bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Integrative Theoretical Model of Intimate Partner Violence, Coparenting After Separation, and Maternal and Child Well‐Being
Authors: Hardesty Jennifer L. , Raffaelli Marcela , Khaw Lyndal , Thomann Mitchell Elissa , Haselschwerdt Megan L. , Crossman Kimberly A.
Published: December 2012

The quality of coparenting relationships after separation is known to affect mothers' and children's physical and mental health. It is well established that conflict is a common phenomenon among separating parents; however, studies rarely distinguish between relationships characterized by violence as opposed to conflict. Because violence creates a distinct separation and coparenting experience, we propose a theoretical model that integrates these disparate literatures. The integrated model provides a heuristic tool to guide future theory building, research, and practice.
THE LONG‐TERM ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF AGRICULTURAL MARKETING LEGISLATION IN SOUTH AFRICA
Authors: VINK NICK
Published: December 2012

The marketing of most agricultural products in South Africa was subject to intervention by statutory bodies over a period of some 60 years. At the time of the promulgation of the first legislation there was a vigorous debate on the predicted economic effects; in 1983 one of the architects of these instruments published a justification in these pages, followed in 2000 by a “post‐mortem,” which confirmed most of the negative predictions that had been made. The purpose in this article is to revisit this debate and to provide a first assessment of the long‐term impacts of the legislation.
IMPLEMENTING A ROBUST RISK MODEL FOR SOUTH AFRICAN EQUITY MARKETS: A PEAK‐OVER‐THRESHOLD APPROACH
Authors: MWAMBA JOHN MUTEBA
Published: December 2012

This paper implements a market risk model for the South African equity market using daily returns of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange All Share Index. Firstly, we separate positive returns from negative returns and model them using the peak‐over‐threshold (POT) method in order to compute the downside as well as upside risk measures separately. We thereafter compute the value‐at‐risk (VAR) and the expected shortfall (ES) estimates corresponding to upside and downside risks. We bootstrap these risk measures and compute their standard errors and confidence intervals (CIs) to see whether they fall inside these CIs. Secondly, we compute out‐sample forecasts of VAR estimates using the POT method and the generalised autogressive conditional heteroscedasticity process. Three backtesting methodologies are employed: the unconditional and conditional coverage tests and the counting of number of exceptions according to Basel II green zone. We find that all our VAR and ES estimates are well inside their CIs and that at lower quantiles, parametric ES estimates are equal to POT‐ES estimates, although the difference between the two is more pronounced at higher quantiles (99% or higher). Furthermore, our market risk model falls into the Basel II green zone, as it produces fewer exceptions in out‐sample space.
SOUTH AFRICA'S POST‐LIBERALISED CAPITAL FLOWS AND BUSINESS CYCLE FLUCTUATIONS
Authors: GOSSEL SEAN J. , BIEKPE NICHOLAS
Published: December 2012

This study used Christiano and Fitzgerald filtered correlation analysis to investigate the cyclical relationships between South Africa's post‐liberalised capital flows and domestic business cycle fluctuations. The results show that foreign direct investment inflows are counter‐cyclical and proactive, while the “hot” inflows are acyclical. Thus, South Africa's post‐liberalisation “hot” inflows have not been significantly associated with domestic business cycle fluctuations. In contrast, the capital outflows are found to be consistently procyclical and proactive, suggesting that the outflows are more significantly associated with domestic business cycle fluctuations than the capital inflows. In addition, it is found that the cyclical relationships between the capital inflows and the business cycle components of exports, household consumption and gross fixed investment are generally procyclical, except for portfolio inflows, which have a counter‐cyclical relationship with fixed investment. In contrast, the capital outflows are counter‐cyclically associated with exports and household consumption, and procyclically associated with fixed investment.
Diagnosis and localization of impacted maxillary canines: comparison of methods
Authors: Sajnani Anand K. , King Nigel M.
Published: December 2012

Objectives

Numerous clinical signs may be indicative of a canine impaction; however, studies determining the efficiency of visual inspection and digital palpation in localizing an impacted maxillary canine are sparse. Of the radiographic techniques, no studies have compared the accuracy of the horizontal and the vertical parallax techniques to determine the location of an impacted canine. Hence, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficiency of visual inspection and digital palpation, and to compare the accuracy of the horizontal and vertical parallax techniques in determining the location of an impacted maxillary canine.

Methods

The study sample comprised the records of 522 patients who had attended a dental hospital. The location of an impacted maxillary canine was determined radiographically using the vertical and the horizontal parallax principles. The findings were then confirmed from the surgical records in those cases that had undergone surgical intervention of the impacted canine.

Results

The position of the impacted canine was determined successfully by visual inspection and digital palpation in 85.3 and 85.2% of the cases respectively.

Conclusions

The vertical parallax technique demonstrated a higher degree of accuracy (97.7%) and a greater degree of diagnostic capability (98.2%) when compared with the horizontal parallax technique (92.6 and 78.0% respectively).
Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Reversal by Blood Pressure Lowering in Chronic Kidney Disease: Japan Multicenter Investigation for Cardiovascular DiseaseB CKD Study
Authors: Yui Yoshiki , Kodama Kazuhisa , Hirayama Atsushi , Hosoda Saichi , Kawai Chuichi ,   and the Japan Multicenter Investigation for Cardiovascular DiseaseB (JMIC‐B) Study Group
Published: December 2012

Patients are diagnosed as having chronic kidney disease (CKD) if estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Low eGFR is likely to increase the incidence of cardiovascular events and lead to dialysis. Therefore, it is important to prevent eGFR from decreasing eGFR. However, it still remains unknown whether antihypertensive therapy can prevent low eGFR from becoming even lower and improve eGFR in hypertensive patients with CKD. The authors analyzed the results of the Japan Multicenter Investigation for Cardiovascular DiseaseB (JMIC‐B) and investigated the effects of antihypertensive therapy on eGFR. In hypertensive patients with CKD (eGFR <60), eGFR was significantly increased from 51.87±6.21 (n=98) to 57.55±19.00 (P<.001) after 3 years of antihypertensive therapy. In patients without CKD (eGFR ≥60), eGFR was significantly decreased from 91.84±23.27 (n=682) to 88.95±23.67 (P<.001). Regardless of the type of antihypertensive drugs used, eGFR was significantly increased in patients with CKD and was significantly decreased in patients without CKD. This paper shows that antihypertensive therapy can improve eGFR in hypertensive patients with CKD. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2012;00:00–00. ©2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Do National Economic Shocks Influence European Central Bank Interest Rate Decisions? The Impact of the Financial and Sovereign Debt Crises
Authors: Bouvet Florence , King Sharmila
Published: December 2012

This article examines the relevance of national economic conditions for European Central Bank (ECB) interest rate setting and whether the financial and sovereign debt crises have made national divergences more relevant. Officially, the ECB sets policy for the eurozone and considers only eurozone data. However, economic shocks in one or more countries may warrant a deviation from this rule. Using real‐time, forecast data, the authors estimate a modified Taylor rule incorporating two macroeconomic ‘national influence’ measures: first the difference between the median and the eurozone measures of inflation and real gross domestic product (GDP) growth, and then deviations of the measures of inflation and real GDP growth for the ‘core’ and ‘periphery’ countries from eurozone averages. Using rolling‐window analysis to test the stability of parameter estimates, evidence is found that divergences in national data – notably developments in the periphery – from eurozone averages play an increasingly important role during the financial and sovereign debt crises.
European Demoicracy and Its Crisis
Authors: Nicolaïdis Kalypso
Published: December 2012

This article offers an overview and reconsideration of the idea of European demoicracy in the context of the current crisis. It defines ‘demoicracy’ as ‘a Union of peoples, understood both as states and as citizens, who govern together but not as one’, and argues that the concept is best understood as a third way, distinct from both national and supranational versions of single demos polities. The concept of ‘demoicracy’ can serve both as an analytical lens for the European Union‐as‐is and as a normative benchmark, but one which cannot simply be inferred from its praxis. Instead, the article deploys a ‘normative‐inductive’ approach according to which the EU's normative core – transnational non‐domination and transnational mutual recognition – is grounded on what the EU still seeks to escape. Such norms need to be protected and perfected if the EU is to live up to its demoicratic nature. The article suggests ten tentative guiding principles for the EU to continue turning these norms into practice.
Loss of DJ‐1 protein stability and cytoprotective function by Parkinson's disease‐associated proline‐158 deletion
Authors: Rannikko Emmy H. , Vesterager Louise Buur , Shaik Jafar H. A. , Weber Stephanie S. , Cornejo Castro Elena M. , Fog Karina , Jensen Poul H. , Kahle Philipp J.
Published: December 2012

DJ‐1 is a ubiquitous protein regulating cellular viability. Recessive mutations in the PARK7/DJ‐1 gene are linked to Parkinson's disease (PD). Although the most dramatic L166P point mutation practically eliminates DJ‐1 protein and function, the effects of other PD‐linked mutations are subtler. Here, we investigated two recently described PD‐associated DJ‐1 point mutations, the A179T substitution and the P158Δ in‐frame deletion. [A179T]DJ‐1 protein was as stable as wild‐type [wt]DJ‐1, but the P158Δ mutant protein was less stable. In accord with the notion that dimer formation is essential for DJ‐1 protein stability, [P158Δ]DJ‐1 was impaired in dimer formation. Similar to our previous findings for [M26I]DJ‐1, [P158Δ]DJ‐1 bound aberrantly to apoptosis signal‐regulating kinase 1. Thus, the PD‐associated P158Δ mutation destabilizes DJ‐1 protein and function. As there is also evidence for an involvement of DJ‐1 in multiple system atrophy, a PD‐related α‐synucleinopathy characterized by oligodendroglial cytoplasmic inclusions, we studied an oligodendroglial cell line stably expressing α‐synuclein. α‐Synuclein aggregate dependent microtubule retraction upon co‐transfection with tubulin polymerization‐promoting protein p25α was ameliorated by [wt]DJ‐1. In contrast, DJ‐1 mutants including P158Δ failed to protect in this system, where we found evidence of apoptosis signal‐regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) involvement. In conclusion, the P158Δ point mutation may contribute to neurodegeneration by protein destabilization and hence loss of DJ‐1 function.
Using behavioural activation in the treatment of depression: a control theory perspective
Authors: McEvoy P. , Law A. , Bates R. , Hylton K. , Mansell W.
Published: December 2012

Accessible summary

Control theory focuses upon the problems that can arise when we find ourselves being pulled in opposite directions by incompatible goals.

The effective implementation of behavioural activation may depend upon clients with depression being able to retain or regain the sense of control that they value.

A control theory may offer a useful alternative to the more established behavioural and cognitive approaches towards behavioural activation.

Behavioural activation is an intervention that can be used to counteract the typical patterns of withdrawal, avoidance and inactivity that characterize depression. This paper examines the processes of change that may occur during behavioural activation from the perspective of control theory. Some of the key concepts that are associated with control theory are introduced and the process of change that may occur during behavioural activation is illustrated using two case studies. The case studies provide anecdotal evidence which supports the hypothesis that the effective implementation of behavioural activation may depend upon clients being able to retain or regain the sense of control that they value. The differences between a control‐theory‐based approach and more orthodox behavioural and cognitive approaches are highlighted and the implications of these differences are discussed. Flexible approaches that are informed by control theory, may offer a useful alternative to the more established behavioural and cognitive approaches towards behavioural activation.
Geological and geophysical investigation of Kamil crater, Egypt
Authors: Urbini Stefano , Nicolosi Iacopo , Zeoli Antonio , El Khrepy Sami , Lethy Ahmed , Hafez Mahfooz , El Gabry Mohamed , El Barkooky Ahmed , Barakat Aly , GOMAA Mahomoud , Radwan Ali M. , El Sharkawi Mohamed , D’orazio Massimo , Folco Luigi
Published: December 2012

Abstract– We detail the Kamil crater (Egypt) structure and refine the impact scenario, based on the geological and geophysical data collected during our first expedition in February 2010. Kamil Crater is a model for terrestrial small‐scale hypervelocity impact craters. It is an exceptionally well‐preserved, simple crater with a diameter of 45 m, depth of 10 m, and rayed pattern of bright ejecta. It occurs in a simple geological context: flat, rocky desert surface, and target rocks comprising subhorizontally layered sandstones. The high depth‐to‐diameter ratio of the transient crater, its concave, yet asymmetric, bottom, and the fact that Kamil Crater is not part of a crater field confirm that it formed by the impact of a single iron mass (or a tight cluster of fragments) that fragmented upon hypervelocity impact with the ground. The circular crater shape and asymmetries in ejecta and shrapnel distributions coherently indicate a direction of incidence from the NW and an impact angle of approximately 30 to 45°. Newly identified asymmetries, including the off‐center bottom of the transient crater floor downrange, maximum overturning of target rocks along the impact direction, and lower crater rim elevation downrange, may be diagnostic of oblique impacts in well‐preserved craters. Geomagnetic data reveal no buried individual impactor masses >100 kg and suggest that the total mass of the buried shrapnel >100 g is approximately 1050–1700 kg. Based on this mass value plus that of shrapnel >10 g identified earlier on the surface during systematic search, the new estimate of the minimum projectile mass is approximately 5 t.
Willingness to pay for lipid‐based nutrient supplements for young children in four urban sites of Ethiopia
Authors: Segrè Joel , Winnard Kim , Abrha Teweldebrhan Hailu , Abebe Yewelsew , Shilane David , Lapping Karin
Published: December 2012

Malnutrition in children under 5 years of age is pervasive in Ethiopia across all wealth quintiles. The objective of this study was to determine the willingness to pay (WTP) for a week's supply of Nutributter® (a lipid‐based nutrient supplement, or LNS) through typical urban Ethiopian retail channels. In February, 2012, 128 respondents from 108 households with 6–24‐month‐old children had the opportunity to sample Nutributter® for 2 days in their homes as a complementary food. Respondents were asked directly and indirectly what they were willing to pay for the product, and then participated in market simulation where they could demonstrate their WTP through an exchange of real money for real product. Nearly all (96%) of the respondents had a positive WTP, and 25% were willing to pay the equivalent of at least $1.05, which we calculated as the likely minimum, unsubsidised Ethiopian retail price of Nutributter® for 1 week for one child. Respondents willing to pay at least $1.05 included urban men and women with children 6–24 months old from low‐, middle‐ and high‐wealth groups from four study sites across three cities. Additionally, we estimated the initial annual market size for Nutributter® in the cities where the study took place to be around $500 000. The study has important implications for retail distribution of LNS in Ethiopia, showing who the most likely customers could be, and also suggesting why the initial market may be too small to be of interest to food manufacturers seeking profit maximisation.
The Fit for Delivery study: rationale for the recommendations and test‐retest reliability of a dietary score measuring adherence to 10 specific recommendations for prevention of excessive weight gain during pregnancy
Authors: Øverby Nina C. , Hillesund Elisabet R. , Sagedal Linda R. , Vistad Ingvild , Bere Elling
Published: December 2012

Aiming at preventing excessive weight gain during pregnancy, 10 specific dietary recommendations are given to pregnant women in the intervention arm of the Norwegian Fit for Delivery (FFD) study. This paper presents the rationale and test‐retest reliability of the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a dietary score measuring adherence to the recommendations. The study is part of the ongoing FFD study, a randomised, controlled, intervention study in nulliparous pregnant women. A 43‐item FFQ was developed for the FFD study. A dietary score was constructed from 10 subscales corresponding to the 10 dietary recommendations. Adding the subscales yielded a score from 0 to 10 with increasing score indicating healthier dietary behaviour. The score was divided into tertiles, grouping participants into low, medium and high adherence to the dietary recommendations. Pregnant women attending ultrasound screening at about week 19 of pregnancy were asked to complete the FFQ twice, 2 weeks apart. Of 154 pregnant women completing the first questionnaire, 106 (69%) completed the form on both occasions and was included in the study. The test‐retest correlations of the score and subscales were r = 0.68 and r = 0.56–0.84, respectively (both P ≤ 0.001). There was 68% test‐retest correct classification of the score and 70–87% of the subscales. In conclusion, acceptable test‐retest reliability of the FFQ and the dietary score was found. The score will be used in the FFD study to measure adherence to the dietary recommendations throughout pregnancy and in the following year post‐partum.
A novel F420‐dependent anti‐oxidant mechanism protects Mycobacterium tuberculosis against oxidative stress and bactericidal agents
Authors: Gurumurthy Meera , Rao Martin , Mukherjee Tathagata , Rao Srinivasa P. S. , Boshoff Helena I. , Dick Thomas , Barry Clifton E. , Manjunatha Ujjini H.
Published: December 2012

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is an aerobic bacterium that persists intracellularly in host macrophages and has evolved diverse mechanisms to combat and survive oxidative stress. Here we show a novel F420‐dependent anti‐oxidant mechanism that protects Mtb against oxidative stress. Inactivation of the fbiC gene in Mtb results in a cofactor F420‐deficient mutant that is hypersensitive to oxidative stress and exhibits a reduction in NADH/NAD+ ratios upon treatment with menadione. In agreement with the recent hypothesis on oxidative stress being an important component of the pathway resulting in cell death by bactericidal agents, F420− mutants are hypersensitive to mycobactericidal agents such as isoniazid, moxifloxacin and clofazimine that elevate oxidative stress. The Mtb deazaflavin‐dependent nitroreductase (Ddn) and its two homologues Rv1261c and Rv1558 encode for an F420H2‐dependent quinone reductase (Fqr) function leading to dihydroquinones. We hypothesize that Fqr proteins catalyse an F420H2‐specific obligate two‐electron reduction of endogenous quinones, thereby competing with the one‐electron reduction pathway and preventing the formation of harmful cytotoxic semiquinones, thus protecting mycobacteria against oxidative stress and bactericidal agents. These findings open up an avenue for the inhibition of the F420 biosynthesis pathway or Fqr‐class proteins as a mechanism to potentiate the action of bactericidal agents.
Visualizing renal primary cilia
Authors: Deane James A , Verghese Elizabeth , Martelotto Luciano G , Cain Jason E , Galtseva Alya , Rosenblum Norman D , Watkins D Neil , Ricardo Sharon D
Published: December 2012

Renal primary cilia are microscopic sensory organelles found on the apical surface of epithelial cells of the nephron and collecting duct. They are based upon a microtubular cytoskeleton, bounded by a specialized membrane, and contain an array of proteins that facilitate their assembly, maintenance and function. Cilium‐based signalling is important for the control of epithelial differentiation and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various cystic kidney diseases and in renal repair. As such, visualizing renal primary cilia and understanding their composition has become an essential component of many studies of inherited kidney disease and mechanisms of epithelial regeneration. Primary cilia were initially identified in the kidney using electron microscopy and this remains a useful technique for the high resolution examination of these organelles. New reagents and techniques now also allow the structure and composition of primary cilia to be analysed in detail using fluorescence microscopy. Primary cilia can be imaged in situ in sections of kidney, and many renal‐derived cell lines produce primary cilia in culture providing a simplified and accessible system in which to investigate these organelles. Here we outline microscopy‐based techniques commonly used for studying renal primary cilia.
Whole‐exome sequencing of a unique brain malformation with periventricular heterotopia, cingulate polymicrogyria and midbrain tectal hyperplasia
Authors: Okumura Akihisa , Hayashi Masaharu , Shimojima Keiko , Ikeno Mitsuru , Uchida Tomohisa , Takanashi Jun‐ichi , Okamoto Nobuhiko , Hisata Ken , Shoji Hiromichi , Saito Akira , Furukawa Toru , Kishida Tetsuko , Shimizu Toshiaki , Yamamoto Toshiyuki
Published: December 2012

We report a case of an infant with unique and unreported combinations of brain anomalies. The patient showed distinctive facial findings, severe delay in psychomotor development, cranial nerve palsy and seizures. Brain magnetic resonance imaging performed at 5 days of age revealed complex brain malformations, including heterotopia around the mesial wall of lateral ventricles, dysmorphic cingulate gyrus, and enlarged midbrain tectum. The patient unexpectedly died at 13 months of age. Postmortem pathological findings included a polymicrogyric cingulate cortex, periventricular nodular heterotopia, basal ganglia and thalamic anomalies, and dysmorphic midbrain tectum. Potential candidate genes showed no abnormalities by traditional PCR‐based sequencing. Whole‐exome sequencing confirmed the presence of novel gene variants for filamin B (FLNB), guanylate binding protein family member 6, and chromosome X open reading frame 59, which adapt to the autosomal recessive mode or X‐linked recessive mode. Although immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the expression of FLNB protein in the vessel walls and white matter in autopsied specimens, there may be functional relevance of the compound heterozygous FLNB variants during brain development.
Effects of genistein and estrogen on the genioglossus in rats exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia may be HIF‐1α dependent
Authors: Zhou J , Liu Y
Published: December 2012

Objectives

Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) is a frequent feature of OSAHS. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of genistein and estrogen on genioglossus contractile and regeneration properties in CIH rats and investigate the involvement of HIF‐1α.

Methods

Ovariectomized female rats were exposed to CIH for 5 weeks. Genistein and estrogen were administered by intraperitoneal injection. The genioglossus myoblasts of rat were also isolated and cultured in vitro, and the HIF‐1α shRNA lentivirus was used.

Results

Muscle fatigue resistance and myogenic regeneration were significantly decreased after CIH but were partially reversed by estrogen and genistein treatment. The effect of estrogen was more powerful than that of genistein. Compared with control group, RT‐PCR and western blotting showed higher levels of HIF‐1α mRNA and protein in the CIH group, but estrogen and genistein treatment reduced the levels of HIF‐1α mRNA and protein in rats exposed to CIH. In genioglossus myoblasts, the expression of HIF‐1α was up‐regulated under hypoxia rather than normoxia and decreased over time under both hypoxia and normoxia during myogenic differentiation. HIF‐1α knockdown relieved myogenesis inhibition under hypoxia.

Conclusion

We concluded that genistein and estrogen may inhibit the overexpression of HIF‐1α induced by CIH and improve the endurance and regeneration of the genioglossus muscle.
Pain and Natural Disaster
Authors: Guetti Cristiana , Angeletti Chiara , Paladini Antonella , Varrassi Giustino , Marinangeli Franco
Published: December 2012

The treatment for pain in emergency medicine is a matter of increasing interest. Available data indicate that in both normal conditions and during major‐emergencies, the majority of healthcare providers are culturally and professionally unprepared to adequately treat acute pain conditions. In case of natural disasters, opioid drugs are often unavailable. Moreover, no guidelines or validated protocols provide adequate indications for the treatment for pain in case of massive emergencies. Training of the medical and nursing staff, in both formal and continuing, or on‐the‐job education is needed to adequately face a devastating emergency. Unfortunately, there is an inadequate level of training among healthcare professionals, even in highly seismic areas, and the source of aid is frequently limited, especially in the immediate aftermath of a disaster to those already present at the scene. Pain inadequately treated may modify the characteristics of the pain itself. Pain is no longer considered just a symptom, but itself becomes an autonomous pathology heavily influencing the social life and psycho‐social aspects of a person. In the disastrous situation following an earthquake, an inadequate treatment of pain was the major violation of the psycho‐physical integrity of individuals and a severe violation of their rights, as human beings and patients.
Effect of a pleural checklist on patient safety in the ultrasound era
Authors: See Kay Choong , Jamil Khalizah , Chua Ai Ping , Phua Jason , Khoo Kay Leong , Lim Tow Keang
Published: December 2012

Background and objective

Bedside ultrasound allows direct visualization of pleural collections for thoracentesis and tube thoracostomy. However, there is little information on patient safety improvement methods with this approach. The effect of a checklist on patient safety for bedside ultrasound‐guided pleural procedures was evaluated.

Methods

A prospective study of ultrasound‐guided pleural procedures from September 2007 to June 2010 was performed. Ultrasound guidance was routine practice for all patients under the institution's care and the freehand method was used. All operators took a half‐day training session on basic thoracic ultrasound and were supervised by more experienced operators. A 14‐item checklist was introduced in June 2009. It included systematic thoracic scanning and a safety audit. Clinical and safety data are described before (Phase I) and after (Phase II) the introduction of the checklist.

Results

There were 121 patients in Phase I (58.7 ± 18.9 years) and 134 patients in Phase II (60.2 ± 19.6 years). Complications occurred for 10 patients (8.3%) in Phase I (six dry taps, three pneumothoraces, one haemothorax) and for 2 patients (1.5%) in Phase II (one significant bleed, one malposition of chest tube) (P = 0.015). There were no procedure‐related deaths. The use of the checklist alone was associated with fewer procedure‐related complications. This was independent of thoracostomy rate, pleural effusion size and pleural fluid ultrasound appearance.

Conclusions

A pleural checklist with systematic scanning and close supervision may further enhance safety of ultrasound‐guided procedures. This may also help promote safety while trainees are learning to perform these procedures.
Investigating the inheritance of prolapsed nictitating membrane glands in a large canine pedigree
Authors: Edelmann Michele L. , Miyadera Keiko , Iwabe Simone , Komáromy András M.
Published: December 2012

Objective

To investigate the inheritance of prolapsed nictitating membrane glands (PNMG) in a large pedigree of purpose‐bred mongrel dogs.

Animals studied

Two lines of purpose‐bred mongrel dogs kept at a research facility with controlled environment were analyzed for frequent occurrences ofPNMG. The first line (GSline) consisted of 201 dogs, derived from oneGerman shorthaired pointer and seven mongrel dogs. The second line (Mline) was established from one mongrel dog and three miniature longhaired dachshund (MLHD) dogs followed by closed breeding practice (n = 50). The two canine lines were connected by a female dog, which contributed genetically to both lines.

Procedures

Medical records of all dogs were reviewed retrospectively for signalment, parental data, and the presence ofPNMG. Pedigrees were constructed to facilitate assessment of inheritance.

Results

The overall prevalence ofPNMGin theGSline was 4.0% (8/201) over a 12‐year period. The prevalence in theMline was 10.0% (5/50) over 6 years, which increased to 23.1% (3/13) when only dogs aged 2 years or older were considered. Analysis of the pedigrees ruled out simple modes ofMendelian inheritance in both canine lines.

Conclusion

The high prevalence ofPNMGin two canine lines bred and maintained under a strictly controlled environment supported the involvement of genetic risk factors. The mode of inheritance remains to be determined, but it appears to be complex and potentially multigenic.
Numerical simulation of oil spill for the Three Gorges Reservoir in China
Authors: Bi Haipu , Si Hu
Published: December 2012

The water body is just like a quasi‐static fluid after the impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir in China to 175 m water level in late 2010. In this paper, fluid dynamic model and numerical method were presented to analyse its dynamic characteristic. Then, based on an oil spill model coupled with the hydrodynamic model, the oil fractions evolvement with time as well as the recovery process with emergency actions under oil spills were numerically simulated and illustrated in the Three Gorges Reservoir. Emergency actions were accordingly analysed based on the simulated pollution area and density, by which a decay parameter was additionally brought into the simulation to understand the recovery of polluted area. The simulated results could be an aid for better emergency response strategy in case of oil spill accidents in the Three Gorges Reservoir in China.
The International Education Agenda: International and New Zealand Women Students
Authors: Anderson Vivienne
Published: December 2012

The International Education Agenda constructs internationalised education as central to New Zealand's economic transformation and strengthened sense of national identity. Its key outcomes for New Zealand students include their increased understanding and respect for 'other cultures'. The Agenda promises international students enrichment, support and integration in New Zealand educational institutions and communities. In this paper I consider doctoral research interviews with international and New Zealand women students, to show how, while laudable, the Agenda's social aims may also be contradictory. Specifically, I discuss how national identity, if predicated on assumptions of New Zealander's homogeneity, may preclude relations that are understanding and respectful, and how international student's enrichment and integration may be jeopardised by their concurrent positioning as a source of revenue. After highlighting how some women constructed New Zealand-ness and international-ness differently, I suggest some implications for international education policy and practice.
Dancing the boDy of goD: Rituals of embodiment from the Central Himalayas
Authors: Malik Aditya
Published: December 2012

One of the important and wide-spread ways in which divinity is manifested
in South Asia is through the enactment of religious rituals described in schol-
arly studies as inducing ‘possession’ through deities who then speak through
the medium of ‘possessed’ devotees. My intention in this paper is to begin to
create a shift in scholarly discourse that describes religious rituals that are
conducted in order to invoke the presence of a deity, in terms of the categories
of spirit ‘possession’ or trance, to a notion of embodiment or rather embodied
consciousness. In my attempt to create a hermeneutics of embodiment for reli-
gious rituals that are commonly analysed in terms of possession, I draw on the
Hindu deity Shiva’s ‘dance of rapture’, as well as on the notion of embodiment
as being the existential ground of possibility for culture and self. My arguments
are based on materials gathered from recent preliminary field research into the
narratives and rituals of the Central Himalayan deity Goludev.
Ferrying the Gods: Myth, Performance and the question of 'Invented Traditions' in the city of Banaras
Authors: Doron Assa
Published: December 2012

The mythological traditions of the ‘native’ populations of colonised countries have been a subject of fascination for both colonial officials and contemporary anthropologists. Myth is often conceived as a window into the lives, social practices and identities of subordinate people. In this paper I examine an episode from the Indian epic Ramayana, which juxtaposes colonial interpretations with a contemporary one, refracted through the narratives and living practices of the boatman community in the sacred city of Banaras. Following Sahlins (1999), I caution against the facile notion of the ‘invention of tradition’ as an inevitable project of resistance which is frequently attributed to oppressed populations. Rather, my analysis of myth illustrates the need to consider the cultural logic and practice associated with mythological narratives, storytelling and performance. I show the way boatmen creatively tap into a rich Hindu devotional tradition (bhakti), revealing the inherent tensions and ambiguities that inform their intentions, fears and desires as they are expressed in the course of everyday life in Banaras.
Placing the Traveller: The Banal Geographies of Travelling Documents
Authors: Henry Matthew
Published: December 2012

Flying at 30,000 feet the modern air traveller can see the undifferentiated world stretching out beneath them, and in doing so bask in the glow of globalisation triumphant. Yet located in the seat pocket, jacket, or bag there lurks constant, if banal, reminders of the fiction of this perspective. Nestled around the body of the traveller is a mobile archive that aims to embrace the traveller in a network within which the place of the traveller as a traveller is maintained. This paper examines the hidden genealogies and geographical imaginations of these travelling documents. Drawing on examples from the fabrication of New Zealand’s post-World War One passport and permit system the chapter suggests that rather than annihilating place, travel documents entangle the traveller in complex relationships of placeness and placelessness which have long been based on the biopolitical geographies of threat and risk
Exploring the impact of palliative care education for care assistants employed in residential aged care facilities in Otago, New Zealand
Authors: Latta Lis Ellen , Ross Jean
Published: December 2012

Palliative care is a growing specialty in New Zealand with many well established hospices and a growing number of hospital based advisory services. Palliative care is an element of all healthcare services and the aged care sector is one of those services where many of the residents have palliative care needs. In this setting, care assistants make up a large component of the workforce providing care for residents with increasingly complex needs. This article reports the results of a research study that used semi structured interviews to explore the impact that attending a palliative care course had on care assistants and their practice. Factors identifying the implementation of learning in the workplace were also identified. The results showed that while attending the course had a positive impact on participants; they were restricted in their ability to apply new learning in the workplace. Consequently, recommendations are made to enhance workforce development in the aged care sector and to minimise the barriers to the implementation of learning.
Whanau, whakapapa and identity in experiences of organ donation and transplantation
Authors: Webb Robert , Shaw Rhonda M.
Published: December 2012

This article is based upon qualitative interviews with Maori and their whanau, and explores research into the direct experiences and perspectives of Maori on organ or tissue donation and transplantation. The participants in this research reflected upon their experiences with references to understandings of embodiment, the meanings of the gift in donation, identity as Maori, and cultural wellbeing. The research indicates that these experiences were often linked to wider understandings of whanau and whakapapa, rather than just individualistic notions of the body and transplantation as an end point of health care and wellbeing.
Increasing levels of live kidney transplantation in New Zealand
Authors: Martin Paula
Published: December 2012

A kidney transplant from a living donor is the preferred treatment for people with end-stage renal failure as it offers better outcomes for patients and is more cost effective than dialysis. The shortage of deceased organ donors means that a transplant from a live donor is the only transplant option for many people. However, there is a growing gap between the number of people needing kidney transplants and the number carried out each year. Maori and Pacific peoples, in particular, have lower rates of renal transplantation than other groups. The international literature suggests there may be options to consider for further enhancing policy and practice relating to live renal transplantation (LRT) in New Zealand, but there is little New Zealand evidence about factors affecting rates of LRT. This article outlines the current problem of the gap between supply and demand for kidney transplants in New Zealand, framing this as a public policy problem, and suggesting LRT as an important strategy for addressing this issue. New Zealand-based research is required regarding the barriers to LRT and options for increasing current levels in New Zealand.
Evaluation of an analytic linear Boltzmann transport equation solver for high‐density inhomogeneities
Authors: Lloyd S. A. M. , Ansbacher W.
Published: December 2012

Purpose:

Acuros external beam (Acuros XB) is a novel dose calculation algorithm implemented through theECLIPSE treatment planning system. The algorithm finds a deterministic solution to the linear Boltzmann transport equation, the same equation commonly solved stochastically by Monte Carlo methods. This work is an evaluation of Acuros XB, by comparison with Monte Carlo, for dose calculation applications involving high‐density materials. Existing non‐Monte Carlo clinical dose calculation algorithms, such as the analytic anisotropic algorithm (AAA), do not accurately model dose perturbations due to increased electron scatter within high‐density volumes.

Methods:

Acuros XB, AAA, and EGSnrc based Monte Carlo are used to calculate dose distributions from 18 MV and 6 MV photon beams delivered to a cubic water phantom containing a rectangular high density (4.0–8.0 g/cm3) volume at its center. The algorithms are also used to recalculate a clinical prostate treatment plan involving a unilateral hip prosthesis, originally evaluated using AAA. These results are compared graphically and numerically using gamma‐index analysis. Radio‐chromic film measurements are presented to augment Monte Carlo and Acuros XB dose perturbation data.

Results:

Using a 2% and 1 mm gamma‐analysis, between 91.3% and 96.8% of Acuros XB dose voxels containing greater than 50% the normalized dose were in agreement with Monte Carlo data for virtual phantoms involving 18 MV and 6 MV photons, stainless steel and titanium alloy implants and for on‐axis and oblique field delivery. A similar gamma‐analysis of AAA against Monte Carlo data showed between 80.8% and 87.3% agreement. Comparing Acuros XB and AAA evaluations of a clinical prostate patient plan involving a unilateral hip prosthesis, Acuros XB showed good overall agreement with Monte Carlo while AAA underestimated dose on the upstream medial surface of the prosthesis due to electron scatter from the high‐density material. Film measurements support the dose perturbations demonstrated by Monte Carlo and Acuros XB data.

Conclusions:

Acuros XB is shown to perform as well as Monte Carlo methods and better than existing clinical algorithms for dose calculations involving high‐density volumes.
Translation Elongation Factor EF-P Alleviates Ribosome Stalling at Polyproline Stretches
Authors: Ude Susanne , Lassak Jürgen , Starosta Agata L. , Kraxenberger Tobias , Wilson Daniel N. , Jung Kirsten
Published: December 2012

Translating Polyproline

Translation of messenger RNA into protein is carried out by the ribosome, together with a variety of accessory factors, which offer the potential for regulation of this critical step in gene expression (see the Perspective by

Buskirk and Green

).

Ude
et al.

(p.
82
, published online 13 December), using bacterial genetics and an in vitro reconstituted translation system, and

Doerfel
et al.

(p.
85
, published online 13 December), using a model assay for peptide bond formation, find that the universally conserved bacterial elongation factor P (EF-P) (which is orthologous to the archaeal and eukaryotic initiation factor 5A) is required for the efficient translation of polyproline-containing polypeptides. Such short polyproline stretches (with runs of two, three, or more proline residues) would otherwise cause ribosomal stalling.
Actin, Spectrin, and Associated Proteins Form a Periodic Cytoskeletal Structure in Axons
Authors: Xu Ke , Zhong Guisheng , Zhuang Xiaowei
Published: December 2012

Axonal Actin

How actin is organized in the axons and dendrites of neurons is largely unknown.

Xu
et al.

(p.
452
, published online 13 December) imaged actin in axons and dendrites using stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy. Surprisingly, while actin in dendrites formed long filaments, the actin in axons was organized into evenly spaced ringlike structures at the axon circumference. Spectrin, which is known to interact with actin to form a membrane cytoskeleton in erythrocytes, formed periodic structures that alternated with those of actin. This actin-spectrin cytoskeletal structure might give mechanical support to axons and could also organize other membrane proteins.
First Report of Human Acute Acalculous Cholecystitis Caused by the Fish Pathogen Lactococcus garvieae
Authors: Kim Ji Hyung , Go Jin , Cho Chong Rae , Kim Jae Il , Lee Myung Soo , Park Se Chang
Published: December 2012

We report herein the first case of acute acalculous cholecystitis caused by
Lactococcus garvieae
, which is known as a fish pathogen. A 69-year-old fisherman underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy due to severe inflammation in the gallbladder. The isolate obtained from the gallbladder was identified as
L. garvieae
by 16S rRNA and manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (
sodA
) gene sequence analysis.
Spread of Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Clones in a University Hospital
Authors: Koutsogiannou Maria , Drougka Eleanna , Liakopoulos Apostolos , Jelastopulu Eleni , Petinaki Efthimia , Anastassiou Evangelos D. , Spiliopoulou Iris , Christofidou Myrto
Published: December 2012

An outbreak of multidrug-resistant
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
(MDRPA) infections in a university hospital is described. Phenotypic and genotypic analysis of 240 isolates revealed that 152 patients, mainly in the intensive care unit (ICU), were colonized or infected with MDRPA, the majority with O11. All metallo-β-lactamase (MBL)-positive isolates carried the
bla
VIM-2
or
bla
VIM-1
gene. One or more type III secretion system toxin genes were detected in most isolates. Five dominant pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) types were characterized, associated with ST235, ST111, ST253, ST309, and ST639.
Large-scale international validation of the ADO index in subjects with COPD: an individual subject data analysis of 10 cohorts
Authors: Puhan Milo A , Hansel Nadia N , Sobradillo Patricia , Enright Paul , Lange Peter , Hickson DeMarc , Menezes Ana M , Riet Gerben ter , Held Ulrike , Domingo-Salvany Antonia , Mosenifar Zab , Antó Josep M , Moons Karel G M , Kessels Alphons , Garcia-Aymerich Judith ,   for the International COPD Cohorts Collaboration Working Group
Published: December 2012

Background

Little evidence on the validity of simple and widely applicable tools to predict mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exists.

Objective

To conduct a large international study to validate the ADO index that uses age, dyspnoea and FEV1to predict 3-year mortality and to update it in order to make prediction of mortality in COPD patients as generalisable as possible.

Design

Individual subject data analysis of 10 European and American cohorts (n=13 914).

Setting

Population-based, primary, secondary and tertiary care.

Patients

COPD GOLD stages I–IV.

Measurements

We validated the original ADO index. We then obtained an updated ADO index in half of our cohorts to improve its predictive accuracy, which in turn was validated comprehensively in the remaining cohorts using discrimination, calibration and decision curve analysis and a number of sensitivity analyses.

Results

1350 (9.7%) of all subjects with COPD (60% male, mean age 61 years, mean FEV166% predicted) had died at 3 years. The original ADO index showed high discrimination but poor calibration (p<0.001 for difference between predicted and observed risk). The updated ADO index (scores from 0 to 14) preserved excellent discrimination (area under curve 0.81, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.82) but showed much improved calibration with predicted 3-year risks from 0.7% (95% CI 0.6% to 0.9%, score of 0) to 64.5% (61.2% to 67.7%, score of 14). The ADO index showed higher net benefit in subjects at low-to-moderate risk of 3-year mortality than FEV1alone.

Interpretation

The updated 15-point ADO index accurately predicts 3-year mortality across the COPD severity spectrum and can be used to inform patients about their prognosis, clinical trial study design or benefit harm assessment of medical interventions.