in n-type epilayers was small, the carrier lifetime in p-type epilayers were remarkably improved by appropriate surface passivation. For instance, the carrier lifetime was improved from 1.4 μs to 2.6 μs by passivation with deposited SiO2 annealed in NO. From these results, it was revealed that surface recombination is a limiting factor of carrier lifetimes in p-type 4H-SiC epilayers.