bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A critical review of methods to evaluate the impact of FDA regulatory actions
Authors: Briesacher Becky A. , Soumerai Stephen B. , Zhang Fang , Toh Sengwee , Andrade Susan E. , Wagner Joann L. , Shoaibi Azadeh , Gurwitz Jerry H.
Published: July 2013

Purpose

To conduct a synthesis of the literature on methods to evaluate the impacts of FDA regulatory actions and identify best practices for future evaluations.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE for manuscripts published between January 1948 and August 2011 that included terms related to FDA, regulatory actions, and empirical evaluation; the review additionally included FDA‐identified literature. We used a modified Delphi method to identify preferred methodologies. We included studies with explicit methods to address threats to validity and identified designs and analytic methods with strong internal validity that have been applied to other policy evaluations.

Results

We included 18 studies out of 243 abstracts and papers screened. Overall, analytic rigor in prior evaluations of FDA regulatory actions varied considerably; less than a quarter of studies (22%) included control groups. Only 56% assessed changes in the use of substitute products/services, and 11% examined patient health outcomes. Among studies meeting minimal criteria of rigor, 50% found no impact or weak/modest impacts of FDA actions and 33% detected unintended consequences. Among those studies finding significant intended effects of FDA actions, all cited the importance of intensive communication efforts. There are preferred methods with strong internal validity that have yet to be applied to evaluations of FDA regulatory actions.

Conclusions

Rigorous evaluations of the impact of FDA regulatory actions have been limited and infrequent. Several methods with strong internal validity are available to improve trustworthiness of future evaluations of FDA policies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Number of antigens in early childhood vaccines and neuropsychological outcomes at age 7–10 years
Authors: Iqbal Shahed , Barile John P. , Thompson William W. , DeStefano Frank
Published: July 2013

Purpose

Concerns have been raised that children may be receiving too many immunizations under the recommended schedule in the USA. We used a publicly available dataset to evaluate the association between antibody‐stimulating proteins and polysaccharides from early childhood vaccines and neuropsychological outcomes at age 7–10 years.

Methods

Children aged 7–10 years from four managed care organizations underwent standardized tests for domain‐specific neuropsychological outcomes: general intellectual function, speech and language, verbal memory, attention and executive function, tics, achievement, visual spatial ability, and behavior regulation. Vaccination histories up to 24 months of age were obtained from medical charts, electronic records, and parents' records. Logistic regressions and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to determine associations between total antigens up to 7, 12, and 24 months and domain‐specific outcomes.

Results

On average, children (N = 1047) received 7266, 8127, and 10 341 antigens by ages 7, 12, and 24 months, respectively. For adjusted analyses, increase (per 1000) in the number of antigens was not associated with any neuropsychological outcomes. Antigen counts above the 10th percentile, compared with lower counts, were also not associated with any adverse outcomes. However, children with higher antigen counts up to 24 months performed better on attention and executive function tests (odds ratio for lower scores = 0.51, 95% confidence interval = 0.26, 0.99). Similar results were found with SEM analysis (b = 0.08, p = 0.02).

Conclusions

We did not find any adverse associations between antigens received through vaccines in the first two years of life and neuropsychological outcomes in later childhood. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Anti‐Diabetic Potential of Panax Notoginseng Saponins (PNS): A Review
Authors: Uzayisenga Rosette , Ayeka Peter Amwoga , Wang Yi
Published: July 2013

Herbal medicines have traditionally played a major role in the management of diabetes in Asian countries for centuries. Panax notoginseng (Burk) F. H. Chen (Araliaceae) known as Tiánqī or san qi is a well‐known medicinal herb in Asia for its long history of use in Chinese medicine. Qualified as ‘the miracle root for the preservation of life’, it has been used in China for 600 years, for treatment of various diseases. Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) are the key active components. PNS have been widely used in China for treatment of cardiovascular diseases. However, scientific studies have shown a wide range of other pharmacological applications including anti‐cancer, neuroprotective and anti‐inflammatory agents, immunologic adjuvant and prevention of diabetes complications. Recently, hypoglycemic and anti‐obesity properties of PNS have also been demonstrated. The present review highlights the effects of PNS on glucose production and absorption, and on inflammatory processes that seem to play an important role in the development of diabetes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the reliability of ensemble variance in subspaces defined by singular vectors
Authors: Leutbecher M. , Lang S. T. K.
Published: July 2013

In a statistically consistent ensemble forecast, ensemble variance agrees with the mean squared error of the ensemble mean when looking at a large sample of independent realizations. Here, the first goal is to introduce a new diagnostic that quantifies the reliability of ensemble variance in subspaces spanned by singular vectors of the model propagator. The second goal is to apply this technique to ensemble forecast experiments with the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) in order to gain new insight into essential approximations made when the sources of forecast uncertainties are represented with initial perturbations based on the leading initial singular vectors. Diagnostics are based on extratropical singular vectors optimized for growth of total energy over 48 hours. For the initial perturbations as well as the singular vector diagnostics, two versions of the tangent‐linear model are compared, which differ in terms of the accuracy of the tangent‐linear approximation.

When model uncertainties are not represented, initial perturbations based solely on the leading singular vectors can achieve reliable ensemble variances in the subspace spanned by the singular vectors evolved to their optimization time. However, it is impossible to achieve at the same time reliable total variances with up to about 100 singular vectors in the extratropics. Far more singular vectors would be required to do so. Ensembles using initial perturbations based on up to 100 leading singular vectors with amplitudes tuned such that total variance matches total error suffer from overdispersion in the subspace spanned by the leading singular vectors. In the operational configuration of the ECMWF ensemble, the singular vector initial perturbations introduce overdispersion in the subspace of the leading 50 extratropical singular vectors.
Convective‐scale responses of a large‐domain, modelled tropical environment to surface warming
Authors: Igel Matthew R. , van den Heever Susan C. , Stephens Graeme L. , Posselt Derek J.
Published: July 2013

This article explores the response of convective‐scale atmospheric characteristics to surface temperature through the lens of large‐domain, cloud‐system‐resolving model experiments run at radiative convective equilibrium. We note several features reminiscent of the response to surface warming in atmospheric general circulation models. These include an increase in the rain rate that is smaller than the modelled increase in precipitable water, a systematic decrease in sensible heating and an increase in clear‐sky cooling. However, in contrast to climate models, we note that tropospheric relative humidity increases and column‐integrated water vapour increases at the rate anticipated from the Clausius–Clapeyron relationship, but only when compared with the troposphere mean temperature rather than surface temperature. Also shown are results elucidating the changes in the vertically integrated water budget and the distribution of high precipitation rates shifting toward higher rates. Moist static energy distributions are analyzed and, from these, clouds are implicated in effecting the final equilibrium state of the atmosphere. The results indicate that, while there are aspects of the tropical equilibrium that are represented realistically in current general circulation model climate‐change experiments, there are potentially influential local interactions that are sufficiently important as to alter the mean response of the tropical water and energy balance to changes in sea‐surface temperature. Convection is shown to dictate the equilibrium state across all scales, including those unresolved in climate models, rather than only responding to surface‐induced changes.
Efficient identity‐based broadcast signcryption schemes
Authors: Kim Intae , Hwang Seong Oun
Published: July 2013

Most of broadcast encryption schemes do not provide source authentication property. This allows an adversary to launch impersonating attacks. Therefore, broadcast encryption scheme without source authentication is not applicable in our real life as it is. In this paper, we propose two source‐authenticated broadcast encryption schemes that achieve both confidentiality and authenticity simultaneously. Ciphertexts in both schemes are of constant size, independent of the size of the receiver set. The first scheme is particularly efficient in case of pre‐computation, whereas the overall performance of the second scheme is better than that of Selvi et al.'s scheme. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High Mechanical Performance of Layered Graphene Oxide/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Nanocomposite Films
Authors: Liu Luqi , Gao Yun , Liu Qing , Kuang Jun , Zhou Ding , Ju Siting , Han Baohang , Zhang Zhong
Published: July 2013

The design and fabrication of strong, lightweight, and damage‐resistant composite materials are major topics of studies on composites. Biomimetics, a developing multidisciplinary field, is now leading the fabrication of novel materials with remarkable mechanical properties. Graphene oxide (GO), a graphene derivative, possesses good mechanical properties, a high aspect ratio, and good solubility in aqueous solutions, indicating great potential in nanocomposite fields. In this work, bioinspired layered GO/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposite films with remarkable mechanical performances are prepared by an environmental friendly, bottom‐up assembly methodology. The structural analysis shows alternate piles of inorganic GO platelets and organic PVA binder. Tensile tests indicate that the borate‐treated GO/PVA nanocomposite films display 360 MPa of strength, which is twofold to threefold higher than that of biological materials (e.g., nacre). Toughness of GO/PVA nanocomposites is also enhanced fourfold compared with nacre. To reveal the toughening function of the intercalated polymer in the nanocomposites, the influence of polymer with varied molecular weights (Mws) on the fracture mode of the nanocomposites is systematically investigated through quasi‐static tensile and creep tests. The PVA molecules with a higherMwcan connect more neighboring GO platelets through inter‐ and intra‐linkages than those with a lowerMw,resulting in efficient stress transfer along the GO plane direction. Thus, tensile strength and toughness are improved. This work illustrates the functions of bonding types between inorganic–organic phases and intercalated polymers with differentMws on the mechanical properties of the layered nanocomposites, including stiffness, strength, and toughness.
Successfully transitioning a research project to a commercial spin‐out using an agile software process
Authors: Dowling Phelim
Published: July 2013

The ultimate success of any research activity is to see it bears fruit in terms of real life use and commercial success. A key element in driving a good concept or idea through the various research and development stages and into full commercial use is the software process that supports it. In the early days of its evolvement, the product will require less in terms of unit test coverage and automated test packages and more in the way of room to research and discover the innovation that will make the product unique and of high value. However, as the project progresses and a horizon appears with capital investors and large customer bases, the supporting software process needs to adapt fluidly to these evolving requirements. Efficient use of resources, shorter release cycles and better levels of quality coverage are a necessity to meet stakeholder demands for new features, better features and all to be delivered more quickly. This paper examines the successful transition of a research project to a fully fledged commercial entity with an emphasis on the software process and quality methodologies used. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome of the Forearm in Elite Rowers: A Technique for Mini-Open Fasciotomy and a Report of Six Cases
Authors: Harrison John W. K. , Thomas Philip , Aster Asir , Wilkes Graeme , Hayton Michael J.
Published: July 2013

Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) of the forearm may occur in sports requiring prolonged grip strength. CECS is a function of increasing pressure following muscle expansion within an inelastic tissue envelope resulting in compromise of perfusion and tissue function. Typical symptoms are pain, distal paraesthesia and loss of function. The condition is self-limiting and resolves completely between periods of activity. With no effective medical treatment, the gold standard remains four compartment open fasciotomy (Söderberg, J Bone Joint Surg Br 78(5):780–2, 1996; Wasilewski and Asdourian, Am J Sports Med 19(6):665–7, 1991). Minimally invasive techniques have been described (Croutzet et al., Tech Hand Up Extrem Surg 13(3):137–40, 2009) but have a risk of neuro-vascular injury, especially to the ulnar nerve while releasing the deep flexor compartment. We present a safe technique used with six elite rowers for mini-open fasciotomy to minimise scarring and time away from training while reducing the risk of neurovascular injury.
Chemical and Physical Characterization of Donkey Abdominal Fat in Comparison with Cow, Pig and Sheep Fats
Authors: Xu Fuping , Zhang Lanwei , Cao Yang , Yang Lin , Zhang Hua , Li Yanyu , Zhao Huiyi , Li Yanbo
Published: July 2013

The objective of this research was to investigate the physicochemical properties of donkey fat. Results show that donkey fat contains 59.38 % unsaturated fatty acids, 38.37 % saturated fatty acids, and 0.21 % trans fatty acids. The sn‐2 monoglyceride present in donkey fat contain 67.91 % unsaturated fatty acids and 30.97 % saturated fatty acids. Donkey fat is also characterized by a total tocopherol content of 8.59 mg/100 g fat (7.90 mg/100 g fat α‐tocopherol, 0.51 mg/100 g fat β + γ‐tocopherol, and 0.18 mg/100 g fat δ‐tocopherol), 0.0032 mg/100 g fat cholesterol, an acid value of 0.091 KOH (mg/g), an iodine value of 76.47 g/100 g, a peroxide value of 0.68 mmol/kg, a saponification value of 193 mg/g, a refractive index of 1.4666, and a specific gravity of 0.9144. The complete melting temperature was 40 °C. The content of unsaturated fatty acids (total and sn‐2) in donkey fat is higher than cow, pig and sheep, while the content of trans fatty acids is lower. The tocopherol content is also higher in donkey fat compared to cow, pig and sheep fat. Interestingly, the fat with such processing has nearly no cholesterol. Generally speaking, donkey fat could be a good animal fat for human consumption.
Multilokalität und Transnationalität – Neue Herausforderungen für Stadtentwicklung und Stadtpolitik
Authors: Dittrich-Wesbuer Andrea , Plöger Jörg
Published: July 2013

Multilocality and transnationality are important expressions of late-modern lives. A pronounced attachment to more than one place is a common characteristic of the various types discussed by scholars. People are thus increasingly less related to only one (residential) location. This is facilitated through networks between groups and individuals, while differentiated social spaces emerge between the involved places. With regard to urban development, the relevance of these processes has not been fully examined yet. This applies for research as well as for the cities themselves, who only marginally refer to multilocal and transnational phenomena in their strategies and actions and continue to adhere to a territorial logic. The quantitative and qualitative significance, however, does call for a more thorough consideration in the context of urban governance. This contribution outlines some of the consequences of these processes for urban development and specifies approaches that consider the changing patterns of spatial-temporal behaviour.
Theorizing through metaphorical transfer in OM/SCM research: Divorce as a metaphor for strategic buyer–supplier relationship dissolution
Authors: Chen Yi‐Su , Rungtusanatham M. Johnny , Goldstein Susan Meyer , Koerner Ascan F.
Published: July 2013

Operations Management and Supply Chain Management (OM/SCM), as a discipline, can benefit from proper theorizing to address persistent urgings for better and new theories. This paper hopes to inspire more theorizing engagements through the formal process of metaphorical transfer. Metaphorical transfer transforms casually‐invoked metaphors in everyday language into theory‐constitutive metaphors. This transformation process first mandates theorizing to ensure equivalence between the domain of the metaphor and that of a target phenomenon or research problem of interest. Second, theorizing during metaphorical transfer occurs when abstracted insights intended to govern both the metaphor and target phenomenon materialize. Finally, metaphorical transfer supports borrowing of theories from outside of OM/SCM for testing within OM/SCM by safeguarding against common mistakes. This paper demonstrates metaphorical transfer via the example of divorce and strategic buyer–supplier relationship dissolution and concludes by highlighting other metaphors that may be invoked for a number of exemplary supply chain relationship phenomena.
Between willing and reluctant entrapment: CEE countries in NATO’s non-European missions
Authors: Marton Péter , Eichler Jan
Published: July 2013

The article focuses on Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries’ experiences related to Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, three non-European theatres of Western military operations, in predominantly Muslim lands, in the decade between 2001 and 2011. CEE countries readily became involved in two of these foreign missions (Afghanistan and Iraq) because of their deep ties to Western politico-economic structures, without direct security interests compelling them to do so, but not without normative convictions regarding what were seen by them as virtues of the two missions. In Libya, however, they were reluctant to join the Western intervention. In light of this, the article is interested in examining how political elites within the region relate to the generally constrained security policy agency that they have. A key argument advanced is that such agency may be located in how external hegemony is mediated in elite discourses of threat and legitimacy construction. This as well as the three case studies outlined in the article show that the seeming changes in CEE countries’ behaviour in fact boil down to a simple set of rules guiding their behaviour. Having identified this “algorithm” as an implicit pattern of CEE foreign policy behaviour, originating in the intra-alliance security dilemma within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the article formulates its conclusions about the alliance policy of these countries largely within a neorealist framework.
Visegrad: Fit for purpose?
Authors: Fawn Rick
Published: July 2013

Visegrad inter-state cooperation among the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia has faced numerous near-death experiences since its official birth in 1991. Furthermore, it has faced two challenges since the four member-countries’ accession to the EU in 2004. Then Visegrad was eulogized, considered deceased by many precisely for having achieved the apparently ultimate aim of EU membership. Second, having purposefully stated rumours of its death, Visegrad has since 2008 been confronted by issues from outside and ones well beyond its size – the Obama presidency and its apparent abandonment of Central and Eastern Europe in its “reset” strategy towards Moscow; a post-Lisbon EU agenda; strategic reorientations in NATO; and both the general, that is, global, financial crisis and particularly within the EU and regarding the Euro.

This article, by contrast, contends that the fundamental changes and challenges that Visegrad has faced enhanced the Group’s clear and successful strategy. It identifies and elaborates that strategy, drawing also selectively and thematically on the Group’s historical experience since 1991. These strategies include targeted rather than broad selection of aims; retaining an exclusivemembership while also inventing variable and flexible mechanisms for adding non-member countries to help them pursue specific initiatives. Through a study of annual Group Presidency agendas and reports, high-level and ministerial meeting declarations and media and secondary source analysis and interviews with National Coordinators, the article contends that the Group continues to promote realistic aims, and provides a unique platform for exercising them. This study concludes that Visegrad, despite the outside challenges remains effective in raising awareness, advancing smaller-scale policies and influencing EU policy towards theWestern Balkans and European Partnership (EaP) countries, as well as achieving specific Visegrad initiatives with those states.
Three-dimensional buoyancy-driven flow along a fractured boundary
Authors: Farcas Adrian , Woods Andrew W.
Published: July 2013

We describe the steady motion of a buoyant fluid migrating through a porous layer along a plane, inclined boundary from a localized well. We first describe the transition from an approximately radially spreading current near the source, to a flow which runs upslope, as it spreads in the cross-slope direction. Using the model, we predict the maximum injection rate for which, near the source, the flow does not fully flood the porous layer. We then account for the presence of a fracture on the boundary through which some of the flow can drain upwards, and calculate how the current is partitioned between the fraction that drains and the remainder which continues running upslope. The fraction that drains increases with the permeability of the fracture and also with the distance from the source, as the flow slows and has more time to drain. We introduce new scalings and some asymptotic solutions to describe both the flow near the fracture and the three-dimensional surface of the injected fluid as it spreads upslope. We extend the model to the case of multiple fractures, so that the current eventually drains away as it flows over successive fractures. We calculate the shape of the region that is invaded by the buoyant fluid and we show that this flow, draining through a series of discrete fractures, may be approximated by a flow that continuously drains through its upper boundary. The effective small uniform permeability of this upper boundary is given by ${k}_{b} \approx \int \nolimits {k}_{f} \hspace{0.167em} \mathrm{d} x/ {D}_{F} $, where $\int \nolimits {k}_{f} \hspace{0.167em} \mathrm{d} x$ is the integral of permeability across the width of the fracture and ${D}_{F} $ is the inter-fracture spacing. Finally, we discuss the relevance of the work for CO2 sequestration and we compare some simple predictions of the plume shape, volume and volume flux derived from our model with data from the Sleipner project, Norway for the plume of CO2 which developed in Horizon 1.
A study of singular modes associated with over-reflection and related phenomena
Authors: Maslowe S. A. , Spiteri R. J.
Published: July 2013

This paper describes an investigation of the linear, diffusive critical layer for shear flows whose inviscid neutral modes have an algebraic branch point. As examples of flows exhibiting such singular behaviour, we treat both stratified shear flows and non-axisymmetric modes on vortices. For the stratified case, the coupled vorticity and energy equations are solved numerically. In this way, the density perturbation, which is unbounded in the absence of diffusion, is determined directly. As an example featuring a vortex, we consider helical modes on a modified Lamb–Oseen vortex whose velocity profile is perturbed in such a way that linear instability is possible. Both the axial and azimuthal velocity perturbations in the critical layer are determined. A characteristic shared by all the above problems is that they involve eigenfunctions that are oscillatory in some region. For forced waves in a stably stratified shear flow, we consider a larger range of parameters than previous investigators. We also examine some experiments and find that the Reynolds stress is sensitive to the actual density profile in the region between a wavy wall providing the forcing and the critical layer. For the stratified shear flows without forcing, much smaller Richardson numbers are involved and the modes considered are over-reflecting. For an unbounded $\tanh y$ mixing layer, we show that the Reynolds stress for a neutral mode must jump across the critical layer. With the presence of a horizontal boundary beneath the shear layer, on the other hand, over-reflection can occur, with the Reynolds stress vanishing on either side of the critical layer. In all cases, the variation of the Reynolds stress across the critical layer is determined.
Universal mechanism for saturation of vorticity growth in fully developed fluid turbulence
Authors: Thantanapally Chakradhar , Patil Dhiraj V. , Succi Sauro , Ansumali Santosh
Published: July 2013

Numerical results from large-scale, long-time, simulations of decaying homogeneous turbulence are reported, which indicate that blow-up of inviscid flows is tamed by the emergence of collective dynamics of coherent structures. The simulations also suggest that this collective dynamics might lead to universal behaviour during the transient evolution of turbulence. In particular, simulations with three different initial conditions show evidence of a${k}^{- 3} \log k$spectrum in the transient stage, before the Kolmogorov${k}^{- 5/ 3} $asymptotic regime is attained. Such a universal transient might serve as a spectral funnel to the time-asymptotic Kolmogorov spectrum, which is invariably observed in the late stage of all three simulations presented in this work. The present work is entirely based on simulation evidence. However, the statistical analysis of the coherent structures suggests an analogy with population dynamics, which might be conducive to new mathematical models of transient decaying turbulence.
‘INTO THE BREACH’: OLIVER KNUSSEN IN HIS TIME
Authors: Whittall Arnold
Published: July 2013

In 2002 Elliott Carter marked Oliver Knussen's fiftieth birthday with a short piece –Au Quai– for viola and bassoon, accompanied by the following comments: ‘As modernism seemed headed for shipwreck, Olly Knussen, treasuring the wonderful works that that movement produced and still does, stepped into the breach and … not only brought these works to a vivid enthusiastic life which has long been concealed, but also added significant works of his own’. Knussen's time has clearly been Carter's time too. Yet placing aspects of Knussen's compositional thinking into an American context can highlight the kind of distinctive qualities that, while leading less sympathetic British critics to write of an ‘aesthetic of avoidance’, might be more usefully interpreted as an intensely personal response to European as well as American modernism in all their various phases.
CYCLIC COHERENCE IN SCHOENBERG'S EARLY WALTZES FOR STRING ORCHESTRA
Authors: Guberman Daniel
Published: July 2013

In 1897 Schoenberg composed an apparently unfinished set of waltzes, which thus far has been dismissed as juvenilia. In this article I explore how the waltzes reflect many aspects of Schoenberg's mature thought about large-scale tonality, focusing on two interrelated concepts, the tonal problem and monotonality. Examination of the waltzes through Schoenberg's own analytical methods reveals a series of closely interrelated pieces that follow a carefully planned progression through key areas making use of frequent intertextual references between waltzes. After demonstrating the connexions and progression of the waltzes, I propose that the set is not in fact incomplete, but that the tenth waltz offers a functional conclusion to the set as a whole.
Copenhagen and Bregenz: Penderecki's ‘The Devils of Loudun’ and Glanert's ‘Solaris’
Authors: Rickards Guy
Published: July 2013

As with the symphony, the rites have been read over opera as a form many times, yet even in the 21st century it stubbornly refuses to lie down and die. Three recent premières exemplify the basic strength of the genre: a revision of a radical 20th-century icon, and two wholly new works, one based on a psychological science-fiction classic (twice turned into a feature film), the other on a historical, post-medieval King of Sweden. What links the three together is the psychological examination of the events portrayed.
Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall and London, Barbican and Regent's Hall: Mark-Anthony Turnage
Authors: Conway Paul
Published: July 2013

In a baffling case of unhelpful scheduling, major new works by Mark-Anthony Turnage were showcased by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra in concerts held at the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool and London's Barbican, respectively, on the same evening – 7 February 2013. Apart from necessitating an explanation for the composer's absence from the RLPO concert in their season's programme book, this double booking resulted in audiences being unable to experience live performances of two of Turnage's most substantial recent orchestral pieces. Surely one of these significant premières could have been rescheduled to another date – or, if not, a different time of day, creating a sporting chance to experience both events? Fortunately, the LSO concert was broadcast, enabling those of us who chose to attend the Liverpool concert to catch the London première retrospectively.
Manchester, Bridgewater Hall: Concertos by Hakola and Broström
Authors: Mottershead Tim
Published: July 2013

Given that the BBC Philharmonic had taken the courageous step to perform not one but two substantial premières on 1 February, one might have expected enticing potboilers to make up the rest of the menu. However, the remainder of the programme was devoted to Stravinsky's Petrushka (admittedly his most colourful ballet) along with his austere Symphonies of Wind Instruments. The concert was given a novel twist in that the first half (Symphonies of Wind Instruments and Hakola Violin Concerto) was directed by visiting guest conductor Håkan Hardenberger with John Storgårds as soloist; whilst in the second half (Broström Trumpet Concerto and Petrushka) Storgårds donned his more familiar guise as Principal Guest Conductor, with Hardenberger in his better-known role as trumpet soloist.
London, Royal Festival Hall: Steve Reich's ‘Radio Rewrite’
Authors: Miller Malcolm
Published: July 2013

Radio Rewrite, whose world première by the London Sinfonietta (who co-commissioned it) was warmly greeted by the capacity audience at the Royal Festival Hall on 5 March 2013, represents a fascinating postmodern symbiosis that attests to the veteran minimalist composer's continuing quest to cross new aesthetic boundaries in his eighth decade. It formed the centrepiece of a stunning concert, broadcast live by BBC Radio 3, which marked the first leg of a UK Reich tour that preceded the work's first USA airing (in Stanford on 16 March by the other commissioning ensemble, Alarm Will Sound). Reich concerts are occasions, and here the master himself together with percussionist David Hockings opened the programme with Clapping, then joined Sound Intermedia in their artful shaping of the amplified soundscape in a virtuoso performance by Mats Bergström of Electric Counterpoint. It was a performance of that work in Krakow in 2011, by Johnny Greenwood from the rock band Radiohead, that led to Reich's exploration and exploitation of their repertoire – notably two songs, ‘Jigsaw Falling into Place’ and ‘Everything in Its Right Place’ – in his new work.
London, Maida Vale Studios: Beamish, Taylor, Hayes and Lim
Authors: Conway Paul
Published: July 2013

In an uncommonly enterprising programme, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, under conductor Garry Walker, presented a world première, a UK première, a London première and a first professional performance in the same Maida Vale Studio concert on 25 January 2013, recorded for future broadcast on Radio 3's afternoon schedules. Despite the inclement weather, all four composers were present, and they all spoke briefly but engagingly about their piece. Though roughly of the same generation, each composer offered a refreshingly contrasting approach to orchestral writing in the present century.
Manchester University: Psappha in Klas Torstensson's Violin Concerto
Authors: Mottershead Tim
Published: July 2013

You're probably wondering why a violin concerto was given its UK première by the chamber ensemble Psappha? An informative programme note by Paul Griffiths for the 15 February concert revealed that Swedish composer Klas Torstensson (b. 1951) had in fact written a much longer, though still compactly scored, work in 2010 and had ‘squashed it down’ in length and further reduced the number of players. The work's full title is Pocket Size Violin Concerto – scored for soloist with unconducted accompaniment from piano, flute, and cello. Whilst compression of this kind is not uncommon in other branches of the arts, and concision is a noble artistic aim, one's fear was that such drastic pruning might have short-circuited the music's arguments. Happily this proved unfounded; and whilst the original half-hour's duration might have been pushing it a bit, the modified version (at a whisker under 17 minutes) seemed just about right.
London, Cadogan Hall and King's Place: Second London Festival of Bulgarian Culture
Authors: Anderson Martin
Published: July 2013

One of the most enjoyable characteristics of London musical life is that it is peopled by a generous number of foreigners who, every so often, take it upon themselves to enlighten the rest of us as to the music we are missing from back home. These can, of course, be hit-and-miss occasions, but it's in the nature of exploring unknown music of any age that you will happily put up with a handful of duds if you come away with a real discovery ringing in your ears. The Second London Festival of Bulgarian Culture (I seem to have missed the First) ran in various venues over the course of November 2012 and also accommodated art, film, literature, theatre and other forms of music (folk, pop and jazz). It opened its classical batting with a concert of ‘Bulgarian and British Symphonic Folk Songs’ in Cadogan Hall on 3 November, with the Varna Symphony Orchestra, Paulina Voices (the choir of St Paul's Girls' School) and the Holst Choir (from James Allen's Girls' School) conducted by Martin Georgiev. Pancho Vladigerov (1899–1978) being the only Bulgarian composer generally known to the outside world, it made sense to begin with him. His Shumen Miniatures, six attractive piano pieces based on folk-tunes from the town, Shumen, where Vladigerov grew up, were written in 1934 and orchestrated at some later date vouchsafed neither by the concert-programme nor the worklist at www.vladigerov.org. They embrace a variety of lighter moods: the first and fourth pieces offer lazy and lyrical summer-evening hazes and the second and third vigorous dances; the proximity of the fifth to the style of Enescu brought a reminder of the long common border Bulgaria shares with Romania (Shumen is around 100 km away from it).
London, Barbican: Dieter Schnebel, David Sawer
Authors: Conway Paul
Published: July 2013

In a substantial concert at the Barbican Centre on 15 February 2013 the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ilan Volkov, presented the British debut of Schubert Fantasia (1978, revised 1989) – senior German composer Dieter Schnebel's subtle reconstruction of one of Schubert's most original piano sonata movements – and the first performance of David Sawer's dramatic scena for mezzo-soprano and baritone soloists and orchestra, Flesh and Blood (2012). Both premières lasted around 25 minutes. Sawer's new work made a satisfying contrast with its Schubertian surroundings. But an even more rewarding, and certainly more congruent, companion to the Schnebel might have been Luciano Berio's Rendering for Orchestra (1990), which reworks the fragments of Schubert's unfinished Tenth Symphony in D major, D936a into a three-movement symphonic work that would have complemented Schnebel's postmodern re-imaginings. It would also have made some fascinating associations with the Viennese master's last completed work in symphonic form: the ‘Great’ C major Symphony, which was heard after the interval. Enough speculating on what might have been; what of the fare that was actually on offer?
Breathlessness in cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease:
Using a qualitative approach to describe the experience of patients and
carers
Authors: BOOTH, SARA , SILVESTER, STELLA , TODD CHRISTOPHER
Published: July 2013

Objective: To investigate and document the effects of
breathlessness on the everyday lives of patients with cancer
and COPD and their carers. This subject has been little researched,
although dyspnoea is recognized as a disabling, distressing symptom.
The number of breathless people is increasing as patients with all
types of cardio-respiratory disease live longer.

Methods: Patients with severe COPD and cancer and their
carers were interviewed at home using a semistructured format to record
their perceptions of the impact of breathlessness, the help they had
received from medical and caring services, and their ideas on how these
could be improved.

Results: 10 patients with COPD (6 male) and 10 with cancer
(6 male) and their spouses were interviewed. All patients found
breathlessness frightening, disabling, and restricting. Patients
developed a stoical, philosophical approach in order to live with
dyspnoea and the difficulties it imposed: this was also an important
way of reducing the emotional impact of breathlessness. Patients'
spouses suffered significantly, experiencing severe anxiety and
helplessness as they witnessed their partners' suffering and felt
powerless to reduce it. The restrictions imposed by breathlessness
affected their lives profoundly. Support of all kinds, practical,
medical, and psychosocial was highly valued but was provided
inconsistently and sporadically. Where help was given it came most
frequently from general practitioners (GPs, family physicians) and
specialist respiratory nurses.

Significance of results: This study is the first to document
the psychosocial needs of carers, which are not adequately recognized
or addressed at present. Patients and carers may feel most isolated and
need support outside the working hours of most services and future
provision needs to reflect this. Patients with cancer experience a more
rapid onset of breathlessness. More clinicians need to be educated in
the management of chronic breathlessness so known helpful strategies
are more widely employed.
DNA repair pathway choice—a PTIP of the hat to 53BP1
Authors: Escribano‐Diaz Cristina , Durocher Daniel
Published: July 2013

In the June issue of Cell, Nussenzweig and colleagues identify PTIP/PAXIP as a 53BP1 effector protein in the regulatory network that controls DSB repair pathway choice.
Topological Quantum Phase Transition in Synthetic Non-Abelian Gauge Potential: Gauge Invariance and Experimental Detections
Authors: Sun Fadi , Yu Xiao-Lu , Ye Jinwu , Fan Heng , Liu Wu-Ming
Published: July 2013

The method of synthetic gauge potentials opens up a new avenue for our understanding and discovering novel quantum states of matter. We investigate the topological quantum phase transition of Fermi gases trapped in a honeycomb lattice in the presence of a synthetic non-Abelian gauge potential. We develop a systematic fermionic effective field theory to describe a topological quantum phase transition tuned by the non-Abelian gauge potential and explore its various important experimental consequences. Numerical calculations on lattice scales are performed to compare with the results achieved by the fermionic effective field theory. Several possible experimental detection methods of topological quantum phase transition are proposed. In contrast to condensed matter experiments where only gauge invariant quantities can be measured, both gauge invariant and non-gauge invariant quantities can be measured by experimentally generating various non-Abelian gauges corresponding to the same set of Wilson loops.
Push–pull triarylamine additives that enhance dye sensitized solar cell performance
Authors: Kokil Akshay , Chudomel J. Matthew , Homnick Jamie , Lahti Paul M. , Kumar Jayant
Published: July 2013

Enhancement in dye sensitized solar cell performance using push–pull organic triarylamines with tunable frontier energy levels as electrolyte additives is presented.
Experimental evolution of protein–protein interaction networks
Authors: Kaçar Betül , Gaucher Eric A.
Published: July 2013

The modern synthesis of evolutionary theory and genetics has enabled us to discover underlying molecular mechanisms of organismal evolution. We know that in order to maximize an organism's fitness in a particular environment, individual interactions among components of protein and nucleic acid networks need to be optimized by natural selection, or sometimes through random processes, as the organism responds to changes and/or challenges in the environment. Despite the significant role of molecular networks in determining an organism's adaptation to its environment, we still do not know how such inter- and intra-molecular interactions within networks change over time and contribute to an organism's evolvability while maintaining overall network functions. One way to address this challenge is to identify connections between molecular networks and their host organisms, to manipulate these connections, and then attempt to understand how such perturbations influence molecular dynamics of the network and thus influence evolutionary paths and organismal fitness. In the present review, we discuss how integrating evolutionary history with experimental systems that combine tools drawn from molecular evolution, synthetic biology and biochemistry allow us to identify the underlying mechanisms of organismal evolution, particularly from the perspective of protein interaction networks.
Dedicated Spine Trauma Clinical Quality Registries: A Systematic Review
Authors: Tee Jin W. , Chan Patrick C. H. , Rosenfeld Jeffrey V. , Gruen Russell L.
Published: July 2013

Study Design

Systematic review.

Objective

We assessed the current state of spine registries by collecting spine trauma data and assessing their compliance to defined registry standards of being clinical quality. We ascertained if these registries collected spinal cord injury data alone or with spine column trauma data.

Methods

A systematic review was performed using MEDLINE and Embase databases for articles describing dedicated spinal cord and spine column databases published between January 1990 and April 2011. Correspondence with these registries was performed via e-mail or post. When no correspondence was possible, the registries were analyzed with best information available.

Results

Three hundred eight full-text articles were reviewed. Of 41 registries identified, 20 registries fulfilled the criteria of being clinical quality. The main reason for failure to attain clinical quality designation was due to the unavailability of patient outcomes. Eight registries collected both spine column and spinal cord injury data with 33 collecting only traumatic spinal cord injury data.

Conclusion

There is currently a paucity of clinical quality spine trauma registries. Clinical quality registries are important tools for demonstrating trends and outcomes, monitoring care quality, and resolving controversies in the management of spine trauma. An international spine trauma data set (containing both spinal cord and spine column injury data) and standardized approach to recording and analysis are needed to allow international multicenter collaboration and benchmarking.
Museums, Poetics and Affect
Authors: Golding Viv
Published: July 2013

This paper reflects on affect and emotion as they relate to poetics — her/histories — in twenty-first century museums. Using specific examples, it considers the ways in which collections of material culture hold diverse meanings and how ideas are communicated to audiences over time and space but might also be challenged through imaginative activity. Key objects, exhibitions and activities discussed highlight masculinities at work in museums and include the temporary art installations by Yinka Shonibare and Fred Wilson in the Victoria and Albert Museum's (V&A) Norfolk House Music Room in 2007; the portrait in oils of the Jamaican scholar Francis Williams, painted by an anonymous artist around 1745; and a contemporary oral commentary by Benjamin Zephaniah in the V&A British Galleries, which are considered through a feminist lens of poetics.
Blowing the Love-breath: Healing men in Caribbean Women's Writing
Authors: Valovirta Elina
Published: July 2013

Caribbean women writers (such as Erna Brodber and Opal Palmer Adisa, who are discussed in this article) often include men in women's liberatory quests as participants: helpers, healers or caregivers. The close connection between sexuality and emotions in this body of writing can be read through a new model of affective feminist reader theory, which embraces and redefines from a feminist perspective the affective fallacy (over-interpreting a text based on one's feelings) so dreaded by the New Critics. This article interrogates how to read through affects across multiple intersecting differences between the text and the reader (such as race, class, culture and gender). A self-reflective negotiation between an outsider reader and a text's healing communities reveals the limits of the reader's ability to participate. The affective fallacy in this context becomes a useful tool for reading, but here it seeks a very different goal from that for which it was previously used. The transcultural feminism of difference relies on affectivity and emotions as a political force and a method for meaning; however, knowing the boundaries of one's affects prevents one from intrusively taking on the other's suffering through sympathetic reading. Women's sexual healing processes in the novels discussed in this article are not self-evidently or solely gynocentric in the Caribbean context: men are often active participants in these processes, and thus also in gender reconfigurations. Participation in these affective moments between the novels’ women and healing men is made possible by the reader's parallel process of embracing and curtailing her affective responses to the suffering of the other.