bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does Location of Epicardial Adipose Tissue Correspond to Endocardial High Dominant Frequency or Complex Fractionated Atrial Electrogram Sites During Atrial Fibrillation?
Authors: Nagashima Koichi , Okumura Yasuo , Watanabe Ichiro , Nakai Toshiko , Ohkubo Kimie , Kofune Masayoshi , Mano Hiroaki , Sonoda Kazumasa , Hiro Takafumi , Nikaido Mizuki , Hirayama Atsushi
Published: July 2012

Background—

Although increased epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume is known to be associated with increased prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF), the exact mechanisms are unclear. Therefore, we investigated whether EAT locations were associated with high dominant frequency (DF) sites or complicated fractionated atrial electrogram sites during AF.

Methods and Results—

Three-dimensional reconstruction computed tomography images depicting EAT volumes (obtained by 320-detector-row multislice computed tomography) were merged with NavX-based DF and complicated fractionated atrial electrogram maps obtained during AF for 16 patients with paroxysmal AF and for 18 patients with persistent AF. Agreement between locations of the EAT, especially EAT surrounding the left atrium, and of high DF or complicated fractionated atrial electrogram sites was quantified. In addition, serum biomarker levels were determined. EAT surrounding the left atrium volumes was significantly greater in patients with persistent AF than in patients with paroxysmal AF (52.9 cm
3
[95% CI, 44.2–61.5] versus 34.8 cm
3
[95% CI, 26.6–43.0];
P
=0.007). Serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels were significantly higher in persistent AF patients than in paroxysmal AF patients (median high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, 969 ng/mL [interquartile range, 307–1678] versus 320 ng/mL [interquartile range, 120–660];
P
=0.008; median interleukin-6, 2.4 pg/mL [interquartile range, 1.7–3.2] versus 1.3 [interquartile range, 0.8–2.4] pg/mL;
P
=0.017). EAT locations were in excellent agreement with high DF sites (κ=0.77 [95% CI, 0.71–0.82]) but in poor agreement with complicated fractionated atrial electrogram sites (κ=0.22 [95% CI, 0.13–0.31]).

Conclusions—

Increased EAT volume and elevation of inflammatory biomarkers are noted in persistent AF rather than paroxysmal AF patients. High DF sites are located adjacent to EAT sites. Thus, EAT may be involved in the maintenance of AF.
Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation Using Novel 4-Dimensional Catheter Tracking Within Autoregistered Left Atrial Angiograms
Authors: Rolf Sascha , Sommer Philipp , Gaspar Thomas , John Silke , Arya Arash , Hindricks Gerhard , Piorkowski Christopher
Published: July 2012

Background—

We describe a novel fluoroscopy coregistered, 4-dimensional catheter tracking technology (MediGuide Technology [MGT]) used for treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation. The aim of the study was to investigate (1) the feasibility of nonfluoroscopic catheter manipulation within dynamic left atrial chamber models; (2) the integration of the technology into an established electroanatomical mapping system; and (3) potential clinical impact.

Methods and Results—

Forty-nine patients received atrial fibrillation ablation using MGT-enabled NavX-EnSite. Matched patients ablated with a conventional NavX-EnSite system served as a control group. MGT was used for the deployment of diagnostic catheters within preacquired cine loops, for nonfluoroscopic chamber mapping within dynamic angiograms, and for 4-dimensional tagging of anatomical landmarks. Integration with the electroanatomical mapping system allowed correction of field distortions and a reference tool to detect and correct map shifts. Catheter ablation was done without MGT because the ablation catheter was not MGT enabled. MGT worked safely and stably in all 49 patients. Catheter deployment within the preacquired cine loops was successfully performed in 45 of 49 (92%) patients. Catheter tracking within dynamic left atrial angiograms allowed nearly nonfluoroscopic creation of NavX-EnSite geometries with subsequent computed tomography model registration in all 49 patients. Overall, MGT significantly reduced total procedural fluoroscopy time (median [quartiles]) from 31 minutes (25, 43 minutes) to 16 minutes (10, 23 minutes) and irradiation dose from 14 453±7403 to 7363±5827 cGy*cm
2
(mean±SD), respectively (
P
<0.001).

Conclusions—

MGT is a tracking technology that allows 4-dimensional visualization of dedicated catheters within moving chamber models. Integration of the MGT with an established electroanatomical mapping system provided algorithms to facilitate mapping in the electroanatomical mapping system environment. As a first measurable clinical impact, MGT was able to reduce fluoroscopy exposure by nearly 50%.
Translation + Pendaphonics = Movement Modulated Media
Authors: Lahey Byron , Burleson Winslow , Streb Elizabeth
Published: July 2012

Translation is a multimedia dance performed on a vertical wall filled with the projected image of a lunar surface. Pendaphonics is a low-cost, versatile, and robust motion-sensing hardware-software system integrated with the rigging of Translation to detect the dancers' motion and provide real-time control of the virtual moonscape. Replacing remotely triggered manual cues with high-resolution, real-time control by the performers expands the expressive range and ensures synchronization of feedback with the performers' movements. This project is the first application of an ongoing collaboration between the Motivational Environments Research Group at Arizona State University (ASU) and STREB Extreme Action Company.
Entr'acte
Authors: Geiger Jordan
Published: July 2012

Looking at new public-space formations today, the roles of new technologies grow not only prominent but also noticeably time-sensitive. Due in part to the rapidly changing nature of communications media and the diverse stakeholders, the theatrical “entr'acte” appears to be an apt model for forms and durations of public space with diverse performers (both human and material elements) of different sorts: entr'acteurs. How is public space as physical construct changing with new embedded forms of computing? How is a public formed? What new material sensibilities emerge? And what role does their essentially fleeting or transitional character play?
Within an Ocean of Light: Creating Volumetric Lightscapes
Authors: Rowe Anthony
Published: July 2012

This paper documents explorations into an alternative platform for immersive and affective expression within spatial mixed reality installation experiences. It discusses and analyzes experiments that use an advanced LED cube to create immersive, interactive installations and environments where visitors and visuals share a common physical space. As a visual medium, the LED cube has very specific properties and affordances, and optimizing the potential for such systems to create meaningful experiences presents many interlinked challenges. Two artworks exploring these possibilities are discussed. Both have been exhibited internationally in a variety of settings. Together with this paper, the works shed some light on the design considerations and experiential possibilities afforded by LED cubes and arrays. They also suggest that LED grids have potential as an emerging medium for immersive volumetric visualizations that occupy physical space.
‘With a Friend like this . . .’: Shielding Cameroon from Democratization
Authors: Emmanuel Nikolas G
Published: July 2012

The following paper uses the case-study of Cameroon to examine how critical donors can shield their close allies from pressure to pursue political liberalization. As the wave of democratic reform swept through Africa in the early 1990s, similar to that going through North Africa and the Middle East today, domestic opposition pushed the ruling clique in Cameroon towards pluralism. However, in this case, instead of encouraging democracy, France helped President Paul Biya to maintain his grip on power. As will be demonstrated, massive amounts of French aid helped the regime survive both internal and external pressure for change. Under a political conditionality approach other secondary donors tried to use their foreign assistance to help push for liberal-democratic reforms in Cameroon. However, such efforts are frequently undermined by what the donor perceives as its self-interest. This research attempts to illustrate this general point by examining the relationship between Cameroon and France and the maintenance of authoritarianism in the defense of common interests.
Whose good is the common good?
Authors: Offe Claus
Published: July 2012

Reference to the common good has increased in recent political discourse, not only on the right but also on the left. This development partly reflects genuine limitations in the liberal model of politics, and thus should not be dismissed as mere rhetoric. However, appeals to the common good face four difficulties: its social referent; its temporal horizon; its substantive content; and its authoritative identification. The article concludes with a modest suggestion for understanding the common good in complex societies.
Transitional justice and the truth-constraints of the public sphere
Authors: Corradetti Claudio
Published: July 2012

In this article I present some implications for a concept of transitional justice through the comparison of two approaches: retributive vs. restorative theories. Notwithstanding their profound differences in perspective, both models are grounded upon a strong notion of the public sphere. Accordingly, after showing why neither of the two approaches exhausts the problems of transitional justice, I will demonstrate how a ‘complete’ justification requires a certain view of public reason based upon rights as truth-constraints of the public sphere.
Incompatible ABO-plasma exchange and its impact on patient selection in paediatric cardiac transplantation
Authors: Issitt RW , Crook RM , Cross NT , Shaw M , Robertson A , Burch M , Hsia TY , Tsang VT
Published: July 2012

Objectives:

A decade ago, the first series of ABO-incompatible heart transplants was published, with surprising and extremely promising results; drastically reduced waiting list mortalities of infants listed for heart transplantation. Essential to the procedure was the process of plasma exchange transfusion, required to reduce isohaemagglutinin titres and facilitate the crossing of ABO blood group boundaries. Since then, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London has offered ABO-incompatible heart transplants to infants who potentially would die waiting for a suitable organ. We report the results of a decade of evolving plasma exchange experience and its impact upon patient selection.

Methods:

A retrospective analysis was undertaken of all elective ABO-incompatible heart transplants at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital from January 2001 until January 2011. Data were sought on underlying conditions and demographics of the patients, the isohaemagglutinin titre before and after plasma exchange and survival figures to date.

Results:

Twenty-one patients underwent ABO-incompatible heart transplantation, ranging from 3 to 44 months, with preoperative isohaemagglutinin titres ranging from 0 to 1:32. All patients underwent a “3 times” plasma exchange before transplantation, requiring exchange volumes of up to 3209 mL. Postoperative isohaemagglutinin titres ranged from 0 to 1:16. One patient died of causes unrelated to organ rejection.

Conclusions:

Our data showed that eight patients (38.1%) were older than the previously suggested 12-month cut-off age. Using a combination of adult reservoir/paediatric oxygenator and extracorporeal circuit, ABO-incompatible plasma exchange transfusions can be undertaken safely using a simplified ‘3 times’ method, reducing the circulating levels of isohaemagglutinins whilst providing minimal circuit size. This allows ABO-incompatible heart transplantation in a broader patient population than previously reported.
Investigating the Influence of Professor Characteristics on Student Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction
Authors: Gruber Thorsten , Lowrie Anthony , Brodowsky Glen H. , Reppel Alexander E. , Voss Roediger , Chowdhury Ilma Nur
Published: July 2012

This research uses the Kano model of satisfaction to investigate professor characteristics that create student satisfaction as well as those attributes that can cause their dissatisfaction. Kano questionnaires were handed out to 104 undergraduate students at a university in the Southwest and to 147 undergraduate students at a university in the Midwest of the United States. The two resulting Kano maps show the same delighting attributes although other satisfaction attributes are also similar. The findings reveal the importance of the personality of professors and the characteristics of professors that (a) are desired by students, (b) are not desired by students, (c) affect student satisfaction the most, and (d) affect satisfaction the least. The results also demonstrate how professors and universities can focus attention on those attributes most likely to influence satisfaction. No attributes of professors are classified as basic or taken for granted factors by students, although three attributes are excitement factors that have the potential to delight students. The findings illustrate that there is a set of multiple attributes that professors need to possess for satisfying student–professor classroom service encounters. Student populations appear to show strong similarities in their preferences for characteristics of professors that lead to satisfaction and dissatisfaction outcomes.
The history of oxygen inhalation as a treatment for cluster headache
Authors: Haane Danielle YP , Dirkx Thijs HT , Koehler Peter J
Published: July 2012

Overview: Oxygen has been a generally accepted treatment method for cluster headache attacks ever since Kudrow (1981) conducted a controlled trial showing that oxygen was equally or even more effective than ergotamine injections.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to provide a historical perspective of oxygen treatment in cluster headache and to find the origin of this treatment. Oxygen for cluster headache was first described by Horton in 1952 and for migraine patients in 1940 by Alvarez. At the time, neither of the authors provided any reason why they chose for this treatment method. The vasoconstrictive effect of oxygen was not described by Horton until 1961.

Conclusion: We suggest that these authors originally adhered to the vasoconstrictive theory of vascular headache that was prevalent in the early 20th century until Wolff demonstrated the contrary in the late 1930s. The early literature describes an analogy between angina pectoris and migraine, as both being due to vasoconstriction. As oxygen was described as a treatment for angina pectoris, this may be the reason why oxygen was tried for migraine and cluster headache at a time when they were not recognized as separate entities. Later it turned out to be more effective for cluster headache.
Writing the Past in the Present: An Anglo-Saxon Perspective
Authors: Berger Stefan
Published: July 2012

This article reviews some of the major developments in the field of historical studies from the late 1970s onwards. It argues that many of these developments take their cue from the emergence of the narrative or linguistic turn which can be dated back to the 1970s. Foucauldian ideas were also very influential in giving historical studies a new direction from the 1970s onwards. In particular the article looks at the development of gender history, the history from below and memory history. Subsequently it reviews the diverse impact the narrative and linguistic turn had on traditional areas of history writing, including political, social, economic and cultural history. In particular the rise of the new cultural history from the 1980s onwards was deeply connected to the linguistic turn and resulted in a visual turn and in the opening up of new areas for research, among which the turn to material culture was of particular importance over the last decade or so. The article concludes by discussing the increasing move towards forms of interdisciplinarity and intertextuality and the popularity of transnational history writing (including comparative history and the history of cultural transfers), among which world and global history have had the strongest appeal of late.
Linguistics: The Study of the Language Capacity and Its Functions
Authors: Traugott Elizabeth Closs
Published: July 2012

Language is considered a defining property of humanity in ancient myths and in contemporary humanities disciplines such as philosophy and in linguistics. But there are competing views about what constitutes the capacity for language. One approach, known as the formal generative approach, regards the language capacity as autonomous from other cognitive abilities, and equates it with the syntactic ability to form an infinite number of sentences from finite means. Another, known as the functional approach, regards the language capacity as a non-autonomous symbolic system. From this perspective factors such as speech acts, narrative discourses, and frequency effects are as important as syntax for understanding the language capacity. Implications of work from these two perspectives for a broad range of disciplines, especially literary studies, are suggested.
Art History in Japan and Its Future Development
Authors: Osano Shigetoshi
Published: July 2012

Commencing with the argument that modern art history is rooted in fifteenth- and early six-teenth-century Italy, a period of unusual primacy for the ‘eye’, the author provides an over-view of the history of art history: from its foundation as a university discipline to its recent bipolarity. In the 1980s art history devolved into a state of confusion. At the same time, con-noisseurship, a primary and indispensable foundation for training in art history, went into decline. This state of affairs resulted from the penetration of the language-based disciplines into the realm of art historical study, since their approaches are not predicated upon direct access to the art object. Counter to this trend, however, the author argues that art history is a humanistic discipline that begins with the careful viewing of an individual work of art or visual object, and works outward toward the building up of a historical, geographical and worldwide map of art.

A close examination of the limitations of a globally-oriented approach (that is, world art studies or world art history) and a regionally-oriented practice that could be categorized as a traditional form of art history, leads the author to consider the future of art history in Japan. He proposes a comparative approach as a promising way of bridging Western and Japanese art history, as practiced both inside and outside Japan, in future years.
The Status of Knowledge and New Directions for the Humanities
Authors: Chung Daihyun
Published: July 2012

A new notion of language can play an important role in developing a new understanding of knowledge and the humanities. I believe that language gives rise to pluralism not only because different verbal languages force us to see the world differently, but also because any object that can be per-ceived by humans or can be processed digitally is in need of interpretation. Consequently, our notion of knowledge needs to be communal rather than absolutistic, and our response to the contemporary human predicament needs to invoke active rather than passive freedom. These two conditions appear to suggest the possibility of building a bridge between the humanities in the academic world and the humanities in the cultural markets.
Is a Pragmatics of Collective Action Possible? -
NAISHTAT, Francisco, Action et langage. Des niveaux linguistiques de l’action aux forces illocutionnaires de la protestation. (Action and Language. From Linguistic Levels of Action to the Illocutionary Forces of Protest) Paris: L’Harmattan, 2010.
260 pp.
Authors: Poulain Jacques
Published: July 2012

This paper is a review of Francisco Naishtat’s volume Action et Langage (Paris, 2010).
Infantile Metabolic Encephalopathy Due to Fumarase Deficiency
Authors: Saini Arushi Gahlot , Singhi Pratibha
Published: July 2012

Fumarase deficiency is a very rare inborn error of metabolism caused by decreased activity of fumarate hydratase enzyme. We describe a fumarase-deficient infant who presented with encephalopathy, metabolic crisis, psychomotor retardation, hypotonia, seizures, and facial dysmorphism. To our knowledge, this is the first Indian child to be described with fumarase deficiency.
Resource Utilization in Children With Tuberous Sclerosis Complex and Associated Seizures
Authors: Lennert Barb , Farrelly Eileen , Sacco Patricia , Pira Geraldine , Frost Michael
Published: July 2012

Seizures are a hallmark manifestation of tuberous sclerosis complex, yet data characterizing resource utilization are lacking. This retrospective chart review was performed to assess the economic burden of tuberous sclerosis complex with neurologic manifestations. Demographic and resource utilization data were collected for 95 patients for up to 5 years after tuberous sclerosis complex diagnosis. Mean age at diagnosis was 3.1 years, with complex partial and infantile spasms as the most common seizure types. In the first 5 years post-diagnosis, 83.2% required hospitalization, 30.5% underwent surgery, and the majority of patients (90.5%) underwent ≥3 testing procedures. In 79 patients with a full 5 years of data, hospitalizations, intensive care unit stays, diagnostic testing, and rehabilitation services decreased over the 5-year period. Resource utilization is cost-intensive in children with tuberous sclerosis complex and associated seizures during the first few years following diagnosis. Improving seizure control and reducing health care costs in this population remain unmet needs.
Independent Mobility After Early Introduction of a Power Wheelchair in Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Authors: Dunaway Sally , Montes Jacqueline , O’Hagen Jessica , Sproule Douglas M. , Vivo Darryl C. De , Kaufmann Petra
Published: July 2012

Weakness resulting from spinal muscular atrophy causes severe limitations in functional mobility. The early introduction of power mobility has potential to enhance development and mitigate disability. These outcomes are achieved by simulating normal skill acquisition and by promoting motor learning, visuospatial system development, self-exploration, cognition, and social development. There are few reports on early power mobility in spinal muscular atrophy, and it is typically not prescribed until school age. The authors evaluated 6 children under age 2 years with neuromuscular disease (5 spinal muscular atrophy, 1 congenital muscular dystrophy) for power mobility. Parents recorded the practice hours necessary to achieve independence using the Power Mobility Skills Checklist. Four children achieved independence in all items on the checklist by 7.9 months (range: 73-458 days). Introduction of early power mobility is feasible in spinal muscular atrophy patients under age 2 years and should be introduced in late infancy when children typically acquire locomotor skills.
A Multicourse Collaborative Project Within a Global Context
Authors: Byun Sang-Eun , Kim Hyejeong , Duffey Melanie
Published: July 2012

This study examined how student learning can be enhanced through a multidisciplinary collaborative project in the apparel merchandising and interior design curriculum. It investigated the relationships among students' perceptions (the importance of collaboration in the industry, course connections across disciplines, and cultural understanding), learning outcomes (social, cognitive, and emotional), attitude toward the collaborative project, and intent to register for future collaborative courses in pre- (N=56) and post-tests (N=52). The data was collected from students who enrolled in Global Retailing, Visual Merchandising, or Interior Design. In both tests, perceived importance of collaboration significantly influenced social/cognitive and emotional learning outcomes and attitude. Learning outcomes significantly affected attitude. Compared to social/cognitive learning outcomes, emotional learning outcomes was a stronger predictor of attitude in both tests, showing a pivotal role of emotional learning in creating positive attitudes toward the collaborative project. Attitude significantly increased intent to register for future collaborative courses in both tests.
Adaptive fuzzy H∞ control strategy for a micro-electromechanical system gyroscope based on the linear matrix inequality approach
Authors: Fei Juntao , Juan Wanru , Xin Mingyuan
Published: July 2012

In this paper, an adaptive fuzzy logic controller is proposed to create a H∞ tracking performance for a micro-electro-mechanical system gyroscope with system non-linearity consisting of parameter uncertainties and external disturbances. An adaptive fuzzy logic system is used to approximate the non-linear function to compensate the system’s non-linear behavior. Riccati-type equations and the linear matrix inequality technique are incorporated into the direct adaptive fuzzy H∞ control. The influence of both fuzzy logic approximation error and external disturbances on the tracking error is attenuated to a prescribed level. Simulation results confirm that the effect of both the fuzzy approximation error and external disturbance on the tracking error can be attenuated efficiently by the proposed methods. Compared with the Riccati-type equation-based approach, the linear matrix inequality-based approach creates a better tracking performance.
Undertreatment of pain in older adults
Authors: Denny Dawn L , Guido Ginny W
Published: July 2012

Inadequate pain control, especially in older adults, remains a significant issue when caring for this population. Older adults, many of whom experience multiple acute and chronic conditions, are especially vulnerable to having their pain seriously underassessed and inadequately treated. Nurses have an ethical obligation to appropriately treat patients’ pain. To fulfill their ethical obligation to relieve pain in older patients, nurses often need to advocate on their behalf. This article provides an overview of the persistent problem of undertreated pain in older adults and explores how nurses can meet this ethical duty through the application of Beauchamp and Childress’ three principles of beneficence.
Preliminary validation of the Nepean Dysphoria Scale
Authors: Berle David , Starcevic Vladan
Published: July 2012

Objective:

To present the psychometric properties of the Nepean Dysphoria Scale (NDS), the first instrument developed to measure the severity of dysphoria.

Method:

The NDS was administered to 134 university students and its characteristics were examined. The structure of the scale was investigated using exploratory factor analysis. Convergent and divergent validity were examined by investigating the associations between the NDS and its subscales with other conceptually similar (Beck Depression Inventory II, Dysfunctional Attitude Scale – Form A and Toronto Alexithymia Scale) and conceptually distinct (Anxiety Sensitivity Index) instruments.

Results:

The 24-item NDS demonstrated excellent internal consistency. A four-factor solution was derived, with factors pertaining to irritability, discontent, surrender and interpersonal resentment. There were medium to strong correlations between the NDS and its subscales and depressive symptoms as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory II. The NDS and its subscales showed weaker, but still significant, correlations with Dysfunctional Attitude Scale – Form A, Toronto Alexithymia Scale and Anxiety Sensitivity Index.

Conclusions:

The study suggests that the NDS has good psychometric properties. Further research would more firmly establish the NDS as a valid measure of the complex emotional state of dysphoria.
Textural, physicochemical and sensory properties compensation of fat replacing in pork liver pâté incorporating emulsified canola oil
Authors: Morales-Irigoyen EE , Severiano-Pérez P , Rodriguez-Huezo ME , Totosaus A
Published: July 2012

Saturated animal fat was replaced in pork pâté with pre-emulsified canola in a 3% sodium caseinate/0.5% xanthan gum solution in order to obtain a stable oily phase. Fat was replaced with different proportions of emulsified canola oil. The inclusion of emulsified oil in pâté enhanced cocking yield and moisture but increased fluids release. Nonetheless, total fat content remained practically constant, meaning no detrimental effect on caloric content. Replacing 50% of lard with emulsified oil did not affect color of the samples. Texture was improved since emulsified oil addition resulted in softer and more spreadable pâté. Samples with 50% of emulsified oil were more stable to lipid oxidation at 8 days of storage, with lower thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and volatile compounds resulting from oxidation reactions. Emulsified canola can be employed to replace fat until 50% in pâté or liver sausage with good functional properties, improving texture and reducing lipids rancidity.
Task demand and mood repair: The intervention potential of computer games
Authors: Bowman Nicholas D. , Tamborini Ron
Published: July 2012

It is argued that computer game play has great potential to intervene in noxious mood states because it is a more demanding task than consuming other forms of media. From mood management theory, this increased intervention potential should make computer games particularly adept mood repair agents. To test this assertion, a study was conducted that varied levels of task demand (our operationalization of intervention potential) in a computer game to examine mood repair for bored and stressed individuals. Results show that increasing the amount of control an individual has over a mediated environment significantly increases that medium’s intervention potential. This increase in intervention potential results in an enhanced ability to relieve boredom and stress, but too much task demand is detrimental to mood repair.
What was Web 2.0? Versions as the dominant mode of internet history
Authors: Allen Matthew
Published: July 2012

This paper explores Web 2.0 as the marker of a discourse about the nature and purpose of the internet in the recent past. It focuses on how Web 2.0 introduced to our thinking about the internet a discourse of versions. Such a discourse enables the telling of a ‘history’ of the internet which involves a complex interweaving of past, present and future, as represented by the additional versions which the introduction of Web 2.0 enabled. The paper concludes that the discourse of versions embodied in Web 2.0 obscures as much as it reveals, and suggests a new project based on investigations of the everyday memories of the internet by which individual users create their own histories of online technology.
Elderly people and morality in virtual worlds: A cross-cultural analysis of elderly people’s morality in interactive media
Authors: Dogruel Leyla , Joeckel Sven , Bowman Nicholas D.
Published: July 2012

This study examines elderly people’s innate moral foundations in influencing decisions, and their subsequent enjoyment in an interactive media environment. The Moral Foundation Questionnaire was used to distinguish between the moral intuitions of elderly US and German respondents, who were believed to have divergent yet stable moral codes that would be salient in a novel virtual world. In an experimental design, participants (N=116) were confronted with a computer simulation in which they could decide to violate or uphold each of five moral intuitions. Germans and Americans differed in their moral foundations, yet for both groups higher moral salience led to a decrease in decisions to commit moral violations in a virtual world. Results for enjoyment were mixed.
Non-conformable, partial and conformable transposition: A competing risk analysis of the transposition process of directives in the EU15
Authors: König Thomas , Mäder Lars
Published: July 2012

Although member states are obliged to transpose directives into domestic law in a conformable manner and receive considerable time for their transposition activities, we identify three levels of transposition outcomes for EU directives: conformable, partially conformable and non-conformable. Compared with existing transposition models, which do not distinguish between different transposition outcomes, we examine the factors influencing each transposition process by means of a competing risk analysis. We find that preference-related factors, in particular the disagreement of a member state and the Commission regarding a directive’s outcome, play a much more strategic role than has to date acknowledged in the transposition literature. Whereas disagreement of a member state delays conformable transposition, it speeds up non-conformable transposition. Disagreement of the Commission only prolongs the transposition process. We therefore conclude that a stronger focus on an effective sanctioning mechanism is warranted for safeguarding compliance with directives.
Are cultural values the same as the values of individuals? An examination of similarities in personal, social and cultural value structures
Authors: Fischer Ronald , Poortinga Ype H.
Published: July 2012

Value dimensions are used widely to make distinctions between countries and also serve to explain behaviour of individuals within countries. There is a paradox: leading researchers (Hofstede, 1980; Schwartz, 1994) have been adamant that country-level value structures differ from those at individual level. A recent analysis has suggested that dimensional structures at the two levels show substantial overlap. The current multi-level study extends previous research by examining to what extent ratings of the values of others can serve as an intermediate structure to help determine the degree of isomorphism between individual and culture-level structures. The findings indicate that a single value structure across levels is most parsimonious. Implications for international business research are discussed.
If only cultural chameleons could fly too
Authors: Blasco Maribel , Feldt Liv Egholm , Jakobsen Michael
Published: July 2012

The article offers a critique of the concept of cultural intelligence (CQ) from a semiotic perspective. It addresses three assumptions that underpin the CQ concept: that CQ exists, that conflict and misunderstandings are antithetical to CQ and that metacognition involves a cultural dimension. The analysis focuses in particular on the dimension of cultural metacognition which has recently been claimed to be the CQ concept’s main contribution compared to earlier concepts such as cross-cultural or intercultural competence, a claim which is found to be overstated. The article uses the example of CQ training to illustrate the need for greater attention to context and motivation when CQ is deployed for business purposes, as well as to the role of experience in cultural learning processes. At a broader level, the article urges caution in assuming that all human attributes can be trained for business purposes, especially through short-term interventions.
No ball!
Authors: Grant Hercules
Published: July 2012

Cricket is a game that is highly symbolic of modern West Indian achievement. In this paper the ‘no ball’ in cricket is used as a metaphor to highlight the importance of ethical management and leadership in creating influence and growth in these Caribbean nation states. Such ethical leadership can be instrumental in addressing issues of productivity and transforming of the workplace. Business reversals and general meltdown as in the case of billionaire Allen Stanford may be attributable to lack of oversight by an impartial umpire commissioned to identify and rectify the ‘no ball’ of unfair business dealing. Values of social justice and redressing the disadvantage wrought by the unidentified ‘no ball’ are concepts at the heart of the movement to independence in modern Caribbean nation states, as seen in the influence of trade unions on the evolution of that movement in most islands. Ethical leadership is one aspect of social responsibility and creating legitimacy that empowers institutions. The paper also defines the concept of social capital and attempts to relate trust and reciprocity to West Indian society. The implications of identifying unfair advantage and calling the ‘no ball’ are highlighted in the context of altering issues of social justice, trust and mutuality in the culture and management.
Diagnostic performance of using one- or two-HbA1c cut-point strategies to detect undiagnosed type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose regulation within a multi-ethnic population
Authors: Mostafa SA , Khunti K , Kilpatrick ES , Webb D , Srinivasan BT , Gray LJ , Davies MJ
Published: July 2012

Introduction:

We compared test performance and cost per case for strategies detecting diabetes on the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) using either (a) glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥ 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or (b) two HbA1c thresholds where the first cut-point ‘rules out’ and the second ‘rules in’ diabetes. HbA1c values in between the thresholds require confirmatory glucose testing for diagnosis.

Materials and methods:

We conducted an analysis of adults aged 40–75 years from the Leicester Ethnic Atherosclerosis and Diabetes Risk (LEADER) cohort (Leicester, UK), from 2002 to 2008, who underwent oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) and HbA1c testing.

Results:

From 8696 individuals (mean age 57.3 years, 73% white Europeans (WE) and 27% South Asians (SA)), HbA1c ≥ 6.5% produced sensitivity of 62.1% for detecting diabetes in WE and 78.9% in SA. Using two selected thresholds, HbA1c ≤ 5.8% (rule-in, 40 mmol/mol) and HbA1c ≥ 6.8% (rule-out, 51 mmol/mol) produced high sensitivity/specificity (> 91.0%) for detecting diabetes, however, 28.8% of the cohort with HbA1c 5.9%–6.7% required a subsequent glucose test. The two cut-point threshold produced a lower cost per case of diabetes detected in WE, compared to HbA1c≥ 6.5% of £38.53 (1.89 to 86.81) per case, but was more expensive in SA by £84.50 (69.72 to 100.92) per case. Using a risk score to determine HbA1c testing, the same costs per case became £63.33 (23.33 to 113.26) in WE and £69.21 (55.60 to 82.41) in SA.

Conclusion:

Using a two-threshold strategy may have some benefits over a single cut-point; however, 28.8% of individuals required two blood tests.
The ‘fraud justice network’ and the infra-structure of support for individual fraud victims in England and Wales
Authors: Button Mark , Tapley Jacki , Lewis Chris
Published: July 2012

This article explores the infra-structure of support for victims of fraud in England and Wales using a new model for examining support through what the authors call a ‘fraud justice network’, which acknowledges the multiple state and private systems of justice alongside the criminal justice system that fraud victims interact with. Using evidence from interviews with victims the article explores the different levels of support for fraud victims at the reporting, reported and criminal justice stage and how the different systems within the ‘fraud justice network’ impact upon this. Finally the article briefly assesses Action Fraud which has been launched by the National Fraud Authority as a means of addressing some of the gaps in support for victims.
Interpersonal Responding to Discrete Emotions: A Functionalist Approach to the Development of Affect Specificity
Authors: Walle Eric A. , Campos Joseph J.
Published: July 2012

To date, emotion research has primarily focused on the experience and display of the emoter. However, of equal, if not more, importance is how such displays impact and guide the behavior of an observer. We incorporate a functionalist framework of emotion to examine the development of differential responding to discrete emotion, theorize on what may facilitate its development, and hypothesize the functions that may underlie such behavioral responses. Although our review is focused primarily on development, the theoretical and methodological ideas laid out are relevant for researchers of emotion at all ages.
Automated identification of protein-ligand interaction features using Inductive Logic Programming: a hexose binding case study
Authors: A Santos Jose C , Nassif Houssam , Page David , Muggleton Stephen H , E Sternberg Michael J
Published: July 2012

Background

There is a need for automated methods to learn general features of the interactions of a ligand class with its diverse set of protein receptors. An appropriate machine learning approach is Inductive Logic Programming (ILP), which automatically generates comprehensible rules in addition to prediction. The development of ILP systems which can learn rules of the complexity required for studies on protein structure remains a challenge. In this work we use a new ILP system, ProGolem, and demonstrate its performance on learning features of hexose-protein interactions.

Results

The rules induced by ProGolem detect interactions mediated by aromatics and by planar-polar residues, in addition to less common features such as the aromatic sandwich. The rules also reveal a previously unreported dependency for residues cys and leu. They also specify interactions involving aromatic and hydrogen bonding residues. This paper shows that Inductive Logic Programming implemented in ProGolem can derive rules giving structural features of protein/ligand interactions. Several of these rules are consistent with descriptions in the literature.

Conclusions

In addition to confirming literature results, ProGolem’s model has a 10-fold cross-validated predictive accuracy that is superior, at the 95% confidence level, to another ILP system previously used to study protein/hexose interactions and is comparable with state-of-the-art statistical learners.
Adjuvant effect of docetaxel on the immune responses to influenza A H1N1 vaccine in mice
Authors: Chen Jian , Yuan Lin , Fan Qing , Su Fei , Chen Yu , Hu Songhua
Published: July 2012

Background

Vaccination remains one of the most effective approaches to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Immune responses to vaccination can be enhanced by inclusion of adjuvant in a vaccine. Paclitaxel extracted from the bark of the Pacific yew tree Taxus brevifola was previously demonstrated to have adjuvant property. Compared to paclitaxel, docetaxel is another member of taxane family, and is more soluble in water and easier to manipulate in medication. To investigate the adjuvant effect of this compound, we measured the immune responses induced by co-administration of a split inactivated influenza H1N1 vaccine antigen with docetaxel.

Results

When co-administered with docetaxel, lower dose antigen (equivalent to 10 ng HA) induced similar levels of IgG and IgG isotypes as well as HI titers to those induced by higher dose antigen (equivalent to 100 ng HA). Docetaxel promoted splenocyte responses to H1N1 antigen, ConA and LPS, mRNA expressions of cytokines (IFN-gamma, IL-12, IL-4 and IL-10) and T-bet/GATA-3 by splenocytes. The enhanced immunity was associated with up-expressed microRNAs (miR-155, miR-150 and miR-146a) in docetaxel-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Docetaxel promoted similar IgE level to but alum promoted significantly higher IgE level than the control.

Conclusion

Docetaxel has adjuvant effect on the influenza H1N1 vaccine by up-regulation of Th1/Th2 immune responses. Considering its unique vaccine adjuvant property as well as the safe record as an anti-neoplastic agent clinically used in humans during a long period, docetaxel should be further studied for its use in influenza vaccine production.
Quantile regression for the statistical analysis of immunological data with many non-detects
Authors: Eilers Paul HC , Röder Esther , Savelkoul Huub FJ , van Wijk Roy Gerth
Published: July 2012

Background

Immunological parameters are hard to measure. A well-known problem is the occurrence of values below the detection limit, the non-detects. Non-detects are a nuisance, because classical statistical analyses, like ANOVA and regression, cannot be applied. The more advanced statistical techniques currently available for the analysis of datasets with non-detects can only be used if a small percentage of the data are non-detects.

Methods and results

Quantile regression, a generalization of percentiles to regression models, models the median or higher percentiles and tolerates very high numbers of non-detects. We present a non-technical introduction and illustrate it with an implementation to real data from a clinical trial. We show that by using quantile regression, groups can be compared and that meaningful linear trends can be computed, even if more than half of the data consists of non-detects.

Conclusion

Quantile regression is a valuable addition to the statistical methods that can be used for the analysis of immunological datasets with non-detects.
Molecular basis for the distinct divalent cation requirement in the uridylylation of the signal transduction proteins GlnJ and GlnB from Rhodospirillum rubrum
Authors: Teixeira Pedro Filipe , Dominguez-Martin Maria A , Nordlund Stefan
Published: July 2012

Background

PII proteins have a fundamental role in the control of nitrogen metabolism in bacteria, through interactions with different PII targets, controlled by metabolite binding and post-translational modification, uridylylation in most organisms. In the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum, the PII proteins GlnB and GlnJ were shown, in spite of their high degree of similarity, to have different requirements for post-translational uridylylation, with respect to the divalent cations, Mg2+ and Mn2+.

Results

Given the importance of uridylylation in the functional interactions of PII proteins, we have hypothesized that the difference in the divalent cation requirement for the uridylylation is related to efficient binding of Mg/Mn-ATP to the PII proteins. We concluded that the amino acids at positions 42 and 85 in GlnJ and GlnB (in the vicinity of the ATP binding site) influence the divalent cation requirement for uridylylation catalyzed by GlnD.

Conclusions

Efficient binding of Mg/Mn-ATP to the PII proteins is required for uridylylation by GlnD. Our results show that by simply exchanging two amino acid residues, we could modulate the divalent cation requirement in the uridylylation of GlnJ and GlnB.

Considering that post-translational uridylylation of PII proteins modulates their signaling properties, a different requirement for divalent cations in the modification of GlnB and GlnJ adds an extra regulatory layer to the already intricate control of PII function.