bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genotyping and pathobiologic characterization of canine parvovirus circulating in Nanjing, China
Authors: Zhao Yanbing , Lin Yan , Zeng Xujian , Lu Chengping , Hou Jiafa
Published: August 2013

Background

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is an important pathogen that causes acute enteric disease in dogs. It has mutated and spread throughout the world in dog populations. We provide an update on the molecular characterization of CPV that circulated in Nanjing, a provincial capital in China between 2009 and 2012.

Results

Seventy rectal swab samples were collected from the dogs diagnosed with CPV infection in 8 animal hospitals of Nanjing. Sequence analysis of VP2 genes of 31 samples revealed that 29 viral strains belonged to CPV-2a subtype, while other two strains were classified into CPV-2b. To investigate the pathogenicity of the prevalent virus, we isolated CPV-2a and performed the animal experiment. Nine beagles were inoculated with 105.86 of 50% tissue culture infectious doses (TCID50) of the virus. All the experimentally infected beagles exhibited mild to moderate mucoid or watery diarrhea on day 4 post-infection (p.i.). On day 9 p.i., characteristic histopathological lesions were clearly observed in multiple organs of infected dogs, including liver, spleen, kidney, brain and all segments of the small and large intestines, while viral DNA and antigen staining could be detected in the sampled tissues. It is notable that canine parvovirus was isolated in one from two brain samples processed.

Conclusion

Our results indicated that CPV-2a is the predominant subtype in Nanjing of China. And this virus caused extensive lesions in a variety of tissues, including the brain.
Idiopathic Parkinson’s disease phenotype related to C9ORF72 repeat expansions: contribution of the neuropsychological assessment
Authors: Annan Mariam , Beaufils Émilie , Viola Ursule-Catherine , Vourc’h Patrick , Hommet Caroline , Mondon Karl
Published: August 2013

Background

Expanded GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeats in the non-coding region of the C9ORF72 gene was recently identified as being responsible for over 40% of the cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration, in various extrapyramidal syndromes including supranuclear gaze palsy and corticobasal degeneration, and in addition, has been found to be a rare genetic cause of isolated Parkinsonism. To our knowledge, there is no published data concerning the neuropsychological evaluation of patients diagnosed with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease related with C9ORF72 repeat expansions.

Case presentation

We report the results of the comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation in a newly described case in the literature (the sixth) of a patient presenting isolated idiopathic Parkinson’s disease associated with C9ORF72 repeat expansions.

The decrease in the patient’s prefrontal functions resulted in a slight decrease in global efficiency. These abnormalities did not appear to be different, with respect to the deficit observed and the intensity of the cognitive impairment, from those classically observed in cases of sporadic idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. Our patient also exhibited a significant impairment in visual gnosis.

Conclusions

If confirmed in other patients, visuoperceptive deficits in idiopathic Parkinson’s disease could represent a red flag that should prompt the clinician to perform addition diagnostic procedures. A thorough neuropsychological assessment may prove to be useful for detecting idiopathic Parkinson’s disease in patients who are suspected of having repeat abnormalities of C9ORF72 expansions.
Passive carriage of rabies virus by dendritic cells
Authors: Senba Kazuyo , Matsumoto Takashi , Yamada Kentaro , Shiota Seiji , Iha Hidekatsu , Date Yukari , Ohtsubo Motoaki , Nishizono Akira
Published: August 2013

The rabies virus (RABV) is highly neurotropic and it uses evasive strategies to successfully evade the host immune system. Because rabies is often fatal, understanding the basic processes of the virus-host interactions, particularly in the initial events of infection, is critical for the design of new therapeutic approaches to target RABV. Here, we examined the possible role of dendritic cells (DCs) in the transmission of RABV to neural cells at peripheral site of exposure. Viral replication only occurred at a low level in the DC cell line, JAWS II, after its infection with either pathogenic RABV (CVS strain) or low-pathogenic RABV (ERA strain), and no progeny viruses were produced in the culture supernatants. However, both viral genomic RNAs were retained in the long term after infection and maintained their infectivity. The biggest difference between CVS and ERA was in their ability to induce type I interferons. Although the ERA-infected JAWS II cells exhibited cytopathic effect and were apparently killed by normal spleen cellsin vitro, the CVS-infected JAWS II cells showed milder cytopathic effect and less lysis when cocultured with spleen cells. Strongly increased expression of major histocompatibility complex classes I, costimulatory molecules (CD80 and CD86), type I interferons and Toll- like receptor 3, and was observed only in the ERA-inoculated JAWS II cells and not in those inoculated with CVS. During the silencing of the cellular immune response in the DCs, the pathogenic CVS strain cryptically maintained an infectious viral genome and was capable of transmitting infectious RABV to permissive neural cells. These findings demonstrate that DCs may play a role in the passive carriage of RABV during natural rabies infections.
An essential role for Rab27a GTPase in eosinophil exocytosis
Authors: Kim John Dongil , Willetts Lian , Ochkur Sergei , Srivastava Nutan , Hamburg Rudolf , Shayeganpour Anooshirvan , Seabra Miguel C , Lee James J , Moqbel Redwan , Lacy Paige
Published: August 2013

Eosinophil degranulation has been implicated in inflammatory processes associated with allergic asthma. Rab27a, a Rab-related GTPase, is a regulatory intracellular signaling molecule expressed in human eosinophils. We postulated that Rab27a regulates eosinophil degranulation. We investigated the role of Rab27a in eosinophil degranulation within the context of airway inflammation. Rab27a expression and localization in eosinophils were investigated by using subcellular fractionation combined with Western blot analysis, and the results were confirmed by immunofluorescence analysis of Rab27a and the granule membrane marker CD63. To determine the function of eosinophil Rab27a, we used Ashen mice, a strain of Rab27a-deficient animals. Ashen eosinophils were tested for degranulation in response to PAF and calcium ionophore by measuring released EPX activity. Airway EPX release was also determined by intratracheal injection of eosinophils into mice lacking EPX. Rab27a immunoreactivity colocalized with eosinophil crystalloid granules, as determined by subcellular fractionation and immunofluorescence analysis. PAF induced eosinophil degranulation in correlation with redistribution of Rab27a+ structures, some of which colocalized with CD63+ crystalloid granules at the cell membrane. Eosinophils from mice had significantly reduced EPX release compared with normal WT eosinophils, both in vitro and in vivo. In mouse models, Ashen mice demonstrated reduced EPX release in BAL fluid. These findings suggest that Rab27a has a key role in eosinophil degranulation. Furthermore, these findings have implications for Rab27a-dependent eosinophil degranulation in airway inflammation.
London in Comedy from Michaelmas Term to The Beggar’s Opera
Authors: Hume Robert D.
Published: August 2013

Some 250 English comedies are set in London between circa 1600 and 1737. Three clichés about them remain current. First, “Jacobean city comedy” performs serious sociopolitical work. Second, the social level of the protagonists rises in the “comedy of wit” or “comedy of manners.” Third, “low” and “satirical” forms of comedy gradually gives way to “sentimental” and even “exemplary” comedy. None of these claims is more than very partly true. Throughout this span of time we find topical (City Politiques) and topographical (Covent Garden) comedy, social satire (The Provok’d Wife), ideological argumentation (The Country Gentleman), and ambivalent or ironic presentation of conflicted or unstable values (The Man of Mode). London can be fun (The Shoemaker’s Holiday), glamorous (The Lady of Pleasure), wicked (Friendship in Fashion), low (The Roaring Girl), ugly (The Wives Excuse), or allegorical (Albion and Albanius). The degree of realism varies drastically. The plays exhibit far greater diversity of attitude and are much more difficult to interpret with confidence than most critics have been willing to admit. We do well, therefore, to take them on a case-by-case basis, acknowledging that some are ambiguous, internally contradictory, or just plain opaque.
Centromeric motion facilitates the mobility of interphase genomic regions in fission yeast
Authors: Kim Kyoung-Dong , Tanizawa Hideki , Iwasaki Osamu , Corcoran Christopher J. , Capizzi Joseph R. , Hayden James E. , Noma Ken-ichi
Published: August 2013

Dispersed genetic elements such as retrotransposons and Pol III-transcribed genes, including tRNA and 5S rRNA, cluster and associate with centromeres in fission yeast through the condensin function. However, the dynamics of these condensin-mediated genomic associations remains unknown. We have examined the 3D motions of genomic loci including the centromere, telomere, ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeat locus, and the loci carrying Pol III-transcribed genes or LTR retrotransposons in live cells at as short as 1.5-sec intervals. Treatment with carbendazim (CBZ), a microtubule-destabilizing agent, not only prevents centromeric motion, but also reduces the mobility of the other genomic loci during interphase. Further analyses demonstrate that condensin-mediated associations between centromeres and the genomic loci are clonal, infrequent, and transient. However, when associated, centromeres and the genomic loci migrate together in a coordinated fashion. In addition, a condensin mutation that disrupts associations between centromeres and the genomic loci results in a concomitant decrease in the mobility of the loci. Our study suggests that highly mobile centromeres pulled by microtubules in cytoplasm serve as “genome mobility elements” by facilitating physical relocations of associating genomic regions.
Enzyme-free Amperometric H2O2 Biosensor Based on Cu–Ag Bimetallic Nanoparticles with Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites
Authors: Wu Kong-Lin , Li Xiang-Zi , Dong Chao , Liu Li , Liu Pin-De , Ding Ting-Hui , Lu Jing , Wei Xian-Wen
Published: August 2013

Cu–Ag bimetallic nanoparticles loaded on reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites (Cu–Ag/rGO NCs) were obtained through a facile chemical reduction method. The resulting Cu–Ag/rGO NCs exhibited good catalytic activity in reducing H2O2, with a fast amperometric response, i.e., less than 2 s. The linear detection range was estimated to be from 50 µM to 3.5 mM (R = 0.9983), and the detection limit was estimated to be 12 µM at S/N = 3.
Co-implanting orthotopic tissue creates stroma microenvironment enhancing growth and angiogenesis of multiple tumors
Authors: Borgstrom Per , Oh Phil , Czarny Malgorzata , Racine Brian , Schnitzer Jan E
Published: August 2013

Tumor models are needed to study cancer. Noninvasive imaging of tumors under native conditionsin vivois critical but challenging. Intravital microscopy (IVM) of subcutaneous tumors provides dynamic, continuous, long-term imaging at high resolution. Although popular, subcutaneous tumor models are often criticized for being ectopic and lacking orthotopic tissue microenvironments critical for proper development. Similar IVM of orthotopic and especially spontaneous tumors is seldom possible. Here, we generate and characterize tumor models in mice for breast, lung, prostate and ovarian cancer by co-engrafting tumor spheroids with orthotopic tissue in dorsal skin window chambers for IVM. We use tumor cells and tissue, both genetically engineered to express distinct fluorescent proteins, in order to distinguish neoplastic cells from engrafted tissue. IVM of this new, two-colored model reveals classic tumor morphology with red tumor cell nests surrounded by green stromal elements. The co-implanted tissue forms the supportive stroma and vasculature of these tumors. Tumor growth and angiogenesis are more robust when tumor cells are co-implanted with orthotopic tissue versus other tissues, or in the skin alone. The orthotopic tissue promotes tumor cell mitosis over apoptosis. With time, tumor cells can adapt to new environments and ultimately even grow better in the non-orthotopic tissue over the original orthotopic tissue. These models offer a significant advance by recreating an orthotopic microenvironment in an ectopic location that is still easy to image by IVM. These “ectopic-orthotopic” models provide an exceptional way to study tumor and stroma cells in cancer, and directly show the critical importance of microenvironment in the development of multiple tumors.
To the question about the necessity of descriptive geometry and graphics teaching for chemists and chemistry technologists
Authors: Ищенко  , Ishchenko A.
Published: August 2013

The vital necessity of descriptive geometry and graphic study by students which are training in the specialties of chemist and chemistry technologist is shown. It is concluded that any engineering and scientific creativity in modern chemistry as the science of materials, structural chemistry and chemical dynamics of molecular systems’ interaction process is impossible without the foundations of descriptive geometry, which forms and develops the human spatial thinking. The discovery of conformational transitions in molecules and, in the future, conformational analysis, has predetermined the broad use of descriptive geometry methods in the chemical science. The modern chemistry’s state analysis is leading to conclusion that at present time the descriptive geometry is needed in the educational program of modern chemist and chemistry technologist.
Organization of educational process on descriptive geometry in Penza state technological academy
Authors: Юдина  , Yudina Elena , Нестеренко  , Nesterenko Leonid , Бурлов  , Burlov V.
Published: August 2013

The problem of «Descriptive geometry» discipline teaching in global computerization conditions of educational process is reflected in this paper. The attention is emphasized on a fact that students’ training according to the proven classical scheme of this discipline teaching is included now into the obvious contradiction with IT technologies, which are strongly taking their place in educational process. The solution of this contradiction, along with providing of well-known conditions, requires development of proved technique related to descriptive geometry teaching with the maximum use of modern CAD systems’ opportunities. The option of organization of standard lecture, practical and laboratory studies related to descriptive geometry and practiced in the Penza State Technological Academy is shown in this paper using the example of one of methodical techniques.
Content of «Descriptive geometry and engineering graphics» discipline of «Construction of unique buildings and edifices» specialty
Authors: Альшакова  , Alshakova Elena
Published: August 2013

The content of «Descriptive Geometry and Engineering Graphics» discipline of «Construction of Unique Buildings and Edifices» specialty, formed according to requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard of Higher Education, is considered. The studied sections of this discipline, performed graphic works, and also their performance technologies are cited.
Modular structuring of graphics disciplines’ working programs
Authors: Дударь  , Dudar E. , Шахова  , Shakhova A.
Published: August 2013

The first experience on the new educational standards in higher education institution and the tasks to be solved with relation to quality assurance of graphics disciplines’ educational programs have been considered. The main objectives and problems related to modular design of the working programs at higher school are considered. It seems reasonable to develop a unified model of work programs’ modular structure, improve these programs’ content and orientation of this content on labor market needs.
Activation of motivational component related to training process in geometric and graphic disciplines
Authors: Ремонтова  , Remontova Lyudmila , Юдина  , Yudina Elena , Привалов  , Privalov Ilya
Published: August 2013

The graduate of higher technical education institution must today possess the knowledge of information technologies from computer design systems to development of graphical models related to processes and phenomena. The interest in the engineering computer graphics must be instilled in the secondary school. Concrete results have been achieved in the Penza State Technological Academy on ECG Chair. The directions of work with students and schoolchildren in this area have been considered in the paper.
Duble-duble-valued conformance in constructing related to closed contours of controllable form
Authors: Горячевский  , Goryachevskiy V.
Published: August 2013

The use of double-double-valued quadratic conformance which had been assigned by horizontally projecting cylinder model on Monge drawing for constructing of closed contours with assigned parameters is considered. It is proposed to control the obtained contour fullness by variation of its pre-image parameters.
Pyramid modeling in COMPASS-3D for metric tasks solving
Authors: Юдина  , Yudina Elena , Нестеренко  , Nesterenko Leonid , Привалов  , Privalov Ilya
Published: August 2013

In modern conditions of young professionals’ preparation the transition to traditional disciplines teaching by the way of assimilation of information technologies and computer aided design systems is on the table. The concrete steps stated in this paper can serve as a basic point to creation of original technique related to descriptive geometry teaching and will be interesting for majority of experts in the area of geometrical and graphic disciplines and computer-aided design systems.
On circular orbits of planets
Authors: Бойков  , Boykov Aleksey
Published: August 2013

During all-Russian academic competition on descriptive geometry, engineering and computer graphics in 2011 a task was proposed. This task’s condition was as follows: two planets rotate around a star in circular orbits of different diameter, which lie in the different planes passing through the star center and located at a 30 degree angle to each other; it is known that these orbits belong to the 4th order surface. It was necessary to find the orbits diameters ratio. This geometrical task decision’s analysis is cited in the paper.
India’s queer expressions on-screen: The aftermath of the reading down of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code
Authors: Bakshi Kaustav , Sen Parjanya
Published: August 2013

This article explores how a reading down of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and the emergence of identitarian discourses have variously effectuated the representation of queer characters in Bombay cinema. It offers close analysis of film texts, both prior to as well as after the reading down of Article 377, in order to map a larger network of change towards a neo-liberal inclusion of the ‘gay’ citizen subject. A study of representation of queer characters in these films points towards how the ‘queer’ becomes a discursive category, open to appropriation, and also shows how earlier traditions/tropes of representation are either reworked or subverted to fit into a globalized discourse of identity.
Trouble ahead: Pleasure, possibility and the future of queer porn
Authors: Lipton Shawna
Published: August 2013

This article provides a genealogy of a recent wave of cinematic pornography and situates ‘queer porn’ at the nexus of subversive art practice, hardcore pornography and sexual and body politics. The analysis is rooted in a close reading of Courtney Trouble’s film Nostalgia (2009), contextualized within the discourses of porn studies (an area of academic focus in film studies and visual cultural studies), feminism and queer theory. The four ultimate claims are that queer porn is characterized by (1) citationality (i.e., playful references to previous porn films); (2) multiplicity and variety of bodies and genders (trans, genderqueer, modified, fat bodies); (3) perverse and alternative pleasures (e.g., female ejaculation); and (4) queer audience address and community formation.
Targeted Online Advertising: Using Reciprocity Appeals to Increase Acceptance among Users of Free Web Services
Authors: Schumann Jan H. , von Wangenheim Florian , Groene Nicole
Published: August 2013

The Internet is dominated by free web services that depend on advertising revenues and powerful marketing tools to support their business models. Targeted online advertising enables websites to increase their advertising revenues by selectively displaying advertisements according to users’ browsing behavior, sociodemographics, and interests. Yet targeting also creates negative consumer reactions, and websites confront increasing regulatory pressures to inform consumers about their practices. It is critical for such advertising-supported websites to address those challenges proactively. In one scenario experiment and two field studies, the authors show that a normative reciprocity argument is generally more effective than the current industry practice of using a utilitarian argument related to advertising relevance to increase acceptance of targeted online advertising. However, in some cases, this dominance switches depending on specific website characteristics such as website utility and level of user-generated content. Managers of free websites should remind their users of the free services they enjoy when asking permission to target them online or to use their personal information.
Prominence versus Dominance: How Relationships between Alternatives Drive Decision Strategy and Choice
Authors: Evangelidis Ioannis , Levav Jonathan
Published: August 2013

This article argues that the structure of a choice set can influence the extent to which consumers weight a given attribute. The results of seven experiments suggest that the relationship between options under consideration can influence preference ordering by shifting the decision strategy people adopt when constructing their preference. In decisions in which people afford greater importance to one attribute versus another, preference for an option that scores high on this prominent attribute may decrease when decoy options that are clearly better or worse than the focal options are inserted into the choice set. The authors posit that this effect arises because decision makers initially (and spontaneously) use dominance cues rather than prominence when evaluating options, and they continue to use this strategy even when it does not enable them to differentiate the alternatives under consideration. The authors moderate this effect by prompting respondents to consider prominence and by manipulating the order in which respondents evaluate options in the choice set. This article has theoretical implications for research on context effects, contingent decision behavior, and choice architecture as well as practical implications for product-line management.
Amyloid β peptide cleavage by kallikrein 7 attenuates fibril growth and rescues neurons from Aβ-mediated toxicity in vitro
Authors: Shropshire Tyler D. , Reifert Jack , Rajagopalan Sridharan , Baker David , Feinstein Stuart C. , Daugherty Patrick S.
Published: August 2013

The gradual accumulation and assembly of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide into neuritic plaques is a major pathological hallmark of Alzheimer disease (AD). Proteolytic degradation of Aβ is an important clearance mechanism under normal circumstances, and it has been found to be compromised in those with AD. Here, the extended substrate specificity and Aβ-degrading capacity of kallikrein 7 (KLK7), a serine protease with a unique chymotrypsin-like specificity, was characterized. Preferred peptide substrates of KLK7 identified using a bacterial display substrate library were found to exhibit a consensus motif of RXΦ(Y/F)↓(Y/F)↓(S/A/G/T) or RXΦ(Y/F)↓(S/T/A) (Φ=hydrophobic), which is remarkably similar to the hydrophobic core motif of Aβ (K16L17V18F19F20 A21) that is largely responsible for aggregation propensity. KLK7 was found to cleave after both Phe residues within the core of Aβ42
in vitro, thereby inhibiting Aβ fibril formation and promoting the degradation of preformed fibrils. Finally, the treatment of Aβ oligomer preparations with KLK7, but not inactive pro-KLK7, significantly reduced Aβ42-mediated toxicity to rat hippocampal neurons to the same extent as the known Aβ-degrading protease insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE). Taken together, these results indicate that KLK7 possesses an Aβ-degrading capacity that can ameliorate the toxic effects of the aggregated peptide in vitro.
Investigation of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Friction Welded Aisi 316 and Ck 45 Steels
Authors: Çelik Sare , Ersozlu Ismail
Published: August 2013

This study has arisen from the necessity to manufacture an impeller and a shaft pair of a water pump from two different types of steels. The impeller has to have resistant to corrosion and the shaft has to have magnetic permeability property. It is deemed suitable to use the AISI 316 austenitic stainless steel performing high resistance corrosion for the impeller and Ck 45 carbon steel with magnetic permeability property for the shaft. The joining of AISI 316 and Ck 45 steels has been achieved by using the friction welding method. After welding process, the tests of tensile and micro hardness were applied, the microstructures were observed, and composition of elements was found in the welding zone. As optimum welding parameters, 100 MPa of friction pressure, 10 s of friction time, 200 MPa of upset pressure and 20 s of upset time were determined in 3000 rev/min rotation speed.
The choice of the social discount rate and the opportunity cost of public
funds
Authors: Moore Mark A. , Boardman Anthony E. , Vining Aidan R.
Published: August 2013

The decades-old literature on the correct method for choosing and
estimating a social discount rate (SDR) has resulted in two, largely
opposing viewpoints. This note seeks to clarify the key sources of
disagreement between these two camps. One view advocates that the choice
should be based chiefly on the social opportunity cost of the return to
foregone private capital investment (SOC), and suggests a SDR of around 7%.
The other viewpoint, expressed by the authors, argues that the choice should
be based on the social rate of time preference (STP), the rate at which
society is willing to trade present for future consumption, suggesting a SDR
of around 3.5%. Because of the fundamentally normative basis of the SDR
choice, neither approach generates testable hypotheses that would allow
falsification. For government project evaluation, the choice ultimately
depends on the opportunity cost of public funds, which in turn depends on
how fiscal policy actually operates. The STP approach contends that
governments set targets for deficits and public debt, so that a marginal
government project will be tax-financed, largely crowding out current
consumption. The SOC belief is that governments set revenue targets, so that
any government project will be deficit-financed on the margin, which will
largely crowd out private investment. The authors also argue that a SDR
based on the STP approach is appropriate for: benefit-cost analysis of
government regulations, self-financing government projects, and government
cost-effectiveness studies.
Creating Spaces for Urban Youth: The Emergence of Culturally Responsive (Hip-Hop) School Leadership and Pedagogy
Authors: Khalifa Muhammad
Published: August 2013

Ladson-Billings, Gay and among others have demonstrated the strong need for educational curriculum and practice to respond to the specific academic, cultural, and social needs of culturally unique, minoritized students. This article focuses on culturally responsive leadership practices for students with Hip-Hop identity performatives. This research uses theoretical frameworks from culturally relevant pedagogies and the scholarship that addresses how young students negotiate, perform, and reinvent and reestablish themselves through Hip-Hop culture, literacy, and identity. Such scholarship situates Hip-Hop pedagogies and student identity. This 2-year ethnographic study of an alternative school reports on how a culturally responsive school leader recognized and validated Hip-Hop student identities. Though he was somewhat removed from the Hip-Hop performative himself, the principal was able to create a safe space in which these student identities were able to exist, and in doing so, prevent the visceral impulse toward marginalization and exclusionary practice of Black and Latino Hip-Hop students that so many of his teachers possessed. Thus, the study discusses leadership theory, as it answers the following research question: How can urban school leaders play a role in forging a space for Hip-Hop identity development in the schools they lead? Secondarily it asks – given the tensions and contestations in representations of Hip-Hop music – if they should actually do this, and if so, what are the characteristics of such leadership?
The cytologic category of oncocytic (Hurthle) cell neoplasm mostly includes low-risk lesions at histology: an institutional experience
Authors: Rossi Esther Diana , Martini Maurizio , Straccia Patrizia , Raffaelli Marco , Pennacchia Ilaria , Marrucci Eleonora , Lombardi Celestino Pio , Pontecorvi Alfredo , Fadda Guido
Published: August 2013

Design

The cytological diagnosis of oncocytic/Hurthle cell neoplasms (OCN) represents a challenge with which cytopathologists face up to in their practice. The majority of these lesions undergo surgery for a definitive characterization of the nature mainly due to their more aggressive behavior than other malignant follicular lesions. In this study, we aimed at the evaluation of the effective malignant rate in a large cohort of OCNs.

Methods

From January 2008 to December 2011, we analyzed 150 cyto-histological OCNs and 64 benign oncocytic/Hurthle lesions (BOL). Both groups of patients were analyzed for clinical and cyto-histological parameters. All the nodules were sampled under sonographic guidance and processed with the liquid-based cytological method.

Results

In agreement with literature, we found a significant correlation only with female gender in both OCN (P=0.0160) and BOL groups. The 64 BOLs were histologically diagnosed as 15 Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT), 45 hyperplastic nodules in HT, and four papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC, 6.2%). The 150 OCNs resulted in 141 (94%) oncocytic adenomas and nine (6%) malignant lesions. The latter group included five oncocytic carcinomas (OCC), three oncocytic variants of PTC, and one macrofollicular PTC featured by mild nuclear clearing with a dispersive cellular pattern. The malignant rate was respectively 6.2% in BOLs without any OCC whereas 3.3% OCC diagnosed in the OCN category.

Conclusions

Our OCNs mostly resulted in histological adenomas with a lower rate of malignancy than in other series. Some morphological parameters (nuclear clearing, dysplasia, and dispersive cellular pattern) might be helpful in stratifying OCN patients into different risks of malignancy.
Recent advances in recreation ecology and the implications of different relationships between recreation use and ecological impacts
Authors: Monz Christopher A , Pickering Catherine M , Hadwen Wade L
Published: August 2013

Recreation ecology – the study of the environmental consequences of outdoor recreation/nature‐based tourism activities and their effective management – is an emerging field of global importance. A primary research generalization in this field, the use–impact relationship, is commonly described as curvilinear, with proportionally more impact from initial recreation/tourism use. This finding has formed the basis of visitor management strategies in parks, wilderness, and protected areas in many parts of the world. In this paper, however, we argue that the current generalization may be an oversimplification derived from one ecological response: the response of vegetation cover in some plant communities to trampling. Use–response functions for other plant communities, wildlife, soils, and aquatic/marine systems, for example, can differ and require alternative management strategies for sustainable use. On the basis of the available literature, we propose several alternative response relationships.
Modeling effects of climate change and phase shifts on detrital production of a kelp bed
Authors: Krumhansl Kira A. , Lauzon-Guay Jean-Sébastien , Scheibling Robert E.
Published: August 2013

The exchange of energy and nutrients between ecosystems (i.e., resource subsidies) plays a central role in ecological dynamics over a range of spatial and temporal scales. Little attention has been paid to the role of anthropogenic impacts on natural systems in altering the magnitude, timing, and quality of resource subsidies. Kelp ecosystems are highly productive on a local scale and export over 80% of kelp primary production as detritus, subsidizing consumers across broad spatial scales. Here, we generate a model of detrital production from a kelp bed in Nova Scotia to hindcast trends in detrital production based on temperature and wave height recorded in the study region from 1976 to 2009, and to project changes in detrital production that may result from future climate change. Historical and projected increases in temperature and wave height led to higher rates of detrital production through increased blade breakage and kelp dislodgment from the substratum, but this reduced kelp biomass and led to a decline in detrital production in the long term. We also used the model to demonstrate that the phase shift from a highly productive kelp bed to a low‐productivity barrens, driven by the grazing activity of sea urchins, reduces kelp detrital production by several orders of magnitude, an effect that would be exacerbated by projected increases in temperature and wave action. These results indicate that climate‐mediated changes in ecological dynamics operating on local scales may alter the magnitude of resource subsidies to adjacent ecosystems, affecting ecological dynamics on regional scales.
Attachment Style, Social Support, and Coping as Psychosocial Correlates of Happiness in Persons With Spinal Cord Injuries
Authors: Wilson Lisa , Catalano Denise , Sung Connie , Phillips Brian , Chou Chih-Chin , Chan Jacob Yui Chung , Chan Fong
Published: August 2013

Objective: To examine the roles of attachment, social support, and coping as psychosocial correlates in predicting happiness in people with spinal cord injuries.

Design: Quantitative descriptive research design using multiple regression and correlation techniques.

Participants: 274 individuals with spinal cord injuries.

Outcome Measures: Happiness as measured by the Subjective Happiness Scale.

Results: Functional disability and psychosocial correlates including coping, attachment styles, and social support were found to be associated with happiness scores. Functional disability was found to have a large negative effect on happiness and the effect was significantly reduced after taking into consideration the effect of positive psychology factors.

Conclusion: Positive psychology variables are important for happiness and subjective well-being, and happiness in turn is related to better quality of life. The negative relationship between functional disability and happiness can be mediated by attachment, social support, and coping. Rehabilitation professionals should deemphasize negative characteristics related to poor psychological adjustment and focus on positive human traits and positive psychology interventions for people with disabilities.
Residency preceptor development and evaluation: A new approach
Authors: Fuller Patrick D. , Peters Lori L. , Hoel Rebecca , Baldwin Jeffrey N. , Olsen Keith M.
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The design and implementation of a preceptor development program involving close collaboration by the pharmacy residency program director (RPD) and members of a residency advisory committee (RAC) are described.

In 2011 the Nebraska Medical Center (NMC) implemented a program to foster the development of preceptors’ teaching and clinical skills, as required by accreditation standards of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). The RPD and RAC worked closely to define expectations of resident preceptors and a pathway for their transition from “conditional” to “primary” status. Among other program requirements, prospective (and new incoming) preceptors must (1) submit to the RAC a letter of interest in becoming a resident preceptor accompanied by an academic and professional record, (2) complete a new preceptor orientation session in which teaching concepts and principles are presented and discussed, and (3) obtain 10 preceptor education (PE) credits every two years. PE credits are earned through defined preceptor development opportunities including a teaching core and a clinical core focused on enhancing skills such as the application of therapeutic knowledge and conduct of clinical research. All preceptors are required to submit updated academic and professional records to the RAC every two years. The RAC audits 25% of preceptors to document attainment of PE credits and also conducts annual reviews of ASHP Resi-Trak summary evaluations of all preceptors and learning experiences.

Conclusion

The NMC program may serve as a model for other institutions in planning and evaluating professional development programs to ensure that preceptors maintain the skills and knowledge necessary to provide high-quality resident training.
Effects of fixed functional therapy on tongue and hyoid positions and posterior airway
Authors: Ozdemir Fulya , Ulkur Feyza , Nalbantgil Didem
Published: August 2013

Objective:

To evaluate how therapy with a fixed functional appliance affects airway dimensions, dentoalveolar changes, and tongue and hyoid positions.

Materials and Methods:

A retrospective study was carried out on 46 pre- and posttreatment lateral cephalometric radiographs of 23 post-peak Class II patients (12 girls, 11 boys) treated with a Forsus Fatigue Resistant Device (FRD) appliance. The radiographies were taken at the start and at the end of Forsus FRD appliance therapy when a Class I or overcorrected Class I canine and molar relationship was achieved. The process took an average of 5 months 13 days ± 1 month 4 days. Skeletal and dental parameters were measured using Dolphin software, and the sagittal airway area was measured by AutoCAD software.

Results:

Analyses of the pre- and posttreatment means revealed that there was no statistically significant skeletal correction of the sagittal malocclusion; increase of lower incisor inclination, decrease of upper incisor inclination, decrease of interincisal angle, and rotation of occlusal plane all contributed to the reduction of overjet. The tongue area and intermaxillary space area increased in response to these dentoalveolar changes; however, there was no statistically significant change in the hyoid position or the oropharyngeal area between the two time points.

Conclusions:

The dentoalveolar changes produced by Forsus FRD appliance did not cause any significant posterior airway changes in young adult patients.
Cardiovascular Events and Geriatric Scale Scores in Elderly (70 Years Old and Above) Type 2 Diabetic Patients at Inclusion in the GERODIAB Cohort
Authors: Bauduceau Bernard , Doucet Jean , Le Floch Jean-Pierre , Verny Christiane ,   for the SFD/SFGG Intergroup and the GERODIAB Group
Published: August 2013

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the relationships between cardiovascular complications and geriatric scale scores in French elderly (≥70 years of age) type 2 diabetic patients at inclusion in the GERODIAB cohort.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

GERODIAB is the first French multicenter, prospective, observational survey designed to analyze the influence of glycemic control on morbidity/mortality in type 2 diabetic patients aged ≥70 years during a 5-year follow-up period. This study analyzed the relationships between classical macroangiopathic complications and geriatric scale scores in 987 patients at baseline, using bivariate and multivariate analyses.

RESULTS

Cardiac ischemia (31.2%) was significantly associated with impaired activities of daily living (ADL) scores (P < 0.001). Stepwise logistic regression included hypercholesterolemia, ADL, sex, and hypertension successively (70.3% concordance; P < 0.001). Heart failure (10.1%) was associated with impaired Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), instrumental ADL (IADL) (P < 0.05), and ADL scores (P < 0.001). With the logistic model, waist circumference, age, and HDL cholesterol were significant factors (70.7% concordance; P < 0.001). Arterial disease of the lower limbs (25.6%) was associated with impaired IADL and ADL scores (P < 0.001). Significant factors using the logistic model were duration of diabetes, IADL score, hypertension, and sex (62.8% concordance; P < 0.001). Cerebral ischemia (15.8%) was associated with impaired MMSE, Mini Nutritional Assessment, ADL, and IADL scores (P < 0.01). IADL, sex, hypertension, and ADL were included in the logistic model successively (65.6% concordance; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In this specific population, impaired geriatric scale scores were found to be associated with classical macrovascular complications, notably using multivariate analyses. This suggests the benefits of thorough screening and management of cognitive and functional decline in elderly type 2 diabetic patients.
Methods in reducing surface reflected glint for shipborne above-water remote sensing
Authors: Garaba S. P. , Zielinski O.
Published: August 2013

Surface reflected glint is a curse for ocean color remote sensing from above-water platforms. In calibrated above-water shipborne radiometry, there are several surface reflected glint correction approaches widely implemented. These approaches were developed using radiative transfer simulations and/or field measurements in different water types, sea states, and cloud conditions. To date no particular surface reflected glint correction approach has been prescribed in ocean optics standard protocols. Without synoptic inherent optical properties to accurately determine apparent optical properties, glint correction is therefore rather qualitative or subjective. There is need to fully take inventory of uncertainties resulting from such differences. We look at different methods that have been implemented in calibrated shipborne radiometry and how surface reflected glint is corrected for using these available approaches. Field measurements are utilized to assess how the correction approaches perform under clear and overcast skies, we also elucidate on aspects for further improvements.
Wavelength-dependent nonlinear optical loop mirror for simultaneous amplitude noise reduction at two wavelengths
Authors: Pottiez O. , Ibarra-Escamilla B. , Kuzin E. A.
Published: August 2013

We propose and study analytically and numerically a polarisation-imbalanced Nonlinear Optical Loop Mirror (NOLM) scheme exhibiting a wavelength-dependent nonlinear characteristic. The device includes a symmetric coupler, an isotropic (or, in practice, twisted non-polarisation-maintaining) fibre loop and a section of high birefringence (HiBi) fibre to break the polarisation symmetry. Thanks to the wavelength-dependent phase shift of the HiBi fibre, wavelength-dependent switching is obtained. For proper orientation of the HiBi fibre in the loop plane and using linear input polarisation at 45° with respect to its birefringence axes, the NOLM switching power varies with wavelength, whereas its zero low-power transmission and 100% maximal transmission are constant. Through slight adjustments of the HiBi fibre birefringence, which can be realised mechanically or thermally, the ratio between switching powers at two particular wavelengths can be readily adjusted. We show numerically that this scheme can be applied to simultaneous amplitude regeneration of two wavelength channels exhibiting uneven power levels.
Benefits of an early identification and diagnosis of permanent bilateral hearing loss
Authors: Newton Valerie
Published: August 2013

Newborn hearing screening has resulted in hearing loss being detected significantly earlier than previously. Research has shown that there are several areas in which this has changed the outcome for the child concerned and the family, and has indicated that there are advantages accruing for the community at large. In this article, ways in which the early identification and habilitation of a permanent bilateral hearing loss has been beneficial for hearing impaired children for all degrees of impairment are described.
Improved Short-Term Load Forecasting Based on Two-Stage Predictions with Artificial Neural Networks in a Microgrid Environment
Authors: Hernández Luis , Baladrón Carlos , Aguiar Javier , Calavia Lorena , Carro Belén , Sánchez-Esguevillas Antonio , Sanjuán Javier , González Álvaro , Lloret Jaime
Published: August 2013

Short-Term Load Forecasting plays a significant role in energy generation planning, and is specially gaining momentum in the emerging Smart Grids environment, which usually presents highly disaggregated scenarios where detailed real-time information is available thanks to Communications and Information Technologies, as it happens for example in the case of microgrids. This paper presents a two stage prediction model based on an Artificial Neural Network in order to allow Short-Term Load Forecasting of the following day in microgrid environment, which first estimates peak and valley values of the demand curve of the day to be forecasted. Those, together with other variables, will make the second stage, forecast of the entire demand curve, more precise than a direct, single-stage forecast. The whole architecture of the model will be presented and the results compared with recent work on the same set of data, and on the same location, obtaining a Mean Absolute Percentage Error of 1.62% against the original 2.47% of the single stage model.
Relative Deprivation and Sickness Absence in Sweden
Authors: Helgertz Jonas , Hess Wolfgang , Scott Kirk
Published: August 2013

Background: A high prevalence of sickness absence in many countries, at a substantial societal cost, underlines the importance to understand its determining mechanisms. This study focuses on the link between relative deprivation and the probability of sickness absence. Methods: 184,000 men and women in Sweden were followed between 1982 and 2001. The sample consists of working individuals between the ages of 19 and 65. The outcome is defined as experiencing more than 14 days of sickness absence during a year. Based on the complete Swedish population, an individual’s degree of relative deprivation is measured through income compared to individuals of the same age, sex, educational level and type. In accounting for the possibility that sickness absence and socioeconomic status are determined by common factors, discrete-time duration models were estimated, accounting for unobserved heterogeneity through random effects. Results: The results confirm that the failure to account for the dynamics of the individual’s career biases the influence from socioeconomic characteristics. Results consistently suggest a major influence from relative deprivation, with a consistently lower risk of sickness absence among the highly educated. Conclusions: Altering individual’s health behavior through education appears more efficient in reducing the reliance on sickness absence, rather than redistributive policies.