bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Particle-stabilized Foams for Advanced Ceramic Component Production
Authors: Franks George V , Chuanuwatanakul Chayuda , Tallon Carolina
Published: October 2012

The morphology of alumina gelcast ceramic foams is influenced by surfactant concentration and chain length. The surfactants cause the ceramic particles to become hydrophobic and stabilize air bubbles introduced by beating. The microstructure transforms from closed pore (bubble) morphology to open pore (granular) morphology as surfactant concentration is increased. The influence of the contact angle is less significant than the influence of the particle aggregate size (and suspension viscosity) on determining the transition from bubble-like to granular morphology.
Adenoma malignum of the uterine cervix: Imaging features with clinicopathologic correlation
Authors: Park Sung Bin , Lee Jong Hwa , Lee Young Ho , Song Mi Jin , Lim Kyung Taek , Hong Sung Ran , Kim Jeong Kon
Published: October 2012

Background

Adenoma malignum, also known as minimal deviation adenocarcinoma, is a subtype of mucinous adenocarcinoma of the cervix.

Purpose

To evaluate the clinical, pathologic, and imaging features of the adenoma malignum of the uterine cervix.

Material and Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the CT and MRI findings in 13 patients: size, endoluminal fluid, appearance of the solid and cystic component, margin, enhancement, characteristics of locules of the cystic lesion, tumor spread, and associated ovarian lesion. Clinical and pathologic features were determined in 24 patients.

Results

The mean of the major tumor diameter was 4.1 cm (range, 2.2-6.5 cm). In the imaging features, 77% of 13 tumors demonstrated endoluminal fluid. All tumors showed enhancing solid components; 62% were multicystic and 38% had solid lesions. Most solid lesions exhibited an irregular margin (80%). The locules of the multicystic lesions tended to have smooth margins (75%), to have an average major diameter of ≤1 cm (88%), and to be 11 -20 in number (75%). The solid lesions were associated with invasion and metastases (60%). Clinically, 38% of 24 patients had watery discharge and 13% had Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, while pathologically, most patients were low stage (I or II) (83%). Over the 2-year follow-up of 17 patients, 82% was free from disease. The patients with more aggressive tumors or an unfavorable prognosis that manifested as tumor recurrence or metastasis tended to have invasion, watery discharges, high stages (III or IV) (100%) and solid lesions, metastases, and associated ovarian lesions (67%).

Conclusion

Awareness of imaging features as well as clinicopathologic manifestations of adenoma malignum can aid in accurate diagnosis, treatment, and prediction of prognosis.
Reducing Uncertainty in the Emerging Market Entry Process: On the Relationship among International Experiential Knowledge, Institutional Distance, and Uncertainty
Authors: Hilmersson Mikael , Jansson Hans
Published: October 2012

In three institutional environments, this study examines the uncertainty-reducing effects of experiential knowledge of varying specificity in the market entry process. The goal of the study is to answer the research question: What is the uncertainty-reducing effect of experiential knowledge of varying specificity in markets with different institutional distances from a firm's home base? The authors develop a theoretical model using the most recent developments in internationalization process theory. They test the model with a data set collected on-site at 203 small and medium-sized enterprises with entry experience into the new Eastern European Union member-states, Russia and China. The analysis shows no support for the claim that internationalization knowledge reduces uncertainty in the market entry process. Rather, the analysis reveals that societal knowledge of the entering firm has an uncertainty-reducing effect in markets that are relatively less distant from its home market. The analysis also shows that international experiential knowledge of high specificity, an important type of marketing knowledge, provides the greatest uncertainty-reducing effect.
A novel approach for extending autocollimator calibration from plane to spatial angles
Authors: Geckeler Ralf D. , Kranz Oliver , Just Andreas , Krause Michael
Published: October 2012

Autocollimators are versatile devices for the contactless measurement of the tilt angles of reflecting surfaces. In their practical application, e.g., in deflectometric profilometers for the precision form measurement of optical surfaces, the autocollimator beam is deflected in two orthogonal angular directions simultaneously. The concurrent engagement of both measuring axes results in errors in their angle response due to the crosstalk between them, which need to be calibrated. In this contribution, the capabilities of autocollimator calibration at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) are presented. The measurement of spatial angles is discussed in detail with a focus on achieving traceability of this measurand and reaching lowest uncertainties. A novel concept is introduced, which makes use of an innovative Cartesian arrangement of three autocollimators (two reference autocollimators and the autocollimator to be calibrated) facing a reflector cube. Each of the two reference autocollimators, which are used for the precise measurement of the cube’s angular orientation, is primarily sensitive to rotations of the cube around one of the two relevant axes and can, thus, be calibrated and traced back to PTB’s national primary standard for the plane angle in a conventional manner. In this way, the measurement of spatial angles is effectively divided into two separate measurements of plane angles. The mechanical realisation of the setup at PTB is described.
Factors associated with moderate blooms of Pyrodinium bahamense in shallow and restricted subtropical lagoons in the Gulf of California
Authors: Morquecho Lourdes , Alonso-Rodríguez Rosalba , Arreola-Lizárraga José A. , Reyes-Salinas Amada
Published: October 2012

We examined the environmental and biological factors related to blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Pyrodinium bahamense in three shallow, restricted subtropical lagoons in the Gulf of California during the rainy summer. In the San José, Yavaros, and El Colorado lagoons, the vegetative stage peaked at 63, 108, and 151 (×103 cells l-1), respectively. At San José, production of cysts peaked at 9.7×103 g-1 of dry sediment mass as the bloom declined. Large diatoms predominated, with P. bahamense the most common dinoflagellate during the blooms. Abundance of P. bahamense at San José was positively correlated with salinity (r=0.50, p=0.0003), seawater temperature (r=0.44, p=0.005), silicates (r=0.45, p=0.003), and ammonium (r=0.32, p=0.005), and negatively correlated with dissolved oxygen (r=-0.34, p<0.0001). No such correlations were found at El Colorado and Yavaros. The environmental window that favors development of blooms is restricted to the summer and is influenced by seawater temperature, salinity, and relative concentrations of ammonium and phosphates that, in turn, depend on rainfall and runoff, which is greater on the eastern side of the Gulf where seawater quality is degraded.
Regularization of backward parabolic equations in Banach spaces
Authors: Hào Dinh Nho , Duc Nguyen Van
Published: October 2012

The ill-posed backward parabolic equation

with a densely defined linear operator A such that
generates an analytic semigroup
in a Banach space X and being given
is stabilized by the Tikhonov
regularization method and by the well-posed non-local boundary value
problem

A priori and a posteriori parameter choice rules for these
regularization methods are suggested which yield the error estimate

for all , where are computable constants, E
is a bound for and is a defined harmonic function.
Low intensity laser therapy accelerates muscle regeneration in aged rats
Authors: Vatansever Fatma , Rodrigues Natalia C. , Assis Livia L. , Peviani Sabrina S. , Durigan Joao L. , Moreira Fernando M.A. , Hamblin Michael R. , Parizotto Nivaldo A.
Published: October 2012

Elderly people suffer from skeletal muscle disorders that undermine their daily activity and quality of life; some of these problems can be listed as but not limited to: sarcopenia, changes in central and peripheral nervous system, blood hypoperfusion, regenerative changes contributing to atrophy, and muscle weakness. Determination, proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells in the regenerative process are regulated by specific transcription factors, known as myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs). In the elderly, the activation of MRFs is inefficient which hampers the regenerative process. Recent studies found that low intensity laser therapy (LILT) has a stimulatory effect in the muscle regeneration process. However, the effects of this therapy when associated with aging are still unknown.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of LILT (λ=830 nm) on the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle of aged rats.

The total of 56 male Wistar rats formed two population sets: old and young, with 28 animals in each set. Each of these sets were randomly divided into four groups of young rats (3 months of age) with n=7 per group and four groups of aged rats (10 months of age) with n=7 per group. These groups were submitted to cryoinjury + laser irradiation, cryoinjury only, laser irradiation only and the control group (no cryoinjury/no laser irradiation). The laser treatment was performed for 5 consecutive days. The first laser application was done 24 h after the injury (on day 2) and on the seventh day, the TA muscle was dissected and removed under anesthesia. After this the animals were euthanized. Histological analyses with toluidine blue as well as hematoxylin-eosin staining (for counting the blood capillaries) were performed for the lesion areas. In addition, MyoD and VEGF mRNA was assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

The results showed significant elevation (

In conclusion, LILT increased the maturation of satellite cells into myoblasts and myotubes, enhancing the regenerative process of aged rats irradiated with laser.
Sensitivity analysis of free-volume theory parameters in multicomponent polymer-solvent-solvent systems
Authors: Arya Raj Kumar , Vinjamur Madhu
Published: October 2012

Sensitivity analysis of free-volume theory para­meters have been done in ternary polymer-solvent-solvent systems. Two ternary polymer-solvent-solvent systems have been studied: poly(styrene)-tetrahydrofuran-p-xylene and poly(methyl methacrylate)-ethylbenzene-tetrahydrofuran systems. Simulation analysis has been done to see the effect of all parameters involved in predicting the self-diffusion coefficient in polymer-solvent systems. Sensitivity analysis showed that the predictions are highly sensitive to ξ13 and ξ23 and, therefore, they need to be predicted with good accuracy and these two are not pure component properties.
Termes d'adresse et liste
Authors: López Díaz, Montserrat
Published: October 2012

Deux listes de termes d'adresse issues d'une publicité imprimée centrent notre propos. Il s'agit d'interroger leur “grammaire” en ceci que les listes possèdent une organisation morphologique, syntaxique, sémantique et pragmatique que l'on doit dégager, compte tenu également du contexte de la publicité. Les termes d'adresse désignent parallèlement la femme et l'homme selon une hiérarchie marquée par le parcours entre la formalité et la familiarité produisant une impression d'ordre chronologique. En effet, on commence par les appellatifs de la distance officielle et de la déférence, qui précisent l'identité de manière objective, et on finit par ceux de l'intimité la plus privée, qui qualifient de façon affective. Ce faisant, la métamorphose lexicale sert à évoquer une histoire.
Tarasti's existential semiotics: Towards a functional model
Authors: Duits, Rufus
Published: October 2012

The accompanying article aims to develop Eero Tarasti's inceptual theory of existential semiotics into a fully functioning if rudimentary model for semiotic analysis. It consists of the presentation, analysis, and critique of several of the essential but nebulous formulations that Tarasti offers, and the development on this basis of a tool for existential semiotic analysis: an existential version of Greimas' semiotic square. The particular concepts concerning which Tarasti is taken to task are transcendence, endo-/exo-signs, and understanding. In each case, the analysis and critique follows the same lines: revealing how Tarasti's implicit opposition to structuralism belies a fundamental misappropriation of the existential tradition and demonstrating how it is possible to develop his initial insights both into a more faithful appropriation of existentialism and into a more fundamental structuralism. On the foundation of the clarified concepts of transcendence, subjectivity, and understanding, an existential semiotic square is then developed that, while remaining rudimentary, will at least support basic existential semiotic analysis. Examples are given to demonstrate its functionality.
Pointing to show agreement
Authors: Healy, Christina
Published: October 2012

Speakers use pointing gestures for many discursive functions. This project analyzes pointing gestures made by five people during a dinner conversation. I describe functions discussed in previous studies and note them in these data. I also identify an additional purpose: pointing at the last speaker to indicate agreement with his or her statement. This project adds to the growing body of research on pointing gestures and has implications for professionals in myriad of fields. I mention the specific application to sign language interpreters, who may miss vital non-verbal cues when unable to see the speaker for whom they interpret.
A Romantic quest: Meyerbeer's adaptation of the Faust theme
Authors: Letellier, Robert Ignatius
Published: October 2012

The theme of Faust, the scholar who barters his soul to the devil, has undergone many transformations since it first emerged in the primitive theatres and chapbooks of the sixteenth century. The various strands of the Faust myth are reflected in the musical treatment of the story that became a recurrent feature of Romanticism, especially in its most popular and universal genre of opera. It may seem surprising that Meyerbeer, the master of historical French grand opéra, should have an association with Goethe's great drama, but in fact the elements of the Faust legend are consistently at play in the scenarios of his operas. These operas share deeply in concerns that can be identified as overtly Faustian, especially in the mixture of modes that characterize their thematic and dramaturgical conception. Meyerbeer's operas are about religion, freedom of choice, destiny, and the nature of individual assent in the context of personal and other socio-political determinants. This piece seeks to examine the recurrent Faust motif, both as surface theme and as structural subtext, with significant implications for the scenic topoi and musical forms that Meyerbeer, working with his great librettist Scribe, used in realizing his very considerable existential and eschatological concerns.
Codes, heterogeneities, and structures: Visual information and visual art
Authors: Somov, Georgij Yu.
Published: October 2012

Codes are mechanisms in which signs are actualized. They relate various sign sides to each other. These sign sides can be represented as heterogeneities (diversity, relations, differences), some are organized with the help of various differences – identities formulated in a specific way. The basis of the codes of visual perception and art are primarily the heterogeneities of the elements perceived directly (contours of objects, sizes, directions of movement, light and color irritants, etc.). A structure, conceived of as a manner of connection, is a principle for constructing a kind of a whole and is the center of an organized heterogeneity.
Intertextuality, translation, and the semiotics of museum presentation: The case of bilingual texts in Chinese museums
Authors: Neather, Robert
Published: October 2012

This paper seeks to explore the various verbal (linguistic) interactions within the intersemiotic environment of the museum exhibition space. Drawing on notions of intertextuality in the social semiotic tradition such as those developed by Lemke, it begins with a theoretical account of intertextuality in the bilingual museum, before focusing more specifically on two case studies from museums in the PRC and Hong Kong in which Chinese language Source Texts are accompanied by corresponding English language Target Texts. In each case the paper considers the particular relations that obtain between these co-spatially situated Source Texts, the strategies through which such intertextual usage is mediated in translation, and how the intertextual relationships of the Source Text cluster are reconfigured in the correspondent Target Text cluster. A number of factors are identified in the translation process, including discoursal shifts, re-prioritization and redistribution of Source Text material across different Target Texts, and the use of alternative types of lexicogrammatical repetition that seek to create a different form of recapitulation in translation, whether to correct perceived shortcomings in the original ST relationships, or for reasons of cultural or museological convention.
The mirrored Madonna: Text and symbol in body writing artworks
Authors: Katić, Elvira K.
Published: October 2012

This study analyzed several body writing artworks by a poet/artist whose poems served as the inspirations for his artistic compositions. One of the poems served as both a catalyst for the artworks as well as a motivated element in the artworks that helped to signify the artist's meaning. Through semiotic analysis of the artworks, relationships between the poetic text, the body text, and the body writing construct were explored. These artworks conveyed a multiplicity of meanings that seemed both superimposed and refracted, one upon another like the reflections in a mirrored room. The inscribed text on the body served as both a linguistic and artistic element that imparted a multi-faceted level of meaning to the artworks as a whole.
Text semiotics: Between philology and hermeneutics – from the document to the work
Authors: Rastier, François
Published: October 2012

For over a century, the increasing separation between philosophical hermeneutics, which has moved away from texts, and philology, tempted by positivism, may have caused regret. Formal and cognitive linguistics have developed partial models, thus abandoning the historical comparative methodology characteristic of cultural studies to such an extent that they have lost contact with philological and hermeneutical issues.

In contrast, corpus linguistics has developed a digital philology, and is confronted with the hermeneutics of software output. But a text model must still be developed that reflects not only textual semiosis (as a normed pairing between content and expression) but also the poles of Viewpoint (genetic and hermeneutic) and Guarantee (as much for content, in terms of legitimacy, as for expression, in terms of authenticity).

This will allow the articulation of internal and external linguistics (as pragmatics cannot), and also the reconciliation of philology and hermeneutics, mediated by text semiotics. As the document is a philological concept, the text a linguistic concept, and the complete work the object of hermeneutics, textual semiosis is the ideal way to understand and describe the articulation between these levels of objectivity and the disciplines attached to them.
Audiovisual texture in scene transition
Authors: Tseng, Chiao-i
Published: October 2012

This paper shows how the method of cohesion analysis in film provides a strong foundation for constructing coherent filmic narrative across different spatial and temporal settings. Until now the unit of a fine-grained systematic analysis of film viewers' narrative comprehension has been anchored in the shot. This paper provides a semiotic descriptive tool of filmic cohesion for analyzing elements within and across shots, i.e., how viewers comprehend the presenting and tracking of dominant narrative elements such as characters, objects, and settings as a film unfolds. In addition, this paper also reviews the Neo-Formalist exploration of cinematic cohesion and then demonstrates how the semiotics-oriented method suggested here can support more systematically and even strengthen the Neo-Formalist account. Most importantly, this article will explicitly show the potential of this tool for providing empirical accounts of filmic narrative construction by analyzing scene transitions in Wong Kar Wai's film 2046 (2004).
Michel Foucault's moral subjectivity and the semiotic modeling of knowledge
Authors: Votsis, Athanasios
Published: October 2012

Michel Foucault's theory of moral subjectivity, as a trained relation of the subject to itself, contains a latent semiotic theory of self-knowledge. The formation of the moral subject is seen by Foucault as a sign system, given the name of technology, and placed in a broader context of semiotic and non-semiotic paths to knowledge. In such a framework, signification as a technology, the self as a binary opposition, and the in-between space of binaries emerge as important methodological elements in self-knowledge. Furthermore, a semiotic argument comes forth about the epistemological role of culture in the modeling of knowledge at large.
The Normalization of Sino-French Diplomatic Relations in 1964 and the Formation of the “One-China” Principle: Negotiations over Breaking French Diplomatic Relations with the Republic of China Government and the Recognition of the People’s Republic of China as the Sole Legitimate Government
Authors: Fukuda Madoka
Published: October 2012

This article examines the substance and modification of the “One-China” principle, which the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) pursued in the mid 1960s. Under this principle, a country wishing to establish diplomatic relations with the PRC was required first to break off such relations with the Republic of China (ROC). In 1964 the PRC established diplomatic relations with France. This was its first ambassadorial exchange with a Western government. The PRC, in the negotiations over the establishment of diplomatic relations, attempted to achieve some consensus with France on the matter of “One-China”. The PRC, nevertheless, had to abandon these attempts, even though it demanded fewer conditions of France than of the United States (USA), Japan and other Western countries in the 1970s. The PRC had demanded adherence to the “One-China” principle since 1949. France, however, refused to accept this condition. Nevertheless, the PRC established diplomatic relations with France before the latter broke off relations with the ROC. Subsequently, the PRC abandoned the same condition in negotiations with the African governments of the Republic of Congo, Central Africa, Dahomey and Mauritania. After the negotiations with France, the PRC began to insist that the joint communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations should clearly state that “the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government of China”. However, France refused to insert these words into the communiqué. Afterwards, the PRC nevertheless insisted on putting such a statement into the joint communiqués or exchanges of notes on the establishment of diplomatic relations with the African countries mentioned above. This was done in order to set precedents for making countries accede to the “One-China” principle. The “One-China” principle was, thus, gradually formed in the process of the negotiation and bargaining between the PRC and other governments.
Certificates of Confidentiality: Legal Counsels' Experiences with and Perspectives on Legal Demands for Research Data
Authors: Wolf Leslie E. , Dame Lauren A. , Patel Mayank J. , Williams Brett A. , Austin Jeffrey A. , Beskow Laura M.
Published: October 2012

The certificate of confidentiality (Certificate) is an important tool for protecting identifiable, sensitive human subjects research data in the United States. However, little is known about the Certificate's effectiveness in protecting identifiable data. We interviewed 24 legal counsel representing U.S. research institutions about their experiences with legal demands for research data. Our respondents reported few, if any, legal demands over the course of their tenure, but two-thirds had experience with legal demands for data protected by a Certificate. They reported such demands often were resolved without disclosure of identifiable research data, typically without court intervention. While our respondents reported similar success protecting identifiable data in court, they often did not rely on the Certificate to do so.
Community Perspectives on Research Consent Involving Vulnerable Children in Western Kenya
Authors: Vreeman Rachel , Kamaara Eunice , Kamanda Allan , Ayuku David , Nyandiko Winstone , Atwoli Lukoye , Ayaya Samuel , Gisore Peter , Scanlon Michael , Braitstein Paula
Published: October 2012

Involving vulnerable pediatric populations in international research requires culturally appropriate ethical protections. We sought to use mabaraza, traditional East African community assemblies, to understand how a community in western Kenya viewed participation of children in health research and informed consent and assent processes. Results from 108 participants revealed generally positive attitudes towards involving vulnerable children in research, largely because they assumed children would directly benefit. Consent from parents or guardians was understood as necessary for participation while gaining child assent was not. They felt other caregivers, community leaders, and even community assemblies could participate in the consent process. Community members believed research involving orphans and street children could benefit these vulnerable populations, but would require special processes for consent.
The Vulnerabilities of Orphaned Children Participating in Research: A Critical Review and Factors for Consideration for Participation in Biomedical and Behavioral Research
Authors: Thompson Rachel T. , Meslin Eric M. , Braitstein Paula K. A. , Nyandiko Winstone M. , Ayaya Samuel O. , Vreeman Rachel C.
Published: October 2012

Orphans are a subpopulation with a unique set of additional vulnerabilities. Increasing focus on children's rights, pediatric global health, and pediatric research makes it imperative to recognize and address unique vulnerabilities of orphaned children. This paper describes the unique vulnerabilities of the orphaned pediatric population and offers a structured set of factors that require consideration when including orphans in biomedical research. Pediatric orphans are particularly vulnerable due to decreased economic resources, psychosocial instability, increased risk of abuse, and delayed/decreased access to healthcare. These vulnerabilities are significant. By carefully considering each issue in a population in a culturally specific and study-specific manner, researchers can make valuable contributions to the overall health and well-being of this uniquely vulnerable population.
An Investigation of Case-Based Instructional Strategies on Learning, Retention, and Ethical Decision-Making
Authors: Bagdasarov Zhanna , Harkrider Lauren N. , Johnson James F. , MacDougall Alexandra E. , Devenport Lynn D. , Connelly Shane , Mumford Michael D. , Peacock Juandre , Thiel Chase E.
Published: October 2012

Case-based instruction has been successfully employed by educators across various fields; Revised however, little is known about how individuals work with cases during the learning process. We examined two well-established instructional strategies: Elaboration and self-development of narratives. Participants were randomly assigned to (1) elaborate on a given case, (2) develop their own case, (3) elaborate on a self-developed case, or (4) a control condition. Findings indicated that those who elaborated on a given case and the control group outperformed the other treatment groups in terms of case-based knowledge acquisition, execution of sensemaking processes, utilization of ethical decision-making (EDM) strategies, and performance on two EDM measures. Implications for use of instructional strategies in ethics training programs are discussed.
Inverse association between serum insulin and sex hormone-binding globulin in a population survey in Sweden
Authors: Daka Bledar , Rosen Thord , Jansson Per Anders , Råstam Lennart , Larsson Charlotte A , Lindblad Ulf
Published: October 2012

Objectives

Obesity is associated with low levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). While the reason is not fully understood, we aimed to study the association between serum insulin and levels of SHBG in a random population.

Design and methods

Between 2001 and 2005, a random sample of 2816 participants aged 30–74 years were enrolled in a cross-sectional survey in the South-west of Sweden. Fasting blood samples were collected and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was conducted in all subjects without known diabetes. Diabetes mellitus was defined according to criteria from WHO, and clinical characteristics were used to discriminate between type 1 (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Analyses of SHBG were successful in 2782 participants (98%), who thus constituted the current study population.

Results

We found significant inverse association between levels of SHBG and fasting serum insulin in both genders (men: β=−0.090, P=0.001; women: β=−0.197, P<0.001), which was independent of differences in age and BMI. The associations remained when also differences in fasting plasma glucose were accounted for (men: β=−0.062, P=0.022; women: β=−0.176, P≤0.001). Subjects with T1D exhibited higher levels of SHBG than both T2D (men: δ=15.9 nmol/l, P<0.001; women: δ=71.1 nmol/l, P<0.001) and non-diabetic subjects (men: δ=15.1 nmol/l, P<0.001; women: δ=72.9 nmol/l, P<0.001) independent of age, BMI and fasting glucose levels.

Conclusion

These findings are consistent with high levels of SHBG in T1D, and correspondingly low levels in T2D subjects, suggesting an inhibitory effect of insulin on the SHBG production in the liver.
Sex differences in developmental programming models
Authors: Aiken Catherine E , Ozanne Susan E
Published: October 2012

The theory of developmental programming suggests that diseases such as the metabolic syndrome may be ‘programmed’ by exposure to adverse stimuli during early development. The developmental programming literature encompasses the study of a wide range of suboptimal intrauterine environments in a variety of species and correlates these with diverse phenotypic outcomes in the offspring. At a molecular level, a large number of variables have been measured and suggested as the basis of the programmed phenotype. The range of both dependent and independent variables studied often makes the developmental programming literature complex to interpret and the drawing of definitive conclusions difficult. A common, though under-explored, theme of many developmental programming models is a sex difference in offspring outcomes. This holds true across a range of interventions, including dietary, hypoxic, and surgical models. The molecular and phenotypic outcomes of adversein uteroconditions are often more prominent in male than female offspring, although there is little consideration given to the basis for this observation in most studies. We review the evidence that maternal energy investment in male and female conceptuses may not be equal and may be environment dependent. It is suggested that male and female development could be viewed as separate processes from the time of conception, with differences in both timing and outcomes.
Energy Relay Dye Dynamics With Highly Purified Chlorophyll A as Photo-sensitizer
Authors: Magsi Komal , Lee Ping , Kang Yeona , Fortmann Charles M.
Published: October 2012

Dye type solar cells, especially those incorporating low cost dyes suffer from a very narrow photo-response wavelength range. Motivated by natural photosynthesis research, energy relay dyes (ERDs) appear to offer a possibility to broaden the dye-cell spectral response. In-turn photovoltaic cells can be an extremely sensitive tool for investigation of dye ERD photochemistry. Sensitive Chlorophyll based dye-type solar cells were prepared from purified natural Chlorophyll A. The importance of Chlorophyll purity is discussed as well as the use of purified Chlorophyll A in combination with ERD’s. . Results shed light on many interesting phenomenon including the nature of purified Chlorophyll A excitation and absorption. Importantly, it was found by this work that the ERD architecture when combined with a photosensitizer do not appear to having greater absorption in the infrared region of the spectrum than the ERD alone indicating a lack of cooperative absorption.
Genetic Diversity of an Alien Invasive Plant Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) in China
Authors: Yang Jing , Tang Ling , Guan Ya-Li , Sun Wei-Bang
Published: October 2012

Mexican sunflower is a native species of North and Central America that was introduced into China early last century, but it has widely naturalized and become a harmful invasive plant in tropical and subtropical regions in South China. Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were employed to assess genetic diversity and variation in Mexican sunflower populations from China and neighboring regions. The karyotypes of populations were also studied. Our research showed high levels of genetic diversity in all populations. The lowest genetic diversity estimates were represented in two populations in Laos, suggesting prevention of new introductions into Laos is critical. Partitioning of genetic variance revealed that genetic variation was mostly found within populations, and unweighted pair group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA) analysis showed that the introductions into China and Laos were independent. There were no obvious correlations between genetic relationships and geographic distance of populations in China, consistent with the human associated dispersal history of Mexican sunflower. Previous cytological data and our chromosome count (2n = 34) and karyotype analysis showed chromosome stability among populations. The high levels of genetic diversity within invasive Mexican sunflower populations could be challenging for its management in China, and further expansion and potential negative effects on ecological systems of this plant should be monitored.
Competitive Effects of Volunteer Corn on Hybrid Corn Growth and Yield
Authors: Marquardt Paul T. , Terry Ryan , Krupke Christian H. , Johnson William G.
Published: October 2012

Transgenic volunteer corn is a competitive weed in soybean that decreases soybean yield at densities as low as 0.5 plants m−2, yet the competitive effects of volunteer corn in corn have yet to be quantified in the peer-reviewed literature. In order to quantify competition between volunteer corn and hybrid corn, seed was harvested from transgenic hybrid corn. The seed was then hand-planted at two locations (Lafayette, IN and Wanatah, IN) into 3 by 9 m plots of hybrid corn at five densities: 0 (control), 0.5, 2, 4, and 8 plants m−2. Volunteer corn competition reduced leaf area and biomass of hybrid corn plants. Hybrid corn grain yield at Lafayette, IN, was reduced by 23 and 22% due to competition with volunteer corn growing in densities of 8 plants m−2in 2010 and 2011, respectively, but when volunteer corn grain yield was combined with the hybrid corn grain yield, there was no reduction in total grain yield. This study demonstrates that the competitive effects on the grain yield of the hybrid corn will be offset by the grain yield of the volunteer plants. However, because the unpredictable locations and densities of volunteer corn plants present challenges to machine harvesting, future studies should examine what proportion of the volunteer crop is actually harvestable.
Genetic Relationship between Cultivated and Feral Creeping Bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) in a Cultural Landscape
Authors: Ahrens Collin W. , Auer Carol A.
Published: October 2012

Gene flow is an important consideration in the adoption of crops with novel traits or transgenes when sexually compatible relatives occur in the landscape. Unfortunately, gene flow and its long-term environmental impacts are very difficult to predict without releasing and studying the novel genotype. This project uses a retrospective population genetics approach to characterize the relationship between cultivated creeping bentgrass (CB) on a golf course and the same species in five feral populations nearby. CB plants were collected from an 8-yr-old golf course, five weedy populations up to 1,020 m from the golf course, and four modern CB cultivars. Using microsatellite markers and Bayesian inference, two major genetic clusters were distinguished: (1) CB cultivars and individuals from the golf course (cultivar genotype), and (2) the majority of individuals (62%) from the five feral populations (feral genotype). Two feral CB individuals (3.3% of all feral plants) were partially assigned to the cultivar genotype. Principal coordinates analysis agreed with this assignment, suggesting that an intraspecific hybridization event may have occurred. Plants in four feral populations showed a high degree of genetic similarity, but one feral population (Reservoir) was heterogeneous indicating that genetically complex CB populations can develop in cultural landscapes. While recognizing the limitations inherent in a single study of CB population genetics, these results add to the relevant knowledge for predictive ecological risk assessment.
Digital image correlation for structural measurements
Authors: McCormick Nick , Lord Jerry
Published: October 2012

Digital image correlation is an optical imaging technique that compares images taken of a structure and is well established for laboratory measurements. By processing pairs of images under different loading conditions, the full-field deformation of the structure can be measured. Using modern high-resolution digital cameras, in-plane displacement resolutions can approach 5 parts per million of the horizontal field of view. With the ready availability of low-cost computing resource, digital image correlation is now useful for full-field deformation measurements of civil engineering structures and can help identify suitable sites for installation of continuous-measurement deformation sensors. Examples of its use in civil engineering are described and some of the practical problems of deploying the technique in situ are discussed.
Design and construction of the tower headland wave walls, Blackpool, UK
Authors: Cunningham Lee , Burgess Anthony
Published: October 2012

The Blackpool central area scheme is the largest coastal defence project recently completed in the UK. The headland adjacent to the town's iconic Victorian tower represents the aesthetic focal point of the scheme. As a key element in the coastal defence structure of the headland, the wave walls represented a significant challenge to the project team. The aesthetic demands of the project required the highest possible quality in terms of geometric tolerances and surface finishes. This quality had to be achieved in the harsh tidal environment and under tight programme and budget constraints. These challenges were met collaboratively by the project team and a number of innovative approaches were adopted.
All-Cause and External Mortality in Released Prisoners: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Zlodre Jakov , Fazel Seena
Published: October 2012

Objectives. We systematically reviewed studies of mortality following release from prison and examined possible demographic and methodological factors associated with variation in mortality rates.

Methods. We searched 5 computer-based literature indexes to conduct a systematic review of studies that reported all-cause, drug-related, suicide, and homicide deaths of released prisoners. We extracted and meta-analyzed crude death rates and standardized mortality ratios by age, gender, and race/ethnicity, where reported.

Results. Eighteen cohorts met review criteria reporting 26 163 deaths with substantial heterogeneity in rates. The all-cause crude death rates ranged from 720 to 2054 per 100 000 person-years. Male all-cause standardized mortality ratios ranged from 1.0 to 9.4 and female standardized mortality ratios from 2.6 to 41.3. There were higher standardized mortality ratios in White, female, and younger prisoners.

Conclusions. Released prisoners are at increased risk for death following release from prison, particularly in the early period. Aftercare planning for released prisoners could potentially have a large public health impact, and further work is needed to determine whether certain groups should be targeted as part of strategies to reduce mortality.
Implementing the Ten Steps for Successful Breastfeeding in Hospitals Serving Low-Wealth Patients
Authors: Taylor Emily C. , Nickel Nathan C. , Labbok Miriam H.
Published: October 2012

Objectives. The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding is a proven approach to support breastfeeding in maternity settings; however, scant literature exists on the relative impact and interpretation of each step on breastfeeding. We assessed the Ten Steps and their relationship with in-hospital breastfeeding rates at facilities serving low-wealth populations and explored the outcomes to identify step-specific actions.

Methods. We present descriptive and nonparametric comparisons and qualitative findings to examine the relationship between the Ten Steps and breastfeeding rates from each hospital using baseline data collection.

Results. Some steps (1-policy, 2-training, 4-skin-to-skin, 6-no supplements, and 9-no artificial nipples, followed by 3-prenatal counseling, 7-rooming-in) reflected differences in relative baseline breastfeeding rates between settings. Key informant interviews revealed misunderstanding of some steps.

Conclusions. Self-appraisal may be less valid when not all elements of the criteria for evaluating Step implementation may be fully understood. Limited exposure and understanding may lead to self-appraisal errors, resulting in scores that are not reflective of actual practices. Nonetheless, the indication that breastfeeding rates may be better mirrored by a defined subset of steps may provide some constructive insight toward prioritizing implementation activities and simplifying assessment. These issues will be further explored in the next phase of this study.
Mapping the Spread of Methamphetamine Abuse in California From 1995 to 2008
Authors: Gruenewald Paul J. , Ponicki William R. , Remer Lillian G. , Waller Lance A. , Zhu Li , Gorman Dennis M.
Published: October 2012

Objectives. From 1983 to 2008, the incidence of methamphetamine abuse and dependence (MA) presenting at hospitals in California increased 13-fold. We assessed whether this growth could be characterized as a drug epidemic.

Methods. We geocoded MA discharges to residential zip codes from 1995 through 2008. We related discharges to population and environmental characteristics using Bayesian Poisson conditional autoregressive models, correcting for small area effects and spatial misalignment and enabling an assessment of contagion between areas.

Results. MA incidence increased exponentially in 3 phases interrupted by implementation of laws limiting access to methamphetamine precursors. MA growth from 1999 through 2008 was 17% per year. MA was greatest in areas with larger White or Hispanic low-income populations, small household sizes, and good connections to highway systems. Spatial misalignment was a source of bias in estimated effects. Spatial autocorrelation was substantial, accounting for approximately 80% of error variance in the model.

Conclusions. From 1995 through 2008, MA exhibited signs of growth and spatial spread characteristic of drug epidemics, spreading most rapidly through low-income White and Hispanic populations living outside dense urban areas.
Health Advantages of Ethnic Density for African American and Mexican American Elderly Individuals
Authors: Alvarez Kimberly J. , Levy Becca R.
Published: October 2012

Research suggests that greater ethnic density correlates with worse health among African Americans but better health among Hispanic Americans. These conflicting patterns may arise from Hispanic American samples being older than African American samples. We found that among 2367 Mexican American and 2790 African American participants older than 65 years, ethnic density predicted lower rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer, adjusting for covariates, showing that the health benefits of ethnic density apply to both minority communities.
Ethical Issues in Health Research With Novel Online Sources
Authors: Vayena Effy , Mastroianni Anna , Kahn Jeffrey
Published: October 2012

Health-related research is increasingly drawing on novel sources of online data, such as crowdsourced information about disease outbreaks, consumer-supplied information provided to health or wellness Web sites, Internet search queries about personal health, and social network postings that identify health behaviors.

We offer examples of online sources and their uses, identify ethical and policy issues they generate, and formulate key questions for future discussion and investigation.

Further work in this area will require cross-disciplinary collaboration to develop ethics and policy guidance for the ethical use of these novel data sources in health-related research.
The Brazilian Family Health Program and Secondary Stroke and Myocardial Infarction Prevention: A 6-Year Cohort Study
Authors: Cabral Norberto L. , Franco Selma , Longo Alexandre , Moro Carla , Buss Talita A. , Collares Daniel , Werlich Roberta , Dadan Danieli D. , Fissmer Cristiane S. , Aragão Ana , Ferst Priscilla , Palharini Felipe G. , Eluf-Neto Jose , Fonseca Luiz A. M. , Whiteley William N. , Gonçalves Anderson R. R.
Published: October 2012

Objectives. We compared the incidence of recurrent or fatal cardiovascular disease in patients using Brazil’s government-run Family Health Program (FHP) with those using non-FHP models of care.

Methods. From 2005 to 2010, we followed outpatients discharged from city public hospitals after a first ever stroke for stroke recurrence and myocardial infarction, using data from all city hospitals, death certificates, and outpatient monitoring in state-run and private units.

Results. In the follow-up period, 103 patients in the FHP units and 138 in the non-FHP units had exclusively state-run care. Stroke or myocardial infarction occurred in 30.1% of patients in the FHP group and 36.2% of patients in non-FHP care (rate ratio [RR] = 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.61, 1.18; P = .39); 37.9% of patients in FHP care and 54.3% in non-FHP care (RR = 0.68; 95% CI = 0.50, 0.92; P = .01) died. FHP use was associated with lower hazard of death from all causes (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.58; P = .005) after adjusting for age and stroke severity. The absolute risk reduction for death by all causes was 16.4%.

Conclusions. FHP care is more effective than is non-FHP care at preventing death from secondary stroke and myocardial infarction.