bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A perceptual discrimination task results in greater facilitation of voluntary saccades in Parkinson's disease patients
Authors: van Stockum Saskia , MacAskill Michael R. , Myall Daniel , Anderson Tim J.
Published: November 2012

Many studies have shown that Parkinson's disease (PD) affects not only the ability to generate voluntary saccades but also the ability to suppress reflexive saccades (hyper‐reflexivity). To further investigate these apparently contradictory effects of PD on the saccade system we adapted a well‐known dual‐task paradigm (Deubel, 2008) to measure saccades with and without a peripheral discrimination task. Previously we reported that the concurrent performance of a perceptual discrimination task abnormally reduced the latencies of reflexive saccades in PD. Here we report the effects of the concurrent discrimination task on the generation of voluntary saccades in a PD and a control group. As expected, when saccades were performed without the discrimination task the PD group made voluntary saccades with longer latencies and smaller gain than the control group. The concurrent performance of the perceptual discrimination task facilitated the initiation of voluntary saccades in both groups, but, surprisingly, this facilitatory effect was stronger in the PD group than in the control group. In addition, in the PD group voluntary saccades were abnormally facilitated by the peripheral symbol‐changes that occur during saccade planning in this paradigm. The results of this study may help to clarify apparently contradictory oculomotor abnormalities observed in PD.
Betamethasone therapy in ataxia telangiectasia: unraveling the rationale of this serendipitous observation on the basis of the pathogenesis
Authors: Giardino G. , Fusco A. , Romano R. , Gallo V. , Maio F. , Esposito T. , Palamaro L. , Parenti G. , Salerno M. C. , Vajro P. , Pignata C.
Published: November 2012

Ataxia telangiectasia (A‐T) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by progressive neurological dysfunction. To date, only supportive care aimed to halt the progressive neurodegeneration is available for the treatment. Recently, an improvement of neurological signs during short‐term treatment with betamethasone has been reported. To date, the molecular and biochemical mechanisms by which the steroid produces such effects have not yet been elucidated. Therefore, a review of the literature was carried out to define the potential molecular and functional targets of the steroid effects in A‐T. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are capable of diffusing into the CNS by crossing the blood–brain barrier (BBB) where they exert effects on the suppression of inflammation or as antioxidant. GCs have been shown to protect post‐mitotic neurons from apoptosis. Eventually, GCs may also modulate synaptic plasticity. A better understanding of the mechanisms of action of GCs in the brain is needed, because in A‐T during the initial phase of cell loss the neurological impairment may be rescued by interfering in the biochemical pathways. This would open a new window of intervention in this so far incurable disease.
The effects of dexketoprofen on duration of analgesia to a thermal stimulus when compared with a systemic control in a rat sciatic nerve block with levobupivacaine
Authors: Kara Inci , Apiliogullari Seza , Bagcı Taylan Sengal , Bariskaner Hulagu , Celik Jale Bengi
Published: November 2012

This study was designed to investigate whether dexketoprofen added to perineuraly or subcutaneously alters the effects of levobupivacaine in a rat model of sciatic nerve blockade. Thirty‐six rats received unilateral sciatic nerve blocks along with a subcutaneous injection by a blinded investigator assigned at random. Combinations were as follows: Group 1 (sham) perineural and subcutaneous saline; Group 2, perineural levobupivacaine alone and subcutaneous saline; Group 3, perineural levobupivacaine plus dexketoprofen and subcutaneous saline; Group 4, perineural levobupivacaine and subcutaneous dexketoprofen; Group 5, perineural dexketoprofen and subcutaneous saline; and Group 6, perineural saline and subcutaneous dexketoprofen. The levobupivacaine concentration was fixed at 0.05%, and the dose of dexketoprofen was 1 mg kg−1. Sensory analgesia was assessed by paw withdrawal latency to a thermal stimulus every 30 min. The unblocked paw served as the control for the assessment of systemic, centrally mediated analgesia. Perineural and subcutaneous dexketoprofen coadministered with perineural levobupivacaine did not enhance the duration of sensory blockade when compared with levobupivacaine alone. There were significant differences between the operative and control paws for time points 30–90 min in the perineural levobupivacaine alone, levobupivacaine + dexketoprofen and subcutaneous dexketoprofen added levobupivacaine group. Significant differences were not determined between the levobupivacaine alone group and dexketoprofen added groups in operative paw. The effects of dexketoprofen are unknown for perineural administration. There is no significant difference between the analgesic effects of peripheral nerve blocks using levobupivacaine alone and plus subcutaneous or perineural dexketoprofen.
Convergences and divergences of diabetic patients' and healthcare professionals' opinions of care: a qualitative study
Authors: Lauvergeon Stéphanie , Mettler Désirée , Burnand Bernard , Peytremann‐Bridevaux Isabelle
Published: November 2012

Objectives

To investigate opinions' convergences and divergences of diabetic patients and health‐care professionals on diabetes care and the development of a regional diabetes programme.

Background

Development and implementation of a regional diabetes programme.

Research design

Qualitative study using focus groups to elicit diabetic patients' and health‐care professionals' opinions, followed by content analysis.

Setting and participants

Eight focus groups: four focus groups with diabetic patients (n = 39) and four focus groups with various health‐care professionals (n = 34) residing or practicing in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, respectively.

Results

Perceived quality of diabetes care varied between individuals and types of participants. To improve quality, patients favoured a comprehensive follow‐up while professionals suggested considering existing structures and trained professionals. All participants mentioned communication difficulties between professionals and were favouring teamwork. In addition, they described the role that patients should have in care and self‐management. Financial difficulties were also mentioned by both groups of participants. Finally, they were in favour of the development of a regional diabetes programme adapted to actors' needs. For patients indeed, such a programme would represent an opportunity to improve information and to have access to comprehensive care. For professionals, it would help the development of local networks and the reinforcement of existing tools and structures.

Discussion and conclusions

Acknowledging convergences and divergences of opinions of both diabetic patients and health‐care professionals should help the further development of a programme adapted to users' needs, taking all stakeholders interests and priorities into consideration.
Delayed emergence of oseltamivir‐resistant seasonal influenza A (H1N1) and pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses in Myanmar
Authors: Dapat Clyde , Saito Reiko , Kyaw Yadanar , Myint Yi Yi , Oo Htun Naing , Oo Khin Yi , Naito Makoto , Hasegawa Go , Dapat Isolde C. , Suzuki Hiroshi
Published: November 2012

Please cite this paper as: Dapat et al. (2012) Delayed emergence of oseltamivir‐resistant seasonal influenza A (H1N1) and pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses in Myanmar. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses DOI: 10.1111/irv.12030.

The prevalence and timing of emergence of oseltamivir‐resistant seasonal and pandemic influenza A (H1N1) viruses in Myanmar in 2008 and 2009 are described in this report. In 2008, the oseltamivir‐resistant seasonal H1N1 virus was detected at a lower rate (6%) and emerged at least 2 months later when compared with neighboring countries. Similarly, the prevalence of pandemic H1N1 virus was low (3%) and the timing of emergence was late (August 2009) in Myanmar. Interestingly, we detected three isolates that were resistant to both amantadine and oseltamivir. Limited movement of people into the country is attributed to the delayed emergence of drug‐resistant seasonal and pandemic A(H1N1) viruses.
Temporal patterns in growth and survival of the round goby Neogobius melanostomus
Authors: Lynch M. P. , Mensinger A. F.
Published: November 2012

Monthly, overwinter and annual instantaneous growth rates for round goby Neogobius melanostomus were calculated with maximal growth occurring in July and August and almost no growth observed between ice appearance (October) and melt (March). Annual absolute growth rates averaged 27·3 ± 1·9 mm for males and 19·8 ± 2·4 mm for females. The most parsimonious Cormack–Jolly–Seber model indicated that both the survival and recapture probabilities were dependent on sampling date, but not sex. Survival estimates remained high throughout the 13 month study with a median weekly survival probability of 0·920 (25 and 75% quartiles: 0·767 and 0·991), an overwinter survival probability of 99% and an annual survival rate of 67%. Survival probabilities were lowest for both sexes near the completion of the N. melanostomus reproductive season in July and August which supports existing evidence of higher mortality after reproduction, while challenging the paradigm that male N. melanostomus suffer comparatively higher mortality as a result of reproduction than females. Evidence indicating that growth and mortality rates are highest at the end of the reproductive season not only highlights seasonal variability in N. melanostomus natural history, but may also guide the control of this invasive species to periods when they are most vulnerable.
Quaternary coastal lithofacies, sequence development and stratigraphy in a passive margin setting, North Carolina and Virginia, USA
Authors: PARHAM PETER R. , RIGGS STANLEY R. , CULVER STEPHEN J. , MALLINSON DAVID J. , JACK RINK W. , BURDETTE KEVIN
Published: November 2012

Lithofacies analysis is fundamental to unravelling the succession of depositional environments associated with sea‐level fluctuations. These successions and their timing are often poorly understood. This report defines lithofacies encountered within the north‐eastern North Carolina and south‐eastern Virginia Quaternary section, interprets their depositional environments, presents a model for coastal depositional sequence development in a passive margin setting and uses this understanding to develop the stratigraphy and Quaternary evolutionary history of the region. Data were obtained from numerous drill cores and outcrops. Chronology was based on age estimates acquired using optically stimulated luminescence, amino acid racemization, Uranium series and radiocarbon dating techniques. Geomorphic patterns were identified and interpreted using light detection and ranging imagery. Since lithofacies occurrence, distribution and stratigraphic patterns are different on interfluves than in palaeo‐valleys, this study focused on interfluves to obtain a record of highstand sea‐level cycles with minimal alteration by fluvial processes during subsequent lowstands. Nine primary lithofacies and four diagenetic facies were identified in outcrops and cores. The uppermost depositional sequence on interfluves exhibits an upward succession from shelly marine lithofacies to tidal estuarine lithofacies and is bounded below by a marine ravinement surface and above by the modern land surface. Older depositional sequences in the subsurface are typically bounded above and below by marine ravinement surfaces. Portions of seven depositional sequences were recognized and interpreted to represent deposition from late middle Pleistocene to present. Erosional processes associated with each successive depositional sequence removed portions of older depositional sequences. The stratigraphic record of the most recent sea‐level highstands (Marine Isotope Stage 5a and Marine Isotope Stage 3) is best preserved. Glacio‐isostatic adjustment has influenced depositional patterns so that deposits associated with late Quaternary sea‐level highstands (Marine Isotope Stages 5c, 5a and 3), which did not reach as high as present sea‐level according to equatorial eustatic records, are uplifted and emergent within the study area.
The role of the tolerance–fecundity trade‐off in maintaining intraspecific seed trait variation in a widespread dimorphic herb
Authors: Villellas J. , García M. B.
Published: November 2012

Coexistence of species with different seed sizes is a long‐standing issue in community ecology, and a trade‐off between fecundity and stress tolerance has been proposed to explain co‐occurrence in heterogeneous environments. Here we tested an intraspecific extension of this model: whether such trade‐off also explains seed trait variation among populations of widespread plants under stress gradients. We collected seeds from 14 populations of Plantago coronopus along the Atlantic coast in North Africa and Europe. This herb presents seed dimorphism, producing large basal seeds with a mucilaginous coat that facilitates water absorption (more stress tolerant), and small apical seeds without coats (less stress tolerant). We analysed variation among populations in number, size and mucilage production of basal and apical seeds, and searched for relationships between local environment and plant size. Populations under higher stress (higher temperature, lower precipitation, lower soil organic matter) had fewer seeds per fruit, higher predominance of basal relative to apical seeds, and larger basal seeds with thicker mucilaginous coats. These results strongly suggest a trade‐off between tolerance and fecundity at the fruit level underpins variation in seed traits among P. coronopus populations. However, seed production per plant showed the opposite pattern to seed production per fruit, and seemed related to plant size and other life‐cycle components, as an additional strategy to cope with environmental variation across the range. The tolerance–fecundity model may constitute, under stress gradients, a broader ecological framework to explain trait variation than the classical seed size–number compromise, although several fecundity levels and traits should be considered to understand the diverse strategies of widespread plants to maximise fitness in each set of local conditions.
Mating in the pseudogamic apomicticAnemopaegma acutifoliumDC: another case of pseudo‐self‐compatibility inBignoniaceae?
Authors: Sampaio D. S. , Bittencourt Jr N. S. , Oliveira P. E.
Published: November 2012

Self‐compatibility in apomictic pseudogamic species is considered fundamental to assure reproduction by seeds in extreme situations, making apomictic species more advantageous than sexual ones in these scenarios.Anemopaegma acutifoliumis a polyploidy, apomictic sporophytic species with no endosperm development in ovules of unpollinated pistils, which indicates obligate pseudogamy. Thus, the aim of the present work is to study the breeding system and post‐pollination events to test if there is similar pseudogamous development irrespective of pollination treatment. We analysed fruit and seed set obtained in controlled experimental pollinations, as well as embryo number per seed, and the progress of ovule penetration, fertilisation and early endosperm development between self‐ and cross‐pollinated pistils. We found that the species is self‐fertile and that spontaneous selfing fruit set is also possible, although emasculated flowers never form fruits. Selfed pistils were as efficient as crossed ones for all parameters analysed, except for a delay in endosperm development observed in the former that may be an effect of the late‐acting self‐incompatibility. Therefore, the avoidance of selfed pistil abortion seems to be promoted by the presence of adventitious embryos and a normal endosperm. We conclude thatA. acutifoliumshows apomixis‐related pseudo‐self‐compatibility, as in other self‐fertile apomictic species of Bignoniaceae, which confer reproductive assurance and increases fruit‐set and persistence ability in fast‐changing tropical habitats.
Benefits of the fiber optic versus the electret microphone in voice amplification
Authors: Kyriakou Kyriaki , Fisher Hélène R.
Published: November 2012

Background

Voice disorders that result in reduced loudness may cause difficulty in communicating, socializing and participating in occupational activities. Amplification is often recommended in order to facilitate functional communication, reduce vocal load and avoid developing maladaptive compensatory behaviours. The most common microphone used with amplification systems is the electret microphone. One alternate form of microphone is the fiber optic microphone.

Aims

To examine the benefits of the fiber optic (1190S) versus the electret (M04) microphone as measured by objective and subjective parameters in the amplification of a patient's voice with reduced loudness caused by neurological and/or respiratory‐based problems.

Methods & Procedures

Eighteen patients with vocal fold paralysis, Parkinson's disease and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) participated in the study. The study contained a measurement of intensity, amplitude perturbation and signal‐to‐noise ratio during a sustained vowel production and a measurement of intensity during conversation with the use of the two microphones simultaneously. It also included the completion of a questionnaire indicating the patient's satisfaction with each microphone.

Outcomes & Results

The fiber optic (1190S) microphone had better objective acoustic performance (i.e. lower amplitude perturbation, higher signal‐to‐noise ratio and higher intensity) than the electret (M04) microphone. It also had better patient subjective satisfaction (i.e. less conspicuousness, more voice clarity, less acoustic feedback, more loudness and more utilization) than the electret microphone.

Conclusions & Implications

Patients with neurological and/or respiratory‐based voice problems may more confidently and frequently use the fiber optic microphone to communicate, socialize and participate in occupational activities more easily. Speech–language pathologists may more confidently use or recommend the fiber optic microphone with amplification systems.
Trends and Cycles in Sydney and Melbourne House Prices from 1880 to 2011
Authors: Stapledon Nigel
Published: November 2012

This article provides a series of indicative house and land prices for Sydney and Melbourne for 1880–1970, which, spliced to modern data, gives price series spanning 1880–2011. The broad trends highlight no significant movement in real prices to the 1950s followed by a persistent and significant trend rise in prices in the second half of the twentieth century and into the twenty‐first century. Over this long period, there have been several cycles in house prices, the two most significant in the 1880s and an unfinished cycle in the 2000s.
Immigration Opposition Among U.S. Whites: General Ethnocentrism or Media Priming of Attitudes About Latinos?
Authors: Valentino Nicholas A. , Brader Ted , Jardina Ashley E.
Published: November 2012

General ethnocentrism seems to be a powerful antecedent of immigration opinion, typically displaying larger effects than economic concerns. News about immigration, however, may focus attention on a particular group in a given historical moment. We predict group‐specific affect, not general ethnocentrism, should most powerfully shape immigration policy opinion in the contemporary United States. We test this expectation with content analyses of news coverage, survey data from 1992 to 2008, a survey experiment, and official statistics. First, we find that mentions of Latinos in news coverage of immigration outpace mentions of other groups beginning in 1994, the year when Proposition 187, a proposal in California to end most social welfare and educational assistance to illegal immigrants, garnered significant national attention. Second, while ethnocentrism dominates economic concerns in explanations of Whites' immigration policy opinions, attitudes toward Latinos in particular account for nearly all of the impact of ethnocentrism since 1994. Finally, journalistic attention to Latino immigration roughly parallels actual rates of immigration from Latin America, suggesting the media shaping of policy opinion around this group may be driven by real‐world demographic patterns.
How Can Deliberative Democracy Get a Grip?
Authors: GOODIN ROBERT E.
Published: November 2012

One of the most exciting innovations within ‘practical democratic theory’ in recent years has been the emergence of deliberative democracy, as a theoretically refined ideal with by now some well‐honed mechanisms for its implementation on a small scale. Its greatest remaining challenge is to figure out some way to connect those highly controlled, small‐scale deliberative exercises to the ‘main game’, politically. I sketch some limited and indirect ways in which that might happen in national politics, before going on to propose a more novel way in which such deliberative events might be used literally to make international law of a certain sort.
Too Important to Leave to Parties: The Case for Constitutionalising Equal Representation
Authors: FOX RUTH
Published: November 2012

At the current rate of progress it will be another century before parity of representation between men and women is achieved in the House of Commons. This article explores why and how legal guarantees may now be the best available route to secure equality of representation following the repeated failure of the political parties to deliver any significant improvement in numbers through their own preferred, voluntary mechanisms. It explores how the concepts of equality and political representation need to be recalibrated in order to place greater emphasis on democracy rather than meritocracy, and on outcomes as much as opportunities, and offers a broad outline of how a legislative guarantee might be structured and operate in practice.
The transfer of training at macro level in least developed countries: a case study of the ‘brain‐drain’ in Eritrea
Authors: Tessema Mussie T. , Winrow Brian P. , Teclezion Mussie M.
Published: November 2012

Over the past four decades, governments in the least developed countries (LDCs – a categorization adopted by the United Nations) have been attempting to improve the skills and knowledge of their public servants by providing local and international training programs. Despite these training activities, however, many LDCs continue to experience acute shortages of high‐level technical and managerial skills. This is because LDCs are increasingly unable to retain trained personnel employed in the public sector, resulting in a ‘brain‐drain’. The present study critically assesses that part of a major human resource development project implemented in Eritrea, an LDC, between 1998 and 2005, which provided overseas scholarships for 674 public servants. Almost two‐thirds did not return to Eritrea, and the study seeks to establish the reasons for nonreturn. It identifies from the literature five factors that appear to influence return and examines the relationship between these and nonreturn. Economic and political conditions and lack of peace and stability were significant in explaining changes in nonreturn. The results point to the areas of change needed to enable LDCs to retain highly qualified nationals. These areas involve significant changes in government policy, but training providers themselves may be able to take some steps to minimize the lack of benefit from their human resource development investment. The conclusion is that the retention and effective utilization of trained people by LDCs remains challenging. In theoretical terms, the concern of this study can be seen as a macro‐level expression of the transfer problem.
An Online Survey of Exercise‐Related Headaches Among Cyclists
Authors: van der Ende‐Kastelijn Karin , Oerlemans Willem , Goedegebuure Simon
Published: November 2012

Background.— Primary exertional headache (PEH) is a long‐known phenomenon. Divergent prevalences of between 0.2 and 12.3% are reported among the general population. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence among an athletic population.

Method.— A link to an online questionnaire was sent to all participants of a tough cycling event held in The Netherlands.

Results.— Four thousand participants filled out the questionnaire. One thousand eight hundred and ten (45%) stated that they had suffered, at least once in their lives, from exercise‐related headaches (EHs). Thirty‐seven percent (668) of them had those headaches at least once a month and 10% (174) experienced a weekly occurrence. The rate of female cyclists with a history of EHs was 54%. With an increasing age, a decline of EHs was found. Five hundred eighty‐one (37%) of the participants used medication for EHs.

Conclusions.— An estimation of the prevalence of PEHs among the studied population by comparison to the International Headache Society criteria resulted in a rate of 26%. The lower prevalence among older cyclists could be caused by avoidance of (high‐intensity) exercise due to the burden that EH brings along. PEH appears to be quite common among an athletic population and merits further investigation.
Lagniappe: The Impact of Headache Disorders in America*
Authors: Shapiro Robert E.
Published: November 2012

The immense burden of headache disorders in America has been very rarely considered during the formal deliberations of Congress. On February 14, 2012, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the United States Senate held a public hearing on Pain in America: Exploring Challenges to Relief. During that hearing, Senator Bernard Sanders of Vermont entered into the Congressional Record testimony on the impact of headache disorders on behalf of the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy.
Enhancing Self‐Protective Behavior: Efficacy Beliefs and Peer Feedback in Risk Communication
Authors: Verroen Stephan , Gutteling Jan M. , De Vries Peter W.
Published: November 2012

In times of a high‐impact safety incident citizens may have a variety of sources available to help them cope with the situation. This research focuses on the interplay of efficacy information in risk communication messages and peer feedback, such as responses on social network sites (SNSs) in the context of a high‐impact risk on the intention to engage in self‐protective behavior. The study pitted high and low efficacy information messages against supporting and opposing peer feedback (N = 242). Results show a significant interaction effect between efficacy information in a news article and peer feedback from SNS messages on both the intention to engage in self‐protective behavior and levels of involvement. Participants who received the article with more efficacy information and also received supportive peer feedback via SNS messages were more likely to express higher levels of involvement and greater intentions to engage in protective behavior. When confronted with a low efficacious news article, the effect of peer feedback on these two variables was significantly stronger. Finally, implications for theory and government risk communication are discussed.
Making meaning of heritage landscapes: The politics of redevelopment in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Authors: Barber Lachlan B.
Published: November 2012

This article investigates the production and maintenance of the heritage landscape in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. It argues that the unequal power relations that produced and were inscribed in the landscape historically continue to operate in the present. It does so by critically evaluating and contextualizing contestation over new high‐rise construction on the streets below Citadel Hill. Drawing on qualitative field work between 2005 and 2008, the article suggests that the meanings and values of heritage resources, such as views that served to protect the city, are not properly understood. A spatialized historical account shows how the creation of the colonial city depended upon the marginalization of groups that were other to the British settlers. A review of the establishment of the modern planning apparatus reveals a model of heritage interpretation that encourages an adversarial approach to the evaluation of proposals for new development. The characteristics and aspirations of pro‐development and pro‐heritage groups are examined. Finally, a case study of a controversial proposal to build a high‐rise building in a prominent location is presented. The article contributes to critical landscape studies by using a postcolonial approach to study the ideological underpinnings of built heritage in the Canadian context.
Perception of affective prosody in patients at an early stage of relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis
Authors: Kraemer Markus , Herold Michele , Uekermann Jennifer , Kis Bernhard , Daum Irene , Wiltfang Jens , Berlit Peter , Diehl Rolf R. , Abdel‐Hamid Mona
Published: November 2012

Cognitive dysfunction is well known in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) and has been described for many years. Cognitive impairment, memory, and attention deficits seem to be features of advanced MS stages, whereas depression and emotional instability already occur in early stages of the disease. However, little is known about processing of affective prosody in patients in early stages of relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS). In this study, tests assessing attention, memory, and processing of affective prosody were administered to 25 adult patients with a diagnosis of RRMS at an early stage and to 25 healthy controls (HC). Early stages of the disease were defined as being diagnosed with RRMS in the last 2 years and having an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) of 2 or lower. Patients and HC were comparable in intelligence quotient (IQ), educational level, age, handedness, and gender. Patients with early stages of RRMS performed below the control group with respect to the subtests ‘discrimination of affective prosody’ and ‘matching of affective prosody to facial expression’ for the emotion ‘angry’ of the ‘Tübingen Affect Battery’. These deficits were not related to executive performance. Our findings suggest that emotional prosody comprehension is deficient in young patients with early stages of RRMS. Deficits in discriminating affective prosody early in the disease may make misunderstandings and poor communication more likely. This might negatively influence interpersonal relationships and quality of life in patients with RRMS.
Self‐medication practices for managing tooth pain amongst patients attending oral surgery clinics
Authors: Baptist J. , Sharma S.M. , Hegde N.
Published: November 2012

Aim and objectives

1 To assess the prevalence of self‐medication practices for tooth pain amongst patients seeking dental care in the Oral Surgery Department. 2 To identify reasons for self‐medication. 3 To assess the awareness of the side effects and contra indications of the drugs used for self‐medication.

Material and methods

300 patients over the age of 14 years attending the out patient clinic of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinics complaining of tooth pain were given a questionnaire containing 18 questions pertaining to the practice of self medication.

Results

59% of the respondents in the study reported self medication for tooth pain and almost 86% of these individuals obtained pain relief. However only a very few were aware of the dosage, side effects and contra indications of these medicines.

Conclusion

Self medication is desirable when used responsibly. Hence modifications in self medication practices, such as, patient education, display of basic drug information on the drug packages, and stringent and uniform international laws regarding drug dispensing will optimize the present health care system.
When good intentions are not enough … Insights on networks of “paper park” marine protected areas
Authors: Rife Alexis N. , Erisman Brad , Sanchez Alexandra , Aburto‐Oropeza Octavio
Published: November 2012

In efforts to protect the world's oceans, the Convention on Biological Diversity has moved the goal of establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) to cover 10% of the ocean from 2012 to 2020. This adjustment suggests that the rush to establish MPAs without proper resources does not resolve conservation problems. In fact, such actions may create a false sense of protection that camouflages degradation of marine ecosystems on regional scales. To exemplify this phenomenon, we reviewed MPA efficacy in the Gulf of California, Mexico, where some 23,300 km2have been decreed as MPAs. With the exception of Cabo Pulmo National Park, MPAs have not met conservation or sustainability goals. We examined MPA budgets and foundations’ investment in the region and found that funding for management is not the limiting factor in MPA efficacy, although funding for enforcement may be deficient. We conclude that MPAs have failed because of insufficient no‐take zones, lack of enforcement, poor governance, and minimal community involvement. We need a new philosophy to implement MPAs to take advantage of the scientific knowledge and monetary investment that have been generated worldwide and ensure that they complement effective fisheries management outside their borders.
A call for more transparent reporting of error rates: the quality of AFLP data in ecological and evolutionary research
Authors: Crawford Lindsay A. , Koscinski Daria , Keyghobadi Nusha
Published: November 2012

Despite much discussion of the importance of quantifying and reporting genotyping error in molecular studies, it is still not standard practice in the literature. This is particularly a concern for amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) studies, where differences in laboratory, peak‐calling and locus‐selection protocols can generate data sets varying widely in genotyping error rate, the number of loci used and potentially estimates of genetic diversity or differentiation. In our experience, papers rarely provide adequate information on AFLP reproducibility, making meaningful comparisons among studies difficult. To quantify the extent of this problem, we reviewed the current molecular ecology literature (470 recent AFLP articles) to determine the proportion of studies that report an error rate and follow established guidelines for assessing error. Fifty‐four per cent of recent articles do not report any assessment of data set reproducibility. Of those studies that do claim to have assessed reproducibility, the majority (~90%) either do not report a specific error rate or do not provide sufficient details to allow the reader to judge whether error was assessed correctly. Even of the papers that do report an error rate and provide details, many (≥23%) do not follow recommended standards for quantifying error. These issues also exist for other marker types such as microsatellites, and next‐generation sequencing techniques, particularly those which use restriction enzymes for fragment generation. Therefore, we urge all researchers conducting genotyping studies to estimate and more transparently report genotyping error using existing guidelines and encourage journals to enforce stricter standards for the publication of genotyping studies.
Psychosocial factors influencing the recovery of athletes with anterior cruciate ligament injury: A systematic review
Authors: te Wierike S. C. M. , van der Sluis A. , van den Akker‐Scheek I. , Elferink‐Gemser M. T. , Visscher C.
Published: November 2012

This review describes the psychosocial factors that affect recovery following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and reconstructive surgery in athletes. A systematic search in literature with inclusion and exclusion criteria on PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase was performed. Articles used in this review were divided in five different parts according to the biopsychosocial model of Wiese‐Bjornstal, with the addition of intervention studies. The results showed that a high internal Health Locus of Control and a high self‐efficacy were useful cognitive factors to facilitate the recovery. Athletes with a low level of fear of reinjury had the best knee outcome after the injury followed by a reconstruction. In addition, athletes who returned to sport had less fear of reinjury and were more experienced and established athletes compared with athletes who did not return to sport. Furthermore, researchers showed that there was a positive relation between goal setting and adherence, which in turn yielded a positive relation with the outcome of the rehabilitation of an ACL injury. There were several psychosocial interventions that appeared to be facilitating the rehabilitation process.
Multidisciplinary Optimization of a Turbocharger Radial Turbine
Authors: Mueller Lasse , Alsalihi Zuheyr , Verstraete Tom
Published: November 2012

This paper presents a multidisciplinary design optimization of a turbocharger radial turbine for automotive applications with the aim to improve two major manufacturer requirements: the total-to-static efficiency and the moment of inertia of the radial turbine impeller. The search for the best design is constrained by mechanical stress limitations, by the mass flow and power, and by aerodynamic constraints related to the isentropic Mach number distribution on the rotor blade. The optimization of the radial turbine is performed with a two-level optimization algorithm developed at the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics. The system makes use of a differential evolution algorithm, an artificial neural network (ANN), and a database as a compromise between accuracy and computational cost. The ANN performance predictions are periodically validated by means of accurate steady state 3D Navier-Stokes and centrifugal stress computations. The results show that it is possible to improve the efficiency and the moment of inertia only in a few numbers of iterations while limiting the stresses to a maximum value. Based on the large number of evaluated designs during the optimization, this paper provides design recommendations of a turbocharger radial turbine at least for a good preliminary design.
Determination of Time Resolved Heat Transfer Coefficient and Adiabatic Effectiveness Waveforms With Unsteady Film
Authors: Rutledge James L. , McCall Jonathan F.
Published: November 2012

Traditional hot gas path film cooling characterization involves the use of wind tunnel models to measure the spatial adiabatic effectiveness (η) and heat transfer coefficient (h) distributions. Periodic unsteadiness in the flow, however, causes fluctuations in both η and h. In this paper we present a novel inverse heat transfer methodology that may be used to approximate the η(t) and h(t) waveforms. The technique is a modification of the traditional transient heat transfer technique that, with steady flow conditions only, allows the determination of η and h from a single experiment by measuring the surface temperature history as the material changes temperature after sudden immersion in the flow. However, unlike the traditional transient technique, this new algorithm contains no assumption of steadiness in the formulation of the governing differential equations for heat transfer into a semi-infinite slab. The technique was tested by devising arbitrary waveforms for η and h at a point on a film cooled surface and running a computational simulation of an actual experimental model experiencing those flow conditions. The surface temperature history was corrupted with random noise to simulate actual surface temperature measurements and then fed into an algorithm developed here that successfully and consistently approximated the η(t) and h(t) waveforms.
An Explanation for Flow Features of Spike-Type Stall Inception in an Axial Compressor Rotor
Authors: Yamada Kazutoyo , Kikuta Hiroaki , Iwakiri Ken-ichiro , Furukawa Masato , Gunjishima Satoshi
Published: November 2012

The unsteady behavior and three-dimensional flow structure of spike-type stall inception in an axial compressor rotor were investigated by experimental and numerical analyses. Previous studies revealed that the test compressor falls into a mild stall after emergence of a spike, in which multiple stall cells, each consisting of a tornado-like vortex, are rotating. However, the flow mechanism from the spike onset to the mild stall remains unexplained. The purpose of this study is to describe the flow mechanism of a spike stall inception in a compressor. In order to capture the transient phenomena of spike-type stall inception experimentally, an instantaneous casing pressure field measurement technique was developed, in which 30 pressure transducers measure an instantaneous casing pressure distribution inside the passage for one blade pitch at a rate of 25 samplings per blade passing period. This technique was applied to obtain the unsteady and transient pressure fields on the casing wall during the inception process of the spike stall. In addition, the details of the three-dimensional flow structure at the spike stall inception were analyzed by a numerical approach using the detached-eddy simulation (DES). The instantaneous casing pressure field measurement results at the stall inception show that a low-pressure region starts traveling near the leading edge in the circumferential direction just after the spiky wave was detected in the casing wall pressure trace measured near the rotor leading edge. The DES results reveal the vortical flow structure behind the low-pressure region on the casing wall at the stall inception, showing that the low-pressure region is caused by a tornado-like separation vortex resulting from a leading-edge separation near the rotor tip. A leading-edge separation occurs near the tip at the onset of the spike stall and grows to form the tornado-like vortex connecting the blade suction surface and the casing wall. The casing-side leg of the tornado-like vortex generating the low-pressure region circumferentially moves around the leading-edge line. When the vortex grows large enough to interact with the leading edge of the next blade, the leading-edge separation begins to propagate, and then the compressor falls into a stall with decreasing performance.
Complex patterns of morphogenesis, embryology, and reproduction in Triuris brevistylis, a species of Triuridaceae (Pandanales) closely related to Lacandonia schismatica
Authors: Espinosa-Matías Silvia , Vergara-Silva Francisco , Vázquez-Santana Sonia , Martínez-Zurita Eddy , Márquez-Guzmán Judith
Published: November 2012

Triuris brevistylis Donn. Sm. (Triuridaceae: Pandanales), a mycoheterotrophic monocotyledon with populations in Mexico and Guatemala, is closely related to Lacandonia schismatica E. Martínez et C. H. Ramos, a triurid species displaying a peculiar “inside-out” arrangement in its reproductive axes. Triuris brevistylis is a polygamodioecious species in which four types of bisexual ramets–genets coexist besides regular (i.e., unisexual) male and female flowers. Here, we characterize the embryology of three of the following different types of reproductive axes in T. brevistylis: male and female flowers and a bisexual floral type in which stamens develop at the base of the receptacle of an otherwise female-looking flower. Through this embryological characterization, we have detected that cleistogamy, a mechanism previously considered exclusive to L. schismatica, occurs in the bisexual flowers. Besides serving as characters for the systematics of Triuridaceae and Pandanales, our data establish that morphogenetic and reproductive patterns in T. brevistylis are more complex than in L. schismatica. Therefore, we claim that our results contribute to a refined assessment of the controversy regarding morphological interpretation of reproductive axes in triurids.
MEASUREMENT OF CP-VIOLATION IN $D^0/\bar{D}^0$
Authors: MORELLO MICHAEL J.
Published: November 2012

Charm physics has played all along a central role in particle physics, however, the level of attention on it has tremendously increased in the last years because of the observation of "fast" [Formula: see text] flavor oscillations and because of very recent observed hints of CP-violation. While in the past these would have been unambiguously interpreted as signs of New Physics (NP), the revisitation of theoretical expectations, prompted by the latest experimental measurements, makes the picture not clear. This brief review covers the current status of CP-violating measurements in the [Formula: see text] system, both on the experimental and theoretical sides.
A FLAT SPACETIME MODEL OF THE UNIVERSE
Authors: JAIN PANKAJ
Published: November 2012

We propose a model of the Universe based on Minkowski flat spacetime metric. In this model the spacetime does not evolve. Instead the matter evolves such that all the mass parameters increase with time. We construct a model based on unimodular gravity to show how this can be accomplished within the framework of flat spacetime. We show that the model predicts the Hubble law if the masses increase with time. Furthermore, we show that it fits the high z supernova data in a manner almost identical to the standard Big Bang model. Furthermore, we show that at early times the Universe is dominated by radiative energy density. The phenomenon of recombination also arises in our model and hence predicts the existence of CMBR. However, a major difference with respect to the standard Big Bang is that there is no initial singularity and the radiative temperature and energy density do not evolve in our model. Furthermore, we argue that the basic motivation for inflation is absent in our model.
CROSSOVER FROM CHIRAL SUSCEPTIBILITY IN QED3
Authors: FENG HONG-TAO
Published: November 2012

In the framework of truncated Dyson–Schwinger equation for fermion propagator, we investigate the chiral susceptibility with the rise of temperature in QED3, while it demonstrates a phase transition characteristic in the chiral limit and illustrates a crossover beyond chiral limit in this Abelian system.
CONTROLLING SINGLE-PHOTON TRANSPORT IN A ONE-DIMENSIONAL RESONATOR WAVEGUIDE BY INTERATOMIC DIPOLE–DIPOLE INTERACTION
Authors: TIAN WEI , CHEN BIN , TONG GUANG
Published: November 2012

Controlling single-photon transport in a one-dimensional resonator waveguide can be realized by the interatomic dipole–dipole interaction (DDI). Our numerical results show that the effects of the DDI act as that of a positive detuning. Because of the DDI, the period of the transmission spectrum changes, and its amplitude increases for stronger DDI intensity. We also discuss the influences of the DDI on the transport in low-energy and high-energy regimes. Besides, a cooperation dissipation, induced by the two atoms coupling to a common reservoir, can lead to the increase of the atomic total decay rates and the decrease of the reflection amplitude of the incident photon.
ONE-LOOP RENORMALIZATION GROUP ANALYSIS OF BOSE–FERMI MIXTURES
Authors: LIU BOYANG , HU JIANGPING
Published: November 2012

A weakly interacting Bose–Fermi mixture model was investigated using Wisonian renormalization group (RG). This model includes one boson–boson interaction term and one boson–fermion interaction term. The scaling dimensions of the two interaction coupling constants were calculated as 2-D at tree level and the flow equations were derived at one-loop level. We find that in the flow equations the contributions from the fermion loops go to zero as the length scale approaches infinity. In three-dimensional case two fixed points are calculated. One is the Gaussian fixed point and the other one is Wilson–Fisher fixed point. We observe that the boson–fermion interaction decouples at the Wilson–Fisher fixed point. We also find that under RG transformation the boson–fermion interaction coupling constant runs to negative infinity with a small negative initial value, which indicates a boson–fermion pairing instability. Furthermore, the possibility of emergent supersymmetry in this model was discussed.