bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does Consumer Well‐Being Affect Hedonic Consumption?
Authors: Zhong Jing Yang , Mitchell Vincent‐Wayne
Published: July 2012

This article presents a theoretical model that reveals how consumers’ long‐term subjective well‐being (SWB) influences their spending on hedonic products. Using the longitudinal data from a large national panel survey, the study found that consumers’SWBinfluences spending on hedonic products via the mediating effects of their positive interpretation of life circumstances and broadened set of activities resulting from positive emotions. The results are explained using cognitive tuning theory and broaden‐and‐build theory and have implications for hedonic products providers in terms of who their target audience is and how demand for their products is generated.
Nutritional status, genetic susceptibility, and insulin resistance—important precedents to atherosclerosis
Authors: McGillicuddy Fiona C. , Roche Helen M.
Published: July 2012

Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease that starts early in life and is manifested clinically as coronary artery disease (CAD), cerebrovascular disease, or peripheral artery disease. CAD remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Western society despite the great advances made in understanding its underlying pathophysiology. The key risk factors associated with CAD include hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, poor diet, obesity, age, male gender, smoking, and physical inactivity. Genetics also play an important role that may interact with environmental factors, including diet, nutritional status, and physiological parameters. Furthermore, certain chronic inflammatory conditions also predispose to the development of CAD. The spiraling increase in obesity rates worldwide has made it more pertinent than ever before to understand the metabolic perturbations that link over nutrition to enhanced cardiovascular risk. Great breakthroughs have been made at the pharmacological level to manage CAD; statins and aspirin have revolutionized treatment of CAD and prolonged lifespan. Nonetheless, lifestyle intervention prior to clinical presentation of CAD symptoms would negate/delay the need for chronic pharmacotherapy in at‐risk individuals which in turn would relieve healthcare systems of a costly burden. Throughout this review, we debate the relative impact of nutrition versus genetics in driving CAD. We will investigate how overnutrition affects adipose tissue biology and drives IR and will discuss the subsequent implications for the cardiovascular system. Furthermore, we will discuss how lifestyle interventions including diet modification and weight loss can improve both IR and metabolic dyslipidemia that is associated with obesity. We will conclude by delving into the concept that nutritional status interacts with genetic susceptibility, such that perhaps a more personalized nutrition approach may be more effective in determining diet‐related risk as well as response to nutritional interventions.
Lycopene inhibits lymphocyte proliferation through mechanisms dependent on early cell activation
Authors: Mills Lynsey M. , Wilson Heather , Thies Frank
Published: July 2012

Scope

Epidemiological evidence suggests that lycopene is potentially cardio‐protective. Recruitment and activation of T cells in the arterial wall is a critical process during atherogenesis, but the effects of lycopene on T‐cell response remain to be elucidated. We aimed to determine whether lycopene could modulate T‐cell function and activity.

Methods and results

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 16 healthy adults were cultured in the presence of lycopene‐enriched liposomes (0–2.9 μg lycopene/mL) with or without mitogens. Cell cycle as well as the expression of CD69 (marker of early cell activation), CD25 (IL‐2 receptor), and CD11a (late activation marker) were measured in T cells, T‐helper cells, and T‐cytotoxic cells by flow cytometry. IL‐2 secretion and cell proliferation were determined by ELISA and [3H]‐thymidine incorporation, respectively. Lycopene significantly inhibited lymphocyte proliferation (up to 40%) in activated cells. Lycopene also significantly inhibited CD69 expression (by up to 12%) as well as IL‐2 secretion (by up to 29%). However, CD25 and CD11a expression as well as the cell‐cycle profile were unaffected by lycopene.

Conclusion

Lycopene influences lymphocyte proliferation through its effects on processes involved in early cellular activation, providing one possible mechanism to explain the beneficial effects of tomato‐rich diets against cardiovascular disease.
Determination of intrinsic birefringence values of polycaprolactone filaments
Authors: Krishnanand Kumar , Deopura Basanti L. , Gupta Bhuvanesh
Published: July 2012

Intrinsic birefringences of polycaprolactone filaments are determined using the approach suggested by Samuels. First, intrinsic lateral moduli are determined from the values of crystallinity and sonic moduli of unoriented filaments. These values are found to be 3.473 GPa and 0.071 GPa, respectively, for crystalline and amorphous regions. The crystallinity, sonic moduli and crystalline orientation function of drawn and heat set filaments are used to evaluate amorphous orientation functions. Finally, Stein and Norris's equation along with birefringence data is used to obtain intrinsic birefringence values of crystalline and amorphous regions and these values are found to be 0.079 ± 0.002 for crystalline regions and 0.066 ± 0.008 for amorphous regions. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Amplification of non‐Markovian decay due to bound state absorption into continuum
Authors: Garmon S. , Petrosky T. , Simine L. , Segal D.
Published: July 2012

It is known that quantum systems yield non‐exponential (power law) decay on long time scales, associated with continuum threshold effects contributing to the survival probability for a prepared initial state. For an open quantum system consisting of a discrete state coupled to continuum, we study the case in which a discrete bound state of the full Hamiltonian approaches the energy continuum as the system parameters are varied. We find in this case that at least two regions exist yielding qualitatively different power law decay behaviors; we term these the long time ‘near zone’ and long time ‘far zone’. In the near zone the survival probability falls off according to a t‐1 power law, and in the far zone i t falls off as t‐3. We show that the timescale TQ separating these two regions is inversely related to the gap between the discrete bound state energy and the continuum threshold. In the case that the bound state is absorbed into the continuum and vanishes, then the time scale TQ diverges and the survival probability follows the t‐1 power law even on asymptotic scales. Conversely, one could study the case of an anti‐bound state approaching the threshold before being ejected from the continuum to form a bound state. Again the t‐1 power law dominates precisely at the point of ejection.
Interplay of superradiance and disorder in the Anderson Model
Authors: Celardo G.L. , Biella A. , Kaplan L. , Borgonovi F.
Published: July 2012

Using a non‐Hermitian Hamiltonian approach to open systems, we study the interplay of disorder and superradiance in a one‐dimensional Anderson model. Analyzing the complex eigenvalues of the non‐Hermitian Hamiltonian, a transition to a superradiant regime is shown to occur. As an effect of openness the structure of eigenstates undergoes a strong change in the superradiant regime: we show that the sensitivity to disorder of the superradiant and the subradiant subspaces is very different; superradiant states remain delocalized as disorder increases, while subradiant states are sensitive to the degree of disorder.
Exploring the surface reactivity of Ag nanoparticles with antimicrobial activity: A DFT study
Authors: Estrada‐Salas Rubén E. , Barrón Hector , Valladares Ariel A. , José‐Yacamán Miguel
Published: July 2012

The preferential sites of electrophilic, nucleophilic, and radical attacks on the surface of highly spherical Ag nanoparticles with a diameter of ∼ 2 nm are studied via the Fukui functions and the molecular electrostatic potential; both are calculated using the density functional (DFT) generalized gradient approximation‐revised version of the Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof level of theory with the double‐numerical with polarization functions (DNP) basis set for the valence electrons, and DFT‐based semicore pseudopotentials for the core electrons. Because the interaction of Ag nanoparticles with virus and microorganisms takes place in an aqueous environment, the solvent (water) effect is also obtained using the Conductor‐like Screening Model. Three typical structures are chosen: cuboctahedral, icosahedral, and ino‐decahedral. All three present an “amphoteric” behavior against electrophiles, nucleophiles, and radicals. For the cuboctahedral and decahedral geometries, the highest susceptibility to attack is on the edges shared by a {111} face and a {100} face; for the icosahedral geometry, the highest susceptibility to attack is on the vertices. Ionization potentials, electron affinities, electronegativities, and chemical hardness are also reported. Comparison with experiments is presented. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Spin states of (bio)inorganic systems: Successes and pitfalls
Authors: Swart Marcel
Published: July 2012

The calculation of spin‐state splittings of transition‐metal complexes is known to be very sensitive to the level of theory and the quality of the basis set. The performance of density functionals is in general understood, with older pure functionals overstabilizing low spin states, and Hartree–Fock and hybrid functionals doing the same for the high spin states. More recent functionals (OLYP/OPBE, TPSSh, SSB‐D, M06‐L) seem to improve on these, but there are still some systems that prove difficult. This Perspective describes some of the recent successes and pitfalls in the description of spin states and treats both methodology and applications such as metal‐oxo complexes, exchange‐enhanced reactivity, spin‐state catalysis, and spin‐crossover compounds. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A new certificateless authenticated key agreement protocol for SIP with different KGCs
Authors: Li Xiaowei , Zhang Yuqing , Zhang Geifei
Published: July 2012

Session Initiation Protocol, which can be applied to various networks for establishing, modifying, and terminating multimedia sessions, has received much attention in these years because of its wide applications. Because different users may belong to different networks and different networks may have different Key Generation Centers in identity‐based networks, how to make different networks be compatible and how to make users belong to different Key Generation Centers can establish a secure Session Initiation Protocol session become two key problems. In this paper, we propose a new certificateless authenticated key agreement protocol for different networks to address the problems. The protocol is provably secure against a fully adaptive adversary in the random oracle model, provided that the underlying problem of Gap Bilinear Diffie–Hellman problem is hard. Moreover, our scheme has good performance compared with the certificateless authentication key agreement protocols using pairings. The trick proposed in this paper may give some help in making different networks be compatible. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparative study of trust and reputation systems for wireless sensor networks
Authors: Khalid Osman , Khan Samee U. , Madani Sajjad A. , Hayat Khizar , Khan Majid I. , Min‐Allah Nasro , Kolodziej Joanna , Wang Lizhe , Zeadally Sherali , Chen Dan
Published: July 2012

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are emerging as useful technology for information extraction from the surrounding environment by using numerous small‐sized sensor nodes that are mostly deployed in sensitive, unattended, and (sometimes) hostile territories. Traditional cryptographic approaches are widely used to provide security in WSN. However, because of unattended and insecure deployment, a sensor node may be physically captured by an adversary who may acquire the underlying secret keys, or a subset thereof, to access the critical data and/or other nodes present in the network. Moreover, a node may not properly operate because of insufficient resources or problems in the network link. In recent years, the basic ideas of trust and reputation have been applied to WSNs to monitor the changing behaviors of nodes in a network. Several trust and reputation monitoring (TRM) systems have been proposed, to integrate the concepts of trust in networks as an additional security measure, and various surveys are conducted on the aforementioned system. However, the existing surveys lack a comprehensive discussion on trust application specific to the WSNs. This survey attempts to provide a thorough understanding of trust and reputation as well as their applications in the context of WSNs. The survey discusses the components required to build a TRM and the trust computation phases explained with a study of various security attacks. The study investigates the recent advances in TRMs and includes a concise comparison of various TRMs. Finally, a discussion on open issues and challenges in the implementation of trust‐based systems is also presented. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mixed treatment comparisons using aggregate and individual participant level data
Authors: Saramago Pedro , Sutton Alex J. , Cooper Nicola J. , Manca Andrea
Published: July 2012

Mixed treatment comparisons (MTC) extend the traditional pair‐wise meta‐analytic framework to synthesize information on more than two interventions. Although most MTCs use aggregate data (AD), a proportion of the evidence base might be available at the individual level (IPD). We develop a series of novel Bayesian statistical MTC models to allow for the simultaneous synthesis of IPD and AD, potentially incorporating study and individual level covariates. The effectiveness of different interventions to increase the provision of functioning smoke alarms in households with children was used as a motivating dataset. This included 20 studies (11 AD and 9 IPD), including 11 500 participants. Incorporating the IPD into the network allowed the inclusion of information on subject level covariates, which produced markedly more accurate treatment–covariate interaction estimates than an analysis solely on the AD from all studies. Including evidence at the IPD level in the MTC is desirable when exploring participant level covariates; even when IPD is available only for a fraction of the studies. Such modelling may not only reduce inconsistencies within networks of trials but also assist the estimation of intervention subgroup effects to guide more individualised treatment decisions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparing and combining data across multiple sources via integration of paired‐sample data to correct for measurement error
Authors: Huang Yunda , Huang Ying , Moodie Zoe , Li Sue , Self Steve
Published: July 2012

In biomedical research such as the development of vaccines for infectious diseases or cancer, study outcomes measured by an assay or device are often collected from multiple sources or laboratories. Measurement error that may vary between laboratories needs to be adjusted for when combining samples across data sources. We incorporate such adjustment in the main study by comparing and combining independent samples from different laboratories via integration of external data, collected on paired samples from the same two laboratories. We propose the following: (i) normalization of individual‐level data from two laboratories to the same scale via the expectation of true measurements conditioning on the observed; (ii) comparison of mean assay values between two independent samples in the main study accounting for inter‐source measurement error; and (iii) sample size calculations of the paired‐sample study so that hypothesis testing error rates are appropriately controlled in the main study comparison. Because the goal is not to estimate the true underlying measurements but to combine data on the same scale, our proposed methods do not require that the true values for the error‐prone measurements are known in the external data. Simulation results under a variety of scenarios demonstrate satisfactory finite sample performance of our proposed methods when measurement errors vary. We illustrate our methods using real enzyme‐linked immunosorbent spot assay data generated by two HIV vaccine laboratories. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Estimation of summary protective efficacy using a frailty mixture model for recurrent event time data
Authors: Xu Ying , Cheung Yin Bun , Lam K. F. , Milligan Paul
Published: July 2012

Recurrent event time data are common in experimental and observational studies. The analytic strategy needs to consider three issues: within‐subject event dependence, between‐subject heterogeneity in event rates, and the possibility of a nonsusceptible fraction. Motivated by the need to estimate the summary protective efficacy from recurrent event time data as seen in many infectious disease clinical trials, we propose a two‐part frailty mixture model that simultaneously accommodates all the three issues. In terms of vaccine action models, the proposed model is a combination of the ‘all‐or‐none’ and the ‘leaky’ models, and the summary protective efficacy is a unified measure of the vaccine's twofold effects in completely or partially protecting the vaccinated individuals against the study event. The model parameters of interest are estimated using the expectation‐maximization algorithm with their respective variances estimated using Louis's formula for the expectation‐maximization algorithm. The summary protective efficacy is estimated by a composite estimand with its variance estimated using the delta method. The performance of the proposed estimation approach is investigated by a simulation study. Data from a trial of malaria prophylaxis conducted in Ghana are reanalyzed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characterization and molecular mapping of RsrR, a resistant gene to maize head smut
Authors: Li W. H. , Xu X. D. , Li G. , Guo L. Q. , Wu S. W. , Jiang Y. , Dong H. Y. , Weng M. L. , Jin D. M. , Wu J. Y. , Ru Z. G. , Wang B.
Published: July 2012

Maize head smut (MHS) caused by the fungi Sporisorium reilianum (Kühn) Landon and Fullerton (S. reilianum) is the most serious disease occurred in China recently. There are only a few reports concerning the genetics of this disease and the resistant gene of maize. In this paper a new dominant resistant gene to MHS caused by the pathogen Shenyang-1 of S. reilianum was discovered from a newly developed resistant inbred line ‘R24’ and was named RsrR. RsrR gene was molecular tagged and mapped on the long arm of maize chromosome 1 via simple sequence repeat-bulked segregant analysis (SSR-BSA) and sequence related amplified polymorphism (SRAP)-BSA analysis, the nearest linkage marker is 2.5 cM apart from the RsrR gene. The gene RsrR has been transferred into two elite maize inbred lines, ‘Huangzao4’ and ‘Qi319’, through traditional hybridization and marker assisted selection. The converted lines can be used in maize MHS-resistance breeding.
Detecting rickets in premature infants and treating them with calcitriol: Experience from two cases
Authors: Chen Hung‐Yi , Chiu Li‐Chien , Yek Yung‐Lee , Chen Yi‐Ling
Published: July 2012

A premature infant is a baby born before 37 weeks of gestation. Rickets is a bone disease characterized by growth retardation due to the expansion of the hypertrophic chondrocyte layer of the growth plate and a failure to mineralize bone. Consequently, the bone is soft and permits marked bending and distortion. Although the incidence of rickets in preterm infants is lower due to improvements in health care and nutrition, there are still infants at high risk for this disease. However, few reports are available regarding the treatment of rickets in premature infants. Furthermore, published case studies on experiences with using calcitriol as a potential therapeutic for rickets in premature infants are very rare. Herein, we describe the detection of rickets in premature infants and our experience with calcitriol treatment in two premature infants. We recommended the use of oral calcitriol at a dose of 0.03–0.125 μg/kg/day, in addition to an appropriate formula that provides an adequate amount of calcium and phosphate intake. One patient was prescribed calcitriol for 40 days and the other for 37 days. The two infants gradually recovered and were discharged without any obvious side effects. It is recommended that alkaline phosphatase levels be monitored within 1 month after birth in premature infants with a birth weight of <1000 g. Infants presenting with high alkaline phosphatase levels are candidates for a long bone survey.
Translational aspects of rectal evoked potentials: A comparative study in rats and humans
Authors: Nissen Thomas Dahl , Graversen Carina , Coen Steven , Hultin Leif , Aziz Qasim , Lykkesfeldt Jens , Drewes Asbjørn Mohr , Brock Christina
Published: July 2012

Background

In recent years only few novel drugs targeting visceral pain have been developed. This lack of success may be explained by animal models having poor predictive value. To increase the success of translating results from animals to humans there is a demand for comparable test models. The aim was to establish a comparable and reliable translational model to evoke mechanical rectal pain in rats and humans.

Methods

Mechanical rectal rapid balloon distension was done on two different days in 12 rats (separated by 24.3 ± 7.1 days) and 18 humans (separated by 9.3 ± 1.3 days). Evoked potentials were recorded from permanently implanted skull-electrodes in rats, at stimulation pressure of 80 mmHg and duration of 100 ms. In human surface electrodes and individualized pressure, corresponding to the pain detection threshold, lasting 150 ms, were used. Within- and between days reproducibility were assessed in terms of latencies, amplitudes and frequency content.

Results

In both rats and humans evoked potentials with tri-phasic morphology were recorded. No differences in latencies, amplitudes and power distribution were seen within or between days (all F ≤ 2.0; all P ≥ 0.2). The analyses of the EPs revealed peak-to-peak amplitude as the most reproducible parameter within (ICC ≥ 0.84) and between (ICC ≥ 0.70) days, seen across both species. The spectral analyses showed that the EEG power was distributed mainly in the delta and theta bands. The main power in rats was contained in the theta band (45%), whereas humans had the predominant power in the delta band (46%).

Conclusion

A unique visceral translational platform was established to reliably assess neurophysiologic response to rapid balloon distension in rats and humans. The model provides an approach to study basic and clinical pain as well as pharmacological intervention.
Reflex threshold assessment methodology for evaluation of central sensitisation is vulnerable to EMG crosstalk
Authors: Jensen Michael B. , Frahm Ken S. , Manresa José Biurrun , Andersen Ole K.
Published: July 2012

Background/aims

The nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) is a robust measure of nociception highly correlated with subjective pain and several studies indicate that identification of reflex thresholds may be a valuable objective tool during diagnosis of chronic pain conditions related to central sensitisation. The NWR involves complex muscle synergies but most methodologies for assessment of human withdrawal reflexes evaluates surface electromyography (sEMG) measured over just one muscle and does not consider the possible interference of crosstalk from adjacent muscles. This study investigated if standardised reflex thresholds are robust with respect to crosstalk.

Methods

Reflexes were elicited by electrical stimulation at the sole of the foot and measured using sEMG and intramuscular electromyography (iEMG) from the tibialis anterior and soleus muscles in 15 healthy subjects. 489 sEMG recordings were evaluated using a standardised reflex threshold parameter (interval peak z-score) proposed by Rhudy and France [1] to detect occurring reflexes. The outcome of this standardised reflex detection were compared to two different visual evaluations: (1) assessing only sEMG and (2) assessing both sEMG and iEMG (enabling distinction between genuine reflexes and crosstalk) for the production of two respective ROC-curves.

Results

The first ROC-curve indicated that interval peak z-score allows reflex detection with high accuracy and has an optimal threshold around z = 12. However, the second ROC-curve based on evaluation 2 revealed that many recordings identified as reflexes were incorrectly categorised reflecting crosstalk. Crosstalk did severely reduce the accuracy of the performed reflex detection – a z-score threshold of 12 was found associated with an extremely poor specificity (0.26).

Conclusion

Crosstalk may severely reduce the accuracy of standardised reflex threshold assessment methodologies. Use of standard sEMG for reflex recording may cause an alarmingly low specificity of reflex detection and should be avoided whenever the presence crosstalk is suspected.
Mirror-image sensory dysfunction in the post-thoracotomy pain syndrome
Authors: Werner Mads U. , Ringsted Thomas K. , Kehlet Henrik , Wildgaard Kim
Published: July 2012

Background/aims

Mirror-image sensory dysfunction (MISD) has been described in various medical conditions, but has not been systematically characterized following major surgery.

Methods

The presence of MISD was evaluated with standardized thermal and mechanical stimuli, in a group of preoperative patients scheduled for thoracotomy (n = 14) and in patients with post-thoracotomy pain syndrome (PTPS = 14). The primary outcome was areas with sensory dysfunction evaluated by dynamic sensory mapping with metal-rollers and a brush. The test procedures were repeated after 2 weeks in PTPS-patients.

Results

The preoperative patients all had normal sensory mapping. In all PTPS-patients sensory dysfunction on the surgical side was observed, while in 12/14 patients MISD was demonstrated. In 5/12 patients, the spatial distribution of MISD areas corresponded to the sensory dysfunction on the surgical side. The total areas of sensory dysfunction (median, [25–75% interquartile range]) were Day 1, on the surgical side 500 cm2 (289–636) and on the non-surgical side 60cm2 (0–379 [P<0.005]), and on Day 2, 355cm2 (266–697) and 81 cm2 (0–202379 [P< 0.0002]), respectively. Area of sensory dysfunction on the surgical side, respectively on the non- surgical side, did not differ significantly between Day 1 and Day 2 (P >0.5).

Conclusions

Mirror-image sensory dysfunction is a prevalent finding in PTPS-patients. The sensory dysfunction does not seem related to the underlying lung neoplasm per se. The study demonstrated a high day-to-day variability both in sensory dysfunction areas in the surgical side and in MISD-areas. The pathophysiological mechanisms behind MISD in chronic post-surgery pain deserve further study.
Mechanical sensitivity in migraine patients during attack, remission, and pain-free periods:A preliminary study
Authors: Jensen A. , Sørensen M.R. , Karshenas A. , Bach F.W. , Cairns B.E. , Arendt-Nielsen L. , Gazerani P.
Published: July 2012

Background/aims

Data on mechanical sensitivity and cutaneous allodynia in different types and phases of migraine headaches are limited. Existence and pattern of such symptoms may advance the understanding of neurophysiological mechanisms, assist clinical evaluation of the patients, and further improve management. Hence, in a large controlled study on migraine patients, mechanical sensitivity and cutaneous allodynia were assessed together with clinical markers.

Methods

Sensitivity to mechanical stimuli was measured in migraine patients during attack (within 2 h of headache onset), within remission phase (48–72 h after headache onset), and in pain-free periods (>5 days pain-free) in comparison with sex-and age-matched healthy controls. Pin-prick stimulation was performed in the temple region in the pain-referred side using weight-calibrated pins (8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256 mN) in a randomized order (3 stimuli lasting 2 s), with the patient rating the sensation on a 10-point numerical scale. Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT) was assessed using a handheld algometer (1 cm2 rubber probe) over the anterior aspect of the temporal muscle (30 kPa/s, 3 times).

Results

Preliminary analysis revealed increased mechanical sensitivity to Pin-prick during all phases in migraine patients (n = 4) compared to healthy controls (n = 5), and likewise increased during attack and remission phases compared to pain-free periods within patients. PPT, assessing mainly muscle nociception, showed a tendency to decline during attack and remission phases (89 ± 13% and 82 ± 6%, respectively) compared to pain-free periods, with even higher sensitivity during attack and remission phases (80 ± 12% and 75 ± 11.1%, respectively) compared to healthy controls.

Conclusions

The current preliminary observed tendencies imply the presence of mechanical hypersensitivity in migraine patients with a notable change during attack and remission phases. This study is ongoing and no firm conclusion can be stated. In addition, alteration of mechanical sensitivity in different phases will be correlated to objective assessments of biological markers in serum specimens of the study population.
Comparison between ropivacaine local infiltration analgesia with ketorolac or placebo for total knee replacement surgery
Authors: Andersen K.V. , Nikolajsen L. , Haraldsted V. , Andersen N.T. , Jepsen C.F. , Soeballe K.
Published: July 2012

Background/aims

Optimal pain treatment with minimal side-effects is essential for early mobilization and recovery in patients undergoing total knee replacement surgery. Local infiltration analgesia (LIA) with local anaesthetic might be effective and adjuncts such as ketorolac may provide additional effects on opioid requirements and pain. We tested the hypothesis that adding ketorolac significantly improves analgesia after total knee replacement surgery.

Methods

Sixty patients were enrolled in this prospective double-blinded study and allocated to either group R (placebo) or Group RK (ketorolac 120 mg). All patients received high-volume LIA with 150 ml ropivacaine (300 mg) with epinephrine added either placebo or ketorolac (30 mg) combined with eight 10 ml ropivacaine doses (100 mg) added either placebo or ketorolac (15 mg) administered every 6 h through an intra-articular catheter for 48 h. postoperatively. The primary outcome was patient-controlled morphine consumption from 0–6 and 0–48 h after surgery. Time to first rescue administration, pain intensity (0–100 mm visual analogue scale) at rest and during mobilization and side-effects were recorded until 96 h after surgery.

Results

Six and forty-eight morphine consumption was significantly reduced in group RK compared with group R. Time to first rescue analgesia was significantly prolonged with 4 h in group RK [median (IQR)] 490 min (248–617) compared with 223 min (115–319) group R (P < 0.02). Pain at rest and during movement was significantly reduced for 48 h with the addition of ketorolac. Length of hospital stay was reduced with one day in group RK [median (IQR)] 2 days (2–3) compared with group R3 days (2–3) (P =0.004).

Conclusions

Ketorolac resulted in a 75% reduction in 48 h postoperative morphine requirements. This was also significantly associated with prolonged analgesia, reduced pain intensity scores at rest and during movement and reduced length of hospital stay.
HIV/AIDS in different cultures
Authors: Ayim-Aboagye Desmond
Published: July 2012

Background/aims

HIV/AIDS is a disease that is taking many lives in Ghana and other countries in Africa. It is a disease that has infected people in Sweden, though not as many as Africa has reported. The present investigation concerns how HIV/AIDS patients in Ghana, a cultural tropic climate, and patients in Sweden, the Nordic region, experience their pain.

Methods

With empirical data from both countries, the research will unveil how these patients cope or adapt to their illness with all the attention they receive from the environments and their native resources. Apart from the theoretical considerations where literature/secondary sources on the subject will be analysed, the investigation will administer Coping Experience Questionnaires (CEQ) and The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF36) to reach a deeper analysis on how they adapt to their illness and wellbeing. The study will also utilise both the Structured Interviewed (SI) and In-depth Interview (IDI) to muster relevant data about their experience with hospital environments, native resources, and human relations.

Results and conclusion

It is estimated that the results of the investigation will firstly, help doctoral students to comprehend coping strategies and differences in conditions with HIV/AID patients in diverse cultures, and secondly, help to understand psychiatry care of patients from different cultural climates.
Competitive Religious Entrepreneurs: Christian Missionaries and Female Education in Colonial and Post-Colonial India
Authors: Lankina Tomila , Getachew Lullit
Published: July 2012

This article explores the influence of Protestant missionaries on male–female educational inequalities in colonial India. Causal mechanisms drawn from the sociology and economics of religion highlight the importance of religious competition for the provision of public goods. Competition between religious and secular groups spurred missionaries to play a key role in the development of mass female schooling. A case study of Kerala illustrates this. The statistical analysis, with district-level datasets, covers colonial and post-colonial periods for most of India. Missionary effects are compared with those of British colonial rule, modernization, European presence, education expenditures, post-colonial democracy, Islam, caste and tribal status, and land tenure. Christian missionary activity is consistently associated with better female education outcomes in both the colonial and post-colonial periods.
Observations on feeding and egg development of the wheat bulb fly Leptohylemyia coarctata (Fall.)
Authors: Jones Margaret G.
Published: July 2012

The crops and guts of adults of Leptohylemyia coarctata (Fall.) from different parts of England and Scotland contained spores of Septomyxa affinis. This fungus is widespread on dead wheat leaves and grass in wheat fields and is an important food for the flies, especially in south and east England during July and August. Of all flies dissected in 1967, 1968 and 1969, 57%, 39% and 45%, respectively, contained Septomyxa spores. Spores of other fungi, pollen grains, bacteria and yeasts were also ingested. All solid food was ingested in water or honeydew. The weight of the newly emerged female fly almost doubled with the ripening of the first batch of eggs, whereas males remained the same weight or became lighter. Different individuals had different numbers of ovarioles, so the number of eggs ripe and ready to lay at the same time also differed between individuals. The mean numbers, 25·6 ± 0·8 in 1968 and 28·6 ± 0·4 in 1969 were fewer than the usually accepted 32. During August, before all the eggs had been laid, many flies were killed by Entomophthora muscae and Strongwellsea castrans.
Lorine Niedecker, Henri Bergson and the Poetics of Temporal Flow
Authors: BAZIN VICTORIA
Published: July 2012

While Niedecker's “life by water” is the subject of many of her poems, reflecting the experience of living on the flood-prone island of Black Hawk, Wisconsin, the water imagery that saturates many of her poems also becomes a way of reflecting upon time as it is experienced, of consciousness as process, of subjectivity as something pulled along by a temporal stream. The poetics of temporal flow suggests Niedecker's interest in exploring forms of experience that fall outside conscious attention and that point to her affinity with the modernist philosopher of time, Henri Bergson, whoseCreative Evolutionshe read in 1955. This paper examines some of the short, concise poems Niedecker wrote in the 1950s, together with the later, looser-limbed poems such as “Paean to Place” where she turns away from the objectivist principles of com pression in order to produce fluid, malleable poems commensurate with the flow of experience.
Quiet Americans: The CIA and Early Cold War Hollywood Cinema
Authors: WILLMETTS SIMON
Published: July 2012

This article examines the relationship between the Central Intelligence Agency and the Hollywood film industry from 1947 to 1959. Surprisingly, the CIA was almost entirely absent from American cinema screens during this period, and their public profile in other popular media, including television and the press, was virtually nonexistent. This conspicuous lacuna of publicity coincided with what some scholars have termed the “Golden Age” of US covert action – an era of increasing CIA intervention in Italy, Iran and Guatemala, to name only the most prominent examples. How was it that the CIA managed to maintain such a low public profile and in the process evade popular scrutiny and questions of accountability during such an active period of its history? Utilizing extensive archival research in film production files and the records of the CIA themselves, this article suggests that Hollywood filmmakers adhered to the CIA's policy of blanket secrecy for three interrelated reasons. First, it suggests that the predominance of the so-called “semidocumentary” approach to the cinematic representation of US intelligence agencies during this period encouraged filmmakers to seek government endorsement and liaison in order to establish the authenticity of their portrayals. Thus the CIA's refusal to cooperate with Hollywood during this period thwarted a number of attempts by filmmakers to bring an authentic semidocumentary vision of their activities to the silver screen. Second, up until the liberalization of American defamation law in the mid-1960s, Hollywood studio legal departments advised producers to avoid unendorsed representations of US government departments and officials through fear of legal reprisal. Finally, this article suggests that the film-industry censor – the Production Code Administration – was instrumental in reinforcing Hollywood's reliance upon government endorsement and cooperation. This latter point is exemplified by Joseph Mankiewicz's controversial adaptation of Graham Greene'sThe Quiet American. Overturning existing scholarship, which argues that CIA officer Edward Lansdale played a decisive role in transforming the screenplay of Greene's novel, this article suggests that Mankiewicz's alterations were made primarily to appease the Production Code Administration.
Suburban Gothic and the Ethnic Uncanny in Jeffrey Eugenides'sThe Virgin Suicides
Authors: DINES MARTIN
Published: July 2012

If uncertainty and anxiety are the troubling but potentially radical qualities of gothic narrative, suburban gothic has typically been understood in terms of a banal unhomeliness which merely confirms reassuring commonplaces about the postwar American suburbs. In such readings, the suburbs are supposed to embody a desire to stand outside history: either they are places in which people seek refuge from their own pasts, or they represent an idealized past removed from the challenges of the present. This article argues that Jeffrey Eugenides's 1993 novelThe Virgin Suicidesundermines easy assumptions about the suburbs' atemporality. The novel's various gothic motifs suggest the difficulty of abandoning European pasts in order to adopt the white American identities required for a life in the suburbs; repressed ethnic difference haunts the suburban landscape. Yet Eugenides's suburban gothic also complicates the process of remembering such acts of forgetting: the difficulty of explicating suburban pasts, the novel insists, is precisely a measure of their having become historical. The drive to present comforting, codified narratives of the suburbs is shown to be part of a move – which always fails – to disassociate the present from these sites of conflict and trauma.
Ultrasonication and the quality of human milk: variation of power and time of exposure
Authors: Christen Lukas , Lai Ching Tat , Hartmann Peter E.
Published: July 2012

Donor human milk is pasteurized to prevent the potential risk of the transmission of pathogens to preterm infants. Currently, Holder pasteurization (human milk held at 62·5°C for 30 min) is used in most human milk banks, but has the disadvantage that it results in excessive inactivation of important bioactive components. Power-ultrasound (20–100 kHz) is an emerging technology for the preservation of foods and could be an alternative method for the treatment of human milk. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different ultrasound settings on the elimination of Escherichia coli and the retention of bile salt stimulated lipase (BSSL) activity. Ultrasonication with a constant power decreased Esch. coli viability exponentially over time until the processing temperature increased to sub-pasteurization level to between 51·4 and 58·5°C, then a log10 1·3 decrease was observed (P<0·05). BSSL activity decreased to 91% until a temperature of 51·4°C and then it decreased to 8% between 51·4 and 64·9°C. Ultrasonication with a constant energy and various power and exposure times showed the highest temperature (53·7°C) when treated with the longest exposure time and lowest ultrasound-power (276 s at 3·62 W) compared with 37·6°C for 39 s at 25·64 W. The findings predict that the viability of Esch. coli could be reduced by log10 5 with a minimal loss of activity of BSSL by applying 13·8 kJ of energy in 12 ml of human milk using high ultrasound power over a short exposure time to ensure that the temperature remains below the critical level for protein denaturation. Alternatively, the use of lower power settings such as the 26 W used in the present studies would require a cooling system to ensure the human milk BSSL was protected against temperature denaturation.
Identification ofClostridium beijerinckii, Cl. butyricum, Cl. sporogenes, Cl. tyrobutyricumisolated from silage, raw milk and hard cheese by a multiplex PCR assay
Authors: Cremonesi Paola , Vanoni Laura , Silvetti Tiziana , Morandi Stefano , Brasca Milena
Published: July 2012

Late blowing, caused by the outgrowth of clostridial spores present in raw milk and originating from silage, can create considerable product loss, especially in the production of hard and semi-hard cheeses. The conventional method for the isolation ofClostridiumspp. from cheeses with late-blowing symptoms is very complicated and the identification of isolates is problematic. The aim of this work was the development of a multiplex PCR method for the detection of the main dairy-related clostridia such as:Cl. beijerinckii, Cl. butyricum, Cl. sporogenes, Cl. tyrobutyricum.Samples derived from silage, raw milk and hard cheese were analysed by the most probable number (MPN) enumeration. Forty-four bacterial strains isolated from gas positive tubes were used to check the reliability of the multiplex PCR assay. The specificity of the primers was tested by individually analysing each primer pair and the primer pair combined in the multiplex PCR. It was interesting to note that the samples not identified by the multiplex PCR assay were amplified by V2–V3 16S rRNA primer pair and the sequencing revealed the aligned 16S rRNA sequences to bePaenibacillusandBacillusspp. This new molecular assay provides a simple promising alternative to traditional microbiological methods for a rapid, sensitive detection of clostridia in dairy products.
Cochleovestibular nerve involvement in multifocal fibrosclerosis
Authors: Tsuji R K , Bittencourt A G , Arai M H , Santiago Gebrim E M
Published: July 2012

Objectives:

To report a case of multifocal fibrosclerosis with a nine-year follow up, and to discuss this disease's radiological appearance and management. The disease is a rare systemic disorder of unknown cause characterised by fibrous proliferation involving multiple anatomical sites.

Case report:

A 50-year-old woman presented with histological findings characterised by similar inflammatory processes involving the meninges, pituitary gland, peritoneum, retroperitoneum and orbits, prompting a search for a common pathophysiology. A diagnosis of multifocal fibrosclerosis was postulated. Symptom improvement was noted after treatment with prednisone and azathioprine.

Conclusion:

This is the first documented case of involvement of the cochleovestibular nerve in a patient with multifocal fibrosclerosis. The rare association between fibrotic diseases and masses showing various clinical patterns should be kept in mind by otolaryngologists, and imaging performed to investigate for multifocal fibrosclerosis. However, diagnosis can only be confirmed with tissue biopsy and histopathological examination.
Brownian motion with variable drift: 0-1 laws, hitting probabilities and Hausdorff dimension
Authors: PERES YUVAL , SOUSI PERLA
Published: July 2012

By the Cameron–Martin theorem, if a function f is in the Dirichlet space D, then B + f has the same a.s. properties as standard Brownian motion, B. In this paper we examine properties of B + f when fD. We start by establishing a general 0-1 law, which in particular implies that for any fixed f, the Hausdorff dimension of the image and the graph of B + f are constants a.s. (This 0-1 law applies to any Lévy process.) Then we show that if the function f is Hölder(1/2), then B + f is intersection equivalent to B. Moreover, B + f has double points a.s. in dimensions d ≤ 3, while in d ≥ 4 it does not. We also give examples of functions which are Hölder with exponent less than 1/2, that yield double points in dimensions greater than 4. Finally, we show that for d ≥ 2, the Hausdorff dimension of the image of B + f is a.s. at least the maximum of 2 and the dimension of the image of f.
Bordetella holmesiiin children suspected of pertussis in Argentina
Authors: BOTTERO D. , GRIFFITH M. M. , LARA C. , FLORES D. , PIANCIOLA L. , GAILLARD M. E. , MAZZEO M. , ZAMBONI M. I. , SPOLETI M. J. , ANCHART E. , RUGGERI D. , SORHOUET C. , FIORI S. , GALAS M. , TONDELLA M. L. , HOZBOR D. F.
Published: July 2012

We describe nine patients (eight aged <1 year) clinically diagnosed with pertussis yet laboratory-confirmed withBordetella holmesiiinfections, a human pathogen normally isolated from blood. Most patients reported cough and cold symptoms. No death was reported. We reportB. holmesiiisolation in infants with respiratory symptoms in Argentina.