bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An asymptotic universal focal decomposition for non-isochronous potentials
Authors: de Carvalho C. , Peixoto M. , Pinheiro D. , Pinto A.
Published: November 2013

Galileo, in the seventeenth century, observed that the small oscillations of a pendulum seem to have constant period. In fact, the Taylor expansion of the period map of the pendulum is constant up to second order in the initial angular velocity around the stable equilibrium. It is well known that, for small oscillations of the pendulum and small intervals of time, the dynamics of the pendulum can be approximated by the dynamics of the harmonic oscillator. We study the dynamics of a family of mechanical systems that includes the pendulum at small neighbourhoods of the equilibrium but after long intervals of time so that the second order term of the period map can no longer be neglected. We analyze such dynamical behaviour through a renormalization scheme acting on the dynamics of this family of mechanical systems. The main theorem states that the asymptotic limit of this renormalization scheme is universal: it is the same for all the elements in the considered class of mechanical systems. As a consequence, we obtain a universal asymptotic focal decomposition for this family of mechanical systems. This paper is intended to be the first in a series of articles aiming at a semiclassical quantization of systems of the pendulum type as a natural application of the focal decomposition associated to the two-point boundary value problem.
A classification approach for DNA methylation profiling with bisulfite next-generation sequencing data
Authors: Cheng Longjie , Zhu Yu
Published: November 2013

Motivation: With the advent of high-throughput sequencing technology, bisulfite–sequencing-based DNA methylation profiling methods have emerged as the most promising approaches due to their single-base resolution and genome-wide coverage. However, statistical analysis methods for analyzing this type of methylation data are not well developed. Although the most widely used proportion-based estimation method is simple and intuitive, it is not statistically adequate in dealing with the various sources of noise in bisulfite-sequencing data. Furthermore, it is not biologically satisfactory in applications that require binary methylation status calls.

Results: In this article, we use a mixture of binomial model to characterize bisulfite-sequencing data, and based on the model, we propose to use a classification-based procedure, called the methylation status calling (MSC) procedure, to make binary methylation status calls. The MSC procedure is optimal in terms of maximizing the overall correct allocation rate, and the false discovery rate (FDR) and false non-discovery rate (FNDR) of MSC can be estimated. To control FDR at any given level, we further develop an FDR-controlled MSC procedure, which combines a local FDR-based adaptive procedure with the MSC procedure. Both simulation study and real data application are carried out to examine the performance of the proposed procedures. It is shown in our simulation study that the estimates of FDR and FNDR of the MSC procedure are appropriate. Simulation study also demonstrates that the FDR-controlled MSC procedure is valid in controlling FDR at a prespecified level and is more powerful than the individual binomial testing procedure. In the real data application, the MSC procedure exhibits an estimated FDR of 0.1426 and an estimated FNDR of 0.0067. The overall correct allocation rate is >0.97. These results suggest the effectiveness of our proposed procedures.

Availability and implementation: The proposed procedures are implemented in R and are available at http://www.stat.purdue.edu/∼cheng70/code.html.

Contact:  cheng70@purdue.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are is available at Bioinformatics online.
jMetalCpp: optimizing molecular docking problems with a C++ metaheuristic framework
Authors: López-Camacho Esteban , García Godoy María Jesús , Nebro Antonio J. , Aldana-Montes José F.
Published: November 2013

Motivation: Molecular docking is a method for structure-based drug design and structural molecular biology, which attempts to predict the position and orientation of a small molecule (ligand) in relation to a protein (receptor) to produce a stable complex with a minimum binding energy. One of the most widely used software packages for this purpose is AutoDock, which incorporates three metaheuristic techniques. We propose the integration of AutoDock with jMetalCpp, an optimization framework, thereby providing both single- and multi-objective algorithms that can be used to effectively solve docking problems.

Results: The resulting combination of AutoDock + jMetalCpp allows users of the former to easily use the metaheuristics provided by the latter. In this way, biologists have at their disposal a richer set of optimization techniques than those already provided in AutoDock. Moreover, designers of metaheuristic techniques can use molecular docking for case studies, which can lead to more efficient algorithms oriented to solving the target problems.

Availability and implementation: jMetalCpp software adapted to AutoDock is freely available as a C++ source code at http://khaos.uma.es/AutodockjMetal/.

Contact: jfam@lcc.uma.es

Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Reprogramming homing endonuclease specificity through computational design and directed evolution
Authors: Thyme Summer B. , Boissel Sandrine J. S. , Arshiya Quadri S. , Nolan Tony , Baker Dean A. , Park Rachel U. , Kusak Lara , Ashworth Justin , Baker David
Published: November 2013

Homing endonucleases (HEs) can be used to induce targeted genome modification to reduce the fitness of pathogen vectors such as the malaria-transmitting Anopheles gambiae and to correct deleterious mutations in genetic diseases. We describe the creation of an extensive set of HE variants with novel DNA cleavage specificities using an integrated experimental and computational approach. Using computational modeling and an improved selection strategy, which optimizes specificity in addition to activity, we engineered an endonuclease to cleave in a gene associated with Anopheles sterility and another to cleave near a mutation that causes pyruvate kinase deficiency. In the course of this work we observed unanticipated context-dependence between bases which will need to be mechanistically understood for reprogramming of specificity to succeed more generally.
Cryptococcus fildesensis sp. nov., a psychrophilic basidiomycetous yeast isolated from Antarctic moss
Authors: Zhang Tao , Zhang Yu-Qin , Liu Hong-Yu , Su Jing , Zhao Li-Xun , Yu Li-Yan
Published: November 2013

Two yeast strains isolated from the moss Chorisodontium aciphyllum from the Fildes Region, King George Island, maritime Antarctica, were classified as members of the genus Cryptococcus based on sequence analyses of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. The rRNA gene sequence analyses indicated that the two strains represented a novel species of the genus Cryptococcus, for which the name Cryptococcus fildesensis sp. nov. is proposed (type strain: CPCC 300017T = DSM 26442T = CBS 12705T). The MycoBank number of the novel species is MB 805542.
Hospital clonal dissemination of Enterobacter aerogenes producing carbapenemase KPC-2 in a Chinese teaching hospital
Authors: Qin Xiaohua , Yang Yang , Hu Fupin , Zhu Demei
Published: November 2013

Carbapenems are first-line agents for the treatment of serious nosocomial infections caused by multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. However, resistance to carbapenems has increased dramatically among Enterobacteriaceae in our hospital. In this study, we report clonal dissemination caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter aerogenes (CREA). In 2011, CREA was identified from 12 patients admitted to the neurosurgical ward. All 12 clinical isolates were non-susceptible to cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefoxitin, ertapenem, imipenem or meropenem. All isolates carried the gene encoding Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-2 (KPC-2), except for the isolate E4. However, a remarkably lower expression level of the porin OmpF was detected in the non-KPC-2-producing isolate E4 on SDS-PAGE compared with the carbapenem-susceptible isolate. Epidemiological and molecular investigations showed that a single E. aerogenes strain (PFGE type A), including seven KPC-2-producing clinical isolates, was primarily responsible for the first isolation and subsequent dissemination. In a case-control study, we identified risk factors for infection/colonization with CREA. Mechanical ventilation, the changing of sickbeds and previous use of broad-spectrum antibiotics were identified as potential risk factors. Our findings suggest that further studies should focus on judicious use of available antibiotics, implementation of active antibiotic resistance surveillance and strict implementation of infection-control measures to avoid the rapid spread or clonal dissemination caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in healthcare facilities.
Weathering the downturn
Authors: Kailasam Murali , Johri Lalit M. , Wongsurawat Winai
Published: November 2013

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to highlight successful strategies leaders can use to sustain and grow business during the economic business cycle variation.

Design/methodology/approach

Opinions were based on 32 interviews conducted during December‐2010 to November‐2011 with CXO's, Business/Functional Heads from seven leading Indian IT/ITES public listed companies that partnered and delivered solutions to global corporations including Fortune‐500 companies. One of the interview queries was to share experience, views and opinions on what works during recession and how should one tackle recovery.

Findings

This paper offers 11 handy strategies for practitioners like executives, leaders and managers to manage the economic cycles better. These common findings from several cases are summarized supported with specific examples. They are: cost management need not go overboard; incessantly monitor, control and sustain; communication, culture and empathy helps; quality bolsters empathy; stay invested to be relevant; innovation needs to be disruptive; diversification leverages law of averages; people are imperative; customers need to be venerated; change and risk management is inevitable; coherence and prudence needed.

Practical implications

The paper provides strategic insights and practical solutions that can protect organizations world‐wide from failing during economic recessions.

Social implications

The paper provides strategic insights and practical solutions that can have a broader social impact.

Originality/value

The paper presents the arguments in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format supported with live organization examples for easy comprehension.
A knowledge‐supported improvement of the PSO method
Authors: Sevis Deniz , Senel Kamil , Denizhan Yagmur
Published: November 2013

Purpose

The Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) method makes few or no assumptions about the optimization problem at hand and is applicable without much information about the problem. Although this fact constitutes one of the most important advantages of the PSO method, it can also be considered as a waste of available knowledge about the specific problem, which could have drastically improved the search performance. This paper aims to introduce an improvement to the PSO method such that the exploitation of any available knowledge about the specific optimization problem can be combined with the powerful blind‐search ability of the original method.

Design/methodology/approach

The improvement is achieved by the so‐called Knowledge Supported PSO (KS‐PSO), which consists of a combination of two modes: a mode that operates according to the original PSO approach and a knowledge‐based mode which the user has to design for the specific problem.

Findings

The application of the proposed KS‐PSO method is presented for two rather different optimization problems chosen from the domain of control and computer engineering: the model‐free tuning of a Fractional‐Order PID controller and the training of a single‐layer perceptron. The simulation results demonstrate the performance improvement in KS‐PSO as compared to the original PSO.

Originality/value

This paper presents a novel version of the well‐known PSO method, which achieves performance improvement by combining the original blind‐search capability with the exploitation of available knowledge about the specific problem.
Twenty‐first century librarians: time for Zones of Intervention and Zones of Proximal Development?
Authors: Fourie Ina
Published: November 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this contribution is to encourage library and information (LIS) professionals to draw on the initiatives by Carol Kuhlthau to align information seeking with learning theories and new roles for intermediaries. Considering the vast array of developments in information communication technology (ICT), and the challenges and pressures for continuing professional development (CPD) and reflection, it seems timely to encourage experimentation with the ideas of Kuhlthau on Zones of Intervention and Lev Vygotsky on Zones of Proximal Development (ZPD), as means to becomeau faitwith these theories, ideas and related research, and to apply these theories and ideas on a practical level to offer opportunities for the continuing professional development of LIS professionals with specific reference to ICT, and to eventually also impact on the training of users.

Design/methodology/approach

This contribution will be written against the background of research from information literacy, information behaviour (including information seeking), the learning theory of Vygotsky on Zones of Proximal Development, and continuing professional development.

Findings

Although the information seeking process (ISP) model of Kuhlthau is widely cited, the idea of Zones of Intervention which she developed from the work of Vygotsky does unfortunately not feature strongly in the LIS literature. Considering the literature on Zones of Proximal Development, it can, however, hold much potential for LIS professionals to align support with information seeking with professional (optimal) development – especially if using the focus (Zones of Intervention and Zones of Proximal Development) as a means to becomeau fait, and if initially taking a more practical and relaxed approach as point of departure.

Originality/value

Relatively few publications on Zones of Intervention and Zones of Proximal Development appear in the LIS literature. None of these are to the author's knowledge, aligned to the continuing professional development of LIS professionals on a practical level or with regard to fully exploiting ICT developments.
Women's history digital primary source collections
Authors: Wells Kate
Published: November 2013

Purpose – ‐‐ The aim of this article is to locate and describe collections of digitized primary sources of value to scholars and librarians in the fields of women's history and gender studies. This bibliography focuses on digitized primary source collections related to the global history of women.Design/methodology/approach ‐‐ This article provides an overview of subscription databases and open access websites dedicated to women's history primary source collections available electronically. Priority was given to sites with materials or transcriptions available in English, those that represented a diversity of aspects within women's history and those that are curated by scholars in the field or supported by academic institutions. Two major criteria for inclusion in the list were that a large portion of the collection must focus on women's history and that the site could be navigated in English.Findings ‐‐ The majority of these collections are focused mainly on the history of American and British women and secondarily on the history of women from other cultures and global regions. While some primary sources have been digitized and made available online relating to Asian, African, South American and Latin American women's history, they appear as part of more general regional primary source collections.Originality/value ‐‐ Though there are a number of excellent librarian or scholar web guides available online, a thorough examination and comparison is lacking from professional literature.
Medical leadership and engagement: no longer an optional extra
Authors: Clark John
Published: November 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the factors that are leading many international health systems to seek new ways of getting doctors to be more engaged in management, leadership and service improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on the growing research and literature that is demonstrating a strong association between extent of medical engagement and clinical and organisational performance. The current NHS reforms in England place general practitioners very much at the centre of the commissioning process and increasingly consultant medical staff are leading the drive to improve access, quality, safety and new ways of delivering care within hospitals and across health systems.

Findings

In parallel with political and organisational change, the medical profession has been redefining the characteristics of a good doctor. This includes not only the reinforcement of the need for doctors to be clinical experts but also good managers and leaders. As the custodians of the processes and micro‐systems of health care, doctors are ideally placed to lead improvements. The paper argues that there is perhaps congruence between politicians and policy makers for greater medical leadership and engagement with doctors becoming “shareholders” in the running of services, organisations and systems.

Originality/value

The paper concludes that perhaps the era of strong general management may be replaced by one where non‐clinical managers and clinicians work in partnership to optimise the different expertise, experience and values to achieve high quality, productive and patient‐focused care.
Motivation and retention of health workers in Ghana's district hospitals
Authors: Adzei Francis A. , Atinga Roger A.
Published: November 2013

Purpose

This study seeks to undertake a systematic review to consolidate existing empirical evidence on the impact of financial and non‐financial incentives on motivation and retention of health workers in Ghana's district hospitals.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed a purely quantitative design with a sample of 285 health workers from ten district hospitals in four regions of Ghana. A stepwise regression model was used in the analysis.

Findings

The study found that financial incentives significantly influence motivation and intention to remain in the district hospital. Further, of the four factor model of the non‐financial incentives, only three (leadership skill and supervision, opportunities for continuing professional development and availability of infrastructure and resources) were predictors of motivation and retention.

Research limitations/implications

A major limitation of the study is that the sample of health workers was biased towards nurses (n=160; 56.1 percent). This is explained by their large presence in remote districts in Ghana. A qualitative approach could enrich the findings by bringing out the many complex views of health workers regarding issues of motivation and retention, since quantitative studies are better applied to establish causal relationships.

Originality/value

The findings suggest that appropriate legislations backing salary supplements, commitment‐based bonus payments with a set of internal regulations and leadership with sound managerial qualities are required to pursue workforce retention in district hospitals.
Managerialism and professional strategies: a case from nurses in Portugal
Authors: Carvalho Teresa
Published: November 2013

Purpose

There have been profound changes in the Portuguese national health system (NHS), instigated under the influence of managerialism and the new public management (NPM) “philosophy”. These changes have been in line with what has happened in other developed countries. At the beginning of the new century, important reforms that emphasised the efficient use of scarce resources were implemented. The objective of this study is to understand how nurses are adapting to a more managerial environment, one in which economic rationalism and market‐driven initiatives are the key principles behind the health reforms.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative study was developed, based on semi‐structured interviews with 83 nurses with managerial duties in ten hospitals in Portugal. All interviews were tape‐recorded and each interviewee's discourses were subjected to content analysis.

Findings

Data analysis led to the conclusion that under the new logic of the market and managerialism, these professionals have tried to (re)define their professionalisation route by emphasising the importance of care but also by trying to incorporate management as their dominant role in the social division of work. In reconfiguring their notion of professionalism, nurses were incorporating new practices in their day‐to‐day activities. This empirical study confirms that professionalism can also be conceptualised as a technology of self‐control being able to discipline professionals at the micro level.

Originality/value

This research is an empirical study based on the effects of managerialism on nurses with managerial duties in Portugal. This study contributes to a better understanding of the complex process of the professionalisation of nurses in a context of institutional change.
Measuring and comparing the performances of energy retail companies
Authors: Capece Guendalina , Di Pillo Francesca , Levialdi Nathan
Published: November 2013

Purpose

– In the last decade, the Italian natural gas market has undergone profound changes. The slow ongoing process of liberalization that began in 2000 has produced many changes in the industry as companies have had to react to the new regulatory framework. Many companies have sought agreements, alliances and mergers to consolidate their position in the market, other companies have sought to diversify their product range by becoming multi-utility companies, others, unable to react to the new competitive pressures, have gone bankrupt. The aim of the work is to analyse the performance of natural gas retail companies after the liberalization of the sector.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors carry out a financial statement analysis for indexes in order to evaluate business management in terms of the financial, profitability and liquidity aspects. The authors analysed a sample of 111 companies operating in Italy for a six-year period (2004-2009) following the full liberalization of the sector (January 1, 2003).

Findings

– Results show that many of the firms in the sample are suffering from a reduction in profits and present serious financial weaknesses. In particular, the companies that perform the worst are the small, new entrants and those in the south of Italy. In regard to the new entrants it should be noted that although more than ten years have passed since the beginning of the liberalization process, entry barriers are still present. As regards the business diversification, the best financial and operating results are achieved by large firms, listed companies and those which grew mainly through M&As.

Research limitations/implications

– Even though there are numerous theoretical and empirical studies on the effects of diversification strategies and M&As, very few researchers have analyzed these effects in the context of a liberalization process of an energy sector. Starting from this gap in the literature, the work aims to analyse the strategies implemented by the Italian companies in the natural gas retail segment.

Practical implications

– The empirical findings will help the policy makers of Italy in understanding that more than ten years since the beginning of the natural gas market liberalization, entry barriers are still present. Although all consumers have been free to choose their supplier since 2003, the incumbent firms have maintained a dominant position in the market, thanks to a “weak” unbundling (often the incumbent retail operator belongs to the same group as the distribution network operator) and to the advantage in the supply phase by means of a long-term contract with a “take or pay” clause.

Originality/value

– Italy has always been characterized by the centrality of natural gas in its energy basket and it is the third European country for annual consumption. Despite the importance of this energy source, no substantial work has been done in this regard with reference to Italy.
Identity Claims: Why Liberal Neutrality is the Solution, Not the Problem
Authors: Balint Peter
Published: November 2013

Almost all theories of multiculturalism (and similar differentiated rights) start by rejecting liberal state neutrality as unable adequately to address issues of diversity. In this article, I challenge this move and argue that neutrality has been wrongly characterised. Neutrality is an unrealisable yet still action-guiding political ideal that is not absolute. It only makes sense in relation to a particular range of things (in this case, people's ways of life), and needs to be sensitive to the changing nature of this range. Unlike neutrality as ‘benign neglect’, this allows it to be sufficiently neutral over time to changing ways of life. Yet difference sensitivity can be realised by either withdrawing support for all parties or actively assisting them. In the last part of the article, I argue that state neutrality should involve withdrawing support for favoured ways of life rather than actively recognising the various ways of life and identities of its citizens.
Domestic Institutions and Market Pressures as Drivers of Corporate Social Responsibility: Company Initiatives in Denmark and the UK
Authors: Brown Dana , Knudsen Jette Steen
Published: November 2013

In recent research, corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives by companies with a home base in different countries have been explained in terms of their relation to national institutions or business systems. This set of explanations sees CSR as fitting in with domestic institutional structures by either ‘substituting’ or ‘mirroring’ national models of capitalism. An alternative set of explanations views company CSR programmes as determined by market pressures. We examine the role of domestic institutions and market pressure as drivers of CSR through an evaluation of the content of company CSR initiatives revealed in their external reporting. We conduct case studies of two large British companies (Glaxo Smith Kline and Barclays) as well as two large Danish companies (Novo Nordisk and Danske Bank). We find that market pressures rather than domestic institutions determine the content of company CSR programmes.
Through Jewish Eyes: Polemical Literature and the Medieval Papacy
Authors: Rist Rebecca
Published: November 2013

Although the medieval papacy's stance towards the Jews is a well‐established area of research, Jewish ideas about the papacy remain a surprisingly underdeveloped historical topic. This article explores such ideas through the genre of polemic and disputational literature. Jewish writers were keen to ensure the safety of their communities in western Europe and grateful for statements of papal protection. They fully acknowledged that popes had always played and would continue to play an important role in safeguarding their well‐being and determining their future. Yet although contemporary and later writers often valued papal protection more highly than that of monarchs, emperors or clergy, they also knew that it had its carefully circumscribed limits. Furthermore, although they were respectful of the papacy's power, both spiritual and temporal, they were dismissive of the scriptural and theological formulations on which Christian claims for apostolic authority rested and highly critical of Christian beliefs about the papacy, in particular that of apostolic succession. Jewish ideas about both individual popes and the medieval papacy as an institution are therefore nuanced and complex; they deserve rigorous and wide‐ranging investigation and it is hoped that this article will contribute to their better understanding.
Lost in Translation: The English Policeman through a German Monocle, 1848–1914
Authors: Johansen Anja
Published: November 2013

Conceptions and misconceptions about foreign models for law enforcement and criminal justice often shape reform debates in important ways by excluding certain options and promoting specific agendas, which are claimed to be more effective, humane or legitimate. This article analyses the reception of the ‘English police model’ in German debates between 1848 and 1914. It argues that the frequent references in German debates to English policing functioned as an important rhetorical device to promote certain reform agendas. Highly diverging projects for police reform were promoted in German debates under the label of the ‘English model’. These projects bore only a partial resemblance to English principles of policing as the original model was deliberately misinterpreted or the elements presented as the ‘English model’ was limited to certain selected elements. Nevertheless, the ‘English model’ as a label had the important function in German debates of shaping which forms of police reform could be considered. Conversely, negative references to other foreign influences – notably French ones – served to undermine the credibility of existing institutions or competing reform projects. Accordingly the ‘englischer Policeman’ in German debates bears little connection to the original model and the English Bobby is only discernible as seen through a German monocle.
Applicability of RAD‐tag genotyping for interfamilial comparisons: empirical data from two cetaceans
Authors: Viricel Amélia , Pante Eric , Dabin Willy , Simon‐Bouhet Benoit
Published: November 2013

Restriction‐site‐associated DNA tag (RAD‐tag) sequencing has become a popular approach to generate thousands of SNPs used to address diverse questions in population genomics. Comparatively, the suitability of RAD‐tag genotyping to address evolutionary questions across divergent species has been the subject of only a few recent studies. Here, we evaluate the applicability of this approach to conduct genome‐wide scans for polymorphisms across two cetacean species belonging to distinct families: the short‐beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis; n = 5 individuals) and the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena; n = 1 individual). Additionally, we explore the effects of varying two parameters in the Stacks analysis pipeline on the number of loci and level of divergence obtained. We observed a 34% drop in the total number of loci that were present in all individuals when analysing individuals from the distinct families compared with analyses restricted to intraspecific comparisons (i.e. within D. delphis). Despite relatively stringent quality filters, 3595 polymorphic loci were retrieved from our interfamilial comparison. Cetaceans have undergone rapid diversification, and the estimated divergence time between the two families is relatively recent (14–19 Ma). Thus, our results showed that, for this level of divergence, a large number of orthologous loci can still be genotyped using this approach, which is on par with two recent in silico studies. Our findings constitute one of the first empirical investigations using RAD‐tag sequencing at this level of divergence and highlights the great potential of this approach in comparative studies and to address evolutionary questions.
Un/Covering: Female Religious Converts Learning the Problems and Pragmatics of Physical Observance in the Secular World
Authors: Galman Sally Campbell
Published: November 2013

This article presents the experiences of three women who have chosen to move from secular, assimilated lives to lives characterized by the distinctive dress and practice associated with observant Islam,OrthodoxJudaism, andOrthodoxChristianity, respectively. All three relied upon informal, peer, and distance learning strategies for their religious education. The article analyzes both experiences in informal adult religious education and contemporaryU.S.experiences with identity and assimilation, or covering (Yoshino 2006).
Under the leopard's skin: Land commodification and the dilemmas of Indigenous communal title in upland Cambodia
Authors: Milne Sarah
Published: November 2013

Two opposing land tenure policies are being implemented in upland Cambodia: indigenous communal title, the product of a decade of advocacy for indigenous rights; and Order 01, a dramatic new initiative to provide private individual titles to thousands of farmers living on state public land. This policy conflict has precipitated painful deliberations in Indigenous villages, whereby the merits of inalienable communal title must be weighed against its risks and constraints; and individual titles must be scrutinised for their potential to accelerate alienation and render frontier areas ‘legible’ for government and markets. I examine these issues through the experiences of one village in Mondulkiri, which recently ‘reconciled’ its communal title claim with the new individually motivated reforms. The village exemplifies Cambodia's commodity frontier: it is of mixed Bunong‐Khmer ethnicity, and has undergone rapid deforestation and market integration since 2005. Thus, when the individual titling commenced in 2012, the already‐fragile communal land claim was abandoned by 25% of its constituents. I explore how this unfolded, revealing powerful moral and racial narratives around Bunong identity and the processes of land fragmentation, commodification and alienation. I also reveal how these processes are enabled by Cambodia's predatory regime, of which Order 01 is an intimate part.
‘Indigenous Peoples’ and land: Comparing communal land titling and its implications in Cambodia and Laos
Authors: Baird Ian G.
Published: November 2013

In 2001 a new Land Law was adopted in Cambodia. It was significant because – for the first time – it recognised a new legal category of people, ‘Indigenous Peoples’ or chuncheat daoem pheak tech in Khmer, and it also introduced the legal concept of communal land rights to Cambodia. Indigenous Peoples are not mentioned in the 1993 constitution of Cambodia or any legislation pre‐dating the 2001 Land Law. However, Cambodia's 2002 Forestry Law also followed the trend by recognising ‘Indigenous Peoples’. These laws have been both symbolically and practically important, as they have provided government‐mandated legitimacy to Indigenous identities and associated land and forest rights, including communal land rights, and have been ontologically significant in dividing Indigenous and non‐Indigenous Peoples on legal grounds. Over a decade after the 2001 Land Law was promulgated, this article considers some aspects of its effects. In particular, when compared with the potential for developing communal land rights in Laos, one has to wonder how advantageous it is to adopt Indigenous identities and the types of communal land rights and community forestry rights presently possible in Cambodia.
Parents of children with neurogenic bowel dysfunction: their experiences of using transanal irrigation with their child
Authors: Sanders C. , Bray L. , Driver C. , Harris V.
Published: November 2013

Background

Neurogenic bowel dysfunction in children is a lifelong condition often resulting in the need for active bowel management programmes, such as transanal irrigation. Parents are central in the decision‐making process to initiate and carry out treatments until such a time their child becomes independent. Minimal research has focussed on examining parents' experiences of undertaking transanal irrigation with their child. This study aimed to explore parents' experiences of learning about and using irrigation with their child and how parents motivated their children to become independent.

Methods

Semi‐structured telephone interviews were conducted with parents with experience of using transanal irrigation with their child. Interviews were undertaken by a parent researcher. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Results

Eighteen telephone interviews (16 mothers, 1 father and 1 carer) were conducted. Parents shared how they had negotiated getting started and using transanal irrigation with their child. They discussed a sense of success derived from their confidence in using and mastering irrigation, the process of making decisions to continue or stop using irrigation and how they motivated themselves and their child to continue with the irrigation regime. Challenges included minimizing their child's distress during the irrigation procedure and how they negotiated and moved towards their child becoming independent.

Conclusion

Despite the emotional difficulty parents experienced as a result of the invasive nature of transanal irrigation most parents reported an improvement in their child's faecal continence which positively impacted on the child and family's lives. The child's physical ability and emotional readiness to develop independent irrigation skills in the future concerned some parents. The experiences shared by parents in this study has the capacity to inform transanal irrigation nursing and medical care.
Immunological comparison of allergen immunotherapy tablet treatment and subcutaneous immunotherapy against grass allergy
Authors: Aasbjerg K. , Backer V. , Lund G. , Holm J. , Nielsen N. C. , Holse M. , Wagtmann V. R. , Würtzen P. A.
Published: November 2013

Background

IgE‐mediated allergic rhinitis to grass pollen can successfully be treated with either allergen immunotherapy tablets (SLIT tablet) or SQ‐standardized subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT). The efficacy of these two treatment modalities for grass allergy is comparable, but the immunological mechanisms may differ. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01889875.

Objectives

To compare the immunological changes induced by SQ‐standardized SCIT and SLIT tablet.

Methods

We randomized 40 individuals with grass pollen rhinitis into groups receiving SCIT, SLIT tablet, or neither and followed them for 15 months with regular serum measurements of specific IgE, IgG4, IgE‐blocking factor, facilitated antigen presentation (FAP), and basophil activation test (BAT). Nasal challenges were used to assess changes in nasal sensitivity.

Results

After 15 months of treatment IgG4, IgE‐blocking factor, FAP, and BAT values differed significantly in both SCIT and SLIT‐tablet treatment groups when compared to the control group. Both SCIT and SLIT‐tablet groups were significantly different from the control group after 1–3 months of treatment. In general, the changes induced by SCIT reached twice that of SLIT tablet, with the exception of specific IgE where SLIT tablet induced initial threefold increase compared with SCIT. A slight but significant increase in IgE and BAT after season was seen only in the control group. Significant differences between SCIT and SLIT tablet were observed early, but the differences diminished with the length of treatment, especially for FAP inhibition.

Conclusions

Both SCIT and SLIT tablet induce significant changes in specific antibodies (IgE and IgG4) and competition assays (IgE‐blocking factor, FAP, and BAT). Overall, SCIT induced larger (two‐ to threefold) changes than SLIT tablet, with the exception of FAP, where SLIT tablet showed a gradual increase ending at the same level as SCIT. Maximal change was generally reached after 3 months' treatment.
Ex-vivotolerogenic F4/80+ antigen-presenting cells (APC) induce efferent CD8+ regulatory T cell-dependent suppression of experimental autoimmune uveitis
Authors: Hsu S-M , Mathew R , Taylor A W , Stein-Streilein J
Published: November 2013

It is known that inoculation of antigen into the anterior chamber (a.c.) of a mouse eye induces a.c.-associated immune deviation (ACAID), which is mediated in part by antigen-specific local and peripheral tolerance to the inciting antigen. ACAID can also be induced in vivo by intravenous (i.v.) inoculation of ex-vivo-generated tolerogenic antigen-presenting cells (TolAPC). The purpose of this study was to test if in-vitro-generated retinal antigen-pulsed TolAPC suppressed established experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). Retinal antigen-pulsed TolAPC were injected i.v. into mice 7 days post-induction of EAU. We observed that retinal antigen-pulsed TolAPC suppressed the incidence and severity of the clinical expression of EAU and reduced the expression of associated inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, extract of whole retina efficiently replaced interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) in the preparation of TolAPC used to induce tolerance in EAU mice. Finally, the suppression of EAU could be transferred to a new set of EAU mice with CD8+ but not with CD4+regulatory T cells (Treg). Retinal antigen-pulsed TolAPC suppressed ongoing EAU by inducing CD8+ Treg cells that, in turn, suppressed the effector activity of the IRBP-specific T cells and altered the clinical symptoms of autoimmune inflammation in the eye. The ability to use retinal extract for the antigen raises the possibility that retinal extract could be used to produce autologous TolAPC and then used as therapy in human uveitis.
Array‐CGH is an effective first‐tier diagnostic test for EFTUD2‐associated congenital mandibulofacial dysostosis with microcephaly
Authors: Gandomi S.K. , Parra M. , Reeves D. , Yap V. , Gau C.‐L.
Published: November 2013

Mandibulofacial dysostosis with microcephaly (MFDM) is a sporadic malformation syndrome with severe craniofacial abnormalities, microcephaly, developmental delay, and dysmorphic features. Most cases of clinically diagnosed MFDM remain genetically unexplained, and to the best of our knowledge a total of 35 patients, 31 different mutations, 4 deletions, and 6 reports have been published. Our proband was born at 36 weeks gestation with microcephaly, microcrania, cleft palate, severe retrognathia, oral and pharyngeal dysphagia, bilateral proximal radioulnar synostosis, 11 thoracic ribs, abnormal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings including simplified gyral pattern and mild dilatation of the posterior bodies of the lateral ventricles secondary to thinning of the white matter, high‐pitched cry due to unilateral vocal cord paralysis, and dysmorphic features. Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) + single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis identified a likely de novo pathogenic deletion on chromosome 17q21.31, encompassing the EFTUD2 gene. Our case represents the fifth reported proband to have MFDM caused by small deletions involving EFTUD2. All known mutations involving EFTUD2 result in genetic haploinsufficiency, consistent with our proband's case as well. Her phenotypic features both overlap and expand on the clinical features of previously reported cases, and her genetic diagnosis also supports the use of aCGH as a first‐tier testing option for this disorder.
Ocular and craniofacial phenotypes in a large Brazilian family with congenital aniridia
Authors: Fernandes‐Lima Z.S. , Paixão‐Côrtes V.R. , de Andrade A.K.M. , Fernandes A.S. , Coronado B.N.L. , Monte Filho H.P. , Santos M.J. , de Omena Filho R.L. , Biondi F.C. , Ruiz‐Linares A. , Ramallo V. , Hünemeier T. , Schuler‐Faccini L. , Monlleó I.L.
Published: November 2013

Congenital aniridia is a rare genetic disorder characterized by varying degrees of iris hypoplasia that are associated with additional ocular abnormalities. More than 90% of the causal mutations identified are found in the PAX6 gene, a transcription factor of critical importance in the process of neurogenesis and ocular development. Here, we investigate clinical, molecular, and craniofacial features of a large Brazilian family with congenital aniridia. Among the 56 eyes evaluated, phenotype variation encompassed bilateral total aniridia to mild iris defects with extensive variation between eyes of the same individual. PAX6 molecular screening indicated a heterozygous splice mutation (c.141 + 1G>A). Thus, we hypothesize that this splicing event may cause variation in the expression of the wild‐type transcript, which may lead to the observed variation in phenotype. Affected individuals were more brachycephalic, even though their face height and cephalic circumference were not significantly different when compared to those of non‐affected relatives. From this, we infer that the head shape of affected subjects may also be a result of the PAX6 splice‐site mutation. Our data summarize the clinical variability associated with the ocular phenotype in a large family with aniridia, and help shed light on the role of PAX6 in neurocranial development.
Clinical application of 18F‐fluoro‐2‐deoxy‐D‐glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in breast cancer
Authors: Bernsdorf M. , Graff J.
Published: November 2013

Positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) is not suited for primary diagnostics of breast tumours and it cannot replace sentinel lymph node technique in determining metastases to the axilla. PET/CT has a high sensitivity and specificity regarding the detection of loco‐regional recurrence and metastases to mediastinal and internal mammary lymph nodes, as well as distant metastases. Whether the method can replace conventional methods, or be a supplement when this is non‐conclusive, remains unresolved. PET/CT cannot be recommended for routine follow‐up but is recommended in patients with suspected relapse when conventional imaging has given equivocal results. PET/CT can be applied to confirm isolated loco‐regional relapse or metastatic lesion detected by conventional imaging. PET/CT has a high sensitivity for detecting response to treatment, but a low specificity calls for cautions. Further investigations into the use of PET/CT to predict and monitor response are warranted, before this approach may find its way into a clinical setting. In the future, PET/CT will probably find increasing use in treatment planning and evaluation of patients with breast cancer.