bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Good, the Bad, and the Just: Justice Sensitivity Predicts Neural Response during Moral Evaluation of Actions Performed by Others
Authors: Yoder Keith J. , Decety Jean
Published: March 2014

Morality is a fundamental component of human cultures and has been defined as prescriptive norms regarding how people should treat one another, including concepts such as justice, fairness, and rights. Using fMRI, the current study examined the extent to which dispositions in justice sensitivity (i.e., how individuals react to experiences of injustice and unfairness) predict behavioral ratings of praise and blame and how they modulate the online neural response and functional connectivity when participants evaluate morally laden (good and bad) everyday actions. Justice sensitivity did not impact the neuro-hemodynamic response in the action-observation network but instead influenced higher-order computational nodes in the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ), right dorsolateral and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (rdlPFC, dmPFC) that process mental states understanding and maintain goal representations. Activity in these regions predicted praise and blame ratings. Further, the hemodynamic response in rTPJ showed a differentiation between good and bad actions 2 s before the response in rdlPFC. Evaluation of good actions was specifically associated with enhanced activity in dorsal striatum and increased the functional coupling between the rTPJ and the anterior cingulate cortex. Together, this study provides important knowledge in how individual differences in justice sensitivity impact neural computations that support psychological processes involved in moral judgment and mental-state reasoning.
TALENs Mediate Efficient and Heritable Mutation of Endogenous Genes in the Marine Annelid Platynereis dumerilii
Authors: Bannister Stephanie , Antonova Olga , Polo Alessandra , Lohs Claudia , Hallay Natalia , Valinciute Agne , Raible Florian , Tessmar-Raible Kristin
Published: March 2014

Platynereis dumerilii is a marine polychaete and an established model system for studies of evolution and development. Platynereis is also a re-emerging model for studying the molecular basis of circalunar reproductive timing: a biological phenomenon observed in many marine species. While gene expression studies have provided new insight into patterns of gene regulation, a lack of reverse genetic tools has so far limited the depth of functional analyses in this species. To address this need, we established customized transcriptional activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) as a tool to engineer targeted modifications in Platynereis genes. By adapting a workflow of TALEN construction protocols and mutation screening approaches for use in Platynereis, we engineered frameshift mutations in three endogenous Platynereis genes. We confirmed that such mutations are heritable, demonstrating that TALENs can be used to generate homozygous knockout lines in P. dumerilii. This is the first use of TALENs for generating genetic knockout mutations in an annelid model. These tools not only open the door for detailed in vivo functional analyses, but also can facilitate further technical development, such as targeted genome editing.
Evidence for Local Regulatory Control of Escape from Imprinted X Chromosome Inactivation
Authors: Mugford Joshua W , Starmer Joshua , Williams Rex L , Calabrese J Mauro , Mieczkowski Piotr , Yee Della , Magnuson Terry
Published: March 2014

X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is an epigenetic process that almost completely inactivates one of two X chromosomes in somatic cells of mammalian females. A few genes are known to escape XCI and the mechanism for this escape remains unclear. Here, using mouse trophoblast stem (TS) cells, we address whether particular chromosomal interactions facilitate escape from imprinted XCI. We demonstrate that promoters of genes escaping XCI do not congregate to any particular region of the genome in TS cells. Further, the escape status of a gene was uncorrelated with the types of genomic features and gene activity located in contacted regions. Our results suggest that genes escaping imprinted XCI do so by using the same regulatory sequences as their expressed alleles on the active X chromosome. We suggest a model where regulatory control of escape from imprinted XCI is mediated by genomic elements located in close linear proximity to escaping genes.
Riesz decomposition for super-polyharmonic functions in the punctured unit ball
Authors: Futamura Toshihide , Mizuta Yoshihiro , Ohno Takao
Published: March 2014

We consider a Riesz decomposition theorem for super-polyharmonic functions satisfying certain growth condition on surface integrals in the punctured unit ball. We give a condition that super-polyharmonic functions u have the bound \documentclass{aastex}
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Optical and electrical study of cap layer effect in QHE devices with double-2DEG
Authors: Zamora-Peredo L. , Cortes-Mestizo I. , García-Gonzáez L. , Hernández-Torres J. , Hernandez-Quiroz T. , Peres-Caro M. , Ramirez-López M. , Martinez-Veliz I. , Casallas-Moreno Y. L. , Gallardo-Hernández S. , Conde-Gallardo A. , López-López M.
Published: March 2014

In this work we report on the characteristics of GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures with a symmetric double two-dimensional electron gas (D-2DEG). Optical characterization was made by room temperature photoreflectance (PR) spectroscopy as well as electrical properties were determinated using the quantum Hall effect measurements at 2K. In order to study the surface effects on the conduction band profile, three samples with different GaAs cap layer thickness (25, 60 and 80 nm) were grown by the molecular beam epitaxy. Photoreflectance spectra at room temperature show the wide-period Franz-Keldysh oscillations between 1.42 and 1.70 eV originated by the surface electric field. The analysis of these oscillations shows that the surface electric field varies from 503 to 120 kV/cm whereas the thickness of the cap layer increases that was produced by the reduction of the depletion zone near the surface. Using QHE measurements we found that electron density increases if the surface electric field decreases.
Focused Ion Beam (FIB) Milling and Automotive Catalysis Aging: A Novel Approach for the Direct Observation of Interfacial and Sub-Surface Chemical and Structural Properties Relevant to Catalyst Aging and Functionality
Authors: Kamp Carl J. , Sappok Alexander G. , Wong Victor W.
Published: March 2014

The combined focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (FIB/SEM/EDX) system is a novel tool for the automotive catalysis field. Automotive emissions such as SOx, NOx, and particulate matter (PM) are regulated to various extents throughout the world, requiring the use of multiple aftertreatment components such as the diesel particulate filter (DPF), diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), three-way catalytic converter (TWC), Lean NOx trap (LNT) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR). While these aforementioned aftertreatment components are generally multifunctional and robust in design, thermal and chemical aging over the components’ useful lifetimes results in significantly degraded performance leading to increased engine emissions levels and decreased fuel economy. While the component sizes themselves are generally large (10s of cm to ≈1/2 m), component aging mechanisms usually dominate on the nm-µm scales. In particular, this study has used the FIB/SEM/EDX system to investigate the aging of the diesel particulate filter (DPF) due to engine lubricant-derived inorganic ash accumulation. The FIB/SEM/EDX system has been used in the automotive aftertreatment field for the first time with many surprising and significant findings. Although the samples used in this study are quite different to those typically found in FIB studies, the authors have shown that the FIB/SEM/EDX system is a valuable tool in this research area, especially for the investigation of µm-size intra-particle structure and nm-µm interfacial/sub-surface details around the aged catalyst surface.
Novel Methods of Nanoscale Wire Formation
Authors: Prokes S.M. , Wang Kang L.
Published: March 2014

In recent years, tremendous interest has been generated in the fabrication and characterization of nanoscale structures such as quantum dots and wires. For example, there is interest in the electronic, magnetic, mechanical, and chemical properties of materials with reduced dimensions. In the case of nanoscale semiconductors, quantum effects are expected to play an increasingly prominent role in the physics of nanostructures, and a new class of electronic and optoelectronic devices may be possible. In addition to new and interesting physics, the formation and characterization of nanoscale magnetic structures could result in higher-density storage capacity in hard disks and optical-recording media. Likewise, phonon confinement leads to a drastic reduction of thermal conductivity and can be used to improve the performance of thermoelectric devices.

In 1980, H. Sakaki predicted theoretically that quantum wires may have applications in high-performance transport devices, due to their sawtoothlike density of states (E1/2), where E is the electron energy. Since then, most quantum wires have been made by fabricating a gratinglike gate on top of a two-dimensional (2D) electron gas contained in a semiconductor heterojunction or in metal-oxide-semiconductor structures. By applying a negative gate voltage to the system, its structure can be changed from a 2D to a one-dimensional (1D) regime, where electron confinement is achieved by an electrostatic confining potential. It was not until recently that “physical” semiconductor quantum wires with the demonstrated 1D confinement by physical boundaries began to be fabricated.
Bulk Glass-Forming Metallic Alloys: Science and Technology
Authors: Johnson William L.
Published: March 2014

The following article is based on the MRS Medal talk presented by William L. Johnson at the 1998 MRS Fall Meeting on December 2, 1998. The MRS Medal is awarded for a specific outstanding recent discovery or advancement that has a major impact on the progress of a materials-related field. Johnson received the honor for his development of bulk metallic glass-forming alloys, the fundamental understanding of the thermodynamics and kinetics that control glass formation and crystallization of glass-forming liquids, and the application of these materials in engineering.

The development of bulk glass-forming metallic alloys has led to interesting advances in the science of liquid metals. This article begins with brief remarks about the history and background of the field, then follows with a discussion of multicomponent glass-forming alloys and deep eutectics, the chemical constitution of these new alloys, and how they differ from metallic glasses of a decade ago or earlier. Recent studies of deeply undercooled liquid alloys and the insights made possible by their exceptional stability with respect to crystallization will then be discussed. Advances in this area will be illustrated by several examples. The article then describes some of the physical and specific mechanical properties of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), and concludes with some interesting potential applications.

The first liquid-metal alloy vitrified by cooling from the molten state to the glass transition was Au-Si, as reported by Duwez at Caltech in 1960. Duwez made this discovery as a result of developing rapid quenching techniques for chilling metallic liquids at very high rates of 105–106 K/s.
Small Cracks and the Transition to Long Cracks
Authors: Morris W.L. , James M.R.
Published: March 2014

The propagation of small fatigue cracks differs considerably from that of long cracks in the same material. Small cracks tend to grow more rapidly than would be expected from long-crack data. Following Suresh and Ritchie, cracks are small when (1) their length is small compared to the scale of local plasticity (a linear elastic fracture mechanics, LEFM, limitation); (2) their length is small compared to microstructural dimensions (a continuum mechanics limitation); or (3) they are merely physically small. The importance of understanding the anomalously rapid growth of small cracks has been the subject of recent reviews and two specialized conferences. The impact of small cracks on component design is to force the design of highly conservative structures.

Many investigators have tried to correct LEFM to account for crack shortness. Since the early work of Kitagawa and Takahashi and Smith showing the limitations of LEFM, many procedures to modify, correct, or replace LEFM have been proposed to predict short-crack growth rates. These include mechanisms based on crack closure stress and crack deflection, elastic-plastic approaches such as theJintegral, or simply semi-empirical approaches. These methods have been reasonably successful when the crack length is a few times that of the relevant micro-structural size.
Environmental Effects on the Cracking of Engineering Materials
Authors: Kasul David B. , Heldt Lloyd A.
Published: March 2014

A material's susceptibility to cracking may be significantly affected by its chemical environment. Stress corrosion cracking (SCC), liquid metal embrittle-ment (LME), hydrogen embrittlement (HE), and corrosion fatigue are examples of environmental effects which cause ductility or endurance losses through environment-assisted cracking (EAC). Under certain conditions, virtually all commercially important materials are susceptible to one or more of the above embrittlement processes. Cracking may occur intergranularly, transgranularly, or in a mixed mode, depending on conditions. Much is known about the metallurgical and environmental conditions which promote environment-assisted cracking, and prudent control of these is often successful in mitigating or preventing cracking. However, in spite of our understanding of the factors controlling SCC, LME, and HE, the responsible mechanisms remain elusive.

This article will (1) review some of the important variables affecting these phenomena, such as stress, stress intensity, material microstructure, strain rate, electrochemical potential and pH, and (2) attempt to relate phenomeno-logical characteristics of environment-induced embrittlement to several mechanisms proposed for environment-assisted cracking, as they are understood today.

The problem of stress corrosion cracking is unquestionably the most costly of environmental cracking phenomena, with losses occurring in a wide variety of service environments. Liquid metal embrittlement is of concern in nuclear power and other industries. Hydrogen embrittlement, first recognized as an embrittler of iron in 1873, causes cracking problems in applications ranging from welding to oil drilling. In all, the list of situations in which environment-assisted cracking occurs is long and is likely to grow as materials are increasingly challenged by the severity of their service conditions.
Recent Advances in Understanding Helium Embrittlement in Metals
Authors: Baskes M.I.
Published: March 2014

Helium is formed in metals as a secondary product of fission/fusion energy technology. Even though helium is chemically inert and essentially insoluble in metals, under specific exposure conditions it is known to cause them to lose their ductility. At high temperatures, helium atoms produced from the transmutation of 10B or from a two-step process with 58Ni in amounts as low as a few parts per million migrate to grain boundaries to cause inter-granular failure. Ion implantation of helium may cause a similar effect. More recently it has been found that helium produced from tritium decay at or slightly above room temperature also markedly degrades the mechanical properties of metals. In order to design alloys of the future it is necessary to understand the mechanisms responsible for this helium embrittlement.

Early experiments found that helium is strongly trapped at radiation-produced defects in metals. Atomistic calculations using pair potential interactions verified these findings. It was initially thought that the helium embrittlement in metals was due to the trapping and subsequent bubble formation at radiation-induced defects. It has been shown, however, that helium may be trapped in metals even in the absence of radiation damage. Thomas et al. found that 3He generated at low temperatures from tritium decay remained trapped in nickel upon heating to 500°C. In both this experimentand a subsequentone in gold the helium was introduced without the production of radiation damage. In this second experiment Thomas used transmission electron microscopy to see in the gold small (10Å) bubbles that had been implanted with low-energy (sub-damage threshold) helium.
Produção de mudas de laranjeira Pêra por meio do método de interenxertia
Authors: Guilherme Denilson de Oliveira , Marinho Cláudia Sales , Biazatt Marlon Altoé , Campos Graziella Siqueira , Bremenkamp Cintia Aparecida
Published: March 2014

A interenxertia é uma prática que é usada, quando se deseja unir duas plantas que, sabidamente, são incompatíveis, ou quando se pretende diminuir o vigor da cultivar copa. Neste trabalho, avaliou-se uma metodologia alternativa para a produção de mudas de laranjeira Pêra interenxertadas, usando a subenxertia como técnica auxiliar na formação de um interenxerto de limoeiro Cravo. Foram avaliados os seguintes tratamentos: T1 - porta-enxerto trifoliata Flying Dragon (FD) e interenxerto de laranjeira Bahia; T2 - porta-enxerto Citrumeleiro Swingle (CS) e interenxerto de laranjeira Bahia; T3 - porta-enxerto limoeiro Cravo (LC); T4 - porta-enxerto FD e interenxerto de LC; T5 - Porta-enxerto CS e interenxerto de LC. As mudas produzidas no tratamento 4 (Pêra / LC / FD) se aproximaram em vigor das mudas produzidas sem filtro (Pêra / LC). A produção de mudas de laranjeira Pêra interenxertadas pelo sistema tradicional, tendo como porta-enxerto CS ou FD e interenxerto de laranjeira Bahia, não foi possível, em virtude da baixa viabilidade e vigor das brotações.
Morfogênese de plantas de alho in vitro: papel dos reguladores de crescimento na indução e desenvolvimento de bulbos
Authors: Vieira Renato Luis , Silva Aparecido Lima da , Zaffari Gilmar Roberto , Feltrim Anderson Luiz
Published: March 2014

Protocolos eficientes de crescimento de ápices caulinares de alho (Allium sativum L.) e posterior bulbificação in vitro são importantes para limpeza clonal e manutenção da fidelidade genética. O trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar os efeitos de tipos e concentrações de reguladores de crescimento sobre a morfogênese de plantas de alho in vitro. Ápices caulinares com até dois primórdios foram excisados de bulbilhos de alho da cv. 'Jonas' e submetidos ao cultivo in vitro em meio de cultura suplementado de ácido indolacético (0; 1,07; 2,69 e 5,37µM), ácido indolbutírico (0; 0,49; 0,98 e 2,46µM), ácido naftalenoacético (0; 1,07; 2,69 e 5,37µM), ácido jasmônico (0; 1,0; 5,0 e 10,0µM) e ácido abscísico (0; 0,38; 1,89; e 3,78µM). A concentração de 1,07µM de ácido naftalenoacético aplicado ao meio de cultura promoveu incrementos na maioria das variáveis analisadas. O ácido jasmônico induziu a formação de bulbos de alho in vitro, embora tenha apresentado performance inferior ao verificado com o uso de ANA. Por outro lado, a adição de ácido abscísico no meio de cultura inibiu o crescimento de plantas, porém, não impediu a formação de bulbos, sobretudo em concentrações reduzidas. De um modo geral, as variáveis número de bulbos e porcentagem de bulbificação diminuiram com o uso de concentrações elevadas dos reguladores de crescimento testados. Entre os reguladores de crescimento de plantas, o ANA apresenta maior efeito na morfogênese in vitro de plantas de alho, entretanto, o ácido jasmônico e o ABA também apresentam potencial para induzir a formação de bulbos de alho in vitro como o ANA.
Coral community structure and sedimentation at different distances from the coast of the Abrolhos Bank, Brazil
Authors: Segal Bárbara , Castro Clovis B.
Published: March 2014

Sedimentation has previously been considered an important source of impact in coral reefs. We compared 3 sites on the Abrolhos Bank, Brazil, regarding sedimentation rates, carbonate sediment composition, coral cover, and colony size for the commonest local coral species (Mussismilia braziliensis, Siderastrea stellata, and Favia gravida). The sites are located at different distances from the mainland: Pedra de Leste (14 km), Pontas Sul (26 km), and Parcel dos Abrolhos (58 km). Sedimentation was higher in winter (p <0.05), but no difference among sites was noted. Sites differed in sediment type (P <0.05), with Parcel dos Abrolhos showing nearly 90% of carbonate in sediment composition, Pontas Sul nearly 65%, and Pedra de Leste only nearly 50%. The farther from the mainland, where the zoanthid cover was smaller, the higher was the coral cover (p <0.01). Differences in colony sizes were found only for M. braziliensis, with smaller colonies occurring at Pedra de Leste (p <0.05). It is suggested that terrigenous sediment distribution and turbidity may be the main factors controlling reef development at the Abrolhos Reefs.
Temporal variation in vegetative development of Caulerpa scalpelliformis (Chlorophyta) from Baleia beach, Ilha Grande bay (Rio de janeiro, brazil)
Authors: Vasconcelos Marcelo Augusto , Schubart Carolina Leite Queiroga , Széchy Maria Teresa Menezes de
Published: March 2014

Caulerpa scalpelliformis grows on rocky and sandy bottoms at different depths in Jacuacanga Cove, Ilha Grande Bay, where it can form dense patches. The invasive behavior of this and other species of Caulerpa is well documented in the literature. This study analyzed the variation of the vegetative development of C. scalpelliformis from Baleia Beach (23º01'63''S and 44º14'18''W) in Jacuacanga Cove, from June 2003 to September 2004, including plants from rocky and sandy substrates. Morphometric and dry weight data from the erect and prostrate portions were used. Plants were collected from 20 x 20 cm² plots (n=3), randomly positioned on the rocky boulders (≅1.5 m depth) and on contiguous sandy bottom (≅3.0 m depth). During the study period, C. scalpelliformis occurred on both substrates as a pseudo-perennial species, showing partial loss of the erect portions from winter to spring; the height and dry weight of the erect portions increased from summer to autumn on both substrates. The temporal variation of C. scalpelliformis vegetative development in Baleia Beach was similar to that described for the invasive C. racemosa and C. taxifolia from different geographical regions of the world.
Acompanhamento dos desfechos clínicos no primeiro ano de vida de prematuros
Authors: Nunes Cristiane Raupp , Abdala Leticia Gabriel , Beghetto Mariur Gomes
Published: March 2014

O estudo investigou desfechos clínicos do primeiro ano de vida de prematuros egressos da Unidade de Terapia Neonatal (UTIN), a partir de dados da mortalidade, reinternação e do desenvolvimento motor destas crianças. Tratou-se de uma pesquisa de coorte retrospectiva. A amostra foi composta 170 de crianças, com idade gestacional menor que 37 semanas, que sobreviveram à internação na UTIN. Os dados foram coletados dos prontuários, do sistema informatizado do hospital e de entrevista telefônica com o responsável pela criança. Observou-se 100% de sobrevida no período estudado, 39,4% dos RN apresentaram reinternações hospitalares, frequentemente (26,5%) por afecções respiratórias. Quanto ao desenvolvimento, verificou-se que, utilizando-se a idade corrigida, foi considerado dentro do esperado. Ao término deste estudo, concluiu-se que os prematuros dos estudos apresentaram boa evolução clínica de observação proposta.
Vision ahead for environmental geotechnics
Authors: Sreedeep S.
Published: March 2014

The emergence of ‘environmental geotechnics’ or ‘geoenvironmental engineering’ as potential research and academic focus in the last few decades is the result of strong realisation on the severe degradation of atmosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere. Such degradation not only has direct short-term adverse impacts on living things and natural resources but also results in an indirect long-term socio-economic crisis for the government to handle. The exponential growth of urbanisation and industrialisation, unmindful of the environment, has already done damages to the geosphere (soil, rock and water), which showcases rich non-renewable and renewable resources. Therefore, the two-fold role of geoenvironmental engineers is to ‘revive and prevent’ degradation to geo-biosphere. Any holistic solution in this direction calls for an interdisciplinary approach wherein there is an inadvertent amalgamation of pure science into engineering. Finding optimal, cost-effective and sustainable solutions to the geoenvironmental problems through an unconventional approach of integrating different branches of science and engineering is the environmental geotechnics’ vision and commitment to society for the well-being of future generations.
The impact of climate change on the European road network
Authors: Fifer Bizjak Karmen , Dawson Andrew , Hoff Inge , Makkonen Lasse , Ylhäisi Jussi S. , Carrera Alessandra
Published: March 2014

Anticipated climate changes in Europe over the next 100 years were estimated using two different scenarios of carbon dioxide emissions and two computational approaches. The principal manifestations of climate change within the European region are predicted to be a rise in temperature, an increase in rainfall intensity in most areas and a decrease in freeze–thaw cycling. The impacts of such possible climate changes were then estimated for pavements and the pavement-related infrastructure. It should be noted that the life cycle of pavements is much shorter than the time span over which climate change might have a statistically significant influence on pavement performance. Several analytical and numerical analyses were performed in order to simulate the effect of future climate change, taking into account the fact that the effect of these changes on pavements structures will depend on local conditions. In particular, temperature and rainfall increase will be a challenge for asphalts, as both rutting and stripping of asphalt layers can be expected. In countries where roads are presently frequently frozen in winter, the length of this period of freezing will be reduced. For this reason, many thin and unsealed pavements will need to be upgraded if high bearing capacity is to be maintained. In coastal and low-lying areas raised water tables may occur due to areas where flood waters may collect, or due to raised sea levels. For most applications, appropriate responses to these changes in pavement performance will be achievable through the use of new design criteria with regard to temperature and the return period of storm flows. More attention needs to be paid to drainage systems, which should be self-cleaning and easy to inspect.
Landscapes as a moderator of thermal extremes: a case study from an imperiled grouse
Authors: Hovick Torre J. , Elmore R. Dwayne , Allred Brady W , Fuhlendorf Samuel D. , Dahlgren David K.
Published: March 2014

The impacts of climate driven change on ecosystem processes and biodiversity are pervasive and still not fully understood. Biodiversity loss, range shifts, and phenological mismatches are all issues associated with a changing climate that are having significant impacts on individuals and ecosystems alike. Investigating and identifying effective management strategies that can conserve vulnerable species should be the focus of current and future climate change research. We investigated thermal properties of habitat for an imperiled grouse (Greater Prairie‐chicken; Tympanuchus cupido) in tallgrass prairie characterized by heterogeneous fire and grazing (the fire‐grazing interaction). We examined operative temperature at varying scales relevant to grouse and used historic and forecasted climate data to estimate thermal stress during nesting activities. We found that heterogeneous grasslands have high thermal variability with operative temperature ranging as much as 23°C across the landscape. Grouse exhibited strong selection for cooler thermal environments as nest sites were as much as 8°C cooler than the surrounding landscape, and fine‐scale differences in thermal environments were nearly 4°C cooler than sites within 2 m of nests. Additionally, forecasted climate scenarios indicate grouse will experience 2–4 times the number of hours above thermal stress thresholds, emphasizing the need for informed conservation management. Overall, these data provide evidence that variation in grassland structure resulting from the fire‐grazing interaction may be important in moderating thermal environments and highlights the complex and interactive effects of restored ecological processes on ecosystems.
Cryptosporidium infection, onsite wastewater systems and private wells in the arid Southwest
Authors: Tollestrup Kristine , Frost Floyd J. , Kunde Twila R. , Yates Marylynn V. , Jackson Stephanie
Published: March 2014

Few prior studies have examined the potential health risks from transmission of enteric parasites via aquifers contaminated by wastewater from onsite systems. A cross-sectional study of 600 residents in households served with either onsite wastewater systems and private wells or city sewer/water systems in three different sites in central New Mexico compared serological responses to Cryptosporidium, a common waterborne infections agent. Study participants completed a short self-administered questionnaire with questions on demographic characteristics, characteristics of the onsite wastewater system and private well, and common risk factors associated with cryptosporidiosis. A sample of household tap water was collected, as well as a blood sample from each study participant to measure IgG responses to antigen groups for Cryptosporidium. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between having an onsite wastewater system and private well and the 27-kDa marker for Cryptosporidium in the River Valley site after adjusting for covariates (OR = 1.98; 95% CI = 1.11–3.55). This study, together with one prior study, suggests that the presence of onsite wastewater systems and private wells might be associated with an increased risk of Cryptosporidium infection.
The Effect of Concomitant Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy on Quality of Life in Patients with Heart Failure Undergoing Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Thorén Emma , Kesek Milos , Jidéus Lena
Published: March 2014

Objectives:

To evaluate the effect of concomitant cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) on health related quality of life (QoL) in patients with heart failure (HF) and ventricular dyssynchrony undergoing cardiac surgery.

Methods:

Twenty-eight patients received permanent epicardial CRT in connection to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and/or aortic valve replacement (AVR) (CRT group). Thirty-seven HF patients without concomitant CRT served as a comparison group (non-CRT group). SF-36 was used to assess QoL in the two groups and was also compared with the general Swedish population.

Results:

The median follow-up time was 28 months after surgery (range 8 to 44 months). No difference in QoL could be shown between the CRT group and the comparison group. Several subscales of QoL in the CRT group were in range with the general Swedish population.

Conclusion:

Concomitant CRT for patients with HF and ventricular dyssynchrony undergoing CABG and/or AVR did not result in a higher estimated QoL compared to HF patients without CRT.
Improving care of chronic conditions for women veterans: identifying opportunities for comparative effectiveness research
Authors: Bielawski Mark P , Goldstein Karen M , Mattocks Kristin M , Bean-Mayberry Bevanne , Yano Elizabeth M , Bastian Lori A
Published: March 2014

This article aims to critically analyze research focused on the findings for five chronic conditions: chronic pain, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, HIV and cancer among women veterans to identify opportunities for comparative effectiveness research. We provide a descriptive analysis from the relevant articles in prior systematic reviews. In order to identify potential gaps in research for these specific conditions, we also conducted a literature search to highlight studies focusing on women veterans published since the last systematic review. While the scientific knowledge base has grown for these chronic conditions among women veterans, the vast majority of the published literature remains descriptive and/or observational, with only a few studies examining gender differences and even fewer clinical trials. There is a need to conduct comparative effectiveness research on chronic conditions among women veterans to improve health and healthcare.
Chaos synchronization of a fractional nonautonomous system
Authors: Hammouch Zakia , Mekkaoui Toufik
Published: March 2014

In this paper we investigate the dynamic behavior of a nonautonomous fractional-order biological system.With the stability criterion of active nonlinear fractional systems, the synchronization of the studied chaotic system is obtained. On the other hand, using a Phase-Locked-Loop (PLL) analogy we synchronize the same system. The numerical results demonstrate the efiectiveness of the proposed methods
Panentheism in the context of the theology and science dialogue
Authors: Bracken Joseph A.
Published: March 2014

The term “panentheism” (literally, everything in God) mediates between pantheism of the sort espoused by Spinoza and classical theism (God as transcendent Creator of the world). In this essay, in dialogue with the contemporary Danish theologian Niels Henrik Gregersen I review various historical positions re panentheism before concluding with a summary statement of my own understanding of the God-world relationship. The ancient Greek Orthodox tradition, for example, can be retrieved to set forth what might be called soteriological panentheism whereby the communitarian life of the three divine persons of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity is freely offered to all creatures at the end of the world. The German Idealists Krause, Hegel and Schelling focused instead on the progressive self-manifestation of God in the world of creation in and through a dialectical process governed by Divine Mind or Will. In the mid-20th century Charles Hartshorne, the disciple of Alfred North Whitehead, presented what he called dipolar panentheism: God as the “soul” of the world and the world as the “body of God.” The Jesuit paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin located the goal of cosmic evolution in the Pauline vision of the Cosmic Christ who thereby “personalizes” the whole of creation. Most current understandings of panentheism are derived from one or another of these earlier efforts at understanding how the world can be both in God and yet distinct from God. I myself use the notion of hierarchically ordered systems employed in the life-sciences to make clear how the higher-order system proper to the communitarian life of the three divine persons both conditions and is conditioned by the lower-order systems proper to the world of creation.
On a problem of Bertram Yood
Authors: Abel Mart , Abel Mati
Published: March 2014

In 1964, Bertram Yood posed the following problem: whether the intersection of all closed maximal regular left ideals of a topological ring coincides with the intersection of all closed maximal regular right ideals of this ring. It is proved that these two intersections coincide for advertive and simplicial topological rings and, using this result, it is shown that the topological left radical and the topological right radical for every advertive and simplicial topological algebra coincide.
Objectively Measured Sedentary Time in Youth With Cerebral Palsy Compared With Age-, Sex-, and Season-Matched Youth Who Are Developing Typically: An Explorative Study
Authors: Obeid Joyce , Balemans Astrid C.J. , Noorduyn Stephen G. , Gorter Jan Willem , Timmons Brian W.
Published: March 2014

Background

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) demonstrate reduced physical activity levels compared with children with typical development. Sedentary behavior, including the duration and frequency of sedentary bouts, has not yet been objectively examined in this population but may have clinical implications for the development of secondary health complications.

Objective

The aim of this study was to identify time spent sedentary and frequency of breaks interrupting sedentary time in youth with CP compared with youth without CP. It was hypothesized that individuals with CP would spend more hours sedentary than their peers and take fewer breaks to interrupt sedentary time.

Design

This was a cross-sectional, prospective study.

Methods

A convenience sample of 17 ambulatory children with CP (15 boys and 2 girls) (mean age=13.0 years, SD=2.2) and 17 age-, sex-, and season-matched youth who were developing typically (TD group) (mean age=12.9 years, SD=2.5) wore an accelerometer over a 7-day period. Sedentary time (in minutes) and number of breaks from sedentary time, corrected for monitoring and sedentary time, respectively, were examined. Differences between groups were determined with an independent-samples t test.

Results

Children with CP engaged in significantly more sedentary time (X̅=47.5 min/h, SD=4.9) compared with the TD group (X̅=43.6 min/h, SD=4.2), with significantly fewer breaks from sedentary time (CP group: X̅=179, SD=70; TD group: X̅=232 breaks/h sedentary, SD=61).

Limitations

The sample included only ambulatory youth with CP, classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I to III.

Conclusions

Sedentary time was higher in the CP group and was characterized by less frequent breaks compared with the TD group. Future research should examine the extent to which sedentary time is associated with cardiovascular and metabolic risk in youth with CP.
Extent and origin of resistance to antituberculosis drugs in the Netherlands, 1993 to 2011
Authors: Ruesen C , van Gageldonk-Lafeber A B , de Vries G , Erkens C G , van Rest J , Korthals Altes H , de Neeling H , Kamst M , van Soolingen D
Published: March 2014

The elimination of tuberculosis (TB) is threatened by an apparent increase in the level of resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the Netherlands, where the majority of TB patients are migrants, resistance may also be increasing. We conducted a retrospective study, using 18,294 M. tuberculosis isolates from TB cases notified between 1993 and 2011. We investigated the trends in antituberculosis drug resistance, focusing on the country of birth of the patients and whether resistance had developed during treatment or was the result of transmission of resistant M. tuberculosis strains. For both scenarios, we determined whether this had happened in or outside the Netherlands. Antituberculosis drug resistance was found in 13% of all cases analysed and showed an increasing trend among patients who had been born in the Netherlands (p<0.001) and a decreasing trend among foreign-born (p=0.02) over the study period. Since 2005, the proportion of M. tuberculosis resistant strains among all strains tested has increased in both groups (p=0.03 and p=0.01, respectively). Overall, we found a significantly increasing trend when excluding streptomycin resistance (p<0.001). The trend was most markedly increased for isoniazid resistance (p=0.01). Although resistance was mainly due to transmission of resistant strains, mostly outside the Netherlands or before 1993 (when DNA fingerprinting was not systematically performed), in some cases (n=45), resistance was acquired in the Netherlands. We conclude that antituberculosis drug resistance is increasing in the Netherlands, mostly related to migration from high TB-incidence countries, but also to domestic acquisition.
Geographical heterogeneity of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Georgia, January 2009 to June 2011
Authors: Jenkins H E , Gegia M , Furin J , Kalandadze I , Nanava U , Chakhaia T , Cohen T
Published: March 2014

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The Role of the Intellectual in Eliminating the Effects of Poverty
Authors: Scherrer Jimmy
Published: March 2014

Much ink has been spilled debating the role of the intellectual. William Tierney’s article “Beyond the Ivory Tower: The Role of the Intellectual in Eliminating Poverty” in the August/September 2013 issue of Educational Researcher adds to this literature. In his article, Tierney presents recommendations to the education community on how we might help our students in poverty. While Tierney’s recommendations are compelling, he frames his essay in a way that makes it difficult to understand why traditional education reform has failed to reach its ambitious goals. In this brief response to Tierney, I encourage our community to view the effects of poverty as two-dimensional when trying to craft and conduct educational reform.
Implementation Cost Comparison of Electric Vehicle Energy Replenishment Technologies for Public Transit Bus Systems
Authors: Filho Paulo Kemper , Suh In-Soo
Published: March 2014

Several technologies have been developed for optimizing the use of electric vehicles, especially with regard to replenishment of the energy supply. A novel model with which to compare the implementation cost of various replenishment technologies is proposed. Petri nets were used to calculate the minimum amount of resources required to implement each of the solutions given a specific headway. Three case studies are presented, the results of which led to the conclusion that on shorter headways, battery swap systems are preferred, followed by in-motion grid-provided systems, and that on longer headways, battery recharge systems are preferred for total implementation cost. The in-motion grid-provided systems showed a lower overall operation cost over the headway range; this result indicates a potentially lower overall implementation cost if the complete life-cycle cost is taken into account.
Transit Assignment Model Incorporating Bus Dwell Time
Authors: Sun Leilei , Meng Qiang , Liu Zhiyuan
Published: March 2014

The transit assignment problem with consideration of bus dwell time was analyzed in this study. The links in a transit network can be classified into four types: onboard, alighting, boarding, and dummy links. These types reflect bus dwelling behavior at bus stations. Accordingly, the travel time functions on these links can be analyzed. This paper proposes a new equation for the bus dwell time at each bus station; the dwell time is the maximum value between the passengers’ boarding time and alighting time. An approach based on dynamic programming is used to describe the equilibrium passenger flow in the transit network. A gap function is proposed for formulating the equilibrium passenger flow, which can be solved with the revised optimal strategy algorithm and the method of successive averages. Two numerical examples in which the bus dwell time function is calibrated with real survey data are adopted. These examples validate the proposed methodology.
Taxicab Transportation in Bogotá, Colombia
Authors: Rodriguez-Valencia Alvaro
Published: March 2014

Taxicabs are one of the least-studied urban transportation modes, especially in developing countries. In Bogotá, Colombia, in 1998, innovative policies intended to transform a car-centered transportation system into a people-oriented one were implemented. The high number of taxis circulating in Bogotá and the absence of any type of comprehensive report led to more investigation of this mode, specifically, its role in urban transportation. Results of a survey of 389 drivers are presented. It is concluded that this mode of transport is important and deserves to be studied more in depth. This system provides 59,000 direct jobs, collects 2.5 times more in fares than does the bus rapid transit TransMilenio, emits 3,000 tons of carbon dioxide daily, has a major impact on congestion, and is one of the least expensive taxicab systems in the world. Also discussed is the convenience of having inexpensive taxi service and its implications in sustainability.
Important Aspects to Consider for Household Travel Surveys in Developing Countries
Authors: Sarmiento Ivan , González-Calderón Carlos , Córdoba Jorge , Díaz Claudia
Published: March 2014

Characteristics and aspects to be considered in conducting household travel surveys (HTS) in developing countries are discussed. The main differences with the HTS conventional approach (interviewing people by telephone or mail) are highlighted. These topics are covered in the context of a case study that presents the HTS methodology used in the metropolitan area of Medellín, Colombia, in 2011 and 2012 with a sample of 20,000 face-to-face interviews. Results of the HTS are presented and analyzed for the case study. A low number of trips per inhabitant, 1.7, was found. A modal split is relevant in a city that restricts car use on the basis of license plate numbers during all weekday peak periods and that has a large number of taxis, nearly 8,000 per million inhabitants. Also shown are the difficulties that the survey interviewers experienced: planning process, accessibility to households owing to different social aspects (e.g., fear, social events, and international sporting events), and security concerns, among others. Finally, challenges for future modeling are presented.
Repeated adjacent-segment degeneration after posterior lumbar interbody fusion
Authors: Okuda Shinya , Oda Takenori , Yamasaki Ryoji , Maeno Takafumi , Iwasaki Motoki
Published: March 2014

One of the most important sequelae affecting long-term results is adjacent-segment degeneration (ASD) after posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). Although several reports have described the incidence rate, there have been no reports of repeated ASD. The purpose of this report was to describe 1 case of repeated ASD after PLIF. A 62-year-old woman with L-4 degenerative spondylolisthesis underwent PLIF at L4–5. At the second operation, L3–4 PLIF was performed for L-3 degenerative spondylolisthesis 6 years after the primary operation. At the third operation, L2–3 PLIF was performed for L-2 degenerative spondylolisthesis 1.5 years after the primary operation. Vertebral collapse of L-1 was detected 1 year after the third operation, and the collapse had progressed. At the fourth operation, 3 years after the third operation, vertebral column resection of L-1 and replacement of titanium mesh cages with pedicle screw fixation between T-4 and L-5 was performed. Although the patient's symptoms resolved after each operation, the time between surgeries shortened. The sacral slope decreased gradually although each PLIF achieved local lordosis at the fused segment.