bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human kidney-2 cells harbor functional dopamine D1 receptors that require Giαfor Gq/11αsignaling
Authors: Pokkunuri Indira D. , Chugh Gaurav , Asghar Mohammad
Published: May 2013

A recent study demonstrated that the dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) is nonfunctional in human kidney cells, HK2 cells, in terms of their inability to couple to G s protein in response to the D1R agonist fenoldopam. Since D1R also couples to G q protein, we tested whether D1R is functional in HK2 cells in terms of their ability to couple to G q and produce downstream signaling. For comparison, we also studied another receptor, angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) known to couple to G q. Protein kinase C (PKC) and86rubidium transport activities were determined as surrogate downstream signaling markers. Fenoldopam and angiotensin II increased PKC activity, which decreased in the presence of respective receptor antagonists (SCH23390 for D1R; candesartan for AT1R), PKC (chelerythrine chloride) and G i protein (pertussis toxin) inhibitors and G q/11α siRNA. Furthermore, fenoldopam and angiotensin II increased35S-GTPγS binding, an index of receptor-G protein coupling, which decreased with pertussis toxin and in G q/11α-depleted cells. Also, fenoldopam-mediated inhibition of86rubidium transport (an index of Na-K-ATPase activity) was attenuated with SCH23390, chelerythrine chloride, pertussis toxin, and G q/11α siRNA. Moreover, fenoldopam caused a decrease in cytosolic and increase in membranous abundance of G q/11α. The immunoprecipitated levels of G q/11α in the membranes were greater in fenoldopam-treated cells, and G iα coimmunoprecipitated with G q/11α. Our results suggest that both D1R and AT1R are functional in HK2 cells, enabling G q-mediated downstream signaling in a G i dependent manner.
Detection and Mitigation of Node Replication Attacks in Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey
Authors: Khan Wazir Zada , Aalsalem Mohammed Y. , Saad Mohammed Naufal Bin Mohammed , Xiang Yang
Published: May 2013

Wireless sensor networks are a collection of a number of tiny, low-cost, and resource-constrained sensor nodes which are commonly not tamper proof. As a result, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are prone to a wide variety of physical attacks. In this paper, we deem a typical threat known as node replication attack or clone node attack, where an adversary creates its own low-cost sensor nodes called clone nodes and misinforms the network to acknowledge them as legitimate nodes. To instigate this attack, an adversary only needs to physically capture one node, and after collecting all secret credentials (ID, cryptographic keys, etc.), an adversary replicates the sensor node and deploys one or more clones of the compromised node into the network at strategic positions, damaging the whole network by carrying out many internal attacks. Detecting the node replication attack has become an imperative research topic in sensor network security, and designing detection schemes against node replication attack involves different threatening issues and challenges. In this survey, we have classified the existing detection schemes and comprehensively explore various proposals in each category. We will also take a glance at some technical details and comparisons so as to demonstrate limitations of the existent detections as well as effective contributions.
New Insights into Osteogenic and Chondrogenic Differentiation of Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Their Potential Clinical Applications for Bone Regeneration in Pediatric Orthopaedics
Authors: Giuliani Nicola , Lisignoli Gina , Magnani Marina , Racano Costantina , Bolzoni Marina , Dalla Palma Benedetta , Spolzino Angelica , Manferdini Cristina , Abati Caterina , Toscani Denise , Facchini Andrea , Aversa Franco
Published: May 2013

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are pluripotent adult stem cells capable of being differentiated into osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondrocytes. The osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs is regulated either by systemic hormones or by local growth factors able to induce specific intracellular signal pathways that modify the expression and activity of several transcription factors. Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) and Wnt signaling-related molecules are the major factors critically involved in the osteogenic differentiation process by hMSCs, and SRY-related high-mobility-group (HMG) box transcription factor 9 (SOX9) is involved in the chondrogenic one. hMSCs have generated a great interest in the field of regenerative medicine, particularly in bone regeneration. In this paper, we focused our attention on the molecular mechanisms involved in osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of hMSC, and the potential clinical use of hMSCs in osteoarticular pediatric disease characterized by fracture nonunion and pseudarthrosis.
Primary Cutaneous Mantle Cell Lymphoma: A Case Report
Authors: Mazzuoccolo L. D. , Castro Perez G. A. , Sorin I. , Bravo A. I.
Published: May 2013

Primary cutaneous mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare cutaneous proliferation of naive pregerminal CD-5 positive B cells in the skin with no extracutaneous involvement. Overexpression of cyclin D1 is pathognomonic of this condition, and surgery and radiation therapy are the most common therapeutic options. In this case, we describe the clinical, histopathological, immunohistochemical, and molecular characteristics of a new case of primary cutaneous MCL.
Approximation of the Integrals of the Gaussian Distribution of Asperity Heights in the Greenwood-Tripp Contact Model of Two Rough Surfaces Revisited
Authors: Jedynak Radosław , Gilewicz Jacek
Published: May 2013

Some examples of application of Padé approximant techniques to approximate the integrals in question and comparison with previous results, essentially the recent Panayi-Schock and Green-wood results, show the efficiency of this simple natural approximation.
Occult Spinal Dysraphism in the Presence of Rare Cutaneous Stigma in a Neonate: Importance of Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Pires Claudio Rodrigues , Medeiros Jane Marília Matos de , Araujo Júnior Edward , Czapkowski Adriano , Zanforlin Filho Sebastião Marques
Published: May 2013

Occult spinal dysraphism is defined as a group of dystrophic conditions below an intact cover of dermis and epidermis. Ultrasonography using linear transducers is a fast, inexpensive, and effective method that makes it possible to view the content of the vertebral canal and bone structures. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is reserved for elucidating the type of dysraphism and for planning corrective surgery. We present a case of a five-day-old female neonate who presented cutaneous stigmas (in the lumbar region, hands, and feet), in whom ultrasonography demonstrated dysraphism in the lumbar region. MRI confirmed the type of dysraphism and enabled surgical planning.
Syringocystadenoma Papilliferum of the Bony External Auditory Canal: A Rare Tumor in a Rare Location
Authors: Arechvo Anastasija , Balseris Svajunas , Neverauskiene Laura , Arechvo Irina
Published: May 2013

Tumors originating from ceruminous glands are rare lesions of the external auditory canal. The lack of specific clinical and radiological signs makes their diagnosis challenging. We report the case of an exceptionally rare benign tumor, a syringocystadenoma papilliferum (SCAP), in an atypical location in the bony segment of the external auditory canal with uncommon clinical signs. The special traits of the case included the following: the most lateral component of the tumor was macroscopically cystic and a granular myringitis with an obstructing keratin mass plug was observed behind the mass. The clinical, audiological, radiological, and histological characteristics of the neoplasm are consequently presented. Intraoperative diagnosis of the epidermal cyst was proposed. The final diagnosis of SCAP was determined only by histological analysis after the surgical excision. The educational aspects of the case are critically discussed.
Torsion of an Abdominal-Wall Pedunculated Lipoma: A Rare Differential Diagnosis for Right Iliac Fossa Pain
Authors: Bunker Daniel Lee John , Ilie Victor George , Halder Tushar K.
Published: May 2013

Pedunculated lipomas arising from the peritoneal wall are a rare finding during abdominal surgery. These benign tumours of mesenchymal origin can arise anywhere in the body and are usually asymptomatic. We present a case of a torted, pedunculated parietal wall lipoma in the right iliac fossa that gave rise to a clinical diagnosis of appendicitis. To our knowledge, such a case has never been reported in the literature previously. We suggest that torsion of a pedunculated parietal lipoma is a rare differential of acute abdominal pain.
Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome: Diagnosis and Management of Hemangioblastoma and Pheochromocytoma
Authors: Vaganovs P. , Bokums K. , Miklaševics E. , Plonis J. , Zarina L. , Geldners I. , Gardovskis J. , Vjaters E.
Published: May 2013

Introduction. Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome is a pathological condition that causes various clinical symptoms and is difficult to diagnose. The most common pathological lesions are hemangioblastomas of the central nervous system, retinal angiomas, renal clear cell carcinomas, and pheochromocytomas.Case Report. A 23-year-old female had a syncope episode in 2008. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a right temporal hemangioblastoma, which was treated surgically. Genetic screening identified a VHL gene mutation, and computed tomography (CT) revealed a left adrenal mass. Since it was unclear whether the mass was a pheochromocytoma, or another benign or malignant tumors, laparoscopic adrenalectomy was performed. A month after surgery, the patient complained of general fatigue, poor concentration, loss of appetite, and insomnia. After careful clinical investigation, the patient was referred to a psychiatrist due to suspected depression, which was confirmed.Conclusions. VHL genetic screening should be performed in cases of hemangioblastoma. In VHL syndrome cases, pheochromocytoma cannot always be diagnosed by biochemical catecholamine analyses; therefore, CT or MRI scanning of the abdomen must be performed. Due to the long treatment period, some patients may develop episodes of depression, which can simulate VHL syndrome.
New Perturbation Iteration Solutions for Fredholm and Volterra Integral Equations
Authors: Timuçin Dolapçı İhsan , Şenol Mehmet , Pakdemirli Mehmet
Published: May 2013

In this paper, recently developed perturbation iteration method is used to solve Fredholm and Volterra integral equations. The study shows that the new method can be applied to both types of integral equations. Some numerical examples are given, and results are compared with other studies to illustrate the efficiency of the method.
Isolation, Identification, and Characterization of a CellulolyticBacillus amyloliquefaciensStrain SS35 from Rhinoceros Dung
Authors: Singh Shuchi , Moholkar Vijayanand S. , Goyal Arun
Published: May 2013

Cellulose hydrolyzing bacteria were isolated from rhinoceros dung and tested for clear zone formation around the colonies on the agar plates containing the medium amended with carboxymethylcellulose as a sole carbon source. Isolates were further screened on the basis of carboxymethylcellulase production in liquid medium. Out of 36 isolates, isolate no. 35 exhibited maximum enzyme activity of 0.079 U/mL and was selected for further identification by using conventional biochemical tests and phylogenetic analyses. This was a Gram-positive, spore forming bacterium with rod-shaped cells. The isolate was identified asBacillus amyloliquefaciensSS35 based on nucleotide homology and phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA and gyrase A gene sequences.
Rovibrational Interaction and Vibrational Constants of the Symmetric Top Molecule 14NF3
Authors: Najib Hamid
Published: May 2013

Several accurate experimental values of the αC and
αB rotation‐vibration interaction parameters and ωi, xij, and gij vibrational constants have been extracted from the most recent high‐resolution Fourier transform infrared, millimeter wave, and centimeter wave investigations in the spectra of the oblate symmetric top molecule 14NF3. The band‐centres used are those of the four fundamental, the overtones, the combination, and hot bands identified in the region between 400 cm−1 and 2000 cm−1. Comparison of our constants with the ones measured previously, by infrared spectroscopy at low resolution, reveals orders of magnitude higher accuracy of the new values. The agreement between our values and those determined by ab initio calculations employing the TZ2Pf basis is excellent.
Mechanisms of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Prostate Cancer Prevention
Authors: Gu Zhennan , Suburu Janel , Chen Haiqin , Chen Yong Q.
Published: May 2013

This review focuses on several key areas where progress has been made recently to highlight the role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid in prostate cancer prevention.
A Preliminary Investigation of Longitudinal Changes in Speech Production over 18 Months in Young Children with Cerebral Palsy
Authors: Lee Jimin , Hustad Katherine C.
Published: May 2013

Objective: This study examined longitudinal change in speech intelligibility, vowel space, and word duration over 18 months among children with cerebral palsy (CP) who varied in the severity of their speech motor involvement. The study also examined relationships among variables at each time point. Method: Twenty-two children with CP participated in the study (mean age = 50 months at the first time point). Speech samples were collected at four time points that were 6 months apart. Children were separated into four severity groups based on intelligibility scores. Results: Change over time varied by severity. Children with CP who did not have speech motor involvement and children in the mild group showed gains in intelligibility, but no changes in vowel space area or word duration. Children in the moderate group showed no significant change, and children in the severe group showed increased vowel space and decreased word durations. Significant positive correlations between intelligibility and vowel space were noted at each time point for data pooled across all children. Conclusion: Children showed different patterns of change over time in intelligibility, vowel space, and word duration based on their speech motor abilities. The relationship between intelligibility and vowel space across severity groups was constant, suggesting a robust relationship between these variables.
Transplantation for Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Schaffer Justin M. , Singh Steve K. , Joyce David L. , Reitz Bruce A. , Robbins Robert C. , Zamanian Roham T. , Mallidi Hari R.
Published: May 2013

Background—

Lung transplantation and heart-lung transplantation represent surgical options for treatment of medically refractory idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. The effect of the lung allocation score on wait-list and transplantation outcomes in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension is poorly described.

Methods and Results—

Adults diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and listed for transplantation in the 80 months before and after the lung allocation score algorithm was implemented (n=1430) were identified in the United Network for Organ Sharing thoracic registry. Patients were stratified by organ listed and pre– and post–lung allocation score era. The cumulative incidences of transplantation and mortality for wait-listed patients in both eras were appraised with competing outcomes analysis. Posttransplantation survival was assessed with the Kaplan-Meier method. These analyses were repeated in propensity-matched subgroups. Cox proportional hazards analysis evaluated the effect of prelisting and pretransplantation characteristics on mortality. We found that patients in the post–lung allocation score era had significantly worse comorbidities; nevertheless, both lung transplantation and heart-lung transplantation candidates in this era enjoyed lower wait-list mortality and a higher incidence of transplantation in unmatched and propensity-matched analyses. On multivariable analysis, heart-lung transplantation and double-lung transplantation were associated with improved survival from the time of wait-listing, as was being listed at a medium- to high-volume institution. Donor/recipient sex matching predicted posttransplantation survival.

Conclusions—

The incidence of transplantation has increased while wait-list mortality has decreased in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension wait-listed for transplantation in the post–lung allocation score era. Both heart-lung transplantation and double-lung transplantation are predictive of survival in transplantation candidates with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, as is being listed at a medium- to high-volume institution. Donor/recipient sex matching is associated with better posttransplantation survival.
Documents Relating to African American Experiences of White Congregational Churches in Massachusetts, 1773–1832
Authors: Boles Richard J.
Published: May 2013

Through membership documents, this essay traces the decline in African American affiliation with Massachusetts Congregational churches-from the pre-Revolutionary era, when enslaved blacks, such as Cuffee Wright, routinely joined Congregational churches, to 1828–32, when four African Americans applying to Lyman Beecher's Boston church were among the last wave of blacks seeking membership in northern white churches.
The Healing of the Man with Dropsy (Luke 14:1-6) and the Lukan Landscape
Authors: Hartsock Chad
Published: May 2013

The healing of the man with dropsy is a surprisingly under-noticed passage in Luke. Few commentaries give much attention to it at all. Where attention is given, the passage is usually heard in one of the following ways: (1) in the context of healing stories or Sabbath healings in general, and thus through the lens of form criticism and how this story participates in the larger context of healing stories; or (2) in the context of the symposia or meal stories since this passage introduces such a scene, and the background for understanding the passage is thus the literary topos of meal stories in the Greco-Roman world. In either reading, the fact that the man has dropsy specifically is essentially irrelevant to the story; he might as well have been blind or lame or deaf. Yet this is the only occurrence in the NT of this specific condition, and I would like to suggest that dropsy is not incidental to the story at all. Rather, the dropsy is itself key to the story. Dropsy is used widely in the ancient Greek world, particularly in the writings of philosophers, and it is frequently a metaphor for greed and wealth. Among the commentary tradition, few scholars take notice of the dropsy metaphor. This paper will mine the Greek philosophical tradition for examples of dropsy to build the case for its metaphorical usage, and it will apply that metaphor to this passage in Luke to see how it might serve the Lukan narrative.
Suppression of Meloidogyne incognita in different agricultural soils and possible contribution of soil fauna
Authors: Min Yu Yu , Toyota Koki
Published: May 2013

A total of 12 soils collected from different agricultural fields, having different backgrounds of organic input, were evaluated for their suppressive potential against Meloidogyne incognita. Second-stage juveniles (J2) of M. incognita were inoculated into the soils and their survival was evaluated. The number of M. incognita J2 5 days after inoculation differed depending on soil and was significantly lower in two soils, suggesting higher suppressiveness against M. incognita in these soils. This was confirmed by an experiment using tomato as a test plant, in which the gall formation was significantly lower in the two soils than in other soils. To estimate the contribution of below-ground biota to the suppressiveness, numbers of nematodes (predator, omnivore, bacterivore and fungivore) and other soil fauna such as tardigrades and rotifers, were counted. Some soil chemical and biological properties were also measured. Results from multiple linear regression analysis suggested that the number of rotifers, microbial activity, soil pH and total C may be involved in the suppression. The relationship between the suppressiveness and soil chemical and biological parameters is discussed.
Description and systematic affinity of Alaninema ngata n. sp. (Alaninematidae: Panagrolaimorpha) parasitising leaf-veined slugs (Athoracophoridae: Pulmonata) in New Zealand
Authors: Ivanova Elena S. , Spiridonov Sergei E. , Clark Walter C. , Tourna Maria , Wilson Michael J. , Barker Gary M.
Published: May 2013

A new Alaninema species associated with leaf-veined slugs (Athoracophoridae) in New Zealand is described and illustrated. Alaninema ngata n. sp. is characterised by a very long, cylindrical body, rounded head bearing two circles of cephalic papillae and amphids, shallow stoma with three bifid teeth, muscular, cylindroid pharynx lacking valves, enlarged, rounded cardia, nerve ring crossing the anterior intestine, excretory pore situated just posterior to nerve ring, monodelphic females with post-median vulva, thick-shelled eggs covered with prominent tubercles, monorchic males with short testis reflection, reduced number of male genital papillae, strong equal spicules and gubernaculum and tail tip bearing about 20 digitate processes. It is distinguished from A. venmansi and A. njoroensis by having a larger body size (mean 8.3 mm and 13.8 mm in males and females, respectively vs 8.2 mm females in A. venmansi and 4.8 mm and 5.5 mm in A. njoroensis males and females, respectively) and more anterior vulval position (V = 51.6 vs 70 and 66.4 in A. venmansi and A. njoroensis, respectively). Analyses of a partial 18S rDNA sequence indicate that A. ngata n. sp. is affiliated to the Panagrolaimorpha. The systematic position, host range and distribution of A. ngata n. sp. are discussed.
Progressive Educators and the Professionalization of Educational Research in the USSR, 1917-1927
Authors: Law Randall D.
Published: May 2013

This article examines the efforts made by Soviet progressive educators to accommodate themselves to the new Soviet government and the consequences thereof. Russia’s pre-revolutionary progressive education community sought to indirectly transform state and society by encouraging the creation of “schools of citizenship” that would educate all – regardless of class, creed, and gender – for lives of “harmonious development” and active engagement. Bolshevik victory in 1917 presented progressive educators with an ironic dilemma: the party that most progressives rejected as coarse, violent, and undemocratic embraced their ideas with a passion and energy unseen from every previous government. Could progressive educators work for such a benefactor? They could and they did, in great numbers. But to distance themselves from a ruling party they disdained, progressives wrapped themselves in the language of professionalism and retreated into self-contained institutes, governmental bureaucracies, and experimental schools. These developments warped the content of Russian progressive education, distanced progressives from the schools they sought to transform, and hastened the demise of educational progressivism in the Soviet Union. This article makes extensive use of archival documents, published primary sources, and both Russian and English-language secondary sources.
“Comrades, Start Your Engines!”: Mobility, Legitimacy, and Roads to Socialism in the Soviet Interwar Period
Authors: Nichols Busch Tracy
Published: May 2013

This article discusses how the early Soviet government domesticated what is arguably the twentieth century’s most hegemonic technology, the automobile. It uses official reports, popular literature, and cartoons to investigate the complex, changing and contradictory relationship between mobility and authority during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It reveals that automobile and motorcycle rallies, many of which were sponsored by the Avtodor Society, served to project official power into the countryside. It opens a discussion of the long term implications, especially in rural areas, of early Soviet transportation policies and practices. Ultimately, the article argues that using mobility as a category of historical analysis adds a new and vital dimension to our understanding of Russian history.
Divergent Eddy Heat Fluxes in the Kuroshio Extension at 144°–148°E. Part I: Mean Structure
Authors: Bishop Stuart P. , Watts D. Randolph , Donohue Kathleen A.
Published: May 2013

The Kuroshio Extension System Study (KESS) provided 16 months of observations to quantify eddy heat flux (EHF) from a mesoscale-resolving array of current- and pressure-equipped inverted echo sounders (CPIES). The mapped EHF estimates agreed well with point in situ measurements from subsurface current meter moorings. Geostrophic currents determined with the CPIES separate the vertical structure into an equivalent-barotropic internal mode and a nearly depth-independent external mode measured in the deep ocean. As a useful by-product of this decomposition, the divergent EHF (DEHF) arises entirely from the correlation between the external mode and the upper-ocean thermal front. EHFs associated with the internal mode are completely rotational. DEHFs were mostly downgradient and strongest just upstream of a mean trough at ~147°E. The downgradient DEHFs resulted in a mean-to-eddy potential energy conversion rate that peaked midthermocline with a magnitude of 10 × 10−3 cm2 s−3 and a depth-averaged value of 3 × 10−3 cm2 s−3. DEHFs were vertically coherent, with subsurface maxima exceeding 400 kW m−2 near 400-m depth. The subsurface maximum DEHFs occurred near the depth where the quasigeostrophic potential vorticity lateral gradient changes sign from one layer to the next below it. The steering level is deeper than this depth of maximum DEHFs. A downgradient parameterization could be fitted to the DEHF vertical structure with a constant eddy diffusivity κ that had values of 800–1400 m2 s−1 along the mean path. The resulting divergent meridional eddy heat transport across the KESS array was 0.05 PW near 35.25°N, which may account for ~⅓ of the total Pacific meridional heat transport at this latitude.
Integration and Ocean-Based Prelaunch Validation of GOES-R Advanced Baseline Imager Legacy Atmospheric Products
Authors: Xie Hua , Nalli Nicholas R. , Sampson Shanna , Wolf Walter W. , Li Jun , Schmit Timothy J. , Barnet Christopher D. , Joseph Everette , Morris Vernon R. , Yang Fanglin
Published: May 2013

An ocean-based prelaunch evaluation of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-R series Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) legacy atmospheric profile (LAP) products is conducted using proxy data based upon the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) on board the Meteosat Second Generation satellite. SEVIRI-based LAP temperature and moisture profile retrievals are validated against in situ correlative data obtained over the open ocean from multiple years of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aerosols and Ocean Science Expeditions (AEROSE). The NOAA AEROSE data include dedicated radiosonde observations (RAOBs) launched from the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown over the tropical Atlantic: a region optimally situated within the full-disk scanning range of SEVIRI and one of great meteorological importance as the main development area of Atlantic hurricanes. The most recent versions of the GOES-R Algorithm Working Group team algorithms (e.g., cloud mask, aerosol detection products, and LAP) implemented within the algorithms integration team framework (the NOAA operational system that will host these operational product algorithms) are used in the analyses. Forecasts from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecasting System (NCEP GFS) are used for the LAP regression and direct comparisons. The GOES-R LAP retrievals are found to agree reasonably with the AEROSE RAOB observations, and overall retrievals improve both temperature and moisture against computer model NCEP GFS outputs. The validation results are then interpreted within the context of a difficult meteorological regime (e.g., Saharan air layers and dust) coupled with the difficulty of using a narrowband imager for the purpose of atmospheric sounding.
Human Genetics and Theological Ethics
Authors: Messer Neil
Published: May 2013

Human genetics, and particularly ‘genomics’ – the understanding of human heredity building on the Human Genome Project – is already having a profound impact on health care and biomedical research. Some areas of genomic medicine, such as the diagnosis of inherited disease and human genetic modification, raise difficult ethical questions which demand a theological response. Pre-implantation and prenatal genetic diagnosis raise issues to do with the value of human life and the moral status of embryos and foetuses. Genetic modification for the purposes of therapy and enhancement raise ( inter alia) questions about health, disease and what it means to flourish as a human creature. A properly theological response to these questions will call for a critical re-framing of current debates about the ethics of human genetics.
Programming in the Zone
Authors: Hopkins Michael
Published: May 2013

One of the great challenges ensemble directors face is selecting high-quality repertoire that matches the musical and technical levels of their ensembles. Thoughtful repertoire selection can lead to increased student motivation as well as greater enthusiasm for the music program from parents, administrators, teachers, and community members. Common problems that can lead to overprogramming are presented, along with a discussion of Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development and Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory as frameworks for considering how directors’ repertoire choices can affect students’ motivation and continued participation.
Finding the roots of adolescent aggressive behaviour
Authors: Glowacz Fabienne , Véronneau Marie-Hélène , Boët Sylvie , Born Michel
Published: May 2013

Aggressive behaviours in adolescence often originate in early development. This study tested three longitudinal pathways starting in early childhood, in a sample of 325 Belgian participants (162 girls) assessed every 1 or 2 years from birth through age 14. Structural equation models supported the “mother early dissatisfaction” pathway toward adolescent aggression, but neither the “cognitive functioning” nor the “early aggressive behaviour” pathway gained clear support. Mother’s early dissatisfaction with her child was the starting point of a series of negative perceptions of the child, which predicted physical and social aggression in adolescence. Children’s cognitive functioning and early aggression level were weakly correlated with mother’s perceptions. This finding suggests that explaining normative development to parents may improve mothers’ perceptions of their early experience as a mother, of their child, and of their subsequent interactions, which may reduce their child’s future aggressive behaviours.
The Pervasive Power of PowerPoint: How a Genre of Professional Communication Permeates Organizational Communication
Authors: Schoeneborn Dennis
Published: May 2013

This paper examines the pervasive role of Microsoft’s presentation software PowerPoint as a genre of professional and organizational communication. Frequently, PowerPoint is not only used for the primary function it was initially designed for, i.e., facilitating live presentations, but also for alternative purposes such as project documentation. Its application in a neighboring domain, however, poses a functional dilemma: does the PowerPoint genre preserve the features of its primary function, i.e., presentation, or rather adapt to the new function, i.e., documentation? By drawing on a communication-centered perspective, this paper examines PowerPoint’s role in the domain of project documentation as a clash between the constitutive affordances of professional and of organizational communication. To investigate this issue empirically, I conducted a case study at a multinational business consulting firm. The study allows identification of three distinct PowerPoint subgenres, which differ in how they adapt to the function of project documentation. This paper contributes to organization studies by specifying the boundary conditions under which a genre of professional communication such as PowerPoint can be expected to maintain its genre-inherent characteristics even in the face of contradictory organizational requirements and to impose these characteristics on a neighboring domain of organizational communication practices.
Manufacture of zinc oxide/chiral poly(amide-imide)-functionalized amino acid and thiazole bionanocomposites
Authors: Mallakpour Shadpour , Ahmadizadegan Hashem
Published: May 2013

In this work, novel optically active poly(amide-imide)/zinc oxide bionanocomposites (PAI/ZnO BNCs) containing l-valine moiety in the main chain were prepared via a simple and inexpensive ultrasonic irradiation process. Chiral PAI was synthesized by direct polycondensation reaction of N,N′-(pyromellitoyl)-bis-valine with 3,5-diamino- N-(thiazol-2-yl)benzamide in the tetrabutyl ammonium bromide/triphenylphosphite as a green solvent system. Due to the high surface energy and the tendency for agglomeration, the surface of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) was modified with γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. PAI/ZnO BNCs containing 4, 8, and 12% of NPs were successfully fabricated through ultrasonic irradiation technique. The obtained BNCs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), x-ray diffraction, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. TGA data indicated an increase in thermal stability of the BNCs when compared with the pure polymer. From the TEM image of PAI/ZnO BNCs, it can be found that the surface-modified ZnO NPs, with a diametric size of less than 35 nm, are uniformly dispersed in the PAI matrix.
High-risk variants of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in patients with discoid lupus erythematosus: a case series
Authors: Flower C , Gaskin D , Bhamjee S , Bynoe Z
Published: May 2013

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common form of non-melanotic skin cancer, may develop in long-standing discoid lesions, especially those that are depigmented and located in sun-exposed areas. The clinical course of this complication may be aggressive, with early metastases and a risk of mortality. We report three cases demonstrating this emerging trend of secondary squamous cell carcinoma in discoid lesions as the incidence of this secondary malignancy in other diseased skin lesions is on the decline.
Aspirin Resistance in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis and Effect of Hemodialysis on Aspirin Resistance
Authors: Aksu Hale Unal , Oner Ender , Celik Omer , Isıksacan Nilgun , Aksu Huseyin , Uzun Sami , Yavuz Derya , Ozturk Savas , Gul Mehmet , Uslu Nevzat
Published: May 2013

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of aspirin resistance (AR) in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) and to assess the effect of HD on the results of the Multiplate test. A total of 54 patients undergoing HD were included in this study. Blood samples were taken just before and after the HD session. To determine AR, we used Multiplate test. Platelet aggregation values of the study population were 363.01 ± 225.69 aggregation unit (AU) × minutes before and 375.33 ± 254.05 AU × minutes after the HD ( P = .597). There was strong correlation between the values before and after HD ( R = .755, P < .0001). The AR status was changed in 9 (16.6%) patients after HD. Agreement of AR status before and after HD was substantial (κ coefficient = .667, P < .0001). The prevalence of AR in patients undergoing HD seems higher than in most of the studied populations, and this study has shown that the AR statuses of a significant number of patients undergoing HD change after an HD session.
The Mereotopological Space/Time of Dance
Authors: Portanova Stamatia
Published: May 2013

This article will test the functioning of topology in the analysis of a particular choreography by Anglo-Indian kathak dancer Akram Khan and French ballet dancer Sylvie Guillem, titled Sacred Monsters, a dance performed between classical traditions and contemporary styles. In particular, we will draw on Alfred N. Whitehead’s “mereotopology,” a topology of “regions” (rather than “points”) where the ontological relation between A and B as perceivable and thinkable “regions” allows us to bypass the infamous dualism of body and mind (or the topological aporia between process and point). The final aim will be to isolate from the choreography of Sacred Monsters some gestures as mereotopological invariants or perceivable movement sections, simultaneously abstracting them from their physical and cultural dimensions and revealing them as “virtual movement-objects” to be differently actualized: rather than an ethnographic analysis of the performed dance in its physico/cultural peculiarities, a mereotopological, abstractly empirical study of its space and time.
Broadcasting graphic war violence: The moral face of Channel 4
Authors: Maltby Sarah
Published: May 2013

Drawing on empirical data from Channel 4 (C4) regarding the broadcasting of violent war imagery, and positioned within Goffman’s notion of the interaction ritual (1959, 1967), this article investigates how C4 negotiate potentially competing commercial, regulatory and moral requirements through processes of discretionary decision-making. Throughout, the article considers the extent to which these negotiations are presented through a series of ‘imaginings’ – of C4 and its audience – which serve to simultaneously guide and legitimate the decisions made. This manifestation of imaginings moves us beyond more blanket explanations of ‘branding’ and instead allows us to see the final programmes as the end product of a series of complex negotiations and interactions between C4 and those multiple external parties significant to the workings of their organization. The insights gleaned from this case study are important beyond the workings of C4 because they help elucidate how all institutions and organizations may view, organize and justify their practices (to both themselves and others) within the perceived constraints in which they operate.
Malay women, non-Western soap operas and watching competencies
Authors: Syed Md Azalanshah Md , Runnel Christine
Published: May 2013

Soap opera is a potent cultural site for Malay women to imagine the meanings of modernity. Initially the Malaysian government promoted non-Western soap operas to circulate the state’s vision of alternative Asian-style modernities. Now the authorities have voiced a concern that some images and discourses of transnational modernity articulated even in non-Western soaps pose a threat to the cultural integrity of Malay women. This paper studies the significance of non-Western soaps to an understanding of gendered expectations and the progressive re-territorialization of the socio-political order in the context of an ethos of mediatized cultural globalization. Our referent is patriarchal Islamist state Malaysia. We conduct an empirical case study exploring Malay Muslim women’s negotiation and understanding of non-Western soap operas in Malaysia. Results from a series of guided in-depth interviews with 12 rural and urban Malay women enable us to understand how they negotiate their position as viewers of these non-Western soaps, given the criticism about the supposed immorality of these programs. We argue that Malay women act as strategic audiences who mobilize sophisticated viewing tactics that we call ‘watching competencies’ to negotiate the pleasures and potential conflicts of their access to non-Western soaps. This research indicates that Malay women are neither passive, vulnerable consumers of foreign soap, nor easily manipulated by those who claim authority; rather, they confidently assert their autonomy as consumer-citizens of a modern Islamic state.
Staging casual conversations for people with dementia
Authors: Mok Zaneta , Müller Nicole
Published: May 2013

Social isolation is a key concern for individuals with dementia in long-term care. A possible solution is to promote social interaction between residents. A first step toward facilitating positive relationships between residents with dementia is to understand the mechanisms behind their interactions with each other, and also how their relationships with each other are built through such interactions. Drawing on casual conversations between residents in a special care unit for dementia, this paper uses systemic functional linguistics to examine how people with dementia use language to enact and construct their role-relations with each other. Results suggest people with dementia are able and willing conversationalists. However, factors such as the extent of communication breakdown and compatibility of the interlocutors may influence whether positive relations develop or not. Casual conversation is suggested to be a promising activity to encourage positive interpersonal processes between individuals with dementia in residential care.
The Effects of Sleep Quality, Physical Activity, and Environmental Quality on the Risk of Falls in Dementia
Authors: Eshkoor Sima Ataollahi , Hamid Tengku Aizan , Nudin Siti Sa’adiah Hassan , Mun Chan Yoke
Published: May 2013

Objectives:

This study aimed to identify the effects of sleep quality, physical activity, environmental quality, age, ethnicity, sex differences, marital status, and educational level on the risk of falls in the elderly individuals with dementia.

Methodology:

Data were derived from a group of 1210 Malaysian elderly individuals who were noninstitutionalized and demented. The multiple logistic regression model was applied to estimate the risk of falls in respondents.

Results:

Approximately the prevalence of falls was 17% among the individuals. The results of multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.03), ethnicity (OR = 1.76), sleep quality (OR = 1.46), and environmental quality (OR = 0.62) significantly affected the risk of falls in individuals ( P < .05). Furthermore, sex differences, marital status, educational level, and physical activity were not significant predictors of falls in samples ( P > .05).

Conclusion:

It was found that age, ethnic non-Malay, and sleep disruption increased the risk of falls in respondents, but high environmental quality reduced the risk of falls.
How to fight pertussis?
Authors: Guiso Nicole
Published: May 2013

Universal pertussis vaccination has successfully decreased pertussis mortality and morbidity in childhood. However, despite intensive vaccination of young children, pertussis remains a major public health problem in both developing and industrialized regions. Recent epidemics in California and Australia demonstrated that the agent of the disease is still circulating. They also revealed several aspects that must not be neglected concerning vaccine-preventable diseases. Indeed, pertussis is one of the oldest vaccine-preventable bacterial diseases, so can provide a good illustration of all of the aspects associated with the need for surveillance after the introduction of vaccination. (i) The type of vaccine: two types of pertussis vaccine, whole cell and acellular, inducing different types of immunity are now used around the world. (ii) The vaccine strategy, the vaccine coverage and the duration of vaccine immunity: pertussis epidemics provide evidence that 90% of the infants must be vaccinated, vaccination must be sufficiently early and both vaccine-induced immunity and natural infection-induced immunity to pertussis wane with time indicating that pertussis is not only a pediatric disease. (iii) The agents of the disease, Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis: the intensive vaccination of young infants modified the herd immunity, controlled bacteria similar to the vaccine strains but not all, revealing polymorphism of the agents of the disease evidencing the importance of continuing their isolation and their surveillance as well as monitoring their antibiotic resistance. (iv) The diagnosis of the disease: the epidemics showed the importance of specific diagnostic techniques that are easy to use by medical laboratories and the availability of the reagents required. (v) Communication with the public, the health authorities and the health providers: any changes of vaccine type, vaccine strategy, characteristics of the disease, and biological diagnosis must be associated with appropriate communication with the public and training of healthcare workers. Currently, herd immunity needs to be increased by introducing vaccine boosters for adolescents and adults to protect the most vulnerable group: unvaccinated newborns.
Visiting One’s Native Country
Authors: Abgrall Sophie , Fugon Lionel , Lélé Nathalie , Carde Estelle , Bentata Michelle , Patey Olivier , Khuong Marie-Aude , Spire Bruno , Carrieri Patrizia , Bouchaud Olivier
Published: May 2013

The aim of this study was to evaluate to what extent travel-related factors may cause adherence failure to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in otherwise adherent migrants when traveling back to Africa. HIV-infected sub-Saharian migrants living in France with a plasma HIV viral load < 200 copies/mL, with no change in ART for ≥3 months and who were about to visit their native country for between 2 weeks and 6 months were enrolled for the study. Patients completed a self-administered adherence questionnaire both at enrollment and during the week following their return to France. Adherence failure occurred in 23 (11.5%) of 200 patients. Negative perception about ART effectiveness (adjusted odds ratio = 4.3; 95% confidence interval = 1.3-13.7), unexpected traumatic events during their stay in their native country (7.8; 2.3-26.1), and a prolongation of their stay (5.2; 1.4-20.4) were independently associated with a higher likelihood of adherence failure. Owning/renting one’s house in France (0.30; 0.10-0.96), singlehood (0.23; 0.05-1.00), and HIV status disclosure (0.19; 0.05-0.76) were correlates of sustained adherence during traveling.
Outcomes of patients with POEMS syndrome treated initially with radiation
Authors: Humeniuk Michael S. , Gertz Morie A. , Lacy Martha Q. , Kyle Robert A. , Witzig Thomas E. , Kumar Shaji K. , Kapoor Prashant , Lust John A. , Hayman Suzanne R. , Buadi Francis K. , Rajkumar S. Vincent , Zeldenrust Steven R. , Russell Stephen J. , Dingli David , Lin Yi , Leung Nelson , Dispenzieri Angela
Published: May 2013

Key Points

Radiation is appropriate primary therapy in approximately 25% of cases. Radiation provides long-term remissions in more than 50% of patients.
An AQCQ-functional equation in matrix Banach spaces
Authors: Park Choonkil , Lee Jung Rye , Shin Dong Yun
Published: May 2013

Using the fixed point method, we prove the Hyers-Ulam stability of an additive-quadratic-cubic-quartic functional equation in matrix normed spaces.

MSC:47L25, 47H10, 39B82, 46L07, 39B52.