bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
φ-Multipliers on Banach Algebras and Topological Modules
Authors: Adib Marjan
Published: February 2015

We prove some results concerning Arens regularity and amenability of the Banach algebraMφAof allφ-multipliers on a given Banach algebraA. We also considerφ-multipliers in the general topological module setting and investigate some of their properties. We discuss theφ-strict andφ-uniform topologies onMφA. A characterization ofφ-multipliers onL1G-moduleLpG, whereGis a compact group, is given.
Beneficial Effects of Combining Computed Tomography Enteroclysis/Enterography with Capsule Endoscopy for Screening Tumor Lesions in the Small Intestine
Authors: Shibata Hiroaki , Hashimoto Shinichi , Shimizu Kensaku , Kawasato Ryo , Shirasawa Tomohiro , Yokota Takayuki , Onoda Hideko , Okamoto Takeshi , Nishikawa Jun , Matsunaga Naofumi , Sakaida Isao
Published: February 2015

Aim. To compare the efficacy of using computed tomography enteroclysis/enterography (CTE), capsule endoscopy (CE), and CTE with CE for diagnosing tumor lesions in the small intestine.Materials and Methods. We included 98 patients who underwent CE during the observation period and were subjected to CTE at our hospital from April 2008 to May 2014.Results. CTE had a significantly higher sensitivity than CE (84.6% versus 46.2%,P=0.039), but there were no significant differences in specificity, positive or negative predictive values, or diagnostic accuracy rates. The sensitivity of CTE/CE was 100%, again significantly higher than that of CEP=0.002. The difference in specificity between CTE/CE and CE was not significant, but there were significant differences in positive predictive values (100% for CTE/CE versus 66.7% for CE,P=0.012), negative predictive values (100% versus 92.1%,P=0.008), and diagnostic accuracy rate (100% versus 89.8%,P=0.001). The diagnostic accuracy rate was also significantly higher in CTE/CE versus CTE (100% versus 95.9%,P=0.043).Conclusion. Our findings suggested that a combination of CTE and CE was useful for screening tumor lesions in the small intestine. This trial is registered with numberUMIN000016154.
A Comparative Study on Optimal Structural Dynamics Using Wavelet Functions
Authors: Mahdavi Seyed Hossein , Abdul Razak Hashim
Published: February 2015

Wavelet solution techniques have become the focus of interest among researchers in different disciplines of science and technology. In this paper, implementation of two different wavelet basis functions has been comparatively considered for dynamic analysis of structures. For this aim, computational technique is developed by using free scale of simple Haar wavelet, initially. Later, complex and continuous Chebyshev wavelet basis functions are presented to improve the time history analysis of structures. Free-scaled Chebyshev coefficient matrix and operation of integration are derived to directly approximate displacements of the corresponding system. In addition, stability of responses has been investigated for the proposed algorithm of discrete Haar wavelet compared against continuous Chebyshev wavelet. To demonstrate the validity of the wavelet-based algorithms, aforesaid schemes have been extended to the linear and nonlinear structural dynamics. The effectiveness of free-scaled Chebyshev wavelet has been compared with simple Haar wavelet and two common integration methods. It is deduced that either indirect method proposed for discrete Haar wavelet or direct approach for continuous Chebyshev wavelet is unconditionally stable. Finally, it is concluded that numerical solution is highly benefited by the least computation time involved and high accuracy of response, particularly using low scale of complex Chebyshev wavelet.
Fixed Points of GeneralizedF-Suzuki Type Contraction in Completeb-Metric Spaces
Authors: Alsulami Hamed Hamdan , Karapınar Erdal , Piri Hossein
Published: February 2015

We introduce the notion of generalizedF-Suzuki type contraction inb-metric spaces and investigate the existence of fixed points of such mappings. The presented results generalize and improve several results of the topics in the literature.
Competing Role of Bioactive Constituents inMoringa oleiferaExtract and Conventional Nutrition Feed on the Performance of Cobb 500 Broilers
Authors: Karthivashan Govindarajan , Arulselvan Palanisamy , Alimon Abd. Razak , Safinar Ismail Intan , Fakurazi Sharida
Published: February 2015

The influence ofMoringa oleifera(MO) leaf extract as a dietary supplement on the growth performance and antioxidant parameters was evaluated on broiler meat and the compounds responsible for the corresponding antioxidant activity were identified. 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% w/v of MO leaf aqueous extracts (MOLE) were prepared, and nutritional feed supplemented with 0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% w/w of MO leaf meal (MOLM) extracts were also prepared and analysed for theirin vitroantioxidant potential. Furthermore, the treated broiler groups (control (T1) and treatment (T2, T3, and T4)) were evaluated for performance, meat quality, and antioxidant status. The results of this study revealed that, among the broilers fed MOLM, the broilers fed 0.5% w/w MOLM (T2) exhibited enhanced meat quality and antioxidant status (P<0.05). However, the antioxidant activity of the MOLE is greater than that of the MOLM. The LC-MS/MS analysis of MOLM showed high expression of isoflavones and fatty acids from soy and corn source, which antagonistically inhibit the expression of the flavonoids/phenols in the MO leaves thereby masking its antioxidant effects. Thus, altering the soy and corn gradients in conventional nutrition feed with 0.5% w/w MO leaves supplement would provide an efficient and cost-effective feed supplement.
Relative Efficiency of Cochlear Hydrops Analysis Masking Procedure and Cervical Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential in Identification of Meniere’s Disease
Authors: Singh Niraj Kumar , Krishnamurthy Rahul , Premkumar Priya Karimuddanahally
Published: February 2015

Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) and cochlear hydrops analysis masking procedure (CHAMP) have both shown sensitivity in identifying Meniere’s disease. However none of the previous reports have compared the two tests for their relative efficacy in identifying Meniere’s disease. Hence the present study aimed to compare the efficiency of cVEMP and CHAMP in evaluating Meniere’s disease. The study included 58 individuals with unilateral definite Meniere’s disease and an equal number of age and gender matched healthy individuals. cVEMP corresponding to 500 Hz tone burst was recorded from ipsilateral sternocleidomastoid muscle and CHAMP was acquired from the conventional electrode sites for single channel auditory brainstem response recording using a default protocol of the Biologic Navigator Pro evoked potential system. Both cVEMP and CHAMP showed statistically significant differences between the groups (P<0.05). The receiver operating curves revealed 100% sensitivity and specificity for CHAMP as against 70.7% sensitivity and 100% specificity for cVEMP in identifying Meniere’s disease. Therefore, CHAMP appears to be the test of choice provided the degree of hearing loss does not exceed a moderate degree. cVEMP could be used for all degrees of hearing losses, but with slight constraint on the sensitivity.
Effects of Chronic REM Sleep Restriction on D1Receptor and Related Signal Pathways in Rat Prefrontal Cortex
Authors: Han Yan , Wen Xiaosa , Rong Fei , Chen Xinmin , Ouyang Ruying , Wu Shuai , Nian Hua , Ma Wenling
Published: February 2015

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) mediates cognitive function that is sensitive to disruption by sleep loss, and molecular mechanisms regulating neural dysfunction induced by chronic sleep restriction (CSR), particularly in the PFC, have yet to be completely understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of chronic REM sleep restriction (REM-CSR) on the D1receptor (D1R) and key molecules in D1R’ signal pathways in PFC. We employed the modified multiple platform method to create the REM-CSR rat model. The ultrastructure of PFC was observed by electron microscopy. HPLC was performed to measure the DA level in PFC. The expressions of genes and proteins of related molecules were assayed by real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively. The general state and morphology of PFC in rats were changed by CSR, and DA level and the expression of D1R in PFC were markedly decreased (P<0.01,P<0.05); the expression of phosphor-PKAcαwas significantly lowered in CSR rats (P<0.05). The present results suggested that the alteration of neuropathology and D1R expression in PFC may be associated with CSR induced cognitive dysfunction, and the PKA pathway of D1R may play an important role in the impairment of advanced neural function.
Between Rho(k) and a Hard Place
Authors: Huveneers Stephan , Daemen Mat J.A.P. , Hordijk Peter L.
Published: February 2015

Vascular stiffness is a mechanical property of the vessel wall that affects blood pressure, permeability, and inflammation. As a result, vascular stiffness is a key driver of (chronic) human disorders, including pulmonary arterial hypertension, kidney disease, and atherosclerosis. Responses of the endothelium to stiffening involve integration of mechanical cues from various sources, including the extracellular matrix, smooth muscle cells, and the forces that derive from shear stress of blood. This response in turn affects endothelial cell contractility, which is an important property that regulates endothelial stiffness, permeability, and leukocyte–vessel wall interactions. Moreover, endothelial stiffening reduces nitric oxide production, which promotes smooth muscle cell contraction and vasoconstriction. In fact, vessel wall stiffening, and microcirculatory endothelial dysfunction, precedes hypertension and thus underlies the development of vascular disease. Here, we review the cross talk among vessel wall stiffening, endothelial contractility, and vascular disease, which is controlled by Rho-driven actomyosin contractility and cellular mechanotransduction. In addition to discussing the various inputs and relevant molecular events in the endothelium, we address which actomyosin-regulated changes at cell adhesion complexes are genetically associated with human cardiovascular disease. Finally, we discuss recent findings that broaden therapeutic options for targeting this important mechanical signaling pathway in vascular pathogenesis.
Efficacy of Antiplatelet Therapy in Secondary Prevention Following Lacunar Stroke
Authors: Kwok Chun Shing , Shoamanesh Ashkan , Copley Hannah Charlotte , Myint Phyo Kyaw , Loke Yoon K. , Benavente Oscar R.
Published: February 2015

Background and Purpose—

Lacunar stroke accounts for ≈25% of ischemic stroke, but optimal antiplatelet regimen to prevent stroke recurrence remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of antiplatelet agents in secondary stroke prevention after a lacunar stroke.

Methods—

We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane library for randomized controlled trials that reported risk of recurrent stroke or death with antiplatelet therapy in patients with lacunar stroke. We used random effects meta-analysis and evaluated heterogeneity with
I
2
.

Results—

We included 17 trials with 42 234 participants (mean age 64.4 years, 65% male) and follow up ranging from 4 weeks to 3.5 years. Compared with placebo, any single antiplatelet agent was associated with a significant reduction in recurrence of any stroke (risk ratio [RR] 0.77, 0.62–0.97, 2 studies) and ischemic stroke (RR 0.48, 0.30–0.78, 2 studies), but not for the composite outcome of any stroke, myocardial infarction, or death (RR 0.89, 0.75–1.05, 2 studies). When other antiplatelet agents (ticlodipine, cilostazol, and dipyridamole) were compared with aspirin, there was no consistent reduction in stroke recurrence (RR 0.91, 0.75–1.10, 3 studies). Dual antiplatelet therapy did not confer clear benefit over monotherapy (any stroke RR 0.83, 0.68–1.00, 3 studies; ischemic stroke RR 0.80, 0.62–1.02, 3 studies; composite outcome RR 0.90, 0.80–1.02, 3 studies).

Conclusions—

Our results suggest that any of the single antiplatelet agents compared with placebo in the included trials is adequate for secondary stroke prevention after lacunar stroke. Dual antiplatelet therapy should not be used for long-term stroke prevention in this stroke subtype.
Guaraní-Spanish Jopara Mixing in a Paraguayan Novel
Authors: Estigarribia Bruno
Published: February 2015

We study the highly idiosyncratic case of Paraguay, the only American nation where an indigenous language has survived as a majority language spoken by the non-indigenous population. Jopara is the name of the commonly used code that mixes Guaraní and Spanish. Characterizations of Jopara in the literature are inconclusive. Some authors call it a variety of Spanish, some a variety of Guaraní, others a new mixed language. The choice of one characterization over the other has important implications for the status of Guaraní vis-à-vis Spanish, especially for Paraguay’s educational and language planning. Here we analyze Jopara as it is represented in the novel Ramona Quebranto (rq-Jopara). We show that this written code is not a variety of either Spanish or Guaraní, nor a mixed language. Rather, it reflects properties of true code-switching. It displays both insertional and alternational characteristics (Muysken, 2000), as well as evidence of a composite matrix language (Myers-Scotton, 2002). We conclude by suggesting rq-Jopara fits best a “mixed lect” scenario (Backus, 2003) and discussing generalization to spoken Jopara.
The Reception of Bartolomeo Bermejo’s Saint Augustine
Authors: Bokelman Doot
Published: February 2015

The Art Institute of Chicago’s St. Augustine (oil on panel) is a universally accepted work by the Spanish artist Bartolome Bermejo. Painted around 1475, the writing saint has been identified as various Benedictine saints and St. Augustine, but these proposals are problematic because they do not take into account all of the iconographic elements within the panel or early Renaissance liturgical practices.

This essay will examine the many iconographic details of the panel and consider the surviving archival materials, including an original contract for an ecclesiastically similar figure, Sto. Domingo de Silos by Bermejo. Uncommon ecclesiastical circumstances of Sto. Domingo de Silos in Daraco found in a papal document mirror those found in St. Benedict’s foundation in Monte Cassino. These iconogaphic and textual studies in coordination with an understanding of contemporary liturgical and Benedictine practices will reveal that St. Benedict is the single figure whose personal and ecclesiastical life most closely corresponds to the evidence in the Chicago panel.
The Dynamics of Immigration Coverage in Comparative Perspective
Authors: Hallin Daniel C.
Published: February 2015

This comment focuses both on issues related to comparative analysis of media systems, and to issues related to immigration, specifically. It explores the implication of findings on the prevalence of human interest framing in immigration coverage for comparative analysis, suggesting that it may be too simplistic to assume that commercialization is always associated with human interest framing, particularly in coverage of marginalized populations. It also explores the complexity of public opinion on immigration, and issues about how to understand the role of media over time in the evolution of public opinion.
Adolescent Criminal Behavior, Population Heterogeneity, and Cumulative Disadvantage: Untangling the Relationship Between Adolescent Delinquency and Negative Outcomes in Emerging Adulthood
Authors: Makarios Matthew , Cullen Francis T. , Piquero Alex R.
Published: February 2015

Developmentalists suggest that adolescent criminal involvement encourages later life failure in the social domains of education, welfare, and risky sexual activities. Although prior research supports a link between crime and later life failure, relatively little research has sought to explain why this relationship exists. This research attempts to understand why crime leads to negative social outcomes by testing hypotheses derived from the perspectives of population heterogeneity and cumulative disadvantage. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, the results reveal that net of control variables and measures of population heterogeneity, adolescent criminal behavior consistently predicts school failure, being on welfare, and risky sexual activities. The findings also suggest that after controlling for delinquency, adolescent arrest negatively affects these factors. Furthermore, stable criminal traits and adolescent delinquency interact when predicting measures of poor social adjustment in early adulthood.
A Relational Communication Approach to Peer Coaching
Authors: Parker Polly , Wasserman Ilene , Kram Kathy E. , Hall Douglas T.
Published: February 2015

In this article, we discuss peer coaching as a relatively new form of coaching practice that expands the relational resources available to individuals focused on change. Peer coaching is a helping relationship that facilitates mutual learning and development to accomplish specific tasks or goals. It is most effective when participants establish high-quality relationships and connections by focusing on both content and process. To enhance such capability we integrate the theory of coordinated management of meaning, a relational communication approach that emphasizes how meaning and learning are created through interpersonal interactions. Coordinated management of meaning models applied in our three-step model of peer coaching demonstrate the value of their application. We then assume a balcony perspective to deepen understanding by incorporating conceptual and empirical work. We conclude by inviting scholars and practitioners to adopt our integrated model to enhance positive outcomes for both individuals and organizations.
Who Chooses Best? Explaining the Interactive Effect of Culture and Decision Maker on Children’s Intrinsic Motivation
Authors: Rudy Duane , Sheldon Kennon M. , Li Yaoran , Kamble Shanmukh , Bi Xi , Palermo Francisco
Published: February 2015

In previous research, Asian Americans had higher levels of intrinsic motivation than European Americans when their mothers made choices for them. However, European Americans had higher levels of intrinsic motivation than Asian Americans when they made choices for themselves. We attempted to explain this effect by examining cultural differences in social perceptions of the choice situation in two studies. Study 1 found that feelings of closeness with parents and beliefs about who has better long-term foresight mediated the predicted group differences in intrinsic motivation in a parent-choice condition when comparing Indian and Chinese undergraduates with European American undergraduates. However, perceptions of how acceptable it is for the decision maker to make the choice mediated group differences in intrinsic motivation in a personal-choice condition. Although there were some exceptions, Study 2 generally replicated these findings in a comparison of Indian and European American undergraduates, and showed that cultural differences in beliefs about how accurately the decision maker knows and takes into account the participants’ immediate preferences played an additional mediating role in the personal-choice condition, as did personal foresight. These studies suggest that cultural differences in how children construe decision making affect the relationship of such decision making to resultant intrinsic motivation.
Dangerous Dogs, Dangerous Owners and the Waste Management of an ‘Irredeemable Species’
Authors: McCarthy Daniel
Published: February 2015

Within sociology a burgeoning literature on class identities and politics has developed during the past 20 years. One area of analysis which has yet to be fully investigated concerns the ways class politics are imbued within debates about human–animal relations. Focusing on the case study of dangerous dog legislation in England and Wales, this article develops the literature on class to locate the ways political framings and legislative responses to the issue of dangerous dogs have been enacted. Analyzing historical accounts of responses to rabies and hydrophobia in dogs and humans, through to contemporary debates about the biological dangerousness of certain dog breeds, the article discusses the sociological implications of these class constructions within the establishment of dangerous dog legislation and associated social control powers.
Difficult texts: Matthew 10.37
Authors: Martin David
Published: February 2015

The article discusses the application of radical dominical sayings outside the specific contexts that elicited them, and specifically looks at those sayings seemingly subverting the Law relating to the family when it is clear Jesus elsewhere accepted it and, moreover, confined his message to the Jews. It also notes the centrality of radical sayings about the problems of power and wealth and the marginality of those issues of sexuality and family that touch us most nearly.
Patience: A theological experiment
Authors: Jones Paul Dafydd
Published: February 2015

This brief article considers the implications of thinking of God as patient. It suggests that God exercises patience by giving human beings the time and space to try on diverse identities, and thereby supplies theological warrant for thinking beyond restrictive and essentialistic construals of human life.
The turn to the Other: Reflections on contemporary Middle Eastern theological contributions to Christian–Muslim dialogue
Authors: Avakian Sylvie
Published: February 2015

This article responds to Middle Eastern Christian positions concerning the Other, which have been dominant in most Christian–Muslim relations in the past, through the centuries, and is still prevailing in the Middle East through several Christian voices. As these positions, directly or indirectly, endeavor to appropriate the tradition of the Other and make it fit within the boundaries of one’s own theological heritage, the present article suggests the need for a genuine turn to the Other, in order to make the true perception and the understanding of the tradition of the Other possible. Hence, a method of rejuvenation is proposed, which implies first a critical consideration of one’s own tradition and then a genuine turn to the Other, making the meeting and the reading of the holy texts together possible with the Other in terms clarified through the post-critical method of scriptural reasoning.
Personal recollections of Wolfhart Pannenberg
Authors: Moltmann Jürgen
Published: February 2015

On the occasion of Wolfhart Pannenberg’s death in September 2014, Prof. Jürgen Moltmann reflects on how his own professional and personal life intersected over the last six decades with that of his former colleague, from their first meeting as students at the University of Göttingen to their time as colleagues at the Kirchliche Hochschule Wuppertal all the way to their regular meetings between Tübingen and Munich as professors emeriti. Prof. Moltmann lifts up both the mutual respect, which both men had for each other, and also where they parted ways on political grounds. These recollections are an important testimony of one giant of twentieth-century Protestant theology of another.
The ethics of des seva
Authors: Bordia Devika
Published: February 2015

Based on fieldwork in Udaipur district in Rajasthan, this article examines how Bhil tribal leaders of the Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad (VKP), a branch of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organisation, profess an ethic of des seva, or work and care for the nation, while describing their work with the VKP. Focusing on the VKP and RSS campaigns to Ayodhya in 1990 and 1992 and to the Shabari Kumbh in 2006, I examine the shifts in the political and ethical repertoires that shape tribal VKP fieldworkers’ modalities of action and forms of self-making during travel at these different moments in time. During these campaigns, non-tribal leaders sought to discipline tribal leaders, referring to historically constructed ideas and practices about the civilisational inferiority of tribals, in order to show that they can never properly engage in des seva. The article draws on incidents from these two campaigns in order to show how tribal leaders fashion themselves in relation to how others believe they should behave, and reveals some of the ways in which tribals inhabit, resist and revise the ideas and practices of Hindu nationalism.
The Creative Class, Urban Boosters, and Race
Authors: L’Heureux Marie-Alice
Published: February 2015

Cities such as Kansas City, Missouri, have struggled to reinvent themselves and to attract new residents in order to revitalize their urban centers in the wake of over sixty years of urban sprawl and population contraction. City leaders since the early 1980s have focused on large-scale urban projects to attract convention and tourist dollars to spur urban revitalization. In many so-called rust belt cities, urban boosters have been slow to recognize and to capitalize on the pioneering role of artists and creative types in urban areas. City officials have also proved reluctant to discuss stereotypes about race that, in many cities, are at the heart of “urban problems.” I use the film The Next American Dream to question the ways that the redevelopment of postindustrial cities is portrayed.
Postindustrialization and the City of Consumption
Authors: Ammon Francesca Russello
Published: February 2015

Asbury Park, New Jersey, flourished as a seaside destination from the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth century. Middle- and working-class visitors from New York to Philadelphia frequented the city’s hotels, commercial amusements, and beach. During the 1960s and 1970s, as with many cities across the country, Asbury Park experienced physical and socioeconomic decline. Over the past three decades, a range of public and private actors have made several attempts at postindustrial renaissance, including privately funded waterfront redevelopment, music tourism–based historic preservation, and renovation and gentrification led by a largely gay and lesbian population. While Asbury Park’s revitalization continues today, the varied outcomes of these disparate processes suggests the significance of multiple small-scale, locally rooted investments to the postindustrial city’s sustained growth and resilience. In complement to the substantial attention scholars have paid to the mid- to large-sized cities of industrial production, Asbury Park’s story also illustrates the significance of cities of consumption—both big and small—to the history of postindustrial revitalization.
Appraising the quality of sub-Saharan African cancer registration systems that contributed to GLOBOCAN 2008: a review of the literature and critical appraisal
Authors: Crocker-Buque Tim , Pollock Allyson M
Published: February 2015

Objective

To critically appraise the quality of sub-Saharan African cancer registration systems that submitted data to GLOBOCAN 2008 with respect to population coverage using publicly available information and to show the use of GLOBOCAN statistics in determining global health priorities.

Design

Sources of cancer registration data for twenty-six sub-Saharan African cancer registries were identified from GLOBOCAN 2008 factsheets. Additional information was extracted from International Agency for Research on Cancer publications. A literature search was conducted to identify studies that reported additional information on data collection methods and provided 27 studies. The websites of the 10 largest funders of development assistance for health were searched for GLOBOCAN citations.

Setting and participants

Twenty-six sub-Saharan African cancer registration systems submitting data to GLOBOCAN 2008 in relation to 21 countries.

Main outcome measures

Information on 15 quality variables were extracted and compared with the international gold standard for cancer registration systems.

Results

Population coverage of the cancer registries ranged from from 2.3% of the population in Kenya to 100% in The Gambia, with a heavy urban bias in all countries. However, 20 countries (300 million people) had no cancer registration systems. Nineteen of the 26 registries failed to meet more than five of the 15 quality criteria and only one country met more than 10. Seven of the 10 largest funders of development assistance for health cite GLOBOCAN statistics in support of policy priorities.

Conclusions

GLOBOCAN 2008 estimates are based on data drawn from poor quality cancer registration systems, with limited or no population registry coverage. It is essential the GLOBOCAN 2012 estimates should provide information on the quality of the data collection and explain the limitations of the estimates. Development organisations and the World Health Organization need to take a more cautious approach when using these data to determine priorities and allocating resources.
A critical theory of politics
Authors: Forst Rainer
Published: February 2015

In this article, I address the various objections raised by Simone Chambers, Stephen White and Lea Ypi concerning my version of a critical theory of politics. I explain the basic assumptions that inform my account of a critique of relations of justification, its particular method and aims.
Neuroscience and family policy: What becomes of the parent?
Authors: Macvarish Jan , Lee Ellie , Lowe Pam
Published: February 2015

This article discusses the findings of a study tracing the incorporation of claims about infant brain development into English family policy as part of the longer term development of a ‘parent training’, early intervention agenda. The main focus is on the ways in which the deployment of neuroscientific discourse in family policy creates the basis for a new governmental oversight of parents. We argue that advocacy of ‘early intervention’, in particular that which deploys the authority of ‘the neuroscience’, places parents at the centre of the policy stage but simultaneously demotes and marginalises them. So we ask, what becomes of the parent when politically and culturally, the child is spoken of as infinitely and permanently neurologically vulnerable to parental influence? In particular, the policy focus on parental emotions and their impact on infant brain development indicates that this represents a biologisation of ‘therapeutic’ governance.
Peripheral circulation evaluation with near-infrared spectroscopy in skeletal muscle during cardiopulmonary bypass
Authors: Mukaida H , Matsushita S , Inotani T , Futaki S , Takano A , Watanabe M , Morita T , Miida T , Amano A
Published: February 2015

Background:

We designed a non-invasive, observational, real-time study, using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to assess the in vivo effects of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) on patients’ skeletal muscle as well as the effects of hemodilution and hypothermia on tissue oxygen delivery during CPB.

Methods:

The study included 20 consecutive adult patients undergoing open-heart surgery with CPB. Evaluation parameters for peripheral circulation were measured using the NIRO-200NX and recorded every 30 seconds. To assess how hemodilution influences peripheral circulation parameters, we compared data between a group of patients with hematocrit (Hct) values >22% (high Hct group) and those with Hct values ⩽22% (low Hct group).

Results:

Changes in the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin (ΔO2Hb, μmol/L), which flows into the skeletal muscle, was an important factor for deciding the tissue oxygenation index (TOI%), showing the tissue oxygen saturation. The low Hct group showed a significant increase in the normalized tissue hemoglobin index (nTHI), showing the percentage change in the amount of initial hemoglobin and TOI compared to the high Hct group. Changes in the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin (ΔO2Hb, μmol/L) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (ΔHHb, μmol/L) were significantly less in the low Hct group than in the high Hct group, thus, showing good peripheral circulation despite the low hematocrit levels.

Conclusion:

Our study indicated the presence of a compensatory mechanism in which increased blood flow of the microcirculation is in compensation for the lack of oxyhemoglobin delivery caused by hemodilution.
Laguna Negra Virus Infection Causes Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in Turkish Hamsters (Mesocricetus brandti)
Authors: Hardcastle K. , Scott D. , Safronetz D. , Brining D. L. , Ebihara H. , Feldmann H. , LaCasse R. A.
Published: February 2015

Laguna Negra virus (LNV) is a New World hantavirus associated with severe and often fatal cardiopulmonary disease in humans, known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Five hamster species were evaluated for clinical and serologic responses following inoculation with 4 hantaviruses. Of the 5 hamster species, only Turkish hamsters infected with LNV demonstrated signs consistent with HPS and a fatality rate of 43%. Clinical manifestations in infected animals that succumbed to disease included severe and rapid onset of dyspnea, weight loss, leukopenia, and reduced thrombocyte numbers as compared to uninfected controls. Histopathologic examination revealed lung lesions that resemble the hallmarks of HPS in humans, including interstitial pneumonia and pulmonary edema, as well as generalized infection of endothelial cells and macrophages in major organ tissues. Histologic lesions corresponded to the presence of viral antigen in affected tissues. To date, there have been no small animal models available to study LNV infection and pathogenesis. The Turkish hamster model of LNV infection may be important in the study of LNV-induced HPS pathogenesis and development of disease treatment and prevention strategies.
“That’s the Experience”
Authors: Umney Charles , Kretsos Lefteris
Published: February 2015

This article looks at early-career jazz musicians working in London. It links sociological literature on precarity and the life course with a more specific focus on the process of establishing a career in music. It shows how participants sought to embrace and sometimes even manufacture greater precarity in their working lives, and how they contextualized it as part of the life course. Their ability to manage precarity in this way, however, was greatly affected by structural factors, specifically socioeconomic background. Particular elements that are especially pronounced in creative work, such as the prominence of project-based employment and the importance of passion for the job, are important factors leading to the management and indefinite extension of these transitional periods.
Financial Wellness Programs to Reduce Employee Stress
Authors: Verne Josh
Published: February 2015

Employers of all sizes need to make financial wellness a priority in 2015. Over the past couple years, we have seen some really inspiring trends in the areas of physical and mental health. Companies are implementing healthy eating initiatives, allowing fitness breaks, and offering 24-hour mental health hotlines. These programs are gaining popularity as more organizations realize that healthy employees are happier, more productive, and cost less. The remaining and possibly most costly concern is their financial wellness. Both employees and employers realize gains when financial stress is reduced.
An Outcome Evaluation of the Indianapolis Community Court
Authors: Grommon Eric , Hipple Natalie Kroovand , Ray Bradley
Published: February 2015

Seeking to alleviate traditional criminal justice system processing for low-level non-violent crimes, community courts have emerged as a viable alternative. These courts use innovative community-based efforts to address the needs of defendants charged with quality-of-life crimes and attempt to improve the surrounding community. Using a retrospective quasi-experimental design, this research examines recidivism outcomes for a sample of 574 defendants who were referred to the Indianapolis Community Court. Repeated-measures ANOVA models were used to assess 1- and 3-year follow-up intervals. Survival models were used to determine whether significant differences between groups exist on the timing of recidivism events. The analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between those individuals who were processed through community court and those processed through traditional courts. The implications of these findings for future research and community court policy and practice are discussed.
Survey of Italian Human Milk Banks
Authors: De Nisi Giuseppe , Moro Guido E. , Arslanoglu Sertac , Ambruzzi Amalia M. , Biasini Augusto , Profeti Claudio , Tonetto Paola , Bertino Enrico ,   the members of the Italian Association of Donor Human Milk Banks (Associazione Italiana Banche del Latte Umano Donato), Sgattoni Claudia , Magi Letizia , Tarantino Marzia , Bruseghin Maria , Buda Antonella , Conte Mariangela , Galasso Maria Pia , Bisceglia Massimo , Belli Fina , Minell Giovanna , Novelli Sandra , Merusi Ilaria , Tognetti Simona , Mordini Bruno , Soriani Patrizia , Kazmierska Iwona , Poletti G. , Rota Claudio , Cappelli Anna Maria , Gatta Alberto , Gasparre Olinda , Tonetto Paola , Zancanella Mariangela , Visentin Stefano , Gregorutti Viviana
Published: February 2015

Background:

At present, the Italian Association of Donor Human Milk Banks (Associazione Italiana Banche del Latte Umano Donato, AIBLUD) consists of 31 milk banks, whose management is based on Italian Guidelines. In 2013, AIBLUD performed a systematic survey to collect data on the activities of banks operating in Italy in the years previous to this date.

Objective:

The purpose of this survey was to evaluate the operational procedures of Italian Human Milk Banks in order to identify both areas of strength and room for improvement.

Methods:

A questionnaire was utilized to obtain national data from the 28 banks active in the year 2012 in order to evaluate the number of donors, volume of human milk collected, and other information relating to the period 2007 to 2012.

Results:

In all, 89% of the banks (25/28) responded to the survey. Data received primarily concerned the number of donors, volume of milk collected, and average amount of milk from each donor in the period 2007 to 2012. It was evident that in 2012 human milk banks collected a higher volume of milk than in 2007. Further, the average amount of milk from each donor was higher. Most of the milk banks were following the Italian Guidelines for traceability, control of donors, bacteriological checks, method of pasteurization, storage, thawing, type of containers, and utilization of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system.

Conclusion:

This survey identified both areas of strength and room for improvement in the Italian human milk banks.
Radiocarbon dating of mangrove sediments to constrain Holocene relative sea-level change on Zanzibar in the southwest Indian Ocean
Authors: Woodroffe Sarah A , Long Antony J , Punwong Paramita , Selby Katherine , Bryant Charlotte L , Marchant Rob
Published: February 2015

Mangrove sedimentary deposits are sensitive to changes in sea level and can be used to reconstruct mid- to late Holocene sea-level fluctuations in intermediate and far-field locations, distant to the former polar ice sheets. However, they can be difficult to date using 14C because mangrove sediment can contain mixtures of carbon of different ages. The two main potential causes of error are younger mangrove roots penetrating down through the sediment column and bioturbation by burrowing animals which moves carbon up and down the sediment column. Both processes may introduce carbon not representative of the age of deposition of the layer being dated. This study reports new 14C dates on organic concentrates (10–63 µm) from mangrove sediments from Makoba Bay on Zanzibar (Unguja) where previous bulk sediment 14C age–depth profiles contained inversions and were therefore less useful for relative sea-level (RSL) reconstruction. Dates on organic concentrates provide a more coherent sequence of 14C ages compared with those from bulk sediments. These new data provide an improved environmental history and mid- to late Holocene RSL record for this site. Our reconstructions show that RSL rose during the mid-Holocene and reached within −3.5 m of present by c. 7900 cal. yr BP. RSL slowed as it reached present at or shortly after c. 7000 cal. yr BP, with falling and/or stable RSL from c. 4400 cal. yr BP to present. We are not able to determine whether there was a RSL highstand above present on Zanzibar during the mid- to late Holocene. The RSL reconstruction agrees broadly with changes predicted by the ICE-5G geophysical model, which includes 4 m of ice equivalent sea-level rise between 7000 and 4000 cal. yr BP. Our new dating approach has the potential to provide improved chronologies with which to interpret sea level data from this and other mangrove environments.
Vegetative and climatic controls on Holocene wildfire and erosion recorded in alluvial fans of the Middle Fork Salmon River, Idaho
Authors: Riley Kerry , Pierce Jennifer , Meyer Grant A
Published: February 2015

The Middle Fork Salmon River watershed spans high-elevation mixed-conifer forests to lower-elevation shrub-steppe. In recent decades, runoff from severely burned hillslopes has generated large debris flows in steep tributary drainages. These flows incised alluvial fans along the mainstem river, where charcoal-rich debris-flow and sheetflood deposits preserve a record of latest Pleistocene to Holocene fires and geomorphic response. Through deposit sedimentology and 14C dating of charcoal, we evaluate the processes and timing of fire-related sedimentation and the role of climate and vegetation change. Fire-related deposits compose ~66% of the total measured fan deposit thickness in more densely forested upper basins versus ~33% in shrub-steppe-dominated lower basins. Fires during the middle Holocene (~8000–5000 cal. yr BP) mostly resulted in sheetflood deposition, similar to modern events in lower basins. Decreased vegetation density during this generally warmer and drier period likely resulted in lower-severity fires and more frequent but smaller fire-related sedimentation events. In contrast, thick fire-related debris-flow deposits of latest Pleistocene–early Holocene (~13,500–8000 cal. yr BP) and late Holocene (<4000 cal. yr BP) age are inferred to represent higher-severity fires, although data in the former period are limited. Widespread fires occurred in both upper and lower basins within the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (1050–650 cal. yr BP) and the early ‘Little Ice Age’ ca. 550 cal. yr BP. We conclude that a generally cooler late Holocene climate and a shift to denser lodgepole pine forests in upper basins by ~2500 cal. yr BP provided fuel for severe fires during episodic droughts.
Diatom response to mid-Holocene climate in three small Arctic lakes in northernmost Finnmark
Authors: Roberts Sarah , Jones Viv J , Allen Judy RM , Huntley Brian
Published: February 2015

Palaeoclimatic reconstructions from lake sediment biological records can be challenging, due to variation in non-climatic factors, which alter ecosystem responses. To consider this, it is important to replicate a study regionally, so as to gain information on spatial variability of ecosystem response and the influence of site-specific conditions. Previous pollen-based palaeoclimatic records from three well-dated Arctic lake sites highlight the response of regional Scots Pine ( Pinus sylvestris) and Mountain Birch ( Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii) forest-tundra transition to Holocene climatic variability and suggest the northernmost Peninsulas of Finnmark to be climatically sensitive. This study analysed dated sediment sequences between c. 3970 and c. 6200 cal. yr BP from these three previously published shallow lakes: Liten Čap’pesjav’ri (LCJ), over Gunnarsfjorden (OGF) and over Kobbkrokvatnet (OKV), for freshwater diatoms. Diatom assemblages showed an increase in the planktonic diatoms relative to benthic diatoms, with an onset towards higher abundances of small centric planktonic diatoms at OGF (between c. 5270 and 5350 cal. yr BP) and OKV (between c. 5280 and 5350 cal. yr BP). Additionally, a diatom compositional shift was detected at LCJ between c. 5180 and 5300 cal. yr BP. Trend analysis found the main diatom compositional change at all three sites to occur at 5300 cal. yr BP. However, this synchronous diatom shift during the mid-Holocene varies in magnitude within the three Finnmark lakes. The abrupt planktonic:benthic diatom ratio changes are independent of the Pinus:Betula ratios and are likely to be a result of lake ice-cover changes, allowing longer growing seasons, greater water column stability and higher nutrient concentrations from surrounding catchments. This study highlights the significant differences in aquatic ecosystem and terrestrial vegetation response to climatic changes, with diatom assemblages at these sites either responding before the regional tree-line shift or to a separate climatic event within the mid-Holocene.
‘Memory must be defended’: Beyond the politics of mnemonical security
Authors: Mälksoo Maria
Published: February 2015

This article supplements and extends the ontological security theory in International Relations (IR) by conceptualizing the notion of mnemonical security. It engages critically the securitization of memory as a means of making certain historical remembrances secure by delegitimizing or outright criminalizing others. The securitization of historical memory by means of law tends to reproduce a sense of insecurity among the contesters of the ‘memory’ in question. To move beyond the politics of mnemonical security, two lines of action are outlined: (i) the ‘desecuritization’ of social remembrance in order to allow for its repoliticization, and (ii) the rethinking of the self–other relations in mnemonic conflicts. A radically democratic, agonistic politics of memory is called for that would avoid the knee-jerk reactive treatment of identity, memory and history as problems of security. Rather than trying to secure the unsecurable, a genuinely agonistic mnemonic pluralism would enable different interpretations of the past to be questioned, in place of pre-defining national or regional positions on legitimate remembrance in ontological security terms.
Book Review: De, Prabir (Ed.), ASEAN–India Deepening Economic Partnership in Mekong Region
Authors: Chakraborty Mohor
Published: February 2015

De, Prabir (Ed.), ASEAN–India Deepening Economic Partnership in Mekong Region (New Delhi: Research and Information System for Developing Countries, 2014). Pp. 309, Price: ₹ 750.
Book Review: Paul, T.V., The Warrior State: Pakistan and the Contemporary World
Authors: Pattanaik Smruti S.
Published: February 2015

Paul, T.V., The Warrior State: Pakistan and the Contemporary World (Gurgaon: Random House, 2014). Pp. 257, Price ₹ 499.
Book Review: Ganguli, Sreemati, Russia and the Central Asian Republics: Post-Soviet Engagements
Authors: Krishna Vaishali
Published: February 2015

Ganguli, Sreemati, Russia and the Central Asian Republics: Post-Soviet Engagements (New Delhi: KW Publishers Pvt. Ltd in collaboration with Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies and Ltd, 2013). Pp. 137, Price ₹ 495.