bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An International Perspective on the Nexus of Physical Activity Research and Policy
Authors: Pratt Michael , Salvo Deborah , Cavill Nick , Giles-Corti Billie , McCue Peter , Reis Rodrigo S. , Jáuregui Alejandra , Foster Charlie
Published: October 2015

The traditional view of translating research to policy is reframed as a complex multidirectional interaction based on international case studies presented at the 2015 Active Living Research conference. The United Kingdom developed a process for reviewing and synthesizing evidence to inform policy, but policy makers were often ahead of the guidance. In Australia, translation of research to policy has been facilitated by brokering the relationship between researchers and policy makers. The best example of dissemination of the evidence for physical activity promotion into a national program comes from Brazil, but implementation has been markedly influenced by community and political factors. In Mexico, “physical activity policy” is being implemented at scale but without much research and with leadership from sectors other than public health. A more flexible understanding of the complex interplay between research and policy will increase the probability that the best available evidence will influence policy and that policy with the potential to increase physical activity will be evaluated.
Community Readiness for Childhood Obesity Prevention
Authors: Sheldon Erica , Lyn Rodney , Bracci Laura , Ann Phillips Mary
Published: October 2015

As investments are made to engage communities in childhood obesity prevention efforts, an approach to better understand local communities’ readiness to implement evidence-based strategies is needed. The Community Readiness Model (CRM) was used to assess the readiness of 15 communities in Georgia actively working to prevent childhood obesity. Seventy-nine key informant interviews were conducted assessing six dimensions of readiness. Data were analyzed and scored using the CRM protocol. Overall community readiness scores ranged from 2.8 to 5.1 on a 9-point scale. The mean readiness score, 4.3 ( SD = 0.5) corresponds with a preplanning level of readiness. Findings suggest that communities are recognizing the problem, organizing stakeholders, and beginning to develop solutions. There is a need for funders to match their community-based funding initiatives with the readiness levels of the communities being supported. Communities should focus their attention to the six dimensions of readiness while utilizing evidence-based frameworks and guidance on prevention.
Leveraging social networks to support reproductive health and economic wellbeing among Guatemalan Maya women
Authors: Prescott Alexandra S , Luippold-Roge Genevieve P , Gurman Tilly A
Published: October 2015

Objective:

Maya women in Guatemala are disproportionately affected by poverty and negative reproductive health outcomes. Although social networks are valued in many Indigenous cultures, few studies have explored whether health education programmes can leverage these networks to improve reproductive health and economic wellbeing.

Design:

This qualitative study explored the role that social networks play in both health education and economic empowerment among women involved in a Maya reproductive health women’s group.

Setting:

Western highlands region of Guatemala.

Method:

Semi-structured in-depth interviews, each lasting 2–3 hours, were conducted with 19 women (aged 18–40 years) who had participated in a formal women’s network. Topics addressed included personal experience with the group, aspirations for the future and attitudes towards reproductive health and economic wellbeing.

Results:

Respondents stated that by engaging in formal group activities and interacting with others in the network, they were able to find their voice. They described gaining self-confidence needed to speak about reproductive health with pre-adolescent and adolescent girls as well as other community members. Respondents also discussed learning new ideas/skills and detailed future aspirations of planning their family and reaching educational/career goals.

Conclusion:

The study illustrates the potential of social networks to provide individuals with knowledge and skills, along with new ways of thinking about themselves and their futures. Health education programmes aspiring to improve the reproductive health and economic wellbeing of vulnerable groups, such as Maya women, should seek to leverage the benefits of such social networks.
Ring burst test of filament wound composites for environmental resistance
Authors: Kim YunHo , Choi ChungHyeon , Kim Chun-Gon , Doh Young-Dae
Published: October 2015

The use of filament-wound composites can be advantageous, especially for designing parts of aircraft structures, because of superior mechanical properties of the composites. On the other hand, various experiments are necessary for studying the environmental resistance of composites rather than that of conventional metals. A hoop ring burst test would be a convenient and reliable method for the evaluation of the environmental resistance of a composite pressure vessel. In this research, a method with 24 split disks was developed for estimating the impact and thermal shock resistance of a carbon-fiber-reinforced composite pressure vessel using hoop ring burst specimens subjected to high-speed impact. Impact tests were conducted with a 12.7-mm diameter ceramic ball at a speed of approximately 40–110 m/s. After the impact test, three cycles of thermal shock were conducted on the half of the specimens. C-scan analysis was conducted to determine whether there was any internal damage after the tests. Finally, the hoop ring burst test using 24 split pressure disks was conducted for modified ring specimens. Through this procedure, the proposed method was successfully verified with a number of tests.
Taking Race Off the Table
Authors: Chow Rosalind M. , Knowles Eric D.
Published: October 2015

Whites are theorized to support color-blind policies as an act of racial agenda setting—an attempt to defend the existing hierarchy by excluding race from public and institutional discourse. The present analysis leverages work distinguishing between two forms of social dominance orientation (SDO): passive opposition to equality (SDO-E) and active desire for dominance (SDO-D). We hypothesized that agenda setting, as a subtle hierarchy-maintenance strategy, would be uniquely tied to high levels of SDO-E. When made to believe that the hierarchy was under threat, Whites high in SDO-E increased their endorsement of color-blind policy (Study 1), particularly when the racial hierarchy was framed as ingroup advantage (Study 2), and became less willing to include race as a topic in a hypothetical presidential debate (Study 3). Across studies, Whites high in SDO-D showed no affinity for agenda setting as a hierarchy-maintenance strategy.
Representations of the Police in Contemporary Russian Police TV Series
Authors: Khitrov Arseniy
Published: October 2015

This article answers the question of how contemporary Russian TV series portray the police. The results derive from a single-case thematic and functionalist study of the popular Russian TV series Glukhar’ (which aired from 2008 to 2011). The show merits special attention because it was on air when the Russian police were undergoing a legitimacy crisis, which lead to the 2009 police reform. The series recognized the crisis and responded to it with a set of justifications. I analyze the show’s social and cultural contexts, its plot patterns, and the functions of its characters. I build a typology of justifications and claim that the show justifies the police through an open discussion about the reasons for and consequences of their lawlessness. The series shows that the legitimacy of the police is repeatedly questioned, but trust in the police is always restored because police officers are depicted as estranged from the state but not from the community. Thus, the show contains an interesting example of overcoming a legitimacy crisis through its recognition. The study opens the floor to further discussions about how popular culture resolves intense social debates about policing by symbolic means in a moment when police legitimacy is contested.
Kant on Christianity, Religion and Politics: Three Hopes, Three Limits
Authors: Insole Christopher J.
Published: October 2015

This article makes two key claims in succession. First of all, Kant’s own religious hope is significantly and studiedly distanced from the traditions of Christianity that he would have received, in ways that have not yet been fully, or widely, appreciated. Kant makes an ideal moral community the object of our religious hopes, and not the transcendent God of the tradition. Secondly, Kant nonetheless has a notion of transcendence at play, but in a strikingly different key to traditional Christianity. Both concepts of transcendence, the Christian and the Kantian, deflate, in their own distinctive ways, our hopes for politics and history, in a way that can unsettle the certainties, and vanities, of both the traditional theologian and the secular Rawlsian. The Christian hope is not the same as Kant’s religious hope, which is distinct, in origin, depth and ambition from his more limited hope for politics.
Video games and the crowdfunding ideology: From the gamer-buyer to the prosumer-investor
Authors: José Planells Antonio
Published: October 2015

Digital convergence and Web 2.0 have led to the emergence of new forms of involvement and participation of consumers in the game industry. Prosumers are now participating in productive and decision-making structures at the highest level using collective financing model or crowdfunding. In this system, the traditional business relations based on hierarchy have undergone a major change repositioning the creative focus on the player. The top-down culture of game business becomes bottom-up participatory culture intervening mainly in game genres, topics, and mechanics. This research frames crowdfunding in the participatory culture and the conversion from consumer to prosumer-investor to later analyze the 10 most funded games on Kickstarter. A qualitative analysis focused on the ideology of crowdfunding discourses concludes that positive arguments for video games collective financing model develop an emancipatory-utopian framework, which is critical with publishers, libertarian with users, and melancholic-postmodern with the content developed in the past.
Optimal management of hormone receptor positive metastatic breast cancer in 2016
Authors: Reinert Tomas , Barrios Carlos H.
Published: October 2015

Hormone receptor positive tumors represent the most common form of breast cancer and account for most of the deaths from the disease. Endocrine therapy represents the main initial therapeutic strategy for these patients and has been associated with significant clinical benefits in a majority of patients. While in early stages endocrine therapy is administered as part of a curative approach once clinical metastases develop, the disease is considered incurable and the main management objectives are tumor control and quality of life. The two major clinical paradigms of always indicating endocrine therapy in the absence of visceral crises and sequencing endocrine treatments have been guiding our therapeutic approach to these patients. However, for many decades, we have delivered endocrine therapy with a ‘one size fits all’ approach by applying agents that interfere with hormone receptor signaling equally in every clinical patient scenario. We have been unable to incorporate the well-known biologic principle of different degrees of hormone receptor dependency in our therapeutic recommendations. Recent developments in the understanding of molecular interactions of hormone signaling with other important growth factor, metabolic and cell division pathways have opened the possibility of improving results by modulating hormone signaling and interfering with resistance mechanisms yet to be fully understood. Unfortunately, limitations in the design of trials conducted in this area have made it difficult to develop predictive biomarkers and most of the new combinations with targeted agents, even though showing improvements in clinical endpoints, have been directed to an unselected population of patients. In this review we explore some of the current and most relevant literature in the management of hormone receptor positive advance breast cancer.
The Neuroevolution of Consciousness
Authors: Montecucco Nitamo Federico
Published: October 2015

Consciousness is the core of every living being and the key of human evolution. Consciousness is the core of the new paradigm now emerging in every field of science, culture, and spirituality. For centuries, consciousness has been divided from matter like the soul from the physical body. Now, at the historical beginning of globalized civilization, the exponential development of physics, genetics, neuroscience, and PNEI (psycho-neuro-endocrine-immunology) is making possible a new unitary understanding of the evolutionary process of living being from quantum proto consciousness to human self-awareness. This article will focus on the brain-mind psychosomatic human evolution, called neuroevolution of consciousness that is leading to understanding the direction of human individual and collective self-awareness evolution toward a planetary consciousness and a sustainable civilization.
Ambivalent Biographies in Adolescence
Authors: Kiprianos Pandelis , Christodoulou Michael
Published: October 2015

Despite the fact that vocational adolescents are in a disadvantaged position regarding their post-secondary high school routes, research has highlighted the resistant and innovative ways they set in motion so as to grapple with their estranging schooling experiences. Our article aims to contribute to this research area by focusing on how adolescents’ narration of their schooling frames their life planning. In particular, we explore a major finding of our research—namely, their defending of vocational training—by means of the notion of ambivalent biographical identity. We argue (a) that today’s adolescents do not openly reject vocational training, and they try to transform the unofficial skills and knowledge obtained in their cultures into official cultural capital capable of making them enter the job market and (b) that their life planning is tied up with a biographical identity formation through which they try to coherently reconcile their embodied cultures with the vocational qualifications they aspire to acquire.
Symmetric and asymmetric tilt grain boundary structure and energy in Cu and Al (and transferability to other fcc metals)
Authors: Tschopp Mark A. , Coleman Shawn P. , McDowell David L.
Published: October 2015

Symmetric and asymmetric tilt grain boundaries in Cu and Al were generated using molecular statics energy minimization in a classical molecular dynamics code with in-plane grain boundary translations and an atom deletion criterion. The following dataset (NIST repository, http://hdl.handle.net/11256/358) contains atomic coordinates for minimum energy grain boundaries in three-dimensional periodic simulation cells, facilitating their use in future simulations. This grain boundary dataset is used to show the relative transferability of grain boundary structures from one face-centered cubic system to another; in general, there is good agreement in terms of grain boundary energies (R2 > 0.99). Some potential applications and uses of this tilt grain boundary dataset in nanomechanics and materials science are discussed.
Ground Motion Models Used in the 2014 U.S. National Seismic Hazard Maps
Authors: Rezaeian Sanaz , Petersen Mark D. , Moschetti Morgan P.
Published: October 2015

The National Seismic Hazard Maps (NSHMs) are an important component of seismic design regulations in the United States. This paper compares hazard using the new suite of ground motion models (GMMs) relative to hazard using the suite of GMMs applied in the previous version of the maps. The new source characterization models are used for both cases. A previous paper ( Rezaeian et al. 2014 ) discussed the five NGA-West2 GMMs used for shallow crustal earthquakes in the Western United States (WUS), which are also summarized here. Our focus in this paper is on GMMs for earthquakes in stable continental regions in the Central and Eastern United States (CEUS), as well as subduction interface and deep intraslab earthquakes. We consider building code hazard levels for peak ground acceleration (PGA), 0.2-s, and 1.0-s spectral accelerations (SAs) on uniform firm-rock site conditions. The GMM modifications in the updated version of the maps created changes in hazard within 5% to 20% in WUS; decreases within 5% to 20% in CEUS; changes within 5% to 15% for subduction interface earthquakes; and changes involving decreases of up to 50% and increases of up to 30% for deep intraslab earthquakes for most U.S. sites. These modifications were combined with changes resulting from modifications in the source characterization models to obtain the new hazard maps.
Estrogen Therapy Delays Autoimmune Diabetes and Promotes the Protective Efficiency of Natural Killer T-Cell Activation in Female Nonobese Diabetic Mice
Authors: Gourdy Pierre , Bourgeois Elvire A. , Levescot Anaïs , Pham Linh , Riant Elodie , Ahui Marie-Louise , Damotte Diane , Gombert Jean-Marc , Bayard Francis , Ohlsson Claes , Arnal Jean-François , Herbelin André
Published: October 2015

Therapeutic strategies focused on restoring immune tolerance remain the main avenue to prevent type 1 diabetes (T1D). Because estrogens potentiate FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) and invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, two regulatory lymphocyte populations that are functionally deficient in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, we investigated whether estradiol (E2) therapy influences the course of T1D in this model. To this end, female NOD mice were sc implanted with E2- or placebo-delivering pellets to explore the course of spontaneous and cyclophosphamide-induced diabetes. Treg-depleted and iNKT-cell-deficient (Jα18−/−) NOD mice were used to assess the respective involvement of these lymphocyte populations in E2 effects. Early E2 administration (from 4 wk of age) was found to preserve NOD mice from both spontaneous and cyclophosphamide-induced diabetes, and a complete protection was also observed throughout treatment when E2 treatment was initiated after the onset of insulitis (from 12 wk of age). This delayed E2 treatment remained fully effective in Treg-depleted mice but failed to entirely protect Jα18−/− mice. Accordingly, E2 administration was shown to restore the cytokine production of iNKT cells in response to in vivo challenge with the cognate ligand α-galactosylceramide. Finally, transient E2 administration potentiated the previously described protective action of α-galactosylceramide treatment in NOD females. This study provides original evidence that E2 therapy strongly protects NOD mice from T1D and reveals the estrogen/iNKT cell axis as a new effective target to counteract diabetes onset at the stage of insulitis. Estrogen-based therapy should thus be considered for T1D prevention.
Trithorax regulates systemic signaling duringDrosophilaimaginal disc regeneration
Authors: Skinner Andrea , Khan Sumbul Jawed , Smith-Bolton Rachel K.
Published: October 2015

Although tissue regeneration has been studied in a variety of organisms, from Hydra to humans, many of the genes that regulate the ability of each animal to regenerate remain unknown. The larval imaginal discs of the genetically tractable model organism Drosophila melanogaster have complex patterning, well-characterized development and a high regenerative capacity, and are thus an excellent model system for studying mechanisms that regulate regeneration. To identify genes that are important for wound healing and tissue repair, we have carried out a genetic screen for mutations that impair regeneration in the wing imaginal disc. Through this screen we identified the chromatin-modification gene trithorax as a key regeneration gene. Here we show that animals heterozygous for trithorax are unable to maintain activation of a developmental checkpoint that allows regeneration to occur. This defect is likely to be caused by abnormally high expression of puckered, a negative regulator of Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling, at the wound site. Insufficient JNK signaling leads to insufficient expression of an insulin-like peptide, dILP8, which is required for the developmental checkpoint. Thus, trithorax regulates regeneration signaling and capacity.
Sqstm1-GFP knock-in mice reveal dynamic actions of Sqstm1 during autophagy and under stress conditions in living cells
Authors: Eino Atsushi , Kageyama Shun , Uemura Takefumi , Annoh Hiromichi , Saito Tetsuya , Narita Ichiei , Waguri Satoshi , Komatsu Masaaki
Published: October 2015

Sqstm1 serves as a signaling hub and receptor for selective autophagy. Consequently, dysregulation of Sqstm1 causes imbalances in signaling pathways and disrupts proteostasis, thereby contributing to the development of human diseases. Environmental stresses influence the level of Sqstm1 by altering its expression and/or autophagic degradation, and also change the localization of Sqstm1, making it difficult to elucidate the actions and roles of this protein. In this study, we developed knock-in mice expressing Sqstm1 fused to GFP. Using these Sqstm1-GFPKI/+ mice, we revealed for the first time the dynamics of endogenous Sqstm1 in living cells. Sqstm1-GFP was translocated to a restricted area of LC3-positive structures, which primarily correspond to the inside of autophagosomes, and then degraded. Moreover, exposure to arsenite induced expression of Sqstm1-GFP, followed by accumulation of the fusion protein in large aggregates that were degraded by autophagy. Furthermore, suppression of autophagy in Sqstm1-GFPKI/+ mouse livers caused accumulation of Sqstm1-GFP and formation of GFP-positive aggregate structures, leading to severe hepatic failure. These results indicate that Sqstm1-GFPKI/+ mice are a useful tool for analyzing Sqstm1 in living cells and intact animals.
Intramolecular C–H···H–C Contacts in Diheteroaryl Ketones and Thioketones: A Theoretical Analysis
Authors: Matczak Piotr
Published: October 2015

Intramolecular C–H···H–C contacts in a set of 10 molecules, being formaldehyde and thioformaldehyde disubstituted with such a heteroaryl group as 2-furanyl, 2-thiophenyl, 2-selenophenyl, 2-pyrrolyl, or 1-methyl-2-pyrrolyl, have been studied using density functional theory (DFT), natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM), noncovalent interactions (NCI) index, and interacting quantum atoms (IQA) theory. The results illustrate the fundamental difference in perceiving these contacts from a perspective based on QTAIM-defined atomic basins against the localized-orbital perspective of the NBO theory. The presence of the C–H···H–C contacts locally destabilizes the investigated molecules, although their characterization narrowed only to the interaction between the QTAIM basins of the H atoms in the contacts shows a very weak attraction between these atoms. We demonstrate some relationships between the results obtained from different theoretical methods in order to emphasize possible similarities in their pictures of the contacts. The indication of such similarities may be important for the interpretation of theoretical results in future studies utilizing the aforementioned methods to investigate C–H···H–C contacts in various molecules.
The factorial structure and validity of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in Polish adolescents
Authors: Mihalca Andreea , Pilecka Władysława
Published: October 2015

Cel

Celem niniejszego badania była analiza struktury czynnikowej oraz trafności i rzetelności polskiej wersji Szpitalnej Skali Lęku i Depresji (HADS) dla Młodzieży, w grupach adolescentów zdrowych oraz przewlekle chorych.

Metoda

146 przewlekle chorych (57,6% dziewcząt) oraz 309 zdrowych (45,9% dziewcząt) adolescentów w wieku od 12 do 16 lat (M = 14,03; SD = 1,3) wypełniło kwestionariusz HADS w wersji dla młodzieży (HADS-Teen) podczas pobytu w szpitalu lub w trakcie zajęć szkolnych. Rzetelność typu test-retest po upływie jednego tygodnia oraz trafność teoretyczna zostały oszacowane na podstawie wyników z dwóch prób częściowych, złożonych z młodzieży zdrowej.

Wyniki

Skala HADS dla młodzieży wykazała dwuczynnikową strukturę w grupie młodzieży przewlekle chorej oraz trójczynnikową strukturę w grupie osób zdrowych. Podskala Lęku uzyskała wysoką zgodność wewnętrzną, rzetelność oraz satysfakcjonujący poziom korelacji z innym narzędziem do pomiaru lęku uogólnionego. Podskala Depresji ujawniła natomiast dobrą rzetelność, ale niską zgodność wewnętrzną w obu grupach. W grupie młodzieży zdrowej, itemy tej skali tworzyły dwa czynniki: depresyjny nastrój wraz z psychomotorycznym spowolnieniem/ pobudzeniem oraz anhedonia.

Wnioski

Wyniki badań z użyciem skali HADS dla młodzieży potwierdziły nieprawidłowości w zakresie jej struktury czynnikowej, podobnie jak w przypadku badań z wykorzystaniem wersji narzędzia dla osób dorosłych. Struktura czynnikowa skali HADS dla młodzieży różni się w zależności od badanej grupy (młodzież zdrowa vs. przewlekle chora). Uzyskane wyniki dowodzą, że stosowanie skali HADS w badaniu młodzieży zdrowej wymaga szczególnej ostrożności w interpretowaniu rezultatów w podskali Depresji.
Report: 16th International Neuropsychoanalysis Congress: Plasticity and repetition [and other topics] Amsterdam, Holandia, 9-11.07.2015.
Authors: Murawiec Sławomir
Published: October 2015

bez streszczenia
Vaccine Prioritization for Effective Pandemic Response
Authors: Lee Eva K. , Yuan Fan , Pietz Ferdinand H. , Benecke Bernard A. , Burel Greg
Published: October 2015

Public health experts agree that the best strategy to contain a pandemic, where vaccination is the prophylactic treatment but vaccine supply is limited, is to give higher priority to higher-risk populations. We derive a mathematical decision framework to track the effectiveness of prioritized vaccination through the course of a pandemic. Our approach couples a disease-propagation model with a vaccine queueing model and an optimization engine to determine optimal prioritized coverage in a mixed-vaccination strategy. This demonstrably minimizes infection and mortality. Given estimated outbreak characteristics, vaccine inventory levels, and individual risk factors, the study reveals an optimal coverage for the high-risk group that results in the lowest overall attack and mortality rates. This knowledge is critical to public health policy makers for determining the best strategies for population protection. This becomes particularly important in determining when to switch from a prioritized strategy emphasizing high-risk groups to a nonprioritized strategy in which the vaccine becomes available publicly. Our analysis highlights the importance of uninterrupted vaccine supply. Although the 2009 H1N1 supply, received in interrupted batches, eventually covered over 30 percent of the population, the resulting attack and mortality rates are significantly inferior to those in a scenario where only 20 percent of the population is covered with an uninterrupted supply. We also learned that early vaccination is important. Contrasting the 2009 H1N1 supply to a 10 percent uninterrupted supply, a three-week delay in vaccination reduces the 9.9 percent infection reduction of the former to a mere 0.9 percent. The optimal trigger for switching from prioritized to nonprioritized vaccination is sensitive to infectivity and vulnerability of the high-risk groups. Our study further underscores the importance of throughput efficiency in dispensing and its effects on the overall attack and mortality rates. The more transmissible the virus is, the lower the threshold for switching to nonprioritized vaccination. Our model, which can be generalized, allows the incorporation of seasonality and virus mutation of the biological agents. The system empowers policy makers to make the right decisions at the appropriate time to save more lives, better utilize limited resources, and reduce the health-service burden during a pandemic event.
Spousal approval, communication and contraceptive behaviour in rural Nigeria
Authors: Etukudo Itimitang Wilson
Published: October 2015

Background/Aims:

In developing countries such as Nigeria, many people do not practise family planning despite its associated benefits. Studies have found links between spousal approval and communication and family planning. However, the interrelationship between these two variables and family planning has not been examined and quantified. This article investigates the association between spousal approval and communication and the use of family planning in Jesse Kingdom, Nigeria.

Methods:

A structured interview schedule administered by trained female interviewers was used to collect data from 824 female participants of reproductive age. A chi-squared test was used to determine the association between spousal approval and communication and the use of family planning.

Results:

Spousal approval and communication were found to increase the uptake of family planning services. Of the respondents (38.3%) whose husbands approved of family planning methods, nearly two thirds reported using contraception, whereas respondents (24.6%) whose husbands disapproved of family planning had never used such methods.

Conclusions:

Social support from male partners is important in decisions about contraceptive use by women. The need for men to be targeted by family planning services was identified, which will enable them to support their wives' use of family planning services or take responsibility themselves for contraceptive use.
Clinical case review: Polyhydramnios associated with primary postpartum haemorrhage
Authors: Mudokwenyu-Rawdon Christina , Chaibva Cynthia Nombulelo
Published: October 2015

The association of polyhydramnios and primary postpartum haemorrhage is well known in obstetrics owing to the effects of adverse maternal outcomes. This article discusses a case of polyhydramnios, in which primary postpartum haemorrhage was one of the major complications after a caesarean delivery, and the intervening disseminated intravascular coagulopathy which necessitated a hysterectomy to save life.
Predictors of Irinotecan Toxicity and Efficacy in Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Paulík Adam , Grim Jiří , Filip Stanislav
Published: October 2015

The colorectal cancer ranks high among the malignant tumours in incidence and mortality and irinotecan is standardly used in palliative treatment of metastatic disease in every therapeutic line. Unfortunately, the treatment with irinotecan is often associated with severe toxicities, especially neutropenia and diarrhea. The majority of the toxic manifestation is caused by the insufficient deactivation (glucuronidation) of irinotecan active metabolite SN-38 by UGT1A enzyme. The elevated SN-38 plasma concentration is responsible for the hematological and gastrointestinal toxicity that can become life-threatening. The patients carrying the mutation of the gene encoding UGT1A enzyme lack the ability of bilirubin glucuronidation, and suffer from the inherited un-conjugated hyperbilirubinemia (Gilbert syndrome, Crigler- Najjar type 1 and 2 syndrome). The mutations in other enzyme systems also play role in the etiopathogenesis of the irinotecan toxicity: CYP3A (cytochrome P-450), ABC family of transmembrane transporters (adenosine-triphosphate binding cassette). The goal of the contemporary research is to determine the predictive factors that will enable the individual adjustment of the individual drug dosage while minimising the adverse effects and maintaining the treatment benefit.
Polyadenylated Sequencing Primers Enable Complete Readability of PCR Amplicons Analyzed by Dideoxynucleotide Sequencing
Authors: Beránek Martin , Drastíková Monika , Petera Jiří
Published: October 2015

Dideoxynucleotide DNA sequencing is one of the principal procedures in molecular biology. Loss of an initial part of nucleotides behind the 3' end of the sequencing primer limits the readability of sequenced amplicons. We present a method which extends the readability by using sequencing primers modified by polyadenylated tails attached to their 5' ends. Performing a polymerase chain reaction, we amplified eight amplicons of six human genes (AMELX,APOE,HFE,MBL2,SERPINA1andTGFB1) ranging from 106 bp to 680 bp. Polyadenylation of the sequencing primers minimized the loss of bases in all amplicons. Complete sequences of shorter products (AMELX106 bp,SERPINA1121 bp,HFE208 bp,APOE244 bp,MBL2317 bp) were obtained. In addition, in the case ofTGFB1products (366 bp, 432 bp, and 680 bp, respectively), the lengths of sequencing readings were significantly longer if adenylated primers were used. Thus, single strand dideoxynucleotide sequencing with adenylated primers enables complete or near complete readability of short PCR amplicons.
Therapeutic Erythrocytapheresis in the Initial Treatment of Hereditary Hemochromatosis
Authors: Řeháček Vít , Bláha Milan , Jiroušová Hana , Černohorská Jitka , Papoušek Petr
Published: October 2015

Background: The current treatment of hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) consists of performing periodic whole blood phlebotomies. Erythrocytapheresis (EA) can remove up to three times more red blood cells per single procedure and could thus have a clinical benefit. A prospective study of 30 consecutive cases of HH were included in a periodic EA program. Methods and patients: EA were performed using a discontinuous flow cell separators. The protocol consisted of a bimonthly EA until normalization of the serum ferritin was reached. The aim was to reduce the total erythrocyte volume by 25–35%, eventually, to adjust the amount so that hematocrit would not drop below 0.25. Results: 530 ± 101 ml of erythrocytes were removed (median 517, range 116–761 ml). Iron depletion (ferritin < 20 μg/l) was achieved in all patients after a mean 6.9 ± 7.6 months, median 5 months, range 1–36 months and a mean 14 EA sessions. The procedures were well tolerated and there were no severe side-effects. Conclusions: We conclude that HH patients treated with EA achieved iron depletion quickly under good conditions of tolerance. The efficacy, speed, tolerability, and more favorable schedule of an EA program facilitate treatment of HH.
Evaluation of Cow’s Milk Allergy in a Large Group of Adolescent and Adult Patients with Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: Čelakovská Jarmila , Ettlerová Květuše , Ettler Karel , Vaněčková Jaroslava , Bukač Josef
Published: October 2015

Few studies concerning the occurrence of cow’s milk allergy with the use of double-blind, placebo controlled food challenge test in adolescents and adult patients suffering from atopic dermatitis exist. Aim: To evaluate the occurrence of cow’s milk allergy in adolescents and adults suffering from atopic dermatitis. Method: Altogether 179 persons suffering from atopic dermatitis were included in the study: 51 men and 128 women entered the study with the average age of 26.2 (s.d. 9.5 years). Complete dermatological and allergological examinations were performed. Results: The positive results in specificIgE and in skin prick tests were recorded in 12% of patients. According to the open exposure tests and double-blind, placebo controlled food challenge tests these patients are only sensitized to cow’s milk without clinical symptoms of allergy. Double-blind, placebo controlled food challenge test confirmed food allergy to cow milk only in one patient (worsening of atopic dermatitis), the oral allergy syndrome was observed in another one patient, occurrence of this allergy was altogether 1.1%. Conclusion: Cow’s milk allergy rarely plays a role in the worsening of atopic dermatitis in adolescent and adult patients.
Secular Trends and Latitude Gradients in Sex Ratios at Birth in Czechoslovakia and the Post-Czechoslovakian States
Authors: Grech Victor
Published: October 2015

Latitude gradients and secular trends in Europe and North America have been found in the male-female ratio at birth (M/F: male births divided by total births) which is expected to be 0.515. Annual national data for Czechoslovakia and the post-Czechoslovakian (Czech Republic and Slovakia) countries for male and female live births were obtained from the World Health Organisation and analysed with contingency tables. This study analysed 13,123,538 live births. An overall decreasing trend in M/F was found (p < 00001). No latitude gradient was noted. There was an overall deficit of 15,232 male births based on an M/F of 0.515. M/F is declining in this region, despite well developing economies that have resisted the worldwide slowdown. An interplay of several poorly understood factors is likely.
Hypermethylation of DLX4 predicts poor clinical outcome in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome
Authors: Zhang Ting-juan , Zhou Jing-dong , Yang Dong-qin , Wang Yu-xin , Yao Dong-ming , Ma Ji-chun , Wen Xiang-mei , Guo Hong , Lin Jiang , Qian Jun
Published: October 2015

Background:

Hypermethylation of

Methods:

Real-time quantitative methylation-specific PCR and bisulfite sequencing PCR were carried out to detect the level of

Results:

Conclusions:

Our study indicated that
Analysis of PMP22 duplication and deletion using a panel of six dinucleotide tandem repeats
Authors: Gagic Milica , Markovic Milica Keckarevic , Kecmanovic Miljana , Keckarevic Dusan , Mladenovic Jelena , Dackovic Jelena , Milic-Rasic Vedrana , Romac Stanka
Published: October 2015

Background:

Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1A (CMT1A) is the most common type of hereditary motor and sensory neuropathies (HMSN), caused by the duplication of the 17p11.2 region that includes the

Methods:

Forty-six CMT1A and seven HNPP patients, all genetically diagnosed by RFLP analysis, were tested for duplication or deletion using six STR markers.

Results:

In all CMT1A and HNPP patients, microsatellite analysis comprising six STR markers confirmed the existence of a duplication or deletion. In 89% (41/46) CMT1A patients the confirmation was based on detecting three alleles on at least one locus. In the remaining 11% (5) CMT1A patients, duplication was also confirmed based on two peaks with clear dosage difference for at least two different markers. All HNPP patients (7/7) displayed only one allele for each analyzed locus.

Conclusions:

Microsatellite analysis using six selected STR loci showed a high level of sensitivity and specificity for genetic diagnostics of CMT1A and HNPP. The results here strongly suggest STR marker analysis as a method of choice in
Cohomological finiteness conditions and centralisers in generalisations of Thompson’s group V
Authors: Martínez-Pérez Conchita , Matucci Francesco , Nucinkis Brita E. A.
Published: October 2015

We consider generalisations of Thompson’s group V, denoted by

V
r

⁢

(
Σ
)

${V_{r}(\Sigma)}$

, which also include the groups of Higman, Stein and Brin. We show that, under some mild hypotheses,

V
r

⁢

(
Σ
)

${V_{r}(\Sigma)}$

is the full automorphism group of a Cantor algebra. Under some further minor restrictions, we prove that these groups are of type

F
∞

${\operatorname{F}_{\infty}}$

and that this implies that also centralisers of finite subgroups are of type

F
∞

${\operatorname{F}_{\infty}}$

.
Drei Fragmente von arabischen Staatsbriefen (14. Jh) im Archivo de la Corona de Aragón/Barcelona
Authors: Potthast Daniel
Published: October 2015

Arabic letters from the Maghrib and the Andalus show a peculiar, tripartite layout that does not conform to Arabic letter layouts known from the mashriq. The edition of three fragments of diplomatic letters from Naṣrid Granada and Ḥafṣid Bougie to Aragonese kings, now preserved in the Archivo de la Corona de Aragón/Barcelona, serves as starting point for a detailed analysis of this hitherto insufficiently researched aspect of letter writing. By a comparison with contemporaneous diplomatic letters of Mamlūk sultans to the Aragonese kings, exemplary layouts of Andalusī-Maghribī, Ifrīqīyan and Egyptian diplomatic letters in the early thirteenth century can be described. By considering older Arabic and Judaeo-Arabic letters it may be suggested that they all stem from the same origins. The extensive differences between Western and Eastern layouts prove different ideal conceptions of diplomacy and relation with foreign rulers in these regions.
The Failure of The Amalgamation Property for Semilinear Varieties of Residuated Lattices
Authors: Gil-Férez José , Ledda Antonio , Tsinakis Constantine
Published: October 2015

The amalgamation property (AP) is of particular interest in the study of residuated lattices due to its relationship with various syntactic interpolation properties of substructural logics. There are no examples to date of non-commutative varieties of residuated lattices that satisfy the AP. The variety SemRL of semilinear residuated lattices is a natural candidate for enjoying this property, since most varieties that have a manageable representation theory and satisfy the AP are semilinear. However, we prove that this is not the case, and in the process we establish that the same is true for the variety SemCanRL of semilinear cancellative residuated lattices. In addition, we prove that the variety whose members have a distributive lattice reduct and satisfy the identity x(y ∧ z)w ≈ xyw ∧ xzw also fails the AP.
Algebraically Closed Abelian l-Groups
Authors: Rump Wolfgang
Published: October 2015

Every semifield of non-zero characteristic is either a field of prime characteristic or a semifield of characteristic 1. Semifields of characteristic 1 are equivalent to abelian lattice-ordered groups. It is proved that such a semifield A is algebraically closed if and only if the pure equations xn = a and certain quadratic equations are solvable in A. Using a sheaf representation for z-projectable abelian l-groups on the co-Zariski space of minimal primes, a sheaf-theoretic characterization of algebraic closedness in characteristic 1 is obtained. Concerning the solvability of quadratic equations, the criterion consists in a topological condition for the base space. The results are built upon an analysis of rational functions in characteristic 1. While polynomials satisfy the “fundamental theorem of algebra”, the multiplicative structure of rational functions is determined by means of “divisors”, extracted from the additive structure of A modulo parallelogram identities.
Controllability of the Semilinear Heat Equation with Impulses and Delay on the State
Authors: Leiva Hugo
Published: October 2015

In this paper we prove the interior approximate controllability of the following Semilinear Heat
Equation with Impulses and Delay

where Ω is a bounded domain in RN(N ≥ 1), φ : [−r, 0] × Ω → ℝ is a continuous function, ! is an open
nonempty subset of Ω, 1ω denotes the characteristic function of the set ! and the distributed control u be-
longs to L2([0, τ]; L2(Ω; )). Here r ≥ 0 is the delay and the nonlinear functions f , Ik : [0, τ] × ℝ × ℝ → ℝ are
smooth enough, such that

Under this condition we prove the following statement: For all open nonempty subset ! of Ω the system is
approximately controllable on [0, τ], for all τ > 0.
The contribution of LIFE+ NADIA project on the implementation of the European Directive on Environmental Noise
Authors: Schiavoni Samuele , D’Alessandro Francesco , Conte Alessandro
Published: October 2015

NADIA, acronym of Noise Abatement Demonstrative and Innovative Actions and information to the public, was a European Project funded as part of the announcement Life+ 2009 between October 2010 and June 2014. Five Italian partners were involved in the project: two provinces, (Genova, the coordinating beneficiary, and Savona), two municipalities (Vicenza and Prato), and a technical coordinator (CIRIAF/University of Perugia). All the public bodies were obliged to perform the actions required by the Environmental Noise Directive, i.e., noise mappings of major roads for the provinces and of the agglomerations for the municipalities and the consequent noise action plans. The four public bodies, with the support of the research centre, decided to go beyond the mandatory requirements of END in order to achieve the following main objectives: (i) to improve the methodologies for the realization of noisemappings and action plans, with a particular focus on road traffic noise; (ii) to increase the awareness of citizens and of potential stakeholders by focused communication and dissemination activities; (iii) to assess the technical and economic feasibility of best practices in tackling road traffic noise. The paper reports a summary of the activities performed by the partners during the project.
Land Girl
Authors: Peake Mervyn
Published: October 2015

A previously unpublished painting by Mervyn Peake of a model posing as a WWII Land Girl.
Editorial
Authors: Winnington G. Peter
Published: October 2015

Announces that this is the last issue of Peake Studies, for lack of articles.
Trade and Conflicts: Do Preferential Trade Agreements Matter?
Authors: Rana Arslan Tariq
Published: October 2015

A long debate continues whether international trade institutions (specifically preferential trade agreements [PTAs]) affect security relations between states. Contradicting theories and empirical claims are put forward by realists and liberals. The former posit that the institutions are epiphenomenal and possess no power to constrain state behavior whereas the latter claim that the institutions are likely to promote cooperation by supplying forums for consultation, arbitration and adjudication, thus reducing the risk of war between states. This study identifies an important channel through which the legal dimension of trade agreements (hence dispute settlement mechanisms [DSMs] in PTAs) may have pacifying effects on the outbreaks of war. DSMs of PTAs do have strong implications for militarized interstate disputes (MIDs), although not directly, but through low-level of foreign policy disputes, such as economic sanctions. If economic sanctions are believed to escalate to violent conflict, PTA DSMs may reduce the probability of war by mitigating the escalation of economic sanctions. However, the level of legalism differs among DSMs in PTAs. The present study first confirms empirically that sanction disputes escalate to militarized disputes and further, addresses the selection issue by using bivariate probit model. I find a sizeable impact of medium level of legalism reducing the sanctions escalation into war whereas high level of legalism, in which the state sovereignty is limited, do reduce the probability of sanctions but have no impact on war probability. Further, the interstate political cooperation proves to be a strong determinant for highly legalistic PTAs but not in the case of medium level of legalism.