bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Reanalysis Products for the Monsoon Season Droughts in India
Authors: Shah Reepal , Mishra Vimal
Published: March 2014

Drought monitoring in near–real time is essential for management of water resources, irrigation planning, and food security. However, lack of availability of quality real-time observations leads to slow decision making and relatively poor natural resources management, especially during and after severe and prolonged droughts. The global reanalysis products that are available in near–real time could be valuable for drought monitoring and assessment. Three high-resolution reanalysis products—the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), the Interim ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim), and the NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR)—are examined for their effectiveness in reproducing retrospective droughts during the period 1980–2005. All the selected reanalysis products show biases in the monsoon season precipitation and temperature. MERRA, ERA-Interim, and CFSR showed median bias in the monsoon season precipitation (temperature) of 10% (−0.39°C), 34% (−0.21°C), and 11% (−0.44°C), respectively. The reanalysis products largely fail to reproduce the observed trends in the monsoon season precipitation and temperature over India. All-India median changes in the monsoon season precipitation (temperature) shown by the observations and by MERRA, ERA-Interim, and CFSR were −0.2% (0.13°C), 26% (−0.42°C), 7% (0.24°C), and −8% (0.54°C), respectively, during the period 1980–2005. Despite the differences in the observed areal extent and severity of drought from those obtained from the individual reanalysis products, ensemble mean drought indices of different reanalysis products showed better performance for drought assessment during the monsoon season in India.
Identification of Surface Wind Patterns over the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, Using Self-Organizing Maps
Authors: Nigro Melissa A. , Cassano John J.
Published: March 2014

The interaction of synoptic and mesoscale circulations with the steep topography surrounding the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, greatly influences the wind patterns in the region of the Ross Ice Shelf. The topography provides forcing for features such as katabatic winds, barrier winds, and barrier wind corner jets. The combination of topographic forcing and synoptic and mesoscale forcing from cyclones that traverse the Ross Ice Shelf sector create a region of strong but varying winds. This paper identifies the dominant surface wind patterns over the Ross Ice Shelf using output from the Weather Research and Forecasting Model run within the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System and the method of self-organizing maps (SOM). The dataset has 15-km grid spacing and is the first study to identify the dominant surface wind patterns using data at this resolution. The analysis shows that the Ross Ice Shelf airstream, a dominant stream of air flowing northward from the interior of the continent over the western and/or central Ross Ice Shelf to the Ross Sea, is present over the Ross Ice Shelf approximately 34% of the time, the Ross Ice Shelf airstream varies in both its strength and position over the Ross Ice Shelf, and barrier wind corner jets are present in the region to the northwest of the Prince Olav Mountains approximately 14% of the time and approximately 41% of the time when the Ross Ice Shelf airstream is present.
The Development of Doctrine about Infants Who Die Unbaptized
Authors: Sullivan Francis A.
Published: March 2014

The author traces the history of Catholic doctrine about the fate of infants who die unbaptized: (1) from Augustine's teaching that they are condemned to hell where they suffer “the least of its pains“; (2) to the medieval doctrine of Limbo as the state in which those infants, although excluded from the vision of God, enjoy a natural happiness; (3) to the consoling words that John Paul II, in Evangelium vitae, addressed to a woman who had caused her child to be aborted, that when she had repented and was reconciled to God, she could ask forgiveness from her child who was now “living in the Lord.”
What Happened at Trento 2010?
Authors: Keenan James F.
Published: March 2014

From July 24 to 27, 2010, some 600 theological ethicists from nearly 75 countries met in Trento, Italy, under the auspices of Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church. There they heard 30 plenary papers and opted to attend more than 240 concurrent presentations. This note studies the roots, mission, context, goals, and nature of the conference and its participants as a defining moment in church history.
Economic Recession, Work, and Solidarity
Authors: Hinze Christine Firer
Published: March 2014

The note treats ethical issues surrounding the 2008 to 2010 financial crisis and its aftermath, focusing on resources pertinent to Catholic economic-ethical responses. Four key, contested subjects are highlighted: economy's descriptive and normative “axis“; causes of the recent meltdown in financial markets and prescriptions for preventing future crises; work and employment effects of the Great Recession; and the urgent need to connect market economies to social, earth, and care economies in order to meet the demands of solidarity and sustainability.
Levinas and Christian Mysticism after Auschwitz
Authors: Rigby Paul
Published: March 2014

An ethics of disinterested goodness governs the testimony of Auschwitz survivors Primo Levi and Jean Amery. For Emmanuel Levinas, ethical goodness such as we find in Levi's and Amery's disinterested testimony to the German people leaves the only possible trace of the divine. Levinas proceeds to dismiss mysticism as an interested, self-serving, a-ethical search for God. The article proposes that Christian mysticism can embody Levinas's ethics of disinterestedness if it is understood as an analogizing ethical grasp of the divine.
Christological Polemics of Maximus the Confessor and the Emergence of Islam onto the World Stage
Authors: Benevich Grigory I.
Published: March 2014

The article examines Maximus the Confessor's reaction to the Arab-Muslim invasion of the Byzantine Roman Empire. It also appraises Islam's place in the 7th century as presenting a view of divine-human relations as an alternative to the views of Christian confessions. The article concludes by advancing a hypothesis about the antithetical relationship between Islam and Monotheletism, which was dominant at that time in Byzantium.
The Grace of Indirection and the Moral Imagination: Learning from William Spohn and Literature
Authors: Connors Russell B.
Published: March 2014

The author mines William Spohn's notion of the grace of indirection as it relates to the potential impact of the arts on the moral imagination. The article moves beyond exposition of Spohn's idea, first, by showing how the grace of indirection is a concept with deep connections to long-standing Christian convictions about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit; and second, by offering an extended example of what the grace of indirection might look like relative to a contemporary short story by Tim Gautreaux.
Attitude envers l’achat de contrefaçons : déterminants et effet sur l’intention d’achat
Authors: Viot Catherine , Le Roux André , Krémer Florence
Published: March 2014

La contrefaçon est un problème majeur pour les entreprises, les pouvoirs publics et les consommateurs. Bien qu’il existe une littérature marketing abondante sur la question, il manque un outil intégrant les nombreux déterminants de l’attitude envers l’achat de contrefaçons. Une échelle de mesure comportant 13 déterminants, regroupés autour de trois facteurs de second ordre, est validée : l’impact sociétal (essentiellement de nature économique), les motivations et les freins individuels. Cette recherche met en évidence les freins et motivations les plus efficaces pour lutter contre l’achat de contrefaçons. Les résultats les plus frappants résident dans l’absence de pouvoir explicatif de l’impact sociétal négatif, et, a contrario, dans le rôle crucial des motivations individuelles. En effet, les motivations et les freins individuels sont les seuls antécédents de l’attitude envers l’achat de contrefaçons, l’influence des motivations étant supérieure à celle des freins. L’effet des facteurs de second ordre sur l’intention d’achat de contrefaçons est indirect, l’attitude envers l’achat jouant le rôle de variable médiatrice.
Perception sans conscience de stimuli supraliminaux : revue critique et proposition d’un modèle intégrateur
Authors: Derbaix Christian , Herrmann Jean-Luc , Kacha Mathieu
Published: March 2014

Cet article propose une revue critique des recherches en marketing sur les effets de la perception sans conscience de stimuli supraliminaux.

La recension des résultats existants au niveau de l’accessibilité du stimulus dans la mémoire, de sa probabilité d’inclusion dans l’ensemble de considération, de son évaluation, et de ses chances de choix, débouche sur dix propositions de recherche rassemblées dans un modèle intégrateur. Plusieurs directions prioritaires pour les recherches futures sont finalement soulignées.
La grille d’analyse néo-institutionnelle au bénéfice de l’élargissement du marketing à des dimensions institutionnelles
Authors: Chaney Damien , Ben Slimane Karim
Published: March 2014

Ce travail a pour objectif de présenter trois apports de la théorie néo-institutionnelle au marketing : (1) considérer la consommation comme une institution, (2) appréhender les actions de positionnement à deux niveaux de légitimité, le produit et la catégorie de produits et (3) étudier les stratégies d’influence et de transformation des marchés par les entreprises au travers du concept de mégamarketing.
Treatment of proximal vertebral artery disease
Authors: Shutze William , Gierman Joshua , McQuade Karen , Pearl Gregory , Smith Bertram
Published: March 2014

Vertebral arterial disease (VAD) is a less commonly recognized and treated source of cerebrovascular ischemia compared with carotid artery disease. Patients are often referred for treatment after they have developed symptoms in the form of transient ischemic attacks or had a posterior hemispheric stroke. Traditional treatment of VAD has been surgical. More recently, endovascular treatment of VAD has been utilized. We performed a retrospective review of our institutional experience in treating VAD from 2001 to 2010. For treatment of proximal VAD, perioperative morbidity is lower for the endovascular group than for the surgical group, but six-week mortality was higher for the endovascular group. Complete resolution of symptoms occurred more frequently with surgery than with endovascular therapy. Therefore surgical reconstruction appears to be preferable to angioplasty and stenting for treatment of proximal vertebral artery occlusive disease.
No consensus exists for use of anticoagulation for calf vein thrombosis
Authors: Anstadt Michael J , Robertson T Calloway , Milner Ross
Published: March 2014

The ideal treatment of calf vein thrombosis (CVT) remains undefined. We assessed practice patterns at a single institution for CVT. Physicians were sent an online survey with 8 multiple choice questions about management of CVT. A total of 99 physicians of varying specialties participated in the survey. A total of 48.5% anticoagulate patients with CVT and 51.5% do not. Of those who anticoagulate, 62.3% use low molecular weight heparin and 11% use IV heparin. Treatment duration is 3 months for 58% and 6 months for 30% of responders. Of those who do not anticoagulate, 71.2% reassess for clot propagation or resolution with a duplex exam. IVC filters are used by 46% when there is a contraindication to anticoagulation and 13.7% when clot propagation is noted on follow-up scan. These results suggest that there is no consensus treatment of CVT. There is a higher than expected rate of IVC filters placed for CVT.
The effect of recent chemotherapy in aorto-iliac aneurysm repair
Authors: Tsilimparis Nikolaos , Ricotta Joseph J , Dayama Anand , Reeves James G , Perez Sebastian , Sweeney John F
Published: March 2014

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of recent chemotherapy (Chx) on outcome of aorto-iliac aneurysm (AAA) repair. The 2005–2010 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database was queried to identify vascular patients undergoing AAA repair within 30 days after Chx. Seventy-one patients underwent AAA repair within 30 days of receiving Chx, group A (71 ± 8.4 years, 77.5% males) and 20,024 patients underwent AAA repair without prior Chx, group B (73 ± 9 years, 79.2% males). The two groups did not significantly differ with respect to open or endovascular repair (open repair A: 32%, B: 35%, P = 0.66). However, patients in group A presented more often as emergent cases (A: 27%, B: 12%, P = 0.001). Multivariable regression analysis for emergent cases after adjustment for relevant confounders also demonstrated that patients with recent Chx present more often as emergency ( P = 0.001, odds ratio [OR]: 2.4). Thirty-day non-surgical complications were more common in group A (A: 25%, B: 16.5%, P = 0.046) while surgical complications were equivalent (A: 15.5%, B: 12.3%, P = 0.414). Risk of death was significantly higher in group A in univariate analysis (A: 13%, B: 5%, P = 0.005, OR: 2.6). Patients who receive Chx within 30 days prior to AAA repair present more frequently as emergencies leading to higher mortality. The reason for this cannot be sufficiently explained by the current database but patient selection for elective repair or the effect of Chx on the natural course of AAA may play a role.
Management of aortoiliac aneurysms by retrograde endovascular hypogastric artery preservation
Authors: Massière Bernardo , von Ristow Arno , Vescovi Alberto , Pedron Cleoni , Fonseca Lea M B
Published: March 2014

We evaluated the outcome of the retrograde endovascular hypogastric artery preservation (REHAP) technique for the treatment of complex aortoiliac aneurysms (AIAs). Perioperative and long-term outcomes were assessed for 12 patients (mean age 77 years, range 64–86 years) who underwent elective endovascular AIA repair via aortouniiliac endografting and REHAP between January 2004 and January 2011. Preoperative images obtained by computed tomography were used for planning. Postoperative images were obtained one and six months after surgery, and once a year thereafter. Technical success was achieved in all cases. No patients exhibited endoleak related to the endoprosthesis, occlusion of implanted components, hip and/or buttock claudication, or colon or spinal cord ischemia during follow-up. This hybrid procedure illustrates the potential of REHAP in the treatment of AIA cases.
Trend of management of traumatic thoracic aortic injuries in a single center
Authors: Mwipatayi Bibombe P , Boyle Arwen , Collin Michael , Papineau Jean-Louis , Vijayan Vikram
Published: March 2014

The purpose of this study was to review the shift in the trend of management and mid-term outcomes of all patients who sustain thoracic aortic injury. A Retrospective analysis was performed of all patients sustaining blunt thoracic aortic trauma admitted to our unit. Forty-seven patients were presented with injury to the thoracic aorta following blunt chest injury. Ten patients underwent open surgical repair of their thoracic aortic injury. The mean age ± SD (range) was 29.4 ± 7.9 years (18–41) with a mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 41 ± 14.7 (25–75). Fifteen patients underwent thoracic endovascular repair for blunt aortic transections with a mean age of 35.1 ± 14.5 years (17–65), mean ISS of 40.8 ± 13.9 (20–75) and an average length of hospital stay of 25.6 ± 14.5 days (3–77). The mean aortic diameter proximal to the aortic injury was 23.46 ± 3.02 mm (19–28) with a mean aortic angulation of 58.46° ± 17.73 (44–80°). The mean oversizing was 24.4 ± 5.4% (17–32%). At our institution, there has been a paradigm shift in the emergent repair of blunt thoracic aortic injury from open surgery to endovascular repair. Oversizing of the stent-graft did not translate to a poorer outcome.
Inflammatory carotid pseudotumor: case report and review of the literature
Authors: Sen Indrani , Stephen Edwin , Agarwal Sunil , Chugh Shilpa , Walter Noel
Published: March 2014

Inflammatory carotid pseudotumor is a rare differential of a unilateral neck swelling in the carotid triangle. A 48-year-old man presented with a firm non-tender gradually progressive left neck swelling for five months. Computed tomography angiogram revealed a mass encasing the common carotid. Patient underwent excision; histopathology was reported as inflammatory pseudotumor. Patient had a recurrence after eight months. Steroids were prescribed with which the swelling resolved, patient remained recurrence free at two-year follow-up.
Utility of internal jugular vein reconstruction in modified radical neck dissection
Authors: Dua Anahita , Desai Sapan S
Published: March 2014

The benefits to modified radical neck dissection (MRND) are established but the procedure involves substantial neck dissection with occasional resection of the internal jugular vein (IJV). Loss of the IJV is associated with morbidity including increased cerebral edema, stroke, laryngeal edema, blindness, facial fullness, and dural thrombosis. This paper discusses the morbidity associated with MRND, especially regarding venous outflow concerns and technical approaches to IJV reconstruction. Patients who have previously undergone MRND may benefit from immediate reconstruction and/or reanastomosis of the IJV. An attempt to maintain at least one major functional venous drainage point for the head and neck is indicated to minimize the significant morbidity and mortality of bilateral loss of the IJVs. The Katsuno classification system of type A, B, and C IJV reconstruction methods, and the novel type K reconstruction, are discussed as methods of maintaining venous outflow from the head and neck.
Folktales and Other References in Toriyama’s Dragon Ball
Authors: Mínguez-López Xavier
Published: March 2014

The aim of this article is to show the relationship between Japanese folktales and Japanese anime as a genre, especially how the intertextuality with traditional tales and myth subvert its conventional use. To meet this goal, the author examines Toriyama’s successful Dragon Ball series, which has enjoyed continued popularity right from its first publication in the 1980s. The article analyses the parallelism between Dragon Ball and a classic Chinese novel, Journey to the West, its main source. However, there are many other references present in Dragon Ball that are connected to religion and folktales. The author illustrates this relationship with examples taken from the anime that correspond to traditional Japanese folklore but that are used with a subversive goal, which makes a rich source for analysis and for literary education.
With a Philosopher’s Eye: A ‘Naive’ View on Animation
Authors: Malpas Jeff
Published: March 2014

Animation has never been a subject that has attracted much interest from philosophers, except perhaps from a very few interested in the philosophy of film or perhaps in visual aesthetics. Aspects of philosophical thinking may well be relevant to animation, however, and animators and theorists of animation have certainly shown an interest in philosophy: most often in time, movement, and process. But it is one thing to draw on philosophy in working within a field, and another thing to try to think philosophically about that field. In this admittedly naive view of animation – naive because it comes from philosophy to animation rather than the other way around – animation is explored from an explicitly philosophical perspective, with a particular focus on animation as a ‘making move’.
Alice in Cartoonland: Childhood, Gender, and Imaginary Space in Early Disney Animation
Authors: Elza Cary
Published: March 2014

The ‘plasmatic’ world of Mickey Mouse famously enchanted everyone from small children to European filmmakers and philosophers in the late 1920s and 1930s, but Disney’s attempts to use media technology to envision the freedom of childhood imagination can be traced back to his first successful series, the Alice Comedies (1923–1927), which featured a live-action girl who navigated animated wonderlands in her dreams and her imagination. Like Lewis Carroll’s original character, Disney’s Alice acts as a conduit into an irrational and magical world – the opposite of rational life in modernity. For Disney, Alice provided a way to both tie his own cultural productions to a long tradition of beloved children’s literature, and present his own vision of an animated wonderland as coming from the innocent perspective of a little girl. At the series’ outset, Alice’s trips to Cartoonland were motivated by live-action framing stories that depicted children at play, inviting audiences young and old to escape to a world of childhood imagination. But Disney didn’t just depict an idealized childhood in live-action film; he also used animation to gesture toward the existence of a universal, unassailable imaginary space. This emphasis on the child’s perspective in rendering the relationship between real and animated space speaks to larger cultural concerns at the time surrounding early education, psychological development, and the importance of protecting childhood in an increasingly rationalized world. This article examines the way childhood play is figured in both live-action and animated space in the first series of Alice cartoons – as mimicry, as performance, and as transformation of ‘real’ space – in order to show that Disney’s early work owed much of its impact to the ability of media technology to represent an idealized version of children’s imaginative play, and to evoke childhood perception through the use of animation.
Computationally designed liver-specific transcriptional modules and hyperactive factor IX improve hepatic gene therapy
Authors: Nair Nisha , Rincon Melvin Y. , Evens Hanneke , Sarcar Shilpita , Dastidar Sumitava , Samara-Kuko Emira , Ghandeharian Omid , Man Viecelli Hiu , Thöny Beat , De Bleser Pieter , VandenDriessche Thierry , Chuah Marinee K.
Published: March 2014

Key Points

Liver-targeted gene therapy for hemophilia can be improved by using computational promoter design in conjunction with hyperfunctional FIX. Low and safe vector doses allow for stable supraphysiologic FIX that result in the induction of immune tolerance.
Undergraduate research in medical education: a descriptive study of students’ views
Authors: Oliveira Cristiano C , de Souza Renata C , Abe Érika H Sassaki , Silva Móz Luís E , de Carvalho Lidia R , Domingues Maria AC
Published: March 2014

Background

Medical students engage in curricular and extracurricular activities, including undergraduate research (UR). The advantages, difficulties and motivations for medical students pursuing research activities during their studies have rarely been addressed. In Brazil, some medical schools have included undergraduate research into their curriculum. The present study aimed to understand the reality of scientific practice among medical students at a well-established Brazilian medical school, analyzing this context from the students’ viewpoint.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey based on a questionnaire applied to students from years one to six enrolled in an established Brazilian medical school that currently has no curricular UR program.

Results

The questionnaire was answered by 415 students, 47.2% of whom were involved in research activities, with greater participation in UR in the second half of the course. Independent of student involvement in research activities, time constraints were cited as the main obstacle to participation. Among students not involved in UR, 91.1% said they favored its inclusion in the curriculum, since this would facilitate the development of such activity. This approach could signify an approximation between the axes of teaching and research. Among students who had completed at least one UR project, 87.7% said they would recommend the activity to students entering the course.

Conclusion

Even without an undergraduate research program, students of this medical school report strong involvement in research activities, but discussion of the difficulties inherent in its practice is important to future developments.
Identification of pigments by multispectral imaging; a flowchart method
Authors: Cosentino Antonino
Published: March 2014

The literature on the application of Multispectral and Hyperspectral imaging for identification of pigments on artworks is sparse. While these methods do not provide the analytical capability that spectroscopies do offer, the use of spectral imaging has the advantage of being a rapid and relatively low-cost solution for the examination of large areas. This paper presents a flowchart for the identification of historical pigments applied with gum Arabic using multispectral imaging (wavelength ranging from 360 to 1700 nm) performed with a modified digital camera for infrared, visible and ultraviolet photography; and an InGaAs camera for infrared reflectography. The flowchart method will be most successful on paint made of one layer of pure pigment, and it can selectively discriminate only a fraction of the 56 pigments analyzed. Though, considerably limited in its analytical capabilities, the low cost and speed of the workflow make the method worthwhile, even if only to localize retouching and areas appearing the same hue but painted with different pigments. The InGaAs camera is the only expensive instrument used in this study but its cost is relatively affordable for the average painting conservation studio since only a model with a low pixel count is required (320×256 pixels) rather than a more sophisticated InGaAs scanner system.
Unusual markedly-dilated chorionic vessels with placentomegaly
Authors: Kaido Yoshitaka , Kikuchi Akihiko , Kanasugi Tomonobu , Oyama Rie , Sugiyama Toru
Published: March 2014

We reported a very rare case with placentomegaly and markedly-dilated chorionic vessels. A 23-year-old Japanese pregnant woman was referred to our hospital at 32 weeks of gestation because of suspected dilatation of the umbilical vein. Ultrasound revealed fetal growth restriction with no fetal anomalies. The placenta was thick. The umbilical cord had two arteries and one vein, and marginal insertion of the umbilical cord in the placenta was suspected. A lot of remarkably tortuous tubular structures were observed on the surface of the placenta. Slow blood flow, indemonstrable with color Doppler, was observed within them. Labor started suddenly and progressed very rapidly at 33 weeks of gestation. A female infant weighing 1524 g was delivered. The infant had no malformations. However, she showed hypotension, anemia and DIC and required blood transfusion. The placenta was very large, weighing 1416 g. On the fetal surface, numerous dilated and tortuous vessels were observed, arising from a vein that was connected to the umbilical vein. These venous channels were dilated and tortuous and led into the placenta. In conclusion, prenatal diagnosis of placentomegaly and markedly-dilated chorionic vessels requires assessment of growth, anemia and DIC of the fetus and the newborn infant.
Roles of mast cells in the pathogenesis of inflammatory myopathy
Authors: Yokota Masaya , Suzuki Kotaro , Tokoyoda Koji , Meguro Kazuyuki , Hosokawa Junichi , Tanaka Shigeru , Ikeda Kei , Mikata Takashi , Nakayama Toshinori , Kohsaka Hitoshi , Nakajima Hiroshi
Published: March 2014

Introduction

In addition to the pivotal roles of mast cells in allergic diseases, recent data suggest that mast cells play crucial roles in a variety of autoimmune responses. However, their roles in the pathogenesis of autoimmune skeletal muscle diseases have not been clarified despite their distribution in skeletal muscle. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the roles of mast cells in the development of autoimmune skeletal muscle diseases.

Methods

The number of mast cells in the affected muscle was examined in patients with dermatomyositis (DM) or polymyositis (PM). The susceptibility of mast cell-deficient WBB6F1-KitW/KitWv mice (W/Wv mice) to a murine model of polymyositis, C protein-induced myositis (CIM), was compared with that of wild-type (WT) mice. The effect of mast cell reconstitution with bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs) on the susceptibility of W/Wv mice to CIM was also evaluated.

Results

The number of mast cells in the affected muscle increased in patients with PM as compared with patients with DM. W/Wv mice exhibited significantly reduced disease incidence and histological scores of CIM as compared with WT mice. The number of CD8+ T cells and macrophages in the skeletal muscles of CIM decreased in W/Wv mice compared with WT mice. Engraftment of BMMCs restored the incidence and histological scores of CIM in W/Wv mice. Vascular permeability in the skeletal muscle was elevated in WT mice but not in W/Wv mice upon CIM induction.

Conclusion

Mast cells are involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory myopathy.
Separating signal from noise: the challenge of identifying useful biomarkers in sepsis
Authors: McCulloh Russell J , Spertus John A
Published: March 2014

Sepsis diagnosis remains based largely on clinical presentation despite significant advances in the understanding of underlying pathophysiology and host-pathogen interactions. The systematic review article by Zonneveld and colleagues in the previous issue of Critical Care describes another potential avenue of study for using biomarkers for sepsis diagnosis and prognostication. Soluble leukocyte adhesion molecules and their associated sheddase enzymes vary in detectable levels and activity in patients in relation to immunologic status, age, and systemic inflammation, including in the setting of sepsis. Unfortunately, studies of these molecules as diagnostic or prognostic aids (or both) in sepsis have thus far been disappointing. Zonneveld and colleagues propose two potential avenues to enhance the performance characteristics of soluble adhesion molecules and their sheddases in sepsis diagnosis and prognosis: (a) identifying age-adjusted normal values for soluble leukocyte adhesion molecules and their sheddases and (b) investigating simultaneous measurement of both soluble adhesion molecules and sheddases in integrated sepsis evaluation schema. This commentary discusses the proposed solutions of Zonneveld and colleagues in more detail and outlines additional considerations that should be addressed in order to develop robust and valid diagnostic and prognostic tools for clinicians managing patients with sepsis.
Estrogen Replacement Therapy Regulation Of Energy Metabolism In Female Mouse Hypothalamus
Authors: Fontana Roberta , Della Torre Sara , Meda Clara , Longo Angela , Eva Carola , Maggi Adriana C.
Published: March 2014

Estrogens play an important role in the regulation of energy homeostasis in female mammals and a reduced ovarian function, due to natural aging or surgery, is associated with body weight increase and fat redistribution. This disruption of energy homeostasis may constitute a trigger for several pathologies known to be associated with climacterium; however, so far, limited attention has been devoted to the ability of estrogen replacement therapies (ERT) to reinstate the balanced energy metabolism characteristic of cycling female mammals. The purpose of the present study was to compare the efficacy of selected ERTs in reversing the ovariectomy-induced gain in body weight. To this aim female ERE-Luc mice were ovariectomized and, after 3 weeks, treated per os for 21 days with: conjugated estrogens, two selective estrogen receptor modulators (bazedoxifene and raloxifene), and the combination of bazedoxifene plus conjugated estrogens (tissue-selective estrogen complex, TSEC). The study shows that the therapy based on TSEC was the most efficacious in reducing the body weight accrued by ovariectomy (OVX). In addition, by means of in vivo imaging, the TSEC treatment was shown to increase estrogen receptor (ER) transcriptional activity selectively in the arcuate nucleus, which is a key area for the control of energy homeostasis. Finally, quantitative analysis of the mRNAs encoding orexigenic and anorexigenic peptides indicated that following ERT with TSEC there was a significant change in Agrp, NPY, and Kiss-1 mRNA accumulation in the whole hypothalamus. Considering that prior studies showed that ERT with TSEC was able to mimic the rhythm of ER oscillatory activity during the reproductive cycle and that such fluctuations were relevant for energy metabolism, the present observations further point to the ER tetradian oscillation as an important component of the ER signaling necessary for the full hormone action and therefore for an efficacious ERT.
X-Ray Tubes—Continuous Innovative Technology
Authors: Ammann E , Kutschera W
Published: March 2014

The X-ray tube is one of the most important components in any X-ray system. In the beginning, physicists and physicians used gas ion tubes. The so-called Coolidge tube applied a high vacuum and is still used today. Medical examinations have required continuously improved designs of X-ray tubes (smaller focal spots at a higher output). The principle of the Goetze line focus is still applied in any diagnostic X-ray tube. Different anode materials and the rotating anode contributed to an increased output and reduced exposure time. Bearings needed special attention. Spiral groove bearings are the most advanced design today. The heat storage capacity of the anode and the tube housing assembly influences examination time and patient throughput. Cardiac imaging required less motion blurring in cine film images and increasing radiation exposure in interventional procedures called for measures to reduce dose. Protection against radiation and electric shock has always been a concern of design engineers. Focal spot sizes dedicated to specific applications and heat management within the total tube housing assembly will be future issues. Even with the event of ultrasound and MR technology, X-ray procedures will still be applied for diagnostic and interventional purposes.
Radiation Protection—Lessons from the Past
Authors: Harding L K
Published: March 2014

This is a historical review of selected events in radiation protection of medical relevance since the discovery of X-rays. The report concentrates on the period 1895-1970. Key points were difficulty of measuring dose, rapid dissemination of the use of radiation for all sorts of illness, and regulation by professional bodies rather than by legislation. Both World Wars saw a huge expansion in the use of ionizing radiation, but the second war prevented international collaboration, which had begun formally in 1925. Early radiation deaths, and nuclear accidents have caused concerns about radiation safety, and although dose limits have been successively reduced, these concerns have not been overcome. Since the Second World War radiation safety has been subject to more and more legislation although professional bodies still have an important advisory role. Development of the main radiation safety committees both in the UK, US and internationally is described with emphasis on the particular role of the British Institute of Radiology.
Assessment of Response following Treatment for Malignant Disease
Authors: MacVicar D , Husband J E
Published: March 2014

Monitoring tumour response to therapy is an increasingly important aspect of oncological radiology. Cancer is increasing in incidence in the UK and recent advances in treatment have resulted in many more patients surviving with treated disease. Concurrent advances in imaging techniques over the past two decades permit us to obtain detailed morphological and functional information from treated tumours. This article reviews clinical strategies for imaging patients following treatment for cancer with particular reference to techniques which are currently under continuing scientific evaluation.
Investigation and Management of Patients at High Risk of Developing Cancer
Authors: Warren R
Published: March 2014

Recent developments in cancer genetics have revealed genes that render individuals susceptible to cancer. These families have a unique set of new problems and benefits that must be thought through for the potential good to be accrued from these discoveries. Individual patients seek early diagnosis and prevention strategies that challenge the limits of current knowledge. Some available methods have not yet been evaluated. There is a need for the evidence to support plans of care, and consistency is required from one centre to the next in the advice given. These familial cancers are often different from the more common sporadic cases, and so traditional treatments need to be tested again in the context of the new genetic knowledge. Three groups of cancers, breast, ovary and colon, have been used to illustrate the issues surrounding these high risk families, their investigation and care. In applying new strategies to these patients, ethical issues arise that are new to the medical world, and must be considered by the lay public. It is up to the medical profession, patients and society to use this knowledge to give benefit to a vulnerable group, and not to give unaffordable hopes and unnecessary anxieties.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Cancer
Authors: Robinson S P , Barton S J , McSheehy P M J , Griffiths J R
Published: March 2014

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) offers a non-invasive approach for studying tumour biochemistry and physiology. This review highlights NMR nuclei (31P, 1H, 19F, 13C, 2H) that have been observed in both pre-clinical and clinical spectroscopic studies of cancer
Interventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Lamb G M , Gedroyc W M W
Published: March 2014

The development of minimally invasive surgical and interventional techniques has created a need for more accurate and sensitive image guidance and monitoring. Magnetic resonance imaging, with its superior soft tissue discrimination and multiplanar facilities, seems the obvious choice for an ideal image-guidance tool. Until recently, the employment of MRI in this role has been prevented by the physical constraints of conventional, closed-configuration machines. The problem has now been overcome by the development of an open design allowing both horizontal and vertical access to the patient in the scanner so that procedures can be performed concurrent with image acquisition. This configuration, together with the use of fast gradient echo sequences which can scan at speeds close to real time, means that a wide range of interventional procedures can be performed with on-line image guidance and monitoring. In addition, the versatility of the open design means that patients can assume physiological positions to allow dynamic joint imaging to be performed. This opens up a whole new field in the understanding of joint pathophysiology. This review article discusses these recent technological developments and their clinical applications. In particular, the potential role in guidance of biopsies, monitoring of thermal ablation techniques and applications in endoscopic surgery is outlined.
The Appropriate Use of Computed Tomography
Authors: Dixon A K
Published: March 2014

Computed tomography remains an exciting branch of radiology twenty years after its introduction into clinical medicine. The advent of spiral techniques has led to several recent developments. The current indications for its use are considered in the light of advances in ultrasound and magnetic resonance.
CT Virtual Simulation
Authors: Conway J , Robinson M H
Published: March 2014

Advances in computer technology and software design have enabled the concept of virtual simulation, first suggested by George Sherouse, to be realized. This article reviews the hardware and software requirements that provide a system that feels like a simulator and can facilitate the 3D planning process. Fast digital reconstruction of a radiograph from a CT data set provides true verification of treatment field design within the constraints of the virtual method. The clinical application of this technique is discussed in detail in relation to particular treatment sites.
New and Future Developments in Ultrasonic Imaging
Authors: Whittingham T A
Published: March 2014

In the first part of the review, recent developments in medical imaging technology are described. Developments in transducer materials and matching, leading to improvements in bandwidth and sensitivity are discussed. Improvements in dynamic range due to increased transducer sensitivity, lower electronic noise levels and more efficient filtering are then considered. The benefits of the application of digital signal processing (DSP) techniques to radiofrequency (RF) echo signals are described, including more precise filtering and beam forming, synthetic aperture and parallel receive beam forming. Finally, the current situation in regard to 1.5D arrays, 3D scanning, ultrasound computed tomography (UCT), harmonic imaging with contrast agents and elastography are discussed. In the second part, some predictions for future developments are made. These will be possible largely due to the power of DSP. Parallel transmissions will make more efficient use of time, allowing greater spatial and temporal resolution, and greater accuracy in Doppler imaging. Adaptive transmission tailoring will be used, where the pulse characteristics to each part of the image field are independently optimized, as will adaptive receive processing in which echo sequences from each part of the image are independently and optimally processed. An important potential development will be automatic feature recognition, making possible accurate compound scanning with high spatial resolution, and quantitative information about the spatial distribution of acoustic speed. Compound scanning will provide more complete visualization of all structures and, particularly when incorporated into intravascular probes, should greatly aid the investigation of arterial plaque morphology. Feature recognition will also make it possible to have UCT systems (array based in future) which require less than 360° access. Harmonic imaging without contrast agents, based simply on the inherent non-linearity of sound propagation in tissue, will become common. 2D phased array transducer will permit symmetric beam focusing and scanning throughout a solid cone, greatly facilitating the development of 3D scanning applications. Large 2D arrays would have the potential to produce a five-fold increase in spatial resolution of a limited volume of tissue, or to measure the variation of backscatter with angle, as an aid to tissue characterization. Finally, ultrasound will be increasingly used to measure the elastic and dynamic properties of local regions of tissue.
Bone Densitometry: Current Status and Future Prospects
Authors: Blake G M , Glüer C-C , Fogelman I
Published: March 2014

Over the past decade, growing awareness of the impact of osteoporosis on the elderly population and the consequent costs of healthcare have stimulated development of new treatments to prevent fractures, together with new imaging technologies to assist in diagnosis. With its ability to perform high-precision measurements of bone mineral density (BMD) in the spine and hip, dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is well suited to meet this latter need. However, there is continuing interest in smaller, less expensive, systems for assessing the peripheral skeleton. These include peripheral DXA scanning of the distal forearm and a variety of devices for performing quantitative ultrasound (QUS) measurements of broad-band ultrasonic attenuation (BUA) and speed of sound (SOS) in bone. Pivotal to all these developments is the demonstration in prospective studies that new technologies can reliably identify patients at risk of osteoporotic fractures. Whether DXA technology can meet the anticipated need for wider provision of diagnostic services is uncertain at present. The likely alternative is bone ultrasound. Although QUS technology is substantially cheaper than DXA and has proved its ability to predict fracture risk in the elderly, it is less precise, there is a lack of appropriate phantoms for quality control and there are doubts about how to interpret results in younger women.
Trading green backs for green crabs: evaluating the commercial shellfish harvest at risk to European green crab invasion
Authors: Mach Megan E , Chan Kai MA
Published: March 2014

Nonnative species pose a threat to native biodiversity and can have immense impacts on biological communities, altering the function of ecosystems. How much value is at risk from high-impact invasive species, and which parameters determine variation in that value, constitutes critical knowledge for directing both management and research, but it is rarely available. We evaluated the value of the commercial shellfish harvest that is at risk in nearshore ecosystems of Puget Sound, Washington State, USA, from the invasive European green crab, Carcinus maenas. We assessed this value using a simple static ecological model combined with an economic model using data from Puget Sound’s shellfish harvest and revenue and the relationship between C. maenas abundance and the consumption rate of shellfish. The model incorporates a range in C. maenas diet preference, calories consumed per year, and crab densities. C. maenas is likely to prey on commercially harvested hardshell clams, oysters, and mussels, which would likely reduce additional revenue from processing and distribution, and the number of jobs associated with these fisheries.

The model results suggest possible revenue losses of these shellfish ranging from $1.03-23.8 million USD (2.8-64% losses), with additional processing and distrubution losses up to $17.6 million USD and 442 job positions each year associated with a range of plausible parameter values. The broad range of values reflects the uncertainty in key factors underlying impacts, factors that are highly variable across invaded regions and so not knowable a priori. However, future research evaluating species invasions can reduce the uncertainty of impacts by characterizing several key parameters: density of individuals, number of arrivals, predation and competition interactions, and economic impacts. This study therefore provides direction for research to inform more accurate estimates of value-at-risk, and suggests substantial motivation for strong measures to prevent, monitor, and manage the possible invasion of C. maenas.
On Implementing Competence-Based Approach in Teaching by Means of Cognitive Dialogue Technologies
Authors: Прохорова  , Prokhorova G.
Published: March 2014

The effort is undertaken to apply systems thinking to getting

insights in how to implement competence-based approach in education.

The author considers specific aspects related to implementing

the mentioned approach in the educational process, using «cognitive

dialogue» — based technologies with regard to theoretic and methodical

aspects of applying technologies of such kind.
Studio-based Approach to Developing Tourist Destinations Enriched With Objects of Cultural and Natural Heritage
Authors: Беседин  , Besedin D.
Published: March 2014

With the case of Ulyanovsk Region and the «Symbirsk-

Ukyanovsk» tourist destination as an example, the author demonstrates

how the studio of tourism, set up at the premises of the

Department of UNESCO-UNITWIN network, operates to provide

sustainable development for a tourist destination and to advance

the UNESCO’s concept related to sustainable management of

objects belonging to the world cultural and natural heritage.
Studying Specifics of Anxiety and Fears in Children with Developmental Abnormalities
Authors: Миляева  , Milyaeva M. , Рабаданова  , Rabadanova Raziyat
Published: March 2014

The paper considers practical aspects of anxiety and fear in children with impaired intellectual development. Results of research on the peculiarities of manifestations of anxiety and nature of fears in children with impaired intellectual development are provided.