bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Consistency of Differential Expression of MicroRNA Detected in Human Cancers
Authors: Gong Xue , Wu Ruihong , Wang Hongwei , Guo Xinwu , Wang Dong , Gu Yunyan , Zhang Yuannv , Zhao Wenyuan , Cheng Lixin , Wang Chenguang , Guo Zheng
Published: March 2011

Differential expression of microRNA (miRNA) is involved in many human diseases and could potentially be used as a biomarker for disease diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. However, inconsistency has often been found among differentially expressed miRNAs identified in various studies when using miRNA arrays for a particular disease such as a cancer. Before broadly applying miRNA arrays in a clinical setting, it is critical to evaluate inconsistent discoveries in a rational way. Thus, using data sets from 2 types of cancers, our study shows that the differentially expressed miRNAs detected from multiple experiments for each cancer exhibit stable regulation direction. This result also indicates that miRNA arrays could be used to reliably capture the signals of the regulation direction of differentially expressed miRNAs in cancer. We then assumed that 2 differentially expressed miRNAs with the same regulation direction in a particular cancer play similar functional roles if they regulate the same set of cancer-associated genes. On the basis of this hypothesis, we proposed a score to assess the functional consistency between differentially expressed miRNAs separately extracted from multiple studies for a particular cancer. We showed although lists of differentially expressed miRNAs identified from different studies for each cancer were highly variable, they were rather consistent at the level of function. Thus, the detection of differentially expressed miRNAs in various experiments for a certain disease tends to be functionally reproducible and capture functionally related differential expression of miRNAs in the disease. Mol Cancer Ther; 10(5); 752–60. ©2011 AACR.
Effects of Chronic Rosiglitazone Treatment on Renal Handling of Salt and Water in Rats With Volume-Overload Congestive Heart Failure
Authors: Goltsman Ilia , Wang Xinkang , LaVallie Edward R. , DiBlasio-Smith Elizabeth A. , Ovcharenko Elena , Hoffman Aaron , Abassi Zaid , Feuerstein Giora Z. , Winaver Joseph
Published: March 2011

Background—

The side effects of fluid retention and edema of the thiazolidinedione (TZD) class of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ agonists limit their use in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). The present study aims to explore whether chronic treatment with the TZD compound rosiglitazone (RGZ) is associated with worsening of salt and water retention in male Sprague-Dawley rats with aorto-caval fistula, an experimental model of volume-overload CHF.

Methods and Results—

The effects of oral RGZ (30 mg/kg per day for 4 weeks) in CHF rats on plasma volume, cumulative sodium excretion, renal expression of Na
+
channels and transporters, and selected biomarkers of CHF were compared with those in CHF rats and sham-operated control rats treated with vehicle only (n=7 to 10). Additionally, the response to acute saline loading (3.5% of body weight) was evaluated after 2 weeks of treatment by renal clearance methodology. Chronic RGZ treatment caused no further increase in plasma volume compared with vehicle-treated CHF rats. Moreover, no increase in renal expression of Na
+
transport-linked channels/transporters was observed in response to RGZ. Cumulative sodium excretion was enhanced in CHF rats after RGZ and by another TZD compound, pioglitazone. In response to saline loading, RGZ-treated animals displayed a higher natriuretic/diuretic response than did vehicle-treated rats. Chronic RGZ treatment was not associated with any deterioration in selected biomarkers of CHF, whereas indices of cardiac hypertrophy and blood pressure were improved.

Conclusions—

Chronic RGZ treatment was not associated with worsening of fluid retention or cardiac status in rats with experimental volume-overload CHF. Rather, RGZ appeared to improve renal handling of salt and water in rats with CHF.
Echocardiographic Evaluation of Hemodynamics in Patients With Decompensated Systolic Heart Failure
Authors: Nagueh Sherif F. , Bhatt Rajat , Vivo Rey P. , Krim Selim R. , Sarvari Sebastian Imre , Russell Kristoffer , Edvardsen Thor , Smiseth Otto A. , Estep Jerry D.
Published: March 2011

Background—

Doppler echocardiography is currently applied for the assessment of left ventricular and right ventricular hemodynamics in patients with cardiovascular disease. However, there are conflicting reports about its accuracy in patients with unstable decompensated heart failure. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the technique in patients with unstable heart failure.

Methods and Results—

Consecutive patients with decompensated heart failure had simultaneous assessment of left ventricular and right ventricular hemodynamics invasively and by Doppler echocardiography. In 79 patients, the noninvasive measurements of stroke volume (
r
=0.83,
P
<0.001), pulmonary artery systolic (
r
=0.83,
P
<0.001) and diastolic pressure (
r
=0.51,
P
=0.009), and mean right atrial pressure (
r
=0.85,
P
<0.001) all had significant correlations with invasively acquired measurements. Several Doppler indices had good accuracy in identifying patients with pulmonary capillary wedge pressure >15 mm Hg (area under the curve, 0.86 to 0.92). The recent American Society of Echocardiography/European Association of Echocardiography guidelines were highly accurate (sensitivity, 98%; specificity, 91%) in identifying patients with increased wedge pressure. In 12 repeat studies, Doppler echocardiography readily detected the changes in mean wedge pressure (
r
=0.75,
P
=0.005) as well as changes in pulmonary artery systolic pressure and mean right atrial pressure.

Conclusions—

Doppler echocardiography provides reliable assessment of right and left ventricular hemodynamics in patients with decompensated heart failure.
The Contribution of Socialist Ethnography to Darhad 'Shamanism'
Authors: Hangartner Judith
Published: March 2011

This article analyses socialist ethnographies of the Darhad in northernmost Mongolia. It compares accounts of the early 1930s by the Buryat scholars Sanjeev and Zhamtsarano with those of the 1960s by the Mongolian ethnographer Badamhatan and the Hungarian scholar Diószegi. It shows how these accounts increasingly identified the Darhad with the shamans among them and laid the ground for the widespread present-day perception of the Darhad as 'shamanists'. Furthermore, it discusses how socialist ethnographies were connected to the larger Mongolian socialist nationality project and contributed to the very ideological foundation of the Mongolian nation-state. A careful analysis of the accounts reveals that in the early 1960s, when Westerners believed that shamanism in Siberia and Mongolia was becoming extinct, socialist ethnographers met with numerous practising Darhad shamans in the Shishget depression in northern Hövsgöl.
'A Very Quiet, Outspoken, Pleasant Gentleman [sic]': The United States Military Attaché's Reports on Baron von Ungern-Sternberg, March 1921
Authors: Boyd James
Published: March 2011

In works dealing with modern Mongolia, the 'Mad' or 'Bloody' Baron UngernSternberg is always mentioned and, more often than not, the picture that is painted of him is a man driven by demons, someone who committed unspeakable atrocities against almost all he encountered. This article does not dispute that Ungern-Sternberg committed atrocities during the Russian civil War, but draws on contemporary english-language sources that suggest that the portrayal of the baron as a 'monster' is open to doubt.
Being Local Outsiders: a Study of Chinese Ethos in East Siberia
Authors: Sántha István , Safonova Tatiana
Published: March 2011

This article is based on anthropological fieldwork conducted in East Siberia among local Chinese and Evenki people. Local Chinese people have a double perspective (that of locals, but at the same time that of foreigners), which helps them to establish both business and friendship relationships with Evenki, switching between flexible and long-term frames. a cybernetic approach derived from the work of Bateson enables us to analyse these relationships as manifestations of a self-regulating system of communication, and also allows us to re-examine Marshall Sahlins' concept of reciprocity.
The Metaphorical Use of Avuncular Terminology in Buriad Diaspora Relationships with Homeland and Host Society
Authors: Namsaraeva Sayana
Published: March 2011

The significance of the kinship relationship between the mother's brother and sister's son (avunculate) was one of the most discussed topics in the history of social anthropology. Two theories of pre-Schneiderian age – descent and alliance approaches – both consider avuncular relations as being tense and contradictive, associated with certain privileges of the maternal uncle and his senior hierarchical position in relation to Ego. This paper tries to establish the relevance of this classical anthropological theme to contemporary social and political realities in Buriad society, specifically to extend the discussion of the classificatory/metaphorical use of avuncular kinship terminology to a new context – that of diaspora relationships with homeland and host society. A recent tendency in kinship studies argues that kinship terminology can be employed flexibly to handle relationships of various kinds, and suggests that kinship terms should often be understood as referring to a kind of social relationship rather than to a specifically genealogical connection. Two cases, which I present in the paper, show how Buriad diaspora communities in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia (China) involve the avuncular relationship to define their concerns and tensions in relation both to colonisers in the homeland in Russia and to the social inequality of migrants in their host societies. This local phenomenon shows that kinship terminology continues to have a wider social significance, being used, for example, to express current inequalities of power and the impact of political changes on local experience.
Black mulberries (Morus nigra) as a natural dye for animal tissues staining
Authors: Tousson Ehab , Al-Behbehani Bahija
Published: March 2011

Natural dyes produce an extraordinary diversity of rich and complex colours as well as unexpected results, making them exciting to use. Natural dyes have been used for staining wool, silk, carpet and cotton. Black mulberry (Morus nigra) has strong staining activity and a distinct flavor with juicy and acidic characteristics making them attractive for use in the processing industry in products such as fruit juice, ice cream, jelly, and jam. Aim of this study was to investigate a new staining method using black mulberry for whole mount and transverse sections staining of fasciola. Adult liver flukes (Fasciola sp.) were collected from the livers of naturally infected cows at slaughterhouse, washed with physiological saline solution. Some adult Fasciola were collected, immersed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for fixation, and embedded in paraffin for histological studies. The rest of whole mount of adult worms were collected, and then stained by the new method (dye extracted form beet root) and Carmine staining method for control. Sections, 7-10 micrometer from adult worms were collected, and then stained by the new method and hematoxyllin & eosin staining method for control. By using the dye extracted from beet root, zoologists and parasitologists can make identification and differentiation between different parasites. By using the dye extracted from black mulberry, zoologists and parasitologists can make identification and differentiation between different parasites. This dye method can be an alternative to cost and time consuming current chemical staining methods.
Host detection and rate of parasitism by Acroricnus seductor (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), a natural enemy of mud-dauber wasps (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)
Authors: Polidori Carlo , Federici Matteo , Mendiola Pablo , Selfa Jesús , Andrietti Francesco
Published: March 2011

The behavioural ecology of ichneumonid wasps that attack aculeate Hymenoptera is still largely unknown. Field observations and morphological analyses were devoted to investigate host detection and rate of parasitism by Acroricnus seductor (Scopoli), a natural enemy of the black and yellow mud dauber wasp Sceliphron caementarium (Drury). At the study site, about half of the host nests suffered parasitism by A. seductor. No significant difference was found between the rate of parasitism in sheltered (inside human building) and unsheltered (outside building) nests. Larger nests did not suffer a higher rate of parasitism, and larger brood cells were not more likely to be parasitized. As revealed by contents of parasitized cells, A. seductor appeared to act as a kleptoparasitoid, devouring spider prey and young host larvae. Analysis of video recordings obtained in the field revealed the basic behavioural sequence of host detection. Acroricnus seductor female taps with the antennae the host nest surface and, once a suitable host brood cell is found, inserts the ovipositor through the mud wall, possibly facilitated by the secretion of a mud-softening substance. Behavioural data, together with the presence of modified tips on the apex of female antennae and the relative thicknesses of female fore tibiae, strongly suggest that A. seductor uses echolocation to detect the host.
Treatment with vitamin C ameliorated the alterations in p53 and Bcl2 caused by lead-induced toxicity
Authors: El Barbary Ahmed , Tousson Ehab , Rafat Bassem , Hessien Mohamed , Samy Ahmed
Published: March 2011

Lead (Pb) toxicity is one of the commonest environmental problems in our life; it causes many reversible and irreversible changes in our tissues. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of vitamin C as a natural antioxidant on the treatment of oxidative stress caused by lead poisoning in rabbits, and its ability to increase P53 without affecting Bcl2 apoptosis proteins. Lead acetate [Pb(Ac)2] was orally administrated to rabbits for 21 days and then treated by vitamin C for another 21 days. The effect of this treatment was investigated by measuring two of the apoptosis proteins p53 and Bcl2. Hemoglobin auto-oxidation rate is measured and their histopathological changes in liver, kidney and bone marrow were investigated. Our data indicate that exposure to rabbits to Pb(Ac)2 caused significant increase of apoptosis protein p53 and decrease in the antiapoptotic BCl2 proteins, where treatment with vitamin C ameliorated these effects.
Museality as a Matrix of the Production, Reception, and Circulation of Knowledge Concerning Religion
Authors: Triplett Katja , Grieser Alexandra , Hermann Adrian
Published: March 2011

Aesthetics of religion focuses on the sensual and representational aspects of religion and develops appropriate terminological tools. The idea of museality as an analytical and heuristic term for culture analysis is specified in the present paper by linking it to the history and dynamics of knowledge. Museums as institutions and cultural practice play a crucial role in the orders and politics of knowledge about religion in Europe. By means of different examples, museality is described as a specific and historically generated cultural pattern of perceiving, imagining, and knowing about religion in modernity. The examples focus on the production of different qualities of knowledge in exhibitions relating to religion, on transitions between religion and science in museums, and on popularisation as a mode of the circulation of knowledge about religion.These reflections on museality and knowledge dynamics could provide new potentials for inter-connective academic research, as well as for trans-disciplinary cooperation between the study of religion and museums.
Reflections on 'Museality' as a Critical Term in the Aesthetics of Religion
Authors: Mohr Hubert
Published: March 2011

'Museality' and 'museal' can be viewed as perceptible qualities of a social—and thus also religious—complex of forms of expression, representation, and action, which have become consolidated in modern times in Europe in the institution of the 'museum,' but which are not restricted to it as group-specific and individual representation patterns. The basic aim of this article is to show that there is a 'museal principle' which, like theatrality, permeates both social and individual action, which is not restricted to the European tradition, and which can described by the term 'museality.' Taking a combined perspective of cultural anthropology and the aesthetics of religion the following study understands the 'museal principle' as a social practice, a perceptible and productive gesture and habitus centred around the collecting and exhibiting of artifacts. The prototype of museality is the modern European institution of the 'museum' that is found also in premodern and religious contexts: cathedral treasures, church interiors, cemeteries are types of museal practice and aesthetics, as well as home altars, private collections, or ensembles of sacred buildings.
Memory, Religion and Museal Spaces
Authors: Kugele Jens , Jahn Maud , Quack Johannes
Published: March 2011

For centuries, nativity scenes have been used to illustrate, teach, and commemorate central biblical stories in a tangible display. Oscillating between public crib exhibitions at the museum and crib displays in private homes, the dynamics between individual and collective re-narration, re-construction, re-experience, and re-membering lead to the construction of a collective memory within specific political contexts. The article suggests the term 'museality' as a heuristic tool to capture the vivid interdependences of museal spaces within and beyond the museum as a cultural institution. The construction, decoration, arrangement, and display of crib scenes are a complex example of such museal spaces. Beyond the institutionalised Christian tradition, nativity scenes have their place in the larger context of the European history of religion and invite future research within the analytical framework of the aesthetics of religion.
Politics of Representation—Normativity in Museum Practice
Authors: Luepken Anja
Published: March 2011

This article explores the relevance of normativity for the critical term 'museality.' The normative structures that become visible in museum practice are outlined in connection with the practice of appropriation. The relations between museum practice and the ruling paradigm of incumbent political systems are shown as strategies of legitimization. An additional focus is laid on the blurred boundaries between museums and temples. Finally, the 'ethization' of museums in recent decades is discussed. It is shown that normativity is a central aspect of museality, being correlated to all its facets.
Looking Different: Images of Hindu Deities in Temple and Museum Spaces
Authors: Luchesi Brigitte
Published: March 2011

Europeans familiar with sacred Hindu art from visits to museums often are perplexed when they encounter similar objects in temples and sacred sites. The exhibits tend to look different. This can be explained by the different ways to present them as well as the different underlying conceptions which in turn guide the perception and behaviour of the beholders.
The Dancing Shiva: South Indian Processional Bronze, Museum Artwork, and Universal Icon
Authors: Beltz Johannes
Published: March 2011

Today, in addition to the Om sign or the image of Ganesha, the image of the dancing Shiva is one of the best known Hindu symbols in the world: the 'Nataraja' is not only omnipresent in museums; his image adorns holy cards, posters, holiday brochures, as well as countless websites and diverse esoteric and academic book covers. This article examines how this image could attain such great popularity. It focuses on processes of cultural appropriation and reinterpretation. Originally a southern Indian processional bronze, the dancing Shiva became transformed into a museum artwork and a universal icon. This paper traces the different actors, networks and interactions behind this career from southern Indian temples to the stages of the Western world.
Improvement and Implementation of a Parameterization for Shallow Cumulus in the Global Climate Model ECHAM5-HAM
Authors: Isotta Francesco A. , Spichtinger P. , Lohmann U. , von Salzen K.
Published: March 2011

A transient shallow-convection scheme is implemented into the general circulation model ECHAM5 and the coupled aerosol model HAM, developed at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg. The shallow-convection scheme is extended to take the ice phase into account. In addition, a detailed double-moment microphysics approach has been added. In this approach, the freezing processes and precipitation formation are dependent on aerosols. Furthermore, in the scheme, tracers are transported and scavenged consistently as in the rest of the model. Results of a single-column model simulation for the Barbados Oceanography and Meteorology Experiment (BOMEX) campaign are compared with previously published large-eddy simulation (LES) results. Compared to the standard version, the global ECHAM5-HAM simulations with the newly implemented scheme show a decreased frequency of shallow convection in better agreement with LES. Less shallow convection is compensated by more stratus and stratocumulus. Deep and especially midlevel convection are markedly affected by those changes, which in turn influence high-level clouds. Generally, a better agreement with the observations can be obtained. For a better understanding of the scheme’s impact and to test different setting parameters, sensitivity analyses are performed. The mixing properties, cloud-base vertical velocity, and launching layer of the test parcel, respectively, are varied. In this context, results from simulations without shallow convection are also presented.
Do International Election Monitors Increase or Decrease Opposition Boycotts?
Authors: Kelley Judith
Published: March 2011

Election boycotts are over twice as common when international observers are present. Do international observers increase election boycotts as this correlation and past research suggest? This article argues not. Observers tend to go to elections with many problems, and it is primarily these, rather than monitors, that drive boycotts. Furthermore, opposition parties have reasons to hope that observers can improve the quality of the election or that they will increase attention to election fraud, and therefore opposition parties may actually abandon boycott plans. Whether they do, however, depends on their expectations about how the observers will behave. This makes it important to account for the varying reputation of observer organizations. Thus, using matching to address the selection problem, this article shows that international observers can actually deter boycotts, but only if the observers are reputable.
Helping and harming others in the workplace: The roles of personal values and abusive supervision
Authors: Ping Shao  , Resick Christian J , Hargis Michael B
Published: March 2011

Drawing on models of competing values and self-verification theory, this article proposes that social dominance orientation (SDO) and psychological collectivism (PC) represent contrasting values that motivate opposing workplace interpersonal behaviors. SDO values are hypothesized to motivate interpersonal deviance and the avoidance of interpersonal citizenship as these behaviors verify social dominance as a guiding self-principle. PC values are hypothesized to motivate behaviors that verify collectivism as a guiding self-principle, including interpersonal citizenship and the avoidance of interpersonal deviance. Further, drawing on the values activation literature, abusive supervision is hypothesized to moderate the values-to-behavior relationships. In a cross-organizational sample of 490 working adults, SDO was positively related to interpersonal deviance and negatively related to interpersonal citizenship. Highly abusive supervision strengthened, whereas minimally abusive supervision weakened relationships with SDO. PC values were positively related to interpersonal citizenship, but were unrelated to interpersonal deviance and did not interact with abusive supervision.
Social face concerns and conflict avoidance of Chinese employees with their Western or Chinese managers
Authors: Chunyan Peng Ann , Tjosvold Dean
Published: March 2011

This study explores behavioral strategies in conflict avoidance and how they are related to social face concerns. One hundred and thirty-two Chinese employees recalled an incident where they avoided a conflict with their supervisors. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the categorization of yielding, outflanking, delay, and passive aggression as alternative approaches to avoiding conflict. Overall, other-face was positively associated with yielding and delay, whereas self-face was positively associated with passive aggression. The associations of social face concerns and avoidance were stronger among employees who interacted with Chinese managers compared with those working for Western managers. In conjunction with recent studies, findings challenge the traditional theorizing that the Chinese value of social face leads to passive avoidance.
Collective Intentionality and the (Re)Production of Social Norms
Authors: Krause Juljan
Published: March 2011

This article aims to contribute to a critical ontology of social objects. Recent works on collective intentionality and norm-following neglect the question how free agents can be brought to collectively intend to x, although x is not in their own interest. By arguing for a natural disposition to empathic understanding and drawing on recent research in the neurosciences, this article outlines an ontological framework that extends collective intentionality to questions of oppression and status asymmetries. In a contribution to this journal, Wisnewski (2005) unfortunately mischaracterizes the problem of meaning in social criticism. Implementing status problems in studies of collective intentions and construing social facts as both subjective and objective in character helps explain why agents can have persistent “misunderstandings” of social objects.
Assessing Gellner
Authors: Farhi-Rodrig Miriam
Published: March 2011

The philosophy of Ernest Gellner was much influenced by his studies in the social sciences. The philosophical problems he examined and the solutions he proposed originated there. To what extent does the legacy of Gellner influence the social sciences and current events and social transformations? More than a few of the essays in Ernest Gellner and Contemporary Social Thought find that while the questions he raised are fruitful, the answers he gave them do not pass the test of time. By contradiction, John Hall, in Ernest Gellner: An Intellectual Biography, finds that Gellner laid the grounds for understanding the origins and development of current events and social transformations. Gellner’s distinguished three spheres in modernity which eventually created a mosaic of nations in Europe - agraria, industria and nationalism. Most of Gellner’s critics found the creation a threat to enchantment; Hall found it disenchanting and cold yet an illuminating way to reach solutions to our contemporary problems. Assessing Gellner in the current context namely, global fluctuations and through the spectacles of these two books, I find that Gellner’s spheres in modernity are called to overlap exerting pressure on the mosaic of nations and, to a large extent, transforming it into an imagined seamless community of people in which our human rationality accommodates only a touch of reenchantment. I suppose that Gellner would agree.
Interactive force-sensing feedback system for remote robotic laparoscopic surgery
Authors: Mack Ian , Ferguson Stuart , Rafferty Karen , Potts Stephen , Dick Alistair
Published: March 2011

This paper presents the details of a combined hardware/software system, which has been developed to provide haptic feedback for teleoperated laparoscopic surgical robots. Surgical instruments incorporating quantum tunnelling composite (QTC) force measuring sensors have been developed and mounted on a pair of Mitsubishi PA-10 industrial robots. Feedback forces are rendered on pseudo-surgical instruments based on a pair of PHANTOM Omni devices, which are also used to remotely manipulate the robotic arms. Measurements of the behaviour of the QTC sensors during a simulated teleoperated procedure are given. In addition, a method is proposed that can compensate for their non-linear characteristics in order to provide a ‘realistic feel’ to the surgeon through the haptic feedback channel. The paper concludes by explaining how the force feedback channel is combined with a visual feedback channel to enable a surgeon to perform a two-handed surgical procedure better on a remote patient by more accurately controlling a pair of robot arms via a computer network.
Observer-based feedback for the magnetic levitation system
Authors: Baranowski Jerzy , Piątek Paweł
Published: March 2011

Control of active magnetic bearings is an important area of research. The laboratory magnetic levitation system can be interpreted as a model of a single axis of bearings and is a useful testbed for control algorithms. The mathematical model of this system is highly non-linear and requires careful analysis and identification. The system is observable from position measurements as long as the electromagnet is powered as shown during the research. Practically measurable signals are the position and the coil current. The velocity that is necessary for any stabilizing control usually is obtained by numerical differentiation of the position. A more sophisticated approach is to estimate the velocity with an observer. Efficient observer types for this system are high-gain and non-linear reduced observers. The velocity estimated by an observer can be effectively used instead of a derivative in PID control of the position. Such an approach substantially improves control quality and extends the range of system’s stable operation. Even greater improvement is introduced by the addition of the non-linear feedforward to the control structure. The best results, provided the model parameters are correctly identified, are obtained with a control system consisting of the PID controller, the high-gain observer and the non-linear feedforward.
An Investigation of Extinction-Induced Vocalizations
Authors: Valentino Amber L. , Shillingsburg M. Alice , Call Nathan A. , Burton Britney , Bowen Crystal N.
Published: March 2011

Children with autism have significant communication delays. Although some children develop vocalizations through shaping and differential reinforcement, others rarely exhibit vocalizations, and alternative methods are targeted in intervention. However, vocal language often remains a goal for caregivers and clinicians. Thus, strategies to increase frequency of vocalizations are needed. In the present study, the authors examined the effect of extinction of previously acquired signed mands on vocalizations in three children diagnosed with autism. Experiment 1 examined the effects of differential reinforcement of vocalizations and extinction of signed mands combined. In Experiment 1, it was unknown whether the reinforcement of vocalizations alone could have produced the effects; therefore, Experiment 2 isolated the effects of reinforcement and extinction by reinforcing vocalizations in baseline. An increase in rate of vocalizations occurred following the application of extinction of signed mands and differential reinforcement of vocalizations in Experiment 1 and following extinction of signed mands in Experiment 2.
T-2 Toxin Induces Degenerative Articular Changes in Rodents
Authors: Wang Li Hua , Fu Ying , Shi Yu Xia , Wang Wen Ge
Published: March 2011

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that is characterized by joint pain and a progressive loss of articular cartilage. Kaschin-Beck Disease is a form of endemic OA in China whose etiology is unclear, but epidemiological data indicate a possible link to trichothecenes mycotoxin exposure. In vitro, T-2 toxin, a trichothecenes mycotoxin, has been demonstrated to inhibit aggrecan synthesis and promote aggrecanase and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in cultured chondrocytes. To assess the effects of T-2 toxin on articular cartilage in vivo, Wistar rats were fed a diet containing T-2 toxin (100 ng/kg chow) for six and ten months. Following six months of T-2 toxin exposure, histopathological changes in femorotibial cartilage were characterized by chondrocyte degeneration/necrosis and loss, chondrocyte clones, and loss of proteoglycan staining of articular cartilage, sometimes involving the entire thickness of the cartilage in the tibial plateaus and femoral condyles. By ten months, in addition to these changes, there was evidence of cartilage fibration in some rats. In conclusion, T-2 toxin exposure in rats induced degenerative lesions in articular cartilage similar to spontaneous OA, lending support to an etiologic role of mycotoxins in Kaschin-Beck Disease. T-2 toxin–induced degenerative joint disease may be a useful model of metabolic polyarticular OA.
Evaluating Health Outcomes of Criminal Justice Populations Using Record Linkage: The Importance of Aliases
Authors: Larney Sarah , Burns Lucy
Published: March 2011

Individuals in contact with the criminal justice system are a key population of concern to public health. Record linkage studies can be useful for studying health outcomes for this group, but the use of aliases complicates the process of linking records across databases. This study was undertaken to determine the impact of aliases on sensitivity and specificity of record linkage and how this affects ascertainment of mortality. Records for a cohort of prisoners were linked to methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and mortality records. The record linkage was conducted in two stages. First, the linkage was undertaken using the participant’s name and date of birth as recorded in a prior study. Then, a second linkage was undertaken using these identifiers, plus all known aliases. Sensitivity was 64%, and specificity 100%, for the first linkage. When aliases were added to the linkage, sensitivity increased to 86% and specificity remained 100%. The standardized mortality ratio was 4.3 for the first linkage, increasing to 6.1 when aliases were used. These results suggest that the potential effects of participant aliases on linkage outcomes, and methods for mitigating these effects should be carefully considered when planning and undertaking record linkage studies with criminal justice populations.
Cochlear Implantation in Developing Countries as Humanitarian Service
Authors: Saunders James , Barrs David
Published: March 2011

Objective

To make recommendations concerning cochlear implantation during humanitarian medical trips by exploring the attitudes of US cochlear implant surgeons.

Study Design

Cross‐sectional survey.

Setting

Academic.

Subjects and Methods

Questionnaires were sent to 405 members of the William House Cochlear Implant Study Group. The 198 respondents (49%), all active cochlear implant surgeons, were divided into 3 groups depending on their level of experience working in a developing country.

Results

Eighty‐nine percent of respondents supported cochlear implants in these environments, although 42% of these cochlear implant surgeons stated that they would modify their criteria for implantation considering the challenges in developing countries. There was strong support for cochlear implants in postlingual deafened patients and prelingual deafened patients under the age of 3 years, although nearly half of respondents (48%) would not implant prelingual deafened patients after they reached the age of 3 years. Three‐quarters of respondents (74%) believed that developing countries should have the same access to current multichannel devices used in developed countries, as opposed to simpler, possibly lower cost devices. A local audiologist was deemed the most important personnel requirement (83%), and limited audiology and rehabilitative resources were the greatest postoperative concern rather than lack of postoperative care or infection.

Conclusion

This survey strongly supports the practice of performing cochlear implants during humanitarian trips to developing countries and makes best‐practice recommendations to make outcomes successful.
Comparing learners’ state anxiety during task-based interaction in computer-mediated and face-to-face communication
Authors: Baralt Melissa , Gurzynski-Weiss Laura
Published: March 2011

The construct of anxiety is often believed to be the affective factor with the greatest potential to pervasively affect the learning process (Horwitz, 2001), and recent research has demonstrated that anxiety can mediate whether learners are able to notice feedback and subsequently produce output (Sheen, 2008). In order to reduce the negative effects of anxiety, researchers have suggested that computer-based interaction may be an ideal medium for communication and practice (Kern, 1995), although this hypothesis has yet to be tested empirically. The current study addresses this gap by comparing the effect of computer-mediated communication (CMC) vs. face-to-face communication (FTF) on learners’ state anxiety. Twenty-five learners of intermediate Spanish completed two information-gap tasks with their teacher in a within-subject, counterbalanced design. Learners’ state anxiety was measured halfway through and following each task via a state anxiety questionnaire, and a task preference questionnaire was administered after the treatment. Results demonstrate that — contrary to expectations — reported state anxiety was not significantly lower in the CMC mode than the FTF mode. In fact, learners’ reported state anxiety was comparable across modality. The use and implications of both interactional modes for foreign language learning contexts are discussed, as are students’ perceptions of interaction in the CMC and FTF modes.
Shared control architectures for haptic training: Performance and coupled stability analysis
Authors: Khademian Behzad , Hashtrudi-Zaad Keyvan
Published: March 2011

A novel shared control architecture is presented for dual-user haptic training simulation systems for enhanced interaction between the users and between each user and the virtual environment. The coupled stability of the proposed control architecture against uncertainties in the environment and the user’s dynamics is investigated using the three-port master–slave network model of the dual-user haptic simulation system. For this purpose, Llewellyn’s unconditional stability criterion is applied to an equivalent two-port network model obtained from the corresponding three-port network, considering the environment as a load termination. The kinesthetic performance of the proposed architecture is numerically analyzed for transparency and evaluated against a benchmark control architecture under different operating conditions, such as various types of environments, users’ grasps, and levels of dominance of users over the task. An experimental user study is carried out to assess the effectiveness of the proposed architecture in terms of users’ perception of environment stiffness sensing, device agility, and haptic guidance reception.
The UTIAS multi-robot cooperative localization and mapping dataset
Authors: Leung Keith YK , Halpern Yoni , Barfoot Timothy D , Liu Hugh HT
Published: March 2011

This paper presents a two-dimensional multi-robot cooperative localization and mapping dataset collection for research and educational purposes. The dataset consists of nine sub-datasets, which can be used for studying problems such as robot-only cooperative localization , cooperative localization with a known map, and cooperative simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) . The data collection process is discussed in detail, including the equipment we used, how measurements were made and logged, and how we obtained groundtruth data for all robots and landmarks. The format of each file in each sub-dataset is also provided. The dataset is available for download at http://asrl.utias.utoronto.ca/datasets/mrclam/.
Migraine features, associated symptoms and triggers: A principal component analysis in the Women’s Health Study
Authors: Schürks Markus , Buring Julie E , Kurth Tobias
Published: March 2011

Aims: Migraine has a wide clinical spectrum. Our aim was to group information on migraine characteristics into meaningful components and to identify key components of the migraine phenotype.

Methods: We performed two principal component analyses, one among participants in the Women’s Health Study enrollment cohort and one in a sub-cohort with additional migraine-specific information.

Results: Among the 9427 women with migraine attack–related information at enrollment, the three most important components pertained to central nervous system (CNS) sensitization, attack frequency/pain location and aura/visual phenomena. In the subgroup of 1675 women with more detailed information, food triggers and unspecific symptoms constituted two principal components that explain more of the variance of the migraine phenotype than the three attack–related components.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that information on migraine-associated features, symptoms and triggers is highly correlated, allowing the extraction of principal components. Migraine attack–related symptoms are best summarized by symptoms related to CNS sensitization, attack frequency/pain location and aura/visual phenomena. Taking a more general view, unspecific symptoms and food triggers appear to carry stronger importance in characterizing the migraine phenotype. These components are useful for future research on the pathophysiology and genetics of migraine and may have implications for diagnosing and treating patients.
Platelet Activation by Collagen Provides Sustained Release of Anabolic Cytokines
Authors: Harrison Sophia , Vavken Patrick , Kevy Sherwin , Jacobson May , Zurakowski David , Murray Martha M.
Published: March 2011

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been increasingly used in sports medicine applications. Platelets are thought to release growth factors important in wound healing, including transforming growth factor (TGF-β1), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-AB), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). However, little is known about the effect of platelet activator choice on growth factor release kinetics.

Hypothesis: The choice of platelet activator would affect the timing and level of growth factor release from PRP.

Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.

Methods: Platelet-rich plasma aliquots were activated with either thrombin or collagen. A control group of whole blood aliquots was clotted with thrombin. Supernatant containing the released growth factors was collected daily for 1 week. Levels of TGF-β1, PDGF-AB, and VEGF were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results: The use of thrombin as an activator resulted in immediate release of TGF-β1 and PDGF-AB, while the collagen-activated PRP clots released similar amounts each day for 5 days. The use of collagen as an activator resulted in an 80% greater cumulative release of TGF-β1 from the PRP aliquots over 7 days ( P < .001). Concentrating platelets to 3 times the systemic blood level resulted in a 3-fold higher release of TGF-β1, 2.5-fold greater release of PDGF, and 5-fold greater release of VEGF (all P < .0001) when compared with whole blood control clots, but no significant differences in the timing of release were noted.

Conclusion: These experiments demonstrated that the choice of platelet activator can significantly influence the release kinetics of cytokines from PRP, with thrombin resulting in an immediate release and collagen having a more sustained release pattern.

Clinical Relevance: The level and rate of growth factor release depends on the selected platelet activator, a factor that should be considered when selecting a PRP system for a given application.
Presence of Cysts on Magnetic Resonance Images (MRIs) in Children With Asperger Disorder and Nonverbal Learning Disabilities
Authors: Semrud-Clikeman Margaret , Fine Jodene
Published: March 2011

The main purpose of this study was to report the existence of previously unidentified brain cysts or lesions in children with nonverbal learning disabilities, Asperger syndrome, or controls. The authors compared the incidence of cysts or lesions on magnetic resonance images (MRIs) in 28 children with nonverbal learning disability, 26 children with Asperger syndrome, and 24 typical controls for abnormalities. In this study, the authors found 25% of children previously diagnosed with nonverbal learning disability to have unsuspected brain abnormalities generally including cysts or lesions in the occipital region, compared with approximately 4% in the Asperger syndrome or control group. The cysts/lesions were found mainly in the occipital lobe, an area responsible for visual/spatial reasoning. It is appropriate to speculate that there might be a connection between anomalous brain development and skill differences among these groups.
Mechanical and Antibacterial Properties of Treated and Untreated Zinc Oxide filled UHMWPE Composites
Authors: Chang B.P. , Akil H. Md. , Nasir R. Md. , Nurdijati S.
Published: March 2011

Treated and untreated zinc oxide (ZnO) particulate reinforced ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) composites were prepared using hydraulic hot press. The effects of the ZnO filler loading on tensile and antibacterial properties of the composites were investigated. The ZnO surfaces were treated with silane coupling agent (3-APTES) and were characterized using FTIR. The influences of ZnO content on tensile behavior of the composites were investigated. The tensile fracture surfaces of the ZnO-filled UHMWPE composites were characterized using SEM. Antibacterial property was tested against two common human body bacteria, that is, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The results showed that the tensile modulus of the composites was enhanced with addition of ZnO with increased filler loading. The performance of tensile strength and elongation at break for treated and untreated ZnO-filled UHMWPE were found to decrease with increasing filler loading compared to pure UHMWPE. Both treated and untreated ZnO-filled UHMWPE showed active inhibition towards E. coli (Gram-negative bacteria) whereas slight inhibition for S. aureus (Gram-positive bacteria) from the test. Treated ZnO-filled UHMWPE showed better inhibition against bacteria.
Minority, Black and Non-Black People of Color: ‘New’ Color-Blind Racism and the US Small Business Administration’s Approach to Minority Business Lending in the Post-Civil Rights Era
Authors: Nopper Tamara K.
Published: March 2011

This study examines the current approach of the US Small Business Administration (SBA) to minority lending and considers the implications for minority business development in the post-civil rights era. Interviews with SBA employees in Los Angeles and New York reveal that the SBA takes a ‘new’ color-blind approach that emphasizes race and minority status but fails to address racial stratification. I analyze the SBA’s conceptualization of minority, lending goals, outreach methods, and its reliance on banks to promote its loan program, revealing how these practices build upon and reinforce existing inequalities among people of color. Data suggests flexible approaches to minority business development by the SBA may ultimately be unhelpful for African Americans but useful for non-black people of color. The study concludes with the policy recommendation that the SBA create a direct loan program that explicitly promotes black business, with consideration given to the difficulties of having such a proposal adopted.