bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optically Controlled Reconfigurable Filtenna
Authors: Silva L. G. , Alves A. A. C. , Cerqueira Sodré Arismar
Published: April 2016

This work is regarding the development of a novel antenna called optically controlled reconfigurable filtenna, which is based on the integration of a broadband printed antenna with a bandpass reconfigurable RF filter. The filter is designed by applying defected microstrip structure (DMS) technique and positioned in printed antenna feeding line in order to keep the same size of the original antenna. The filtenna bandwidth is optically reconfigurable by using two photoconductive silicon switches excited by CW laser at 808 nm. Numerical results rely on independent and switchable operational modes through the 2.4 and 5.1 GHz ISM bands, whereas measurements demonstrate two reconfigurable modes based on single-band/dual-band operation over the same frequency bands. The proposed device is validated by theoretical, numerical, and experimental results.
Cell Adhesion on Polycaprolactone Modified by Plasma Treatment
Authors: Recek Nina , Resnik Matic , Motaln Helena , Lah-Turnšek Tamara , Augustine Robin , Kalarikkal Nandakumar , Thomas Sabu , Mozetič Miran
Published: April 2016

We have investigated the influence of various plasma treatments of electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds on the adhesion and proliferation of human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVEC). The PCL scaffolds were treated in plasmas created in O2, NH3or SO2gas at identical conditions. Surface functionalization of plasma-treated samples was determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Cell adhesion and morphology were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and the influence of plasma treatment on cell adhesion and viability was evaluated with cell viability assay (MTT assay). The results showed the highest metabolic activity of HUVEC on PCL samples treated with O2and NH3plasma. Accordingly, the cells reflected the best adhesion and morphology on O2and NH3plasma-treated PCL samples already at 3 h. Moreover, treatment with O2and NH3plasma even stimulated endothelial cell proliferation on PCL surfaces by 60% as measured at 24 h, showing significant improvement in endothelialization of this material. Contrarily, SO2plasma appeared to be less promising in comparison with O2and NH3plasma; however, it was still better than without any plasma treatment. Thus, our results importantly contribute to the biocompatibility improvement of the PCL polymer, commonly used for scaffolds in tissue engineering.
A Case of Hyperammonemia Associated with High Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase Activity
Authors: Nagaharu Keiki , Ikemura Kenji , Yamashita Yoshiki , Oda Hiroyasu , Ishihara Mikiya , Sugawara Yumiko , Tamaru Satoshi , Mizuno Toshiro , Katayama Naoyuki
Published: April 2016

Over the past decades, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) has been widely used to treat several types of carcinoma, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In addition to its common side effects, including diarrhea, mucositis, neutropenia, and anemia, 5-FU treatment has also been reported to cause hyperammonemia. However, the exact mechanism responsible for 5-FU-induced hyperammonemia remains unknown. We encountered an esophageal carcinoma patient who developed hyperammonemia when receiving 5-FU-containing chemotherapy but did not exhibit any of the other common adverse effects of 5-FU treatment. At the onset of hyperammonemia, laboratory tests revealed high dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) activity and rapid 5-FU clearance. Our findings suggested that 5-FU hypermetabolism may be one of the key mechanisms responsible for hyperammonemia during 5-FU treatment.
Outer Synchronization between Two Coupled Complex Networks and Its Application in Public Traffic Supernetwork
Authors: Du Wen-ju , Zhang Jian-gang , An Xin-lei , Qin Shuang , Yu Jian-ning
Published: April 2016

The paper presents a new urban public traffic supernetwork model by using the existing bus network modeling method, consisting of the conventional bus traffic network and the urban rail traffic network. We investigate the synchronization problem of urban public traffic supernetwork model by using the coupled complex network’s outer synchronization theory. Analytical and numerical simulations are given to illustrate the impact of traffic dispatching frequency and traffic lines optimization to the urban public traffic supernetwork balance.
Development of Engineered T Cells Expressing a Chimeric CD16-CD3ζ Receptor to Improve the Clinical Efficacy of Mogamulizumab Therapy Against Adult T-Cell Leukemia
Authors: Tanaka Hiroki , Fujiwara Hiroshi , Ochi Fumihiro , Tanimoto Kazushi , Casey Nicholas , Okamoto Sachiko , Mineno Junichi , Kuzushima Kiyotaka , Shiku Hiroshi , Sugiyama Takashi , Barrett A. John , Yasukawa Masaki
Published: April 2016

Purpose: Mogamulizumab (Mog), a humanized anti-CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) mAb that mediates antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) using FcγR IIIa (CD16)-expressing effector cells, has recently been approved for treatment of CCR4-positive adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) in Japan. However, Mog failure has sometimes been observed in patients who have accompanying chemotherapy-associated lymphocytopenia. In this study, we examined whether adoptive transfer of artificial ADCC effector cells combined with Mog would overcome this drawback.

Experimental Design: We lentivirally gene-modified peripheral blood T cells from healthy volunteers and ATL patients expressing the affinity-increased chimeric CD16-CD3ζ receptor (cCD16ζ-T cells). Subsequently, we examined the ADCC effect mediated by those cCD16ζ-T cells in the presence of Mog against ATL tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo.

Results: cCD16ζ-T cells derived from healthy donors killed in vitro Mog-opsonized ATL cell line cells (n = 7) and primary ATL cells (n = 4) depending on both the number of effector cells and the dose of the antibody. cCD16ζ-T cells generated from ATL patients (n = 3) also exerted cytocidal activity in vitro against Mog-opsonized autologous ATL cells. Using both intravenously disseminated model (n = 5) and subcutaneously inoculated model (n = 4), coadministration of Mog and human cCD16ζ-T cells successfully suppressed tumor growth in xenografted immunodeficient mice, and significantly prolonged their survival (P < 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively).

Conclusions: These data strongly suggest clinical feasibility of the novel combined adoptive immunotherapy using cCD16ζ-T cells and Mog for treatment of aggressive ATL, particularly in patients who are ineligible for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Clin Cancer Res; 22(17); 4405–16. ©2016 AACR.
Comparison of Deep Brain Stimulation Lead Targeting Accuracy and Procedure Duration between 1.5- and 3-Tesla Interventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Systems: An Initial 12-Month Experience
Authors: Southwell Derek G. , Narvid Jared A. , Martin Alastair J. , Qasim Salman E. , Starr Philip A. , Larson Paul S.
Published: April 2016

Background: Interventional magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) allows deep brain stimulator lead placement under general anesthesia. While the accuracy of lead targeting has been described for iMRI systems utilizing 1.5-tesla magnets, a similar assessment of 3-tesla iMRI procedures has not been performed. Objective: To compare targeting accuracy, the number of lead targeting attempts, and surgical duration between procedures performed on 1.5- and 3-tesla iMRI systems. Methods: Radial targeting error, the number of targeting attempts, and procedure duration were compared between surgeries performed on 1.5- and 3-tesla iMRI systems (SmartFrame and ClearPoint systems). Results: During the first year of operation of each system, 26 consecutive leads were implanted using the 1.5-tesla system, and 23 consecutive leads were implanted using the 3-tesla system. There was no significant difference in radial error (Mann-Whitney test, p = 0.26), number of lead placements that required multiple targeting attempts (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.59), or bilateral procedure durations between surgeries performed with the two systems (p = 0.15). Conclusions: Accurate DBS lead targeting can be achieved with iMRI systems utilizing either 1.5- or 3-tesla magnets. The use of a 3-tesla magnet, however, offers improved visualization of the target structures and allows comparable accuracy and efficiency of placement at the selected targets.
Effects of Fragment and Vegetation Structure on the Population Abundance of Ateles hybridus, Alouatta seniculus and Cebus albifrons in Magdalena Valley, Colombia
Authors: Marsh Christopher , Link Andres , King-Bailey Gillian , Donati Giuseppe
Published: April 2016

Many primate species currently subsist in fragmented and anthropogenically disturbed habitats. Different threats arise depending on the species' life history strategy, dietary requirements and habitat preference. Additionally, anthropogenic disturbance is far from uniform and may affect individual forest fragments in a single landscape in differing ways. We studied the effects of fragmentation on three species of diurnal primate, Cebus albifrons, Alouatta seniculus and Ateles hybridus, in Magdalena Valley, Colombia. We tested the assumption that generalist species are more resilient than specialist species to habitat degradation by examining the fragments' vegetation and spatial structure and how these affected primate presence and abundance patterns. We found C. albifrons, a generalist, to be the most abundant species in 9 of 10 forest fragments, regardless of the level of habitat disturbance. A. hybridus, a large-bodied primate with a specialist diet, was either absent or low in abundance in fragments that had experienced recent disturbances and was found only in higher-quality fragments, regardless of the fragment size. A. seniculus, a species considered to have a highly flexible diet and the ability to survive in degraded habitat, was found in intermediate abundances between those of Cebus spp. and Ateles spp., and was more frequently found in high-quality fragments.
Hepatitis C Virus Infection Is Positively Associated with Gallstones in Liver Cirrhosis
Authors: Zhang Fen-Ming , Chen Li-Hua , Chen Hong-Tan , Shan Guo-Dong , Hu Feng-Ling , Yang Ming , Chen Wen-Guo , Xu Guo-Qiang
Published: April 2016

Aim: To elucidate the prevalence and risk factors of gallstone disease (GD) among patients with liver disease and explore their association with the aetiology and severity of hepatic injury. Methods: We analysed 4,832 subjects of hepatic injury induced by one of the following aetiologies: hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, excessive alcohol consumption. The risk factors significantly associated with GD were analysed using stepwise logistic regression analysis, the influence of aetiology and severity of liver disease on the prevalence of GD were assessed by multiple logistic regression analysis adjusting for confounding factors. Results: Three thousand forty eight patients were of positive HBV surface antigen alone with a prevalence of GD of 18.6%, 526 were tested as positive Anti-HCV alone with a prevalence of GD of 22.4%, and 1,258 were identified with excessive alcohol consumption patterns with a prevalence of GD of 13.5%. In each aetiological category, the prevalence of GD increased by age. Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that age, female, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-Cho), family history of GD, HBV infection, HCV infection, chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis were independent associated with HCV-related cirrhosis in both genders, HBV-related cirrhosis in males and alcohol-related cirrhosis in females compared with patients with less severe liver disease. After adjusting for gender, age, LDL-Cho and family history of GD, patients with HCV-related cirrhosis (OR 2.66, 95% CI 1.49-3.84) but not HBV-related cirrhosis (OR 1.52, 95% CI 0.73-1.82) were more likely to have GD compared with alcohol-related cirrhosis. Conclusion: HCV infection is positively associated with gallstone formation especially in those with cirrhosis patients.
The Postpartum Telogen Effluvium Fallacy
Authors: Mirallas Oriol , Grimalt Ramon
Published: April 2016

Introduction: Postpartum telogen effluvium (PPTE) is a commonly described entity, but few studies deal with the real incidence and pathogenesis of this claimed common disease. Objective: To analyze the objective data published and to define the real incidence of the so-called PPTE. Method: A retrospective review of the published data was conducted. Results: No statistically significant data were found in any of the papers reviewed, which could support the conclusion that the amount of hair shedding between pregnant and postpartum women is different. Conclusion: PPTE is not a well-defined entity, and the exact incidence is unknown. From our literature review, we could state that the frequency of PPTE is so low and undefined that we dare say that PPTE does not exist.
Giant Onychomatricoma of the Great Toenail: Case Report and Review Focusing on Less Common Variants
Authors: Prevezas Christos , Triantafyllopoulou Ioanna , Belyayeva Helena , Sgouros Dimitrios , Konstantoudakis Stephanos , Panayiotides Ioannis , Rigopoulos Dimitrios
Published: April 2016

Onychomatricoma is a rare benign fibroepithelial filamentous tumor originating from the nail matrix. It typically presents with the clinical tetrad of xanthonychia, pachyonychia, proximal splinter hemorrhages and increased transverse overcurvature of the nail plate. The giant variant can easily confuse the clinician due to its extensive nail dystrophy that can mask the characteristic features of this tumor. Benign (fibrokeratoma, ungual fibroma, onycholytic matricoma) and malignant entities (Bowen's disease, squamous cell carcinoma, onycholytic carcinoma) are mimics of the disease. Nail surgery can facilitate the diagnosis, which should always be confirmed by histology, as rare variants do exist.
Dynamic Thiol-Disulphide Status in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Its Association with the Pathogenesis of the Disease
Authors: Yildirim Melahat , Turkyilmaz Esengul , Neselioglu Salim , Alisik Murat , Avsar Ayse Filiz Yavuz
Published: April 2016

Background/Aims: This study aims to examine the differences in plasma thiol-disulphide levels that are related to oxidative stress among obese and nonobese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and their age/body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy controls. Methods: The participants were divided into 4 groups based on BMI (nonobese and obese). Serum thiol and disulphide levels were compared among groups. Results: Serum thiols were found higher in the obese PCOS group than those in the obese control group in the study (thiol: 407.33 ± 46.25 vs. 365.67 ± 67.03 µmol/l, p = 0.014). Disulphide levels were observed to be decreased in the obese PCOS group relative to its control (21.39 ± 1.33 vs. 23.53 ± 8.47 µmol/l, p = 0.021). Serum thiol levels were found to be higher in the nonobese PCOS group compared to nonobese controls (thiol: 434.7 ± 46.92 vs. 422.94 ± 46.61 µmol/l, p = 0.031). Significant differences of disulphide levels between the nonobese PCOS group and the nonobese control group were observed (18.07 ± 1.93 vs. 20.68 ± 3.79 µmol/l, p = 0.027). Conclusion: High antioxidant levels in women with PCOS may be related to either mechanisms involving anovulation, multiple follicular development, and apoptosis or to their compensatory system against oxidative load arising from obesity and overweightness.
Four Different Tumors Arising in a Nevus Sebaceous
Authors: Namiki Takeshi , Miura Keiko , Ueno Makiko , Arima Yumi , Nishizawa Aya , Yokozeki Hiroo
Published: April 2016

Nevus sebaceous is known by its association with one or more secondary tumors, but more than three multiple tumors arising from a nevus sebaceous is extremely rare. A 67-year-old female presented with a light brown plaque on the back of her head that contained a dome-shaped black node and an erosive lesion. Histopathological examination showed atypical basaloid cells in the black node. At the periphery of that node, structures resembling follicular germs extruded from interlacing cords in the upper portion and tumor nests with sebocytes were in the lower portion. In the erosive lesion, papillated structures with an apocrine epithelium were observed. In the light brown plaque, enlargement of sebaceous lobules was noted. From those histopathological features, a diagnosis of syringocystadenoma papilliferum, sebaceoma, trichoblastoma and basal cell carcinoma arising from a nevus sebaceous was made. We discuss the rarity of multiple tumors arising from a nevus sebaceous.
Healthful Dietary Patterns and the Risk of Hypertension Among Women With a History of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Li Shanshan , Zhu Yeyi , Chavarro Jorge E. , Bao Wei , Tobias Deirdre K. , Ley Sylvia H. , Forman John P. , Liu Aiyi , Mills James , Bowers Katherine , Strøm Marin , Hansen Susanne , Hu Frank B. , Zhang Cuilin
Published: April 2016

Women who developed gestational diabetes mellitus represent a high-risk population for hypertension later in life. The role of diet in the progression of hypertension among this susceptible population is unknown. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 3818 women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus in the Nurses’ Health Study II as part of the ongoing Diabetes & Women’s Health Study. These women were followed-up from 1989 to 2011. Incident hypertension was identified through self-administered questionnaires that were validated previously by medical record review. Adherence scores for the alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010, the alternative Mediterranean diet, and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension were computed for each participant. Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the associations between dietary scores and hypertension while adjusting for major risk factors for hypertension. We documented 1069 incident hypertension cases during a median of 18.5 years of follow-up. After adjustment for major risk factors for hypertension, including body mass index, alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010, alternative Mediterranean diet, and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension scores were significantly inversely associated with the risk of hypertension; hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval comparing the extreme quartiles (highest versus lowest) were 0.76 (0.61–0.94;
P
for linear trend =0.03) for AHEI score, 0.72 (0.58–0.90;
P
for trend =0.01) for Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension score, and 0.70 (0.56–0.88;
P
for trend =0.002) for alternative Mediterranean diet score. Adherence to a healthful dietary pattern was related to a lower subsequent risk of developing hypertension among women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus.
Selective Heart Rate Reduction With Ivabradine Increases Central Blood Pressure in Stable Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Rimoldi Stefano F. , Messerli Franz H. , Cerny David , Gloekler Steffen , Traupe Tobias , Laurent Stéphane , Seiler Christian
Published: April 2016

Abstract—

Heart rate (HR) lowering by β-blockade was shown to be beneficial after myocardial infarction. In contrast, HR lowering with ivabradine was found to confer no benefits in 2 prospective randomized trials in patients with coronary artery disease. We hypothesized that this inefficacy could be in part related to ivabradine’s effect on central (aortic) pressure. Our study included 46 patients with chronic stable coronary artery disease who were randomly allocated to placebo (n=23) or ivabradine (n=23) in a single-blinded fashion for 6 months. Concomitant baseline medication was continued unchanged throughout the study except for β-blockers, which were stopped during the study period. Central blood pressure and stroke volume were measured directly by left heart catheterization at baseline and after 6 months. For the determination of resting HR at baseline and at follow-up, 24-hour ECG monitoring was performed. Patients on ivabradine showed an increase of 11 mm Hg in central systolic pressure from 129±22 mm Hg to 140±26 mm Hg (
P
=0.02) and in stroke volume by 86±21.8 to 107.2±30.0 mL (
P
=0.002). In the placebo group, central systolic pressure and stroke volume remained unchanged. Estimates of myocardial oxygen consumption (HR×systolic pressure and time-tension index) remained unchanged with ivabradine.The decrease in HR from baseline to follow-up correlated with the concomitant increase in central systolic pressure (
r
=−0.41,
P
=0.009) and in stroke volume (
r
=−0.61,
P
<0.001). In conclusion, the decrease in HR with ivabradine was associated with an increase in central systolic pressure, which may have antagonized possible benefits of HR lowering in coronary artery disease patients.

Clinical Trials—URL:

http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier NCT01039389.
Integrated Regional Cardiac Hemodynamic Imaging and RNA Sequencing Reveal Corresponding Heterogeneity of Ventricular Wall Shear Stress and Endocardial Transcriptome
Authors: McCormick Margaret E. , Manduchi Elisabetta , Witschey Walter R. T. , Gorman Robert C. , Gorman Joseph H. , Jiang Yi‐Zhou , Stoeckert Christian J. , Barker Alex J. , Markl Michael , Davies Peter F.
Published: April 2016

Background

Unlike arteries, in which regionally distinct hemodynamics are associated with phenotypic heterogeneity, the relationships between endocardial endothelial cell phenotype and intraventricular flow remain largely unexplored. We investigated regional differences in left ventricular wall shear stress and their association with endocardial endothelial cell gene expression.

Methods and Results

Local wall shear stress was calculated from 4‐dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging in 3 distinct regions of human (n=8) and pig (n=5) left ventricle: base, adjacent to the outflow tract; midventricle; and apex. In both species, wall shear stress values were significantly lower in the apex and midventricle relative to the base; oscillatory shear index was elevated in the apex.
RNA
sequencing of the endocardial endothelial cell transcriptome in pig left ventricle (n=8) at a false discovery rate ≤10% identified 1051 genes differentially expressed between the base and the apex and 327 between the base and the midventricle; no differentially expressed genes were detected at this false discovery rate between the apex and the midventricle. Enrichment analyses identified apical upregulation of genes associated with translation initiation including mammalian target of rapamycin, and eukaryotic initiation factor 2 signaling. Genes of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative phosphorylation were also consistently upregulated in the left ventricular apex, as were tissue factor pathway inhibitor (mean 50‐fold) and prostacyclin synthase (5‐fold)—genes prominently associated with antithrombotic protection.

Conclusions

We report the first spatiotemporal measurements of wall shear stress within the left ventricle and linked regional hemodynamics to heterogeneity in ventricular endothelial gene expression, most notably to translation initiation and anticoagulation properties in the left ventricular apex, in which oscillatory shear index is increased and wall shear stress is decreased.
Producing Representational Spaces for the Republican Memory in Samsun, Turkey
Authors: Basa İnci
Published: April 2016

This article explores the spatialization of a collective memory in Turkey’s north coast city of Samsun. In 1919, Mustafa Kemal Paşa’s first step onto the Bandırma, the steamer that carried him from the Ottoman capital of Istanbul to Samsun, was also the first step of the Turkish struggle for independence. The dock that led him to the city and the hotel that accommodated him were also thus slated to be narrated as representational spaces of Samsun in the future. Decades later, for securing Samsun’s historic role in Turkey’s independence, the by-then abandoned Mantika Hotel, the dismantled Bandırma and the demolished Tobacco Dock were successively restored (1998), reconstructed (2001) and rebuilt (2009). Abstract spaces of the official historiography were physically produced in order to represent and remember. Within this context, the author scrutinizes the production of space in the particular case of Samsun and analyses it through Lefebvre’s theoretical framework.
In the Process of Being Levantines. The ‘Levantinization’ of the Catholic Community of Izmir (1683–1724)
Authors: Tagliaferri Filomena Viviana
Published: April 2016

The purpose of this essay is to offer a contribution to the process of Levantinization of the Catholic community of Izmir, between the late seventeenth and the early eighteenth century. The first part of the paper is about the detection of how the term Levantine has been used, both historically and by historiography, while the second is focused on the Catholic missionaries of Izmir, depicted in their daily dealings with individuals and groups of different religions. Their responses to inter-religious coexistence as a process of adaptation, promote the idea of ‘functional tolerance’ not necessarily supported by a theoretical discourse about its value. The interaction of the missionaries and their Catholic parishioners sees the emergence of a new hybridized mentality, the actual agent that forms the basis of the Levantine identity. The original archival sources for this paper are the missionaries‘ letters from the Archivio Storico De Propaganda Fide.
A synopsis of Cousinia sect. Pseudactinia (Cardueae, Asteraceae) including a new species from NE Iran
Authors: Mehregan Iraj , Assadi Mostafa
Published: April 2016

A synopsis of Cousinia sect. Pseudactinia is given. The section in its new circumscription includes five perennial species, i.e. C. amicorum, C. edmondsonii, C. glochidiata, C. oreodoxa, and a new species C. joharchii which is described from N slopes of Mt. Shahvar in province of Semnan (NE Iran). Cousinia apiculata is reduced as synonym to C. glochidiata. An identification key to all species of the section is also provided.
Aspidistra revoluta, a new species from limestone areas in Chongqing, China
Authors: Zhou Hao , Yi Si-rong , Gao Qi , Huang Jie , Wei Yu-jing
Published: April 2016

Aspidistra revoluta (Asparagaceae) is described and illustrated as a new species from limestone areas in southern Chongqing Municipality, China. The new species can be distinguished from the other Aspidistra species by its unique umbrella-like pistil with large revolute stigma lobes that bent downwards and touch the base of the perigone. A detailed morphological comparison among A. revoluta, A. nanchuanensis and A. carnosa is provided. The pollen grains of A. revoluta are subspherical and inaperturate, with verrucous exine. The chromosome number is 2n = 38, and the karyotype is formulated as 2n = 22m + 6sm + 10st. The average length of chromosome complement is 4.50 μm, and the karyotype asymmetry indexes A1 and A2 are respectively 0.37±0.03 and 0.49±0.01.
Vachellia hydaspica and V. pseudoeburnea (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) synonymized under V. eburnea
Authors: Chakrabarty Tapas , Maina Vinod
Published: April 2016

Acacia hydaspica J.R.Drumm. ex R.Parker (1921: 309) and A. pseudoeburnea J.R.Drumm. ex Dunn (1922: 185) were treated as conspecific with A. eburnea (L. f.) Willd. (1806: 1081) by Chakrabarty & Gangopadhyay (1996: 609). However, when these taxa were recently transferred to Vachellia they were treated as distinct species, namely, V. hydaspica (J.R.Drumm ex R.Parker) Ali (Jan. 2014: 3; this same combination was also made by Ragupathy et. al. in March 2014: 176), V. pseudoeburnea (J.R.Drumm. ex Dunn) Ragupathy et al. (2014: 177) and V. eburnea (L.f.) Hurter & Mabberley in Mabberley (2008: 1021), respectively. Neither Ali (l.c.) nor Ragupathy et al. (l.c.) provided distinctive features of the taxa to justify their adoption of species rank, although Ragupathy et al. (l.c.) did say that they were following the classification of Kumar & Sane (2003) and Roskov et al. (2005) rather than that of Chakrabarty & Gangopadhyay (1996). The present studies for the ‘Flora of India Project’ currently in preparation revealed that the dividing lines between Vachellia eburnea, V. hydaspica and V. pseudoeburnea are not clear cut (Table 1) and therefore they are best treated as a single species, V. eburnea. The necessary synonymy (and typification) is therefore made here.
Spontaneous Wave Generation at Strongly Strained Density Fronts
Authors: Shakespeare Callum J. , Taylor John R.
Published: April 2016

A simple analytical model is presented describing the spontaneous generation of inertia–gravity waves at density fronts subjected to strong horizontal strain rates. The model considers fronts of arbitrary horizontal and vertical structure in a semi-infinite domain, with a single boundary at the ocean surface. Waves are generated because of the acceleration of the steady uniform strain flow around the density front, analogous to the generation of lee waves via flow over a topographic ridge. Significant wave generation only occurs for sufficiently strong strain rates α > 0.2f and sharp fronts H/L > 0.5f/N, where f is the Coriolis parameter, N is the stratification, and H and L are the height and width scales of the front, respectively. The frequencies of the generated waves are entirely determined by the strain rate. The lowest-frequency wave predicted to be generated via this mechanism has a Lagrangian frequency ω = 1.93f as measured in a reference frame moving with the background strain flow. The model is intended as a first-order description of wave generation at submesoscale (1 to 10 km wide) fronts where large strain rates are commonplace. The analytical model compares well with fully nonlinear numerical simulations of the submesoscale regime.
A Light-Emitting Diode- (LED-) Based Absorption Sensor for Simultaneous Detection of Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide
Authors: Thurmond Kyle , Loparo Zachary , Partridge William , Vasu Subith S.
Published: April 2016

A sensor was developed for simultaneous measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluctuations in internal combustion engine exhaust gases. This sensor utilizes low-cost and compact light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit in the 3–5 µm wavelength range. An affordable, fast response sensor that can measure these gases has a broad application that can lead to more efficient, fuel-flexible engines and regulation of harmful emissions. Light emission from LEDs is spectrally broader and more spatially divergent when compared to that of lasers, which presented many design challenges. Optical design studies addressed some of the non-ideal characteristics of the LED emissions. Measurements of CO and CO2 were conducted using their fundamental absorption bands centered at 4.7 µm and 4.3 µm, respectively, while a 3.6 µm reference LED was used to account for scattering losses (due to soot, window deposits, etc.) common to the three measurement LEDs. Instrument validation and calibration was performed using a laboratory flow cell and bottled-gas mixtures. The sensor was able to detect CO2 and CO concentration changes as small as 30 ppm and 400 ppm, respectively. Because of the many control and monitor species with infra-red absorption features, which can be measured using the strategy described, this work demonstrates proof of concept for a wider range of fast (250 Hz) and low-cost sensors for gas measurement and process monitoring.
Mid-Infrared Pumped Laser-Induced Thermal Grating Spectroscopy for Detection of Acetylene in the Visible Spectral Range
Authors: Sahlberg Anna-Lena , Kiefer Johannes , Aldén Marcus , Li Zhongshan
Published: April 2016

We present mid-infrared laser-induced thermal grating spectroscopy (IR-LITGS) using excitation radiation around 3 µm generated by a simple broadband optical parametric oscillator (OPO). Acetylene as a typical small hydrocarbon molecule is used as an example target species. A mid-infrared broadband OPO pumped by the fundamental output of a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser was used to generate the pump beams, with pulse energies of 6–10 mJ depending on the wavelength. The line width of the OPO idler beam was ∼5 cm−1, which is large enough to cover up to six adjacent acetylene lines. The probe beam was the radiation of a 532 nm cw solid state laser with 190 mW output power. Signals were generated in atmospheric pressure gas flows of N2, air, CO2 and Ar with small admixtures of C2H2. A detection limit of less than 300 ppm was found for a point measurement of C2H2 diluted in N2. As expected, the oscillation frequency of the IR-LITGS signal was found to have a large dependency on the buffer gas, which allows determination of the speed of sound. Moreover, the results reveal a very strong collisional energy exchange between C2H2 and CO2 compared to the other gases. This manifests as significant local heating. In summary, the MIR-LITGS technique enables spectroscopy of fundamental vibrational transitions in the infrared via detection in the visible spectral range.
Interrogating gender, violence, and the state in national and transnational contexts: Framing the issues
Authors: Abraham Margaret , Tastsoglou Evangelia
Published: April 2016

In order to situate this monograph issue this introductory article starts with a brief, selective, and global overview of violence against women in diverse contexts, followed by the editors’ own approach on violence against women and the state. Focusing on cross-cutting themes, the introduction presents and discusses the articles included in this monograph, demonstrating the role of the state in addressing sexual violence and domestic or intimate-partner violence in neoliberal globalized societies around the world. By doing so, it problematizes state regulation of gender itself. Furthermore, it indicates some limitations but also possibilities of the forms of state involvement in addressing violence against women. The editors argue that the relationship of the state to violence against women is complicated, historical, and context contingent, with multiple implications for women’s lives, including barriers to citizenship. The interface with the transnational level is also examined, in terms of the influence of states beyond their borders, and transnational influences on state policies.
Impunity and multisided violence in the lives of Latin American women: El Salvador in comparative perspective
Authors: Walsh Shannon Drysdale , Menjívar Cecilia
Published: April 2016

Women in El Salvador experience some of the highest levels of violence in the world in the form of feminicides: killings of women in a context of impunity. This trend is widespread, and this article contributes to a broader explanation of it through a case study of El Salvador in comparison to other Latin American countries. Although El Salvador has created institutions and laws to combat these crimes and ratified the 1994 Convention of Belém do Pará, crimes against women have continued undiminished. The authors argue that impunity and violence in El Salvador are deeply intertwined, with roots in multisided violence – a potent combination of structural, symbolic, political, gender and gendered, and everyday forms of violence. While much previous research has focused on individual acts of aggression, the authors advance an analysis of the extrapersonal structures that create and exacerbate the conditions that permit violent acts and impunity to persist.
Measuring the Useful Field of View During Simulated Driving With Gaze-Contingent Displays
Authors: Gaspar John G. , Ward Nathan , Neider Mark B. , Crowell James , Carbonari Ronald , Kaczmarski Henry , Ringer Ryan V. , Johnson Aaron P. , Kramer Arthur F. , Loschky Lester C.
Published: April 2016

Objective:

We aimed to develop and test a new dynamic measure of transient changes to the useful field of view (UFOV), utilizing a gaze-contingent paradigm for use in realistic simulated environments.

Background:

The UFOV, the area from which an observer can extract visual information during a single fixation, has been correlated with driving performance and crash risk. However, some existing measures of the UFOV cannot be used dynamically in realistic simulators, and other UFOV measures involve constant stimuli at fixed locations. We propose a gaze-contingent UFOV measure (the GC-UFOV) that solves the above problems.

Methods:

Twenty-five participants completed four simulated drives while they concurrently performed an occasional gaze-contingent Gabor orientation discrimination task. Gabors appeared randomly at one of three retinal eccentricities (5°, 10°, or 15°). Cognitive workload was manipulated both with a concurrent auditory working memory task and with driving task difficulty (via presence/absence of lateral wind).

Results:

Cognitive workload had a detrimental effect on Gabor discrimination accuracy at all three retinal eccentricities. Interestingly, this accuracy cost was equivalent across eccentricities, consistent with previous findings of “general interference” rather than “tunnel vision.”

Conclusion:

The results showed that the GC-UFOV method was able to measure transient changes in UFOV due to cognitive load in a realistic simulated environment.

Application:

The GC-UFOV paradigm developed and tested in this study is a novel and effective tool for studying transient changes in the UFOV due to cognitive load in the context of complex real-world tasks such as simulated driving.
Environmental risk: Urban refugees’ struggles to build livelihoods in South Africa
Authors: Crea Thomas M , Loughry Maryanne , O’Halloran Christine , Flannery George J
Published: April 2016

Urban South Africa is a major destination for refugees across sub-Saharan Africa. Based on interviews with urban refugees, this study identified significant barriers to achieving livelihood security for this population, including community violence, crowding, fear of xenophobia, exploitation from officials and oversaturated markets for small businesses. Nevertheless, refugees identified several aspects of service provision from a non-governmental organization which proved helpful, especially through material assistance in helping establish viable, profit-generating small businesses. Recommendations for service delivery to this population include assessing refugees’ level of environmental vulnerability and providing a package of supports that address a clients’ particular living situation.
Do Amoral Familism and Political Distrust Really Affect North–South Differences in Italy?
Authors: Foschi Renato , Lauriola Marco
Published: April 2016

Especially in southern Italy, Banfield’s amoral familism is considered an obstacle to the formation of associations and growth of political participation. This article discusses Banfield’s concept, showing that it has been vulgarized merely as familism and, in particular, demonstrates that Banfield intended amoral familism to be understood in terms of political distrust. We investigated whether amoral familism or political distrust, operationalized as an individual difference variable, mediated the relationships between personality traits, personal values, and conventional and unconventional political acts, controlling for differences in political attitude. We recruited 405 participants, distributed across north, central, and southern Italy, to complete a questionnaire on political participation that also assessed Big Five personality factors, values, sociability and political attitude (expertise, interest, self-efficacy), and a new scale assessing amoral familism as a form of political distrust. Regression analyses were used to identify the best predictors of political acts, then structural equation modeling was used to test a model of political participation. Like political attitudes, familism mediated the relationships between personality traits, especially “openness to experience” and “taking conventional and unconventional political acts.” However, our data do not confirm the stereotype that northern and southern Italians differ in their tendency to amoral familism as defined by Banfield.
Community partnerships (UK) vs Crime Prevention Councils (GER)
Authors: Frevel Bernhard , Rogers Colin
Published: April 2016

In the past two decades or so the way in which policing has been delivered to communities across Europe has changed. Previously, police agencies provided much of the public’s security as a ‘stand-alone’ public body, with little or no interaction with other organisations. However, for a number of reasons explored in this article, police agencies across Europe have been engaged in building what has been termed a ‘multi-agency’ partnership, to aid their delivery of a wide range of police-type activities surrounding safety and security.

This article considers the rise of such partnerships, focusing upon England & Wales (UK) and Germany. It further considers the context for the approaches adopted by both countries, and critically examines the differences and similarities between these approaches using the extensive individual research of the authors. Whilst acknowledging the difficulties associated with transnational research in general, the authors conclude that their use of similar research methods reveals some areas of close proximity in the approaches in each country, whilst acknowledging some areas of difference and under-development. Further research containing a planned and concrete research design, it is concluded, should provide for better understanding of the complexities of this kind of approach to policing in different countries.
Women’s Autonomy and Work Status in Nepal: A Study of Their Effects on Anaemia
Authors: Dulal Komal
Published: April 2016

This article has tried to assess the state of women’s health in Nepal by examining their anaemic condition in order to understand certain aspects of their reproductive system. The probability of heightened reproductive health problems has been associated with the prevalence of anaemia. This study focuses on a specific area in which it examines the gross and net effect of women’s autonomy and the working status of women against the presence of anaemia in women between the ages of 15 and 49 years. For this analysis, information has been sourced from the women’s data file of the Nepal Demographic Health Survey, 2011. Bivariate and multivariate analysis results reveal that the effect of women’s autonomy in reducing anaemic situation has been significant while looking at different models. No such significant result, however, has been assessed among working women. Considering this, it seems that a woman’s level of autonomy in society, along with other social–economic variables, can have a positive result on her health. Finally, the article concludes that an integrated health approach is a vital instrument in reducing anaemia among currently married women and reducing the burden of ill health on the government, the woman’s family and on her.
The Relationship Between Self-Control and Police Misconduct
Authors: Donner Christopher M. , Fridell Lorie A. , Jennings Wesley G.
Published: April 2016

Prior research has identified several individual, organizational, and community-level correlates of police misconduct, but studies based on theoretical explanations have only recently emerged in the literature. The purpose of the current study was to examine the potential relationship between self-control and police misconduct using both Gottfredson and Hirschi’s original version of self-control theory and Hirschi’s revised version of the theory. Data from a multi-agency sample of 101 first-line police supervisors demonstrated that self-control, as measured by both conceptualizations of the theory, was significantly related to self-reported prior engagement in police misconduct as well as the likelihood of future misconduct. The results are discussed in terms of theoretical and policy implications, as well as in terms of study limitations and directions for future research.
The Signaling Role of Politician Stock Ownership: Effects on Lobbying Intensity
Authors: Ridge Jason W. , Hill Aaron D. , Ingram Amy
Published: April 2016

Adopting a signaling theory perspective, we argue that politician stock ownership sends signals of positive predispositions to firms, thereby alleviating some necessity for firms to emphasize lobbying expenditures to influence political action. Using data on congressional stock ownership, we find support for our arguments. We find that as the proportion of Congress owning stock in a firm increases, the firm decreases the intensity of lobbying. Furthermore, we find that the signals associated with stock-holding politicians with greater ability to affect the legislative agenda (i.e., affiliation with the majority party) relates to lobbying intensity. Our findings add to the literature on lobbying while also offering implications for practice and avenues for future research.
Geopolitics of search: Google versus China?
Authors: Yeo ShinJoung
Published: April 2016

This article focuses on the case of Google, the newly emerged US Internet industry and global geographical market expansion. Google’s struggles in China, where Chinese domestic Internet firm, Baidu, controls the market, have been commonly presented in the Western mainstream media in terms of a struggle over a strategic information infrastructure between two nation states – newly ‘emerging’ global power China countering the United States, the world’s current hegemon and information empire. Is China really becoming an imperial rival to the United States? What is the nature of this opposition over this new industry? Given that the search engine industry in China is heavily backed by transnational capital – and in particular US capital – and is experiencing intense inter-capitalist competition, this perceived view of inter-state rivalry is incomplete and misleading. By looking at the tussle over the global search business, this article seeks to illuminate the changing dynamics of the US-led transnationalizing capitalism in the context of China’s reintegration into the global capitalist market.
‘These cameras are here for a reason’ – media coming out, symbolic power and the value of ‘participation’: behind the scenes of the Dutch reality programme Uit de Kast
Authors: Boross Balázs , Reijnders Stijn
Published: April 2016

This article addresses the increasing popularity of coming out as mediatized practice, by focusing on the example of the internationally successful Dutch television programme Uit de Kast (‘Out of the Closet’). While the choice of coming out in front of the cameras is often received controversially both by the public and the protagonists’ immediate environment, youngsters keep applying to participate in the programme. To understand the continuous appeal of this form of self-disclosure, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 participants from different seasons about their motivations, experiences and evaluations of taking part in the show. By following their journey into the world of media production, this article highlights the implications of media participation for the process of coming out, as related to questions of empowerment, visibility and agency, and ultimately, to the perceived symbolic value of (participating in) broadcast media in the new media age.
Factor XI deficiency and aortic valve replacement: Perioperative management
Authors: Petroulaki Aristea , Lazopoulos George , Chaniotaki Fotini , Kampitakis Emmanuel , Pavlopoulos Dionysis , Chalkiadakis George
Published: April 2016

Severe factor XI deficiency (hemophilia C) is a rare coagulation disorder. A 73-year-old woman, a homozygote for factor XI deficiency, required aortic valve replacement. An initial dose of 15 U kg−1of factor XI concentrate was administered preoperatively and on postoperative day 3. During surgery, concentrated red cells, fresh frozen plasma, platelets, tranexamic acid, and fibrinogen were transfused. Intraoperative bleeding and total chest drainage were minimal. Postoperatively, there was no need for further transfusions and no bleeding or thrombotic complications occurred. The patient was well 16 months after surgery.