bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) genital shedding in HSV-2-/HIV-1-co-infected women receiving effective combination antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Péré Héléne , Rascanu Aida , LeGoff Jérome , Matta Mathieu , Bois Frédéric , Lortholary Olivier , Leroy Valériane , Launay Odile , Bélec Laurent ,   for the ANRS EP24 study group
Published: March 2015

The dynamics of genital shedding of HSV-2 DNA was assessed in HIV-1-infected women taking combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). HIV-1 RNA, HIV-1 DNA and HSV DNA loads were measured during 12–18 months using frozen plasma, PBMC and cervicovaginal lavage samples from 22 HIV-1-infected women, including 17 women naive for antiretroviral therapy initiating cART and 5 women with virological failure switching to a new regimen. Nineteen (86%) women were HSV-2-seropositive. Among HSV-2-/HIV-1-co-infected women, HIV-1 RNA loads showed a rapid fall from baseline after one month of cART, in parallel in paired plasma and cervicovaginal secretions. In contrast, HIV-1 DNA loads did not show significant variations from baseline up to 18 months of treatment in both systemic and genital compartments. HSV DNA was detected at least once in 12 (63%) of 19 women during follow up: HSV-2 shedding in the genital compartment was observed in 11% of cervicovaginal samples at baseline and in 16% after initiating or switching cART. Cervicovaginal HIV-1 RNA loads were strongly associated with plasma HIV-1 RNA loads over time, but not with cervicovaginal HSV DNA loads. Reactivation of genital HSV-2 replication frequently occurred despite effective cART in HSV-2-/HIV-1-co-infected women. Genital HSV-2 replication under cART does not influence cervicovaginal HIV-1 RNA or DNA shedding.
Reduced order modelling of full-span rotating stall for the flow control simulation of axial compressors
Authors: Ferlauto Michele , Taddei Simone Rosa
Published: March 2015

A 2D mean-radius reduction of the flow inside an axial compressor is proposed here as basic model for long-term simulations of active control strategies. In fact, research on active control of compressor instabilities is still based on the 0-D lumped volume approach of Moore and Greitzer, 1 , 2 with enhancements, or on one-dimensional axial flow models. In the present work, the dynamics of the compressor flow instabilities is represented in both the axial and peripheral directions. Although this intermediate-level analysis cannot capture fully 3D aspects of rotating stall inception and the part-span stall, it has shown to include a wide variety of details with respect to simpler models, while it still retains computational requirements that allow for the long-term simulation of an entire compression system. In this framework, the paper focuses on the derivation of a flow model that can mimic the onset and the development of the instabilities leading the compressor to full-span rotating stall. The flow inside the compressor is solved by means of two-dimensional Euler equations whereas the effects of blade rows are modelled by quasi-steady actuator disks. The characteristic-based flux treatment on the actuator disk sides ensures a correct propagation of the wave signals. Therefore, flow perturbations can be followed until they lead to instabilities within the flow field. Both small and large amplitude disturbances are treated. Aerodynamic instabilities are numerically investigated and compared to experimental results. The numerical technique has been validated against available experiments on NASA Rotor 1B and against numerical and experimental data on the throttling of the BR710 multi-stage compressor rig.
Novelty detection and dimension reduction via guided ultrasonic waves: Damage monitoring of scarf repairs in composite laminates
Authors: Pavlopoulou Sofia , Worden Keith , Soutis Costas
Published: March 2015

This work focuses on structural health monitoring aspects of composite adhesively bonded repairs, evaluating their performance with guided ultrasonic waves. These repairs have shown remarkable potential in addressing repairability demands in new composite aircraft. More specifically, the behavior of a scarf repair under axial tensile loading was monitored with guided ultrasonic waves. The signal post-processing techniques focused on the extraction of the appropriate features, on the application of the pattern recognition and dimension reduction algorithms and on their subsequent correlation with the damage. A principal component analysis was employed that operated as a benchmark for the proposal of a more advanced data reduction method, the nonlinear principal component analysis. Appropriate damage indices were extracted and the results were correlated with images taken through a digital image correlation technique. The correlation of the extracted features with the early stage damage was performed and conclusions about the recovered strength through the scarf repair were deduced. The study focused on the selection of appropriate signal features and on their subsequent investigation through an outlier analysis. The limits of the applied outlier analysis were interpreted through principal component analysis and optimized through the concept of principal curves as derived through the nonlinear principal component analysis.
Modeling of piezoelectric stack actuators considering bonding layers
Authors: Zhu Wei , Chen Gangli , Rui Xiaoting
Published: March 2015

In order to achieve large displacement output of piezoelectric actuators, piezoelectric stack actuators are realized by mechanically layering or stacking multi-chip piezoelectric wafers in series and electronically connecting electrodes in parallel. Experimental investigations show that different layering or stacking processes greatly affect the dynamic performances of piezoelectric stack actuators. We consider that a linear force and a hysteretic force will be generated by all piezoelectric wafers under the applied voltage to a piezoelectric stack actuator, and the total force will result in the forced vibration of the system consisted of multi-chip piezoelectric wafers and bonding layers. Based on the above-mentioned opinion, an electromechanical model is put forward using a Bouc–Wen hysteresis operator to model the hysteretic force and the transfer matrix method for multibody system to establish the dynamic equation of the piezoelectric stack actuator. This research shows that (1) the layering or stacking processes do not affect the hysteretic characteristics of piezoelectric stack actuators and (2) the layering or stacking processes change the dynamic performance of piezoelectric stack actuators by changing the parameters of the bonding layers. These two conclusions are consistent with the experimental results.
Constitutive modeling and experimental validation of the thermo-mechanical response of a shape memory composite containing shape memory alloy fibers and shape memory polymer matrix
Authors: Song Janice J , Chen Quan , Naguib Hani E
Published: March 2015

Multifunctional shape memory composites composed of shape memory polymers and shape memory alloys exhibit superior shape memory properties; therefore, it is of great interest to researchers to model their thermo-mechanical behavior numerically. Although a number of constitutive models of shape memory alloys and shape memory polymers have been developed, very few models have been developed for shape memory composites and validated with experimental data. In this study, we first review separately constitutive models of shape memory alloys and shape memory polymers developed in previous studies. Both models were validated with thermo-mechanical tests conducted on a shape memory alloy fiber and shape memory polymer, respectively. A constitutive model for the shape memory composite was then developed utilizing the homogenization scheme. Shape memory composites containing 0.5% or 1% of the shape memory alloy fiber volume content embedded in the shape memory polymer matrix were fabricated. Thermo-mechanical tests were carried out on these shape memory composites to validate the proposed constitutive model. The experimental results showed that the proposed shape memory composite model was able to predict the general trend of the thermo-mechanical behavior of the shape memory composites.
Thermodynamic framework for damage-healing-plasticity of granular materials and net damage variable
Authors: Li Xikui , Du Youyao , Duan Qinglin , Ju J Woody
Published: March 2015

Based on the meso-structured Voronoi cell model for discrete particle assembly and the derived meso-mechanically informed constitutive relations of anisotropic Cosserat continuum, thermodynamic framework of isothermal meso-mechanically informed damage-healing and plastic process for granular materials is presented. The accumulated net (effective) damage factor tensor combining both material damage and healing effects is defined in terms of the initial (undamaged) and current (damaged) elastic moduli tensors of the meso-structured Voronoi cell attributed to the material point. According to the non-negativity of thermodynamic energy dissipations, the net damage variable is separated into the two component internal state variables; i.e. the damage and healing variables, which are accumulated in terms of incremental damage and healing variables, respectively. The meso-mechanically informed macroscopic damage-healing and plastic characterization are achieved without the need to specify macroscopic phenomenological damage, healing and plastic criteria, and their evolution laws. The merit of the proposed tensorial net damage and healing variables in modeling healing effects on initial weakened elastic stiffness (i.e. initial material defects) is demonstrated in terms of their isotropic scalar forms and integrated into the continuum damage-healing mechanics. The numerical results conceptually illustrate the performance of the proposed definitions of meso-mechanically informed net damage, damage, and healing variables. The coupled damage-healing and plastic process in anisotropic Cosserat continuum for granular materials is characterized in terms of densities of thermodynamic dissipations that make effects of the damage-healing and the plastic component processes on the material failure quantitatively comparable.
Combination Therapy When Metformin Is Not an Option for Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Goldman-Levine Jennifer D.
Published: March 2015

Objective: Consensus on combination options for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) unable to use metformin is lacking. This review summarizes data describing–non-metformin based combination therapy. Data Sources: PubMed searches (January 1990 to August 2014) were conducted with terms for newer drug therapies alone and with the term combination; filters were applied for Clinical Trial, Meta Analysis, and English language. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Results were reviewed for multicenter, randomized controlled trials of non-metformin–based combination therapy conducted in the past 5 years and specific to the US or multinational populations. Data Synthesis: Although multiple injectable and oral agents have been studied in combination with metformin for management of T2DM, data are more limited for combinations without metformin. Combinations of incretins (injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists or oral dipeptidyl peptidase-4 [DPP-4] inhibitors) with a sulfonylurea, thiazolidinedione, or insulin are well studied and provide greater glucose-lowering efficacy than monotherapy. Incretins are associated with a low risk of hypoglycemia when used as monotherapy; the dosage of sulfonylurea or insulin should be reduced when used in combination. Newer studies are investigating the combined use of an oral sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor and a DPP-4 inhibitor. In a recent study, reductions in glycated hemoglobin (A1C) of 1.1% to 1.2% and reduced weight with no additive risk of hypoglycemia were observed. Conclusions: Selecting the most appropriate combination therapy for patients with T2DM requires balancing clinical benefits with the risks, such as weight gain and hypoglycemia. Treatment approaches should be individualized for vulnerable patient populations for whom metformin is not appropriate.
pCMV-vegf165 Intramuscular Gene Transfer is an Effective Method of Treatment for Patients With Chronic Lower Limb Ischemia
Authors: Deev Roman V. , Bozo Ilia Y. , Mzhavanadze Nina D. , Voronov Dmitriy A. , Gavrilenko Aleksandr V. , Chervyakov Yuriy V. , Staroverov Ilia N. , Kalinin Roman E. , Shvalb Pavel G. , Isaev Artur A.
Published: March 2015

Effective treatment of chronic lower limb ischemia is one of the most challenging issues confronting vascular surgeons. There are a number of choices available to the vascular surgeon. Open or endovascular revascularization is the treatment of choice when applicable. Current pharmacological therapies play an auxiliary role and cannot prevent disease progression. Therefore, new methods of treatment are needed. We conducted a phase 2b/3 multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial of the intramuscular transfer of a plasmid DNA encoding vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) 165 with cytomegalovirus promotor (CMV) in patients with atherosclerotic lower limb ischemia. A total of 100 patients were enrolled in the study, that is, 75 patients were randomized into the test group and received 2 intramuscular injections of 1.2 mg of pCMV- vegf165, 14 days apart together with standard pharmacological treatment. In all, 25 patients were randomized into the control group and received standard treatment only. The following end points were evaluated within the first 6 months of the study and during a 1.5-year additional follow-up period: pain-free walking distance (PWD), ankle–brachial index (ABI), and blood flow velocity (BFV). The pCMV- vegf165 therapy appeared to be significantly more effective than standard treatment. The PWD increased in the test group by 110.4%, 167.2%, and 190.8% at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after treatment, respectively. The pCMV- vegf165 intramuscular transfer caused a statistically significant increase in ABI and BFV. There were no positive results in the control group. Thus, pCMV- vegf165 intramuscular gene transfer is an effective method of treatment of moderate to severe claudication due to chronic lower limb ischemia.
A Rose By Any Other Name Is Still a Rose? Problematizing Pseudonyms in Research
Authors: Lahman Maria K. E. , Rodriguez Katrina L. , Moses Lindsey , Griffin Krista M. , Mendoza Bernadette M. , Yacoub Wafa
Published: March 2015

Pseudonyms, an integral part of the social science research, are ubiquitous, thereby garnering minimal published reflection. In practice, researchers may apply pseudonyms with little thought or deep reflection. The purpose of this methodological article is to increase the scholarly discussion to provide transparency in the participant naming process. The authors review the literature, detail their reflexive engagement with pseudonyms, and advance issues of consideration in the areas of power in participant naming and confidentiality. Throughout the article, the authors interrupt the text with apercus or narrative interludes to share personal experiences, pausing the traditional scholarship, thus allowing room for reflexivity.
Explaining Extremity in Evaluation of Group Members
Authors: Bettencourt B. Ann , Manning Mark , Molix Lisa , Schlegel Rebecca , Eidelman Scott , Biernat Monica
Published: March 2015

A meta-analysis that included more than 1,100 effect sizes tested the predictions of three theoretical perspectives that explain evaluative extremity in social judgment: complexity-extremity theory, subjective group dynamics model, and expectancy-violation theory. The work seeks to understand the ways in which group-based information interacts with person-based information to influence extremity in evaluations. Together, these three theories point to the valence of person-based information, group membership of the evaluated targets relative to the evaluator, status of the evaluators’ ingroup, norm consistency of the person-based information, and incongruency of person-based information with stereotype-based expectations as moderators. Considerable support, but some limiting conditions, were found for each theoretical perspective. Implications of the results are discussed.
The Role of Program Theory in Evaluation Research
Authors: Munter Charles , Cobb Paul , Shekell Calli
Published: March 2015

We examined the extent to which mathematics program evaluations that have been conducted according to methodologically rigorous standards have attended to the theories underlying the programs being evaluated. Our analysis focused on the 37 reports of K–12 mathematics program evaluations in the last two decades that have met standards for inclusion in What Works Clearinghouse syntheses. Each report was coded for the extent to which program theory was articulated and used in the evaluation, and for evaluator, study, and program characteristics. Our analyses revealed that very few evaluations attended to program theory, but that aspects of program theory use—as well as reported effect sizes—varied by study and evaluator characteristics.
Coping strategies employed by women with endometriosis in a public health-care setting
Authors: Roomaney Rizwana , Kagee Ashraf
Published: March 2015

This study explored how South African patients attending public health facilities reported coping with endometriosis. A total of 16 women with endometriosis were interviewed, and we explored how participants coped with endometriosis. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes. Participants reported employing both problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies to cope with endometriosis. Problem-focused strategies included limiting physical activities, increasing knowledge about endometriosis, scheduling social and work activities around menstrual cycle, engaging in self-management and relying on social support. Emotion-focused coping strategies included accepting the disease, adopting a positive attitude, engaging in self talk and evoking spirituality.
Attentional allocation of autism spectrum disorder individuals: Searching for a Face-in-the-Crowd
Authors: Moore David J , Reidy John , Heavey Lisa
Published: March 2015

A study is reported which tests the proposition that faces capture the attention of those with autism spectrum disorders less than a typical population. A visual search task based on the Face-in-the-Crowd paradigm was used to examine the attentional allocation of autism spectrum disorder adults for faces. Participants were required to search for discrepant target images from within 9-image arrays. Both participants with autism spectrum disorder and control participants demonstrated speeded identification of faces compared to non-face objects. This indicates that when attention is under conscious control, both autism spectrum disorder and typically developing comparison adults show an attentional bias for faces, which contrasts with previous research which found an absence of an attentional bias for faces in autism spectrum disorder. Theoretical implications of this differentiation are discussed.
Reconceptualising public acceptability: A study of the ways people respond to policies aimed to reduce alcohol consumption
Authors: Cohn Simon
Published: March 2015

The issue of public acceptability of health policies is key if they are to have significant and lasting impact. This study, based on focus groups conducted in England, examines the ways people responded to, and made sense of, policy ideas aimed at reducing alcohol consumption. Although effective policies were supported in the abstract, specific proposals were consistently rejected because they were not thought to map onto the fundamental causes of excessive drinking, which was not attributed to alcohol itself but instead its cultural context. Rather than being influenced by the credibility of evidence, or assessed according to likely gains set against possible losses, such responses were established dynamically as people interacted with others to make sense of the topic. This has significant implications for policy-makers, suggesting that existing beliefs and knowledge need to be taken into account as potentially productive rather than obstructive resources.
Muslim ‘hate preachers’ in British tabloids: Constructing the British self and the Muslim other
Authors: Altikriti Anas , Al-Mahadin Salam
Published: March 2015

In the aftermath of 9/11, the academia witnessed a surge in the number of studies dealing with Islamophobia, the representations of Muslims in Western media and complex realities created by such (mis)representations. This article hopes to contribute to such scholarly efforts by examining the demonisation of Islam through the fashioning of celebrity Muslim ‘hate preachers’ (i.e. Abu-Hamza, Abu-Qatada and Omar Bakri) in British tabloids (i.e. The Sun and the Daily Mail ). Drawing upon insights from Serge Moscovici’s theory of social representations, the article aims to diverge from the traditional approaches of content and discourse analysis to shed light on the nexus between forms of social thinking and the unique portrayal of these preachers in tabloids.
‘Faces of Hong Kong’: My city? My home?
Authors: Chu Yiu-Wai
Published: March 2015

Confronted with the limits of neoliberalism and distressed by the integration with the Mainland, can Hong Kong imagine a different home, a different sense of belonging? This article approaches this question by examining ‘Faces of Hong Kong’, a campaign inaugurated via the BrandHK platform in 2010. Designed by the government, the campaign proposes to showcase Hong Kong to a global audience through the stories of real people. In this series the most popular video is the one featuring Chow Yun-Fat and his story about Kowloon City. ‘Re-searching’ Kowloon City by way of walking through the district, the author argues that it is no longer a site for the younger generation of Hong Kong people to write their own success stories. The apparent ‘disappearance’ of Kowloon City indicates that ‘sense of belonging’ as a concept is gradually diminishing.
Creep simulation and experiment for rubber springs
Authors: Luo RK
Published: March 2015

Rubber creep, as a time-dependent deformation, is one of the critical factors when considering engineering design and applications for anti-vibration structures. A function based on material damage with a variable T (time elapsed) and an invariant [Formula: see text] is introduced to hyperelastic constitutive models based on strain energy density for polymer creep prediction. The concept is to link rubber creep to its structure change, leading to degradation of the materials over the elapsed time. Hence, hyperelastic models, widely available in industry, can be extended to include the variable time T so that a creep evaluation for rubber structures can be performed at a design stage and in the service. A typical rubber-to-metal bonded component, which is used in industrial applications, is selected to validate the proposed approach. Verification shows that the proposed approach predicts nearly identical experimental results, and the method can be used for engineering design and industrial applications.
Stigma, the medical model and dementia care: Psychological growth in senior health professionals through moral and professional integrity
Authors: Walmsley Bruce D. , McCormack Lynne
Published: March 2015

Minimal research explores the impact of a career in dementia care on senior health professionals. This study sought positive and negative subjective interpretations from seven senior health professionals regarding their experiences in dementia care. Data from semi-structured interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). One superordinate theme, Honouring stigmatised self, overarched four sub-themes: Systemic stigma, Invalidated, Self-respect and Moral integrity and Growth. Stigma was interpreted as systemically entrenched minimisation of aged care and the aged-care workforce, including poor remuneration and training. Participants experienced peer invalidation particularly when attempting to resolve complex professional and moral challenges in dementia care. These often occurred in the context of efforts to individualise care, constrained within a medical model. Paradoxically, external invalidation motivated a search for redefining ‘self’ and moral integrity. By wisely acknowledging career experience, growthful domains of self-respect, optimism, humility and innovation defined professional practice and personal choices. Implications are discussed.
Quality education for all? A case study of a New Delhi government school
Authors: Sarin Meera Nath
Published: March 2015

This article is based on a case study conducted at a government (state-run), girls’ secondary school in a low-income neighbourhood in New Delhi that was conducted in March, 2012, two years after the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) came into force. The study examined how RTE and its related reforms were being implemented, with the objective of gaining insights into how education objectives and the curriculum were being implemented at the school and how its teachers approached the implementation of the curriculum. Findings of this investigation are presented here in relation to the systemic issues of ‘teacher professionalism’ and ‘high teacher–pupil ratio’. The findings present some insights into the effects of a significantly high teacher–pupil ratio on educational outcomes and on the professionalism of teachers.
Lifelong learning strategies and practice in Latvia and Thailand
Authors: Luka Ineta , Sungsri Sumalee
Published: March 2015

The importance of lifelong learning has been recognized for many years and consequently many countries, disregarding their geographical location, differences in education systems and traditions, have adopted their lifelong learning policies to develop the lifelong learning system. The goal of the present comparative research is to study the comprehension of the term lifelong learning in one European country (Latvia) and one Asian country (Thailand), analyse the policies introduced, and single out priorities and the main challenges in the implementation of lifelong learning policies in each country. The paper proposes some examples of best practice in implementation of lifelong learning in Thailand and Latvia. The best practices of implementation of lifelong learning policies and strategies in each local area of the country, particularly in rural areas, are provided as a best practice of Thailand. One of the challenges that Latvia is facing at the moment in lifelong learning is how to decrease the level of early school leavers (aged 18–24). The best practice of Latvia provides an example of a possible solution for this challenge. The comparative research discovers that although the two countries have different history, traditions and they are located in geographically different areas, there are similarities in their lifelong learning policy and they can learn from each other how to best implement lifelong learning policy.
The Nanny Cam, latex gloves, and two-finger touch: New technologies for disciplining bodies
Authors: Johnson Richard T
Published: March 2015

Drawing on a range of personal caregiver experiences and risk analysis frameworks, this paper offers a critical reflection on related policy and practices in the U.S., focusing particularly on risk and it's impact on early childhood education. It develops a critique of the taken for granted imperative to protect children from any and all risks, and of how in the classroom context that is conflated with the idea of protecting teachers and children from real and potential risks. It addresses the complexities of on-going anxiety in the U.S. about the relationships between children and adults in popular teaching settings, and the new categories of risk vulnerability that these discourses have generated.
Effect of textile surface treatment on the flexural properties of textile-reinforced cementitious composites
Authors: Pakravan Hamid R , Jamshidi Masoud , Rezaei Hojatolah
Published: March 2015

In this study, the influence of a new surface treatment of the textiles to reinforce concrete materials has been investigated. The short polyvinyl-alcohol fibers were attached to the textile surface to achieve a fluffy textile. The flexural and peel tests were employed to study the effectiveness of the surface treatment on the carbon textile. As a result, the applied treatment considerably improved the bond properties between the textile and cement matrix up to 43%, and enhanced load-bearing capacity of textile-reinforced cementitious composites by up to 56%.
A Conceptual Model for Eliciting Mental Models Using a Composite Methodology
Authors: Grenier Robin S. , Dudzinska-Przesmitzki Dana
Published: March 2015

Formed through experience, observation, and learning, mental models are used in decision making to understand, predict, and solve problems. The investigation and application of mental models research are a growing area of scholarly inquiry in human resource development (HRD) and adult education, yet debate about how to best elicit such knowing still persists. Therefore, exemplars for eliciting the mental models of individuals are a matter of importance. The goal of this article is to address some of the issues central to mental model research and the methodological problems faced by scholars and provide an approach to mental model elicitation that holds promise for attending to some of the issues raised in the article. Multi-method Mental Model Elicitation (MMME) overcomes some of the limitations of current approaches, thus helping to increase the utility of mental models research in the field of HRD.
Mechanism of programmed cell death factor 4/nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway in porcine coronary micro-embolization-induced cardiac dysfunction
Authors: Su Qiang , Li Lang , Wang Jiangyou , Zhou You , Liu Yangchun
Published: March 2015

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the programmed cell death factor 4 (PDCD4)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway in coronary micro-embolism (CME)-induced inflammatory responses and cardiac dysfunction in a porcine model. Bama miniature pigs were randomly divided into four groups ( n = 5 per group). Micro-embolization balls or saline were infused through a microcatheter in the left anterior descending (LAD) artery in the CME and Sham groups, respectively. PDCD4 siRNA or control siRNA mixed with transfection reagent was infused via the LAD artery 72 h before CME induction in the CME + siRNA-PDCD4 and siRNA-control groups, respectively. Cardiac function was evaluated with ultrasound. Tissue biopsy was stained with hematoxylin–eosin (HE) and hematoxylin basic fuchsin picric acid (HBFP) to measure infarction area. Myocardial PDCD4 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) mRNA and protein expression were analyzed by quantitative PCR and Western blotting. NF-κB activity was evaluated in gel electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Echocardiographic parameters showed that compared with the sham group, the CME group had impaired heart function, manifested as systolic dysfunction and left ventricular dilatation (reduced left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF], left ventricular fractional shortening [FS], and cardiac output [CO] [ P < 0.05] and increased left ventricular end-diastolic diameter [LVEDd] [ P < 0.05]). Compared with the CME group, the CME + siRNA-PDCD4 group had attenuated CME-induced cardiac function damage (increased LVEF, FS and CO [ P < 0.05] and reduced LVEDd [ P < 0.05]). Compared with the sham group, the CME group had significantly increased PDCD4 and TNF-α mRNA and protein expression and increased NF-κB activity ( P < 0.05). These effects were significantly inhibited in the CME + siRNA-PDCD4 group ( P < 0.05). In conclusion, PDCD4/NF-κB signaling pathway activation is an important mechanism for CME-induced cardiac dysfunction, suggesting that inhibition of PDCD4/NF-κB signaling pathway may be a potential target for the prevention and treatment of CME.
Predictors of Parental Consent for Adolescent Participation in Sexual Health–Related Research
Authors: Moilanen Kristin L.
Published: March 2015

The purpose of the present study was to describe the degree to which parents of adolescents were willing to grant consent for their teenagers’ participation in sexually themed research, and to link the likelihood of consent to parents’ demographics, personality traits, parenting, attitudes, and their children’s characteristics. A total of 203 parents of adolescents ages 13 to 18 years anonymously responded to an internet survey (81.7% mothers; 87% European American). Approximately 40% of respondents were possibly willing and 36% were definitely willing to provide consent for a hypothetical study covering all included sexual health topics. Parents were more likely to give consent if they were highly extraverted, viewed science positively, were not highly conservative about sexuality, and if they thought their teenager was already sexually experienced. Overall, many parents appear to be quite open to adolescent survey participation.
Lived experiences of multimorbidity: An interpretative meta-synthesis of patients’, general practitioners’ and trainees’ perceptions
Authors: Cottrell Elizabeth , Yardley Sarah
Published: March 2015

Objectives

Multimorbidity is an increasing challenge. Better understanding of lived experiences of patients, general practitioners and trainees, may advance patient care and medical education. This interpretative meta-synthesis sought to (i) understand lived experiences of patients, general practitioners and trainees regarding multimorbidity, (ii) identify how similarities and differences in experiences should shape future solutions.

Methods

Empirical studies containing qualitative data and pertaining to lived experiences from our recent realist synthesis (PROSPERO 2013:CRD42013003862) were included. Following quality assessment, data were extracted from key studies to build an integrated analytic framework. Data from remaining studies were utilised to expand and refine the framework through thematic analysis of concepts within and between perspectives.

Results

Twenty-one papers were included in the meta-synthesis. Analysis of 70 concepts produced five themes: (1) goals of care and decision making, (2) complexity, (3) meeting expectations, (4) logistics and (5) interpersonal dynamics. The complexities of multimorbidity lead to shared feelings of vulnerability, uncertainty and enforced compromises. Barriers to optimal care–education included system constraints, inadequate continuity and role uncertainty.

Discussion

There was little evidence of shared discussion of these challenges. Addressing these issues and more explicit exploration of the experiences of each group during interactions may improve delivery and satisfaction in care and education.
Family, feudalism and selfishness: Looking at Indonesian leadership through a wisdom lens
Authors: Oktaviani Fitri , Rooney David , McKenna Bernard , Zacher Hannes
Published: March 2015

Using Social Practice Wisdom (SPW) as a conceptual lens, we shed new light on destructive, selfish leadership and its negative effects. Our study highlights the negative effects on followers of leaders' selfishness, as well as lack of empathy and inauthenticity. Our work also sheds light on new cross-cultural leadership challenges in emerging economies like Indonesia. Analysis reveals deep tensions between Indonesian leaders' tendency to position themselves in self-serving discourses of feudalism and family, and what young, western educated Indonesian professionals now expect of leaders. Selfish leadership discourse and lack of leader wisdom jeopardize Indonesia's economic development. We argue that wise dialogical communication enhances wise leadership.
Educational exceptionalism in small (and micro) states: Cooperative educational transfer and TVET
Authors: Jules Tavis D.
Published: March 2015

Since 2002, the 15 member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have shifted human resource development reforms from focusing on providing basic, mass primary and secondary education and limited tertiary education toward diverting resources to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to accommodate labor mobility. This shift fixated on facilitating the creation of the Caribbean Single Market (CSM) in 2006, which was premised upon the free movement of service, capital, goods, people, and the right to establishment (ability of any CARICOM national to establish a business). The motivation was to create an optimal frontier at the regional level to aid in the development of the ‘ideal Caribbean person.’ This article will examine how CARICOM members relied upon the non-economic policy process of functional cooperation and the policy tool of what I call ‘cooperative educational transfer’ at the regional level to move ideas and practices collaboratively to stimulate national education reform. A summative content analysis shows that the rise of cooperative educational transfer at the regional level was a direct consequence of dialectic, dynamic, and fragmentary effects of globalization, since emerging markets in the small (and micro) states of CARICOM cannot insulate themselves from global economic pressures individually. In an analysis of 13 national CARICOM educational policies, findings show that during the 2002–2010 policy period, decisionmaking was distrait, since national governments incorporated both national mandates and regional aspirations and commitments in their reform agendas.
Saudi broadcast interviews: Moving towards aggressiveness
Authors: Alfahad Abdulrahman
Published: March 2015

This article presents an overview of the transition that has taken place in Arab media over the course of time. It focuses more specifically on the case of Saudi Arabia to show how television interviewers there have performed their roles throughout three different phases. The first phase covers the period when the media was still controlled by Arab governments, the second focuses on the advent of satellite and the third focuses on the aftermath of the recent series of uprisings which has become known as the Arab Spring. An examination of these three phases, which includes a discussion of some illustrative examples, will show how television interviewers have shifted from initially taking a very cautious and overtly deferential approach with interviewees, officials and public figures to adopting a more aggressive approach in the third phase.
Combining simple patient‐oriented tests with state‐of‐the‐art molecular diagnostics for early diagnosis of cancer
Authors: Fitzgerald Rebecca C
Published: March 2015

Early diagnosis is an important strategy to improve outcomes from cancer. Oesophageal adenocarcinoma is an example of a cancer that presents late, with very poor outcomes, and for which the presence of the precursor lesion Barrett's oesophagus provides the opportunity to intervene at an early stage. In this review, I describe the challenges in the field and the work that we have done to devise a conceptually novel approach to early diagnosis, using a cell collection device (Cytosponge), coupled with molecular assays. This is a personal perspective in which I also describe the career pathway that led me into academic gastroenterology, and the rewards and challenges of translational research in molecular diagnostics. There are fantastic opportunities for clinicians wishing to pursue academic medicine, because it is a time when massive strides are being made in a whole number of areas; for example: imaging, sequencing technology and targeted therapies. Clinicians who can straddle the laboratory and the clinic are essential, to maximise the progress that can be made for the benefit of patients.
Autonomy, Self-Realization, and Self-Advocacy and the School- and Career-Related Adjustment of Adolescent Girls With Disabilities
Authors: Doren Bonnie , Kang Hyun Ju
Published: March 2015

The purpose of the current study was to identify component elements of self-determination that may promote positive or buffer negative school- and career-related adjustment of adolescent girls with disabilities or with multiple risk factors. Autonomy, self-realization, and self-advocacy were examined together to ascertain both their cumulative and unique contributions to indicators of school- and career-related adjustment of 111 adolescent girls. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that together these component elements were significantly and positively associated with indicators of school- and career-related adjustment, after controlling for the effects of demographic covariates. Autonomy was the most consistent and robust predictor while self-realization and self-advocacy each contributed to aspects of adjustment across school and career domains.
How I treat postpartum hemorrhage
Authors: Pavord Sue , Maybury Helena
Published: March 2015

Worldwide, ∼800 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy or childbirth. The single most common cause is severe bleeding, which can kill a healthy woman within hours if care is substandard or delayed. Improved antenatal practices have led to the early identification of at-risk women and modern technology and new techniques have enabled effective management strategies so that now, in the western world, most of the morbidity and mortality arises from those cases which occur unexpectedly and could not have been predicted. Prompt and effective management and multidisciplinary involvement is paramount to save the lives of these women. We use a case report to illustrate and discuss the main elements of management of this condition.
Hydrindacenes as Versatile Supramolecular Scaffolds
Authors: Kawai Hidetoshi
Published: March 2015

This report describes the synthesis and structural features of supramolecular assemblies of s-hydrindacene (1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydro-s-indacene), such as macrocycles with directionally persistent peripheral functionality, allosteric receptors, adrenaline receptors, and rotaxane molecular shuttles. These hydrindacene-based assemblies also exhibit allostericity due to induced polarization of amides or to entropy-driven switching between the imine and hydrogen bonds.
Graph-Theoretical Modelling of Stability Constants of Copper(II) Complexes with Tripeptides Containing Glycine, Glutamic acid, and Histidine
Authors: Miličević Ante , Raos Nenad
Published: March 2015

Logarithms of stability constants, log β, of copper(II) complexes with tripeptides containing glycine, glutamic acid, and histidine were modelled with 3χv connectivity index. The model developed on complexes with tripeptides formed of Gly and Glu yielded S.E. = 0.47, 0.38, and 0.55, depending on whether CuL, CuH−1L, or CuH−2L complexes were taken as referent. The model was also applied to complexes with tripeptides containing His, S.E. = 1.47, 1.39, and 1.80. Although a somewhat worse result for G/E/H tripeptide complexes, much bigger range of their log β’s (29.648), in contrast to 16.671 for G/E tripeptide complexes, has to be borne in mind.
Fastener Effect on Uniaxial Chemical Pressure for One-Dimensional Spin-Crossover System, [FeII(NH2-trz)3](CnH2n+1SO3)2·xH2O: Magnetostructural Correlation and Ligand Field Analysis
Authors: Kamebuchi Hajime , Nakamoto Akio , Yokoyama Toshihiko , Kojima Norimichi
Published: March 2015

One-dimensional spin-crossover (SCO) polymers of formula [FeII(NH2-trz)3](CnH2n+1SO3)2·xH2O (trz: 4-substituted-1,2,4-triazole; n = 1–9) have been synthesized. They displayed hysteretic SCO transition around 280–350 K. The spin transition temperatures (T1/2) in the heating and cooling processes increased, and the hysteresis width became narrower with increasing alkyl chain length (n). From the analysis of EXAFS, the nearest-neighbor Fe–Fe distance decreased with increasing n, and it had a close relationship with T1/2. This is highly indicative of the increase of intrachain interaction of [FeII(NH2-trz)3] with n being attributed to the uniaxial chemical pressure effect induced by van der Waals force between alkyl chains, so-called “fastener effect.” To elucidate the physicochemical effect on T1/2, the ligand field and Racah parameter (B) were estimated by analysing the pre-edge region in Fe-K edge XANES spectra based on the ligand-field theory. B decreased with increasing n, which was closely consistent with the behavior of T1/2 and 57Fe Mössbauer isomer shift (IS). Judging from these results, a covalency between FeII 3d and ligand π* orbital is enhanced by the fastener effect, leading to the expansion of the 3d orbital, i.e. the remarkable decrease of B and IS, which is the dominating factor on T1/2 in our system.
Clinical features, diagnosis and management of fractures of the distal phalanx in horses
Authors: Parker Russell
Published: March 2015

Fractures of the distal phalanx are not an uncommon cause of lameness and occur in horses of all ages, breeds and disciplines. Many fractures present with severe lameness and obvious localising clinical signs but others present a diagnostic challenge. The prognosis for these fractures is also highly variable, depending on their configuration.
Angular limb deformities in foals: a clinical review
Authors: Smith Lewis
Published: March 2015

This article aims to explore the evaluation of limb conformation and treatment of angular limb deformities in foals. More severe deformities are usually obvious at rest, but visual assessment of at walk foals is the best way to screen for the presence of angular limb deviations. Radiological evaluation can be used to confirm the cause of a deformity and to monitor response to treatment. Treatment options including corrective trimming, hoof extension, periosteal transection and elevation, and use of direct manipulation of the physis with surgical implants will be explored. Complications including over correction will also be examined.
Do Type 2 viruses pose a risk to bovine viral diarrhoea virus control in the UK?
Authors: Booth Richard , Brownlie Joe
Published: March 2015

Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) virus has been known for about 70 years and, over this period, we have learned about its complex pathogenesis and its impact on cattle health and welfare. It is a highly mutable virus and exists in the cattle population in two biotypes, i.e. non-cytopathogenic and cytopathogenic types, but also in different genotypes. Our understanding of these genotypes has increased greatly in the last two decades, triggered by the explosive outbreak of haemorrhagic and fatal acute disease seen in veal calves in the Eastern States of America and Canada during the late 1980s and 1990. This was caused by a new BVD virus later designated Type 2. In this article we describe this virus, its global epidemiology, its relevance to the UK, its diagnosis and its control.
Impact of intramammary infections by coagulase-negative staphylococci
Authors: Bexiga Ricardo
Published: March 2015

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) are frequently isolated from milk samples, mostly from subclinical mastitis cases. This group, which includes several staphylococcal species, generally leads to moderate cell count increases at quarter and cow levels, with intramammary infections persisting often for several months. Intramammary infections caused by CNS occur frequently around parturition and have been observed to be more frequent in primiparous than in multiparous animals. The infections are often self-limiting and several isolates have been identified as multiresistant. Antimicrobial treatment for subclinical mastitis during lactation should therefore be avoided as it is uneconomical, and may contribute to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. The diversity of strains found for some of the most frequently isolated species from mastitis cases appear to point to differences in the epidemiology of infection for individual species.
Cattle Review
Authors: Barrett David C
Published: March 2015

Introduction:

This Cattle Review reports on the effects of digital dermatitis on hoof conformation, variable oestrus cycle length in cows and the cost benefit of treating ketosis.