bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Are Crime Victims Being Gagged Under the Israeli Criminal Justice Procedures?
Authors: Shoham Efrat , Gideon Lior
Published: January 2014

In this conceptual article we examine the issues revolving around crime victims' participation under the Israeli criminal procedure in recent years. As such, the article discusses the official status of victims, the protections guaranteed by local legislation during the various legal stages--beginning with the criminal investigation procedure through the protections guaranteed under law, and their routine implementation. Specifically, the article discusses changes in Israeli legislation and practice in regard to victims' rights, while comparing them to those in other countries. Further, the article discusses the introduction of restorative justice to legal procedures in Israel, and its relevance to victims' rights. It concludes with a recommendation to establish a standardized policy that will assure victims' rights in order to secure their status while also ensuring that they are being exposed to a therapeutic process that is much needed for the victims, and in particular for domestic and sexual assault victims.
Empowering the Frontline Police Officers to Cope with Police Social Service Role Strain in China
Authors: Wang Xiaohai
Published: January 2014

Provision of social service is one of the most significant roles of the police. A review of the related literature in policing seems to reveal that empowerment holds significance for frontline officers who are largely responsible for social service delivery. This study examines the possible relationships between police social service structural empowerment (PSSSE), police social service psychological empowerment (PSSPE) and police social service role strain (PSSRS) among frontline police officers in China. This study adopts a two-phase (quantitative and qualitative approaches) sequential explanatory design. In the first phase, a questionnaire is used to collect data from a sample of two hundred frontline community patrol officers in Shenzhen Public Security Bureau, China. After conducting the quantitative analysis, the author uses in-depth interviews to explore the nature of PSSRS, PSSSE, PSSPE from twelve selected interviewees' insights. According to the results of the survey and in-depth interviews, the participants report a comparatively high level of PSSRS and low levels of PSSSE and PSSPE. It has been found that there are significantly negative correlations between PSSSE, PSSPE and PSSRS in the Chinese police organization. The Chinese police force is suggested to provide effective interventions for individual experience of psychological empowerment and reorganize the current paramilitary-bureaucratic model by changing the management practices for structural empowerment in response to the PSSRS among frontline police officers.
Est-ce que le roseau commun exotique envahit les marais adjacents aux routes ?
Authors: Lelong Benjamin , Lavoie Claude
Published: January 2014

En Amérique du Nord, le roseau commun (Phragmites australis) représente une nuisance, car les marais envahis par l’haplotype exotique de cette espèce (haplotype M) possèdent une diversité végétale particulièrement faible. Au Québec, l’extension du réseau routier amorcée au début des années 1960 ainsi que l’asphaltage des routes ont facilité la propagation du roseau dans tout le sud de la province, la plante trouvant dans les fossés de drainage un habitat particulièrement propice à son établissement et sa croissance. Le roseau qui se propage en bordure d’une route reste-t-il dans l’emprise routière ou envahit-il tout marais traversé par le corridor routier ? Un système d’information géographique et des photographies aériennes historiques ont permis de cartographier les populations de roseaux présentes dans 14 marais adjacents au réseau autoroutier du sud du Québec. Le roseau exotique était présent dans 9 des 14 marais étudiés. L’analyse historique de l’invasion du roseau dans 3 marais montre que le processus d’invasion a commencé après la construction des autoroutes et qu’il a progressé ensuite de manière constante et rapide. Néanmoins, le roseau ne s’est pas toujours propagé des fossés de drainage de l’autoroute vers le marais adjacent. Il arrive parfois que le roseau s’installe d’abord au sein même du marais avant d’investir le fossé de drainage de l’autoroute voisine. Quoi qu’il en soit, empêcher l’établissement du roseau dans les fossés routiers à proximité des marais constitue une approche prudente de prévention des invasions.
L’anax précoce au Québec : une libellule migratrice
Authors: Savard Michel
Published: January 2014

Dans le cadre des travaux du Migratory Dragonfly Partnership, les limites nord des aires de dispersion et de reproduction de l’anax précoce (Anax junius) au Québec ont été mises à jour à partir de la documentation scientifique et des données inédites des participants à l’Initiative pour un atlas des libellules du Québec. Chaque année, dans les basses terres de l’Outaouais et du Saint-Laurent, les premiers adultes immigrant des États-Unis se montrent en mai, exceptionnellement à la fin avril. L’espèce est occasionnellement rapportée dans les contreforts laurentiens et appalachiens de même que dans les régions habitées situées plus au nord du 47e parallèle, sans apparemment dépasser le 50e parallèle le long des côtes de l’estuaire maritime et du golfe du Saint-Laurent. L’émergence de populations estivantes de naïades se produit régulièrement dans la zone tempérée feuillue entre la mi-août et le début octobre tandis que l’émergence de populations hivernantes de naïades s’observe rarement en juin ou au début juillet dans l’extrême sud du Québec. Dans la zone tempérée mixte, des émergences peuvent se produire dans l’enclave bioclimatique du Témiscouata et fort possiblement dans celle du Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean. D’après le modèle climatique de Gérardin et McKenney (2001), la limite nord de reproduction de l’anax précoce pourrait atteindre le 49e parallèle, suivant l’isotherme de 15,7 °C pour les 3 mois les plus chauds. Il semble peu probable que l’anax précoce puisse compléter un cycle vital dans la zone boréale, par exemple à l’île d’Anticosti. L’impact des changements climatiques devrait se manifester sur la précocité de l’arrivée printanière des adultes immigrants et sur l’augmentation de la fréquence des émergences de populations hivernantes et estivantes de naïades.
Perceptions environnementales et description du paysage de la Nouvelle-France aux xviie et xviiie siècles
Authors: Querrec Lydia , Auger Réginald , Filion Louise
Published: January 2014

Cette synthèse, regroupant documents d’archives, récits historiques et interprétations d’historiens et de chercheurs, a pour but de dégager les perceptions environnementales des premiers explorateurs européens à avoir foulé les terres de la Nouvelle-France et, en particulier, celles de la région de Québec. Auxxviieetxviiiesiècles, les Européens ont cherché à acquérir des connaissances sur leur nouvel environnement, souvent au contact de populations amérindiennes. L’établissement des nouveaux arrivants passait par l’acclimatation au territoire afin d’en exploiter les ressources naturelles, en vue de faire de la France une grande puissance au sein de l’Europe. Cette découverte de la Nouvelle-France reflète un engouement pour les sciences naturelles et une certaine sensibilité à la nature. L’appropriation du territoire et l’installation des Européens passaient par une modification de l’environnement dans toute la vallée du Saint-Laurent. Les documents concernant la période historique en Nouvelle-France sont nombreux, mais néanmoins difficiles à repérer et à lire du fait de l’utilisation du vieux français. En réunissant en un seul et même document le fruit de lectures et de réflexions, cet article permet une sensibilisation du lecteur aux étapes initiales de la colonisation et de l’adaptation des premiers occupants européens à leur environnement.
Aménagement et suivi de l’efficacité d’une passe migratoire pour l’omble chevalier et le touladi à l’exutoire du lac du Bombardier, Nunavik
Authors: Charbonneau Patrick , Cormier Étienne , Brunet Richard , Amyot Gail
Published: January 2014

Le projet minier Nunavik Nickel a nécessité la construction d’un pont-seuil à l’exutoire du lac du Bombardier au Nunavik, Québec, Canada. Ce pont-seuil devait permettre aux poissons de transiter entre la rivière de Puvirnituq et le lac. Ainsi, une passe migratoire favorisant le passage de l’omble chevalier (Salvelinus alpinus) et du touladi (Salvelinus namaycush) a été aménagée à même le pont-seuil. À la suite de l’aménagement réalisé en 2012, une inspection de la passe migratoire et un suivi de son efficacité ont été réalisés à l’aide du système automatisé IchtyoSTM. L’inspection a révélé que les critères de conception étaient respectés bien que de légers travaux correctifs aient dû être réalisés au printemps 2013 pour améliorer l’appel de la passe migratoire. De juillet à septembre 2012, IchtyoSTM a enregistré 166 évènements correspondant à des passages de poissons, soit 114 touladis, 45 ombles chevaliers et 7 spécimens non identifiés. Un pic de montaison est survenu à la troisième semaine d’août. Ce pic est corrélé avec une augmentation des niveaux d’eau dans le lac à partir de la mi-août. Les montaisons ont été dominées par le touladi en juillet et août, pour passer à une dominance d’omble chevalier en septembre. Les informations récoltées confirment l’efficacité de la passe migratoire du pont-seuil à l’égard du libre passage de l’omble chevalier et du touladi en montaison.
Incidencia de la beca salario: impacto, perfil y rendimiento de los estudiantes
Authors: Berlanga Vanesa , Figuera Pilar , Pons Ernest
Published: January 2014

La implantación de las becas de estudio, y especialmente las becas salario adaptadas a la nueva situación del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior, pretenden garantizar el acceso a los estudios universitarios a los grupos sociales más desfavorecidos económicamente. Esta investigación realiza un estudio ex post facto, de carácter descriptivo-comparativo dirigido a valorar la incidencia de la beca salario. El estudio se ha realizado con 10.394 estudiantes de nuevo acceso de la cohorte 2010-11 de la Universidad de Barcelona. Un total de 642 estudiantes accedieron con la beca salario, con diferencias en función de la rama de conocimiento, el sexo y la vía de acceso a la universidad. En relación a sus compañeros, los estudiantes con beca provienen de familias con niveles ocupaciones y/o de estudios inferiores, de manera que contribuye a la equidad en el acceso. Los estudiantes con beca se matriculan y se presentan, en promedio, a un mayor número de asignaturas con la finalidad de cubrir los requisitos académicos de renovación de becas, pero los resultados académicos finales se ven influidos negativamente. Una posible explicación es la mayor presión académica de este colectivo en una fase de por sí complicada: la transición a la universidad.
Population Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Methods
Authors: Bulitta Jürgen B , Holford Nicholas H G
Published: January 2014

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models are widely used to provide the quantitative basis for understanding the clinical pharmacology of pharmaceuticals. These models are used to describe both the average behavior in the population and differences between individuals. Pharmacokinetic models describe the time course of absorption, distribution, and elimination of a drug and any metabolites. Pharmacodynamic models describe the relationship between drug concentration and biological response. The pharmacokinetic‐pharmacodynamic model often has to account for a delay between the time course of concentrations and the time course of pharmacodynamic effect. Statistical models can describe the predictable and the unpredictable variability between and within subject variability in response. Predictable variability is most commonly understood for drug elimination processes and typically uses subject factors such as weight, renal function, and other medications to account for between subject differences. Unpredictable variability is usually larger than predictable variability. A wide variety of software has been developed for implementing these pharmacological and statistical models; of these, NONMEM (GloboMax LLC, Hanover, MD) is the most widely used. Newer algorithms are actively being developed. Model building and parameter estimation are often computationally intensive. Population models are used by drug developers to create a rationale framework for development, by regulatory health authorities to evaluate clinical trials and enhance product labels and by clinical researchers to understand human biology and disease progression.
Quality of Life
Authors: Fairclough Diane L. , Ganz Patricia A.
Published: January 2014

In the health sciences, assessment of quality of life and other patient‐reported outcomes are now an integral component of patient‐focused research. Health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) is a multidimensional construct that assesses the extent to which one's usual or expected physical, emotional, and social well‐being are impacted by a medical condition or its treatment. HRQoL may be assessed using generic or disease‐specific instruments. These instruments consist of a set of questions, method of administration, instructions for administration, method of scoring and analysis, and interpretation. Validation of these instruments includes assessment of content validity, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and discriminant and predictive validity. Some of the statistical issues that arise in the analysis of studies with HRQoL assessments are multiple endpoints, missing data (informative dropout), and interpretation (statistical versus clinical significance).
Sample Size Considerations for Morbidity/Mortality Trials
Authors: Shih Joanna H.
Published: January 2014

Sample size and power determination plays a crucial role in the design of morbidity/mortality clinical trials. To ensure that a trial is adequately sized so that the true treatment effect can be detected with a desired power, it is important to evaluate the assumptions used in the sample‐size calculation procedure. Various close‐form sample‐size formulas have been proposed for the analysis of morbidity/mortality trials with survival endpoints. However, most of them are formed based on restrictive assumptions and do not take into consideration factors that may affect the estimate of the treatment effect. These factors include drop‐in, drop‐out, staggered entry, loss to follow‐up, lags in treatment effects, and informative noncompliance. This article reviews the sample‐size calculation methods for testing the treatment effect in two‐arm survival trials. For each method considered, its basic features, underlying assumptions, and limitations are discussed. Presented first are the test statistics and associated methods that yield close‐form sample‐size formulas. Then attention will be focused on methods with aforementioned complexities in sample‐size calculation.
Sample Size Calculation for Comparing Means
Authors: Wang Hansheng , Chow Shein‐Chung
Published: January 2014

In this article, the focus will be on sample size calculation based on a continuous study endpoint for comparing means (i.e., treatment effects) under some study designs. These designs include parallel designs, crossover designs, titration designs, and enrichment designs (2). Among these designs, parallel designs and crossover designs are probably the two mostly commonly used designs.
Sensitivity, Specificity and Receiver Operator Characteristic (
ROC
) Methods
Authors: Kraemer Helena Chmura
Published: January 2014

Three of the most common problems in medical research are as follows: (
1
) evaluating a medical test against a diagnostic criterion in a population, (
2
) choosing the best among available tests, and finally (
3
) developing the best combination of medical tests. In 1979, a
Lancet
editorial commented that
“The assessment of diagnostic methods belongs to the backwoods of clinical research. New treatments are submitted to thorough testing and books are written on the methodology of the controlled therapeutic trial; but no standards have been fixed for the assessment of diagnostic methods.”
Since 1979, some progress has been reflected in the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) guidelines, but statistical methods remain much less developed than the methods for the assessment of treatments in randomized clinical trials. As a result, medical tests often enter general clinical use with little or no convincing documentation of their accuracy, which then has major repercussions on patient health and medical costs.
Stability Study Designs
Authors: Daphne Lin Tsae‐Yun , Chen Chi Wan
Published: January 2014

A good stability study design is the key to a successful stability program. In this article, stability designs including full, bracketing, and matrixing designs will be exemplified. A full design involves complete testing of all factor combinations at all time points, which can be costly. The pharmaceutical industry would like to apply bracketing or matrixing design so that not every factor combination will be tested at every time point. The statistical aspects of these stability designs will be discussed in relation to the recent Internation Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. Several commonly used criteria for design comparison will be presented. The statistical and regulatory considerations on the selection of stability design will also be discussed. The stability study should be well designed so the shelf life of the drug product can be estimated with the high degree of accuracy and precision.
Survival Analysis, Overview
Authors: Andersen Per Kragh , Keiding Niels
Published: January 2014

Survival analysis is the generic name for analysis of time‐to‐event data. The distinguishing feature of such data is the presence of right‐censored observations. Thus, for some subjects, instead of observing the real time to the event, only a lower limit for this time, the right‐censoring time, is known. This kind of incomplete data calls for special statistical techniques for the analysis. This article reviews such methods with cross‐references to other articles dealing with special techniques.
Women's Health Initiative Hormone Therapy Trials
Authors: Bassuk Shari S. , Manson JoAnn E.
Published: January 2014

The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) trials were designed to determine the balance of benefits and risks of HT taken for chronic disease prevention by initially healthy postmenopausal women (age range, 50—79 years; mean age, 63 years). Women with an intact uterus were randomized to estrogen–progestin or placebo for a mean of 5.6 years; women with hysterectomy were randomized to estrogen alone or placebo for a mean of 7.1 years. Compared with their respective placebo‐group counterparts, women in the estrogen–progestin group were significantly more likely to experience an adverse health event, whereas women in the estrogen‐alone group were as likely to do so. Specifically, estrogen–progestin was associated with increased risks of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, venous thromboembolism, and breast cancer, as well as reduced risks of hip fracture and colorectal cancer. Estrogen alone was associated with an increased risk of stroke and a reduced risk of hip fracture; it had no effect on CHD risk. The results do not support the use of HT for chronic disease prevention in postmenopausal women as a whole. However, because few WHI participants were within 5 years of menopause, these trials cannot conclusively determine the risk–benefit balance of HT in recently menopausal women. Accumulating data suggest that the timing of HT initiation in relation to age or menopause onset may critically influence the relationship between such therapy and risk of CHD as well as its overall risk–benefit balance, with younger or recently menopausal women experiencing more favorable effects than older women or women further from menopause.
Biased‐Coin Randomization
Authors: Smith Mike D.
Published: January 2014

The biased coin randomisation is introduced as a procedure to minimize study bias whilst maintaining treatment balance throughout the trial. The range of biased coin randomizations are described for 2 and more than 2 treatment groups, and also for equal and unequal randomization. Biased coin randomizations are described which use both fixed and adaptive levels of coin ‘bias’. The well‐known urn model is described as a special representation of the biased coin randomization, and the link is discussed. Finally, the use of the biased coin randomization procedure for balance within covariate strata, and the application to response adaptive randomizations are described.
Block Randomization
Authors: McEntegart Damian
Published: January 2014

Simple unconstrained randomization is the yardstick for randomization techniques in clinical trials as it is completely unpredictable and provides an unambiguous basis for inference from statistical analysis. But simple randomization is rarely used because of the need to protect the trial from imbalance in the overall numbers allocated to treatment and from temporal bias in the allocations. For these reasons the randomization procedure is often restricted by some form of blocking, the most common being random permuted blocks. The methodology, issues and practical considerations relating to the use of blocked randomization are described. Particular attention is paid to the issue of potential selection bias, which may arise from the predictability of tail allocations towards the end of any block of treatment allocations if the past allocations in the block are known or can be guessed. The merits of using unequally sized blocks to avoid selection bias are discussed in detail. Inference following blocked randomization is also discussed. Alternative forms of blocking are described; these include lists generated from the maximal procedure, the use of rows from Hadamard matrices, Zelen's balanced blocks procedure and mixed randomization. Practical considerations relating to the use of blocked randomization are described including software used to generate random blocks. Also covered are considerations relating to the use of electronic systems to automatically perform allocation from a pre‐defined randomization list; the use of such systems is becoming increasingly common with the advent of telephone interactive voice response (IVR) and web based randomization systems.
Clinical Significance
Authors: Kamath Celia C. , Sloan Jeffrey A. , Cappelleri Joseph C.
Published: January 2014

This article defines clinical significance, as opposed to statistical significance, as it relates to health‐related quality of life measures used in clinical trials. It provides a brief history of the concept and addresses the different perspectives from which it is perceived and interpreted. It describes the current methods used to assess clinical significance and provides several examples of the different ways of measuring, validating, and using clinical significance. Recent developments on the concept are discussed. Finally, directions for future research are highlighted.
Cluster Randomization
Authors: Klar Neil , Donner Allan
Published: January 2014

The purpose of this article is to present a systematic and unified treatment of comparative trials that randomize intact social units, or clusters of individuals, to different intervention groups. Such trials have become particularly widespread in the evaluation of nontherapeutic interventions, including lifestyle modification, educational programs, and innovations in the provision of health care. Their increasing popularity over the last two decades has led to an extensive body of methodology and a growing, but somewhat scattered, literature that cuts across several disciplines in the statistical, social, and medical sciences.
Cox Proportional Hazard Model
Authors: Cai Jianwen , Zeng Donglin
Published: January 2014

In this article, we provide an overview on the Cox proportional hazards model. We discuss the partial likelihood approach for parameter estimation and inference. Some practical issues in using the Cox regression model are discussed, including how to handle tied data, incorporate time‐dependent covariates, and fit the Cox regression model in stratified population. The article also reviews some practical ways for assessing proportional hazards assumption; one authentic example is used to illustrate data analysis using the Cox regression model. Finally, we list a few extensions of the Cox regression model.
Identifying the Most Successful Dose (MSD) in Dose‐Finding Studies
Authors: O'Quigley John , Zohar Sarah
Published: January 2014

From a range of candidate doses, the MSD (most successful dose) is the dose at which the overall success rate—the product of the rate of seeing nontoxicities together with the rate of tumor response—is the highest. Among different algorithms designed to achieve this goal, the one closest to optimal (SIM) is the approach described in O'Quigley et al. (2001). This approach has been extended to the cancer setting by Ivanova (2003) and Zohar and O'Quigley (2006).
Coherence in Phase
I
Clinical Trials
Authors: Cheung Ying Kuen (Ken)
Published: January 2014

This article reviews the coherence principles in phase I dose‐finding studies, in which several doses of a new treatment are tested for safety and the maximum dose exhibiting acceptable toxicity level is identified. Because most phase I designs are outcome‐adaptive, dose assignments for future patients depend on the previous observations in the trial. The coherence principles are ethical stipulations to ensure that dose escalation for a new patient will occur only when the most recent patient does not show sign of toxicity, and de‐escalation will occur only when a toxic outcome has just been reported. In this article, we give examples of coherent designs in the literature, and we discuss related concepts such as group coherence and real‐time coherence in more general clinical situations. We also review the application of the coherence concepts to the calibration of a two‐stage design.
Assessing urbanization impacts on catchment transit times
Authors: Soulsby Chris , Birkel Christian , Tetzlaff Doerthe
Published: January 2014

Stable isotopes have potential for assessing the hydrologic impacts of urbanization, although it is unclear whether established methods of isotope modeling translate to such disturbed environments. We tested two transit time modeling approaches (using a gamma distribution and a two‐parallel linear reservoir (TPLR) model) in a rapidly urbanizing catchment. Isotopic variability in precipitation was damped in streams with attenuation inversely correlated with urban cover. The models captured this reasonably well, although the TPLR better represented the integrated dual response of urban and nonurban areas with reduced uncertainty. Percent urban cover influenced the shape of the catchment transit time distribution. Total urban cover reduced the mean transit time to <10 days compared with ~1 year and ~2–3 years with 63% and 13% urbanization, respectively, while it was at >4 years for nonurban sites.
Exploring recent trends in Northern Hemisphere blocking
Authors: Barnes Elizabeth A. , Dunn‐Sigouin Etienne , Masato Giacomo , Woollings Tim
Published: January 2014

Observed blocking trends are diagnosed to test the hypothesis that recent Arctic warming and sea ice loss has increased the likelihood of blocking over the Northern Hemisphere. To ensure robust results, we diagnose blocking using three unique blocking identification methods from the literature, each applied to four different reanalyses. No clear hemispheric increase in blocking is found for any blocking index, and while seasonal increases and decreases are found for specific isolated regions and time periods, there is no instance where all three methods agree on a robust trend. Blocking is shown to exhibit large interannual and decadal variability, highlighting the difficulty in separating any potentially forced response from natural variability.
Changing effect of El Niño on Antarctic iceberg distribution: From canonical El Niño to El Niño Modoki
Authors: Romanov Yury A. , Romanova Nina A. , Romanov Peter
Published: January 2014

Earlier studies indicate that during El Niño events the iceberg concentration increases in the east of the Pacific sector and in the west of the Atlantic sector of Southern Ocean, but decreases in the center of the Pacific sector. During La Niña the pattern of the iceberg concentration anomalies in these regions reverses. This iceberg redistribution is explained by anomalous winds and currents around an extensive positive atmospheric pressure anomaly that typically develops in the South‐East Pacific during the warm El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phase. In this study, the results of iceberg observations during two cruises of the r/v “Akademik Fedorov” in Antarctica in January–February 2008 (La Niña) and 2010 (El Niño) have been used to examine the consistency of changes in the iceberg distribution in the Southern Ocean related to El Niño events. The analysis of these observations has shown that in the Pacific Sector of Antarctica changes in the iceberg distribution between 2008 and 2010 followed the scenario outlined above and thus could be associated with the ENSO phase change. Contrary to earlier observations, the iceberg concentration in the Atlantic sector of Antarctica did not increase during 2010 El Niño. The latter is explained by a noncanonical type of 2010 El Niño, El Niño Modoki, and associated atmospheric circulation pattern different from the canonical El Niño. Further analysis has shown that a more frequent occurrence of El Niño Modoki in recent years have resulted in weaker links between El Niño events and the Antarctic iceberg distribution.
Cobalt(II)‐Catalyzed Isocyanide Insertion Reaction with Amines under Ultrasonic Conditions: A Divergent Synthesis of Ureas, Thioureas and Azaheterocycles
Authors: Zhu Tong‐Hao , Xu Xiao‐Ping , Cao Jia‐Jia , Wei Tian‐Qi , Wang Shun‐Yi , Ji Shun‐Jun
Published: January 2014

Cobalt(II) acetylacetonate‐catalyzed isocyanide insertion reactions with amines utilizing tert‐butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as an oxidant under ultrasound conditions have been developed, which lead to the synthesis of ureas, thioureas, as well as 2‐aminobenzimidazoles, 2‐aminobenzothiazoles, and 2‐aminobenzoxazoles under the general reaction conditions in up to 96% yields, respectively. The intermediate amino methylidyneaminiums, initiated by cobalt(II) acetylacetonate‐catalyzed reactions of isocyanides with amines, could be easily trapped by different nucleophiles such as water, sulfur, and intramolecular nucleophilic functional groups. This method provides a simple, general and practical protocol for the divergent synthesis of ureas, thioureas and azaheterocycles.

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A Versatile Metal‐Free Intermolecular Aminochlorination of Alkenes
Authors: Martínez Claudio , Muñiz Kilian
Published: January 2014

New reaction conditions for the rapid and productive intermolecular aminochlorination reaction of alkenes using a combination of chloramine‐T and a Brønstedt acid are described. Upon simple protonation of chloramine‐T, conditions for a mild and selective aminochlorination are obtained. In addition, the reaction can proceed to form either of the two possible regioisomers, depending on whether a stoichiometric amount of such an acid activator or acetic acid is used as solvent. The reaction is operative for all different classes of alkenes. A total of over 50 examples is presented to illustrate this concept.

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Incidence of middle turbinate lateralization after axillary flap approach to the frontal recess
Authors: Chen Philip G. , Bassiouni Ahmed , Wormald Peter‐John
Published: January 2014

Background

The axillary flap approach (AFA) to the frontal recess improves visualization and clearance while minimizing use of angled endoscopes. However, some argue that it destabilizes the middle turbinate (MT) and increases risk of MT lateralization (MTL). We aimed to establish rates of MTL after AFA, as well as to determine whether other surgical or disease factors affect lateralization.

Methods

This study was a retrospective chart review. Endoscopic postoperative videos between 3 and 9 months (short‐term) and greater than 9 months (long‐term) were reviewed blind to surgery performed. Presence of MTL, ability to pass an endoscope into the middle meatus, and ability to evaluate the frontal recess were recorded. Surgical characteristics obtained from the chart review included: MT conchopexy, septoplasty, concha bullosa, and primary vs revision surgery. Patient characteristics included age, sex, polyposis, asthma, and smoking. Cases were excluded if the MT was absent.

Results

A total of 124 patients (248 operated sides) were included in the short‐term cohort. Similar numbers of primary (52.4%) and revision (47.6%) cases were performed, 42.3% had polyposis, and 38% asthmatics. Overall rate of MTL was 14.5%, with an inability to examine the frontal recess in 12.1%. Suture conchopexy of the MT through the septum did not affect lateralization. Results were statistically similar in the long‐term cohort.

Conclusion

The AFA yielded a 14.5% and 17.4% MTL in the short‐term and long‐term cohorts, respectively. This rate appears consistent with reports in the literature that did not use the axillary flap. No patient or surgical factor was found to affect rates of lateralization.
Sinonasal alterations in computed tomography scans in cystic fibrosis: a literature review of observational studies
Authors: Kang Suzie Hyeona , Piltcher Otávio Bejzman , de Tarso Roth Dalcin Paulo
Published: January 2014

Background

Almost all cystic fibrosis (CF) patients reveal upper airway involvement in computed tomography (CT) scans. Sinonasal pathology has become a challenging issue because there are few studies to guide appropriate management. The objective of this study was to provide information about paranasal sinus CT manifestations in CF patients, mainly in adulthood.

Methods

We performed a literature review of descriptive studies about CT sinonasal findings in CF patients using the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, LILACS, Scielo, and Cochrane.

Results

Eighteen articles were included in this review. There was a high variability in methodological aspects for most of the studies. The most prevalent findings reported were opacification of sinuses, presence of frontal and sphenoidal aplasia or hypoplasia, underdevelopment of paranasal sinuses, and medial bulging of the lateral nasal wall in CT scans.

Conclusion

There are few studies in the CF adult population regarding sinonasal CT alterations. Many studies report specific pathological features in CF upper airways that could help in the diagnosis of doubtful cases.
Carbon nanotubes‐filled thermoplastic polyurethane–urea and carboxylated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber blend nanocomposites
Authors: Mahmood Nasir , Khan Asad Ullah , Stöckelhuber Klaus Werner , Das Amit , Jehnichen Dieter , Heinrich Gert
Published: January 2014

This article reports the preparation and characterization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)‐filled thermoplastic polyurethane–urea (TPUU) and carboxylated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (XNBR) blend nanocomposites. The dispersion of the MWCNTs was carried out using a laboratory two roll mill. Three different loadings, that is, 1, 3, and 5 wt % of the MWCNTs were used. The electron microscopy image analysis proves that the MWCNTs are evenly dispersed along the shear flow direction. Through incorporation of the nanotubes in the blend, the tensile modulus was increased from 9.90 ± 0.5 to 45.30 ± 0.3 MPa, and the tensile strength at break was increased from 25.4 ± 2.5 to 33.0 ± 1.5 MPa. The wide angle X‐ray scattering result showed that the TPUU:XNBR blends were arranged in layered structures. These structures are formed through chemical reactions of NH group from urethane and urea with the carboxylic group on XNBR. Furthermore, even at a very low loading, the high degree of nanotubes dispersion results in a significant increase in the electrical percolation threshold. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40341.
Visualization of cytoskeletal dynamics in podocytes using adenoviral vectors
Authors: Bi Jing , Pellenz Christopher D. , Krendel Mira
Published: January 2014

Glomerular visceral epithelial cells (podocytes) play a key role in maintaining selective protein filtration in the kidney. Podocytes have a complex cell shape characterized by the presence of numerous actin‐rich processes, which cover the surface of glomerular capillaries and are connected by specialized cell–cell adhesion complexes (slit diaphragms). Human genetic studies and experiments in knockout mouse models show that actin filaments and actin‐associated proteins are indispensable for the maintenance of podocyte shape, slit diaphragm integrity, and normal glomerular filtration. The ability to examine cytoskeletal protein organization and dynamics in podocytes and to test the effects of disease‐associated mutations on protein localization provides valuable information for researchers aiming to dissect the molecular mechanisms of podocyte dysfunction. We describe how adenovirus‐mediated transduction of cultured podocytes with DNA constructs can be used to reliably introduce fluorescently tagged cytoskeletal markers for live cell imaging with high efficiency and low toxicity. This technique can be used to study the dynamic reorganization of the podocyte cytoskeleton and to test the effects of novel mutations on podocyte cytoskeletal dynamics. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
x86‐Android performance improvement for x86 smart mobile devices
Authors: Choi Min , Lim Seung‐Ho
Published: January 2014

With more and more smartphones with Intel inside available, the compatibility issues of Android applications have been rising. The efficiency on the emulated architecture is best translated into efficiency on the target machine if target instructions also operated on register operands. However, conventional binary translators of popular binary translators do not take into account instruction dependency among two or more basic blocks. This results in performance degradation because of intertranslation block dependency. Actually, x86 binary translators do not take into account instruction dependency within a basic block. Binary translation makes use of one or two registers for the majority of translation blocks. This is because the translation block corresponds to a guest instruction, which in turn the amount of work is not large. Even though there are no dependencies between translation blocks, false dependencies are generated by the same register usage order. In order to maximize the parallelism within a basic block, we maintain two different register usage orders, applying them in turn. This approach resolves the problem and outperforms conventional approach by up to around 27% for some cases. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Asymmetry of brain and behavior in animals: Its development, function, and human relevance
Authors: Rogers Lesley J.
Published: January 2014

Summary: Since the discovery of brain asymmetry in a wide range of vertebrate species, it has become possible to study development and expression of lateralized behavior accurately in well‐controlled experiments. Several species have emerged as useful models for investigating aspects of lateralization. Discussed here are: (1) the influence of exposure to light during embryonic development on lateralization, (2) effects of steroid hormones on lateralization, (3) developmental changes in which hemisphere is controlling behavior, and (4) asymmetry in memory formation and recall. The findings have bearing on understanding the development of hemispheric specialization in humans and are likely to provide insight into dysfunctional behavior associated with weak or absent lateralization and impaired interhemispheric communication (e.g., autism, schizophrenia, and dyslexia). This review features research on chicks, pigeons, and zebrafish, with the addition of some recent evidence of lateralization in bees. Discoveries made using these species have highlighted the interaction between experience, hormones, and genetic factors during development, and have provided some of the first clear evidence of the advantage of having a lateralized brain. genesis 52:555–571, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A dual role of dams in fragmentation and support of fish diversity across the Godavari River basin in India
Authors: Khedkar Gulab Dattarao , Lutzky Sigal , Rathod Sandeep , Kalyankar Amol , David Lior
Published: January 2014

Freshwater systems are among the habitats most sensitive to environmental changes and human interference. The increasing needs in India for supplies of both fresh water and fish as a food source under the pressure of a rapidly growing population mandate identification of ways to conserve natural resources while meeting these human needs. Dams provide a partial solution for both water and food fish supplies, especially in monsoonal areas, although disruption of natural fish habitats may offset these benefits. To examine this phenomenon, the Godavari River basin in India was sampled at 32 sites, and the effects dams might have on fish species assemblages and distribution at these sites were analysed. Although the river basin was rich in species, their representation and distribution was fragmented. The surveyed fish fauna included 114 species that were classified into 12 orders. Cyprinids dominated the fauna. Few introduced and cultured species were widely distributed in the river. Some native species were barely captured, suggesting they might be at risk of loss. The presence of the Godavari dams, as has been the case elsewhere, does appear to have disturbed the species distribution. However, here, the dams also appear to have positive effects. Some dam reservoirs supported the highest levels of species diversity, and as low as five dam sites contained over 95% of all species found. The dam reservoirs may therefore represent preferred sites for conservation, and the proper management of such reservoirs may be critical to balancing human needs with sustainable conservation of fish biodiversity. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessment of devolatilization schemes in predicting product yields of biomass fast pyrolysis
Authors: Xiong Qingang , Aramideh Soroush , Kong Song‐Charng
Published: January 2014

Three devolatilization schemes to simulate biomass fast pyrolysis were tested and validated in this study. Fast pyrolysis is an attractive process in converting lignocellulosic biomass to valued products. Accurate numerical models can help understand the conversion process and be used for reactor design and optimization. This study used a numerical model that considered the multiphase hydrodynamics and chemical reactions of biomass fast pyrolysis. The gas and solid phases were simulated by using a multifluid model that considered multiple species in each phase. Three devolatilization schemes for biomass fast pyrolysis were incorporated into the model to simulate the tempo‐spatial evolutions of all phases and species. The predicted product yields were compared and validated using experimental data. It was found that the best predictions were given by a scheme that used three components to represent biomass and also considered organic liquid cracking into gas. Under the reactor conditions studied, all three devolatilization schemes predicted relatively fast decomposition of biomass and the reactor hydrodynamics was not significantly affected by the specifics of the devolatilization schemes. Overall, an accurate devolatilization scheme to simulate the chemical changes of biomass particles is essential to predicting the product yield of biomass fast pyrolysis at the reactor scale. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog,, 33: 756–761, 2014
Simultaneous topology and sizing optimization of viscous dampers in seismic retrofitting of 3D irregular frame structures
Authors: Lavan Oren , Amir Oded
Published: January 2014

A new methodology for performance‐based optimal seismic retrofitting using a limited number of size groups of viscous dampers is presented. The damping coefficient of each size group of dampers is taken as a continuous variable and is determined by the optimization algorithm. Furthermore, for each potential location, a damper of a single size group is optimally assigned, if any. Hence, the formulation presents a large step forward towards practical optimal design of dampers. The key for achieving an efficient optimization scheme is the incorporation of material interpolation techniques that were successfully applied in other structural optimization problems of discrete nature. This results in a very effective optimization methodology that is expected to be very efficient for large‐scale structures. The proposed approach is demonstrated on several example problems of 3D irregular frame structures. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dimethyl Sulfoxide Attenuates Hydrogen Peroxide‐Induced Injury in Cardiomyocytes via Heme Oxygenase‐1
Authors: Man Wang , Ming Ding , Fang Du , Chao Liang , Jing Cang
Published: January 2014

The antioxidant property of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was formerly attributed to its direct effects. Our former study showed that DMSO is able to induce heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) expression in endothelial cells, which is a potent antioxidant enzyme. In this study, we hypothesized that the antioxidant effects of DMSO in cardiomyocytes are mediated or partially mediated by increased HO‐1 expression. Therefore, we investigated whether DMSO exerts protective effects against H2O2‐induced oxidative damage in cardiomyocytes, and whether HO‐1 is involved in DMSO‐imparted protective effects, and we also explore the underlying mechanism of DMSO‐induced HO‐1 expression. Our study demonstrated that DMSO pretreatment showed a cytoprotective effect against H2O2‐induced oxidative damage (impaired cell viability, increased apopototic cells rate and caspase‐3 level, and increased release of LDH and CK) and this process is partially mediated by HO‐1 upregulation. Furthermore, our data showed that the activation of p38 MAPK and Nrf2 translocation are involved in the HO‐1 upregulation induced by DMSO. This study reports for the first time that the cytoprotective effect of DMSO in cardiomyocytes is partially mediated by HO‐1, which may further explain the mechanisms by which DMSO exerts cardioprotection on H2O2 injury. J. Cell. Biochem. 115: 1159–1165, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Al18F labeling of peptides and proteins
Authors: Laverman Peter , McBride William J. , Sharkey Robert M. , Goldenberg David M. , Boerman Otto C.
Published: January 2014

Radiolabeled receptor‐binding peptides and proteins have emerged as an important class of radiopharmaceuticals that have changed radionuclide imaging in clinical practice. Many strategies have been developed to radiolabel these peptide and proteins with fluorine‐18. The majority of these methods is time‐consuming and suffer from low yields. A more straightforward approach was proposed a few years ago, based on the chelation of aluminum fluoride by (1,4,7‐triazacyclononane‐1,4,7‐triacetic acid). This approach has been optimized with regard to labeling yield and specific activity. In addition, crystallography studies have led to the design of optimized chelators. Subsequently, the Al18F technology is finding widespread use in labeling peptides and proteins. Various hapten peptides for pre‐targeting studies have been labeled with Al18F, as well as αvβ3 integrin‐binding peptides have been studied, and also larger peptides, such as exendin‐4 and affibody molecules and heat‐labile proteins have been labeled with Al18F. Here, we summarize the development, optimization, and applications of the Al18F labeling technology. © 2013 The Authors. J. Label Compd. Radiopharm published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.