bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Repoliticizing Higher Education Assessment within Neoliberal Globalization
Authors: Hursh David , Wall Andrew F.
Published: December 2011

This article shows how universities, like education and social services in general, are increasingly pressured to adopt neoliberal principles that encourage privatization, entrepreneurship, standardization, assessment, and accountability. The authors examine recent efforts in the United States to develop measurement and accountability systems that commodify higher education, and show how they reflect a neoliberal rationale that undermines the historical purposes of higher education, reduces faculty autonomy, and harms the common good. However, they propose ways in which assessment and accountability might be implemented in higher education so as to promote teaching and learning responsive to the interests of students, faculty, the university, and wider communities.
Field/Work, Site, and other Matters: Exploring Design Practice across Disciplines
Authors: Pirrie Anne , Brown James Benedict
Published: December 2011

This article explores educational research and theory in the area of the built environment by reflecting on the challenges of interdisciplinary enquiry and the prerequisites for successful interdisciplinary practice. The genesis of a particular example of interdisciplinary collaboration is explored, and the authors come to the deceptively simple conclusion that taking time is the sine qua non for engaged and reflective collaborative practice. The article draws upon a variety of disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, cultural studies and architecture, to elaborate a set of distinctions that are then explored in relation to two specific examples from architectural education. The distinctions are between wayfaring and travelling and their epistemological analogues, namely inhabitant and occupant knowledge. To return to territory more familiar to those engaged in education in the built environment, we also explore the differences between sketches and plans. The authors reconsider Polyark (an educational initiative in which students from the Architectural Association in London took to the road in a decommissioned London bus) and its successor, Polyark II, in terms suggested by these distinctions. These examples illustrate the difficulty designers, educators and researchers face when they attempt to move away from normative design practice. However, they also open up new prospects for an elaboration of wayfaring practice across disciplines.
European Policy of Career Guidance: The Interrelationship between Career Self-Management and Production of Human Capital in the Knowledge Economy
Authors: Bengtsson Anki
Published: December 2011

‘Everyone has a career to be managed’ is the simple message in new policy strategies for career guidance in Europe. In this article, the promotion of career management for ‘all’ will be unsettled by analysis of career self-management put in relation to rationalities of government and self-government. We are governed to self-manage our career and at the same time govern ourselves to do that. European policy documents on career guidance and career development produced from 2000 to 2008 are analysed from the Foucauldian governmentality perspective. From the starting point that reshaping of career guidance is part of human capital strategies in the knowledge economy of Europe, the author argues that policy of career guidance aims to shape not only a competitive workforce, but in addition entrepreneurial and responsible citizens. In political strategies of career guidance, the competences of career management skills work as a technology to govern the individual to participate in inventing human capital by capitalising oneself to manage the career in working life as well as in social life. The author discusses what desirable subjectivities government of career self-management constructs in relation to re-regulated responsibility of the individual and the state.
Non-Formal Education and Civil Society in Post-Soviet Russia: What is the Relationship?
Authors: Morgan W. John , Kliucharev Grigori A.
Published: December 2011

The article describes collaborative research into the relationship between non-formal education and civil society in post-Soviet Russia. It shows how through social survey data and case studies of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other civil society organisations (CSOs), using a combination of social science perspectives, much can be learned about the current condition and democratic potential of Russian civil society.
Improving the Professional Knowledge Base for Education: Using Knowledge Management and Web 2.0 Tools
Authors: Leask Marilyn
Published: December 2011

Improving education systems is an elusive goal. Despite considerable investment, international studies such as the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) project of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the McKinsey Report, How The World's Best Performing Schools Come Out On Top, indicate that improving teacher quality is more important than increased financial investment. Both reports challenge governments, academics and practitioners to adopt new ways of sharing and building knowledge. This article makes the case for national education systems to adopt tried and tested knowledge management and Web 2.0 tools used by other sectors, and highlights the neglected potential of teacher educators as agents for improvement.
Agency and Advocacy: Disabled Students in Higher Education in Ghana and Tanzania
Authors: Morley Louise , Croft Alison
Published: December 2011

Between 10% and 15% of the world's population are thought to be disabled. The 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an example of emerging global policy architecture for human rights for disabled people. Article 24 states that disabled people should receive the support required to facilitate their effective education. In research, links between higher education access, equalities and disability are being explored by scholars of the sociology of higher education. However, with the exception of some small-scale studies from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Rwanda, Namibia, Uganda and Pakistan, literature tends to come from the global North. Yet there is a toxic correlation between disability and poverty – especially in the global South. This article is based on a review of the global literature on disability in higher education and interview findings from the project ‘Widening Participation in Higher Education in Ghana and Tanzania: developing an Equity Scorecard’, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Department for International Development. A central finding was that while disability was associated with constraints, misrecognition, frustration, exclusion and even danger, students' agency, advocacy and achievement in higher education offered opportunities for transforming spoiled identities.
Applicability of the Cross-Culturally Modified University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test in a Japanese Population
Authors: Ogihara Hitomi , Kobayashi Masayoshi , Nishida Kohei , Kitano Masako , Takeuchi Kazuhiko
Published: December 2011

Background

The University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) is a popular olfactory function test used throughout the world. In Japan, however, it is not widely used because it is written in English and some of the test odorants are unfamiliar to the Japanese population. Recently, a cross-culturally modified UPSIT was developed. This study was designed to determine if the Japanese version of the UPSIT (UPSIT-J) is effective in Japanese populations.

Methods

We administered the UPSIT-J to 50 normosmic Japanese subjects and 54 Japanese patients with known olfactory dysfunction. Subjects were also administered the Japanese standard olfactory threshold test (T&T olfactometry), the Odor Stick Identification Test for Japanese (OSIT-J) and i.v. olfactometry (the Alinamin test). Test results from the UPSIT-J and subjects’ opinions were compared with the standard Japanese tests of olfactory function.

Results

Most subjects reported that the UPSIT-J was easy and interesting compared with OSIT-J and easier and more interesting than the T&T olfactometry and Alinamin test. Identification rates for nine of the UPSIT-J odorants were found to be < 80% for normal subjects. UPSIT-J scores correlated with subjects’ self-reported levels of olfactory function (r s = 0.85), OSIT-J score (r s = 0.86), recognition threshold of the T&T olfactometry (r s = 0.80), and Alinamin test results (r s = 0.38 for latency; r s = 0.52 for duration time).

Conclusion

Although a cultural bias was detected for some test odorants, this study indicates that the UPSIT-J is effective for use in the clinic to assess olfactory function in the Japanese population.
The Prevalence of Aspirin Hypersensitivity in Patients with Nasal Polyposis and Contributing Factors
Authors: Bavbek Sevim , Dursun Berna , Dursun Engin , Korkmaz Hakan , Karasoy Durdu Sertkaya
Published: December 2011

Background

Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid [ASA]) hypersensitivity is frequent in patients with nasal polyps (NPs) and is called aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease, previously known as Samter's syndrome. However, studies evaluating the prevalence of ASA hypersensitivity in patients with NPs using the oral aspirin provocation test (APT) are quite limited. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of ASA hypersensitivity and factors associated with ASA hypersensitivity in patients with NPs.

Methods

Sixty-eight patients with NPs with or without asthma were recruited. Extension of NPs was evaluated by endoscopic examination/paranasal CT. A 2-day, single-blind placebo-controlled APT was used to detect ASA hypersensitivity.

Results

APT was performed in 53 (21 women/ 32 men) patients (mean age, 39.34 ± 1.76 years). APT resulted positive in 12 patients (22.6%) of whom 3 (25%) had no history of ASA hypersensitivity. Of the positive APTs, three were isolated rhinitis and nine had classic responses. APT was negative in 41 patients (77.4%) although three (7.3%) had a history of ASA hypersensitivity. History of ASA hypersensitivity and prolonged duration of NPs were associated with positive APT (p < 0.05). Advanced NP with multiple operations was also correlated with APT positivity but was not statistically significant. Presence of asthma was associated with age, female gender, NP duration, and ASA hypersensitivity history (p < 0.05), but not with smoking, atopy, NP extension, and positive APT.

Conclusion

ASA hypersensitivity is quite common in patients with NP. Patients with extensive and long-term NP with multiple polyp operations require evaluation for the presence of ASA hypersensitivity in terms of chronic management and future risks of the disease.
Aerodynamic Characteristics inside the Rhino-Sinonasal Cavity after Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
Authors: Chen Xiao Bing , Lee Heow Pueh , Chong Vincent Fook Hin , Wang De Yun
Published: December 2011

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) on transient nasal aerodynamic flow patterns using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations.

Methods

A three-dimensional model of the nasal cavity was constructed from CT scans of a patient with FESS interventions on the right side of the nasal cavity. CFD simulations were then performed for unsteady aerodynamic flow modeling inside the nasal cavity as well as the sinuses.

Results

Comparisons of the local velocity magnitude and streamline distributions inside the left and right nasal cavity and maxillary sinus regions were presented. Because of the FESS procedures in the right nasal cavity, existences and distributions of local circulations (vortexes) were found to be significantly different for the same nasal airflow rate but at different acceleration, deceleration, or quiet phases in the maxillary sinus region on the FESS side. Because of inertia effects, local internal airflow with circulation existences was continuous throughout the whole respiration cycle. With a larger peak inspiration flow rate, the airflow intensity inside the enlarged maxillary sinus increased significantly. Possible outcomes on functional performances of the nose were also examined and discussed.

Conclusion

Surgical enlargements of natural ostium of the maxillary sinus will change the aerodynamic patterns inside the main nasal cavity and maxillary sinus regions, which may affect normal nasal physiological functions. Local inertia effects play more important roles for the internal nasal airflow pattern changes and thus such conventional FESS procedures should be carefully planned.
Relationship between Septal Body Size and Septal Deviation
Authors: Setlur Jennifer , Goyal Parul
Published: December 2011

Background

Previous studies have described inferior turbinate hypertrophy compensatory to a septal deviation. The septal body contains vasoactive tissue that may behave in a manner similar to the inferior turbinate. The septal body, situated in the nasal valve region, may undergo changes that alter nasal anatomy and airflow patterns. The goal was to compare the size of the septal body to the laterality of septal deviation. The aim was to determine whether there is a correlation between the laterality of septal deviation and laterality of septal body prominence.

Methods

Measurements were obtained from 100 sinus computerized tomography scans that were retrospectively reviewed. The degree of septal deviation, the size of the septal body, and the correlation between these measurements were assessed.

Results

The mean septal body width was 9.3 mm. The degree of septal deviation was classified as mild in 27 cases, moderate in 36 cases, and severe in 27 cases. In 99 of 100 cases, the septal body was larger on the side opposite the nasal septal deviation, and this was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The difference in septal body thickness ipsilateral and contralateral to a septal deviation was found to correlate with the degree of septal deviation. Mean difference in septal body size was 3.98 mm in cases with severe septal deviation, 1.97 mm in cases with moderate deviation, and 1.21 mm in cases with mild septal deviation.

Conclusion

The septal body is more prominent contralateral to a septal deviation. These findings are similar to those seen with inferior turbinate hypertrophy. The results indicate that septal body hypertrophy may play a role in regulating nasal airflow and may contribute to nasal obstruction.
Microarray Analysis of Differentially Expressed microRNAs in Allergic Rhinitis
Authors: Shaoqing Yu , Ruxin Zhang , Guojun Liu , Zhiqiang Yan , Hua Hu , Shudong Yu , Jie Zhang
Published: December 2011

Background

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa, but we have not fully understood the mechanism responsible for the development of AR. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short endogenous noncoding RNAs regulating protein translation through a mechanism known as RNA interference. To understand the molecular mechanisms of miRNA involved in the pathogenesis of AR, expressed miRNAs in AR were investigated through genomewide microarray analysis.

Methods

Mammalian miRNA microarrays containing whole human mature and precursor miRNA sequences were used for analyzing eight samples of nasal mucosa of AR and eight samples of nonallergic patients. Quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of some different expressed miRNAs was used to confirm the array results.

Results

The miRNA microarray chip analysis identified 421 miRNAs differentially expressed in the nasal mucosa of AR, and a total of 9 miRNAs were identified in the AR group with twofold change compared with control samples (p < 0.05). These included up-regulated miRNAs, hsa-hsa-miR-7, and hsa-miRPlus-E1194, and down-regulated miRNAs, hsa-miR-498, hsa-miR-187, hsa-miR-874, hsa-miR-143, hsa-miR-886–3p, hsa-miR-224, and hsa-miR-767–5p. RT-PCR results also confirmed that part of differentially expressed miRNAs as hsa-miR-224, hsa-miR-187, and hsa-miR-143 were down-regulated in AR.

Conclusion

The report indicated that many miRNA expressions were altered in AR and differentially expressed miRNAs appear to be involved in the development of AR. The study of miRNAs may lead to a better understanding about the roles of identified miRNAs in the pathogenesis of AR; this would be considered in future therapeutic strategies.
Levocetirizine Inhibits Rhinovirus-Induced Up-Regulation of Fibrogenic and Angiogenic Factors in Nasal Polyp Fibroblasts
Authors: Kim Ji Heui , Ja Kwon Hyun , Ju Jang Yong
Published: December 2011

Background

Up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and transforming growth factor (TGF) beta, may contribute to the formation of nasal polyps (NPs). Rhinovirus (RV) infection enhances expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, and VEGF in NP fibroblasts and of TGF-beta in respiratory epithelial cells. We investigated the inhibitory effects of levocetirizine (LCT) on the RV-induced expression of (1) fibrogenic (MMPs and TGF-beta) and (2) angiogenic (VEGF and TGF-beta) factors in NP fibroblasts.

Methods

NP fibroblasts obtained from 11 male patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with NPs (CRSwNPs), were infected with RV serotype 16 (RV-16) for 4 hours. Cells were treated with 50 nM of LCT 24 hours before infection and for 48 hours thereafter. Expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, VEGF, and TGF-β mRNA and protein were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, respectively.

Results

LCT significantly inhibited RV-induced increases in MMP-2, MMP-9, VEGF, and TGF-beta mRNA, and protein expression, in NP fibroblasts (p < 0.05 for each comparison).

Conclusion

LCT inhibits RV-induced up-regulation of fibrogenic and angiogenic factors in NP fibroblasts, suggesting that LCT may prevent NP formation in patients with CRSwNP caused by RV infection.
Milk Allergy is Frequent in Patients with Chronic Sinusitis and Nasal Polyposis
Authors: Lill Claudia , Loader Benjamin , Seemann Rudolf , Zumtobel Michaela , Brunner Markus , Heiduschka Gregor , Thurnher Dietmar
Published: December 2011

Background

Chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps with subsequent nasal blocking, anosmia, and relapsing infections are frequent in the rhinological practice. Often, recurrent disease necessitates repetitive conservative therapy and surgical treatment (functional endoscopic sinus surgery). This study was initiated to scrutinize the relationship of wheat and milk allergies to chronic polypoid sinusitis (CPS) and recurrent disease.

Methods

Blood samples of 50 healthy controls and 50 patients with clinically and radiologically diagnosed CPS and nasal polyposis were screened for common food allergies including wheat and milk allergy. On inclusion into the study, none of the patients reported a symptomatic food allergy.

Results

Fifteen of 100 tested subjects (15%) revealed a previously undiagnosed allergy to inhalant (dust, rye, and pollens) and other food allergens (corn and egg white). Six of 50 patients (12%) with CPS exhibited a wheat allergy, and a milk allergy could be identified in 7 patients (14%). In the control group, seven healthy subjects (14%) showed a wheat allergy and no case of milk allergy could be identified (p = 0.0125).

Conclusion

In contrast to previous studies in other countries presenting a food allergy incidence of ∼75% in patients with nasal polyposis, we could not show such a high incidence. In the group with chronic polyposis 14% of the patients were positive for milk allergy compared with none of the tested healthy subjects, resulting in a strong statistical significance. Therefore, we conclude that cow's milk but not wheat allergy might be a relevant pathogenetic entity in chronic nasal polyps.
Acute Isolated Sphenoid Sinusitis in Children
Authors: Caimmi Davide , Caimmi Silvia , Labò Elena , Marseglia Alessia , Pagella Fabio , Castellazzi Anna Maria , Marseglia Gian Luigi
Published: December 2011

Background

Isolated pediatric sphenoidal sinusitis is an uncommon disorder with sphenoiditis more commonly found as part of pansinusitis. Recognizing the condition on history and examination alone is difficult and delayed diagnosis many occur in many cases. Nasal endoscopy, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are essential adjuncts to confirm diagnosis. This study was designed to confirm the clinical features and diagnostic difficulties associated with isolated sphenoidal sinusitis in children.

Methods

A 16-year review was performed of cases diagnosed and treated in a tertiary teaching hospital.

Results

Two different groups of patients were identified. One group presented with fever and headache, frequently associated with neurological complications. Swimming and/or diving could be identified as possible causative agents. The second group presented with headache alone and a less severe clinical presentation.

Conclusion

Isolated pediatric sphenoidal sinusitis may be more prevalent than was previously thought with CT/MRI helping establish the diagnosis in many cases. Pediatricians should be aware of this unusual but still potentially devastating condition. A nasal endoscopy is a useful diagnostic tool in this patient group, being noninvasive and well tolerated in children and adolescents.
Posterior Pedicle Lateral Nasal Wall Flap: New Reconstructive Technique for Large Defects of the Skull Base
Authors: Rivera-Serrano Carlos M. , Bassagaisteguy Luis H. , Hadad Gustavo , Carrau Ricardo L. , Kelly Dan , Prevedello Daniel M. , Fernandez-Miranda Juan , Kassam Amin B.
Published: December 2011

Background

Indications for expanded endoscopic approaches continue to grow, resulting in larger and more complex skull base defects. Reconstructive developments, however, have lagged our extirpative capabilities. As the complexity of clinical scenarios continues to escalate, challenging our current reconstructive strategies, we are compelled to develop alternative techniques to prevent cerebrospinal fluid leaks and protect neurovascular structures. In this article we show the anatomic basis for a new posterior pedicled flap from the lateral wall of the nose (Carrau-Hadad [C-H] flap) for the reconstruction of median skull base defects and present our early clinical experience.

Methods

Using a cadaveric model, we designed a posterior pedicle flap comprising the nasal inferolateral wall mucoperiosteum. We applied this information clinically, to reconstruct transmural skull base defects.

Results

In our cadaveric model, we harvested and transposed C-H flaps into various defects of the planum sphenoidale, sella turcica, clivus, and nasopharynx. Then, we used the C-H flap in four patients, successfully reconstructing their clival (n = 3) and sellar (n = 1) surgical defects. All patients healed uneventfully.

Conclusion

Our anatomic study and early clinical experience support the use of the posterior pedicle lateral nasal wall flap to reconstruct large cranial base defects resulting from endoscopic skull base surgery in properly selected patients.
Intravenous Esmolol Infusion Improves Surgical Fields during Sevoflurane-Anesthetized Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Authors: Shen Ping-Hung , Weitzel Erik Kent , Lai Jen-Tsung , Wormald Peter-John , Ho Chee-Sang
Published: December 2011

Background

There is increasing evidence to support the use of anesthetics to affect operative fields during endoscopic sinus surgery and thus the speed, thoroughness, and safety of the surgery itself. Previous research has suggested preoperative beta-blockers improve surgical fields (SFs); our study is novel in showing the impact of a beta-blocker infusion on SFs during sinus surgery.

Methods

A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 40 patients. Patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis received a constant infusion of i.v. esmolol or saline in addition to a standard inhaled anesthetic protocol. At regular 15-minutes intervals, the quality of SF, heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were assessed. Total blood loss was also recorded.

Results

Average vital sign parameters (HR/SBP/DBP) were significantly lower in the esmolol group (69.1/90.2/55.1 versus 77.2/99.5/63.5; p < 0.01). The esmolol infusion improved SFs relative to control (2.3 versus 2.6; p = 0.045). Esmolol infusion resulted in good SFs (grades 1 and 2) more often than poor fields (grades 3 and 4); on the contrary, the control group showed more poor than good SFs (chi-square; p = 0.04). A correlation between increasing HR and worsening SFs was identified (r = 0.259; p = 0.002). The control group had significantly higher average blood loss (1.3 versus 0.8 mL/min; p = 0.037).

Conclusion

Esmolol-induced relative hypotension and bradycardia during endoscopic sinus surgery achieves significantly improved SFs relative to saline control.
Antegrade Transsphenoidal Vidian Neurectomy: Short-Term Surgical Outcome Analysis
Authors: Su Wan-Fu , Liu Shao-Cheng , Chiu Feng-Shiang , Lee Chia-Hsuan
Published: December 2011

Background

Vidian neurectomy was an option for treating allergic rhinitis in the past but outcomes varied. A modified transsphenoidal approach is proposed to simplify endoscopic vidian neurectomy. The postoperative evaluation of rhinorrhea, sneezing, and recurrence was investigated.

Methods

A total of 317 patients with refractory allergic rhinitis underwent 414 transsphenoidal vidian neurectomies from September 2006 to December 2010. A rigid nasal endoscope was used through a transsphenoidal approach to reach the vidian canal inside the sphenoid sinus (type I) or through its anterior opening into the pterygopalatine fossa (type II) and to cut or cauterize the vidian nerve. The surgical outcomes were analyzed for patients with at least 6 months of follow-up.

Results

Our approach was successful in 90.3% of the 414 vidian neurectomies. Vidian neurectomy was successful via the type I approach in 27 sides and type II approach in 347 sides. The short-term surgical outcomes of 163 patients who underwent a total of 236 vidian neurectomies with at least 6 months of follow-up were analyzed. Immediate, complete cessation of sneezing and rhinorrhea occurred uniformly. Three recurrences were detected during the 1–2 years of follow-up. The symptom of dry eye was reported for 172 surgical sides, but only 6 had persistent symptoms for > 6 months.

Conclusion

The transsphenoidal approach in a vidian neurectomy is a simple method that removes the need for sphenopalatine artery ligation and causes less surgical morbidity. However, the possibility of recurrence of this condition in the long term needs further investigation.
Cyclooxygenase 2 and Lipoxin A4 in Nasal Polyps in Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Rozsasi Ajnacska , Heinemann Akos , Keck Tilman
Published: December 2011

Background

The etiology of nasal polyps (NPs) and sinusitis in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients is still unknown. This study investigates the presence of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and lipoxin A 4 ( LXA 4) in epithelial cultures derived from NPs and turbinates in patients with CF and without CF.

Methods

NPs and turbinates were evaluated from eight CF patients with obstructing NPs undergoing sinus surgery. NPs and tissue from the hypertrophic inferior turbinate from 14 patients without history of CF undergoing sinus surgery served as control specimens. After tissue culturing, the presence of COX-2 protein and LXA 4 ( ELISA) was detected in CF polyps and turbinates and compared with that of the control group.

Results

COX-2 and LXA 4 were detectable in tissue specimens of all CF patients and control patients. COX-2 was highest in CF polyps, but the difference was not significant compared with CF turbinates or polyps and turbinates of patients not suffering from CF. LXA 4, however, was significantly higher in CF NPs compared with CF turbinate tissue. Compared with NPs of patients not having CF disease, CF polyps showed markedly higher concentrations of LXA 4.

Conclusion

LXA 4 is significantly elevated in CF NPs, whereas COX-2 is only slightly increased. The present data support the concept that LXA 4 plays an important role in CF nasal polyposis. Chronic infection in nasal polyposis and, because of inflammation, induced COX-2 in CF NPs may be related to increased LXA 4. The suspected interaction of COX-2 and LXA 4 needs further investigation.
Staphylococcus Aureus Enterotoxin B Contributes to Induction of Nasal Polypoid Lesions in an Allergic Rhinosinusitis Murine Model
Authors: Kim Dae Woo , Khalmuratova Roza , Gu Hur Dong , Jeon Sea-Yuong , Kim Sang-Wook , Shin Hyun-Woo , Lee Chul Hee , Rhee Chae-Seo
Published: December 2011

Background

Studies on the pathophysiology of nasal polyps in human subjects have been limited; thus an animal model is needed. There is increasing evidence supporting the role of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B (SEB) in the pathogenesis of nasal polyposis. The aim of this study was to investigate the histological and immunologic effects of SEB on the formation of nasal polypoid lesions in an allergic rhinosinusitis murine model.

Methods

After induction of an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic rhinosinusitis, OVA with SEB (5 or 500 ng) was instilled into the nasal cavity of mice for 8 weeks. Control mice did not receive SEB or OVA instillation. Histopathological changes were observed using hematoxylin and eosin, Sirius red, Giemsa, Masson's trichrome, and Alcian blue stains. The levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-8, IL-13, eotaxin, interferon gamma, total IgE, and OVA-specific IgE from serum or nasal lavage fluid were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

The group treated with OVA plus 5 ng of SEB had significantly more mucosal lesions with epithelial disruption and nasal polypoid lesions than mice treated with OVA only, showing a significant increase in the infiltration of total inflammatory cells, eosinophils, and lymphocytes than the other groups. Levels of IL-5, eotaxin, and OVA-specific IgE in nasal lavage fluid were increased in the group treated with OVA plus 5 ng of SEB than in the other groups. A higher number of secretory cells in the groups treated with OVA plus SEB was observed than in other groups.

Conclusion

Low-dose SEB induced nasal polypoid lesions with an increased eosinophilic infiltration in an allergic rhinosinusitis murine model.
Thirty-Year Survey on Airborne Pollen Concentrations in Genoa, Italy: Relationship with Sensitizations, Meteorological Data, and Air Pollution
Authors: Negrini Arsenio Corrado , Negrini Simone , Giunta Vania , Quaglini Silvana , Ciprandi Giorgio
Published: December 2011

Background

Pollen allergy represents a relevant health issue. Betulaceae sensitization significantly increased in Genoa, Italy, in the last decades. This study investigated possible relationships among pollen count, meteorological changes, air pollution, and sensitizations in this city during a 30-year period.

Methods

Betulaceae, Urticaceae, Gramineae, and Oleaceae pollen counts were measured from 1981 to 2010 in Genoa. Sensitization to these pollens was also considered in large populations of allergic patients. Meteorological parameters and pollutants were also measured in the same area.

Results

Betulaceae sensitization increased over time. All pollen species significantly increased over this time. Pollen season advanced for Betulaceae and Urticaceae. Only Urticaceae season significantly increased. Temperature increased while rainfall decreased over the time. Pollutants significantly decreased. There were some relationships between pollen changes and climatic and air pollution parameters.

Conclusion

This 30-year study conducted in an urbanized area provided evidence that Betulaceae sensitization significantly increased, pollen load significantly augmented, and climate and air pollution changed with a possible influence on pollen release.
The Last of the Mohicans: How Walter Ulbricht Endured the Hungarian Crisis of 1956
Authors: Granville Johanna
Published: December 2011

According to German historian Hermann Weber, 25 percent of all

published studies on the German Democratic Republic (GDR) have

focused on the early years of the regime of the Socialist Unity Party

(SED), 20 percent on the 1980s and collapse of the dictatorship, and

only 3 percent on the years in between.1 While the GDR itself may

not have become a mere footnote in history as novelist Stefan Heym

predicted, studies of East German history in the 1950s—before the

construction of the Berlin Wall, when the regime of Walter Ulbricht

was most vulnerable—are exceedingly rare.2 Archive-based studies of

Ulbricht’s response to the Hungarian revolution of 1956 are rarer

still.3 A recently edited volume of essays published in Germany

about responses to the Hungarian revolution, for example, included

the reactions of nearly every East European country, except those of

the GDR.
Germany's Future Political Challenges: Imagine that The New Yorker Profiled the German Chancellor in 2015
Authors: Crawford Beverly
Published: December 2011

What follows is a fictitious scenario, a "thought experiment," meant to project a particular future for Germany if certain assumptions hold. Scenarios are hypotheses that rest on a set of assumptions and one or two "wild cards." They can reveal forces of change that might be otherwise hidden, discard those that are not plausible, and describe the future of trends that are relatively certain. Indeed, scenarios create a particular future in the same way that counterfactual methods create a different past. Counterfactual methods predict how events would have unfolded had a few elements of the story been changed, with a focus on varying conditions that seem important and that can be manipulated. For instance, to explore the effects of military factors on the likelihood of war, one might ask: "how would pre 1914 diplomacy have evolved if the leaders of Europe had not believed that conquest was easy?" Or to explore the importance of broad social and political factors in causing Nazi aggression: "How might the 1930s have unfolded had Hitler died in 1932?" The greater the impact of the posited changes, the more important the actual factors that were manipulated. Assuming that the structure of explanation and prediction are the same, scenario writing pursues a similar method. But, instead of seeking alternative explanations for the past, scenarios project relative certainties and then manipulate the important but uncertain factors, to create a plausible story about the future.
The State of the Federal Republic: German Governance in an Era of Change
Authors: Baldi Gregory
Published: December 2011

Among the sub-disciplines of political science, comparative politics is arguably the most prone to periodic fads and fashions. Arguments and ideas that dominate academic debates for one generation of comparative graduate students may well seem like curious historical artifacts by the time the next cohort arrives. Indeed, the great majority of comparative books and articles have an active shelf life of only a few years and, with some notable exceptions, works that do find their way into the current discourse are often cited only as examples of the old paradigms or simply used as markers that show how far the field has come in the intervening period. Some may argue that such rapid depreciation is hardly a drawback in an academic field. Instead, they view it as a reflection of the vibrant character of an active and advancing discipline.
Authors: Matereke Kudzai P.
Published: December 2011

This paper urges readers to rethink the notions "mobility" and "travel" with an eye to how they may help us craft a more supple discourse of cosmopolitanism. The majority of cosmopolitanism discourses privilege mobility and travel experiences of subjects in the metropolis and sideline and downplay those of the postcolonial (and especially rural) subjects. The paper attempts to broaden the discourses of cosmopolitanism by a critical interrogation of Kant's cosmopolitan ideal and its implications for postcolonial societies. It identifies a "postcolonial moment" of cosmopolitanism that is largely ignored in mainstream analyses. This moment can be glimpsed by exploring two narratives of rural villagers who break free from their epistemic enclosures. This moment can only be fully appreciated by deploying broader conceptions of "mobility" and "travel" which capture not only these concepts' corporeal connotations, but their imaginative and virtual connotations as well.
Introduction
Authors: Sjöblom Gustav
Published: December 2011

The coordination of transport was heavily debated in the interwar period, as mechanized road traffic for the first time posed a serious challenge to the railways as the backbone of the transport system. The main issues of the interwar period bear resemblances with current challenges for transport policy, and historical studies may improve our understanding of contemporary transport coordination. This introduction sets the stage by discussing the concept of transport coordination and its historiography.
Coincidences and Estimation of Entropies of Random Variables with Large Cardinalities
Authors: Nemenman Ilya
Published: December 2011

We perform an asymptotic analysis of the NSB estimator of entropy of a discrete random variable. The analysis illuminates the dependence of the estimates on the number of coincidences in the sample and shows that the estimator has a well defined limit for a large cardinality of the studied variable. This allows estimation of entropy with no a priori assumptions about the cardinality. Software implementation of the algorithm is available.
The in Vitro Structure-Related Anti-Cancer Activity of Ginsenosides and Their Derivatives
Authors: Dong Hang , Bai Li-Ping , Wong Vincent Kam Wai , Zhou Hua , Wang Jing-Rong , Liu Yan , Jiang Zhi-Hong , Liu Liang
Published: December 2011

Panax ginseng has long been used in Asia as a herbal medicine for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, including cancer. The current study evaluated the cytotoxic potency against a variety of cancer cells by using ginseng ethanol extracts (RSE), protopanaxadiol (PPD)-type, protopanaxatriol (PPT)-type ginsenosides fractions, and their hydrolysates, which were prepared by stepwise hydrolysis of the sugar moieties of the ginsenosides. The results showed that the cytotoxic potency of the hydrolysates of RSE and total PPD-type or PPT-type ginsenoside fractions was much stronger than the original RSE and ginsenosides; especially the hydrolysate of PPD-type ginsenoside fractions. Subsequently, two derivatives of protopanaxadiol (1), compounds 2 and 3, were synthesized via hydrogenation and dehydration reactions of compound 1. Using those two derivatives and the original ginsenosides, a comparative study on various cancer cell lines was conducted; the results demonstrated that the cytotoxic potency was generally in the descending order of compound 3 > 20(S)-dihydroprotopanaxadiol (2) > PPD (1) > 20(S)-Rh2 > 20(R)-Rh2 ≈ 20(R)-Rg3 ≈ 20(S)-Rg3. The results clearly indicate the structure-related activities in which the compound with less polar chemical structures possesses higher cytotoxic activity towards cancer cells.
Plasma Treated Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) for Epoxy Nanocomposites
Authors: Ritts Andrew C. , Yu Qingsong , Li Hao , Lombardo Stephen J. , Han Xu , Xia Zhenhai , Lian Jie
Published: December 2011

Plasma nanocoating of allylamine were deposited on the surfaces of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to provide desirable functionalities and thus to tailor the surface characteristics of MWCNTs for improved dispersion and interfacial adhesion in epoxy matrices. Plasma nanocoated MWCNTs were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), surface contact angle, and pH change measurements. Mechanical testing results showed that epoxy reinforced with 1.0 wt % plasma coated MWCNTs increased the tensile strength by 54% as compared with the pure epoxy control, while epoxy reinforced with untreated MWCNTs have lower tensile strength than the pure epoxy control. Optical and electron microscopic images show enhanced dispersion of plasma coated MWCNTs in epoxy compared to untreated MWCNTs. Plasma nanocoatings from allylamine on MWCNTs could significantly enhance their dispersion and interfacial adhesion in epoxy matrices. Simulation results based on the shear-lag model derived from micromechanics also confirmed that plasma nanocoating on MWCNTs significantly improved the epoxy/fillers interface bonding and as a result the increased composite strength.
Evolution of HIV-1 Genotype in Plasma RNA and Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Proviral Dna after Interruption and Resumption of Antiretroviral Therapy
Authors: Imaz Arkaitz , Olmo Montserrat , Peñaranda Maria , Gutiérrez Félix , Romeu Joan , Larrousse Maria , Domingo Pere , Oteo José A , Niubó Jordi , Curto Jordi , Vilallonga Concepción , Masiá Mar , López-Aldeguer José , Iribarren José A , Podzamczer Daniel ,   the STOPAR Study Team
Published: December 2011

Background

Structured antiretroviral therapy interruption (TI) is discouraged because of poorer AIDS and non-AIDS-related outcomes, but is often inevitable in clinical practice. Certain strategies could reduce the emergence of resistance mutations related to TI.

Methods

A total of 106 HIV-1-infected patients on stable HAART with undetectable plasma viral load were randomized to therapy continuation ( n=50) or CD4+ T-cell-guided TI ( n=56). Staggered interruption involved stopping non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) 7 days before the nucleoside backbone. Genotypic resistance testing (GRT) was performed on proviral DNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) at baseline and before each TI, and on plasma RNA after each TI.

Results

At baseline, GRT on PBMCs detected mutations in nine patients and only two major mutations were identified. GRT on plasma samples performed after TIs showed nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI), NNRTI and protease inhibitor major resistance associated mutations in 10/56, 3/46 and 1/8 patients receiving these drugs, respectively. Only in two patients had the same mutations been observed in GRT on PBMCs at baseline. Three patients presented virological failure after resumption of therapy, all receiving NNRTIs. In one of them, resistance mutations detected at failure had been also observed previously in GRT on plasma after TI.

Conclusions

Staggered interruption of NNRTIs 7 days before the nucleoside backbone does not avoid resistance emergence completely, but does not necessarily lead to virological failure after treatment resumption. Plasma HIV-1 RNA genotype after the interruption and the patient's treatment history seem to be more useful than baseline proviral DNA genotype to assess the risk of virological failure after restarting therapy.
Couper–coller Comment Boèce fait usage du Songe de Scipion dans sa Consolation de la philosophie
Authors: Strobach Niko
Published: December 2011

Résumé L’objet de cet article est de se demander comment Boèce (env. 480 – 525) fait usage du Songe de Scipion dans sa Consolation de la philosophie. Boèce utilise quelque chose comme la technique du « couper/coller ». On peut isoler dans la Consolation un passage du Songe sur lequel il est modelé, mais où ce texte subit une transformation puisque la fonction solennelle qu’il occupait à la fin de la République de Cicéron s’y retrouve bornée à une tout autre discussion sur le bien seulement apparent, gloria , au seul livre II des cinq livres de la Consolatio  : Boèce décontextualise et recontextualise. On montre, de façon systématique, que la position de Boèce sur l’intériorisation de la vertu se situe à mi-chemin entre Cicéron et Kant.
Aristote et l'elenchos socratique
Authors: Dorion Louis-André
Published: December 2011

Résumé Dans un article publié en 1993, R. Bolton soutient qu’Aristote fournit une description de l’ elenchos socratique dans les Réfutations sophistiques et qu’il cherche également à résoudre le principal problème théorique soulevé par l’ elenchos socratique. Nous nous efforçons au contraire de montrer, dans notre réponse à R. Bolton, que la conception aristotélicienne de l’ elenchos se démarque nettement de l ’elenchos socratique et qu’Aristote ne se reconnaît aucune dette à l’endroit de Socrate.
No una sino muchas repúblicas: una aproximación a las bases teóricas del republicanismo peruano, 1821-1834
Authors: McEvoy Carmen
Published: December 2011

El artículo se propone explorar tres de las vertientes del republicanismo peruano entre 1821 y 1834. La primera, la «patria científica» que floreció en el seno de la Sociedad Patriótica de Lima y está representada por un grupo de hombres de ciencia liderados por Hipólito Unanue, entre los que destacó José Gregorio Paredes. La segunda vertiente, de corte jurídico- filosófico por su énfasis en conceptos como los de libertad y soberanía, se irá gestando en la discusión entre la opción de una monarquía constitucional y otra de carácter estrictamente republicano, siendo su vocero el abogado trujillano José Faustino Sánchez Carrión. El republicanismo militarizado, que es la última categoría que se discute en este trabajo, surge como una respuesta al problema de la guerra contra el imperio español y es construida por «soldados de la República» como Domingo Nieto.
Frutales y agroindustria: conservas, aceites y maderas (Chile y Cuyo, 1550-1850)
Authors: Lacoste Pablo , Yuri José Antonio , Aranda Marcela , Castro Amalia , Quinteros Katherine , Solar Mario , Soto Natalia , Chávez Cristián
Published: December 2011

La rápida propagación de plantas frutales europeas en Chile y Cuyo formuló el problema de su aprovechamiento, asunto complejo antes de la disponibilidad de medios de refrigeración. La respuesta fue el impulso a la actividad agroindustrial. Algunos frutas se conservaban mediante deshidratación, otras se usaban para elaboraban aceites. Algunos de estos productos se comercializaban en el mercado interno y otros se exportaban, particularmente al Perú. Además se avanzó en el aprovechamiento de frutales tanto para construcción como en carpintería y ebanistería. Estas actividades aseguraron la viabilidad económica de la fruticultura e hicieron posible su expansión en la región estudiada.
Effect of vertical mixing on short-term mycosporine-like amino acid synthesis in the Antarctic diatom, Thalasiossira sp.
Authors: Hernando Marcelo Pablo , Carreto Jose Ignacio , Carignan Mario , Ferreyra Gustavo Adolfo
Published: December 2011

One of the adaptations whereby phytoplankton can alleviate damage induced by ultraviolet radiation (280-400 nm) is the synthesis of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs). The synthesis of MAAs was studied after exposure of the Antarctic diatom Thalassiosira sp. isolated from Potter Cove (South Shetland Is., Antarctica) to 2 treatments with a solar simulator: surface (Sfix) and vertical mixing (Mix) irradiance conditions. Light exposure was simulated in daily cycles with maximum irradiance at noon. Only 2 MAAs, Porphyra-334 (82-85%) and Shinorine (15-18%), were identified. The concentration of the two compounds increased during experimental light exposure (50-55%) and declined in the dark (10-15%). During the light period the synthesis rate of MAAs per unit of chlorophyll a was higher in the Sfix treatment (µ=0.17 h-1) than in the Mix treatment (µ=0.05 h-1). In spite of the higher MAA levels, low cell numbers were observed in the Sfix treatment, suggesting that the algae synthesized photoprotective compounds at the expense of growth. Our results document overlapping effects of both daily light cycles and vertical mixing affecting the synthesis of MAAs. This, and the high thermal dissipation of the ultraviolet B radiation energy (280-320 nm) absorbed by these substances, suggest a rapid photoadaptive response of Thalasiossira sp. upon exposure to elevated irradiance in a stratified water column, as well as the complementary role of vertical mixing in photo-protection.